The Brief

The city of Los Angeles says it will no longer have the money to run most childcare centers launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the city allocated federal relief dollars to renovate and reopen 10 licensed childcare centers for young kids in economically disadvantaged areas. Eight of those centers are open and running, including in Pacoima, Echo Park, Boyle Heights and Crenshaw. Two more have not yet opened, according to city officials.

It was a small but significant expansion aimed at a big problem: Los Angeles doesn't have enough affordable childcare options. Before the cash infusion, childcare centers run by the Department of Recreation and Parks had dwindled to two, from 26. But the change, like pandemic funds, was short-term. City officials say that the $20 million of American Rescue Plan Act money the city approved for those childcare programs is drying up.

L.A. doesn't plan to keep running most of the centers. Chinyere Stoneham, who oversees the centers for the Recreation and Parks Department, said that the city will soon begin looking for non-city providers to take over eight of the childcare spaces.

“At this time the department is not able to continue to operate and maintain all of its childcare centers," she said. "And we will do our best to make this as smooth a transition as possible for families and staff at these facilities."

What happens to existing childcare providers?

Some details of that transition remain unclear. Mayor Karen Bass' 2024-2025 proposed budget directed the Recreation and Parks Department to produce a plan to transition the childcare operations to non-city providers, including a timeline and cost comparisons. One year later, Stoneham said her department had not yet produced that report.

Stoneham said the department plans to continue running four childcare centers in-house: the department's two long-standing programs, Jim Gilliam Child Care Center in Baldwin Village and Ralph M. Parsons Preschool in Exposition Park, plus two more centers that have not been determined yet.

This plan to continue operating four centers is outlined in the 2025-26 proposed budget for the Recreation and Parks Department.

In an email to LAist, a representative for the Parks department said it has approximately $750,000 of federal funding left to continue running childcare programs. The mayor's office said those funds will be fully used up by late fall 2025.

But the mayor's office said that it expected the Recreation and Parks Department to continue running all the childcare centers until the city completes a process to choose who will take over the other eight locations.

The city said it expects to complete that selection process by the end of the year.

How do parents feel?

Parents at Downey Child Care Center — one of the programs relaunched with COVID-19 funds — said they were unaware of the city's plans to stop running most childcare centers until they heard about it through word of mouth.

Lucia Fabio, whose daughter has been at the Downey center since 2023, said she has been trying for months to get more clarity on what will happen to that center.

" The things that we can't figure out and no one's been able to tell us is how much does it actually cost for these centers to stay open?" Fabio said.

In response to an LAist inquiry, a Parks department spokesperson said each center costs between $20,000 and $30,000 a month to run.

Some parents have rallied around the issue, showing up to the city's budget hearing in Van Nuys last week and writing to the Recreation and Parks Department, City Council members and the mayor. But thus far, they said it's been difficult getting straight answers on what the change means for their children and for how much they pay for childcare.

The city says about 62 children attend Jim Gilliam and Ralph M. Parsons, while the other eight centers serve about 77 children. And while that's not a huge number, each center serves a neighborhood where the majority of households are considered low-income.

" Parents are concerned about the centers closing. As of right now, we're not closing them," Stoneham, with the Parks Department, told LAist. "Parents will get ample notice when we start to transition over to the other providers."

The Parks department did tell LAist that it has some levers to help keep costs lower for the operators who take over. They promise not to charge rent, though providers will pay for utilities, maintenance and waste management. And tuition and fees will have to be set below market rate for similar services.

Why does the childcare sector need this money?

The fate of L.A.'s childcare centers are just one small part of a larger story. The American Rescue Plan Act poured billions of dollars into the childcare sector in the years after the pandemic, but most of that money is now gone.

According to the Center for American Progress, that money helped stabilize childcare programs and prevent daycare and preschool closures. Hailey Gibbs, an early childhood policy expert with CAP, said that emergency funding was always meant to be short-term to keep already vulnerable childcare programs afloat.

" In the aftermath of the expiration of [American Rescue Plan Act] dollars, many states have struggled to continue those efforts," she said.

California received $4.7 billion dollars from the federal government for childcare relief in 2021, according to the California Budget & Policy Center — a "six-fold increase in federal child care dollars" compared to pre-pandemic funding.

But the money that the city of L.A. used to refurbish and reopen city childcare sites came from a different pot of the American Rescue Plan Act — $1.28 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The city also used this money to provide emergency meals for seniors, support small businesses and restaurants, and improve city parks.

Arabella Bloom with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment said that the city's move to use these funds to bolster childcare was similar to other local governments that now have to make hard decisions about what to do, while also facing possible cuts to — or even the elimination of — federal programs like Head Start. The city of Los Angeles is also facing a nearly $1 billion shortfall.

