The Brief

The Terraces at Park Marino once stood less than 2 miles from where the Eaton Fire started in the foothills above the Pasadena-Altadena border on the evening of Jan. 7.

By the time the assisted living community burned to the ground, all of its nearly 100 residents had gotten out.

But the last resident to exit — a woman who uses a wheelchair — remained inside her third-floor room for hours before Pasadena firefighters reached her and brought her to safety, according to a state investigation report released over the summer.

The California Department of Social Services cited The Terraces in August, saying authorities there had left the woman behind in room 326 — a violation of her personal rights as a care facility resident.

The facility denies that and has since appealed. They say first responders were in charge of evacuation efforts that night, not staff. And they say staff alerted firefighters about the woman in room 326 after they arrived on the scene.

“[She] was never abandoned,” said Adam Khalifa, chief executive of Diversified Health Services, in a statement. The organization owns and operates the facility.

“She was rescued by firefighters after our staff alerted them that she was unable to evacuate from the third floor because she requires a wheelchair and the elevators were out,” the statement continued.

The dispute between the facility and state officials has raised questions about who’s responsible for keeping track of residents at residential care facilities during an emergency evacuation, as well as how complaints are investigated and reported to the public.

The Terraces is one of two residential care facilities that state authorities cited for failing to properly account for residents during evacuations. The other — MonteCedro in Altadena — is still standing. State licensing authorities said they cannot comment on pending appeals.

The complaint that launched the investigation

When the state's investigation into The Terraces' evacuation began in February, licensing authorities were looking into a separate allegation. That initial complaint was connected to a resident named Dorothy Benesh who lived in room 315 of The Terraces, not the woman in room 326 who was rescued by Pasadena Fire personnel.

The details in the state’s initial investigation into the complaint into what happened in room 315 match allegations Jim Benesh told LAist and the Los Angeles Times. Benesh said that he rescued his mother Dorothy from her room in The Terraces after he called her on the phone repeatedly and determined she needed help. He said staff left her in her room for at least two hours after they began moving others down to the lobby.

Benesh told LAist he did not contact the California Department of Social Services to file a complaint but did tell investigators what happened when they called him with questions.

“I responded and told them I wished the protocol for evacuation was better, so that they actually check the building for everyone left behind and not just assume everyone got out,” Benesh said. “Because my mom didn't get out — until I got there.”

State investigators were not able to substantiate the complaint that matches Benesh’s allegation.

But over the course of their investigation, they determined a different person — the woman in room 326 — had been left behind during the evacuations.

The California Department of Social Services said that’s what led to the citation, according to the report.

Residents are not identified by name in state investigative reports. LAist was not able to identify or contact the woman in room 326 who the state says was left behind or her family.

LAist reached out to over a dozen former residents and family members for this story. Multiple residents told LAist the buildings were safely evacuated on Jan. 7.

Serena Bernolak’s mother was at The Terraces in January and was among the evacuees. Bernolak said she “firmly” believes staff at the facility did their best as the fast-moving Eaton Fire advanced. But, she said, there’s room for improvement.

“I think there should be some type of reform so that when a situation like this comes up, these care facilities are evacuated immediately,” Bernolak said.

Residents of The Terraces and other facilities are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches on Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena.

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Ethan Swope

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Associated Press

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How the evacuations unfolded 

On Jan. 7, staff at The Terraces started gathering residents in the lobby around 7 p.m, according to the state report. That was about a half an hour after they first spotted flames on a nearby hillside.

At 7:26 p.m., L.A. County officials sent evacuation orders to the area, according to the county Office of Emergency Management. But staff at The Terraces said they did not receive an evacuation notification because power was out, according to the state citation.

Bernolak was texting with facility staff soon after the fire started to find out whether her mother, Anna Ruggiero, was OK. Bernolak was unprepared to care for her mother at home because she was completely immobile, she told LAist. At 8:18 p.m., Bernolak texted an employee at The Terraces.

“Hi,” she wrote, according to screenshots of text messages reviewed by LAist. “Are there plans to evacuate?”

The Terraces employee replied at 8:31 p.m., according to the screenshots: “You should come get your mom asap. Not worried about fire, but smoke is coming in”

Bernolak told LAist she dashed out the door of her home in East Pasadena and arrived at The Terraces less than 10 minutes later.

According to fire authorities, the Pasadena Fire Department arrived at The Terraces by 8:30 p.m. By then, two sides of the building were burning, Capt. Trey Sorensen told LAist, in a statement.

Some people were being transported away in private ambulances and personal cars. Most were sheltering in place and awaiting further instruction, Sorensen said on a podcast in April.

Once fire conditions worsened, Sorenson "directed residents and staff to be relocated to avoid loss of life," according to a written statement provided to LAist by a city of Pasadena spokesperson.

Between 8:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., staff members tried to get back inside the burning building to continue the evacuations, but firefighters wouldn’t let them enter, state investigators wrote in their report.

Around this time, someone alerted the Pasadena Fire Department about the woman still inside room 326, investigators wrote. The state report said she was rescued by Pasadena Fire after her “responsible party” called Pasadena police.

Exactly who first alerted authorities that the woman needed rescue is under dispute.

A spokesperson for the city of Pasadena told LAist in November that the woman in room 326 was evacuated by the Pasadena Fire Department after the Pasadena Police Department “received a call from their family member stating they needed assistance.”

Representatives for The Terraces have said in state appeals and statements to LAist that it was facility staff who notified authorities that the woman was still in her room.

Administrators and staff from The Terraces did not agree to be interviewed, but the CEO that operates the facility and one caregiver provided written statements to LAist, through a public relations specialist.

Zion Brown worked in The Terraces’ memory care unit as the lead medication technician. He and his co-workers made multiple trips carrying residents down from the upper floors, he told LAist in a written statement.

“The last time we went back up, we were overtaken by firefighters who told us we had to get out [of] the building, which was on fire," Brown said. “I told them there was still someone in room 326 and they said they would evacuate that resident.”

The Pasadena Police Department told LAist that it had no record of any 911 calls associated with The Terraces evacuation. The tip was provided in the field, according to a statement from Pasadena Police Department Administrator Alicia Patterson.

“The information was relayed by an evacuee to the command post,” Patterson wrote. “The information was then relayed to fire personnel.”

A wheelchair left in the 7-Eleven parking lot on Jan. 8, 2025, after several care facilities staged evacuations there the night prior, including The Terraces at Park Marino.

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Sharon McNary

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LAist

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In an August appeal of the state’s findings, operators at The Terraces said their staff no longer had control over the evacuation once first responders showed up.

They cited a section of state law that says firefighters can restrict access to disaster areas, and that those who refuse to comply can be charged with a misdemeanor.

News footage from the scene shows staff from The Terraces working with fire personnel and sheriff’s deputies to move dozens of residents to a nearby 7-Eleven parking lot and then onto city buses.

Sorensen recounted the chaotic evacuation of the woman in room 326 in the podcast interview, saying firefighters came “down the stairwell with the wheelchair. … This lady, her head is wrapped in a blanket and towel so that she doesn’t get smoke inhalation. They’re like, ‘Where are we going?’ I’m like ‘7-Eleven.’”

Bernolak, who received a text message from The Terraces to pick up her mother as the fire neared, said she is thankful for what The Terraces staff did to help move her mother and many others to safety.

She said the facility’s medical director carried her mother down three flights of stairs and helped her onto a bus.

“ He put himself in harm's way to get my mom out of the building,” Bernolak said.

The timeline at The Terraces

Emergency planning

LAist filed a public records request seeking incident reports, service logs and 911 call recordings documenting the Pasadena police and fire departments’ response to The Terraces that night, along with other nearby facilities that were evacuated. Pasadena authorities said no such records exist.

Sorensen, the Pasadena fire captain who led the city response at the facility, praised The Terraces staff for their efforts in an email the facility quoted in its state appeal.

“Your staff did an amazing job facilitating one of the most amazing tasks I have ever seen accomplished in my 23 year career!” Sorensen wrote to an employee who worked at the now-destroyed facility.

All long-term care facilities in California are required by law to have written evacuation plans, updated annually and filed with the state. This includes assisted living facilities and nursing homes. But when the Eaton and Palisades fires tore through the region, many of those plans were outdated or failed to identify clear procedures, transportation plans and relocation sites.

LAist reviewed more than 70 plans filed with the state by residential care facilities in L.A. County that were evacuated during last year’s fires. We found over 90% were outdated. Over one-third were last approved a decade ago or longer despite a state law that requires yearly reviews and up-to-date plans.

The plan in place at The Terraces when the Eaton Fire hit had been last approved in 2020, according to state records. Operators assigned evacuation duties — including transportation, head counts and notifying families — to staff members by name.

The plan also identified two nearby facilities as temporary relocation sites: Two Palms Care Center and Pasadena Park Health and Wellness Center, both in Pasadena. On Jan. 7, neither facility was an option. They, too, were under evacuation orders. Two Palms eventually burned down. Pasadena Park was damaged by the Eaton Fire and remains closed.

Rachel Tate, who oversees the L.A. County ombudsman program for long-term care facilities, said many assisted living and nursing homes craft plans for smaller emergencies — like those that involve only one facility, not hundreds.

“I don't think that facilities in Los Angeles County were braced the way they should be for regional incidents where so many people were impacted at the same time,” she said.

The Terraces plans to rebuild and reopen in 2027, according to public statements by the facility’s former community director.

Over the summer, state authorities ordered The Terraces to submit a written plan to update their emergency disaster procedures to avoid fines.

A representative for The Terraces provided LAist a copy of the documents submitted to state authorities in August after the citation. They outline some evacuation procedures including transportation logistics, confirming residents locations and communicating with family members during emergencies.

Diversified Health Services Inc., the Oakland-based company that owns and operates The Terraces, also owns and runs the Gardens at Park Balboa assisted living facility in Van Nuys. The Terraces’ new emergency plan lists the Van Nuys facility, about 30 miles away, as its single temporary shelter location.

A representative for The Terraces said in an email that they will update the plan with more details once the facility is rebuilt and restaffed.

Dorothy Benesh’s evacuation 

Jim Benesh called his mother repeatedly between about 6:45 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. on the evening of Jan. 7, Benesh told LAist. He also tried to call The Terraces directly, he said.

“The reason I didn’t go over there immediately is because my mom said the alarm was going off and she was supposed to stay in her room,” Benesh told LAist.

He said he drove to The Terraces, walked through the building’s glass doors around 9 p.m. and then upstairs to his mother’s room. He said all the doors he saw were wide open aside from room 315, which belonged to his mother.

“My mom was sitting on her couch,” Benesh said. “I told her we needed to move immediately.”

Using his cellphone for light, Benesh said he carried his mother, then 96, and her walker down three flights of stairs. They exited the building at around 9:15 p.m, according to Benesh.

Benesh could not immediately provide LAist with phone records that corroborated his timeline, explaining that they were no longer saved on his phone or by his phone company.

Benesh said two paramedics helped transport him and his mother back to his parked car, but he was unable to determine what agency they worked for.

Khalifa, The Terraces’ CEO, told LAist he believes the timeline of Jim Benesh’s story is not correct. By 9:15 p.m., firefighters had been at the facility for nearly an hour and the building was fully engulfed in flames, Khalifa said in a statement.

“The confirmed factual timeline does not support that account,” Khalifa wrote.

Benesh disputes this.

“But it did happen,” he told LAist this week. “He wasn’t there. And none of the people he claims were trying to get in between 8:45 and 9:15 were there."

"I don’t hold a grudge against The Terraces, I just want to make sure proper protocols are in place so this doesn’t happen again," he continued.

The remains of The Terraces at Park Marino — an assisted living facility that burned in the Eaton Fire.

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Allen J. Schaben

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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State authorities investigated the claim about Benesh’s mother but were unable to substantiate it, according to initial findings in May. They concluded that Benesh’s version of events could be accurate, but without witnesses there was no way to confirm it.

In August, the state Department of Social Services removed the May report from the website where it tracks complaints and citations. A new report posted that month found The Terraces had failed to remove a different resident during the evacuations — the woman in room 326. The second report didn’t change the state’s findings about Dorothy Benesh, which remain unsubstantiated.

In November, The Terraces filed a revised appeal accusing the state of violating public records laws by initially deleting its original May report, rather than keeping both versions on the website. The facility argued in that appeal that the second report from state authorities left out key information and failed to record any new findings about the first complaint about Dorothy Benesh.

“This substitution created confusion in the public record,” the appeal said.

As of this month, the removed report had been restored on the California Department of Social Services’ website. Both reports are now visible to the public.

This reporting was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. None of our funders have any influence on our editorial decisions.

Topline:

The local angle: Here in L.A. (and at LAist), treating pets like your own kids is par for the course. We recently heard from AirTalk with Larry Mantle listeners about their own relationships with pets and children, revealing multiple and nuanced perspectives on whether they feel pets are replacing children.

Megan in Sierra Madre and her husband experienced infertility and couldn’t have kids. She reads to her pets, and even has wrapped a Christmas present for her dog this year. “I feel like our dog makes us a little family,” she said.

Marty in Fullerton is an estate planning attorney. He shared that planning for pets after their owners’ death comes up in his practice. “It’s a much more elaborate plan for the pet for somebody who doesn’t have children,” he said.

Lisa in Agoura Hills has both children and a dog wrote in, “Though the cost of having a pet is comparable, the experience is very different. I can't imagine life without my dog Marlo but he can't express or emote like my girls. He's actually much easier to manage!”

Samson in Echo Park said that pets are good practice for child rearing, saying, “If you can keep a pet happy, healthy and alive, you’re okay to have a kid.”

Listen to the full segment to hear AirTalk host Larry Mantle's thoughts on how his own take on if pups prepare you for preteens.

Democratic leaders criticized the shooting and the Trump administration's response to it.

"The killing of Renee Nicole Good was an abomination – a disgrace," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a Thursday press conference.

"And blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration who've been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement connected to removing violent felons from this country."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he saw the video of the fatal shooting: "You felt like your stomach was being punched. Looking at the video, there seemed no justification for what these agents did. There needs to be a full investigation at the federal level, though I have little faith in the FBI in doing a fair investigation."

Speaking to NPR on Thursday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison described the ICE agents' actions as an "escalation" and said Good was trying to get away from the situation without being aggressive.

"I think the use of force I saw raises such serious questions that there needs to be an intense investigation and perhaps this officer should face charges," Ellison said. "But that needs to be determined through an investigation."

Ellison said his concern was that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had already attempted to spin the shooting as a clear-cut act of self-defense on the agent's behalf and was trying to downplay the need for a thorough investigation.

"You would think that the Homeland Security secretary would be the first to say, 'let's suspend judgment and look into it.' That's not what we saw," he said.

Ellison said Good was "anything but" a domestic terrorist, as Noem had described her.

Good, Ellison said, "was a compassionate neighbor trying to be a legal observer on behalf of her immigrant neighbors."

Details of the shooting are disputed, despite video footage

Federal and local officials dispute the circumstances that led an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer to fatally shoot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

President Trump and other members of his administration characterized the ICE agent's actions as an act of self-defense. State and local leaders, however, cast doubt on that account and called for a full and fair investigation.

The shooting occurred on a residential street in south Minneapolis — less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. ICE agents were conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations at the time, according to Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.

(Warning: The video at the following link includes violent actions and profanity.)

NPR and MPR have reviewed multiple videos of the shooting taken from different vantage points and posted to social media. The footage shows multiple officers near an SUV stopped in the middle of the road. One officer demands the driver exit the vehicle and grabs the car handle. The SUV reverses, then begins to drive forward, which is when a different officer near the front of the car pulls his weapon and fires into the vehicle. Three gunshots are heard, as the firing officer backs away from the SUV. Moments later, the vehicle crashes.

A bullet hole is visible in the windshield of a crashed vehicle on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis after an ICE officer shot and killed an observer on Wednesday.

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Ben Hovland/MPR

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The Minneapolis City Council identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good.

"Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government," the city council said in a statement. NPR member station MPR News has reached out to a family member of the woman.

On Wednesday night, large crowds of people filled the street at a vigil in south Minneapolis to mourn Good's death. Many held up posters criticizing ICE's presence in the city, while others carried signs that read "remember."

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer, was one of many speakers who paid tribute to Good at the vigil, MPR News reported.

"She did not deserve to be gunned down in cold blood for standing up for her neighbor," Armstrong said.

At a press conference on Wednesday evening, Noem defended the use of force by an ICE agent, while calling the motorist's actions "an act of domestic terrorism."

According to Noem, ICE officials that morning were helping push one of their vehicles out of the snow when protesters appeared. Noem said the woman who was fatally shot blocked federal officers with her vehicle and refused to exit her car when officers ordered her to do so.

She added that the ICE officer who fired his gun had been struck by the car and was taken to a hospital, where he was later released.

"It's clearly established law that a vehicle driven by a person and used to harm someone is a deadly weapon," she said. "Deadly force is perfectly lawful when a threat is faced by a weapon, so I do believe that this officer used his training in this situation."

Members of law enforcement photograph a vehicle suspected to be involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

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Stephen Maturen

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Getty Images

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Noem said she also spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and acknowledged that they hold "very different viewpoints" on the shooting.

The incident has worsened tensions between the Trump administration and Minneapolis, which has been the target of a large-scale immigration crackdown. Local officials said they expect protests to follow and urged residents to remain peaceful.

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Walz said he was prepared to mobilize the state National Guard if necessary.

"They want a show. We can't give it to them," he said. "We can't give them what they want."

Federal and local officials clash over the shooting

In a statement, DHS spokesperson McLaughlin asserted that the motorist "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." She added that the ICE officer who pulled the trigger was "fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public."

Upon reviewing a video of the incident, President Trump said he also believes the shooting was an act of self-defense.

"The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara speaks with officers at the scene where a federal agent shot and killed an observer in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.

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Ben Hovland

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MPR

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People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

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Tom Baker

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AP

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But local leaders have raised concerns about the Trump administration's account of the shooting.

At a fiery press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused ICE of "trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody that is bull****. "

"This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed," he added.

The mayor called on ICE agents to leave the city, asserting that federal immigration authorities were ripping families apart and sowing chaos on Minneapolis streets.

Gov. Walz wrote on X that he has seen video of the shooting and told the public: "Don't believe this propaganda machine."

"The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice," he added.

Minneapolis police chief says he's 'very concerned' about use of deadly force

At a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said local police arrived at the scene to find a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. They performed life-saving measures at the scene, including CPR. The woman was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, he added.

Preliminary information, according to O'Hara, indicated that the woman was in her vehicle and blocking the road on Portland Avenue between 33rd and 34th St.

"At some point, a federal law enforcement approached her on foot, and the vehicle began to drive off. At least two shots were fired," he said, adding that the car then crashed on the side of the roadway.

O'Hara said he was "very concerned" with the tactics used by federal immigration agents. He noted that the use of deadly force is justified at times, but that most law enforcement agencies in the U.S. are trained to minimize the risks and the need for deadly force.

"In any professional law enforcement agency in the country, I think they would tell you it's obviously very concerning whenever there's a shooting into a vehicle of someone who's not armed," he said.

The shooting is being investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. They will investigate the use of deadly force.
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Jan. 8, 2025.

Big changes are expected on the Eastside in 2026.

From long-awaited infrastructure upgrades to improve pedestrian safety, to fresh renovations that will beautify existing landmarks — and even a brand-new park — several projects across Boyle Heights and East LA are set to be completed this year.

Here’s a look at some of the projects you can expect to see in 2026.

A park under the 6th Street Bridge

Rendering of Leonard Hill Arts Plaza at the Sixth Street PARC.

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Courtesy of City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering

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Twelve acres of open and recreational space under the 6th Street Bridge are coming to Boyle Heights and parts of the Arts District by the end of this year.

The Sixth Street PARC (Park, Arts, River & Connectivity) will feature an arts plaza, complete with a performance amphitheater, garden and terrace seating. Other amenities include a café, dog park, fitness equipment and sports courts.

Community members have raised concerns about whether copper wire theft will impact the safety of the park but a representative of the Bureau of Engineering said security cameras and fortifications will be installed to protect park infrastructure.

The representative said substantial completion is anticipated to be in late 2026, with an opening date shortly after.

Long-awaited renovations are transforming Self Help Graphics & Art

A rendering of Self Help Graphics & Art’s central gathering space.

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Courtesy of Self Help Graphics

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Self Help Graphics & Art, an Eastside printmaking and art institution more than 50 years old, is set to complete its nearly $15 million renovation this summer, with a public reopening planned for the fall. Since 2011, the art organization has been housed in a former seafood packing plant on 1st Street in Boyle Heights, after leaving its longtime East LA location.

The 12,000-square-foot building is being transformed into a cultural center that meets museum standards, featuring seismic retrofitting, an expanded printmaking studio, upgraded gallery lighting and a larger multipurpose room for community gatherings.

While renovations continue, exhibitions featuring printmaking, mixed media and photography are on view at satellite locations in Los Angeles County.

You can once again set foot inside the historic Breed Street Shul

Restoration of the Breed Street Shul.

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Andrew Lopez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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After years of restoration, plans to transform the historic Breed Street Shul into a vibrant community and cultural hub are nearing reality. Built in 1923, the structure held its last service in 1998 and has long represented a cultural and religious anchor for the Jewish community on the Eastside.

For years, the shul sat in disrepair. The renovation of the shul’s smaller building was completed in 2011, allowing for limited events and tours until the pandemic. Work on the property’s main building began in 2024 and is more than halfway completed.

Planned upgrades include improved accessibility with ramps and an elevator. According to Steve Sass, president of the Breed Street Shul Project, the space will host film screenings, meetings and exhibitions, with reopening expected by the end of 2026.

Repairs to sidewalks along Cesar Chavez Avenue will make walking safer

The repairs will take place on a stretch of Cesar Chavez Ave.

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Courtesy of the Bureau of Engineering – City of Los Angeles

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Boyle Heights residents should expect improvements to sidewalks and streets between Evergreen Cemetery and Brittania Street along Cesar Chavez Avenue this year. The project is part of the Great Streets Initiative launched by former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.

According to a project update published by the Bureau of Engineering and LADOT in October 2025, the repairs and restoration of walkways along Cesar Chavez Avenue will increase safety, mobility and visibility for pedestrians, bicyclists, particularly at high-volume intersection crossings. Pedestrian lighting and upgraded traffic signals will enhance safety along the corridor.

Bienvenidos, East LA and City Terrace!

Restoration work on four monuments that mark the boundaries of unincorporated East LA is ongoing and will be finished in March.

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Andrew Lopez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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If you’ve ever driven to and from East LA on surface streets, you might’ve noticed decorative monuments welcoming drivers to the community on streets like City Terrace Drive or Beverly Boulevard. Those signs have gotten major facelifts since restoration work began in July of 2025.

According to the LA County Department of Public Works, all four monuments that mark the boundaries of unincorporated East LA are slated for completion by March 2026.

