Abierto Means Open
On July 1, in the company of a few of her nearest and dearest, Amanda Weir’s new brick and mortar store gently sprang to life at Point Dume Village in Malibu. For Amanda, who was born and raised in...
The Last Best Town
The Theatricum Botanicum is premiering a new play on July 30. The Last Best Small Town tells the story of two neighboring families—one Latinx and one White—who live in the small Southern California town of Fillmore. As the first...
Our Neighbors
A July 19 fire in Tuna Canyon that ignited at what appears to be a short term rental property with multiple campsites, spread to 15 acres before being contained, and fanned fears throughout Topanga. In Malibu, where two recent...
West Basin Municipal Water District Declares Water Shortage
The West Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors has officially activated its Water Shortage Contingency Plan and declared a water shortage level one for the service area representing nearly one million people in 17 cities and unincorporated areas...
Art in the Mountains
Officials still haven’t verified the cause of the five-acre Tuna Canyon fire that ignited just after midnight in dense brush and steep terrain on July 9, but the unofficial consensus is that it started in a homeless encampment in...
An Ocean Underfoot: Topanga’s Fossils Record the History of Vanished Seas
The shark tooth was so shiny, so perfectly triangular and sharp, that it looked at first glance like a shard of metal on the sand. Our coast is home to a wide variety of sharks: leopard sharks that swim...
Topanga Community Center Is a Finalist for CA District 27 Nonprofit of the Year Award
TCC was nominated by the community and selected as a finalist in the Community Health and Safety category. TCC volunteers have worked tirelessly to keep spirits up during the coronavirus crisis and ensure that the most vulnerable members of...
Deb Ryder Sings Again
Topanga musician Deb Ryder is performing live at Corazon, Saturday, August 21, at 9 p.m. It’s a welcome return to the stage for this multi-talented musician. Born outside Chicago, Deb began appearing on stage as a young teen at...
World premiere of The Last, Best Small Town
Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum presents the world premiere of The Last, Best Small Town, a modern-day Our Town by L.A.-based Latinx playwright John Guerra. Performances begin Saturday, July 31 on Theatricum’s beautiful outdoor stage in Topanga, where they continue...
Annual Beach Report
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area beaches received good marks on Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Report. Every year, the nonprofit organization ranks the beaches and freshwater sites it tests for bacterial pollution. The recent 17-million-gallon sewage spill at...
What’s That Racket?
The Rackets quietly glide onto the stage, over dozens of entangled cables and patterned rugs likely as old as the venue: Del Monte Speakeasy, or Townhouse in Venice, California. During prohibition one would appear to merely be shopping for...
Got Art? The Great Wall of Topanga, Ten Years Later
If you ever liked to play I Spy with My Little Eye or loved Hidden Pictures in Highlights magazine, you will appreciate gazing at the visual riddles embedded in the kitschy façade of the Great Wall of Topanga (but...
Formations: Joshua Tree Rocks
For her new solo show at the Topanga Art Gallery, artist Caroline PM Jones has drawn her inspiration from the weathered stones of the Mojave Desert. “Formations: Joshua Tree Rocks” features paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and a video installation...
Connecting the Dots
The best history is intimately connected to our own lives and serves in our quest to understand the world we live in. Throughline, a weekly podcast from National Public Radio, lives up to the standard; with the explicitly stated...
Precious Metal Clay
Precious Metal Clay (PMC) or Art Clay is a medium that has endless possibilities in the world of jewelry making. Without the need for a full workshop and lots of equipment, this craft takes very little space, a rather...
Wildlife Crossing and Triangle Ranch Acquisition Receive State Funding
The State Budget includes funding for two important projects in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The California legislature has approved a $7 million allocation for the wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon, and $8 for the acquisition of...
Eviction Moratorium Extended
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the Los Angeles County Temporary Eviction Moratorium through September 30, 2021. The moratorium, which was first put into effect March 2020, places a Countywide ban on evictions for residential tenants, commercial...
Interdependence: A More Mature Approach
Independence. What an interesting word. As we just recently celebrated Independence Day in the United States, I woke up thinking about this word, and even though I wanted it to give me the feeling of freedom, of being self-sufficient...
Remembering Pamela Polk Lillard, August 7, 1959 – May 13, 2021
Pamela Lillard, a long-time resident of Topanga Canyon, passed away unexpectedly on May 13. Pamela had a gorgeous and versatile voice, which one critic described as “honey and vinegar,” and wrote hundreds of songs. She produced many albums, most...
Tuna Canyon Fire 7/9/2021 (updated)
A fire ignited in Tuna Canyon just after midnight on July 9 and spread to five acres in dense brush and steep terrain. The blaze was reported at 12:45 a.m., and was 25 percent contained by 10 a.m., with...
