Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published November 17, 2024 5:00 AM
The Wheeler Ridge herd of bighorn is one the larger of the 14 herds monitored by wildlife officials in the Sierra Nevada.
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Bernd Zeugswetter
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LAist
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Topline:
Scientists say the population of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep appears to have stabilized after suffering devastating losses during the record-breaking winter of 2022- 2023.
Why it matters: Half of the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep tracked by scientists died during that above-average snow year in California, seriously hampering the state’s recovery program for the endangered species. But this past summer’s bighorn count provided some hope.
This summer’s bighorn count: Scientists count the sheep each summer, and this year they found about the same number of ewes, or female bighorn, as last year, plus a healthy crop of new lambs.
Future of Sierra Nevada Bighorns is still tenuous: Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, estimates the current population at between 380 and 400 animals. Bighorn sheep once numbered in the thousands in the southern Sierra Nevada.
Scientists say the population of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep appears to have stabilized after suffering devastating losses during the record-breaking winter of 2022-2023.
Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, said the number of ewes, or female sheep, counted this summer is about the same as the previous summer.
Plus, he said, the abundant summer forage helped produce a “good crop” of new lambs — almost 100. And at least some ewes, which are critical for population growth, were spotted in herds that researchers previously feared might have been wiped out.
“Very small numbers,” Stephenson said of those herds. “Nevertheless, even if these populations hang on with a small number of animals, there’s a chance they can rebuild.”
Stephenson estimates the current total population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep at between 380 and 400 animals.
Tom Stephenson heads the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program.
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Bernd Zeugswetter
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LAist
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An average winter is good for bighorn
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are well-adapted to snowy winters at high altitudes, Stephenson said. But several above-average snow years over the past decade have seriously hampered the species’ recovery.
In the summer of 2023, researchers found that half of the bighorn sheep that were being tracked had died in the previous winter. Most were victims of avalanches, starvation, or mountain lions.
Even with new lambs born that summer, the population dropped by 40%.
But this past winter, the snowpack was average, which “for bighorn sheep isn’t bad,” Stephenson said. “They're well adapted to a good amount of snow.”
Still, overall the population of Sierra Nevada bighorn is about half what it was at the peak of the recovery program, in 2016.
How did Sierra Nevada bighorn become endangered?
Before European settlers arrived in the 1700s and 1800s, thousands of bighorn sheep are thought to have occupied the Sierra Nevada, from the Yosemite region south to Mount Whitney and the high slopes of Sequoia National Park.
Domestic sheep brought by Europeans passed on disease to the native bighorns, which had no immunity. By the mid-1990s, there were only about 100 Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep left.
Conservationists ramped up efforts to save the species, and they were listed as endangered by the state and federal government in 1999.
A ewe from the Wheeler Ridge herd southwest of Bishop.
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Bernd Zeugswetter
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LAist
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How the bighorn could recover
Two major factors affecting the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery are climate and predation by mountain lions. As the climate changes, the Sierra Nevada is expected to experience less snow, on average, but also more intense storms.
Both extremes are problematic for the sheep: too much snow means it’s harder for the animals to find food and more likely they’ll get trapped in avalanches, or move to lower elevations where they’re more vulnerable to becoming a mountain lion’s meal.
Too little snow produces less fodder in the summer to feed new lambs and fatten up their parents to withstand the next winter.
Rather than fret about the unpredictable weather, Stephenson said he’s more focused on the other threat — mountain lions. “When it comes to lion management, we do have an ability to influence that,” he said.
In the early years of the recovery program, mountain lions known to target bighorn sheep were regularly euthanized. That approach became politically unpopular — mountain lions are beloved in California — and the program has since shifted toward relocating lions that prey on bighorns to areas outside of the recovery zones.
But the process of getting permission to relocate a mountain lion can be cumbersome, Stephenson said. “If we could take those actions as soon as we see a threat, that would be a huge benefit to the [bighorn] population,” he said.
Visitors walk on a pathway amid fields of blooming flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve on Monday.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez
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Associated Press
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Topline:
A chance of dry lightning and thunderstorms could increase fire risk across the region as this week’s heat lingers, according to the National Weather Service.
How hot will it get? The Antelope and Cuyama valleys could see temperatures as high as 106 degrees. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the hottest period for most of Southern California. The L.A. County Department of Public Health issued a Heat Advisory through Thursday for valleys and mountain communities. The advisory is issued when hot weather may cause heat-related illness for some people.
