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breaks down policies and programs with a focus on the housing and homelessness challenges confronting some of SoCal's most vulnerable residents.Either that, or explain to the court at a hearing next month why the city hasn’t done so, the judge said.
The city had planned to implement a new state law that gives L.A. County authority to dispose of abandoned or inoperable RVs worth up to $4,000. But the court order, issued Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin, puts that on pause and holds L.A. to a previous law that allowed the city to dispose of RVs worth $500 or less.The order stems from a legal challenge by a coalition of housed and unhoused residents in West L.A. who argue, which became law Jan. 1, gives the authority for expanded RV enforcement only to the county of Los Angeles — not the city.asked a judge to intervene, claiming L.A. is “recklessly charging ahead” with a program it’s not authorized to execute, according to court documents.Councilmember Traci Park, who introduced the council motion in October, told LAist previously that the city needs to have tools to get unsafe and unsanitary RVs off public streets for good. “These vehicles create unacceptable health, environmental, and safety risks, putting entire neighborhoods, critical infrastructure, and sensitive environmental areas at risk,” Park, who represents communities including Venice and Mar Vista, said in a statement. “Residents want solutions, not ideological wars, delay tactics, and frivolous lawsuits.” City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s office did not respond to LAist’s multiple requests for comment on the city’s implementation of AB 630.with Assemblymember Mark González, who introduced the California assembly bill. González said in a statement to LAist Wednesday that his office is “working with our partners to clarify the law to ensure the City can fully implement AB 630."LAist also reached out to City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, whose office is involved with coordinating the removal of RVs from L.A. streets, but Szabo didn’t respond immediately.Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a "Yes On Prop 50" volunteer event at the LA Convention Center on Nov. 1, 2025, in Los Angeles.A three-judge panel ruled Wednesday that the new congressional maps created by California voters in the fall are legal and should remain in place, handing a win to state Democrats who hope the new districts will swing five congressional seats for their party next year.The ruling denies a request by California Republicans and the Trump administration for the federal court in Los Angeles to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the maps created by Proposition 50. In the 117-page ruling, the federal judges rejected GOP arguments that the new maps amounted to racial gerrymandering, which has been prohibited by the U.S. Supreme Court. The panel ruled 2-1, with the two Democratic appointees ruling for California and Judge Kenneth K. Lee, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dissenting.The ruling could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Congressional candidates have until March 6 to file papers to run for office in the June primary.in the fall are legal and should remain in place, handing a win to state Democrats who hope the new districts will swing five congressional seats for their party next year. The ruling denies a request by California Republicans and the Trump administration for the federal court in Los Angeles to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the maps, the federal judges rejected GOP arguments that the new maps amounted to racial gerrymandering, which has been prohibited by the U.S. Supreme Court. The panel ruled 2-1, with the two Democratic appointees ruling for California and Judge Kenneth K. Lee, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dissenting. In the opinion, Judge Josephine Staton wrote that the panel’s conclusion “probably seems obvious to anyone who followed the news” about Proposition 50 last year. She noted that during the campaign, no one ever described the new maps as racially motivated — including the Republican plaintiffs. “No one on either side of that debate characterized the map as a racial gerrymander,” the opinion states, noting that the California Republican Party called it a “political power grab to help Democrats retake Congress and impeach Trump,” and Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi deemed it a “redistricting power grab” for political gain.” The judges also rejected Republican arguments that the voters’ intent did not matter. The majority wrote that voters clearly were endorsing the argument that both sides were making: that this was a partisan power grab, aimed at giving Democrats a leg up in the midterm elections and counteracting what GOP-led states were doing with their own districts.“Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed. California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 — to respond to Trump’s rigging in Texas — and that is exactly what this court concluded,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.In his dissenting opinion, Lee wrote that race “likely played a predominant role in drawing at least one district because the smoking gun is in the hands of Paul Mitchell,” referring to a Democratic consultant who helped draw the new lines. Lee argued that Mitchell publicly “boasted” about boosting Latino voting power in the 13th Congressional District in theCentral Valley, and that voter intent should not be the only basis for the court’s decision. “To be sure, California’s main goal was to add more Democratic congressional seats. But that larger political gerrymandering plan does not allow California to smuggle in racially gerrymandered seats,” said Lee, who wrote that Democrats likely wanted to create a Latino majority district “as part of a racial spoils system to award a key constituency that may be drifting away from the Democratic party.”Published January 14, 2026 3:53 PMMichael Gates officially launched his campaign today and he will be going up against the current Attorney General Rob Bonta.Gates has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies — and a continuous thorn in the side of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is one of the most prominent critics of