This story is a collaboration between LAist and The LA Local. Agya K. Aning and Alain Stephens are freelance reporters. LAist's Jared Bennett edited.

The danger gun violence presents to Los Angeles’ unhoused community has been growing for years.

An analysis of Los Angeles Police Department data by LAist and The LA Local found that at least 278 unhoused people have been shot and killed in the city since 2015. Additional analysis of records from the L.A. County Medical Examiner found at least two dozen additional unhoused shooting victims in 2024 and 2025 that were not included in the LAPD data.

Law enforcement officials acknowledge violent deaths among L.A.’s unhoused people have remained persistently high, even as homicides fell over the last decade across the general population.

Data from LAPD show fatal shootings involving unhoused victims are clustered around encampments in Skid Row. The murder rate in census tracts that make up Skid Row was more than 17 times higher in 2024 than the city as a whole.

One obvious question: Would clearing encampments reduce this kind of violence?

It turns out, the answer is far from clear.

Why clearing encampments might increase danger

Encampments are the most visible manifestation of homelessness throughout Los Angeles and many other American cities.

Numerous unhoused Angelenos told LAist and The LA Local that people band together in them for a sense of safety and protection, which researchers have found as well.

But allowing encampments to remain comes at the expense of the greater public, according to Tom Wolf, a formerly unhoused recovery advocate from San Francisco.

“You can’t have that in our downtown cores, because it completely destabilizes the entire city, because it drives away business,” Wolf said. “And when you drive away business, you lose money, and then pretty soon you can't afford all those services you need for the homeless that you’re trying to help.”

Furor over encampments has become so intense that Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened last year to pull state funding from counties that fail to show “demonstrable results” in clearing them. His announcement came on the heels of the 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which legalized arresting people for camping outside, even when shelter isn’t available.

Advocates for the unhoused argue this approach is shortsighted.

“What criminalization does is it moves people into the shadows, it isolates people, and therefore they become more susceptible to violence,” said Donald Whitehead Jr., the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

The current status of clearing encampments in L.A.

One of L.A.’s primary programs for getting unsheltered people off the streets is Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe. The program aims to reduce encampments by offering hotel rooms to those living in them until more permanent housing becomes available. People living in encampments get a notice of three to four weeks before the location is cleared out, according to an email from the Mayor’s Office.

Since its launch in December 2022, Inside Safe has served nearly 6,000 people. Of those, almost 3,100 people remain in housing or interim housing, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. According to statistics provided by the City Controller, about 2,500 others have returned to the streets — about 42% of all program participants. As of mid-April, it has cost Angelenos more than $391 million.

The Mayor’s Office said it collaborates with local leaders to identify which encampments to clear. Gisselle Espinoza, an LAPD commander and coordinator on homeless outreach, echoed this statement. She said police officers accompany outreach and cleanup workers in a supportive role, but only if requested.

“We work with the council district for that area,” Espinoza said, “and we let them know what the issues are, and together we come up with a plan to see how we can better approach that situation and go into those areas and offer services.”

City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents District 1, which includes MacArthur Park, told LAist and The LA Local that this isn’t always the case.

“We saw videos online of encampments being swept by LAPD that we had not participated in,” Hernandez said, “and we're just really shocked to see because the next day we were going to do an operation to house people there.”

Does clearing encampments make people safer?

Where unhoused people choose to live involves considerations similar to those of anyone else, said Jeremy Rosenprinz, a member of the volunteer-led L.A. outreach group Ktown For All. Those include proximity to family, friends and work. Encampments also provide a centralized location to receive aid and services from outreach workers.

“When the police come in, they sever all of those bonds,” he said.

Through his work with Ktown For All, Rosenprinz became friends with an unhoused man named Vernon Henry. He lived in an encampment just a block away from Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Koreatown, where Ktown For All meets. In 2023, Henry was shot and killed by a stranger who was harassing a neighbor, Rosenprinz said.

Henry, 32, left behind a wife.

“Right after this community had gone through this horrible tragedy, the city's solution was to clear the entire encampment. They didn't house anybody,” Rosenprinz said. “And all these people were scattered, and some of them I never saw again.”

Rosenprinz said that cleanup was done through CARE/CARE+. The program, run by the city’s Sanitation and Environment Department, is intended to clear encampments and connect unhoused residents to services. A 2026 study from UCLA’s Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy found it “mainly [serves] to displace those people rather than to offer them services.”

L.A. Sanitation and Environment did not return requests for comment.

Wolf, the recovery advocate, said letting encampments remain standing comes with its own dangers, particularly over time.

“The longer that an encampment exists in the same place, the worse it gets,” he said. “More trash, more violence, more drugs, more sexual assaults, more overdose deaths.”

Jeff Wenninger is a former LAPD lieutenant and the founder and CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants, which provides expert witness testimonies and security consulting. He said that his experience in law enforcement makes him doubtful that encampments increase safety.

“The vast majority of the crime that occurs there is the result of disputes,” he said. “So, the fewer people that you have congregated in a community, so to speak, the less likelihood you have of disagreements and the arguments that then escalate to these violent crimes.”

Still, Wenninger sees breaking up encampments as an ineffective means of addressing homelessness. “Because you haven't resolved it. You're just dispersing people,” he said. “You're not addressing the root cause of the homelessness, the reason these encampments exist.”

What does make a difference?

Comparing the unhoused populations of New York City and Los Angeles underscores one thing that appears to make a big difference: getting people sheltered, even if it’s not permanent housing.

While New York’s total unhoused population is roughly equal to the total across L.A. County, shooting deaths of unhoused people are far lower in New York. That’s because New York’s right-to-shelter law means that the number of New Yorkers who are “unsheltered” — living in tents or cars instead of shelters — is much smaller than in L.A. Over the past decade, New York City’s unsheltered population has stayed between about 2,400 and 4,500. L.A.’s is estimated at about 27,000, in the most recent homeless count. With fewer people at risk on the streets, seven unhoused people were shot to death in homicides in New York City between July 2023 and July 2024. In the city of L.A. alone, that number was 30.

Additional reporting by LAist watchdog correspondent Jordan Rynning.

SANTA CLARA — The U.S. men's national team's ambitions of a deep run at the FIFA World Cup hang on something they have not accomplished since 2021: Beating a team from Europe.

In Wednesday's must-win round of 32 match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, the Americans hope to finally climb that hill with a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. A victory would mark the first World Cup knockout win for the U.S. since 2002.

Compared to powerhouses like France or Spain, Bosnia is a relative minnow of European soccer. Ranked No. 64 by FIFA ahead of the World Cup, the Bosnians fought their way into the tournament on an upset playoff win over Italy in March — then, they muscled into the knockout round after a 1-1 draw with Canada and a 3-1 win over Qatar.

The Americans are the favorites. But no knockout game is a sure thing, as Germany proved Monday when it fell to Paraguay on penalty kicks.

"For us, it's the final of the World Cup," said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday. "If we don't think in this way, we are going to struggle."

The U.S. expects to field a fully healthy starting 11 for the first time in this World Cup, thanks to the return of star winger Christian Pulisic, who left the opening game against Paraguay at halftime after a calf injury was exacerbated when he was kicked by a defender. The U.S. went on to win that game 4-1 and their next one against Australia 2-0, with Pulisic sitting out.

Pulisic returned as a sub in the Americans' third group stage match against Turkey. "I felt great in the game against Turkey, so I'm feeling good this week," he told reporters on Tuesday. "I'm definitely ready to go for tomorrow."

Playing for Bosnia is the American-born winger Esmir Bajraktarević, a 21-year-old native of Appleton, Wis., born to Bosnian parents who came to the U.S. in 2001 after fleeing conflict in their home country during the 1990s.

In Bosnia, Bajraktarević's parents and their families lived near Srebrenica, where some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in July 1995 in one of the only events in history formally deemed a genocide by the International Court of Justice. Multiple members of their families were killed.

Bajraktarević grew up speaking Bosnian at home, he has said, and stayed close with relatives who remained in Bosnia. Although he came up through MLS academies and U.S. Soccer youth national teams, Bajraktarević formally switched his national team to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024.

Bajraktarević scored the game-clinching penalty that sent Bosnia to the World Cup in its March upset of Italy, which was then ranked No. 13 in the world. After his kick found the net, Bajraktarević tore off his jersey and held up the back of it, with his family name across the top, to the fans and cameras.

"He can feel the jersey he's wearing. It means very much to him," said Bosnian coach Sergej Barbarez on Tuesday. "He knows where he belongs. He knows which team he plays for. He knows where his parents come from."

It is Bosnia's second World Cup appearance after being eliminated in the group stage in 2014.

Watch parties in L.A.

Here are some city sponsored watch locations:

Time: 5 p.m.

Locations:
Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park
25820 Vermont Ave., Harbor City

Sheldon-Arleta Park
12455 Wicks St., Sun Valley

Taper Auditorium (Central Library)
630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles

Copyright 2026 NPR

Despite multiple efforts to put reforms on the November ballot, Los Angeles voters will not get to decide whether to roll back the city’s controversial “mansion tax” on apartment buildings.

The L.A. City Council voted 14-0 to shelve a proposed ballot measure on Wednesday, the final day to send proposals to the city’s voters in the upcoming general election.

The decision comes almost a week after a separate, statewide measure seeking to kill the tax — and other “mansion taxes” across California — was pulled from the November ballot.

Advocates for reform said the council is failing to confront declines in new housing development, which they blame on Measure ULA.

“The City Council unfortunately is still not living in reality with respect to what ULA has done to our apartment and commercial building market,” said Mott Smith, a USC adjunct professor of real estate and a board member of the Council of Infill Builders. “They're kind of living in denial.”

Supporters of the tax said keeping new exemptions for apartment developers off the ballot was the right decision.

Joe Donlin, director of the United to House L.A. coalition, said L.A. voters approved the tax in 2022 because they wanted to raise money for affordable housing and tenant aid programs.

“Voters should feel confident that what they passed is working,” Donlin said. “Of course there are big real estate interests who would prefer not to pay a real estate transfer tax. They're going to continue to try to convince the public that they should get a tax break.”

The measure that didn’t make it to the ballot

The City Council’s sidelined ballot measure would have asked L.A. voters to cancel the tax on new apartment buildings within the first 10 years of their construction.

Reform proponents with Mend It, Don’t End It — a coalition of business leaders, affordable housing developers and labor groups — said in a letter to the council ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, “If adopted by voters, these amendments would help build more housing and ensure Measure ULA is delivering on its promise to increase affordability and reduce homelessness.”

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who proposed putting the 10-year exemption on the ballot, along with Councilmember Tim McOsker, chided her colleagues for letting the measure die.

“If we think the fight is over, we’re kidding ourselves,” Yaroslavsky said. “The pressure behind ULA reform is not going to go away, because the valid concerns from people who build housing are not going away. We will keep finding ourselves back here if we don’t show courage, get ahead of it and make a reform we and housing builders can live with.”

A recent analysis from the L.A. Housing Department concluded the 10-year exemption would have made only minimal changes to the city’s housing landscape. City housing officials estimated the exemption would have reduced Measure ULA revenue by about 5% while boosting new apartment development by about 5%, or around 330 units per year.

Why a ‘mansion tax’ applies to apartments

The council’s decision to keep changes off the ballot comes after years of heated debate about Measure ULA’s impact on the L.A. real estate market.

It’s known as the “mansion tax” because it applies to sales of single-family homes priced at $5.3 million or more. The tax rate starts at 4% and rises to 5.5% on properties selling for $10.6 million or more.

However, critics say the “mansion tax” moniker was always misleading, because it also applies to sales of industrial and commercial properties, including apartment buildings.

Supporters of the tax have long said they oppose sending the policy back to voters. They endorsed the decision of an earlier city council committee, which voted against putting changes on the ballot.

However, L.A. voters will see a separate, narrowly tailored “mansion tax” measure on the November ballot. The council voted 13-1 to ask voters to cancel the tax on Pacific Palisades homeowners who sell their properties within five years of the Palisades Fire.

Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades, said exempting fire victims is the right thing to do.

“They’re not selling because they want to,” she said. “They’re selling because they have already lost everything and there’s nothing left. Putting this tax on these folks who are trying to recover and reckoning with the fact that some of them just aren’t coming home is unspeakably cruel.”

The fight is over for now, but maybe not for long

Since taking effect in April 2023, the tax has raised more than $1.2 billion for affordable housing construction and programs aimed at helping struggling tenants stay housed. Some of that money has been held up due to strict limits on how funding can be spent, as well as the L.A. City Attorney’s ongoing opposition to tenant aid funding plans.

