The most important stories for you to know today
Published April 8, 2026 1:00 PMLA28 CEO Reynold Hoover on Wednesday responded to the outcry over tickets for the Olympics, saying the average price was"accessible" and that more $28 tickets would be available in later drops.
He defended the ticket prices — the majority of which are more than $100 and can go as high as $5,500. Each ticket also includes a 24% service fee.Not everyone in Southern California agrees. After the cheapest tickets sold out quickly in the locals-only sale that wraps Wednesday, many Angelenos wondered if they'd missed their chance to get affordable seats at Olympic competitions and said they felt priced out of the Games before they'd even arrived in Los Angeles.LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover on Wednesday responded to the outcry over tickets for the Olympics, saying the average price was"accessible" and that more $28 tickets would be available in later drops. He also defended the prices, the majority of which are more than $100 and can go as high as $5,500. Each ticket includesNot everyone in Southern California agrees. After the cheapest tickets sold out quickly in the locals-only sale that wraps Wednesday, many Angelenos wondered if they'd missed their chance to get affordable seats at Olympic competitions and said Hoover pushed back against that idea, saying ticket sales were critical to paying for the Games, which could end up costing taxpayers if they're not delivered within budget. " These are the biggest games in Olympic history. And so in order for us to be able to deliver a fiscally responsible, as well as a safe and secure Games, our ticket prices start at $28 and offer a range of pricing for everybody," Hoover said."You may get on the website and you're not gonna necessarily find the ticket at your price in this drop. There'll be more drops coming." What's unclear is how many $28 tickets, or tickets under $100, will be made available in future sales, including the general sale that launches Thursday. LA28 has avoided sharing exact numbers and prices, outside the promise to make at least 1 million tickets available for $28. The cost of tickets could get even more expensive in future sales. When LAist asked if Olympics organizers would use dynamic pricing, where sellers can adjust prices based on demand, Hoover didn't rule it out. " We're not using dynamic pricing in this round of ticket drops," Hoover said."We may adjust it in the future." Another way people in Southern California can participate in the Olympics will be to volunteer. But it appears there will be fierce competition for those slots, too. Hoover said Wednesday that he estimated needing 60,000 volunteers and that more than a quarter million people had signed up. That includes some 50,000 locals.The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families.from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally identifiable medical information the agency obtains, giving it the power to see prescriptions employees had filled or what treatment they sought from doctors. The regulation would require 65 insurance companies that cover more than 8 million Americans — including federal workers, retired members of Congress, mail carriers, and their immediate family members — to provide monthly reports to OPM with identifiable health data on their members.The proposal is prompting unease from insurers as well as health policy and legal experts, who are concerned about the legality of OPM acquiring such a sweeping database of sensitive health information, and the agency’s ability to safeguard it.The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families.from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally identifiable medical information the agency obtains, giving it the power to see prescriptions employees had filled or what treatment they sought from doctors. The regulation would require 65 insurance companies that cover more than 8 million Americans — including federal workers, retired members of Congress, mail carriers, and their immediate family members — to provide monthly reports to OPM with identifiable health data on their members. The proposal is prompting unease from insurers as well as health policy and legal experts, who are concerned about the legality of OPM acquiring such a sweeping database of sensitive health information, and the agency’s ability to safeguard it. OPM could use the data to analyze costs and improve the system, said Sharona Hoffman, a health law ethicist at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. “But,” she said, “they are going to get very, very detailed and granular data about everything that happens. The concern here is the more information they have, they could use it to discipline or target people who are not cooperating politically.” OPM spokespeople did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The agency’s notice asks insurers that offer Federal Employees Health Benefits or Postal Service Health Benefits plans to furnish “service use and