Making Los Angeles

Episoder

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  Zev Yaroslavsky: Forty Years, One City, and a Career That Can't Happen Again 19.08.2026 1t 34min

  Zev Yaroslavsky spent forty consecutive years in elected office in Los Angeles — a run that, thanks to term limits, no local politician will ever match again. And it began with a race he probably wasn't supposed to win. At just 25 years old, Zev ran for Los Angeles City Council and defeated not one, but two formidable opponents: Mayor Tom Bradley's handpicked candidate and former Councilmember Roz Wyman. He announced that campaign at Canter's Deli — which is exactly where we sat down, nearly half a century later, to talk about everything that followed. In this episode, Zev takes us through four decades at City Hall and on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, including that unlikely first campaign, the 1984 Olympics, the long fight to bring rail transit to the Westside, and what it was like helping govern Los Angeles through some of the most consequential periods in its modern history. But this isn't just a tour through a political résumé. It's the story of someone who entered public life remarkably young, stayed there remarkably long, and remained deeply rooted in the city he represented. How rooted? After forty years in office and a lifetime in Los Angeles, Zev still lives within eight blocks of his childhood home.
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  Susan Feniger: Border Grill, Too Hot Tamales, and Everything In Between 05.08.2026 1t 23min

  Susan Feniger is one of the pioneers of modern Los Angeles dining – and one of the first generation of chefs to bring bold, regional Mexican cuisine into the mainstream. But her story starts in a parking lot. In this episode, Susan shares how she set out – very intentionally – to learn from the kitchens she admired, landing at Ma Maison under a young Wolfgang Puck, and how she met her longtime business partner Mary Sue Milliken, eventually convincing her to move to Los Angeles so they could open a restaurant together. That restaurant, City Cafe, was a 900-square-foot spot on Melrose where they cooked in the parking lot on two hibachis and two hot plates. And somehow… it worked. People noticed … including Julia Child – a connection that eventually led to City Cafe memorabilia being displayed at the Smithsonian. What followed was a career defined by curiosity, from traveling through Mexico to explore regional cuisine long before it was widely understood, to building Border Grill into one of the defining restaurant concepts in Los Angeles and beyond. Along the way, Susan and Mary Sue also became some of the original stars of the Food Network, hosting more than 400 episodes of Too Hot Tamales, helping shape what food television would become. And wait until you hear just how strong that partnership really is… it involves a relationship story that could probably only happen in Los Angeles.
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  Alex Baskin: MTV, The Real Housewives, and Reality TV 29.07.2026 1t 13min

  Alex Baskin is the executive producer behind some of Bravo’s most recognizable reality series – most notably, The Real Housewives. But his story starts well before that. In this episode, Alex shares how his father’s career as a television writer brought their family to L.A., what it was like coming up through MTV in its heyday, and why, fresh out of law school, he took a job that paid just five hundred dollars a week – a decision that helped set the course for everything that followed. We also get into the evolution of The Real Housewives – from early experiments in a few cities to a cultural phenomenon – including why Beverly Hills became such a defining setting, and what it takes to keep a show like that both relevant and unpredictable. His is a story about storytelling, cultural influence, and how Los Angeles helps shape what the rest of the country watches. And yes: we go there on Scandoval … and the Baskin-Robbins connection.
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  Madeleine Brand: Public Radio, Press Play, and Finding Her Voice 22.07.2026 51min

  Madeleine Brand is one of those voices millions of people recognize — even if they don’t immediately know the name behind it. For more than a decade, she’s hosted Press Play on KCRW. Before that came NPR, Day to Day, and a public-radio career that took her from Berkeley to Buffalo, Boston, New Jersey, Washington, New York, and finally — wisely — back home to Los Angeles. What’s remarkable is how early she figured out what she loved. While many careers in media involve detours, reinventions, and a fair amount of chaos, Madeleine found public radio in college, got very good at it, and kept following the work wherever it led. In this episode, we talk about the sleepy New Jersey station that somehow became a launching pad for an entire generation of legendary broadcasters, why one very large and very well-intentioned grant ultimately convinced her it was time to leave, and what it takes to stay thoughtful, curious, and unmistakably yourself across decades on the air. Madeleine is also funny, candid, and wonderfully self-aware — including about why her favorite place to hear live music in Los Angeles is her own house. And yes, at one point she tells me I’m a good interviewer. Which, for me, was a little like Kobe Bryant telling you you’ve got a nice jump shot.
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  John Szabo: The Most Interesting Job in Los Angeles You Didn’t Realize Existed 15.07.2026 55min

