Cato Hernández
has scoured through tons of archives to understand how our region became the way it is today.
Published December 13, 2024 12:09 PM
A new USC study shows participants had significantly more PFAS chemicals in their blood based on certain neighborhood and enviromental factors.
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Kent Nishimura
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Do you know if what you live around is putting more toxic chemicals in your body? A new USC study found that “forever chemicals” can significantly show up more in some Angelenos’ blood than others.
What the study found: Researchers looked at four categories to see if they had an impact: drinking water, closeness to industrial polluters and Superfund sites, and distance from grocery stores. All factors showed an increase of at least 40% compared to the general population.
How it impacts health: It’s not good for “forever chemicals” to be in our blood. They’ve been linked to a wide range of health issues, including pregnancy problems and weaker immune systems.
Reducing your risk: While the substances are everywhere now, you can take some steps to protect your health. Read on to learn how.
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.
Ways to limit PFAS exposure
It’s no secret that PFAS are everywhere. While it’s probably not possible to fully reduce your individual risk, the EPA has a list of suggested ways you can lower it.
For example, you could ditch takeout containers or use in-home water treatment filters. You can learn more on the EPA’s website here. More resources can be found here, here and here.
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.
— Shiwen "Sherlock" Li
“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.
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.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published January 16, 2026 5:00 AM
Bagels at Miopane are thick and generously stuffed, with fillings that blur the line between savory and sweet.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Topline:
Miopane, a Taiwanese bagel chain with a cult following, opened its first U.S. location in Old Town Pasadena in early January. It's been drawing lines for its thick, stuffed bagels with inventive fillings like matcha cream, salted egg yolk and black sesame cream cheese.
Why now: The bakery has quickly become a viral breakfast destination, with customers waiting in line for creations that are nothing like traditional New York-style bagels.
Why it matters: The bakery exemplifies broader L.A. food trends — chef-driven takes on familiar formats, sweet-savory flavor combinations and the growing willingness of local diners to embrace food experiences that challenge traditional American categories.
Read on ... to learn more about what these bagels taste like.
By 9:30 a.m. on a weekday, there's already a line outside Miopane's Raymond Avenue storefront. Open for just a few weeks, this new Pasadena bakery is the first U.S. location of a cult Taiwanese bagel chain that takes a wildly creative approach to the bagel format.
These aren't the dense, chewy New York-style rings Angelenos have been debating for decades. Taiwanese bagels occupy their own category — part breakfast pastry, part dessert. Miopane's bagels are thick, stuffed creations with inventive fillings: matcha with buttery cream centers, strawberry, chocolate hazelnut, mango cream cheese and even salted egg yolk.
Inside, the space is sleek and modern with natural wood accents and a long bakery case where you queue up to choose your bagels. There's a five-item limit per person, which feels restrictive when you're staring at more than 20 flavors.
A different kind of bagel
LAist's Gab Chabrán describes Miopane's bagels as having fluffy texture and adventurous exteriors. Here, he tries the chocolate hazelnut.
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Brandon Killman
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LAist
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The bagel itself is soft and airy, with a light, almost pillowy quality. It's similar to what you'd find in other Taiwanese pastries at 85°C or JJ Bakery, using the slightly stuffed format found at Calic Bagel in Koreatown.
With its fluffy texture and an adventurous exterior — the chocolate hazelnut arrives with a swirl of chocolate on top — it's a bagel in shape only; in spirit, this is something else entirely.
The blueberry cream cheese bagel strikes the right balance — tangy cream cheese hits first, then blueberry washes over at the finish without overpowering. The apple cinnamon, however, feels muted, with cream cheese dominating the fruit. The sour cream and onion bagel, coated with a caramelized onion topping, could use a more pronounced onion flavor in its filling. The exterior does most of the heavy lifting.
What customers are saying
Ron Rodriguez of Arcadia was enthusiastic about what he tried.
"I don't want to use 'unreal' so much. I want to use quality," Rodriguez said. "The food is quality."
His wife, Chris, loved the cranberry cream cheese bagel, particularly how the cream cheese was infused throughout.
Christina Chu and Sean Simpson praised the "soft and fluffy" texture and the drinks.
Building something new
Miopane's Old Town Pasadena storefront has been drawing lines since opening in early January.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Beyond bagels, Miopane offers pastries and sandwiches worth the trip.
The sticky bun — a beast loaded with cinnamon glaze and pecans — might be the most indulgent option. Then there's the elusive maple glazed green onion croissant, which has been sold out every time I've visited.
"We really focused on making sure we're doing the best we can for our customers," says Austin Lynn, part of the management team.
