The Brief

There’s new evidence that your environment can play a significant role in how much you’re exposed to “forever chemicals,” a nickname for a group of harmful human-made substances that end up in your blood and are nearly impossible to get rid of.

University of Southern California researchers found in a study that some Angelenos, who lived near or too far from certain neighborhood factors, had a higher presence of chemicals in their bloodstream.

Why the study matters

Talk of “forever chemicals,” officially known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is usually focused on our tap water supply. But these globally-used chemicals are in tons of consumer products, including grease-resistant food packaging, nonstick cookware, and waterproof clothing.

“You really need a more comprehensive way to deal with these chemicals because it’s not enough to give people clean water,” said Shiwen “Sherlock” Li, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in the Keck School of Medicine’s Department of Population and Public Health Sciences.

The study worked with 446 Southern California residents, mostly in L.A. County, and looked at four major factors to see how they affected PFAS levels in their blood:

• Tap water
• Proximity to industrial polluters
• Proximity to Superfund sites (an EPA designation for certain toxic waste dump areas)
• Low access to fresh foods

Every factor was associated with a significant increase.

An illustration of government data that shows the distribution of detection of PFOA (a type of PFAS) in tap water, locations of Superfund sites and potential PFAS-polluting industrial sites.

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Courtesy Shiwen "Sherlock" Li

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Neighborhood low food access in different census tracts using data from the USDA Food Environment Atlas. One of the ways low access to food is defined is by 33% of the population living more than half mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store.

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Courtesy Shiwen "Sherlock" Li

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If the research participants lived in neighborhoods with contaminated drinking water, or lived far from a grocery store — meaning they’re likely more apt to eat packaged fast food — the increased ranged from 40% to 60%. Li said some types of PFAS even showed a more than 100% jump. Living within 3 miles of an industrial site that processes PFAS also showed higher blood levels.

Keep in mind, blood presence is measured in milliliters, and the baseline levels in the general population are very low. However, current research suggests even tiny volumes can contribute to adverse health effects.

Li works in environmental justice research and has long been interested in the neurotoxic effects of PFAS, including why they have greater effects on some people over others. While the study isn’t meant to show what areas in L.A. County have more PFAS, Li said it’s about how systemic factors can impact us.

“In my opinion, it’s harder to change individual behaviors,” Li said, “but if you can create clean environments for everyone, they don’t need any behavioral change in the first place.”

While the EPA is taking steps to remove PFAS chemicals in our water, Li hopes policymakers will use the study as evidence to support environmental cleaning efforts.

How PFAS can affect human health

Low-income neighborhoods especially already have water contamination and air pollution issues for other reasons, so linking it to PFAS potentially adds another reason for harsher health outcomes. For example, other studies have shown Southeast L.A. to have more contamination than other neighborhoods.

“If people are worried about lack of green space, lead issues, or water infrastructure issues, they should also consider PFAS,” Li said.

Dr. Lisa Patel, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford Children's Health, said other studies have shown PFAS can raise your cholesterol, lower your antibody response to certain vaccines and increase risk for pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia.

“There are some small decreases in birth weight that have been noted from exposure to PFAS, and then there’s an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer as well,” Patel said.

Patrick Allard, a professor in the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA, said PFAS chemicals have a “constellation” of other health effects, including a strong impact on the immune system. There are also questions about whether that could be linked to neurological disorders like ADHD.

“I mean, I could go on — cardiovascular effects, kidney defects,” he said. “It seems like you can make connections between PFAS and many kinds of health effects.”

Both experts echoed that while there’s been more research interest into PFAS, we still don’t have a good handle on how long it takes for these issues to play out because people are exposed in different durations, ways, and amounts.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a pair of bills that will create a new system for approving community college bachelor’s degrees.

Senate Bill 960 and Assembly Bill 2694, which were sent to Newsom as a two-bill package, will let community college districts create between two and 12 new bachelor’s degrees to fill local workforce needs.

The bills take effect Jan. 1, 2028, and will create a five-tiered system determining how many bachelor’s degrees each district can offer. Districts will be placed into tiers based on the percentage of students who complete a degree or certificate or transfer to a four-year university. Districts with higher graduation and transfer rates will be allowed to create more bachelor’s degrees — up to the maximum of 12.

