| San Diego teachers plan strike over special education staffing |
| San Diego teachers plan to strike next month for the first time in 30 years, after butting heads with the school district about special education staffing and services. [Article] |
| by , CalMatters. 2026-01-30 |
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| A wildlife education and resource fair in Porter Ranch drew hundreds – Daily News |
| A wildfire education and resource fair in Porter Ranch on Jan. 24 attracted hundreds of people, eager to get tips about evacuation preparedness and the latest on fire insurance options along with wildfire vendors and a meet-and-greet opportunity with Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-30 |
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| Debate intensifies over water for California's Delta - Los Angeles Times |
| The question of how to protect fish and the ecological health of rivers that feed California’s largest estuary is generating heated debate in a series of hearings in Sacramento, as state officials try to gain support for a plan that has been years in the making.
“I am passionate that this is the pathway to recover fish,” said state Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “This is the paradigm we need: collaborative, adaptive management versus conflict and litigation.”
The plan is being discussed in three days of hearings convened by the State Water Resources Control Board. It sets out rules for water quality that will determine how much water can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for the state’s farms and cities.
Years of research shows that fish do better when there is more water in the region’s rivers and the Delta itself. The fish contend with dams that cut off their spawning grounds, nonnative fish such as bass that prey on them and powerful pumps that pull them into areas where they are vulnerable.
The approach backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would give water agencies more leeway in how they comply with water rules.
Environmental advocates said the proposal would take too much water out of the Delta and threaten fish already in severe decline. They also point out that toxic algae blooms have increased in Delta waterways, but the plan doesn’t address that.
“Native fish and wildlife populations are crashing,” said Gary Bobker, program director of the environmental group Friends of the River, adding that the board’s upcoming decision is critically important in determining whether the state will protect the Delta’s ecosystem or allow it to deteriorate further.
Native fish that are increasingly threatened include the finger-sized Delta smelt and white sturgeon, the largest freshwater fish in North America, which can reach more than 10 feet long.
“What we are witnessing can only accurately be described as ecosystem collapse,” said Eric Buescher, an attorney for the group San Francisco Baykeeper.
The plan would give water agencies two ways of complying with Delta water quality goals — either limit pumping to maintain required minimum levels of water in the rivers, as has traditionally be done, or take part in so-called “voluntary agreements,” in which water agencies commit to ensuring certain river flows for the environment while contributing funds for projects that restore habitat for fish and other wildlife in the Delta. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| Rose Institute receives Haynes Foundation Grant for research on implementation of Los Angeles County governance reform - PublicCEO |
| CLAREMONT, CA – The Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College has been awarded a $100,000 one-year planning grant from John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation to elevate local perspectives in Eastern Los Angeles County as the County implements major governance reform. [Article] |
| by , Public CEO. 2026-01-30 |
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| The world’s largest wildlife crossing is almost finished - Los Angeles Times |
| Four years after starting construction on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife crossing, the team says it’s on track to finish this fall. When completed, the Agoura Hills project is expected to be the largest wildlife crossing in the world. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| L.A. County gets $1.2 million grant to preserve artwork of fire-impacted Altadena, Palisades – Daily News |
| LOS ANGELES — The Mellon Foundation has provided Los Angeles County with a $1.2 million grant to fund an initiative to preserve memories and artwork of communities impacted by the January 2025 wildfires, officials announced Friday, Jan. 30. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-30 |
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| Malibu Homelessness Drops for 5th Consecutive Year to 44 |
| The number of people experiencing homelessness in Malibu fell to 44 in 2026, marking the fifth consecutive year of decline and reflecting the coastal city's persistent focus on outreach and housing placement, according to preliminary data released by the city this week. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-30 |
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| Killing of armed Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti ignites 2A debate in conservative Shasta County – Shasta Scout |
| Since last week, when two ICE officers fired 10 rounds into the body of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti on a street in Minneapolis, Americans from across the political spectrum have come to his defense.
Concern about the federal government’s actions, perhaps surprisingly, is also coming from voices within Shasta’s deeply conservative majority — including some affiliated with the Cottonwood Militia, which has previously organized to support law enforcement during social justice protests. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-30 |
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| SCE’s Eaton fire compensation program moving faster than planned, with $117 million in offers made – Daily News |
| Moving faster than anticipated, Southern California Edison’s program to compensate Eaton fire victims has made $117 million in offers to 210 individuals and businesses in its first three months of operation.
