Long chronological scroll of articles:
Emails show Traci Park removed toilets, showers, and handwashing stations across district
Community recall effort targets conservative school board in Temecula
Smogland Radio: A little journey across Los Angeles… together.
In Hollywood 1,500 march to demand ceasefire in Gaza
Four LAPD officers pulled guns on unhoused men in Van Nuys
Smogland Radio: Every day you’re holding your breath
County Supervisors vote to raise cap on rent hikes to 4% in unincorporated LA
Cudahy is first city in SoCal to pass resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza
LA City Councilman John Lee sues Ethics Commission
Earlier in October, the Ethics Commission served Lee with a report accusing him of a slew of ethics violations.
Long awaited 323 Food and Flea brings the night market experience to East LA
EAST LA — The lobster fettuccine was delicious, if unexpected. A big carton takeout container of steaming pasta, smothered in lobster cream sauce, topped with crunchy asparagus and red bell peppers, served with a side of garlic bread. The dish was scooped up by the cook at the LAIdeal Burger stand at the 323 Food…
After suicide LA Sheriff’s Dept. mulls internet ban for deputies staffing jails
An Assistant Sheriff confirmed that deputies are evading internet restrictions by bringing in fire sticks or thumb drives loaded with TV shows and movies.
LA city councilmembers refuse to extend rent freeze, will allow 6% hikes
Councilmembers in the Los Angeles City Council Housing Committee voted to cap 2024 rent increases for rent-controlled housing at 4-6%.
Preliminary report shows the new zero-bail policy is effective so far
Preliminary report shows the new zero-bail policy has been effective at releasing low-risk people from jail with less than 3% rearrests.
Smogland Radio: There’s no place like home
This week, we’re spending the entire show with the residents of one encampment on the edge of Culver City. When they learned they were facing a sweep designed to displace them, the residents of the encampment decided to fight to stay there. They’d formed a community on Jasmine Avenue. And they felt safe on that…
Q&A with unhoused resident: ‘These are people’s lives. Aren’t you at all curious?’
As more return to homelessness than are housed in Inside Safe, an unhoused resident who has undergone sweeps in Los Angeles, and now lives in Culver City on what better public engagement should look like for people without permanent housing.
‘Substantial remodel’ — a legal loophole to evict tenants in LA
Landlords have claimed “substantial remodels” as a pretense to evict tenants. The South Pasadena City Council will be taking up the issue in Nov.
Southeast LA parents protest charter school amid environmental concerns
Teachers and parents say the new school will worsen traffic and question why an environmental review was not required.
A man died by suicide at Twin Towers while guards allegedly watched videos
An inmate died by suicide, while deputies who were supposed to be performing wellness checks were watching videos.
Progressive Jewish organizers in LA unite around Palestinian liberation
Progressive Jewish organizers in Los Angeles want people to amplify Palestinian voices and stop portraying Jewish people as a monolith.
Jewish protesters demand ceasefire at Kamala Harris’ LA home in Brentwood
Protesters from IfNotNow gathered to protest the ongoing violence in Gaza, and U.S. support for the Israeli military.
What to know about LA County’s new “zero-bail policy” if you’re arrested
This is what might happen next time you or someone you know is arrested in Los Angeles County under the new pre-arraignment release protocols.
Smogland Radio: What happened in Bell Gardens
This week, we got a tip about something going down at the Bell Gardens city council. Managing editor Adrian Baumann and LA county reporter Ashley Orona went to investigate. Plus, a dispatch from the Aetna Street community in the San Fernando Valley, where unhoused residents say it feels like the city has put a target…
Opinion: An open letter to Mayor Bass concerning Aetna Street
We write as urban planning experts and social science researchers to express our grave concerns about your office’s displacement of the unhoused community at Aetna Street in Van Nuys and the continuing police violence being unleashed on Aetna residents. As an ongoing research collective based at the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy and…
One year later, LA reckons with racist city council recording
One year ago, Angelenos heard three city councilmembers have a conversation about the future of LA steeped in racism and homophobia. Leaked on Reddit and circulated by Knock LA on Oct. 9, the conversation was recorded secretly in the fall of 2021. While councilmembers discussed critical decisions about the future of political representation in LA,…
As Gaza hospital was bombed, LA supervisors voted on Israel resolution
The LA County Board of Supervisors approved 2 resolutions today, one “in support of the state of Israel” the other calling for “protection of human rights in Gaza and Israel.”
