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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • Phase 2 of wildfire cleanup will start this week
    A piece of paper saying "This property's Hazardous Materials removal is complete."
    The EPA marks properties where removal of household hazardous waste has been completed, including at this property in Altadena.

    Topline:

    Construction debris and ash will be targeted for removal from fire damaged properties in the Pacific Palisades as part of Phase 2 of cleanup operations, which start this week. So far, more than 3,000 sites have had dangerous materials like solvents, paints, pesticides and lithium batteries removed.

    End destination: Material that can be reused — such as wood, metal and concrete — will be sent to recycling facilities. Ash and toxic substances like asbestos will be disposed of in appropriate landfills.

    It's going to take a while: Phase 1 is supposed to wrap up by Feb. 28; however 16,000 structures were damaged and destroyed by the January fires.

    Read on ... to learn more about how the hazardous material is being moved and what will happen at the collection sites.

    Phase 2 of wildfire cleanup is starting this week in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn areas and will focus on the removal of damaged structures, trees and ash.

    Phase 1, which has targeted hazardous material including solvents, pesticides, paint, propane tanks and lithium batteries, has been completed across 3,000 sites, according to Tara Fitzgerald, L.A. Wildfires Response Incident Commander with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    More than 16,000 properties were damaged and destroyed in the January fires.

    People in protective suits and other safety gear stand around a burned down home.
    EPA contractors remove hazardous materials from a property in Altadena on Jan. 29.
    (
    Christina House
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    )

    Debris that can be reused, including wood, metal and concrete, will be sent to recycling facilities. Ash will be sent directly to landfills. Six inches of topsoil will be removed in addition to the ash in an effort to mitigate contamination.

    " We found over many fire responses that that is an acceptable level of debris to remove to ensure that we get any of the hazards that may have fallen on the top soil as a result of the fire," said  Colonel Eric Swenson from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    More than 1,300 personnel have been removing hazardous material by hand over the past several weeks.

    Each item of concern is bagged on site or put into a drum and brought by truck to staging areas which are lined with three layers of plastic and surrounded on multiple sides by earthen berms and gravel.

    Workers in white suits covering their bodies and face masks remove debris from a burnt home.
    Workers remove debris from a house on Calaveras Street in Altadena.
    (
    Evan Jacoby
    /
    LAist
    )

     "Those materials are offloaded off the trucks to a team that then receives them and puts them directly into their final packaging for transportation and disposal. So the material never touches the ground," said Fitzgerald.

    Items like lithium batteries can often be recycled.

    Soil samples were taken before the staging areas were built and will be repeated once they're dismantled to check for contamination. Ongoing air quality monitoring is occurring at each site as well.

    Two new sites are being established at the Altadena Golf Course and Will Rogers State Beach, in part to meet the Phase 1 deadline of Feb. 28.

    Officials are estimating that 4.5 million tons of debris could be processed during the cleanup operation.

    Residents should expect increased truck traffic around burn areas as material is removed from sites.

  • What residents are facing near the warehouse fire
    A man with medium skin tone, wearing a blue face mask, hat, and long sleeve shirt, poses outside a home across the street from the charred remnant of a burned down warehouse with smoke coming out of it.
    Ivan Arredondo poses outside his home on Union Pacific Avenue in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026. Arredondo said the nearby warehouse fire has affected his health and ability to work.

    Topline:

    Since the fire broke out Wednesday, residents living closest to the facility have endured smoky conditions that they say have disrupted daily life, affected their health and limited their ability to work as firefighters continue battling the blaze.

    Unable to work: Ivan Arredondo hasn’t been able to work for the last five days because his van, which holds his work materials, cannot move in or out of the area blocked by the fire at the Lineage facility. Arredondo said neither he nor his neighbors had been contacted by city or county officials and wished more support were available.

