The Brief

We’re always spoiled for choice, no matter what kind of musical groove you’re into, and this weekend has it all. It’s a great time to support our friends at Levitt Pavilion after the MacArthur Park immigration raid; they have a free show with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band on Saturday. There are also big-name concerts from K-Pop superstars Blackpink at SoFi, absolute icon Paul Simon at Disney Hall (back from a few cancelled shows post-surgery), and newcomer Noah Cyrus will shimmer under the stars at the Ford.

Plus, explore even more on LAist.com, where you can read about the volunteers working to preserve the oral histories of Eaton Fire survivors, mourn the loss of Cole’s French Dip downtown, make a plan for all the crazy treats you’re going to try this year at the Orange County Fair and get your summer reading set with these book recommendations.

Here's what else is happening around the region.

Events

July 11-13
Tryst Alternative Art Fair and NOMAD IV
Torrance Art Museum, Del Amo Crossing
21535 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Discover Torrance

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The work of more than 175 artists will be on display at the third annual Tryst Alternative Art Fair at the Torrance Art Museum, which celebrates bringing together artists from Southern California and more from around the world. The event features artist-run spaces and galleries that create conversation between artists, and it lets the public in to be a fly on the wall for those collaborations. Together with NOMAD IV happening at the same time, Torrance will light up with live DJ sets, performance art and more.

July 12-13 
Belly Laughs Comedy Festival 
Peacock Theater 
777 Chick Hearn Court, Downtown L.A.
COST: FROM $129; MORE INFO

Hasan Minaj, Margaret Cho, Kumail Nanjiani, Bobby Lee and more comedians and special guests are taking the stage at the Belly Laughs Comedy Festival, celebrating Asian-American culture. Plus, there’s a special Asian night market with food from favorites like Holy Basil and Hermanos Empandas.

July 12-13 
44th Echo Park Lotus Festival 
751 Echo Park Ave., Echo Park 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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JuanCarlos Chan

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Los Angeles Dept of Recreation & Parks

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A celebration of South Korean heritage and culture takes over Echo Park with fun stuff for kids, a lantern launch, dragon boat races, food vendors and live entertainment — including a lion dance and ballet performances. The events are all free to attend but if you want to launch a lantern, and I think you do, you can buy tickets. There’s also a 5K run/walk on Sunday.

July 11-13
Daredevil Arts Festival 
Electric Lodge 
1416 Electric Ave., Venice 
COST: FROM $15; MORE INFO

Performance art, dance, theater, comedy, even clowning — the Daredevil Arts Festival has it all. The line-up includes Psychopomp Dance Theater’s modern reimagining of Der Golem and the feel-good drag-king spectacular, The Ramón Show. Check out individual hour-long shows like John Newspaper & Friends or the dark comedy Brainwashed for a taste of local performers at this first-ever outing for the Venice fest, which features more than 20 original productions.

Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
We Outside Soccer Fest: Club World Cup Final Watch Party 
Intuit Dome Plaza
3930 W Century Blvd., Inglewood 
COST: FREE WITH RSVP; MORE INFO

Join soccer fans in Inglewood outside the Intuit Dome Plaza to watch the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Enjoy a DJ lineup, food vendors, and more. It’s a great taste of the types of fan events we can expect to enjoy when the World Cup comes to L.A. in 2026.

July 12-13
'Art Within the Craft'
120 East 8th St., Suite 805, Downtown L.A. 
COST: FREE, DONATIONS ACCEPTED; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Art Within the Craft

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Production design is often an overlooked but very key part of moviemaking, and a group of local artists is making sure designers get their due at this new exhibit. The pop-up features everything from sculpture to digital works, celebrating those who literally build the worlds we see on the big screen.

Saturday, July 12, 6 p.m. 
Art, Punk Rock and Gender Roles, a panel discussion with Exene Cervenka
Laguna Art Museum
307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach 
COST: FROM $35; MORE INFO 

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Eric Stoner via Laguna Art Museum

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Laguna Beach won’t know what hit it when punk icon Exene Cervenka of Punk Band X joins a panel discussion with friend of the newsletter Shana Nys Dambrot (13 Things L.A.) and writer Jenny Doh. The evening marks the close of Laguna Art Museum’s Carole Caroompas: Heathcliff and the Femme Fatale Go on Tour exhibit. Caroompas’ bold work combines punk rock and feminism wrapped in a fine art package.

Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m. 
Drop-In Tactile Filmmaking Workshop 
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
LACMA West, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile 
COST: $25, FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION; MORE INFO

Check out this "Drop-In Tactile Filmmaking Workshop," where you can make a camera-less movie, animating directly onto 16mm film using materials like markers, tape, pushpins and ink. It’s your last chance to catch the "Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema" exhibit at the Academy Museum before it closes on Sunday. The workshop is followed by curator tours of the show. The unique exhibit looks at the techniques of groundbreaking filmmakers like Len Lye, Oskar Fischinger and Mary Ellen Butte.

Outdoor Pick

Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
Plastic-Free July Cleanup Challenge with L.A. Waterkeeper
Tower 20
2030 Ocean Way, Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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L.A. Waterkeeper

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Do your part to keep our beaches clean and plastic-free by heading to the L.A. Waterkeeper beach cleanup. Can’t make it to the west side? North Atwater Park is up next on the calendar for a community plastics sweep on Saturday, July 19.

Viewing Pick

Sunday, July 13, 7:30 p.m.
Love Island USA season finale watch party 
The Penmar 
1233 Rose Ave., Venice 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

At this point, I think I might be the only person not watching Love Island USA. But as we are here to serve, I must share with you that the group chat is moving to The Penmar to watch the season finale, and drinks will definitely be flowing as the sun sets over the golf course and on this drama-filled (I assume) season of the reality show.

Dine & Drink Deals

Weekends through Sept. 1, 12 to 8 p.m.
Loreto x Calabra pop-up
Calabra at Santa Monica Proper
700 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica
COST: VARIES, MORE INFO

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Courtesy Calabra and Loreto

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The Proper Hotel rooftop in Santa Monica is hosting Frogtown gourmet Mexican favorite Loreto all summer long. The space is the perfect spot to watch the sunset while enjoying spicy crudo, bang bang shrimp tostadas, refreshing ceviche or an all-out seafood tower with oysters and more. Plus, margaritas and spritzes that go down easy.  

July 11, 9 to 11 p.m. 
French Fry Day: FryLab L.A.
Amboy Quality Meats 
727 North Broadway, #117, Chinatown
COST: $25; MORE INFO

Ahem, name a better holiday than National French Fry Day. I’ll wait. Then head to Chinatown for FryLab L.A. from Chef Alvin Cailan, who is taking Amboy to the next level with an experimental “FryLab” tasting room with Lamb Weston and Spiceology. There are fries, but not just any fries. Expect Bloody Mary fries and Filipino flavor-inspired Picadillo Fries. Plus, beer and ice cream, natch.

Sunday, July 13
FabFitFun x Creamy Boys
Melrose and Abbot Kinney 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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FabFitFun x Creamy Boys

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Did someone say free ice cream? Head to 8408 Melrose Place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1344 Abbot Kinney in Venice from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and score free New Zealand-style ice cream, courtesy of Creamy Boys. There will also be free stuff and prizes from favorite brands like Our Place, Thrive Causemetics, Kopari and more.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an $843 million homelessness spending plan that includes nearly $200 million in reductions to programs and services in the next budget year.

Among those programs is Pathway Home, which helps move people from encampments into temporary housing. The county reduced funding for that program by $92 million, which will shrink it from 20 project sites to seven, officials said.

Supervisors also approved $105 million in reductions to other programs, including large cuts to street outreach teams, homelessness prevention programs and other supportive services.

County officials said they had to reduce spending in order to cover the rising costs of operating shelter beds and the loss of tens of millions in temporary state and federal funding, including some COVID-19 relief dollars.

“With federal neglect and state cuts, we have to do more with less,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath told LAist. “And we will.”

The county’s new Department of Homeless Services and Housing has been warning about the looming shortfall since July. County officials solicited input on how to fill an initial $303 million gap.

Since then, the department adjusted the county’s homelessness spending plan, after finding some one-time state grants and cost-saving measures.

