2023 Year in Photos 

Deadly storms, widespread flooding, a historic snowpack, even a long-dormant lake brought back to life — 2023 was a year of epic extremes. But there were upsides to the extraordinary weather, as lakes and reservoirs were replenished, typically brown hillsides were dappled with superblooms and California’s historic drought came to an end — at least for the time being.  

On the day of a Lunar New Year Festival in Monterey Park, a gunman opened fire in a popular local ballroom and then fled to a dance hall in Alhambra, leaving 11 people dead and nine others injured. The shooting cast a pall over the predominantly Asian American city during a typically festive time of year. 

The number of unhoused people in Los Angeles continued to grow as the city made but small gains in providing the most needy with shelter. And L.A. became an epicenter for what became known as the “hot labor summer” as Hollywood writers and actors, hotel workers, city staffers and others went on strike. While some claimed victories, others remain on the picket lines. 

Here are some of the photos of 2023.

The Earth opens

As if to indicate this would be a different sort of year, a sinkhole opened up in Chatsworth during the opening days of the year and swallowed two cars whole.

Farewell to P-22

P-22, the puma whose late-night ramblings enchanted L.A., was memorialized in newspaper obituaries, a celebration of life at the Greek Theatre and remembrances in hand-written notes left at the Natural History Museum.

Monterey Park mass shooting

Children drew chalk hearts in the parking lot outside of the Star Ballroom in Monterey Park after a gunman opened fire in a deadly rampage. Residents in the heavily Asian American city had been celebrating Lunar New Year.

Rain, rain and more rain

Driven by climate change, California was swamped by dozens of atmospheric rivers, buried in a record snowfall and then, in a reprieve, lifted from the drought that had plagued the state for years.

Hillsides on the move

After punishing rain storms, saturated hillsides in La Cañada Flintridge began to give way. The mud flows ultimately forced the residents of three homes to evacuate.

In San Clemente cliffside homes were left dangling nearly in midair as the earth beneath their foundations slid toward the seashore below.

The labor battles take shape

Los Angeles teachers rally in support of cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and classroom aides in an opening act of what would be a long year of labor strife. A three-day solidarity strike followed.

California’s breathtaking superbloom

Enlivened by a wet winter, the poppy fields in Antelope Valley bathed the usually barren high desert in gold, drawing thousands of tourists.

Living on the streets

A city worker gathers belongings at a streetside encampment, one of dozens in the city where the unhoused are forced to move so sanitation workers can sweep, power wash and collect trash. For many living on the streets, there are no easy alternatives.

A summer of strikes

As summer wore on, L.A. became a city of picket lines as actors, screenwriters, hotel employees, city staffers and others went on strike, demanding better pay and benefits.

Striking hotel workers rally in Santa Monica, demanding better wages, pensions and medical benefits.

Striking writers and their supporters gather outside the Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood.

Members of SEIU Local 721 rally outside Los Angeles City Hall.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher speaks outside Paramount Studios.

SAG-AFTRA members march outside Paramount Studios.

Kaiser union workers gather outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center on Sunset Boulevard.

Freeway on fire

After a fire damaged the underpinnings of Interstate 10 in the heart of Los Angeles, the freeway was closed in all directions.

The damaged pylons that support Interstate 10.

Despite the tumult, Los Angeles remained stunningly majestic.

All photographs by Ted Soqui

Copyright Capital & Main 2023