The Brief

For the first time since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children can purchase subsidized health plans through Covered California, the state’s insurance marketplace.

This move is expected to provide relief to thousands of so-called Dreamers, especially those who are freelancers, self-employed or have no other means of health coverage.

But the expansion is coming at an uncertain time both because of Donald Trump’s election as president and because of an ongoing lawsuit that contests the move to allow certain undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges.

Trump in his first administration unsuccessfully tried to undo both the Affordable Care Act and the Obama-era policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that protects certain undocumented immigrants.

Covered California officials and immigration attorneys say that while it is difficult to predict what will happen in the coming months, those eligible should take the opportunity and get health insurance as soon as possible.

“Coverage is here right now. So if you need to go to the doctor, if you’ve been putting off care that you need, if you’ve never had the opportunity to get your preventive care, you can do that right now,” said Jessica Altman, the executive director of Covered California. “Let’s not let fears about the future prevent what can happen in the here and now and what you can have access to.”

Altman and her team have been touring the state to spread awareness of the open enrollment period and this new access for DACA recipients.

Created in 2012, DACA does not grant recipients legal status, but it does protect them from deportation and allows them work authorization. Up until now, they’ve only been allowed to sign up for health coverage through an employer. In California low-income DACA grantees can also sign up for Medi-Cal.

The Biden administration announced a rule change in May that updated the definition of “lawfully present” for Affordable Care Act eligibility so that DACA recipients could buy insurance in the federal or state insurance marketplaces.

“The rule is correcting a long-standing mistake of exclusion,” said Nicholas Espíritu, a deputy legal director at the National Immigration Law Center.

For Trump’s Health and Human Services department to undo the rule, it would have to go through a similar administrative process, which includes a notice and public comment period, Espíritu explained. This route could take quite some time.

By some estimates more than half a million people are protected by DACA, but it’s unclear exactly how many of them are without health insurance. One survey from UC San Diego and the National Immigration Law Center estimates about 20% are uninsured. That’s because with permission to work, most have been able to obtain coverage through an employer.

Expanding coverage to DACA recipients is estimated to cost the federal government between $240 million to $300 million a year. However, because DACA recipients are young, with an average age of 30, they could potentially have a positive impact on the health insurance risk pool — younger and healthier individuals can help bring down the cost of premiums for everyone enrolled in marketplace plans.

Covered California estimates that about 40,000 DACA recipients residing in this state are eligible for marketplace coverage this enrollment season.

Open enrollment started Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. People must sign up by Dec. 31 if they want their coverage to kick in Jan.1. DACA recipients can also get coverage for December 2024 if they sign up before the end of this month.

GOP states challenge Affordable Care Act expansion

The most immediate threat to Dreamers’ access to the Affordable Care Act is being fought in a North Dakota courtroom.

In August, a group of 19 Republican attorneys general — from Kansas, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Idaho and other states — filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the insurance marketplace expansion to DACA recipients.

They argue that allowing DACA grantees into the marketplace creates “additional administrative and resource burden” in states that run their own exchanges. They also argue that access to subsidized health care is likely to encourage undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S., and may eventually lead to more illegal immigration.

California and 18 other states last month filed a brief in defense of the Biden benefit expansion.

“Dreamers pay billions of dollars in taxes each year to help fund programs like the Affordable Care Act. Yet until now, they’ve been unable to access these programs themselves,” California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “As home to more Dreamers than any other state in the country, California is proud to stand up for their right to access affordable healthcare.”

DACA grantees in California pay an estimated $2.1 billion a year in federal taxes and another $1 billion in state and local taxes, according to figures from Center for American Progress.

Biden health subsidies could end under Trump

Arguably no other state has done more to expand health insurance coverage for its residents, including its immigrants, than California. The federal government’s move to open the insurance marketplaces to Dreamers complements California’s efforts.

