The Brief

Veterinarians licensed in California will be able see and treat their pet patients virtually under a new law that goes into effect on Jan. 1.

Under AB 1399, veterinarians will be able to examine animals on a camera through a telehealth appointment without needing to see them in-person. They can then prescribe medications and recommend treatments, or direct the owner to a clinic for follow-up care.

About the new law

The bill was authored by Assemblymembers Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) and Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and soared through Sacramento with bipartisan support earlier this year.

California currently requires veterinarians to physically examine a pet patient before prescribing medications or recommending treatments, but AB 1399 removes that in-person prerequisite.

Under the new law, the same standards of care will apply to both virtual and in-person veterinary services. However, there are some limitations.

For example, the telehealth appointment cannot be audio-only or done through a questionnaire — a camera is required. Veterinarians will only be able to treat patients in the state, and they are not allowed to prescribe any controlled substances or medications to horses involved in racing.

Veterinarians will also be required to inform their clients about the “potential limitations of telehealth” and advise them on how to receive follow-up care if their pet has an adverse reaction to treatment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1399 into law on Oct. 8.

How can this help?

Dr. Zarah Hedge is the chief medical officer at the San Diego Humane Society, which co-sponsored the bill. Hedge told LAist there’s a huge issue with access to veterinary care in the state.

The Veterinary Care Accessibility Project gave California a 47 out of 100 for its “Veterinary Care Accessibility Score” in 2021 — a failing grade. According to their map, Imperial County, Kern County, and Tulare County are some of the areas struggling with access the most.

“There's so many factors that can influence it,” Hedge said. “They may not have transportation to get there. They may not be able to afford it, or they can, but there are no appointments available.”

Hedge said the hope is that the new law will make veterinary care more accessible for everyone, but especially for pet owners in remote or underserved areas.

They may still end up having to take their animal to a clinic for in-person care, she added, but it can give owners some peace of mind in the meantime. Hedge said telehealth care can also be particularly helpful for the many shelters in the state that don’t have a veterinarian.

“During the pandemic, we saw how effective telehealth can be for human healthcare,” Assemblymember Friedman said in a statement this summer. “So why not apply this working model to veterinary care where there is a huge shortage?”

The bill was also co-sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Are there any concerns?

The American Veterinary Medical Association has warned that turning to telehealth can lead to ineffective treatment plans, unnecessary prescriptions, and inaccurate diagnoses.

“Because telemedicine does not involve an in-person physical examination or diagnostic testing, it limits a veterinarian in gathering critical information about the animal patient, especially for patients that might not regularly be receiving veterinary care,” said the American Veterinary Medical Association said on its website.

The organization added that delayed diagnosis or an inappropriate treatment plan can ultimately cost owners more money and prolong animal suffering.

However, Hedge said it’s important to keep in mind that this law doesn’t force veterinarians to use telehealth. If a vet doesn’t feel comfortable with the idea, or feels like they need more information before making a decision, they can still ask owners to bring their animals in-person.

WASHINGTON — Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which had been struggling for years, announced it will cease operations.

Spirit had been seeking a $500 million federal bailout from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying "effective immediately".

"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately," the airline said in a statement early Saturday. "[A]ll flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the Department of Transportation was coordinating with other U.S. airlines to help stranded customers rebook travel. Several major carriers agreed to cap ticket prices and offer reduced fares for affected passengers. Several airlines also said they would help Spirit crew members return home and offer preferential interviews to Spirit employees looking to stay in the aviation industry.

Spirit, based in South Florida, had been under mounting financial pressure due to the war in Iran, which sent the price of jet fuel soaring. But its problems ran deeper than that.

The No. 9 U.S. airline (based on seats) faced increased competition from its larger rivals, which adopted some of the same strategies that had made Spirit successful in the first place.

Spirit was a pioneer among ultra-low-cost carriers, keeping its fares down by stripping away amenities that travelers had previously taken for granted. But bigger legacy airlines countered with their own basic economy fares, making it harder for Spirit to survive.

Spirit tried to sell itself to a larger rival, accepting a $3.8 billion offer from JetBlue after a bidding war in 2023. But the U.S. Justice Department sued to block the deal, arguing that the merger would hurt budget-conscious consumers. A federal judge agreed and rejected the acquisition.

Passengers check in for their Spirit Airlines flights at O'Hare Airport on March 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The budget airline has announced it will cease operations.

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The airline has filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024, seeking to emerge as a leaner, more competitive operation. But the combination of rising fuel costs and changes in the industry proved too much to overcome.

