Home Care In Many, LA

Running a restaurant in California is no small feat, even when times are good. But with rising food and labor costs, a massive entertainment industry strike, and the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Los Angeles restaurant owners have begun to feel like operating a restaurant in Southern California is becoming next to impossible. Just this year alone, many of the area’s biggest and most heralded restaurants have closed up shop.

Watch More

There are few silver linings. Some businesses are turning to wholesale production; others say they’ll be back somewhere else down the line. But absolutely everyone says that it’s a scary time to run restaurants right now.

Walter and Margarita Manzke, chef-owners of the uber-successful and long-standing Republique and newer fine-dining restaurants Bicyclette and Manzke, have closed two of their restaurants over the past few months: Petty Cash Taqueria, which opened on Beverly Boulevard in 2013, and their casual Filipino concept Sari Sari Store at downtown’s Grand Central Market.

“Neither of those restaurants were financially very strong coming into this year,” Walter Manzke tells SFGATE. “I don’t know if we’ve seen the end of how the pandemic has affected restaurants. People are being more careful about where they’re spending their money.”

He continues, “We’re not looking to open a new restaurant in the next few months. Even chefs who’ve been in the business a long time and have helped to shape LA dining are struggling. It’s tough to get buzz for a new spot.”

The challenges don’t discriminate between fine-dining and mom-and-pop shops, which have all been hit hard. Restaurants that have shut their doors this year include icons like 15-year-old Animal from Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, media darlings like Carlos Salgado’s Michelin-starred Taco Maria, and beloved neighborhood spots like the legendary Jewish bakery Diamond Bakery and Wes Avila’s charming Chinatown sandwich shop Angry Egret Dinette (which will end its run on New Year's Eve).

Just this week, chef Jason Neroni announced that, after spending millions of dollars over four years of construction and permitting, he’s closing his five-month-old Culver City pizza place Best Bet. Other closures include Cassell’s DTLA, Tallula’s, Needle, Kinn, Cafe Tropical and more.

Kristin Ciccolella, who announced yesterday that she's closing her 9-year-old Venice seafood restaurant the Anchor this weekend, also points to the pandemic’s long-lasting effect as a contributing factor to her decision. “I had to pivot my menu from seafood only when we shut down, because who wants to order mussels for delivery? And then my indoor business just never came back, which was really disappointing,” she says.

Meanwhile, pandemic-era government assistance in the form of Paycheck Protection Program loans and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund ran out long ago, and commercial rents in Los Angeles remain staggeringly high.

Operators are also feeling a major squeeze due to rising food and labor costs. Industry vet Jeremy Adler, who is a partner in the Santa Monica Southeast Asian restaurant Cobi’s and is in construction on a new restaurant in Mar Vista, points to expensive liquor licenses and new California laws like Assembly Bill 1228 as challenges for owners. AB 1228 is intended to create a liveable wage by raising the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 in April 2024.

“That law puts pressure on independent restaurants as well,” Adler says. “When the average profit margin at a restaurant is 5-7%, 1% really matters.”

“The economics of owning a restaurant are completely out of whack right now,” says seasoned chef Chris Feldmeier, who shuttered his Silver Lake Spanish restaurant Bar Moruno in November. “We used to try to keep our labor costs under 30%, but now they’re inching up closer to 40%. With cooks making $22 to $25 an hour, it’s just hard for a small, private restaurant.”

Ciccolella adds, “It’s impossible to get quality food at a fair price. I have to sell my lobster roll for $29 at the restaurant, but I can sell it for $20 at my new Little Anchor truck because it’s just me and I don’t have all the labor costs.”

BEST OF SFGATE

49ers | This is the most legendary 49ers 'man cave' in America 49ers | 49ers QB Brock Purdy's parents have quite an unexpected job 49ers | QB Brock Purdy's meteoric 49ers rise explained by experts 49ers | Historical photos from when the 49ers played in the heart of SF

Manzke and the others also note that the Hollywood strikes this year were a major blow to restaurants.

“We always had a lot of support from Netflix at Republique. There would be someone there from the company every night, and that just stopped overnight,” he says. “Los Angeles is so tied to the entertainment industry.”

“We used to cater for all of the studios in Culver City, and that completely went away,” Ciccolella says. Adler, meanwhile, notes that event business in early December, usually a way for restaurants to balance out the slower weeks at the end of the month, was also severely mitigated by the strike.

Despite Hollywood business slowly trickling back, restaurant owners aren’t optimistic that next year will be much different.

