Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
Published July 3, 2025 5:00 AM
Fire debris washed up on shore following heavy rains on February 18, 2025 in Malibu, California.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
It’s been nearly six months since rains washed a whole bunch of contaminants from the Eaton and Palisades fire burn areas out to the ocean. For those worried about what that means for beach safety, experts have been running tests.
What testing showed: The levels of heavy metals and other chemicals weren’t high enough to pose health hazards to beachgoers.
Still, be careful: Avoid the sand and the water within 250 yards of ongoing debris clearing operations.
Read on … to learn what researchers tested for.
It’s been about six months since the Eaton and Palisades fires killed 30 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. Since then, contamination has been a concern for nearby communities, including those along the coast.
Listen
0:43
Six months after the fires, are LA beaches safe?
That’s because after the fires came the rains, which sent hazardous material straight from those burned sites through creeks and storm drains into the ocean.
What the tests say
Shortly after the fires, the environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay and water quality officials gathered sand and water samples from Malibu, Palisades and Santa Monica beaches over several months, testing for hazardous forever chemicals, heavy metals and benzene.
“What we can say is that based on what has been tested and what those results are, the risk appears to be low,” said Tracy Quinn, chief executive of Heal the Bay, which analyzed the samples.
While tests at one point did detect chromium in sand samples, the good news is that follow-up tests didn’t find hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.
Quinn said additional tests are being performed out of an abundance of caution.
Quinn added: ”Based on the fact that this is an unprecedented event and there may be contaminants that we're not thinking to test for that may be present, that is sort of the best that we can do as scientists right now.”
In early April, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health lifted the ocean water quality advisory that was in place for beaches after the fires.
It’s still best to stay several hundred yards away from any sort of debris removal operation, and to avoid any fire debris you see on the beach.
The potential long term effects of heavy metals and other contaminants on coastal ecosystems still hasn’t been determined.
Careful if you're swimming near the Santa Monica Pier. Public health warnings for bacteria are frequent there.
(
Cavan Images
/
Getty Images / iStockphoto
)
Problems at some beaches
Public health agencies usually test for fecal indicator bacteria and shut down beaches when levels get too high.
See alerts about water quality and which L.A. beaches you should avoid swimming at here.
The Supreme Court today found that the government's prosecution of a marijuana user from Texas for owning guns was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.
The ruling: The decision was unanimous.
About the case: Federal agents found a pistol and 60 grams of marijuana in a search of Ali Hemani's home in 2022. He was convicted of violating a law preventing "unlawful drug users" from owning guns — the same law that was used to convict President Biden's son Hunter in 2024.
The Supreme Court found Thursday that the government's prosecution of a marijuana user from Texas for owning guns was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.
The decision was unanimous.
"The Court's decision is narrow," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote. "It does not address efforts to ban addicts or those presently intoxicated from possessing a firearm; other prophylactic laws Congress might adopt after determining that users of a particular drug pose a special risk of misusing firearms ... provision disarming individuals convicted of felonies; or whether the government could bring a prosecution ... accompanied by individualized proof that the defendant's drug use renders him a danger to himself or others, or proof that a certain drug always renders its users dangerous."
The case stems from the arrest of Ali Hemani. In 2022, federal agents found a pistol and 60 grams of marijuana in a search of Hemani's home. When asked, Hemani told the agents that he uses marijuana "about every other day," according to court filings. On the basis of his drug use and gun ownership, the government convicted Hemani of violating the law at issue in this case. This is the same law that was used to convict President Biden's son Hunter in 2024.
Hemani challenged the law as unconstitutional, contending that it violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms and is unconstitutionally vague.
The law prevents "unlawful" drug users from owning guns, but as his lawyers pointed out in filings to the Supreme Court, "the statute does not define "unlawful user."
"Is someone who uses a controlled substance once a year 'an unlawful user'? What about someone who uses that substance every six months, or every two weeks?," they argued. "Does it matter how much one consumes, or only how frequently one does so? The statute does not say."
To enforce the law against Hemani, they argued in court filings, "would empower the government to deprive tens of millions of Americans who pose little if any risk of firearm misuse of a fundamental constitutional right."
