The All-Electric Ford Mustang Mach-E is on display during the 2024 LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Nov. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles
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Josh Lefkowitz
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California car dealers are taking out ads against California’s signature electric vehicle mandate in what's likely the starting point for negotiations over the future of the rule.
Why it matters: California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule requires 35% of cars sold by each manufacturer to be electric starting in model year 2026, before eventually banning sales of gas and hybrid options in 2035. Car dealers say those targets are out of reach — EVs accounted for 22% of the new California car market last year — and are warning that companies will likely send fewer gas and hybrid models to the state to avoid financial penalties. Fewer models on dealership lots would mean higher prices for consumers.
What’s the angle? The California New Car Dealers Association says California needs to pause the rule to give the state and the industry time to negotiate a path forward on vehicle electrification that accounts for consumer demand and EV charging infrastructure challenges. Car manufacturers overwhelmingly oppose the rule, although Stellantis, the parent company of brands like Dodge and Jeep, reached a deal with the state last year to follow the rule even if it goes away.
California’s response: CARB Chair Liane Randolph pushed back against the industry in a statement, calling the arguments a "false narrative" and a "misleading attempt to create an artificial crisis that undermines California’s public health goals.” She said the rule gives car manufacturers three years to make up EV sales deficits and that they can use credits earned through previous sales of ZEV models to stay in compliance.
Federal uncertainty: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced earlier this month that the agency had sent Congress California’s waiver — approved under President Joe Biden — which allows the state to enforce the program. That move opened a 60-day window for lawmakers to revoke the waiver through the Congressional Review Act. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) are expected to introduce resolutions starting the revocation process.
A Trump executive order pushes involuntary treatment for unhoused people; the VA denies that would include unhoused vets.
The backstory: While the Trump administration has promised new housing for vets, President Donald Trump also signed an executive order last year titled "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets," which leans heavily toward institutionalizing unhoused people against their will.
Why it matters: More than 30,000 U.S. military veterans are unhoused, according to the latest government data from an annual one-night "point in time count." That number is down significantly in the past decade, which most experts credit to a straightforward combination of robust funding and a philosophy focused on offering housing without prerequisites, called housing first.
Pedro Jauregui, with the organization U.S. Vets in Long Beach, Calif., once spent a whole year getting one unhoused veteran to come in from the cold.
"The first time I met him, I had to walk away 'cause he gave me some choice words, waved a one finger at me and said he was gonna kill me," Jauregui said.
But a year of regular visits, including plenty of hot coffee and doughnuts, and Jauregui convinced the vet to come indoors. After that, he sobered up and started using his VA benefits for college.
"We build relationships and then we use whatever we can to get the veteran the help he needs," Jauregui said.
More than 30,000 U.S. military veterans are unhoused, according to the latest government data from an annual one-night "point in time count." That number is down significantly in the past decade, which most experts credit to a straightforward combination of robust funding and a philosophy focused on offering housing without prerequisites, called housing first.
While the Trump administration has promised new housing for vets, President Trump also signed an executive order last year titled "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets," which leans heavily toward institutionalizing unhoused people against their will. This winter, NPR obtained slides describing a proposed VA plan called "Safe Harbor," which would include veterans in that shift to involuntary treatment. Then, in March, the VA put out a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department about state court guardianship for veterans.
But VA Secretary Doug Collins says the memorandum has nothing to do with the Safe Harbor proposal.
"We have veterans — not homeless, just veterans — who are in our facilities," he said at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans annual conference last month. "They have no family, they have no representation, and they really are not in a position to actually make competent choices for their own healthcare."
Collins said the memorandum will help those veterans get important medical decisions made.
"The court will find somebody in the community, not a VA employee, not a VA attorney, [who] will then represent that veteran with the respect to their medical well-being, moving them along, getting them the healthcare that they need," he said.
Collins says the leaked slide deck describing project Safe Harbor was still just a proposal, and he accused the lead Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Mark Takano, of distorting it.
