Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher billed about $1.8 million for its first 13 days of work representing the city in a high-profile federal lawsuit around providing shelter for unhoused people. The L.A. City Council had initially approved a two-year contract with the firm “not to exceed” $900,000.

In a city where most tenants shell out more than 30% of their income on rent alone, the prospect of living somewhere rent-free for an entire month is enticing. But move-in specials offering one month of free rent are often not much of a deal in the long run in Los Angeles.

California leaders announced new partnerships between tech industry giants and the state’s public higher education system, high schools, and middle schools.

Brendan Hunt shares what it’s like to play Coach Beard on the beloved show, “Ted Lasso” ! Hosts: J. Keith Van Straaten & Helen Hong Guests: Ashly Burch & Brendan Hunt @maximumfun.org @laist.com

Congress passed a $9.4 billion rescissions package that includes gutting public media funding. LAist is losing $1.7 million this fiscal year alone. That’s not just a number. It's the equivalent of 13 newsroom jobs. It’s the stories we count on. Stand up for public media: LAist.com/Action

I talked to our public radio station @laist.com about what we are doing to protect students from the feds. (answer: We can be flexible like we were during the pandemic because stepping outdoors is now a different kind of risk) laist.com/news/educati...

An incident at a L.A. Sheriff's Department training facility in East L.A. has left three deputies dead, according to elected officials and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Congress has approved the Trump administration's $9 billion rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television. The package now awaits President Donald Trump's signature.

The Senate has approved the Trump administration's $9 billion rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television — a major step toward winding down nearly six decades of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an order Friday in response to the surge in federal immigration enforcement, including retraining all city officials on L.A.’s ban against assisting immigration enforcement. 🔗 ow.ly/i6E950WoE5n ✍️ Nick Gerda 📷 J.W. Hendricks/CalMatters, Mario Tama/Getty Images

The new law garnered support from business owners and customers alike. Businesses are only required to supply lids if customers request them, but they must keep them available.

A new study looks at how extreme heat affects renters like Lopez across Los Angeles. State law requires landlords to provide heating equipment for rented units that can keep indoor areas at or above 70 degrees, but there's no comparable legislation for cooling.

A tunnel under construction in Wilmington on Wednesday night temporarily trapped 31 workers who were successfully rescued, fire officials said.

A video shared on social media showed a man being restrained and taken away in an unmarked car by masked individuals.

L.A. County has extended a ban on rent gouging after the January fires. Limits were set to expire July 1 under an order from Gov. Newsom. Now they'll last through July 31. Tenant advocates say they're still seeing 100s of illegal listings every week. More in my @laist.com story:

Thousands joined Saturday's "No Kings" rally in downtown L.A. for hours of peaceful protest before police enforced a dispersal order. The enforcement caused tense confrontations between protesters and law enforcement, and police deployed less-lethal munitions and mounted units.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will close its Center for Trans Youth Health and Development on July 22. In a letter sent to staff, the hospital cited "external pressure." 🔗 laist.com/news/health/... ✍️ Kevin Tidmarsh

The House just passed a rescissions package that would claw back $1.1 billion from public media. It is now up to the Senate. If passed, LAist will lose $1.7 million a year. That is jobs, reporting and critical public service gone. What you can do: LAist.com/Action

Sen. Alex Padilla from California was forcibly removed from a news conference in L.A. on Thursday as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was briefing the public on recent ICE operations. Padilla spoke up from the crowd to ask questions and was removed. 🔗 ow.ly/B7LC50W8CSG ✍️ Aaron Schrank 📷 Etienne Laurent/AP

The 2024 L.A. homeless count brought what appeared to be a rare piece of good news: a 10% drop in unsheltered homelessness inside city limits. But the results surprised some residents and advocates who said the celebrated drop in homelessness doesn’t match what they’ve seen on the streets.

An incident at a church in Downey on Wednesday led to one person being detained and a man in a police vest pointing a gun at the church’s pastor, religious leaders said. Faith leaders worry it’s a sign of immigration enforcement encroaching on places of worship.

Some 700 active-duty Marines have been deployed to L.A. amid widespread protests against the recent immigration sweeps. While some federal officials have defended it, local veterans of both the Marine Corps and the Army said the deployment of active-duty troops raises concerns for them.

Grey DeLisle shares some of her most iconic voiceover characters! Hosts: J. Keith Van Straaten & Helen Hong Guests: Grey DeLisle & Thomas Jane 📸: M.C. Valada @maximumfun.org @laist.com

An overnight curfew was declared for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday in response to looting and vandalism that broke out during ICE protests, officials said. 🔗 ow.ly/nplm50W7uPk

A series of local immigration enforcement actions and the resulting protests are reshaping the end of the school year in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.4 struck near Manhattan Beach and was likely felt as far off as downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

As of Sunday morning, National Guard troops began stationing in downtown Los Angeles. Two starkly contrasting pictures of conditions in the L.A. area continued to be offered by President Donald Trump and his allies, compared to local and state officials.

New rent hike caps of up to 5% will take effect in most L.A. apartments on July 1... unless City Council votes on a long-pending proposal to lower the limit to 2%. Find out where your council member stands on the city's rent control rules in my new @laist.com story:

UC Irvine campus police recently arrested a lecturer during a pro-Palestine event. In addition to facing a potential felony vandalism charge, the lecturer was banned from campus for two weeks.

There are at least two inquiries underway into thousands of contracts handled by Andrew Do over the years related to his time on two powerful Orange County boards.

We want to know which Southern California diners you love! Sound off in the comments 👇

A top Orange County health regulator repeatedly contacted a hospital executive on the board of directors for CalOptima, the county’s Medi-Cal insurer, to encourage him to discount a whistleblower’s fraud allegations against a company that needed CalOptima’s endorsement.

Alec Mapa gets surprised by Maureen Moore, Lane Bradbury, Kate Reinders, & Leigh Ann Larkin! Hosts: J. Keith Van Straaten & Mallory O’Meara Guests: Alec Mapa & Amy Hill Experts: Kate Reinders, Leigh Ann Larkin, Maureen Moore, Lane Bradbury, & Alex Baskin @maximumfun.org @laist.com

Inside berms rising from the Antelope Valley, you’ll find more than wood: thermometers, tampons, electronics, street signs and pieces of dismantled buildings. Things have gotten so bad that CalRecycle said in February that the scale of illegal dumping in the desert has become an emergency.

The Menendez brothers, who have spent more than three decades behind bars after gunning down their parents in their Beverly Hills home, were resentenced Tuesday to 50 years to life in prison, meaning they are now eligible for parole.

Bill Scott, the Chief of the San Francisco Police Department, will lead L.A. Metro’s new in-house public safety department. Dig into the decision to hire Scott, his record, and more details on L.A. Metro's new approach to public safety.

WWII Veteran, Jack Moran, shares how he once was stuck in a fox hole behind enemy lines for six days! Hosts: J. Keith Van Straaten & Helen Hong Guests: Amber Nelson & Tim Russ Experts: Jack Moran & Marc Zicree @maximumfun.org @laist.com

The Trump administration is restarting collections on defaulted student loans this week. If you have federal student debt, experts say it's time to pay close attention to your accounts and be extra vigilant about your financial situation.

Public health officials say cases of hepatitis A have more than tripled in L.A. County since 2023, prompting the county to declare an outbreak.

Officials are asking home gardeners and local farms to stay vigilant this spring gardening season.

Following the release of text messages related to the January fires to other media outlets, LAist requested to review the available public records. The mayor’s office shared some texts, but LAist is still waiting on communications from the days prior to the start of the fire.

President Trump issued an executive order late Thursday directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's board of directors to "cease federal funding for NPR and PBS." PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger called it a "blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night."

The historic L.A. County settlement stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021, and grew to include claims against several county departments, including Probation, Children and Family Services, Parks and Recreation, Health Services, Sheriff and Fire.

How Tim Russ from “Star Trek: Voyager” helped NASA detect an asteroid! Hosts: J. Keith Van Straaten & Helen Hong Guests: Tim Russ & Amber Nelson @maximumfun.org @laist.com

The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce isn't going anywhere, it turns out. 👀

Before this year’s Eaton and Palisades fires, the Woolsey fire was L.A. County’s most destructive. Six and a half years later, many are still struggling to rebuild.

Undercover tests reveal Southern California landlords are still turning away tenants using Section 8 vouchers, five years after state law made such discrimination illegal. My @laist.com story breaks down the results of recent fair housing testing.

The White House wants to rescind two years of public media funding already approved by Congress. LAist stands to lose $1.7 million annually, directly impacting local reporting and newsroom jobs. LAist is here for you—be there for us. Learn how to get involved: LAist.com/Action

Betty Martinez Franco is Irvine’s newest councilmember for District 5. Franco told LAist her closest opponent, former councilmember Anthony Kuo, conceded via a voicemail wishing her well, which he confirmed in a statement to the Orange County Register.

The L.A. region's homelessness agency is refusing to release public records to LAist about allegations of high-level wrongdoing, including whistleblower retaliation, that led to $800,000 in taxpayer payouts to settle the claims. 🔗 ow.ly/4ElN50VCxPB ✍ Nick Gerda 📷️ Brian Feinzimer, Matt Tinoco/LAist