The Brief

There is a blinding beacon of light at the top of a tower in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

It’s a solar power facility called Ivanpah. It’s been supplying enough juice to power 140,000 homes for more than a decade. But it doesn’t generate electricity directly like rooftop solar panels do. It’s surrounded by a bunch of mirrors in concentric circles.

“Those mirrors reflect the heat of the sun to a receiver that’s mounted at the top of a big tower,” said Ed Smeloff, a clean energy consultant. “And then that receiver heats up, and the fluid in the receiver is used to drive the energy through a conventional steam turbine.”

Ivanpah opened 11 years ago, and it’s run by a company called NRG Energy. It cost $2.2 billion to build, $1.6 billion of which came in the form of loans from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“The cost of the project compared to other renewable technologies looked reasonable,” said Smeloff. “That, of course, has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so.”

Because over that period, the cost of photovoltaic solar power, or solar panels, has fallen about 70%. Now it is significantly cheaper than the energy that Ivanpah generates. The main buyer of the plant’s power — California utility PG&E — released a statement saying it’s pulling out to save its customers money.

Ivanpah is set to close early next year.

Whether that counts as a failure depends on how you view the mission of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, said Jigar Shah, its former director.

“It was clearly successful in that we gave them money and they commercialized the technology here in the United States,” he said. “It didn’t catalyze a trillion dollars’ worth of investment. So from that perspective, it wasn’t successful. Whereas, the solar PV [photovoltaic] investments that we made did catalyze a trillion dollars of investment.”

He also said taxpayers will get most of their money back. The Department of Energy declined to say exactly how much.

“Long term, the reason we’re doing all of this is to get the technologies that succeed to get successful at scale,” Shah said.

Concentrated solar power won’t die when Ivanpah shuts down. There are still people and companies who think the plant has value.

Fred Morse is one of them. He’s the guy who wrote up the report 55 years ago on whether it made sense to put solar on the roof of the White House. Today, he runs a startup called SolStor Energy that develops concentrated solar.

“I was there two months ago. It’s a beautiful facility. It works,” said Morse. “Clean, carbon-free. You really want to shut that down?”

He said sure, PV solar panels are cheaper in the daytime. But a concentrated solar plant can pump that superheated liquid it generates into an insulated tank so the plant can provide electricity at night.

But Morse said the future investments, like the one Ivanpah needed to get off the ground, are more uncertain as the new trade war and the shrinking of the federal government make investment less likely.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning effective from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees across much of inland L.A. County through Thursday, with the hottest conditions forecast Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Here are some things you can do to prepare ahead of time:

• Start hydrating now and throughout the day — experts recommend drinking two to four glasses of water per hour during extreme heat to stay hydrated. 
• The UV rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., so plan to be indoors unless you absolutely have to be outdoors. 
• Know the warning signs of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, skin problems, dehydration, and respiratory problems.
• Check-in on those at high risk like older adults, outdoor workers, pregnant women, young children and those who live alone.
• Make sure children and pets have everything they need in order to remain indoors during peak heart hours. 
• Sign-up for power outage alerts and know where the nearest cool down center is to you. 
• Avoid hot cars and remember to never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle.

As we all prep for this heat wave, here are ways and places to cool down: 

Pools

• Algin Sutton Swimming Pool: 8800 S. Hoover St.
• Celes King III Aquatic Center: 5001 Obama Blvd.
• LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium: 3980 Bill Robertson Lane
• South Park Pool: 345 E. 51st St.
• Van Ness Aquatic Center: 5720 2nd Ave.
• Jackie Tatum/Harvard Pool: 6120 Denker Ave.
• Jesse Owens Swimming Pool: 9835 S. Western Ave.
• Edward Vincent Jr. Pool: 826 E. 67th St., Inglewood, CA

Cooling centers

Here are cooling centers in Inglewood:

• Inglewood Main Library: 101 W. Manchester Blvd. 
• Inglewood Senior Center: 111 N. Locust St. 
• Darby Park: 3400 W. Arbor Vitae St. 
• Rogers Park: 400 W. Beach Ave.
• District 2 Community Center: 1201 N. La Tijera Blvd.