The tiered system, which was among several last-minute amendments to the legislation, has drawn backlash from community college presidents and chancellors, who say the system will pit colleges against one another.

However, the legislation does make at least one significant change supported by the community colleges: It only prohibits degrees that duplicate CSU programs offered in the same local service area as the community college proposing the degree. In the past, duplication wasn’t tied to location, and community colleges sometimes faced duplication objections from CSU campuses located in different regions of the state.

The legislation also allows for certain circumstances when community colleges can create bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby CSU campus has a similar program. That will be permitted if the CSU program has had a transfer acceptance rate of less than 75% for three consecutive years.

It’s back!

Pasadena Humane’s popular “poorly drawn pets” fundraiser is returning for another year, and the artists are already deep into drawing as of Monday.

Here’s how it works: you’ll be asked to make a donation through this Facebook post, comment on the post with a photo of your pet, and volunteers will respond in about a day with their best attempt at your four-legged friend. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can also participate here via email.

“There’s just one tiny disclaimer: we’re much better at caring for animals than drawing them,” Pasadena Humane shared on social media. “Some of our artists are genuinely talented. Others… well, let’s just say your pet may come out looking artistically interpreted.”

Last year, officials said the fundraiser exceeded expectations, raising around $11,000 for the shelter from more than 450 submissions. Dogs and cats are most common, but people have also sent in photos of their birds, turtles, hamsters and horses in years past.

LAist takes you inside the artists’ studio at Pasadena Humane.

Both volunteers and staff signed up to draw the pets people are submitting - for good and for bad.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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The table was fully stocked with markers, colored pencils, pens and sharpies to choose from.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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Meet the people behind the 'poorly drawn pets'

Volunteers and staff filed in and out of what’s been turned into the official drawing room Monday morning. Pens, colored pencils, markers and Sharpies were scattered all over the table in between pieces of paper and small printed photos of pets.

I asked Julie Nakahara, Pasadena Humane’s director of partnerships and events, how she would describe her artistic ability as she sketched out a lounging cat.

“That of a toddler,” Nakahara replied. “All right, maybe fourth grade.”

Her strategy was to outline the pet first in pencil before thickening the lines with a Sharpie, adding pops of color through the small details in the photo.

“[The cat’s] enjoying the sunshine, and so I tried to reflect it in my drawing,” she said. “Not sure if that's a true reflection, but I did the best I can.”

Julie Nakahara, Pasadena Humane’s director of partnerships and events, sketches out submission #49.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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Robbin Huntingdale, a Pasadena resident and volunteer, had a colorful, Lisa Frank-style approach to her picture of two pups.

“I kind of felt like the more I add, the more interesting it'll be, and the less you'll notice that it doesn't look like the photo,” she said to a roar of laughter in the room.

But markers seemed to be a bold choice among the artists. As Mia Dunn, chief philanthropy officer, put it: “I'm a colored pencil girl, because they can be erased.”

Some of the portraits have been turned into tattoos in years past.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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The artists would often share their work with the room when they were done.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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Some artists focused on nailing the vibe, while others narrowed in on the details.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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Kevin McManus, PR and communications director, was trying to do justice to the two dogs he was drawing. He said he came up with a story as he sketched, describing one dog as the older brother and the other as its young punk with a look of “what did I do wrong?”

“It's a really fun way for us to raise money for the shelter,” McManus said. “Ultimately, that's what we're here for. To raise money for the pets in our care, for the programs that we do year-round.”

The fundraiser raises money to support the shelter's work and the animals in their care.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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Volunteers and staff said it's a great way to give back to Pasadena Humane.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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This LAist reporter was also invited to get in on the artistic action.

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Makenna Cramer

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LAist

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You have until 12 p.m. Wednesday to submit your pets for the fundraiser.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Cynthia remembers the sound of her 1-year-old daughter’s cries as she tried to desperately explain to a caseworker over the phone how the Lineage warehouse fire had affected her family financially. 

She had stopped working as a sidewalk vendor because of the unhealthy air, and her family was unsure how they would pay rent that month. 

“I felt like, I don’t know, I was going insane,” said Cynthia, who chose not to share her last name due to immigration concerns.