  John Szabo runs one of the largest and most quietly influential public systems in Los Angeles — all seventy-two branches of the L.A. Public Library — as the City Librarian. In this episode, John shares how he started working in libraries at sixteen, what it was like arriving in L.A. thinking it would take a couple months to get settled – only to realize, eighteen months later, that this city doesn’t work like that – and how he ended up being named National Librarian of the Year. But more than anything, this is a conversation about what a modern library actually is. Under John’s leadership, the L.A. Public Library has expanded far beyond books: citizenship programs, job training, legal clinics, maker spaces, and skill-building workshops – all free, all embedded in communities across the city. We also get into the fun stuff – from the oldest book in the collection to the staggering number of audiobooks Angelenos check out each year – and why, at a time when many public institutions feel strained, the library continues to grow. And yes – we also hear his excitement about getting to open a 100-year-old time capsule.
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  Jim & Janice Hahn: Family Legacy, Sibling Rivalry, and Serving Los Angeles 08.07.2026 1t 14min

  Jim Hahn and Janice Hahn come from one of the most consequential families in Los Angeles public life – and are still shaping it today. Their father, Kenneth Hahn, served on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for more than four decades – and left a legacy that both Jim and Janice have carried forward in their own ways. Jim is the only person to have held all three citywide offices in Los Angeles, including serving as the city’s 40th Mayor. Janice has served on the City Council, in Congress, and now on the very same Board of Supervisors as her father. In this episode, they share what it was like growing up with a beloved yet always-on-call father, and why being brother and sister led to very different timelines for finding their way into public life. We recorded in the Board Room of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the very room where their father served, and where Janice serves today – a setting that made this conversation feel very personal. This is a serious — though warm and often funny — conversation about family legacy and public service. But, even after decades in public life, there’s still plenty of sibling button-pushing. Some things are universal.
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  Brian Toll & John Terzian: The Making of L.A. Nightlife 24.06.2026 58min

  Brian Toll and John Terzian aren’t household names – but their venues are. Bootsy Bellows. Delilah. The Nice Guy. Poppy. Bird Streets Club. If you’ve seen a paparazzi shot of a celebrity slipping in or out of a club in Los Angeles, there’s a good chance it was one of theirs. In this episode, Brian and John share how a friendship that started by throwing epic house parties at USC turned into the h.wood Group, one of the most influential hospitality brands in the country. We talk about the early failure that almost ended it before it began – their first club was shut down by the City – how they think about exclusivity … including why not letting people in can sometimes be the smartest business decision … and what it really takes to build places that feel both impossible to access and impossible to ignore. It’s a conversation about access, perception, and how they’ve helped define Los Angeles for the rest of the world. And yes – of all the celebrities who’ve come through their doors, we find out who actually left them starstruck.
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  Robert Stone: Basketball, Cancer, and Following Your Heart 17.06.2026 1t 14min

  City of Hope CEO Robert Stone leads one of the most important cancer research and treatment organizations in the world. Under his leadership, the institution has expanded dramatically, now serving nearly 150,000 patients annually across four states. Which makes one fact all the more surprising: out of the country's 57 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers, Robert is the only CEO who is not a medical professional. In this episode, we talk about his unlikely college basketball career, how what could have been a fairly traditional corporate law career turned into a decades-long mission at City of Hope, and why he nearly fainted on his very first day on the job. Along the way, we discuss his family's deep Los Angeles roots, the pressure and responsibility of leading an institution that patients literally trust with their lives, and how following his instincts led him down a path he never could have predicted. Most of all, this is a conversation about leadership, purpose, and what can happen when you choose the less obvious road. And yes — we also compare notes on being at Dodger Stadium for two of the most unforgettable home runs in baseball history.
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  Nancy Silverton: Style, Substance, and the Reinvention of L.A. Dining 10.06.2026 1t 12min

  Nancy Silverton isn’t just one of Los Angeles’s most celebrated chefs – she helped define how this city eats. Born and raised in L.A., Nancy’s career spans the city’s most iconic kitchens – from Michael’s to Spago, Campanile to La Brea Bakery, and now the “Mozza Plex”: Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, and Chi Spacca. And let’s not forget the already-iconic Max & Helen’s, the Larchmont diner she opened in partnership with Phil Rosenthal. In this episode, Nancy shares how a chance encounter in her college dorm set her on her unexpected culinary path, why she left school with just one semester to go, and what it was like to help open Spago as its original pastry chef. We also talk about the quieter forces behind her success, including the influence of her mother, and how she’s managed to wear her status as a true L.A. legend with her unmistakably effortless style. This conversation is about instinct, reinvention, and building something lasting in a city that’s constantly changing. And yes – we also get her heretical take on the iconic, L.A.-born fast-food chain she says is overrated.
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  Alex Cohen: Journalism, Japan, and the Derby Dolls 03.06.2026 1t 6min

