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Plaintiffs argue that residents of Oak View, the city's predominantly Latino neighborhood, are unfairly disadvantaged when it comes to electing city officials to represent their interests.A trial got underway Tuesday in a case alleging that Huntington Beach illegally dilutes the power of Latino voters with itsCities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges over the past decade.
Most have settled by adoptingelections, where voters only vote on a city council representative from their area, rather than requiring candidates to run citywide. But Huntington Beach is fighting the effort in court.The plaintiffs allege that under the current, at-large election system, the power of the city's biggest Latino neighborhood is diluted, leading to poor representation.Lawyers representing Huntington Beach pointed to past elections of Latino candidates, saying they prove that the city’s current at-large election system doesn’t impede Latino residents’ ability to participate in the local political process.A trial got underway Tuesday in a case alleging that Huntington Beach illegally dilutes the power of Latino voters with its at-large election system. Cities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges over the past decade. Most have settled out of court by adopting by-district elections, where voters only vote on a city council representative from their area, rather than requiring candidates to run citywide. A notable exception is Santa Monica — the city has beenThe case was brought by the nonprofit group Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Victor Valladares, a Huntington Beach resident and Democratic Party activist. It’s being heard by Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig L. Griffin.The plaintiffs allege Latino voters can’t elect a candidate of their choice under the current system, in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. This alleged dilution of Latino voting power, they say, leads to poor representation and negative consequences for the city’s majority-Latino Oak View neighborhood. “Their needs get ignored,” Kevin Shenkman, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said during his opening statement Tuesday. “It is a natural result of the at-large election system.” Latinos make up about 20% of the population in Huntington Beach. Under a draft map of electoral districts drawn up by demographer David Ely, a witness for the plaintiffs, the district that includes the Oak View neighborhood would be 40% Latino. Plaintiffs argued this would give residents more power to elect a city councilmember who represents their interests.In their opening argument, lawyers representing Huntington Beach argued that Latinos in Huntington Beach are spread across the city and politically diverse. The city’s lawyers also argued that recent elections of Latino city council members, including MMA star Tito Ortiz in 2020 and Gracey Van Der Mark in 2022, prove the city’s current at-large election system doesn’t impede Latino residents’ ability to participate in the local political process. “The system works, it’s not broken, and the evidence will show that at trial,” said Anthony Taylor, one of the attorneys representing Huntington Beach.Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the A man drinks water under a tree in shade during excessive heat at Lincoln Park in Los Angeles on July 13, 2023.on Tuesday. The plan lays out strategies to achieve three goals in coming decades: cooler outdoor spaces, cooler indoor spaces and better public education about the dangers of heat.as a result of pollution trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s one of the only such plans in the region dedicated to extreme heat.The plan lays out strategies to achieve three goals in coming decades: cooler outdoor spaces, cooler indoor spaces and better public education about the dangers of heat.as a result of pollution trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s one of the only such plans in the region dedicated to extreme heat.Cities are increasingly developing climate action plans to address the local impacts of the global pollution crisis — for example, the city of L.A. has its These plans can be necessary for cities to access certain types of funding, as well as streamline decades-long strategies across departments and provide transparency so the public can understand what their local officials are doing and hold them accountable for needed infrastructure and public health efforts.Already, heat is responsible for the deaths of more than 200 people each year in L.A. County, as well as thousands of emergency room visits. Since the 1980s, summer temperatures, particularly in the valleys and inland areas, have risen on average 3 degrees, with expected increases as high as 8 degrees on average in certain areas, such as the Antelope Valley, according to the plan.Unless global pollution is dramatically reduced, by 2050, average temperatures in L.A. County are expected to rise nearly 4 degrees. The valleys and inland regions will see the highest heat: The San Gabriel Valley could see the number of extreme heat days above 95 degrees go from 32 a year to 74. But coastal areas won’t be spared: Long Beach could see extreme heat days quadruple, from just four days on average above 95 degrees to 16,in ways we don’t yet understand — 41% of L.A. County residents who responded to a survey for the heat action plan reported trouble sleeping on very hot nights. “We needed to develop an all-of-government framework for dealing with rising temperatures,” said Ali Frazzini, policy director with the county’s sustainability office. Nights are heating up faster than days as a result of climate change, affecting our sleep and health in ways we don't yet fully understand.The plan includes goals for strategies such as replacing blacktop at schools, installing shade structures, and enforcing renter protections for safe indoor temperatures. “There wasn't the same level of centralization and systems for responding to and adapting to heat as we see with some of our other hazards,” Frazzini said. Unlike earthquakes or wildfires, heat is something of an invisible threat, she said — it’s ubiquitous, though experienced in unequal ways, and it doesn’t cause extensive property damage. It’s not confined to certain regions. Despite being the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S. and here in Southern California, heat is not officially recognized as a disaster at a state or federal level, which limits funding support for public health interventions. The county hopes the plan will unify its efforts across departments and draw more state and federal funding to protect public health.