East Los Angeles, CA

More than 20 years after shutting its doors, the historic Linda Vista Community Hospital has been given new life in Los Angeles.

Linda Vista

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AMCAL Multi-Housing and the East Los Angeles Community Corp. (ELACC) have carefully rehabilitated the derelict building into a 120-unit development for low-income seniors.

“The building had been sitting vacant when there’s a tremendous need for housing,” says Percival Vaz, CEO of AMCAL. “We were interested in doing something useful with it while still preserving the historic nature.”

Located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, the area has about 47,000 senior households that earn less than $35,000 per year, with many spending more than half of their income on housing, according to AMCAL. The Linda Vista development helps ease that pressure, serving seniors earning 30% to 60% of the area median income. In addition, 25% of the units are reserved for Housing for Health households, a Los Angeles County Department of Health Services program that provides housing opportunities coupled with supportive services to homeless, high utilizers of the health-care system.

To make Linda Vista a reality, the development team restored and adapted a building constructed in 1905 as the Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital to serve the needs of railroad employees and their families. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, later served as a community hospital before ceasing operation in 1991.

Steeped in atmosphere and character, the building was subsequently used in the filming of many movies and television programs, including Pearl Harbor. It also became a popular spot for trespassers. Although age and hard use caused the building to fall into disrepair, the development team still recognized its huge potential. The hospital’s attractive architecture and good location remained, making it a strong candidate to be adapted into housing.

The project, collectively known as Linda Vista, involved two stages—phase one involved the rehabilitation of a modestly sized nurses’ dormitory into 23 apartments, and phase two incorporated the rehabilitation of a complex, six-story main hospital building into 97 apartments. The latter phase is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Historic patient rooms were redesigned as apartments. Treatment areas and other parts of the hospital proved challenging but have been converted into a game room, a library, and other uses. In one move, the developers removed a portion of the roof in the middle of a rear wing to create a three-story atrium. Each floor maintains its own character with different furniture styles, artwork themes, and color schemes.

The $47.7 million development was financed with historic tax credits as well as 9% and 4% low-income housing tax credits. Union Bank was the tax credit investor. Linda Vista also utilized Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds.

In addition to providing needed housing for the elderly, Linda Vista has helped improve the entire neighborhood by rehabilitating a decaying building. The new development includes two large community spaces that are available to residents and the surrounding neighborhood for events. AMCAL and ELACC also purchased six vacant lots within one block of the property that are in the process of being developed into single-family affordable housing.

Donna Kimura is deputy editor of Affordable Housing Finance. She has covered the industry for more than a decade. Before that, she worked at an internet company and several daily newspapers. Connect with Donna at dkimura@zondahome.com or follow her @DKimura_AHF.

Los Angeles’s coffee scene has come a long way since the days of sugary syrups and poorly foamed milk. The number of local shops doing it right has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, making it possible to find a great coffee drink anytime in the morning or for an afternoon pick-me-up in nearly every corner of the city. Some even come with eye-catching pastries or desserts. Here are the essential coffee bars in Los Angeles, presented from west to east (not in any particular order).

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As the name implies, experimentation is key at Mad Lab where baristas serve a great pour or a chele palmer which is a fizzy blend of strawberries and coffee. Check their new location at Topanga Social, in Hollywood, or on Pico.

Everyone loves a success story. Even more, when the cafe prepares some of the SFV’s best coffee. Gacia Tachejian’s Laidrey Roasters include red velvet lattes and strawberry cappuccinos. A second location is headed to Encino in 2023.

Appealing to bicycle culture, this Calabasas and Santa Monica cafe does well-crafted espresso drinks and a light menu of teas and tonics to help cyclists to continue their routes. When in Santa Monica, the shop is a bright oasis to work or host in-person meetings or for a quick cup.

Culver City’s outpost of Goodboybob does a fantastic job with its house-roasted beans and crave-worthy chapatis at the entrance to Citizen Public Market. Goodboybob’s flagship Santa Monica shop and Manhattan Beach outlet both offer house-made pastries.

