Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published March 17, 2026 8:30 AM
More than $78 million in grants will go to 48 organizations, cities and agencies to improve L.A. County’s open spaces.
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Myung J. Chun
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Getty Images
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Topline:
More than $78 million in grants will go to 48 organizations, cities and agencies to improve L.A. County’s open spaces. The funds were raised from Measure A, an annual property tax approved by voters in 2016.
What we know about the grants: Nearly two-thirds of the money will go to communities identified in the county’s assessment as having “high park need.” The funds will help pay for planning, building and improving open spaces — think parks, beaches, trails and rivers — throughout the county.
Where does the money come from? The funds come from L.A. County’s Measure A, an annual special tax on county properties, for improving open spaces.
Where’s the money from? The money was raised from Measure A, the Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks and Beaches Measure. It’s an annual property tax, and funds go toward funding parks, recreation and open space projects.
Officials said: Norma E. García-González, director of L.A. County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, said in a statement that this is the largest competitive grant investment in the county’s history.
“These investments expand access to nature and the outdoors, strengthen climate resilience, and advance community health — helping make Los Angeles County greener, healthier, more equitable, vibrant and socially connected for generations to come,” García-González said.
Claudia Hernandez hands a customer some change in East Los Angeles on June 26, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors affected by the Boyle Heights warehouse fire may be eligible for financial assistance through a new relief fund.
Why now: Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective have launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, which will provide financial assistance to brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors directly affected by the fire.
Find more: Resources may also be available through the city’s BusinessSource Center, which offers grants, business advising, financial counseling and other services.
Businesses impacted by the Lineage warehouse fire have access to recovery resources.
Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective have launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, which will provide financial assistance to brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors directly affected by the fire.
Resources may also be available through the city’s BusinessSource Center, which offers grants, business advising, financial counseling and other services.
Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses
The program aims to award grants to 500 affected small businesses and vendors in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles near the Lineage facility.
Who qualifies?
Brick-and-mortar businesses
Street vendors
Home-based businesses
Grant amounts:
Street vendors: Up to $1,000
Brick-and-mortar businesses: Up to $3,000
Eligible ZIP codes:
90022
90023
90033
90063
Application requirements:
Business website and email address (organizations will assist applicants who do not have these).
Proof of address, utility bill and lease agreement (if applicable).
Street vendors can upload photos of their business if they do not have traditional business documentation.
Number of employees.
Applicants will be asked how they plan to use the grant funds.
Through the city’s established BusinessSource Center, NEW Economics for Women, impacted businesses will have access to recovery resources to help stabilize operations and retain jobs, including:
Small business recovery grants of up to $1,000 for eligible businesses directly impacted by the fire
Industrial air purifiers for severely impacted businesses
One-on-one business advising
Assistance applying for disaster relief programs
Access to capital and micro-loan opportunities
Business continuity and recovery planning
Commercial lease and financial counseling
Marketing and customer recovery strategies
Technical assistance with permitting and regulatory requirements
Referrals to additional local, state, and federal business assistance programs
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published July 7, 2026 12:55 PM
The World Cup has brought business to bars and restaurants around L.A.
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Irfan Khan
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Business has been up at one Inglewood bar during SoFi World Cup matches, even more than when A$AP Rocky and Shakira performed in recent years. Economists are paying close attention and will be crunching the numbers later to help inform planning for the Olympics.
Why it matters: The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup was in 1994, so the last few weeks have been instructive.Some bar and restaurant managers in Inglewood say business is up during the matches, and they’d like to keep some of that momentum after the World Cup ends July 19.
Why now: Friday is the last of eight World Cup matches that will have been held at SoFi stadium.
What's next: The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation will use data from phone carriers, credit card companies and hotels to assess if, and by how much, business has increased. They hope their findings can inform planning for the LA28 Olympics.
For Saizana Evans, manager of the Nile restaurant and bar in Inglewood, proximity to SoFi stadium has been a blessing over the years.
