In California, the Mojave Desert tortoise was recently reclassified as endangered under the state's Endangered Species Act.
(
Michael Faist
/
NPS
)
Topline:
Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is increasingly difficult in the American Southwest. The tortoises, with their unmistakable domed patterned shells, live in California, parts of Nevada, Arizona and northwestern Mexico. But they have lost habitat over the decades to encroaching development. They're also at risk from disease and climate change, all of which threaten their existence.
Why it matters: In four out of the five primary regions where Mojave Desert tortoises can be found, some estimates show that around 90% of tortoises have disappeared since 1984.
What's at stake: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife classified the Mojave Desert tortoise as threatened in 1989. A year later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the tortoise as threatened. But California has taken measures a step further this year by declaring the tortoise as endangered under the state's Endangered Species Act. That designation means the tortoises are likely to go extinct if they are not managed properly.
Read on... for more on what scientists are doing about it.
Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is increasingly difficult in the American Southwest. The tortoises, with their unmistakable domed patterned shells, live in California, parts of Nevada, Arizona and northwestern Mexico. But they have lost habitat over the decades to encroaching development. They're also at risk from disease and climate change, all of which threaten their existence.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife classified the Mojave Desert tortoise as threatened in 1989. A year later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the tortoise as threatened. But California has taken measures a step further this year by declaring the tortoise as endangered under the state's Endangered Species Act. That designation means the tortoises are likely to go extinct if they are not managed properly.
The state agency's spokesperson, Krysten Kellum, said in an email that the status change could increase the likelihood that state, federal and resource management agencies will prioritize and distribute more funds toward protection and recovery actions.
"The uplisting highlights the urgency of tortoise conservation needs," Kellum wrote.
A six-month-old Mojave Desert Tortoise is examined by wildlife biologist.
(
Donovan Smith
/
NPS
)
Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, fired 420 USFW probationary staff. Nearly another 300 took the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer. The administration has also proposed cutting the budgets of the USFWS, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. Those agencies are all tasked with managing endangered and threatened species on federal lands, including the desert tortoise.
Garrett Peterson, a spokesperson for the USFWS, said in an emailed statement that the agency remains committed to fulfilling the mission of conserving fish, wildlife, and natural resources for the American people. But the agency could "not comment on personnel matters or on Congressional deliberations regarding appropriations."
Kristina Drake used to lead the Desert Tortoise Recovery Office for the USFWS. She signed the administration's deferred resignation letter in the spring. Drake says she doesn't anticipate any additional federal funding to support the tortoise — a species that's survived in the desert for at least 15 million years.
Nonetheless, nonprofits like the Mojave Desert Land Trust, located in the town of Joshua Tree, and others remain steadfast in wanting to protect and preserve the desert tortoise and its habitat.
And on a warm early morning summer day, Patrick Emblidge and Clay Noss with the Mojave Desert Land Trust, are hopeful they can catch a glimpse of a desert tortoise. To do that, they're searching for holes that tortoises make, often called burrows, in a canyon near Joshua Tree, where the town's namesake tree flourishes near desert flora and grasses.
It's difficult to find a desert tortoise because they spend the majority of their time underground. And they are rare, explains Emblidge. "They're at serious risk of going extinct and it's terribly unjust."
A desert tortoise crosses a road while cars drive in the opposite lane. There's no single thing that has contributed to the tortoise downturn. Vehicle collisions, habitat encroachment and climate change are among the many factors.
(
Samantha Laarman
/
NPS
)
'Death from a thousand cuts'
Since being listed as a threatened species more than 35 years ago, tortoise numbers have continued to dwindle. Ed LaRue, who's on the board of directors for the Desert Tortoise Council, a group that focuses on the species' survival, says it took five years for California to review data to move the tortoise from threatened to endangered earlier this year.
"The state's determination was in California, the tortoise is worse off now than it was when it was formally listed back in 1989," LaRue says. "So, even though there are a few places where you can go and see them, at a population level, they're still declining across the board."
That's despite the existence offive recovery areas for the Mojave Desert tortoise in the Southwest. They include the Upper Virgin River, Northeastern Mojave, Eastern Mojave, Western Mojave and Eastern Colorado.
There's no single issue that has contributed to the tortoise downturn, says Cameron Barrows, who studies deserts at the University of California, Riverside. He and many scientists describe the tortoises' decline as "death from a thousand cuts." That's because they face multiple threats, including off-road vehicles, predators, drought, and even military bases.
Then there's climate change.
" Climate change is one of those things, and it's not minor at all," Barrows says. "It's a very important aspect of what's going on with tortoises."