"When you're a low-cost carrier, by definition, you're relying on having a cost advantage. And they just don't have that anymore," said Shye Gilad, a former airline pilot and professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. "They just don't have a lot of options left."

In recent weeks, Spirit had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal that would have provided a $500 million cash infusion in exchange for a significant potential stake in the company. But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.

On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he would like the chance to save the jobs of Spirit's employees, but Trump said it would have to be "a good deal."

"If we can help them, we will. But we have to come first. We're first," Trump said.

While in bankruptcy, Spirit's operations had gotten smaller. In February, the airline had a 3.9% market share of U.S. passengers, down from 5.1% in the same month last year, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Spirit's market share was poised to fall even further to 1.8% in May, which would have made it the country's ninth-largest airline.

But even with a small footprint, consumer advocates say Spirit had an important effect on fares by providing competition for the larger legacy carriers on the routes that it flew.

"You do not have to fly a small carrier in order to benefit from its presence, because they will bring down the big guys' fares," said William McGee, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Without Spirit flying those routes, he predicted that "everyone will be paying more."
Copyright 2026 NPR

A new trail across the beloved natural area of Elephant Hill in Northeast Los Angeles is officially opening this weekend.

The route is years in the making, and it's a big milestone in the decades-long conservation efforts to preserve this local jewel in the community of El Sereno.

The hiking trail connects one side of Elephant Hill to the other — from the corner of Pullman Street and Harriman Avenue all the way across to Lathrop Street.

It's 0.75 miles in total, but packs a punch.

"It's a pretty straight shot, but because of the terrain — the trail is kind of twisty and curvy. There's switchbacks — and great views," Elva Yañez, board president of the nonprofit Save Elephant Hill, said.

People have always been able to access the 110-acre green space, but Yañez said the new trail provides a safe and easy way to navigate the steep hillsides.

The El Sereno nonprofit has been working for two decades to preserve the land. Illegal dumping and off-roading have damaged the open space over the years. And the majority of the 110 acres are privately owned by an estimated 200 individual owners.

Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) joined the efforts in 2018, spurred by a $700,000 grant from Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, in part, to build the trail. The local agency received some $2 million in grants from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to add to the 10 acres of Elephant Hill it manages and conserves. This year, MCRA acquired an additional 12 parcels — or about 2.4 acres.

And the spiffy new footpath — with trail signage, information kiosks and landscape boulders — is not just a long-sought-for victory but a beginning in a sense.

"We know that it means a lot to the community," Sarah Kevorkian, who oversees the trail project for MRCA, said. "We're wrapping up the trail, but it really feels like the beginning of all that is to come."

A hint of that vision already exists — for hikers traversing the new route, courtesy of Test Plot, the L.A.-based nonprofit that works to revitalize depleted lands.

"They're able to see at the end of the trail, at the 'test plot' — exactly what a restored Elephant Hill would look like," Yañez said.

Here's a preview:

A coalition of residents from across the San Gabriel Valley are mobilizing over a battery storage project and possibly more industrial development in the City of Industry they say could pollute communities next door.

A protest is scheduled today in neighboring Rowland Heights, targeting a 400-megawatt battery energy storage facility sited on about 9 acres that was approved by the City of Industry leaders in January.

Such Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, are used to keep the power grid stable, especially as output from renewable energy sources like solar and wind fluctuate. But fires involving lithium batteries at some sites have heightened environmental and public health fears.

Because of the City of Industry’s unusual, sprawling shape stretching along the 60 Freeway, it borders on more than a dozen communities, meaning what happens there can have far-reaching impact.

“Pollution does not end right at the border,” said Andrew Yip, an organizer with No Data Centers SGV Coalition. “Pollution travels.”

Some local activists with the Puente Hills Community Preservation Association have challenged the approval of the battery facility under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Beyond environmental concerns, locals have also been frustrated with how decisions are made by officials in the City of Industry, a municipality that’s almost entirely zoned for industrial use and has less than 300 residents.

Organizers say they’ve struggled to get direct responses from city officials whom they say have replaced regular meetings with special meetings, which under state law require less advance notice.

A city spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment.

The so-called Marici Energy Storage System Facility would be run by Aypa Power. The fact that the battery storage developer is owned by the private equity giant Blackstone, a major investor in AI and data centers, has only fueled concerns that a battery storage facility would lay the groundwork for data center development.

A request for comment from Aypa was not returned.

Today’s protest is taking place at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights across the street from the Puente Hills Mall, a largely vacant “dead” mall, which activists fear could be redeveloped into a data center and bring higher utility costs and greater air and noise pollution.