“Typically, January is when you see a lot of closures because it’s such a slow time,” Manzke says. “I don’t know that we’ve seen the worst of it, but I hope we have.”

“I think it’s been the worst year and that this is just the scraping of the surface,” Ciccolella adds. “I think there’s going to be a mass exodus by March, if places even survive January. It’s brutal out there.”

More Los Angeles Coverage

— For unknown reasons, McDonald's continues to allow this California homage to exist — How early can you actually get into Disneyland? I found out. — I usually avoid LA beaches, but this Malibu spot is a worthwhile exception — Half a million lights twinkle in the fields at this California desert festival — LA's famous Hollywood sign used to actually have a swimming pool

For the record: 10:24 a.m. Aug. 10, 2023: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against it for overcharges it levied for sewer use. The city of Los Angeles agreed to settle the lawsuit, which accused L.A. Sanitation of overcharging customers for sewer use. The LADWP was not involved in the lawsuit, the alleged overcharges or the repayments.

The city of Los Angeles has agreed to pay millions of dollars in refunds for six years' worth of allegedly inflated sewer charges. And if you're still a customer of the city's sewer services, here's the good news: If you qualify, your refund will come to you automatically.

If you're a former customer who qualifies for the refund, you'll have to apply for the money. How large a refund you receive will depend on how much water you used during the falls and winters from May 2016 to June 2022.

How do you know if you qualify?

The money — which comes from a settlement to a class-action lawsuit that Superior Court Judge Stuart M. Rice has preliminarily approved — is solely for current or former residential customers whose homes have or had one meter tracking all their water use, rather than separate meters for indoors and outdoors. And within that group, the settlement applies just to people with four or fewer units not classified by L.A. Sanitation as "multiple dwellings."

At issue is how the city estimates its customers' use of the city sewers. With no meters on houses directly measuring sewer use, L.A. Sanitation has to estimate that amount. That estimate is based on how much water a customer receives from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and it relies on a crucial assumption: that the sewers receive all the DWP-delivered water a customer uses indoors and none of the water used outdoors.

For homes that rely on a single meter for their water use, however, the city has to come up with a second estimate, this time for how much water these customers use indoors versus outdoors. The outdoor amount is then excluded from the sewer charge. In a winter with a lot of rain, the city assumes that none of its customers use DWP water on their lawns or outdoor plants — all of it is used indoors, and all of it winds up in the sewers.

If you want to object to all or a portion of the pending settlement, you must do so in writing, and the claims administrator must receive your objection by Nov. 29. For more information on how to file an objection, see .

If you're a current customer and want to accept the settlement amount, you don't have to apply for your refund. According to , the settlement's claims administrator will send a check to the address the city has on file after the court gives the settlement its final approval and any appeals are resolved.

If you are a former customer, you'll have to submit a claim form. You can do that , or you can have a form mailed to you by calling the claims administrator at (877) 390-3368.

And if you would like to opt out of the settlement — which you would have to do if you want to file your own lawsuit against the city over this issue — you must do so in writing, and the claims administrator must receive your request by Nov. 29. Instructions on how to do so can also be found in the .

This story originally appeared in .

Maria’s holiday list was more about essentials than wishes. Coats for her children as the weather turns cold. Blankets to keep them warm. A few presents to put under the Christmas tree. And a box of diapers.

“I just want my kids to be happy,” said Maria, a single mother of three boys, who asked that only her first name be published.

But providing for her baby has been challenging. She hasn’t been able to afford enough diapers. So she improvised, and learned to stretch her limited supply. She kept them on even when they filled up or left his bottom bare at home. Sometimes she wrapped him in cotton cleaning cloths to keep him dry, washing them by hand.

Advertisement

But earlier this year, Maria found out about a program through his older brother’s Los Angeles Unified School District campus that helped her. She found a way to receive free diapers, formula and other essential items directly from the school, goods provided by an L.A. nonprofit called Baby2Baby. She received coats, shoes, blankets and for Christmas, bags of presents, wrapped and ready.

“I don’t have to worry about diapers anymore or the formula or them being hungry or being cold or not having clothes or blankets,” Maria said. “Baby2Baby has made my life so much lighter than it was before.”