" We're kind of in this cycle of boom and bust, where we get maybe this influx of funds, but then when times are tough, a lot of times early childhood ends up on the chopping block again," Bloom said.

She also said that the city transitioning its newly reopened childcare sites to outside providers wasn't definitively a reason to be concerned.

" I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for the city to step back and not be running it, but it kind of depends who does take it over," she said.

It's open questions like those that have L.A. parents seeking more answers. Ana Griffin, who has a child at Downey Child Care Center, said she wants clarity from the city on plans for the programs. She also said she wants the center to stay open long-term so more community members can benefit from the service.

" I'm not only thinking about my child who's 1," she said. "I'd like for her to have access to this in two years, number one. But number two, I also know my neighbors who were not lucky enough to find a preschool, and they're struggling."

This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:

• CalFire incident page
• City of Burbank
  

Evacuation orders for DeBell Restaurant and Golf Course and Stough Canyon Nature Center remain in place for a fire burning in Wildwood Canyon above Burbank.

An evacuation warning was issued for Churches Ct. and Country Club Drive.

As of 5:55 p.m., the fire had burned 40 acres and 70% contained, according to Burbank.

The Walnut Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near the intersection East Harvard Road and Wildwood Canyon Road.

Hiking trails around the area are closed. The Starlight Bowl concert scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

Listen to our Big Burn podcast

Fire resources and tips

Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide

If you have to evacuate:

• Why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
• How to get packed up
• How to leave your house
• What evacuation terms mean and how to sign up for alerts

Navigating fire conditions:

• How to drive in high winds and fire danger
• How to prep for power outages
• How to navigate poor air quality

How to help yourself and others:

• Resources for fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
• How to help find lost pets

How to start the recovery process:

• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• How to make an insurance claim
• How to safely clean up wildfire ash

What to do for your kids:

• How to talk to children about wildfires and losing a home
• What parents should know about wildfire air quality

Prepare for the next disaster:

• Fire season is here. Make sure you're signed up for these alerts
• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire
• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment

The U.S. job market unexpectedly stalled in July.

A report Friday from the Labor Department shows that employers cut 23,000 jobs last month, and job gains for May and June were revised sharply lower.

The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%, but only because more than 260,000 people dropped out of the workforce.

It was the second month in a row that the monthly jobs tally came in weaker than forecasters had expected.

"We are increasingly hearing from workers that they are anxious about their job security and they are frustrated by the fact that they are stuck in roles that are not necessarily good for them," said Daniel Zhao, chief economist at the job search website Glassdoor. "And that's on top of workers who are not in a job right now and feel frozen out of the job market."

Glassdoor's worker confidence index slumped in July to a record low.

The Fed's job gets harder

Restaurants and retailers cut thousands of jobs last month, and local government also saw large job losses. Healthcare continued to add workers, but at a more modest pace than earlier in the year.

The softening job market may complicate the Federal Reserve's job, since it's also battling stubborn inflation. The Fed may be more cautious about raising interest rates at a time when the labor market appears less stable.

For people who are working, average wages have risen 3.2% in the last 12 months. That's likely not enough to keep pace with inflation, however, so workers' paychecks don't stretch as far as they used to.

"Part of the reason that workers are feeling bad about today's job market," Zhao says, is that "a lot of those wage gains have been eaten up by rising energy prices."

Copyright 2026 NPR

It seems that jazz is everywhere in Los Angeles. Blue Note opened a club last year, venues like Sam First, Catalina’s, Vibrato and the Baked Potato draw large crowds, and hotels and bars are adding jazz to their schedules.

But every week, a semi-secret event at the tony Los Angeles Athletic Club lets anyone experience a near-private concert from legends such as Rickey Woodard, who played saxophone for Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and others; and Nolan Shaheed, trumpeter for Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye and more.

That’s before you get to the evening’s singer, who might be 96-year-old pianist Betty Bryant, former Raelette Val Monroe or singer and Grammy-winning songwriter John Proulx.

Until recently, the Sunday night Jazz Salon was free. Now it charges a nominal $10 per person, which is still an outrageous bargain, so be sure to add something to the tip jar on the piano, and maybe try one of the cocktails or the steak frites.

Inside the club 

Walking into the club earlier, you see black-and-white photos of all types of healthy pursuits on the walls, as well as trophies and mementos of the club’s nearly century-and-a-half history. Plush sofas, high ceilings and book-filled shelves are the order of the day, and alongside members in gym gear or lugging laptops, you go up in one of the elevators to the third floor, where the Jazz Salon takes place.

Dave Ross, bassist and founder of the Jazz Salon.

