The Brief

Millions of Californians don't have internet at home because it’s either too expensive, unreliable or not available where they live. The state is working to change that by 2026.

Construction is underway on a new “middle-mile” network that would make it easier and less expensive for service providers to connect to disadvantaged rural, tribal and minority urban neighborhoods. In many cases, those companies have been reluctant to provide service because it’s not seen as profitable.

While 91% of households have internet service, an estimated 3.5 million Californians remain disconnected.

Officials say that by providing competition to commercial providers, the state's network could also help bring down internet prices for everyone.

The $5 billion project is the largest of its kind in the U.S. About 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable is being installed throughout California, including more than 500 miles in Los Angeles County.

You may see construction happening around the region, although existing networks are also being used to avoid disruption.

“2024 is a year many of us have been working towards — to move from planning and design into construction,” said Mark Monroe, deputy director of the middle-mile broadband initiative during a recent Middle-Mile Advisory Committee hearing.

The state is building a new backbone network made up of high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances.

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California Department of Technology

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“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to really provide connectivity where there hasn't been,” said Liana Bailey-Crimmins, the state’s chief information officer and director of the California Department of Technology.

The middle-mile broadband initiative is part of the Broadband For All plan, a $6 billion state and federal investment to close the digital divide. In 2021, the state allocated $3.8 billion of those funds for the middle mile. In January, the project received a $1.5 billion boost in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal ($250 million in 2024-25 and $1.25 billion in 2025-26). A revised budget plan is due in May.

Advocates have raised questions about the state’s ability to fund the entire network, given the projected $73 billion budget deficit that was recently announced. They also sounded the alarm after low-income communities in South and Southeast L.A. were deprioritized last summer, while plans to build in wealthier areas like Beverly Hills moved forward.

But Bailey-Crimmins said the state had "always intended" to build the entire network by 2026, and that the governor is "very committed” to funding the project, even as rising inflation drove construction costs up by about 40%.

“Every budget process is unique, but we are hoping that things go the way they should," she said.

About 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable are being installed around the state.

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The middle-mile network does not reach individual homes and businesses, however. That will be done by a “last mile” connection, where internet companies, municipalities, nonprofits and others would pay the state to tap in and deliver broadband to residents who live within a certain distance.

The network will go online to the public in "phases or as they become available," according to Bailey-Crimmins.

Breaking ground

More than 80% of the middle mile is now under contract. Caltrans is building about 4,000 miles of new infrastructure throughout the state, but the remainder will be established through a mix of purchase and lease agreements.

About 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable are being installed throughout the state, including more than 500 miles in Los Angeles County.

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California Department of Technology

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The state estimates it will spend about $340 million to complete the network in L.A. County. Four companies were awarded contracts to build in the area:

• Lumen (lease)
• CVIN (lease)
• Arcadian Infracom (joint-build)
• HP Communications (standalone Caltrans construction)

Lumen won a $400 million contract to build network infrastructure throughout the state. The telecom company is set to begin construction on the project near Los Angeles International Airport later this spring.

"Digital inclusion is critical for the United States to maintain its leading position as a global economic and innovation powerhouse," said Lumen CEO Kate Johnson. "Bringing high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved locations will accelerate greater and more diverse participation in our education system, the world's digital economy and access to high-quality health care."

In December, Arcadian held a groundbreaking event in Boyle Heights for the California portion of its L.A. to Phoenix fiber route. The project will help serve residents in East L.A. and extend to communities in Barstow and Needles (the route totals 306 miles, but only 40 are within L.A. County limits).

Joint-build or construction projects require more time because workers have to dig into the ground and put fiber in. But areas with lease or purchase agreements could begin connecting people as early as summer 2025.

“You don't have to permit, you don't have to close down lanes of the freeway in L.A. And you can just get that into those communities as quickly as possible,” Bailey-Crimmins said.

All projects must be completed by December 2026.

GENEVA — An all-time controversy in the World Cup's 96-year history was raging Monday ahead of the co-host United States and forward Folarin Balogun facing Belgium with a quarterfinals place at stake.

The Belgian soccer federation said it is challenging FIFA's ruling to let Balogun play despite getting a red card in his previous game — a shocking move made Sunday after pressure on the world soccer body's leader Gianni Infantino from his close ally, U.S. President Donald Trump.