Economists have published studies concluding the tax has driven down new housing development relative to other parts of L.A. County. A recent RAND study also found the tax has cut into revenue raised by other local property taxes and development fees, reducing funding for schools, parks and other government services by about $452 million.

Meanwhile, Measure ULA supporters dispute conclusions about the tax slowing down housing growth. They say hundreds of affordable apartments have already opened or begun construction, thousands more are set to be built or preserved, and tenants have received tens of millions of dollars in rent relief and income support.

Previous efforts to lower or eliminate the tax on new apartment buildings have all stalled. The most dramatic development came last week, when last-minute negotiations in the California legislature convinced an anti-tax group to pull a statewide November ballot measure that would have asked voters to kill Measure ULA and “mansion taxes” in other parts of the state.

That Sacramento deal did not include cuts to L.A.’s “mansion tax,” as many in the real estate industry were hoping to see. Instead, state lawmakers agreed to put a separate measure on the November ballot, Proposition 43, which will ask Californians to make it harder to pass new special taxes by increasing the voter approval threshold to two-thirds, up from a simple majority.

Close to 58% of L.A. voters approved Measure ULA in November 2022, when it first appeared on the ballot. Though efforts to eliminate or scale back the tax via the November ballot are now officially dead, Mott Smith said future ballot fights remain likely.

“Already, everybody is gearing up for the 2028 election,” Smith said. “We're going to be living with another two years of pain in the real estate market, and Los Angeles will continue to lag behind the rest of the country and the rest of the state in terms of housing production.”

The Los Angeles Police Department has completed its investigation into the killing of Keith Porter Jr., 43, and presented its findings to the District Attorney’s Office, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office. Federal officials have said Brian Palacios, the off-duty ICE officer who shot and killed Porter on New Year’s Eve in L.A. was acting in self-defense.

Where things stand

In an emailed statement to LAist, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office said:

“The Los Angeles Police Department has presented this case to our office, and it is currently under review. Our experienced prosecutors will conduct a thorough analysis of all the facts and evidence to determine if we are able to prove a crime occurred beyond a reasonable doubt. Given the complexity of that process, it is difficult to predict a timeline for completion, and cases like this can take several months or more to resolve.”

What federal officials say

According to statements from federal officials, Palacios was off duty the night of the shooting. Federal officials and Palacios’ attorney have said he was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Porter.

He was not named at the time. His identity became public through court record in an unrelated custody dispute.

In a statement released to the L.A. Times shortly after the shooting, Tricia McLaughlin, at the time a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said that Palacios had “bravely responded to an active shooter situation at his apartment complex” and was “forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter.”

Police said a rifle was recovered at the scene. Porter’s friends have said he was shooting a rifle into the air to celebrate the new year.

Why Porter’s family is pursuing a civil claim

Jamal Tooson, the attorney representing Porter's family, said he has witness testimony contradicting federal officials’ allegation that Porter and Palacios exchanged gunfire. He’s representing Porter’s family in a tort claim against the federal government.

The claim letter sent to the federal government says that Porter was “attempting to peacefully return to his residence” when he was killed. The letter claims Palacios did not personally observe Porter firing a weapon, and that he failed to use de-escalation tactics before opening fire. “The use of deadly force was unjustified, unreasonable and without legal cause,” the letter reads.

Tooson said he expects the federal government to reject the Porter family's tort claim. At which point, the family will pursue a civil claim, Tooson said.

Palacios on administrative duty

Authorities previously have said Palacios is still employed by ICE, and court records responding to the restraining order show he has recently been placed on administrative duty. ICE officials did not respond to questions about his current status.

Hundreds of millions in L.A. County homelessness tax dollars are now under new management.

On Wednesday, the county’s new homeless services department took over oversight of the money.

The change marks a major shift. For decades, county homeless services spending was overseen by the L.A. Homeless Services Authority, a joint city-county agency known as LAHSA.

The move was set in motion in April of last year, when every county supervisor but one voted to strip county funding from the L.A. Homeless Services Authority and have the county directly oversee it. The new county department, known as Homeless Services and Housing, or HSH, is led by Sarah Mahin. She previously oversaw the county’s well-received Housing for Health homelessness program.

The transition of funds follows a series of harsh audits and a judge’s rebuke of the job LAHSA officials had been doing for years at managing and tracking spending — including an inability to properly account for billions in taxpayer dollars. LAHSA was created by the city and county in 1993 and is overseen by a commission half appointed by the L.A. city mayor and half appointed by each of the five county supervisors.

In total, HSH now has a budget of $843 million in public funds this fiscal year.

Here are some takeaways from a public update shared at the L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, the eve of the switchover.

1) The new approach is faster and more accountable, says department’s leader

Tuesday’s update on the transition lasted about two hours. The back and forth was mostly positive, while getting heated on occasion.

“The old fragmented way of doing things wasn't working,” Mahin said on Tuesday. “HSH exists to make the county's response to homelessness clearer, faster, and more accountable to the people and the communities that we serve.”

She said the county’s response times to clear encampments with shelter and service offers to people have been shortened to an average of 45 days in the first quarter of this year.

That’s down a lot from what it used to be, said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who was the lone vote last year against transferring management from LAHSA.

That’s “a  significant improvement compared to the six to nine month wait times my constituents experienced back when I first took office,” Mitchell said. “That is huge.”

Supervisor Janice Hahn said she’d like to see response times get even faster. Mahin said they’re working on it, including by clustering responses so that teams reach multiple smaller encampments in a similar area at the same time.

And in a contrast with LAHSA — which for years has been long overdue in paying service providers — Mahin said the new county department has been paying 97% of its bills on time. As of earlier this year, about 40% of unpaid LAHSA invoices were more than two months old.

 "While I understand that that makes us an ‘A’ student, we aim for a hundred percent,” Mahin said, adding that her team is working on process improvements to pay even more of the bills on time.

2) People are staying in permanent housing at high rates, per the county

Of people placed in permanent housing a year ago, 91% were still housed — and of those placed two years ago, 83% remain housed, according to data Mahin presented.

Public dashboards are expected to be posted in October with more detailed data on how various programs are performing under HSH, she said.

3) Many workers slated to be laid off by LAHSA are being hired by the county

Of the 210 county-funded staff at LAHSA, 184 have been hired at the county, 25 declined an offer or did not participate and one is considering a county job offer, according to a county presentation.

The rehires include experienced outreach workers who have established relationships working with unhoused people in the region, county officials said.

The outreach workers have been “working so hard, doing the kind of work that a lot of people won't do,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I have seen them on the weekends, I've seen them [in] the evenings, I've seen them doing incredible work as we all lean in to trying to solve this…humanitarian crisis of homelessness.”

Of the 25 who weren’t on track to be hired and are being laid off at LAHSA, county supervisors pressed county staff to help them find other roles within the county.

4) Officials are concerned about federal funding halt

Mahin said she’s concerned that thousands of people could lose their housing if federal authorities follow through on their suspension of homelessness dollars to the region. More than 11,000 people are currently housed with those dollars, Mahin said.

"I am worried about how we're gonna be able to keep everyone in housing who's in housing today, as well as continue to make progress with bringing more people inside,” she added.

5) Supervisor says she wants the new county approach to succeed

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath praised Mahin for assembling a “very strong, very dedicated team” and a successful transition to the funding shift.

“And now, you're doing the work to change how the county operates an impactful, efficient, accountable homeless service response system,” she added, saying efforts are underway to move toward “an outcome-focused” system.

“All of us are behind you to make sure that we get this right and continue moving in the right direction.”

L.A. City Council members have been considering whether to pull out city homelessness funds from LAHSA and instead have the city itself, or the county, manage those dollars.

The city council’s homelessness committee recommended in April that an analysis be completed by Wednesday on which city programs make sense to shift away from LAHSA and instead be managed by the county, the city or another entity starting in the fiscal year that just began. But a follow-up vote last month by the council’s budget committee recommends a longer timeframe, calling for the analysis to be turned in by December of next year.

The timeline for any such report will be up to the full council, which has not yet voted on it.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Residents in a two-block area of Koreatown are being told to boil their tap water after routine testing found E. coli bacteria in a water sample, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced Wednesday. 

The boil water notice covers the area bounded by South Ardmore Avenue to the west, South Mariposa Avenue to the east, West 5th Street to the north and West 6th Street to the south.

Anyone in the affected area should use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking until further notice, the utility announced in its advisory. The department will deliver bottled drinking water to customers within the affected area while the advisory remains in effect.

LADWP said the bacteria was detected in a routine water sample collected Tuesday at one water quality testing location in Koreatown. Based on preliminary findings, the department believes the issue is limited to that location and does not affect the rest of the city’s water system.

The utility also said the notice is not related to the recent warehouse fire in Boyle Heights and that no fire-related contaminants were found in the water samples.

What should affected residents do?

While additional testing is underway, residents are being asked to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute before letting it cool and using it. 

The same guidance applies to water used for brushing teeth, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables and preparing food.

The presence of E. coli can be a sign that water has been contaminated by human or animal waste, according to the utility company. That contamination can contain bacteria, viruses or other germs that may cause illnesses such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or headaches. Infants, young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of becoming seriously ill.

Anyone experiencing those symptoms should contact a healthcare provider.

LADWP said it will notify customers as soon as follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink and the boil water notice can be lifted. 

Residents with questions can call the LADWP Water Quality Hotline at (213) 367-3182 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or (800) DIAL-DWP for 24-hour assistance. 

California state parks are so popular there's a reservation system to manage attendance. But some people book a spot and then don't turn up. That's being addressed by new rules that mandate how much notice you need to give for a cancelation to avoid charges. And if you ghost a reservation three times, you'll be banned from reserving for a year.

The changes: You’ll get a refund only if you cancel a week or more before your reservation starts. After that you’ll be charged the first night’s fee. And if you cancel two days or less before, you’ll give up your entire fee.

A one year ban: If you no-show three times in a calendar year, you’ll be banned from making a reservation for a year.

Why now: California state parks are very popular, including parks in Southern California like Crystal Cove State Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach. The summer months lead to high demand and the state has a reservation system to manage attendance, reservecalifornia.com

The backstory: California legislators heard that there were significant no-shows at state parks before they passed Assembly Bill 618, the legislation that led to the current changes, which take effect July 1.

Topline:

California’s latest budget once again includes funding for the state library park pass program, which allows residents to check out free vehicle day-use park passes from their local libraries.

What we know: Each year, lawmakers have had to make the case for including the pass program in the state’s budget. This year, however, the budget includes an ongoing appropriation for the program, meaning it will be funded continuously unless lawmakers take action to change it.

Why it matters: The free passes can be used at more than 200 participating state parks. Since the program began in 2021, 33,000 passes have been distributed to branch libraries statewide, according to the California State Parks Foundation.

Officials say: Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Parks Foundation, said in a statement that the "investment will help connect generations of Californians with the outdoors."

Dig deeper … How to get free entry to California state parks with your library card

After months of pushing back on the Trump administration’s attempt to stop youth gender-affirming care nationally, California is establishing its own safety net for vulnerable patients and families.

California approved $26 million in one-time funding aimed at protecting access to health care for transgender youth in the state’s budget package for its 2026-27 fiscal year. It also includes $30 million earmarked for providers of reproductive and transition-related care.

This was welcome news to many LGBTQ+ advocates, families with trans youth, and health care providers. Over the last year, many California families with trans youth have either seen their providers stop youth gender-affirming care or announce plans to do so.

About the funding

The one-time fund will be distributed to health care providers across the state through targeted grants. The money will give providers “meaningful resources” to continue and expand their gender-affirming care offerings, according to TransFamily Support Services, one of the organizations that lobbied for the bill.

Advocacy organizations say the fund will expand the network of trans youth health care providers and insulate the provider network from federal funding cuts.

Meanwhile, the $30 million fund for uncompensated care will help providers deal with funding gaps due to cuts to Medi-Cal and other federal programs.

Newsom’s approval followed months of back-and-forth as California looked to balance its finances after years of shortfalls. Newsom’s initial version of the budget did not include the gender-affirming care fund. The legislature then added it back, and it stayed in the final version.

The budget also includes other provisions aimed at helping California’s struggling health care industry, like delaying cuts to Medi-Cal. Newsom has also approved similar funds to protect reproductive health care and abortion access this year.

The response

Trans advocacy organizations celebrated the news this week.

“This historic investment will help keep care accessible, support the providers doing this lifesaving work, and remind trans young people that California will not abandon them,” Kathy Moehlig, TransFamily Support Services’ director, said in a statement.

