The most important stories for you to know today
Inglewood Oil Field in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles County, is one of the largest urban oil fields in the United States. It is set to stop producing by 2030, after operating for more than a century.The Trump administration is suing California over a law preventing new oil and gas wells from being located too close to schools, homes and other sensitive sites.
The 2022 law,, prevents new drilling within a safety zone of 3,200 feet, a little over half a mile, around schools, hospitals and parks, based on public health recommendations.In the suit filed in January in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the U.S. Department of Justice said SB 1137 violates federal law and hampers domestic energy development. “SB 1137 would knock out about one-third of all federally authorized oil and gas leases in California,” said the Department of Justice in a press release. The government’s request for a preliminary injunction stopping the enforcement of SB 1137 is scheduled to be heard on March 20.SB 1137 went into effect in 2024 after a long battle between environmental health groups and the oil industry. The 3,200-foot buffer was created to reduce exposure to harmful toxins.The Trump administration is suing California over a law preventing new oil and gas wells from being located too close to schools, homes and other sensitive sites. The 2022 law,, prevents new drilling within a safety zone of 3,200 feet, a little over half a mile, around schools, hospitals and parks, based on public health recommendations. In the suit filed in January in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the U.S. Department of Justice said SB 1137 violates federal law and hampers domestic energy development. “SB 1137 would knock out about one-third of all federally authorized oil and gas leases in California,” said the Department of Justice in a press release. The government’s request for a preliminary injunction stopping the enforcement of SB 1137 is scheduled to be heard on March 20. SB 1137 went into effect in 2024 after a long battle between environmental health groups and the oil industry. The 3,200-foot buffer was created to reduce exposure to harmful toxins. However, there are already many oil and gas wells within the safety zone protecting schools, and the law allows those wells to continue operating as long as they comply with additional regulations. Those new requirements include closely monitoring emissions, reporting leaks and accidents and limiting dust, noise and light emanating from the facility.Health and safety risks with exposure to oil wells As many Californians know, oil extraction has a long history in the state. With urban sprawl, neighborhoods and schools ended up near wells. The close proximity of children to the wells can have deadly impacts, claim environmental justice advocates, due to highly toxic chemical byproducts of oil extraction, including benzene and hydrogen sulfide. Communities close to oil and gas wells,In addition to long-term health impacts, there are immediate safety issues involving oil production sites, with several noted accidents in the past year: anfound that over 2 million people in the state live within a half-mile of an oil or gas well. About 7.37 million Californians live within 1 mile of a well — nearly one-fifth of the state’s population — with low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately exposed. Oil and gas wells are concentrated in Southern California, where they appear in often surprising places — like the oil derrick once located at Beverly Hills High School. Many schools are even closer than the 3,200-foot setback mandated by SB 1137 for new drilling, with 175 schools within 1,500 feet of an oil or gas well.— mostly in Los Angeles, Orange and Kern counties.EdSource’s analysis showed the greatest numbers of schools located in the state’s safety zone are within the Los Angeles basin, including the city of Los Angeles and the nearby cities of Long Beach, Compton, Torrance, Whittier, Montebello and Huntington Beach. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, 165 schools are within 3,200 feet of an oil or gas well, nearly 13% of LAUSD schools. In Long Beach, 23% of schools are in the SB 1137 safety zone — 22 of a total of 94 schools.Geologic Energy and Management Division, updated Feb. 18, 2026. Proximity is calculated for all well types that are not plugged or cancelled; this includes active and new sites as well as idle wells that are unplugged and may still emit pollutants and historic wells of unknown status.is an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.Protestors demonstrate against recent federal immigration enforcement efforts, outside Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026.California has funded immigrant legal defense against deportation for a decade. Now, more cities and counties are kicking in money, too.Los Angeles became one of the cities to set up funds for immigrants to use against deportation soon after Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. It was the start of a $10 million public-private fund launched by former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The Los Angeles Justice Fund, which was expanded in 2022 to create RepresentLA, is an ongoing investment by the city, county and philanthropic organizations.San Francisco and Alameda County are among the latest to designate additional money for immigrants to defend themselves against deportation.With the Trump administration escalating immigration enforcement, a number of California municipal and county governments are setting aside public money toSan Francisco and Alameda County are among the latest to designate additional money for immigrants to defend themselves against deportation. In October, when President Donald Trump threatened to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors beefed up its defense fund by a unanimous vote with $3.5 million. In March, Alameda County doubled the fund it had started with $3.5 million. Richmond, Los Angeles and Santa Clara County also have established immigration defense funds. And Bay Area cities have joined forces to create Stand Together Bay Area Fund, a legal resource completely funded by philanthropy. Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said it’s in the county’s best interest to protect immigrants, who make up 40% of its population. “ We have a direct nexus and concern to people who are working, living, raising families, paying taxes, participating in our community and keeping our economy and our social fabric strong,” Ellenberg said. “ So our local dollars are being spent to protect local interests.” Caitlin Patler, associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Goldman School of Public Policy, said the funds are necessary, given the large immigrant population in the United States and the punitive nature of immigration courts. “I don't think that anyone should be representing themselves in any courtroom when the government comes with an attorney every time,” she said. Unlike criminal cases, deportation proceedings are in civil court, which means those defending themselves against the federal government do not have a right to a court-appointed lawyer free of charge. But the cases have an enormous impact on people’s lives.Local government investments in defense funds for immigrants are not new, and they precede the Trump era. In 2013, New York City became the first major city to implement a pilot legal defense fund for immigrants, after the Obama administration ramped up enforcement. San Francisco launched a similar program the following year.by the Northern California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice found that immigrants represented by a lawyer from a number of Bay Area nonprofits won 83% of their removal hearings, substantially higher than those who had no representation. But two-thirds of detained immigrants didn’t have any access to legal counsel.in 2015, shortly after the Obama administration expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, enabling more immigrants who came to the U.S. undocumented as children to legally live and work. Known as “One California,” the $45 million fund supports nonprofits that serve immigrants including with legal help. The program prohibits funds to be used for those convicted of a serious felony. The fund is part of the annual budget year after year, although debates have emerged on whether the funds can be used by immigrants with felony convictions. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget bill that some immigrant advocates criticized as too restrictive because it appeared to expand the number of felony offenses that exclude someone from state-supported legal support. Newsom’s stance aligned with Republicans who wanted to tighten access to the fund.While immigrant defense funds started more than a decade ago, the trend picked up in late 2016, after Trump’s first election. That year, Trump campaigned on toughening border enforcement and discouraging immigration throughout the country. Los Angeles soon after Trump’s inauguration in 2017 became one of the cities to set up funds for immigrants to use against deportation. It was the start of a $10 million public-private fund launched by former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The Los Angeles Justice Fund, which was expanded in 2022 to createA month before Trump’s second presidency, Santa Clara County allocated $5 million to support response activities related to Trump’s targeting of immigrants. Since then, it has increased that allocation to $13 million. Santa Clara’s fund is more expansive than most others, Ellenberg said, supporting an array of immigration resource organizations including the Rapid Response Network, as well as legal defense, outreach, education and prevention efforts. Demonstrators chant during a protest against recent federal immigration enforcement efforts, outside Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026.with the mayors of Oakland and San Jose to announce the Stand Together Bay Area Fund, with a goal of raising $10 million to support immigrant families impacted by detentions and deportations. The cities have not allocated any public dollars to this fund, which is being managed by the nonprofit San Francisco Foundation. “ My understanding is that their role is to support fundraising,” said Rachel Benditt, the foundation’s spokesperson. “I do not believe that they will be donating money from the city budgets.” In a news release about the fund, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said it will pool resources from individuals, corporations, the faith community, and philanthropic partners to support nonprofit groups working with immigrant communities. Three Alameda County supervisors are using some taxpayer money to support the effort. It will come from the so-called discretionary budgets they receive to support activities in their districts. Supervisor Nikki Fortnato Bas said she will donate $50,000 to the cause.Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, a candidate for California’s 7th Congressional District, right, and U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, center, attend a caucus meet during the California Democratic Party convention at Moscone West in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026.The California Democratic Party is betting that a tried-and-true playbook and standard-bearer candidates offer their best chance to take back the U.S. House in November’s midtermsafter a weekend that illustrated the high stakes in this year’s midterms. In congressional districts without an incumbent, the party gave the nod to a handful of current state lawmakers who, while younger, are party insiders compared to the grassroots political outsiders who are running as Democrats in contested races.In their own defense, time-tested incumbents argue that now is not the time to bring in an entirely new class of lawmakers as House Democrats try to reign in a rogue second Trump administration.The California Democratic Party is betting that a tried-and-true playbook and standard-bearer candidates offer their best chance to take back the U.S. House in November’s midtermsafter a weekend that illustrated the high stakes in this year’s midterms. In congressional districts without an incumbent, the party gave the nod to a handful of current state lawmakers who, while younger, are party insiders compared to the grassroots political outsiders who are running as Democrats in contested races. Among the incumbents who sailed to endorsements were Rep. Mike Thompson of St. Helena, 74, who’s running for his 15th term, and Rep. Brad Sherman of the San Fernando Valley, 71, seeking a 16th term.At right, actor Sean Penn watches U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, speak during the afternoon general session at the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026.The outcome, while not surprising, disappointed several grassroots political outsiders who sought to give their party a facelift and push beyond the anti-Trump rhetoric that its leaders have relied on since President Donald Trump was first elected in 2016. “This weekend just reaffirmed why we need to push the Democratic Party for new leadership. It also reaffirmed to me why people are leaving the Democratic Party,” said Mai Vang, a progressive Sacramento city councilmember. Vang is the first elected official to challenge Rep. Doris Matsui in the 20 years since she took over her late husband’s Sacramento-area seat in the 7th Congressional District. Matsui, 81, ultimately won the endorsement despite a challenge from Vang. She argued the endorsement caucus had unfairly allowed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who was not a delegate for the 7th District, to give a speech in support of Matsui, a 10-term incumbent. Jake Levine, a former Biden White House aide who’s running against Sherman, argued that Democrats can’t keep beating the same anti-GOP, anti-Trump drum without also outlining a clear vision for addressing young voters’ anxieties on issues like the high cost of housing and a scarcity of good-paying jobs. “Yes, we need to flip the House, but we also need to put a new generation of leaders in the House when we take it over,” Levine said. “In order to sustain a party that can keep winning for many more years, we need a new message. And the people who have gotten us to where we are today are still stuck in the politics of yesterday.”, the San Francisco political titan and first woman speaker who announced last year that she would retire after her current term. Pelosi was repeatedly lauded for cultivating generations of elected officials, including Sen. Adam Schiff. His uncharacteristically fiery and profanity-laden speech on the convention floor spoke to the pent-up anger and frustration with the Trump administration that has turned even the party’s mellower figures into all-out fighters., which redrew congressional districts to favor Democrats, sent a resounding message to the Trump administration: “When you poke the bear, the bear rips your f—ing head off!”In their own defense, time-tested incumbents argue that now is not the time to bring in an entirely new class of lawmakers as House Democrats try to reign in a rogue second Trump administration. “This is not the time to wimp out,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chair of California’s Democratic congressional caucus and a close friend and supporter of Matsui. “We need people who know what the heck they’re doing. And she does.” Still, Levine and others lamented that recently, the party has mostly paid lip service to uplifting the next generation of leaders rather than actually giving younger voters a voice in elected office. Failing to tailor the party’s message to younger voters and instead doubling down on the party’s historic deference to seniority, he argued, will continue to drive voters away. One potential bright spot for progressives and the anti-establishment wing of the party was in the endorsement race for the 22nd Congressional District, a Central Valley seat that Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, candidate for California’s 22nd Congressional District, speaks during a caucus meeting at the California Democratic Convention at Moscone West in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026., a physician and political moderate from Bakersfield, had been heralded as the Democratic frontrunner and boasted endorsements from the powerful Service Employees International Union of California, a labor group, and a swath of state and federal elected officials. But she still failed to capture the party endorsement after her Democratic opponent, Visalia educator and college professor Randy Villegas, built a groundswell of support and also raised more than her last quarter. The party did not endorse a candidate in the race. Villegas said several delegates told his campaign they wanted to support him, but “there's been intimidation, outright coercion,” by Bains’ camp. Bains, through a spokesperson, denied that she or any of her supporters coerced or intimidated any delegates into voting for her.