Election Day in the West Valley, a Chatsworth honey shop and a Malibu Creek hike

Vote center basics for Tuesday, weekend events in Woodland Hills and Chatsworth, a Veterans Day parade preview and two local spotlights.

SFV Insider Team

Welcome to SFV West Insider

NOVEMBER 2–8, 2026
Election Day is Tuesday, and Los Angeles County vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., so our lead story covers the basics, from voting at any center in the county to what happens if you are still in line at closing time. Also this week: Sunday events in Woodland Hills and Chatsworth, a preview of the Valley's Veterans Day parade on Wednesday, Nov. 11, a Chatsworth beekeeping shop, a Devonshire Street restaurant that has been serving the neighborhood since 1967, and a hike to the old M*A*S*H set in the Santa Monica Mountains. This week's trivia answer is at the end.

Trivia Question❓

Which Korean War comedy, a film in 1970 and later a TV series, shot scenes at what is now Malibu Creek State Park, where hikers can still visit the remains of its set?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Here is the week at a glance:

Monday, Nov. 2: The last day before Election Day. Los Angeles County's in-person vote centers were scheduled to be fully open by Saturday, Oct. 31.

Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day. Vote centers are open 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Our lead story below covers what to know.

Wednesday, Nov. 4: Warner Center Certified Farmers' Market, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 21255 Burbank Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Saturday, Nov. 7: Woodland Hills Certified Farmers' Market, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., 5650 Shoup Ave.

Sunday, Nov. 8: A wellness expo at the Hilton Woodland Hills, a family faery show on a Chatsworth farm and a honey-themed fundraiser at Woodland Hills Country Club. Details are in Featured Events.

Coming up Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, including the San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade. See Quick Local Updates.

Election Day in the West Valley: what to know before you go

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Vote centers across Los Angeles County are open 7 a.m.–8 p.m. According to LAist's voter guide, which was last updated Oct. 8, every in-person location was scheduled to be open by Saturday, Oct. 31. The county was still finishing its list of sites and hours at that point, so use the county's vote center locator to find current locations and hours near you.

Any vote center will do. You can vote at any vote center in Los Angeles County, not just the one closest to home, but you cannot vote in person in a different county.

Still in line at 8 p.m.? Stay in line. Anyone in line when the polls close can still vote.

Mail ballots. LAist reports that Nov. 3 is the last day to return your ballot or have it postmarked. NBC Los Angeles's election calendar says ballot drop-off locations remain available through Election Day, and you can also hand your ballot in at a vote center.

Not registered? The Oct. 19 registration deadline has passed, but NBC Los Angeles reports that voters who missed it can still register and cast a provisional ballot through Election Day. LAist adds that you can register or update your registration in person at a vote center. A provisional ballot is counted once officials confirm your information.

ID. Most voters are not asked for identification. The exception, per LAist, is a first-time voter who registered by mail without giving a driver's license number, state ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Those voters may be asked to show something like a utility bill, a sample ballot or a government-issued ID.

Help at the center. LAist says language assistance is available in 23 languages at every vote center, accessible voting equipment is provided, and curbside voting is available if you cannot go inside. Look for the sign outside with the number to call.

What is on the ballot. NBC Los Angeles's election calendar lists governor, Los Angeles mayor and Congress among the races. Your sample ballot is the authority on your own contests, which vary by address. LAist also notes that one measure on this ballot concerns voter ID rules, so give your voter guide a read before you go.

After the polls close. Counties start reporting results once voting ends and post updates over the following days. NBC Los Angeles notes that counties have until Dec. 3 to certify the results.

Veterans Day parade, Wednesday, Nov. 11. The 23rd annual San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade is set to step off at 11:11 a.m. at Laurel Canyon Blvd. and San Fernando Mission Blvd. It heads down Laurel Canyon Blvd. and ends at Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. The event is free and open to all ages, and the event listing says veterans and their families ride and march along the route and kids can wave flags and thank service members. The listing points to the parade's own website, sfvveteransdayparade.com, for food and parking details.

Woodland Hills Country Club housing proposal: where it stands. The plan to build roughly 400 housing units on part of the country club property at 21150 Dumetz Rd. is still contested. MyNewsLA reported on Aug. 26 that the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a zoning amendment aimed at blocking the project, citing mountain lion habitat and the site's very high fire hazard severity zone, and that a representative of the developer, Arrimus Capital, said a lawsuit was likely. In an Oct. 4 report, the Canyon News said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield argues the project has not been killed and remains eligible for the city's regular review, including fire safety and evacuation analysis. Neither report listed a scheduled hearing date.

A Woodland Hills restaurant makes the LA Times 101 Best list. Taínos L.A. in Woodland Hills is one of seven San Fernando Valley restaurants named to the Los Angeles Times' 2026 list of the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, Patch reported on Oct. 28. The Times says owner Odessa Rodriguez and her uncle, chef Edwin Torres, set out to give the city's Puerto Rican community a place that feels like home, with Torres drawing on years of cooking in Ponce and San Juan. Check the restaurant for current hours and menu before you go.

