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A downtown hearing kicked off Wednesday, during which a federal judge will consider holding the city of Los Angeles in contempt of court. The hearing is the latest step in a long-running legal saga regarding the city's response to the region’s homelessness crisis.
The hearing was ordered by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been overseeing a settlement in a lawsuit brought against the city by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of downtown business and property owners. L.A. Alliance sued the city, and county, in 2020 for failing to adequately address homelessness.that he’s concerned the city has demonstrated a"continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations under court orders. During aA downtown hearing kicked off Wednesday, during which a federal judge will consider holding the city of Los Angeles in contempt of court. The hearing is the latest step in aThe hearing was ordered by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been overseeing a settlement in a lawsuit brought against the city by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of downtown business and property owners. L.A. Alliance sued the city, and county, in 2020 for failing to adequately address homelessness.that he’s concerned “the city has demonstrated a continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations under court orders. During aThe judge noted that similar concerns have come up at previous hearings. Carter told attorneys for the city in March 2024 that he “indicated to the mayor that I’ve already reached the decision that the plaintiffs were misled” and “this is bad faith,” according to The contempt hearing is expected to cover whether the city has complied with court orders and provided regular updates to the court under the settlement agreement.City authorities also asked the appeals court to press pause on the judge’s order to appoint a monitor in the case to make sure the city stays on track with the settlement. The city argued that Carter handed the monitor “a blank check to interfere with the democratic process,” according to court documents.the city’s request. It allowed Wednesday’s hearing to move forward, but it agreed to pause the appointment ofhave argued that looking at the city’s cooperation with Garrie “would be inappropriate” during the hearing and that L.A. “cannot be held in contempt for either the substance or the manner of its compliance with the order,” according to court documents. Previous hearings related to the settlement have elicited tense questioning of witnesses and harsh words from the judge, who has been vocal about reducing delays and moving the case forward.— urged the judge to “turn down the heat” on the closely watched case. Evangelis said the “city is constantly under fire” in court while L.A. has made “enormous strides” in getting people off the streets.She said Wednesday that the “city still fights oversight harder than it fights homelessness” and that the court should address L.A. 's “consistent” delays throughout the case.The hearing is expected to continue past Wednesday, potentially resuming Friday or early next month, when more witnesses can appear in person.The concern is that hazards like trash, chemicals, debris and other things from city streets and mountain areas that could make you sick may have run off during the rain into storm drains, creeks and rivers that discharge into the ocean.The advisory is currently set to expire at 8 a.m. Saturday, but L.A. County Public Health says it could be extended if there's more rain.Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his revised 2025-26 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 14.California will face a nearly $18 billion budget deficit in the new fiscal year due to higher-than-expected spending, despite an economic boom, largely driven by AI enthusiasm and strong revenue, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said Wednesday. To make things worse, the $17.7 billion shortfall could balloon to an annual $35 billion by fiscal year 2027-28, as spending continues to grow and debts come due, the office warned in its annual fiscal outlook.The gloomy forecast is a refreshed look at California’s financial future since June, when the state Department of Finance projected a $17.4 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. The widened budget gap could undercut the legacy of Gov. Gavin Newsom, as he will likely be forced to make tough budget choices in his last year as governor. It also means that for the fourth year in a row in his tenure, California is projected to have a deficit despite revenue growth.The state is projected to spend $6 billion more than previously anticipated next year, including $1.3 billion implementing Trump’s budget bill, which is expected to kick millions of Californians off Medi-Cal, hike health care premiums and shift much of the cost for programs such as food stamps onto the state, the LAO said. The increase is largely because the state must now shoulder a larger share of the cost to continue to provide benefits, said Carolyn Chu, chief deputy analyst with LAO. California also stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for permanent housing under new policies the Trump administration rolled out last week, just as some counties are starting to see drops in their homeless population.California will face a nearly $18 billion budget deficit in the new fiscal year due to higher-than-expected spending, despite an economic boom largely driven by AI enthusiasm and strong