Topline:
A landmark Filipinotown mural has been changed to show singer Jake Zyrus as he is today — years after he came out as a trans man.
The backstory: First painted in 1995 to celebrate Filipino American history, the mural added a portrait of singer Jake Zyrus in 2011. Zyrus came out as a trans man in 2017, and some community members began pushing for the artwork to reflect Zyrus’ identity.
Go deeper: A Filipino pop icon, a mural and a deadnaming controversy
A landmark mural in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown has been updated to reflect the identity of one of its subjects, the singer Jake Zyrus, who came out years ago as a trans man.
The revision follows more than a year of discussions and meetings that involved Filipino-led groups, local nonprofits and the muralist, Eliseo Art Silva, who first painted the sprawling work 30 years ago . Supporters of the changes say it's a joyous moment at a time when trans rights are under legal and legislative attack.
As part of the changes made with public input, Silva replaced Zyrus’ pre-transition image with a depiction of the city’s first Filipino American councilmember, Ysabel Jurado. A new portrait of Zyrus, meanwhile, is located a few feet to the left, framed in an oval.
The new images were celebrated last week in a dedication ceremony falling on Filipino American History Month that included appearances by Zyrus and Jurado.
Zyrus declined to speak at the event but on Instagram stories thanked those who advocated for the change and “for seeing me, even when I’m quiet. For hearing me, even when I’m silenced.”
Zyrus, the first Asian solo artist to reach Billboard’s Top 10 albums chart, publicly transitioned in 2017 and has since continued to perform and speak about his journey of self-discovery and acceptance amid intensifying scrutiny over transgender rights.
“I don’t know what comes next,” he wrote on Instagram. “I just know I’ll never understand why being yourself — freely, quietly, joyfully — is such a threat to others.”
In 1995, Silva painted the 150-foot-wide mural depicting Filipino American history on the exterior wall of a building that now houses Rideback, the film and television production company, and faces Unidad Park.
Named “Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana,” which means “A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy” in Tagalog, the mural features noteworthy Filipinos such as labor leader Larry Itliong and apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas.
Updates have been made to the mural along the way, including the addition of Zyrus’ depiction, completed in 2011. Six years later, the singer transitioned, and talk began bubbling up about updating the mural. But it was not until last year, when Filipino American arts organization Sunday Jump posted on Instagram pushing for the change, that the debate burst into the open.
Silva at the time said he was open to an update but also listed a number of considerations, including funding and creative principles.
He said he had placed the original image of Zyrus by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to symbolize the first woman and first man from a foundational creation myth from the Philippines, noting both defied societal expectations given their modest beginnings and represented Filipino resilience.
"I cannot just disrupt the narrative,” Silva said last year after the controversy deepened. “It's going to compromise the integrity of the entire mural.”
Contacted last week via a messaging app, Silva said he was in the Philippines and declined to comment about the redesign.
But after the story was published several days later, he sent a message saying “my voice as the artist had been sidelined” during the process to update the mural.
He chose not to participate in the dedication ceremony which he said prioritized patrons who were not present during the mural’s “formative years” over the artist “who carried the weight of the work." He also criticized what he described as a failure to honor the mural’s 30th anniversary.
Gana said they and others who pushed for the mural update recognized the milestone it had hit and respected the community members who informed past versions of the mural.
“I am happy that the 30th anniversary has been reached,” Gana said. “I hope that this mural exists for 30 more years.”
Gana said the update process was “collaborative but I don’t want to say it was smooth sailing.”
“There were creative differences and ideas of what art is and how it can be static but also how it can change and what does it mean to be a people’s mural,” Gana said.
The most important thing for Gana “is that the mural was done and Jake is happy and having his authentic self there." Gana, who is a therapist, said that when someone is misgendered, chances of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation increase.
The updates to the mural, which is overseen by the park's steward the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, was paid for with about $10,000 in city funds, which will also be used to touch up the left side of the mural focused on earlier chapters of Filipino history.
Bz Zhang, a project manager with the land trust, said the non-profit worked with the office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez to support the "community-led reparative process to celebrate trans and queer Filipinx community, honor the evolving legacies of past, present, and future in the Philippines and its diaspora within Eliseo Art Silva's incredible work, and deepen our relationships with one another in Historic Filipinotown."