the president.Gates says he wants to crack down on crime and election fraud, and make sure local cities have the final say on housing issues.Huntington Beach’s controversial former city attorney is running for state attorney general. Michael Gates officially launched his campaign today and he will be going up against the current Attorney General Rob Bonta. Gates has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies — and a continuous thorn in the side of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is one of the most prominent critics of the president. Gates was first elected city attorney in 2014 and easily won re-election twice since then. Over the years, Gates earned plenty of fans and enemies as he filed a barrage of lawsuits against California over state housing mandates and the city’s plans to require voters to show ID to cast a ballot, among other issues. Gates left the city last year to work in the Trump administration and left his D.C. post in November to return to the beach city. He told LAist he missed Huntington Beach and his family and was hired back at the city as a chief assistant city attorney. The circumstances of his return In a video announcing his campaign, Gates said too many lawmakers in Sacramento spend their time"scheming" for ways to raise tax rates while leaving streets unsafe. “California has lost its way," he said."When I am your attorney general, we are going to be toughest on crime. ... We are going to restore public safety, law and order, up and down the state of California." He said he would also prioritize election integrity and giving local cities final say over construction. You can watch his full statementIf 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.is a general assignment reporter. She covers the news that shapes Los Angeles and how people change the city in return.L.A. unions gathered outside the Tesla Diner in Hollywood to launch a ballot initiative aimed at companies with executive pay that vastly exceeds the average worker.On Wednesday, a coalition led by hotel workers union Unite Here Local 11 launched a signature-gathering effort for a ballot proposition they called the"If it makes it on the November ballot, it will ask voters to impose an additional city business tax on large companies with CEO pay that is exponentially higher than worker pay.If passed by voters, the executive pay ordinance would impose an additional business tax on companies with at least 1,000 employees whose top executive makes more than 50 times the median worker pay in Los Angeles.Progressive forces in Los Angeles are taking aim at companies with bloated executive pay through a ballot initiative. On Wednesday, a coalition led by hotel workers union Unite Here Local 11 launched a signature-gathering effort for a ballot proposition they called the"." If the proposition makes the November ballot, it will ask voters to impose an additional city business tax on large companies with CEO pay that is exponentially higher than worker pay. Representatives of some of Los Angeles' most powerful unions, including the Los Angeles teachers union UTLA, gathered in Hollywood to announce the launch. They spoke on the sidewalk outside of the Tesla Diner — a recently opened "A growing and dangerous divide is tearing Los Angeles apart. On the one side, corporate CEOs live in their own world," said Unite Here Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen."On the other side, workers … juggle two and three jobs, they make impossible choices between medicine and rent." The initiative takes aim at big corporations. If passed by voters, the executive pay ordinance would impose an additional business tax on companies with at least 1,000 employees whose top executive makes more than 50 times the median worker pay in Los Angeles. Those funds would go toward low-income housing projects, sidewalk repairs and other projects. The additional tax would be one to 10 times the typical city business tax. According to the city clerk's office, the current city business tax is between 0.1% and 0.425% of gross receipts. The campaign is part of a bigger political fight over the coming Olympic Games and who will benefit from them.launched by union and business interests after the Los Angeles City Council voted last year to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 an hour by 2028.The fight around the so-called"Olympic wage" is still playing out. A coalition of business interests has introduced its own ballot initiative to eliminate the city business tax entirely. In December, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced a motionTo land the ballot initiative on the November ballot, campaigners have 120 days to gather around 140,000 signatures from registered voters in the city of Los Angeles.Sarah Mahin, director of the county's new Homeless Services and Housing Department, detailed the proposed cuts at an L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting.L.A. County officials are considering $219 million in cuts to homeless programs for the coming fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the plan Feb. 3.The county’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing proposes reducing the Pathway Home encampment clearing program, outreach efforts and a host of other programs to make up for a large budget deficit.The county has been facing a $303 million shortfall from three main factors: increased shelter bed operating costs, expiring state and federal grants, and declining projected sales tax revenue under Measure A.Service providers warn that the cuts contradict what voters intended when they approved Measure A. The ordinance doubled L.A. County’s dedicated stream of homelessness-related funding to roughly $1 billion.Facing a loss of state and federal funding and increased costs, Los Angeles County officials are considering cutting homeless services and programs by more than 25% in the next budget year.to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday would trim $219 million from homeless services and programs, slashing county street outreach efforts in half and closing most of the sites for the Pathway Home encampment clearing program. Several supervisors pushed back on aspects of the spending plan and urged county staff to find ways to avoid some of the proposed cuts. “ I'm not particularly happy with everything that I'm seeing,” Supervisor Hilda Solis said. “I've heard from my providers that their people are disappointed.”