Sept. 20, 2023

Diapers are a basic need for families with young children like Maria’s, on par with shelter, food and heat. Yet even as diaper prices have soared 22% since 2018, most existing government aid programs — including WIC — do not cover them. And while low-income parents can use their monthly government assistance to pay for diapers, the $75 average monthly cost to diaper an infant can take an outsize portion of their benefit, sometimes up to 40%. Because low-income families tend to purchase diapers in smaller, more expensive quantities rather than in bulk, they often end up paying far more.

Half of families in the United States report they cannot afford enough diapers to keep their children clean and dry — up from 1 in 3 in 2017, according to recent data from the National Diaper Bank Network. One in 4 families reported missing work or school in the past year because they did not have enough diapers to drop their child off at a childcare program, most of which require a daily supply provided by parents.

California has been a national leader in helping to make diapers more affordable for families, said Jennifer Randles, a professor of sociology at Fresno State University who studies diaper need. In 2018, many welfare recipients in the state became eligible for an additional $30 monthly voucher for diapers. And in 2020, California joined a wave of states in rescinding the sales taxes on diapers.

Still, the need persists for many California families, and diaper banks like Baby2Baby provide a lifeline, as well as a symbolic importance.

“The very existence of food banks sends the message that food is a basic need we should all have access to,” said Randles. “Diaper banks send the message that diapers are an essential need that we should all have access to. For a lot of people its very invisible.”

Advertisement

Baby2Baby, headquartered in Culver City, is one of the country’s largest nonprofit distributors of diapers and other essential items for families. This year alone, the organization has distributed 40 million diapers across the country, all of which passed through one of its three L.A. warehouses.

Every day, trucks bearing diapers, wipes, clothing, car seats and toys fan out across L.A., stocking the shelves of more than 500 partner organizations, including shelters, clinics, food pantries, and every school district in the county. For some trucks, it’s the beginning of a much longer journey, to partners who serve needy families in all 50 states.

Baby2Baby launched 12 years ago in its current form, the brainchild of two women — one a model and one a corporate lawyer — who wanted to fill an essential need in the community. They started asking local social-service nonprofits what they needed most.

“They all came back to us with the same thing. They said that they needed diapers,” said co-CEO Norah Weinstein, the former lawyer. “It was not what we were expecting.”

Diapers were crucial to every other service the groups wanted to provide, the nonprofits told her. “They couldn’t get mothers to come to wellness visits, they couldn’t get mothers to have their children attend school, they couldn’t get them to come parenting classes. They couldn’t do any of it when their child was screaming in a dirty diaper.”

Twelve years later, the organization has distributed 375 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals and underserved schools across the country, including 170 million diapers. Last year, the organization raised $70 million in cash and in-kind donations.

When requests increased by 500% during the pandemic, Baby2Baby started manufacturing its own diapers, which Weinstein said saved 80% over the retail cost and increased distribution fivefold. Still, Weinstein said, they are careful not to congratulate themselves.

“We feel like we’re just scratching the surface,” she said. This year alone, Baby2Baby received requests for 1.3 billion diapers.

For the more than 500 L.A. organizations that distribute Baby2Baby items, the service is often a crucial part of their service.

California

Aug. 7, 2023

L.A. Unified, for example, has given out 15 million items donated by Baby2Baby over the past 11 years, including diapers for the young siblings of students.

“This reflects on one hand a beautiful demonstration of kindness and strategic contribution,” said Supt. Alberto M. Carvalho. “On the other hand, it is a reflection of the challenge and poverty levels that many of our kids and families face.”

Jimmy Douglas, director of community engagement at LA Family Housing, a nonprofit serving 13,000 people that helps find housing and other services, said that about half of the items it distributes were provided by Baby2Baby.

Each month, Douglas said , he sends a list of requests to Baby2Baby, including diapers, formula, toys and car seats. The lists can grow long — like the 25 car seats the organization asked for this month. It also stocks Baby2Baby diapers and wipes at each of its housing sites for the families with children who rely on them.

During the holidays, the donations can take on a special significance for families panicked about how to make the season special for their children, despite a lack of resources.

“Families are experiencing more challenges and more expectations” at this time of the year, said Douglas. “Kids are in school, and they talk about what their friends are getting.” The added cost of special holiday meals and gifts adds up quickly.

Earlier this month, Baby2Baby donated 800 toys for LA Family Housing during a “Winter Wonderland’’ event — a fraction of the 330,000 toys Baby2Baby distributed this year. Children from more than 300 families were invited to walk through Santa’s wish site, where they were able to pick out a gift, which was wrapped and given to their parents.