Many advocates highlighted the importance of this fund during a critical moment for trans health care.

“We must continue to work together to ensure the well-being, health, and autonomy of all people in our state,” Bamby Salcedo, president and CEO of the L.A.- based TransLatin@ Coalition, said in a statement.

The current threats

As the Trump administration continues to restrict trans youth health care nationally, hospitals and health care providers are seeing the federal government try a new tactic to obtain records of trans youth patients: criminal subpoenas.

“It's a worrying tactic that indicates that there might be future efforts to try to criminalize trans healthcare,” said attorney Megan Noor of Transgender Law Center.

In California, Stanford Children’s Hospital received one such subpoena, which led patient families to sue the federal government. Attorney General Rob Bonta was one of 19 attorneys general who filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit on the grounds of states' rights, which Noor said can be part of a “symbiotic relationship” between states fighting against federal policy and the people affected by drastic policy shifts coming from Washington, D.C.

A round of administrative subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice last year was largely blocked.

Meanwhile, Rady Children’s Health, the parent company of Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, will continue offering gender-affirming care to youth under 19 at least until January while a state lawsuit filed by Bonta plays out.

Well, we’re down to three football matches a day — this World Cup is a marathon, not a sprint! I hope you’ve built up your Michelob Ultra tolerance and are working on tempering your crush on Auston Trusty (certainly not just me?) as the games move into their final weeks.

Licorice Pizza has your holiday music week kicking off with the iconic and innovative Rosalía’s two-night run at the Forum, trap star Don Toliver at the Crypto.com Arena, breakout British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone at the Fonda and Hayley Kiyoko at the Grammy Museum.

Tuesday, Royal & the Serpent is at the El Rey, Canadian actor-turned-pop-star Connor Price plays the Bellwether and avant-garde U.K. artist Patrick Wolf is at the Lodge Room.

On Wednesday, everyone’s favorite Lost Boy, Kiefer Sutherland, goes Americana at the El Rey. And then it’s time for some real Americana, as we head into the long Fourth of July weekend. The Hollywood Bowl hosts its Fireworks Spectacular with the Beach Boys and John Stamos on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but if the spirit isn’t moving you, on Thursday you can also check out Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer at the Wiltern.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can catch up on the latest FilmWeek picks, follow everything you need to know about the World Cup and check out Chance the Rapper's conversation with Julia Paskin.

Events

Fiber Friends

Tuesday, June 30, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
House Mouse LA
850 N. Virgil Ave., Silver Lake 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Swing by this free textile-centric community craft night, where fiber pro Isabelle Caldwell will be on hand for advice and brainstorming ideas. Bring your own knitting, crochet or mending projects; some materials will be available to use.

Last Canteen Trivia Night

Tuesday, June 30, 8 p.m. 
10964 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Preppers, this one’s for you. Danny Ray of Duck $ Money Productions hosts this apocalypse-themed trivia night at the new “ Immersive Post-Apocalyptic Cocktail Bar and Restaurant” — The Last Canteen — in Studio City. If you’ve been plotting your Desert Island Disc answers for years, or have a stash of water in your closet that would drown Dodger Stadium, show up and make it count for bragging rights.

Mamma Mia!

Through July 19
Ahmanson Theatre
135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A.
COST: FROM $51.75; MORE INFO 

How can I resist you? It’s not even worth trying; just enjoy the feel-good ABBA musical that inspired two movies and countless Pierce Brosnan memes for what it is — and hold your singing along till the end (trust me, that’s the hardest thing you’ll do that night!).

Chet Baker Tribute 

Wednesday, July 1, 7 p.m. 
Moroccan Lounge
901 E. 1st Street, Downtown L.A.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Explore the magic of legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker as reimagined by Ornithology (Mumbai-born, L.A.-based producer Shaan Chhadva) at the Moroccan Lounge. Performed in the round, the all-ages evening is a tribute to Baker and the legacy and future of psychedelic jazz.

Hospital of Emotions

Through August 31
2131 W. 3rd Street, Downtown L.A.
COST: $58; MORE INFO 

More than 70 artists have imagined spaces throughout the Hospital of Emotions, an immersive walk through feelings that’s taken over the abandoned St. Vincent’s Hospital near downtown L.A. A bit like if Burning Man art projects were confined to a hospital room, each artist has put their unique stamp on an emotion and created vibrant, but distinct, little universes that take you through sadness, joy, anger, fear, hope, gratitude and resilience like a real-world Inside Out. The entire experience is committed to the concept, with a felt-flower gift shop, white-coated nurses guiding you through the building, and a registration and discharge card that you stamp on each floor.

Tank and the Bangas 

Thursday, July 2, 7 p.m.
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: $40; MORE INFO 

New Orleans band Tank and the Bangas embody the American spirit of collaboration, cultural melding and musical innovation in soul, hip-hop and R&B — so who better to headline this 250th USA celebration at the Skirball Cultural Center? R&B band Butter Funk Family will open, and the evening also includes a DJ set by Tosstones. Start your Fourth weekend right!

Cats: Jellicle Ball 

Wednesday, July 1, 7:30 p.m.
Vidiots 
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock
COST: $16; MORE INFO

I was firmly in the anti-Cats category — that is, until I saw clips of the Jellicle Ball on the Tony Awards in early June. I’m now sold and trying to figure out how to get a ticket in NYC. I’m going to thank Magical Mister Mistoffelees for that one. In the meantime, Vidiots is making the Tom Hooper 2019 film version into a cult extravaganza, with some cat-themed performers from Bob Baker Marionette Theater, live DJ sets, themed drinks, kitty-themed face painting and a costume contest.

Topline:

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a pair of executive orders Monday to ramp up efforts to clean the mess left by the fire that burned for a week at a Boyle Heights warehouse.

Why now: Since the warehouse fire was put out, the 85 million pounds of frozen food stored inside is now rotting, spreading foul smells throughout surrounding neighborhoods and raising concerns about an influx of pests. Residents have also been left with worries about air and water contamination after the fire and possible long-term public health effects.

Spoiled food removal: Bass and city officials said Monday the warehouse owner, Lineage, began moving food debris on Sunday to landfills in Ventura and Riverside counties. The company predicts it will take 5,000 truckloads to remove it all.

Reducing odors: Lineage plans to apply a chemical deodorizer, likely chlorine dioxide, to the food, debris and trucks leaving the warehouse. It’s also installing devices within the warehouse that will spray mist over the food inside until it is moved.

Pest control: Lineage is responsible for pest management inside the warehouse, while the city of Los Angeles is responsible for it outside the warehouse. Both have hired private contractors to manage pest control.

Air and water testing: The South Coast Air Quality Management District is overseeing efforts to measure harmful material in the air and posting data to its online air quality map. Lineage also hired private contractor Onterris to monitor air quality in the community surrounding the warehouse, with South Coast AQMD’s oversight. The Los Angeles Department of Sanitation has been monitoring water flowing from the site since firefighting operations began. It’s using a variety of methods, including containment tanks and catch basins, to divert the runoff into the sewer and prevent it from flowing into the L.A. River.

What’s next: Bass’ two executive orders are intended to accelerate cleanup efforts, protect residents and hold accountable the companies responsible for the facility and its safety. One order directs the Fire Department to report on its investigation into the cause of the fire within 90 days. The orders also include a number of provisions to help Boyle Heights residents and businesses, including free public transit, financial assistance and expanded public health resources.

Why it matters: Officials and advocates have called for transparency around the cleanup, especially because they say the neighborhood has been historically under-resourced and disproportionately subjected to environmental burdens. One of the orders signed Monday directs city officials to compile a report within 45 days on industrial areas across Los Angeles that sit close to homes and schools. The report also must include possible zoning and land use changes that would reduce negative health effects from existing and future industrial facilities.

Topline:

L.A.’s lead homelessness agency, LAHSA, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Monday, asking a judge for relief from a federal funding suspension it calls unjustified.

How we got here: On June 11, HUD suspended the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority from federal grant activity pending an investigation into alleged mismanagement. The federal agency said the suspension means LAHSA cannot fulfill its role as collaborative applicant for the entire region’s application for federal homelessness dollars for the upcoming fiscal year. In its lawsuit, LAHSA says the suspension is the Trump administration’s back door attempt to eliminate the Continuum of Care program in L.A., which gives local officials discretion over homelessness projects submitted for federal funding.

LAHSA’s challenge: LAHSA says HUD has failed to identify any public agreement or transaction that LAHSA has violated or cite proper evidence of mismanagement. LAHSA also claims several inaccuracies and misrepresentations in HUD’s original suspension letter, including relying on reviews that LAHSA says were irrelevant to federal funding. “HUD supports its position with an amalgamation of uncorroborated hearsay information apparently cherry-picked from the internet,” the complaint states.

Legal argument: LAHSA's attorneys contend that HUD unlawfully suspended funding, arguing that the action violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the Constitution's separation of powers principle, and the Tenth Amendment. LAHSA is asking for a stay of the HUD suspension pending judicial review and a permanent injunction barring head from suspending LAHSA or blocking the work of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care.

Why it matters: The deadline for the L.A. region to submit its application to HUD for regional homelessness grants is Aug. 26. LAHSA says the suspension jeopardizes $241 million in federal funding that supports more than 11,000 people across L.A. County. LAHSA says the HUD suspension could prevent the agency from other activities, including releasing the findings of its 2026 homeless count conducted in January.

At a Tuesday L.A. City Council committee meeting on the coming Olympics, a city-appointed civil rights expert skewered LA28's plans for protecting human rights, and some questioned the city's preparedness for how the Games might displace hundreds or potentially thousands of unhoused people.

The private Olympics committee's human rights strategy was submitted to the L.A. City Council at the end of last year, but wasn't made public until months later. Its contents had largely been left alone until Tuesday, when local experts and LA28 representatives addressed the council about the plan.

Pointed criticism

Courtney Morgan-Greene, who sits on the city's Human Relations Commission, lambasted the human rights strategy, and questioned how homelessness would be handled.

"Angelenos know unhoused individuals will be moved," Morgan-Greene said. "Who is in charge of relocating these Angelenos and how will their well-being be safe-guarded and prioritized?"

LA28's strategy said it will coordinate with local officials and providers who will be supporting unhoused people impacted by the Olympics. It also pledges to notify authorities as early as possible if an unhoused person needs to be relocated due to the Games.

Julieta Valls Noyes, LA28's senior human rights advisor, told the council that she believed the mass displacement of unhoused people that has occurred at past Olympics would not be as much of an issue for Los Angeles, because organizers are relying on existing facilities rather than building new venues.

What we know about the plans

But previous guidance issued by L.A. County indicates that efforts to remove people who are homeless would focus on the security perimeters around Olympic venues. City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said Tuesday that clearing security perimeters could mean displacing hundreds or potentially thousands of people living on the streets.

" Telling us that they're there isn't the same thing as helping us figure out how to get them housed," she said. "If we want this done right, we're gonna have to figure out how we pay for it."

Yaroslavsky suggested that the city and LA28 would need to seek state or federal support to relocate unhoused people ahead of the Games and provide them with a place to stay.

Questions about who will take the lead

Gita O’Neill, interim CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, told the council that Olympics organizers should establish an interagency task force to manage how homelessness would be handled ahead of and during the Games. Her agency has come under intense financial pressure and scrutiny, including the county's withdrawal of hundreds of millions of funding and punitive federal action. She indicated that security plans could lead to displacement in areas with prominent unhoused populations.

"Current security maps for the Games show overlaps with large swaths of high-need areas, such as Skid Row, MacArthur Park and South L.A," she said.

O'Neill also warned that if local authorities did not take control of addressing homelessness around Olympic venues, the federal government could intervene.

"If the city does not address the encampment issues, there is no doubt in our mind that the federal government will come in and address it for the city on its own procedures and protocols," she said. "L.A. should retain control over the process as much as possible."

2028 Games loom over other discussions

The specter of the federal government's role in the 2028 Games loomed over other council discussions, including the role of the Department of Homeland Security, which is overseeing security for the Games.

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez asked for an update about the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Olympics, provoking a frustrated response from the typically cool LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover.

" I don't know what to tell you. You were yelling at me at the time, very disrespectful," Hoover said, referencing the last time Soto-Martinez asked him about ICE. " I fully expect that the federal government is going to be supportive of these games and will deliver the games and respect human rights in the process."

As the two continued to spar, Hoover said he'd seen the Olympics be pulled off successfully the other times the U.S. hosted, including 1996 in Atlanta and 2002 in Salt Lake City.

