Zócalo, the lecture series that LA Observed helps to co-sponsor, has some good ones coming up. Tickets are available and free, of course.

Monday, April 7, 7:30 pm at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre — An Evening with Luis Valdez, moderated by Oscar Garza, Editor-in-Chief, Tu Ciudad Magazine

Thirty years ago, the Mark Taper Forum presented the world premiere of “Zoot Suit,” a musical about a dark chapter in 1940s L.A. Written and directed by Luis Valdez of El Teatro Campesino, the groundbreaking production marked the first time a major American theater had explored the Mexican-American experience. The Taper was rewarded with record-breaking crowds, including many Mexican-Americans who were setting foot on the Music Center grounds for the first time. The play went on to a brief run on Broadway, and then was filmed for a theatrical release. Valdez went on to direct the highly successful “La Bamba” (1987), which showed Hollywood that there was an audience for Latino stories. But after an unsuccessful attempt in the early 1990s to direct a biopic about Frida Kahlo, Valdez retreated to Teatro Campesino’s home in San Juan Bautista, where the company continues to produce the socially-relevant theater that made it famous. Valdez visits Zócalo on the 30th anniversary of the premiere of “Zoot Suit.”

Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 7:30 pm at Central Library — Daniel Weintraub, "Is Arnold Schwarzenegger a Party of One?"

Daniel Weintraub, Sacramento Bee columnist and author of “Party of One: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of the Independent Voter,” visits Zócalo to argue that Schwarzenegger's first four years as governor also represent an opportunity lost. The governor has squandered much of the advantage he once enjoyed with missteps, bad decisions, and poor execution.

Thursday, April 10, 7:30 pm at ArcLight Sherman Oaks — Senator Chuck Hagel, “America: Our Next Chapter”

The Republican senator from Nebraska visits Zócalo to deliver an examination of the current state of our nation as well as offer proposals he says can guide America back onto the right path.

Friday, April 11, 7:30 pm at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood — “Standard Operating Procedure": A Screening and Conversation with Director Errol Morris, moderated by Los Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum

At a time when debating what counts as torture has become a political pastime--when the gut, we-know-it-when-we-see-it reactions to the photographs have been forgotten--Errol Morris, director of the Academy Award-winning "Fog of War", revisits the photographs in his new film, "Standard Operating Procedure" (to be released by Sony Pictures Classics on April 25).

Also, Zócalo Radio airs Sunday nights at 9 pm on KPCC 89.3 FM. National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia is on this Sunday to explain why the arts matter.