“The Times: Daily news from the L.A. Times” is a new podcast hosted by columnist Gustavo Arellano along with reporters from the L.A. Times’ diverse newsroom. Every weekday, the show takes listeners beyond the headlines, with our West Coast outlook on the world. News, entertainment, the environment, immigration, politics, the criminal justice system, the social safety net, food and culture — “The Times” exists at the epicenter of it all. Through interviews and original stories, “The Times” is the audio guide you need to understand the day’s news, the world and how California shapes it. Follow ..read more

When we started making this podcast two months ago, we didn’t know how the pandemic would play out. Forty episodes later, we still don’t know how it will. There’s been good news and bad news, and news no one could have expected. The only constant has been uncertainty. Nevertheless, there is hope that we’ll eventually get to a better place. Our guest is Soumya Karlamangla, who covers healthcare in California for the Los Angeles Times. Karlamangla was the guest on our first episode, and will be the guest on the last episode of Coronavirus for California, our first daily podcast, and our first ma ..read more

Coronavirus Boom Busts California, For Now. After years of budget surpluses, California is now looking into a financial abyss due to the coronavirus. The legislature must pass a budget by June 15, as required by the state’s constitution. And it’s looking to be one that will see billions of dollars in cutbacks to programs and institutions that help millions of Californians. Our guest is State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. More reading: California’s coronavirus budget crisis leaves Newsom and lawmakers at odds. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of Cali ..read more

This weekend, thousands of churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of faith across California will reopen after being closed for two months because of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to close houses of worship was controversial. The state faces lawsuits alleging a violation of the 1st Amendment. The U.S. Department of Justice even sent the governor a warning letter. Our guest is Brenda Wood, lead pastor of the Word of Life Ministries International in Riverside. More reading: California’s battle over reopening churches isn’t over despite new coronavirus rules. [Advertisemen ..read more

As California slowly reopens, people are hitting the beaches, going to church, maybe meeting up with family members. But one thing Californians look forward to all year is still off the table: the big community festivals, fairs, concerts and art bazaars. Many of them won't take place until next year. Our guests are Sara Diederich and Melissa Kohout, the founders of the Jackalope Arts festival, which has been holding events in Pasadena, Burbank and Denver since 2015. More reading: Greek Theatre cancels season for first time in 90 years due to coronavirus. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast ..read more

The pandemic has frozen professional and collegiate sports across the world, with Major League Baseball planning to return this summer. But with new thoughts on high-fives, tags at home plate and spitting out all those sunflower seeds, the baseball diamond isn’t going to look the same. Our guest is Eric Valenzuela, the head coach for Long Beach State’s baseball team, the Dirtbags. More reading: How MLB proposes to protect players from the coronavirus. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front l ..read more

Throughout history, pandemics have wrought hell not just on families and economies but on specific social groups. And at times like these, politicians and members of the general public sometimes cast minorities as scapegoats. For the coronavirus in the United States, unfortunately, this racist hammer is falling hard on Asian Americans. Our guests are Jen Yamato and Frank Shyong, the hosts of our Asian Enough podcast at the Los Angeles Times. More Listening: Asian Enough. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you ..read more

At this point, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. have lost their lives to COVID-19. To try to memorialize the victims in Southern California as the individual lives that they were, the Los Angeles Times has created a project called “The Pandemic's Toll: Lives Lost in Southern California.” These are remembrances not of celebrities or politicians, but of your neighbors, your family members, your friends. Our guest is Times metro reporter Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, one of the writers for the project. More reading: The Pandemic’s Toll: Lives Lost in Southern California. [Advertisement] This L ..read more

The island of Catalina is the keeper of many myths and histories in Southern California. This time of year, it should be bustling with visitors. But due to the coronavirus, it's not. And the museum, like its peers across the Southland, has been closed down altogether. Our guest is Julie Lee Perlin, the executive director of the Catalina Island Museum. More reading: On Catalina Island, concern yet calm as coronavirus threatens tourism economy. [Advertisement] This L.A. Times podcast is presented to you by Blue Shield of California. The fight is tough, but so are you. Thank you, front line ..read more

What will history say about this crazy period of the coronavirus? That depends on how our lives, our thoughts and our experiences are being documented right now. Archives, like the ones at the Huntington Library and the Center for Oral and Public History at Cal State Fullerton, tell us a lot about what transpired in the past. Not just what our leaders did, or what made the papers, but also about the day-to-day lives of regular folks. Our guest is Liz Ramirez, a librarian and archivist for Los Angeles Communities and Cultures at the UCLA Library Special Collections. More reading: How a vital re ..read more