    Health impact: Maria Gonzalez, 49, lives three blocks away from the fire. She says the smell of smoke has left her feeling dizzy, with irritated eyes and caused her daughter to develop a cough. “We have five days with this fire and it’s hard for us to just be inside the house and not be able to go outside because the smoke is so bad and smells so horrible,” Gonzalez said while recording video near the fire site.

    Read on... for more on what residents are facing near the fire.

    This story first appeared on The LA Local.

    Clouds of smoke billow from the Lineage cold storage facility in bursts. During brief breaks in the smoke, Ivan Arredondo rushes to cross the yellow caution tape to reach his home after waiting more than 20 minutes near Jim’s Burgers on Indiana Street. 

    “At night, the smoke gets in even when I close the windows and doors,” Arredondo said as firefighters worked Sunday to extinguish the fire behind him. “It has affected me; my throat has been feeling hoarse, almost like I’m starting to get a cough.”

    The Boyle Heights resident hasn’t been able to work for the last five days because his van, which holds his work materials, cannot move in or out of the area blocked by the fire at the Lineage facility.

    Arredondo said neither he nor his neighbors had been contacted by city or county officials and wished more support were available. 

    “I’d like for them to come and give us a hand with some [money] for food or something during this time that we can’t work,” said Arredondo.

    Two people cover their nose and mouth with their shirts walk past an apartment building and cars. There is smoke around them.
    Two pedestrians walk near the Lineage fire site in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026.
    (
    Isaac Ceja
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    Since the fire broke out Wednesday, residents living closest to the facility have endured smoky conditions that they say have disrupted daily life, affected their health and limited their ability to work as firefighters continue battling the blaze.

    By Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Fire Department had removed large sections of the facility’s exterior walls, allowing crews to better access the fire. Smoke continued to pour out in bursts as residents watched and recorded video from nearby sidewalks.

    According to a Sunday evening alert from LAFD, the next phase of operations will focus on accessing and extinguishing the remaining pockets of fire deeper inside the building. 

    “Although smoke conditions are trending in a positive direction, intermittent increases in smoke may occur as crews open walls and other concealed spaces to locate and extinguish hidden fire,” the department said.  

    Firefighters down the street spray water on a building that is charred with smoke still coming out of it.
    Firefighters work to extinguish the fire at the Lineage cold storage facility near La Puerta and Union Pacific avenues in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026.
    (
    Isaac Ceja
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    Maria Gonzalez, 49, lives three blocks away from the fire. She says the smell of smoke has left her feeling dizzy, with irritated eyes and caused her daughter to develop a cough. 

    “We have five days with this fire and it’s hard for us to just be inside the house and not be able to go outside because the smoke is so bad and smells so horrible,” Gonzalez said while recording video near the fire site.

    After days of calling to request an air purifier, she said she didn’t receive a call back. She was eventually added to a list when she went to ask for help at one of the smoke relief shelters.

    Although she knew shelter space was available, Gonzalez wished local officials could help provide a hotel room and said transporting her family and four dogs to a shelter would be difficult. 

    That Sunday afternoon, Antonio Chapa, director of field operations for L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, led a small team of people door-to-door on Indiana Street distributing free air purifiers. The team handed out about 30 units. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s and her team had also been in residential neighborhoods near the fire site, distributing air purifiers and masks. 

    Three people stand outside a gated home with a stack of boxes. They all wear face masks outside as there is smoke around them. One of the people writes down on a clipboard as two others speak with someone out of frame.
    Antonio Chapa, left, director of field operations for Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, distributes air purifiers on Indiana Street in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026.
    (
    Isaac Ceja
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    Manuel Valle, 84, who lives near Indiana and 1st streets, rode his bike toward Olympic Boulevard to distribute masks throughout the neighborhood. 

    “My kids don’t like it,” Valle said before joking about his bad knees. “But I’ve gotta do it; it’s me.”

    Valle is a member of the Brooklyn Ave. Health Club, a volunteer group for senior citizens that cleans up around the Evergreen Cemetery. He said his efforts near the fire are simply an extension of his work. 

