City controller releases searchable database
highlighting the city’s “top 100 problem rental properties,” ranked by the number of housing violation complaints they’ve received since 2014. That means tenants have complained landlords at these buildings have illegally increased rent, evicted renters, harassed tenants or cut services.
The top of the list includes some buildings where tenants have mounted significant organizing campaigns against evictions and rent increases:in Sawtelle, where a judge ruled the landlord couldn't use the Ellis Act to evict more than 100 remaining tenants, came in second. It had 166 housing violation cases, according to the City Controller’s Office. The full searchable dataset includes all cases of illegal evictions, illegal rent increases, harassment and more.
It includes more than 115,000 violations citywide and was compiled based on Los Angeles Housing Department It also notes building code citation violations and recent ownership history. L.A. renters can use the database to search for reported housing violations at their own address. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said until now, it’s been difficult for the public to search for housing violation history by address. He said few tenant complaints of harassment and illegal eviction result in real enforcement.
For example, out of more than 23,000 tenant harassment complaints submitted to the city, only one landlord has faced criminal charges, according to the Controller's Office. Mejia said he hopes the new database “will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the city to act.
”Six people died in California immigration detention centers over the past year as the crowded sites struggled to provide basic medical care, according to a new state investigation detailing conditions inside the facilities. The 175-page report released Friday offers the most detailed look to date inside the detention centers that are often in remote areas of the state and hard to access for attorneys, families, and advocates.
It documents the highest death toll since the state began conducting inspections of the centers seven years ago. In 2024, there were zero deaths in California detention centers, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association's list of Immigration and Customs Enforcement press releases tracking them, and the Attorney General’s office. In California, four of the deaths occurred at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County.
Two other people died at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility near the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico. In all four of the Adelanto cases, families of the deceased allege the facility failed to provide adequate medical care, the report states.
Eighteen people have died in facilities this year across the country, around one person a week Six people died in California immigration detention centers over the past year as the crowded sites struggled to provide basic medical care, The 175-page report released Friday offers the most detailed look to date inside the detention centers that are often in remote areas of the state and hard to access for attorneys, families, and advocates. It documents the highest death toll since the state began conducting inspections of the centers seven years ago.
In 2024, there were zero deaths in California detention centers, according toEighteen people have died in facilities this year across the country, around one person a week. Since the start of the Trump administration, 48 people have died in detention. A study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that In California, four of the deaths occurred at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County.
Two other people died at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility near the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico. In all four of the Adelanto cases, families of the deceased allege the facility failed to provide adequate medical care, the report states.in response to concerns about conditions. Investigators and medical experts did two-day site visits at each facility and interviewed 194 people from more than 120 countries.operating in California in the early months of the second Trump administration.
This year, state investigators drilled in on how the dramatic surge in detainee populations strained conditions and access to medical care at all of the facilities now operating across California. Some detainees described only having beans and bread to eat, which gave them diarrhea, and extremely cold temperatures that caused them to try to turn their socks into extra arm sleeves. At one facility, investigators documented not enough toilets to serve the population, with detainees reporting dirty bathrooms.
Several detainees cried as they relayed the conditions of their confinement in California City to state investigators. Most of the people detained have not been convicted of any crime.
“This is cruel, inhumane, and unacceptable,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta, adding that his office “worked tirelessly to shine a light” on the conditions. State investigators wrote that the detention centers had not increased medical staffing to match the dramatic rise in the number of detainees. At a new detention center that opened in a former state prison in California City last year, investigators described “crisis-level” medical staffing that contributed to delays in care.
At the time, the center had only one physician for nearly 1,000 detainees. All of the detention centers are managed by private companies under contracts with the federal government. State investigators wrote that the companies and the federal agency are failing to meet their own standards of care. CalMatters reached out to ICE and the three private prison companies that operate facilities in California.
A spokesperson for MTC, which operates the site in Imperial County, said the company takes the report seriously and is conducting a review of its findings.
"Our focus is on the people in our care, the Imperial-specific findings, and the continued work of providing safe, humane, and standards-compliant care," said MTC spokesperson Emily Lawhead. Christopher V. Ferreira, a spokesperson for the private prison company GEO Group, in a written statement said detainees have access to"around the clock" medical care and other services.
"In all instances, our support services are monitored by ICE, including by on-site agency personnel, and other organizations within the Department of Homeland Security to ensure compliance with ICE’s detention standards and contract requirements regarding the treatment and services ICE detainees receive," he said. Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for the private prison company CoreCivic, said"all our immigration facilities where we provide healthcare adhere to federal detention standards, including staffing.
"State investigators also described in their report how the Trump administration rolled back federal protections for detainees. Since January 2025, the federal government has defunded legal programs to inform people of their rights, shut down Department of Homeland Security civil rights oversight offices, and stopped protections for transgender detainees, the report states. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stopped including congressionally mandated data on transgender people in its biweekly statistical reports in February 2025, the report says.