When the 32-year-old mother reached out to Lineage for assistance, she was told she didn’t qualify for relief, even though her East L.A. home was less than 1.5 miles away. The company said its relief was only intended “for those closest to the warehouse.” 

“We were close enough to receive the smoke and ash but not to receive aid,” she told Boyle Heights Beat. 

Cynthia is among many residents who say they were left out of assistance from Lineage because of where they live. Residents outside the established boundary say they breathed the same smoke, smelled the same stench and suffered through headaches, nausea and high utility bills as their neighbors who qualified for help.

Their question has been simple: If the air has no border, why did we? 

Cynthia holds her daughter while cooking next to her air purifier and air monitor.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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Who qualified for Lineage assistance?

Nearly 800 homes inside a designated area were eligible for assistance from Lineage during its recovery operations, according to the company. The support included free air purifiers, masks, air conditioners, temporary housing, grocery vouchers, utility assistance and cash assistance that were often delivered door-to-door by the company. 

Earlier this month, Lineage said it had provided support to 90% of the 797 households within the designated area and spent over $3.3 million on the recovery and relief effort. Lineage CEO Greg Lehmkuhl told Boyle Heights Beat that the company had made multiple attempts to reach the remaining households.  

“Our bilingual hotline remains open,” said Lehmkuhl. “We remain committed to supporting the community.”

Lineage first presented a map outlining the area closest to the warehouse as it announced a new wave of assistance at a community town hall on July 9. 

The map was later expanded to include all 797 homes and a larger part of East L.A. after L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis pushed for more support, according to her office. 

Now, the map covers households located between Union Pacific Avenue and the 5 Freeway, Los Palos Street and Herbert Avenue, all less than one mile from the Lineage warehouse. 

The map with the outlined resources was presented by Lineage at an AQMD hearing on Aug. 6.

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Courtesy of Lineage

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Why the boundary matters

The expanded map still left out residents like Cynthia, who lives with her husband and baby just one block north of the 5 Freeway. 

But it meant residents like Joaquin Angeles, who lives near Eastman Avenue Elementary School, would qualify. 

Angeles, however, said the support has been lackluster. 

“We haven’t been given what we really need,” Angeles said.

Angeles said his family received an air purifier with no filters and a faulty air conditioner that turns off after just five minutes. He has not yet received the $200 Southern California Edison credit Lineage promised. 

On Aug. 25, more than two months after the warehouse caught fire, his family was able to move into an Airbnb for nearly three weeks. While it allowed them a chance to finally breathe and not worry about what chemicals may be lingering in the air, the support came far too late, Angeles said. 

By then, his wife and son had already racked up medical bills of more than $1,300 each for emergency room visits for shortness of breath, respiratory infections and painful skin rashes. 

“We don’t have money to spare. We’re renting and living paycheck to paycheck,” Angeles said. “Aside from the illness itself, it’s a psychological blow. You feel discriminated against; you feel like they don’t care.”

Joaquin Angeles’s wife, Aurora , shows scarring from a rash on her arm after being exposed to smoke coming from the Lineage fire at her home in East Los Angeles.

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Isaac Ceja

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Who created the boundary? 

It remains unclear who initially identified the 797 homes. 

Lineage said it did not create the map. A company spokesperson said the map originated with the Boyle Heights Unified Recovery Command, a centralized body made up of city departments established to coordinate updates during the remediation process. 

The command operates under the city’s Emergency Management Department and was created at the direction of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ executive orders to speed up the Lineage cleanup and recovery. The Emergency Management Department did not respond to multiple inquiries about the map’s origin. 

Supervisor Solis’ office told The Beat it had no say in the original map but advocated for the area to be expanded. 

Navigating help hasn’t been easy

Residents outside the boundary have had to find alternative resources on their own. 

“The wind doesn’t have a boundary, why would you make a map?” Cynthia recalls asking herself as she navigated long lines at city and county resource centers.

City and county agencies initially offered temporary shelters, air purifiers and masks, and later added mobile health clinics, grocery gift cards and resource centers in Boyle Heights and East L.A. But residents also reported being turned away at distribution sites depending on whether they lived in Boyle Heights or unincorporated East L.A. 