Adding to the issues in the case is that marijuana is to some degree legal in more than 40 states. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 15 percent of Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana in 2024. Other surveys put number considerably higher.
Perhaps the widespread use of marijuana is why a diverse array of organizations from across the political spectrum supported Hemani's cause. A rare combination of gun rights organizations and civil liberties advocates filed briefs urging the court to take Hemani's side. At the same time, the Trump administration's defense of the law was supported by California and some other liberal states, and Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control.
The government contended that the law was not vague, and that it only used the law against "habitual users" of illegal drugs. Further, the government said that laws like this one are similar to laws from the founding, when states restricted the gun rights of "habitual drunkards." But Hemani's lawyers responded that the phrase "habitual user" is no less vague than "unlawful user."
The Supreme Court agreed with Hemani's concerns.
But the court did not disregard concerns about drug users possessing guns, as Gorsuch wrote.
This decision is the latest in a series of cases stemming from the court's 2022 landmark ruling that created a new test to determine if a gun regulation is constitutional. In that year, the court decided that in order for a gun regulation to be valid, the government must show that there existed "relevantly similar" regulations at the time of the founding.
That led to hundreds of challenges against gun regulations across the United States.
Ame Oropeza (center) of Los Angeles, along with other soccer fans, watches Mexico play South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup game at a watch party at Distrito Catorce in Boyle Heights on June 11.
(
Gary Coronado
/
The LA Local
)
Topline:
World Cup fans usually know exactly who they’re rooting for. Ask around Los Angeles ahead of Thursday’s match between Mexico and South Korea, though, and you’ll find plenty of fans who would be perfectly happy if neither side won.
The backstory: The two countries will meet Thursday in one of the most anticipated group stage matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In L.A., the matchup is drawing excitement — and more than a few mixed loyalties. Some of that goodwill is simply a product of life in L.A.
It's not just soccer: The upcoming match also arrives at a moment when connections between the two countries extend well beyond soccer. Mexico is one of the largest markets for Korean pop music in the world.
Read on ... to see why so many Angelenos will be pulling for both sides.
World Cup fans usually know exactly who they’re rooting for.
Ask around Los Angeles ahead of Thursday’s match between Mexico and South Korea, though, and you’ll find plenty of fans who would be perfectly happy if neither side won.
“I think we should just tie because I think that would be the most peaceful option,” said Edmund Kim, 27, who attended South Korea’s opening match watch party in Koreatown with his girlfriend, Ruth Perez.
Perez, 25, shrugged at the question about picking a side.
“Any result would be a good result, honestly,” she said. “I just love the support amongst each other.”
The two countries will meet Thursday in one of the most anticipated group stage matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In LA, the matchup is drawing excitement — and more than a few mixed loyalties.
Carlos Martinez has no interest in picking a side. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, he said he was surrounded by Asian friends and developed a love for Korean food.
He’d rather not see Mexico beat South Korea at all.
“I want us to both get points and for both of us to pass on to the next stage,” the 28-year-old said last week at the watch party in Koreatown.
Some of that goodwill is simply a product of life in L.A. As Kim puts it, the two communities are “right here living with each other so there’s no way to not support each other.”
But the relationship also has a soccer origin story.
If South Korea’s World Cup opener needed drama, it got it — and fans in Koreatown matched the moment.
(
Gary Coronado
/
The LA Local
)
In 2018, when South Korea defeated Germany 2-0 in the final match of the group stage, the upset helped send Mexico into the knockout rounds. Mexican fans responded by flooding social media with messages of gratitude, gathering outside the South Korean embassy and chanting, “Coreano, hermano, ya eres mexicano” — “Korean brother, you are already Mexican.”
Daniel Hong remembers that moment like it was yesterday.
Hong, 49, lives in Brownsville, Texas, but regularly travels to L.A. to buy merchandise for his store. On the day of the match, he was shopping at a wholesale warehouse in L.A. when South Korea scored.
“The first goal happens, and the screams from the warehouse could be heard from inside the showroom,” he recalled. “Second goal scored and pandemonium. The game finishes and everyone is losing their minds.”
Throughout the night, strangers offered Hong free food, drinks and repeated declarations of affection for South Korea.