" Well, the difference is that this year it's Trump's Olympics, not a sane person in the White House," Soto-Martinez said. "Trump's Olympics are coming into the city of Los Angeles."

The meeting highlighted one shift in LA28's human rights plans. Hoover pledged to create a grant program to fund certain human rights-related initiatives, a move that some advocates have been pushing for. He did not say how much money LA28 would provide.

Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said the committee would continue to discuss human rights plans down the road. He wanted to wrap the meeting ahead of the much-anticipated Mexico-Ecuador World Cup match.

The Department of Motor Vehicles is on track to share driver’s license and identification data with an outside network despite concerns from immigrant advocates that the information could expose people to deportation.

The California Legislature authorized that sharing in the state budget it passed on Monday, along with a separate transportation measure that laid out some special oversight procedures to protect the data.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the budget and is expected to approve the companion measure, which his administration negotiated with lawmakers.

Lawmakers earlier had refused to approve the data sharing plan until protections were put in place late last week.

The stakes are high for the more than 1 million immigrants who have driver’s licenses. The system records the last five digits of a driver’s Social Security number and uses the placeholder “99999” for people without one. Advocates fear that feeding that information into a national database could expose undocumented Californians to federal immigration enforcement and told CalMatters in April that such a plan amounts to “a betrayal.”

Earlier this year, the governor's office told CalMatters that reporting on the dispute amounted to "manufacturing fear and panic with lies."

The new state budget includes $55 million, which the DMV will use to enable the sharing of California records with the State-to-State Verification Service and SPEX database run by the nonprofit American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

State officials have argued that the data sharing is needed to comply with the federal REAL ID Act, warning that if California does not participate, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could refuse to accept California IDs at airports. They say the system can only be queried for one record at a time using information supplied by an applicant and that bulk searches are not possible.

The new legislation includes additional measures to protect immigrants from the database being misused for federal immigration enforcement. They include asking the attorney general to sue the nonprofit that runs the national database or participating states if they do not stick to the terms of the data sharing; requiring annual public reporting on data requests and any unusual patterns in usage; and directing the DMV to write a monitoring plan, due in draft by February 2027 and in final form by July 2027. It also directs the state auditor to assess compliance with data sharing guardrails starting in 2030.

“The established safeguards limit the information shared to the minimum necessary,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for Newsom’s Department of Finance.

What critics say

But some advocates say the oversight protections do not go far enough.

“The guardrails will not prevent federal or other state law enforcement from obtaining an order requiring (the state-to-state system) to retrieve and disclose data, including in bulk, and requiring (the system) not to disclose that fact,” said Ed Hasbrouck with the civil liberties group the Identity Project.

Ronald Coleman Baeza, on behalf of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, thanked state lawmakers Monday for "ensuring there are guardrails" around the data sharing program but also urged lawmakers to require an audit before 2030.

"We are disappointed that Social Security numbers will continue to be shared, but we appreciate that there will be a monitoring plan, a stakeholder process in place, and also enforcement and an audit," he said. "There's definitely going to be more work to do to make sure that we do protect the information from Californians in the driver's license database system."

Representatives of the ACLU Cal Action and California Immigrant Policy Center similarly thanked lawmakers for adopting additional protections but expressed concern about the potential impact on the lives of undocumented immigrants of sharing sensitive data with an out-of-state entity.

Sen. Laura Richardson is a Democrat from Inglewood who questioned the data sharing plan earlier this year. In a Senate budget hearing Monday she voiced support for the data protections in the transportation bill. She also urged the state auditor to evaluate data sharing activity before 2030 “given our vulnerability of having that data out there.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters — sign up for their newsletters — and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of mass deportations. More than a year into his second term, the White House has taken a sweeping approach to curbing illegal and legal migration.

Ximena Bustillo, NPR's immigration policy correspondent, breaks down the five strategies that make up the administration's mass deportation policy.

They include providing historic funding for immigration enforcement agencies, stripping legal pathways, reshaping previously little-known immigration courts and expanding the infrastructure focused on increasing the number of those detained and deported. It's a strategy that limits immigrants' options for arguing for permission to stay in the U.S., and eliminates previous pathways to legal status.
Over the past year, judges as high up as on the U.S. Supreme Court have weighed in on the measures taken. In some instances, district court rulings have barred some of the strategies, including ordering federal officers to stop making arrests in immigration courts.

Other efforts have been upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court's most recent ruling allowing the administration to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians and a policy that allows border officials to turn migrants away before they physically cross to claim asylum.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 6-3 that Trump's landmark executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship was unconstitutional.

Bustillo travels to Arizona, California and New York to break down this strategy — and the impacts on the agency, federal workers and immigrants going through these complicated systems.

Relying on over a year of reporting, policy memos, data and ultimately dozens of interviews, the Trump administration's strategy becomes clear.

Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly.
Copyright 2026 NPR

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a 91-year-old precedent that has prevented presidents from removing members of independent agencies at will. The decision represents a significant win for the Trump administration and a major expansion of the president's control over parts of the government once seen as a check on his powers.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court found that President Trump's March 2025 firing of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter without cause was lawful.

Since its creation of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 1914, Congress has held that commissioners can only be fired for "inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." Slaughter was presented with no such reason for her removal, only told her "continued service on the FTC is inconsistent with [the Trump] Administration's priorities."

Last summer, a lower court found her firing was unlawful, citing a 1935 landmark decision known as Humphrey's Executor, a case prompted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempted firing of an FTC commissioner over ideological disagreements. The court unanimously held that while the president has the power to remove purely executive officers for any reason, that unlimited power does not extend to agencies like the FTC, whose duties, the court found, "are neither political nor executive, but predominantly quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative."

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote: "Although it is up to the Senate to decide whether to confirm those with whom the President would prefer to work, neither Congress nor the courts may saddle him with those with whom he cannot work. Subordinates who exercise the President's power are subject to removal by him. Then, and only then, can they remain accountable to the President, and the President to the people."

The three liberal justices dissented.

The independence of the Federal Reserve remains intact — for now. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, can remain in her job until litigation is resolved in the lower courts.

A final blow to a 91-year-old precedent

Thursday's decision marks a final blow to Humphrey's Executor.

"If anything more is left of Humphrey's, the Court overrules it," Robert wrote in the majority opinion.

During Trump's first term, the Supreme Court chipped away at the precedent when it let Trump fire the head of another independent agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

In that case, the Supreme Court held that the firing was permissible because the CFPB is run by a single director rather than a multimember board. Chief Justice John Roberts described Humphrey's Executor as applying only to multimember agencies "that do not wield substantial executive power."

Now with this latest decision, the conservative majority has found reason to give the president power over multimember agencies, too.

The ruling essentially turns FTC commissioners into at-will employees, who serve at the pleasure of the president. It also effectively ends Congress' requirement that the FTC be bipartisan, so that no one party has too much sway.

Congress dictated that no one political party can hold more than three seats on the five-member commission, recognizing the vast influence the FTC has over the lives of everyday Americans.

The agency's commissioners are antitrust experts, uniquely positioned to keep watch over all kinds of companies — big tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and media companies — ensuring their practices aren't harming regular people.

Now, going forward, there's nothing to stop any president from removing commissioners from the opposing party and leaving the seats vacant, which is what Trump has done.

After his firing of two Democratic FTC commissioners last year, the only remaining commissioners are Republicans.

The independence of a multitude of other agencies also in doubt

The ruling also throws into question the protections afforded to members of a multitude of other federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, where Trump has also fired Democratic members.

Like the FTC, those agencies play important roles in the daily lives of Americans, protecting people from discrimination and abuse on the job and unsafe products, including toys.

Congress created those agencies and many others following the Supreme Court's decision in Humphrey's Executor, assuming that they would operate with some degree of independence from the White House.

In an interview last fall with NPR, Slaughter said it was vital for the Supreme Court to preserve its independence.

"Independence allows the decision-making that is done by these boards and commissions to be on the merits, about the facts, and about protecting the interests of the American people," she said. "That is what Americans deserve from their government."

James M. Burnham, an attorney who has served in both Trump administrations, offered the counter view, arguing that Congress' limits on the president's removal powers have been unconstitutional from the beginning.

"I don't think there is such a thing as an independent agency because everything has to be in one of the three branches of government," he argued. "I don't think they've ever been independent."
Copyright 2026 NPR

President Donald Trump said talks with Iran would resume Tuesday in Qatar, despite the two sides trading attacks in the Gulf over the weekend. Iran did not confirm whether it will participate in the next round of meetings to advance an interim peace deal.

The latest exchange of strikes began when Iran attacked a cargo ship on Thursday near Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, setting off attacks by the U.S. in response and counterstrikes by Iran at U.S. military and naval bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, respectively.

Despite the attacks, Trump wrote on social media Monday that Iran had requested a meeting, and said it will take place in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

Qatar and Pakistan mediated the high-level talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Switzerland two weeks ago, which paved the way for more negotiations on the terms of the deal.

Qatar is also where Iran says it has some $12 billion of its money frozen in bank accounts. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in remarks carried by the local Fars News Agency on Monday that $6 billion of that will be released as part of the interim deal signed with the U.S., in addition to oil sanctions that were temporarily already lifted by Washington.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, however, was quoted by Iranian media on Monday saying that while consultations continue with mediator Qatar, technical talks with the U.S. are not yet planned for this week and will be held only "when the conditions are met." He did not elaborate.

When asked about the current status of Iran-U.S. talks, a senior White House official not authorized to brief the press told NPR on Sunday that technical talks to implement the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran "are on track for the coming days as planned."

The official did not respond to further questions, but added that "deconfliction channels are up and running after the Lake Lucerne Summit," referring to talks led by Vice President Vance in Switzerland two weeks ago.

At the conclusion of those talks, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the two countries had agreed to establish a communication line "to avoid incidents" in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian officials said a "deconfliction cell" was created to monitor a parallel ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Weekend attacks test fragile ceasefire

U.S. Central Command says it struck missile and drone sites along Iran's territory bordering the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and Saturday, in response to Iran's attacks on two cargo ships, including one carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil.

Iran's attacks on cargo ships derailed U.N.-backed efforts to evacuate thousands of seafarers through a route near Oman following months of war and closure of the vital waterway. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which was not involved in clearing the route near Oman, warned Thursday that ships that do not coordinate passage with its naval forces "will be dealt with" as violators.

Iran said on Sunday it launched missiles in counterstrikes at U.S. forces in Bahrain and Kuwait, the two Gulf Arab countries Secretary of State Marco Rubio had visited just days earlier to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to their security and to hear their perspectives on the U.S.-Iran interim deal.

The U.S. and Iran accused one another of violating the ceasefire. President Trump warned Iran on Sunday.

"There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," Trump wrote on social media. "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"

Iran's claims on Strait of Hormuz

Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said he visited Oman on Monday to exchange views on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz.

A day earlier, during a visit to Iraq, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told reporters that commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to return to pre-war levels within 30 days of the U.S.-Iran preliminary agreement that was signed, but he said the key waterway is under Iran's sole management.

Araghchi added that the responsibility to remove what he described as "obstacles" in the Strait of Hormuz and to ensure it reopens "rests with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

It was not immediately clear if Araghchi was referring to mines the U.S. says Iran laid in the waterway during the war.
Copyright 2026 NPR

Updated June 24, 2026 at 05:46 AM ET

A bipartisan majority in Congress has voted in favor of a war powers resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran.

The Senate voted 50 to 48 on Tuesday afternoon, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support. They were Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski.

The measure, which is not legally binding and will not be sent to the White House for a signature, was approved by the House earlier this month.

"Today, Congress stood up to Donald Trump and voted to end his costly, unnecessary, and devastating war with Iran," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement after the vote. "The message from the only branch of government with the power to declare war is unmistakable: the Trump administration must withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran."

Tuesday's vote comes at a moment when the U.S. and Iran are engaged in delicate negotiations to permanently end the conflict, the initial terms of which have been broadly criticized by members of both parties.

President Trump criticized the resolution after it passed, writing on Truth Social that "Four Republican Losers voted with the Dumocrats, and Iran asked my people, 'what does that all mean?' These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!"

Copyright 2026 NPR

ISLAMABAD — The U.S. and Iran were in dispute Tuesday over whether Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. inspectors to view bombed Iranian nuclear sites, as officials mediated talks on a permanent end to their war and violence broke out again in Lebanon.

The differing accounts came as Iran's president met with Pakistani officials mediating negotiations and while technical teams were working on details following talks in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iran.

