SoCal Val
Then & Now: Pedestrian Tunnels
• The Lost Tunnels of Downtown L.A. This is a photo taken on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. Where are these kids coming from? Out of a tunnel under the street -- what's up with that? Watch this 2-minute... » continue reading
Then & Now: Venice
This is a photo looking east on Windward Avenue. The cross street in the distance is Pacific Avenue. Can you guess when this photo was taken? » continue reading
Wine Love, Stoppered
Attention wine lovers! This is how you buy wine at a grocery store in Pennsylvania. Yeah, from a vending machine. » continue reading
Where's Val? #6
This week Val explores one of L.A.'s hidden gems. You can't see it from the busy city street, but climb a few stairs and—voila—you're there. » continue reading
Where's Val? #5
Test your knowledge of SoCal geography with my latest video puzzle. » continue reading
Where's Val? #4
California is sprinkled with quaint and campy getaways. Can you guess which one Val found this week? » continue reading
Where's Val? #3
This week, take a vacation with our Web producer Brian Frank, who brings back some photos from a recent weekend getaway. See if you can guess where he went! » continue reading
Master Of The Spoken Word
A conversation with 100-year-old radio legend Norman Corwin about today's media and America's future. » continue reading
Where's Val? #2
If you love local history, 19th century architecture, and a gracious and peaceful place to stroll, you may have already discovered this gem tucked away in the heart of L.A. » continue reading
An Entertaining Chat With Dave Barry
In this 4-minute sampler from a chat with Val, the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist riffs on L.A. v. Miami drivers, the internet and the glut of celebrities. Enjoy! » continue reading
Where's Val? #1
Here's the first in a series. Can you guess where I am? I'll give you a hint: It will be a special challenge for you Westsiders. » continue reading
The End of Wall Street
Financial reporter Roger Lowenstein talks about his new book, The End of Wall Street. Is the title a fact, or a prediction? » continue reading
Us vs Them: A Content Comparison
A recent report from USC illustrated just how little news there is on local TV news. We used it, and compared our coverage to the commercial news broadcasts » continue reading
Bargaining With The Devil
Negotiating with terrorists, with an abusive boss, with a vindictive ex-spouse. Is it ever a good idea to bargain with the devil? Perhaps, says a leading scholar who studies the science and art of negotiation. » continue reading
A City Councilman's View of the DWP
L.A. City Councilor Bill Rosendahl has no apologies for granting DWP workers a raise, while other city workers are facing pay cuts and layoffs. » continue reading
Big Man At the DWP
He might be the most powerful labor leader in L.A. A chat with Brian D'Arcy of the electrical workers union, about why DWP employees got raises when other city workers are losing their jobs. » continue reading
Great News! It's TaxTime!
Is there really a place where tax time makes people happy? Yes there is. Take a look. » continue reading
Ojai's Best Kept Secret?
Need a break from the rat race? You can find some peace, and quiet, too, just an hour or so north of LA. In a little garden with spectacular views and acres of wild flowers... » continue reading
Financial Advice from Jane Bryant Quinn
Get some simple, straight-forward and even old-fashioned tips about personal finance from one of the country's best known and most respected financial writers. » continue reading
Re-inventing the Wheel(chair)
An MIT engineer figures out a way to make a very cheap wheelchair, and how to help disabled people across the globe. » continue reading
Shopping For God
If you wanted to buy a Christmas present for the Son of God, what better place to visit than The God Shop? » continue reading
Twyla Tharp, Collaborationist
Tips on getting along with other people. From a master. Choreographer Twyla Tharp's secrets of successful collaboration. » continue reading
Overgrown and Overwhelmed
When a plant-loving woman got in trouble for having TOO many plants, her neighbors came to the rescue. Click inside to see what happened. » continue reading
Swallowing Stereotypes
How quickly can you match a stereotype to an ethnicity? An art exhibit playing off of whites-only and blacks-only drinking fountains will put you to the test. » continue reading
My Favorite (Funny) Winemaker!
Love good wine and good company? Meet Charlie Poalillo, a happily-married flirt who serves up words of wisdom along with a KILLER 2004 Zinfandel. » continue reading
Outsourcing Our Streets
Imported cars, imported clothes, imported...manhole covers? We found some on the streets - covers from Mexico and India - proudly displayed under the "City of LA." Take a look. » continue reading
Latino Heritage on Less Than $50
Val has a fashion crisis when she's picked as the Grand Marshall in Pasadena's Latino Heritage Parade. » continue reading
How Green Is My...Lawn?
Your lawn is brown. My lawn is brown. We're having a serious drought. So why are the lawns in affluent San Marino as green as the residents wallets? » continue reading
Estate Sales: No Funeral Necessary
These days, dying is not a prerequisite to bargains. » continue reading
Grunion Running Time Running Out
Grunion run between March and September. So there's still some time to get your grunion hunting in. » continue reading
Val's Blog: Guerrilla Gardeners Update
I thought I’d go back to Sunset and Van Ness to see if our labors were all for naught - or if the plants we put in survived life in L.A. » continue reading
Banking Food In a Time of Need
For our story on food waste, I went to the L.A. Regional Food Bank and talked with Michael Flood. » continue reading
Val's Blog: Outtakes from My Interview with the Teen Sailor
I did a webcam interview with Zac Sunderland who is sailing around the world solo, hoping to set a record as the youngest person to do that. Here are some bites that didn't make it on air. » continue reading
Val's Blog: Inside a New State-of-the-Art Hospital
Here in Hollywood/ Los Feliz we have the nation's biggest hospital. This $600 million Kaiser Medical Center opened in March. It is completely computerized, with electronic records, state-of-the-art equipment and spacious design. » continue reading
Hello City Council. Would you take a pay cut?
$178,789 a year. That’s how much you’d be earning if you were an L.A. City Council member. In fact you’d be earning more than any other city council person in the nation. Higher than New Yorkers. The next highest paid in California is the San Francisco City Council at just under $96,000 a year. » continue reading