Another recall in Bell Gardens? It’s not clear
A mysterious coalition is once more attempting to recall four city councilmembers in the Southeast LA city that’s no stranger to messy politics.
Amazon’s ‘Neighborhood Watch’ might be turning LAPD into ‘Reddit Moderators’
Over 18 months, one LAPD officer received more than 10,000 emails from the social platform affiliated with Amazon’s Ring.
Amazon Ring owners may be unknowingly emailing the LAPD
Ring’s social platform funnels suspicions from residents in Whiter and wealthier areas of Los Angeles directly to police.
Policía esposa a familia de activista después que él defendió a vendedores ambulantes acosados
La policía de Huntington Park allanó el hogar de la familia de Ryan Cortés luego de que defendiera a vendedores ambulantes víctimas de acoso. Un jurado lo ha encontrado inocente, pero el allanamiento plantea un debate acerca de los derechos de la Primera Enmienda y represalias de la ciudad utilizando a la policía.
Police put an activist’s family in handcuffs after he advocated for street vendors
Huntington Park police raided Ryan Cortez’s family home after he advocated for street vendors facing harassment. A jury has found him innocent, but the raid raises questions about First Amendment rights and city retaliation using police.
How to sign up for disaster warnings in Los Angeles County
There are a variety of apps, alerts, and other tools to help you learn about risks in your area, and get notification when things happen.
Smogland Radio: LA Pee Pee (or, why it’s so hard to find a place to pee in Los Angeles)
This week, we’re digging into why we have just fourteen truly public bathrooms in Los Angeles. Reporter Maylin Tu talks about the history of those fourteen bathrooms, why we don’t seem to be getting many more (even with the Olympics looming), and how it all relates to the criminalization of poverty and homelessness. Plus, we…
Food delivery robots are feeding camera footage to the LAPD, internal emails show
Emails show the robots, which are a constant sight in Los Angeles, can be used for surveillance.
Need to pee? You could try this one weird trick to find a bathroom in LA
This one law could change everything about public toilets in the city of LA.
Los Angeles doesn’t have enough public bathrooms. That’s not really changing.
Angelenos have taken matters into their own hands — peeing into bags, bottles, cups, and paying for LA Fitness memberships just to use the bathroom.
LA Sheriff’s Department receives $15.6 million for “retail theft task-force”
California makes “the largest-ever single investment to combat organized retail crime” in history.
Relocation — and new beginnings — for Anzen Hardware in Little Tokyo
Anzen is yet another legacy business to leave Little Tokyo’s First Street North. But it’s also getting a new beginning in the same neighborhood.
More than 75% of bus stops in the city of Los Angeles have no shelter. What now?
After years of inaction and months of delays, the city of Los Angeles is again attempting to (partly) address the problem.
LA voted for police-free alternatives. Why are police developing them?
Organizations that supported Measure J are confused about why LA County is awarding millions to law enforcement-affiliated consultants.
City of LA to pay up to 6 months back rent — here’s how to apply
Most people in the city of Los Angeles rent and with pandemic protections for renters expiring earlier this year, many have been left struggling to pay back-rent that had been protected under the county’s COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution. If you’re in this situation there is a new program to help pay your back-rent. Paid for…
South LA vendors face eviction to make way for housing development
A swap meet will be razed to make way for an affordable apartments, made possible by new streamlining legislation — they’re asking LA politicians for help.
Vendors have permits. So why is Huntington Park confiscating fruit carts?
Vendors in the Southeast Los Angeles city say that police have confiscated their carts even after they’ve shown proper county permits.
Smogland Radio: A battle on the streets of Huntington Park
In episode five of Smogland Radio, we’re going to Huntington Park… and Staples.
Why loving Staples is complicated when you’re unhoused
Our correspondent Ruth wants to be cool with Staples. But she says they make it hard. This story is from Ruth, who’s part of our correspondents program, where we commission recordings from people in communities who often don’t see their experience reflected in the media. For Smogland Radio, Ruth reports from an LA-area Staples. At…
Hillside Villa tenants are being evicted. They’re concerned the City isn’t helping.
Twenty-six tenants have been served with eviction notices. Meanwhile, a key court hearing in the city’s quest to buy the building has once again been pushed back.
LA’s emergency storm response doesn’t do enough for unhoused residents
Organizers say the current system for emergencies operates too slowly to support unhoused Angelenos.
