A new law legally mandating the addition of folic acid to corn tortillas, despite a 12,000 year tradition of making them with just corn, water, and lime, just went into effect in California on January 1, 2026.
About the law: AB 1830, sponsored by physician-turned-Fresno Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula, makes it mandatory to add 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of masa, which must be declared on nutrition labels.
Why it matters: Folic acid has been found to prevent neural tube defects in babies like spina bifada. In 1998, the FDA issued a mandate to include the supplement in enriched grain products such as bread, cereal, and pasta. It resulted in neural tube defects plummeting by 30% to 40% nationwide, based on CDC records. But it didn't apply to corn masa. The bill says that there's a higher rate of birth defects among Latina women, and that this is a matter of addressing health inequity.
What it covers: There are loopholes and exceptions to the new law, especially for craft molino owners and tortilla companies who work with only 100% nixtamal, in addition to other exemptions. In short, it only applies to cheaper corn tortillas made with corn tortilla flour, colloquially named “masa harina” in Spanish and made famous by brands like Maseca. This law also exempts flour tortillas.
Read on... to learn more about the new law and how chefs and local tortilleros are reacting to it.
A new law legally mandating how corn tortillas can be made, despite a 12,000 year tradition of making them with just corn, water, and lime, just went into effect in California on January 1, 2026.
AB 1830, sponsored by physician-turned-Fresno Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula, makes it mandatory to add 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of masa, which must be declared on nutrition labels.
The bill states that this addition of the synthetic version of vitamin B9 onto the lifeblood of Mexican cuisine is to prevent birth defects among Latina women.
The bill's "Findings and Declarations" section includes statements asserting a "disproportionately higher risk" and "higher rate of NTDs [neural tube defects] in Latino communities, saying it's "a symptom in the broader disease of health inequity.” Common types of neural tube defects include spina bifida.
La Princesita Tortillerías assembly line.
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Courtesy La Princesita
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La Princesita Tortillerías assembly line.
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Courtesy La Princesita
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Folic acid, in its synthetic form, is part of the top 80% of synthetic vitamins produced by China, according to a 2025 S&P Global report on the vitamins industry.
Advocates celebrate the bill as a win in fortified food equality since the initial push to put more folic acid in foods began in 1998, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a mandate to include the supplement in enriched grain products such as bread, cereal, and pasta. It resulted in neural tube defects plummeting by 30% to 40% nationwide based on CDC records. But that order did not include corn masa — until now.
However, there are loopholes and exceptions to the new law, especially for craft molino owners and tortilla companies who work with only 100% nixtamal, in addition to other exemptions. In short, it only applies to cheaper corn tortillas made with corn tortilla flour, colloquially named “masa harina” in Spanish and made famous by brands like Maseca. This law also exempts flour tortillas.
Maiz criollo doesn’t need any added vitamins
The new law took Fátima Juárez — owner of L.A.'s newest craft molino, Komal L.A., and a new mother — by surprise. The stand inside Mercado La Paloma was named one of the best new restaurants last year by Bon Appétit and home to the best taco in L.A., according to L.A. TACO’s own 69 best tacos of 2025 list.
“As someone who was recently pregnant and taking vitamins, I remember the flavor of artificial folic acid being very bitter,” Juárez tells L.A. TACO. “I also remember having a negative reaction — stomach aches and increased nausea — until I switched to an organic brand.”
“The second one [with folic acid] had a subtle taste of . . . something. It lingered longer on the palate than an old school tortilla, and turned too rubbery in my mouth. The difference was obvious — it contained folic acid,” he wrote in his weekly column in L.A. Times in May last year.
Fátima Júarez holds her molotes de platano.
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Javier Cabral
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L.A. TACO
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Komal's taco de costilla on Júarez's 100% nixtamal tortilla.
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Jakob Layman
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L.A.. TACO
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Juárez was initially confused and had to do her own research to find out that she was exempt from this new law as someone who works exclusively (and passionately) with 100% heirloom corn nixtamal.
