| Litigation over homelessness devolves into a battle of definitions |
| If a bed in a homeless shelter has been taken, is that bed still “available”?
The plaintiffs in a five-year-old lawsuit alleging the city of Los Angeles failed to address homelessness say the answer is an obvious “no.” But the city begs to differ.
According to the testimony of City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, a bed created by the city remains “on offer” whether someone is sleeping in it or not.
That contention is one of several at the core of a hearing in Los Angeles federal court to determine if the city should be held in contempt for failing to comply with a settlement, signed more than 3½ years ago, that requires it to produce more than 12,000 beds of shelter or housing and remove nearly 10,000 homeless encampments from the street.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter kicked off the hearing in November with a searing review of the city’s “pattern of defiance of settlement agreement and the deadlines contained within it with performance or performative compliance only resulting in the wake of court hearings.”
Four days of testimony, spread over nearly two months, have produced a striking record of confusion and disagreement over the meaning of basic terms such as “homeless encampment” and “persons served,” leaving the impression of a city that skews definitions when it can’t live up to the common ones.
If an outreach worker tells a person on the street a shelter bed is waiting for them, is that an “offer”? Not by the city’s definition, Szabo testified Monday. An offer occurs only when someone checks into the shelter to occupy a bed.
The distinction matters because the court has required the city to “offer” shelter to anyone whose tent or makeshift shelter is to be removed in pursuit of the settlement. But the city can’t track how often “offers” are made, Szabo acknowledged. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-16 |
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| The numbers are in — the film and tv industry is cooling | LAist |
| The historical Radford Studio Center may have new owners, after Hackman Capital Partners has defaulted on the mortgage. This is just another symptom of Hollywood’s current downturn. LA has seen a steady production decline since 2020… with some of that production going out of state and out of the country. California has tried its best to bring back some of the entertainment productions… expanding its tax credit program… although there’s been no immediate bump in production. Joining us for the conversation is John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg LA Bureau Chief covering real estate and Elaine Low, staff writer at The Ankler and host of Ankler Agenda podcast. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| FEMA reverses decision will test soil on 100 lots destroyed by Eaton fire – Daily News |
| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced that in a reversal from its original position would be providing soil testing to 100 properties in the Eaton fire area.
Last March, members of California’s Congressional delegation urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct soil testing after wildfire cleanup. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-16 |
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| L.A. County green-lights initial phase of La Brea Tar Pits revamp |
| The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved an updated approach for the revamp of the La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum in Mid-Wilshire.
A Weiss/Manfredi-designed master plan for the complex, initially approved in February 2025, calls for a renovation and expansion of the existing Page Museum, as well as reconfiguration of the 13-acre surroundings with new entrances from surrounding corridors such as Wilshire and 6th Street, as well as improved landscaping and vegetation. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA is giving away food carts to street vendors. Here's how to apply |
| Sidewalk vendors can now apply to receive a free, health-code-compliant food vending cart through a new program launched in a partnership between the county and the city of Los Angeles. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| Meeting planned to oppose Trump offshore drilling proposal |
| Environmental groups and elected officials are hosting a meeting Sunday in Eureka that aims to collect public opposition to a Trump administration plan to expand oil and gas drilling off the coast of California.
Advocates say that with the plan’s public comment period open, someone needed to host a local event to garner opposition.
“The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is not holding any public meetings regarding this plan. Because BOEM is not doing this, we are stepping in, kind of filling its place. Public comment is an important part of the consideration of whether or not to lease offshore drilling areas, at least according to the law,” said Tom Wheeler, executive director of Arcata’s Environmental Protection Information Center. [Article] |
| by , Eureka Times-Standard. 2026-01-16 |
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| Hayden AI to Deploy on Parking Enforcement Vehicles for the First Time (Not Just Buses) - Santa Monica Next |
| Hayden AI is expanding the use of its artificial intelligence-powered enforcement technology beyond public transit buses to include parking enforcement vehicles for the first time, the company announced. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA County’s new homeless services department facing 25% funding cuts that providers call ‘devastating’ – Daily News |
| A brand new Los Angeles County homeless services department, paired with new, voter-approved sales tax dollars, were billed as a one-two punch that would dent the homeless crisis by taking more people off the streets and placing them into shelters and housing. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-16 |
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| Trump moves to make tech companies pay for surging power costs - Los Angeles Times |
| President Trump and the governors of several U.S. Northeastern states agreed to push for an emergency wholesale electricity auction that would compel technology companies to effectively fund new power plants.
The unprecedented plan, set to be announced Friday morning, seeks to address growing tensions over how the nation can supply electricity to power-hungry data centers — seen as necessary to help win the global AI race — without simultaneously hiking utility bills for homes and businesses.
The Trump administration and some U.S. governors plan to direct grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC to hold an auction for tech companies to bid on 15-year contracts for new electricity generation capacity.
If the auction proceeds as envisaged, tech giants would pay for power over the duration of the contracts, whether they use the electricity or not, providing secure revenues for years in a market notorious for price volatility and generator bankruptcies.
The auction would deliver contracts supporting the construction of some $15 billion worth of new power plants, said a White House official granted anonymity to detail the approach.
Still, representatives of PJM won’t be in attendance when the plan is laid out Friday.