cost data,” including “medical claims, pharmacy claims, encounter data, and provider data.” It says the data will “ensure they provide competitive, quality, and affordable plans.” The notice, posted and sent to insurers in December, does not instruct them to redact identifying information — a burdensome process that they would need federal guidance to complete. Instead, it states that insurers are legally permitted to disclose “protected health information” to OPM. Several experts in health policy and law consulted by KFF Health News said they interpreted the request to mean the Trump administration was seeking identifiable data. The ask comes a year into a Republican administration that has been defined by haphazard mass layoffs and firings of thousands of federal workers,. Under President Donald Trump, the government has also routinely tested the legal bounds of sharing sensitive and personally identifiable tax or“You can anticipate a scenario where this information on 8 million Americans is now in the hands of OPM and there’s a real concern of how they use it,” said Michael Martinez, senior counsel at Democracy Forward, an advocacy organization that filed a public comment opposing OPM’s proposal in February. Martinez previously worked at OPM. “They’ve given no information about how they would treat that information once they have it,” he said. Among Martinez’s concerns is how the administration might use information about employees who have sought abortions — 41 states have some type of abortion ban — or transgender treatment, medical care that the Trump administration has tried to curb. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, did not respond to requests for comment. Martinez and others who reviewed the notice for KFF Health News said the proposal was so vague that they were uncertain, exactly, what medical records OPM wants to access. At the very least, they said, the proposal would allow the agency to access the medical and pharmaceutical claims of patients with their identifying information, such as names and birth dates. Claims data also includes diagnoses, treatments, visit length, and provider information. OPM’s request to view “encounter data” could allow the agency to look at “anything and everything,” Hoffman noted.Jonathan Foley, who worked at OPM advising on the Federal Employees Health Benefits program during the Obama and Biden administrations, said he doubts the agency has the capability to ingest such minutiae. The agency, however, could easily begin collection of personally identifiable medical and pharmaceutical claims information from insurers, he said. Foley said he sees a benefit to OPM having broader access to de-identified claims data. In recent years, OPM has ramped up its analysis of claims data, which has allowed it to examine prescription drug costs and encourage plans to offer federal workers cheaper alternatives. He’s worried, though, that the Trump administration’s proposal goes too far, because it appears to seek identifiable data. “It’s kind of shocking to think of them having protected health information without having strict guardrails,” he said. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, requires certain organizations that maintain identifiable health information — such as hospitals and insurers — to protect it from being disclosed without patient consent. Those entities can disclose such information without consent only in specific scenarios, with a justification that it is deemed “reasonable” or “necessary.” Even then, HIPAA mandates that they provide only the minimum amount of information required. OPM argues in its notice that it is entitled to the information from insurers “for oversight activities.” But several people who reviewed the notice questioned whether OPM’s explanation for requesting the information is sufficient. “The language in it seems quite broad and encompasses potentially a lot of information and data and is sort of light on justification,” said Jodi Daniel, a digital health strategist who helped develop the legal framework for HIPAA privacy rules over two decades ago. Several major insurers that offer federal employee health plans — including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare — declined to comment on their plans to comply with the notice or offer insight on where plans to implement the data sharing stood. Only one insurer individually weighed in with a public comment on OPM’s plan. In March, CVS Health executive Melissa Schulman urged the federal agency to reconsider its proposal. “OPM’s request raises substantial HIPAA compliance issues,” Schulman wrote, arguing that federal law allows the agency to examine records but not to collect data. Insurers would be breaking the law by providing personal health information for OPM’s “vague and broad general purposes,” she added. Schulman, who did not respond to additional questions from KFF Health News, also raised concerns about a lack of data privacy protections. She noted that insurers could be liable for security breaches or other