The agency also removed from its website a policy memo that committed the agency to creating a safe environment for transgender people. Loba, a transgender woman from El Salvador who was detained at California City for six months in 2025, told CalMatters she experienced traumatizing sexual harassment and intimidation from guards while being housed in the male dorms.
She asked CalMatters to only identify her by her first name because she fears retaliation for speaking about the conditions and for her safety in her home country. The situation was so stressful, she said, that she finally decided to sign her voluntary departure paperwork to go back home to El Salvador.
“That is absolutely the reason,” she said. “I have been fighting my immigration case for two years, and then after not being around my community and the lack of support for the LGBTQ+ community inside detention centers, and then being a victim of harassment, it was really intimidating. It was very traumatizing. ”During one incident at Adelanto, a person reported to state inspectors that guards deployed pepper spray in a confined room holding about 50 people.
At the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, investigators flagged concerns about strip-searching. The report states Otay Mesa is the only facility in California that has a policy of strip-searching detainees after every visit they have with someone who is not a lawyer. Women described the searches as “humiliating” and “denigrating” after being searched in front of male officers, sometimes even while menstruating. Both males and females described feeling “violated” by the practice.
One person told inspectors they had stopped visiting their family altogether to avoid the searches. At the time of the investigators’ visits, 6,028 people were held in immigration detention in California. That was up 162% from the 2,300 held during inspections in 2023. California is also home to two of the seven largest facilities nationwide.
Detainees in California were mostly from Mexico, India, Guatemala, El Salvador, China, Russia, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, and Honduras. California Democrats during both of Trump’s terms have adopted policies that were meant to block the detention centers from operating. In 2019, California tried to ban private for-profit detention centers from operating in the state, but GEO Group successfully sued to stop it.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the ban violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by preventing the federal government from conducting immigration enforcement. ICE opened two detention centers in California over the past year, first the one in California City and then one in McFarland called Central Valley Annex. It began receiving detainees in April 2026 while the report was being finalized, but the state says it will begin monitoring that detention center as well.
Both of the sites were previously used to hold state prison inmates under contracts with California’s corrections system. This year California Democrats are carrying a range of bills to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. One by Assemblymember Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat,The FIFA World Cup 2026 Los Angeles logo is displayed during a media event for the upcoming FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Long Beach, in collaboration with LA Galaxy, will host a series of free watch parties in downtown Long Beach for the early stages of the FIFA World Cup this summer. Starting June 12, the city will begin holding live match viewings along with various events that will include two free soccer clinics at Lincoln Park, giveaways, limited-edition merchandise offerings and appearances by current and former Galaxy players along with soccer clinics.
Long Beach will not have an official FIFA Fan Zone because the city withdrew its bid following a series of talks with organizers. That means the city’s events this June will not feature FIFA’s logo or the term “World Cup Fan Zone. ” They will be able to show live games through the partnership with Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy.
Long Beach, in collaboration with LA Galaxy, will host a series of free watch parties in downtown Long Beach for the early stages of the FIFA World Cup this summer. Starting June 12, the city will begin holding live match viewings along with various events that will include two free soccer clinics at Lincoln Park, giveaways, limited-edition merchandise offerings and appearances by current and former Galaxy players along with soccer clinics.
An event map is still being finalized, but the games will be shown on a big screen set up along Pine Avenue, said city spokesperson Laath Martin. LA Galaxy will host free soccer clinics at Lincoln Park on June 12 and June 19 for children aged 6 to 14.
You can find more information and register for the clinics Traffic on Pine Avenue will be closed between Broadway and Third Street from June 12-27, while Broadway between Pine and Pacific avenues will be shut down only on the seven event days. That means the city’s events this June will not feature FIFA’s logo or the term “World Cup Fan Zone. ”Keep up with LAist. 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. Queer Mercado started as a monthly pop-up event at the East L.A. Civic Center in the summer of 2021. Now, the community marketplace is launching a new residency at the historic Olvera Street plaza in downtown L.A.
Its founder, Diana Diaz, says the goal is to promote culture and inclusivity, and to empower marginalized communities in the area. Diaz is a handbag designer and high school counselor based out of East L.A. She’s been vending with her family since she was a young girl and started a community marketplace called the Goddess Mercado back in 2021 to reconnect with friends and other local vendors after the pandemic.
One of her students gave her the idea to create a similar space for the queer community. Diaz has her own kiosk at Olvera Street and says foot traffic has been down in recent months, in part due to fears of immigration raids. But she said the event is a chance to create a more inclusive space and to reflect more of the diverse, cultural fabric that exists within Los Angeles.
Queer Mercado started as a monthly pop-up event at the East L.A. Civic Center in the summer of 2021. Now, the community marketplace is launching a new residency at the historic Olvera Street plaza in downtown L.A. The event will feature local queer-owned businesses, makeup tutorials, live artist paintings, drag performers and a fashion show.