The numbers were released Thursday, Jan 29, by SCE with an invitation for more victims to apply to the program, which pays damages to survivors who agree not to sue. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-30 |
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| Is Huntington Beach’s Voter ID Law Finished? |
| Huntington Beach residents might not see voter ID at their local polls after the California Supreme Court declined to hear the city’s arguments on why it should be allowed. [Article] |
| by , Voice of OC. 2026-01-30 |
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| ‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees - KFF Health News |
| Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.
A week earlier, immigration agents had grabbed Julio César Peña from his front yard in Glendale, California. Now, he was in a hospital after suffering a ministroke. He was shackled to the bed by his hand and foot, he told Romero, and agents were in the room, listening to the call. He was scared he would die and wanted his wife there.
“What hospital are you at?” Romero asked.
“I can’t tell you,” he replied. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-30 |
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| Students walk out of L.A. County schools, calling for 'ICE out of L.A.' - Los Angeles Times |
| A different kind of bell sounded on Friday at many Southern California campuses — a call that beckoned students to walk out of school instead of into their next class as thousands joined protests in a national tide of demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Across many school districts — from Long Beach to Los Angeles to Pasadena — throngs of students skipped school or poured out of classrooms and cafeterias, joining cafe owners who had shut down for the day, parents who took time off from work to rally, and activists who have been marching for months. Walkouts — organized and sporadic — also took place at UCLA, USC and Cal State L.A.
For many students, the immigration raids have been personal, affecting family or friends who are undocumented. They have felt fear in their neighborhoods since mass detentions began in June — and were moved to act after recent violence in Minneapolis. Others said they were motivated to take classroom civics lessons to the streets.
“There are times when protesting is more necessary than going to the classroom,” said Hart LippSmith, a junior from Sequoyah School in Pasadena, who led protesters in downtown Los Angeles with chants of “ICE out of L.A.,” while holding a megaphone. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| Using professional hunters to shoot and kill all the deer on Catalina Island opposed by Supervisor Hahn – Daily News |
| A plan to shoot and kill every single mule deer living on Catalina Island submitted by the island’s private conservancy for state approval as a method to re-balance island animal and plant life, has drawn opposition from L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Hahn, whose Fourth District includes the unincorporated portion of Catalina Island outside the city of Avalon, wants to stop the plan from moving forward, calling it “a drastic and inhumane approach.” [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-30 |
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| A proposed multimillion-dollar renovation to La Brea Tar Pits is expected to be ready in time for Olympics – Daily News |
| A proposed multimillion-dollar renovation to the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits at the Natural History Museum in Hancock Park is expected to be completed in time for the Olympics in 2028.
The reimagined $240 million transformation includes state-of-the-art labs and exhibition halls, indoor and outdoor educational spaces and a 13-acre park with gardens planted with native Ice Age plants, among other changes. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2026-01-30 |
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| Trust in ICE plummets, even when agents target serious criminals - Los Angeles Times |
| The ICE officers descended on Compton, targeting immigrants convicted of theft, child abuse and selling drugs.
There were no protesters. No whistles alerting targets to the officers’ presence. No face masks. In some cases, residents opened their doors to let the officers inside their homes. One man thanked them for not arresting him in front of his children.
The Los Angeles area operation ended with 162 arrests, including a Mexican national convicted of rape and a Salvadoran national convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said almost 90% of the people arrested had criminal convictions.
It was June 2018, more than a year into Donald Trump’s first term as president. More than seven years later, carrying out the same operation in L.A. or other U.S. cities feels almost impossible without drawing angry crowds and requiring multiple officers, at times across federal agencies, to detain a single target.
In the years since Trump’s first term, ICE and the government’s immigration enforcement apparatus expanded raids well beyond those against known criminals or suspected ones. Increasingly, immigrants with no criminal records and even legal residents and U.S. citizens found themselves stopped and sometimes arrested.
The uncertainty over who is being targeted has fueled a growing pattern of community protests and rapid response mobilizations, even when officials say they are targeting convicted felons, reflecting a widening gap between how enforcement is described and how it is experienced. That gap has become most visible on the ground. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| Why California's fight over ticket fraud has become a proxy war against Ticketmaster and Live Nation - Los Angeles Times |
| A year ago, Colorado firefighters Rick Balentine and Tim Cottrell were driving trucks carrying donations from Aspen to Los Angeles for victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
As they headed west, they planned to stop in Las Vegas and, while there, made a spontaneous decision to see the Eagles’ residency at the Sphere. Balentine and Cottrell bought resale tickets on StubHub for around $400 each. Cottrell used his credit card and received a confirmation email. But once they arrived to the venue, they weren’t allowed in. The seller failed to send the tickets.
