The Brief

Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, "Titanic" and two "Avatar" films, has died. He was 63.

Landau's family announced his death Saturday. No cause of death was given.

Landau's partnership with Cameron led to three Oscar nominations and a best picture win for 1997's "Titanic." Together the pair account for some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, including "Avatar" and its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water."

"Jon Landau believed in the dream of cinema. He believed that film is the ultimate human art form, and to make films you have to first be human yourself," Cameron said in a lengthy statement posted by The Hollywood Reporter. "He will be remembered as much for his vast generosity of spirit as for the movies themselves.

"I worked with Jon Landau for 31 years and I never saw him downcast once," Cameron said. "He led with a balance of humor and fierce will, and true joy in the work."

Landau's career began in the 1980s as a production manager, and he gradually rose through the ranks, serving as a co-producer on "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "Dick Tracy."

He took on the producer role on "Titanic," Cameron's expensive epic about the infamous 1912 maritime disaster. The bet paid off: "Titanic" became the first movie to cross $1 billion in global box-office earnings and went on to win 11 Oscars, including best picture.

"I can't act and I can't compose and I can't do visual effects, so I guess that's why I'm producing." Landau said while accepting the award with Cameron.

Their partnership continued, with Landau becoming a top executive at Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. In 2009 the pair watched as "Avatar," a sci-fi epic filmed and shown in theaters with groundbreaking 3D technology, surpassed the box-office success of "Titanic." It remains the top-grossing film of all time.

Its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water," is third on the list.

"Your wisdom and support shaped so many of us in ways we will always be grateful for," Zoe Saldaña, one of the stars of the "Avatar" franchise, said in an emotional tribute on Instagram. "Your legacy will continue to inspire us and guide us in our journey."

Landau has been a key player in the "Avatar" franchise, which saw frequent delays of the release of "The Way of Water." Landau defended the sequel's progress and Cameron's ambitious plans to film multiple sequels at once to keep the franchise going.

"A lot has changed but a lot hasn't," Landau told The Associated Press in 2022, a few months ahead of the sequel's release. "One of the things that has not changed is: Why do people turn to entertainment today? Just like they did when the first 'Avatar' was released, they do it to escape, to escape the world in which we live."

"Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the big screen. His remarkable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark, and he will be profoundly missed. He was an iconic and successful producer yet an even better person and a true force of nature who inspired all around him," Alan Bergman, Disney Entertainment co-chairman, said in a statement.

Landau was named an executive vice president of feature movies at 20th Century Fox when he was 29, which led him to oversee major hits including "Home Alone" and its sequel, as well as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "True Lies," where he first started working closely with Cameron.

Landau was also influential in bringing the manga adaptation "Alita: Battle Angel" to the big screen in 2019. Cameron supported the project, but his "Avatar" commitments kept him from directing it. Instead, Landau worked with director Robert Rodriguez to get the film completed.

Born in New York on July 23, 1960, Landau was the son of film producers Ely and Edie Landau. The family moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s, and Landau went on to graduate from the University of Southern California's film school.

Ely Landau died in 1993. Edie Landau, the Oscar-nominated producer of films like "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Hopscotch" and "The Deadly Game," died in 2022.

Jon Landau is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Julie; their sons, Jamie and Jodie; and two sisters and a brother.

Immigrants from El Salvador with Temporary Protected Status remain uncertain about their ability to legally live and work in the U.S. after federal officials said late Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security planned to make an announcement about the program.

“Until such [an] announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection,” DHS said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the federal program that allows people to live and work in the U.S. due to armed conflict, environmental disaster and other “extraordinary” conditions in their native countries was slated to expire for El Salvador.

An estimated 170,000 immigrants face the loss of their work authorizations and potential deportation, which has ignited fear of family separation and other anxieties.

Why this matters

L.A. County is home to the largest Salvadoran diaspora, though it’s unclear how many are beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status.

El Salvador was granted TPS in 2001, meaning some immigrants have been living in the U.S. for more than two decades. Here, they’ve built families, launched businesses and become integral parts of their communities.

What TPS holders can do now

Nonprofits like the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project recommend that TPS holders seek an attorney to determine if they're eligible for a different immigration status. Advocates also recommend that people who are on the verge of losing TPS create an emergency plan in case a family member is detained or deported.