"Somebody in our building leaked it to the Hill. And guess what? Rep. Takano happily put out information that wasn't correct," Collins said. "I've got veterans who are sitting in hospitals who can't make competent choices for themselves to get better … next-level care. We're helping them do that. … When it came out that we were attacking homeless and going after homeless, I wanted to puke," he said.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C.
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Samuel Corum
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Takano claimed in a statement to NPR that the VA is withholding information about the program from the public.
"I've given VA multiple opportunities at public hearings and in congressional requests to clarify its intent, and it refuses to do so," Takano said. "Doug Collins repeatedly fails to recognize or plan for the risks associated with guardianship, an industry rife with fraud and exploitation."
Takano said his staff will continue to collect information from whistleblowers about courts putting veterans under guardianship.
A VA spokesman reiterated to NPR that the guardianship memorandum is not connected to the leaked "Safe Harbor" plan, which echoed President Trump's executive order about institutionalizing unhoused people. Several veterans advocacy groups have expressed skepticism.
"I like to think that it's altruistic, like they really wanna help veterans in hospital situations have the decision-making skills that they need. But the fact that it also applies to homeless veterans and those veterans at risk of homelessness, I think, is really a slippery slope," said Jess Finucan, director of policy and advocacy at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, says the veterans service community is worried.
"What the administration has said publicly on this proposal is at odds with the documentation on the project and its pilot program. That original documentation was directly linked to the president's executive order, calling for involuntary commitment of people experiencing homelessness. I think it's disingenuous for anybody from the VA to say that this was meant for a completely different population," she said.
What proud vet wants to be a burden?
Back in Long Beach, NPR recently rode along with Pedro Jauregui and Veronica Hood, from the group U.S. Vets, as they did street outreach. They both served in the military, but at this point they've spent nearly as many years serving unhoused vets.
"Rather than make it something traumatic where we're forcing you into it, let outreach workers like us build the relationship," Jauregui said.
Their aim was to track down an 87-year-old Navy veteran named Curtis Ervin who has been sleeping in his truck. Even though he's probably been uhoused for decades, Ervin is reluctant to accept offers of housing, Hood said.
"He might think he'd be a burden on people. So he really just wants to do it on his own," she said.
U.S. Navy veteran Curtis Ervin, 87, was homeless for decades before being moved into housing this year.
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Veronica Hood
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"And what proud man or vet wants to be a burden on anybody?" Jauregui added from the passenger seat.
After driving to a few different places where unhoused vets camp out,Hood spots Ervin's maroon pickup parked near a Jack in the Box. She hands him a warm packed meal and some water through the driver's side window.
Ervin said he joined the Navy in 1956.
"I was a diesel engine mechanic. And on the ship, that means you're everything," Ervin said.
His last ship was the USS Bainbridge, a nuclear-powered destroyer.
"I was aboard when they brought the nuclear fleet to Vietnam, when they brought the [USS aircraft carrier] Enterprise, my ship escorted her. We went around Africa," he recalls.
Ervin said he's been bouncing between hospitals for years, and he can't remember the last time he had a home. Sleeping in a seat has made his legs swell up.
"Right now I'm in the truck. For the last two, three years, I've been dancing from hospital to hospital. … I finally got out because they tried to keep me," Ervin said.
He doesn't like being ordered around.
"I got enough of that in the Navy," he said, even though he's been out for 60 years.
But Veronica Hood seems to have built a rapport, and Ervin said he'll be here tomorrow to go with her to the hospital, and then get a roof over his head.
" I have never used the VA, but I am scheduled to go to the VA tomorrow," he said, "and I hope they don't keep me there."
Driving back, Hood and Jauregui said they know some unhoused people are a danger to themselves and maybe others, but for the most part, they wouldn't want to see vets forced into treatment.
"As you saw with Ervin, it could be both beneficial or it could be extremely traumatic," said Hood.