“It was such an amazing feeling to see strangers rejoicing together as if we were all family,” he said. “Celebrations lasted throughout the night in Koreatown from what I could tell from my hotel room.”
When asked whether he’d support Mexico if South Korea were knocked out first, Hong — whose son is half-Mexican — didn’t hesitate.
“That would be a hard yes,” he said.
Daniel Chung, 40, one of the founders of Tigers Supporters Group, an LAFC supporters group based in Koreatown, joked that he’ll be “chasing my shots of tequila with soju” while supporting both teams Thursday night.
“Either way, win or lose, we support each other and lift each other up,” he said.
The upcoming match also arrives at a moment when connections between the two countries extend well beyond soccer.
Mexico is one of the largest markets for Korean pop music in the world. According to Spotify, more than 14 million K-pop listeners are based in Mexico, making it the fifth-largest market globally and the largest in the Spanish-speaking world.
Biannis Angeles, who said he loves K-pop and Korean food, counts BTS among his favorite groups. The South Korean boy band is expected to headline the World Cup final halftime show alongside Madonna and Shakira.
Angeles, 27, is hoping neither side leaves disappointed.
At South Korea’s opening match watch party against Czechia last week, green Mexico jerseys popped out among the sea of red jerseys in the crowd at Liberty Park.
Venus Meza, a 28-year-old Koreatown resident, supports both teams in some way because of how things shook out in 2018.
“Obviously I’ll root a little bit more for Team Mexico, but if Korea wins, I’ll also be happy with that too,” she said.
For Leo Hernandez, an LA soccer creator known online as “El Soccer Guy,” the conflict comes down to one player: Son Heung-min.
Hernandez, who has attended LAFC matches since the club’s inaugural season, said many Mexican fans first embraced the South Korea star after the 2018 World Cup and have continued to admire him for the way he carries himself on and off the field.
“He’s a player you just can’t hate no matter what,” said Hernandez, 35. “Also because of how he’s here now, I think it really connected us to other South Koreans and the culture.”
Despite what’s at stake, Hernandez said Thursday’s match feels more like a friendly than a rivalry.
“It’s going to be hard for me to see Sonny play against my country,” he said.
Hernandez said he’d celebrate a Mexican goal, but would still hate to see Son on the losing end.
“I don’t want him to lose, but I wouldn’t want him to win. I have loyalty to both, especially because of Sonny,” he said.
Paul Kim of the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, a co-host of the watch party at Seoul International Park in Koreatown, expects Thursday’s match to draw one of the largest crowds of the tournament.
“I hope people understand it’s just a game,” Kim said, “but these two communities work together well, respect each other well in this city and neighborhood. It means a lot.”
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Smorgasburg L.A. celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend.
(
Peridot Photos
/
Smorgasburg LA
)
In this edition:
Juneteenth events, Father’s Day treats, movies at historic theaters and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
From a family scavenger hunt on Friday to a dance party on Saturday to a sound bath and yoga meditation on Sunday, Juneteenth comes alive at the California African American Museum. I just went last week to check out the Willie Birch and Gordon Parks exhibits — both are well worth seeing, and the space is a light-filled sanctuary from the busyness of everything else happening in Expo Park with the FIFA Fan Fest.
Celebrate Dad with all his favorite L.A. treats at the 10th anniversary of Smorgasburg celebration. Get a taste of favorites from vendors like The Base, Shrimp Daddy, Bub and Grandmas, Carnitas El Momo, Ramen Burger and more. Plus, check out food specials, collabs, live music and an “I Love Micheladas” menu!
Catch the last films of the Last Remaining Seats series at the historic Million Dollar Theater on Broadway. The matinee is 9 to 5 starring Dolly Parton, and the evening pick is the Hitchcock classic North by Northwest. What a way to make a living!
It’s a big long weekend — Father’s Day, Juneteenth, the Art Parade, the World Cup and so much more. Narrowing the list for this weekend was tough!
