Best-selling author Steven Rowley is quoted as saying: “There are times when Los Angeles is the most magical city on Earth. When the Santa Ana winds sweep through and the air is warm and so, so clear. When the jacaranda trees bloom in the most brilliant lilac violet. When the ocean sparkles on a warm February day and you’re pushing fine grains of sand through your bare toes while the rest of the country is hunkered down under blankets slurping soup.”

Join CivitasLA in this mini-episode as we are reminded by previous guests (including Mayor Joy Belmonte, Christian Huebel, Kacy Keys, Ayahlushim Getachew, Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Kevin Demoff, Leticia Rhi Buckley, Josefina Lopez, Alfred Fraijo Jr., Arturo Sneider, Dani Klein Modisett, LeAnn Jones, Leslie Jones, Lia Jones, Rev. Kathy Cooper Ledesma, and Rabbi Mari Chernow) of a few of their favorite places to take a visitor to enjoy some of the magic our region has to offer.

To learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

The Economist magazine, in a holiday special from December 2021, entitled “The Pleasures of The Table” – discussing how restaurants came to be and how the pandemic may change them – noted: “Being deprived of restaurants has made people realize how much they value them. Eating out fulfills needs which seem fundamental to human nature. People need to date, to seal deals and to peer at their fellow humans. At a good restaurant you can travel without traveling, or simply feel coddled.”

Are you ready to be “coddled?” Join CivitasLA for this mini-episode as we hear from previous guests (including Kacy Keys, Ayahlushim Getachew, Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Leticia Rhi Buckley, Josefina Lopez, Arturo Sneider, Dani Klein Modisett, Lia Jones, Leslie Jones, LeAnn Jones, Rev. Kathy Cooper Ledesma, Rabbi Mari Chernow, and Kevin Demoff) as they remind us of some of “their” favorite restaurants across our region.

To learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA)

Author David J. Wolpe, in “Why Faith Matters,” states “On balance, religion increases social stability, enabling people to live happier, more productive and better lives. That does not demonstrate religion’s truth. It does remind us, however, that we are creatures designed to flourish – to heal and to help – when we believe.”

Exploring the state of our local faith community, CivitasLA is joined by two of our region’s most noted faith leaders, Rev. Kathy Cooper Ledesma, Senior Pastor of Hollywood United Methodist Church, described as “…one of the most famous churches on the Pacific Coast” and Rabbi Mari Chernow, Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood, “a historic reform congregation in the heart of Los Angeles that serves as a vibrant hub Jewish life” as we discuss the central role their respective institutions have played in nurturing faith and their engagement in the civic life of the Hollywood community and of our region. To learn more, please visit: https://hollywoodumc.org/; https://www.tioh.org/

And to learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

From an article by Meredith Wood, entitled: “What Is Crowdfunding? Definition, How It Works, Types,” she notes “Crowdfunding is a form of financing a project or business venture by raising small amounts of money from a collective of individuals. There are over 600 different crowdfunding platforms in the world that make it easy for entrepreneurs, investors, and people to connect. Anyone with an idea has the chance to pitch it to available investors. It’s a young, yet popular form of both crowdsourcing and alternative financing.”

As CivitasLA continues its recognition of National Entrepreneurship Month, a time – as shared in a White House proclamation – to celebrate entrepreneurs who “combine passion, resilience, and ingenuity to solve hard problems and create products and businesses that improve our lives,” we’re joined by Quentin Strode, President and CEO of NEW Community Investments as he shares a new resource, Impresario, an innovative crowd-sourced capital access solution aimed at furthering their mission of building economic development and financial sustainability among women, minority, and veteran-owned entrepreneurs in underserved communities. To learn more, please visit: https://impresariobynew.org/

And to learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. We hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

In a report from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor entitled “Women’s Entrepreneurship 2020/21, Thriving Through Crisis,” it states: “Entrepreneurship is an essential driver of societal health and wealth. It is also a formidable engine of economic growth.” It further notes: “Women entrepreneurs are making significant contributions to the global economy and society. Based on the countries in the GEM 2020 survey, an estimated 274 million women globally are involved in business startups in addition to 139 million women owners/managers of established businesses and 144 million women informal investor globally.”

As CivitasLA celebrates National Entrepreneurship Month 2022, we’re joined by three entrepreneurial sisters – Lia Dias, Owner of Hype Hair Magazine and Girl Cave LA, and LeAnn and Leslie Jones, Co-Founders of 1010 Wine Bar & Events, the first wine bar in Inglewood – as they share their journey growing up in Inglewood, their respective paths to entrepreneurship, and how they work to engage, inspire and serve community through their respective entrepreneurial endeavors. To learn more, please visit: www.girlcavela.com; www.hypehair.com and www.1010wineandevents.com.

And, to learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. We hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

As we recognize Alzheimer’s Awareness Month (November), a time to heighten awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, which affects more than 6 million Americans, and recognize National Entrepreneurship Month (also November), a time -- as shared in a proclamation from the White House – to celebrate entrepreneurs who “combine passion, resilience and ingenuity to solve hard problems and create products and businesses that improve our lives,” CivitasLA is joined by Dani Klein Modisett, Founder and CEO of Laugher On Call.

Founded in 2019, Laughter On Call (LOC) was created in order to pair comedians with those experiencing Alzheimer’s and to create connections through shared laughter. Since then, LOC has expanded their services to the broader corporate community and their employees, having facilitated over 450 such corporate events. Join us in conversation with Dani as she discusses the founding and evolution of LOC – first in the health care space addressing Alzheimer’s patients to expanding their work in the corporate arena, with a mission of fostering greater mental health and wellness through shared laughter. To learn more, please visit: www.laughteroncall.com.

And to learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

As CivitasLA continues its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re joined by Arturo Sneider, Founding Partner & CEO of Primestor Development Inc.

With no prior experience in the sector, but inspired by a desire to revitalize neighborhoods through real estate, Arturo joins CivitasLA to discuss Primestor’s mission of managing and developing properties that empower the communities they operate in; how they promote excellence; and share their model for success achieved operating in serving diverse communities in South and Southeast Los Angeles, amongst other locations.

Established in 1992, Primestor Development Inc. has emerged as a retail sector leader, focused on leasing, property management, development, construction management, rehabilitation and acquisitions. They have developed, managed, and acquired several million square feet of space across four states and currently oversee a portfolio in excess of $750 MM. To learn more, please visit: http://www.primestor.com/

To learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).

It’s been said, by Jorge N. Neal, co-curator and museum educator at the Boyle Heights Museum, that “all roads lead to Boyle Heights, it’s a place of intersection.” Boyle Heights, part of the original Spanish land grant that established the city of Los Angeles in 1781, covering roughly 6.5 square miles located 3 miles east of Downtown, is one of LA’s oldest and most historically significant communities in the region. Historically, it’s been home to generations of immigrants (being called the Ellis Island of the West), serving as home to some of the largest populations of Japanese and Jewish residents in Southern California.

As CivitasLA celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, we’re joined by Josefina Lopez, Founding Artistic Director of Casa 0101 Theater and screenwriter, and Alfred Fraijo Jr., attorney and community leader --- both raised in Boyle Heights and actively engaged in the civic and business life of the community -- for “Community Spotlight: Boyle Heights” as we explore this unique community; consider its rich history, its place at the center of the Latino experience in LA and central role in Chicano culture and social justice movements.

To learn more about CivitasLA, we invite you to visit www.CivitasLA.com. And we hope you’ll rate and review our show; and connect with us on Facebook (@CivitasLA), Instagram (@Civitas_LA) and Twitter (@Civitas_LA).