revenue, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said Wednesday. To make things worse, the $17.7 billion shortfall could balloon to an annual $35 billion by fiscal year 2027-28, as spending continues to grow and debts come due, the office warned in its The gloomy forecast is a refreshed look at California’s financial future since June, when the state Department of Finance projected afor the upcoming fiscal year. The widened budget gap could undercut the legacy of Gov. Gavin Newsom, as he will likely be forced to make tough budget choices in his last year as governor. It also means that for the fourth year in a row in his tenure, California is projected to have a deficitof Encino. He said the committee “remains committed to crafting a responsible budget that prioritizes essential services, uplifts working families and protects our most vulnerable communities.”of Roseville, the Republican vice chair of the Senate Budget Committee, attributed the structural deficit to Democrats’ “unstoppable spending problems.” “The state must assess the effectiveness and sustainability of the programs that were created during the surplus and make necessary corrections,” he said in a statement.more than projected between July and October. But the revenue gains in the new fiscal year will “almost entirely” go toward K-12 schools, community colleges and state reserves by constitutional requirements, the office projected.driven in part by President Donald Trump’s drastic tariff shifts. It raises a major question as to if, and how, the state can absorb the costs of those federal cuts.The state is projected to spend $6 billion more than previously anticipated next year, including $1.3 billion implementing Trump’s budget bill, which is expected to kick millions of Californians off Medi-Cal, hike health care premiums and shift much of the cost for programs such as food stamps onto the state, the LAO said. The increase is largely because the state must now shoulder a larger share of the cost to continue to provide benefits, said Carolyn Chu, chief deputy analyst with LAO. The added cost of the federal cuts to health care will grow to $5 billion annually by fiscal year 2029-30, the office projected. California also stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for permanent housing under new policies the Trump administration rolled out last week, just as some counties are. Homelessness agencies warn that thousands of Californians could be kicked out of their subsidized housing and back on the streets. The loss of federal funding could put more pressure on the state to step in with financial assistance — at a time when Newsom has expressed no interest in releasing more homelessness dollars to cities and counties. Blaming local officials for stagnant progress on homelessness, Newsom in January proposed zero dollars for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program, the main source of homelessness funding for local governments. The Legislature later successfully negotiated a $500 million investment —Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties, told CalMatters he expects the state to follow through on its funding commitment. “We are now facing a federal government that is eviscerating the same funding at the federal level, so we should expect a substantial increase in homelessness,” he said. “And our only chance is for the state to stand with us … and protect those that are the most vulnerable.”The annual forecast by the nonpartisan fiscal adviser is a mere snapshot of California’s fiscal future and can be drastically different from the state finance department’s own projection, which is expected in January. In January 2024, Newsom’s office projected ain fiscal year 2025-26, relying on internal borrowing, dipping into state reserves and halting new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrants to avoid other deep cuts to social services. They largely blamed Trump for the shortfall, arguing the threat of sweeping tariffs and federal funding loss plunged the state intoBut even before Trump retook office, California already faced a structural money problem, in part due to the state’s heavy reliance on wealthy earners’The state for three years used “temporary fixes,” such as internal borrowing, spending down reserves and suspending tax credits to plug multibillion-dollar budget holes, but now it’s “critical” for state lawmakers to reduce spending, raise revenues or both, the legislative analyst warned. “California’s budget is undeniably less prepared for downturns,” the analysts noted in their report. “Continuing to use temporary tools — like budgetary borrowing — would only defer the problem and, ultimately, leave the state ill‑equipped to respond to a recession or downturn in the stock market.”While all signs point to high uncertainty and low consumer confidence in the state economy, tech companies’ investment in AI has propelled the stock market to a “record high” and boosted tech workers’ income — the “lone bright spot” in the state’s economic outlook, Petek said.The stock market appears to be “overly exuberant,” as some investors are borrowing more to buy high-cost stocks, a sign of a stock market downturn, the report notes. Even if the market holds, lawmakers should treat it as a temporary or unsustainable gain, Petek said. And there’s no guarantee that revenue gains from the stock market would be enough to fill a deficit of $30 billion to $35 billion, which the state is projected to hit in a few years. Since the state is constitutionally required to spend roughly half of any excess revenue gains on schools and reserves, it would need $60 billion in revenue higher than anticipated to close a budget gap that big, Petek said.L.A. County public health officials have said that the individual was an older adult with underlying health conditions and encouraged all eligible residents to get vaccinated against influenza.After investigating the case, the L.A. County Department of Public Health concluded the person had not been vaccinated this season. Officials also underlined the importance of getting vaccinated ahead of the holiday season, when travel and indoor gatherings — and, therefore, the spread of disease — are more common.