‘Relocating’ rent-controlled tenants in LA is a lucrative business
Landlords want to kick out rent-controlled tenants. Shelby Istrin is here to help — for a fee.
LA garment workers say California worker protection law is model for nation
After a 2021 state measure strengthened worker protections, advocates turned their focus to Washington.
‘The hospital is putting nurses in danger,’ St. Francis nurses strike in Lynwood
Mounting stress and a lack of a new labor contract pushed hundreds of nurses to picket St. Francis hospital in Lynwood.
Smogland Radio: Food pantries, block parties, and goodbye to Suehiro in Little Tokyo
This week, we’ve got a report on mutual aid groups who are trying their best to keep people from going hungry — since government assistance isn’t nearly enough. And, we’re going for a walk through Little Tokyo and Skid Row with Theo Henderson, host of the podcast We the Unhoused. Plus, community updates on Star…
Long lines at LA food distributions after emergency food stamps end
Extra food stamp payments kept Angelenos from going hungry during the Covid pandemic. But they ended this spring and volunteer workers are struggling to keep up with the need.
North Hollywood’s Star Garden reopens as only unionized strip club in nation
The North Hollywood strip club reopened last Thursday, after a strike, as the only strip club with unionized dancers in Los Angeles (and the nation).
No shade or place to rest at Skid Row cooling stations
Once a vibrant, connective community space, the cooling stations seem to be providing water but not shade this summer.
LA got millions for Skid Row cooling stations. Why has it opened only two?
Why has the city only pulled together two cooling stations, considering the stations are essentially pop-up tents on the sidewalk with a few tables, some chairs and two attendants handing out water?
Why did the LA City Council quietly kill an Ethics Commission appointment?
Almost all city council offices would not immediately comment on the record about their vote, the exception being Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.
LA City Council will spend extra $1 billion on LAPD over the next four years
The labor contract could lead to about $1 billion in additional costs for the city over the next four years.
LA supervisors approve emergency declaration after Hilary
Tropical Storm Hilary swept through LA County, causing flooding and road closures in many communities.
Union demands better working conditions at Northeast LA Starbucks
Workers from various industries joined baristas in solidarity at the first stopover of a union tour targeting 13 stores in several states.
Smogland Radio: The view from a Travelodge motel shelter
This week, we’re talking with LA Public Press city reporter Elizabeth Chou, who’s been reporting on a motel in Chatsworth where dozens of formerly-unhoused Valley residents now live. Mayor Karen Bass recently held a press conference at the hotel… but the residents weren’t invited to the press conference, or even told what it was about.…
Youth LGBTQ+ center serving Southeast LA opens in Bell
An “oasis in the desert,” that’s how Thursday Storm, 21, sees MiSELA, a new LGBTQ+ youth center that opened in Bell last week. Storm and several other local notables including Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) and Huntington Park Councilmember Eddie Martinez, spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the small space, on Wed. August 16,…
LA Mayor’s office learned about La Sombrita from press release
LADOT worked primarily alone to develop La Sombrita, public records show. In the aftermath, city leaders tried to “triage” the La Sombrita unveiling.
Should I be worried about mudslides during Hurricane Hilary?
The arrival of Hurricane Hilary, though downgraded to a tropical storm, an extremely rare weather event for Los Angeles County. And with the landfall of a tropical storm, we’re expecting heavy rain and winds. The heavy rains expected from Hillary will be similar to those of an extremely heavy wintertime, and such storms can result…
Where can I get sandbags to prepare for Hurricane Hilary?
Sandbags can be useful in storms — primarily used to create barriers to preventing water from entering homes and businesses and also to prevent the backflow of gray water from drains in bathrooms and laundry rooms. LA Public Press compiled a list of city and county distribution of free sandbags to residents. In the city…
How can I support LA mutual aid groups during the storm?
We list various groups and how to contact them.
Dr. Lucy Jones, disaster resilience expert, on Hurricane Hilary
Dr. Jones is a seismologist and the author of The Big Ones, a book which documents the social components of disaster preparedness.
LA mutual aid groups worry about Hurricane Hilary’s impact on unhoused people
Los Angeles area mutual aid groups are worried city and county officials are not moving fast enough to prepare those who live on the street for Hurricane Hilary, which could bring heavy rain and winds, and flooding, to the Southern California region.
Community members halt sweep of Van Nuys encampment on Aetna Street
A coalition of unhoused residents and activists organized early Tuesday morning to block the city’s sweep of the Aetna Street encampment.
