What to expect: Sunny and cool today with highs in the mid 60s to low 70s across SoCal.
Read on...for more details and who is affected by a No Burn Alert, as well as why you should be careful near ocean waters.
The crisp, cool weather continues Tuesday as the region prepares for another Santa Ana wind event on Wednesday.
Highs along the coast on Tuesday will be from 63 to 69 degrees, and up to 72 degrees for the valleys.
The Inland Empire will see daytime highs of up to 71 degrees.
In the Antelope Valley, there will be some areas of frost in the early morning, with temperatures ranging from 56 to 62 degrees.
Beach hazards
You'll want to avoid swimming in the ocean because of strong rip currents and breaking waves from high surf. Minor flooding of beach parking lots is possible. These conditions will last until Friday morning for the Orange County coast, and until Saturday morning for L.A. County beaches.
No burn alert in effect
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a no burn alert for most of SoCal until 11:59 p.m. because of high air pollution. That means you should avoid any burning of wood, including fireplaces or manufactured logs made from wax or paper. The alert applies to O.C. and L.A. County's non-desert areas, as well as Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Topline:
After Los Angeles moved to significantly lower yearly increases in most of the city’s apartments, some City Council members now want to change the rules again. This time, they’re hoping to give small landlords the ability to raise rents more than their corporate counterparts.
The details: On Tuesday, the council is scheduled to vote on a proposal that would let small landlords — those who own 10 units or fewer— raise rents by an additional 1% each year. The idea was put forward by Councilmembers John Lee and Monica Rodriguez.
Why now: In a culmination of years of debate, the City Council voted last month to lower the maximum allowable rent increase in the city’s rent-controlled housing to 4% per year. That’s down from the previous maximum of 10%. Lee voted against the changes after expressing concern about how the lower increases would affect the bottom line of small rental property owners. Rodriguez supported the changes, but said more needs to be done to keep “mom and pop” landlords afloat.
Read on… to learn what landlord and tenant advocates have to say about the proposal.
After Los Angeles moved to significantly lower yearly increases in most of the city’s apartments, some City Council members now want to change the rules again. This time, they’re hoping to give small landlords the ability to raise rents more than their corporate counterparts.
On Tuesday, the council is scheduled to vote on a proposal that would let small landlords — those who own 10 units or fewer — raise rents by an additional 1% each year. The idea was put forward by Councilmembers John Lee and Monica Rodriguez.
“This modest adjustment recognizes the difference between a family that owns a few units and a large corporate operator,” Lee said in a statement to LAist. “Our goal is to keep small landlords in the system and prevent the loss of rent-controlled homes.”
While the idea is gaining support from landlord groups, tenant advocates say the proposal would create a cumbersome and unfair, two-tier system in which some renters have to pay more than others.
In a culmination of years of debate, the City Council voted last month to lower the maximum allowable rent increase in the city’s rent-controlled housing to 4% per year. That’s down from the previous maximum of 10%.
Lee, whose district includes the northwest San Fernando Valley, voted against the changes after expressing concern about how the lower increases would affect the bottom line of small rental property owners. Rodriguez, whose district includes the northeast San Fernando Valley, supported the changes, but said more should be done to keep “mom-and-pop” landlords afloat.
“The motion proposes a modest adjustment to help ensure these small landlords remain viable, rather than being pushed out and accelerating the further corporatization of housing in Los Angeles,” Rodriguez said in a statement to LAist.
Landlord groups said the proposed 1% increase could help at the margins, but small landlords would still have to contend with insurance premiums and maintenance costs that have been rising faster than overall economic inflation.
“Throwing a bone in the form of an additional 1% to smaller owners is necessary but will be insufficient to keep many owners in the housing business,” Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said in an email. “More and more, owners are being forced to look for the exit ramp in the city of Los Angeles.”
But researchers paid to investigate the issue have not found evidence that small landlords face stronger headwinds than corporate owners. A city-commissioned report by the Economic Roundtable, an independent research nonprofit, found no significant differences between the financial health of small and large landlord operations in L.A.