“That assessment told us where our problems were and what they were, and this plan now tells us how to address them,” said Rita Kampalath, the county’s chief sustainability officer. Most of the strategies highlighted in the plan are in progress, though many have faced serious delays. For example, one goal includes adding shade structures to all L.A. County bus stops by 2045 — county leaders have attempted to do this for decades,Other goals include greening schools and planting trees in neighborhoods with the least shade. Efforts to green schools have faced stops and starts Despite the challenges of implementing the ideas, V. Kelly Turner, a heat researcher at UCLA who served on an advisory group for the plan, said"one thing the L.A. County heat action plan gets fundamentally right is that it centers people and the everyday ways that heat becomes a disruptor to daily life.""Few cities around the world are using shade maps to systematically inform heat resilience planning," she said."So, in that respect, the county's heat action plan is truly a leader."Achieve 20% tree canopy in unincorporated areas. Create 30% more county cooling centers for 234 regionwide by 2045, as well as support solar and battery installation at trusted indoor community spaces. How resilience hubs can help communities face the heat and the climate emergencyIncreasingly extreme heat is contributing to more deaths in California. Why getting data is so slowPublished February 3, 2026 1:57 PMRenters in Los Angeles County who fall behind on rent by up to two months could soon be protected from eviction under a new rule forwarded Tuesday by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. The board voted 4-1 to forward the new rule, which still needs further votes before taking effect. Supervisor Kathryn Barger cast the lone no vote.The proposal builds on an existing rule that gives renters protection from eviction if they’re late on rent by up to one month’s worth of the region’s “fair market rent” as determined by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department.Citing economic hardship many families are facing because of federal immigration raids, county supervisors decided to raise the existing one-month threshold to two months. The change, which landlords opposed, will mean tenants in a two-bedroom apartment can be late on rent by up to $5,202 and still have local protections enabling them to fight an eviction in court.Renters in Los Angeles County who fall behind on rent by up to two months could soon be protected from eviction under a new rule forwarded Tuesday by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. The board voted 4-1 to forward the new rule, which still needs further votes before taking effect. Supervisor Kathryn Barger cast the lone no vote.that gives renters protection from eviction if they’re late on rent by up to one month’s worth of the region’s “, county supervisors decided to raise the existing one-month threshold to two months. The change, which landlords opposed, will mean that tenants in a two-bedroom apartment can be late on rent by up to $5,202 and still have local protections enabling them to fight an eviction in court. “ICE raids have been devastating our entire region,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. “We’ve heard clearly today that more protection is needed.”Horvath said she would introduce another motion to hold a follow-up vote next Tuesday on increasing the threshold to three months and making it apply countywide. Her statement came in response to tenant advocates who said the change didn’t go far enough, in part because it only applies in unincorporated parts of L.A. County, not in the region’s 88 incorporated cities. Horvath said making the protections apply countywide is possible under the county’s emergency declaration tied to the federal immigration raids. Tenant advocates have been calling for stronger renter protections since the Trump administration deployed more immigration agents and sent troops into Los Angeles last summer. Andrea Gonzalez, deputy director of the Clean Carwash Worker Center, said families urgently need relief after the detention of more than 370 local car wash workers. “Many of the folks who have been taken are the main providers or the breadwinners of their family, which has now caused and left their families facing the probability of being evicted because of the economic instability that these raids have caused to our community,” Gonzalez told the board during public comment.Fred Sutton, a spokesperson for the California Apartment Association, described the proposal as “policy extremism disguised as compassion.” “Housing providers are not banks, and housing policy should not be built on compelled non-payment,” Sutton said. He said stricter limits on eviction would lead to tighter tenant screening by landlords, which would reduce housing options for many tenants. The proposal still needs to come back to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote. Tuesday’s vote instructed county lawyers to present a final ordinance within 30 days.If 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.As American athletes turn their attention to the Winter Olympics, some — including several from Minnesota, which is home to some of Team USA's biggest stars — have spoken out in the wake of the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in January."I want to make sure you know who I'm racing for when I get to the start line at the Olympics," wrote Jessie Diggins, the cross-country skiing star and three-time Olympic medalist,The day after 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot to death by Customs and Border Protection agents on a Minneapolis street, Team USA hockey player Kelly Pannek paused a post-game press conference for her professional team, the Minnesota Frost, to call the aggressive immigration enforcement"unnecessary and just horrifying."The Winter Olympics are set to open this Friday in Italy, some 4,600 miles away from Minneapolis, the epicenter of the uproar over the Trump administration's hardline immigration enforcement tactics. As American athletes turn their attention to the Games here, some — including several from Minnesota, which is home to some of Team USA's biggest stars — have spoken out in the wake of the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in January. "I want to make sure you know who I'm racing for when I get to the start line at the Olympics," wrote Jessie Diggins, the cross-country skiing star and three-time Olympic medalist,"I'm racing for an American people who stand for love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination," the post continued. Diggins, 34, grew up in Afton, Minn., less than an hour's drive from downtown Minneapolis. She is expected to compete in six cross-country events at the Olympics this month and could contend for a medal in all of them. The day after 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot to death by Customs and Border Protection agents on a Minneapolis street, Team USA hockey player Kelly Pannek paused a post-game press conference for her professional team, the Minnesota Frost, to call the aggressive immigration enforcement"unnecessary and just horrifying." "It's obviously really heavy," said Pannek, who is from the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, as her Frost teammate and fellow Team USA member Taylor Heise — another Minnesota native — nodded."What I'm most proud to represent is the tens of thousands of people that show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand and fight for what they believe in."and Bea Kim of Palos Verdes, Calif., have spoken out in advance of the Games."The Olympics are more than just sport. They represent global unity and peace,"in a post on Sunday."Diversity is what makes the United States so special. It is woven into the very fabric of our country." The Winter Olympians join a vocal chorus of prominent athletes who have spoken up about the Trump administration's tactics in Minneapolis. Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was part of Team USA's gold medal run at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris,and the three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart held a sign that read"Abolish ICE" at a game for the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled last week."I think that when human lives are at stake, it's bigger than anything else," she said in a press conference afterward. In Milan, a hospitality space for friends and family of Team USA athletes was renamed over the weekend to drop the word"ice" from the name. In a statement, the three governing bodies who operate the newly-named"Winter House" said that the new name would better suit the intent of the space, which was originally called the"Ice House." "Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private space free of distractions where athletes, their families, and friends can come together to celebrate the unique experience of the Winter Games," reads a statement released by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speed Skating of the name change, which was first reported by USA Today."This name captures that vision and connects to the season and the event."Three Eastside walking clubs are hosting silent peace walks this week in East L.A., El Sereno and Montebello to support community members affected by recent immigration enforcement sweeps.Called “For the Love of Our Communities: Peaceful Walks of Silence,” the idea sprouted last Wednesday, when communities on the Eastside saw one of the heaviest days of immigration enforcement since the raids began last June. Eastside L.A. Walking Club founder, Brissa Sanchez, wanted to host an event for people who want to show collective solidarity in their community, especially those who don’t feel safe or comfortable participating in massive protests.Three Eastside walking clubs are hosting silent peace walks this week in East L.A., El Sereno and Montebello to support community members affected by recent immigration enforcement sweeps. Called “For the Love of Our Communities: Peaceful Walks of Silence,” the idea sprouted last Wednesday, when communities on the Eastside saw one of the heaviest days of immigration enforcement since the raids began last June. Eastside L.A. Walking Club founder, Brissa Sanchez, wanted to host an event for people who want to show collective solidarity in their community, especially those who don’t feel safe or comfortable participating in massive protests. “A lot of us are probably feeling depleted of exuding all this energy towards showing up in different ways, whether it’s at a protest or constantly being bombarded with everything that we’re seeing on social ,” said Sanchez. So last week, she reached out to other local walking clubs who were interested in participating. At the East L.A. Walking Club gathering on Wednesday, Sanchez will lead the group through relaxing breathing exercises, she said. The walks are in honor of “our neighbors that have been affected by our horrible political climate,” the El Sereno Walking Club wrote in an Instagram story. Participants are encouraged to bring candles and flowers, some of which may be provided onsite. The walks are meant to be a space where neighbors can be present with one another and “grieve together,” rather than march and protest, the post says. “These walks are a moment to be present with one another, to walk quietly, and to move through our city with care.”to protest during the “ICE Out” National Day of Action, marching from City Hall in downtown L.A. to Boyle Heights and back.will meet Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at 5718 Whittier Blvd. The route is posted on the club’s
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