How does this TPS decision impact your community?

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 12, immigration reporter Julia Barajas and community engagement producer Annie Nguyen will be speaking with community members at Café Calle, 3310 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles.

If you would like to share your experience, or if you have ideas about immigration issues they should be covering, join them for a conversation and a free drink.

How other former TPS beneficiaries have fared

In July, the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS for Haiti. Since then, many Haitians have lost their jobs and increasing numbers are being deported.

The anxiety of losing TPS can also influence former recipients’ mental health: in Springfield, Ohio, an incoming college freshman died by suicide after DHS fitted him with an electronic ankle monitor (one of the ways the agency tracks people it may deport). The man’s name was Pierre Damas Bel, and in a social media post, he described “carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation [he] never imagined” shortly before he died.

What the Trump administration says

“TPS is just that — it’s temporary. It was never designed to be permanent,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin with regard to the Supreme Court majority’s decision to allow for the expiration of TPS for Haiti. The dissenting justices determined there was ample evidence that the federal government’s move was fueled by racial animus.

The Trump administration has moved to terminate most of the 17 TPS designations that were in place when its second term began. Signed into law by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990, TPS offered temporary safeguard from deportation and eligibility for a work permit — but not a pathway to permanent residence.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A stretch of beach along Long Beach’s Peninsula is gone after a weekend of pounding waves eroded massive amounts of sand. The hurricane-driven swell left the area’s boardwalk in tatters and is threatening to undermine the foundations of more than a dozen oceanfront houses.

Homeowners and structural engineers were assessing the damage to about 20 residences, and crews were trying to rebuild defenses after a weekend of unforgiving waves pulled so much sand into the sea that, at low tide, there was a 15-foot drop from the boardwalk to exposed rocks below. The waves damaged the boardwalk’s already battered seawall and left dozens of homes exposed to future swells, which are expected to pummel Long Beach again on Tuesday evening.

Dennis Poulsen, who built his beachfront home on the Peninsula in 2005, said he has never seen the backside of the seawall. Now that it’s exposed, “it’s in far worse shape than I thought,” he said of the eroded wood. “It just has no muscle left to fight.” 

Without the beach’s sand barrier and intact seawall, the ocean water can pour in beneath the boardwalk and attack the foundations of the ocean-facing homes, Poulsen said. Many houses are built atop shallow foundations that erode easily, as the waves drag sand back into the Pacific, compromising homes’ structural integrity, he said. 

A man jumps onto a collapsed pathway and looks at the waves coming under the boardwalk after strong waves flooded the Long Beach peninsula on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.

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Thomas R. Cordova

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Long Beach Post

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Poulsen said his home was built on fine sand compacted to the point that it behaves like concrete, but all the Peninsula’s homes were built under the assumption that the beach and seawall would offer protection. Now, the barriers are compromised, inviting the ocean into the homes built to overlook it. 

Why were these waves so bad?

In this neighborhood, residents are used to guarding against strong tides and waves.

Heavy trucks commonly rumble up the shoreline to build a protective sand berm. City crews truck in the sand six days a week to replace what waves wash away, at the cost of about $1 million annually. Before storms, residents heap sandbags and tack up plywood, usually escaping major damage.

This time was different.

One resident called it a “perfect storm” — the result of a hurricane hundreds of miles away, warmer ocean temperatures and the convergence of high tide and high swell. 

Hurricane Marie, originally a Category 2 storm that’s since been downgraded, gave the weather system most of its energy, said Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina. Warm ocean temperatures, as hot as 80 degrees, caused the water to expand, resulting in greater volume and higher tide, Medina said. When combined with high swell, the Peninsula faced a “one-two punch” that produced large waves, as high as five feet, Medina said.

City workers salvage what’s left of the seawall as they prepare for the next round of strong waves along the boardwalk after waves pounded the Long Beach Peninsula on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.

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Thomas R. Cordova

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Long Beach Post

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High swells are expected again this evening, when high tide is predicted to crest over six feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Though Medina expects it to be smaller than over the weekend, he added that the weather system is dynamic and unpredictable. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s a lot less impactful than the last two nights,” he said. 

