The Brief

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Thirty years ago, Jim O’Hara Jr. woke up from a coma, unable to walk, talk or eat. An 18-wheeler had broadsided his car, leaving him, then 18 years old, with a severe brain injury, according to his father, Jim O’Hara. Doctors said the young man’s condition wouldn't improve much. But O’Hara refused to leave his son in a nursing home.

After more than a year of hospital stays and rehabilitation, he brought Jim Jr. home, knowing he’d need far more help than one person could provide. California’s system of regional centers seemed like an answer. These centers purchase and coordinate support services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and are designed to do exactly what Jim Jr. needed: help rebuilding his life.

Then O’Hara learned his son didn’t qualify. Under California law, a person’s disability must begin before age 18 to qualify for the regional centers system.

California’s ‘age of onset’ rule that determines eligibility is narrower than federal law and stricter than most states. O’Hara has spent years fighting to change it, pushing to extend access to people whose disability commenced as young adults, up to age 22. Now he’s trying again, this time alongside his state representative Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, a Santa Clarita Democrat.

Schiavo said she is seeking to make this change through the annual budget process. She acknowledged the task could be an “uphill battle,” given the state’s projected budget troubles, but said it’s a change that’s long overdue.

“California has really fallen behind the rest of the nation on this issue,” Schiavo said. “It’s hard to look at new programs or expansions when you’re looking at cuts. ... Last year we were able to find new dollars for priorities, so we're hoping this will be one of the priorities we can figure out how to make happen.”

The promise of early intervention

Without the regional center system, O’Hara became the advocate and case manager he wished his son had. He trained as a behavioral aide, appealed to insurance companies, shuttled his son to appointments and therapies and designed a home schooling program.

“I devoted 10 years of my life to my son's rehab. I don't regret a single second of it,” he said.

It paid off. Gradually, Jim Jr.’s humor and his self-awareness began to resurface.

Today, at 49, he talks, walks and cracks jokes. He loves to read and bowl — progress beyond what doctors anticipated.

To O’Hara, that trajectory proves just how much early intervention matters.

“But the insurance and the rehab systems are not set up for that,” he said. “The regional center is. We didn't have it; I had to create it myself.”

Today, 21 regional centers serve nearly a half-million Californians with conditions including autism, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Regional centers act as a hub, connecting people to therapies, adult day programs, social skills training, independent living support and job training — all managed through a single point of contact.

The California Department of Developmental Services, which regulates regional centers, says people whose disabilities begin after age 18 are generally directed to other programs: in-home supportive services, the state department of rehabilitation and independent living centers. Pathways exist.

But parents like O’Hara say this misses the point. Regional centers offer something those programs don’t — comprehensive, coordinated services for life.

A years-long fight

Since 1978, federal law has defined developmental disabilities as severe, chronic conditions “attributable to a mental or physical impairment” that manifest before age 22. California’s cutoff of 18 puts it out of step with both federal policy and a growing body of research showing that the brain continues developing well into the mid-20s — meaning a traumatic brain injury acquired in late adolescence or early adulthood could disrupt development just as profoundly as one earlier.

California lawmakers have tried several times before to close that gap. In 2022, a bill authored by state Sens. Anthony Portantino, a Democrat from La Cañada Flintridge, and Scott Wilk, a Santa Clarita Republican, made it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom vetoed the bill, pointing to cost. While his veto message expressed support for extending services to people whose disabilities originated before age 22, he said covering more Californians would require tens of millions of dollars from the state’s general fund that had not been set aside that year.

Such a request, Newsom said, would have to go through the budget process.

Gov. Gavin Newsom takes questions during a press conference at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on Feb. 11, 2026.

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Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

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CalMatters

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At the time, the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated that extending regional center services to people whose disability started between ages 18 and 22 retroactively would expand eligibility to 1,000 to 2,000 people in the first year, at a cost of $15 million to $60 million.

Schiavo is now pursuing the expansion through the budget rather than standalone legislation and said she expects her ask to fall in that range.

The Association of Regional Center Agencies supports the idea, with a caveat: that the state allocate adequate funding for this expansion.

The population regional centers serve is already growing quicker than the general population, with the Department of Developmental Services projecting a 7.6% increase in clients for the coming fiscal year. That growth is driven partly by rising autism diagnoses, according to the state, and partly by more aggressive outreach to communities of color — centers have faced criticism in the past for inequitable services.

People with brain injuries acquired in young adulthood may also need additional or different support than those with disabilities from birth, said Amy Westling, the association's executive director.

“It’s not that there is a fundamental disagreement that people with acquired and traumatic brain injury particularly in this age range need additional support,” Westling said. “It’s just a question of, does this proposal include enough consideration of the financial support that would be necessary to make it possible?”

