Cinema News

Crowning L.A.’s best community college culinary program

May 19, 2025 | View in browser

By Gustavo Arellano

Columnist

Good morning. I'm metro columnist Gustavo Arellano, ending my two weeks of fun here and back to columna duty! Here's what you need to know to start your day.

A contest to crown L.A.'s best community college culinary program.
An online manifesto threatened the Palm Springs clinic attack.
Experience these magical lanterns around SoCal.
And here's today's e-newspaper.

L.A.'s Culinary Cup

Los Angeles Trade-Tech College culinary instructor Martin Gilligan forms an ice sculpture.

As a graduate of Orange Coast College, I'm honored to speak to community college students whenever I can. That's why I was more than happy to accept an invitation months ago to be a judge at something called the Culinary Cup, which happened Friday at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar.

I figured I'd taste a couple of dishes, say some inspirational words, and that would be that.

Oh, how wonderfully wrong I was.

The Culinary Cup is a tournament between Mission College, L.A. Trade-Tech College, and L.A. Harbor College going on five years. Hundreds of people streamed into Mission College's huge Culinary Arts Institute building to cheer on the dozens of students ready to face off in three categories centered around Caribbean cuisine: savory, pastry and tablescaping — the art of setting a table that's as exacting as it sounds.

I was assigned to tablescaping along with Greg Martayan, representing the Valley Economic Alliance. We were asked to judge as meticulously as possible, down to inspecting glasses to make sure there were no water spots and looking for any stray wrinkle on a folded napkin.

"Looks like it's going to be a 15,000-calorie day!" Martayan joked as we pregamed on Bananas Foster French toast and strawberry tarts.

The competition itself was less "Top Chef" and more of an open house. Guests peered into industrial kitchens to see students prepare their dishes, or sat in on demos ranging from how to make Belizean stewed chicken over coconut rice to an ice sculpture presentation by Trade-Tech professor Martin Gilligan. The president of each college strolled around in chef's jackets. Other Mission College departments also participated: The school's choir sang calypso and reggae standards while wearing tie-dyed shirts, and photography students staged dishes to take photos worthy of Serious Eats.

Instructors stood by to cheer and mentor participants. One of them was Diamond Bar Golf Course executive chef Fionna España, who was in charge of the tablescaping competition.

"It's humbling, but it makes [students] say, 'I need to do better,'" she replied when I asked what was the value in having students compete against each other. "It's a good thing because in the world, judging is happening constantly."

Success stories were everywhere. One of them was 53-year-old Sam Arenas, who played baseball for Mission College 30 years ago before embarking on a successful career in car sales. He recently retired to reenroll at Mission College and pursue his true passion: food. He wants to open a restaurant based on his grandmother's recipes.

"This is a great way to be under pressure but still have fun," Arenas told me over shouts of "Behind!" and "Corner!" He was finishing up a Jamaican beef patty with colors that represented the country's flag: a crust tinted black from activated charcoal, spinach sauce and a mango chutney. "To be able to start over in my career is just a blessing. But an even better blessing would be if our team wins!"

Upstairs, Linden Grabowski was making nonalcoholic cocktails in the VIP reception — I especially liked her ginger-spiked Jamaican punch. Last year, the Santa Clarita resident was part of Mission College's tablescaping team. She's going to transfer to a four-year university after finishing degrees in culinary arts, restaurant management and professional baking. "If you were to have told me two years ago I'd be at this point, I wouldn't have believed you," Grabowski said.

Political heavyweights showed up, like San Fernando Mayor Mary Mendoza, L.A. Community College District trustees David Vela and Kelsey Iino, and even longtime Congressman Tony Cárdenas, who retired last year. I caught him in line waiting for jerk chicken, picanha and lobster.

I asked if he had ever been invited to judge. Cárdenas immediately shook his head no.

"You have a bunch of competitors and just one winner. You don't need a bunch of people mad at you."

The competition ended with a delicious buffet lunch attended by 500 people. I unfortunately had to leave before the winners were announced, so didn't have the chance to congratulate Mission College, which swept all the categories and thus won the Golden Chef's Hat Trophy. Harbor College will host next year — see you there!

Today's top stories

A clinic bombing leaves Palm Springs reeling

The suspect in the bombing of a Palm Springs fertility clinic that injured four people was tentatively identified Sunday by the FBI as Guy Edward Bartkus, 25.
Bartkus appears to have been killed in the Saturday morning explosion at American Reproductive Centers, according to FBI officials who are investigating the incident as an "act of intentional terrorism."
The FBI also confirmed it was reviewing a manifesto and other content to determine whether they were the work of Bartkus.