Experts have warned that low-lying areas of Long Beach like this are especially vulnerable as climate change causes tides to reach further inland and exacerbates extreme weather.

Residents brace for more 

Inspectors on Tuesday were still trying to assess damage between 63rd and 67th places, where waves can hit the Peninsula after passing through a gap in Long Beach’s breakwater system. Evacuation orders remained in effect, and the boardwalk was closed to foot traffic.

Residents remained uncertain about the immediate safety of their homes, let alone their long-term prognoses, and some returned to fortify their houses in the meantime.  

One resident, Keith Holt, who moved into his oceanside home in 2015, said he was “just trying to save the house” as engineers drilled reinforcements into the seawall, all that stood between Holt and the ocean as waves pelted the walls and shot geysers of water into the air. 

Long Beach firefighters survey the damage along the boardwalk after strong waves pounded the Long Beach peninsula on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.

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Thomas R. Cordova

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Long Beach Post

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Ashley Simpson, a neighbor, walked out to the boardwalk in her pajamas to gauge the situation. Two of her kids participated as junior lifeguards every summer, running miles on the now-submerged Peninsula beach. She added that it’s devastating to see that land gone, especially in a community as tightly knit as Long Beach. 

The swallowed beach puts other homes in jeopardy, because the oceanside homes protect the bayside homes, Poulsen said, adding, “If this goes away, the Peninsula goes away.” 

Jennifer Pieracci-Jensen, who lives on 67th Place, said she “hasn’t stopped moving” since her street flooded with several feet of water two nights ago. She combined a pump in her subterranean garage, sandbags and a water gate to try to keep the ocean and accompanying debris at bay, but it had overcome the defenses on her low-lying street.

Robbie Cox shovels out 2 feet of sand in front of a home along the boardwalk after strong waves pounded the Long Beach Peninsula on Sept. 8, 2026.

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Thomas R. Cordova

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Long Beach Post

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She has only spent a few years in the home, having purchased the duplex with her husband and family friends in 2023, yet she already knows that more battles are ahead. An exceptionally strong El Niño is headed to the region this year, and the coastal neighborhood will have to keep fighting rising sea levels.

“It’s not going to get any better,” she said.

Rancho Palos Verdes is leading the charge to create a new landslide insurance option for homeowners.

The effort brings together a coalition of city and county governments who say they need financial relief as they address ongoing issues like coastal erosion.

RPV's problems

A portion of Rancho Palos Verdes sits on an ancient landslide. For decades, land movement was minimal. But above-average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 rapidly accelerated the slip — up to 1 foot per week in some places — prompting Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents.

Roughly three years after above-average rainfall fueled a devastating landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes, the landscape has become almost unrecognizable. Around 20 homes, ripped apart by the land movement, have been red-tagged, meaning they can’t be lived in. Dozens have been yellow-tagged.

Landslide damage has closed dozens of trails in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 04, 2026.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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The city’s eventual plan is to buy back some of these homes and turn them into open space, but trying to slow the landslide has pushed the city to the financial brink, with Rancho Palos Verdes spending on landslide mitigation as much as it takes to run the whole city.

Meanwhile, homeowners have had to put their savings — including their retirement — back into homes to repair landslide damage. Insurance companies haven’t helped. Generally, homeowners insurance does not cover landslides that aren’t caused by earthquakes.

In 2024, Rancho Palos Verdes surveyed residents who lived in the landslide area about their insurance coverage. None of the residents surveyed had insurance that covered landslides.

Other solutions haven’t panned out

An assembly bill to allow the governor to declare a state of emergency for landslides that aren’t caused by earthquakes, AB 986, failed.

RPV also dabbled with creating a joint powers authority where two or more public agencies come together to combine resources to coordinate services. Examples include clean power alliances like the Orange County Power Authority, and the California Community Housing Agency. But, under California law, JPAs cannot provide insurance options to private property owners.

Why the new effort matters

Rancho Palos Verdes is not the only city grappling with lack of landslide insurance for its residents. Cities mostly along the coast including Dana Point, Malibu, Laguna Beach and San Clemente have dealt with infrastructure damage due to coastal erosion over the years. San Clemente, a beach town reliant on foot traffic, has had to close public access to some of its beaches due to increased coastal erosion. Recurring landslides in the city have also disrupted coastal rail service.

