One woman’s quest to find a home for her father’s Streisand collection
Good morning. It’s Friday, Dec. 22. I’m Julia Carmel, a West Coast experiences reporter. Here’s what you need to know to start your day:
- One woman’s quest to find a home for her father’s Streisand collection
- California’s population dropped by 500,000 in two years
- 18 places in L.A. where your dog is more welcomed than you
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
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Finding a home for the world’s largest Streisand collection
Helping a dying parent is hard in a multitude of ways: There are tough conversations to be had; steep costs for caregivers and nursing homes; and mountains of grief to face before and after they die. There’s also the daunting task of handling their estate.
But when Louis Papalas died in March, his daughter, Mara, faced another tricky question: What should she do with his massive collection of Barbra Streisand memorabilia?
This conundrum wasn’t a surprise to Mara — “for 20 years, I knew, ‘I’m gonna have to handle this,’ ” she told me as we sat in one of Lou’s six storage units in the Coachella Valley last month — but it was puzzling nonetheless. After watching her father accumulate tens of thousands of Babs-related items during his life, Mara was stuck with a steep monthly storage bill and the enormous responsibility of deciding what to do with everything.
For most of this year, she’s been sorting through her father’s storage units to label and organize all of the “Barbrabilia” he gathered since he first discovered Streisand in 1963. She has a solid idea of what’s in there, but it’s hard to count how many magazines, records, posters, clocks and nesting dolls make up this collection (the size has been estimated from 50,000 to 100,000 items over the years).
“This is sheet music; these are just clippings; rolled posters here; magazines; posters; road shows; these are framed album covers he exhibited,” she said as we walked through the different units. “Magazines; more records; books; memorabilia; programs; CDs; VHS; stacking dolls. There’s a jack-in-the-box with a Barbra inside; a Fabergé-style egg.”
Many of these items were found on eBay, where Lou bought several pieces each day, establishing himself among a community of Streisand fans and collectors. PJ Miller, Lou’s friend of more than 20 years, said she first met him on eBay and later traveled from her home in Phoenix to help him organize his collection in Palm Desert.
“I’ve talked to many other collectors, and they have a lot of larger items, but not as many of them,” Miller said. “Lou got down to the nitty-gritty and collected the lobby cards and the clippings and the magazines — the small paper items that get lost in floods, get lost in fires, get thrown out, and become more and more valuable over the years.”
Parts of Lou’s collection were exhibited over the years at the Hollywood Museum, the Bernard Museum of Judaica, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. He became a de facto expert on anything related to Streisand, and Lou was even credited on Streisand’s 2022 album “Live at the Bon Soir” for sharing memorabilia with her team.
Mara can appreciate Streisand’s talent, but she’s the first to admit that she’s not a Streisand fanatic herself. Because she doesn’t have the interest, money or space to keep her father’s collection, she’s hoping that someone will buy the whole thing.
Mara recently put a few items up for auction at Julien’s, including the dress Streisand wore in her 1965 TV special, “My Name Is Barbra,” but she can’t imagine auctioning off each item on eBay herself.
“I just don’t enjoy going to the post office,” Mara said. “Even though I have a whole locker full of shipping material, I have no interest in packing it, shipping it, labeling it, listing it.”
In an ideal world, she’d like to see Lou’s dream come to fruition and find a buyer who would create a nonprofit Barbra Streisand museum and performing arts center.
“I feel like I’m sitting on a little avant-garde niche type of thing, someone could do something really grand with this, and I would love it and [my dad] would love it,” she said. “But I don’t think that somebody’s me, because I don’t have the love of it. I have the love of him.”
You can read all about Lou’s collection here, and anyone interested in contacting Mara can reach her via email or at (760) 229-7472.
Today’s top stories
California population
- The California exodus has slowed but continued since 2020, with the state’s population declining by 0.1% between July 2022 and July 2023, according to new census data.
- California loses population for an unprecedented third year. It could cost the state real clout.
Climate and environment
- The latest storm is expected to drop little, if any, snow on Southern California. Resorts in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains are hoping to get more snow over the next few weeks to help kick off the ski season.
- November shatters global temperature records, marking six record-warm months in a row.
- A winter storm system is bringing rain to Southern California, but it should pass through by Sunday, making for a sunny holiday.
War in the Middle East
- The Palestinian cause has never had so much support. But some Palestinian Americans say the movement has a messaging problem.
- Faculty members across the University of California system have launched an unprecedented organizing drive to protect campus supporters of Palestinians who have been harassed and threatened, especially since the Israel-Hamas war exploded.
Business
- Minimum-wage workers in these California cities are getting a raise in 2024.
- Box office 2023: Buoyed by “Barbenheimer,” hobbled by strikes and franchise flops.
More big stories
- Six men allege ‘rampant, unceasing sexual abuse’ at a secluded Northern California nonprofit.
- Falling mortgage rates lend a helping hand to home buyers.
- Huntington Beach to add new monthly celebrations, but remove others like Black History Month.
- Record air travel, dropping gas prices: How to get through one of the busiest holiday travel seasons.
- Orange County officials have no plans to take over a horse rescue program after the volunteer team retreats to San Juan Capistrano starting next year.
- Some Mexican pharmacies are selling full bottles of Adderall. But it’s actually meth.
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Commentary and opinions
- Opinion: Not far from Bethlehem, the plight of pregnant women in Gaza evokes a biblical story.
- Michael Hiltzik: 2023 was the year of comeuppance for billionaires, culture warriors, crypto and corporate managements.
Today’s great reads
California cops and firefighters are taking their pensions to Idaho’s ‘Little Orange County.’ California public pension money is the lifeblood of the economy in the small-government, Republican boomtown of Eagle, Idaho, which is popular with retired police officers and firefighters.
Other great reads
- Relationships, body image and children: A Latina therapist shares how to handle awkward holiday convos.
- How to not celebrate Christmas in L.A.: Make it fun — and keep quiet about Santa.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🐕 18 places in L.A. where your dog is more welcomed than you.
- 🍝 You too can eat at all the best restaurants in L.A. Start here.
- 📼 Looking for L.A.’s forgotten history? Start in your own backyard.
Staying in
- 📺 The 20 best Latino films of 2023.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for holiday pie.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Marcus Yam. In the photo, Mexican children learn how to fly as part of a death-defying ritual that is performed for all sorts of occasions, including holidays and festivals to honor Catholic saints.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Julia Carmel, a West Coast experiences reporter
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Laura Blasey, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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