As those talks continued, a break in the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to be in the works.

The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, announced Tuesday that a plan is underway to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded before the war.

Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N. inspectors were not scheduled to examine the nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. last year, refuting comments made a day before by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. In response, President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections long into the future, saying that without this concession "there would be no further negotiations!"

The International Atomic Energy Agency has not responded to requests for comment over its possible role. It has been in and out of Iran since Israel's 12-day war in 2025, but has not been granted access to bombed enrichment sites targeted by the U.S.

Plan to evacuate stranded seafarers through Strait of Hormuz

The plan to evacuate thousands of seafarers is being done in cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry, according to the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez.

"We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," he said in a statement.

But the uneasy ceasefire already has been tested by Iran saying it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.S. has said that negotiators have discussed "mechanisms" to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil transit that Iran effectively blocked during the war, remains open. Ship traffic is increasing but questions remain about who controls the strait.

Data and analytics company Kpler confirmed 39 ships crossed through the strait Monday, after about 92 crossings between Friday and Sunday. Prior to the war, roughly 100 ships a day made the journey.

Iran's president makes his first visit to Islamabad since the war started

Pezeshkian and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday discussed a range of issues, including regional peace and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the presidency in Islamabad.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also joined the delegation that arrived in Islamabad amid tight security.

It was the Iranian president's first visit since the U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran on Feb. 28. Pezeshkian and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were to hold a joint news conference after the discussions.

In the initial talks, marking the start of a 60-day window to reach a permanent deal to end the war, Iran and the U.S. agreed to create a "de-confliction cell" to address the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Ahead of his meetings in Pakistan, Pezeshkian cautioned that "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation."

Iran says negotiations focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues and more

Iran suggested that the talks in Switzerland led to the creation of specific negotiation groups, including those focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction, and monitoring, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The report quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister leading the technical talks, saying the countries also formed a contact mechanism over ships moving through Hormuz and the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

Violence flared again in southern Lebanon Tuesday as Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing two people and coming after two days of calm following a ceasefire brokered on Saturday. Any renewal of heavy fighting could threaten the broader diplomatic talks, since Iran has demanded that a full truce in Lebanon be part of any comprehensive deal.

Israel occupies part of Lebanon and insists it must be able to attack militants launching attacks into northern Israel.

The Israeli military said troops fired at four Hezbollah members who were riding a bulldozer and a motorcycle and had entered a security zone and failed to stop despite warning shots. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the two men were killed next to a bulldozer clearing a road.

No Israeli airstrikes or shelling have been reported since Sunday, a day after a ceasefire was reached, and Hezbollah also has not claimed any attacks in what has been the longest halt in the fighting since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2.

Discrepancy on Iran's use of unfrozen funds

Following the talks in Switzerland, Vance, who helped lead the negotiations, said if Iranian financial assets were unfrozen, they would be used to buy American-grown corn, wheat and soy.

Vance also said the U.S. and Qatar would have approval over the process. However, Iran has no current demand for U.S. crops and its foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that Tehran's decisions on what to import would be based on "prices and quality."

"It is interesting that the philosophy and goal of the war, which was the destruction of the Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran, has become enriching American farmers," Baghaei said.

Iran's ambassador in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, questioned Vance's contention that the U.S. and Qatar would approve how Iran uses unfrozen funds.

"Iran is the only country who decides what to do with those assets," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, two U.S. aircraft carriers were continuing to operate in the Middle East, the U.S. military's Central Command said.

Netanyahu raises new questions over fragile Lebanon ceasefire

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the "de-confliction cell" would include the Lebanese government and "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon." But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said Monday that his military still has "full freedom of action" to thwart any threats.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S.-Iran deal. Netanyahu has vowed to keep his forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing.

When asked about Netanyahu's comments, Trump said "we're going to take a look at it," adding that the situation would "get solved."

The main highway leading south from Beirut was jammed Tuesday with people displaced from southern Lebanon returning to their homes. Among them was Hawraa Nour El-Din, from the village of Khirbet Selm.

"We don't want the negotiations done by the government," she said. "We want Iran to negotiate on our behalf, and we are returning victorious, whether everyone likes it or not."

In Washington, the State Department said a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks began on Tuesday with both political and security issues on the agenda.
Copyright 2026 NPR

At a Tuesday L.A. City Council committee meeting on the coming Olympics, a city-appointed civil rights expert skewered LA28's plans for protecting human rights, and some questioned the city's preparedness for how the Games might displace hundreds or potentially thousands of unhoused people.

The private Olympics committee's human rights strategy was submitted to the L.A. City Council at the end of last year, but wasn't made public until months later. Its contents had largely been left alone until Tuesday, when local experts and LA28 representatives addressed the council about the plan.

Pointed criticism

Courtney Morgan-Greene, who sits on the city's Human Relations Commission, lambasted the human rights strategy, and questioned how homelessness would be handled.

"Angelenos know unhoused individuals will be moved," Morgan-Greene said. "Who is in charge of relocating these Angelenos and how will their well-being be safe-guarded and prioritized?"

LA28's strategy said it will coordinate with local officials and providers who will be supporting unhoused people impacted by the Olympics. It also pledges to notify authorities as early as possible if an unhoused person needs to be relocated due to the Games.

Julieta Valls Noyes, LA28's senior human rights advisor, told the council that she believed the mass displacement of unhoused people that has occurred at past Olympics would not be as much of an issue for Los Angeles, because organizers are relying on existing facilities rather than building new venues.

What we know about the plans

But previous guidance issued by L.A. County indicates that efforts to remove people who are homeless would focus on the security perimeters around Olympic venues. City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said Tuesday that clearing security perimeters could mean displacing hundreds or potentially thousands of people living on the streets.

" Telling us that they're there isn't the same thing as helping us figure out how to get them housed," she said. "If we want this done right, we're gonna have to figure out how we pay for it."

Yaroslavsky suggested that the city and LA28 would need to seek state or federal support to relocate unhoused people ahead of the Games and provide them with a place to stay.

Questions about who will take the lead

Gita O’Neill, interim CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, told the council that Olympics organizers should establish an interagency task force to manage how homelessness would be handled ahead of and during the Games. Her agency has come under intense financial pressure and scrutiny, including the county's withdrawal of hundreds of millions of funding and punitive federal action. She indicated that security plans could lead to displacement in areas with prominent unhoused populations.

"Current security maps for the Games show overlaps with large swaths of high-need areas, such as Skid Row, MacArthur Park and South L.A," she said.

O'Neill also warned that if local authorities did not take control of addressing homelessness around Olympic venues, the federal government could intervene.

"If the city does not address the encampment issues, there is no doubt in our mind that the federal government will come in and address it for the city on its own procedures and protocols," she said. "L.A. should retain control over the process as much as possible."

2028 Games loom over other discussions

The specter of the federal government's role in the 2028 Games loomed over other council discussions, including the role of the Department of Homeland Security, which is overseeing security for the Games.

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez asked for an update about the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Olympics, provoking a frustrated response from the typically cool LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover.

" I don't know what to tell you. You were yelling at me at the time, very disrespectful," Hoover said, referencing the last time Soto-Martinez asked him about ICE. " I fully expect that the federal government is going to be supportive of these games and will deliver the games and respect human rights in the process."

As the two continued to spar, Hoover said he'd seen the Olympics be pulled off successfully the other times the U.S. hosted, including 1996 in Atlanta and 2002 in Salt Lake City.

" Well, the difference is that this year it's Trump's Olympics, not a sane person in the White House," Soto-Martinez said. "Trump's Olympics are coming into the city of Los Angeles."

The meeting highlighted one shift in LA28's human rights plans. Hoover pledged to create a grant program to fund certain human rights-related initiatives, a move that some advocates have been pushing for. He did not say how much money LA28 would provide.

Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said the committee would continue to discuss human rights plans down the road. He wanted to wrap the meeting ahead of the much-anticipated Mexico-Ecuador World Cup match.

Topline:

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday pulled a ballot proposal for November that could have led to non-citizens being allowed to vote in council and school board elections.

Why it matters: There are approximately 1.3 million to 1.4 million non-citizen residents living in the city, according to Data USA, making up nearly 36% of the city's population. So if the proposal was approved by voters, it could lay the groundwork for dramatically changing the electorate in Los Angeles. Critics said the proposal needs to be vetted more thoroughly before being put to voters.

Another last minute change: The council also pulled a ballot proposal that would have asked voters in November to expand the power of the City Council over the police department, including the ability to direct policy. Instead, the proposal will go back to a committee for more review.

The backstory: The City Council voted 10-5 in mid-June to place the ballot proposals and other charter changes on the Nov. 3 ballot.

What's next: Both proposals will be sent back to the committee level for consideration and to address concerns from detractors. For more on the issues, go here.

A wave of relief moved through L.A. communities on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship.

The 6-3 decision to affirm the nation’s 158-year-old legal standard also rejected an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, moments after his inauguration. Had the Supreme Court upheld the executive order, citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. would have depended on their parents’ nationality and residence history.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who argued on behalf of the Trump administration, said the nation’s longstanding practice has incentivized foreigners to travel to the U.S. to have babies — including some from “hostile nations.”

“ For more than a century and a half, our laws have reaffirmed that fundamental right. Today's ruling is a long overdue message to Donald Trump: No president can pretend to erase a bedrock constitutional guarantee with the flick of a pen,” said Alvaro Huerta, director of litigation and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center.

“We're relieved that the Supreme Court firmly rejected the Trump administration's overreach and reaffirmed what frankly should never have been in question,” he added. “ Today, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

Angelenos respond to SCOTUS

In Los Angeles, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights spoke to reporters at its headquarters, inviting fellow advocates and local residents of all ages to celebrate the majority opinion.

“ The decision today carries profound meaning for all of us,” said Dahni Tsuboi, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Southern California, which was among dozens of advocate groups that filed a brief in support of immigrant families.

“More than 60%of Asian Americans in this nation were born somewhere else. So for us, immigration is not a policy debate . . . It is our story of how we came here, how we created home here, how our children's dreams took shape,” she said.

“ The Trump administration tried to challenge the 14th Amendment, which initially guaranteed birthright citizenship in the aftermath of slavery, ensuring that formerly enslaved Black people and their descendants could not be denied membership in the nation that they built,” added Maraky Alemseged, an organizer with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship, they noted, comes on the heels of its decision to allow the Trump administration to cancel temporary protected status for Haitians and other groups, without being subject to review in federal courts. The administration has also moved to cancel naturalization ceremonies for people who hail from countries it’s deemed to be “high-risk.”

In response, Alemseged called for continued advocacy and “a broader vision of belonging, one where humanity is not contingent on [immigrant] status.”

Why it matters

Cecilia Wang, national legal director of the ACLU, represented families who could have been affected. The nonprofit sued the Trump administration almost immediately after the president signed the executive order.

When speaking before the Supreme Court in April, Wang — herself a birthright citizen — pointed to some of the darkest moments in U.S. history to bolster her argument.

“ Even in World War II, when the United States was detaining Japanese nationals who were deemed ‘enemy aliens’ of the United States, when those ‘enemy aliens’ had babies in these detention camps, everyone agreed that those babies were U.S. citizens,” she said.

Wang also cited United States v. Wong Kim Ark, a landmark case involving a Chinese American man from California. In that 1898 case, Wang noted, the court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to almost anyone born in the country, regardless of their parents' nationality or immigration status.

In 2023, birthing people who were undocumented immigrants or who had legal temporary status had 320,000 babies, representing about 9% of all the 3.6 million children born in the U.S. that year. According to the Pew Research Center, about 260,000 of those babies would not have qualified for birthright citizenship if Trump’s executive order had already been in effect.

Immigrant advocates feared such children would become part of a permanent underclass. The United Nations has signaled that when people are rendered stateless, they can encounter a host of challenges — everything from barriers accessing education and healthcare to the inability to travel freely. Arguing on behalf of the Trump administration, Sauer dismissed those concerns as alarmist “ end-of-the-world type predictions.”

For many Los Angeles college students, public transit is often the cheapest and sometimes the only way to get to campus as gas and other costs rise. But using buses and trains can come with a price beyond the fare.

Metro offers free passes for students at participating K-12 schools and community colleges, while some universities offer discounted transit passes for their students. However, college students who rely on transit have to leave for class hours early to avoid being late, weigh safety concerns, stretch already tight budgets and miss out on college life, students told CalMatters.