“It’s challenging for families to provide the things they feel they need, and that’s why we go into high gear at this time of year,” said Douglas. “They can continue to focus on their everyday needs, and we can focus on the special things.”

This article is part of The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.

When you think “so L.A.,” Erewhon smoothies, Barbie-pink sunsets and baristas with IMDB credits might come to mind. Now you can add mosquitoes to the list.

No, you’re not imagining it: The tenacious bloodsuckers and other creepy-crawlers are booming in Southern California right now. The culprit? Unprecedented rains, including the recent deluge courtesy of Tropical Storm Hilary. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, and this year they had ample real estate to reproduce.

Some experts believe other bugs and animals — including those considered pestiferous, like rats — are thriving from secondary impacts of all that H20, like increased vegetation. That’s why you might see more critters out and about. Or, in the case of mosquitoes, feel their bites after the fact.

Mosquitoes are not a new nuisance in the City of Angels: Los Angeles landed first on pest control company Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities list this year, a dishonor the city’s held for three years running. Ranks of an invasive mosquito known for fierce ankle biting have steadily risen over the years, according to Susanne Kluh, general manager for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. Like a typical rising pop icon in L.A., it’s often referred to by its first name: Aedes. And it’s the Aedes — Aedes aegypti in particular — that’s really popping off right now.

But some experts say the unusual weather made the year singular.

April 20, 2023

Even California’s native Culex mosquitoes, typically in decline by this time of year, have surged this month. All was going well on the containment front until Hilary struck in late August, Kluh said.

“With just the first round of trapping after the rain, we’re really seeing numbers go up because there’s just so many little water sources in everybody’s backyard,” Kluh said.

There are five vector control districts that cover L.A. County. The Greater Los Angeles County district, which Kluh manages, is the largest, stretching from San Pedro to Santa Clarita. It covers most of L.A. city except for coastal regions, and doesn’t serve the San Gabriel or Antelope Valleys.

“Our area has about a million parcels, not all residential,” she added, “but you can imagine how many bottle caps, lawn drains, saucers, toolboxes that weren’t put away are now filled with water — and will be breeding mosquitoes.” Aedes mosquitoes can breed in minuscule amounts of water. Even water trapped in the depression of a crinkled chips bag is fair game.

In September, an average of nearly 21 female Aedes mosquitoes were logged per trap-night — an average of mosquitoes counted in traps laid throughout the district. That’s more than triple the five-year average. An average of 46 female Culex mosquitoes were collected this month, double the five-year average.

It’s a similar story in Orange County. For the week of Sept. 11, an average of 28 female Aedes mosquitoes were collected per trap-night, roughly seven times the five-year average for that time frame. Culex mosquitoes averaged nearly 55 per trap-night during that week, a sizable jump from the five-year weekly average of about 34.

Culex make up the majority of the region’s mosquito population, but their season typically peaks earlier. After surging above average in June and July after the torrential spring, their numbers began falling — then Hilary and hot weather arrived, according to vector control experts.

Mosquitoes like it wet, but not cold. When the temperature drops, they tend to dwindle. But relief is becoming more elusive as the Aedes’ season may be expanding.

A lasting dip in mosquito numbers isn’t expected to arrive until December, said Brian Brannon, a spokesperson for the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District. Levels tend to be lowest in January and February, he said.

Culex mosquitoes are considered less annoying because they like to bite birds over humans and tend to be satisfied with one slurp of blood — compared to the Aedes’ preference for human blood extracted through multiple strikes. . But Culex are California’s primary spreaders of the deadly West Nile virus, which poses a growing threat in the Golden State this year. Just this month, L.A. County confirmed the first death from the virus this year. The patient was a San Fernando Valley resident, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

California

Aug. 30, 2023

Aedes mosquitoes can transmit diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika. Though they haven’t been linked to an outbreak in California, it’s a top-of-mind fear for vector control officials.

Mosquitoes are closely tracked because of their ability to disseminate diseases. Most insects, and arachnids for that matter, don’t get that kind of treatment.

Without hard data, it’s hard to definitively say whether other bug populations are seeing the same boom as mosquitoes, said Brian Brown, curator of entomology at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County. That said, Brown and other bug experts largely agree that more rain often translates to more bugs. Many critters chow down on plants, flowers and other things that like a long drink.

“You see bugs thriving because there’s lots of food out there now, because of all the rain,” said Brannon, of the Orange County vector control district. “And then the predators that prey on those bugs are going to start thriving because there’s a lot of that food to eat.”