"My husband is also a veteran. He just retired, and I would be worried for him, too, if I wasn't around, if someone would show him the same compassion. It's how I would want Pedro to be treated. I'm sure how he would want me to be treated," she said
By phone after the visit, Hood told NPR that Curtis Ervin came in the next day, and he's now in housing for the first time in more years than he can remember.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Good Boy and Friends bring back their annual wine and food fest for the fifth year.
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Courtesy Good Boy and Friends
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In this edition:
A wine and food festival, the NYC ballet is here, CicLAvia heads to Leimert Park and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
The New York City Ballet is here for just a few days, so don’t miss their first L.A. performance in more than 20 years. The programs feature classic pieces from George Balanchine and New York City Ballet Co-Founding Choreographer Jerome Robbins, plus more contemporary works by Ulysses Dove, Justin Peck, Tiler Peck, Gianna Reisen and Christopher Wheeldon.
Sunday is a big day in Leimert Park! Head to the heart of the newly designated Historic South L.A. Black Cultural District for both the 16th Annual Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks and the car-free CicLAviathat will run from Leimert Park to Expo Park down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Good Boy and Friends are back for their fifth year — this time in a bigger venue — for their “new-school wine and food fest.” More than 60 wineries; favorite restaurants like LaSorted’s, Mr. Jong and Canyon Coffee; art galleries; DJs and more will be on hand with good eats, good tastes, space to dance and more. Plus, this year also features a non-alcoholic ticket with pours from a variety of NA vendors!
I wanted to give you a heads-up about one low-cost event and a free perk to get on top of as we barrel into summer. The first is snagging tickets to the quite eclectic lineup happening at the America 250 concert at the Coliseum on July 4. Tickets, which benefit Giving 4th, are just $17.76 (natch). The show features performances from Chris Stapleton and The Smashing Pumpkins, and is hosted by Queen Latifah.
If you’d rather get away from the crowds, make sure to secure your free California State Parks Pass before July 6.
Licorice Pizza has your music picks for the weekend, starting with Kid Cudi and Big Boi at the Crypto.com Arena, Natalia Lafourcade at the Dolby, Gia Margaret at Sid The Cat, Sekou at the Troubadour, electroclash veteran Green Velvet at Exchange L.A., and if you feel like getting sexed up, Color Me Badd at Stage Red in Fontana — all on Friday.
Saturday A$AP Rocky is at the Forum; Kaleo and Dawes are at the Novo; Dillstradamus (aka Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus) play the Palladium; Pomplamoose is at Pacific Electric; “Summer of Soul” with Jeffrey Osborne, Sheila E. and more is at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts; and the Freestyle Festival with Lisa Lisa, Stevie B and more is at the Toyota Arena.
Finally, there’s “A Roots Picnic Experience: A Great Night in Hip-Hop,” with the Roots and all-stars like Nas, T.I., Bun B and De La Soul at the Hollywood Bowl.
Through Sunday, June 28 Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: FROM $44; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Music Center
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What a treat. The New York City Ballet is here for just a few days, so don’t miss their first L.A. performance in more than 20 years. There are two different programs, featuring classic pieces from George Balanchine and New York City Ballet Co-Founding Choreographer Jerome Robbins, plus more contemporary works by Ulysses Dove, Justin Peck, Tiler Peck, Gianna Reisen and Christopher Wheeldon. The programs feature recorded music and live performances by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
16th Annual Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks
Sunday, June 28, 12 p.m. 4343 Leimert Blvd., Leimert Park COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Sunday is a big day in Leimert Park! Head to the heart of the newly designated Historic South L.A. Black Cultural District for both the 16th Annual Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks and the car-free CicLAvia that will run from Leimert Park to Expo Park down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. The Festival of Masks features a libation ceremony and procession, plus dance and musical performances. CicLAvia has meetup hubs for the neighborhood (come say hi to LAist staff at the Leimert Park hub!), water stations, and much more. Check out local neighborhood gems on the map and explore Leimert Park this weekend.
