Topline:
A brush fire that started on Saturday afternoon near Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County has grown to hundreds of acres in just hours.
What we know so far: The Lake Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near Silverwood Lake.
Keep reading... for more on evacuations.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Evacuation orders are still in place for the Lake Fire, with parts of Highway 173 and Highway 138 are closed. The fire started at 3:58 p.m. around State Highway 173 and Cedar Springs Dam Trail, near Silverwood Lake — and quickly grew to hundreds of acres.
Authorities say crews were able to achieve some containment, but winds are expected to pick up Sunday afternoon — with stronger winds exceeding 30 mph forecast for Monday.
Authorities say the fire continues to pose a threat to high-tension power lines.
Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area is closed to the public, but as of noon Sunday, forward progress of the fire has been stopped.
Evacuation orders have been issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for the following areas:
June 28, 2025
— San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) June 29, 2025
Lake Fire Evacuation Order !!
The area south of Highway 138 between the 15 Freeway and Highway 173 are now under an evacuation order.#LakeFire #EvacuationOrder pic.twitter.com/w5r7egjKRc
Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide
If you have to evacuate:
Navigating fire conditions:
How to help yourself and others:
How to start the recovery process:
What to do for your kids:
Prepare for the next disaster:
What to expect: Partly cloudy skies and slightly warmer today as we head into a warm weekend.
Read on ... for more details.
Happy Friday folks! A warmer weekend is on the horizon, with Saturday slated to be the warmest day.
Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast for today once those low clouds clear up. At the beaches, we're looking at warmer conditions with highs from 75 to 80 degrees, and up to the mid-80s for the inland coast.
For the valleys and inland areas, temperatures will hover around upper 80s to 92 degrees. Meanwhile Coachella Valley will break the 100 degree threshold today, with a high of 102 expected in some areas.
Topline:
The L.A. County District Attorney alleges a former Los Angeles Unified information technology employee illegally helped a tech company win more than $22 million in district contracts. Prosecutors say the case is “one of the largest money laundering schemes” in the district’s history.
The charges: According to the complaint, between 2018 and 2022 Hong “Grace” Peng worked in LAUSD’s IT department and participated in the approval and recommendation of over $22 million in payments to Innive Inc. for services primarily related to the district’s student data system. In the same time period, prosecutors allege Innive CEO Gautham Sampath paid Peng over $3 million.
Why now: According to the complaint, the district first became aware of the alleged scheme in 2022, when an LAUSD IT employee attended a conference and learned from a former colleague of a possible connection between Peng and Sampath. The district employee alerted a supervisor, who alerted the district's inspector general.
A district spokesperson sent LAist a statement Thursday saying staff will continue to participate in the investigation “as appropriate.”
What's next: Prosecutors charged Sampath with felony counts related to money laundering, “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity” and “aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase” made in an official capacity. Peng faces two felony counts— one related to money laundering and the other with “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.”
What the accused say: Peng said she had no comment. Michael Kraut, an attorney for Sampath, said his client had no knowledge of how the contract was awarded. "There's been no wrongdoing in terms of not producing, or theft of this money, or embezzling this money," Kraut said. "This is a case in which my client and his company produced exactly what they were contracted to do in the high tech field for LAUSD and the software."
The L.A. County District Attorney alleges a former Los Angeles Unified information technology employee illegally helped a tech company win more than $22 million in district contracts. Prosecutors say the case is “one of the largest money laundering schemes” in the district’s history.
According to the complaint, between 2018 and 2022 Hong “Grace” Peng worked in LAUSD’s IT department and participated in the approval and recommendation of over $22 million in payments to Innive Inc. for services primarily related to the district’s student data system. In the same time period, prosecutors allege Innive CEO Gautham Sampath paid Peng over $3 million.
“This is the type of evidence that you just shake your head, like you can’t believe it,” said District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a recorded statement about the case.
Hochman presented multiple text messages where Peng and Sampath discussed Innive’s contracts with the district. In one, Peng said Sampath was “lucky” she was on a selection committee. When he asked why, she responded "Because you have me...lol...I broke all law for you already lol."
Peng declined to comment when reached by LAist.
Michael Kraut, an attorney for Sampath, said his client had no knowledge of how the contract was awarded.
"There's been no wrongdoing in terms of not producing, or theft of this money, or embezzling this money," Kraut said. "This is a case in which my client and his company produced exactly what they were contracted to do in the high tech field for LAUSD and the software."
Kraut said the $3 million was related to other "long-term contractual issues" with Peng and had "nothing to do" with the LAUSD contract.
"The DA's office is going to realize that they have made a mistake in this matter and jumped the gun and in fact, there is no criminal intent or actions by my client or his company," he said.
According to the complaint, the district first became aware of the alleged scheme in 2022, when an LAUSD IT employee attended a conference and learned from a former colleague of a possible connection between Peng and Sampath. The district employee alerted a supervisor, who alerted the district's inspector general.
A district spokesperson sent LAist a statement Thursday saying staff will continue to participate in the investigation “as appropriate.”
“We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing,” the statement read.
