Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published September 5, 2024 5:00 AM
A survey by First 5 California finds nearly half of parents in California say it's difficult to afford childcare.
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Brenda Cruz for LAist
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Topline:
A new report by First 5 California finds that 48% of parents in California — mostly women — find it difficult or very difficult to find affordable childcare. Seventy-two percent of parents had to cobble together more than one source of childcare, like relying on grandparents or neighbors.
Why it matters: Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a public health advisory on parental stress, citing childcare costs as one factor. “It definitely is an added stress to parents who are trying to make sure that their children are growing and thriving in the best environment possible while they are able to put food on the table, and make rents or their mortgage,” said Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, executive director of First 5 California.
Missed work: The First 5 California report found that 50% of parents said childcare issues negatively affected their job or career.
Business sense: Business owners who have kids put a much higher priority on childcare as an issue to address, versus business owners without kids (61% vs. 38%). One business owner (unidentified, except for being male) told surveyors: “We pay well enough that the people who work in the office who have children, they have no problems with getting childcare or taking care of it.”
What’s next: The report is part of First 5 California’s new campaign to raise awareness about the affordability issues of childcare and the impact on the state’s economy.
At a press conference at Proyecto Pastoral on Wednesday, Aug. 12, Assemblymember Mark González and state Sen. María Elena Durazo announced two pieces of legislation that aim to keep the Lineage accountable in the aftermath of the fire.
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Alejandra Molina
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Two pieces of legislation were announced at a press conference on Wednesday at Proyecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights that aim to keep the Lineage cold-storage facility accountable in the aftermath of the fire.
Building permits: One bill — proposed by Assemblymember Mark González — seeks to prevent the city and county of Los Angeles from issuing new building permits to cold storage facilities like Lineage, “unless they maintain a contingency fund that can be accessed in states of emergency.”
Fines: The other bill, proposed by state Sen. María Elena Durazo, would increase the amount that cities and counties can fine companies that violate their ordinances.
Two pieces of legislation were announced at a press conference on Wednesday at Proyecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights that aim to keep the Lineage cold-storage facility accountable in the aftermath of the fire.
About the Lineage fire
The Lineage fire broke out at a 500,000 square foot cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on June 17 and burned for a week.
In the aftermath of the fire, tens of millions of pounds of refrigerated food stored in the massive warehouse rotted, sending foul odors and pests into the surrounding neighborhood.
One bill — proposed by Assemblymember Mark González — seeks to prevent the city and county of Los Angeles from issuing new building permits to cold storage facilities like Lineage, “unless they maintain a contingency fund that can be accessed in states of emergency.”
The legislation, known as AB 817, also aims to ensure that any future settlements be tax-free for residents impacted by the Lineage fire. It would require local governments to take quicker action on controlling vectors if a state of emergency is declared.
“If you’re going to operate in a community, you have a responsibility to that community, and if something goes wrong, the community should not have to beg for the resources just to survive it,” González said.
“AB817 will not undo what has already happened, but it can make sure that the next community in California is not left asking the same questions we are asking today,” González added.
SB 716: Fines for violators
The other bill, proposed by state Sen. María Elena Durazo, would increase the amount that cities and counties can fine companies that violate their ordinances.
Under this proposed legislation — known as SB 716 — violators would face $1,000 per day for a first violation, $2,000 for a second violation, and $5,000 for each additional violation. If the violation results from a state or federal disaster declaration, these fines can be multiplied up to $50,000 per violation, according to the legislative factsheet.
Durazo said the current cap of $2,000 per day on city and county fines is not a “deterrent” for a company the size of Lineage, which has been cited by county health officials for unsanitary and nuisance conditions. Durazo said L.A. County issued six citations to Lineage and imposed $500 fines per day from July 23 through July 29.
“It is outrageous that my constituents, the residents of these communities, are expected to endure these conditions while clean-up continues at the company’s slow pace,” Durazo said. “We need more tools to address this emergency now … and to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Why now
These proposed bills come weeks after permit applications were filed to restore the Lineage cold-storage warehouse.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who attended Wednesday’s press conference, has directed city departments to pause any approval of permits to rebuild the Lineage warehouse pending an investigation.
Just last week, the South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board ordered Lineage to strengthen odor-control measures, expand air monitoring and improve communication with residents as cleanup of the burned warehouse continues.
The board, however, did not require Lineage to pay any financial penalties, which several elected officials, including Bass, had requested in light of the numerous air quality violations it had been issued.
A cyclist rides past a Skid Row sign in Los Angeles.
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Frederic J. Brown
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
A federal judge on Thursday granted a preliminary injunctionon the federal government’s suspension of granting funds to the L.A. region’s lead homelessness agency.
Why it matters: The order from U.S. District Judge David O. Carter means the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority can apply for federal homelessness funds used to provide services and housing to 11,000 people in the area. Carter ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to distribute about $241 million anticipated to the L.A. region in this year’s homelessness funding competition. HUD was also ordered to pay out grants already awarded last year within 45 days, which LAHSA told LAist amounts to about $66.5 million.