‘What will happen when I'm gone?’

Katherine Graham gets emotional thinking about what will happen to her son’s care when she is no longer around.

In June 2002, her son Joe was a 21-year-old psychology student in Santa Rosa. A traffic accident threw him 40 feet from his car, first responders told her.

He didn’t break any bones, but he did suffer a devastating brain injury.

“Right after the accident, they said, ‘He will be a vegetable. He will never walk. He will never talk,’” Graham said.

Like Jim Jr., Joe Graham is not eligible for regional center services because his brain injury happened after age 18.

Joe Graham at his volunteer job at a community kitchen.

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Photos courtesy of Katherine Graham

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Joe with his mom Katherine Graham.

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Photos courtesy of Katherine Graham

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For nearly a quarter-century, Katherine Graham has overseen every aspect of her son’s care, constantly searching for activities and services that could help his recovery, sometimes paying out of pocket. Today, at 44, Joe walks, talks, volunteers and lives in his own apartment. He gets some help through Medi-Cal’s in-home supportive services, including assistance with personal care, shopping and laundry. But transportation, managing appointments, staying on top of medication and even looking for opportunities to socialize have largely fallen on his mother.

A retired school teacher from Ukiah, Graham has advocated long and hard for her son.

More than anything, Joe wants to work again and be independent. But his disability makes it difficult to read social cues and understand personal boundaries, Graham said. She believes that if her son had had prompt access to social skills training and job coaching that regional centers provide, he’d be further along in his recovery.

“My concern is what will happen when I'm gone and can no longer support him or provide help. Who is going to continue to protect, to guide, as well as fill out leases and recertifications for services?” Graham said.

O’Hara, too, says he will keep pushing for his son and so that people with disabilities can more easily access critical support services proven to help them become more self-sufficient.

“As long as he has me, my son will keep moving forward, but if something happens to me, that could stop,” O’Hara said. “My goal is to never let that happen.”

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.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

This weekend's Long Beach Pride Festival was canceled by the city on Friday — hours before kickoff. The city said festival organizers failed to provide the required safety documentation.

The Pride Parade, managed and funded by the city, will continue as scheduled on Sunday at 10 a.m.

The parade will start at Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue and travel along the Ocean Boulevard coastline to Alamitos Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.

Roads will close and parking will be restricted starting hours before the parade. Streets are expected to reopen by 2 p.m.

No parking on these streets

Between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday parking won’t be allowed on:

• Ocean Boulevard from Redondo to Atlantic Avenues
• The immediate side streets on the north and south sides of Ocean Boulevard from Redondo to Atlantic Avenues

And these streets will be closed

The following streets will be closed to traffic during their designated times:

• 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Ocean Boulevard between Redondo and Lindero, including side streets on the north and south side of Ocean Boulevard
• 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Shoreline Drive between Ocean Boulevard and Shoreline Village Drive
• 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Ocean Boulevard between Lindero and Atlantic, including all side streets on the north and south side of Ocean Boulevard
• 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Alamitos Avenue between Ocean Boulevard and Broadway

Where you can park

Long Beach Pride says that parking will be available at the Long Beach Convention Center at 400 E. Seaside Way. Accessible parking and viewing will be available at Junipero and First Street, near Bixby Park.

Ride the Metro

Take the LA Metro A Line and exit 1st Street Station in Downtown Long Beach. After you exit, it's roughly a 10-minute walk down Ocean Boulevard to the parade festivities at Marina Green Park.

Editor's note: This story includes descriptions of allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Harvey Weinstein's latest sex crimes trial ended with a hung jury Friday, on the third day of deliberations.

It was the second time in a year a jury was unable to reach a verdict on the same charge.

Accusations against the former Hollywood mogul came to define the #MeToo movement, and he was first convicted of assaulting Jessica Mann in 2020. The former aspiring actress testified Weinstein raped her at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013. But that verdict, along with another charge, was later overturned.

In a second New York trial last summer, Weinstein was found guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and not guilty on another. But a third charge, of raping Mann, ended in a mistrial after the jury foreperson declined to return to deliberations, citing concerns for his safety.

Weinstein had returned to court for a third New York trial in April, this one focusing on Mann's allegations. But on Friday morning, Judge Curtis Farber received a note from jurors stating they were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Farber then read jurors a modified deadlock charge, known as an Allen charge, urging them to resume deliberations.

Jurors soon responded with another note restating their position. "We feel that no one is going to change where they stand," it said. Nine jurors fell on the side of not guilty; three supported a guilty verdict, Weinstein's lawyers told press outside of the courtroom.

The prosecution has until late June to decide whether they'll try the case again.

Outside of court, 55-year-old juror Rick Treese said that the group diverged on "where we actually had facts." He told reporters, "We didn't have enough facts to grasp onto, so it was emotion." People in the group "had varying emotions about it based on [their] experience in life."

"Everybody respected each other. Everybody respected their backgrounds. It was very civil. I feel certain that we dug into it enough."

Another juror, Josh Hadar, said his vote was for "not guilty," in part because he felt there might be parts of Mann's testimony that were "fabricated."

"I think the prevailing thought was that the witness had a lot of inconsistencies in her story," he said.

The mistrial concludes a month-long trial that was quieter than Weinstein's previous court appearances, with a diminished media presence and less public attention. Earlier this year, Weinstein hired a new legal team, including high-profile criminal defense attorneys such as Marc Agnifilo, known for representing Luigi Mangione and Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Defense attorneys argued that Mann and the then-married Weinstein had a consensual, on-again, off-again relationship over many years. But Mann testified that on that 2013 morning at the DoubleTree hotel, Weinstein "command[ed]" her to undress and penetrated her despite Mann repeatedly saying "no." Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

Now 74, Weinstein has been incarcerated since 2020. In 2022, he was convicted of rape and sexual assault in a separate case in California and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is appealing that verdict.

Agnifilo said outside court on Friday, "It's our job not just to win this case. There is an entire legal knot that needs to be untangled. And we're going to start untangling that knot strand by strand with the New York case and then the California case. So this really is just a first step." He said that this latest mistrial might not be "the win [Weinstein] wanted, but it's a win."

A statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said prosecutors were "disappointed that the proceedings ended in a mistrial" and would consider next steps in consultation with Mann.

"For nearly a decade, Jessica Mann has fought for justice. Over the course of many weeks during three separate trials, she relived unthinkably painful experiences in front of complete strangers," the statement said. "Her perseverance and bravery are inspiring to the members of my office, and more importantly, to survivors everywhere."

Weinstein's lawyers have said that he is in poor health. He used a wheelchair in court and did not testify on the stand in this trial, nor during any of his previous criminal cases. At one point during jury deliberations, Judge Farber announced Weinstein could not appear in court due to complaints of "chest pains."

Weinstein has given a limited number of interviews from prison, including with far-right podcaster Candace Owens and the Daily Mail. Most recently, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from Rikers Island.

When asked whether he had apologized to any of the women who brought charges against him, Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter, "I apologized to them generally. You can't call them when you're in a trial with them. But I'll say it here today: I apologize to those women. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been with them in the first place. I misled them."

Citing his health issues, including bone marrow cancer, Weinstein said, "I'm dying here. And the DA's idea is probably to have me dying in prison. But I am dying."

More than 30 teams will take their handmade cars through a custom downhill course of twisty turns and obstacles Saturday as the Red Bull Soapbox Race returns to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade.

Teams from across the country were selected from hundreds of applicants to compete on creativity, design, showmanship, course navigation and time.

There are no engines allowed in this race — all soapboxes must be gravity-powered.

Fully-functioning brakes and steering are required, but almost every other aspect of the engineering and design is left up to the competitors’ imaginations. According to Red Bull, the soapbox should be an extension of its team, the wilder and more outrageous the better.

From real racers to a car made out of bicycle parts

Contestants take on the course at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2025.

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Long Nguyen

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Courtesy Red Bull

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The race includes competitors from across Southern California and beyond.

UCLA Bruin Racing, made up of the school’s Formula SAE Squad (which also design and race specialized cars), entered with its “Mk. 9 racer” soapbox that was originally an out of commission EV car.

Metro LA repurposed parts from some of the unclaimed bikes left behind on the transit system for its “carrot-colored” bus design (and yes, that is the agency’s nod to Tyler, the Creator’s song "Rah Tah Tah." IYKYK).

The Seagrave 13 team from Las Vegas is dedicating their soapbox to Pasadena first responders who battled last year’s Eaton Fire. They’re planning to donate the car to the L.A. County Fire Museum after the race.

Built on a patio

One of the homegrown teams trying their luck this year is made up of a group of renters and friends in Santa Monica and Victorville who built their “Runaway Hotdog Stand” soapbox on an apartment patio.

“The fact that we're able to do this shows that I mean anybody could do this, and honestly could do anything else,” Carlos Monson, captain of the Speedy Wiener team, told LAist.

The Speedy Wiener team drew their design inspiration from L.A.’s iconic hot dog carts, typically a small grill that serves bacon and veggie toppings outside concerts, sporting events and tourist attractions.