California

April 13, 2023

There’s more food for rodents too, which like to nibble on fruit and seeds. Paul Briggs, technical services manager for Orkin’s Pacific division, said they’ve been getting “quite a few” calls for service for rats in Los Angeles lately. He recently visited a facility in the area infested with roof rats.

“Rats right now seem to be on the rise,” he said.

Sometimes what appears to be an increase can be illusory. Sightings of web-building spiders, or Orb-weavers, tick up every year at this time, Brown said. It’s not that their ranks are growing but they’re reaching maturation. They’re suddenly big enough to be noticed and start making large, conspicuous webs.

“You get a mouthful of web at dawn or whatever while you’re walking your dog,” Brown said, “but it’s nothing that’s unusual.”

Travel & Experiences

Oct. 13, 2022

As for the rain behind the mosquito surge, Kluh sees it as far from usual. Tropical storms typically bring a little bit of rain, but this was substantial. It’s also data that could help communities prepare for the future. Her team is already plotting: “If this is a more common occurrence, how can we better preempt having to start our season basically over in the middle of the summer?”

While things have been a bit unusual at Barcelona in the last few years, there is no denying they are one of the biggest and most influential clubs in the world.

A large part of that is down to their impressive domestic success, having won La Liga many times. Along with Real Madrid, they have been prolific champions of the Spanish top flight over the years and look set to continue adding to their tally.

Here is a rundown of how many times the Blaugrana have been named the champions of Spain and how they compare to the country's other major sides.

How many La Liga titles do Barcelona have?

Barcelona celebrate title success in 2019 / David Ramos/GettyImages

Barcelona first won La Liga all the way back in 1929 but then had a big gap where they could not finish on top. The second title did not come until the 1944/45 season, but then they were cooking.

They won regularly over the next 15 years but only managed three wins between 1960 and 1990. They then won four on the bounce and never really looked back, with titles coming regularly right up to the present day.

After securing the title on Sunday night with a 4-2 victory over Espanyol, Barcelona have won La Liga an incredible 27 times. Below is every season that Barcelona have won La Liga.

Every Barcelona La Liga title: 1929, 1944/45, 1947/48, 1948/49, 1951/52, 1952/53, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1973/74, 1984/85, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19/ 2022/23.

Where do Barcelona rank for La Liga titles?

Despite having won so many La Liga titles during their existence, Barcelona still trail behind Real Madrid when it comes to titles. Los Blancos have got a healthy but not unassailable margin over Barcelona.

From 1954 onwards, Real Madrid have been remarkably regular with how often they have won La Liga which is why Barcelona's dry spells in the 60s, 70s and 80s are even more pronounced.

When did Barcelona last win La Liga?

After securing the title under Ernesto Valverde in 2018/19, Barcelona endured a brief lean spell amid their period of financial turmoil.

However, somewhat shrewd short-term thinking in the wake of the disgraced Josep Maria Bartomeu's departure has allowed a title-winning outfit to be forged once more. The club stuck with the Xavi project despite recent indifference in Europe, and their former star midfielder has guided them to the La Liga title in 2022/23.

The addition of Robert Lewandowski last summer was pivotal as the club finally found a replacement for Luis Suarez, who departed in 2020. The Pole's goals have been crucial for La Blaugrana this season, as has the continued emergence of young midfield stars Pedri and Gavi alongside the excellent Frenkie De Jong and perpetually brilliant Sergio Busquets.

However, Barcelona's title win was built off a stout backline - one that could end the season with the best defensive record in La Liga history. Ronald Araujo has emerged as one of Europe's finest defenders, while Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen have both proven to be marvellous additions.

Who is Barcelona's La Liga top scorer?

Messi could yet return to Barcelona / Power Sport Images/GettyImages

There have been some wonderful goalscorers for Barcelona over the years who have contributed massively to the 26 league titles the club has amassed. However, there are no prizes for guessing who has scored the most goals in La Liga for the Blaugrana.

It is, of course, Lionel Messi. The Argentine has an incredible 284 more goals than the player in second place for Barça, showing just how ridiculous his numbers were in the 17 years he played at Camp Nou before moving on to Paris Saint-Germain.

In terms of modern names that will resonate with football fans, Luis Suarez, Samuel Eto'o, Patrick Kluivert and Rivaldo are all in the top ten Barcelona goalscorers in La Liga, but no one has ever come close to Messi and they almost certainly never will.

He could still add to his tally yet if he manages to move back to Barcelona in the summer.