The most important stories for you to know today
L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who himself previously voted to raise airport and hotel worker hourly pay to $30 by 2028, has moved to delay that wage increase to 2030.A drawn out battle over a city law boosting the minimum wage for tourism workers in Los Angeles seemed like it was finally over this fall, whenWhat are advocates saying: “These workers fought for more than two years to improve their working conditions, only to have the very people who should defend them try to take it all away," Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said in a statement.
"It’s heartless, it’s callous, and it deepens the crisis of working poverty that is gripping our city.”A drawn out battle over a city law boosting the minimum wage for tourism workers in Los Angeles seemed like it was finally over this fall when Now there's another twist in the road. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson previously voted to raise airport and hotel worker pay from $22.50 to $30 an hour by 2028, when L.A. will host the Olympics. But in a motion filed Friday, he's proposing that the increase take effect more slowly, instead reaching $30 an hour in 2030. Harris-Dawson's proposal sparked outcry from hotel workers union Unite Here Local 11 and other labor advocates. “These workers fought for more than two years to improve their working conditions, only to have the very people who should defend them try to take it all away," Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said in a statement."It’s heartless, it’s callous, and it deepens the crisis of working poverty that is gripping our city.”Over the summer, a coalition of business leaders filed a ballot proposition to repeal the city business tax, which brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to the city. The L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce told LAist the proposition was partly in response to the City Council boosting the minimum wage for tourism workers. Unite Here Local 11 filed its own raft of proposals, including raising the minimum wage citywide and requiring Angelenos to vote on building new hotels and event center developments. This war via ballot proposition led city leaders A spokesperson for Harris-Dawson said the city is currently in talks with business and labor interests, and declined to comment further on his recent motion. Mayor Karen Bass's office did not respond to a request for comment.The main building at the Cabrillo Beach Youth Waterfront Sports Center houses training areas, a Scout store, offices and an amphitheater overlooking the harbor.A Scout camp and training facility that has operated for decades at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro is being evicted at the end of this month, according to Greater Los Angeles Scouting, the umbrella organization for local troops and Cub Scout packs.For nearly 80 years, Greater Los Angeles Scouting has provided training and programming to hundreds of thousands of youth on Cabrillo Beach, initially operating out of tents and military huts and trailers, the organization said.The Port is required to establish an operational training facility as part of its venue responsibilities in hosting the Olympic Games, as six sailing events will be staged in the Port’s Outer Harbor, port officials said.A Scout camp and training facility that has operated for decades at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro is being evicted at the end of this month, according to Greater Los Angeles Scouting, the umbrella organization for local troops and Cub Scout packs. The Port of Los Angeles is terminating Scouting’s lease at the beachfront complex so that the site can be repurposed as a training center for national and international sailing teams in the 2028 Olympics, the Port said. Tim Lebetsamer, who leads a Cub Scout pack in San Pedro, learned of the news on Wednesday night via email. “It came out of the blue,” he said. For nearly 80 years, Greater Los Angeles Scouting has provided training and programming to hundreds of thousands of youth on Cabrillo Beach, initially operating out of tents and military huts and trailers, the organization said.In 1982, the Scouts entered into a 30-year lease with the Port to construct and manage a youth camp facility, said Robert Scoular, a member of the board of directors and vice president of Greater LA Scouting. Scoular said the Scouts raised more than $3.6 million, including from filmmaker Steven Spielberg, to construct the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center, which spans over 12 acresOnce the lease expired, the Scouts remained on a month-to-month agreement for more than a decade, Phillip Sanfield, a spokesperson for the Port, said. The terms of the lease said that if occupancy ended, the Scouts forfeited ownership to the Port, Scoular said.Losing access to that “leaves a hole,” Lebetsamer said. He oversees a pack of about 30 boys, from kindergarten to fifth grade, and they use the facilities at the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center at least monthly for everything from award ceremonies to potlucks to camping. “It’s in our backyard,” he said. Many more regularly come