That commitment is what drove Mia Cucina, the well-established Italian restaurant group in Taiwan, to start making their own bread in-house — they wanted complete control over quality rather than relying on outside suppliers. What began as an effort to serve better bread at their restaurants eventually grew into its own operation, and opening a standalone bakery made sense. The Pasadena location was chosen because the team has local ties.
Lynn's personal favorites include the burnt onion with garlic butter and cream cheese bagel — which takes so long to make they can only produce limited quantities daily — and the roasted tomato focaccia sandwich, which, Austin says, tastes "like a bite of pizza."
Two Basque burnt cheesecakes are coming soon, made with "really high quality matcha straight from the farmers in Japan."
The main menu item at Miopaneisn't trying to be a New York bagel, and that's the point. For Angelenos used to debates about schmear and lox, this requires a mental reset. The question isn't whether it's a "good bagel" by traditional standards, but whether you're willing to meet it on its own terms.
Keep up with LAist.
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David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published January 16, 2026 5:00 AM
An apartment for rent sign is posted in South Pasadena, California, on Oct. 19, 2022.
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Frederic J. Brown
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Getty Images
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Topline:
In Southern California, rent control caps are never absolute. To be legally compliant, cities with rent control must give struggling landlords a way to raise rents above what local limits typically allow. But through a series of public records requests, LAist has discovered that few landlords are applying to these “fair return” programs, and even fewer are getting approved.
The numbers in one city: For example, in the city of Los Angeles — home to about 650,000 rent-controlled apartments — landlords have filed just 242 applications to the city’s Just and Reasonable rent increase program since 2013. The city has approved only 22 of those applications for higher rent hikes.
The explanations: If landlords say they’re being harmed by rent control, and they stand to benefit from these fair return programs, why are so few applying? The answer depends on who you ask.
Read on… to learn what LAist found after getting data from some of SoCal’s biggest cities with rent control.
In Southern California, rent control caps are never absolute. To be legally compliant, cities with rent control must give struggling landlords a way to raise rents above what local limits typically allow.
But LAist has discovered through a series of public records requests that few landlords are applying to these programs, and even fewer are getting approved.
For example, in the city of Los Angeles — home to about 650,000 rent-controlled apartments — landlords have filed 242 applications to the city’s Just and Reasonable Rent Adjustment Program since 2013.
The city has approved only 22 of those applications.
For landlords subject to rent control, the right to a “fair return” on their investment is enshrined in court rulings. Local fair return programs give landlords a way to show the city their investments are being harmed by rent control, and in turn receive approval to raise rents on their tenants more than would usually be allowed under local caps.
If landlords say they’re being harmed by rent control, and they stand to benefit from these programs, why are so few applying?
The answer depends on who you ask.
Landlord groups say cities have stacked the deck against them by making the process of determining appropriate rent increases far too complicated.
“I always kind of joke that it would take an army of accountants and lawyers to be able to run through that calculation, only to go in front of a board who would review it, and would really not have much sympathy for a property owner,” said Dan Yukelson, executive director of The Apartment Association of Greater L.A.
Renters and tenant advocates have a different explanation.
They note that these programs only exist to help property owners who can show, through specific financial records, that they’re not earning a constitutional fair return on their buildings. In pricey L.A., the vast majority of landlords are making plenty of profit, they say.
“If this type of landlord were to apply for a fair return increase, they would not qualify,” said Chelsea Kirk, director of policy and advocacy for the non-profit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.
“Landlords will of course go to City Hall and say they're not earning a fair return, or they're not making as much money as they need to stay in business,” Kirk said. “We don't see them utilizing these kinds of programs because when the time comes for them to actually demonstrate it, show us the proof, not just say it, they can't do it.”
The numbers from different cities
LAist filed California Public Records Act requests with some of Southern California’s largest cities with rent control. We found some jurisdictions receive more applications than others.
The County of L.A. — which oversees a rent control program that covers unincorporated parts of the county such as East L.A., City Terrace and Altadena — has received 63 applications since 2020. One has been approved for a fair return adjustment.
In Pasadena, where voters passed a rent control law in 2022, three fair return applications have been received so far and none have been approved.
Santa Monica has had rent control in place since 1979. The city has received applications for five buildings since 2013. The city did not provide data on the outcomes of those applications.
The cities of Santa Ana and Inglewood did not provide any data in response to LAist’s public records requests.
Should programs be overhauled?
Some lawmakers want to explore the potential for streamlining the application process.
L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, recently introduced a motion to look into how other California cities handle their fair return petitions. This comes on the heels of the council lowering the city’s rent control caps.