Still, she understands the need for adding artificially-made vitamins and minerals to masa harina-based tortillas as a preventative measure. Tortillas made with Maseca and other highly processed instant corn flours use genetically modified corn that are known to be stripped of their natural nutrients for higher yield and pest resistance.
“This law is primarily for maíz transgenicos (GMO corn), which have higher sugar, pesticides, and are subject to more processing. The majority of masa and maíz that we see in L.A. and the U.S. are that,” Juarez says.
She says that she’s recently tried to eat less tacos made on the streets of L.A. in order to avoid eating GMO corn.
“As artisans using 100% maíz criollo, we are exempt from this law. We intentionally source pure limestone, sourced transparently from Puebla, as well. And let’s not forget that the pericarp in heirloom corn is full of calcium and more vitamins and minerals, naturally,” she says.
The tortilería CEO and senator that saved traditional corn tortillas from government overreach
Enrique Rodriguez, CEO of La Princesita Tortillería, first found out about Arambula’s bill when it was drafted during the 2023-2024 Regular Session last March.
He supported the goal of helping Latina women against health disparities, but he found the first draft to be “ambiguous and overbroad.”
He remembers the bill, as amended in May 2024, included all tortillas, even those made by small producers using 100% nixtamal. He immediately drafted an opposition letter to the senate health committee, which resulted in the committee’s hearing being postponed.
Maria Elena Durazo.
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Courtesy sd26.senate.ca.gov
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Monica Ramirez, President of La Princesita Tortillería, and Edward Ramirez.
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L.A. TACO
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Nixtamal tortillas are stone-ground with volcanic rock, such as this one.
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Courtesy La Princesita Tortillería
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La Princesita, founded in 1972 by Francisco Ramirez, an immigrant from Cuernavaca, Mexico, on the border of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, is one of L.A.’s largest manufacturers of tortillas and supplies “several hundred restaurants” he tells L.A. TACO, including some of the biggest players in L.A.'s taco universe such as Holbox, Guelaguetza, Chulita, Ramona’s Mexican Food, and Anajak Thai.
“Sometimes we don’t even know where our tortillas end up because they are sold through distribution companies,” he says.
The major impact wouldn’t have been in terms of flavor, it would have had a severe impact on our cultural identity by altering the ancestral practices used that define our product.
— Enrique Rodriguez, CEO of La Princesita Tortillería.
Thanks to the power of Rodriguez’s letter, which tabled the bill, he had time to have a discussion about his concerns with 26th District Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who heard him out. They both worked together to create multiple exemptions to the law to accommodate small tortillerías that work with nixtamal as well as restaurants that nixtamalize their own masa.
“In the early versions of the bill, there was no distinction between tortillas made with nixtamal and corn flour,” Rodriguez says. “The major impact wouldn’t have been in terms of flavor, it would have had a severe impact on our cultural identity by altering the ancestral practices used that define our product."
He credits Durazo for “singlehandedly saving traditional tortilla making in California.”
Rodriguez now has become an unofficial hotline for his tortilla producer peers across California, getting texts and messages from his competitors seeking guidance. As Rodriguez sees it, the greater good is keeping traditional tortilla making alive in California, so he responds clearing up the new law to those who are confused.
La Princesita Tortillería as a manufacturer is largely exempt from the bill for several reasons.
First, they primarily manufacture wet masa products where folic acid fortification isn’t mandatory. Additionally, they are predominantly a supplier to food facilities, which are categorically exempt from the folic acid fortification requirements of the bill.
The maiz criollo resistance continues
The news of California’s tortilla politicization is making its way down south to the birthplace of corn: Mexico.
Oscar Segundo, chef and co-owner of Xokol in Guadalajara (considered to be the first craft molino in the world upon opening eight years ago), comes from a corn-growing family in Pueblo Mazahua in the state of Mexico. He says California’s local government trying to force tortilla producers to add vitamins is “colonizing all over again.”