Late buses, early alarms

For some students, using transit means getting ready and leaving long before class starts. Makeda Webb wakes up at 6 a.m. in her apartment in Willowbrook, more than five hours before her first class at Cal State Dominguez Hills, less than 5 miles away in Carson.

On most mornings, the psychology major competes with her brother and grandfather, who has dementia, for their one shared bathroom. Even though her earliest class starts at 11:30 a.m., Webb leaves home by 8:30 a.m. because her commute usually takes 40 minutes and unreliable buses have made her late before. Some professors have even threatened to drop her from their classes if she kept arriving late, so she doesn't take any risks.

"The bus is constantly late or breaking down," Webb said. "You have to wait another hour for the next bus. … (It) makes me late for school, so I have to leave extremely early to make sure I'm on time."

She doesn't have a car, so despite delays, taking the bus is cheaper for her than paying for gas and other driving costs. Her university offers Metro U-Pass, which allows participating university students to take unlimited bus and train rides for the semester for a flat fee. For spring 2026, the pass cost $67.50.

Her commute gets worse at the end of the day. When Webb takes the bus in the evening after class and extracurriculars, frequent stops and unruly passengers stretch the trip to close to an hour.

"Even though I only live (half an hour) away by bus, it takes double that to get there because the bus driver has to stop the bus or … something stupid is going on, like chaos, which makes it take forever," Webb said.

For women, the train comes with risks 

Victoria Imo, a graduate student studying social work at the University of Southern California, has a car but often takes the Metro A Line, transferring to the E Line to get to campus. She uses her U-Pass to avoid the high cost of gas and parking.

Imo's U-Pass is covered by USC's mandatory transportation fee, which costs $146 for the spring semester. That is cheaper than filling her tank multiple times, which she said can cost up to $60 each time, or buying a parking permit, which can cost up to $585 per semester before added fees.

But saving money means she has to take extra precautions. Because of safety concerns on the train, Imo thinks carefully about where she sits, often near other women, and avoids using her iPad or laptop, opting to read instead. She wears a mask and sometimes headphones without music to avoid unwanted interactions.

In the past, Imo carried pepper spray and a Taser – the latter of which she previously set off to deter an unruly man who was "yelling behind me while I was walking up the stairs," she said. She activated the Taser so it crackled really loudly while she walked to her car.

Metro contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department for law enforcement across its systems. The agency also has transit ambassadors to complement officers, report issues and connect passengers with resources. Still, Imo said she has not reported any safety concerns because she's so used to them.

"I haven't gone out of my way to give any feedback, because at this point, I feel like this is just what the train system is," Imo said. "It seems like everyone's used to it."

Gina Medrano, a psychology student at Santa Monica College, described similar concerns. She has her own car, but gas prices have pushed her to use her GoPass to take the train from the Atlantic Station in East Los Angeles to her school.

She carries pepper spray, avoids wearing headphones and switches train cars if anyone makes her feel uncomfortable. After witnessing a near-fatal incident, Medrano said boarding a Metro train makes her feel uneasy.

"This lady started hitting a man on the train," she said. "After she kicked the door of the train while it was running … she jumped out of the train … and it was right in front of me. I had to call my mom to come pick me up, because I just couldn't handle what I'd just seen."

Medrano said the incident was one of several disturbing things she's seen on the train. She regularly sees things that make her question her safety and wonder why there isn't more enforcement.

"It's kind of normal to see needles and unsightly things on the train," she said. "There's not really a lot of enforcement or safety. I don't really feel safe on it."

For some, police presence sets off alarms

Zak Nirenberg, an electrical construction and maintenance major at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, said their biggest safety concern is not other Metro riders, but Los Angeles Police Department officers.

"They're intimidating," Nirenberg said. "Most of the time they're on the (train), they're looking for someone to harass or actively harassing someone."

Norma Eisenman, a spokesperson for the LAPD, declined to comment on Nirenberg and others' concerns about officers' presence during fare inspections. The department directed CalMatters to file public records requests for documents about LAPD protocols.

Metro says safety is improving

Metro says it's making progress on safety, pointing to recent declines in violent crime and nonviolent offenses. The agency attributed those declines to increased visible uniformed personnel, fare enforcement and partnerships with behavioral health organizations on its transit system.

In a February Metro media release, Maya Pogoda, a spokesperson for the agency, wrote that violent crime fell 6.7% in 2025 from the year before. She added that crimes involving trespassing, narcotics and weapons decreased 33%.

Metro also announced the Department of Public Safety Dashboard, which publishes safety and security data submitted by law enforcement agencies and shows a more complicated history. According to the dashboard, after Metro resumed bus fare collection following a pandemic pause, trespassing reports, which include fare evasion, rose nearly 1,200%, from 126 in 2022 to 1,635 in 2023. In 2024, the number more than doubled to about 4,500.

Arrests also rose sharply, with LAPD and sheriff's department arrests increasing by 81% in 2023 to about 5,000, then nearly doubling to about 10,000 in 2024. Since 2020, the top two crime types reported on Metro have been trespassing and battery.

Pogoda wrote that the agency is trying to address safety through a mix of law enforcement and public services aimed at addressing homelessness, addiction and untreated mental illness. These efforts will all be coordinated through Metro’s new Department of Public Safety.

Student passes help, but gaps remain

Even Metro programs meant to make public transit more affordable for students don’t remove every cost barrier. For some, the upfront cost of even a discounted pass can still be out of reach.

Stephanie Verdugo, a sociology major at Cal State LA, lives in on-campus housing and relies on Metro buses to run errands and, previously, to get to work. She said her university sells a U-Pass to students for about $100 a semester, but even as a frequent transit rider, Verdugo said she couldn't afford the upfront cost.

"I always had a very tight budget … so I could never actually buy (the U-Pass)," she said. "I would just have to pay the regular way."

Still, even while paying Metro's regular $1.75 fare for bus or train rides, Verdugo said using public transit has saved her money. That is partly because the agency's fare-capping system limits how much regular fare riders can spend to no more than $5 each day and $18 each week before rides are free.

"I don't pay a lot of money considering how much I travel on the bus," Verdugo said. "As a person who was traveling every single day for a month straight, I only spent like a maximum of $80, which, to me, is really good."

For Nirenberg, the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College student, the GoPass saves them a lot of money on gas and parking.

"(It's) not just for school, but for life in general. I don't pay for parking anywhere," they said. "I don't have to worry about finding parking. It's fantastic."

‘I've never been to a college party’ — when transit derails social life

Beyond getting to class, transit can also shape how much of college life students get to experience. Julian Levy, a political science student at Occidental College, lives in on-campus housing and relies on public transit to visit his family and get around Los Angeles. Without a car, Levy said, participating in college life off campus means planning around transit schedules, deciding whether a trip is worth the time and often leaving early to get back on time.

"I remember just feeling so frustrated … just because I didn't have a car," Levy said. "I had to leave early from (a friend's birthday party) because of the time I would have to spend on the much slower public transit system."

One trip to an Occidental soccer game at Chapman University in Orange made Levy reconsider taking transit to away games. He had taken Metro and Metrolink to get there without any issues, but after the game, one of the few trains back was canceled. A second train eventually came, but only after Levy waited about two and a half hours on the platform. He ended up getting back to campus after midnight.

"I remember thinking after that, 'Do I really want to rely on public transit?'" Levy said. "I've always been able to get where I've needed to go, but I've definitely reconsidered whether something is worth the risk of getting stranded somewhere."

For many students CalMatters spoke to, public transit can be unpredictable, crowded and unsafe. Still, it remains the most affordable, and sometimes the only, way for students to reach campus and make attending college possible at all.

"I'm a low-income student, I've never been to a college party. … I don't have the money, I don't have the time," said Webb, the Cal State Dominguez Hills student. "I have not gotten the full (college experience), but I'm still thankful, though. At least there's an option."

Martin Romero is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

California can continue its long-held policy of allowing transgender student athletes to play on girls’ and women’s sports teams, under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Tuesday.

“With this ruling, schools and states like California can continue to adopt inclusive policies that ensure every student is treated with dignity and respect,” Tony Hoang, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality California said. “Inclusive policies are working across the country, including here in California, where transgender young people have participated in school sports for years without incident.”

The court’s 6-3 decision allows – but doesn’t require – states to bar transgender student athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, upholding state laws in Idaho and West Virginia. Including California, 23 states let transgender students play on teams that align with their gender identity.

Proponents of a ban also celebrated the court’s ruling, saying it’s a major step forward in their fight to keep transgender athletes out of girls sports, and it potentially opens the door to restrictions in the future.

“The Supreme Court just delivered a major victory for girls and for common sense,” said Sonja Shaw, a Chino Valley Unified school board member who’s running for state superintendent. She added that “California should be leading the nation in protecting girls, not forcing them to surrender their rights … We will continue fighting until every girl has the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”

California, an epicenter of the LGBTQ rights movement, has long maintained policies that protect transgender students in K-12 schools. The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school sports in the state, also allows transgender students to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Nationwide, LGBTQ advocates decried the court’s ruling as a blow to transgender peoples’ rights generally, especially in states that currently restrict – or are leaning toward restrictions of – those rights.

“The SCOTUS majority decision furthers the Trump administration’s widespread attack on civil rights protections and continued attempt to erase transgender individuals from society, including through distorted interpretation of law,” said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. “(We) will continue fighting for trans equality and trans rights.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

After more than a decade teaching in special education settings, Lisa Just was well-practiced at managing her Carver Elementary classroom in a way that kept students safe. She stayed alert to behavioral cues, and when students started getting upset, she stepped in to talk with them, adjust their environment or even move them to designated areas to calm down.

“Building that relationship where they feel safe and they trust you is huge,” she said of her kindergartners who would climb up on her lap and hug her like “sticky bugs.”

Yet, in a class with some acute behavioral needs, students sometimes became so dysregulated they hurt her. Often, she left school with “major purple marks,” the result of students who hit, pinched, bit and scratched her, she said, even if they weren’t intending harm.

On a hot day in September, one of her students grew increasingly agitated, the heat a known trigger for him. Just and other aides attempted to calm him — without success. Finally, as he lashed out at classroom staff, she tried to restrain him — the last resort when a child becomes so dysregulated — but he kept slipping out of her grip.

In an “explosive moment,” the child headbutted Just so hard that part of her vision went dark, she said. She went to the emergency room and learned she had an eye injury that has permanently changed her eyesight, causing floating dots and flashing lights.

Just is among the rising number of Long Beach Unified educators who have been seriously hurt during interactions with students in recent years. It’s a trend that’s alarmed classroom staff.

In February, Peder Larsen, vice president of the local teachers union, told his membership he was “a bit in shock” at the rate of injuries he was witnessing. “I’ve known teachers are getting injured, but I’m seeing it basically every single visit I make. I see teachers with bruises. I see people on the verge of tears.”

Seventy-two LBUSD workers reported being severely hurt by a child in the 2024-25 school year, according to an analysis by the Long Beach Post, a notable spike from 49 three years earlier.

Over that same period, the median cost of student-related claims jumped by $500. The total medical costs incurred by student-related claims increased markedly, too.

To determine this, the Long Beach Post obtained and reviewed data on 800 workers’ compensation claims documenting incidents involving students since the 2021-22 school year. To qualify as “severe,” we counted only claims that reported injuries serious enough to cause employees to miss work or incur significant medical expenses — more than $2,577, representing the top 20% most expensive claims. This scheme captured incidents where students bit, kicked or hit employees, as well as injuries sustained while educators chased eloping students, broke up fights and calmed students down.

Long Beach Unified did not make someone available for an interview about the increase, but the district “is committed to providing a safe learning and working environment for students and staff,” said Elvia Cano, a spokesperson for LBUSD, including through training to “recognize, prevent and manage crisis behaviors.”

Complete workers’ compensation data were not available for the recently concluded 2025-26 school year, but in interviews with the Long Beach Post, many LBUSD teachers said they’re continuing to see more students acting out. One elementary school teacher, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation for speaking up, said that in her last two years of teaching, “student behaviors were off the charts.” On a daily basis, she was bit and pinched, had her hair pulled and was spat on.

“A behavior is a form of communication,” she said, underscoring that she reacts compassionately and tries to address students’ underlying needs. Yet it doesn’t change the fact that “we’re also getting beaten up all day,” she said.

These experiences are consistent with data from a recent national survey of public school educators, in which 76% of survey respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected student behavior and development. As Long Beach schools reopened after pandemic closures, the total number of workers’ compensation claims involving students spiked. That total fell the following year, before climbing again to reach a slightly lower peak in 2024-25, the most recent year of complete data.

