An aerial view of a fire that was visible from around L.A. on Thursday night after an explosion at a Chevron plant in El Segundo.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
A huge explosion rocked the El Segundo Chevron refinery Thursday night, and the ensuing fire has been put out, the company said. El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel said there are no reports of injuries.
More on the fire: The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. But L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, whose district includes El Segundo, told KCAL News that there was never a danger of the fire spreading. "It was very controlled; it never got close to the fence line," Mitchell said.
Eyewitness account: Austin Ma was working out less than a half mile from the blast when the whole room shook. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Ma told LAist media partner KCAL News. "They do these controlled flames, but this time it was like a lot taller, like hundreds of feet tall. It just started getting really hard to breathe all of a sudden."
Air quality: The South Coast Air Quality Management District reported elevated levels of pollution from monitors at the refinery fence line and in nearby communities overnight. Levels were back to normal by Friday morning, AQMD said. "Conditions may change as onshore winds strengthen this afternoon," the air quality agency said in a statement. "We do encourage residents to check the air quality at www.aqmd.gov. If you see or smell smoke, or see elevated AQI (Air Quality Index), we recommend residents to stay indoors, keeping windows and doors closed and to run a HEPA air purifier if available."
A large explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo Thursday night rocked South Bay neighborhoods and sent flames towering into the air that were visible for miles.
By Friday morning, the fire was out, but concerns remain about how air quality was and continues to be affected.
And then, there are gas prices. The disruption at the refinery and necessary repairs are likely to boost the cost of a fill-up, though by how much is not yet clear.
The effect on air quality
The good news? The winds appeared to be in Los Angeles’ favor this time, said Suzanne Paulson, UCLA atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor. When the explosion occurred, winds were blowing offshore, keeping pollution away from communities. And because of relatively windy conditions through the day, Paulson said the smoke from the fire will dilute more quickly.
“None of the data indicate that the smoke impacted the city last night,” Paulson said in a statement. (Though water quality advocates warn that once the pollution settles, it could harm sea life.)
It’s also not yet clear how much planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions were emitted. Refineries are required to report these emissions to the state, though not in real time. In 2022, the El Segundo refinery emitted more than 3 million tons of greenhouse gases — about the same amount of pollution as 761,501 gas cars driving for one year — making it one of the top industrial emitters in the state.
South Coast AQMD said Thursday’s pollution was mainly volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The agency told LAist it monitored a maximum one-hour average of VOCs at 300 parts per billion, which is far below levels that are considered a major risk to health — though long-term exposure to VOCs, which are in a variety of household products and spew from car tailpipes, is not considered safe.
The agency did not specify which types of VOCs, stating most are non-toxic, but it urged nearby residents to stay indoors with windows and doors closed and to run a HEPA air purifier if they see smoke or smell any odors.
People watch a fire burn at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo on Thursday. A big explosion sparked the fire about 10 p.m.
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Apu Gomes
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Getty Images
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Public health experts told LAist that knowing the specific type matters because not all VOCs affect health in the same way.
Benzene, for example, is a VOC and carcinogen that often leaks from oil infrastructure. It’s considered a public health risk when inhaled at low levels for more than eight hours, said Seth Shonkoff, executive director of science and energy think tank PSE Healthy Energy, and a researcher at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health.
Chevron said that “no exceedances have been detected by the facilities fence line monitoring system.”
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any, said Kyle Ferrar, a researcher with FracTracker Alliance, a nonprofit that investigates leaks and associated health risks from oil and gas sites.
“The monitors that are in place are not typically placed in a way that is able to really see the difference between upwind and downwind,” Ferrar said. “So, number one, we need much more thorough, much more robust fence line monitoring to start.”
Residents who live near refineries can sign up for air quality alerts from these facilities here and view data from the fence-line monitoring systems at refineries here. You can submit complaints to the AQMD about air quality concerns and odors here.
A firefighting crew continues to put out a fire at the Chevron Products Company El Segundo Refinery in El Segundo.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
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What the fire could mean for gas prices
The El Segundo refinery is California’s second-largest and supplies about one-fifth of all vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in Southern California.