from across the region — 17,000 youth in just the last year, according to Greater LA Scouting. Lebetsamer met with his Cub Scouts on Wednesday — a standing den meeting — and hadn’t planned to discuss the news that they might not be able to use the facility. But “that’s all they want to talk about,” he said of his Scouts. The Port is required to establish an operational training facility as part of its venue responsibilities in hosting the Olympic Games, as six sailing events will be staged in the Port’s Outer Harbor, Sanfield said. The Port will invest $5 million through the Public Access Investment Plan for repairs and improvements “that will revitalize this important waterfront asset” in preparation, Sanfield said.A newly formed nonprofit, Pathway to Podium LLC, with involvement from the Los Angeles and Cabrillo Beach Yacht Clubs, will operate the training facility under a new lease that will continue until sometime after the 2028 Olympics, according to the email sent by Greater LA Scouting. During this interim Olympic training period, Sanfield said the Port is committed to ensuring community groups continue to have access to the waterfront and facility on Cabrillo Beach. Indeed, more than half the youth who use the facility are non-Scouts, including 4-H members, Girl Scouts and students from Mary Star of the Sea High School, Scoular said. He said he hopes that can continue during the interim period and indicated discussions with the Port are ongoing. After the Olympics are over, “we hope to be able to reestablish at that site and move forward using the building that we paid for,” he said. The Port said it will issue a request for proposals to identify a long-term operator for the site after the Games. “This is a beautiful, prime, picturesque beachfront and I think it is important that as many groups as possible can access and enjoy it,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. A spokesperson for Hahn’s office said the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors was not involved in this decision to end Scouting’s lease. Benjie Spolarich, a lifeguard and camp staff member at Cabrillo Beach, said he felt “overlooked” and “baffled” by this development: If the space is taken over by the Port, he is out of a job. He said he is skeptical Scouts and the community will be able to share the space during the Olympic training period because, during past sailing events, the Port “took over the whole camp, and we only had a small portion left,” he said. Lebetsamer had planned to take his Cub Scout pack to the Pinewood Derby, where Scouts build and race unpowered miniature cars in “one of the biggest events in Cub Scouting for the year,” he said. The derby was scheduled for early 2026; now Lebetsamer is worried it won’t take place at all. “My program is going to continue,” he said. “But Cabrillo has been a big part of us making it happen.”After the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled in favor of Texas lawmakers last week, Republicans head into the 2026 election year with an edge in the redistricting fight kicked off by President Trump.finding that the Texas legislature had likely conducted a racial gerrymander. The map could yield five more seats for the GOP.It is the latest major turn in the nationwide redistricting race, from California to Florida, that Trump started to help maintain Republican control of the House of Representatives.After the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled in favor of Texas lawmakers last week, Republicans head into the 2026 election year with an edge in the redistricting fight kicked off by President Trump.It is the latest major turn in the nationwide redistricting race, from California to Florida, that Trump started to help maintain Republican control of the House of Representatives. If Democrats take control of the chamber, they could stymie the president's legislative agenda and launch investigations of his administration.At this point, it appears the redistricting battle could tilt about 12 or 14 seats toward Republicans and Democrats could counter with around nine seats pushed their way — but that all depends on the outcome of pending court challenges and state legislative votes. So a lot is still in play.This week, Indiana lawmakers are meeting on redistricting. And in Missouri, petitioners face a deadline on signature collections that could block the redistricting until a public vote is held. It won't be clear if this all makes the difference in the House until votes are counted in the election on Nov. 3, 2026.States usually redistrict early in the decade after the decennial census determines how many seats each state gets based on their population. While states used to redistrict frequently in theLast week's Texas ruling followed a drama that played out this summer after Trump called on the state to tilt five seats toward the GOP. DemocratsDemocrats in California countered Texas by approving, with a special election, a map that could flip five seats held by Republicans there.that could help the GOP win two Hoosier seats. It goes to the Senate next, where Republicans are divided on the issue. Some Indiana Republicans have been hesitant to follow Trump's call, though he and Republican