The Brief

Wayne hands over a toy car to his son, A, at a park in Mid-City. The 4-year-old rolls it across a bench near the playground and watches it fall onto the pavement below.

“He'll find fun in most things,” Wayne said. “He’s pretty happy all the time. Nothing really bothers him very much — just going to bed.”

Bedtime, recently, has been a lot harder for A, who’s on the autism spectrum. Since mid-October, Wayne, alongside his partner and their son, have been staying in their car. (We’re using A’s first initial and Wayne’s first name only to protect their family’s privacy.)

“He does not like it, he hates it,” Wayne said. “The only way he'll sleep in the car is if he's literally on, usually my lap.”

They’re one of the many Los Angeles families who have struggled to find housing over the past several months as options dry up. And now it could get even harder for families like theirs, in the face of a county proposal to cut homeless services funding in order to close a deficit.

Wayne and his family lost their apartment in June after falling behind on their rent. They stayed in motels across L.A. county with about 40 days worth of vouchers — 32 days from the CalWorks program and 8 days through 211.

Despite touting progress on helping unhoused individuals over the last year, the city and county Los Angeles has not made progress on helping unhoused families.

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But they haven’t been able to get any more since, and the family shelters they turned to have been full. They pawned off some items, like a guitar, to help stay indoors, but that only helped in the short-term. He says it’s been a struggle to find a safe place to sleep with a young child.

“The first time we slept in the car it was really, really hot, and he ended up with heat rashes all over his back,” he said.

They had money saved up

In April of last year, Wayne was laid off from his job in A/V tech support. His partner has a chronic illness so he’s the sole earner. Up until then, he had saved up for a rainy day situation. He’d invested in retirement, and even had some stock.

“I’m a dad now — obviously it’s such a different way of thinking about the short term, future term, long term,” he said.

He had $30,000 saved up, enough to stay afloat for about six months to eight months… but then, he couldn’t find a job. By November of last year, they had run out of money.

“It's been awful. Most of the jobs now are like part-time or temporary positions,” Wayne said. The jobs didn’t offer enough to sustain a one-bedroom apartment in L.A.

Wayne's family got a stack of papers to resources from a recent visit to PATH, a homeless services provider. Providers say they haven't been able to offer housing assistance to new families seeking help because of recent cuts.

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In order to reasonably afford a one-bedroom in the L.A. area, workers need to earn at least $40.02 per hour, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Aside from the job searching process, Wayne has spent most of his days trying to find a meal or two for his family — and on the phone trying to find any other resources. He’ll also take his son to the park or the library.

“The most important thing is trying to make sure he basically is comfortable as much as possible, that he's [having] fun, that he's not really understanding what's going on — which I think we're doing a good job [at] so far,” Wayne said.

Trying to find housing

Recently, they went to a family solutions center at PATH, a homeless services provider in LA. There was no housing assistance available, so they gave Wayne a list of other places to try. He and his family had already tried those resources.

Wayne’s car has a stack of papers like these ones, pointing to laundry services and food banks and Medi-Cal resources.

Sasha Morozov, regional director of services at PATH, says that’s what her agency has had to do in recent months, as they’ve been unable to take on new families due to recent funding cuts. She said they’ve had to change their strategy from trying to get people housed imminently to connecting them to other resources — such as childcare or school-based help.

“ That really has shifted, not because people don't want to help, but the resources aren't there. It’s heartbreaking.”

Recent funding cuts include a 71% reduction in state dollars that have helped families experiencing homelessness. Morozov said she’s worried the situation will get even worse with new federal cuts as well as a proposed cut of $300 million to county funding for homeless services next fiscal year. LAist reported in August that homelessness among families with children has been rising.

Data from 211 LA show that calls for emergency shelter from January this year to early September were up by more than 20,000 calls, compared to the same time period last year.

For Wayne and his family, they’re now looking to move out of state. After a year and a half of job searching, he recently got a job offer from a company out in the Midwest. Though he’s grown up in California, he says he has to leave.

He said he was disheartened to see the mayor and other officials tout recent homelessness count numbers.

“It felt like a slap in the face,” he said. “Most people can't afford a one-bedroom on a full-time job here. There's nothing to celebrate. Everyone is closer to homelessness than they are to stability. Most people who are working class, especially young people, probably 40 and under, cannot afford a one bedroom by themselves.”

His new job is supposed to start in January. He said as soon as he can save up enough money for a security deposit and rent a new place out of the state, they’ll be driving out there.