The "deeply concerned" Belgians' statement just 11 hours before starting their round of 16 game in Seattle showed clear frustration with FIFA at what seemed a lack of good faith in shaping an urgent legal process.

European soccer body UEFA earlier criticized FIFA for an "incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision," that it said "crossed a red line" by not enforcing Balogun's mandatory one-game ban for his foul tackle against Bosnia-Herzegovina last Wednesday.

FIFA's ruling Sunday — to defer Balogun's ban for one year of probation — deviated from soccer's traditional rule of law and drew stinging criticism globally including from former World Cup stars and coaches at this tournament.

"It's a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup," Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said Sunday after his team beat Brazil to reach the quarterfinals.

UEFA, whose member federations include Belgium, insisted: "Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not."

"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined," said the European soccer body, which has often clashed with Infantino during his decade in FIFA power.

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision," said UEFA, where Infantino was its CEO-like general secretary from 2009 until being elected to lead FIFA in February 2016.

FIFA was asked Monday to comment on the UEFA criticism.

Infantino's predecessor Sepp Blatter, who was forced from office in 2015 in fallout from corruption scandals, posted Monday on social media: "Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies."

Belgium's legal options

Belgian officials had been preparing an appeal in Seattle in the early hours of Monday to challenge the Balogun ruling with a FIFA-appointed appeals judge. They said FIFA had not provided documents key to filing a valid appeal.

The round of 16 game against the U.S. is due to kick off at 5 p.m. local time.

"Regardless of the sporting outcome of the match," the Belgian federation said, "(we are) deeply concerned by the way these events have unfolded and will continue, in the hours, days and months ahead, to pursue every available avenue to uphold the fundamental principles of ethics, sporting fairness and the interests of football as a whole."

Soccer rules require teams ultimately judged to have fielded an ineligible player to default the game as a 3-0 loss. Belgium must first appeal to FIFA and then to the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Balogun's tackle

Balogun was sent off directly for planting his cleated foot on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic during a 2-0 win for the U.S. in the round of 32.

That kind of challenge has been a routine red card all season in competitions worldwide, and Balogun could have expected a two-game ban for serious foul play under the FIFA disciplinary code.

Still, similar challenges by star players have gone unpunished at this World Cup — by Lionel Messi for Argentina against Algeria and Morocco's Achraf Hakimi vs. Brazil. Bernardo Silva of Portugal got just a yellow card against Congo.

"I think a yellow card would have been fair," Balogun later suggested.

FIFA's interventions

This World Cup has been remarkable for FIFA under Infantino seeming to rewrite the norms of disciplinary action even before the tournament began.

A pattern of pardons opened FIFA to suggestions of executive intervention in the statutory independence of its judicial bodies, including the disciplinary committee that formally reprieved Balogun.

Cristiano Ronaldo was cleared to play in Portugal's opening World Cup game despite getting a red card for serious foul play in a qualifying game against Ireland last November. He struck an opponent with an elbow.

Ronaldo served his mandatory ban in Portugal's final qualifying game but he was reprieved from an expected two-game ban because FIFA introduced the idea of probation. An imposed three-game ban was less meaningful as two games were deferred during a one-year probationary period.

At the opening game on June 11, South Africa's Themba Zwane got a red card against Mexico for a similar offense to Ronaldo's and FIFA imposed a three-game ban with no probation. Zwane did not play again at the World Cup.

Three players sent off in their teams' qualifying games last year were surprisingly told by FIFA in May they could serve their bans in a future competition instead of at the World Cup, which was the long-standing norm.

Ecuador midfielder Moisés Caicedo, Argentina defender Nicolás Otamendi and Qatar defender Tarek Salman all had their bans waived for the World Cup.

US exceptionalism

This, FIFA said in May, was to ensure teams "can compete with their strongest possible squads on the biggest stage of men's international football."

The Balogun decision simply took this policy further, though not for other players shown a red card so far who were mandated to miss at least one game.

"It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions," UEFA said, "let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension."
Copyright 2026 NPR

SEATTLE — When the U.S. men's national soccer team steps on the field Monday to face Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, it will do so with its star striker back in the lineup and a cloud of controversy hanging overhead.

Before the weekend, there were already plenty of questions about U.S. forward Folarin Balogun and the red card he received in last week's Round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina that should have sidelined him this game with an automatic suspension:

Was his contact with the Bosnian defender's leg intentional? Had the video referee followed regulations when he scrutinized the play in slow motion? Should it have been escalated all the way to a red card when the referee on the field initially thought there was no foul at all? Why had Balogun been punished so severely when other seemingly similar plays in this World Cup had avoided punishment altogether?

By the time the U.S. team had arrived in Seattle, Balogun and his teammates seemed to set those questions aside and accept their fate: The American men would prepare for their biggest game in a generation without their leading scorer.

Then came Sunday's one-two punch of stunning and controversial developments.

First, a FIFA disciplinary panel made the surprise announcement that Balogun's one-game suspension would be suspended for a year-long probationary period, allowing the striker to play against Belgium.

Then, soon after, reports broke that President Trump spoke personally with FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the Round of 32 game. According to an official with knowledge of the extraordinary call, who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation, Trump directly asked Infantino about the red card and the one-game suspension. (FIFA has not responded to NPR's request for comment.)

By Sunday afternoon, when Belgian coach Rudi Garcia arrived at the Seattle stadium for a routine pregame press conference, he was in disbelief at the news. "I didn't know that, in the FIFA offices, July 5th was April Fool's Day," he said.

Christian Pulisic (center) of the United States participates during a training session for the 2026 World Cup at Husky Soccer Stadium on Friday in Seattle.

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The bare-bones statement from the FIFA disciplinary committee did not explain why Balogun's suspension would be delayed. The lack of transparency, followed so soon by reports of the Trump-Infantino call, led to an uproar in the world of football.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said Sunday it was "astonished" by FIFA's surprise decision and vowed to pursue "all potential options" for recourse. "The Belgian federation isn't only defending itself or the national team — it is defending all of football, its integrity and its ethics," Garcia said.

"Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match," the RBFA said in an updated statement Monday, "[we are] deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in [defense] of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."

For its part, the U.S. team was content to put its head down and accept the good news.

"It was a fair decision because it was never a red card. It was a mistake," said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino on Sunday. "Everyone has said it, 99.9% of people, that it was an unfair punishment."

FIFA had already been criticized in this World Cup for delaying a suspension for Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo, who received a red card during a qualifying match last November. The resulting three-game suspension could have sidelined Ronaldo for Portugal's first two World Cup games, but FIFA put the suspension on hold under the same regulation that allowed Balogun to play.

Belgium is the toughest opponent the U.S. has faced so far at this World Cup. The Belgians entered the tournament ranked No. 9 by FIFA; the U.S. was No. 17. In March, the two teams met in an international friendly match in which the Americans took an early 1-0 lead, but shortly after, Belgium took control and won easily, 5-2.

"The result didn't quite go our way. But that's OK, we learned from it," said U.S. defender Chris Richards on Sunday. "Ultimately, we're looking to the game tomorrow as a tough one, but also going into this game with confidence because of what we've done so far in the tournament."

A win would send the U.S. through to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, which remains the deepest run by an American men's team in the modern era of the World Cup. There, the U.S. would face the winner of Monday's early match between European powerhouses Spain and Portugal.

Yet a U.S. victory — especially one that hinges on Balogun's performance — would surely be dogged by criticism and questions about whether the result was fair, given FIFA's extraordinary intervention.

After Norway advanced to the quarterfinal with a 2-1 win over Brazil on Sunday afternoon, coach Ståle Solbakken called the decision to allow Balogun to play "a big mistake by FIFA."

"What about the next red card? What happens then? Is there going to be some committee somewhere that is going to take that card away?" he said. "It's a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup."
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

If you park at eastbound Wilshire Boulevard and Irolo Street in Koreatown, your odds of getting a ticket are higher than anywhere else in Los Angeles. 

So far this year, parking enforcement officers have issued 2,595 citations there — more than any other location in the city — generating more than $760,000 in fines.

Through June 12, the city had issued nearly 800,000 parking citations overall — about 7% fewer than at the same point last year. In recent years, LADOT has typically issued close to 2 million citations annually.