Some counties including Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Diego also voiced their support for measures like the failed AB 986.

So what's the proposed solution?

Rancho Palos Verdes hopes to push state legislators to create a program similar to the California Earthquake Authority and the California FAIR Plan.

The state legislature created the California Earthquake Authority to provide optional earthquake insurance after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which resulted in $20 billion in residential damages. Only half of the damages were covered by insurance. The CEA is a nonprofit that is managed by the state but privately funded through insurance premiums and represents about two-thirds of the residential earthquake market in California, according to Rancho Palos Verdes city staff.

The California Fair Plan was created in 1968 to offer insurance plans for homeowners who have trouble getting private insurance in areas that are prone to wildfires. It has grown to about 610,000 policies as of June 2025, a 154% increase since September 2021, as other insurance companies have canceled or stopped issuing new policies in California, citing growing wildfire risk. The plan is run by insurers who do business in the state but is not publicly managed.

Rancho Palos Verdes officials will be reaching out to other affected cities and counties to drum up support. They then plan to reach out to state legislators and the insurance commissioner by the end of the year.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Residents in parts of Boyle Heights may be eligible to have certain citations waived and benefit from relaxed parking enforcement through Sept. 30 following the Lineage warehouse fire. 

The change comes after small business owners shared with elected officials that they’ve been struggling with low foot traffic after the fire. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, in a statement, said she hopes the new parking guidelines can “reduce unnecessary burdens” and make it “easier for customers to continue supporting neighborhood businesses during the recovery.”

Rosie Echeverria, a representative for Council District 14, informed the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council about the relaxed parking enforcement at its Aug. 26 meeting. She provided attendees with a map showing the original assistance area and an added expansion. (See the map below). 

“You should not be getting ticketed for meters. You should not be getting ticketed for overnight parking. You should not be ticketed for limited parking. For example, if it’s a ‘two-hour parking only’ and you end up staying three hours, you should not be getting a ticket for that,” Echeverria said.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation said it would not enforce certain parking restrictions through Sept. 30. Here’s what you need to know. 

Where the parking relief applies

Relaxed enforcement applies to eligible violations in the designated fire-affected areas. Enforcement is relaxed daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

Original area (eligible for violations issued July 29 to Sept. 30)

A map shows relaxed parking enforcement areas.

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Jackie Ramirez made with Atlist

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The area bounded by: 

• Boyle Avenue
• Cesar Chavez Avenue
• Lorena Street
• Olympic Boulevard

Expanded area (eligible for violations issued Aug. 17 to Sept. 30)

A map shows an extended area of relaxed parking enforcement.

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Jackie Ramirez made with Atlist

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The original boundaries, plus the area bounded by: 

• Soto Street
• Cincinnati Street 
• Evergreen Avenue
• Cesar Chavez Avenue 
• This includes Mott Street and Fickett Street, but excludes Forest Avenue

What parking enforcement is covered and what is not

Under this effort, the L.A. Department of Transportation is not enforcing parking restrictions related to:

• Street meter parking
• Residential street sweeping zones
• Time limit restrictions, such as two-hour parking zones
• Areas designating no parking between certain time frames
• Overnight, oversize and preferential parking districts 

The effort, however, does not suspend all parking enforcement, according to Jurado’s office. Areas that remain fully enforceable include: 

• Red zones 
• Bus zones
• Handicapped zones
• “No Parking Anytime” zones
• “No Stopping Anytime” zones
• All temporary “No parking” or “No stopping zones”
• White curbs
• Alleys and sidewalks

Where to get help with a citation

Residents who believe they received a citation in error may contact Jurado’s Boyle Heights field office at 323-526-9332 and ask for the small business liaison.

The L.A. Department of Transportation said that if someone believes a citation was issued in error and would like to contest it, they can contact the Parking Violations Bureau online or by phone at 866-561-9742. 

L.A. Documenter Yliana Roland contributed to this story. L.A. Documenters trains and pays L.A. residents to take notes at local government meetings around Los Angeles. You can find meeting notes and audio at losangeles.documenters.org