A resident picks up air purifiers from a pop-up resource center in Boyle Heights on July 13, 2026.

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Isaac Ceja

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Many often turned to nonprofit organizations already working in the community.

In her search, Cynthia managed to secure an air purifier from InnerCity Struggle, a $500 prepaid Visa card from El Centro de Ayuda and had her July rent covered by Proyecto Pastoral. She bought a $250 air conditioner to manage the unbearable summer heat and a $300 personal air monitor to track the air quality outside her home. 

Others haven’t been so lucky. 

Maria Duran, a Boyle Heights resident who lives outside Lineage’s assistance boundary, said she called 311 to receive an air purifier but was told they had run out. She later learned Proyecto Pastoral had stopped accepting applications for rent and utility assistance because of a waitlist of more than 1,500 people. 

“We are all being harmed. I feel frustrated. I feel down,” Duran said. 

Three months after the fire, Duran is struggling to pay a utility bill that nearly tripled over the summer. She continues to deal with stubborn eye irritation that has disrupted her daily life. 

Cynthia bought an air purifier following the Lineage fire.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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Nonprofits have been unable to keep up with the demand

Angela Gutierrez, a community organizing coordinator at Proyecto Pastoral, says the demand for relief reflects the scale of the disaster. 

Gutierrez lives about one mile from Lineage and said she was also frustrated that she didn’t qualify for assistance from the company. 

“To me, it was like we were abandoned because of our ZIP codes,” Gutierrez said. “But for Proyecto — for me — there is no ZIP code. To me, everyone is equal. The help is the same.”

Proyecto Pastoral helped cover rent and utility bills for about 1,500 people living primarily within a 3-mile radius of Lineage, with emergency funds extending to families living as far as Monterey Park. The organization’s fire relief funds were exhausted last week.

“It makes me sad and angry, because people were affected by the fire — and it wasn’t just in the immediate area,” Gutierrez said. 

Cynthia holds her daughter’s hand in her home.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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Is more help on its way?

Lineage said it remains committed to providing resources to the roughly 80 households that have not yet received assistance. 

“We’ve been working for weeks to make sure that we support everybody in this area that the county and city determined were impacted,” Lehmkuhl said. 

The company did not indicate whether it planned to expand its assistance boundary. 

District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado is pushing for additional funding for the Lineage fire recovery. On Wednesday, the L.A. City Council approved a motion to explore creating a fund of up to $10 million to support the affected community. 

For residents like Cynthia, the need is urgent. She is already behind on rent and is using a credit card to pay for basic necessities.

In unincorporated East L.A., Angeles said more should be done to help the families affected. 

“It is not asking for a favor; it is simply asking for justice,” he said. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill directing the state to coordinate the temporary deployment of thousands of police officers to the Los Angeles region for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Law enforcement officials are expecting to deploy up to 16,000 officers a day across the region during the mega-event, according to Los Angeles Police Department Commander Mario Mota, who is part of the department’s major events group. Overall, Mota said, they anticipate needing between 24,000 and 30,000 officers. With those numbers, local law enforcement agencies, including LAPD, don’t have the personnel to staff the Games on their own and will need to bring in outside officers.

That’s where the new legislation comes in. The bill, AB 2411, requires the state’s Office of Emergency Services to negotiate agreements with outside law enforcement agencies to temporarily deploy in the L.A. area during the Games. It also directs the state’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to create a training program for officers coming from out of state.

“ We want to make sure that officers coming from other states have the same trainings that our officers do here in California,” said California Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, who wrote the bill and represents Inglewood and Venice Beach, both Olympic venue locations. “The reason why we did this is because we need more officers.”

LAPD alone estimates it will need 6,703 personnel a day during the busiest period of the Summer Games, according to a May budget memo. According to those estimates, LAPD can only deploy a third of that number from its own ranks, and the rest will need to come from other law enforcement agencies.

It’s unclear how much these agreements could cost the state of California. Security planning for the Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles is being overseen by the U.S. Secret Service, and the federal government has allocated $1 billion to security costs. The fiscal analysis for the bill assumes that the federal coffers will cover the cost of bringing in other law enforcement agencies.

But if it doesn’t, the Office of Emergency Services estimates that contracting costs could be more than $1 billion.