The budget year starts July 1.

Some funding restored

Last month, local homeless service providers urged county officials to restore all of the more than $200 million in proposed reductions to programs and services. Some supervisors raised concerns about specific cuts.

Since then, new revenue projections show the county stands to bring in $21 million more through Measure A than originally anticipated.

Measure A is a sales tax ordinance, approved by L.A. County voters in 2024, that funds homeless services and affordable housing initiatives. It is expected to generate about $1 billion annually, but exact revenues fluctuate with consumer spending.

The county’s slightly rosier revenue projections allowed the homeless department to roll back a fraction of the proposed reductions.

“It’s not a windfall and it doesn’t solve every challenge, but it does give us the ability to restore important programs that were on the chopping block,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said.

The board voted to use much of that $21 million to restore funding for two dozen full-time outreach workers and about 100 shelter beds that were previously on the chopping block.

The plan approved Tuesday also calls for $5 million in Measure A revenue to partially restore funding for interim housing in Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale. It restored more than $1 million to operate family solution centers — hubs to connect unhoused families with services — and about $500,000 for a program that helps military veterans access government benefits.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell said she wishes Pathway Home funding could be maintained. She said it’s been crucial for helping people living in RV encampments in her district, which spans from Koreatown to much of the South Bay.

"These restorations don't expand encampment resolution operations,” Mitchell said Tuesday. “The services with the greatest impact in the Second District remain reduced, and the current plan does not replace what was cut."

County homelessness officials told supervisors the 100 shelter beds they saved will be prioritized for people living in encampments and will help make up for cuts to Pathway Home.

"The reduction to Pathway Home is not a reduced commitment to encampment resolution,” L.A. County Department of Homeless Services and Housing director Sarah Mahin said Tuesday. “It’s a recognition that it was built on one-time funding and we need to expand strategies to include more cost-effective resolution solutions."

New oversight push

The supervisors also voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a new motion focused on accountability in homeless service contracting. The motion by Horvath and Kathryn Barger directs the homelessness department to work with the county auditor-controller to create strict oversight procedures for contracts, including random site visits, performance monitoring and provisions for termination.

They said the goal is to prevent the mismanagement that has plagued the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the fraud that has resulted in recent arrests. Last month, federal authorities arrested Alex Soofer, director of a nonprofit called Abundant Blessings, on suspicion of embezzling tens of millions in dollars meant to serve unhoused Angelenos. Soofer pleaded not guilty to the charges this week.

"Public dollars intended to address homelessness have gone unaccounted for under LAHSA," Horvath said. “That is unacceptable and it ends now with the county.”

Last year, the board voted to divert more than $300 million in county homelessness dollars away from LAHSA and administer the funds itself with a new homelessness department.

“As the department launches, every contract, every dollar, and every outcome must withstand scrutiny,” Horvath told LAist in a statement. “We don’t have resources to waste or time to lose in addressing the homelessness crisis.”

Barger described instances of fraud within the homeless services sector as “moral failures” that cannot be tolerated.

“They represent theft from the most vulnerable people in our community,” she said.

She also argued that ethical service providers “should not have their reputations destroyed by the criminal actions of a few bad actors.”

Barger told fellow supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting it’s their responsibility to monitor how county homelessness dollars are being spent — and to defund programs that aren’t generating results.

“Setting the budget is the easy part,” Barger said. “We have to see results. And if we don’t, we have to have a debate at this board: is that the best use of these resources?”

The department must report back to the board in 60 days with their full plan for monitoring contractors and preventing fraud and misuse of public funds.

Auditor-Controller Oscar Valdez told supervisors his office would submit a plan to county homelessness officials Tuesday.

A crew of four moon-bound astronauts will remain on the ground for at least a month after NASA delayed the launch of the Artemis II mission. During critical pre-launch testing Monday, mission managers uncovered a number of issues that prevented the completion of the test.

NASA is now planning a March launch date for the four astronauts — three from the U.S. and one from Canada — on a ten-day mission to circle the moon and return to Earth, traveling farther than any humans have ventured into deep space.