What does the fire risk look like? The National Weather Service says there will be fire risk through Sunday across L.A. County.
Is there a chance of storms, too? There’s a 5% to 15% chance of thunderstorms, according to NWS. Those storms might bring dry lightning and erratic winds across the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and Antelope Valley tonight, which Black said increases fire risk.
A chance of dry lightning and thunderstorms could increase fire risk across the region as this week’s heat lingers, according to the National Weather Service.
The Antelope and Cuyama valleys could see temperatures as high as 106 degrees. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the hottest period for most of Southern California. The L.A. County Department of Public Health also issued a Heat Advisory through Thursday for valleys and mountain communities. The advisory is issued when hot weather may cause heat-related illness for some people.
To top it off, meteorologists say there will also be increased humidity.
What does the fire risk look like?
The National Weather Service says there will be fire risk through Sunday across L.A. County.
Devin Black, a meteorologist at the agency, said possible fires might have higher potential to grow due to south and southwest winds blowing as high as 40 mph.
The risk is highest in the L.A. County Mountains and Antelope Valley.
Is there a chance of storms, too?
There’s a 5% to 15% chance of thunderstorms, according to NWS. Those storms might bring dry lightning and erratic winds across the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and Antelope Valley tonight, which Black said increases fire risk.
What about conditions near the warehouse fire?
Black emphasized that the possibility of erratic winds can only happen if there is a storm this afternoon. If they do, the winds might make the smoke near the warehouse fire blow in another direction and spread to other areas. A particle pollution advisory was extended to Wednesday by air quality officials for the Los Angeles area.
Skirball Cultural Center highlights punk's history
Faheem Khan
is an Associate Producer for AirTalk and FilmWeek, assisting with live radio production and in-person events.
Published June 23, 2026 1:12 PM
X was one of the first bands in the L.A. punk scene in the late 70s.
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Dean Musgrove / Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection
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L.A. Public Library
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Topline:
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of punk in the United States, the Skirball Cultural Center explores how a generation of misfits — including Jewish punks — challenged the rules, reimagined community and helped reshape culture from the margins.
Legendary venues: The punk scene in Los Angeles exploded in the 1970s and 80s after a community of art-driven, bohemian music fans decided to respond to the mainstream music of the times. Hangouts like The Masque in Hollywood and The Vex in East LA acted as some of the primary incubators for many of these original L.A. punk bands.
The exhibit: "Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–86" is on view through at the Skirball Cultural Center through Sep. 6. More information is available here.
Read more... to learn about some of the most influential bands and clubs that helped shape the punk movement.
Punk rock — known for its fast, aggressive sound — evolved out of an underground anti-establishment subculture in the 1970s and 80s. Bands like the Black Flag, The Ramones, and X led the way, particularly in Southern California.
While the anniversary of punk’s inception is contested, the Skirball Cultural Center is celebrating the 50th anniversary in the United States, exploring how a generation of misfits challenged the rules and helped reshape culture from the margins, with its latest exhibit titled "Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels and Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–86."
Cate Thurston is the chief curator of the exhibit. She joined AirTalk, LAist’s daily news program, to talk about how the local punk scene played a pivotal role in shaping the genre.
L.A.’s punk wave
It wasn’t until the mid 70s that L.A.’s punk scene took off, partially because popular venues were still banking on the mainstream soft rock scene of the time.
Map of the robust Punk scene across the LA Basin, featured in the Skirball exhibit.
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smg photography/Sarah M Golonka
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http://www.smg-photography.com
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“There wasn’t the traditional club infrastructure for it,” said Thurston, adding that punk bands would play wherever they could, including places like the Ukrainian Cultural Center and even more unorthodox venues like roller rinks.
Hong Kong Cafe vs. Madame Wong’s
Performer at the Hong Kong Cafe in Chinatown on Nov. 7, 1981.
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Los Angeles Photographers Collection
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L.A. Public Library
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In the late 70s, two Chinese restaurants — Hong Kong Cafe and Madame Wong’s — sat directly across from each other in L.A.’s Chinatown. These venues led the local punk movement and even had a well-documented rivalry, which you can see reported in the L.A. Times.
