The authentic 30mg Oxycodone is on the left. The fake 30mg Oxycodone laced with fentanyl is on the right.
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Courtesy of the DEA
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Topline:
A record 3,220 people died of drug overdoses in Los Angeles County in 2022. That’s about eight to nine people per day, fueled primarily by fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to a report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Why are overdoses increasing? Fentanyl is being found mixed in other drugs, including methamphetamine and counterfeit pills. Just a tiny amount of fentanyl can cause death.
How much have they gone up? From 2016 to 2022, fentanyl overdose deaths in Los Angeles County increased 1,652%.
Who is dying? People over the age of 26 are driving the bulk of overdoses, and men make up the vast majority of overdose deaths. You can find out more about the report here.
Fentanyl, a dangerously potent synthetic opioid, has surpassed methamphetamine for the first time to become the most common drug in fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County, authorities said.
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LA County Overdose Deaths In 2022 Climb To More Than 3,200
The powerful drug accounted for 59% of all alcohol and drug overdose deaths and 92% of all opioid overdose deaths last year, according to a report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
“Eight to nine people per day in Los Angeles County are overdosing fatally,” said Dr. Gary Tsai, director of the department’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control.
A record 3,220 people died of drug overdoses in Los Angeles County in 2022. That’s a nearly 7% increase from 2021, when 3,010 people died of drug overdoses in the county, authorities said.
The report relied on data derived from medical examiner and toxicology reports. If a drug was listed as one of the causes of death, it was classified in the report as a contributor to an accidental overdose. Suicides were excluded.
A dangerous combination
Experts say fentanyl is increasingly found mixed in other drugs, including methamphetamine, in what has been called the “fourth wave” of the opioid crisis by researchers.
“The key differentiator between substance use now and substance use 10 years ago is fentanyl, because fentanyl is something where — whether you've used for a long time or whether this is the first time you're touching a substance — it can immediately be life threatening,” said Tsai, who treats people with addictions and has seen the devastating effects of both drugs first hand.
Authors of the report note the data did not allow them to determine whether people who died of overdoses involving fentanyl took the drug on purpose in combination with another drug or if they took it accidentally because it was added to another drug without their knowledge.
Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl are fueling the crisis because even a tiny amount can cause death. The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that laboratory testing indicated seven out of every 10 pills seized by the DEA last year contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The federal agency has so far seized a record 86 million fentanyl pills in 2023, exceeding last year’s total of 58 million pills. Some commonly faked prescription drugs include, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Xanax and Adderall. The DEA said counterfeit pills are being sold online and over social media.
Who is dying?
People over the age of 26 are driving the bulk of overdoses in L.A. County, according to the report. For the first time, people between 40 and 64 years of age made up the highest number of fentanyl overdose deaths, with 870. People aged 26 to 39 were the second highest with 736 deaths.
More people in both age groups died from fentanyl overdoses in 2022 than the previous year.
Men made up the vast majority of overdose deaths in the county last year at 1,561. Women accounted for 347.
Tsai said where and how people use drugs may be factors.
“A significant risk factor for fatal overdoses is using alone," Tsai said. “I think this is a trend that we've seen for decades and decades in terms of there being more men in our substance use treatment system than women.”
Drug overdoses, fueled by fentanyl and methamphetamine, were the leading cause of death.
“There's a tragedy happening in L.A., and it's happening on a daily basis,” said Will Nicholas, director of the county’s Center for Health Impact Evaluation. “On average, over the last couple years, two people every day are dying of overdose on the street [in L.A. County]. It’s a shocking number and it is preventable.”
In a striking observation, the report authors cited anecdotal reports from women users who favor methamphetamine “because its sleep-depriving effects help protect them from the sexual assaults prevalent in life on the street.” That may explain why methamphetamine contributed to a higher percentage of female versus male overdose deaths.
Instructions in a Narcan box for the prevention of opioid overdose.
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Noé Montes
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for LAist
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Do you have naloxone?
Tsai calls naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, “the difference between life and death.”
Tsai said the county has made “good progress” on getting more naloxone in the public’s hands, but he wants to ensure there is as much of the medication in the community as possible.
“In glove compartments of cars, in medicine cabinets in our homes, everyone should have it, because of how common overdoses are now,” he said.
Outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the NFL game between the Rams and 49ers. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
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Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
/
Associated Press
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Topline:
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
Why it matters: The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The backstory: The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment. The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
What's next: The Rams and 49ers kick off at 5:35 p.m. Thursday night on Netflix.
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks in the traditional manner and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment.
The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
Both teams agree this contrast in preparation is not a referendum on the best way to handle a pair of 16-hour flights with a football game in between — even if the rest of the world might see it that way after the final whistle.