The numbers point to how concentrated enforcement can be in certain locations, where repeated violations drive a large share of tickets and fines.

Analyzing data from our partners at Crosstown, The LA Local looked at the worst places to park in LA. Here’s what we found and what you need to know.

1. Do not park at Wilshire and Irolo in Koreatown

At Wilshire Boulevard and Irolo Street, all tickets issued to drivers had to do with buses. 

That wasn’t the case until LADOT began camera enforcement in February 2025 on Metro’s 720 line along Wilshire Boulevard and the 212 line on La Brea Avenue. 

If you park at eastbound Wilshire Boulevard and Irolo Street in Koreatown, your odds of getting a ticket are higher than anywhere else in Los Angeles.

Before that shift, bus-lane citations were rare. In 2024, there was just one issued all year. Since the cameras went live, locations along those routes have quickly become some of the city’s most-ticketed spots. All citations in the top 10 worst places to park were bus-related. 

Driving or parking in a lane reserved for buses results in a $293 fine.

Although bus lane violations accounted for just 6.5% of all citations issued this year — up from 5.4% last year — they generated over $15 million, more than one-fifth of all the money collected from citations.

2. Keep an eye on those expired parking meters in downtown 

Downtown L.A. remains the neighborhood where drivers are most likely to get a parking citation. Since at least 2020, downtown has consistently received more tickets than any other neighborhood in L.A. — roughly twice as many as Koreatown, the second-most-ticketed area.

Last year, drivers in downtown received about $24 million in citations, compared with nearly $15 million in Koreatown. One of the most common violations there is expired meters. 

3. Anyone who parks in Koreatown knows it’s difficult — and it’s getting worse

Five of the city’s 10 most-ticketed locations are in the neighborhood, and ticketing there has increased 37% since 2023 — outpacing citywide growth. Overall, LA has seen ticketing increase by about 7.2%.

This year, drivers in Koreatown have coughed up nearly $7 million in parking citations. The most cited offense in the neighborhood is the bus lane violation, with nearly 15,000 tickets. This amounts to more than $4 million.

The average fine in Koreatown is $160.57, while the city average is $89.70. This is likely because of how often drivers commit traffic violations in the neighborhood.

4. Street sweeping and red curb violations are still the biggest traps for drivers

Street sweeping violations are by far the most common reason drivers get parking tickets in Los Angeles. 

About a quarter of all citations issued this year fall into that category, generating more than $15 million in fines citywide. 

Some of the most concentrated enforcement happens in unexpected places. The single most ticketed street sweeping location this year is a small alley behind a middle school in Carthay, where 68 citations were issued. 

Other hotspots include Venice, Boyle Heights and Koreatown — neighborhoods that consistently see some of the highest volumes of street sweeping tickets. 

To help avoid tickets, the city’s Bureau of Street Services offers an automated alert system that sends text reminders 24 and 48 hours before street sweeping on a registered block.

Register your address here.

Red curb violations are another major source of citations. One curb near Canyon Lake Drive in the Hollywood Hills received more than 1,000 tickets in 2025, largely from drivers stopping to take photos of the Hollywood Sign.

5. Parking enforcement costs the city more to run than it brings in through fines

Parking tickets can bring in hundreds of millions in LA, but that still doesn’t cover the cost of enforcement. In 2025, drivers in LA were fined $166 million overall — the highest in the dataset, even compared with 2022, which saw more tickets issued. 

Even though 2022 had about 78,000 more tickets, it still brought in over $20 million less in fines than 2025. 

In the past, the city could rely on parking tickets as a reliable source of income, but this hasn’t been the case since 2016. Between 2017 and 2021, LA reportedly spent nearly $200 million more on traffic enforcement than it collected in fines. 

More recently, a 2025 Crosstown analysis of city budget data found that in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, the city spent more than $176 million on parking enforcement and collected about $110 million in fines.

6. If you want no part of this ticketing stress, head to Porter Ranch 

At the other end of the spectrum is Porter Ranch. The neighborhood received just 163 tickets this year, with the most common violations tied to registration and no-stopping zones. Despite its low ticketing, the city collected $17,754, with its average ticket outpacing the city by about $20.