Amy in Fullerton called into AirTalk to share that her brother actually started the Hong Kong Cafe.
“We were the first club outside of the Masque to play bands like Fear, X, Black Flag, the Germs, and art bands like Nervous Gender, The Bags, and Alice Bag,” she said.
“Both the Hong Kong Cafe and Madame Wong's were considered institutions in the L.A. punk scene that paved the way for all sorts of punk bands with different styles,” Thurston said.
Madame Wong’s closed its doors in 1985, and Hong Kong Cafe followed a decade later, shutting down in 1995.
Rooted in rebellion
Americans in the mid 70s felt the weight of economic uncertainties, including high gas prices and inflation — not unlike today.
Thurston said this is part of the reason punk rock was born, out of a form of resistance to the overproduced, corporate music in the mainstream at the time.
“ I was a UCLA student at the end of the '70s, and I was in a band with my best friend. I remember there was just a summer with all these people there…pierced flesh, big paperclips… and we kinda thought, who are these people? We realized that we were the band that was on the way out and said, ‘You know what? I think we ought to just graduate and go to law school.’” — Michael in Santa Monica
Bondage pants, leather jackets, and torn T-shirts
A red parachute anarchy shirt from1977, designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
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Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
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Young punk outfits on display.
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Sarah M Golonka
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Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
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Stage diving at a Circle Jerks concert at the Country Club in Reseda in 1982.
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Ann Summa
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Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
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Assorted punk pins.
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Sarah M Golonka
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Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
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Alice Bag of the Bags in Los Angeles in 1978.
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Melanie Nissen
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Courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center
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Thurston said the punk movement was just as important off the stage as it was on.
“ This is a story of the children it didn't get better for, who created their own world where they fit in and where they found a place for themselves,” she said. “ It was visually different than anything out there at that moment.”
"Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–86" is on display at the Skirball Cultural Center through September. Learn more here.
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CA may force release of calls at detention centers
By John Donegan | Long Beach Post
Published June 23, 2026 1:00 PM
People walk in the parking lot outside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, May 27, 2026.
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Jill Connelly
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AP Photo
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Topline:
A Long Beach state lawmaker is pushing legislation that would require local agencies to release 911 call records from immigration detention centers.
Why it matters: It’s part of a growing effort in Sacramento to address what experts decry as a critical lack of oversight into the privately managed facilities — oversight failures they say have led to sexual assault, inhumane living conditions and death.
More details: The bill, introduced by state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would make audio and video recordings of emergency calls to local agencies — be it from a detainee, staff member or attorney — accessible to the public through standard record requests. Agencies, including police and sheriff’s departments, would be legally required to hand them over without delay.
Read on... for more on the bill.
A Long Beach state lawmaker is pushing legislation that would require local agencies to release 911 call records from immigration detention centers. It’s part of a growing effort in Sacramento to address what experts decry as a critical lack of oversight into the privately managed facilities — oversight failures they say have led to sexual assault, inhumane living conditions and death.
The bill, introduced by state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, would make audio and video recordings of emergency calls to local agencies — be it from a detainee, staff member or attorney — accessible to the public through standard record requests. Agencies, including police and sheriff’s departments, would be legally required to hand them over without delay.
The push comes as the eight privately run immigration detention centers in California, with a combined capacity of nearly 10,000 beds, have seen their populations surge. The average daily population rose 72% — from about 3,100 people in April 2025 to 5,300 this April — as federal immigration enforcement expanded under the Trump administration.
Experts say that as populations grow, conditions have worsened.
State Justice Department inspectors have found inadequate medical care, delays in treatment, overcrowded rooms and meager food portions in facilities. They have also documented excessive use of force by guards and allegations of sexual assault that have gone unchecked.
Between September 2025 and March 2026, six people died at two private detention facilities in California, Adelanto ICE Processing Center and Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico.
A CalMatters investigation published in March found that numerous sexual assault reports last year at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego went without any proper investigation by local authorities.
When reporters sought records — including audio of 911 calls routed to the sheriff’s office — the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department refused, citing a law enforcement exemption in existing public records law.
Gonzalez believes this will close that gap. Under Senate Bill 423, any call for service would have to be disclosed. The bill includes privacy safeguards: identifying information for crime victims would be protected, and agencies could withhold information if its release would interfere with an active investigation.