Gov. Mike Braun threatened to support primary challenges against those who don't get on board. Several lawmakers have also faced anonymous threats to their families over the last few weeks.Republicans have more options for redistricting than Democrats. For starters, redistricting is done by state legislatures and Republicans control more legislatures around the country than Democrats. Also, some of the states that Democrats control have legal barriers to partisan gerrymandering — that is, drawing lines to benefit a party — or they have laws requiring that special commissions draw the lines. Republican Gov. Mike Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith in the Indiana Capitol attend a pro-redistricting rally last week that was organized by Turning Point Action.to hold a special election that could amend the state constitution to allow redistricting. Another vote is required in January to hold the election in time. If it passes, the redistricting could tilt two or three seats toward Democrats.Meanwhile, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging Republicans in control of the legislature to redistrict this spring and turn as many as five seats toward their party. A Florida House committee held its But Florida has laws against partisan gerrymandering and could be limited by bans on racial gerrymandering in the federal Voting Rights Act. On the other hand, the Supreme CourtThe VRA outlaws intentional attempts to weaken the voting power of minority communities by"cracking" them apart into new districts or"packing" them into one district.Labor unions representing employees around the 22-campus system are waiting to see if they can win the support of a Superior Court judge — or perhaps reach an agreement with CSU itself — to allay members’ fears of harassment and surveillance by the Trump administration.Faculty members, a graduate teaching assistant, and a supervisor in a campus facilities department are among the employees who have filed declarations in state court, saying they are worried that Cal State will put their scholarships and well-being at risk by handing over personal information like cellphone numbers and email addresses to federal agencies. Their lawsuit seeking to require CSU to notify employees if it receives federal requests for such information in the future is being heard by Judge Stephen Goorvitch. The parties plan to hold a conference with the judge as soon as next week, a spokesperson for the faculty union said.the California State University Board of Trustees in October, later adding Teamsters and United Auto Workers units at CSU as fellow plaintiffs. The unions said in court filings that prompt notification of future federal subpoenas would give employees the opportunity to object and attempt to intervene if they don’t want their information shared with the federal government.California State University is caught between a federal government eager to investigate alleged antisemitism and employees concerned about privacy. That dilemma has landed the nation’s largest four-year public university in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where labor unions representing employees around the 22-campus system are waiting to see if they can win the support of a Superior Court judge — or perhaps reach an agreement with CSU itself — to allay members’ fears of harassment and surveillance by the Trump administration. Faculty members, a graduate teaching assistant, and a supervisor in a campus facilities department are among the employees who have filed declarations in state court, saying they are worried that Cal State will put their scholarships and well-being at risk by handing over personal information like cellphone numbers and email addresses to federal agencies. Their lawsuit seeking to require CSU to notify employees if it receives federal requests for such information in the future is being heard by Judge Stephen Goorvitch. The parties plan to hold a conference with the judge as soon as next week, a spokesperson for the faculty union said.that it is the subject of a systemwide investigation into allegations of antisemitism and a hostile environment by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . EEOC has filed one complaint related to that investigation, but CSU anticipates others will follow. Separately, Cal State alerted Cal State LA employees in September that it had complied with an EEOC subpoena related to a January complaint against the campus of roughly 22,000students. The subpoena sought the contact information of all Cal State LA faculty and staff in connection with an investigation that also hinges on allegations of antisemitism.the California State University Board of Trustees in October, later adding Teamsters and United Auto Workers units at CSU as fellow plaintiffs. The unions said in court filings that prompt notification of future federal subpoenas would give employees the opportunity to object and attempt to intervene if they don’t want their information shared with the federal government. The conflict between Cal State and the employee unions comes amid a sweeping campaign by the White House to crack down on colleges and universities that it accuses of fostering political views with which it