Topline:
Diwali, which starts on Sunday, is a time for spirituality, to reconnect with friends and loved ones — and enjoy the best of India’s regional desserts. Here’s where to find them.
Dessert destinations: We highlight Indian eateries from Riverside County to Artesia to Fullerton.
What to buy? Oh, so many different options. Boxes of Jalebi, cashew and mango flavored Barfi, Ghewar with Rabdi, or a salted caramel Gulab Jamun — enjoy your Indian culinary tour.
Diwali in greater L.A. is something else. While I love the endless aisles of spices in nearly every Indian grocery store, I’m tickled that in the time it would take to find a reliable recipe and laboriously cook it into a Diwali treat, I could simply drive over a nearby Indian eatery and satisfy my cravings.
I’ve lived in many cities in the U.S., but on many days, and particularly over Diwali, Los Angeles feels more like my hometown Mumbai than anywhere else. Its culturally complex energy, its neighborhoods and restaurants exude a warmth and familiarity that soothes the nostalgia for my homeland.
After we moved here in 2010, we took the time to explore much of SoCal’s Indian restaurant scene, and kept finding more and more great places. It seems Indian restaurants are experiencing a coming of age.
Here are some of my family's favorite sweet treats for Diwali (or really any time).
Our initial introduction to living in SoCal was Riverside County, with its dusty, arid and hot climate, which immediately reminded my husband, Uma, of his hometown, New Delhi.
In no time, we found New India Sweets & Spices, blocks away from the campus of UC Riverside.
Primarily a grocery store, I was surprised to find a fairly extensive confections or mithai section behind a glass case, all sold by weight; it felt guilt-free to purchase "just a Boondi Ladoo or three." Our daughter discovered they carry Badana throughout the year — small beads of fried and sweetened chickpea flour that resemble larger and more addictive dippin’ dots. In the winter months, they have Atta Pinni, a wheat and jaggery-based Ladoo preparation with warming spices and edible gum — a traditional Indian energy bar, one of those "good-for-you" kind of things only grandmas seem to know how to make.
Growing more comfortable, we began exploring the region and discovered BAPS, Shayona in Chino Hills. The large complex is evocative of temple complexes in India, and is a sight for homesick eyes. The on-site spacious Shayona Cafe offers a seasonal menu that adheres to the guidelines of the Swaminarayan sect, excluding garlic or onions. The cafe offers umpteen pre-packed treats both sweet and savory, including traditional mithai in boxes, as sampler packs.
Familiar ones include Boondi Ladu, Kaju Katli, and a Gujarati version of a fudge-like winter preparation called "paak." My kryptonite is their boxes of Jalebi, swirls of deep-fried batter sweetened in a sticky sugar syrup. I will consume at least a few pieces before I get to our car.
Many friends encouraged us to head to Artesia, unofficially titled “Little India." The retail strip exudes an energy that I have not experienced elsewhere in the country, and seeing its many regional Indian cuisines made me feel like I was in a culinary theme park.
At Saffron Spot we found falooda, an ice-cream float with traditional Kulfi ice cream and sweet basil seeds. Uma was delighted to learn that Tirunelveli Halwa was on the menu at Anjappar. This traditional south Indian dessert reminded him of childhood visits with his grandparents, deep in rural Tamil Nadu. Made by cooking down the milk extracted from wheat berries, it's a regional favorite.
Surati Farsan Mart has many kinds of fudge-like preparations under the broad category of "Barfi" with flavors like cashew, and mango, as well as ladoo varieties, plus savories to enjoy while an order is filled. They also carry pre-packed sampler packs that are particularly popular during Diwali. The sampler packs also make welcome hostess gifts.
More recently, we discovered a newcomer to the Artesia strip, Bhooke. It steals the scene with classic desserts from the desert state of Rajasthan, including Ghewar and Mawa Kachori. Both are technique-heavy preparations, best left to the hands of an expert.
Ghewar is made by pouring a thin stream of batter directly into hot ghee that creates a fine lattice like structure. Drizzled with sugar syrup, it is sometimes served with Rabdi, a rich and creamy sauce-like dessert. Mawa Kachori is a large handmade flaky pastry, stuffed with sweetened milk solids, or mawa and nuts and then deep fried in ghee. What’s not to love?
Bustling and popular Fullerton includes two of my favorite destinations, especially for desserts.
The first is Spice Social with a casual vibe, and a fancy bar. Their meals are flavorful, and offer both a mix of traditional and fusion eats, but their desserts push the envelope without going overboard. My favorite is their Gulabi Paratha: a layered paratha, stuffed with Gulab Jamun and served with ice-cream.
Down the street is another family friendly restaurant, Khan Saab. This alcohol-free restaurant has received a Michelin Bib Gourmand award twice (2021, 2023) for good reason. Their zero-proof cocktails are excellent, every dish is executed with perfection, and the desserts are worth saving room for. Chef Imran "Ali" Mookhi offers two stand out desserts, both including chocolate: a Chocolate Gulab Jamun, offering the best excuse to eat Nutella served with a chocolate wafer, and a Chocolate Samosa, served with vanilla ice-cream. In the spirit of the festive season, it is only fair to order both.
Over time, we learned that traveling into downtown Los Angeles requires a fair bit of planning. Although there is no good time to be on the highways, we discovered three worthy destinations. Baar Baar is a newer restaurant that offers a delicious and fun-filled cocktail menu, elegant dining options, and exquisite desserts.
Elevating the classics into portrait worthy desserts, Chef Sujan has curated a handful of masterpieces. The Coconut Payasam Cassata is a layered dessert with the delicate flavors of a creamy payasam, a traditional South Indian dessert, served as a cassata. The Mango Ghewar here elevates the traditional Rajasthani dessert. Served over a mango jelly with a dollop of chilled mango kulfi, soft mascarpone mousse and topped with crunchy pistachio, it is a symphony of textures.
Meanwhile, Tulsi Eatery offers three convenient locations across the city: Northridge, DTLA and Westwood, making it hard to miss. Two easy-to-love desserts hit the spot every time —Shrikhand, a classic dessert of sweetened smooth yogurt flavored with cardamom, and a salted caramel Gulab Jamun, an easy favorite for anyone who loves the sweet-salty combo.
Roots Indian Bistro on Melrose offers another delicious avatar of Gulab Jamun, this time as a churro, served with a coconut dust.
With each trip to the beach, we stumbled into a new restaurant and returned to those who would get their Indian flavors just right. Rangeen Kitchen is a small, friendly eatery in Laguna Niguel. This owner-operated restaurant offers a California-fresh and flavor-forward menu, including classic Indian dishes and fresh takes on them, but their desserts make it worth a visit. Chocolate Pani-puri is a fun take on the classic savory Pani-puri, where the puff is dipped in chocolate and filled with a sweet cream. The melt-in-your-mouth Saffron and Rose Pana Cotta is topped with a chia seed and pomegranate syrup and pistachios.
Tustin’s Masala Bae surprised me with two desserts I did not expect to see outside India — Qubaani ka meetha and a Hyderabadi Fruit Custard. These two are quintessential comfort foods for many people from India, the desserts one would expect to serve a family member. Rich, decadent and yet simple, Qubaani ka meetha is made with preserved apricot, served with vanilla ice cream and topped with almonds. At the same time, a Hyderabadi fruit custard is another familiar dessert - mixed fruits topped with a chilled vanilla custard and served with assorted dried fruits and nuts — simplicity at its best.
Topline:
On Monday clean up begins for two tanks of neutralized methyl methacrylate at the center of last month’s chemical incident in Garden Grove.
The backstory: About 50,000 Orange County residents were evacuated for several days after one of the tanks overheated on May 21, generating fears of an explosion or a leak through the Memorial Day weekend.
What's next: The cleanup will be done in phases. This phase wraps Thursday, July 2.
Go deeper: FBI executes search warrant at site of Garden Grove chemical meltdown scare
A hazardous materials team will begin working Monday to remove neutralized methyl methacrylate from two of three tanks at the GKN aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
Some 50,000 Orange County residents were evacuated for several days last month after one of the tanks overheated on May 21, causing fears of an explosion or a leak through the Memorial Day weekend.
The clean-up will be done in phases, until Thursday, “with multiple layers of safety protocols and oversight measures in place,” according to a press release from the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Garden Grove chemical cleanup
Updates on the cleanup activities will be posted publicly here, including air monitoring data.
Containers that support temperature control and secure transportation will be used in the operation.
Cleanup was initially scheduled to begin June 4, but was postponed after officials said "needed resources" were unavailable.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer launched an investigation into the incident last month. The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency also seized evidence at the facility earlier this month.
Methyl methacrylate produces a fruit-like odor, Orange County Health Care Agency said residents may notice the scent during the operation. The agency said levels will remain below thresholds that could pose health risks.
Officials say environmental protection will be in place throughout the week. Air will be continuously monitored through both mobile and fixed equipment at the fence line of the facility and in the community. Air and odor monitoring based on wind conditions will also be done. Work will occur only during the daylight hours until Thursday.
Topline:
California prisons are limiting access to programs for incarcerated people as the system manages it overtime budget. The state spends about $18 billion a year on corrections.
Why now: The rollback began earlier this month and will end June 30, according to documents obtained by CalMatters. Corrections spokesperson Terri Hardy described the limitations as a “cost-saving measure.” The department’s overall budget has remained about flat since 2022 around $18 billion a year despite recent cuts that include five prison closures.
The backstory: Lawmakers at budget hearings earlier this year pressed Corrections Secretary Jeff Macomber to tighten spending as the department asked for additional $91 million in ongoing funding to cover unbudgeted personnel costs. The department last month also proposed an additional $100 million in workers compensation.
Read on ... for more on how these cuts will affect programs in the prisons.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is restricting access to rehabilitative programming for incarcerated people as it clamps down on overtime spending before the end of its financial year.
Hundreds of rehabilitative programs operate throughout California prisons, including restorative justice, violence prevention, higher education, creative arts expression and entrepreneurial training.
The rollback began earlier this month and will end June 30, according to documents obtained by CalMatters. Corrections spokesperson Terri Hardy described the limitations as a “cost-saving measure.” The department did not respond to a detailed list of questions, including which prisons and programs have been affected.
The department’s overall budget has remained about flat since 2022, around $18 billion a year despite recent cuts that include five prison closures.
Lawmakers at budget hearings earlier this year pressed Corrections Secretary Jeff Macomber to tighten spending as the department asked for additional $91 million in ongoing funding to cover unbudgeted personnel costs. The department last month also proposed an additional $100 million in workers compensation.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the union that represents state prison guards, did not respond to CalMatters’ requests for an interview.
Tony Tafoya, who’s been incarcerated since 2012, said he’s never seen anything like this happen before. Tafoya said the scale-back has had the biggest impact on college classes. He’s currently enrolled in Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin but said his math class has missed out on 12 days of instruction.
“I feel like I’m falling behind,” he said. “There’s a lot of healing that comes from going to school. It provides humanity. It makes me feel like I’m actually seen as a person. I feel like that’s what’s being missed out on.”
Programs at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga have also been interrupted, including a civic education pilot program. The program, run by the organization Initiate Justice, includes just over a dozen incarcerated people who helped draft legislation to improve social emotional learning in the K-12 school system. Assembly Bill 1851, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gipson from Gardena, is sailing through the Legislature and scheduled for an upcoming education committee hearing Wednesday.
Antoinette Ratcliffe, executive director of Initiate Justice, said the group “thrives off of active and live discussion, off of meaningful exploration.” The severing of that connection disrupts the learning experience and practical application of the programming, she said.
“We have made it a goal across the Legislature to make rehabilitative programming a priority, so to continue to see disruptions like this feels counter to what we agreed upon as a state,” she said. “It feels like a let down.”
Other advocates have echoed those sentiments. Danica Rodarmel, a criminal justice reform lobbyist, said any disruption in people’s ability to access programming impacts their mental health and well being. The completion of a program or certificate, she said, is often a determining factor in people’s ability to be granted parole.
“Limiting people’s ability to engage in pro-social activities is contradictory to the goals of maintaining safe prisons both for the people who are incarcerated but also for the people who work there,” she said.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Valneva announced this spring that they plan to seek regulatory approval for a vaccine to protect against Lyme disease. But it's unclear whether this latest stab at a Lyme disease vaccine will get a warmer reception if it's approved, especially in the post-COVID era of vaccine skepticism.
Read on ... to see what rural hunters in Missouri think about the possibility of a vaccine and for their stories of how the disease has affected them personally.
It's tick season, possibly the worst in a decade.
More and more Americans are being exposed to these parasites as climate change expands the range where they can survive. That means more people are also exposed to the bevy of health conditions they can cause, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the alpha-gal-triggered red meat allergy and, most common of all, Lyme disease.
For Lyme disease, there may be some additional protection on the horizon. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Valneva announced this spring that they plan to seek regulatory approval for a vaccine to protect against Lyme disease. A previous vaccine for Lyme became available in the late 1990s but was pulled only three years later due to lawsuits, public fear of side effects and a lack of interest.
It's unclear whether this latest stab at a Lyme disease vaccine will get a warmer reception if it's approved, especially in the post-COVID era of vaccine skepticism.
For a sense of how it might go over with rural populations at high risk of Lyme, KFF Health News spoke with a group of hunters.
Few people spend more time in the woods exposed to ticks. At the same time, as a collective, hunters skew conservative, rural and male, according to a survey from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. And these are identities associated with increased hesitancy about or resistance to vaccines, according to Ashley Kirzinger, associate director for Public Opinion and Survey Research at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.
Left untreated, Lyme can cause a variety of symptoms, from fevers, chills and headaches to arthritis, shooting pains and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 476,000 people in the U.S. may be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, the CDC says. That's at least in part because the range of places where cases have been reported has "expanded significantly" since 1995.
So would hunters get the Lyme vaccine if it became available?
"Given my proclivity for the outdoors, absolutely," said Jess Manganelli, one of seven hunters (and one hiker) who spoke with KFF Health News on a recent Saturday at the Busch Shooting Range in Weldon Spring, Mo., just outside of St. Louis.
Of the eight, Manganelli, who had been hunting turkeys the weekend before, was the most positive about the vaccine. Six others said they would consider it but would want more information about its safety and effectiveness, as well as their risk for contracting the disease.
But Manganelli was the only one who believed she may have previously contracted Lyme disease, although she was never formally diagnosed with it. Two years ago, she experienced muscle weakness, tiredness, fatigue, swelling and headaches after a tick bite, but when she went to urgent care, she was told they didn't test for Lyme.
Nearly all the hunters knew someone who had had Lyme disease — an old roommate, a family member, friends, a former student. Lyme can be difficult to diagnose and to treat and is often misdiagnosed at first. Many of the hunters witnessed their acquaintances navigating those challenges and struggling with sometimes debilitating symptoms.
That familiarity among the hunters in Missouri was unsurprising to author and conservationist Steven Rinella, host of the hunting show MeatEater.
"I'm a turkey hunter. In talking about turkey hunting, you talk about ticks as much as you talk about turkeys," Rinella said. "Just the nature of turkey hunting puts you into exposure. You're sitting for long periods of time, trying to use vegetation for concealment."
In fact, both Rinella and his older son contracted Lyme disease 13 years ago during a bluegill fishing trip in the Hudson Valley in New York. His son developed Bell's palsy, a sudden paralysis on one side of the face, but recovered quickly after a course of oral antibiotics. Steven Rinella's symptoms, on the other hand, lingered for months, leaving him unable to walk down stairs without a handrail or to ride a bike. He ended up receiving intravenous antibiotic treatments for a month.
"I thought my life had changed," Rinella said, "but I recovered, as far as I know."
That experience is one reason Rinella said he would absolutely consider getting a Lyme vaccine if it proved safe and provided considerable protection against the disease. Unlike with some other diseases, prior infection does not provide permanent immunity, so a person who has had Lyme could still benefit from a vaccine.
Knowledge of similar challenges influenced the thinking of the hunters in Missouri as well.
Jeremy Hollingshead said he may be less inclined to take a vaccine owing to his former roommate's experience with Lyme disease, which is not to say the experience was pleasant. In fact, Hollingshead said he thinks his old pal is still dealing with lingering effects of it 10 years later. But Hollingshead has spent his whole life in the woods, and of hundreds of people he knows who have done the same, he knows of only one of them contracting Lyme.
"I know it was a bad outcome for him," Hollingshead said, but he thinks the odds of getting Lyme himself seem pretty slim.
Meanwhile, Julian Barnes said seeing a relative struggle with Lyme makes him more open to a potential vaccine. It took a long time for doctors to come to that diagnosis, and finding a good treatment has been equally difficult.
"I would say I am vaccine-hesitant, generally speaking," Barnes said. "But Lyme, I've seen the way it affects people in my life. ... I would definitely have to really understand the vaccine, how it works."
The new, four-dose vaccine candidate technically missed one of the bars set out in trials because not enough participants contracted Lyme. Still, the companies say it's about 75% effective in reducing cases, and they plan to submit it to regulators for approval. A Pfizer spokesperson said there were no updates on their regulatory efforts when contacted by KFF Health News in June.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a noted anti-vaccine activist before taking over as head the agency that oversees vaccine approvals, and he's remade it in ways that have prompted some vaccine makers to pull back on development.
But he's also been an advocate on Lyme disease. In May, he announced an initiative to combat Lyme disease. And during his Senate confirmation hearings, he said his family had been deeply affected by Lyme disease and that nobody would work harder than he would to find a vaccine or treatment.
If the vaccine is ultimately approved by the FDA, an endorsement from Kennedy would go a long way, according to KFF's Kirzinger, particularly among supporters of his Make America Healthy Again movement, who tend to be more vaccine-skeptical.