“This tragic death reminds us how serious influenza can be,” L.A. County health officer Muntu Davis said in a statement. “The best protection this season is getting an updated flu vaccine. Protecting yourself also helps keep your community safer.”Public health officials recommend everyone over 6 months old should get an updated flu shot, ideally ahead of the holidays. It’s especially important to get vaccinated if you're under 5, over 65 or pregnant, according to guidelines from L.A. County and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those populations are more at risk for severe complications from a flu virus, as are people with diabetes, respiratory issues and heart conditions. Flu vaccines take about two weeks to reach peak effectiveness."Friendsgiving" describes a meal, usually potluck-style, shared with friends around the time of Thanksgiving. The custom may be centuries old, but the word only entered Merriam-Webster's dictionary in 2020.Friendsgiving is exactly what it sounds like: A gathering close to the date of Thanksgiving, starring many of its starchy staples, usually served potluck-style, with friends instead of relatives. This installment of NPR's Word of the Week series takes a look at where Friendsgiving comes from, why it stuck around and how to celebrate it., which went on the air in 1994 and included Thanksgiving plotlines in each of its 10 seasons. Merriam-Webster started tracking"Friendsgiving" in 2007, after it appeared in posts on what was then Twitter and the early message board Usenet. The word's obvious meaning and accessible pronunciation helped it catch on quickly.There's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner. The most important thing is to make clear who is responsible for what.Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November. But many Americans don't wait that long to share a fall feast with their loved ones — that is, if they celebrate Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving is exactly what it sounds like: A gathering close to the date of Thanksgiving, starring many of its starchy staples, usually served potluck-style, with friends instead of relatives."There are your friends, and there's Thanksgiving," says Emily Brewster, a senior editor at Merriam-Webster."It's a great example of a word that is just an excellent candidate for adoption as soon as someone thought of it."Of course, people have been celebrating Thanksgiving with friends for centuries.started tracking"Friendsgiving" in 2007, after it appeared in posts on what was then Twitter and the early message board Usenet. The word's obvious meaning and accessible pronunciation helped it catch on quickly, Brewster says. "Friendsgiving" popped up in lifestyle blogs and news articles over the years before hitting it big in 2011. That year, it was both the focus of a Bailey's Irish Cream"All a word like this really needs is to just have more of a presence in the culture, and then it gets adopted into the language very quickly," Brewster says.in 2020, 13 years after its first known use. While Brewster wasn't involved in that decision, she says"it was clear that it met our criteria." "We had been seeing these examples of it for a few years, and … it looked like it wasn't going to go anywhere," Brewster adds.Brewster wonders whether we are seeing more Friendsgiving gatherings at least in part because there is now a name for them. It doesn't hurt that it's a catchy"blend word," which she says Americans especially get a kick out of and a dress code if you're planning a more formal event. be afraid to ask guests to help out. Post recalls that when her mom used to host some two dozen Thanksgiving guests, she would ask people to not only bring a dish but sign up for a job — from setting out place cards to lighting candles to checking who wants ice cream with their pie. "Some people faint when I say this," Post laughs."But … little tasks like that, when spread out over the whole group, not only make it a little bit even more of a communal experience, but they help ease the burden on the host."try to send guests home with leftovers of the dish they brought."Just because they've brought it to your house doesn't automatically make it yours," Post says. If they don't want it, transfer it into another container so you can clean their original dish and send it home with them. inform the host of any dietary restrictions , but do so"with an offer to bring something that meets your needs," Post says. arrive empty-handed."I don't think there's many rules for being a guest besides … don't make soup," Stephenson says, since it adds another round of dishes to clean. the heavy lifting before you leave the house. Since kitchen space will be limited, it's best to bring a dish that is ready to eat, even if it needs a few minutes in the oven first. remember to thank your host — verbally is fine, Post says. If your friends are into group activities, you may well get a chance to share what you're thankful for anyway.
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