Although early estimates predicted spikes of up to 95 cents per gallon across the West Coast, that estimate has since declined.
Matt McClain, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, said prices are likely to go up 5 to 15 cents per gallon in the coming days.
“ As we learn additional information, there needs to be a little bit of room for some tweaking,” McClain said.
How long it takes Chevron to repair the facility and restart production will be the biggest factor in how much gas prices rise.
The timing is especially rough because gas prices normally tend to spike in the fall, when refineries schedule maintenance operations across the state. To make up for these supply issues, the state often has to import oil from Asia, which is more expensive.
Meanwhile, McClain warned not to rush to fill up the tank to avoid a price increase.
“It’s going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” McClain said. “The more pressure you place upon the supplies that are out there, then that could have a faster impact as far as a rising price.”
The Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington will close by the end of the year.
Oil production in the state has been on the decline since the 1980s, when the state had around 40 refineries. That trend is largely a result of California policy to clean up the industry and phase out fossil fuels, the burning of which worsens local air quality and heats up the planet. That reduction in production, though, has also been a factor in increasing gas prices.
Jamie Court with Consumer Watchdog said there are ways to protect consumers in that transition that have not been implemented.
Following record gasoline price hikes in 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special session to address the issue.
In 2024, Newsom signed a law requiring refiners to maintain minimum inventories of fuels and to have supply plans during maintenance or production outages, yet the California Energy Commission has yet to draft rules for this law.
In 2023, Newsom signed a law to penalize price gouging in the case of oil companies making excessive profits during these types of disruptions, but the Newsom administration put that penalty regulation on hold early last month.
“By backtracking on these rules or slow-walking these rules, the governor's put us all in a position where if gas prices climb, there's nothing we can do about it,” Court said. “ If this refinery doesn't come back online in a couple of weeks or a couple of months, consumers are going to feel it at the pump and we will be without the protections that the governor promised us in the last two years.”
Alicia Rivera, a community organizer with nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment, based in southeast L.A. and Wilmington, said the explosion is “a reminder about how dangerous it is to live close to refineries.”
Her grandson lives near the El Segundo refinery, and her sister lives just a few blocks away from the Torrance refinery, which was the site of a dangerous explosion in 2015.
“ It seems like we can't get away from refinery exposure,” Rivera said. “ Serious accidents can happen at any time, especially here in Southern California where most of the refineries are located. We cannot afford to continue to degrade our environment just to continue using fossil fuels. We need to switch to alternative energy that is safe and that is long lasting.”
Supreme Court seems inclined to rule against Trump
By Nina Totenberg | NPR
Published April 2, 2026 8:42 AM
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Kent Nishimura
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
A majority of the Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of the Trump administration's argument on birthright citizenship yesterday and appeared ready to rule in favor of upholding automatic citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil.
Keep reading... for details on the questions posed to lawyers, including conservative justices tough questions for President Donald Trump's solicitor general, D. John Sauer.
A majority of the Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of the Trump administration's argument on birthright citizenship Wednesday and appeared ready to rule in favor of upholding automatic citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil.
That included multiple conservative justices, who had tough questions for Trump's solicitor general, D. John Sauer. Sauer argued the government's case against birthright citizenship, the practice enshrined in the 14th Amendment in the Constitution, which became law in 1868.
It states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Sauer, however, asserted that contrary to the law as understood for 160 years, the 14th Amendment does not confer automatic citizenship on every baby born in the U.S. He told the court that the true meaning of the amendment was to grant citizenship to former slaves and their children, no more. And, therefore, President Trump was well within his rights when he signed an executive order barring citizenship for children born in this country to parents who are illegally here, or who are here legally, but on long-term visas.
But Chief Justice John Roberts was doubtful about that executive order.
"The examples you give to support that strike me as very quirky," Roberts told Sauer. "And then you expand it to a whole class of illegal aliens," he continued. "I'm not quite sure how you can get to that big group from such tiny and, sort of, idiosyncratic examples."
"We're in a new world now," Sauer contended. "A billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who's a U.S. citizen."
"It's a new world," Roberts replied, but "it's the same Constitution."
Justice Neil Gorsuch noted that the Trump executive order focuses on parents, but the 14th Amendment focuses on birthright for the child. He asked: how would you know who the father is, or the mother? What if they're unmarried? Whose house do they live in?
Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned the practicality of the Trump proposal.
"How would it work?" she asked. "How would you adjudicate these cases? You're not going to know at the time of birth whether they have the intent to stay or not, including U.S. citizens by the way."
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wondered, "So [are] we bringing pregnant women in for depositions? What are we doing to figure this out?"
The justices also grilled Sauer about the landmark 1898 case of Wong Kim Ark, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wong had birthright citizenship, because he was born in the United States. Sauer, however, maintained that Wong was only given birthright citizenship because his parents were legally domiciled in the United States.
"I think even your brief concedes that the position you're taking now is a revisionist one with respect to a substantial part of our history," Justice Elena Kagan said. "That's, in part, because of Wong Kim Ark and the way people have read that case ever since then."
Challenging the Trump birthright plan, the American Civil Liberties Union's Cecillia Wang told the Supreme Court that the 14th Amendment was enacted after the Civil War in order to have a universal rule of citizenship, subject to a closed set of exceptions, and that the birthright applies to all children born on U.S. soil.
"We can't take the current administration's policy considerations into account to try to re-engineer and radically re-interpret the original meaning of the 14th Amendment," Wang argued.
However, in reference to current perceived immigration problems versus those that existed at the time the 14th Amendment was enacted, Kagan posited: "What do we do if we think we have a new problem that didn't exist at the time of the 14th Amendment?"
Justice Brett Kavanaugh followed up, asking whether the provisions of the 14th Amendment are frozen in place.
Yes, replied Wang, because the framers of it were intent on putting the citizenship question out of the reach of Congress.
The decision, expected by this summer, will almost certainly result in a historic ruling, and Trump himself made his mark at the court Wednesday morning.
He became the first sitting president known to attend oral arguments, signaling the importance of this issue to him personally.
After leaving the courtroom before the arguments were over, he wrote on Truth Social, "We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow 'Birthright' Citizenship!" In fact, roughly three dozen countries offer it.
Trump arrived about 10 minutes before the arguments began, listened to Sauer field the justices' questions for a little over an hour and then left a few minutes after Wang began to make her case.
Outside the court, dozens of people rallied in support of birthright citizenship
Volunteers with the ACLU, joined by immigrant rights organizations like CASA and the League of United Latin American Citizens, handed out fliers that read "protect birthright citizenship" and "14th Amendment."
"We're all out here to protect the fundamental right of birthright citizenship. It's written in the 14th Amendment," said Anu Joshi, a staff member of the ACLU. "It's what makes us America."
Among the crowd were several people who were citizens by birthright themselves.
"I am a birthright citizen so this hits really, really close to home because without birthright citizenship I wouldn't even have my citizenship in the United States," said Stephanie Sanchez, a first-generation Mexican-American who came to the rally. "Here I am representing my community and fighting back."
After the arguments, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero told the crowd he felt confident in the way the arguments played out inside.
"We are fighting for the heart and soul of this country. The fight to protect birthright citizenship is about our neighbors, our families, our kids. It's not about the past, it's about the future," he said. "We will only accept what is just and what is right."
Largely absent from the crowd were proponents of the president's position.
Domenico Montanaro, Ximena Bustillo and Anusha Mathur contributed to this story. Copyright 2026 NPR
O.C. Japan Fest, corgi beach day, the grunions are back, a new play festival, a talk with Sen. Cory Booker and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
Experience sakura season without leaving the area at the O.C. Japan Fair, featuring 250 vendors, craftspeople, food booths, art activities and more, all celebrating Japanese culture.
Check out readings of five new plays – all for free! – at the Play L.A. New Works Festival, put on by Stage Raw and the Greenway Arts Alliance along with a number of L.A. indie theater powerhouses.
Spend Friday night with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, whose new book, Stand, tells stories from his political life that aim to share “actionable insights” to help preserve democracy in these challenging times.
I hope you had luck in securing the first round of LA28 Olympics tickets — and that you’re not still waiting for page refreshes this morning! We’ve got all the info on how to get your tickets and why you shouldn’t fret if it doesn’t work out on this first try.
LAist’s Mariana Dale went to Hollywood High School this week to see how students and teachers felt about Mitski bringing a concert to the historic space. Seems like no one was missing class since perfect attendance meant a shot at tickets.
No matter your music taste, there’s a show for you this weekend. It may not be the height of summer yet, but things will be heating up at the Hollywood Bowl as Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler reunite for their concert performance of Broadway hit The Last Five Years. Plus, Licorice Pizza recommends Mercury Prize-winning London rapper Dave at the Palladium, St. Paul & the Broken Bones are at the Belasco, Calum Scott plays the Wiltern, and there’s a really cool First Fridays night at the Natural History Museum with dub legend Adrian Sherwood. Saturday has pop trio LANY at the Intuit Dome, Lamb of God slaughtering the YouTube Theater, SoundCloud rapper Rich Amiri at the Fonda, post-hardcore band Hail the Sun at the Wiltern, pop sensation Nessa Barrett at the Masonic Lodge, and another rising pop star, Alexander Stewart, at Chinatown’s cool new venue, Pacific Electric.
Experience sakura season without leaving the area at the O.C. Japan Fair, featuring 250 vendors, craftspeople, food booths, art activities and more, all celebrating Japanese culture. From sake tastings to sushi-making workshops to musical performances and kimono try-ons, the annual event is one of the largest Japanese cultural fairs in California.
Play L.A. New Works Festival
April 3-4 Greenway Court Theatre 544 North Fairfax Ave., Mid-City COST: FREE, MORE INFO
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PLAY LA Festival
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Check out readings of five new plays — all for free! — at the Play L.A. New Works Festival, put on by Stage Raw and the Greenway Arts Alliance, along with a number of L.A. indie theater powerhouses. This year’s plays are Stonewall’s Bouncer by Louisa Hill, produced by The Victory Theatre; At Olduvai Gorge by India Kotis, produced by The Odyssey Theatre Company; Ghost Play by Mathew Scott Montgomery, produced by InHouse Theatre; The Incident by Rachel Borders, produced by The Road Theatre Ensemble; and Three Dates by Erica Wachs, produced by IAMA Theatre Company. Go see one, or go see them all!
SoCal Corgi Beach Day
Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 21351 California 1, Huntington Beach COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Vlad D
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Unsplash
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Head to Huntington Beach for the cutest event of the year, the annual SoCal Corgi Beach Day. This year’s theme is "Tiki Beach Pawty," because of course it is. Honor Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite pets and spend the day at the beach with these short, stout, snuggly friends while they frolic and compete in events like — I am not making this up – Corgi Limbo.
Plaza Mexico Celebrates Easter
Sunday, April 5, 12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. 3100 E. Imperial Highway, Lynwood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Plaza México
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You have your pick of Easter Bunny photo ops and egg hunts around town, and Plaza Mexico would be a great one with the family. Meet and take a picture with the Easter bunny, enjoy kids' arts & crafts, family activities, vendors and sweet treats.
Writers Bloc: Cory Booker
Friday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. John Adams Middle School (JAMS) Performing Arts Center 2425 16th St., Santa Monica COST: $33; MORE INFO
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05: Senator Cory Booker attends PBS' "Black & Jewish America: An Interwoven History" Screening With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. And Conversation With Sen. Cory Booker at 92NY on February 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
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Getty Images North America
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Spend Friday night with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, whose new book, Stand, tells stories from his political life that aim to share "actionable insights" to help preserve democracy in these challenging times. The conversation with Writers Bloc will be hosted by Sean Bailey, the former head of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production for 14 years and the current CEO of the new multi-platform production company B5 Studios. The event is sold out, but there is a waitlist available.
Behind the Canvas — An Exclusive Art Talk with the Jurors of A Woman's Place: Framing the Future
Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m. Ebell of Los Angeles 741 S. Lucerne Blvd., Mid-Wilshire COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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The Ebell
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Have coffee and doughnuts with the curators of the Ebell’s Women’s History Month exhibit, "A Woman’s Place: Framing the Future." You can catch the show before it closes and see work from women artists exploring new interpretations of womanhood, feminism and art.
Grunion Run
Saturday, April 4, starting at 10:30 p.m. Venice Breakwater Ocean Front Walk, Venice COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Thousands of grunions on the shore.
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Courtesy of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
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I have lived in Venice for more than 20 years and never actually seen a grunion, despite efforts, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to see all your neighbors scouring the beach by moonlight on a Saturday night. The Venice Oceanarium folks always organize an educational tent with lessons on how these unique fish show up on our shores to reproduce, and maybe you’ll luck out and time it right this year.
She’s Auspicious
Saturday, April 4, 7 p.m. Broad Stage 1310 11th St., Santa Monica COST: FROM $40; MORE INFO
L.A. native Mythili Prakash takes the Tamil dance form Bharatanatyam to new heights as a choreographer and performer. Her short dance film Mollika, commissioned by Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage in London, was nominated for a 2025 National Dance Award for Best Short Dance Film. She’s Auspicious, her latest production, "blurs the line between goddess and woman, exploring the dichotomy between celebration of the goddess versus the treatment of women in society." It was nominated for an Olivier Award in the category Best New Dance Performance in the U.K., and lucky for us, is on for one performance only at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
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Julia Barajas
explores how college students achieve their goals, whether they’re fresh out of high school, pursuing graduate work or looking to join the labor force through alternative pathways.
Published April 2, 2026 5:00 AM
Cal State Long Beach is one of the 23 CSU campuses where Teamsters-represented workers held a strike last month.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
The California Public Employment Relations Board (has issued a formal complaint against California State University trustees over the system’s alleged refusal to give raises to trades workers. The complaint follows a statewide strike earlier this year, in which workers at every campus walked off the job.
Why it matters: Teamsters Local 2010 represents 1,100 plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, locksmiths and other building maintenance staff who work across the CSU system. A formal complaint from the Public Employment Relations Board means the two parties must resolve the dispute in a formal hearing process.
The backstory: According to Teamsters Local 2010, union members won wage increases in 2024 “after nearly three decades of stagnation.” That year, the union was on the verge of striking alongside the system's faculty, but it reached a last-minute deal with the CSU. The union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the system, arguing that the CSU refused to honor contractually obligated raises and step increases for its members.
What the CSU says: The CSU maintains that conditions described in its collective bargaining agreement with the union — which “tied certain salary increases to the receipt of new, unallocated, ongoing state budget funding” — were not met.
What’s next: In an emailed statement, spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith said the CSU welcomes “the opportunity to present the facts of this case before an administrative law judge.” After the formal hearing, the state board will propose a resolution to the dispute.
Wind moves palm trees on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Stanton.
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Mel Melcon
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Los Angeles Times
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QUICK FACTS
Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy then sunny
Beaches: mid to upper 60s
Mountains: mid 60s to around 70 degrees
Inland: 64 to 71 degrees
Warnings and advisories: Wind advisory
What to expect: A mostly sunny afternoon with temperatures sticking to the low to mid 70s for most of Southern California. Breezy conditions will pick up in the afternoon for some valleys and mountain communities.
Read on ... for more details.
QUICK FACTS
Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy then sunny
Beaches: mid to upper 60s
Mountains: mid 60s to around 70 degrees
Inland: 64 to 71 degrees
Warnings and advisories: Wind advisory
The cool weather continues for one more day in Southern California. Later this evening, strong winds will kick in for some mountains and highway corridors ahead of a Santa Ana wind event slated for Friday.
Temperatures at the beaches are going to stick around the mid to upper 60s, and around 70 degrees more inland.
Coachella Valley, San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains will continue to see gusty winds until tonight.
At noon, the Antelope Valley will be under a wind advisory, with winds expected to reach 20 to 30 mph, and some gusts up to 50 mph. Wind advisories will also kick in for the 5 Freeway corridor, Ventura County mountains and the Santa Susana mountains, where gusts could reach 45 mph.
