Sparks' Kristi Toliver is happy to be back in familiar surroundings
A reporter asks Kristi Toliver to enjoy the sunshine for him. The new Sparks point guard, back in sunny Southern California for her second stint, chuckles. She will, she assures him. After signing a three-year contract as an unrestricted free agent Monday, the two-time WNBA champion is happy to return to familiar surroundings. Three years…
Cal State San Marcos executives leave university on eve of critical audit
Cal State San Marcos announced Wednesday that two key executives have left the university, the interim provost has resigned his position, and the dean of graduate studies is on administrative leave. The changes come as the California State University system is preparing to release an audit that examines how and why top CSUSM officials used…
Arrest made after fire guts Tustin apartment building
Authorities Wednesday arrested a man on suspicion of setting a fire that tore through an Orange County apartment building, gutting dozens of apartments, collapsing the roof and displacing about 100 tenants. Patrick Andrew Ceniceros, 59, of Tustin was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of arson, Tustin Police Lt. Andrew Birozy said. “Just thank God that…
On Super Tuesday, California will play gatekeeper to the final stretch
SACRAMENTO — California voters are about to discard and qualify some candidates for the sprint to the Democratic presidential nomination. Until now, the race has been a slow marathon. But with Iowa and New Hampshire out of the way and Nevada and South Carolina coming soon (Feb. 22 and 29, respectively), candidates must kick into overdrive.…
I only took three years of high school math, escaped with a 'D' and turned out OK
I’ve never managed to master much beyond the nuts and bolts of math. I was an honor student who could ace almost every subject, but ninth grade geometry tripped me up. I slipped through with a C, but needed three tries to pass trigonometry, with a D. I couldn’t understand the point of all that…
Review: 'I Wish I Knew' presents a changing Shanghai through Jia Zhangke's heartbreaking gaze
We all live through change, but processing it while in the midst of it is notoriously difficult. Large-scale shifts in the world around us happen both rapidly and slowly — affecting how we view the past, present and future — and there seem to be very few filmmakers, regrettably, who care about this kind of…
Eight things to do in L.A. and O.C., including Valentine's Day shows
In a Valentine’s Day scramble? In Los Angeles and Orange counties, options for a night out this weekend include Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal’s salute to Leonard Cohen, Lucha VaVoom’s annual Valentine’s show, trumpeter Chris Botti with Pacific Symphony and “Lovers Rock” at Grand Park in DTLA. Four Larks delivers its takes on “Frankenstein” at…
How do you gear up for Frieze Los Angeles? With Prosecco at the Chateau Marmont
Art fairs are exclusive, with their tiered ticketing and timed entries, not to mention the invite-only parties and private dinners. On Tuesday evening Frieze Los Angeles held a VIP party — a VVIP event, if you will. The evening was a welcome for exhibitors, many of whom had just arrived from Europe, Mexico and New…
Pole dancing gets political at MOCA as part of Frieze Week Los Angeles
How does pole dance become political? In “State of,” a work by performance art duo Gerard & Kelly, subway pole dance innovator Forty Smooth performs his acrobatic, gravity-defying moves to Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” while dressed in a deconstructed version of the American flag. The self-taught Forty Smooth performs alongside…
New snow at L.A.-area ski resorts in time for Presidents Day weekend
Southern California ski resorts received as much as a half-foot of snow from the weekend storm that continued into Monday. However, strong cross winds kept at least one ski area from opening. A high wind warning from the National Weather Service forecasts 25 to 40 mph winds with gusts up to 65 mph until noon…