Chef Oscar Segundo of Xokol carrying 70 kilograms of corn grown by his family.
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Gilberto Hernandez
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L.A. TACO
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Xrys Ruelas, co-owner and chef at Xokol, in the corn fields in Mazahua, Mexico State.
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Gilberto Hernandez
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L.A. TACO
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“So you strip away nutrients from corn via using GMO corn and then you are told you need to add back on synthetic versions of nutrients? This all reveals a colonial mindset,” he tells L.A. TACO. “It’s like when the Spanish came and took away Indigenous Mexico Gods and told us to worship saints instead.”
Mexico is no stranger to the politicization of corn tortillas. The country established a law in January 2025 stating that Mexican farmers weren’t allowed to grow GMO corn on Mexican soil. But it was also filled with loopholes, allowing the import of cheap and mass-produced, U.S.-grown GMO to make corn flour tortillas and to feed cattle in Mexico.
That flooding of cheap, U.S.-grown GMO corn resulted in Mexican farmers protesting and shutting down highways across Mexico, demanding fair prices for their non-GMO corn.
“At the end of the day, tortillas are technical and precise, yet they’re ritualistic and an everyday food as well,” says Segundo. “Nixtamalizing activates nutrients if you’re using heirloom corn, so there’s no need to have to add synthetic nutrients.”
Arturo Enciso grinding fresh nixtamal at Gusto Bread in Long Beach.
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Jacqueline Ochoa
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L.A. TACO
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One of Gusto's most sold pastries are their "nixtamal queens" made with laminated sourdough and nixtamal.
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Jacqueline Ochoa
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L.A. TACO
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Back in L.A, Gusto Bread owner Arturo Enciso was initially confused and worried about the new law, as he and his partner, Ana Salatino, are getting ready to open a new craft molino in Downtown Long Beach this year.
“Requiring folic acid as a mandatory additive for tortilla manufacturers is unfortunate and represents a step backward,” he tells L.A. TACO. “It is my hope that California recognizes this as a significant mistake.”
“As a state, we should serve as custodians of this ancestral staple food, rather than influencing it with synthetic, man-made folate,” he adds.
Rick Ortega, co-owner of Kernel of Truth Organics, overseeing nixtamal tanks at his facility in Boyle Heights.
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Javier Cabral
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L.A. TACO
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Rick Ortega, co-owner of Kernel of Truth Organics, overseeing nixtamal tanks at his facility in Boyle Heights.
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.
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Aaron Schrank
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LAist
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Topline:
A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.
Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.
Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.
Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.
A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.
“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.
She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.
Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.
The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.
More cuts expected
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.
“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”
Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.
The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.
Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.
If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published April 2, 2026 4:20 PM
Water infrastructure such as pipes that feed water to drinking fountains and toilets at the Rose Bowl Stadium are getting an infusion of $1 million for fixes.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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Topline:
Rep. Laura Friedman today announced that she secured $1 million for improvements to the water infrastructure at the aging Rose Bowl Stadium as it prepares for a global starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
Why it matters: The pipes may be working fine — for now — but the fear of backed-up toilets as the world watches is an ongoing worry at the venue.
Why now: Public officials have been pushing for spending to improve Olympic venues and surrounding areas as L.A. and other municipalities roll out the red carpet for the world to attend the Olympics. But they’ve hit road bumps and detours.
The backstory: The Rose Bowl is 103 years old and public officials have committed to spending $200 million to upgrade the Pasadena venue over the next two decades.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.
“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.
The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.
The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.
The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.
Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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“Over the next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.
Getting venues ready will be expensive
The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.
The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.
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Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM
This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.
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Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo
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Topline:
The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
)
What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
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Screenshot courtesy of BHAC
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Topline:
Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.
The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.
According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.
Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.
Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.
“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.
Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.
“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”
Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.
“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.
Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.
Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.
“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”
In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.
The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.
The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.
“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”
Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.
“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.
Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.
“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.