disagrees, including protesting Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and supporting the rights of transgender students. The University of California system and the University of Pennsylvania are among the colleges facing EEOC investigations alleging a hostile work environment for Jewish employees.it has not received a subpoena related to the systemwide EEOC investigation and that there have not been any findings, settlement discussions or other federal actions in regard to it. The EEOC did not respond to a request seeking comment. Judge Goorvitch on Friday was scheduled to weigh the unions’ request for a preliminary injunction. The court ultimately did not issue a decision and will instead accept additional briefing from CSU, said university system spokesperson Jason Maymon. A status conference on the matter is set for next week, CFA spokesperson Kenyon Farrow said.The systemwide EEOC investigation poses a subtle balancing act for Cal State, which has said it will cooperate in good faith with federal investigators while seeking to protect its employees’ privacy. “Fulfilling our legal obligations does not mean surrendering our rights or agreeing with the allegations,” the university system advises on a. “CSU is required by law to cooperate with an EEOC investigation, but cooperation does not mean that CSU accepts the allegations as true or automatically provides everything that is requested.” At Cal State LA, the university system has said it filed a petition to modify the subpoena, narrowing its original scope to exclude home addresses and details about why employees left the university. But Cal State LA ultimately provided information, including employees’ names, genders, race and ethnicity, personal phone number, personal email and work sites. In November, Cal State filed a brief opposing the unions’ motion for a preliminary injunction, which the unions have since revised. Attorneys for the university system argued that federal law preempts state privacy protections and that its disclosure of information to a federal agency was permitted under state law.Sworn statements by employees at Cal State LA depict what one described as an atmosphere of “fear and intimidation” on campus since employees learned that their personal contact information had been shared with the EEOC. Philosophy master’s student Eric Phipps said that shortly after CSU alerted employees about the disclosures, his professor and classmates in a course related to gender “expressed fears that their participation in the course could cause them to be targeted by the federal government and that CSU would not protect them.” Phipps, who works as an instructional student assistant, is now second-guessing whether to pursue a career in academia. “I feel that academic freedom is no longer guaranteed, and I am now hesitant to publish my thesis because of the political views expressed therein,” he wrote. Faculty also worried that future federal requests would seek private emails with students and colleagues, or other information about their teaching, social media use and political activism. Cal State LA professor Ericka Verba said she worries that if CSU were to provide the text of her emails to the federal government, she could face retaliation for her activism related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Verba, a member of Cal State LA’s Latin American Studies Program, said her emails also “contain sensitive information about students’ immigration status” that is not relevant to an antisemitism probe.Similar concerns have spread to employees at other CSU campuses, who said in court declarations that they are worried that future federal requests may seek information they consider confidential and personal. Christopher Cox, a San Jose State University lecturer in sociology and interdisciplinary studies, wrote that his teaching specialties — including topics like colonization and international human rights — make him concerned “that I will be targeted for the courses that I teach at SJSU if my private information is subpoenaed by the EEOC or another federal agency.” At Cal Poly Humboldt, a philosophy lecturer said he feared his views on political issues, including LGBTQ+ rights, would put him at risk. Loren Cannon, who has worked at the Humboldt campus since 2006, said he was concerned that CSU may in the future turn over information about his scholarship and teaching “that would subject me to additional scrutiny, harassment and even the termination of my position.” Institutions of higher education have varied in how they respond to EEOC investigations into alleged discrimination against Jewish employees. The University of Pennsylvania sought to revoke an EEOC subpoena in its entirety, the federal agency said in a court filing. EEOC denied that effort and has asked a federal district courtis an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.covers Orange County and its 34 cities, watching those long meetings — boards, councils and more — so you don’t have to.The Irvine City Council on Tuesday is set to vote on a land swap deal that will waive affordable housing requirements for one of the biggest developers in Orange County.If the council approves the land swap with FivePoint, the