“The A$AP Rocky [concert] recently was good [for business] … Shakira was over here recently, that was great,” he said.
But when asked how those events compared to the influx of customers before and after recent World Cup matches, he was quick to respond.
“Definitely World Cup … definitely better,” he said.
One night particularly memorable so far, he said, was when Bosnia fans showed up for their team’s match against Switzerland.
“They were loud, and it was a joy to watch and to see them, like how they were supporting their team,” he said.
And, he added, “they are drinkers as well.”
While L.A. may not have run out of beer, as Boston reportedly did when Scottish fans visited, the region has been boosted by those who prefer to watch the games on a big screen with a beer in their hands.
“The excitement is palpable, not only in Inglewood, but throughout, and I think where you see it show up the most is in our bars and our restaurants,” said Maria Salinas, president and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crunching the numbers
As SoFi Stadium hosts the last of eight FIFA 2026 World Cup matches on Friday, and the tournament ends in less than two weeks, Southern California businesses will be looking at lessons learned.
“We expect to see an increase in spending when it comes to food and beverage,” said Stephen Cheung, president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
He said his group plans to do a study of the economic effects of the World Cup on Southern California. To do that, his group plans to buy data from phone carriers, credit card companiesand others — without personal information — to see activity in and around bars and restaurants and other locations during matches.
“We should be tracking hotel data, and Airbnb data, so we can see whether there's an increase during the World Cup,” as well, he said.
The goal is to give public and private groups information about what kind of business activities are the most popular during the tournament.
“We want to make sure that we have competitive industries that can bring good investments and good jobs here locally,” Cheung said.
And that’s something businesses will be looking to do as the 2028 L.A. Olympics approaches.
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Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
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Isaac Ceja
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for Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
During a roundtable discussion with about two dozen Boyle Heights business owners and street vendors, Mayor Karen Bass and District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado acknowledged communication failures in the city’s response to the weeklong warehouse fire and pledged to improve communication while exploring ways to help businesses recover.
Lessons learned: Business owners told Bass they felt abandoned by the city, saying response was too slow and relied too heavily on social media to reach the people most affected.“I think it took us too long to get out there, and that’s something that we want to rectify now,” Bass told attendees. “We should have gone out door-to-door on day one.” Jurado also acknowledged the challenges of responding to an emergency of the fire’s scale. “I’m still freshman over there [at City Hall] and figuring out how to deal with an emergency of this caliber,” she said.
Future assistance: Bass pledged to speak to the general manager of the Department of Water and Power to discuss what can be done about utility bills and call the Department of Transportation to “suspend parking enforcement.” She said the boundaries would be determined at a later date. Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that she will be working with the city’s Community Investment Department to explore waivers or subsidies to give affected businesses some financial relief.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
“We closed for two days, our workers were asking what to do, and we didn’t know,” said Francisco Valderrama, co-owner of Picaresca Barra de Cafe. “The lack of communication was the most insulting.”
During a roundtable discussion with about two dozen Boyle Heights business owners and street vendors inside Picaresca Tío Pepe on July 2, Bass and District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado acknowledged communication failures in the city’s response to the weeklong warehouse fire and pledged to improve communication while exploring ways to help businesses recover. Boyle Heights Beat was the only media outlet invited to attend the meeting.
“I think it took us too long to get out there, and that’s something that we want to rectify now,” Bass told attendees. “We should have gone out door-to-door on day one.”
Jurado also acknowledged the challenges of responding to an emergency of the fire’s scale.
“I’m still freshman over there [at City Hall] and figuring out how to deal with an emergency of this caliber,” she said.
Businesses say communication fell short
Business owners criticized the city’s response, saying it was too slow and relied too heavily on social media to reach the people most affected.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
“Maybe a post on Instagram worked for a younger crowd, but for this community it doesn’t,” Valderrama said.
Bass agreed the city should have done more.
“You’re right, we could have done better communication on the grassroots level, that took a while before we did that,” Bass said.
Business owners offer solutions
Several businesses suggested the city should work directly with neighborhood businesses during emergencies.
