The Brief

Just eight of 34 Orange County cities, plus the county, have made progress on local climate action plans, according to the latest report from the non-profit Climate Action Campaign.

Just six of those O.C. cities have approved plans to address the causes and impacts of climate change, according to the group’s first report that was released last year.

Orange County jurisdictions — despite facing high risks of worsening landslides, sea level rise, fire, heat and flood — are far behind other Southern California counties when it comes to having climate action plans, according to the California Climate Action Plan Database, which is compiled by researchers at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. (You can also check out different types of climate-related plans submitted by your community to the state here.)

And Orange County, the sixth most populous county in the U.S., is one of the biggest counties without a climate action plan. But, slowly, that appears to be changing, in large part due to grassroots organizing by local residents.

“It is well beyond time to act,” said Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley at a press conference in Santa Ana about the new report. “I’ve been working on these issues since I was on the planning commission in the early 2000s in Costa Mesa. So we have been struggling, but I think now we are making forward progress.”

Orange County jurisdictions have fewer climate action plans than surrounding counties, according to the Climate Action Plan database from Cal Poly.

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Courtesy Cal Poly Climate Action Plan Database

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The county was called out in last year’s report for not having a climate action plan, but has now completed a draft plan that Foley said will be presented to the board of supervisors for approval later this month.

Local organizers celebrated the progress.

“When we published our first report card, some people suggested that we were being too hard on local governments and that we were expecting too much from our leaders,” said Tomas Souza de Castro with the O.C. Climate Action Campaign.

“But now that we have experienced unprecedented heatwaves and fires in our own backyard in just the last week, we know that there is no cavalry coming to save us. We can create a climate safe, climate resilient future here in O.C.”

What is a climate action plan? 

Climate action plans, or CAPs, provide a long-term roadmap for governments to reduce planet-heating and health-harming pollution, and adapt to worsening disasters driven by climate change, such as increasingly extreme heat, drought, fire and floods.

They are most effective when legally-binding and are only effective as long as they’re actually adhered to.

Local CAPs are important because different cities and counties have different sources of pollution and require their own specific ways to adapt to the changes occurring as a result of global heating.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing and adapting to the climate crisis, and state and national plans can often be too broad for practical use by local governments. The climate crisis may be global, but it’s experienced and addressed locally.

Climate action plans generally focus on two buckets: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. A robust plan has a detailed inventory of where greenhouse gas emissions come from, and has plans to reduce that pollution in everything from transportation to industry to households.

A robust CAP also focuses on adaptation, including strategies to fortify infrastructure, develop a sustainable water and energy supply, reduce waste, expand access to green space and address inequality in climate impacts.

CAPs are particularly important for local governments to receive certain types of state and federal funding. According to 2021 State Controller data, Orange County receives some of the least spending per capita from the state.

A map from the Climate Action Campaign report of cities that have adopted or are developing climate action plans in Orange County.

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Courtesy Climate Action Campaign

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CAPs can also be replicated and scaled. For example, the report points out how both California and the United States eventually adopted the city of San Diego’s CAP target for emission reductions.

At this point, none of Orange County’s jurisdictions have adopted a plan that meets the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below the 1990 levels by 2030. Globally, scientists say greenhouse gasses must be reduced 45% by 2030 to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Where progress has been made and stalled

The report highlights Orange County, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Tustin, San Clemente, city of Orange and Irvine as taking steps in developing or implementing their climate action plans, while acknowledging there’s still a long way to go.

Each of those cities is in the process of developing a plan, with several such as Santa Ana, Buena Park and Costa Mesa hiring dedicated staff positions to help carry out the plans.

Orange County has also now successfully completed its draft CAP. Supervisor Foley said it will help the county apply for funding from the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, and includes greenhouse gas inventories for every city in the county, so O.C. cities don’t have to spend time or money doing that themselves.

The report says Huntington Beach, however, has taken steps backward. While the city approved a climate action plan in 2017, last year the city council voted to dissolve its Environment and Sustainability Committee and stopped working on its Sustainability Master Plan.

The report also highlights how the city left the Orange County Power Authority, which supplies participating cities with renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.

You can read the full report here.

The Southern California Muslim community during the early to mid-20th century became more diverse, but the visibility of Muslims in SoCal didn’t significantly increase until the creation of new Islamic institutions and hubs like the Islamic Society of Orange County.

