via Gabriel San Román “Our concern was never about the cost of the electricity, it was about the cost of our liberty,” Robyn Seymour, a San Clemente resident and business owner, told the city council. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Wendy Fry More than 1,400 people are currently held at the California City Detention Facility, run by the private for-profit prison company CoreCivic in the middle of the Mojave Desert. calmatters.org/justice/2026...

via Levi Sumagaysay “People need a sense, particularly when they face tragedy, that the underwriters they’ve relied on and paid into for decades, will want to help and not get in the way (of recovery),” California Senator Steve Padilla said. calmatters.org/economy/2026...

via Christopher Damien “If you go back and you look at those meetings, they were stupid,” Inglewood Mayor James Butts said. The comments came after The LA Local reported Council had voted unanimously on all but 3 of 583 items over the last 2 years. thelalocal.org/neighborhood...

via Noah Biesiada The county HR department and legal team ultimately intervened to stop Schultz’s firing, despite the fact that Freidenrich said Schultz is an at-will employee. voiceofoc.org/2026/01/oc-t...

via Elizabeth Aguilera Up to 25% of people experiencing homelessness have a pet. And nearly half of unhoused people with pets report having been turned away from a shelter because of pet policies. lapublicpress.org/2026/01/pets...

via Marisa Kendall and Ben Christopher Newsom’s administration and the Legislature are adding new strings to that money, which they hope will help address one of the state’s most obvious policy failures: encampments are still rampant on city streets. calmatters.org/housing/home...

via Gabriel San Román “It was heartbreaking,” said Michael Valentine from Habitat OC’s Santa Ana office. “We saw 40 families that were going to get a homeownership opportunity, and then it just went away. I didn’t understand it.” www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

Via Sara Cardine Census taking of unhoused people in Irvine logs about 60 each year, but officials know the true need for housing is greater, particularly among public school families, according to Heather Dion, Irvine’s director of health and wellness. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

Long live Queen Gordon 👑 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qME4...

via Joe Garcia Over the last decade, California expanded parole opportunities for people convicted of crimes during their youth and for older prisoners. But the success rate for prisoners to be found suitable for parole has also gradually declined. calmatters.org/justice/2026...

via Andrew Turner Laguna Hills had bought land for the project in 2021 on the 31700 block of Coast Highway for $2.7 million, but decided to sell it and pivot to a different site just down the road in 2023 “It was a long process,” Fire Chief Niko King said. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Paul Anderson for City News Service The piece that drew complaints was an image of a Black woman with pineapples titled “Enter Big God’s Bed! Man’s on His Knees Giving Big God Head,” by April Bey, known for her work in the Afrofuturism genre. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Glendale News-Press "Phoenix Rising" by A. Laura Brody runs through March 20. The room-sized robe features irregular fabric pieces cut from unwanted donations following the Los Angeles wildfires. outlooknewspapers.com/glendalenews...

via Andrew Turner “She’s got the prettiest jump shot I’ve ever coached in 20 years,” CdM coach Brason Alexander said of sophomore guard Brooke Barry. “We’ve seen her get on runs. To her credit, we’ve been on her tail all summer." www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Angelina Hicks Commissioners found no issue with the appraisal used to increase mooring rates, but did voice concerns about under-market rates for residential piers, claiming rates for docks attached to waterfront homes have not increased for years. voiceofoc.org/2026/01/stat...

via Eric Ralls It’s like freezing a fleeting moment to uncover the subtle details hidden in plain sight. www.earth.com/news/quantum...

via Ben Christopher and Jeanne Kuang It’s an unlikely meeting of the minds of two political foes who have landed upon the same populist message: Blame Wall Street. But larger investors make up a relatively small share of single-family landlords in the state. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

via Gabriel San Román “How many units are up in the airport district right now under construction for Picerne?” Councilman Noah Blom said. “He decides no one else gets to build until he’s done.” www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

About 100 gathered in Huntington Beach to celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony for Freedom Point. Late Vietnam War vet Zach Martinez began planting a flag here in 2010 that became a beacon helping other service members find community. Story soon via Matt Szabo and @thedailypilot.bsky.social

via Wendy Fry Attorneys are increasingly turning to federal courts to secure their clients’ release because of disruptions to immigration court. The Trump administration has fired more than 100 immigration judges nationwide. calmatters.org/justice/2026...

"I want to make it clear to the public, there has been not one phone call, not one email from any councilmember here putting any pressure on staff to tailor this ordinance to suit any of their needs,” South Pasadena City Manager Todd Hileman said. outlooknewspapers.com/southpasaden...

via Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis The proposed changes come after alcohol-related roadway deaths in California surged more than 50% over the past decade — an increase twice as steep as the rest of the country, federal estimates show. calmatters.org/investigatio...

