Damien Newton

The LA Festival of Movies debuts this week, featuring brand new films, world premieres, older independent flicks that may deserve a second look, and titles that haven’t played within…

Topanga is one of the riskiest places in LA County for fires and floods. One of the area’s oldest residents explains why she still calls it home after 92 years.

A committee wants to invest in the happiness of Californias with data-proven ideas. But a multi-billion dollar state budget deficit looms over their efforts.

A new AI company called Suno wants everyone to be able to produce their own pro-level songs. What does that mean for artists?

Beloved 99 Cents Only stores are closing permanently, so customers are grabbing their final bargains.

Judy Baca’s collaborative effort to create “The Great Wall of LA” is the subject of a new LA Times short documentary. The mural is being extended to another half mile.

In “Problemista,” a Salvadoran immigrant longs to become a toy designer when he arrives in New York. The challenges of getting a U.S. work visa threaten his dreams.

With the narrow approval of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $6.4 billion mental health bond, Prop 1, the work begins to build thousands of treatment beds.

Should a rise in Congressional retirements set off alarm bells? Are Democrats off base with their current platform? How will a new law impact campus free speech?