Author: The Argonaut

There’s nothing superficial about Rachel Thompson By Kellie Chudzinski | Photos by Ted Soqui Being a pageant queen was never in Rachel Thompson’s plans. She knew she wanted to be a nurse, and build her skills to become a nurse practitioner. But before she could start her doctorate, an opportunity came her way that she couldn’t pass up: being Miss Marina del Rey. This choice would take her out of the exam and operating rooms and straight to the pageant stage. Less than two weeks before she was set to compete in the early rounds of Miss California, she’s...

Compiled by Gary Walker Nearly five months after the ecologically sensitive dune area was bulldozed by contractors working for real estate developer the Legado Co., a temporary perimeter was established and sand stabilization fencing was installed on the property. A path to the beach away from the Toes Beach Dunes has been marked and visitors to the beach are being asked to use the path and not trespass on the protected area. “Also, please let us know if fencing is removed or needs to be replaced,” wrote Mark Waier and Trevor Daley of the Los Angeles public relations firm...

By Gary Walker Two new bombshells in the form of separate but related lawsuits roiled the Grammy Awards days before the nationally televised Jan. 26 music show when the assistant to Deborah Dugan filed a lawsuit against the Grammy CEO on Monday and the ousted Dugan took legal action of her own. Dugan’s lawsuit, a gender discrimination suit brought against the Santa Monica–based Recording Academy, was filed on Jan. 21 and alleges “unlawful gender discrimination, sexual harassment, unlawful retaliation and unequal pay,” according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Argonaut. The suit was being reviewed by...

Women’s March LA puts a spotlight on local activists and politicians By Christina Campodonico Hundreds of thousands of protesters pulled out their pink “pussyhats,” “Nasty Woman” T-shirts and sundry accoutrements of resistance and dissent for the fourth annual Women’s March Los Angeles in downtown LA on Saturday. The Women’s March Foundation estimates that more than 300,000 attended the rally that began in Pershing Square at 9 a.m. with an indigenous blessing and concluded at the foot of Los Angeles City Hall where a lineup of entertainers, activists and politicians spoke on a wide range of progressive topics from reproductive,...