Issues leading to that delay began about an hour into Monday's test, known as the wet dress rehearsal. As the team began fueling the rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sensors picked up a hydrogen leak. Super-chilled hydrogen is used as the fuel for the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Hydrogen is an efficient propellant for rockets — but its molecules are so tiny and light they can escape even the tightest of seals. Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said they had troubleshooted the initial leak, but when they began to pressurize the tank, another leak surfaced.

"And so as we began that pressurization, we did see that the leak within the cavity came up pretty quick," said Blackwell-Thompson.

(L/R) NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, NASA Associate Administrator Lori Glaze, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, and manager of NASA's Space Launch System Program, John Honeycutt, hold a news conference on the Artemis II mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Tuesday.

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo

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AFP via Getty Images

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Hydrogen leaks plagued testing of NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022. Blackwell-Thompson said lessons learned from that uncrewed flight were utilized for Artemis II, but there's more investigation is needed.

The wet dress rehearsal uncovered other issues — including a problem with the Orion capsule, which will carry the crew to the moon. While no one was on board Monday, teams practiced preparing the spacecraft for its passengers. A valve that pressurizes the vehicle required additional attention and took more time to close the hatch than anticipated.

Teams also uncovered issues with cameras due to cold weather and audio dropouts across communication channels. "As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems and the public," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a post on X, and that NASA will only launch when the agency is ready.

Work now begins to fix the issues. NASA will require another wet dress rehearsal before giving the "GO" to put astronauts on board. "All in all, a very successful day for us on many fronts," said Blackwell-Thompson. "Then, on many others, we got some work we've got to go do."

The earliest launch window for another attempt is March 6. NASA has additional launch opportunities on March 7, 8, 9 and 11.

The crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were released from quarantine and will remain in Houston, Texas. They'll re-enter quarantine about 14 days ahead of the next launch attempt and make the trip to the Kennedy Space Center six days before liftoff.

Artemis II is testing key systems of the Orion spacecraft, like its maneuverability and life support systems, ahead of the planned Artemis III mission that will take humans to the lunar surface. The Artemis II will mark the first time humans have returned to the moon since the final Apollo lunar mission in 1972.
Copyright 2026 NPR

A trial got underway Tuesday in a case alleging that Huntington Beach illegally dilutes the power of Latino voters with its at-large election system.

Cities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges over the past decade. Most have settled out of court by adopting by-district elections, where voters only vote on a city council representative from their area, rather than requiring candidates to run citywide. A notable exception is Santa Monica — the city has been fighting a challenge to its at-large election system in court for nearly 10 years.

Now, Huntington Beach is following suit.

The case was brought by the nonprofit group Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Victor Valladares, a Huntington Beach resident and Democratic Party activist. It’s being heard by Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig L. Griffin.

The argument against at-large city elections

The plaintiffs allege Latino voters can’t elect a candidate of their choice under the current system, in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. This alleged dilution of Latino voting power, they say, leads to poor representation and negative consequences for the city’s majority-Latino Oak View neighborhood.

“Their needs get ignored,” Kevin Shenkman, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said during his opening statement Tuesday. “It is a natural result of the at-large election system.”

Latinos make up about 20% of the population in Huntington Beach. Under a draft map of electoral districts drawn up by demographer David Ely, a witness for the plaintiffs, the district that includes the Oak View neighborhood would be 40% Latino. Plaintiffs argued this would give residents more power to elect a city councilmember who represents their interests.

The city’s defense of at-large elections

In their opening argument, lawyers representing Huntington Beach argued that Latinos in Huntington Beach are spread across the city and politically diverse.

The city’s lawyers also argued that recent elections of Latino city council members, including MMA star Tito Ortiz in 2020 and Gracey Van Der Mark in 2022, prove the city’s current at-large election system doesn’t impede Latino residents’ ability to participate in the local political process.

“The system works, it’s not broken, and the evidence will show that at trial,” said Anthony Taylor, one of the attorneys representing Huntington Beach.

The trial is expected to last into next week.

Go deeper

• Why were AI-equipped police cameras installed in this majority Latino Huntington Beach neighborhood?
• Huntington Beach's controversial voter ID law is illegal
• Voting by district gives Latino candidates a boost in Orange County
• District elections mean big governing changes for many California cities