🧑‍🎤 Lady Gaga, Chinese New Year, and Tax Deadlines

Welcome to your weekly Valley update! Today is Thursday, January 23, 2025.

In this week’s NoHo Nick:

• 🧑‍🎤 Benefit concert

• 🐲 Chinese New Year

• 🎁 Benefit events

• 🔥 New fires

What a week, huh?

The wildfire smoke made me question the air quality numbers.

Tikok went away.

TikTok came back.

I heard Margaritaville at CityWalk might be closing.

And it wasn’t even Monday yet.

One bright spot?

You can win lunch with Julia Roberts or visit the Only Murders in the Building set while supporting wildfire relief.

If you win, you have to invite me. Just saying.

📜 IRS Extends LA Tax Deadlines: Residents and businesses have until October 15 to file taxes because of the wildfires. Most people are automatically identified from last year’s returns. You can contact the IRS with questions. (ABC7)

🔥 Eaton Fire Repopulation: All Altadena communities are open to returning residents. Some areas remain under “soft closures,” accessible only to people with proof of residence. (LA County)

🔥 Hughes Fire: A new, fast-moving wildfire near Santa Clarita has grown to 10,000+ acres. 30,000+ people are under evacuation orders. There are no reports of structure loss. (NBC4)

💵 $250 Wildfire Relief: Some San Fernando Valley residents can apply for up to $250 in relief. The City Council allocated $25,000 for those who lost income. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible applicants include self-employed workers. (LAist)

⛈️ Weekend Rain: The National Weather Service extended red flag warnings through Friday for Los Angeles and Ventura County. Strong winds up to 50 mph are expected. Rain is forecasted on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will dip, too. (KTLA)

🌆 (Opinion) LA’s Economy Will Boom: Despite the pandemic, wildfires, housing crises, and Hollywood struggles, history shows Los Angeles bounces back stronger. L.A. is poised for its next boom with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and new cultural landmarks on the horizon. (Hollywood Reporter)

This memorial is to David Lynch outside Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake.

🎤 FireAid Benefit Concert (Inglewood): Unforgettable evening of music to support wildfire relief—Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Green Day, No Doubt, Rod Stewart, Billie Eilish, RHCP, Joni Mitchell, and many more. Ticket proceeds benefit communities affected by fires. At the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum. (Tickets start at about $1,000). Get tickets. Thursday, January 30, 6 PM

🐉 Chinese New Year Fundraiser (North Hollywood): Celebrate the Chinese New Year at Risky Business, a secret cocktail bar. They’ll have kung fu movies, dim sum, and cocktails—all for a great cause. Proceeds support the Wildfire Recovery Fund. Wednesday, January 29.

📚 Children's Book Donations (Studio City): Annabelle’s Book Club LA is collecting new and gently used books for children and young adults affected by the fires. Drop off donations at their store. Spread love and stories. Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 AM to 6 PM.

🎨 Watercolor Workshop with Pastries (Woodland Hills): Explore watercolor painting, learn techniques like color mixing, and create greeting cards to take home. No experience is needed. Painting supplies, coffee, tea, OJ, champagne, and pastries are included. $60. Saturday, January 25, at 11 AM.

🌓 Lankershim Lunar Block Party (North Hollywood): [Re-post] Celebrate the Year of the Snake on Lankershim Blvd with food trucks, arts and crafts, cultural performances, and over 80+ Asian makers selling handmade goods. Free. RSVP required. Saturday, January 25, from 12 PM to 4 PM. 

🎾 Free Tennis (Sawtelle): Hit the tennis courts. Connect with neighbors at this tennis free play. It's open to everyone. Bring a racket, water, and extra tennis balls. Come to reset, reflect, and reconnect with your community. Free. Sunday, January 26, at 2 PM.

🎸 Valley United Benefit Concert (Van Nuys): Rock out for a cause at the Airtel Plaza Hotel. 80s and 90s cover band The Flux Capacitors are performing. Hosted by My Valley Pass. Live performances from other local songwriters and bands. Donations accepted (blankets, hygiene products, gift cards). $25. Sunday, January 26 at 2 PM.

💼 How to Do Business When the World Is on Fire (Virtual): Join an open, inclusive conversation for entrepreneurs, business owners, and creatives on navigating ethical business practices in challenging times. An “Entrepreneurs Anonymous” meetup. Hosted by OUR SPOT coffee shop in Long Beach. Free. Wednesday, January 29, 11 AM–12 PM.

✨ Burbank Chamber New Year Mixer (Burbank): Network, sip, and spin pottery at Claytivity Pottery Studio. Refreshments, pottery demos, and a chance to talk to other local business owners. $25. Thursday, January 30, 5:30–7:30 PM.

🎤 Podcast Live Chat: Normal Gossip + Sounds Like a Cult (Mid-Wilshire): Podcast hosts Kelsey McKinney (Normal Gossip) and Amanda Montell (Sounds Like a Cult) are together for a night of conversation at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Quirky and funny hosts. $46. Includes a copy of McKinney’s new book. Tuesday, February 18, at 7 PM.

🍺 “We Love LA” Beer (Coming Soon): More than 150 breweries are joining the "We Love LA" effort. They’re all brewing custom beers to be sold at their breweries for a limited time. Proceeds will support the United Way in Los Angeles for wildfire relief. The beers will be available in early March.

🎉 New Mexican Restaurant (Chatsworth): Check out the opening of Las Fuentes’ new location in Chatsworth. Founded in 1982 as a food truck, Las Fuentes serves authentic Mexican food from breakfast to dinner daily—multiple LA locations.

🍔 Burger Lunch Special (Studio City): Grab any burger or sandwich with fries or a salad and a drink for $16 at Laurel Tavern. Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 3 PM.

🎉 Cheba Hut Turns 1 (North Hollywood): Celebrate Cheba Hut’s first anniversary serving toasted sandwiches in NoHo: themed drinks, a Mario Kart tournament, free Krispies, board games, and prizes. Saturday, January 25, at 6 PM.

🌬️ The air quality is tricky to understand. Use AQI, smell, and visual cues to decide whether to go outside.

🌍️ No, the world is not falling apart—a short film.

❓️New York City is about 304 square miles in size. Approximately how big is the city of Los Angeles?

Last week’s question: The name Cahuenga comes from a Tongva village name. What does it mean?

Answer: "Cahuenga" is a Spanish-ized version of the Tongva word, "Kawee'nga.” It loosely translates to “place of the hill.”

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

PS Check out Eat Drink LA’s list of restaurants supporting wildfire relief.

Do you have a suggestion of something I should feature? Submit it.

Want to get your business featured in NoHo Nick? Let’s talk.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to get it.