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James Bartlett

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LAist

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The bassist who built it 

Earlier in the day, Dave Ross, 76, was setting up the amps, drum kit, mixer and mic stands. He also administers the website, acts as MC and plays double bass as part of the ensemble. He began the venture over a decade ago, when he persuaded the LAAC, of which he had long been a member, to host concerts in their redecorated restaurant and bar.

Ross draws from a repertory group of about 15 artists, and the concert takes place opposite the bar in a wood-paneled room of just a few dozen leather chairs and tables. This small scale makes the night intimate and unique.

“No gig is ever the same,” says Ross. “We don’t rehearse, and every time we play a song, we're never trying to play it the same way we played it before.”

That makes the night fun, too. Since you’re right near the musicians, you can hear their laughter and banter, as well as their impressive solos. Ross, stage left, stays out of the limelight — which is how he prefers it — and often says he's just happy to be there playing.

“You're there to keep the beat, the pulse of the music,” he says. “And then, secondarily, the notes that you play help the other musicians understand what the chord, what the harmony is. I'm just doing it for the pleasure of playing the music.”

The Jazz Salon is a $10 Sunday night concert at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

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James Bartlett

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LAist

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Why $10 barely covers it 

Once a month, Ross and some of his stable join a touring artist — recently five-time Grammy-nominee Karrin Allyson — in the club’s 250-seat ballroom for a more formal ticketed event, but there have been just two complete sellouts of them this year: tributes to Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond.

Donations and the tip jar on Sunday evenings sometimes haven’t been enough to break even, either, which led to Ross reluctantly introducing the $10 charge. No matter what, he is determined the Jazz Salon will keep going.

“When I was younger, there was a receptionist I knew who was a nun. She said: “‘You know what your problem is? You’re too optimistic!’”

Daniel Shemtob has been going around Los Angeles asking strangers this question: "What's your mom's best dish?"

He then turns their answers — from Filipino oxtail adobo to the Ashkenazi Jewish favorite of gefilte fish — into a taco for his new five-episode web series, "Better Than Your Mom."

One episode breaks from the format entirely: a head-to-head chopped salad taco challenge between Shemtob and Vanessa Silverton, daughter of famed L.A. chef Nancy Silverton, judged blind by Nancy herself.

Daniel Shemtob, founder of The Lime Truck and creator and host of Better Than Your Mom.

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Courtesy Daniel Shemtob

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A two-time winner of "The Great Food Truck Race" on the Food Network, Shemtob is no stranger to reality TV — he also founded The Lime Truck, serving Cali-Mex cuisine in Orange County.

What starts as a quick, chaotic street-corner challenge opens into something bigger — a Long Beach woman honoring her late mother-in-law's gefilte fish recipe, and a chef processing his own mother's death and the loss of his home in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

A dish for his mother

Despite loving fine dining, Shemtob said nothing beats the experience of having someone invite him to their mother's home for dinner.

"It's by far my favorite thing," he said.

Gundry watched as Shemtob reworked her mother-in-law's recipe in real time — a process that normally takes her more than two hours, done in 20 minutes.

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Screenshot via Better Than Your Mom

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That urge to connect with other people also came from wanting to celebrate his late mother's legacy and the impact she had on him in the kitchen.

"Eating was like a big part of how we shared and celebrated," Shemtob said. "It was a culture that was built around food."

A stranger says, 'yes'

While most walk past him or decline to talk, Shemtob said he's been surprised by how many strangers say yes almost immediately — like Anne Gundry, a retired biology teacher in Long Beach.

She answered with a dish from her mother-in-law from her first marriage — gefilte fish served cold.

Shemtob's take on Dena Levenstein's gefilte fish, reimagined as a taco with an apple-horseradish slaw.

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Courtesy Daniel Shemtob

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Gundry recalled her first meeting with Dena Levenstein, who would become her mother-in-law. The relationship started out cold — but cooking together changed their dynamic.

"That's where I honestly think we had the deepest bond with her," Gundry said.

Gundry described yearly visits to Levenstein's house as a cooking "apprenticeship," where Gundry was taught to cook by feel — adding ingredients by the handful, testing a dish's consistency by touch.

"She used to say, 'How does it feel?'" Gundry recalled. "And I'd say, 'I don't know, I don't know how it's supposed to feel.'"

Over the years, she learned. Now, Gundry teaches her own children that recipe the same way — without referring to what's written down.

Watching Shemtob cook on "Better Than Your Mom," Gundry was skeptical. Her own process takes over two hours; his took 20 minutes — until she tasted the apple-horseradish slaw he added.

"Brilliant," she said. "I've been trying to duplicate it at home."

You can find Shemtob's videos on his YouTube channel.