“Part of it is that landlords are correct that the housing department can sometimes be a challenging partner to work with,” Raman said. “The city should make it as easy as possible for both tenants and for landlords to engage with the housing department.”
One of the cities L.A. city staffers were asked to investigate was Cudahy. LAist found that in recent years Cudahy has received one fair return application. It was marked incomplete and withdrawn.
On its website, the city of L.A. says it expects landlords seeking fair return adjustments to provide financial documents on their buildings going back to 1977, around the time the city first implemented rent control.
Landlords say requiring nearly 50-year-old paperwork is onerous.
“Owners don't have documentation that is that old,” said Yukelson with the Apartment Association. “They may never have had it, because they just acquired the property well after the base year.”
Sharon Sandow, a spokesperson for the L.A. Housing Department, told LAist the city requires landlords to provide two years of financial documents showing they are not receiving a fair return. She said city officials realize that not everyone has records going back to 1977, and in those cases, landlords can instead provide the oldest financial documents they have available.
A closer look at landlord profits
The Economic Roundtable, a local research nonprofit, produced a detailed report on the city of L.A.’s rent control program in 2024.
The researchers found that on average, 35% of the rent L.A. tenants pay goes to building operating costs, such as maintenance, utilities, insurance and payroll. Landlords can use the remainder to cover their mortgages and turn a profit, the report concluded.
The report also found that between January 2020 and January 2023, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 40% of L.A. apartments became vacant.
Shanti Singh, legislative and communications director for the nonprofit Tenants Together, said vacancies matter to landlords because rent control caps only apply to existing tenants. Under California law, rents in empty units can be re-set to market rates, boosting profitability.
“I think sometimes people forget that,” Singh said. “A lot of rent-controlled units can still be on the pricier side, like at market rate. So those landlords really have nothing to complain about.”
But for other landlords, who have seen little turnover in their buildings over the years, rents can be significantly lower than market rates.
Raman, the L.A. councilmember, said she’s heard both arguments: that the application process is too complicated, and that landlords simply don’t need help. She said she wants to better understand what’s really going on.
“I'm hoping that this motion allows us to investigate which of these is true,” she said, “and how, if it is bureaucracy that's preventing landlords from being able to do business in the city, we can make it easier and fairer.”
Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published January 16, 2026 5:00 AM
Doctors say it's not too get the flu shot this season, especially as cases continue to rise.
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Francine Orr
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
State health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as flu cases rise in the state. At least two children in California have died due to the flu, officials said.
What’s new: Hospitalizations are up across the state. The most recent data from Los Angeles County show that 180 people were hospitalized during the week ending Jan. 3.
How to protect yourself: Health experts say it’s not too late to get the vaccine, even if you’ve had the flu already. The vaccine “covers both flu A and flu B. And flu B spikes later in the season,” said Dr. Rabia Cheema, a pediatrician at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
Other measures: Officials also suggest residents with flu-like symptoms make use of at-home tests for flu, and start antivirals as soon as possible to prevent hospitalization.
California health officials are urging residents to get the flu vaccine as cases of the virus surge throughout the state. At least two children have died this season due to flu-related illnesses, the state Department of Health said this week.
The most recent data from Los Angeles County show that 180 people were hospitalized during the week ending Jan. 3.
“ At this point, we're only midway through the season and we've already seen so many hospitalizations and so many adverse outcomes,” said Dr. Rabia Cheema, associate medical director at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.
Cheema said the majority of patients who get sicker from the flu are unvaccinated. “These are healthy children,” she said.
Not too late to get the shot
Cheema and other health experts are urging the public to get vaccinated — and emphasize it’s not too late in the season to get a flu shot, even if someone has already gotten the flu. That’s because the shot covers different strains, Flu A and Flu B, and Flu B spikes later on in the season, she said.
Officials also suggest residents with flu-like symptoms use at-home tests for flu, and start antivirals as soon as possible to prevent hospitalization.
Where to get the flu shot
You can contact your local health provider or pharmacy, like CVS or Walgreens, to schedule a vaccine.
Fri, Jan 23, 1 to 3 p.m., Culver City Julian Dixon Library - Meeting Room
Wed, Jan 28, 1 to 3 p.m., Live Oak Library - Meeting Room
Fri, Jan 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., West Hollywood Library - Meeting Room
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 288 child flu deaths last year. Across the country this season, people over 65 years old had the highest rate of hospitalization, followed by children under 5 years old.
“We don't have the data through the rest of the season, but we already know what we have and that is concerning,” Cheema said.