What the judge says: The judge acknowledged that LAHSA “may be dysfunctional,” but said thousands of people experiencing homelessness rely on those services. He said HUD “abruptly” pulled the rug from under providers and the unhoused people they serve.
“Inevitably, this suspension will result in deaths among the homeless and the displacement of over 11,000 unhoused individuals onto the streets and into the neighborhoods of Los Angeles,” Carter wrote in his order. “It is much easier to destroy a dysfunctional homelessness system than to take the time and care necessary to make the system function properly,” he continued.
How we got here: HUD suspended LAHSA from federal grant activity in June, citing alleged mismanagement by the agency. LAHSA filed a lawsuit to overturn or pause the suspension, which is what led to last week’s hearing in downtown L.A. where officials with the agency and Trump administration faced off in court.
LA officials weigh in: L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the ruling is fair, measured and strikes an appropriate balance by preserving short-term stability while creating a clear path toward accountability.
"The Court's approach aligns with our County's longstanding position that reform should be deliberate and responsible," Barger said in a statement. "Change is necessary, but it must be implemented in a way that does not pull the rug out from under vulnerable individuals who depend on these services today."
What's next: All parties have been ordered to appear in court on Oct. 27 for a status conference, which is when the preliminary injunction expires. A trial is scheduled to start next February.
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By David Rodriguez and Kevin Martinez | LAist and The LA Local
Published August 13, 2026 10:00 AM
The LAist community engagement team tabled at Café Calle in South Central for Local News Day LA.
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Alejandra Santamaria
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LAist
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Topline:
Recently LAist, The LA Local and 12 other L.A.-area newsrooms collaborated to build connections with community members at coffee shops across Los Angeles on the same day. The event — which we called Local News Day LA — demonstrated the power of collaboration and community relationships in L.A.'s local news ecosystem.
Why this was unique: Although LAist has made it a recurring practice to meet community members in person to hear what's on their minds, doing it alongside our local news parters on the same day helped bring hundreds of Angelenos closer to local newsrooms.
Any newsroom can do this: If you're at a newsroom that's never done a community pop-up event, LAist and The LA Local have tips on how you can get started.
Read on... for what we learned from the first-ever Local News Day LA.
As local news organizations nationwide navigate funding cuts, rapid changes in technology and shifting audience habits, building relationships directly with communities has become more important than ever. It’s also something newsrooms don’t have to do alone.
On June 27, LAist, The LA Local and 12 other L.A.-area newsrooms came together to meet community members at coffee shops across Los Angeles County. We called it Local News Day LA.
Here are five things we learned from holding this event for the first time, why it was worth it, and how other local newsrooms can organize their own events.
1. Communities will show up when you show up
This pop-up event, organized by The LA Local, allowed residents across the county to meet the journalists covering their communities.
A total of 14 media partners participated. In addition to LAist and The LA Local, newsrooms included CalMatters, LA Public Press, L.A. Taco, Calo News, Long Beach Post, The Eastsider, Los Angeles Reporting Collective, LA Sentinel, Q Voice News and USC Annenberg Media.
More than 400 people participated in the event by talking with a local journalist. For some, it was the first time they'd ever heard of that newsroom.
While LAist and The LA Local have both made it a recurring practice to meet community members in person to hear what's on their minds, many other newsroom partners didn't have experience with this kind of event. Afterward, journalists at some of those newsrooms said they were surprised that local residents actually wanted to meet them and share story ideas or feedback on recent coverage like the Lineage Fire in Boyle Heights.
CalMatters spoke with community members at Yia Caffe in Boyle Heights for Local News Day LA.
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The LA Local
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Others were also amazed at people’s willingness to travel from coffee shop to coffee shop to connect with as many media partners as possible.
Local News Day LA gave them a reason to come out and partners to help with the logistics and outreach — and people showed up to meet them.
2. What we heard from residents checked our assumptions and shaped our reporting
LAist spoke with dozens of community members at Café Calle in South Central for Local News Day LA. Among other topics, they shared with us that the effect of the immigration raids is still present in South Central, the neighborhood needs more spaces and resources for school-age kids, and that residents are frustrated by the amount of trash on the streets, even after cleaning it up themselves.
At a few coffee shops around L.A., The LA Local and Boyle Heights Beat spoke with residents in Koreatown, Inglewood and Boyle Heights. At OpenMarket, folks shared their concern regarding street safety.
At Asteroid Vinyl Cafe in Inglewood, residents expressed frustration over what they said was lack of transparency on Destination Crenshaw’s timeline for completion. And at Picaresca Cafe, community members shared their thoughts on the elected officials’ response to the Lineage Fire that impacted Boyle Heights and East LA.
The Long Beach Post staff spoke with community members at Wrigley Coffee in Long Beach for Local News Day LA on June 27.
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Kris Kelley
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The LA Local
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The Long Beach Post connected with residents at Wrigley Coffee in Long Beach. Some asked for more coverage of small businesses, more coverage in West Long Beach and more investigative reporting.
These conversations reflected what people were thinking about long after the day's headlines had faded and gave participating newsrooms strong signals about how to focus their time and energy next.
