Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller is an enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, working on investigations and features. An L.A. native and UCLA graduate, he joined the staff in 2013.

Los Angeles Times •

The iconic California avocado is in trouble, and this farmer is fighting to save it

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. — Norman Kachuck stood on a loamy ridge overlooking his inheritance.Avocado trees blanketed the hillsides of ACA Groves in three directions, just a portion of a 372-acre spread studded with 16,000 specimens, many of them dense with branches weighed down by that quintessential California fruit.The serene San Diego County property felt far from the chaotic epicenter of the global avocado industry in Mexico. Violence, corruption and environmental degradation have saturated the...
Los Angeles Times •

From 'Bad Vegan' to mass restaurant closures — inside Matthew Kenney's crumbling raw food empire

The unmistakable stench of rotting food filled the space formerly occupied by chef Matthew Kenney’s trendy Venice restaurant, Plant Food + Wine.It was coming from the walk-in refrigerator, where spoiled sprouts, garlic and other vegetables had been left to fester after Kenney — an acclaimed vegan chef and cookbook author — closed the restaurant in May.Plant Food + Wine had been the flagship of Kenney’s culinary empire, which, by one count, included more than 50 eateries in a dozen-plus countries...
Los Angeles Times •

How two friends sparked L.A.’s sushi obsession — and changed the way America eats

It was the meal that changed how Angelenos eat.And it happened more than 5,000 miles from Los Angeles.When Noritoshi Kanai and Harry Wolff Jr. sat down for dinner in Tokyo one night in 1965, they had no way of knowing they were about to stumble onto an idea that would upend American dining — and their own lives.On this evening, the colleagues had more urgent concerns on their minds: how to salvage a foundering trip in Asia that was launched to find a novel food product to import to the U.S.That...
Los Angeles Times •

Is gold hidden under a California peak? This treasure map says so

We scrambled over jagged rocks that lined the mouth of the cave, and stepped into darkness.The craggy entrance gave way to an inky chamber, one with a padlocked metal door. It blocked access to a dizzying array of tunnels that snaked into and under a mountain of granite and limestone. The expedition’s aim: to find a subterranean canyon where a tidal river washed over black sand fabulously rich in gold.Headlamps flashed over damp sediment, illuminating a startling handwritten sign that alerted tr...
Los Angeles Times •

Beverly Hills Car Club and its ‘Real Housewives’ owner sell dream cars. Some spark legal battles

A warehouse along the train tracks east of downtown Los Angeles isn’t where you’d expect to encounter a sprawling collection of classic cars. But beyond a spiked metal fence — and about 15 miles from Beverly Hills proper — you’ll find Beverly Hills Car Club. Inside, row after row of Porsches, Jaguars, Ferraris, Mercedes-Benzes and other vehicles sit under fluorescent lights in rooms decorated with automobilia. Some look like they belong in a museum, others in a scrapyard. This immense and varied...
Los Angeles Times •

J.P. Morgan's million-dollar pocket watch vanished. The hunt for it became an obsession

The double-sided pocket watch had a map of the heavens on one of its two dials, an intricate display whose complexity nodded to the mechanical masterpiece ticking within the solid-gold case.It told time, of course, but it could also chart the sunrise and sunset, the phases of the moon, the path of constellations, the signs of the Zodiac, and track equinoxes, solstices and the declination of the sun.The watch’s creation 112 years ago must have seemed like a bit of alchemy — and operating it a bru...
Los Angeles Times •

Column One: The secret history of L.A.’s glitzy gambling boat kingpin — and the raid that sank him

The government boats knifed across the Pacific, cutting a line toward the ship floating a little more than three nautical miles off the California coast. The S.S. Rex was the biggest and most opulent gambling boat anchored off Santa Monica in 1939. And the man at the helm was a brash bootlegger-turned-gaming kingpin who wore a white Stetson, lived in a Beverly Hills bungalow and held court at the Trocadero nightclub. His name was Tony Cornero.Cornero and others like him saw a way around Californ...
Los Angeles Times •

After YouTuber Stevie Ryan's death, a nurse practitioner faces scrutiny

Stevie Ryan seemed ready to break out of a rut.Her pioneering work as an early YouTuber had led to a VH1 show, but “Stevie TV” was canceled after two seasons and Ryan subsequently struggled to chart a course in Hollywood. For a period, she had stopped going to auditions altogether.In spring 2017, however, she recommitted to her career, telling her manager that she was ready to get back to work.Around the same time, Ryan was also allegedly starting a new relationship — one with Gerald Baltz, a nu...
Los Angeles Times •

L.A.’s storied Magic Castle shaken by allegations of sexual misconduct, racism

As a boy growing up in Seoul, Ed Kwon collected books about magic. The craft became an obsession, and he pored over literature illuminating mysterious tricks of master illusionists.One of the first things he noticed was that many of the volumes referenced the same place: a private club in Hollywood where the world’s top magicians congregated.The Magic Castle.He began to dream about performing at the venue, envisioning himself as a conquering neophyte who could captivate a room of bejeweled guest...
Los Angeles Times •

Larger Than Life: Amid racial strife, Big Willie Robinson sought to forge peace, one street race at a time

In 1960s Los Angeles, after the catastrophic Watts riots, a legendary figure emerged — one who found an unexpected way to unite people across race and class.

Odds are you’ve never heard of him.

Big Willie Robinson was a 6-foot-6, muscle-bound street racer who preached peace a quarter-mile at a time. Cops and criminals, movie stars and miscreants, even Crips and Bloods — out at the drag strip, Big Willie could get them all to see eye to eye....
Los Angeles Times •

How one election changed Disneyland's relationship with its hometown

When Jose F. Moreno ran for Anaheim City Council last year, he wasn’t just challenging another politician. He was taking on the Walt Disney Co.
In front-porch pitches, the reform candidate told residents that politicians had prioritized Disney ahead of them, hurting a city already challenged by rising crime and poverty.


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Disney responded with its pocketbook, making hefty contributions to PACs supporting Moreno’s opponent, incumbent Jordan Brandman, who had voted to approve luc...
Los Angeles Times •

Is Disney paying its share in Anaheim? The money battle outside the Happiest Place on Earth

A few hours after the gates swing open at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, the cars are still pouring into the massive 10,241-space parking garage.
They zoom into the six-story concrete structure, carloads of costumed kids, foreign tourists and graying baby boomers sporting Mickey Mouse ears, “Frozen” dresses and “Star Wars” backpacks.
The cash pours in too: Each vehicle pays $20 to park at the Mickey & Friends facility, $35 for a preferred space close to the escalators and elevators....
www.latimes.com •

The troubled past and questionable benefits of Hollywood’s oldest awards show for kids

Actors and actresses strolled in tuxedos and sequined gowns along the red carpet. Cameras flashed as photographers scrambled to get the best angles. Autograph seekers lingered and film producers jostled for position, hoping to sign up talent for their next movie.

Inside, broadcast cameras waited to begin filming the annual awards ceremony.

But this wasn’t the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes or even the Independent Spirit Awards. And it wasn’t the Hollywood most people know, but an unvarnishe...
Los Angeles Times •

How Robert Iger's 'fearless' deal-making transformed Disney

On his second day on the job as chief executive, Robert Iger steeled himself for a crucial presentation to the Walt Disney Co. board of directors.Disney was still smarting from a hostile takeover attempt, a shareholder revolt and executive suite intrigue spawned in the sunset of the Michael Eisner regime.But there was a more urgent problem: The once-proud animation unit was in a rut.“If I didn’t turn Disney Animation around quickly … there was a drumbeat that was going to get louder and louder i...

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