All three of this week's featured events fall on Sunday, Nov. 8. Schedules and prices can change, so confirm details with each organizer before you go.

A Day of Healing: Wellness & Healing Arts Event, Hilton Woodland Hills (Trillium Ballroom), 6360 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Healing-arts practitioners, meditation and sound bath sessions, a drum circle, mini workshops, guest speakers and local wellness and artisan vendors. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door, and children under 18 are free. Organized by Healing Arts SFV, with a Toys for Tots drive: bring a new, unwrapped toy.
A Faery Hunt Magical Adventure, Kindred Spirits Care Farm, 11001 Farralone Ave., Chatsworth, 10:30 a.m. An outdoor, interactive show of musical stories for families. Tickets are $20–$40.
The Valley Hive's Annual Fundraiser, Woodland Hills Country Club, 21150 Dumetz Rd., Woodland Hills, 4–7 p.m. A honey competition and honey dessert contest, a guided honey tasting with a take-home flight, a tri-tip and salmon dinner, and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $95, and proceeds benefit Share The Buzz.

A faery show on a working farm. Sunday's Faery Hunt in Chatsworth is built for families: an outdoor, interactive performance of whimsical musical stories at Kindred Spirits Care Farm. See Featured Events for time, address and ticket prices.

Bring a toy, help a child. The Day of Healing at the Hilton Woodland Hills is also collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. Children under 18 get in free, so it can double as a family outing.

Take the kids to honor veterans. The Valley's Veterans Day parade on Wednesday, Nov. 11 is free and open to all ages, and the event listing says children can wave flags and thank the service members along the route. Details are in Quick Local Updates.

Voting with limited mobility? LAist reports that curbside voting is available at every vote center for anyone who cannot go inside. Our lead story has the rest of the basics.

Where the Bees Are!!!

The Valley Hive

Photo by Meggyn Pomerleau on Unsplash. Illustrative stock photo, not The Valley Hive.

The Valley Hive: a Chatsworth one-stop shop for honey, bees and the people who want to keep them

Most of us meet honey as a squeeze bottle on a grocery shelf. At The Valley Hive, on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, honey is the doorway to a much bigger conversation about bees.

The business sells honey and beekeeping gear, but it also teaches classes, hosts community events and keeps a nursery of plants that feed pollinators, which helps explain why it has turned up in ABC7 Los Angeles, Santa Clarita's Sunday Signal and the CSUN student newspaper over the years.

How it started
According to ABC7's 2023 report, co-owner Danny Finkelstein got hooked on bees about a decade earlier, when he found a hive on a property he was fixing up and hired a beekeeper to remove it. His curiosity took over from there, and he went on to start the shop with business partner Keith Roberts, who leads and curates the classes.

A 2020 CSUN Sundial profile describes Roberts as co-owner and lead beekeeper and names Robin and Danny Finkelstein as his partners. Finkelstein told ABC7 the mission is helping one hive at a time, because bees matter and are in trouble.

What you will find
The Sunday Signal describes 100% raw, unfiltered honey from Southern California bees, including a popular wildflower honey, a citrus-tinged orange blossom honey and a dark, earthy buckwheat honey, plus small-batch jars that Roberts brings back from other regions he has visited. Staff can talk you through pairing honeys with tea or using them in cooking and baking. ABC7 also lists beekeeping equipment, hive-related gifts and a plant nursery that visitors can walk through for free. A May 2026 fundraiser page for the shop mentions Topanga Nursery, a gift shop and Just Vibes Cafe on the property.

Classes and community
Teaching is central to the business. ABC7 reported beginner classes held most weekends for people who want to start a hive at home.

The Signal describes six-week courses, online programs and private beekeeping experiences, and says the shop partners with the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association. The Signal also reports that The Valley Hive works with the VA on a program that uses beekeeping to help veterans with PTSD, a fitting detail with Veterans Day arriving Wednesday.

This Sunday
The shop's annual fundraiser, with a honey competition, a dessert contest and a guided honey tasting, takes place Sunday, Nov. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Woodland Hills Country Club, benefiting Share The Buzz. Details are in Featured Events.

Before you go
Store hours, class schedules and stock change, so check the shop's website before making the trip.

	Address	10538 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth, CA 91311
	Days Open	Open 6 days a week, Closed Wednesday
	Hours	8:30am to 5:00pm
	Phone	(818) 280-6500

Visit The Valley Hive

Shop a farmers market. Two certified markets in Woodland Hills are listed as year-round by Los Angeles County: the Warner Center Certified Farmers' Market, Wednesdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at 21255 Burbank Blvd., and the Woodland Hills Certified Farmers' Market, Saturdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at 5650 Shoup Ave.