The Speedy Wiener team modeled their soapbox after L.A.'s iconic hotdog carts.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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“For us, luckily, a majority of them are Latino and we're like, you know what, this is actually a perfect opportunity because the whole team is Latino,” said Monson, who will also be driving the soapbox.

The group of friends, between 18 and 21 years of age, built most of their cherry-red car on Monson’s apartment patio under Victorville’s glaring sun.

The Speedy Wiener repurposed the base of an old, rickety go-kart frame for their "Runaway Hotdog Stand" soapbox.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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They repurposed the base using an old, rickety go-kart frame that Monson said took about an hour just to carry up the stairs and get through the front door.

They worked on the soapbox in between classes and shifts at work. The final touches include stamping their Speedy Wiener logo and adding a mock-menu to the frame. There’s also ketchup and mustard bottles with yellow and red streamers hanging from the nozzles and a rainbow umbrella over the wheel.

The team, made up of renters between 18 and 21 years old, built most of the soapbox on their captain's apartment patio in Victorville.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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For the car’s structure, Monson turned to a collection of cardboard boxes he had lying around after a recent move and attached the various pieces with zip ties.

“We'll be able to hopefully last when they make it down the race track,” he said.

Engineering students’ big break

Another entrant on Saturday is the Los Ingenieros, a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College in Norwalk, who has taken inspiration from the team’s Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles culture.

Their car is lucha libre-themed with rails modeled after a wrestling ring and the driver donning a muscle suit and mask.

The red, white and green colors represent the Mexican flag and features Chicano-style pinstriping from L.A.’s lowriders, as well as some Aztec patterns.

The Los Ingenieros team is made up of a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College.

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Courtesy Ruben Orozco

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“It's definitely going to be a powerful testimony to our culture,” said Ruben Orozco, a Los Ingenieros member from La Mirada.

The team never expected to be picked for the race, and Orozco said the invitation has been “mind-blowing” and “surreal.”

Arelie Marquez, another member from Long Beach, told LAist she sketched the design for the modified go-kart frame before the team chopped the wheels, boosted the back axle and added suspension. While some of the students drew up blueprints on engineering computer software, Marquez used her welding experience to help mount the brackets — all in Orozco’s backyard.

As a community college student, Orozco said he’s felt like he’s missed out on opportunities to showcase their knowledge and innovations compared to students in the Cal State or UC system, but the Red Bull Soapbox Race has helped shed that notion.

“Not only has it been reassuring to myself, but also we've used it as a platform to kind of show others in STEM, in community colleges, that you could do crazy things as a student,” he said.

And yes, the team is already highlighting the unique engineering experience on their resumes, according to Gabriel Ramirez, a Compton resident and another member along with his twin brother, Hector.

Their next challenge? Cramming for finals next week.

The Surfrider Foundation is hosting a protest in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday to oppose what it sees as mounting threats to our California coastline.

In 2015, a pipeline operated by Plains All American spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. Hundreds of marine mammals were killed or injured and beaches across the region were contaminated.

Bill Hickman, a senior regional manager with the Surfrider Foundation, remembers it well.

“I live in Ventura. We had a bottlenose dolphin wash up here that was covered in oil,” Hickman told LAist. “That was really sad to see. And there was oil on the beach all the way down to L.A.”

The spill also “shut down fisheries, closed multiple beaches, and impacted recreational uses such as camping, non-commercial fishing, and beach visits,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In March, the Trump administration invoked the Defense Production Act to bring that same pipeline, now run by Texas-based Sable Offshore, back online. The company says that the system will produce tens of thousands of barrels of oil a day, as well as “provide a secure, consistent source of domestic crude oil, replacing approximately 1 million barrels per month of imports.”

But Hickman and other environmental advocates say restarting the pipeline raises serious concerns. California sued the Trump administration in March to keep it shut.

The restart, along with the Trump administration’s push to open the California coast up to new oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades, has Hickman sounding the alarm.

“Right now it seems like if you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention,” Hickman said. “And luckily a lot of people are really fired up about all of the threats to the environment and particularly the Santa Barbara channel.”

Oil spills like the one in 2015 could also deeply affect tourism, the fishing industry and lead to billions in cleanup costs, according to Gov, Gavin Newsom’s office. In a January 2026 statement opposing the Trump administration’s new offshore drilling plans, the governor’s office said the state's coastal economy “supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates over $44 billion annually.”

On Sunday morning, Hickman will be part of a spiritual ritual in surf culture: a paddle-out into the ocean at Refugio State Beach.

He said anyone with a human-powered craft is welcome to join the circle to oppose drilling on our coasts.

“People are standing up. There’s a lot of opposition,” Hickman said. “Californians really treasure our coast, our beaches, our waves and really want to protect them.”