Human-caused climate change makes temperatures hotter and droughts last longer. Jeff Lovich, a retired scientist who researched tortoises at the U.S. Geological Survey for over 30 years, says higher temperatures contribute to the sex determination of tortoise hatchlings.
During California's long drought that lasted from 2012 to 2016, Lovich conducted a study that showed a big decline in female tortoises. That's because when female tortoises lay eggs, they lose water and protein. Drought exacerbates this, ultimately affecting the population's survival.
" The eggs are about the size of a ping pong ball," Lovich says. "If females are doing that during a drought, it's gonna put them in life-threatening situations, and we think we documented that with their high mortality during that epic drought."
Tortoises build between seven to 17 burrows underground per year. When they get tired of their burrow, they move to another area and dig a new spot.
When tortoises tire of their burrow, they abandon them and relocate. Lovich says that's when other critters like snakes, birds and small mammals move in.
"If you took the tortoise away, you would take away that service that they provide for other species," he explains.
In the Mojave Desert, Emblidge and Noss study a burrow that's too big to be a tortoise's home. It's shaped like a half-moon – flat on the bottom and domed on the top – and sandwiched under a large boulder. They come to the same conclusion.
"Yeah, it's a tortoise burrow, it's just so big," Emblidge says. "It looks like it could have been modified by a fox or a coyote."
But losing the tortoise from the Mojave Desert would mean losing more than recycled burrows. The species' extinction could drastically change the landscape, says Emblidge.
"It would remove a keystone animal that is an indicator of ecosystem health," says Emblidge, who spent eight years studying tortoises at the USGS in the Southwest. "If tortoises are going extinct, we're doing something wrong and everything else is suffering as well."
Climate change makes temperatures hotter and droughts last longer. According to Jeff Lovich, a retired scientist, higher temperatures contribute to determining the sex of tortoise hatchlings.
(
Stacy Manson
/
NPS
)
A 'tortoisey area'
In the Mojave Desert, Emblidge and Noss point out desert dandelion, devil's lettuce and other forage tortoises like to munch on. They hope that maybe the elusive desert tortoise will appear on this hot summer morning. After a short hike, Emblidge and Noss drop to their knees to look underneath a boulder. There, burrowed back into the dirt and camouflaged by the rock, is a tortoise with its big domed shell and stubby feet.
Emblidge and Noss climb higher up the rocks and spot another tortoise.
"This is a really tortoisey area," Noss says.
This one has a burrow in between two boulders where she's — yes, the tortoise is a female — buried deep, providing ample shade and protection from predators. Only her back shell and one leg are visible. "She's not very photogenic today," laughs Emblidge.
Emblidge and Noss say seeing twotortoises in one day is special because they're in serious danger of going extinct. "They are amazing animals when you get to know 'em," Noss says, "and they're doing what they can to survive out here. We're just not really giving them a chance."
But with additional federal funding for tortoise conservation unlikely, groups like the Mojave Desert Land Trust and the Desert Tortoise Council become more important, according to Drake, formerly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She says those groups will have to continue to "hold the line for a few years," for the sake of all endangered species and ecosystems.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published December 23, 2025 3:33 PM
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (center) speaks at a press conference Oct. 8 in Los Angeles.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
A federal grand jury Tuesday returned a six-count indictment against four members of a group described as “far-left, anti-capitalist and anti-government” that allegedly plotted to set off bombs in Southern California on New Year’s Eve.
The details: According to the indictment, the defendants are part of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, or TILF.
In November, one of the members allegedly drafted an eight-page, handwritten document titled “Operation Midnight Sun” that described a bombing plot targeting technology and logistics companies across Southern California on New Year’s Eve, according to prosecutors.
Another group member is accused of sending two others a message that read: “death to israel death to the usa death to colonizers death to settler-coloniasm [sic].”
Other targets: The defendants also planned to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles with firearms and pipe bombs to “take some of them out and scare the rest of them,” according to the indictment.
The defendants:
Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30, a.k.a. “Asiginaak,” and “Black Moon,” of South Los Angeles;
Zachary Aaron Page, 32, a.k.a. “AK,” “Ash Kerrigan,” and “Cthulu’s Daughter,” of Torrance;
Dante James Anthony-Gaffield, 24, a.k.a. “Nomad,” of South Los Angeles; and
Tina Lai, 41, a.k.a. “Kickwhere,” of Glendale.
All are being held in federal custody without bond. Each is charged with one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and one count of possession of unregistered firearms.
If convicted, Carroll and Page could be sentenced to life in federal prison. Gaffield and Lai would face at least 25 years in federal prison.
Reached for comment, an attorney for Lai said only that she would plead not guilty to the charges early next month. Attorneys for Carroll and Gaffield did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
LAist was not immediately able to identify an attorney for Page.