Gana said that they hope updates to the mural — and the dialogue surrounding it — will allow for more public art that represents the diversity of communities in Historic Filipinotown. They said that's already begun with the arrival of new murals on Rosemont and Temple, and another on Temple and Union.
Days after the polls closed in Los Angeles County, Measure ER — a proposed half-percent local sales tax increase aimed at generating healthcare funds to offset massive federal cuts — appears to be losing.
If that happens, it will be the first time in more than a decade that county voters said no to a sales tax measure.
If the measure fails, it would be the first time in more than a decade that county voters rejected a sales tax measure. Even if it scrapes by, the margin signals that affordability concerns are eroding support in a historically tax-friendly electorate.
What's next: Vote counts update daily through June 12, with final certification by July 2. Several more tax measures are expected on the November ballot — including a firefighters' sales tax in the city of L.A. and a statewide billionaire's tax that has already qualified.
Read on ... for details on Measure ER.
Days after the polls closed in Los Angeles County, Measure ER — a proposed half-percent local sales tax increase aimed at generating healthcare funds to offset massive federal cuts — appears to be losing.
If that happens, it will be the first time in more than a decade that county voters said no to a sales tax measure.
“It’s been almost like any tax measure will pass," said Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University political science professor.
Not anymore. Experts say affordability concerns may be eroding support even among L.A. County's traditionally tax-friendly voters.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be known for days or weeks after Election Day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known.
“Number one, we're spent,” Guerra said. "Number two, we don't trust the general decision-making. Number three, when we've given you specific dollars for specific issues, you haven't done it.”
The votes are still being counted, but as of Friday evening Measure ER was losing 48.5% to 51.5%.
It requires a simple majority to pass.
Measure ER would raise county sales tax from 9.75% to 10.25% for five years, generating an estimated $1 billion a year for the county’s general fund. County supervisors approved a spending plan directing those dollars to offset cuts to Medi-Cal under the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill.
But that plan is not legally binding — a detail that critics of Measure ER hammered throughout the campaign.
The Yes on ER campaign committee, called Restore Healthcare for Angelenos, was backed largely by nonprofit health clinics and led by St. John's Community Health, a nonprofit that operates a large network of health clinics in Southern California. The campaign raised nearly $10 million to spread its message in TV ads that told voters, “Trump’s cuts are threatening hospitals and ERs,” and in mailers that urged them to raise the tax a “temporary half a penny to save healthcare access.”
The No on ER campaign committee, No Blank Checks LA County, was led by the L.A. County Taxpayers Association. It raised less than $10,000, according to L.A. County campaign finance filings. Aidan Chao, chairman of the taxpayers group, said he’s confident the No campaign’s narrow lead will hold.
“LA County voters are sending a clear message,” Chao told LAist. “They reject another bait and switch sales tax increase on top of the cost-of-living pressures families are already shouldering.”
As of Friday, Measure ER was behind by about 44,000 votes. L.A. County has processed and counted more than 1.6 million ballots, according to election officials who estimate more than 540,000 ballots are yet to be counted.
Measure ER has been able to narrow its deficit since initial Election Day results, as later mail ballots tend to skew toward Democratic voters, according to poll-watchers.
“If that trend continues, it's possible that ER could pass,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Guerra said he figured L.A. County voters would have approved Measure ER by a margin of 5 percentage points or more.
"So I am a little taken aback,” he said. “It shows that there is something that's going on with a very progressive voter in L.A. about, ‘OK, maybe enough taxes.’”
The No on ER campaign said it heard the same thing from voters.
“We knew there was an abnormal aversion to taxation right now, which is completely off from the precedent,” Chao told LAist. “Voters were frustrated with taxes in general. They were frustrated with the way counties spend the money.”
L.A. County residents already pay some of the highest sales tax rates in the country. The county’s base sales tax rate is 9.75%, while the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale have sales tax rates above 11%.
In 2017, about 69% of county voters approved Measure H, a temporary quarter-percent special sales tax to fund services for homeless people.
Then in 2024, a narrower 57% voted to double the homelessness sales tax and make it permanent though Measure A, which now generates an estimated $1 billion a year for L.A. County’s homeless services and affordable housing efforts.