Yip pointed out that industrial developments make a lot of money for the City of Industry.

“But none of these surrounding communities receive any of those benefits,” Yip said. “Yet we have to put up with all the harmful effects and impacts from this city that does all this development without really reaching out.”

The Venice Boardwalk after sunset has generally been a no-go zone for tourists and locals alike, as the beachside bars and restaurants close on the early side and safety is often an issue. Now, a group of artists is out to bring some vibrancy to the creative neighborhood with a series of new installations that will include live evening performances – and even a “Venice Opera House.”

“Let's play with light and let's play with sound and give people a reason to come to the Boardwalk after sundown,” said artist and entrepreneur Stefan Ashkenazy, who is curating the project and owns the buildings housing them. “I mean, let's just be open 24 hours a day.”

The concept doesn’t have an official name yet, but he’s been calling it “See World.”

Artist James Ostrer's space looks out from a bed through the fence to the ocean at Venice Beach.

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William Attaway, a longtime Venice artist, created a gallery space filled with various paintings and sculptures.

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The pair of modern buildings on the Venice Boardwalk at Thornton Ave. – with their big balconies, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and seven open garage-style retail spaces – have sat mostly empty since Snapchat vacated their beachside offices in 2019. Ashkenazy recently bought the building and recruited artists to fill those front-facing spaces with creative work until a full-time tenant comes in.

Over the past several weeks the installations have been created in real-time, in public.

All of the projects are loosely along the theme of “home,” with each artist claiming a “room” in the two buildings that stretch across a full block on the Boardwalk. Several local Venice artists are featured, including William Attaway, whose intricate mosaic work is recognizable on the Venice public restrooms along the beach. Attaway’s space features a floating larger-than-life-sized statue and various works in a mini-gallery. In the next room is Robin Murez’s pieces, featuring carved wooden seats from her beloved neighborhood Venice Flying Carousel.

Ashkenazy is no stranger to wild (and wildly successful) art ideas. He’s the owner of the Petit Ermitage hotel in West Hollywood, a longtime haven for visiting artists, and the founder of the decade-old Bombay Beach Biennale, where artists install all kinds of work in an annual event near the Salton Sea. Many of the artists from that community are featured at the Venice project.

A "Venice Opera House" will host pop-up music events throughout the summer.

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New York-based artist Greg Haberny's paintings on the wall of his Venice space.

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New York-based artist Greg Haberny and London-based artist James Ostrer have brought some of their work in the Bombay Beach Biennale to the Venice project. Their windows on the Boardwalk both speak to a child-like sense of wonder and creativity.

“I think it's just kind of exploring and playing a little bit, to have the freedom to be able to do that,” Haberny says of his imagined child’s bedroom space, which includes a fort made out of puffy cheese balls. “It's a big space, too.
It's beautiful.”

Ostrer is experimenting with a performance art idea where he sits in bed amongst a room full of his own artwork, which he describes as “happy art with an edge.” Looking out at the ocean from the bed, he’s invited passersby to sit and have chats with him about his work or anything else they want to talk about.

“It’s a very intimate space, so you have a different kind of conversation,” he said. “I use art to channel human creativity, and [talk about] dark things.”

While there are open fences that block off the spaces, they aren’t sealed up at night. Both Ashkenazy and the team of artists seemed open to the idea that anything could happen and that the installations are a conversation with the public – and with that comes some risk.

Greg Haberny (right) works with his assistants on an installation featuring kid-inspired graffiti art and a "cheesy puff" fort.

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“I don't really know if I [would] say worried, but I guess it's just the cost of doing business,” Haberny said. “I don't really make things to get damaged or broken, sure. But I have done [things like] burned all my paintings and then made paint out of ash.”

While he’s felt safe – and even slept overnight in the installation – Ostrer has been collaborating with a local female artist who performs in a pig mask in front of his installation some nights. Watching her perform, he said, has taught him about the vulnerability of women in public spaces like the Boardwalk. “I've started to, on a very fractional level, have seen how scary that is. Because I've sat in the bed behind her performing at the front here… the way in which men are approaching her and shrieking at her … it's shocking.”

Ashkenazy says he will keep the artists in the space, potentially rotating new ones in, until a fulltime tenant takes over.

“This is an experiment … and after acquiring the building, the intention wasn't, ‘let's open a bunch of public art spaces,’ he said. “It is kind of …what the building wanted and listening to what the Boardwalk needed. Let's play, let's have the artists that we love and appreciate have a space to play and engage and give the locals and the visitors to the Boardwalk something to experience.”