The Brief

Sunny and Gizmo, Jackie and Shadow’s nearly-grown bald eaglets, could take their first flight away from the nest in Big Bear any day now.

“Fledge Watch” officially kicks off Tuesday, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that manages the popular YouTube livestream.

Young eagles fledge when they’re able to flap their wings and have feathers capable of flight, usually when they’re around 10 to 14 weeks old. Males tend to take their first soar a little sooner.

Sandy Steers, the nonprofit’s executive director, told LAist it’s especially exciting since they haven't had two eaglets fledge at the same time before. She’s encouraging fans to be in awe of nature and enjoy the moment so many have been waiting for, especially after the death of Chick 1.

“After not doing anything, you know, just bouncing up and down in the nest and practicing and exercising their wings, they know what to do,” she said. “They just take off … and fly.”

What’s going on during “Fledge Watch” 

“Fledge Watch” is similar to “Pip Watch,” when fans watched closely for the trio of chicks as they worked their way out of their eggshells and into the world.

Although many of the steady 30,000 livestream viewers are eager to see Sunny and Gizmo continue to grow into the next stages of life, the fledge window is wide. It could be anytime from now to mid-June, when they’re about 14 weeks old. However, a previous eaglet named Simba took 16 weeks to fledge.

Sunny and Gizmo are about 10 weeks old and almost all grown up.

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But Sunny and Gizmo have already reached a milestone by staying in the nest alone overnight for the first time last week. They’ve also been perching on the far edge of the nest, which the group calls the “back porch,” flapping their wings into the breeze over Big Bear Lake.

“When they feel confident enough, you know, we don't know whether they'll go together or separately, but each one will just decide it's ready,” Steers said. “They may come back to the nest, you know, now and then, but they just fly for the first time and it's beautiful.”

It might take them a while to get the wing strength to fly back up to the nest, which is at the top of a tall Jeffrey pine tree, but Steers expects them to stick around the lake. The eaglets will likely follow Jackie and Shadow around while they learn to hunt and fish.

Fledglings from Southern California have been spotted as far north as British Columbia, as far east as Yellowstone and as far south as Baja California, according to the nonprofit.

What are the dangers ahead?

Sunny and Gizmo aren’t out of the woods yet.

Bald eagles are primarily scavengers for their first year, according to Peter Sharpe,  a wildlife biologist with the Institute for Wildlife Studies and Sharpe Wildlife Consulting. That can bring its own risks — about 70% of bald eagles survive that stage, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The biggest issues for the young eagles include getting hit by a car while they’re feeding on roadkill, flying into power lines, or lead poisoning from eating something that was shot.

Simba and another one of the nest's previous chicks, Stormy, were both found dead in different parts of California about a year after fledging. Stormy had fledged in April 2018 and Simba was last seen at the nest in August 2019.

They were identified based on the numbers they were banded with as chicks, according to the nonprofit’s records. It’s unclear what happened to them.

“ I don't like a lot of the things that can happen, but there's not really anything that I can do about it,” Steers said. “We won't know where they are or what they're doing, and we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and just, you know, tell the universe to make them be O.K.”

How to tell the eaglets apart at this point

Sunny is 10 weeks old as of Tuesday, with Gizmo a few days behind.

Their bones are almost fully grown and they’re now nearly the same size as Mama Jackie and Papa Shadow. They’re estimated to be about 3 feet tall at this stage, which is right around Shadow’s height. Jackie is bigger, as most female eagles are.

The discrete differences in Sunny and Gizmo's appearance, as noted by the nonprofit.

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The eaglets have slight differences on their heads and tails that can help you tell which one is which.

Sunny, for example, has a longer tail as the older eaglet. You can also start to spot the first bits of white on Sunny’s tail feathers.

The corner of Gizmo’s mouth, known as a gape, is more orange than Sunny’s. Gizmo also has a thicker lower lip, which according to the nonprofit, gives the eaglet a whimsy “Mona Lisa smile.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.