The state already offers Medi-Cal coverage to low-income earners regardless of their immigration status. But thousands of workers who earn above the Medi-Cal income limit don’t have many options for affordable coverage. Undocumented people technically can purchase a health insurance plan directly from a broker in the private market, but that’s without any type of financial assistance, making it unaffordable for most.

Health policy experts say one way that Trump and the incoming Republican-led Congress could undermine the Affordable Care Act, not just for DACA recipients but for everyone, is by not renewing the “enhanced premium subsidies” afforded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which are set to expire at the end of 2025. The enhanced subsidies increased the amount of financial assistance available to those already receiving it and made aid available to others for the first time by capping what they pay for the premium of a standard plan to 8.5% of their income.

Increasing the cost of coverage likely would result in some people going without health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 4 million people nationwide would drop their coverage in 2026 if Congress does not act to extend the subsidies.

It’s unclear if Trump will once again go after the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Republican efforts to repeal the health law in the past have failed, but during his first term, Trump was successful in eliminating or changing pieces of it.

California health leaders say that they are having conversations about how to prepare for potential federal decisions that could impact the gains in coverage that California has made.

“We’ve made such progress, and it’s been incredible and hard-fought,” said Altman at Covered California. “Even through the pandemic and the Medi-Cal redeterminations we’re at the lowest uninsured rate on record. We’ve lowered our uninsured rate more than any other state in the nation.

“And so really it’s just thinking about…how do we keep moving forward on our mission, whether we have headwinds or tailwinds,” she said.

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

Republican Sonja Shaw conceded the race for California Superintendent of Public Instruction to Democrat Richard Barrera late Wednesday evening.

“Last night voters made their choice. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t heavy,” Shaw said in a statement shared on social media. “As a mother and a protector of children, I feel deeply saddened for the kids. They are the ones who deserve so much better.”

In her social media post, which included a photo of Shaw locking hands with her husband and two daughters, Shaw said her kids had motivated her to run for state superintendent. Shaw won election to the Chino Valley Unified school board in 2022, fueled by support from conservative parents.

“The problem is that for decades, the same people have had their hands on our education system while our children have continued to fall behind,” Shaw said. “I believe we had an opportunity to change that.”

The office of California superintendent of public instruction is nonpartisan, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot. In past races, it was not unusual for two Democrats to advance to the November election. But this year, endorsements, campaign funding and campaigning broke largely along partisan lines.

Shaw, a Republican and board president of Chino Valley Unified, emerged as the top vote getter in a crowded June primary that featured several Democratic state lawmakers. But she contended in her statement that her race didn’t have the “money or machinery” that her opponent did in the November election.

Shaw trailed Barrera by nearly 15 percentage points, according to the latest election results Thursday morning. Shaw’s campaign raised about $595,000 compared to Barrera’s $812,000. However, the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union and a heavy spender in state superintendent races, also spent $8.4 million to support Barrera, the board president of San Diego Unified.

That pales in comparison to the combined $50 million raised in the 2018 state superintendent race Tony Thurmond won against Marshall Tuck in 2018. The 2026 state superintendent race had the distinction of featuring two local school board members.

Shaw said she’s not sure what her next steps will be.

“I don’t know exactly what God has next, but I know He isn’t finished,” she said.

Shaw will not be returning to the Chino Valley Unified school board where she began her political career. Her husband, Chris Shaw, ran for her open seat and is trailing his challenger by 11 points, according to the San Bernardino County Register of Voters.

This story was originally published by EdSource.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is set to officially open next month, but that hasn’t stopped some wildlife from already using it.

Cameras captured coyote footage twice — once last week and again on Thursday morning — making the mammal the first large animal species seen using the crossing.

“This is amazing — obviously, the wildlife are not waiting for our opening date,” said Beth Pratt, president of the Wildlife Crossing Fund. “The animals are already blessing this crossing and saying, ‘Yep, you got it right.’”

Construction of the expansive bridge began in 2022, aimed at giving wildlife safe passage between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills after years of research.