What’s next: Arraignment is set for Jan. 5 in U.S. District Court.
Destiny Torres
is LAist's general assignment and digital equity reporter.
Published December 23, 2025 3:09 PM
In June, the O.C. Board of Supervisors approved a 25% pay hike, increasing their salaries by about $49,000.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The Orange County Grand Jury released a scathing report Monday that accused the county supervisors of undermining the public’s trust when they granted themselves a 25% pay increase.
Background: The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a 25% pay hike in June 2025, raising their salaries to a level higher than that of the California governor. Previously, supervisors were set to earn 80% of a Superior Court judge’s salary, but the board voted to change that to 100% match a judge’s salary. With the pay hike, they now make at least $244,000.
Why it matters: The pay hike came just after former Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Do pleaded guilty to a felony bribery charge in October 2024 for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes. The county itself is also financially in hot water following the Airport Fire, which has racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in damage claims against the county.
Read on … for more on the Grand Jury’s findings.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors “undermined” the public’s trust when they granted themselves a 25% pay increase, according to the latest OC Grand Jury report released on Monday.
Since 2005, supervisors were set to make 80% of a Superior Court judge’s salary. That changed in June, when the board approved a 25% pay hike, increasing their salaries by about $49,000 to at least $244,000.
The pay increase raised eyebrows over the summer, sparking the Grand Jury investigation. A Grand Jury is a panel of citizens who investigate local government and public agencies. Members serve one year and look into several issues during that time.
It came just weeks after former Supervisor Andrew Do was sentenced to five years in federal prison for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes. The county itself is also financially in hot water following the Airport Fire, which has racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in damage claims against the county.
“The timing was especially troubling as the County of Orange (County) has been facing hiring freezes and budget constraints,” the Grand Jury reported. “This decision was not only tone-deaf — it reflected a deeper disconnect from the Board’s duty to serve the public with transparency and fiscal responsibility.”
What does the Grand Jury say?
The Grand Jury questioned how the item was presented to the public and whether it was purposefully buried within the county budget agenda item.
“The Board added their salary increase into the $10.8 billion 2025-2026 Orange County Annual Budget adoption process. This resulted in a minimal description in the agenda and minimal opportunity for citizen input,” the Grand Jury reported. “Therefore, the Grand Jury investigated: why did they want to conceal their salary increase, was it warranted at this time and who initiated it?”
The board’s vote, the Grand Jury stated, signifies that the board prioritizes personal gain over accountability and public trust.
“Elected officials are entrusted to serve, not to enrich themselves. When this happens, the foundation of representative democracy is undermined,” the Grand Jury said. “The people of Orange County deserve better, and the people must demand it.”
How are officials responding?
OC Supervisor Katrina Foley — the lone dissenting vote on the raises — said she was not surprised by the Grand Jury’s findings.
“I think most people felt that it was poor form for that to happen at that time, and given our current economic instability due to what's happening at the federal and the state level,” Foley told LAist.
Following the criticism, Supervisors Vicente Sarmiento and Doug Chaffee said they would donate their increased pay to charity.
“I am open to considering the recommendations in the report for changes to the pay ordinance and how future increases are approved, and I have been open to reconsidering the pay increase,” Sarmiento said in a statement.
A county spokesperson and Supervisor Don Wagner declined to comment. Supervisor Doug Chaffee and Janet Nguyen did not respond to LAist’s request for comment.
What’s next?
The report made a handful of recommendations, including that the board rescind the pay raise and salary changes by next March “to restore institutional trust and demonstrate a genuine commitment to transparency and accountability.”
It also recommends that the board adopt procedures for proposing, reviewing and approving future supervisor salary changes that include public hearings.
The county has 90 days from the release of the report to respond to the Grand Jury, according to a county spokesperson.
Keep up with LAist.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published December 23, 2025 3:00 PM
The Hire a Vendor program trains street vendors to become caterers. The program is led by Inclusive Action for the City.
(
Courtesy Inclusive Action for the City
)
Topline:
To protect street vendors from ICE, L.A. non profit Inclusive Action for the City ramped up caterer training in 2025 to help vendors move their businesses off the streets. The group says it led to nearly 400 catering jobs — and it now wants to double the program in 2026.
Why it matters: The increase of immigration sweeps has led many Southern California families to lose income. The training moves street vendors away from public settings to private events where there is little risk of being swept up in an ICE raid.
Why now: Inclusive Action of the City trained 34 street vendors in catering practices and wants to expand that in 2026 by adding another full-time worker to the program.
The backstory: The group’s effort is part of a number of actions taken by individuals and groups across the region to help people targeted for detention keep sources of income.
