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.
Federal underspend: The audit shows LAHSA spent at least $7 million less in federal dollars than it had budgeted last fiscal year. LAHSA had budgeted $61.5 million in such dollars. It spent only about $49 million to $54.4 million, per the audit.
A history: Underspending at LAHSA was called out more than four years ago, in a January 2022 audit that found the agency left $3.5 million in federal grants on the table by not using them.
Specifically to federal dollars, the audit shows LAHSA spent at least $7 million less than it had budgeted last fiscal year. LAHSA had budgeted $61.5 million in such dollars. It spent only about $49 million to $54.4 million, per the audit.
Underspending at LAHSA was called out more than four years ago, in a January 2022 audit that found the agency left $3.5 million in federal grants on the table by not using them.
A spokesperson for LAHSA has not responded to a request for comment.
LAHSA is governed by a 10-member commission that is half appointed by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and half appointed by each of the five county supervisors. Bass has served on the commission since she appointed herself to it in fall 2023.
Bass’ office said in a statement that the mayor “has grave concerns about LAHSA and zero tolerance for mismanagement and negligence.” The federal money suspension puts lives and progress on homelessness at risk, the statement added.
The mayor’s office statement says the mayor “previously directed the city to evaluate how to move away from the agency.”
When the City Council considered in March whether to withdraw the city’s funds from LAHSA and instead have the city directly oversee the dollars, Bass cautioned that the city first would need “a serious, thoughtful transition plan,” adding that “the last thing we need is a new department and more bureaucracy.”
Spokespeople for the county supervisors have not returned messages for comment on the underspending.
Federal officials cited that in their letter Thursday as one of many reasons for their suspension of funds to LAHSA. The letter incorrectly attributed the full underspend to LAHSA. The findings were instead about the city’s overall homelessness spending, a portion of which goes to LAHSA.
Spokespeople for HUD have not responded to an emailed request about the inaccuracy.
A controller’s analysis for the following fiscal year, ending June 2025, found the city again underspent its homelessness budget, by at least $473 million.
“Breaking City Hall from its decades old dysfunctional system is how we finally brought homelessness down by 17%,” Bass said in a statement at the time. “I’m glad to support the controller’s recommendations to further reform the status quo.”
Other problems found in audit
The federally required audit, known as a single audit, must be done each year by an accounting firm hired by LAHSA.
The latest one, finalized last month and covering the fiscal year that ended last June, found failures surrounding poor bookkeeping and accounting of taxpayer money at the agency — which spent over $800 million in public funds last fiscal year.
The agency’s financial statements initially included “significant” inaccurate amounts that needed to be adjusted late in the audit process, the auditors found.
It found the inaccuracies stemmed from a "significant deficiency” in LAHSA’s “internal controls,” which are supposed to safeguard against financial inaccuracies and fraud.
Vacant tax-funded apartments
LAist reported Thursday that LAHSA has been using tax dollars to pay for more than 250 empty apartments as part of an initiative Mayor Karen Bass introduced years ago to make housing readily available to unhoused people. That’s just over a third of the units in the strategy, known as master leasing, according to an LAist review of official data.
The vacancies have been tying up tax dollars — largely overseen by the county — that could house hundreds of people in other approaches, according to official financial data.
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Other funds leaving LAHSA
In response to previous audits that found major problems with LAHSA’s oversight of tax dollars, county supervisors decided last spring to withdraw all of the county’s $300 million-plus in annual funding of services through LAHSA and instead have the county directly manage it starting July 1.
Problems identified in the latest audit reiterate why the county pulled its funding, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement Monday.
The city is considering moving in a similar direction as the county. A key City Council panel — its homelessness committee — recently recommended the full council start shifting city homelessness funding out of LAHSA over the course of the next fiscal year. Bass urged caution, saying moving too quickly to shift funding could disrupt services for unhoused people.
LAHSA has long functioned as the L.A.’s homeless services department, with over $300 million in city money expected to flow through LAHSA this fiscal year.
