The Brief

In the heart of east Los Angeles stands a beloved Mexican market that has been central to the Latino community in Boyle Heights for more than a half-century. El Mercadito's hallways are lined with ornate cowboy boots, talavera pottery, mariachi suits, traditional snacks and the unusually quiet murmurs of the vendors who continue to open their shops.

"We love this place, we adore this place," says customer, José Morales, 31, who has been coming here with his family his whole life. "And look at it right now, it looks like a ghost-town. Being realistic, people are just scared because of ICE."

Since early June, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has had a large presence in Los Angeles, conducting raids targeting migrants without legal status.

José Morales has fond memories of coming to El Mercadito with his siblings throughout their childhood. He says he's heartbroken to see this beloved community suffer amid ICE raids.

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While the Trump administration has continued to say its primary concern is "violent criminals," it has continued to sweep up many who have no such history — people in Home Depot parking lots, at car washes and in their neighborhoods. According to data released by ICE this month, about a third of people in its detention centers have no criminal history.

The presence of federal agents have kept many immigrants away from public life out of fear that they too could be detained.

Morales, who is a U.S. citizen, still comes to El Mercadito regularly to get his favorite "raspado" or shaved ice, but on this day he also came to the area to get a copy of his birth certificate.

"Even though I was born here and I mean I'm good and everything, I just feel safer with my birth certificate [with me at all times]," he says. "I don't want to be a mistake."

El Mercadito usually has a bustling lunch hour. These days, its stalls and hallways are much quieter.

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The heightened anxiety has meant less foot traffic at the market and in Latino neighborhoods around the city, leading to a slump in business. Marlene Rosado, who manages El Mercadito with her two siblings, says more than half of the stalls there have been closed or are operating under limited hours since ICE raids began.

"Our community is genuinely scared to leave their homes at moments," Rosado says. "And many of the vendors here are also afraid to open shop."

Marlene Rosado and her two siblings have been managing El Mercadito for over a decade, but spent most of their childhood in its halls with their late father who took it over in the mid-1980s.

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One young woman sits idly on her phone next to her grandmother, who has been running a stall at the market for decades.

"I've been basically calling off of work to come help my grandma because unfortunately a lot of employees quit or they're just not coming, because they're scared," she says.

She requested NPR not name her because her family is concerned they could be targeted by ICE. Although her grandmother says she is a lawful permanent resident, she's been on edge.

"She's also scared because she doesn't speak English, so if [federal agents] come and they try to terrorize her with a bunch of questions, she's not going to know what to do, so I have to be here."

Another vendor, Coco Garcia, says she's never seen El Mercadito's halls this quiet — not even during COVID.

"I remember in the pandemic, the government was giving us [financial] help. They're not helping us right now," she says. "The money people have saved up, obviously they're not going to come wasting on stuff they don't need right now, they're going to save it up for their rent, for their bills, for their groceries."

Julia Vasquez began her business selling aguas frescas from a cart 42 years ago. Today, she owns three stalls at El Mercadito, but says with the slump in business, she's having to throw away much of her product by the end of the day.

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Rosado worries some businesses may not make it much longer if customers, and even some shopkeepers, keep staying home. But she remains hopeful.

"I have a lot of faith in our community and our strength as Hispanics, Latinos, Mexicans that are here in Los Angeles and all our immigrant community," she says. "I know that a lot of fear has been instilled, but don't let that be the underlying message. It has to be strength in numbers, strength as a community. Together, we are a force."
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Metrolink, Southern California’s regional commuter rail service, is planning for major service cuts — slashing 29% of weekday trains and 40% of weekend trains. Those cuts could go into effect as soon as next month.

The Metrolink Board of Directors on Friday voted to move forward with a $420 million budget proposal for this fiscal year, which includes the service cuts. The proposal now goes to member agencies for review and approval.

A majority of Metrolink’s budget is funded by Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties’ transportation agencies. For more than a year, Metrolink officials have been building a budget that member agencies, like the Orange County Transportation Authority and L.A. Metro, would approve as it struggles to close its funding gaps.

How did we get here? 

The service announcement comes the same week as the agency rolled out fare increases.

Metrolink officials blame low ridership numbers for the budget troubles and increasing operational costs for the potential change in service.

The agency expects an 18% dip in ticket revenue in the next fiscal year. On top of that, both OCTA and L.A. Metro proposed cutting their subsidies to the rail service by millions of dollars.

Tom Schamber, Metrolink's chief financial officer, said the service cuts were necessary to balance the budget.

“These cuts were targeted at low-performing trains and trains that overlap with the Pacific Surfliner service,” Schamber said. “The schedule will look more like a commuter rail service focused on weekdays during peak periods.”

How could my routes change?

In Orange County, the number of weekend trains will be cut in half and weekday trains by nearly 40%. Weekday service to Oceanside is included in those cuts.

