Dodger Dogs taste bleh. So what stadium food options won’t break the bank?
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My last encounter with a Dodger Dog did not go well. I obtained the wiener between innings, slathered it with mustard and relish before rushing back to my seat. Only when I rolled back the foil did I find one end of the bun hardened into cardboard rigor, the other damp like a soggy sponge. Even my cascade of condiments couldn’t rescue the listless doggie inside. That day, I marked a sad milestone: the first time I didn’t devour my Dodger Dog.
Many Dodger fans have been grumbling since Farmer John stopped supplying the team’s signature hot dogs back in 2021. But I’m not the only fan who kept stepping to the plate, in part because the $7.99 dog feels like the last affordable item at a stadium where beers go for $18, a teriyaki chicken platter fetches $34.99 and postseason parking can set you back $60 or more.
Sorry for carping at a time like this, as the Dodgers have lifted our hearts (sorry, San Francisco and San Diego readers!) with another run deep into the playoffs. Who (south of the Tehachapis and north of Camp Pendleton) is not thrilled by Kike Hernandez’s hot playoff bat? Awed by starting pitchers suddenly dominating like iron man Sandy Koufax? It feels like a new hero emerges every game.
Still, these are joys most of us will have to savor at home, because live Dodgers baseball has become mostly the province of the wealthy, the corporate elite or those who eat ramen all week to save up for a trip to Chavez Ravine.
My colleague Bill Shaikin reported at the start of this season on a study that found the Dodgers have become the most expensive family outing in Major League Baseball. Figuring that a family of four will need four (sorta) cheap seats, four Dodger Dogs, two beers, two sodas and parking, the total came to $399.68. The league average, according to the study, was $208. Some of that money goes to pay for the best lineup in baseball, one that includes three MVPs in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. So there will be those who will swallow hard and shell out the money. Other fans told me via social media this week that they have had to come up with work-arounds to make a game more affordable. They will go to Costco, where a hot dog combo with soda still starts at $1.50. Some pre-game the Costco dogs, which they insist are superior to their Dodger cousins, while others have them wrapped in foil to carry in to the game.
For those who buy inside the park, I can say that the King’s Hawaiian Waimea pulled pork sliders are tangy good. And at $15 they’re a relative bargain. The team also has leaned hard into Asian food options — presumably no coincidence with three of their top pitchers being natives of Japan and Hyeseong Kim, the speedy utility man, a son of South Korea. A favorite of aficionados: takoyaki, fritters filled with octopus, enveloped with a savory/sweet sauce. At $17, another relative bargain.
My friend, Scott Gold, swears by the carne asada nachos because, he says, “I’m a sucker for any food item served in a helmet.” He called that “a defensible principle at the end of the day.” Scott, once an ace reporter at the L.A. Times, now writes for a TV drama. So, obviously, he knows stuff.
“Unfortunately, you have to be extremely selective about what you eat, because you’ve already spent all of your money just getting in the door,” said Gold, who’s reluctantly dropping the season tickets he shared with a big group. “Baseball was always supposed to be different from other sports — affordable family fun. But the team is in danger of pricing out their most loyal fans.”
Today’s top stories
L.A. County declares a state of emergency to fight back against ICE immigration raids
- The action is the latest and one of the most sweeping efforts by local authorities to push back at immigration raids that have targeted several major American cities this summer and fall.
- The state of emergency could mean eviction protections for tenants affected by the immigration sweeps launched by the Trump administration.
New fraud claims in L.A. County’s $4-billion sex settlement leave victims outraged
- Allegations of potential fraud and pay-to-sue tactics have rocked both L.A. County government and powerhouse law firms, which are scrambling to figure out how to salvage the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history.
- A Times investigation published earlier this month found seven plaintiffs represented by Downtown LA Law Group who claimed they received cash from recruiters to sue the county over sex abuse, which could violate state law.
- Two more plaintiffs have now come forward to say they were told to invent their claims in exchange for cash.
Dangerous ‘supershear’ earthquakes pose risk to California, new research suggests
- A specific type of earthquake that can cause particularly intense shaking is more common than previously believed, some scientists say.
- Although not everyone agrees that supershear earthquakes are inherently more destructive than other types, the potential implications are massive and need to be taken into account in seismic forecasts, the scientists contend.
Justices lean toward rejecting race in redistricting, likely boosting GOP in 2026
- The Supreme Court may help the GOP keep control of the House of Representatives next year by clearing the way for Republican-led states to redraw election districts now held by Black Democrats.
- The court’s six conservatives, all Republican appointees, sounded ready to rein in the historic civil rights measure on the grounds that its forces Southern states to draw some election districts along racial lines.
More big stories
- A USC grad student has been accused of serial rapes and drugging women in Southern California, LAPD says.
- Rare October rains could push back L.A. fire season — but only so much.
- Diane Keaton’s family has revealed her cause of death.
- I-5 may be shut down due to concerns over a live-fire military event at Camp Pendleton.
- Is Lindsey Horvath running for mayor of Los Angeles?
- A Kristi Noem video blames the Democrats for the government shutdown. These California airports won’t show it.
Commentary and opinions
- This is Trump’s shutdown. But he’s been dismantling the government all year, columnist Jackie Calmes writes.
- Don’t let MAGA turn protest into a crime, writes columnist Anita Chabria.
- “South Park” has always delighted in poking the bear, whether it’s President Trump or Paramount, argues television critic Robert Lloyd.
This morning’s must read
A diner said online she thought she was seated outside at a trendy cafe because she was Asian. The owners of Great White deny such claims.
Other great reads
- Why Alanis Morissette believes she could write the celebrity survival handbook the industry needs.
- D’Angelo, who died Tuesday at 51, was soul music’s bard of devotion.
For your downtime
Going out
- Travel and experiences: Just in time for the spooky season, we offer you a guide to 13 haunted hotels (mostly) across California.
- Magic show: Fifty years ago, Penn and Teller reimagined magic by bringing comedy into it. They bring their ever-evolving act to the YouTube Theater on Saturday.
- Gardening: “We love rejects”: Inside the queer gardening club that’s preserving L.A.’s native flora.
Staying in
- Television: “Mr. Scorsese,” premiering Friday on Apple TV, is the best behind-the-scenes reel you’ll ever get to see of the famed director.
- Music: Eagles co-founder Bernie Leadon channels wildfire grief into new music with his first solo album in 20 years.
- Recipe: Here’s a recipe for creamy fruit tart pie.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What frustrates you the most about parking in L.A.?
Janice writes: “I live in the inner city of Los Angeles. My neighborhood, like many around me, is densely populated with people and cars. After 4 pm there is no visible parking for blocks around my home. My frustrations are:
— People are allowed to park in the middle of the curbside area, where two cars fit, to prevent others from parking in front of their house;
— Neighbors park the cars they don’t drive in front of someone else’s house and leave them there for weeks at a time with no consequence.
— The City of Los Angeles Councilmembers pass laws that allow for housing that does not require parking, as if that will stop people from buying cars. In my neighborhood people now park on the sidewalk and on the lawn.”
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... from our archives
On Oct. 16, 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, now known as the Walt Disney Co.
Two years ago when the company turned 100, The Times’ Meg James wrote about seven ways the company forever changed entertainment.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
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