Manny Valladares
is always looking for the next tasty bite to feature on "AirTalk" Food Friday on LAist 89.3.
Published June 12, 2026 3:50 PM
Lei'd Cookies offers a variety of cookies ranging in origin, taste and look.
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Courtesy Leilani Terris
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Top line:
For any World Cup-related festivities, you might want to consider a diverse set of cookies. Lei'd Cookies in Culver City is a one-stop shop for cookies that take inspiration from countries across the globe. One of their owners spoke with Austin Cross, "AirTalk" onFriday host, about their cookies experience.
Flavor inspirations: The Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, Thailand, Morocco and more.
The ultimate Lei'd Cookies experience: Add ice cream to a warm cookie at the Culver City shop or take a group of friends to their pop-up at Smorgasburg L.A., for a more communal experience.
Read more ... to learn more about the bakery and the different cookies we tried.
A cookie business with well over a dozen flavors ranging from Mexican hot chocolate to mango sticky rice? How very L.A.! Lei’d Cookies started as a pandemic pop-up. Nowadays, you'll find them in the Culver City Arts District.
About the owner
Baker and owner Leilani Terris posing, holding two cookies from Lei’d Cookies.
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Courtesy Leilani Terris
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Co-owner Leilani Terris originally thought she'd become a physical therapist. After applying to school, she took a gap year, taught herself to bake and connected with co-owner James Lewis to start their cookie business.
Terris sat down with Austin Cross, who hosts AirTalk every Friday, to explain how their cookies take customers on a bite-sized journey to other countries.
What's the best way to experience Lei'd Cookies?
Add ice cream to a warm cookie at their Culver City shop. If you want a more communal experience, take a trip with a group of friends to Smorgasburg L.A., which takes place every Sunday in downtown L.A.
Known for international flavors
Terris wants customers to get a taste of other cultures. Lei'd Cookies has put a spin on ghriba, a type of shortbread cookie from Morocco, and spicy Mexican hot chocolate.
Although Terris didn't start with professional culinary experience, her co-owner, James Lewis, worked in restaurant management for years prior to opening.
They joined Smorgasburg L.A.'s list of vendors in 2021.
Lei'd Cookies opened its brick-and-mortar in Culver City in 2023.
Cookies we tried
Orange Date Blossom Cookie (Ghriba inspired and includes apricot jam and walnuts)
Mayan (cinnamon, cayenne, and chocolate from Tabasco, Mexico)
Mango Sticky Rice
Guava and Goat Cheese (their best-seller)
How to visit
Address: 8588 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA
Hours: Tuesday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 5-9 p.m.
Cost: Single cookie is $5, a box of five is $20, and a box of 10 is $35.
What should we try next?
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Sena Chang
is a summer 2026 LAist intern and a junior at Princeton.
Published June 12, 2026 3:45 PM
The Hughes Fire spews smoke over Ventura County in January 2025.
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Ethan Swope
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Associated Press
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Topline:
A hot, dry winter has led to fires already this year, and experts said Friday at a news conference in Los Angeles that that is projected to continue. Different from previous wildfire seasons, though, is that experts are also closing watching an El Niño.
Fire outlook: Robert Garcia, a U.S. Forest Service fire chief, said that the recent Burro Fire in Angeles National Forest provided “some indicators of what may be ahead in the months ahead” as vegetation starts to dry. The Burro Fire charred 30 acres and burned for about a week in May in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Glendora.
El Niño predictions: The National Weather Service is predicting a 63% chance of a “very strong” El Niño from November to January. It be one of the most powerful since 1950, according to the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center.
Read on … to learn more about El Niño and fire season.
Southern Californians could face floods and fires this year.
A hot, dry winter has led to fires already, and experts said Friday at a news conference in Los Angeles that that is projected to continue.
Different from previous wildfire seasons, though, experts are also closely watching El Niño, a powerful weather pattern that causes changes in winds and ocean temperatures.
“California is faced with multiple disasters, whether it be fires, floods, hazardous material incidents,” said Brian Marshall, fire and rescue chief with the California Office of Emergency Services. Marshall said the El Niño “could impact fires and could impact flooding across the state.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a 63% chance of a “very strong” El Niño from November to January. It could be one of the most powerful since 1950, according to the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center.