QWERTY: A Typewriter Festival
Saturday, June 27, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The International Printing Museum 315 West Torrance Blvd., Carson COST: $12; MORE INFO
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Laura Rivera
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Clickity clack, it’s time for the QWERTY Typewriter Festival. Did you know that Carson is home to the International Printing Museum? A must-visit for all the writerly nerds among us, myself included. And also Tom Hanks. It’s National Typewriter Day, and the museum is celebrating with a Type-In, where you can type on vintage typewriters, write your own story, see unusual typewriters and maybe even take home your own analog writing device.
Good Boy and Friends wine and food fest
Saturday, June 27, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Francois Ghebaly + Night Gallery Campus 2288-2308 E. 16th St., Arts District COST: FROM $35; MORE INFO
Good Boy and Friends are back for their fifth year — this time in a bigger venue — for their “new-school wine and food fest.” More than 60 wineries; favorite restaurants like LaSorted’s, Mr. Jong and Canyon Coffee; art galleries; DJs and more will be on hand with good eats, good tastes, space to dance and more. Plus, this year also features a non-alcoholic ticket with pours from a variety of NA vendors, not just water and Diet Coke for the designated drivers, and a special (free, ticketed) dog area so you can bring your pup.
Culver City Rock and Mineral: Fiesta of Gems Show
Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28 Veterans Memorial Auditorium 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Dan Farrell
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I had no idea people liked rocks so much until I went to the Joshua Tree Rock and Gem show with a rockhound friend and learned that some people REALLY like rocks. If that’s you, head to the free Culver City Fiesta of Gems show and find your next rare wavellite or blue cap tourmaline.
Chef Sheldon Simeon x LaSorted’s
Friday, June 26, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. La Sorted’s 984 N. Broadway, Chinatown COST: FROM $7; MORE INFO
Grab the latest collab pie at LaSorted’s Chinatown location, “The Loco Moco” from the legendary Chef Sheldon Simeon (@chefwonder). A Top Chef fan-favorite, owner of Tin Roof and “culinary ambassador of Maui,” Sheldon will be on hand for a one-night-only ticketed party to celebrate his new cookbook, Ohana Style. Seven dollars gets you a slice, $25 gets you a pie, $40 gets you a slice and the book.
GenX Storytelling Series: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Sunday, June 28, 4:30 p.m. The Wicked Wolf 2332 Pacific Ave., Long Beach COST: $5; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Wicked Wolf
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Share your best story about ditching school at this storytelling event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1986 classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Hosted by Jamie Sims Coakley, the series will feature other favorite GenX movies with themed sharing (or oversharing as the case may be!) throughout the summer, including favorite concert stories (Spinal Tap, July 19) and favorite summer romances (Dirty Dancing, August 16).
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Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published June 25, 2026 5:00 AM
L.A. County Department of Health Services EMT Christopher Phan distributes naloxone along Aetna Street in Van Nuys in March 2022.
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Christina House
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Topline:
Drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County dropped 6% in 2025 and have fallen nearly 30% since peaking in 2022, according to a report the Department of Public Health released Thursday.
The trend: In L.A. County, the drug overdose crisis claimed 2,298 lives last year, with methamphetamine and fentanyl continuing to drive most of those deaths. Drug overdose deaths peaked in L.A. County in 2022, with 3,220 deaths (or 30.8 per 100,000 population.) They’ve declined in the three years since: down by 3% in 2023, 22% in 2024, and 6% last year, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The county’s progress tracks just behind a larger national trend. Across the U.S., overdose deaths dropped about 35% from their 2022 peak of 107,941 to an estimated 69,973 in 2025, according to the CDC.
Fentanyl: Fentanyl was a factor in 49% of the county's overdose deaths in 2025, down from 64% two years earlier. The 1,135 fentanyl-related deaths recorded last year marked a 10% decline from 2024. Fentanyl's recent decline follows a steep climb. Accidental fentanyl overdose and poisoning deaths in L.A. County rose from about 100 in 2016 to more than 2,000 in 2023, according to county data reports.
Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine remained involved in roughly 61% of the county's overdose deaths in recent years. The synthetic stimulant contributed to 1,405 deaths in 2025, down 7% from the previous year.