The Boy and the Bear is steadily moving on an expansion path with locations in Redondo Beach, Westchester, Pasadena, Culver City, and a new cafe in Sherman Oaks. The warehouse-style interiors take on a cool, spacious, and serene vibe with plenty of well-crafted espresso drinks.

Culver City's modernist Cognoscenti Coffee is staffed by friendly baristas who offer a wide selection of beans from roasters. Cognoscenti also has locations in the Fashion District and Downtown LA.

Sip & Sonder brings quality coffee and a cozy gathering space to Inglewood’s historic Market Street with caffeine and bites for those in need of a daytime workspace. They also host art shows, live performances, investors’ clubs, and fireside chats within 2,000 square feet. For those in the San Fernando Valley, the co-founders opened a Sherman Oaks location in 2022.

After making an impression at Smorgasburg, Be Bright Coffee settled into a permanent bright Melrose space in 2022. They’ve got a robust wholesale business that provides beans to a number of cafes throughout LA, but for those in need of a robust cup or the vivid cream latte.

(Note: The owners of Be Bright Coffee are related to Eater LA editor Matthew Kang, who has no business connection to the company and was not involved in the compilation, editing, or publication of this story.)

This second outpost of a popular Koreatown coffee bar is quite the scene during the week, given its location in the middle of the neighborhood. It’s always bustling with those seeking caffeine or an outstanding breakfast sandwich. The cafe serves Onyx Coffee from Arkansas, and baristas always make sure the latte art is top-notch.

Settled in the heart of Koreatown, Cafe Spot LA’s coffee is rich, flavorful, and bold. But they also have a dessert section that marvels any bakery in the city with items like bingsu, a Korean shaved ice along with mille crepe, croissants, and cheesecake.

An exercise in Korean minimalist design, Maru’s Los Feliz and the Arts District are incredibly pleasant places to enjoy coffee in Los Angeles. The beans are roasted at its larger Arts District space and the Beverly Hills is a recent addition to secure a cup in the city.

The reason why Bloom & Plume is one of LA’s most stylish coffee bars is that co-owner Maurice Harris is an artist and floral designer. While visiting this Historic Filipinotown cafe order the honey lavender or peppermint and enjoy the room.

Highland Park’s popular coffee bar opened a second location in DTLA this spring. Just like the original, there are beans from a variety of roasters, with beautiful lattes and practiced brewing techniques. Kumquat also has a sister shop called Loquat in Cypress Park, which boasts a stylish yellow-tinted design and serves its own propriety roasted beans. Look for the operator’s fourth and unnamed Highland Park location later this year.

Endorffeine’s magic is in the Southeast Asian-influenced coffee drinks. It doesn’t hurt that co-owner Jack Benchakul is a former biochemist. Head to Chinatown’s Far East Plaza, walk past the folks waiting at Howlin’ Rays and ask for a recommendation that always pleases.

A true community gathering spot, Patria Coffee Roasters sources incredible coffees from around the globe and roasts them at a site near the cafe. Order the cafe de olla which could accompany a community event happening in the Compton space.

Annie Choi opened Found Coffee in 2015 and established her cozy neighborhood cafe in a residential corner of Eagle Rock. Choi searches far and wide for the best beans and teas while serving a perfect vanilla latte.

With three Long Beach locations, Rose Park Roasters has unique interiors for each. The Fourth Street outlet has huge windows making it pleasantly bright, with house-made pastry, and outdoor seating to boot.

Pasadena's best coffee shop may well be Copa Vida, a corner stalwart that also offers a full slate of food options and plenty of seating to pair with its sunny vibe and well-calibrated espresso drinks. Try the different types of cold brews, or opt for a well-made iced latte for warmer days.

As the name implies, experimentation is key at Mad Lab where baristas serve a great pour or a chele palmer which is a fizzy blend of strawberries and coffee. Check their new location at Topanga Social, in Hollywood, or on Pico.