“The study found that, in general, small landlords are not suffering greater distress,” Anna Ortega, who is with the city’s Housing Department, said during a recent City Council meeting.
Tenant advocates with the group Keep L.A. Housed opposed the 1% bump for small landlords, saying it would be unfair to charge some tenants more every year simply because they’re renting from a non-corporate owner. The coalition also said enforcing the rules would be difficult.
“Allowing small landlords to self-certify creates the opportunity for abuse, as some will fraudulently claim the status and charge incorrect (and potentially illegal) rent increases to already rent-burdened tenants,” said Pablo Estupiñan, a Keep L.A. Housed member and an organizer with the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.
The city’s rent control rules generally apply to rental units built before October 1978, though some newly built apartments are covered as well. About 70% of the city’s apartments are subject to the rent hike caps.
Some other Southern California jurisdictions with rent control allow small landlords to increase rents more than larger owners.
L.A. County allows small landlords in unincorporated areas to increase rents an extra 1%. The city of Inglewood allows owners of buildings with four apartments or fewer to increase rents by an extra 5% compared with owners of buildings with five or more units.
Topline:
The Santa Ana City Council will consider tonight whether to more than double its contribution to the city’s immigrant support fund to help families who have been hurt by ICE enforcement. The vote would add an additional $150,000 to its Ayuda Sin Fronteras fund, which launched in July.
Why it matters: Santa Ana is Orange County’s only sanctuary city. When federal agents began mass sweeps across Southern California, Santa Ana residents were hit hard. Many have chosen to stay indoors out of fear of ICE sweeps, avoiding workplaces, grocery stores and other public spaces.
What is Ayuda Sin Fronteras? The money from this fund goes toward helping residents pay for rent and utilities. In July, when the fund was first launched, the city allocated $100,000 for housing assistance.
Read on … for how Santa Ana residents affected by ICE sweeps can get help.
Santa Ana’s Ayuda Sin Fronteras — a fund to support immigrant families affected by ICE sweeps — could more than double with an additional $150,000 influx of city dollars if approved by the City Council Tuesday night.
The federal immigration sweeps have increased fear among immigrant families, prompting some to avoid workplaces and other public areas. The fund goes toward helping those families pay for up to one month’s worth of housing expenses, including past due rent and utility bills.
The program was created in July following heavy immigration enforcement that rattled many communities in Southern California, including Orange County’s only sanctuary city — Santa Ana.
When it launched, the city approved an initial $100,000 for housing assistance. In October, the City Council directed the city manager to seek additional funding for approval. Those funds were pulled from several city department employee vacancies, including the city attorney’s office, the Santa Ana Police Department and others.
Ayuda Sin Fronteras has supported 232 residents as of Oct. 21, according to city officials.
Mayor Valerie Amezcua said she will revisit the fund as much as possible to make sure the city is doing all it can to support community members affected by immigration enforcement.
“We need to make sure that we take good care of our community because there is a need,” Amezcua told LAist. “There's a need for rental assistance, for food, for utilities. As the mayor and council, we're committed to helping out our community.”
The funds are reserved for Santa Ana families with members who have been detained, deported or financially hurt by immigration enforcement. Families will need to provide proof of immigration enforcement activity or a signed third-party verification form.
The program requires identification of all household members, but the city says it does not require proof of citizenship.
Applicants need to be renters at or below moderate income. A family of five, for example, needs to make no more than $177,000 a year. The city’s income chart can be found here.
If you are interested in getting financial assistance from the city, you need to get a referral from one of the city’s partners.
You can get more information by reaching out to the Ayuda Sin Fronteras team by filling out a contact form.
You can also send them an email or call at (714) 565-2655.
In Orange County, Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento created the Orange County Liberty Fund in partnership with community organizations, bringing together $1.5 million to support immigrant families in navigating the legal system.
In September, the Costa Mesa City Council launched a $200,000 immigrant legal defense fund to help those detained by ICE within the city.
Outside Orange County, the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, along with L.A. County, have asked for support from local philanthropists to donate to immigrant support funds.