Read on ... for more what's driving the decline.
Drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County dropped 6% in 2025 and have fallen nearly 30% since peaking in 2022, according to a report the Department of Public Health released Thursday.
L.A. County health officials said the recent trend shows county-funded substance abuse programs are working.
“Three consecutive years of fewer overdose deaths in L.A. County is proof that sustained investments in prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services saves lives,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s Department of Public Health.
The county’s progress tracks just behind a larger national trend. Across the U.S., overdose deaths dropped about 35% from their 2022 peak of 107,941 to an estimated 69,973 in 2025, according to the CDC.
The CDC credits a number of factors for the nationwide decline in drug-related deaths, including the distribution of naloxone — a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses — improved access to treatment and decreases in drug potency due to shifts in the illegal drug supply.
In L.A. County, the drug overdose crisis claimed 2,298 lives last year, with methamphetamine and fentanyl continuing to drive most of those deaths.
Fentanyl's role is major but shrinking. The synthetic opioid was a factor in 49% of the county's overdose deaths in 2025, down from 64% two years earlier. The 1,135 fentanyl-related deaths recorded last year marked a 10% decline from 2024.
Methamphetamine remained involved in roughly 61% of the county's overdose deaths in recent years. The synthetic stimulant contributed to 1,405 deaths in 2025, down 7% from the previous year.
L.A. County’s overdose strategy leans heavily on “harm reduction” — a public health approach that treats addiction as a health condition and focuses on keeping drug users alive rather than requiring abstinence. That includes distributing naloxone, fentanyl test strips and clean smoking supplies.
But aspects of the harm reduction approach have come under fire from the Trump administration, which argues they enable illegal drug use. In April, federal officials barred grant money from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) from paying for syringes, pipes or fentanyl test strips.
By the numbers
Drug overdose has been the leading cause of accidental deaths in Los Angeles County since 2017, when drug deaths outpaced those from motor vehicles and guns.
Drug overdose deaths peaked in L.A. County in 2022, with 3,220 deaths (or 30.8 per 100,000 population.)
They’ve declined in the three years since: down by 3% in 2023, 22% in 2024, and 6% last year, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. That decline mirrors a trend seen across the country over the same period.
Fentanyl's recent decline follows a steep climb. Accidental fentanyl overdose and poisoning deaths in L.A. County rose from about 100 in 2016 to more than 2,000 in 2023, according to county data reports.
In 2022 and 2023, fentanyl surpassed methamphetamine as the most common drug listed as a cause of death in county medical examiner records. That trend began to reverse in 2024, when fentanyl overdose deaths fell 37%.
Disproportionate risks
L.A. County’s overdose crisis hits some communities harder than others. L.A. County neighborhoods where more than 30% of families live below the federal poverty level had overdose death rates nearly five times that of areas where less than 10% live below poverty level.
That disparity has increased steadily over the past decade. In 2016, the rate of overdose death was 1.6 times greater in poorer areas, compared to more affluent ones.
Black Angelenos disproportionately die of drug overdose. According to the county data, Black residents make up 7% of L.A. County’s population but accounted for 22% of drug overdose deaths last year.
Drug overdose remains the leading cause of death among L.A. County’s more than 72,000 unhoused residents, who are 46 times more likely to die from overdose than the general population, according to a separate recent county report.
In 2024, unhoused Angelenos accounted for 36% of all drug overdose fatalities in L.A. County.
OC grand jury cites LAist reporting in reform push
Nick Gerda
is an accountability reporter who has covered local government in Southern California for more than a decade.
Published June 25, 2026 5:00 AM
Shari Freidenrich, Orange County's treasurer-tax collector, speaks at an event in 2022. Freidenrich was the subject of one of two county HR investigations cited in a recent O.C. grand jury report calling for reforms that would allow elected officials to be ousted for misconduct.