Everyone loves a success story. Even more, when the cafe prepares some of the SFV’s best coffee. Gacia Tachejian’s Laidrey Roasters include red velvet lattes and strawberry cappuccinos. A second location is headed to Encino in 2023.

Appealing to bicycle culture, this Calabasas and Santa Monica cafe does well-crafted espresso drinks and a light menu of teas and tonics to help cyclists to continue their routes. When in Santa Monica, the shop is a bright oasis to work or host in-person meetings or for a quick cup.

Culver City’s outpost of Goodboybob does a fantastic job with its house-roasted beans and crave-worthy chapatis at the entrance to Citizen Public Market. Goodboybob’s flagship Santa Monica shop and Manhattan Beach outlet both offer house-made pastries.

The Boy and the Bear is steadily moving on an expansion path with locations in Redondo Beach, Westchester, Pasadena, Culver City, and a new cafe in Sherman Oaks. The warehouse-style interiors take on a cool, spacious, and serene vibe with plenty of well-crafted espresso drinks.

Culver City's modernist Cognoscenti Coffee is staffed by friendly baristas who offer a wide selection of beans from roasters. Cognoscenti also has locations in the Fashion District and Downtown LA.

Sip & Sonder brings quality coffee and a cozy gathering space to Inglewood’s historic Market Street with caffeine and bites for those in need of a daytime workspace. They also host art shows, live performances, investors’ clubs, and fireside chats within 2,000 square feet. For those in the San Fernando Valley, the co-founders opened a Sherman Oaks location in 2022.

After making an impression at Smorgasburg, Be Bright Coffee settled into a permanent bright Melrose space in 2022. They’ve got a robust wholesale business that provides beans to a number of cafes throughout LA, but for those in need of a robust cup or the vivid cream latte.

(Note: The owners of Be Bright Coffee are related to Eater LA editor Matthew Kang, who has no business connection to the company and was not involved in the compilation, editing, or publication of this story.)

This second outpost of a popular Koreatown coffee bar is quite the scene during the week, given its location in the middle of the neighborhood. It’s always bustling with those seeking caffeine or an outstanding breakfast sandwich. The cafe serves Onyx Coffee from Arkansas, and baristas always make sure the latte art is top-notch.

Settled in the heart of Koreatown, Cafe Spot LA’s coffee is rich, flavorful, and bold. But they also have a dessert section that marvels any bakery in the city with items like bingsu, a Korean shaved ice along with mille crepe, croissants, and cheesecake.

An exercise in Korean minimalist design, Maru’s Los Feliz and the Arts District are incredibly pleasant places to enjoy coffee in Los Angeles. The beans are roasted at its larger Arts District space and the Beverly Hills is a recent addition to secure a cup in the city.

The reason why Bloom & Plume is one of LA’s most stylish coffee bars is that co-owner Maurice Harris is an artist and floral designer. While visiting this Historic Filipinotown cafe order the honey lavender or peppermint and enjoy the room.

Highland Park’s popular coffee bar opened a second location in DTLA this spring. Just like the original, there are beans from a variety of roasters, with beautiful lattes and practiced brewing techniques. Kumquat also has a sister shop called Loquat in Cypress Park, which boasts a stylish yellow-tinted design and serves its own propriety roasted beans. Look for the operator’s fourth and unnamed Highland Park location later this year.

Endorffeine’s magic is in the Southeast Asian-influenced coffee drinks. It doesn’t hurt that co-owner Jack Benchakul is a former biochemist. Head to Chinatown’s Far East Plaza, walk past the folks waiting at Howlin’ Rays and ask for a recommendation that always pleases.

A true community gathering spot, Patria Coffee Roasters sources incredible coffees from around the globe and roasts them at a site near the cafe. Order the cafe de olla which could accompany a community event happening in the Compton space.

Annie Choi opened Found Coffee in 2015 and established her cozy neighborhood cafe in a residential corner of Eagle Rock. Choi searches far and wide for the best beans and teas while serving a perfect vanilla latte.

With three Long Beach locations, Rose Park Roasters has unique interiors for each. The Fourth Street outlet has huge windows making it pleasantly bright, with house-made pastry, and outdoor seating to boot.

Pasadena's best coffee shop may well be Copa Vida, a corner stalwart that also offers a full slate of food options and plenty of seating to pair with its sunny vibe and well-calibrated espresso drinks. Try the different types of cold brews, or opt for a well-made iced latte for warmer days.

Are you eager to pursue higher education near East Los Angeles, California? Look no further! We've compiled a list of the top 5 colleges in the area, complete with their addresses, unique features, and historical background. Read on to learn more about the best educational institutions near East LA and find the perfect fit for your academic aspirations!

1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Just a short drive from East LA, East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is a renowned community college offering a diverse range of associate degree programs and transfer courses. Established in 1945, ELAC takes pride in its state-of-the-art facilities and comprehensive student support services. The college's Vincent Price Art Museum, which boasts a remarkable collection of Latin American art, is also a must-visit cultural spot.

5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032

Cal State LA, founded in 1947, is a premier public university that offers more than 100 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. Known for its commitment to community engagement, Cal State LA has a strong focus on research and innovation. Its unique features include the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs and the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, which provide exceptional learning opportunities for students.

1570 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106

Pasadena City College (PCC), established in 1924, is a highly-regarded community college that offers a wide array of academic programs and vocational training courses. With its beautiful campus and excellent faculty, PCC is renowned for its strong transfer rates to prestigious universities such as UCLA and UC Berkeley. The college also hosts the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, a beloved local tradition.

3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089

Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California (USC) is a prestigious private research university with a rich academic history. USC offers more than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs across various disciplines. Some of the university's unique features include the renowned School of Cinematic Arts, the USC Thornton School of Music, and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering – all of which contribute to USC's status as a top-tier institution.

405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA, founded in 1919, is a world-class public research university and a member of the prestigious University of California system. Offering over 300 degree programs, UCLA consistently ranks among the top universities globally. Its beautiful campus, cutting-edge research facilities, and outstanding athletic programs make it a sought-after destination for students from all over the world.

With an array of top-notch colleges and universities in close proximity, East Los Angeles is an ideal location for students seeking quality higher education. Each institution offers its own unique features and benefits, ensuring that you'll find the perfect fit for your academic and personal growth. So, explore these incredible colleges near East LA and embark on your journey to a brighter future.

There’s nothing better than weekend drinking and dining in the hot weather months, especially after 2023 started with the dreariest winter and spring. It’s a safe bet that most are craving sunshine and blue skies, so might as well pair it with friends and family over a daytime meal. A swell of LA brunch options are available throughout the region, and always with cocktails and mocktails. Here now are 13 hot brunch spots in Los Angeles. For LA’s essential brunch destinations, check out this list.

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Highland Park’s popular wine bar now has brunch, and the the menu is short and simple. Try the shakshuka, potatoes and pork with a salsa verde, or harissa cauliflower to go with the extensive wine list or cocktails from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A weekend daytime visit to Mírate ensures a stunning view from the rooftop seats along with creative dishes from chef Josh Gil. His menu features chilaquiles, breakfast burritos, eggs Benedict, and the heavenly pan Francais (French toast) dipped in bay leaf horchata, or the wood oven-roasted lobster.

Hollywood’s late-night hang Grandmaster Recorders is serving a new weekend jazz brunch from noon to 3 p.m. There are breakfast sandwiches, avocado bruschetta, and more. Grandmaster Recorders makes expertly stirred and shaken cocktails at all hours, so the boozy brunch options are bound to be worth trying, too.

Casa Madera’s brunch service started the spring, with poppy seed pancakes, huevos rancheros, Greek omelets, and churro french toast to accompany panoramic views of the city with vibrant boozy and zero-proof cocktails.

The Spanish-inspired Bar Moruno brunch is quite a hit in Silver Lake, where woodfired oven dishes are served every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Brunch offerings include salads, shakshuka, roasted grapefruit with Earl Grey yogurt, and baked hoe cakes. Drinks also include a caffeinated nitro Negroni and variations on the bloody Mary.

Ronan’s exciting weekend brunch has been a long time coming. The Melrose California Italian specialist continues to lean into wood-fired pizzas and salads while also diving into takes on avocado toast, a focaccia with housemade gravlax and whipped ricotta, and specialty sourdough waffles with seasonal fruit.

Bacetti serves Roman-inspired brunch in a stunning Echo Park space from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. Polenta with eggs, eggs amatriciana, and ricotta toast are available alongside classic pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

Weekend brunch at Baar Baar is a party, complete with a DJ playing old and new Bollywood tunes. While there are many items on the menu worth getting excited about, the most noteworthy is the egg Kejriwal — a dish with Mumbai origins that has spread around the world, including at the late Floyd Cardoz’s former Paowalla in New York. It’s a hearty breakfast dish, featuring toasted sourdough, cheese, a fried egg, and green chile chutney. Baar Baar also serves a version with avocado.

Pico Boulevard staple La Serenata de Garibaldi has launched a new weekend brunch after all these years, meaning customers can now score basics like french toast as well as the usual slew of drinks, daytime enchiladas, and other staple big plate Mexican fare.

This Culver City wine shop recently launched Saturday and Sunday brunch. The menu features Turkish eggs with garlicky lemon-herb yogurt; eggs on toasted Bub and Grandma’s sourdough with prosciutto, pesto, arugula, and aged Parmesan; and a meatball panino. Given the shop’s extensive wine collection, there are lots of by-the-glass options to pair with the meal.

Santa Monica’s Mon Ami has a new brunch that is meant to please both travelers and locals alike. Daytime weekend dishes start August 19 and include spicy vegan scrambles, a shakshuka, and drinks like a tiramisu latte cocktail.

Weekend brunch at the California Mexican-infused Mija Craft Kitchen includes huevos rancheros with housemade turkey chorizo, a green chile hollandaise biscuit, and gluten-free pancakes.

It might as well be brunch all day, every day at Mom, Please where vareniki — half-moon-shaped dumplings boiled in salted water — along with crepes and syrnyky, or cottage cheese pancakes, are served from opening to closing.

Highland Park’s popular wine bar now has brunch, and the the menu is short and simple. Try the shakshuka, potatoes and pork with a salsa verde, or harissa cauliflower to go with the extensive wine list or cocktails from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A weekend daytime visit to Mírate ensures a stunning view from the rooftop seats along with creative dishes from chef Josh Gil. His menu features chilaquiles, breakfast burritos, eggs Benedict, and the heavenly pan Francais (French toast) dipped in bay leaf horchata, or the wood oven-roasted lobster.

Hollywood’s late-night hang Grandmaster Recorders is serving a new weekend jazz brunch from noon to 3 p.m. There are breakfast sandwiches, avocado bruschetta, and more. Grandmaster Recorders makes expertly stirred and shaken cocktails at all hours, so the boozy brunch options are bound to be worth trying, too.

Casa Madera’s brunch service started the spring, with poppy seed pancakes, huevos rancheros, Greek omelets, and churro french toast to accompany panoramic views of the city with vibrant boozy and zero-proof cocktails.

The Spanish-inspired Bar Moruno brunch is quite a hit in Silver Lake, where woodfired oven dishes are served every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Brunch offerings include salads, shakshuka, roasted grapefruit with Earl Grey yogurt, and baked hoe cakes. Drinks also include a caffeinated nitro Negroni and variations on the bloody Mary.

Ronan’s exciting weekend brunch has been a long time coming. The Melrose California Italian specialist continues to lean into wood-fired pizzas and salads while also diving into takes on avocado toast, a focaccia with housemade gravlax and whipped ricotta, and specialty sourdough waffles with seasonal fruit.

Bacetti serves Roman-inspired brunch in a stunning Echo Park space from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. Polenta with eggs, eggs amatriciana, and ricotta toast are available alongside classic pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

Weekend brunch at Baar Baar is a party, complete with a DJ playing old and new Bollywood tunes. While there are many items on the menu worth getting excited about, the most noteworthy is the egg Kejriwal — a dish with Mumbai origins that has spread around the world, including at the late Floyd Cardoz’s former Paowalla in New York. It’s a hearty breakfast dish, featuring toasted sourdough, cheese, a fried egg, and green chile chutney. Baar Baar also serves a version with avocado.

Pico Boulevard staple La Serenata de Garibaldi has launched a new weekend brunch after all these years, meaning customers can now score basics like french toast as well as the usual slew of drinks, daytime enchiladas, and other staple big plate Mexican fare.

This Culver City wine shop recently launched Saturday and Sunday brunch. The menu features Turkish eggs with garlicky lemon-herb yogurt; eggs on toasted Bub and Grandma’s sourdough with prosciutto, pesto, arugula, and aged Parmesan; and a meatball panino. Given the shop’s extensive wine collection, there are lots of by-the-glass options to pair with the meal.

Santa Monica’s Mon Ami has a new brunch that is meant to please both travelers and locals alike. Daytime weekend dishes start August 19 and include spicy vegan scrambles, a shakshuka, and drinks like a tiramisu latte cocktail.

Weekend brunch at the California Mexican-infused Mija Craft Kitchen includes huevos rancheros with housemade turkey chorizo, a green chile hollandaise biscuit, and gluten-free pancakes.

It might as well be brunch all day, every day at Mom, Please where vareniki — half-moon-shaped dumplings boiled in salted water — along with crepes and syrnyky, or cottage cheese pancakes, are served from opening to closing.

Incredible images of a hurricane-like storm that walloped California

The National Weather Service reported 17 structures were damage, 11 of them significantly, mostly in an industrial warehouse district. One person was injured.

“Almost a total roof collapse occurred in one building,” the Weather Service wrote in a post storm survey. “An HVAC unit was ejected from the top of the building. Skylights were broken. Wood cross beams collapsed. A power pole was snapped with a transformer blown off. Cars were damaged with windows destroyed."

The Montebello tornado was rated an EF1, on the 0-to-5 scale for intensity, the Weather Service reported. It had peak winds of 110 mph along a path of 0.42 miles. The storm’s maximum width was 50 yards and remained on the ground for 2 to 3 minutes.

The Weather Service wrote it was the strongest tornado to impact the Los Angeles metro area since March 1983.

“It felt like a bomb or something exploded, but then you see everything flying around, all the debris. It just felt weird, you’re not used to it,” an eyewitness named Miguel told local affiliate FOX11.

I caught it one video. pic.twitter.com/ckIlC4LQ8h

— ⚜️ Mark ⚜️ (@fleur_de_lis13) March 22, 2023

Montebello is 20 miles from the waters of the chilly Pacific Ocean, where rainfall tends to come with relatively cool air that is not normally conducive to thunderstorms.

In this case, the hurricane-like storm that slammed the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday drifted south to near Monterey Bay instead of heading inland. It drew moist air over Southern California that helped feed the pop-up thunderstorms in the region Wednesday.

All the while, there was enough sunshine early in the day around Los Angeles to heat the ground while cold air entered the area at high altitudes.

The resulting temperature contrast between the ground and high elevations created enough atmospheric instability to build the storm that spawned the Montebello tornado.

The tornado that hit Montebello was the second to hit Southern California in two days.

On Tuesday, video showed that a weak twister spun up in Carpinteria, a small seaside city in Santa Barbara County. That tornado damaged 25 mobile homes.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Weather Service issued a bulletin stating that the Carpinteria tornado injured one person and was rated an EF0 while producing winds up to 75 mph.

While California isn’t Kansas, tornadoes occur across the state almost every year. They’re most common in winter and spring, when powerful storms like this week’s come ashore.

Statewide, about seven tornadoes strike each year; as recently as 2019, there were 14.

March is the most common month for California tornadoes, with 18 percent of the annual activity, followed by February with 14 percent and January and April with about 12 percent each.