Here are cooling centers in South LA:

• Algin Sutton Recreation Center: 8800 S. Hoover St.
• South Los Angeles Senior Activity Center: 7020 S. Figueroa St.
• Jim Gilliam Recreation Center: 4000 S. La Brea Ave.
• Angeles Mesa Branch Library: 2700 W. 52nd St.
• Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library: 3900 S. Western Ave.
• Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library: 2205 W. Florence Ave.
• John Muir Branch Library: 1005 W. 64th St.
• Mark Twain Branch Library: 9621 S. Figueroa St.

Note: Most of these locations welcome pets, but it is always best to call ahead if you are bringing an animal.

Sign up for power outage alerts

Visit your power company’s website or contact them by phone to determine if you are scheduled for a rolling power outage.

For example, Southern California Edison may turn off power in high fire risk areas to reduce the threat of wildfires, what’s known as public safety power shutoff (PSPS). Sign up or update your contact information on the SCE website to receive emails, texts or phone calls about public safety power shut off events and other outages in your area.

If you do not have an SCE account, you can sign up for ZIP Code Alert, these alerts are helpful when you want to stay informed about a location where you are not a customer.

Here’s how to sign up for ZIP code alerts:

• Text alerts: To sign up zip code text alerts, text “ENROLL” 28954.
• Voice alerts: To sign up for ZIP code voice alerts, call 1-855-549-3800.
• Email alerts: To sign up for ZIP code email alerts, click here.

SCE also offers its Medical Baseline Program for those whose households require the regular use of electrically powered medical equipment.

The program provides an additional 16.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day and helps offset the cost of operating the medical equipment. Those interested can dial 2-1-1 to learn more.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Los Angeles County is asking residents whether streets, parks, buildings and other public property named after former labor leader César E. Chávez should be renamed.

The county launched a six-question, anonymous survey seeking public input on a potential renaming process after sexual abuse allegations against Chávez published earlier this year prompted officials to reconsider how the leader is commemorated.

In March, a New York Times investigation alleged that Chávez sexually assaulted women and underage girls within the United Farm Workers movement, including fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta. The allegations sparked reevaluation over Chávez’s legacy across the nation. In Los Angeles County, including Boyle Heights and East L.A., Chávez’s name appears on streets, schools, parks and murals.

Following the investigation, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath directing the county Chief Executive Office and County Counsel to develop a “community-driven process for the renaming parks, streets, County facilities, real property, monuments, and other County programs that bear the name of César Chávez.”

The survey asks residents what concerns they have about renaming streets or properties across L.A. County and what matters most to them in a renaming process. 

“We want to ensure our process continues to reflect our community’s vibrant history, diverse cultures, and shared values,” the survey reads.

The survey also suggests that local residents, historians, indigenous groups, labor organizations and other community stakeholders could help guide the renaming process.

How to weigh in

Take the survey here. (You can toggle between English and Spanish on the top right corner)

Deadline: Residents have until July 25 to complete the survey.

Hundreds of people in the city of Carpinteria joined a miles-long march Saturday against the Trump administration's mass deportation effort and to mark one year since scores of community members were detained during large-scale raids there and in Ventura County.

Last year, federal immigration agents descended on two licensed cannabis facilities in California’s Central Coast.

In one day, agents detained more than 300 people.

This included a lecturer at CSU Channel Islands, who subsequently faced nearly 20 years in prison for allegedly throwing a tear gas canister back at a Border Patrol agent.

George Retes — a father, U.S. citizen and veteran who worked as a security guard at one of the facilities — was also detained and held incommunicado for days, before getting released without charges.

Jaime Alanís García, a father and farmworker, died from injuries he sustained after falling from a greenhouse roof. On Saturday, marchers carried posters with the deceased man’s image that read “REST IN POWER.” Several others carried signs that read “ABOLISH ICE.”