Introducing: Renter’s Hotline
Trying to figure out your rights as a tenant can feel impossible. Renter’s Hotline is here to help. It’s a call-in advice segment specifically for tenants.
Supervisors begin drafting hotel workers ordinance
The Board also took up the issue of homelessness, voting to create a committee of regional authorities to plan homelessness responses; they also discussed the situation at local juvenile halls at length.
Compton has the highest number of deputy shootings in LA County
This story originally ran at Knock LA and is republished with permission. Fred Williams Jr., whose son was killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy in 2020, raised his son on the same street that he grew up on in Willowbrook. At Mona Park, which sits at the end of their block, Williams Jr. recalled watching…
Your LA apartment building has lead. What can you do?
In California your landlord is technically not required to remove lead paint from your building. So what can you do as a renter in Los Angeles?
Smogland Radio: A renter’s hotline for a city of renters
This week, we’ve got the first edition of Renter’s Hotline, a tenant advice segment. Our first tenant called in from her apartment in West Adams, where she’s had problems with lead paint and a smoldering electrical fire (!!) in her ceiling. And, a dispatch from a man who thinks Venice is the best place in…
Unhoused residents ‘cordoned off’ at Mayor’s housing press conference
Many of the unhoused people who live at Travelodge motel in Chatsworth say they were told not to leave their rooms during Karen Bass’ press conference.
Protesters demand Supervisors declare state of emergency in juvenile halls
After reports of overdoses and a gun found in juvenile halls, advocates urged the LA County Board of Supervisors to invest in youth development and free detained youth.
A community in healing: Monterey Park, 6 months after the shooting
San Gabriel Valley residents are still recovering from the night a man killed 11 people at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.
An analysis of shootings by the LA County Sheriff’s Department
A yearlong Knock LA analysis of LASD records reveals that, since 1984, at least 916 people have been fired upon by deputies. Of those, 387, or 42%, were killed by the gunfire and 311 were wounded, while the shots missed another 209 people.
Street vendors are being harassed in Huntington Park
A recent uptick in harassment, citation, and confiscation of property of street vendors in Huntington Park was protested at the city council meeting, but advocates were expelled from the meeting and arrested.
As the heatwave smothers LA, Skid Row has one cooling station
While residents in Skid Row are forced to cope with dire heat, the City of Los Angeles has failed to provide consistent sources of shade and water.
Yaroslavsky moves unhoused Jasmine Ave. constituents out of district
The unhoused people on Jasmine Ave. had created a small community — then they were swept.
Why does LA only have 14 permanent public bathrooms? A brief history of public toilets in LA
How a history of anti-unhoused sentiment left Los Angeles with no place to go.
LA Board of Supervisors extend renter protections for unincorporated LA, give tenants legal representation
Tenants in unincorporated LA County will get legal representation and stronger protections.
An LAPD officer in the Valley wanted to displace unhoused people by removing a tree’s shade
An LAPD officer in the west San Fernando Valley, working with a staffer in Councilmember John Lee’s council office, advocated for removing tree-shade as part of an ongoing effort to displace unhoused people at the behest of neighboring homeowners.
Chinatown tenants win procedural victory in rent-hike dispute, at San Bernardino Superior Court
A Chinatown apartment complex could be kept affordable as the city of Los Angeles is tentatively granted permission to inspect building for possible purchase.
Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council unanimously opposes new development, cites gentrification
At last week’s meeting many community members rose to speak against the development and highlight it’s lack of affordable housing in what is a historically working class low-income neighborhood.
Las supervisoras del Condado de Los Ángeles aprueban un presupuesto de $43.4 miles de millones de dólares, dándole al Departamento del Sheriff $4 miles de millones
La Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Los Ángeles vota a favor de un aumento de fondos al Departamento del Sheriff mientras los activistas reclaman su abolición.
LA County Supervisors pass $43.4 billion budget, give $4 billion to Sheriff’s Dept.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors votes through a funding increase to the Sheriff’s Department as activists call for abolition.
Smogland Radio: Suns out, budget’s out
The first episode of Smogland Radio is here, give it a listen.
One tenant’s story of harassment, and how he got it to stop
The Los Angeles Housing Department is receiving thousands of tenant harassment complaints every year, but not a single one has been prosecuted by the city
What money is fueling the 6th District special election?
Each campaign has spent in the six figures.