situations “where consumer health information is inappropriately shared and outside of our control.”The Association of Federal Health Organizations, which represents CVS Health and dozens of other federal health plan carriers, also weighed in with a 122-page comment opposing the notice. In it, AFHO Chair Kari Parsons emphasized that insurance carriers are bound by HIPAA to safeguard personal health information. Federal law requires carriers “to furnish ‘reasonable reports’ OPM determines to be necessary,” Parsons wrote, “not to furnish the individual claims data of every individual.” This isn’t the first time OPM has requested detailed data from insurers. In the AFHO comment, Parsons noted OPM had made a similar proposal in 2010, prompting HIPAA concerns. She described how, after several years of negotiations with AFHO, they discussed — but OPM never finalized — an agreement in 2019 for carriers to share de-identified data with OPM. But since then, Parsons wrote, OPM has collected such detailed information on enrollees and their families that, with OPM’s new request, the agency may be able to trace even de-identified records to individuals. OPM has not provided any update since closing comments in March. The agency would need to publish a final decision before anything officially changes.is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more aboutGov. Gavin Newsom is advancing a plan that could funnel hundreds of millions in road dollars to a struggling oil refinery — pitching it as a cleaner jet fuel initiative. The credit, drawn from funds voters designated for highways and local streets, could also raise gas prices for most drivers.The governor's four-page proposal is a straightforward mechanism granting a tax credit to producers in a small corner of the jet fuel market — with potentially far-reaching implications for most drivers. The credit would pull money from three programs: Caltrans highway maintenance, local street and road funding and competitive freight grants. California's roads are already starved for cash. California has long protected fuel tax money for roads. Newsom’s proposal could drain those funds.The proposal is expected to receive a final legislative hearing on Thursday. It has drawn backing from lawmakers and labor groups, who say it preserves jobs at facilities like the Rodeo refinery in Contra Costa County and helps the state achieve its climate goals. But the plan has drawn criticism from an unlikely mix of voices: oil industry representatives, the Legislature's nonpartisan analyst — who is urging lawmakers toFull Story Gov. Gavin Newsom is advancing a plan that could funnel hundreds of millions in road dollars to a struggling oil refinery — pitching it as a cleaner jet fuel initiative. The credit, drawn from funds voters designated for highways and local streets, could also raise gas prices for most drivers. UC Berkeley economists warn it could raise California gas prices. And while the plan is pitched as a climate measure, the analysis finds it could cut emissions at more than 10 times the cost economists consider effective, one of the authors told CalMatters. The proposal is expected to receive a final legislative hearing on Thursday. It has drawn backing from lawmakers and labor groups, who say it preserves jobs at facilities like the Rodeo refinery in Contra Costa County and helps the state achieve its climate goals. But the plan has drawn criticism from an unlikely mix of voices: oil industry representatives, the Legislature's nonpartisan analyst — who is urging lawmakers tofour-page proposal is a straightforward mechanism granting a tax credit to producers in a small corner of the jet fuel market — with potentially far-reaching implications for most drivers. Only two companies currently produce state-certified jet biofuel and also owe diesel excise tax in California — the conditions required to claim the credit, said Andrew March, a Department of Finance budget analyst. Of those, only Phillips 66 has publicly confirmed it would qualify for the credit. The company spent $1.25 billion converting its Rodeo refinery in Contra Costa County from traditional petroleum refining to biofuels. Jets do not run on gasoline; they run on a fuel refined from petroleum by oil companies that also produce gasoline for cars and diesel for trucks. Because jet fuel requires less processing than gasoline or diesel, it is generally cheaper to produce. But sustainable aviation fuel, made from products like used cooking grease and animal fat, costs significantly more, roughly twice the price of conventional jet fuel, due to the expense of converting refineries and processing organic materials. Under the proposal, producers would earn credits for selling the fuel here and use those credits to offset the diesel taxes they owe. The formula for credits isn't flat — the cleaner the fuel, the bigger the credit, ranging from $1 to $2 per gallon.that figure could be far higher. That’s because the tax credit is so high that it could incentivize companies outside California to