  Alex Cohen is one of those if-you-know-you-know voices in Los Angeles. A longtime presence on NPR and now a morning anchor and political host on Spectrum News 1, she’s spent decades helping Angelenos make sense of the world around them. But her path to journalism – and her life outside of it – is anything but conventional. In this episode, Alex shares how growing up in the San Fernando Valley (yes, as a self-described “Valley Girl”) shaped her early ambitions, how time spent living in rural Japan helped set her on the path to journalism, and why she made the leap from radio to television after years behind the mic. We also get into the perhaps more unexpected sides of her story: her time managing a band, her ongoing deep interest in 13th Century Zen Buddhism, and her unlikely second identity as a Roller Derby competitor – complete with not one, but two nicknames. It’s a conversation about curiosity, reinvention, and what it means to build a life that’s both serious and surprising – on air and off. And, if I’m being honest, it’s also just one of the funniest conversations I’ve had yet.
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  Keith Corbin: Prison, Purpose, and Reinventing His Life Through Food 20.05.2026 1t 2min

  How does someone go from the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts to becoming the co-owner of one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants? In this episode of Making Los Angeles, chef and author Keith Corbin reflects on the long, unlikely road that led him from gang culture, prison, and the crack epidemic of 1980s South LA to Alta Adams, the acclaimed West Adams restaurant rooted in Black foodways and community. Keith shares stories about losing his brother, surviving prison, discovering cooking later in life through Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson’s LocoL, and finding purpose through food after years of instability and survival. The conversation explores Watts, masculinity, grief, fatherhood, redemption, and the complicated relationship between identity and place in Los Angeles.
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  Cheech Marin: Comedy, Chicano Art, and Reinventing Los Angeles 13.05.2026 1t 4min

  What does it take to reinvent yourself over and over again — from Chicano kid in South Central LA, to potter living in the Canadian wilderness, to one half of one of the most iconic comedy duos in American history? In this episode, Cheech Marin reflects on the winding, unexpected path that shaped his life and career. Recorded inside the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, the conversation spans decades of Los Angeles history — from growing up in South Central and the San Fernando Valley, to resisting the Vietnam draft, living off the grid in Alberta, discovering improv theater in Vancouver, and eventually building Cheech & Chong into a cultural phenomenon. Cheech shares stories about opening for Motown acts, playing topless bars, recording groundbreaking comedy albums, and making Up in Smoke at a time when Hollywood had no idea what to make of them. He also reflects on Born in East L.A., the evolving conversation around immigration in America, and why Chicano art became one of his life’s great passions. We hear about Muhammad Ali, Bruce Springsteen opening for Cheech & Chong, late nights at the Troubadour, life in Malibu, and the creative instincts that kept pulling him toward music, comedy, filmmaking, and art. This episode is about curiosity, reinvention, and showing up every day for the thing you love…even when you have no idea where it’s going to lead.
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  Introducing: Making LA Season 2 06.05.2026 2min

  What's different about Season 2? Everything! And absolutely nothing. Because this show is about people, and everybody's story is different. Join us every Wednesday starting May 13th.
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  Featuring: Rebuilding LA 10.12.2025 1t 5min

  Please enjoy this specially featured episode of LA Times Studio's Rebuilding LA. What’s next for L.A. in the wake of its recent wildfires? In “Rebuilding Los Angeles,” broadcast journalist Kate Cagle examines the systems that failed us, the path forward and the innovative fire recovery efforts making L.A. more resilient. This episode features prominent city developer Rick Caruso and a conversation about his role in the rebuilding efforts as the Palisades try to find their new normal nearly a year after the fires.
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  Making “Making Los Angeles” - Our Host Becomes Our Guest 03.12.2025 26min