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.California wants to slash greenhouse gases by electrifying homes and installing six million heat pumps by 2030. Lawmakers are pushing new policies to speed adoption. But some of the nation’s highest electricity rates stand in the way.Though the state’s temperate coast is ideal for heat pump adoption, high residential electricity prices can make swapping a gas furnace for a heat pump a pricey proposition. That’s especially true in counties where homes tend to be larger, winters are colder or electricity is costly.If you’re a California homeowner and you’ve been feeling chilly this winter, there are plenty of reasons to go get a heat pump. They can do double-duty as both home heaters and AC-units and are pretty good at maintaining a constant temperature inside a home without the blast-then-cool-off cycle typical of a furnace.to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to curb the worst effects of a changing climate. Most experts see the electrification of buildings — swapping furnaces, water heaters, stoves and ovens that run on burning fossil fuel with appliances plugged into California’sin homes by 2030. Lawmakers are also moving this year to boost heat pump adoption – proposing to streamline permitting, and make it easier to electrify homes. On the other hand, California’s residential electricity prices are among the highest in the country — expensive even compared to its also pricey natural gas. That makes heat pumps a tough sell to many Californians. A new Harvard University study maps exactly where that reality bites – and tries to explain why some places are more heat-pump friendly than others. The public is “overwhelmed with these sorts of plans now for decarbonization: ‘This by 2030,’ ‘this by 2050,’” said Roxana Shafiee, an environmental science policy researcher at Harvard University. “But then you scratch the surface a bit more and you look at things like electricity prices.”By looking at residential energy costs, usage and winter temperatures in every county in the United States, Shafiee and Harvard environmental science professor Daniel Schrag found in a recent paper that typical households living across the American South and the Pacific Northwest would likely see lower utility bills by making the switch to a heat pump. Average homes in northern midwestern states, in contrast, would see their bills increase. That’s partly because heat pumps work by extracting heat from outdoor air, compressing it, and piping it indoors, a thermal magic trick that’s harder to perform in places with subzero winters. It’s also thanks to the region’sThough the state’s temperate coast is ideal for heat pump adoption, high residential electricity prices can make swapping a gas furnace for a heat pump a pricey proposition. That’s especially true in counties where homes tend to be larger, winters are colder or electricity is costly. . Quentin Gee, a manager at the California Energy Commission, said the advantage of heat pumps comes down to thermodynamics. Unlike a gas furnace, which burns fuel to create heat, a heat pump compresses and expands a refrigerant, like a refrigerator in reverse. That moves heat from outside into a home — allowing it to deliver several units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. Even in PG&E territory, where electricity rates may be some of the highest in the U.S., Gee said that efficiency can allow heat pumps to compete with — and in some cases beat — gas on operating costs, depending on local rates and home characteristics. In lower-cost municipal utility regions such as Sacramento’s SMUD, he said heat pumps can be a clear financial win. “Gas prices have also gone up over time as well — so both are tricky when it comes to heat pumps versus, say, a gas furnace,” Gee said. Between 2001 and 2024, average retail gas prices have gone up by 80% in California, according to federal data. Retail electricity rates, padded out with wildfire prevention costs and state-manded social programs, have increased by twice as much. Even in parts of California where the average home isn’t likely to save with a heat pump, there are plenty of exceptions. Smaller, well-insulated homes can often stay warm with minimal output from a heat pump. For some homeowners, solar panels have helped bridge the gap. Doug King, a green building consultant in San Jose, installed his first heat pump in 2021 alongside a new rooftop solar system; those panels more or less covered the monthly cost of running the heat pump. A second unit installed last year has pushed his bills higher."But that's fine, I don't mind," he said."I was willing to pay a bit of a premium for using electricity over gas anyway." Homes that already use old-fashioned electrical baseboard or space heaters are guaranteed to save on monthly costs by switching since that entails swapping an inefficient electrical heating system that uses a ton of energy for heat pumps that But for all of California’s reputation as a climate champion, most of its homes don’t rely on electric heat. NearlyDavis’ research has found that the best predictor of whether a household uses electricity to stay cozy in the winter is the price of energy. “To this day, where do we see that electric heating is the most common? Throughout the southeast,” said Davis. “What do we know about the southeast? Cheap electricity.” The consequences of costly electricity extend well beyond any individual household’s ambitions for a heat pump or its utility bill. Using fossil fuels to heat up water, warm indoor air and cook food inside homes and businesses was responsible for 13% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, according to theand started popping up regularly in American homes in the 1960s, but you would be forgiven for thinking they’re a new technology. Spurred on by concerns over climate change and policies meant to address it, heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces each year since 2021,, a clean-energy research nonprofit. Demand saw a particularly sharp spike after 2022 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-era law that threw rebates and tax credits at homeowners. Installation costs can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, which is why most federal and state policies promoting heat pump adoption have focused on defraying them. In California, the push runs through multiple agencies: The California Energy Commission tightens building codes that steer new construction toward all-electric homes. State and federal dollars have reduced upfront costs, especially for lower-income households.Even as the federal supports subsided with President Trump’s return to the White House, installation costs are “pretty competitively priced with traditional units, especially since in most cases, you are installing two appliances for the price of one,” said Madison Vander Klay, a California policy advocate for the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a national nonprofit which represents appliance manufacturers and utilities.Many homes need new wiring, larger breakers or a full panel replacement, and some require upgrades to the service connection to the grid, said Matthew Freedman of The Utility Reform Network. Costs rise quickly when homeowners electrify more than just heating, he said. Customers often underestimate how complex and costly that electrical work can be, he said, another uncertainty on top of the potential for long-term rate savings.warning that California’s residential electricity rates are among the highest in the country — nearly double the national average — and rising much faster than inflation. The report, authored by LAO analyst Helen Kerstein, cautioned that those high rates could undermine the state’s climate strategy by discouraging households from switching to electric cars and appliances like heat pumps from gas-powered ones. “If I'm a consumer, I'm going to be thinking about — not just, ‘is this good for the environment?’ That's certainly one consideration, but also, ‘is this something I can afford?” Kerstein said. “Unless folks are saving money on the operating cost, it often doesn't pencil out.”Nick Reiner, the son of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges stemming from the deaths of his parents in their Brentwood home.Reiner, if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. It's not yet clear whether the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office will seek the death penalty in this case.Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead in their bedroom Dec. 14 from what the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office described as multiple sharp force injuries. Nick Reiner was arrested the same day near the University of Southern California, according to police.Nick Reiner, the son of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges stemming from the deaths of his parents in their Brentwood home. Reiner, 32, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and special-circumstance allegations — multiple murders and use of a deadly weapon — that make him eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted.Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene is representing him after high profile defense attorney Alan Jackson abruptly dropped out of the case in January, citing circumstances beyond his control. It's not yet clear whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty in Reiner's case or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not yet announced a decision, but has said he will consider input from the Reiner family on the issue. “We take the process in which the death penalty should be sought extremely seriously,” Hochman said after the arraignment. “It goes through a very rigorous process.” It is common for prosecutors to weigh information from many sources before making a decision about whether to pursue capital punishment. “We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances and we have invited defense counsel to present to us both in writing and orally in a meeting any arguments they would like to make in consideration of going forward or not going forward with the death penalty,” Hochman said. Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead in their bedroom Dec. 14 from what the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office described as multiple sharp-force injuries. Nick Reiner was arrested the same day near the University of Southern California, according to police.Nick Reiner has been open about his struggles with addition, mental health and stays in rehabilitation centers. In 2015, he co-wrote a film about a family struggling with a child’s addiction, which his father directed.
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.
Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuitsGovernments around the country have sought damages totaling billions of dollars.
Read more »
Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuitsThe Supreme Court has agreed to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.
Read more »
Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuitsThe Supreme Court has agreed to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.
Read more »
Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuitsThe conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, among a series of lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate c…
Read more »
Slovakia stops supply of emergency electricity to Ukraine in a dispute over oil deliverySlovakia has cut off emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine in an escalation of an oil delivery dispute. Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico says Slovakia faces an oil emergency after shipments of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline via Ukrainian territory halted. Ukraine blames Russian drone attacks for damaging the pipeline.
Read more »
Colombian President Gustavo Petro: Oil Tanker Intercepted near Cuba Fueled Up in ColombiaSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »