Reporter Danielle Chiriguayo:  

Folks say social media rots your brain. And you know what? My screen time over the last few weeks likely supports that assertion. But it can also offer some nuggets of gold — a new restaurant in your neighborhood, a snippet of your new favorite song, and sometimes, even an idea for a story. 

It was on TikTok — of course — where I stumbled upon the Women with Wrenches workshop. The video, which clocks in at 15 seconds and features the big, beautiful, and brassy 1965 song “Ladyfingers,” gives a glimpse of the all-women class dedicated to teaching the auto basics. One look at its comment section reveals the magic of a space like this, with women from as far as Canada asking for similar workshops in their cities. I immediately pitched the piece, and a few weeks later, there I was in Costa Mesa, learning how to use jumper cables and how to check your fluids alongside a group of young women who had also heard about the workshop via social media. 

Those six women made me think about the power of representation and connection on social media. What does it mean to see yourself reflected in a space that typically doesn’t cater to people who look like you? And what pushes you to make that jump from cyberspace to real, 3D life? 

Women with Wrenches: OC workshop shows fixing your own car isn’t hard

Women with Wrenches is a free workshop that teaches the basics of car maintenance: how to check your fluids and filters, use jumper cables the right way, and of course, change a tire. Angie Hernandez started it to demystify the often male-dominated field of auto repair and upkeep — and to show women how easy and fun it can be to work on cars.

For women, there can be a lack of trust toward the male-dominated automotive industry. Stacy Homs says, “I tend to get better care when I bring a man with me [to an auto shop], like my dad, my boyfriend, my brother. If I go to get work done on my car, I oftentimes don't know if they're ripping me off. So if I do go by myself, I'll talk to whoever the mechanic is [and] give my dad a call and say, ‘Hey, does this seem reasonable?’” 

Sexual harassment is also an issue. Alexa Barajas recalls, “It was my first time buying a car. The car salesman actually also hit on me. My parents were right there with me too. So there was no shame.” 

And so, Hernandez, emphasizes the importance of empowerment. “‘Hey, I can do this myself’ — I got addicted to that. And I was like, ‘Dude, if I can do this, what else can I do?’”

LA teens earn cash and skills in high-demand trades

The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools summer program teaches LA County’s middle and high schoolers vital skills in manufacturing, automotive tech, carpentry, welding, and more. The kids earn college credit and even money. 

Venice Duran, a student at Artesia High School, is learning how to fix cars. “Mostly, the generation is more like, ‘You're getting your hands dirty? You really want to do that type of job?’ But when they tell me about what they want to do as their career … I'll be making more money than they are. So why would I try doing something that I'd have to go to college for a long time, which I'm not saying is a bad thing, but I just feel that … I’d rather have my hands dirty to know that I actually worked hard to get my money.” 

Belen Vargas, LA County program director at Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, adds, “These are real-world skills that they are learning and can use in their lives. Wouldn't we all love to be able to not have to call a plumber or an electrician if we find ourselves needing that at our home, right?”

‘Inventing Paradise’: Meet the visionaries who built LA

"Los Angeles is a city that should not exist" is how Paul Haddad begins Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles. The book chronicles how a sleepy town became one of the world's most iconic cities, thanks to six visionary leaders. Streets and libraries throughout the city are now named after them. Haddad explores their lives, achievements, and flaws.

One of the men: Henry Huntington, the namesake of the library, museum, and gardens in San Marino. “Huntington famously created the red line trolley system. It’s the greatest streetcar system in the world and was created in Los Angeles in the early 1900s. … And it was almost as if everything he did in his life was a means to an end, just so he could create this paradise, this utopia, for himself and for the public later in life,” Haddad says.

Beyond hunger: How nutrition insecurity affects Angelenos differently

The impact of food insecurity and nutrition insecurity on different LA County populations is the focus of new research from the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. 

"We don't just ask people: Did they not have enough food? Are they skipping meals? Or are they going hungry? But we really asked them about whether or not they can access food that helps them live a healthy life that's in line with their dietary and cultural preferences,” says Kayla de la Haye, professor of psychology and spatial sciences at USC. 

She adds, “What we eat is actually the leading cause of death for folks in LA County — because of diseases like diabetes and heart disease. … Asian residents were more likely to be nutrition insecure but didn't have a higher risk for food insecurity. And it was the opposite for Latino residents — they had a higher risk for food insecurity, but had average risk for nutrition insecurity.”

If you can't beat CA poison oak, maybe try eating it?

Jeff Horwitz, who has experienced rashes on Northern California trails while foraging for chanterelle and wild mushrooms, says he learned in grade school that some of the state’s Indigenous tribes would weave baskets of poison oak, cook salmon on it, and make skewers from it. He decided to follow their practices to see if he could build immunity too. He made tea from the plant's roots, ate young buds, and added leaves to smoothies, salads, and egg dishes. He reports getting some desensitization from poison oak — but also side effects like pruritus ani.