Pratt said it’s unclear whether the images of the coyote are of the same animal. The coyote in the most recent image from Thursday morning can be seen on the 101 structure holding a bone or a stick in its mouth.

“The coyote is validating that we got this designed right, and I think that there's something also about a coyote being first — kind of the L.A. mascot next to P-22,” Pratt said.

The National Park Service is installing more cameras along the crossing to document and study how animals use it. While images will be made publicly available, there will not be a livestream.

“We can't, for security reasons, because this is L.A., and if there's a mountain lion going across, somebody's gonna go try to pet it,” Pratt said.

Topline:

• How we got here: Roy held on to a strong lead over McKinney ever since polls closed and is currently ahead by more than twice as many votes. Roy will be a fresh face to the role after the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, was ousted in the June primary in a rare defeat of an elected city official. 

• What the candidates had to say: 
  
  • Roy said on social media Wednesday that election night was “a really good night for the people who believe that we should take care of one another, that we can stand up for our rights — even in what feels like an increasingly lawless world — and that we will achieve justice when we fight for it.”
  • McKinney posted on social media Thursday that he’s back in his old office at the Hall of Justice. “The run for City Attorney was an incredible journey, and I’m truly grateful for everyone who believed in me, supported me, and stood by my side,” McKinney wrote. "While I’m disappointed things didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything." He acknowledged Roy in a social media video earlier this week, describing her as a “hard worker” who put together a strong coalition of support. McKinney added that he would be “rooting for her.”
  • Neither campaign immediately responded to LAist’s requests for additional comment.
• What’s at stake: The city attorney runs an office of more than 550 lawyers representing L.A. in all legal matters, including filing lawsuits and defending against them. Roy, backed by powerful progressives like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has vowed to take on the Trump administration in court.
• Go deeper: Read more about the city attorney's role and what's on the table for Roy's first term.

Construction of the green metal fence around MacArthur Park will begin Monday, Nov. 16, with work scheduled to continue through fall 2027.

The city announced the start date Nov. 4, saying crews will install an 8-foot fence around the park’s perimeter. Nearby residents and businesses can expect some noise, dust and vibration during construction, although the city said mitigation measures will be in place.

Crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the park will remain open while crews are working. 

The fence is the city’s latest attempt to tackle longstanding problems at MacArthur Park, including drug use, homelessness and crime.

The city first approved plans for the fence in October 2025, and the proposal has since drawn both support and criticism from residents and community groups.

Some say they hope the fence will make the park safer, while others question whether it will actually improve conditions there. Police and city officials say the fence will give them more control over the space and make it easier to enforce the law.

Ana Luz Vazquez, a street vendor near MacArthur Park, said her main concern about the fence is what will happen to the unhoused people who stay in the park throughout the day and whether the city plans to address that issue directly.

She is also concerned that construction during the day could affect her ability to work because of traffic, less parking availability and loud noise.

Vazquez said she would prefer construction to take place at night so it would have less of an impact on street vendors.

“If they’re working in the day then how are we supposed to come here and who is going to help us survive,” Vazquez said.

Construction will happen in two phases

Phase 1

• Alvarado St. from W. 6th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• S. Park View St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 6th St.
• Wilshire Blvd. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Phase 2

• Alvarado St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 7th St.
• S. Park View St. from W. 7th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• Wilshire Blvd. from S. Park View St. to Alvarado St.
• W. 7th St. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Existing trees will be protected and monitored during the work, according to the Department of Recreation and Parks. Traffic control measures will be in place during work hours, and crews will post temporary “No Parking” signs near active work areas in advance.

Services at the park are expected to remain the same throughout construction. The schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, according to the city.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

After the fence is installed, the city plans a second phase focused on adding decorative elements. Officials have said residents will have an opportunity to provide input on the design.

Residents with questions or concerns about the project can contact Recreation and Parks at RAP.PublicInfo@lacity.org or 213-202-2700.

The post MacArthur Park fence construction to begin Nov. 16 appeared first on LA Local.