Reporter Danielle Chiriguayo: 

I think about this photo of legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow from time to time. It’s a black-and-white, 1940s-era shot. Murrow is seated in front of a typewriter with a cigarette in his mouth. The striking photo is a reminder of how Murrow had to lug literal machinery across war-torn Europe to file news bulletins. It’s especially poignant when thinking about writing and reporting today, where we’ve got computers and smartphones, many of which fit in our back pockets! 

But there’s an inherent romanticism with these machines. Some of the world’s most famous writers used a typewriter to pour out their thoughts and feelings onto fresh paper: Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Margaret Atwood. 

A dedicated community of typewriter enthusiasts in LA is following in their footsteps. I got to catch up with a few Angelenos who write poems, short stories, and journal entries on their typewriters. They shared with me how they fell in love with the craft, and how much patience and dedication is needed to tell their stories. 

Love comes and goes, but typewriters are forever

Typewriter Connection is a Downtown LA-based business that rents, sells, and repairs the namesake devices, ranging from $120 to $300 each, and some rare pieces are even higher. Machines from as early as 1898 are on display, with a framed sign in the middle of the shop inviting each visitor to “please play” with the machines. 

Aaron Therol, owner of Typewriter Connection, regularly hosts what he describes as “type-ins,” where local typewriter enthusiasts gather for an afternoon of workshops and conversation with their machines in tow. His latest type-in, called Love Letters due to its Valentine’s Day theme, featured more than a dozen vendors and poets ready to write custom love poems, as well as tutorials on calligraphy and screenprinting. 

Daisy Holden attended Love Letters. She says, “It’s just you, yourself, and the machine. I don't think that’s how I feel when I type on my Mac or on my phone,” she says. “It's a very different kind of rhythm … that is more inspirational. And I think that even just the sound becomes like a rhythm and a pace.”

Steve LaBate adds, “Working on the typewriter forces you to not edit yourself on your first draft. And so you don't get bogged down self-editing every little thing and you can just continue on and crank the whole thing out, and then take it and digitize it and go back and do the heavy editing on the computer,” explains LaBate. “But for the sake of the music of the typewriter and the sounds and the feel of it, the heavyweight of the keys — that can offer inspiration and a creative boost when you're trying to write.”

Running to SF City Hall: Same-sex couple reflects on their wedding day

San Francisco made history 20 years ago this week when it began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney were one of the first 10 couples to get married in the city on February 12, 2004. 

That day, Lewis thought he was just going to a rally for marriage equality, as Gaffney had a lunch meeting at his downtown office. Upon arriving at San Francisco City Hall, Lewis asked activists what the plan was, then learned he could get married on the spot. 

“They just opened the doors for LGBT couples to come get married. And I was absolutely shocked. I could not believe it,” he shares with KCRW.

He got access to another person’s cell phone and called Gaffney. 

“When I picked it up, it was the most enormously vocally urgent wedding proposal you've ever heard,” Gaffney tells KCRW about the call. “It was John screaming into the phone, ‘Get to City Hall now! For the first time in our lives, we can get married.’ And although in my dreams I might have hoped for a dozen roses, a box of chocolates, champagne could be nice. But I just slammed on the phone and I ran out the door.”
 
After hearing the words, “By virtue of the authority vested in me, by the state of California, I pronounce you spouses for life,” Lewis says it was the first time he felt the government was treating him like an equal human being.  

Gaffney says public opinion on LGBTQ+ Americans has shifted immensely in the last few decades. “America has gotten to know its LGBTQ neighbors, relatives, friends, co-workers. And although we do see change in composition of the courts, and we see new strategies from-anti LGBTQ forces, I think the coming out of love is the reason why we say love wins. In the end, we've won the hearts and minds of Americans because this is an issue about love and fairness.

Heart-shaped food keeps LA legacy businesses on trend

The team at California Donuts #21 in Koreatown makes over 1,000 heart-shaped donuts in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, and the fryer operates 24/7. Customers didn’t always expect these holiday-themed donuts. Her parents opened the business in 1982 and Kuoch joined in the early 2000s. After a while, the idea of cutout cookies inspired her to add heart-shaped donuts to the seasonal menu, which felt at the time like a wild departure from classic circle and bar shapes.

Los Angeles may now be at peak heart-shaped food, including conchas, mulitas, pupusas, and taco boxes. 

“It probably is oversaturated, to the point that if you don't do it, you look weird,” says Kara Nielsen, a Bay Area-based food and beverage trend expert.

Catching onto a trend can instantly boost business. That was the experience of Mickey Mance, the owner of Mickey’s Deli in Hermosa Beach. His grandfather opened the Italian sandwich and pizza place in 1953, and Mance’s father ran the store before him. 

Mance decided five years ago to post online that they were making heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day. By 4:30 p.m. on the holiday, he was standing in the kitchen holding at least 50 tickets in his hand, and the printer kept spitting out more. 

He says Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to connect with the community that has supported the business for 70 years. And savvy young business owners like him know if food is tasty and photo-worthy, people will keep coming back.

Reality TV workers are burning out and speaking up

Reality/unscripted TV writers are telling KCRW that their working conditions are becoming unsustainable as Hollywood studios and streamers continue to tighten budgets. They describe a tight job market, lower wages, smaller teams, and punishing hours due to shortened production schedules.

“Your options are: Suck it up, buttercup, get it done with a smile, do the best job that you can, see the positive in the situation, and you'll be invited back,” says Michelle, a producer with 20 years of experience who wants to use only her middle name to protect her job prospects.

Most reality TV workers are not entitled to overtime under state law because they are paid by the week, not the hour. Many workers tell KCRW they feel unprotected from these long unpaid hours because, unlike many others in Hollywood, most of them don’t have a union.

There have been some rumblings about attempting a broad unionizing effort since the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes. The Nonfiction Coalition is behind an effort to organize workers on the West Coast. These and other efforts are happening quietly behind the scenes.

What’s behind the violent crime spike in Oakland?

Violent crime in Oakland increased by more than 20% last year. Now Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is teaming up with Governor Gavin Newsom, who recently announced plans to send the California Highway Patrol, the National Guard, and state prosecutors to address the issue. 

Oakland has long been an outlier with higher rates of crime compared to other cities, including its neighboring areas, says KQED Political Reporter Marisa Lagos. But despite its historic challenges with gun violence and gang issues, she points to a pulling back of public programs meant to reduce crime, including the Ceasefire program. Plus, there’s been dysfunction in law enforcement. 

DA Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao are also facing recall campaigns over their inability to address public safety. Lagos says in some cases, the issues facing the area are coming from beyond the city’s borders, including cartel-driven crime involving drugs, guns, and retail theft.