“We don’t have a lot to say on this,” PJM spokesman Jeffrey Shields said by email. “We were not invited to the event they are apparently having tomorrow and we will not be there.” [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-16 |
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| Edison sues L.A. County and other agencies, saying they share blame for Eaton fire deaths, destruction - Los Angeles Times |
| Southern California Edison sued Los Angeles County, water agencies and two companies including SoCalGas on Friday, saying their mistakes contributed to the deadly and destructive toll of last year’s Eaton wildfire.
Edison now faces hundreds of lawsuits by victims of the fire, which claim its transmission line started the devastating fire that killed at least 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena. The cost of settling those lawsuits could be many billions of dollars.
Doug Dixon, an attorney who represents Edison in the fire litigation, told The Times that Edison filed the lawsuits “to ensure that all those who bear responsibility are at the table in this legal process.”
The utility’s two legal filings in L.A. County Superior Court paint a picture of sweeping mismanagement of the emergency response on the night of the fire.
Edison blames the county fire department, sheriff’s department and office of emergency management for their failure to warn Altadena residents west of Lake Avenue to evacuate.
The Times revealed last January that west Altadena never received evacuation warnings, and orders to evacuate came hours after flames and smoke threatened the community. All but one of the 19 who died in the Eaton fire were found in west Altadena.
Edison also sued L.A. County for failing to send fire trucks to the community. A Times investigation found that during a critical moment in the fire, only one county fire truck was west of Lake Avenue.
The electric company also filed suit against six water agencies, including Pasadena Water & Power, claiming there were insufficient water supplies available for firefighters.
“Compounding the unfolding disaster, the water systems servicing the areas impacted by the Eaton Fire failed as the fire spread, leaving firefighters and residents with no water to fight the fire,” the lawsuit states. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-16 |
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| SCVNews.com | Jan. 22: City of Santa Clarita to Break Ground on Via Princessa Park | 01-15-2026 |
| The city of Santa Clarita invites the community to celebrate the groundbreaking of Via Princessa Park on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m.
The ceremony will take place in the parking lot of the Via Princessa Metrolink Station at 19201 Via Princessa, Santa Clarita, CA 91321. Via Princessa Park will be located just beyond the railroad tracks and will become a vibrant, new destination for sports, play and community gathering, expanding Santa Clarita’s growing network of parks and recreational spaces. Designed to serve residents of all ages, the park will provide enhanced connectivity and access to outdoor recreation. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| Policies and Programs Struggle to Fix Deep-Rooted Maternal Health Inequities – Los Angeles Sentinel |
| Gnae Dismuke experienced a miscarriage at 11 weeks in 2017 and later gave birth to three children, now ages six, four, and one month. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| ‘It’s colonizing all over again:’ Chefs and tortilleros react to fortified tortilla mandate | LAist |
| A new law legally mandating how corn tortillas can be made, despite a 12,000 year tradition of making them with just corn, water, and lime, just went into effect in California on January 1, 2026. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA cities have programs for landlords to get around rent control. But they’re rarely used | LAist |
| In Southern California, rent control caps are never absolute. To be legally compliant, cities with rent control must give struggling landlords a way to raise rents above what local limits typically allow. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| Pasadena Court Ruling Reverberates Through State as L.A. Relocation Mandate Faces New Scrutiny – Pasadena Now |
| A recent California Court of Appeals decision centered on Pasadena’s rent-increase relocation rules is now shaping a separate legal battle over a similar ordinance in Los Angeles, after the appellate court asked parties to explain how the Pasadena ruling affects the Los Angeles case. The ruling was secured by the California Apartment Association and is already reshaping litigation over similar tenant-relocation requirements elsewhere in the state, including the pending challenge to Los Angeles’ rent-increase relocation mandate. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| $18 million and a decade later, Koreatown is still waiting for its mini park | LA Local |
| For years, Alex Leguevara has taken his family to a park outside his immediate neighborhood in Koreatown. The only park around was the Seoul International Park, more than a 20 minute walk away from his home. Then he heard about the Pío Pico pocket park. It gave him hope that a walkable, green space would finally be right where he lives. But that sense of optimism came four years ago, and the park has still not opened. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA County workers shocked and outraged by CEO’s $2M payment, union leaders say | LAist |
| Leaders of the two largest L.A. County employee unions say many of their members have been shocked and outraged to learn county CEO Fesia Davenport negotiated a $2 million payout to herself, after they say she told workers there was no money to give them raises. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA Regional Homeless Count to Begin Next Week – Los Angeles Sentinel |
| With less than a week away before the annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, officials are seeking more volunteers to help with the three-day operation, which they say will be made smoother due to several improvements. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| Homeless authority improves its methods for annual count | News | avpress.com |
| The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced several improvements ahead of the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which will take place Jan. 22 in the Antelope Valley.
The count will begin on Jan. 20 in the San Fernando Valley and metro Los Angeles area. It continues on Jan. 21 in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles before concluding on Jan. 22 in the Antelope Valley, West and South Los Angeles and the South Bay/Harbor region. Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena conduct their own counts. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-16 |
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| LA County renames Castaic Sports Complex for slain Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer – Daily News |
| Los Angeles County paid tribute on Friday to slain county sheriff’s Deputy Ryan M. Clinkunbroomer by renaming the Castaic Sports Complex in his honor. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-16 |
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