If you are interested in where your neighborhood ranks in parking tickets, email us at David@thelalocal.org

The World Cup mania continues, and we’d be remiss to not keep you up-to-date on where to check out all the games — whether that’s watching in person or tuning in. I am almost at my soccer-watching capacity, but I’ll admit this New York Times story about how hosting the World Cup in the Americas means every team is someone’s home team really got me.

Keep the party going post-Fourth with music picks from Licorice Pizza. On Tuesday, the legendary Don Was is at the Lodge Room, indie singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum is at the cool all-ages Pasadena venue Healing Force of the Universe, and Souls of Mischief play their first of two nights at Blue Note Los Angeles (they’ll be there Wednesday, too).

Also on Wednesday, Royel Otis plays the Greek, and Kurt Vile plays the Novo, or you can feel like it’s “so yesterday” and fly to the Forum for the amazing early-2000s bill of Hilary Duff with La Roux! That’s happening on Thursday, too.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can read up on how the White Stripes’ "Seven Nation Army" became a sports anthem, explore summer safety tips for grilling out and grab your tickets for Tuesday’s Moth Storyslam at Los Globos.

Events

L.A. Sparks vs. Indiana Fever

Wednesday, July 8, 7 p.m. 
Crypto.com Arena
1111 S Figueroa Street, Downtown L.A.
COST: FROM $92; MORE INFO 

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever will be in town this week.

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Arguably the biggest name in women’s basketball right now — Caitlin Clark — heads with her Indiana Fever to Crypto.com this week to take on the L.A. Sparks. If you need a break from all the soccer (hi, it’s me), swap it for some of the best basketball around.

Smoke Show with Jodie Sweetin

Thursday, July 9, 7:30 p.m.
Lyric Hyperion 
2106 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake
COST: $17.85; MORE INFO

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Full House star Jodie Sweetin heads to camp with comedians Lisa Chanoux, Ify Nwadiwe and Jessica Saul. What started as a Netflix Is a Joke show has grown into a full competition where comedians compete in a series of themed challenges, and the winner is determined by you, the audience. There’s also a short meet-and-greet with Sweetin included.

The corpse flower bloom

Ongoing 
The Huntington 
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
COST: $29; MORE INFO 

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Stinky and rare, the corpse flower is about to make its annual appearance at the Huntington Gardens. This year there’s a super unusual double bloom, so don’t miss your once-a-year chance to see — er — smell it. You can even livestream the bloom here. But there are many great reasons to go to the Huntington this summer, smelly flower or not. The third iteration of the museum’s Stories from the Library exhibit recently opened, where visitors will encounter rare materials that examine “how people have made meaning from imperfect objects and from the moon.”

Big Fan with Michael Schur 

Tuesday, July 7, 7 p.m. 
Chevalier Books
133 N. Larchmont Blvd., Larchmont
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Mike Schur will be discussing his new book this week.

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Michael Loccisano

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Fans of Michael Schur’s shows, like The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, will want to check out his latest book with Joe Posnanski, Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love. In the book, the two friends travel and talk about baseball, basketball, chess, darts, football and many more pastimes. Schur will be at Chevalier’s for a conversation with writer and actor Mike O’Malley (Glee).

Postmodern Swing 

Thursday, July 9, 8 p.m. 
Culver City Foshay Lodge
9635 Venice Blvd., Culver City
COST: $14; MORE INFO 

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Marina Zvada

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Lindy hop your way into America’s 251st year with a night of dancing to some artists you might not think of when it comes to swing music — like David Bowie, Talking Heads, Hall & Oates, George Michael, and even Vampire Weekend and Olivia Dean.

Bottle Rocket 30th Anniversary 

Monday, July 6, 7 p.m. 
David Geffen Theater
Academy Museum
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile
COST: FROM $5; MORE INFO

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FilmGrab

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The summer of Wes Anderson in L.A. (this weekend is the two-night Hollywood Bowl celebration) kicks off with a 30th Anniversary screening of Bottle Rocket at the Academy Museum. The director himself will be there, plus actor Luke Wilson and producer James L. Brooks will also appear. It’s sold out, but there may be standby tickets available day-of.