acquire California companies with diesel tax liabilities, said Helen Kerstein, who evaluates climate programs for the Legislative Analyst’s Office. A major California refiner like Chevron could also buy a renewable fuel company elsewhere and ship the fuel here, she said. If more companies claim the credit than expected, diesel tax revenues could fall more sharply — driving the program’s cost higher than anticipated. In February, a team of UC Berkeley economists“They're going to incentivize a whole lot more sustainable aviation fuel than they're planning,” Aaron Smith, a Berkeley economist who co-authored the report, told CalMatters. “That is going to be a huge hit to the state's diesel tax receipts, and so it's going to be a huge hole in the budget.” March, the budget analyst, disputed Smith’s findings, saying it assumes an 8-to-10-fold surge in sustainable aviation fuel flowing into California. Other states that have passed similar credits haven’t experienced such growth, he said. The program is designed to grow over time, as more companies begin producing sustainable aviation fuel and become eligible, March said.toured the Rodeo refinery , which sits along the shores of the San Pablo Bay, in the Concord Democrat’s district. What they learned alarmed them, Ávila Farías said.— and because California's own low carbon fuel program wasn't generating enough revenue — projects like the refinery conversion were struggling, she said. Phillips 66 lobbied the Governor’s office directly near the end of 2025. Newsom included the tax credit in his budget proposal. Ávila Farías and 40 of her colleagues joined in a “bipartisan” push for the measure. “In 2026, these facilities are on the brink of closure,” Ávila Farías said in written responses to CalMatters questions. The Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington, on Sept. 30, 2025. Photo by Stella Kalinina for CalMatters Phillips 66 declined to answer basic questions about the proposal it lobbied to help shape: whether the Rodeo facility is profitable, whether it faces closure without the credit or how much it expects to claim if the credit is approved. Neither the governor’s office nor the company would say what role it played in shaping the proposal. In 2025, the company made $4.4 billion in profits. The Houston-based company’s renewable fuels segment, which is anchored by the Rodeo complex, lost $380 million in 2025, worse than the $198 million loss it posted the year before, according to the company's annual report.” in the last three months of the year — after the legislative session had concluded but budget planning for the next year is Phillips 66 was a member of the Western States Petroleum Association, the state’s main oil lobby, until the end of last year. The association has not taken an official position on the tax credit, though its chief lobbyist has urged lawmakers to stay focused on keeping California’s traditional petroleum refineries open., according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. Since 2024, the company has continued to fund legislative campaigns, including those of Ávila Farías, Secretary of State data shows. For workers at the Rodeo plant, the stakes are high. Joe Jawad, president of United Steelworkers Local 326, represents roughly 250 workers there, many from families who have worked the refinery for generations. In total, the refinery employs more than 400 workers. “If this incentive passes, it's my understanding this place stays here for years to come,” Jawad said. “That's what we're looking for.” But the transition has concerned local environmental justice advocates. Community organizer Daphney Saviotti-Orozco, who grew up in the unincorporated community of Rodeo, a few blocks from the refinery, worries biofuels could still pollute local air quality with methane, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter.California has long protected fuel tax money for roads. Newsom’s proposal could drain those funds. In hearings, lawmakers have specifically raised concern about the use of road dollars for green jet fuel.speaking at a March 11 hearingprotects gas and diesel excise taxes: they must fund highways, local streets and transit infrastructure. Voters reinforced that mandate in 2010, when they passedNewsom’s proposal wouldn’t technically violate the rules, but the proposal would have a similar impact, said Kerstein, of the legislative analyst’s office. "Every dollar that goes to this credit is one fewer dollar that goes to local streets and roads, and the state highway system," Kerstein said."That's the trade-off."