3. Collaboration can be more powerful than competition
Local News Day LA was the first collaboration held across all our news partners — and it started small. In 2025, LAist and The LA Local shared best practices and tips with each other from our respective experiences tabling and meeting community members to see what we could learn.
We then started brainstorming a larger collaboration, eventually rallying our partner newsrooms and holding a workshop on what we learned about planning a successful tabling event, engaging residents and collecting feedback to influence our journalism.
Q Voice News spoke with residents at Hot Java in Long Beach for Local News Day LA.
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The LA Local
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Local News Day LA showed that collaboration can strengthen local journalism. In an industry where newsrooms often compete for scoops, audiences and resources, the event demonstrated what’s possible when they work together to listen to communities and better serve residents.
4. Partnerships with local businesses can benefit everyone
While Local News Day LA was primarily about connecting residents with their local news outlet, it was also about supporting and elevating local businesses — each newsroom partnered with coffee shops across L.A. The LA Local supported all media partners with $250 to provide free coffee to residents that came out and connected.
Los Angeles Reporting Collective engaged with community members at Spoke Bicycle Cafe in Frogtown for Local News Day LA.
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The LA Local
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Newsrooms got a chance to see the kind of relationships coffee shops already had with people in the neighborhood. LAist journalists learned what a trusted community hub Café Calle was for residents nearby — and we're already making plans to go back. Coffee shops participating in the event also received additional foot traffic while also offering a space for community members to have conversations with journalists and each other.
5. Any newsroom can do this — here’s how
The LAist community engagement team tabled at the Crenshaw Farmers Market on July 11.
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Sabrina Sanchez
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LAist
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An LA Local cafecito event at Asteroid Vinyl.
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Amir Vera
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The LA Local
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If you're at a newsroom that's never done a pop-up community tabling event, you can get started on your own even without a big collaboration. Here's a quick checklist:
Reach out to the local business or program in a specific community you want to engage with.
Clearly outline your goal for tabling. Is it to hear about a specific topic or is it more general?
Promote your event. Talk about it on your social media, newsletters, website and any other format you have to engage with your audience.
Tell community members about your organization! Now is the time to distribute merch or resources you might have. LAist has shared a resource on how to talk to a journalist when at tabling events.
Take notes! You’ll want to reflect on them later.
Have people sign up so you can follow up. Think about a quick check in through a QR code or physical sign-in sheet.
Plan out what is next from what you’ve heard. Reflect on the response and share immediate follow ups for news coverage.
More to consider
Here are other details to get a grasp on before and after your event:
Which days and times have the highest foot traffic? Check with the business or venue you're partnering with. (It might be during the weekend.)
Set your budget if you’re buying participants coffee or any food from the shop, or if you need to order new merch.
Think about naming your event if you plan to do more of them at local shops.
Have an activity in mind so participants feel engaged (e.g. spinning wheel, drawing, coloring, etc.).
Consider your existing relationships with partners you can lean on.
Prepare and discuss with your team! Try a few check-ins ahead of the event and a debrief to discuss what worked.
For more information about how to be a part of LAist’s reporting, visit LAist.com/Community. If you want to read more about The LA Local’s community engagement work, visit TheLALocal.org.
Mayor Karen Bass, joined by city, county and state representatives, provides an update at City Terrace Park on the Boyle Heights warehouse fire on June 20, 2026.
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Isaiah Murtaugh
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will hold a public community forum Thursday to provide an update on the cleanup at the Lineage warehouse fire site as the company races to beat a Friday deadline to remove all the food waste.
More details: The hybrid webinar/community meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday. Though residents will have the opportunity to watch in person at Lou Costello Jr. Recreation Center in Boyle Heights, Bass, other elected leaders and guest speakers will join virtually via Zoom. Community members can also participate via Zoom.
The backstory: It’s been almost two months since the Lineage cold storage warehouse caught fire and caused a deluge of issues for residents in Boyle Heights, East L.A. and surrounding communities. Families continue to navigate a maze of resources from city and county entities and deal with the ongoing smell of rotting food, flies and pests.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will hold a public community forum Thursday to provide an update on the cleanup at the Lineage warehouse fire site as the company races to beat a Friday deadline to remove all the food waste.
The hybrid webinar/community meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday. Though residents will have the opportunity to watch in person at Lou Costello Jr. Recreation Center in Boyle Heights, Bass, other elected leaders and guest speakers will join virtually via Zoom. Community members can also participate via Zoom.
It’s been almost two months since the Lineage cold storage warehouse caught fire and caused a deluge of issues for residents in Boyle Heights, East L.A. and surrounding communities. Families continue to navigate a maze of resources from city and county entities and deal with the ongoing smell of rotting food, flies and pests.
The forum will address “the status of warehouse clean-up and highlight available resources for residents, workers, and small businesses,” according to Bass’ office.
As of Wednesday, Lineage said it has removed 92% of the food waste from the site and is determined to meet the mayor’s 45-day deadline Friday.
Bass’ office did not immediately return a request for more information on the community forum and who will be in attendance.
How to attend the forum
Registration is encouraged to attend in person and virtually. To register, click here. Once you register, you will receive a link to the Zoom webinar.
In person: Lou Costello Jr. Recreation Center, 3141 E. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles
