L.A. Material Archive

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How the Inaugural LA Jazz Festival Fell Apart

Aug 15, 2026

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16 min read

How the Inaugural LA Jazz Festival Fell Apart

The festival promised John Legend, Janelle Monáe and more than a hundred events across Los Angeles. Instead, it was canceled on the day it was supposed to begin. How organizer Martin Ludlow’s 15-year vision came crashing down.

Julia Wick

Weekly Material: The baffling saga of the unkillable L.A. health commission

Aug 15, 2026

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2 min read

Weekly Material: The baffling saga of the unkillable L.A. health commission

Your one-minute, weekly roundup of L.A. Material’s best work.

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Palisades Village is back

Aug 14, 2026

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3 min read

Palisades Village is back

Plus: big money flows into the mayor's race, a potential shift in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics and the must-have summer celeb accessory.

Matt Hamilton

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Was the Lakers sale prompted by a criminal investigation?

Aug 13, 2026

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4 min read

Was the Lakers sale prompted by a criminal investigation?

Plus: a new L.A. Material podcast, an Encino mansion, and a Deuxplass.

Hayes Davenport

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Could USC make a play for JPL?

Aug 12, 2026

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2 min read

Could USC make a play for JPL?

Plus, California’s coolest beach getaway, an error in L.A.’s homeless count, and a wildfire in Big Sur.

Tomo Chien

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USC is Eyeing the JPL Contract

Aug 12, 2026

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3 min read

USC is Eyeing the JPL Contract

It’s the latest development in the high-stakes scramble to determine the future of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Tomo Chien

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This criminal case is the Rorschach test of L.A. politics

Aug 11, 2026

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2 min read

This criminal case is the Rorschach test of L.A. politics

Plus, water politics, L.A. River bike path, Tupac’s murder trial and more.

Matt Hamilton

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The Corruption Saga Dividing L.A. Politics

Aug 11, 2026

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5 min read

The Corruption Saga Dividing L.A. Politics

Mark Ridley-Thomas may soon go to prison for bribery. Has he been wronged?

Matt Hamilton

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L.A.'s most powerless public body?

Aug 10, 2026

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3 min read

L.A.'s most powerless public body?

Plus the D.A. is facing backlash, school’s back and a meteor shower.

Antonia Cereijido