“The projected impact on road repairs is not a dollar for dollar trade,” he wrote. The credit would pull money from three programs: Caltrans highway maintenance, local street and road funding and competitive freight grants. California's roads are already starved for cash., according to Caltrans, while more drivers switching to electric vehicles are likely to shrink gas tax revenue. Local streets and roads face“We definitely need road repairs, but we can't miss this chance on jet fuel,” Ávila Farías wrote. “We must do both.”But the plan’s primary beneficiary isn’t the climate; it’s a refinery whose parent company lost hundreds of millions on renewable fuels last year. And while supporters say the jet fuel credit would cut carbon emissions, critics say it could do so at a steep cost. That’s because California is already getting most of the climate benefits from renewable fuels — also made from plant and animal materials — through its low carbon fuel standard, a program that pushes producers to make what they sell here progressively cleaner. Many of those fuels today go into diesel trucks. Berkeley’s report contends that the credit would mainly shift the same limited supply of used cooking oil, animal fats and other raw materials into jet fuel instead of replacing fossil fuels. March said the state has invested in similarly-priced and more expensive policies in the past in order to boost emerging technologies. “Public investment does what private capital won’t,” March said. Matthew Botill, a division chief with the California Air Resources Board, said boosting sustainable aviation fuel is critical because demand for jet fuel is expected to grow and state policies aim to cut fuel use in trucking by shifting to electric vehicles. Without stronger incentives for sustainable aviation fuel, petroleum use in aviation will rise as more people fly, undermining the state’s climate goals, Botill said at a But by diverting renewable diesel from trucks, producers could drive gas and diesel prices up by 10 to 15 cents per gallon, according to Smith and the Berkeley economists – pushing trucks back toward petroleum and making the fuel mix dirtier and more expensive to clean up. “Markets chase the subsidies,” said Danny Cullenward, an energy policy researcher who agreed with the Berkeley findings. “You make a very attractive subsidy, and people say, ‘Well, I'd rather be delivering that thing.’” Environmentalists say the state would be better off investing in proven, emission-cutting solutions like electric cars and trucks and mass transit. “We're not funding the low-hanging fruit,” said Christina Scaringe, California climate policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “There's just a very basic argument that we don't have a lot of money.” March, the state budget analyst, told CalMatters that predictions about the governor’s biofuel proposal’s impact on gas prices are “highly uncertain.” Lawmakers, including Ávila Farías, have compared jet biofuel to solar or wind power in their early stages arguing California “must act boldly now,” to support sustainable aviation fuel. Smith is skeptical sustainable aviation fuel will ever get cheap enough to stand on its own. And the economics have only worsened since the U.S. began strikes on Iran in late February, sending fuel prices sharply higher.more than twice thatIf you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Published April 8, 2026 11:52 AM Jasveen Sangha, a North Hollywood woman known as the “Ketamine Queen,” was sentenced tolast September to five counts, including distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Sangha’s lawyers did not respond to LAist’s request for comment.Perry died in October 2023 in his Los Angeles home. The L.A. County medical examiner determined the cause was “acute effects of ketamine.” According to the plea agreement, Sangha worked with alleged drug dealer Erik Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry. On October 28, 2023, Perry's personal assistant injected the actor with at least three shots of ketamine provided by Sangha. Those shots caused Perry's death.“To cultivate her business, marketed herself as an exclusive dealer who catered to high-profile Hollywood clientele…While worked to expand and profit from her drug trafficking, she knew – and disregarded – the grave harm her conduct was causing," the memo stated.Sangha is the third defendant sentenced in Perry’s overdose death. For their roles in Perry’s death, San Diego physicianSalvador PlasenciaPublished April 8, 2026 11:00 AM Demonstrators hold "ICE out of LAPD" signs during the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting at LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.A local pastor, an ACLU organizer, and the leader of an immigration advocacy group showed up early Tuesday to a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting to demand answers after their scheduled presentation on federal immigration raids was canceled.The groups had been invited to brief the commission on the impact of federal raids and ways to better protect immigrant communities, but on Friday they received a call saying the presentation was canceled.The police department has struggled for months to explain to city residents its role in federal immigration sweeps that have resulted in more than A local pastor, an ACLU organizer, and the leader of an immigration advocacy group showed up early Tuesday to a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting to demand answers after their