Prosecutors charged Sampath with felony counts related to money laundering, “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity” and “aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase” made in an official capacity. Peng faces two felony counts — one related to money laundering and the other with “having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.”
The court issued warrants for Peng and Sampath’s arrests and bail was set at $500,000 for each.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Metro Board approved on Thursday the agency staff-recommended route of the K Line Northern extension with an amendment. The amendment calls for additional study of tunneling under Mid-City to inform what that section of the train ends up looking like.
The extension: The K Line currently runs from Redondo Beach to Crenshaw and stops at the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Earlier in March, Metro officials recommended a nearly 10-mile route for the train to continue north through Mid-City and West Hollywood and terminate at the Hollywood Bowl.
No delays: Metro staff, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and Mayor Karen Bass assured the public Thursday that the approved amendment won’t delay the project, including the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County’s joint plan to potentially front billions of dollars to kickstart the project without raising taxes.
Read on … to see how a compromise was reached.
The Los Angeles Metro Board approved on Thursday the agency staff-recommended route of the K Line Northern extension with an amendment.
The amendment calls for additional study of tunneling under Mid-City to inform what that section of the train ends up looking like.
The amendment was billed as a compromise in a political push-and-pull that continued into early Thursday morning between unabashed supporters of the route, including the city of West Hollywood, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who has tried to appease persistent concerns over the project's impact on residents of the Lafayette Square neighborhood.
“ I am very optimistic, and I'm very pleased that we got to an agreement so that we can all move together jointly,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said to LAist in an interview before the vote.
Metro staff, Horvath and Bass assured the public Thursday that the approved amendment won’t delay the project, including the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County’s joint plan to potentially front billions of dollars to kickstart the project without raising taxes.
“[The amendment] explicitly ensures that continued study, engagement and refinement in the Mid-City segment will proceed without scheduling, cost or job impacts,” Bass said about the amendment during the meeting.
The amendment was unanimously approved in an 11-0 vote. Metro Board Directors Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker and Holly Mitchell recused themselves since they own property in proximity to the proposed extension.
The K Line currently runs from Redondo Beach to Crenshaw and stops at the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Earlier in March, Metro officials recommended a nearly 10-mile route for the train to continue north through Mid City and West Hollywood and terminate at the Hollywood Bowl.
The route would connect to the D Line in Wilshire and the B Line in Hollywood, closing a north-south gap that currently exists in Metro’s rail network. The extension would link to cultural hubs, including the Museum District and Hollywood Bowl, major employers such as Cedars Sinai Medical Center and queer nightlife along Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards.
According to Metro staff estimates, the route that was mostly approved today would serve the highest number of riders and reach the most residents and jobs compared to other alternatives studied.
You can read more about the specifics and the lead up to Thursday’s vote in our earlier coverage.
Lafayette Square residents have for years expressed fears over the effects of tunneling on property values, noise and vibration.
Based on the concerns, the Metro Board directed agency staff in October 2024 to do further analysis and community outreach. That work, which cost an additional $2.3 million, involved studying 12 different route options through Mid-City and concluded that tunneling will be deep enough to zero out any surface-level disruptions.
It’s unclear what the study prescribed by the amendment approved Thursday will materialize that hasn’t already been addressed.
Thursday’s affirmative vote was necessary before the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County pursue a plan to capture a certain proportion of future property tax growth in a defined area near the project and funnel it towards construction. Critically, this plan wouldn’t involve raising taxes.
“Every time a property is redeveloped or sold, it adds to that increment, which adds to the amount of money that you can raise,” Eli Lipmen, head of transit advocacy group Move LA and supporter of the Metro-recommended route for the extension, said to LAist last week.
Now that the board green-lit the route, West Hollywood City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will pursue creating the district within which property tax growth could be captured.
The completion of that legislative work will trigger a 12- month clock to conduct the additional Mid-City tunneling study and finalize the route there.
A draft version of the amendment that circulated earlier this week did not include the 12-month time cap on the additional analysis, which raised a red flag for the city of West Hollywood.
“If additional outreach and technical work must be done … it should be capped at a reasonable maximum duration to prevent further delays,” Heilman and City Councilmember Chelsea Byers wrote in a Wednesday letter to the Board.
Heilman said he worked through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning with Horvath and Metro and Bass’ staff toward the amendment that the Board approved.
Today’s vote isn’t final project approval, and it will return back to the Metro Board several more times before shovels hit the ground.
The projected cost of the train is fluid until the Mid-City section is finalized. However, earlier estimates had the staff-recommended route for the train extension coming in at around $15 billion. Measure M, the half-cent sales tax county voters approved a decade ago, includes more than $2 billion for the project.
Those funds won’t be available until the 2040s, but the financing plan that West Hollywood and the county are pursuing could expedite the release of that money and construction.
Public officials said the K Line Northern extension was an extraordinary display of community passion and pressure.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who sits on the Metro Board and was listed as a co-author on the draft amendment, said he received “767 emails from West Hollywood.”
“I applaud you,” Butts said during the meeting. “You guys are the strongest advocacy group I’ve seen in 54 years of municipal service.”