Queer Mercado's founder, Diana Diaz, said the goal is to promote culture and inclusivity, and to empower marginalized communities in the area. You're gonna see a lot of culture, fashion, a wide range of ages and genders, and performers that really reflect the landscape of LA,” she said. Diaz is a handbag designer and high school counselor based out of East L.A.
She’s been vending with her family since she was a young girl and started a community marketplace called the Goddess Mercado in 2021 to reconnect with friends and other local vendors after the pandemic. One of her students gave her the idea to create a similar space for the queer community.
“He told me, 'Miss, this is great that you're doing for the women of East L.A. , but what about the queer community? I'm tired of going to the West Side. I don't fit in,'” she said.
Diaz has her own kiosk at Olvera Street and said foot traffic has been down in recent months, in part due to fears of immigration raids. But she said the event is a chance to create a more inclusive space and to reflect more of the diverse, cultural fabric that exists within Los Angeles.
“ It's full of history and love and positivity, and it gave birth to a lot of businesses and movements,” Diaz said. “And it's a site of celebrations and rituals and protests. ”Stop by Juanita's Cafe, and ask for the “queer combo. ” It’s not on the menu, but you’ll get a free drink.
Longtime"Big Bang" organizer John Morris and the Queen Mary got approval for their 4th of July firework shows from the state’s Water Resources Control Board. But, unlike the Queen Mary, Morris also had to convince the Coastal Commission. : For years, Coastal Commission staff routinely approved Morris’ permit, but after complaints and a lawsuit alleging the fireworks polluted the water and harmed migratory birds nesting nearby, the statewide board has given him more scrutiny.
In 2024, the Coastal Commission gave him an ultimatum: It was time to switch to drones, which they viewed as more environmentally friendly and less disorienting to the birds. They warned in 2025 that it was the last time they would approve fireworks over Alamitos Bay.
For America’s 250th birthday this July 4, the Queen Mary in Long Beach is promising to pull out all the stops: a WW II aircraft flyover, buffet and music, all capped off with an extra-long fireworks display — 20 minutes of pyrotechnics exploding over the bay. For America’s 250th birthday this July 4, the Queen Mary in Long Beach is promising to pull out all the stops: a WW II aircraft flyover, buffet and music, all capped off with an extra-long fireworks display — 20 minutes of pyrotechnics exploding over the bay.
But just a few miles down the coast, the city’s Alamitos Bay will be quiet over the holiday weekend. The July 3 Big Bang on the Bay couldn’t get the OK from state regulators, so longtime organizer John MorrisBoth Morris and the Queen Mary got approval for their shows from the state’s Water Resources Control Board, which found no tangible rise in water pollution after previous shows, water board spokesperson Ailene Voisin said.
But, unlike the Queen Mary, Morris also had to convince the Coastal Commission. That process has gotten significantly more difficult.alleging the fireworks polluted the water and harmed migratory birds nesting nearby, the statewide board has given him more scrutiny. In 2024, the Coastal Commission gave him an ultimatum: It was time to switch to drones, which they viewed as more environmentally friendly and less disorienting to the birds.
They warned in 2025 that it wasThe commission has ceded its authority over the Queen Mary show to the Port of Long Beach, where it’s permanently docked, according to commission spokesperson Joshua Smith. Because the Coastal Commission previously approved a master plan from the port that defines what’s allowed in its boundaries and what isn’t, the commission doesn’t weigh in on individual events. Anything with potential environmental impacts falls under the port’s scope, Smith said.
The port, apparently, is fine with the fireworks. Spokesperson Lee Peterson said he could find no record of the port requiring any permitting or exercising any oversight of the Queen Mary show. So with another fireworks show happening in Long Beach as well as others up and down the California coast, Morris tried to charge ahead with his show — even with the Coastal Commission’s previous warning. He asked for one more approval.
He told commissioners there was no safe way to launch the drones. Plus, he said, they were prohibitively expensive. John Morris, owner of the Boathouse on the Bay restaurant and longtime Big Bang on the Bay organizer in Long Beach on May 14, 2025. Commissioners were unmoved.
They denied his request for fireworks, saying he’d had ample warning, and Morris canceled his event altogether.that he chose that route. They offered a compromise. They’d be willing to consider a fireworks show at an alternate location — just not over Alamitos Bay and its nesting birds. Moving the show would ruin his chances of getting funding from residents whose homes ring the bay.
They’ve gotten used to having the fireworks essentially in their backyards and have given generously to support the show in the past. Additional proceeds, nearly $2 million since the Big Bang began in 2011, go to charity, according to Morris. — the so-called Fireworks for Freedom Act — will garner enough votes to pass the legislature. It was introduced April 30 by Rep.
Ken Calvert and would pave the way for any fireworks display “by temporarily suspending Federal and State regulatory restrictions” for this year only.
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