Newsom's final stretch as governor may be a bumpy ride

Newsom hopes to end his time as governor in an air of accomplishment and acclaim, which would elevate his political legacy and prospects in a potential presidential run.
But the Democrats running to replace him have a much different agenda.

What El Salvador's Bukele, a hero for the American right, isn't showing the world

Nayib Bukele has been largely successful in rebranding El Salvador from a poor backwater plagued by murderous gangs into an innovative and safe nation that he compares to Singapore.
But his critics say he's just following the playbook of previous Latin American strongmen, including the military leaders who ruled El Salvador as a dictatorship from 1931 until the early 1980s.

What else is going on

Former President Biden has been diagnosed with an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer.
A heat wave is coming to Southern California, with triple-digit temps in the San Fernando Valley.
As L.A. rebuilds from the Palisades fire, residents ask: What's the plan?
With its climate progress under assault, California takes up a multipronged defense.
Edison's safety record declined last year. Executive bonuses rose anyway.
'We all need hope': Altadena community park reopens four months after fires.
President Trump said "we have to help" the Palestinians, but there was little progress on ending the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip.
She brought 'teeth' as a juvenile hall watchdog — but claims the state defanged her.
Bruce Springsteen speaks out on Trump again: 'They're persecuting people for their right to free speech.'

Commentary and opinions

For Kamala Harris, it's not just whether to run for California governor. It's why, argues columnist Mark Z. Barabak.
The Lakers should draft a big man who's also a grown-up, argues columnist LZ Granderson.
America was gaslit by the arrogance of Joe Biden and his enablers, columnist Robin Abcarian writes.
Mole is place, family, memory and self for Mexicans and Americans. In these perilous times, it deserves to be celebrated, argues guest columnist Natalia Molina.

This morning's must reads

For your downtime

Going out

Festivals: We've reached peak lantern festival mania. Experience these magical ones around SoCal.
Restaurants: After a health department shutdown, celebrity-owned AC Barbeque restaurant reopens in Century City.
Theme Parks: It's Universal vs. Disney in an epic 'prize fight' for theme park dominance in Florida.

Staying in

Television: Scarlett Johansson pilots a smooth takeoff, and rough landing in the 'SNL' Season 50 finale.
Recipes: Here's a recipe for gochujang glazed grilled chicken.
✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What is your go-to karaoke song?

Andrea says, "Ripple by Grateful Dead."
Pamela says, "Dancing Queen by Abba."

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Today's great photo is from Friends of Big Bear Valley at the nest of two eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, who are expected to fly for the first time soon.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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Newsom’s home stretch as governor may not be easy

May 19, 2025 | View in browser

By Phil Willon

California Politics Editor

When the top Democratic candidates for governor took the stage at a labor forum last week, the digs at Gov. Gavin Newsom were subtle. The message, however, was clear. Newsom's home stretch as California governor may be a bumpy ride.

Newsom hopes to end his time as governor in an air of accomplishment and acclaim, which would elevate his political legacy and prospects in a potential presidential run. But the Democrats running to replace him have a much different agenda.

"Lots of voters think things are not going well in California right now. So if you're running for governor, you have to run as a change candidate. You have to run as 'I'm going to shake things up,' " said political scientist Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at UC Berkeley. "In doing that, you're at least implicitly criticizing the current governor, right?"

Not only must Newsom swim against that tide until his final term as governor ends in less than two years, he's being buffeted by the perception that he's moving rightward to broaden his national appeal in preparation for the 2028 presidential race.

A new IGS poll, co-sponsored by the L.A. Times, earlier this month found that California registered voters by a more than two-to-one margin believe Newsom is more focused on boosting his presidential ambitions than on fixing the problems in his own state.
Newsom faced criticism for showcasing conservative activists on his podcast, "This is Gavin Newsom," especially when he agreed with Trump loyalist Charlie Kirk that it was "unfair" for trans athletes to compete in women's sports.

But he also pushed back against Kirk and others during the interviews. He said from the outset that he intended to engage with people on the opposite side of the political spectrum, but that did not blunt the criticism he received. Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego), the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said he was "profoundly sickened and frustrated" by Newsom's remarks about trans athletes.

The Democratic governor took heat last week from progressives for his proposed budget cuts to close a $12-billion deficit, including cuts to free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants. Sociologist G. Cristina Mora, also co-director of Berkeley's IGS, said it's not surprising "knives are going to be out" during tough budget times, but there's more to Newsom's current predicament.