Topline:
Topline: This year, spring for a great brunch under $100 per person. Family-friendly fêtes feature egg hunts and face painting, or you can keep it calm and classy with live harp music and egg-centric cocktails.
What’s on the menu: Smoked deviled eggs with caviar, seven-hour roasted leg of lamb or Grand Marnier-infused French toast
Why now: There’s never a better time to celebrate new beginnings with family and friends.
The days are getting longer and there's way more pastel out there — yes, it's Easter Sunday on April 5. You may be thinking about getting together with friends and family, so here's a list of the best Easter brunches under $100 per person that your whole fluffle will love.
(In case you didn’t know, a fluffle is an adorable way to say a group of bunnies, so rabbits just got even cuter.)
The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills is hosting a Rooftop Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt when you visit the hotel on Easter weekend.
The menu for Easter Sunday is à la carte and includes crab toast green papaya ($24), lemon ricotta hotcakes ($26), and wood charred spring lamb ($48), among others. Guests with brunch reservations can also enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny, cookie decorating on the rooftop, plus an egg hunt at 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. for the kids. Meanwhile, adults can take a ride on the London rooftop Bloody Mary trolley ($26).
Make your reservations on OpenTable
Location: 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
Hours: Brunch is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Perched atop the Santa Monica Place mall is Lou Lou, a French-inspired rooftop spot known for live DJs, drag shows, and more.
For Easter, they're offering an unlimited brunch buffet ($75), including “Le Gigot D’agneau,” a seven-hour roasted leg of lamb, along with dauphine potatoes, flageolet beans, and deviled eggs. Easter-themed cocktails will also be available. Entertainment includes Live DJ Music and a visit from the Lapin himself.
Make your reservations on OpenTable. Parking is FREE for 90 minutes in the surrounding structures.
Location: 395 Santa Monica Place #300, Santa Monica
Hours: Brunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Get lost in the skyline of downtown Los Angeles as you nibble Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon and plunge into buttermilk pancakes. This unlimited brunch includes glazed honey ham, roasted Pacifico sea bass, and a roasted leg of lamb with pomegranate chimichurri. Dessert includes a seasonal fruit display, mini cheesecakes, and cookies. The cost is $70 for adults and $35 for children ages 3 to 12.
Make your reservations on OpenTable.
Location: 813 Flower St., Los Angeles
Hours: Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There's nothing quite like stepping back in time while dining in the craftsman-style dining room at The Raymond 1886. Whether you're outside on the patio or tucked inside a dark booth, it's hard not to feel right at home. Easter specials include a pastry and fruit board for the table, featuring everything from apple coffee cake to spinach quiche, plus seasonal fruit and berries ($40). You also can't go wrong with Grand Marnier-infused French toast ($24) or a garden omelette ($24). Brunch cocktails include familiar mimosas ($15) alongside more inventive beverages like a charred sunset cocktail with mezcal strawberry foam ($18).
Reservations can be made on their website.
Location: 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena
Hours: Brunch is available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
For a truly family-friendly experience, visit The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, where the Bayside Ballroom is home to your brunch. The hotel will offer two seatings for an endless dining experience, complete with pancakes and waffles, a smoked salmon station, a full charcuterie and cheese board, made-to-order omelettes, prime rib and a sweet station.
Even more important than the food is the fun, which includes an egg hunt and face painting for the kids following the brunch. Adults also have a chance to win prizes, like an overnight stay in a junior suite. The price is $95 for adults and $45 for children under $12.
Reservations can be made on their website.
Location: 260 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach
Hours: Brunch is available at 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.
Focus on family instead of fixing things up, thanks to an Easter brunch at home, catered by Gelson's.
Try a spiral-glazed ham that feeds eight ($60) or a vegetable lasagna for 12 ($75) Finish the fiesta with touches like fresh flowers ($8.99+) and smoked salmon deviled eggs with caviar ($45 for 24 pieces).
Online ordering is already open with store pickup from April 3 to April 5. The last day to order is April 3.
The Culver Hotel will host their afternoon tea in the Grand Lobby and Crystal Room, where Easter bonnets are encouraged. Take in the sounds of a live harpist while you relish in housemade scones, chicken curry tea sandwiches, petit fours, and loose-leaf teas.
The cost is $75 per person before adding on garden-fresh cocktails or bubbly. The hotel will also be hosting a full buffet brunch for $95 per person and $45 for children if you'd prefer a little more feasting. Face painting will be offered in the garden for children of all ages.
Make your reservations on OpenTable for both the tea and the brunch.
Location: 9400 Culver Blvd., Culver City
Hours: Tea is served from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Brunch seatings are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Although not a brunch, it’s easy to curate an afternoon adventure around this family photo opportunity. The Easter Bunny is currently burrowing at the Bunny Bungalows at The Grove and The Americana at Brand. Make your reservations from now until Sunday, April 5, for VIB (very important bunny) photo packages. Caruso Members can get extra perks like petting zoo access on select days, and keep your eyes open for golden egg days, which come with $15 vouchers to select restaurants. Pricing begins at $55.
Location:
The Grove: 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles
The Americana at Brand: 889 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210
Hours: Daily hours can vary, but are generally 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
