Rhino Records’ last day in Claremont is Sunday before its move later this summer to Montclair. There’s a sale all week with escalating discounts, by the way. I interview the owner, and reflect on this local institution’s survival in a changing world, in my Wednesday column, the last before vacation. See you July 3.
Monthly Archives: June 2022
Column: At Cheech opening, Latino culture claims the spotlight
Throngs turn out Saturday as The Cheech, the new museum in Riverside devoted to Chicano art, opens with an appearance by namesake Cheech Marin, live music, folklorico dancers and more. I was there to take it all in and turn it around for Sunday’s column.
Column: With mayor defeated, good vibes prevail at SB meeting
After a few months away, I return to a San Bernardino City Council meeting, the first since the June 7 election that had a shocking result: the mayor lost. I write about what it means, how he skipped the meeting and how relieved everyone seemed in my Friday column.
Column: Cheech talks art: ‘I bought what I liked’
I sit down, and also walk around, with Cheech Marin at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, which opens Saturday. He riffs on some of his favorite pieces and shares how he got started as an art lover and collector in my Wednesday column.
Column: Student rep to school board faced insults, boos
The student representative to the Chino Valley Unified school board took an active role in board debates, including pushing back on culture-war issues and speaking up from students’ perspective. In May, a lot of that came to a head when she criticized two board members’ proposal to oppose a state abortion-rights bill. Some parents booed her. One of those board members said her parents must be doing a poor job raising her. And that wasn’t the end of it. I recount the drama and speak to a calm and collected Esther Kim for Sunday’s column.
Column: They’re looking for a few good docents
The Mission Inn Foundation, which operates the tours at Riverside’s Mission Inn, has a serious training program for its docents, who are expected to know local history backward and forward. A new round of training is coming up. I write about what’s expected and about the questions guests ask in my Friday column.
Column: A party fit for a queen, and a royal time
A group of friends, all British expatriates or Anglophiles, gathered Sunday to toast Queen Elizabeth on 70 years on the throne. I joined them for food and conversation. Some remember her coronation. I write about the party in my Wednesday column.
Column: ‘Mecca’ name-checks IE people, places
Susan Straight’s acclaimed new novel, “Mecca,” is largely set in the Inland Empire and mentions dozens of cities, places and people, including the man who won a drawing last year to have his name included. I write about it in my Sunday column, which also has a “brIEfly” item from Pomona.
Column: Spagnolo’s seat to remain vacant until election
I attend a Rancho Cucamonga City Council meeting (my first since 2019) to see what the council would do with the vacant seat left by the death of Sam Spagnolo. (Spoiler alert: See headline.) Some fun or wacky stuff took place too, as tends to happen at council meetings. It’s the subject of my Friday column.
Column: Car show keeps actor’s legacy alive at Boys Republic
This weekend brings the 15th annual Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle Show at Boys Republic in Chino Hills. Yes, that Steve McQueen. Did you know the late actor once lived at the reform school, and quietly supported it once he was famous? I write about him, Boys Republic and the car show in my Wednesday column.