Corona Del Mar Sea Queens prevail over the Marina Vikings 51-44

via David Wagner Congress originally intended the program to continue through 2030, but last year, the Trump administration announced funding would end sooner. That puts more than 4,000 Angelenos at risk of losing their housing later this year. laist.com/news/housing...

via Malena Carollo Edison's compensation program requires participants to forego lawsuits against the company and blocks them from seeking further compensation for fire-related health claims. calmatters.org/economy/2026...

via Jarrett Carpenter Mayor Karen Bass issued a series of executive orders to expedite reconstruction. But it’s unclear how effective those measures have been at cutting through the city’s infamous tangle of red tape. lapublicpress.org/2026/01/red-...

Grassroots efforts to stop the 710 Freeway from raking a path through South Pasadena seemed like “a hopeless fight," Attorney Christopher Sutton said. But for decades, activist and organizer Joanne Nuckols refused to give up. outlooknewspapers.com/southpasaden...

via Phoenix Tso Shelene Hearring's martial arts studio was among the many businesses that were burned down or disrupted by the Eaton Fire. “That business in the community kept me going through a very rough patch in my life, and it was home,” she said. lapublicpress.org/2026/01/one-...

via San Marino Tribune San Marino High's third-place finish was the highest placing for a public school in the competition. outlooknewspapers.com/sanmarinotri...

via Ali Swenson The decision issued last Monday limits the scope of data HHS can share with deportation officials to “basic biographical, location and contact information” about immigrants residing in the United States illegally. apnews.com/article/medi...

via Sarah Mosqueda The ring-shaped pan dulce is meant to resemble a crown, studded with colorful candied fruit as the jewels. 👑👑👑 www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Erika Taylor This month, there are several self-guided access days to nature preserves across OC, like the exploration event this Saturday at Mesa Loop that offers scenic views of Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve and Cleveland National Forest. voiceofoc.org/2026/01/hiki...

New Year's Day revelers dash into the ocean for the annual Surf City Splash in Huntington Beach. Story soon via Matt Szabo and @thedailypilot.bsky.social

via Matt Szabo “I can tell you right now, though, the water is cold," event emcee P.T. Townend said. "It’s in the mid-50s. That’s pretty cold. I mean, the coldest I’ve ever surfed in Huntington in my 46 years here was 49." www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Andrew Turner “This is something that has been on staff’s radar for quite some time, something we thought would be beneficial to the city, given the popularity of breweries and distilleries in the area," said associate planner Ron Vargas. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Glendale News-Press The pilot program offers access to a regional residential mental health treatment bed, access to an enhanced care management program, and provides emergency housing vouchers for unhoused individuals. outlooknewspapers.com/glendalenews...

I don't normally do resolutions, but this one's overdue via Adithi Ramakrishnan apnews.com/article/read...

"Leadership is not about authority," recently appointed South Pasadena Mayor Sheila Rossi said. "It is about responsibility. It’s about respecting people, honoring differences and serving something larger than ourselves.” outlooknewspapers.com/southpasaden...

via Paul Anderson for City News Service Prosecutors alleged that less than a year after she was elected, she bought a home in the city’s District 4 and lived there while letting relatives reside in her other home in District 2. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Marisa Kendall It’s not unheard of for aid workers to find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a city’s crackdown on homeless encampments. The legislation follows a statewide push toward the increased policing of homeless Californians. calmatters.org/housing/home...

via Sarah Mosqueda The Jamboree Housing development project will transform a former Tampico Motel into a 32-unit permanent supportive housing community, designed to serve at-risk of homelessness youth, ages 18 to 24. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Matt Szabo "We’ve been grinding hard every single day," junior Gabby Alexson said. "I think that really showcased in this tournament. I think our chemistry got so much better. We started to trust each other more.”

via Cayla Mihalovich Researchers found the co-responder model decreased involuntary psychiatric holds by approximately 17% and reduced the likelihood of future mental health 911 calls among the four pilot cities. calmatters.org/justice/2025...

via Laura Ungar Decades of research show needle exchange programs are extremely effective at preventing disease among intravenous drug users and getting them into treatment. apnews.com/article/need...

via Glendale News-Press “Firefighters face significantly higher cancer risks than the general population due to exposure to carcinogens commonly present at fires,” said Glendale Fire Chief Jeff Brooks. outlooknewspapers.com/glendalenews...

🐧🧊🫠💔 via Mark Baker apnews.com/photo-galler...

via AP The black and white mural, painted above a garage, depicts two figures dressed in winter hats and boots lying on the ground, with one of them pointing a finger upwards. apnews.com/article/lond...

via Andrew Turner Laguna Playhouse board members and staff shared plans to shift to more widely known theatrical productions and possibly reducing rehearsal time at the venue, in part, to open it up for more community cultural arts uses. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...

via Scott French Armed with wisdom gleaned from the battles that did not go its way, and sharpening the tools required when the games that matter arrive next month, Los Amigos had victory in its sights. www.latimes.com/socal/daily-...