    Valle added that on Sunday morning, for the first time since the fire started, the smoke drifted directly to his home even though he lives nearly two miles away.

    A car turns on a street intersection as two people walk down it on a sidewalk towards a neighborhood filled with smoke.
    Smoke rises from the Lineage cold storage facility in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026.
    (
    Isaac Ceja
    /
    Boyle Heights Beat
    )

    The smoke entering the home of Miguel Ocegueda Castillo, 53, forced him to relocate his son and his elderly mother, who was starting to feel dizzy.

    “It’s frustrating because when you’re here for a while, you start to feel like you’re going to throw up and we have already breathed in enough of this smoke,” Castillo said. He has lived directly across from the Lineage building for 15 years.

    Castillo said no one from the local government has reached out to him to offer any support. 

    “No one, no one has come to talk, no one has come and asked if I need anything,” Castillo said. “I don’t know what the local government is waiting for- for a tragedy to occur or something more serious or what… on top of what is already going on.”

    For now, Castillo said his focus remains on his family. He goes in and out of the house to grab necessities, but says that he’s been forced to work less in order to do so.

  • Sponsored message
  • Public transit sees World Cup boost
    Multi-colored scarves are displayed with the worlds "FIFA LOS ANGELES" printed on them. A sign with a pointed finger reads "METRO".
    FIFA World Cup 2026 scarves are displayed during the ribbon cutting for the LAX/Metro Transit Center rail and bus public transportation station at LAX on June 6, 2025.

    Topline:

    Metro has logged more than 100,000 rides to and from SoFi Stadium for the first four World Cup matches in Inglewood, on its special shuttle buses carrying fans directly to the stadium from various locations across the region. Ridership on the trains is up, too.

    The details: Metro organized the enhanced bus system to bring passengers to the stadium directly from as far as Newport Beach and as nearby as Culver City.

    The numbers: Ridership on those buses has jumped each match – from 18,551 rides to and from the first game between the U.S. and Paraguay to more than 29,000 rides when Iran played Belgium on Sunday afternoon.

    Fan zone spike: People have also been taking transit to the fan zones, including the FIFA Fan Festival at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. On the day of the first match in Los Angeles, when the U.S. beat Paraguay 4-1, Metro reported that fare gate taps at the Expo/USC station were up nearly 600% compared to an average day.

    Read on...for numbers on the D Line when South Korea played Mexico, and more.

    In notoriously car-centric Los Angeles, thousands of fans have been taking public transit to get to the World Cup.

    Metro has logged more than 100,000 rides to and from SoFi Stadium for the first four matches in Inglewood, on its special shuttle buses carrying fans directly to the stadium from various locations across the region. That service costs $1.75 a pop – the same as a typical bus ride.

    The transit agency organized the enhanced bus system to bring passengers to the stadium directly from as far as Newport Beach and as nearby as Culver City. Ridership on those buses has jumped each match – from 18,551 rides to and from the first game between the U.S. and Paraguay to more than 29,000 rides when Iran played Belgium on Sunday afternoon.

    There were long lines to catch the shuttle at Union Station before the first two matches. One rider, Cristian Vasquez, came from the Antelope Valley for the U.S.-Paraguay match. He left home at 9:30 a.m. and was the first in line for the bus.

    “It’s a service that really helps out the community that probably can't afford SoFi Stadium's parking lot or the existing parking areas,” he said.

    After the Iran-New Zealand match, LAist observed long waits for a bus ride home from SoFi, as the crowds exiting after the match all lined up to board the buses at the same time.

    People have also been taking the train to the tournament. According to Metro's numbers, when Iran played New Zealand at SoFi last week, K Line ridership was up 41% and C Line ridership jumped 23%, compared to a typical Monday. Those lines are the closest to the stadium.