Topline:
The governing board for the L.A. Homeless Services Authority voted Monday to start the process of reallocating about $130 million in federal funding currently being spent on permanent housing to other projects meant to serve unhoused Angelenos.
New HUD policy: The Los Angeles region is eligible for more than $260 million in federal funding under that program in the coming fiscal year, including $217 million for existing projects. But no more than 30% of those funds can go toward permanent housing projects, according to a notice issued last month by the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development.
Why it matters: It's a challenge for L.A. County because 90% of regional HUD funds currently cover people’s rent, according to LASHA officials. Under the new HUD policy, about 5,000 households in the county will lose their rental subsidies.
Pushback: Last week, 21 states, including California sued HUD, claiming the new federal policies “essentially guarantee that tens of thousands of formerly homeless individuals and families will be evicted back into homelessness.”
Los Angeles’ regional homelessness agency is working to find ways to keep thousands of people in their homes, while complying with new federal funding restrictions on permanent housing.
The governing board for the L.A. Homeless Services Authority voted Monday to start the process of reallocating about $130 million in federal funding currently being spent on permanent housing to other projects meant to serve unhoused Angelenos.
Because of new funding restrictions from the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development, known as HUD, about 5,000 households in the county will lose their rental subsidies, according to several LAHSA officials who spoke at a commission meeting Monday.
Those changes, along with state and county funding shortfalls for homeless services, threaten to drastically worsen the region’s homelessness crisis, they said.
"The fact of the matter is there’s going to be a tremendous and terrible impact on people, on agencies, on landlords,” said Nathaniel VerGow, LAHSA’s chief program officer.
Officials said they’re scrambling to maximize federal funding under the new guidelines while also advocating against the new HUD policy.
“It is a cliff and it feels catastrophic, but I think it forces us as a region to figure out how to save ourselves,” LAHSA Commission Chair Amber Sheikh said.
Most federal homelessness dollars flow into the L.A. region through the Continuum of Care program, managed by HUD.
The Los Angeles region is eligible for more than $260 million in federal funding under that program in the coming fiscal year, including $217 million for existing projects.
But no more than 30% of those funds can go toward permanent housing projects, according to a “notice of funding opportunity” HUD issued last month.
That’s a challenge for L.A. County, because 90% of regional HUD funds currently cover people’s rent, according to LASHA officials.
Instead, L.A. and other cities and counties must spend the bulk of their federal funds on other interventions, including transitional housing and street outreach.
HUD officials have said the policy is meant to encourage self-sufficiency.
At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Justin Szlasa urged his colleagues to consider larger funding trends.
“ There's actually a 23% increase in available funding from HUD, the federal government,” he said. “It just doesn't work with the way that we normally have done things here.”
“We need to find, in this crisis, a way to be constructive about this,” Szlasa added.
HUD released its new notice of funding opportunity last month and rescinded a previous two-year funding agreement.
Opponents have concerns with the federal housing department’s move away from “housing first” approaches. They also said HUD rolled out the changes without providing enough time to prepare service providers and clients for disruptions.
Last week, 21 states, including California, sued HUD, claiming the new federal policies “essentially guarantee that tens of thousands of formerly homeless individuals and families will be evicted back into homelessness.”
This week, a group of cities and homelessness organizations also sued over the changes. Plaintiffs include the city and county of San Francisco. The Continuum of Care for San Francisco was awarded $56 million in federal funding for Fiscal Year 2024.
Approximately 91% of that funding supports permanent housing projects, according to the complaint.
The LAHSA Commission voted Monday to approve its request for applications for existing and new projects.
Providers must submit applications to LAHSA over the next two weeks, and LAHSA has until Jan. 14 to craft and submit a new application to HUD.
The agency is now talking with 130 contractors about the transition.
LAHSA is also working with some permanent supportive housing providers to convert their programs to transitional housing instead, officials said.
People who were in permanent housing projects aren’t eligible for transitional housing under HUD’s guidelines because they're not considered unhoused, VerGow said.