Take a walk in Warner Center Park. The park at 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd. is open daily from dawn to dusk, and Los Angeles Recreation and Parks lists picnic tables and a bandshell among its features. Dusk now comes an hour earlier after Sunday's clock change, so plan your visit accordingly.

Learn how to keep bees. The Valley Hive in Chatsworth, our Featured Local Business above, has offered beginner beekeeping classes. Check the shop's website for the current class schedule.

Get outdoors for a movie-set hike. This week's Day Trip, below, takes you to the old M*A*S*H site at Malibu Creek State Park.

The bean-dip institution

Los Toros Mexican Restaurant

Photo by Snappr on Pexels. Illustrative stock photo, not Los Toros.

Los Toros: a Chatsworth bean-dip institution that has been serving the neighborhood since 1967

Every neighborhood has a restaurant that people measure other restaurants against. In Chatsworth, that role belongs to Los Toros on Devonshire Street, a family-run Mexican restaurant that has been open since 1967. It is known for its colorful murals, its margaritas, its big combination plates and, above all, a bean dip with a devoted following.

A hard stretch, and a community that showed up
Los Toros made headlines in a way no restaurant wants. According to a March 2021 Patch report, the restaurant said the previous December that it might not survive the pandemic. A GoFundMe drive and tailgate parties raised money, Councilmember John Lee and the CD12 Small Business Angel Fund announced a $25,000 grant, and the return of outdoor dining helped it recover. The same report described a stunt that captured the loyalty behind all of that: stunt performer Hunter Ray Barker planned to spend 24 hours in a vat of Los Toros bean dip to promote the restaurant. Patch names Nicholas Montaño as the owner.

Giving back
The restaurant has a long record of community involvement. Patch reported that it has fed people experiencing homelessness and firefighters, supported scholarships and golf fundraisers, and, in February 2021, joined Councilmember Lee to deliver meals to emergency room and ICU staff at West Hills Hospital.

The room
A 2009 review in CSUN's Sundial described a restaurant of seven rooms and two bars, each with its own character, with flags strung across a patio ceiling, murals, stained glass and hand-painted art, and a bar jukebox. The layout may have changed since then, but a current Paint Nite venue listing still points to a full bar, an outdoor patio, free parking nearby, wheelchair access and reservations. The same listing says private groups of 15 to 60 can book the restaurant for events.

Plan your visit
Listed hours start at 4 p.m. on Mondays and 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday service beginning at 10 a.m. Friday is the late night, with the restaurant listed as open until midnight. Check the restaurant's website or call ahead for holiday-week hours and the current menu.

	Address	21743 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, CA 91311
	Days Open	7 Days a week
	Hours	Mon 4–10 p.m.; Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m.–midnight; Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
	Phone	(818) 882-3080

Visit Los Toros

Malibu Creek State Park | Things to Do, Hiking, Camping | 2-Minute Guide

Malibu Creek State Park: hike to the old M*A*S*H set

Just over the hills from the West Valley, Malibu Creek State Park offers a hike with a Hollywood payoff. The main entrance is at 1925 Las Virgenes Rd. in Calabasas, about four miles south of the 101, and the park's most famous destination is the remains of the outdoor set used for M*A*S*H. According to SoCal Hiker, scenes for Robert Altman's 1970 film were shot there, and the site was later used for the TV series and other productions.

The Hike
Expect a round trip of roughly 5 miles, about two hours, mostly on wide fire roads. HikeSpeak puts the set about 2.3 miles from the main parking area, along Crags Road. At the site you will find old military vehicles, picnic tables, information panels and markers showing where the medical tents stood. Side trips to the Rock Pool and Century Lake add a little distance. Malibu Creek tends to dry up in fall, but check conditions before you go, since the route can include a creek crossing.

Plan ahead
The park's volunteer docents report that the gates are open 8 a.m.–10 p.m. and day-use parking runs $3 an hour, up to $12 for the day, per car. Dogs are not allowed on the hiking trails, including the one to the M*A*S*H site. The visitor center is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., about a one-mile walk from the lower parking lot. Bring plenty of water, stay on the trail, and watch for rattlesnakes, ticks and poison oak. Smoking is not allowed outside parking, picnic and campground areas.

Before you head out
Trail and parking conditions change. The docents' visitor information page points hikers to California State Parks for current alerts and closures.

More events, all in one place. Concerts, workshops, family activities and neighborhood gatherings are collected in the West Valley Insider events calendar. Check it through the week, since new listings go up between issues.

Know something we should cover? If you have a confirmed opening, a local organization doing good work or a family-friendly event, send it our way with the date, venue, address and an official link.

One more reminder. Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and anyone in line at that time can still vote.

💡 Answer to Trivia Question:

M*A*S*H. Scenes for Robert Altman's 1970 film and the TV series that followed were shot at the site, and the old set is now a roughly 5-mile round-trip hike (see this week's Day Trip).