State Sen. Lena Gonzalez and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire listen as lawmakers debate a package of measures to redraw the state’s Congressional districts and put new maps before voters in a special election, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.
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Rich Pedroncelli
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AP Photo
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The spirit of the legislation, Gonzalez said, is to address the difficulty of accessing the recordings specifically at federal immigration detention centers, which are run by for-profit companies and don’t follow rules set by California’s Public Records Act. The private contractors can and do refuse to release internal incident reports, emergency call logs or security records.
For those trying to build a case or prove instances of abuse in a facility, a recorded call might be the only glimpse into a facility’s operations or way of verifying horrors described by detainees.
“These are in-the-moment recordings of what is happening at the detention facility,” said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU National Prison Project. “The dispatcher is often asking for critical facts and information about what is happening, and the person on the call is giving their best impression of what exactly is happening at the time of the emergency.”
Sometimes calls are placed by facility staff seeking an ambulance — these facilities often lack the medical capacity to treat detainees — or reporting misconduct by their coworkers, Cho said.
Without passage of bills like this, Cho said, it will only become more difficult to build cases and prove these conditions exist.
Since last January, the federal government has shut down several programs meant to safeguard detainees, such as those informing them of their rights. They have closed oversight offices and eliminated protections for transgender detainees. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also said it will no longer report the deaths of those recently released from custody, even if their time in detention may have led to it.
Gonzalez, who chairs the state’s Latino caucus, said she and other members requested a visit to the Adelanto ICE facility. They await confirmation.
Momentum for greater state oversight is building in Sacramento, she said, as the issues faced in the detention centers have become “top of mind” for the caucus with multiple bills expected to come to a vote this year, including one for a detainee bill of rights and another that requires additional health inspections inside the facilities.
“We’re all hitting it in different ways, as much as we can,” Gonzalez said.
Thousands of people gathered at Seoul International Park on June 18 to watch the game on either of two massive screens.
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Andrew Lopez
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Organizers estimate more than 10,000 people attended the June 18 watch party, turning Koreatown into one of the largest World Cup gathering spots in Los Angeles but also raising questions about whether Seoul International Park was prepared for a crowd of that size.
The backstory: The watch party was promoted as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ “Kick It in the Park” World Cup programming. The city’s website states that official watch parties are limited to 1,000 attendees at a time.
Growing crowds: The event was set up as a full-day festival, with the park opening at 10 a.m. Fans quickly filled the park hours before kickoff. Food and merchandise vendors drew long lines, while performers rotated through a packed entertainment lineup. Throughout Koreatown, bars, restaurants and businesses filled with soccer fans, with crowds spilling onto nearby sidewalks and streets. But several attendees said crowding became a concern as kickoff approached.
Elissa Puente arrived at Seoul International Park around noon last Thursday with her daughter, expecting to spend the day enjoying a family-friendly World Cup festival.
Puente and her daughter traveled from Burbank and spent the first several hours visiting vendors, watching performances and soaking in the festival atmosphere surrounding the highly anticipated Mexico vs. South Korea World Cup watch party.
But people continued pouring into the narrow viewing area along Irolo Street during the final hour before the match, and despite repeated announcements urging fans to be respectful and keep walkways clear, people around her began pushing. Puente said she was stepped on twice.
“It became a serious safety concern when I saw people were starting to push against my daughter as well. I decided to leave at that point,” Puente said. “I hope for future events there is a time limit, RSVP system or just better crowd control on site.”
Organizers estimate more than 10,000 people attended the June 18 watch party, turning Koreatown into one of the largest World Cup gathering spots in Los Angeles but also raising questions about whether Seoul International Park was prepared for a crowd of that size.
The watch party was promoted as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ “Kick It in the Park” World Cup programming. The city’s website states that official watch parties are limited to 1,000 attendees at a time.
Organizers announced plans for the watch party in March, while Bass unveiled the city’s World Cup programming in May.
Paul “PK” Kim, marketing director for the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, a co-host of the watch party, said he became concerned before the 6 p.m. kickoff.
Kim said he repeatedly urged police officers to restrict access points as crowds continued growing. While no one anticipated a crowd that large, Kim said the response from city agencies fell short once it became clear the park was over capacity.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
CD 10 Councilmember Heather Hutt gives opening remarks 30 minutes before the World Cup game kickoff on June 18, 2026.