"The big problem for Newsom is that most people see him as focused outside of California at a dire time," Mora said. "So all his moves that he's making, whether this is truly him being more educated and coming to the middle, are seen through that lens."

Not-so-friendly fire

Though Newsom's name was not uttered when seven of the Democratic candidates for California governor took the stage last week in Sacramento, his presence was certainly felt.

The event was held by the California Federation of Labor Unions and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, so there was ample praise for California workers and plenty of epithets hurled at President Trump.

And a healthy dose of dissatisfaction about the tough economic times facing many Californians. Notably, Newsom had just a couple of weeks before he celebrated California's rank as the fourth-largest economy in the world; for years he has boasted of the state's innovative and thriving economy.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa didn't appear that impressed, saying California also has the highest cost of living in the nation.

"We love to say we're the fourth-largest economy in the United States, what we don't say is we have the highest effective poverty rate," Villaraigosa said to a hotel ballroom packed with union leaders. "So let's deal with the issues that are facing us here in California."

Former Controller Betty Yee offered a similar assessment.

"In California, we are the fourth-largest economy in the world, but when you peel that back, how's that working for everybody?" she asked.

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Six of the seven Democratic candidates said they would support providing state unemployment benefits to striking workers. Villaraigosa was the sole candidate who expressed reservations. Newsom vetoed a bill in 2023 that would have provided such coverage, saying it would make the state's unemployment trust fund "vulnerable to insolvency."

Every candidate present vowed to support regulating how employers use artificial intelligence in the workplace, technology that labor leaders fear, if unchecked, would put people out of work. Newsom has signed legislation restricting aspects of AI, but he has also said he wants to preserve California's role at the forefront of technology.

Afterward, Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, complained that labor leaders "can't even get a conversation out of Gavin Newsom" about regulating AI.

Barbs from labor aren't a new experience for Newsom. Union leaders have at times clashed with the ambitious governor over legislation he opposed that supported pro-union labor agreements with developers and regulating Big Tech.

Gubernatorial candidates taking direct or indirect shots at the incumbent, even those who belong to the same party, also is nothing new. During a candidate debate in 2018, Newsom took a subtle jab at then-Gov. Jerry Brown for the state's response to the homelessness crisis.

"What lacks is leadership in this state," Newsom said.

To this day, Newsom says he is the only California governor to launch a major state effort to address the crisis.

Knives out during tough budget times

Newsom also faces the difficult task of having to wrestle with an additional $12-billion state budget shortfall next year, a deficit caused mostly by state overspending Newsom says is being exacerbated by falling tax revenues due to Trump's on-again-off-again federal tariff policies.

The governor's proposed cuts drew criticism from some of his most progressive allies and again stirred up rumblings that he was trying to recast himself as a moderate.

To save money, Newsom proposed scaling back his policy to provide free healthcare coverage to all low-income undocumented immigrants. The governor's budget also proposes to siphon off $1.3 billion in funding from Proposition 35, a measure voters approved in November that dedicated the revenue from a tax on managed care organizations to primarily pay for increases to Medi-Cal provider rates.

Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, called the governor's proposed budget cuts "cruel."

Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), co-chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus, said members would oppose Newsom's Medi-Cal cuts, and rallies against Newsom's proposal are planned at the Capitol this week.

During his budget news conference on Wednesday, Newsom also took aim at California's cities and counties, blasting them for not doing enough to address the state's homelessness crisis. Newsom also renewed his call for cities and counties to ban homeless encampments.

"It is not the state of California that remains the biggest impediment," Newsom said. "The obstacle remains at the local level."

Carolyn Coleman, executive director of the League of California Cities, returned fire, saying Newsom's proposed budget "failed to invest" adequately in efforts by cities to not only alleviate homelessness, but also improve public safety and address climate change.

The Onion, the satirical website that delights in needling politicians in faux news stories, didn't miss the opportunity to send a zinger Newsom's way at the end of last week.

Under the headline "Gavin Newsom Sits Down For Podcast With Serial Killer Who Targets Homeless," the fake article mocks both the governor's podcast and efforts to address homelessness and purports that Newsom asked the killer what Democrats could learn from his tactics.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: For Kamala Harris, it's not just whether to run for California governor. It's why
The deep dive: Europe's free-speech problem
The L.A. Times Special: When the deportation of an illegal immigrant united L.A. to bring him back

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