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Residents embrace in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8.The initiative will provide paid career opportunities and financial assistance to people looking for a fresh start in Long Beach.
To start, 10 people will get up to 300 hours of paid work experience with local employers. Another five people also will get training scholarships of up to $7,500 in high-demand fields like health care and information technology.Long Beach’s Economic Development and Opportunity office also is looking for local employers to provide on-the-job training for applicants.American Cinematheque also programs the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz Theater, making it a visible and active film arts nonprofit in the industry.VDC says it's eyeing a 2027 opening for the Village Theater, and is currently in the quiet phase of a capital campaign to raise $25 million to restore and remodel the Village Theater into a more than 1,000-seat venue.This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office shows Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has been accused of setting a fire that led to the Palisades Fire.The man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire in January will remain in custody without bond, U.S. Judge Rozella Oliver decided Tuesday in Los Angeles. Jonathan Rinderknecht has beenRinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury in October and is charged with one count of arson, one count of timber set afire and one count of destruction of property by means of fire.and faces anywhere from five to 45 years in federal prison if convicted. His trial is set to begin April 21, 2026. His lawyers recently asked the court to allow him out of custody as he awaits trial., prosecutors said Rinderknecht is a flight risk because of his familial ties to France, as well as a danger to the community. The filing states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home and that he purchased a gun and threatened to kill his brother-in-law. Prosecutors also raised the fact that a judge determined in October that the suspect’s mental health had declined.Rinderknecht set fire to brush near the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Santa Monica Mountains at around midnight Jan. 1, starting the Lachman Fire. Though the fire was held to just 8 acres and was believed to have been extinguished, authorities say itamid strong, dry winds a week later. That fire grew into the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures.California law requires banks to let homeowners delay their mortgage payments for up to one year as they recover from the January fires. But that period rapidly is coming to a close, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says the timeline should be much longer.On Tuesday, Bass asked mortgage companies to voluntarily extend relief for another three years, which would bring the total forbearance period to four years after the Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed thousands of homes.Under Assembly Bill 238, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, homeowners affected by the Palisades or Eaton fires can request mortgage forbearance for up to 12 months. This law extended a previous 90-day forbearance period banks agreed to honor after the fires.Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, said he’s not sure Bass will convince banks to agree to these terms. And he said homeowners would need to closely scrutinize any relief plan. Depending on the details around interest payments, he said, some homeowners could exit the forbearance period owing more on their mortgage than their property is worth.to learn why Green says Bass’ proposal is similar to President Donald Trump’s suggestion of creating a 50-year mortgage.as they recover from the January fires. But that period rapidly is coming to a close, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says the timeline should be much longer. On Tuesday, Bass asked mortgage companies to voluntarily extend relief for another three years, which would bring the total forbearance period to four years after the Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed thousands of homes. “Many impacted residents remain in temporary housing and face mounting financial strain,” Bass said in a news release. “They're piecing life together while having to negotiate with contractors and wait for insurance claims to come through. "Asking them to shoulder mortgage payments on top of all that would force them into an impossible — and unacceptable — choice.”Under Assembly Bill 238, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, homeowners affected by the Palisades or Eaton fires can request mortgage forbearance for up to 12 months. The law extended a previous 90-day forbearance period that banks Bass’ office said she wants the banks to agree to let homeowners take another three years of deferred payments and put them on the back end of their mortgage. The mayor also is requesting that banks refrain from charging fees or penalties and leave mortgage holders’ credit scores unaffected by the extended relief period.Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, said he’s not sure Bass will convince banks to agree to these terms. And he said homeowners would need to closely scrutinize any relief plan. Depending on the details around interest payments, he said, some homeowners could exit the forbearance period owing more on their mortgage than their property is worth.50-year mortgage to address nationwide housing affordability concerns. Both plans adjust financing terms without tackling the fundamental reason housing costs so much, he said. “It's not a great deal,” Green said. “We need to be able to build more housing faster, whether it's in the aftermath of a disaster or not.”of thousands of fire survivors that found about 80% of residents displaced by the Eaton Fire and about 90% of those displaced by the Palisades Fire still have not returned to their previous homes. Many now are paying rent for temporary housing in addition to their regular mortgage payment. The survey found that within the next year, 23% of Altadena residents and 29% of Pacific Palisades residents will run out of insurance payments that cover the cost of that new rent.The Trump administration unveiled a sweeping plan Tuesday to sidestep Congress and outsource large pieces of the U.S. Department of Education, telling lawmakers and staff that it would shift work dedicated to, among other things, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education and Indian education to other federal agencies.According to two people who were briefed on the plan by the Trump administration, and who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, the administration has forged six new agreements between the Education Department and other agencies, offloading day-to-day operations of congressionally-required programs while retaining a small contingent of staff at the department.The Trump administration unveiled a sweeping plan Tuesday to sidestep Congress and outsource large pieces of the U.S. Department of Education, telling lawmakers and staff that it would shift work dedicated to, among other things, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education and Indian education to other federal agencies.According to two people who were briefed on the plan by the Trump administration, and who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, the administration has forged six new agreements between the Education Department and other agencies, offloading day-to-day operations of congressionally-required programs while retaining a small contingent of staff at the department. For example, under these new agreements, much of the work of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which includes managing Title I, a key federal funding stream that helps schools support low-income students, would shift to the U.S. Department of Labor, as would much of the work of the Office of Postsecondary Education. The U.S. Department of the Interior would take on much of the work of the department's Office of Indian Education. The U.S. Department of State would take on international education and foreign language studies programming.published Sunday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote of this kind of agreement:"We'll peel back the layers of federal bureaucracy by partnering with agencies that are better suited to manage programs and empowering states and local leaders to oversee the rest. These partnerships are commonplace across the federal government to improve service delivery and increase efficiency." In July, the Education Department announced one such agreement with the Labor Department, in which Labor took on responsibility for adult education and family literacy programs previously administered by the Education Department, though anTuesday's agreements do not include a handful of the department's signature responsibilities, including special education, student civil rights enforcement and student loans. Opponents of the administration's move say, given that Congress created these offices and explicitly located them inside the Education Department, the White House cannot legally move their work without Congress' approval. U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the Senate education committee, said in a statement,"This is an outright illegal effort to continue dismantling the Department of Education, and it is students and families who will suffer the consequences as key programs that help students learn to read or that strengthen ties between schools and families are spun off to agencies with little to no relevant expertise and are gravely weakened—or even completely broken—in the process." In briefing lawmakers and staff, the department insisted that these programs' statutory responsibilities would remain at the department, even if the work would be done elsewhere. It's unclear if retaining a modicum of department staff, in partnership with other agencies, will be enough to convince the courts the administration is following federal law. According to NPR's two sources, the briefing was led by Lindsey Burke, now deputy chief of staff for policy and programs at the department, who also co-authored the education section of the conservative government blueprint, Project 2025, outlining how to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. "The federal Department of Education should be eliminated. When power is exercised, it should empower students and families, not government,"
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