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Andrew Lopez
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The LA Local
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Questions about crowd control
In a statement, Councilmember Heather Hutt’s office said organizers had expected about 5,000 attendees, but turnout “completely exceeded all expectations.”
Hutt called the event a success and said it demonstrated the demand for additional park and recreation space in Koreatown, where she has supported efforts to expand Seoul International Park.
The turnout at the watch party was not anticipated to be this large, according to Ilanna Morales, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office. Morales said Seoul International Park will continue to be included in the city’s “Kick It in the Park” programming, but the Mexico vs. South Korea watch party was a unique case.
Morales said Seoul International Park was selected by Hutt’s office, while the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation was responsible for obtaining permits to close Irolo Street.
Future watch parties at Seoul International Park will return to a more traditional format, according to Morales. Those events are typically held on the park’s soccer field and designed for up to 1,000 attendees because of licensing requirements.
The event was set up as a full-day festival, with the park opening at 10 a.m. Fans quickly filled the park hours before kickoff.
Food and merchandise vendors drew long lines, while performers rotated through a packed entertainment lineup. Throughout Koreatown, bars, restaurants and businesses filled with soccer fans, with crowds spilling onto nearby sidewalks and streets.
But several attendees said crowding became a concern as kickoff approached.
Alexis Castro arrived around 3 p.m. and said conditions were manageable at first, but left 30 minutes before kickoff because of the swelling crowds.
“People were at a standstill and trying to push forward, it was impossible to distinguish the lines for the food stands from all the spectators trying to get closer,” Castro said. “The restroom lines extended down the sidewalk and people were stepping and stumbling over each other.”
Organizers repeatedly asked attendees to keep walkways clear, but several people there said the requests largely went ignored and they did not see anyone actively enforcing them.
Jason Lee said he spent more than an hour parking and entering the event, only to struggle to find a clear view of the match.
“I had to resort to holding my phone up over the crowd of people to see the match through the camera,” he said.
A fan wearing a Mexico jersey and Korean bandana was just one of scores of fans rooting for both teams at the Koreatown watch party on June 18, 2026.
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Andrew Lopez
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The LA Local
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Milo Bennett, a Koreatown resident, never made it to the park and eventually joined dozens of people standing outside a fried chicken restaurant and watched through the window. Every business in the strip mall that had a TV was playing the game, he said.
“It was about 10 times more busy and exciting than when the Dodgers won the World Series, but this was a first-round group stage match,” he said.
“I don’t think any of these bars and restaurants ever saw this coming,” he said. “I think the World Cup hype was actually severely underestimated by the city.”
Kim, the marketing director for the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, said the crowding raised alarms because he had seen the aftermath of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul, where more than 150 people were killed after becoming trapped in a narrow alley during Halloween celebrations.
Kim said he urged police officers to restrict access on the Olympic Boulevard side of the park as more people continued arriving.
“It was driving me crazy that they couldn’t read the situation, they were oblivious, they don’t know soccer, they don’t know soccer fans, they reacted too late,” he said.
A crowd crush was also on some other attendees’ minds.
As Jennifer Garcia tried to leave the park, she and her boyfriend overheard someone compare the crowd to Astroworld, the 2021 Houston music festival where 10 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in a crowd crush.
Garcia watched as more fans continued pouring into the area. That’s when she decided it was time to leave.
“We just felt it was going to get uglier so we thought it was best we just leave,” Garcia said.
Kim says it would have made more sense to use the nearby soccer fields as part of the watch party setup.
“They just put everybody in a narrow corridor and had people climbing fences and trees. They could’ve put a screen in an empty field,” Kim said.
Fans gather on the bleachers to watch the game streamed to a TV by the soccer field at Seoul International Park.
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Andrew Lopez
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The LA Local
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Not long after kickoff, some fans took matters into their own hands.
Right outside the soccer field, Koreatown resident LJ Kim set up a television by the bleachers after realizing many people couldn’t see the jumbo screens.
Kim, who lives a few blocks away, said he went home, grabbed a television and battery pack, and returned to set up his own viewing area.
“I’m a problem solver,” he said. “We want to be together. We want the aura, we want the vibes.”
A third watch party is scheduled for June 24 at Liberty Park, where fans can watch South Korea take on South Africa. The festival begins at 2 p.m. and kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Student journalist Nathan Reyes contributed to this story.