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Screenshot of City of Newport Beach video posted to YouTube
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Topline:
Citing LAist’s unearthing of misconduct findings about top elected officials, Orange County’s grand jury is urging reforms that would allow elected officials to more easily be removed from office for misconduct. The panel also recommended mandating regular audits or performance reviews of elected officials in a grand jury report released this month.
Why: Grand jurors pointed to two formerly confidential county HR investigations LAist brought to light last year through public records requests. One found O.C. assessor Claude Parrish violated gender discrimination and retaliation policies and harassed a subordinate over her medical disability. The other found O.C. treasurer-tax collector Shari Freidenrich threw office keys at a subordinate out of anger, likely violating workplace violence policies.
Key quote: “These episodes underscore a structural reality: Even when serious misconduct is documented, the board has no substantive authority to take corrective action, discipline an elected official, or remove them from office,” the panel continued.
Opposition to the idea: Two O.C. supervisors tell LAist they oppose letting supervisors remove other elected officials — warning it could be used for political retaliation. “That is the job of the voters,” Supervisor Katrina Foley said. That power, she added, would “definitely will get abused.”
Citing LAist’s unearthing of misconduct findings about top elected officials, Orange County’s grand jury is urging reforms that would allow elected officials to more easily be removed from office for misconduct.
The panel also recommended mandating regular audits or performance reviews of elected officials, in a report released this month.
Grand jurors pointed to two formerly confidential county HR investigations LAist brought to light last year through public records requests.
One found O.C. assessor Claude Parrish violated gender discrimination and retaliation policies and harassed a subordinate over her medical disability. The other found O.C. treasurer-tax collector Shari Freidenrich threw office keys at a subordinate out of anger, likely violating workplace violence policies. A secretary who witnessed it quit her job the same day as a result, the county investigation found.
Orange County Assessor Claude Parrish speaks at a county Board of Supervisors meeting in March 2023.
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Screenshot of county meeting video
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“The public, and in some cases even individual [county] supervisors, did not learn the full details until media outlets obtained the reports through public records requests,” the grand jury wrote.
“These episodes underscore a structural reality: Even when serious misconduct is documented, the board has no substantive authority to take corrective action, discipline an elected official or remove them from office,” the panel continued.
“Without meaningful measures for intervention, problems can persist unchecked, leaving the county vulnerable to operational failures, ethical breaches and the erosion of public trust,” the report states, adding that independently elected offices act with “impunity.”
Parrish and Freidenrich both were re-elected by wide margins in this month’s primary. Their seats typically draw little attention during re-elections, where they appear on ballots as the incumbent.
Under current law, elected officials can only be removed if they’re convicted of a crime involving their official duties, are recalled by voters or vacate their office, the grand jury wrote.
What the grand jury wants to happen
The grand jurors recommended supervisors put key reforms on the ballot for voters to change county law. Those reforms, if passed, would let the Board of Supervisors:
Remove an elected official for cause by a four-fifths vote
Convert an elected office to an appointed position
Merge two elected offices — like assessor and clerk‑recorder — into one elected position
For the removal recommendation, they pointed to existing laws in San Bernardino and San Mateo counties. Last year, San Mateo County voters “approved a charter amendment authorizing their Board of Supervisors to remove the elected sheriff for cause by a four-fifths vote,” the grand jury wrote. Removing the sheriff “requires notice, investigation, a hearing and formal findings,” the report states.
The grand jury also suggested that county supervisors:
Adopt a policy requiring regular audits or performance reviews of elected officials
Implement more robust public reporting of audits into departments under elected officials
Publicly report actions taken to correct problems that have been found under elected offices
‘Why do we need to elect a clerk-recorder?’
Mike Moodian, a public policy professor at Chapman University, says it could make sense to have the lesser-known countywide elected positions — assessor, treasurer-tax collector and clerk-recorder — be appointed rather than elected.
Most voters, he said, are not aware of the candidates and tend to elect incumbents in a landslide vote. He wonders if the public would be better served if those positions were instead appointed positions selected and overseen by higher-profile elected officials — like county supervisors — who are more visible and, thus, accountable to voters, he said.