Wayne says his son doesn't understand what's going to happen next, but says he'll adjust quickly.

“As long as he has, like, ice cream and the snacks that he wants, he's happy to go anywhere,” he said. “He loves when we drive around. I already know on the road he would absolutely love to see all the change in the scenery and he's gonna be excited.”

After the Department of Justice issued a wide-ranging subpoena to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles last June, the records of more than 3,000 patients now will be protected until at least February 2029 under a settlement reached between patient families and the federal government.

What the federal government was seeking

The DOJ wanted to pull a wide swath of information from CHLA’s records related to hormone therapy prescriptions, including the identities and social security numbers of the people it was prescribed to. Lawyers for CHLA patient families said the broad request also included details of patients’ sexual health data and records of their mental health and said the inquiry violated their constitutional rights.

What CHLA’s lawyers are saying

“This is a massive victory for every family that refused to be intimidated into backing down,” said Khadijah Silver, director of gender justice and health equity at Lawyers for Good Government. “The government's attempt to rifle through children's medical records was unconstitutional from the start.”

Silver also noted that DOJ confirmed it had not received any sensitive patient data under the parts of the subpoena that had been struck down.

What’s in the settlement

Under the agreement, which was first reported by Reuters, the federal government has withdrawn its requests for personal information like social security numbers, prescription records and “documents relating to the clinical indications, diagnoses or assessments that formed the basis for prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy.”

The government cannot make new requests of this type to CHLA until February 2029. The settlement also establishes a process for the DOJ to continue to pursue seeking some limited redacted medical records from CHLA.

What it means for parents and children

In the aftermath of the subpoenas, many advocates were worried that families would face federal prosecution for seeking gender-affirming care for their children.

However, according to the settlement, the DOJ said it “is not currently aware of information that would support the federal prosecution of parents or guardians who have sought and consented to receiving gender-related care for their children at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.”

What the hospital and DOJ say about the win

LAist has reached out for comment to both entities and has not heard back.

The backstory

The subpoenas were issued on or about June 11, 2025, according to the settlement. They were made public in July, though many patient families remained in the dark about whether they were affected. CHLA announced it planned to close its clinic for trans youth June 12.

Judges have ruled against similar requests and struck down subpoenas seeking records from other hospitals, like Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Los Angeles voters could soon get another chance to weigh in on Measure ULA, better known as the city’s “mansion tax.”

First approved by voters in November 2022, the measure has taxed real estate selling for more than $5 million. It funds tenant protection programs and affordable housing construction.

But economists have found that because the tax also applies to apartments — not just mansions — housing developers are pulling back on building in the city compared to other parts of L.A. County. One UCLA study concluded the city would have more low-income units on balance if the tax did not apply to new apartments.

Now, there’s a new effort brewing at City Hall to change how the “mansion tax” works.

City Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, introduced a motion Friday to place a new measure on the June ballot. The ballot measure would ask voters to exempt recently constructed apartment buildings from the tax, among other changes.

“We've seen some real pressures on the market as a result of ULA,” Raman told LAist. “It was sold to voters and talked about as a mansion tax. I don't think it was intended to slow the construction of new apartments in a city with an acknowledged and widespread housing crisis.”

Supporters of the tax say it’s working as intended. They dispute claims that ULA is responsible for slower housing growth in the city.

No council votes have yet been taken.

Local reform effort follows failed state bill

Supporters say the tax has funded eviction defense and rent relief programs. It has also produced the city’s largest-ever pot of money for low-income housing development, though less than 200 apartments have been completed and leased so far.

Joe Donlin, director of the group United to House L.A., called the latest reform effort “irresponsible.”

The proposed tax exemption for apartments built within the last 15 years would be “a tax break for developers and billionaires,” Donlin said.

“That would be giving money away from ULA programs that are protecting renters, that are keeping people from falling into homelessness, and building affordable housing,” he said.

Raman’s motion would also cancel the tax on homeowners affected by the Palisades Fire. Another change would restructure certain financing terms in order to attract traditional lenders to participate in ULA-funded affordable housing projects.

Many of the changes are similar to those proposed by state lawmakers in a bill that failed to advance at the tail end of last year’s legislative session in Sacramento.

Dueling effort at repeal is underway 

But those who support reform say without some changes, the tax could soon be thrown out entirely. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is collecting signatures for a separate ballot measure that would overturn not just Measure ULA, but similar taxes across the state.