scheduled presentation on federal immigration raids was canceled. The groups had been invited to brief the commission on the impact of federal raids and ways to better protect immigrant communities, but on Friday they received a call saying the presentation was canceled. They convened a press conference soon before the commission meeting was scheduled to begin, with dozens of supporters holding “ICE out of LAPD” signs. The police department has struggled for months to explain to city residents its role in federal immigration sweeps that have resulted in more thandesigned to hold federal agents accountable when they refuse to identify themselves and promising full compliance with Mayor Karen Bass’ Police Commission President Teresa Sanchez Gordon offered in a March commission meeting to invite immigrant groups to give presentations about their work and concerns regarding the raids. The commission did not respond to a request from The LA Local for more information about the canceled presentation. Father Brendan Busse, from Dolores Mission Church, speaks during a news conference calling for LAPD compliance with Los Angeles sanctuary policies outside LAPD headquarters.Father Brendan Busse, of Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights and LA Voice said he helped organize efforts to protect people during aggressive federal immigration sweeps last year. “That’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s what we’re here to ask LAPD to do: To serve and to protect, ” Busse said at the press conference. “Safety and sanctuary go together.” He described being at a raid in the city’s Fashion District last year, saying “They threw tear gas and flash grenades at all of us.” Others said LAPD officers had established a perimeter around the federal sweep and were seen escorting agents. In February, Mayor Karen Bass ordered the department to draw a clearer line between the work of local police and the federal government’s deportation efforts. McDonnell soon afterBut Martha Arevalo, executive director of the Central American Resource Center, said that LAPD continues to respond to federal immigration agents requesting aid and is “effectively assisting ICE operations in ways that undermine the local sanctuary protections.” The Los Angeles City Council established a sanctuary ordinance in late 2024, partly restricting how city employees and resources can assist federal immigration enforcement. Last year, the council passed additional legislation directing the commission to further limit LAPD interactions with immigration agents. “As a city and as a police department, we have to ask the question: ‘Who are we here to protect?’” Arevalo asked the dozens gathered outside LAPD headquarters, later adding, “You should be wanting to have dialogue about these issues.” Andrés Kwon, Senior Policy Counsel and Organizer at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, speaks during a news conference calling for LAPD compliance with Los Angeles sanctuary policies.Andrés Kwon, senior policy counsel and organizer at the ACLU of Southern California, told The LA Local that he and others from the groups met with Sanchez Gordon and Inspector General Matthew Barragan in recent weeks. They were invited to give the 20-minute presentation, he said. Then, he added, “We got pulled.” He said they did not receive an explanation for why their presentation was canceled. Kwon said they had planned to provide statistics on the impact of immigration raids and a history of the groups’ work since the 1980s helping immigrants fleeing persecution and war.Several people spoke during the public comment period of the commission meeting requesting that the groups be invited again to present on how to further protect the city’s immigrants.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Olympic Champion Stephen Nedoroscik and Girlfriend Tess McCracken Announce Breakup2024 Olympic pommel horse champion Stephen Nedoroscik and his girlfriend of 10 years, Tess McCracken, have broken up. McCracken shared the news on TikTok, explaining the split was due to growing apart, not political differences or drama.
Read more »
Olympic stars Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield get married in ‘magical' ceremonyOlympic stars Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield tied the knot in a 'magical' wedding in Trenton, Georgia, on Saturday.
Read more »
Olympic Sex Testing Returns, Reigniting Debate Over Who Qualifies as a Woman in SportsMore Than A Magazine, A Movement
Read more »
Olivia Munn’s Butter Yellow Blouse Is a Chic Spring Upgrade — Get the Look for $28Olivia Munn’s butter yellow blouse is spring’s chicest outfit upgrade, and you can copy it for just $28 on Amazon — details!
Read more »
$28 Olympic ticketsThe most important stories for you to know today
Read more »
Olympics CEO says more $28 tickets will be released in later drops. The question is, how many?is a general assignment reporter. She covers the news that shapes Los Angeles and how people change the city in return.
Read more »