Community pillars like the Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC), located in Garden Grove, allow Muslims in Southern Calfironia to connect with their faith and explore their religious identities in a rapidly changing society.

With the holy month of Ramadan underway, the Islamic Society of Orange County is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Muzammil Siddiqi, director and Islamic scholar for ISOC, who has served the community since 1981, recently joined LAist’s daily news program AirTalk with Larry Mantle, along with Deana Helmy, chair of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, to talk about the community center’s impact on the region over the past five decades.

How ISOC got its start

Muslims began arriving in Southern California as early as the 20th century, with roots primarily from South Asian Punjabi descent and the Middle East.

“It was a small number,” said Sidiqqi. “They started gathering at religious services and learning about the Quran within their families.”

As numbers continued to increase, particularly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Muslims in Southern California formed the basis of the ISOC, and in 1976, it became the first mosque in Orange County.

The Islamic Society of Orange county serves thousands of Muslims with prayer, educational, and counseling services, including a youth group.

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“At the time, when the community bought this place, they thought it was too big for them,” said Sidiqqi, adding, “Soon a large number of people started coming, and we had to buy neighboring properties.”

Today, the SoCal muslim community is diverse, as people from the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Latin America and descendants from Europe attend ISOC and share it as a community space.

“The Mother Mosque”

The Islamic Society of Orange County has grown to become the largest Muslim community center in Southern California, serving more than 10,000 followers throughout the area.

“That’s why we call it the mother mosque,” Sidiqqi said.

The mosque is more than just a place for worship for Muslims in SoCal; it's a community center.

“I actually attended the elementary school at ISOC called Orange Crescent School,” Helmy said.

Orange Crescent School is located within the Islamic Society of Orange County Masjid premises in Garden Grove. It currently offers full-time schooling from preschool to 8th grade, and intends to expand its reach and become the first Islamic High School in Orange County.

Children's backpacks hang outside of a classroom at the Orange Crescent School located on the grounds of the Garden Grove mosque.

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“All subjects that are taught in other schools are taught here. Aside from that, they learn the Arabic language and Islamic studies,” Sidiqqi said. “We emphasize very much the moral character of our students, according to Islamic traditions.”

AirTalk listeners also weighed in and shared the role ISOC plays in their lives.

Adis in the city of Orange told Larry, “My dad was the first president of the youth group organized in the masjid, and my mom was very involved in organizing as well,” adding, “that was the first place where they met, and it was history from there.”

“I just go to hang out with my daughter sometimes over the weekend,” said LAist reporter Yusra Farzan, adding, “They have cool Friday night programs for kids.”

Equality, leadership, and interfaith outreach

In addition to making inroads with the Muslim society-at-large, ISOC has also played a crucial role in acknowledging the need for women's representation in its organization.

“Leadership at the masjid has always elevated and highlighted women,” said Helmy, adding that ISOC has “really ensured that women have the space and place to belong, to be able to speak up and to be encouraged to take on leadership roles.”

ISOC offers a variety of services and programs that aim to educate people about Islam and debunk misconceptions and myths about the faith. Sidiqqi recalled being in the nation’s capital the day of the 9/11 attacks, telling Mantle that he was actually invited by President George W. Bush to participate in the interfaith service that was held at the Washington National Cathedral.

“This has been our work at the ISOC. Bringing understanding, reconciliation, peace, and harmony,” he said. “These have been the teachings of Islam, and so we invite people to come learn about the faith.”

You can listen to the full AirTalk SoCal History segment here.

President Donald Trump called the Supreme Court's decision against his sweeping use of tariffs "deeply disappointing" and slammed the members of the court who ruled against him.

Trump called the justices who opposed his tariffs "fools" and "lapdogs," charging that they were acting because of liberal partisanship, though three of those ruling against him were appointed by Republican presidents and two were Trump appointees.

"I think it is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," he said.

The court — in a 6 to 3 decision —found that a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.

The ruling was the president's most significant defeat at the Supreme Court since he returned to office, and threatens to upend one of Trump's favorite and most powerful tools of his economic and foreign policy agenda.

The decision injects even more uncertainty into the future of tariffs, but Trump made clear that he has no plans on giving up on his agenda.

Calling it his "favorite word in the dictionary," Trump has repeatedly credited his use of tariffs with helping him stop wars and pressure world leaders to bend to U.S. interests.