The commission also reviewed a policy for ranking project applications and prioritizing them for federal funding. Officials said that policy has to be approved at a LAHSA Commission subcommittee on Dec. 10.
Funds are expected to be awarded in May 2026.
Topline:
As the season of Advent begins, several Southern California congregations with large immigrant communities, that sacred anticipation is shadowed by a looming sense of fear.
West Los Angele church: Mike, an Iranian asylum-seeker who attends a West Los Angeles church, says a series of immigration enforcement actions in the region — including the June arrests of two men outside a nearby church with a large Iranian membership — has shaken him. A significant number of Iranian parishioners worship at his church, and the pastor often invites them to pray in Farsi during services. Lately, fewer take her up on the offer.
United Methodist Church: In Baldwin Park, about 80% of members of the church are immigrants and many don't have legal status. Pastor Tona Rios says many of her parishioners ask her to keep church doors closed. For years, a red tent pitched in the middle of the sanctuary provided a place for parishioners to sleep while they looked for work and housing. According to Rios, the tent remains as a reminder of that welcome — and of the fears many congregants now carry.
LOS ANGELES — As the season of Advent begins, many Christians turn toward quiet reflection and preparation for Christmas. But in several Southern California congregations with large immigrant communities, that sacred anticipation is shadowed by a looming sense of fear.
For worshippers like Mike, an Iranian asylum-seeker who attends a West Los Angeles church, the weeks leading up to Christmas feel less like a spiritual refuge and more like a time of apprehension. He asked that only the anglicized version of his Farsi name be used because he fears speaking publicly could affect his immigration case. He fled Iran after converting to Christianity.
"I kept this secret, my faith as a secret, for like 12 years," he said.
Mike arrived in Los Angeles 18 months ago and says he has tried to build a life rooted in community and respect for his new home. But a series of immigration enforcement actions in the region — including the June arrests of two men outside a nearby church with a large Iranian membership — has shaken him.
"Even church is not safe because it's a public place," he said. "They can get there and catch you."
The Department of Homeland Security says enforcement actions at churches require secondary approval and are expected to be rare. Still, the concern is real inside Mike's congregation, where church leaders asked that the name of the church not be published.
A significant number of Iranian parishioners worship there, and the pastor often invites them to pray in Farsi during services. Lately, fewer take her up on the offer.
"It's part of the heartbreak of these days," the pastor said. "They feel like they have to be apprehensive about it — not even wanting to speak in their own language here."
She said the fear is especially painful during Advent, a season she describes as a time to prepare to "give thanks for this God we have who wants to be with us."
East of Los Angeles, at Baldwin Park United Methodist Church, Pastor Toña Rios unzips a red tent pitched in the middle of the sanctuary. For years, the church took in newly arrived immigrants, providing a place to sleep while they looked for work and housing.
The tent remains as a reminder of that welcome — and of the fears many congregants now carry. Rios estimates that about 80% of her church members are immigrants and says many don't have legal status.
"A lot of them say, 'Don't open the door. Just close the door,'" she said.
Rios urges a different posture, especially during Advent. She uses the tent to help her congregation imagine being the ones who offer shelter, not shut others out.
"It is very hard," she said. "But Jesus is going to be born in our heart. That's why we need to be prepared."
For longtime church member Royi Lopez, the sense of vulnerability goes beyond immigration status. Lopez is a U.S. citizen but says she often feels targeted because she is Latina. Many of her relatives are undocumented, and she worries constantly about them.
"What if on my way to church, they catch us?" she said. "On a daily basis, we're scared of going to the school, to work, to church, to even the grocery store."
Lopez says that during Advent, these fears remind her of the Christmas story itself — of Mary and Joseph searching for somewhere to stay, turned away again and again until somebody finally took them in.
"Even though so many doors were closed, somebody opened a door," she said.
That theme of welcome runs through the hymn chosen for every Sunday of Advent at Baldwin Park United Methodist Church, "All Earth is Hopeful." Its lyrics speak of a world longing for liberation, where people labor to "see how God's truth and justice set everybody free."
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