“Why not come to us?” asked Judy Diaz, owner of El 7 Mares, a Mexican seafood restaurant with locations in Boyle Heights and East L.A. Diaz said businesses could help disseminate information to their customers and the surrounding community during a crisis.
Jeanette Flores, owner of Super Pollos Rostizados, agreed, adding, “There’s only so many people that work for you, but you know, we would willingly do it.”
Flores suggested that the city create a hub for business owners to get live updates on issues that may affect their regular operations.
Bass appreciated their offer and said she would consider relying on local businesses to reach more people. “It’s not that I didn’t come; I wouldn’t have known to come, honestly,” Bass said.
Ana Perez, a local business owner who helps operate Café Café Mobile Coffee and Macheen out of Milpa Grille, said businesses are still struggling with slow foot traffic, higher utility bills from running multiple air purifiers and limited parking due to construction along the Cesar Chavez Avenue corridor.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
(
Issac Ceja
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for Boyle Heights Beat
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She urged the city to provide a credit to cover the cost of businesses’ energy bills and suspend parking enforcement to help them recover.
In response, Bass pledged to speak to the general manager of the Department of Water and Power (DWP) to discuss what can be done about utility bills and call the Department of Transportation to “suspend parking enforcement.” She said the boundaries would be determined at a later date.
“We cannot leave this community with the damn DWP bills, which are high,” Bass said. “We have to figure out what we’re going to do around that. I don’t have an answer for you today, but I guarantee you I will get an answer.”
Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that she will be working with the city’s Community Investment Department to explore waivers or subsidies to give affected businesses some financial relief.
The Beat has reached out to Bass’ office for more details on her commitments and will update this story when they become available.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
(
Issac Ceja
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for Boyle Heights Beat
)
Another setback for local businesses
For many business owners, the fire is the latest in a series of economic setbacks.
“For you in particular, small businesses, we know that it’s kind of like y’all can’t catch a break,” said Jurado. “You barely recovered from COVID. I mean, since the time I was in office last summer, it was the [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids and this summer, in this neighborhood, it was the fire.”
Jurado and Bass said the city will continue meeting with businesses as recovery efforts move forward and pledged to hold Lineage and the companies responsible for the impacts of the fire.
Mariska Hargitay at the NBCUniversal Emmy Luncheon in Beverly Hills in April.
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Jordan Strauss
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Invision/AP
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Topline:
Mariska Hargitay today was named as the host of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC on Sept. 14.
Why it's unusual: Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to get the hosting job, held last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS.
The backstory: Hargitay, 62, has long been one of NBC’s signature personalities as the star since 1999 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, one of the longest-running dramas in TV history. She’s been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, winning for lead actress in a drama series in 2006. “SVU” as it’s commonly known, is set to surpass 600 episodes as its 28th season airs this fall.
NBCUniversal announced Hargitay as host on Tuesday, the day before nominations are announced. The show will also stream on Peacock and will be held, fittingly, at the Peacock Theater, the longtime Emmys home that will also soon be home to the Oscars.
Hargitay, 62, has long been one of NBC’s signature personalities as the star since 1999 of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” one of the longest-running dramas in TV history. She’s been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, winning for lead actress in a drama series in 2006. “SVU” as it’s commonly known, is set to surpass 600 episodes as its 28th season airs this fall. Hargitay has used the platform to become an advocate for sexual assault victims.
She may be a nominee again this year as the director and producer of My Mom Jayne, a documentary on her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was also a TV constant earlier this year as she sat in the front row for the championship run of her beloved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The role of airing the Emmys rotates between the four broadcast networks even as their nominations become more rare in the streaming era. Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to get the hosting job, held last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS.
NBC is unlikely to see too many nominations in key categories on Wednesday, though all-time Emmy leader “Saturday Night Live” always gets its share.“Pluribus” from Apple TV+ and HBO Max’s “The Pitt” starring former longtime NBC star Noah Wyle are expected to be among the leading nominees when they’re announced by recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.