Nury Martinez’s resignation gives CD6 voters a new choice: Padilla or Alcaraz
Central and Eastern San Fernando Valley have no city councilmember after Nury Martinez’ resignation.
Why did four LA City Councilmembers vote for less policing, but more police?
While Councilmembers Curren Price, Nithya Raman, Heather Hutt, and Hugo Soto-Martinez of the LA City Council said LAPD’s acquisition of a robot dog would be “an expansion of the current boundaries around policing and surveillance” and “used to police Black and Brown communities,” they struggled to explain how their sign-off on an increased police budget…
Suehiro Cafe has thrived for over 50 years, but will it survive gentrification brought on by metro expansion?
Little Tokyo is one of LA’s older neighborhoods and has been especially resilient as a center of Japanese American culture through multiple periods of displacement. Now the neighborhood faces gentrification due to its prime spot as Metro expands, and Japanese American legacy businesses might not survive.
Opinion: An open letter from the Clarendon Encampment residents to Mayor Bass
“Yet again we are being told we will be arrested or forcibly moved without any plan as to where we can go.”
LA bus riders need bus shelters. What they got was La Sombrita
Shade at bus stops is a political problem, not a design problem — $30 million in funding for bus shelters is stalled in the bureaucracy.
Cudahy passes rent control ordinance & renter protections, at special council meeting
The Cudahy City Council passed a rent control ordinance, which limits the annual rent increase at 3%, and tenant protections. The Council will vote on June 6 whether to officially adopt ordinances.
Cómo investigar tu arrendador
Los inquilinos a veces no saben que la ley está de su lado. Hemos resumido algunos recursos y herramientas que pueden ayudarlo en una pelea con su arrendador.
Cómo obligar a tu arrendador a arreglar el baño — y, en general, cumplir con sus responsabilidades — en L.A.
Los propietarios son notoriamente malos para hacer las reparaciones necesarias de manera oportuna. Aquí está una guía de las diferentes formas en que puedes presionarlos para que hagan su trabajo.
El consejo de la ciudad de Maywood extiende la congelación de la renta — es la última ciudad considerando el control de renta
El consejo de la ciudad de Maywood extendió la congelación de la renta, y deliberó sobre la creación de una ordenanza de control del alquiler, mientras que el público abogó vehementemente a favor de protecciones para inquilinos en la reunión de mayo 24.
Maywood City Council extends rent freeze, is latest city to consider rent control
The Maywood City Council extended a rent increase freeze, and deliberated the creation of a rent control ordinance as the public vehemently advocated in favor of tenant protections at yesterday’s, May 24, meeting.
Biking in LA hasn’t always been accepting, but these gender-expansive group rides are trying to change that
If you’ve ever wanted to ride your bike around LA but you never felt safe enough to, these rides might be for you.
County jails conditions remain deplorable, but one county dept. has proven effective at breaking the incarceration cycle
The Office of Diversion and Reentry has been effective as an alternative to jailing.
New LA homelessness chief forms task force; Horvath asks ‘Who does LAHSA serve?’
At a meeting of LAHSA, the countywide agency charged with providing homelessness services, the new chief gave a report on her first 36 days on the job, which includes feedback from service providers that they be judged on how successfully they house people.
‘Not sustainable’: Writers in LA strike for living wages
From working at Veggie Grill to driving for DoorDash and Lyft to babysitting: writers in Los Angeles say they want enough money to pay their rent and for Hollywood to finally reflect the US.
Van Nuys homeless shelter residents cite prison-like conditions, new threats of LAPD crackdown
Residents of the Aetna Bridge Home, in Van Nuys, report being threatened with new restrictions and a 41.18 crackdown.
Amid budget cuts, calls for disinvestment from LASD, investment in youth, at Supervisors hearing
Advocates and students expressed concerns about a proposed funding increase to the Sheriff’s Department, highlighted recent reports and lawsuits on unethical conditions in county jails. Luna countered saying funds were needed for reform.
Opinion: ‘Talk to us. Learn from us.’ An open letter from the Jasmine Ave. Community
The following is an open letter from the Jasmine Avenue Community, an encampment in Council District 5, to Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky.
Urban farmers rally to save Compton Community Garden
People from across the county came to voice their support for the 10 year old garden.
LA Supes talk Olympics, mental health beds, child abuse reporting, & food vendors
The Board of Supervisors reviewed over 70 agenda items, and debated a few big ones, at their regular May 2 meeting.