He boasted about the economic benefits. A recent Congressional Budget Office report found that tariffs were expected to help reduce the deficits by about $3 trillion over a decade. But that same report found that U.S. consumers - not foreign companies - were paying the vast majority of that money.

But while talking with reporters Friday, Trump sought to put a positive spin on the court decision. He said that it would provide certainty for the U.S. economy and that he plans to seek alternatives, which he laid out specifically.

"Their decision's incorrect. But it doesn't matter, because we have very powerful alternatives that have been approved by this decision," he said.

Trump cited a dissent written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh who listed laws that the administration could pursue, including "the Trade Act of 1974 sections 122, 201, 301, and the Tariff Act of 1930 section 338."

He acknowledged that those processes may be more cumbersome, but had stronger legal standing. He also cited Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, that allows the president to impose tariffs to address trade deficits. But those tariffs are limited to 15%, and only for 150 days, after which Congress would have to approve them.

"While I am sure that they did not mean to do so, the Supreme Court's decision today made the President's ability to both regulate trade and impose tariffs more powerful and more crystal clear, rather than less. I don't think they meant that. I'm sure they didn't," Trump said.

And he said he would sign an executive order today to continue certain tariffs under alternative authorities, including adding a "10% global tariff."

That rule would also eventually need approval from Congress, after 150 days, which could be difficult with an election approaching.

Republicans are facing pressure from constituents about high costs and the business community that is afraid to invest with all the economic uncertainty.

A recent NPR/Marist poll finds that a majority of Americans — 56% — feel tariffs or fees on imported products from other countries hurts the U.S. economy.

The former Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell praised the Supreme Court's decision.

"Congress' role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an inconvenience to avoid," the Kentucky Republican said. "If the executive would like to enact trade policies that impact American producers and consumers, its path forward is crystal clear: convince their representatives under Article 1" of the Constitution."

But Trump, who has expressed frustration with gridlock in Congress, expressed confidence that he would continue to be able to employ tariffs unilaterally.

"Foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years are ecstatic," Trump said. They are so happy and they're dancing in the streets. But they won't be dancing for long. That I can assure you."
Copyright 2026 NPR

A judge has ruled that the city of Los Angeles cannot move forward with a program that would allow local officials to remove and dismantle more recreational vehicles the city deems a nuisance.

The city planned to roll out a new state law that gives L.A. County authority to dispose of abandoned or inoperable RVs worth up to $4,000. The previous threshold was $500.

Some city officials who support the new law say L.A. must have the tools to get unsafe and unsanitary RVs off the streets for good.

But opponents argued the law does not apply to the city of L.A. — only the county — and that the city’s “illegal” actions would harm vulnerable Angelenos who live in RVs, according to court documents.

In a new ruling issued Thursday, Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin agreed with the opponents. The judge said the new law “provides no such authority to the City of Los Angeles.”

The backstory

The ruling stems from a legal challenge by a coalition of housed and unhoused residents in West L.A. around the city’s implementation of Assembly Bill 630, which became law Jan. 1.

The L.A. City Council voted in December to approve a motion instructing various city departments to “immediately implement” the law.

The CD11 Coalition for Human Rights then asked a judge to intervene, claiming L.A. is “recklessly charging ahead” with a program it’s not authorized to execute, according to court documents.

What the officials say

Councilmember Traci Park, who introduced the council motion in October, told LAist previously that nuisance RVs create health and safety issues that put entire neighborhoods at risk. Park said residents want solutions, not frivolous lawsuits.

Shayla Myers, an attorney with Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, told LAist after the ruling Thursday that the lawsuits aren’t frivolous when the petitioners keep winning.

“It is incredibly unclear why the city did not simply accept the plain language of AB 630 and instead forced our client to go to court, wasting court resources, city resources at a time when the city doesn't have resources to spare,” Myers said.

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s office did not respond to LAist’s requests for comment on the city’s implementation of AB 630.

What’s next

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass proposed AB 630 in partnership with Assemblymember Mark González, who introduced the California assembly bill. González said in a statement to LAist last month that his office is “working with our partners to clarify the law to ensure the City can fully implement AB 630."

González has introduced another bill, AB 647, that would expand the language of the law to include “any public agency” within L.A. County.

Go deeper: West LA coalition challenges city's rollout of new RV law