Multiple marchers told LAist they went to the facility in Carpinteria in solidarity with family members who raced to the area when they heard about the raids last summer.

Mitch Lillie, a member of grassroots organization VC Defensa, said the day is seared into his memory. More than anything, he recalls the sound of community members frantically trying to reach their loved ones on the phone. “They were just bawling,” he said.

Some marchers danced in prayer as they made their way through the city.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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From the beach to the field  

The marchers first gathered at Carpinteria State Beach, just steps away from the Pacific Ocean. Then, under the scorching summer sun, they headed toward Glass House Farms, one of the cannabis facilities targeted by the federal government.

One man shouted “Viva Trump!” from inside his car as the marchers crossed a residential street. Elsewhere, dozens of drivers jovially honked at the marchers in support.

Along the way, the marchers made brief stops at shopping plazas. At each site, Bianca Perez used a staple gun to affix signs on trees and utility poles. She’d decorated each sign with faux monarch butterflies – a symbol honoring multi-generational migration across North America. At each of those sites, she explained, federal immigration agents have detained other community members, including on this year’s Father’s Day.

Perez is part of grassroots organization Carpinteria Sin Fronteras. Like VC Defensa, the group sends out alerts about the presence of federal immigration agents in the area. Perez and other volunteers also help community members locate loved ones when they fail to come home.

“We hold their stories super close to our hearts, with a lot of respect and love,” she said. “It is hard not to take all that in . . . A lot of the time, we are the first call when one of their family members has been taken.”

Bianca Perez posted signs in places where community members have been detained.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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The day that changed everything

Outside of Glass House Farms, local leaders and U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal made short speeches before a sun-worn crowd. Many recalled where they were when they first heard about the raids on July 10, 2025.

Teresa Alvarez, executive director of the Carpinteria Children's Project, was giving a tour of the nonprofit’s facilities when the news came down. Without vacillating, she and her team ran out the door, she said. But when they got to the field and saw rows of armed federal immigration agents, fear almost overtook her.

“I knew I needed to be here. But as a mom and an immigrant myself, I was terrified — especially when I realized I had no cell service and wasn't sure what would happen if things happened to escalate,” she added.

Alvarez and the other speakers underscored that although the federal government has not carried out large-scale raids in recent months, community members should not dial down on their advocacy.

“People are dying at detention centers and on the street on their way to work,” she added, reminding marchers about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a builder who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston, Texas earlier this month.

“That could have been my dad,” she said. “That could have been your dad.”

Mitch Lillie speaks to community members outside of Glass House Farms in Carpinteria.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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VC Defensa’s Lillie said that, although July 10 is now a “day of mourning,” it’s also a day of resistance. He recalled tear gas and pepper bullets raining down on him and fellow protesters. He also remembered perfect strangers helping each other.

On Saturday, he encouraged the marchers to join a grassroots organization of their choice and help their immigrant neighbors any way they can — whether it’s by giving them a ride to a court appointment or by helping those who’ve lost their breadwinners pay rent.

“That is how we transform a tragedy,” he said.

The 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles are officially two years away, and applications are now open to volunteer at the Games.

Organizers are seeking 60,000 people for roles like providing translation or guiding guests and athletes. They want volunteers for job categories including communications, driving, ceremonies and technology.

The bulk of volunteer positions will be in Los Angeles, with some opportunities in Oklahoma City, which will host a handful of competitions, and the Olympic soccer tournament sites, too.

Volunteering presents a potential way for some locals who balked at high ticket prices to participate in the summer Games, but they're a substantial commitment. Volunteers need to be available for 10 eight-hour shifts during either the Olympics or Paralympics if they want to participate.

A large volunteer program is a regular facet of the Olympics. In 1984, the last time L.A. hosted, nearly 29,000 people volunteered during the event.

To volunteer this time around, applicants need to be at least 18 years old and be proficient in English. Volunteers don't need to be local to Los Angeles or live in the U.S.

The first step is applying through LA28. Selected applicants will then have a chance to be interviewed in person in Los Angeles or online.