California
Inside a Vibrant Abode Where California Cool Meets the Scandinavian Summer Home
The decorative party, however, is not reserved exclusively for denizens of California. “We wanted to explore the connection between West Marin and Scandinavian summer homes, another one of our obsessions,” Alonso says. “This house felt like the perfect place for JB Blunk and Edith Heath to finally meet Josef Frank face-to-face.” The designer underscored the aesthetic kinship by deploying classic Danish chairs by Hans Wegner and Ole Wanscher; Swedish flat-weave carpets; Arne Jacobsen fixtures; and a dizzying array of Frank wallpapers, fabrics, and furnishings for Svenskt Tenn. A select number of pieces that fall outside the Scandi/Cali range—bulbous light fixtures by Gino Sarfatti, an antique Tiffany Studios pendant lamp, wallpaper by British designer Marthe Armitage—pepper the playful mix.
The riot of color and pattern coalesces with particular charm in two snug bedrooms positioned along the central corridor that leads from the front door through the house and out to a spectacular view of the West Marin landscape, highlighted by a majestic bishop pine. The rooms are wrapped in joyous Frank wallpapers, but whereas most designers would let the patterns suffice for ecstatic decor, Commune chose a different approach—too much is never enough. Alonso paired the wallpapers with upholstered patchwork headboards by textile artist Adam Pogue, custom polychromatic bedding, and color-blocked Swedish carpets. Instead of cacophony, the effect is surprisingly warm and serene.
Commune set the stage for this kaleidoscopic, multicultural mash-up with strategic interventions and alterations to existing finishes within the home. They stained the floors in what Alonso describes as a “weird, deep blue-green color,” refinished all the interior cedar siding to temper the wood’s orangey hue, and painted the columns, trusses, and trim in dark green, effectively heightening the drama of Riley’s architectural composition. In further deference to Riley’s work, all of Commune’s newly added mahogany bookshelves, cabinetry, and other millwork details were extrapolated from an original built-in hutch in the dining room, an area the designers divided to create an anteroom earmarked for casual repose. “The clients wanted lots of nooks and daybeds and perches to read and relax,” Alonso explains. “That’s the spirit of this place—rest, renewal, well-being.”
Commune’s design ultimately walks the line between traditional and modern with aplomb, satisfying the predilections of clients whose tastes tend to hew in different directions.
“There’s a genuine harmony here, not just among the furniture and the luscious fabrics and wallpapers but in all the relationships we cultivated with the craftspeople, fabricators, and even the people at the auction houses,” one of the homeowners attests. “This house is our favorite place to think, recharge, listen to records, and be in love.”
This Commune Design remodel appears in the AD’s April 2024 issue. Never miss an issue when you subscribe to AD.
If you visit Disneyland with any frequency, a discount from the usual price of more than $100 a day would feel like a blessing.
However, almost as soon as Disney recently offered a rare chance to purchase limited evening passes to its two Southern California parks at about half of the regular cost, the online speculation among Disney enthusiasts behind the company’s strategy spiked. It was no surprise that the lower-priced tickets sold out in about a week.
Some fans referred to the five-hour ticket as a “recession” indicator on social media or as a way to “capture random stragglers.”
Others believed the ticket offered fireworks enthusiasts an opportunity to catch a nighttime spectacular, while one person said the pass allowed visitors to partake in other Southern California activities before finishing their evening at Disneyland.
Buyers of the pass are first set to attend the parks this Sunday, with dates extending until August.
Disneyland officials brush off the speculation, saying the ticket sale is business as usual. Fortunately for us, industry insider Dennis Speigel offered some analysis behind the move.
Let’s jump into the offer and his thoughts on the deal.
All about the ticket
Late last month, Disneyland offered a one-park evening pass for $59 to Disneyland or California Adventure. The ticket is good from Sundays to Wednesdays, starting this Sunday until Aug. 5.
California Adventure would allow evening patrons in at 5 p.m. until closing at 10 p.m. and Disneyland at 7 p.m. until closing at midnight.
A park reservation was still required for evening passes.
The tickets became available June 30 and sold out by July 6, according to a Disneyland spokesperson. Disneyland officials declined to say how many tickets were sold.
What’s Disneyland’s rationale?
The ticket offering is not all that rare.
Similar opportunities began as far back as 1957 with Disneyland date nights admission running from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m, a park spokesperson said.
“Our goal is to provide guests with a variety of limited-time ticket offers throughout the year — this being just one example of that,” a Disneyland spokesperson said.
Softer than a dole whip
Speigel, founder and chief executive of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services, Inc., a theme park consulting firm, said theme parks, ranging from small, regional locales to international destinations are struggling with a “softness” in admission demand that began in April but became more acute in June.
That slump at Disney and Universal Studios properties nationwide, Speigel said in a call with The Times, is due to three primary factors: the economy, weather and the Iranian War.
“There’s a nervousness from visitors, a lack of understanding of what to expect because of the war and economy,” he said. “We saw something like that last year driven by tariffs with soaring gas prices, and we monitored how people started moving back on their spending.”
Visitors still want deals
To counter that softness, Disney is turning to discounts, hoping to kindle interest, Speigel speculated.
“They understand their guests are in a crucible, and this drives the decision to discount,” he said. “People still want their escapes; that doesn’t go down. They just want to pay less to escape.”
Disney’s evening pass is also a shrewd offer because it aims to attract another type of guest: budget-minded locals who might be enticed by $59, Speigel said.
“It’s a smart attempt on Disney’s part,” Speigel said. “It moves in the local people who aren’t the season pass holders or tourists, and it fills the park. That’s what parks are looking to do right now.”
The week’s biggest stories
(Etienne Laurent / For the Times)
Boyle Heights fire
Two graduation traumas
Beach takeovers
Science and technology
What else is going on
Must-reads
Other meaty reads
For your downtime
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Going out
Staying in
L.A. Timeless
A selection of the very best reads from The Times’ 143-year archive.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KABC) — An Amber Alert was issued Friday by the California Highway Patrol for a 3-year-old child out of California City believed to be in imminent danger.
Emaria Peel, 3, was last seen Friday at about 7:17 p.m. in the area of Redwood Boulevard and 83rd Street in California City, according to police.
Authorities believe 31-year-old Charnay Mclin took Emaria. Investigators have not yet said what relationship, if any, Mclin has to the child.
The suspect was described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
The child was described as being 1 foot 6 inches, 20 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Police believe they’re traveling in a gold-colored 2021 Kia Sorento with the California license plate: 36095DV
Mclin is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities wants anyone who sees them to call 911.
No further details were immediately known.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested in Texas in connection with the deadly shooting after a high school graduation ceremony in Fairfield, California last month, police said.
Fairfield police said U.S. Marshals, accompanied by department detectives, served search and arrest warrants Friday morning at a home in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The teen was taken into custody without incident on suspicion of murder and related offenses.
Investigators said the suspect fled California and traveled to Texas within days of the June 3 shooting. He will remain in custody while awaiting extradition to Solano County.
The shooting happened after Sem Yeto Continuation High School’s graduation ceremony, which was held on the Fairfield High School campus.
Police said 18-year-old graduate Jamario Baker died at the scene. Three others – an 11-year-old child and two adults, ages 20 and 25 – were wounded.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name because he is a minor.
Although an arrest has been made, police said the investigation remains active and detectives continue to pursue additional leads.
“While today’s announcement may provide a measure of relief to some, it does not lessen the pain felt by our community,” the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District said in a statement.
Police plan to hold a news conference Monday at 4 p.m. to discuss the case and arrest.
Fairfield is a Northern California city about 40 miles northwest of San Francisco.
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