San Bernardino and Antelope Valley lines will also see major service cuts to weekday and weekend trains. Weekday trains for the Ventura County line were cut by 36%.

You can see the proposed service schedule here.

What do some riders think? 

During public comment on Friday, many riders expressed concern that Metrolink was entering a transit death spiral — a slippery cycle where fewer services and higher fares lead to fewer riders and deeper financial trouble.

Cooper Crane, a UC Riverside graduate student and historian of Southern California’s public transportation network, said the cuts make the service impractical.

“It is going to bring Metrolink into a death spiral, which could be compared to the historic collapse of services such as the Pacific Electric here in Southern California,” Crane said. “We don't want to experience something like the collapse of the Pacific Electric again, but the budget cuts that have been made by Orange County and the lack of government commitment to the support for the service is pretty much exactly what that will lead to.”

Mason Buck of Irvine said he mainly uses the Metrolink services recreationally.

“You can understand my concern when I look, and I see weekend service getting absolutely gutted in Orange County. … Issues like this are extremely frustrating to me because it feels like such a self-inflicted wound,” Buck said. “I just want an alternative to driving.”

The changes will not just stunt ridership growth but exacerbate ridership loss, Adriana Rizzo, a founding member of Californians for Electric Rail, said.

“This is going to be a net negative for Metrolink. I'm very concerned that we're going to be back here in six months, looking at even more severe cuts,” Rizzo said. “Metrolink is essential for the economy. It's essential to keep our region moving, and we cannot just let it die.”

What’s next?

County transportation agencies need to consider and adopt the budget before it goes back to the Metrolink board for final approval on Oct. 23.

Southern California roads are likely to get more treacherous soon because of El Niño.

The climate pattern’s signature heavy rainstorms are expected to hit over the next few months, and some coastal roads could be impacted by surging sea levels much sooner than that.

We could also get a taste of what that will look like this weekend with Tropical Storm Rachel expected to pass through Baja California and the San Diego area. High surf has already been slamming the coast, and forecasters predict the first widespread rain of the season starting this weekend.

All this rain on the horizon means extra risks for the many Southern Californians who spend a lot of time driving.

Officials are urging residents to get their cars ready now for an especially wet El Niño season.

Preparing your car

As with home, there is a series of steps to take to ensure your car can safely get you around during extreme weather.

First, consider replacing your windshield wipers, especially if they’re worn out. According to AAA, most manufacturers recommend replacing wipers every six to 12 months.

Take a look at your headlights and brake lights too. If they’re broken or their bulbs have burned out, replace them. If the lenses are weathered or hazy, have them cleaned up or restored.

Also replace old or worn tires. AAA recommends replacing tires every six to 10 years or if you see any bulges, bubbles, sidewall damage, separated treads or exposed cords.

You can also use a quarter for a quick, unofficial tire test. If you stick a quarter between your tire’s treads with the top of George Washington facing the tire and can still see the top of his head, the treads are wearing down and due for replacement soon.

Use a tire gauge to check your tire pressure too. The correct psi is usually listed on the inside of your car door or in the owner’s manual. You can add air to your tires at just about any gas station.

It’s also a good idea to keep certain supplies in your car in case you become stranded, including a flashlight and batteries, a cellphone charger, a jacket, gloves and a first-aid kit.

Avoid floodwaters

If you find yourself driving during heavy rain and flooding, never attempt to drive or walk through floodwaters.

Emergency management officials say one of the most common causes of death during storms is flooding, with many of those deaths in vehicles.

“Driving during rain can be hazardous, especially when we're not following the signs and the directions of our first responders and of the road departments,” said Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County of Public Works. “If you are traveling in L.A. County and it is raining, and there is a sign up that says, ‘Do not go through this water,’ I advise you not to go across that street.”

Even if a flooded street seems shallow, it’s impossible to know exactly how deep the water is or what’s under the surface. Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, and a foot of water can carry away a car.

Topline:

New data shows Waymo’s robotaxis are crashing less often as they log more miles driven in Los Angeles. Experts recently joined LAist 89.3’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle and said the numbers are encouraging but don’t tell the whole story.

The data: Analyzed by the Los Angeles Times, it found:

• Crash rates are down from 57 crashes per million miles driven in 2023 to under six this year.
• The majority of Waymo-involved crashes happened while the vehicle was stopped. However, Waymos are designed to stop when they encounter issues.

Why safety is improving: Better technology, remote human help, and human drivers getting accustomed to Waymos are likely reasons safety is improving, Matthew Raifman of UC Berkeley told AirTalk listeners.

Concerns: Former federal auto safety regulator and UCLA law professor Ann Carlson stressed on air that Waymo’s improving safety record shouldn’t be extrapolated onto other autonomous car companies like Tesla’s Cybercab or Amazon’s Zoox, both of which have had recent safety issues.

Listen: To the full AirTalk segment above to hear about the challenges involved in making autonomous cars safe in every environment.