"They trust him as much as they trust their own doctors to tell them what to do with their health and for health information," Kirzinger said. "If he comes out as a strong proponent of this vaccine and says, 'Look what my administration did, and we made this available,' I would imagine there would be less vaccine resistance among that group."
Only one of the hunters who spoke with KFF Health News said they definitely would not be interested in a Lyme vaccine if it became available.
"I kind of hand it off to God and the body he gave me. I'm pretty durable," JP Cummings said. But even though he's not interested in it for himself, he's curious to see what his fellow hunters do as more information comes out.
"Hunters care about the wildlife; hunters care about health," Cummings said. "They love the wildlife, they love their deer, and they love their fellow hunters."
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF.
Topline:
Five million fewer people are currently enrolled in ACA marketplace plans compared to the record high reached last year. More than 1 million fewer people picked a plan for 2026, and then 4 million more either disenrolled or failed to pay their premiums and, therefore, dropped coverage.
Why now: Prices in the market skyrocketed after President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress failed to extend extra financial help for enrollees last year. The Department of Health and Human Services published a report about the data on its website Friday.
What's next: People dropping their coverage tend to be healthier people. If too many healthy people drop out of the markets, there's a danger that the markets could enter a "death spiral."
Read on ... for more on the latest insurance market trends.
Far more people than previously known have dropped Affordable Care Act health insurance for 2026, according to data released Friday.
Five million fewer people are currently enrolled in ACA marketplace plans compared to the record high reached last year. More than 1 million fewer people picked a plan for 2026, and then 4 million more either disenrolled or failed to pay their premiums and, therefore, dropped coverage.
Prices in the market skyrocketed after President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress failed to extend extra financial help for enrollees last year. The Department of Health and Human Services published a report about the data on its website Friday.
The report says 19.2 million people are currently enrolled in ACA insurance now.
At its high, 24.2 million people were in the ACA marketplace in 2025, according to government figures.
The steep drop in enrollment reflects what insurers, administrators and other health policy experts expected earlier this year. After initial sign ups were lower than last year, they predicted the picture would get worse as time went on and people found they could not afford to pay their premiums.
"The main takeaway is that enrollment is down 13% from last year," explains Cynthia Cox, director of KFF's Program on the ACA. "While the Trump administration attributes this drop in enrollment to their attempts to address fraud, this coverage loss happened at the same time millions of people faced double- or even triple-digit increases in their premium payments with the expiration of enhanced tax credits."
The idea that the growth in enrollment was due to massive fraud is a theory advanced by the Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank influential in the Trump administration.
Many health policy experts are skeptical. They say the increase in enrollment during the pandemic is not suspicious. It was a predictable consequence of Congress's investment of billions of federal dollars in making premiums more affordable — the enhanced premium tax credits.
"The marketplace doubled in size during the period when there were enhanced subsidies because the coverage was much more affordable and much more appealing to people," Cox says.
This year's drop in enrollment is also predictable, given that premium costs doubled, on average, from 2025 to 2026. The costs went up after Republican lawmakers let the enhanced premium tax credits expire; Democrats shut down the government in October 2025 trying to negotiate an extension of the credits that would have kept prices low.
"When their costs went up, many of them dropped their coverage," Cox says.
She adds that while fraud is a real problem in the ACA marketplaces, as it is in all insurance markets, she thinks it does not account for all of the drop in enrollment.
Stacey Pogue, senior research fellow at the Georgetown Center on Health Insurance Reforms, agrees.
"I don't see data that point to that conclusion that a 5 million-person drop can be explained by allegations of fraud," she says. "There's lots of evidence pointing to people making decisions based on what they can pay each month."
The higher health insurance costs are tough for consumers in an economy still plagued by overall inflation. As congress let the prices go up, people made tough decisions about family budgets, where to work, whom to marry and more.
It's also a problem for insurance companies, several of which have announced they will not be participating in ACA markets next year, including Cigna.
"If there are fewer customers, then that makes the market less appealing to insurance companies," Cox says.
That's especially true because the people dropping their coverage tend to be healthier people. If too many healthy people drop out of the markets, there's a danger that the markets could enter a "death spiral."
Cox says she's not worried about a death spiral at this point.
"I think there are still enough people buying ACA marketplace coverage and that's going to keep these markets working," she says. "At this point, we don't see any parts of the country that are at risk of having no insurance company. If that were to happen, that would be what a death spiral might look like."
Even so, the premiums for these plans are on track to keep rising, which could continue to pummel consumers navigating high health care costs. Enrollment in the marketplaces may continue to shrink too. According to a recent analysis from Pogue at Georgetown, early insurance rate filings for 2027 show that rates will be going up again next year.