Yaroslavsky, a former L.A. County supervisor, said L.A. County voters are feeling the pinch of inflation and cost of living increases. In a UCLA survey he oversees, the number of people concerned about taxes as part of their cost of living ticked up this year, according to Yarovslavsky
"The less you earn, the more painful it is," he said. “And that's why I think this is gonna be closer than the measures that were passed with 70%. This one is not gonna get much more than 51% or 52%, if it passes.”
The coalition against Measure ER included dozens of representatives from cities that argued another sales tax increase was the wrong answer to the county’s budget problems.
The tax measure’s most prominent opponent was Kathryn Barger. She was the sole L.A. County Supervisor to vote against putting the measure before voters, while the other four backed it.
Barger appeared in a video ad for the No on ER campaign urging voters to reject it. The ad was recorded on the supervisor’s personal time, her office told LAist.
“We all support quality healthcare, but Sacramento should step up before asking taxpayers to pay more,” Barger says in the video. “And despite what supporters claim, the money goes straight into the county’s general fund with no guarantee where it will end up.”
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who backed putting the bill on the primary ballot, has said a sales tax increase wasn’t ideal, but she was out of options.
“As the county government, we are required by statute to be the safety net level provider of last resort for healthcare services, and yet the federal government pulled the funding rug out from under us,” Mitchell told LAist.
Yarovslavsky said he understands why the County Supervisors put the measure on the ballot. L.A. County is looking to save crucial healthcare programs.
“This is not a transit program or bikeways — things you can live with or live without,” he said. “This is a matter of life and death.”
A spokesperson for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a statewide anti-tax group, told LAist the organization is hopeful a movement against higher taxes is gaining momentum throughout California.
“It's clear from the election results in Los Angeles and statewide that voters are frustrated and even angry that the taxes they already pay are apparently disappearing, while every urgent need, from firefighting to hospitals, somehow can't be funded without more tax increases,” Susan Shelley, a Howard Jarvis spokesperson, told LAist.
Voters in Palos Verdes Estates are poised to defeat a parcel tax. San Diego shot down a tax on vacant homes. Contra Costa County voters rejected a sales tax increase.
In the city of Los Angeles, voters appear to be on track to reject Measure TT, a hotel bed tax increase. And, yet, several tax measures are expected to land on the November ballot.
Firefighters with the Los Angeles Fire Department have gathered enough signatures to qualify a proposal for another half-percent sales tax to provide additional funding for the department. A committee backing the measure has raised more than $1.4 million, with major funding from the firefighters’ union, the California Community Foundation, a personal injury law firm representing firefighters, Airbnb and Rick Caruso.
Meanwhile, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has collected enough signatures to qualify a statewide ballot measure in California that, if passed, would effectively repeal the city of L.A.’s so-called “mansion tax” and make it harder for voters to pass local tax increases like Measure A or Measure ER in the future.
It would change the law to require a two-thirds supermajority of voter support to approve tax increases that land on the ballot through citizens’ initiatives — instead of a simple majority.
“We're confident that voters will approve it,” Shelley said. “We think this trend will continue in the November election.”
And the so-called “billionaire’s tax” is on California’s November ballot. The proposed one-time 5% tax on Californians worth over $1 billion aims to fund Medi-Cal programs.
Guerra says any proposed sales tax measures will face scrutiny in November.
"I think they're gonna have a little bit tougher time, and the strategy has to be much better developed,” he said.
The campaigns for and against Measure ER told LAist Friday it’s still too early to know which side won.
L.A. County election officials said they plan to release new vote count results every day until June 12, followed by regular updates until June 26.
They are required to complete and certify the county’s final official results by July 2.
Topline:
Los Angeles is known for its bustling city landscape and even the beaches, but don’t miss out on what our coast has to offer. LAist created a guide on some of the way you can enjoy our oceans.
Read on … for more ways to explore L.A.’s coast.
Los Angeles is known for its bustling city landscape and even the beaches, but don’t miss out on what our coast has to offer. Here are a few ways to enjoy what’s beyond the sand.
Set sail to see whales, dolphins and more on a whale watching cruise. Harbor Breeze Cruises is just off the coast of Long Beach and the Los Angeles Harbor. Tours run throughout the day and start at $30 or $45 per person. Another option, Newport Whales, is further south in Orange County. Prices for those tours range from $38 to $84.50 per person. Good news, whale watching season never ends, so there’s always something to see.