What's next: Federal immigration sweeps continue in Southern California, leading to uncertainty among many families with a member who does not have the authorization to be in the U.S.
The increase of federal immigration sweeps in Southern California this year made one thing clear to street vendors without authorization to be in the U.S. — running a business outside was risky.
In response, L.A. nonprofit Inclusive Action for the City ramped up an existing program that trains street vendors to work in private catering.
“One of the big successes of the year was the growth of our Hire a Vendor program, where our business coaches essentially became brokers for our street vendors and other entrepreneurs so they can get catering jobs,” said Rudy Espinoza, the group’s CEO.
The program was created in 2024 but the group expanded it this year after the increase of immigration sweeps. The group said in its annual report that 34 small businesses were trained for catering this year and more than 350 catering jobs came to those trainees this year.
The training program includes menu design and pricing, electronic sales systems and marketing
(
Courtesy Inclusive Action for the City
)
“Everywhere from the mayor's house to a small backyard party,” Espinoza said.
The group’s effort is part of actions taken by individuals and groups across the region to help people targeted for detention keep sources of income.
That help has included buyouts of daily inventory of fruit and flowers, as well as the awarding of grants to street vendors who lost income because they stayed home.
The program is just an example of how some entrepreneurs really dedicated themselves to build out a different line of business.
— Rudy Espinoza, CEO of Inclusive Action for the City
Advocates said the loss of income through detentions — many carried out through violent means — often affected family members who were U.S. citizens and has created a humanitarian crisis as families have lost the means to pay bills and buy food.
Street vendors in a Hire a Vendor session organized by Inclusive Action for the City.
(
Courtesy Inclusive Action for the City
)
The vendor training program sought to alleviate that.
“Sometimes, challenges force us to think, be creative and think about how to adapt,” Espinoza said. “The Hire a Vendor program is just an example of how some entrepreneurs really dedicated themselves to build out a different line of business for themselves.”
How it works
The Hire a Vendor program is free to people who seek and receive micro-loans from Inclusive Action for the City.
Four of the program’s nine sessions are "office hours" in which a business coach works one-on-one with the business owner.
The trainings cover:
Catering basics such as delivery, set-up and presentation
Invoicing and electronic sale systems
Menu design and pricing
Marketing through social media
The trained vendors are free to pursue their own catering jobs but also get catering work through a portal created by Inclusive Action for the City.
Espinoza said one full-time employee oversaw the program this year, and he’d like to add another full-time worker to expand the trainings in 2026.
The Trump administration will resume garnishing wages from student loan borrowers in default in early 2026, the U.S. Education Department confirmed to NPR.
The context: "We expect the first notices to be sent to approximately 1,000 defaulted borrowers the week of Jan. 7," a department spokesperson told NPR. The spokesperson said wage-garnishment notices are expected to increase on a monthly basis throughout the year.
The background: The move comes after a years-long pause in wage garnishment due to the pandemic.
Who is affected? A borrower is in default when they have not made loan payments in more than 270 days. Once that happens, the federal government can try to collect on the debt by seizing tax refunds and Social Security benefits and also by ordering an employer to withhold up to 15% of a borrower's pay. Borrowers should receive a 30-day notice from the Education Department before this wage garnishment begins.
Read on ... for more on the coming changes.
The Trump administration will resume garnishing wages from student loan borrowers in default in early 2026, the U.S. Education Department confirmed to NPR.
The move comes after a years-long pause in wage garnishment due to the pandemic.
"We expect the first notices to be sent to approximately 1,000 defaulted borrowers the week of Jan. 7," a department spokesperson told NPR. The spokesperson said wage-garnishment notices are expected to increase on a monthly basis throughout the year.
A borrower is in default when they have not made loan payments in more than 270 days. Once that happens, the federal government can try to collect on the debt by seizing tax refunds and Social Security benefits and also by ordering an employer to withhold up to 15% of a borrower's pay. Borrowers should receive a 30-day notice from the Education Department before this wage garnishment begins.
Betsy Mayotte, the president and founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, says even though borrowers have expected this, the timing is unfortunate.
"It will coincide with the increase in health care costs for many of these defaulted borrowers," she said, referring to the premium increases for Affordable Care Act health insurance that kick in in 2026. "The two will almost certainly put significant economic strain on low- and middle-income borrowers."
Another 3.7 million are more than 270 days late on their payments and 2.7 million are in the early stages of delinquency.
"We've got about 12 million borrowers right now who are either delinquent on their loans or in default," Preston Cooper, who studies student loan policy at AEI, told NPR.
That's more than 1 in 4 federal student loan borrowers.