All Cottrell could find was an email that said his tickets had been canceled, moments before the concert was to start. Other than getting their money back, there was no further explanation.
“We knew they were aftermarket tickets,” Balentine said, “but never in a million years did I think that tickets could get canceled.”
“I was very disappointed. There needs to be more protection out there, both for consumers and for artists, so people aren’t getting ripped off all the time.”
The rising demand for tickets has spurred a growing marketplace for all kinds of high-profile live events, including music tours and sports series like the upcoming World Cup. Whenever fans are unable to secure tickets on the primary market, through sellers like Ticketmaster or AXS, many will turn to the secondary market for resale tickets. Those tickets are typically sold through platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. Customers who bought their passes directly from Ticketmaster can also resell them on that platform. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| LA Fires Research Conference fosters discussion on fire survivors’ experiences - Daily Bruin |
| More than half of tested homes in Los Angeles county fire-impacted communities had unsafe contaminant levels one year after the January 2025 fires, a survivor advocacy group said at the first annual LA Fires Research Conference on Jan. 14.
The event, hosted by the Fielding School of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, invited scientists, community leaders and fire survivors to discuss how the January 2025 LA fires impacted health, housing and the environment. [Article] |
| by , . 2026-01-30 |
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| Planned Parenthood, reproductive healthcare could receive $90 million in new state funding - Los Angeles Times |
| SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers will consider bolstering funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers of reproductive health with a one-time infusion of $90 million, leaders of the state Legislature announced Friday.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Senate President Monique Limón (D-Goleta) said the money would give grants to providers that were affected by recent federal cuts passed by President Trump and the Republican-led Congress that targeted abortion providers. The funding is included in a proposed bill being considered by state lawmakers.
“Trump and his Republican enablers have waged an all-out assault on women — attacking abortion access, family-planning and reproductive health,” Rivas said in a Friday statement. “Outrage alone won’t stop it. When Trump strips funding, California will continue to act.”
The Republican-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed last year by Trump, prohibited federal Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood. California and a coalition of other Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last year over the provision.
More than 80% of the nearly 1.3 million annual patient visits to Planned Parenthood in California were previously reimbursed by Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, which provides healthcare coverage to low-income Americans. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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| LA County healthcare coalition seeks half-cent sales tax |
| Facing federal funding cuts that could strip health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Angelenos, clinic leaders, union members and patients gathered in Inglewood Wednesday to boost a stop-gap proposal they want to put in front of voters: a county sales tax to stave off service cuts and keep more sick people from seeking primary care in emergency rooms.
A newly formed coalition, Restore Healthcare for Angelenos, is asking the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to place a five-year, half-cent sales tax measure on the June ballot in Los Angeles County. [Article] |
| by , CalMatters. 2026-01-30 |
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| Trump administration's climate skepticism effort violated federal law, judge rules - Los Angeles Times |
| A federal judge on Friday ruled that the U.S. Department of Energy violated federal law when it formed a secretive group of researchers to produce a report downplaying the effects of climate change.
The “Climate Working Group” was composed of five scientists hand-picked by Energy Secretary Chris Wright shortly after the White House dismissed more than 400 scientists working on the sixth National Climate Assessment. The group’s July report, “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate,” breaks from broad scientific consensus and questions the severity of global warming.
But Judge William G. Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said the group failed to meet the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a 1972 law governing federal advisory groups that requires for public meetings, open records and other acts of transparency. Records released under the judge’s orders indicate that the group met in secret at least 18 times.
“These violations are now established as a matter of law,” Young wrote in his 4-page decision.
The Energy Department had argued that the Climate Working Group was not subject to those requirements because it was “assembled to exchange facts or information with a Federal official.” It also argued that the claims were moot because the group was disbanded shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
The judge disagreed, noting that the group provided policy advice and recommendations to the Department of Energy. The five members of the group are John Christy, Judith Curry, Steven Koonin, Ross McKitrick and Roy Spencer, scientists and researchers who question prevailing climate science and policy. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2026-01-30 |
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