For a little more action, give sports fishing a try. Marina del Rey Sportsfishing offers 4.5-hour and 7-hour fishing trips every day. You can rent a tackle kit, which includes a rod and reel. Valid fishing licenses are required for people ages 15 and up. You can get one at most local sports stores.
If you’ve been meaning to take up a new hobby or sport, why not give surfing a chance? L.A. has no shortage of surf spots, meaning it also has no shortage of surf schools. Down at Santa Monica Surf Tours, $185 per adult or $165 per child gets you a 5.5-hour lesson that includes gear and lunch. Malibu Makos has “Surf Saturdays” where for $99 a person, you can get a 4-hour surf instruction with gear included.
From snorkeling to submarine tours, Catalina Island has excursions for everyone to enjoy. One-way tickets from Long Beach or San Pedro to Avalon cost about $45. Once you land, there’s no shortage of daytime adventures, including kayaking and fly fishing. You can find more information on activities here.
Beach hikes might not count as an ocean exploration, but they can give you some of the best views of the Pacific. Here are a few (of many) coastal hikes for every skill level:
Topline:
Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to the November general election in the race for California governor, capping a sudden and dramatic ascent for a career politician who is running on his experience and his willingness to take on President Donald Trump.
The backstory: Becerra, who had lingered in the single-digits in polling, surged in popularity following the political implosion of former frontrunner Eric Swalwell, with establishment Democrats favoring the former Health and Human Services secretary and former state attorney general over former Rep. Katie Porter and the outsider Tom Steyer.
Why it matters: The decision comes at a particularly consequential time for California. Residents face a crushing cost of living, nation-topping gas prices made worse by the war in Iran, wildfire risks that have driven insurance companies out of state, an unstable state budget, impending federal cuts to the state’s expansive health system and an economy dampened by immigration enforcement.
Read on ... for more on the California governor race.
This story was originally published by CalMatters.
Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to the November general election in the race for California governor, capping a sudden and dramatic ascent for a career politician who is running on his experience and his willingness to take on President Donald Trump.
Becerra, the former state attorney general, has secured nearly 27% of the vote in the June 2 primary, with about two-thirds of votes counted as of Friday afternoon. If elected in November, he would be the first Latino to serve as California governor in more than a century.
It’s still unclear who his opponent will be: Returns so far show Republican Steve Hilton most likely to advance with more than 26% of votes counted, though the trailing Democrat Tom Steyer has not conceded and could make up ground in the nearly three million votes that remain to be counted.
California uses a top-two primary system; the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November ballot regardless of party.
The November race could differ dramatically depending on the opponent. If it’s Hilton, Becerra would be heavily favored to win: Democrats in California outnumber Republicans nearly two-to-one, and Hilton is endorsed by Trump, whom Californians disapprove of in high numbers.
If it’s Steyer, California can expect an all-out slugfest between opposing wings of the Democratic Party, supercharged by the hundreds of millions of dollars Steyer has spent from his personal fortune on the primary alone.
While the hedge fund manager-turned-Democratic donor and climate activist has run a progressive campaign and garnered the support of Bernie Sanders surrogates, Becerra is favored by more of the Democratic establishment.
Becerra, who had lingered in the single-digits in polling, surged in popularity following the political implosion of former frontrunner Eric Swalwell, with establishment Democrats favoring the former Health and Human Services secretary and former state attorney general over former Rep. Katie Porter and the outsider Steyer.
It was a surprising and swift ascent for the mild-mannered career politician who was previously part of a crop of lower-polling Democratic candidates that party chair Rusty Hicks was publicly pressuring to drop out of the race.
“Guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight,” Becerra said at an election night rally Tuesday in Los Angeles, calling his near-victory “the everyday miracle of living in a state that regularly makes the improbable seem inevitable.”
The decision comes at a particularly consequential time for California. Residents face a crushing cost of living, nation-topping gas prices made worse by the war in Iran, wildfire risks that have driven insurance companies out of state, an unstable state budget, impending federal cuts to the state’s expansive health system and an economy dampened by immigration enforcement.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
Topline:
Nearly three months ago, the Los Angeles City Council voted to fund homelessness prevention programs to the tune of $177 million. Despite approval by Mayor Karen Bass, the funding still has not been cleared by City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. Now, some city leaders want answers about the delay.