Heavy El Niño storms could trigger flash flooding and debris flows in wildfire burn scar areas.
The effects of the rapidly developing El Niño on this year’s wildfire season remain uncertain, and experts urged residents to stay vigilant.
William Deverell, director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, said more rain can also increase plant growth, which can eventually dry out and create more fuel for fires.
Robert Garcia, fire chief in the Angeles National Forest, said the recent Burro Fire provided “some indicators of what may be ahead” as vegetation starts to dry. The Burro Fire charred 30 acres and burned for about a week in May in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Glendora.
What you can do to stay safe
Fire officials advised people to create defensible space around their homes by clearing it of dry vegetation and other flammable materials.
Pre-fire conditions, including the abundance of dry vegetation, were “dominant drivers” of burn severity in the Eaton, Palisades and Hughes fires in January 2025, according to a new study led by San Diego State University in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.
“Regions like Los Angeles … have a lot of human populations who are living closer to these environments that are susceptible to wildfires,” said Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell, a scientist at JPL and a co-author of the study.
Beyond fire prevention, defensible space also helps firefighters enter properties to extinguish flames.
“Wind-driven, ember-casting wildfires moving through a community without defensible space makes it very difficult for us to be able to combat those fires,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime E. Moore said at the news conference. “It makes it unsafe for our firefighters and those that are working hard to protect your home.”
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published June 12, 2026 3:44 PM
LAUSD's Cesar E. Chavez Academies include four independent high schools located on a single campus in San Fernando.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles Unified has renamed two campuses previously named for Cesar Chavez. The move follows a New York Times investigation that found the famed labor leader sexually abused girls and women.
What’s changed: Cesar Chavez Learning Academies in San Fernando is now Arroyo High School, and Cesar Chavez Elementary School is now Oakland Street Elementary School.
How the change came together: The board voted unanimously to rename the schools Friday following town hall meetings and a vote among staff, students and parents at eachcampus.
The backstory: A March New York Times investigation found survivors of Chavez’s abuse included United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta. The LAUSD Board voted unanimously a week later to begin a renaming process for the two campuses after a consultation with the schools’ communities.
Read on … to see what other names were considered and what's next.
Los Angeles Unified has renamed two campuses previously named for Cesar Chavez. The move follows a New York Times investigation that found the famed labor leader sexually abused girls and women.
The board voted to rename the schools Friday following town hall meetings and a vote among staff, students and parents at eachcampus.
Cesar Chavez Learning Academies in San Fernando is now Arroyo High School, and Cesar Chavez Elementary School is now Oakland Street Elementary School.
How did the change come together?
A March New York Times investigation found survivors of Chavez’s abuse included United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta. The LAUSD Board voted unanimously a week later to begin a renaming process for the two campuses after a consultation with the schools’ communities.
With one exception, none of the other prospective names were associated with specific people.
Arroyo High School
Previously called: Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academy
Other names considered:
Valley High School
Rudy Acuña High School (Rodolfo "Rudy" Acuña is a Chicano studies scholar who died earlier this year at age 93.)
The vote: Arroyo High earned 557 of 1,063 votes, and was the most popular choice among each of students, parents and staff. It’s based on the street where the school is located. (“Arroyo” is Spanish for “creek.”)
Oakland Street Elementary School
Previously called: Cesar Chavez Elementary School
Other names considered:
Eagles Elementary
Arroyo Elementary
The vote: Oakland Street Elementary received 211 out of 314 votes, and was the favorite among each of students, parents and staff.
What's next?
The district has designated $209,000 for renovations associated with the name changes, including changing signs and marquees.
The single largest cost is refurbishing the high school’s hardwood gym floor, which will cost an estimated $120,000. Other significant costs include removing and replacing metal lettering on the front of the high school for $25,000, as well as removing and replacing crash pads and banners in the gym for $30,000.
Have other thoughts on school names?
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