city will give 26.4 acres of land in exchange for 35 acres dubbed the Crescent site. The city will then greenlight FivePoint’s development of 1,300 market rate housing in an area where the median price for a home is around $1.5 million.The staff report for Tuesday’s meeting does not include land appraisals or a financial analysis of the land swap and the financial impact of waiving affordable housing requirements for FivePoint within the Great Park. LAist has requested those documents from the city and will update the story if we hear back. However, in a staff report, officials say Irvine can use the land in the deal to build more affordable housing than would otherwise be built in the commercial market.The Irvine City Council on Tuesday is set to vote on a land swap deal that will waive affordable housing requirements for one of the biggest developers in Orange County. If the council approves the land swap with FivePoint, the city will give 26.4 acres of land in exchange for 35 acres dubbed the Crescent site. The city will then greenlight FivePoint’s development of 1,300 market rate housing in an area where the median price for a home is around $1.5 million. The staff report for Tuesday’s meeting does not include land appraisals or a financial analysis of the land swap and the financial impact of waiving affordable housing requirements for FivePoint within the Great Park. LAist has requested those documents from the city and will update the story if we hear back. However, in a staff report, officials say Irvine can use the land in the deal to build more affordable housing than would otherwise be built in the commercial market.Heritage Fields El Toro, part of the FivePoint umbrella, owns the land adjacent to the Irvine Transportation Center, a transit station that falls in the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner route, as well as Metrolink train and Orange County Transportation Authority bus routes. That 35-acre area is dubbed the “Crescent Site.” City officials want that land to build a “transit oriented development” connecting the Great Park and Irvine Spectrum areas. According to the city, “The area is particularly well suited for higher-density residential and mixed-use formats, sidewalk-activated retail and creative commercial spaces, walkable urban blocks, and a lifestyle environment attractive to young professionals and knowledge-sector employees.” Irvine has not included plans on how they will achieve state affordable housing requirements in the staff report.California’s Housing Element Law sets housing targets for local governments to meet, including for affordable units. It allows the state to intervene every eight years to let cities know how much housing they must plan for. The law also requires cities to put together a housing element showcasing how they will achieve the state’s plan. The state then approves of the element or sends it back to cities to reconfigure according to the requirements. In the land swap, FivePoint will also give the city $15 million to use toward the construction of a columbarium for cremated remains, a new public library and other amenities on a 125-acre plot of land within Great Park — a project that may go to voters in 2026. For years, plans to build a final resting place for veterans in Irvine has stalled due to debates over politics, a property developer, site options and ballot measures. Fed-up veterans finally took their plans to Anaheim’s Gypsum Canyon, where they received the backing of the state. Irvine Mayor Larry Agran tried to revive talks ofOne of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention. Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community. The next scheduled Great Park board meeting is 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9. You can find meeting agendas and upcoming dates
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.
Police in Italy stop pro-Palestinian protesters from disrupting Olympic torch relayFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
How an Olympic snowboarder became one of the FBI's most wanted fugitivesCNN sifted through court documents, FBI announcements and Olympic history to better understand the allegations against Ryan Wedding, 44, and his fall from national hero to the elusive alleged drug kingpin known by the aliases 'El Jefe' and 'Giant.'
Read more »
How an Olympic snowboarder became one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitivesA closer look at Ryan Wedding’s fall from national hero to the elusive drug kingpin known by the aliases “El Jefe” and “Giant.”
Read more »
LA City Council seeks answers about federal Olympic task forceCouncilwoman Monica Rodriguez is requesting LA28 officials provide clarity on task force’s role in planning the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Read more »
Here's what Olympic organizers say about the reaction to the new Utah 2034 logoA week after launching the new name and logo for Utah's 2034 Winter Games to mixed reviews, the state's Olympic organizers said the public will come around to the unusual design.
Read more »
Keeping Team USA healthy at Italy's 2026 Winter Games'Don't let a cold keep you from gold,' Olympic and Paralympic athletes advised.
Read more »