Music-wise, there are a lot of big celebrations going on. On Friday, there’s Chance the Rapper’s Juneteenth extravaganza at the Hollywood Bowl and superstar DJ Chris Lake at L.A. State Historic Park (he’ll be there Saturday as well). Also on Saturday, there’s the official Opening Night at the Bowl with Halle Bailey, Darren Criss and more; the L.A. Block Party at Pershing Square Park with Keyshia Cole, Twista, Petey Pablo, Juelz Santana and Nivea; Red Bull Midsummer with TOKiMONSTA and many more at the Hollywood Roosevelt; and Sports Raves for All Ages at the Broad with Peanut Butter Wolf and Lucha VaVoom. Plus, the annual Venice Fest is back in Mar Vista on Saturday with multiple music stages.
Finally, the celebratory weekend wraps Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl with Reggae Night 24, featuring Ziggy Marley, Zuri Marley and Burning Spear.
Sunday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Row 777 South Alameda St.,Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Peridot Photos
)
Celebrate Dad with all his favorite L.A. treats at the 10th anniversary of Smorgasburg celebration. Get a taste of favorites from vendors like The Base, Shrimp Daddy, Bub and Grandma's, Carnitas El Momo, Ramen Burger and more. Plus, check out food specials, collabs, live music and an “I Love Micheladas” menu!
CAAM Juneteenth Events
Friday to Sunday, June 19 to 21 California African American Museum 600 State Drive, Expo Park COST: FREE; MORE INFO
(
CAAM
/
Courtesy Sutton Comms
)
From a family scavenger hunt on Friday to a dance party on Saturday to a sound bath and yoga meditation on Sunday, Juneteenth comes alive at the California African American Museum. I just went last week to check out the Willie Birch and Gordon Parks exhibits — both are well worth seeing, and the space is a light-filled sanctuary from the busyness of everything else happening in Expo Park with the FIFA Fan Fest.
LACMA Art Parade
Saturday, June 20, 6 p.m. LACMA 5905 Wilshire Blvd.,Miracle Mile COST: FREE; MORE INFO
The weekend’s marquee event is a massive art parade to welcome the new LACMA Geffen Galleries on their official opening weekend, highlighting dozens of local artists hand-selected to participate. The parade and block party will run down Museum Mile and promise to be a moveable feast of art projects, performances, music and more in the spirit of the original art parades, envisioned by gallerist Jeffrey Deitch and held in NYC 20 years ago.
Juneteenth Improv Extravaganza
Friday, June 19, 7 p.m. UCB Franklin 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood COST: $10; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Friday Block Party
)
Kick off your holiday weekend with some laughs at UCB. Hosted by Sean Williams and Itanza Saraz, the Juneteenth-themed show features comedians Jacquis Neal, Nnamdi Ngwe, Monique Moses, Toni Adeyemi, Courtney Theophin and many, many more. Can’t make it out to Hollywood? You can also livestream the show.
Third Annual Compton Film Festival
Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21 Compton College 1111 E. Artesia Blvd., Compton COST: FROM $11.52; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Compton Film Festival
)
Get access to conversations with producers, filmmakers and local politicians — and check out some great new films, of course — at the third annual Compton Film Festival at Compton College. The selections this year include student films, as well as animated, documentary and narrative shorts.
LA River Arts: River Solstice Festival
Sunday, June 21, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park 2944 Gleneden St., Frogtown COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Party along the river with performances from the Bob Baker Marionettes, Mary Lattimore, San Cha and Calycosa; explore tons of art from local artists; and gain a deeper understanding of the city’s relationship to our own L.A. River at the River Solstice Festival.
Gil Scott-Heron: Bluesology
Friday to Sunday, June 19 to 21 Hollywood Fringe Hudson Theaters Main Stage 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood COST: $50; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Hollywood Fringe
)
Experience the words and music of Gil Scott-Heron in a new way with this never-the-same spoken word production that comes to the Hollywood Fringe with several iterations already under its belt, plus eight NAACP Theatre Award nominations. Featuring Scott-Heron’s daughter, Gia Scott-Heron, the show reimagines works from his 17 albums using poetry, art, music and an activist spirit.
Sip of History: Baseball and Japanese American History
Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Far Bar 347 1st St., Little Tokyo COST: $15, includes drink ticket; MORE INFO
Ohtani fever is in full bloom this summer, and you can learn about the deep history of Japan’s love affair with baseball at this drink-and-learn event with the Democracy Center at Far Bar in Little Tokyo. The program features a conversation with JANM’s Director of Collections Management & Access and Curator, Kristen Hayashi, about how baseball brought hope, unity and a sense of normalcy to Japanese Americans during World War II incarceration.