Seeking answers: A motion submitted earlier this week by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said the “contracts remain unexecuted without explanation.” The motion goes on to say the setback has caused “$17 million ... in emergency rental assistance to sit unused” and has put “services for those at risk of homelessness in jeopardy.”
What’s next: If approved by the full council, Jurado’s motion would call on Feldstein Soto to report back to the council within 30 days about the reasons for the delay. Representatives with the City Attorney’s Office did not respond to LAist’s repeated requests for comment.
Read on … to learn the year-plus backstory on why this tenant aid funding has yet to be disbursed.
Nearly three months ago, the Los Angeles City Council voted to fund homelessness prevention programs to the tune of $177 million. Despite approval by Mayor Karen Bass, the funding still has not been cleared by City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto.
Now, city leaders want answers about the delay.
A motion introduced earlier this week by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said the “contracts remain unexecuted without explanation.” The motion goes on to say the setback has caused “$17 million ... in emergency rental assistance to sit unused” and has put “services for those at risk of homelessness in jeopardy.”
If passed by the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee and later approved by the full council, Jurado’s motion would call on Feldstein Soto to report back to the council within 30 days about the reasons for the delay.
Representatives with the City Attorney’s Office did not respond to LAist’s repeated requests for comment.
Tenant aid providers said they’ve entered their third month without funding from the city. They said without an executed contract, legal aid organizations may soon have to lay off staff and stop taking eviction cases.
“The people who are providing the services are all in nonprofit organizations that don't have a great deal of extra funding to cover this contract that isn't being paid,” said Barbara Schultz, housing director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.
Feldstein Soto has held up the tenant aid funding since April 2025, when she refused to sign a previously approved five-year funding deal with the Legal Aid Foundation. At the time, she argued the contract should have gone through a competitive bidding process.
City officials responded by putting out a request for proposals. They ultimately selected the Legal Aid Foundation, along with several other tenant rights groups, to receive funding set aside for rent relief, tenant education, enforcement of the city’s tenant anti-harassment ordinance and programs that provide free attorneys to tenants facing eviction.
Much of the funding for these homelessness prevention programs comes from the city’s Measure ULA, also known as the L.A. “Mansion Tax.” That tax is now facing potential elimination from a statewide November ballot measure from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Feldstein Soto has frequently clashed with tenant rights advocates.
She previously attempted to remove the word “right” from the city’s “Right To Counsel” ordinance, which supplies free eviction defense attorneys to qualified tenants.
Feldstein Soto also has faced criticism for not prosecuting more landlords accused of rent gouging in the wake of the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.
She also was accused of failing to defend the rights of tenants at the high-rise apartment complex Barrington Plaza, who went to court to successfully fight wrongful evictions from landlord company Douglas Emmett, which donated to a campaign opposing Feldstein Soto’s opponent in the 2022 election.
Feldstein Soto launched an audit of the Legal Aid Foundation last year. So far, no findings have been released.
Schultz said the organization has provided all the financial and administrative documentation requested by the L.A. Housing Department related to the contracts.
The Legal Aid Foundation is the lead contractor for the city’s eviction defense funding, but the money is shared with other legal aid organizations as well.
Elena Popp, who leads the Eviction Defense Network, said her small team of lawyers can’t continue to take on tenant cases until funding is approved.
“We're contemplating layoffs effective June 15 unless we can raise the part of the money that is our budget from the city,” Popp said. “If we lay people off, then tenants won't be served.”
Anna Urena, a paralegal with the Eviction Defense Network, says her organization would normally do intake for about 300 tenants per month.
“We're not taking on new cases. We're not representing new people right now because we don't know what's going to happen,” she said. “We really cannot leave our tenants behind.”
Jurado’s motion has not yet been scheduled for a vote in the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee.
Based on her third-place showing so far in the June primary election results, it appears Feldstein Soto will not be L.A.’s city attorney much longer. Popp said Feldstein Soto’s lame duck status doesn’t bode well for the contract getting signed soon.
“She now has no incentive to sign, and pressure on her will not get her to sign,” Popp said. “If that happens and the City Council doesn't take charge of this, maybe hire outside counsel to get the approval, then we won't see any money until the new city attorney comes in.”