Instead, this game is primarily a difficult early test for both the Super Bowl favorite Rams and the talent-laden 49ers, who also intend to be a title challenger. The coaching staffs and veteran players all know each other thoroughly after a decade of competition between Shanahan and McVay, who are both constantly looking for an edge.
“I don’t think there’s any right way to do it,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who will make his Rams debut in Australia. “They have a plan, and I’m sure they consulted different teams and people to find out a way to combat jet lag and such long travel. We’ve done the same thing. I think we’re both riding our methodologies.”
Garrett will be joined by star cornerback Trent McDuffie and cornerback Jaylen Watson in their debuts with Los Angeles’ revamped defense.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published September 10, 2026 5:00 AM
A fruit vendor sells on Whittier Boulevard in East L.A.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
A recent AirTalk segment highlights the decades-long debate over street vending in Los Angeles. Despite efforts by the City Council and statewide law, enforcement remains murky at best, even though it's a fixture of Los Angeles culture.
Why now? During a recent debate, Mayor Karen Bass made a series of comments that cast street vending in an unsavory light, prompting an almost immediate backlash from her opponent, Nithya Raman, who has devised her own nine-point plan to address street vending if elected.
Why is it important? Street vendors are as much a part of L.A.'s identity as its restaurants — but the system meant to support them is so broken that only a fraction operate with full legal standing. As this becomes a defining issue in the mayor's race, it's worth knowing the difference between political rhetoric and how the rules actually work on the ground.
Last month, street vending became a flashpoint during one of the recent debates for L.A. mayor when incumbent Karen Bass said, "I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant. Period," drawing a comparison to unhoused encampments.
The remarks set off an almost immediate backlash. Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, who has her own 9-point plan to support street vendors, said Bass "took a shot" at the street vending community and reiterated her commitment to work toward regulations and legalizing their operations.
Bass's office later eased its stance, saying it had directed the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors — and to dismiss any that had been issued in error.
Street vending remains part of the Los Angeles landscape, and the backlash from the debate brought to light just how confusing its legality can be. To understand how we got here, it helps to start with the basics.
Is street vending legal?
Yes. Since SB 946 in 2018, state law has decriminalized it. That means cities and counties can't criminally cite vendors or ban them from specific zones. They can, however, still enforce health and safety rules — things like sidewalk clearance and ADA access.
So why does it feel unregulated?
On a recent segment forAirTalk, Memo Torres ofL.A. Taco pointed to a stark gap between L.A.'s vending population and its permitted vendors. According to an email from the California Restaurant Association reported byFOX 11, an estimated 50,000 street vendors operate across Los Angeles — yet only 53 hold permits specifically for food sales.
Why so few permits?
Vending requirements largely mirror restaurant-grade standards — large refrigeration units, multi-basin sinks — that don't fit the reality of most vendor setups: flat-top griddles, folding tables, pop-up tents.
That isn't to say there haven't been efforts by the city to address the permitting gap. In 2024, the City Council, with Raman's backing, voted to drop the annual permit fee from $541 to $27.51.
Raman's mayoral campaign has since proposed another potential fix: extending a state permit category — currently used by vendors at farmers markets who share equipment like a communal three-compartment sink — to street vendors, so operators wouldn't need their own restaurant-grade setup to qualify.
What about health and safety?
County health inspectors technically oversee street food vendors, but both industry and vendor advocates agree enforcement is inconsistent — leaving reliable data on violations hard to come by.
Are vendors and restaurants actually enemies?
A 2015 Economic Roundtable study found that businesses located near street vendors were more likely to see job growth than those without nearby vendors.
What’s next
Proposals like Raman's permitting reforms aim to close the gap — but for now, most of L.A.'s vendors remain outside the formal system.
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Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published September 9, 2026 6:36 PM
The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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Topline:
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, specifically looking into whether L.A. County has failed to provide environmentally safe, humane and habitable conditions for people held there.
The details: The jail has long been plagued by allegations of poor conditions. Monitors from the American Civil Liberties Union have documented problems including overcrowding, severe mold and mildew, and rodent infestations.
The context: The federal investigation is expected to focus on conditions within the facility and not the actions of the county sheriff’s deputies who staff it, according to the Justice Department. The new investigation is separate from a 2015 settlement between the county and federal government, which stemmed from allegations of inadequate mental health care provided at county jails.
What happens next: Investigators will determine whether the county has violated the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, and 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
Reaction: L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger welcomed the investigation, and said she had said for year that the jail was “antiquated, inhumane, and unfit for our workforce and those incarcerated there.”
Jason Wells
manages the daily news product that you hear and read every day.
Published September 9, 2026 5:13 PM
Smoke rises from a brush fire near the Getty Center on Sept. 9, 2026.
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CBS LA
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Topline:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
What we know so far: As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This story is no longer being actively updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above. Forward progress of the fire was reported stopped shortly after 6 p.m. at a little over 20 acres.