Last Remaining Seats: 9 to 5 and North by Northwest
Saturday, June 20, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Million Dollar Theater 307 S. Broadway,Downtown L.A. COST: $25; MORE INFO
Exterior of Orpheum theatre during the 2024 Last Remaining Seats season
(
LA Conservancy
)
Catch the last films of the Last Remaining Seats series at the historic Million Dollar Theater on Broadway. The matinee is 9 to 5 starring Dolly Parton, and the evening pick is the Hitchcock classic North by Northwest. What a way to make a living!
After work, locals gather here to play in the late afternoon.
(
Jordan Rynning
/
LAist
)
Topline:
As the 2026 men’s World Cup continues to unfold, L.A. soccer lovers weigh in on how MacArthur Park has nurtured generations of players.
Why it matters: While it’s true that the park in L.A.’s historic Westlake neighborhood grapples with organized crime and drug use, it’s also true that the site has long been a place where locals gather for recreation and to build community.
The backstory: Last summer, federal agents and the National Guard descended on MacArthur Park as part of the Trump administration’s militarized mass deportation project. More recently, local and federal agents staged a crackdown on open-air drug sales at the park.
Read on… for what players at MacArthur Park have to say about the tournament.
Since last summer, when federal agents and National Guard troops descended on MacArthur Park as part of the Trump administration’s militarized mass deportation project, the site continues to make headlines as a place where crime runs rampant.
Following a recent crackdown on open-air drug sales at the park, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that on Labor Day he plans to have a picnic there with his family.
The beleaguered park “is going to be safe enough to have that picnic,” he promised, inviting federal agents, the LAPD, city officials and everyone else to join him.
But picnics at MacArthur Park are not a novelty.
It’s true the park grapples with organized crime and drug use. It’s also true that the site has long been a place where locals gather for recreation and to build community.
It is here, for instance, that cumbia legend Celso Piña gave a free concert to Angelenos in the historic Westlake neighborhood, just months before dying. It is here that parents push their children on swing sets and treat them to ice pops. And it is here that, virtually every day of the week, soccer lovers of all ages come together to play the beautiful game.
Police vehicles made several rounds at the park during a recent FIFA World Cup watch party.
(
Jordan Rynning
/
LAist
)
Generations of soccer players
José, who hails from El Salvador, has been going to pick-up games at MacArthur Park since the 80s. (He declined to share his last name because of the seemingly constant presence of law enforcement personnel in the area.)
Back then, he told LAist, the northern part of the park, where soccer players usually gather, didn’t have goal posts or artificial grass.
“We used to play in the dirt,” he said. But to him, the palm tree-lined park, with downtown L.A. in the background, has always been beautiful.
After work, José and his colleagues would leave their restaurant jobs and head to the park, where they sometimes played for several hours. José was usually a midfielder or a forward. Now that he’s in his late 60s, he mostly comes to watch others play. As the 2026 World Cup continues to unfold, José said he feels torn. He’s equally rooting for Argentina, Brazil and Portugal.
From the left: 10-year-old Max poses with members of his soccer league, including Cristofer, Skylarr and Aníbal.
(
Jordan Rynning
/
LAist
)
MacArthur Park is also home to local youth leagues, where years-long friendships are forged. That’s how Skylarr met Aníbal.
Skylarr, a 14-year-old who prefers playing left wing, hopes Portugal will take the World Cup. He looks up to the team’s star, Cristiano Ronaldo, because the celebrated player “grew from the projects and made it out, through hard work,” he said.
Aníbal, a 13-year-old midfielder, wants France to win. “They have a stacked team,” he said in reference to Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and other world-class talent.
The City of L.A. brought new netting for the goal posts at MacArthur Park's soccer field during a FIFA World Cup broadcast on June 15, 2026.
On Monday, Angelenos gathered on the grass turf and neighboring hills to watch Saudi Arabia tie with Uruguay. Then, some stuck around for the next match. Skylarr, Aníbal and their friends practiced rainbow flicks during halftime.