    Other fan events such as the FIFA Fan Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum have led to similar spikes for Metro. On the day of the first match in Los Angeles, when the U.S. beat Paraguay 4-1, the agency reported that fare gate taps at the Expo/USC station were up nearly 600% compared to an average day.

    Alicia Greene took Metrolink and Metro to the Fan Fest from Anaheim and was enthusiastic about the journey.

    "The Metro system is awesome," she said. "It couldn't be easier."

    Angelenos packed trains in Koreatown last week when South Korea and Mexico played each other in a highly anticipated match. Ridership on the newly extended D Line was up more than 95%.

    "While we were laser-focused on the stadium, something else was rising across town," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins wrote in a blog post. "In Koreatown, thousandsof fans poured onto our rail lines at key stations like Wilshire/Western and Wilshire Normandie and into the streets to watch the Mexico-South Korea rematch."

    The World Cup is considered a test run for public transit before the 2028 Olympics, and it's not over yet. The next game in Los Angeles is Thursday, when the U.S. plays Turkey at 7 p.m.

    Kavish Harjai, Destiny Torres and Matt Ballinger contributed to this report.

  • Board will decide on $21 billion spending plan
    A yellow school bus with green wheels is a parked next to several other buses. The side of the bus reads Los Angeles Unified and there are palm trees in the background.
    The second largest school district in the country reports that 67% of its 1,300 school buses rely on non-diesel fuels including propane, natural gas and electricity.

    Topline:

    The Los Angeles Unified School Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a nearly $21 billion spending plan for the next school year.

    Why it matters: The budget includes raises, class size reductions and increased mental health support that are part of new contracts with the district’s largest labor unions. There is also nearly $5 billion in school construction and renovation projects, which are funded by voter-approved bonds — that money cannot be shifted to pay for salaries or other school needs.

    The challenge: LAUSD’s budget next year exceeds expected revenue by $2 billion. The district will, for the third consecutive year, pay the difference with reserves. However, district staff say by the 2028-29 school year, the budget deficit will grow to $3.6 billion. The board recently approved a fiscal stabilization plan to solve the deficit — but which will likely result in the elimination of thousands of jobs.

    Tune in: The board’s meeting begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday and will stream online.

    Learn more: How LAUSD plans to reduce spending

    The Los Angeles Unified School Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a nearly $21 billion spending plan for the next school year.

    The budget includes raises, class size reductions and increased mental health support that are part of new contracts with the district’s largest labor unions.

    There is also nearly $5 billion in school construction and renovation projects, which are funded by voter-approved bonds — that money cannot be shifted to pay for salaries or other school needs.

    LAUSD’s budget next year exceeds expected revenue by $2 billion. The district will, for the third consecutive year, pay the difference with reserves.

    However, district staff say by the 2028-29 school year, the budget deficit will grow to $3.6 billion. The board recently approved a fiscal stabilization plan to solve the deficit — but which will likely result in the elimination of thousands of jobs.

    The board’s meeting begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday and will stream online.

    Find Your LAUSD Board Member

    LAUSD board members can amplify concerns from parents, students and educators. Find your representative below.

    District 1 includes Mid City, parts of South L.A. (map)
    Board member: Sherlett Hendy Newbill
    Email: BoardDistrict1@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-6382 (central office); (323) 298-3411 (field office)

    District 2 includes Downtown, East L.A. (map)
    Board member: Rocío Rivas
    Email: rocio.rivas@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-6020

    District 3 includes West San Fernando Valley, North Hollywood (map)
    Board member: Scott Schmerelson
    Email: scott.schmerelson@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-8333

    District 4 includes West Hollywood, some beach cities (map)
    Board member: Nick Melvoin 
    Email: nick.melvoin@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-6387

    District 5 includes parts of Northeast and Southwest L.A. (map)
    Board Member: Karla Griego
    Email: district5@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-1000

    District 6 includes East San Fernando Valley (map)
    Board Member: Kelly Gonez
    Email: kelly.gonez@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-6388

    District 7 includes South L.A. and parts of the South Bay (map)
    Board Member: Tanya Ortiz Franklin
    Email: tanya.franklin@lausd.net
    Call: (213) 241-6385

  • The San Andreas fault is overdue for a big quake
    A sign at the San Andreas Fault reads: Now Entering North American Plate. In a field alongside the road.
    A bridge crosses over the San Andreas Fault from the Pacific to the North American tectonic plates.