  As we gear up for Season Two, we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at how Making Los Angeles came to life — with a twist. Season Two guest Alex Cohen — NPR legend and Spectrum News 1 anchor — steps into the host chair, and Glenn plays guest for a day as they talk through the show’s origins, how guests are chosen, and the stories behind the stories. They also dig into what makes someone truly part of the fabric of this city, and preview what’s ahead, including the show’s first video episode. And yes — Alex surprises Glenn with the question he wasn’t expecting: who’s his dream guest?
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  Producer's Pick: Michael Connelly: Crime, Craft, and Chandler’s Booth at Musso’s 19.11.2025 1t 3min

  We’re bringing back a few of my favorite conversations from last season — Season One Spotlights, as we’re calling them — so whether you’ve been with us from the start or you’re just discovering the show, these episodes capture the people, stories, and ideas that shape how we see Los Angeles. From Bosch to The Lincoln Lawyer to his latest novel Nightshade, few authors have done more to shape how the world sees Los Angeles than bestselling crime novelist Michael Connelly. In this episode, we talk to the man behind more than 40 books — nearly all set in L.A. — whose work has been adapted for film and television and translated into more than 40 languages. He tells us about the chilling moment that first sparked his interest in crime stories at age 16, the unpublished novels he wrote along the way, and why he didn’t quit his day job until his fourth book came out.
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  Producer's Pick: Father Greg Boyle: The Priest, the Homies, and a Mic Drop 12.11.2025 53min

  We’re bringing back a few of my favorite conversations from last season — Season One Spotlights, as we’re calling them — so whether you’ve been with us from the start or you’re just discovering the show, these episodes capture the people, stories, and ideas that shape how we see Los Angeles. In a city where everything changes, what if the most important people are the ones who don’t? Father Greg Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries — the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program — and he’s spent more than 30 years in the same East L.A. neighborhood, still showing up with hugs, humor, a little wisdom, and the occasional twenty for the homies outside his office. He’s a Jesuit priest, bestselling author, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient… and a walking masterclass in radical compassion. In this episode: we’ll hear why he asked to serve in L.A.’s poorest parish, how living in Bolivia reshaped his worldview, and what it really means to listen. And yes — we’ll hear how even Jesuit priests aren’t above the occasional mic drop. In this episode: we’ll hear why he asked to serve in L.A.’s poorest parish, how living in Bolivia reshaped his worldview, and what it really means to listen. And yes — we’ll hear how even Jesuit priests aren’t above the occasional mic drop.
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  Producer's Pick: Kevin Demoff: The Man Who Brought the Rams (and SoFi) to LA 05.11.2025 1t

  We’re bringing back a few of my favorite conversations from last season — Season One Spotlights, as we’re calling them — so whether you’ve been with us from the start or you’re just discovering the show, these episodes capture the people, stories, and ideas that shape how we see Los Angeles. Kevin Demoff is the President of Team & Media Operations for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, where he helps lead some of the biggest names in sports — including the Los Angeles Rams, the team he helped relocate from St. Louis back to his hometown. In this episode: why taking the Rams job felt like a terrible decision at the time, what it was like to have Dan Marino show up to your middle school basketball games, and how growing up in L.A. shaped his approach to building something lasting here — even if that wasn’t part of the plan when he took the job. We recorded this conversation inside Rams Draft HQ — at the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations facility in Van Nuys — on the morning of Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
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  Introducing: Smoglandia 29.10.2025 6min

  Please enjoy this preview of the first episode of Patt Morrison's latest miniseries, Smoglandia. Smoglandia is a narrative audio series tracing the rise, impact and eventual retreat of L.A.’s most insidious form of pollution: smog. Through interviews with scientists, policymakers, filmmakers and artists who lived through the worst days, Smoglandia explores how Los Angeles became a testing ground for environmental regulation, and how science and innovation transformed public health. At a moment when our hard-triumphs over smog face new setbacks, Smoglandia explores a landmark victory for the City of Angels, and, through clearer air, looks forward to the lessons we still have to learn — and the battles we have yet to fight.
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  Producer's Pick: Karen Bass: Roots, Resilience, and the Story of Los Angeles 22.10.2025 1t 2min

  We’re bringing back a few of my favorite conversations from last season — Season One Spotlights, as we’re calling them — so whether you’ve been with us from the start or you’re just discovering the show, these episodes capture the people, stories, and ideas that shape how we see Los Angeles. While Mayor Karen Bass hardly needs an introduction, what sticks with me most from this conversation is how deeply connected she is to the city’s history — white flight, the RFK assassination, the crack epidemic — and yet how firmly her identity remains rooted in the people. Even after decades inside government, she still approaches power like someone trying to change it from the outside.