Making Los Angeles

From Bosch to The Lincoln Lawyer to his latest novel Nightshade, few authors have done more to shape how the world sees Los Angeles than bestselling crime novelist Michael Connelly. In this episode, we talk to the man behind more than 40 books — nearly all set in L.A. — whose work has been adapted for film and television and translated into more than 40 languages.

He tells us about the chilling moment that first sparked his interest...

What happens when your parents leave the country… and hand you the keys to one of L.A.’s most iconic restaurants?

Bricia Lopez is the co-owner of Guelaguetza — the Koreatown Oaxacan institution that’s been serving up rich moles, mezcal, and culture for over 30 years. Named a James Beard American Classic and a winner of the L.A. Times Gold Award, Guelaguetza has done more than any other restaurant to bring Oaxacan food into the heart...

In a city where everything changes, what if the most important people are the ones who don’t?

Father Greg Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries — the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program — and he’s spent more than 30 years in the same East L.A. neighborhood, still showing up with hugs, humor, a little wisdom, and the occasional twenty for the homies outside his office.  He’s a Jesuit priest, bestselling ...

What happens when a Pacoima kid turned MIT-trained engineer brings a wonk’s brain — and a line cook’s work ethic — into the halls of power?

Alex Padilla is California’s senior U.S. Senator, a national voice on immigration and voting rights — and, as you may have seen recently, someone unafraid to challenge authority, even if it means getting handcuffed at a press conference. (This conversation was recorded before that moment, but yo...

Even more than its sunny skies, rich history and Hollywood glamor, L.A. is defined by its people. In “Making Los Angeles,” from LA Times Studios, native Angeleno Glenn Gritzner sits down with the dreamers and big-thinkers shaping the city to explore how they got where they are. The result is a singularly intimate deep dive into the incredible lives of everyone from entrepreneurs, politicians and brand-builders to artists, activists...