    Topline:

    Scientists say in a new study that the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults may be under more stress than at any point in the last 1,000 years. As stress on a fault builds, it eventually has to be released — in an earthquake.

    Why it matters: When the Big One hits, it could take less than two minutes for millions of Southern Californians to lose electricity and internet access. And according to a new study, that mega earthquake is overdue.

    The backstory: Pressure has been gradually building since the last Big One in 1857, one of California’s largest seismic events. “Because it’s been quite a long time since the Southern San Andreas or the San Jacinto have had a large earthquake, we’ve accumulated a lot of stress,” said Kate Scharer, a co-author of the study and a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey.

    Read on … for more about the study and quake preparation tips.

    An earthquake is overdue along Southern California’s “critically stressed” San Andreas and San Jacinto faults, according to a new study.

    As stress builds on a fault over centuries, it builds pressure that has to be released in an earthquake. In the study, scientists found that the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults are under more stress than at any point in the last 1,000 years, meaning that a massive earthquake could be on the way.

    “Because it’s been quite a long time since the Southern San Andreas or the San Jacinto have had a large earthquake, we’ve accumulated a lot of stress,” said Kate Scharer, a co-author of the study and a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

    Using geological evidence, including tree-ring records and sediment samples, a team of scientists created a computer model that shows how pressure accumulates along faults over time. Then they ran the model up to the present day to estimate how much stress is now building beneath our region. They found that pressure has been gradually building since the last Big One in 1857, one of California’s largest seismic events on record.

    “The idea that all of those segments of the fault could have enough stress for an imminent future earthquake was already there,” said Harold Tobin, the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and a professor at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study. “This [study] puts it on more of a quantitative, rigorous scientific basis.”

    One area of interest is the Cajon Pass, the narrow corridor between the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

    “Cajon Pass could act as an ‘earthquake gate,’ like a junction that either stops or transmits large ruptures between the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults depending on stress conditions,” said Liliane Burkhard, the lead author of the study and a research affiliate in the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.

    The pass is a place where a major earthquake could jump from one fault system to another, Burkhard said. It could allow the rupture to spread farther across Southern California and affect millions more people across the Coachella Valley and San Bernardino County.

    Going forward, Burkhard hopes to study other earthquake-prone regions where several fault systems interact and create risks that remain difficult to predict.

    How you can prepare for the Big One

    Preparation is your best defense for when the Big One hits.

    For the basics, your household should have an emergency kit with at least 72 hours of food, water and medications. If cellphone networks fail immediately after a big earthquake, you should also have a communication and reunification plan. Know your evacuation routes.

    Kate Scharer of the USGS recommends further resources from the Earthquake Country Alliance.

    “This study was a great reminder that in Southern California, where we have parts of the most densely populated regions in the country, we are living on a multi-strand fault system,” said Ahmed Elbanna of USC.

    Also: Listen to LAist’s The Big One podcast to learn about the science of earthquakes and more about preparation.

    Scientists agree that Southern California will experience another major earthquake. The challenge is that no one knows exactly when.

    “It could happen today, tomorrow, or in 10 years, or in 30 years,” said Ahmed Elbanna, director of the Statewide California Earthquake Center and a professor at USC who was not involved in the study. “On geological time scales, these are all very short.”

    So it’s a question of when, not if.

    “We should certainly expect to experience large earthquakes in our lifetimes,” Scharer said.