. In a presentation to supervisors, officials said the deep cuts were necessary because of the rising costs of operating existing shelter beds and the loss of tens of millions in temporary state and federal funding.“This is really challenging, and we’re making recommendations that nobody wants to be making,” department Director Sarah Mahin told supervisors., authorities changed the proposal to avoid more than $80 million in additional program cuts. They did that by securing $39 million one-time state grants and implementing about $45 million in other cost-saving measures, officials said. Dozens of homeless service providers on Tuesday thanked county officials for shrinking the initial $303 million shortfall and urged them to avoid further cuts to services. “We truly appreciate the progress you've made, but now the remaining shortfall is devastating for Los Angeles and for organizations like ours that are already stretched to the limit,” said Georgia Hawley of Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter in Skid Row. Garrett Lee, of Department of Mental Health's HOME Team, collaborates with LAHSA’s Homeless Engagement Team during outreach in the targeted COVID-19 testing efforts in the homeless community in 2020.The rates L.A. County pays shelter bed operators went up last year. It will now pay 46% more — an increase of $86 million — to maintain the same 6,000 shelter beds, officials said.temporary funding sources — totaling about $185 million — have ended or will end in the next fiscal year, officials said. That includes $38 million in federal COVID relief and more than $80 million in state funding.Sales tax revenue from Measure A is projected to decrease by $14.5 million in the next fiscal year because consumer spending is down.There are fewer one-time funds available from previous budget years that can be rolled into the coming budget year, officials say. That number is down by $18 million.Last year, L.A. County started collecting revenue through Measure A. The additional 0.5% sales tax approved by voters to address homelessness is expected to generate about $1 billion for L.A. County next budget year. That’s double the revenue generated under the county’s previous homelessness sales tax ordinance. On Tuesday, service providers said the county cuts don’t make sense to voters who approved Measure A. “This is not what voters intended when they doubled the tax on themselves to address the homelessness crisis,” said Katie Hill, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, a Pasadena homelessness nonprofit. Dozens of homeless services employees lined up to echo that message and demanding officials restore the full budget. " My request is that you please not approve this plan without filling the gap first,” said Erin Thompson of Inner City Law Center, a nonprofit law firm. “Please find the funds. Deandra Davis, from the homeless service provider HOPICS, said cutting programs doesn't end up saving the county money in the long run. The costs get pushed elsewhere.Nearly 36%, or $372 million, must go to the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency to support housing development. County homelessness officials said that agency is expected to take on some of the homelessness prevention functions cut from the county’s homeless services budget. “Measure A has given the overall system more tools to address the homelessness crisis, but fewer of them are held directly by the county,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said Tuesday.program, which moves unhoused Angelenos out of tent encampments by offering them hotel room beds. Pathway Home would be reduced from more than 1,200 beds at 20 project sites to 460 beds at seven sites, officials said.Solis and fellow Supervisor Holly Mitchell said the program has been crucial for their constituents. “This continuing attack on Pathway Home is problematic,” Mitchell said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We are clearly heading in a direction where our ability to ultimately resolve homelessness and address encampments and continue to make the progress we've seen in the last couple of years will be severely constrained."The budget plan also includes $127 million in reductions to other programs, including at least 100 frontline worker jobs. Outreach and prevention-related programs would be hit hardest, officials said. Street outreach-related programs would be reduced by 60% and staffing in those programs would be cut by about half. Mahin said parts of the county outside the city of Los Angeles will be disproportionately affected by reductions to outreach programs. Her department recommended reductions to certain outreach teams working outside city limits, but not in L.A. That’s because of legal obligations under a settlement of a major homelessness lawsuit brought against the city and county by The L.A. Alliance for Human Rights. “There is a requirement due to the L.A. Alliance for the county to maintain a certain level of outreach services in the city of L.A. through next fiscal year,” Mahin told LAist. Critics of the spending plan urged supervisors to look at other parts of the budget to help save programs still on the chopping block."What we can't do is eliminate the programs that prevent homelessness and expect the crisis to improve,” Clark said. “ Every subsidy cut, every outreach program lost, every navigation team dismantled, each one represents a person who will fall through the cracks.”Solis said on Tuesday that she hopes to see changes to outreach spending and other recommendations before approving the plan next month.Mahin told LAist her department has been “turning over couch cushions” looking for other sources of funding to help address the planned cuts and reductions. “Unless people are bringing other funding solutions to the table,” Mahin said, “My question is: we can make changes, but what would you like to cut instead?” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said local programs are getting cut because state and federal dollars dried up and costs rose, not because L.A. County cut spending. “ We cannot invent dollars we no longer receive,” Horvath said. “We're the only level of government that has actually increased our investment. Every other level of government has decreased, and we cannot backfill these gaps.”
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