“Students are struggling,” said Milton Duena, assistant executive director of the teachers union, who helps oversee grievances, including those related to teacher injuries. Students may be facing food and housing insecurity or may need medical or mental health care they’re not getting, he said.

The rise in challenging behaviors has coincided with reduced classroom support, teachers told the Post.

Just requested more help for the child who injured her, including a thorough assessment to identify how to support him when he got upset. Instead, emails she provided show that her principal suggested she add visual schedules to the classroom, hold morning meetings and better communicate with staff — all of which Just said were already part of her approach. The response left her frustrated: “No one’s supporting us, keeping us safe,” Just said. “No one’s helping this child who needs help.”

Cano, the LBUSD spokesperson, said that each time a workplace injury occurs, the district examines the circumstances to determine necessary next steps and supports.

When Long Beach, like other districts, saw increased needs after the pandemic, it expanded training and student supports, aided by state and federal funds, Cano said. Many of these temporary relief dollars have since expired, prompting the district to scale back student mental health resources.

Jola Lao, who teaches kindergarten and first grade in a special education classroom at Barton Elementary, said she made numerous appeals for more aides to manage behavior in her class, as well as better training and equipment — like doors that prevent students from leaving or running away from class, called eloping.

Emails reviewed by the Post show Lao kept careful records of student behavior to support her requests for additional trained adults to help with everything from toileting assistance to supervision of students who left campus and wandered into the street. Nevertheless, she said, her requests were denied. Soon after, Lao went on leave due to intense stress and burnout, she said.

Part of the problem is a chronically underfunded public education system, said Duena of the teachers union. In a 2025-26 budget memo, the district wrote that “costs associated with behavior intervention support for students, especially at the elementary level, have increased fourfold since 2021-22.” The average cost of a 1:1 behavior aide is approximately $70,000, the district said.

These positions are notoriously hard to fill and have a high turnover, in part because of the nature of the work, said Claudia Sosa-Valderrama at a March school board meeting. The district outsources some of these jobs to agencies, but LBUSD teachers who spoke with the Post said sometimes agency aides arrive without adequate training. Just, the teacher who sustained an eye injury, said many of her aides don’t know how to safely restrain students, leaving Just as the only one who can step in at a crucial moment.

Less support in the classroom means student behaviors escalate, said Kecia Woods, who taught third and fourth grade in a special education classroom at Madison Elementary until she retired this year because “I didn’t want to go out hurt,” she said.

In the 2025-26 year alone, she said she filed four or five workers’ compensation claims. Not all of them were for serious injuries, she said, but in the past, she was flattened by a student’s punch and sustained a wrist injury from students that took a year to heal, she said.

Getting injured is assumed to be part of teachers’ jobs, Woods said, adding, “And it’s not. It shouldn’t be.”

Twice a month, a popular night spot in Koreatown is transformed into a makeshift boot camp for a cadre of gamers to achieve mastery of old-school arcade games.

Their recent goal: training to take home the prize at the EVO esport championship in Las Vegas this weekend – where the main attraction is the latest edition of the ‘80s franchise, Street Fighter 6 – and to put SoCal on the map.

The Down Back Club (DBC) meets every other Tuesday at Mama Lion on Western Avenue, the longstanding Koreatown bar.

The dimly lit cocktail lounge near the Wiltern is typically more of a setting for a first date or a casual business meet-up. But gathered under its chandeliers earlier this month was a group of about 100 people, staring into screens big and small, fingers deftly working a controller stick, as they practice the “down-back” – one of the foundational maneuvers in Street Fighter where a player pushes the down and back buttons together, sending their character into a crouched blocking position.

And yes, the club is named after said move.

From arcade to the living room ...

When Street Fighter debuted in 1987, players played side by side in the arcade, then later, via home consoles in living rooms.

“You were playing IRL,” says Daniel Collette, 30, co-founder of DBC. “Because the core concept of the genre is that you are competing against the person sitting next to you.”

Inevitably, gaming moved online, making for a more isolating experience. Collette, a longtime gamer who’s worked in the gaming industry as a producer and writer, wanted to bring back that human interaction.

... to now a Koreatown bar

The Down Back Club started in 2023 primarily for hardcore gamers at a small brewery in downtown L.A.’s Arts District. The club moved to Mama Lion last year, as participants expanded to include all levels of play.

One player training at DBC with high hopes for EVO this weekend is Gregory Wells, 26, a local high school field and track coach. He says people in the club lift each other up, but camaraderie isn’t the only reason why he goes.

“Once I started going, I've learned so much more from playing people in person, being able to get instant feedback.”

While personal connection is the goal, the night is structured around tournaments where players pay $20 to compete. First place comes with about $100 in cash prize, Collette says, depending on the bracket size. Spectator attend for free. Besides Street Fighter 6, other standard games at DBC include Tekken 8, 2XKO, Guilty Gear Strive.

While large cash prizes and big prestige are on the line tournaments like EVO, regulars say it’s also about upping the profile of L.A. players in the international scene.

Bragging rights

“The goal is that everybody gets really good. So when we all go to a tournament, SoCal f**ks everybody up,” says Paul DeCuir, 42, a kitchen worker and Street Fighter veteran who plays as DeeJay — the happy-go-lucky Jamaican kickboxer.

Historically, Japanese players have dominated. A main reason, DeCuir says, is because videogames occupy a higher cultural perch in Japan than in the U.S.

The idea of someone pouring hours into upskilling at a single videogame may seem baffling to most folks outside the community, but for some players, that discipline has seeped into other areas of life.

Like Daniel Chong, 34, another veteran player and a chef who worked at Nobu and other noted restaurants.

“You need to go! You need to just trust yourself, and any hesitation will get you killed,” he says, kind of like working in a busy and high-stress kitchen. “So it's very in the moment. Nothing else matters – that's kind of what it feels like playing in a tournament.”

Welcome visitors!

We know you’ve probably already walked along Hollywood’s walk of fame, hit Universal Studios and headed to the Getty Center. But there are many other places that are worth your time you may not know about.

We put a call out to LAist staff for their underrated go-tos… and they delivered.

Here’s the line up:

I just went yesterday to Greystone Mansion. It has a great view,and is really unlike anything else in L.A. (and much of the country). Did I mention it's free? You’ll also get to drive through the fancy streets of Beverly Hills.
- Lucie Russo, Development Events manager   

I like the idea of highlighting things in nature! Descanso Gardens and/or Huntington Library, though Descanso is probably more underrated than Huntington. Arlington Gardens in Pasadena is so slept on.
- Rebecca Stumme, Senior Producer, Live Programming & Events  

Norton Simon museum, plus the gigantic rock at LACMA - go sit underneath and contemplate life!
- Suzanne Levy, Senior Editor

Bad: Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Rad: Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
The Hammer is really good, and the restaurant there is excellent.
- Matt Ballinger, Senior Editor

Perhaps not worth a trip all the way from wherever people are staying near Inglewood, but Tierra de la Culebra in Highland Park is such a wonderful park. Should also mention Hsi Lai temple and the Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine. Also the Vintage Synthesizer Museum — very niche, but very unique to L.A.!

-Emma Lehman, social media producer

The OC Zoo... for two bucks you can get super close to four mountain lions, leopards, tiny owls, and foxes!
- Tiffany Ujiiye, Editor, Daily News

Watts Towers, and the Vincent Price Museum (which is free). The Cheech Marin Center in Riverside is exceptional. The Wende Museum (also free) and the Museum of Jurassic Technology, both in Culver City.
- Mary Marcus, Account Executive

Craft Contemporary museum.
- Malka Fenyvesi, Major Gifts Officer 

The Palos Verdes Peninsula has received a lot of attention in recent years because of accelerated land movement, but one landslide in the area has been a draw for decades because of its dystopian state with fractured streets.

Nearly 100 years ago, residents of San Pedro’s Point Fermin neighborhood had a dream of living by the ocean, but the cliffs became their undoing. A landslide slowly ripped Point Fermin apart. This southernmost part of Los Angeles County was given a new nickname to fit its troubled state: Sunken City.

Today, it’s full of torn-up terrain, graffiti and remnants of old homes, rising out of the ground like fossils. It’s still considered dangerous, but its mysterious remnants make for a compelling backdrop — you may have seen it in movies like the ash-spreading scene in The Big Lebowski. But soon, you could visit it too. The city of L.A. is working on reopening a section — possibly in the next year.

How the landslide started

Point Fermin is where you can get a spectacular view of the water. On a clear day, you can see down the Pacific Ocean as far as Catalina Island.

That scenery is why people wanted to live on its bluff. In the 1920s, Los Angeles was on the cusp of a population boom, so naturally, building homes on the coastline made sense. Developer George Peck took that idea and built an upscale neighborhood with bungalows.

It lasted for a few years, but in the months leading up to January 1929, some strange coincidences began to happen. Pipes were breaking more than expected, but it wasn’t clear why.

Then, a waterline broke under an inn and a crack appeared. At first, it was brushed off as a “simple landslide” with minimal danger, but it eventually became known as an uncontrollable “act of God.”

The crack formed near the cliffside back around to Pacific Avenue and Paseo del Mar. Part of it even caved in, forming a deep, 10-foot-long hole in front of homes.

F.L. Ransome, a geology professor at Caltech, reportedly told L.A.’s city engineer that land had slid up to 8 inches, ripping open utility pipes and pulling apart building foundations.

He warned that the area was no longer suitable for large structures and that water in the area may accelerate the movement, producing “disastrous changes on the surface.”

At that point, the slide, which covered 5 acres, was mostly blamed on ground weakness and wave erosion. The city filled cracks as they happened and explored ways to protect the area, including with eminent domain. Property owners in 55 lots petitioned the city to buy them out.

But by September, the situation became so risky that geologists recommended the area be condemned. L.A. officials told residents to leave or risk “their own peril.”

A slow march to the sea

For the next several years, Point Fermin was in limbo. The ground still moved but mostly at a snail’s pace. The keyword is mostly. The area was plagued by huge cracks that tore apart the once-thriving community — some 40 feet wide.

Multiple incidents caused the landslide to move faster, including heavy rains. Numbers varied, but it was reported that the grounds shifted more than 30 feet seaward and 30 feet down by 1941.

This destroyed the area. The city demolished homes that were too damaged to live in, and others were relocated to other parts of L.A. Officials eventually bought up nearly all of the impacted land to turn it into a park. But with the heightened risk, much of the area was blocked off to the public for years.

Around this period, landslides happened in other parts of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, like the Portuguese Bend. The issue became such a problem that insurance companies refused to insure L.A. homes for landslide damage.

Then came the big drop. After a 5.0 earthquake in 1969, a new “mammoth, crescent-shaped fissure” appeared that damaged three homes along Paseo del Mar and dropped another 200 feet down into the rocks. Still, some residents refused to leave.

“I’ve studied the trench and I’d be willing to bet the house never goes, even if the backyard did,” said resident Larry Penhall in 1970.

In total, the slip eventually grew to 10.5 acres, according to a geological study in 1987, with 40,000 feet of that ending up in the Pacific Ocean. It took down at least two homes and a lot of infrastructure, including roads, utility pipes and rail lines.

Sunken City today

The peninsula is generally still prone to landslides, but the ground is more stable in Point Fermin, or what’s now called Sunken City. It wasn’t the most dangerous landslide we’ve ever seen — no one died at the time, but visitors have in the years since, those who’ve wandered too far toward the cliff edge. It’s become a local legend because of how it looks today.

If you venture to Sunken City, there’s still a neighborhood nearby, but the landslide area itself is closed off. For those bold enough to sneak in, you risk getting caught for trespassing. Visitors have even had to be rescued over the years.

The terrain resembles nothing of its affluent past, but that may change soon. Earlier this year, the City Council approved funding for environmental monitoring and safety upgrades for the upper area.

Sophie Gilchrist, communications director for Councilmember Tim McOsker, said part of the plan includes the design of a new fence that requires coastal development permits.

“While we don’t have a precise timeline for reopening, we have informed the local neighbors that it may take another full year,” she said. “The project is actively moving forward.”

Along a discreet stretch of Hewitt Street, in the Arts District, there’s an unassuming brick facade with a glowing vertical neon sign that says BAR, the downtown skyline visible in the background — like a still from a futuristic sci-fi noir film.

Step inside and the room opens up — exposed wood beam ceilings, oversized globe pendants, deep crimson slatted walls, banquettes packed with people leaning into each other. It pulls you in before you even take your seat.

This is LYNX, which opened in March and has already earned a Bib Gourmand — Michelin's designation for exceptional food at a reasonable price — from the Michelin Guide for California.

Built backwards

On paper, the menu at LYNX is deceptively casual — pizza and cocktails. Beverage director Brandyn Tepper says it's because the math is simple: good margins on flour, water, and alcohol. But Tepper and his partner Chef Joshua Skenes are attempting something far more intentional. The cocktail program is built around a single-ingredient philosophy, and the pizza, in Skenes' words, is designed "backward — from the bite, from the way it eats."

It's rare in L.A. to find a place with such high aspirations, in such an unassuming location.

The craft — pizza

The pizza at LYNX doesn't hold back. The Napoletana: whole anchovy fillets laid across tomato, glistening and curled at the edges from the heat, two kinds of olives, scattered capers, basil leaves wilting into the crust beneath them.

On the other end of the spectrum, the mushroom pie arrived as an avalanche — paper-thin fungi and Parmesan piled so thick the crust completely disappears. You're handed a slice of lemon to squeeze over it, as if given your own participation trophy. Pizzas run $25 to $29.

Skenes describes the dough as a "thin, shattering exterior that crackles like an eggshell, giving way to a very open, airy, and tender interior at the point of fermentation where the dough reaches maximum aromatic complexity."

The result, in his words, is "a style of pizza that feels weightless yet very satisfying."

Both pizzas are daring, texturally and visually, the kind of thing that pushes the format to a place you hadn't considered. That's what the best food does. It meets you somewhere comfortable, then quietly moves the walls.

The craft — beverage

Whether seated at a banquette or any of the high tops, the bar anchors the room — LYNX is intimate enough that it's always in view. The open kitchen visible in the background, bottles and prep material to the left, and off to the right, a rotovap — a distillation machine that allows Tepper to extract the pure essence of an ingredient, from banana peels to grapefruit.

Take the Paloma. Before it was ever served to a guest, Tepper tested roughly 30 iterations just to get the carbonation right. Too much and the drink turns acidic. Too little and it falls flat.

The Sudachi daiquiri tells a similar story. Sudachi is a small Japanese citrus — tart, floral, intensely aromatic — and Tepper wanted the drink to taste purely of the fruit. No lime, which would overpower it. Just the peel, shaken directly into the rum, strained, then scraped fresh over the top. You sense the acid on your palate, but what you actually taste is Sudachi in full — its aroma, its character. Cocktails are a flat $20 across the board.

Every glass arrives frosted, chilled with liquid nitrogen before the drink goes in. How a drink feels in your hand, Tepper says, matters as much as what's inside it — from the specifically sourced glassware for each cocktail to the temperature itself. It sounds like a flourish, but at LYNX, the details are far from decorative.

Working with a cheat code

Tepper and Skenes have history. The two worked together in San Francisco — first at Saison, Skenes' three-Michelin-star restaurant, and later at Angler, where Tepper served as corporate beverage director.

Working with a chef of that caliber, Tepper says, is a "cheat code", because of the access it provides to his palate, his instincts, his sense of how flavors relate to each other. When Tepper was developing the Shanghai Pistachio, a bourbon-and-pistachio cocktail, a few words from Skenes — bourbon, pistachio, milky oolong, honey — gave him the architecture. The rest was technique.

The zero-proof ambition

LYNX is also quietly building toward something less common: a zero-proof menu that matches the ambition of the cocktail list. Of the 12 drinks on the menu, 10 already have non-alcoholic counterparts — not juice and ginger, but technique-driven alternatives made with the same rotovap behind the bar. The goal isn't to replicate the alcoholic versions. It's the same philosophy applied differently: find the purest expression of an ingredient, and build from there.

Understated celebration

When LYNX earned its Michelin Guide mention earlier this year, the staff celebrated. Tepper celebrated too, but his framing of it is grounded. "There are literal lives at stake," he says — people on paychecks, livelihoods depending on the bar's ability to execute every service. The Michelin mention is good for morale. But if a bartender's car breaks down, Tepper's calling the Uber. The mention, in that light, isn't a goal. It's what happens when you show up and do the work at a certain standard, every service, regardless of who's watching.

Location: 427 S. Hewitt St., Los Angeles
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 6-10 p.m. Bar stays open after kitchen closes.

The latest CicLAvia, now in its 16th year, will connect Leimert Park with Exposition Park this Sunday June 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Celebrating open, car-less streets, you can walk, jog, bike or skate with thousands of others for as long as you like along the route — no start line, no finish line.

You can also swing by the LAist booth at the Leimert Park Hub from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., where you can meet the team and grab some LAist goodies!

Post or pre-exertion, if you're looking for a place to eat or drink, we've lined up some of our favorites along the way, starting on Crenshaw and heading east.

Apollonia's pizza

Justin De Leon, owner and head pizza maker at Apollonia's Pizza, grew up on pizza. His first job was working at a pizza restaurant when he was 13. The modest menu might make you wonder if this is really some of the best pizza in Los Angeles. But you'll quickly understand why after your first bite.

Start with a traditional slice of De Leon's cheese pie. "I was looking for something thin, light, and crispy," De Leon said. Well, he found it. Next, try the square slice, and notice the crispy, frico cheese crust that rises along the sides, giving it a 3-D effect.

De Leon takes inspiration from different pizza styles to create his own offerings. "To me, L.A. pizza is a mix of everything," he says.

Location: 3860 Crenshaw Blvd. #101, Los Angeles (behind Earle's)
Hours: Wed through Sun noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5 - 8 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday

Fuegos

At Fuegos, empanadas take center stage, says freelance writer Marina Peña. The menu features eight oven-baked varieties, including ham and cheese, chicken, hand-cut beef, cheese and onion, caprese, vegan beef, spinach and mushroom and humita corn. The beef empanada, with its rich filling of onions, red bell peppers, and spices, delivers a smoky warmth that recalls the flavors of Buenos Aires.

“What differentiates us from other Argentinian restaurants in L.A. is our attention to detail, the quality of our ingredients, and our service,” said Federico Laboreau, the co-owner of Fuegos. “The ingredients are simple, but we make sure they’re high quality.”

Along with classic milanesa sandwiches (with a vegan option), the eatery offers a number of Argentinian dishes, like choripan — a chorizo sausage served in a baguette with chimichurri and salsa criolla — and a lomito sandwich, a thin, grilled steak served on a soft piece of bread with arugula, roasted peppers, provolone cheese, caramelized onions, egg, mustard and mayonnaise.

Location: 3957 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles
Hours: Closed Monday; Tuesday – Wednesday 9 a.m.–7 p.m., Thursday: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday–Saturday 9 a.m. – 10:30 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Komal

KOMAL is L.A.'s first craft molino (mill), founded by Fátima Júarez and Conrado Rivera, former employees of Michelin-rated Holbox, who opened this masa-centric counter nearby inside South L.A.'s Mercado La Paloma. The name is Nahuatl for "comal," the traditional flat griddle used to cook tortillas.

I tried the chuchito ($11), a regular menu staple at KOMAL. Each one takes more than 22 hours to make, starting with nixtamalizing heirloom corn to create the masa.

The result was a fluffy, steamed tamal filled with tender pork and crowned with roasted pepper and tomato sauce, pickled cabbage and vegetables, and crema.

For Christmas and New Year's, Komal gets even more creative, offering dishes like a tamal de leche made with oranges and strawberry jam.

Location: 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Earle's on Crenshaw

(Earle's in closed on Sunday during Ciclavia, but we wanted to put it on your radar for the next time you come to the area!)

Earle’s immediately oozes a strong sense of love and warmth when you enter the restaurant. The menu itself is simple, with options that include beef and turkey dogs, chicken links and veggie dogs.

I opted for the chicken link, which arrived with a split filled with mustard, onion, relish and topped with their delightful chili. I got that perfect snap on the first bite, the mark of a quality dog.

Started by brothers Cary and Duane Earle, who originally hailed from New York, they’ve solidified themselves as an L.A. institution since the early '90s, beginning with a hot dog cart. It’s common to see their mother, affectionately known as Mama Earle, helping at the restaurant, speaking with customers, and even cuddling the occasional baby.

Location: 3864 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles
Hours: Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., closed Sundays

Making your way through South Coast Plaza — the sleek consumer cathedral in Costa Mesa, a sort of mall of malls — past Uniqlo window displays and Pop Mart blind boxes, there's a good chance you'll eventually land at Tiny's, the new casual restaurant from Chef Sang Yoon.

The burger shack-meets-Asian convenience store is the latest from Yoon, best known for Father's Office, the Los Angeles institution where he's spent two decades running one of the city's most uncompromising kitchens — no substitutions, no exceptions.

Tiny’s marks Yoon’s first venture into Orange County — a deliberately accessible entry point for a chef who has spent decades at the top of L.A.'s gastropub scene.

The concept

Tiny's is the place Yoon wanted to exist as a kid.

Inside, you're greeted by shelves stocked in the style of a konbini, the beloved Japanese convenience corner store, with cilantro-flavored Doritos from China, elote-flavored Turtle Chips from Korea and, for the purists, the requisite Japanese Kit-Kats and Pocky too.

At the counter, a friendly employee greets you beneath a letterboard menu anchored by Yoon’s signature 30-day dry-aged beef burger. Starting at $9 for a plain burger, up to $12 for the Tokyo Dog dressed in bonito flakes and furikake, there's also salt and vinegar tots, french fries, miso mac 'n' cheese and soft serve that runs from Straus vanilla to Pineapple Dole Whip, available as a swirl, cup, cone or float. That's the menu, streamlined by design.

For Yoon, the son of Korean immigrants who grew up between two worlds, the idea of opening a burger stand with a konbini was about tapping into the happy place of his memories: after school with friends, trying out the latest snacks to hit the market to Friday nights with the entire family celebrating after a long week of grinding it out with burgers and chili fries.

"The corner burger stand is where life happened. ... What if those two of my favorite things were under one roof?" said Yoon.

Tiny the dog

Inspiration for the name Tiny’s came from a somewhat unlikely place: Yoon’s beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yoon describes her as appearing extremely cute and friendly, but in reality, she was actually sassy and judgmental. Illustrations bearing Tiny’s "don't mess with me" vibe can be seen throughout the restaurant.

“People would rather hear this from a sassy, cute dog than me. So I decided that we should channel Tiny. And let this belong to her," Yoon said.

The food

The cheeseburger itself is simple: a thin patty topped with melted American cheese and Tiny's signature sauce — a blend of Kewpie mayo, caramelized gochujang, ssamjang and tomato — finished with pickle chips and a bed of lettuce.

What sets it apart is what you can’t see, the same 30-day dry-aged chuck Yoon has used at Father’s Office for over 25 years.

“I still don’t think there’s any product superior to that for the purpose of a hamburger,” he said.

The nuggets ($10) had a crispy, craggy exterior finished with visible seasoning crystals, a small but deliberate touch, and came with a fresh herbaceous dipping sauce. As for the chili fries ($8), the chili itself was sufficient as an L.A.-style chili (think Tommy's), but since Lao Gan Ma chili crisp was promised in the name, I was expecting that distinctive, crunchy, fermented kick — but left wanting more of it. It felt more like a whisper than a statement.

The miso mac 'n' cheese ($6) was a highlight of the meal, especially for someone who doesn't usually order mac 'n' cheese. Fresh ridged elbow pasta with a proper chew in each bite, and salty morsels of miso folded into a tight cheese sauce had me picking up forkfuls until it was mostly gone. Consider my position reconsidered.

Encouraged, I went back and ordered a Dole Whip ($7). The electric, tangy flavor, paired with the soft creaminess, served as a suitable exclamation point for my lunch that day.

With Tiny's, Yoon has built his most personal restaurant — accessible in price, but uncompromising in intention.

Could mall food now be on a new trajectory? Perhaps we've finally transcended corn dogs at Hot Dog on a Stick and cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon.

After dining at Tiny’s, all signs point to yes.

Topline:

Master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, the founder of L.A. restaurant chain Katsuya has died at the age of 67. Uechi opened the first location in Studio City in 1997 and became known for signature dishes like spicy tuna crispy rice. There are now multiple Katsuya locations and a handful of offshoot restaurants.

Why it matters: Uechi brought his master-level sushi skills to L.A from Japan but also innovated, respecting tradition while pushing boundaries. As the chain expanded, with sleek interiors and polished food, it defined a specifically L.A.-style sushi culture.

Why now: While Uechi may have passed away, his artistry and innovation can be seen on Japanese menus throughout the city. Spicy tuna crispy rice and yellowtail with jalapeño would not have existed without him.