Mott Smith, a reform proponent and the co-author of a UCLA study that found the tax had sharply reduced high-end real estate sales, said this is shaping up to be a tough political fight.

“I commend Councilmember Raman for doing her best to turn Measure ULA into something that might actually work before it goes away,” Smith said.

Some L.A. council members have already signaled opposition to the push for reform.

Alejandra Alarcon, a spokesperson for Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, said in a statement to LAist that Jurado opposes the motion as written.

“Voters overwhelmingly supported ULA to help build and sustain diverse communities,” the statement read. “Any changes to the measure should be made with community advocates at the table, not without them.”

What’s next?

The new City Council effort has a long way to go before any changes are made to the tax.

If a majority of the council approves it for the June ballot, a majority of local voters would need to sign off on changing a measure that received nearly 58% support from voters back in November 2022.

The eagle (egg) has landed.

Southern California's famous bald eagle couple, known as Jackie and Shadow, appear to have something new to take care of, as seen on the popular YouTube livestream run by Friends of Big Bear Valley that has captivated thousands of people.

Jackie laid the first egg of the season around 4:30 p.m. Friday in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, according to organization records, as more than 14,000 people watched the livestream.

In recent months, the birds were seen working on their "nestorations"— bringing in fresh sticks and fluff furnishings to the top of the Jeffrey pine tree they’ve claimed as their home, according to the nonprofit.

Last year, Jackie laid the first egg of that season around the same time, following up with a second and third a few days later.

Fans are once again eagerly watching the eagles for signs of more eggs in the clutch, which refers to the eggs laid in each nesting attempt, usually three days apart.

Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media and website manager, told LAist the Big Bear bald eagle fan community grew when the couple successfully raised two bald eagle chicks, Sunny and Gizmo, last season.

“The building of the nest, the bonding, the flirting, the mating, the bickering, the moving the sticks around, defending against intruders, you know, that's all been new for a lot of people,” she said.

“People are all kind of like nervous aunties and uncles,” she continued. “So we just try to keep everybody calm.”

As always, Jackie and Shadow are in charge. Fans will have to wait and see what this season will bring, Voisard said.

What to watch for

Friends of Big Bear Valley has been keeping track of the nesting season milestones, including a new daily record of at least 28 sticks delivered to the nest in November. The eagles’ previous single-day stick record was 25, according to the organization.

Other milestones include Shadow dropping off the first fluff in December, and the first mating a few weeks later.

“Pancaking” is a term Friends of Big Bear Valley uses to describe when the eagles lay flat in their nest bowl, before the eggs have arrived, for increasingly longer stretches of time.

The organization said Jackie had her longest “pancake session” of the season so far this week, laying in the nest for a little more than a half hour.

“That activity is a sign that we're getting closer to egg-laying,” Voisard said. “[Jackie’s] doing a few things, she's making the shape and she's testing it out.”

Jackie will likely also eat more fish from the nest so she has enough energy for the egg-laying process, Voisard said. Last January, the eagles brought two fish to the nest in the hours before the first egg was laid and three fish a day earlier, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.

When eggs are imminent, she said Jackie will “pancake” on the nest for long periods of time before rousing and puffing up her feathers. Then, Jackie typically makes a high-pitched, whistling tea kettle noise as she has contractions, according to the organization.

On Friday, Jackie made the tea kettle noise about three minutes before the first egg was laid, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.

“She looks almost royal, because all of her feathers are out and it's just — I cry,” Voisard said with a laugh. “It's usually pretty amazing.”

The eagles know best

While there are signs of new life coming to the nest, every season is different for Jackie and Shadow, and Friends of Big Bear Valley is encouraging people to be patient.

It was unseasonably warm in the area this past fall, and last season was the first time Jackie and Shadow successfully raised two chicks to fly away from the nest instead of just one. The organization has said both factors could delay this season’s egg-laying timeline.

“I'm sure [two] was a lot more work than with just one,” Sandy Steers, executive director of the organization, told LAist previously. “So I think that had something to do with them needing a longer break.”

And some seasons have ended with an empty nest, including in 2024 and 2023 when both sets of eggs didn’t hatch after weeks of waiting.

Voisard said while we can’t predict what’s going to happen this year, fans don’t have to watch in fear or let human emotions get in the way of enjoying the eagle experience.

“We feel all of the feels with Jackie and Shadow … happiness, laughter, we get worried, we feel joy, we felt sorrow,” she said. “It's all OK, and Jackie and Shadow move forward, no matter what.”

Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear's famous bald eagle nest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

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