“ Why do we need to elect a clerk-recorder?” Moodian said.
As for removal powers, Moodian said it’s a thorny issue. It could provide accountability, but it could also become fraught if four of five county supervisors want to wrongfully remove a colleague for political reasons.
“It's a classic governance dilemma,” he said. “How do you preserve democratic independence [of elected officials], but also how do you ensure accountability when something goes wrong?”
“If serious misconduct or mismanagement occurs, do voters have to wait years for the next election? Because let's face it, the recall process — that can be very costly and ... very difficult.”
What comes next
Ultimately, it will be up to county supervisors to decide whether to put removal powers on the ballot, unless citizens gather signatures from 95,694 registered O.C. voters.
By law, the supervisors will have to issue a public response to the grand jury report, describing whether or not they’ll implement the recommendations.
LAist contacted all five county supervisors for comment on the recommendations. Two got back.
Supervisor Katrina Foley said she doesn’t support allowing elected officials to remove other elected officials — pointing to existing provisions that remove elected officials convicted of crimes in office.
“Short of removing budgetary authority or having more oversight and monitoring, I don't think that elected officials should be given the power to remove other elected officials. That is the job of the voters,” Foley said.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 27, 2024.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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That power should not be given to elected officials, she added, because it “definitely will get abused.”
The audit and performance evaluation suggestion is also problematic, she added, because having subordinates of elected officials evaluate their bosses would be fraught because they wouldn’t want to risk losing their job.
“How are you gonna have an objective evaluation?,” she asked. “I just don't see that working in elected spaces.”
In a statement, Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said he shares the grand jury’s “concern regarding misconduct in office and the ability to provide the Board with additional levers needed to address misconduct by elected officials.”
“Unfortunately, the recommendation to give the Board of Supervisors authority to remove an elected official can undermine the will of the voters and may open the door for politically motivated removals and abuse,” he added.
Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 27, 2024.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Through a spokesperson, he declined to say what additional levers he believes the board should have to address elected official misconduct.
The other three supervisors — Doug Chaffee, Don Wagner and Janet Nguyen — didn’t respond to messages for comment.
“Taken together, these episodes form a collection of political missteps that amount to a documented pattern of governance failure. Orange County’s history shows that unethical behavior and corruption are neither rare nor random, but cyclical,” the grand jury wrote.
“Each decade brings a new set of names, but the underlying dynamics remain stubbornly the same,” the jurors added.
“When institutions lack durable safeguards, the electorate suffers the consequences. Government integrity cannot depend on the character of individual elected officials alone,” the report continues.
“It requires systematic guardrails, meaningful checks and balances, independent oversight bodies with real authority, institutional transparency, financial controls, enforceable ethics standards, and active citizen engagement through the ballot box.”
What is a grand jury?
Under state law, each county has grand juries that decide whether to indict defendants in criminal cases and conduct civil watchdog investigations of local government agencies.
The civil grand jury duties include ensuring local governments are governed honestly and efficiently and that tax dollars are managed efficiently.
How to reach me
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is ngerda.47.
You can follow this link to reach me there or type my username in the search bar after starting a new chat.
And if you're comfortable just reaching out my email I'm at ngerda@laist.com.
In most California counties, there are separate grand juries for criminal matters and civil watchdog reviews.
In Orange County, both are combined into a single grand jury that serves for one year at a time, from the beginning of July to the end of the following June. Orange County’s grand jury has 19 members and several alternates who can step in if someone leaves.
The selection process starts with a committee of O.C. Superior Court judges reviewing applications and selecting about 90 people for further consideration. Those deemed qualified are invited to an interview before the committee, and those who advance undergo a background investigation by the Sheriff’s Department. The list is narrowed to 25 to 30 finalists, then 19 members of the grand jury are selected by lottery. The other finalists become the alternates.
Under compensation set by the Board of Supervisors, grand jurors are paid $50 per day plus reimbursement for miles driven.
Federal courts also have grand juries, which are separate from county grand juries and only handle criminal matters.