The project’s scope includes adding colorful tile mosaics, energy-efficient lighting, as well as landscaping and decking around some of the signs.

The office of LA County District 1 Supervisor Hilda Solis wrote in an email to Boyle Heights Beat that the $2.6 million investment from her office “will preserve cultural identity while creating more engaging public spaces.”

Reopening on the horizon for Benjamin Franklin Library … if all goes to plan

A rendering of a renovated Benjamin Franklin Branch Library.

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Courtesy of the Bureau of Engineering Architectural Division

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The long-awaited renovation of the Benjamin Franklin Branch Library broke ground in November, launching a project delayed for years by funding and scheduling setbacks.

The $5.5 million renovation is now on track, with city officials projecting completion in early 2027, though Bureau of Engineering documents show construction could finish in late December of 2026. 

Interior upgrades include new carpets, self-lighting bookshelves, study rooms, furniture and self-checkout counters, along with ADA-compliant restrooms and energy-efficient LED lighting. The exterior will see parking resurfacing, bike and EV charging stations, new landscaping and a demonstration garden.

People who take transit in Los Angeles largely depended on catching rides from friends, family or ride-share companies to evacuate from the January 2025 wildfires, according to a forthcoming study led by researchers at UCLA.

Some evacuees, left without any other option, escaped danger on foot.

“I called 911, and the 911 operator said that they were stretched so thin that nobody could help me get out,” one participant said, according to a draft version of the study shared with LAist. “The paramedics were [nearby], and I asked them, could I just have a ride down the hill? And they said, no, they're just stretched too thin.”

“So I started walking,” the participant continued.

Madeline Brozen, a UCLA transportation researcher who led the study, said one of the main takeaways from the research is the importance of advanced planning.

“I think it just points to the need to really have a plan and try to communicate it before something happens in order for everyone to feel safe,” Brozen said.

Researchers presented their findings at a workshop over the summer with representatives from regional transit agencies, including L.A. city’s Department of Transportation and L.A. Metro. The study is slated to be published in late January.

How the study was conducted

In early February 2025, Brozen and her colleagues sent a survey to people in L.A. County through the Transit app, which helps users plan public transportation travel. Researchers received responses from more than 160 people who evacuated from the fires and interviewed 35 of them.

A larger group of more than 620 transit riders were asked about how and if their transportation habits changed in response to air quality problems after the fires.

“Despite the severe risks present and the convergence of wildfire, toxic air pollution, and urban transit disruption, research on how transit-reliant populations perceive, respond to, and adapt in such emergencies remains virtually nonexistent,” the authors wrote in the draft. “This study addresses this critical gap.”

What did the evacuees say?

People who evacuated by car told researchers they had issues with congestion and experienced “general confusion about where to go or what routes to take,” according to the study draft.

“There was lots of traffic, there was heavy smoke, so it was kind of difficult to see,” one participant said.

White and higher-income respondents were most likely to evacuate using a personal vehicle.

More than half of Black and Asian transit rider evacuees, and nearly half of Latino respondents, needed more than an hour of travel to reach safety. That’s compared to 38% of white respondents who evacuated.

Just over a fifth of the more than 160 evacuees who responded to the survey used transit, including trains and buses, to escape the fires. Black respondents were the most likely group to use transit.

“Black people tend to ride transit at higher rates than their population, so it’s not terribly surprising that that was a group that most heavily relied on transit for their evacuation,” Brozen said.

While the data hasn’t yet been disaggregated by location or fire, Brozen said she would “confidently speculate” that people seeking safety from the Sunset Fire in Hollywood used transit at higher rates than those in the Palisades or Altadena.

Researchers’ recommendations

Based on the study’s findings, researchers recommended transit agencies in the state “encourage riders to make emergency evacuation plans … before emergencies occur.”

The study will be available at this link later in January. In the meantime, you can take a look at a summary of the researchers’ data in this UCLA policy brief.