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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • L.A. County is testing it out
    A Black person wearing a red, black and white Chicago Bulls jacket leans against of railing outside and looks to the camera for a portrait. They have long dark hair in braids.
    Sandricka Henderson receives support through Los Angeles County's Housing for Health Division's Homeless Prevention program. Feb. 29, 2024.

    Topline:

    L.A. County is experimenting with machine learning to prevent homelessness, and so far nearly 90% of participants have kept their housing.

    Why does this matter? It comes at a time when more than 180,000 Californians have no place to call home, and people are ending up on the streets faster than government agencies and nonprofits can get them into housing.

    How does it work? L.A. County’s algorithm analyzes data from residents’ emergency room visits, jail stays, use of food assistance and more, and has sparked interest from Silicon Valley to San Diego.

    But how well does it work? Final data on the program isn't out yet. But so far, pairing AI with human intervention has led to positive results.

    You’ve likely heard about AI powering driverless cars, writing term papers and creating unsettling deep fakes.

    Can that same technology also prevent people from becoming homeless?

    That’s what Los Angeles County is trying to find out. Officials there are using AI technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing — and then stepping in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more.

    It’s still an experimental strategy. But the program has served more than 700 clients since 2021, and 86% have retained their housing. It comes at a time when more than 180,000 Californians have no place to call home, and people are ending up on the streets faster than government agencies and nonprofits can get them into housing. Officials all over the state are turning to methods aimed at preventing homelessness before it happens.

    L.A. County’s algorithm analyzes data from residents’ emergency room visits, jail stays, use of food assistance and more, and has sparked interest from Silicon Valley to San Diego. Final data on the program — which has roughly $26 million in federal COVID funds and is expected to end in 2026 — aren’t yet out. If it’s successful, it could have major implications for helping cities and counties spend their limited resources more efficiently.

    “If we know who people are who unfortunately are going to have that experience, and they’re already county clients, it’s a real opportunity to do something early on in their lives to prevent that from happening,” said Dana Vanderford, associate director of homelessness prevention for L.A. County’s Department of Health Services.

    A portrait of a person with a light skin tone who is wearing a bright yellow sweater. They are leaning against a wall outside, looking at the camera with glasses on and a blue lanyard around their neck.
    Dana Vanderford, Associate Director of Homelessness Prevention at Housing for Health at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, in Los Angeles on Feb. 29, 2024.
    (
    Jules Hotz for CalMatters
    )

    How does artificial intelligence predict homelessness?

    The idea started in 2019, when UCLA’s California Policy Lab began experimenting to see if it could use machine learning, combined with L.A. County data, to predict homelessness. Then, the county paired that with money to intervene before people ended up on the street – the program is predominantly funded with $26 million in COVID-era funds from the federal American Rescue Plan.

    The UCLA researchers start with a list of 90,000 people who recently used services from the county’s Health Services or Mental Health departments. Using 580 factors, the computer ranks those people from 1 to 90,000 based on their risk of becoming homeless. The people deemed to be highest-risk tend to show up in emergency rooms and jails at high rates, and have high usage of services such as CalFresh food benefits. But the model takes many more data points into consideration.

    For example, if people receive services in many different geographic areas, it could mean they’re couch surfing — bouncing from one precarious living situation to the next.

    “You sort of let the computer learn what it finds to be predictive over time,” said Janey Rountree, executive director of the California Policy Lab at UCLA.

    To train the algorithm, the researchers showed it a list of people who became homeless along with the services they used prior to losing their housing. Then, they had the algorithm practice “predicting” homelessness using old data, and checked to see if it was accurate. When they were satisfied, they started using it for real predictions.

    How well does it work? Among the 90,000 people the researchers started with, 7% became homeless in 18 months. Among the 10,000 people the algorithm deemed to be highest risk, 24% became homeless.

    If they were targeting fewer people (say 1,000 instead of 10,000), it would be even more accurate, Rountree said. But social workers aren’t able to get in touch with many of the people on the list, and others don’t agree to participate in the aid program, so they have to cast a broader net.

    Is a computer really better at guessing who will become homeless than human social workers trained in this work? Rountree says yes — 3.5 times better, to be exact.

    The problem with humans, she said, is that they’re biased toward the people they know.

    “It’s just human nature to want to help the people that you’re in contact with,” she said. “They all seem housing-unstable and at high risk. You want to help those individuals or those families in front of you. But not all of them are going to become homeless and be on the street or use shelter if they don’t get assistance.”

    Caseworkers also often prioritize people with lower needs, Rountree said. Someone who recently lost their job but otherwise is stable gets preference over someone facing ongoing struggles with their mental health or addiction, because the stable person is easier to help. But the stable person may not be the one who needs the help the most.

    There’s also a belief that people with higher needs won’t spend the money they’re given wisely, Rountree said. But AI doesn’t have that bias, so it ensures the money goes to who needs it most.

    The results are apparent. People the algorithm targets are much more likely to have been incarcerated, sought substance use treatment, had mental health issues or been hospitalized than the people who seek aid through L.A. County’s other homelessness prevention programs, Rountee said. In that way, this program fills a hole in LA County’s net of services, she said.

    L.A. County’s other, more traditional programs geared to prevent homelessness rely on people reaching out to request help or on case workers referring clients.

    Interestingly, they aren’t duplicating efforts. There’s almost no overlap between the people targeted by the AI algorithm and those served by traditional prevention programs, Vanderford said.

    “We know there’s a significant population of folks who if somebody doesn’t reach out to them to offer assistance, they might lose their housing right out from under them without reaching out for assistance themselves,” she said.

    Then, a human steps in

    Four times a year, the Policy Lab researchers send L.A. County a list of residents the AI program has deemed most likely to become homeless. The county then mails those people letters, telling them they’ve been selected to participate in the program. After that, a social worker cold-calls them to tell them the good news.

    Frequently, the person at the other end of the line is convinced it’s a scam. After all, how often does someone legitimate call out of the blue offering free money?

    When that happens, case worker Genice Brown usually will ask if she can email them — a move she hopes lends a bit more credence to her pitch. Once she convinces them the program is real, nine out of 10 people agree to sign up, she said.

    A portrait of a Black person standing outside in front of a palm tree and white fence. They are wearing a tan cardigan while smiling at the camera.
    Genice Brown, a medical case worker with the Housing Stabilization and Homelessness Prevention Unit, in Los Angeles on Feb. 29, 2024.
    (
    Jules Hotz for CalMatters
    )

    Individuals enrolled in the program receive a base sum of either $4,000 or $6,000 (the amount is randomly assigned so researchers can assess the impacts of different amounts of money). Families start at $6,000 or $8,000, with larger families receiving more.

    Brown can use that money for whatever her clients need most. Usually rent comes first, but it also can cover other bills. In addition, she helps connect her clients to doctors, dentists and mental health services. If they’re looking for work, Brown gets them gift cards for interview outfits, helps them with their resumes and role-plays interview questions.

    She works with each client for three or four months.

    ‘I just really needed the help’

    For 38-year-old Sandricka Henderson, help came just in time.

    Diagnosed with lupus at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Henderson could no longer work her physically-demanding warehouse job. Disability benefits gave her barely more than $1,000 a month — just a quarter of what she made while she was working. With an 8-year-old son to support, Henderson found she was at least $400 behind on her bills every month.

    Just before Christmas last year, Henderson received a call from a woman offering free money. Henderson was sure it was a scam, and braced for the woman to ask for her Social Security number.

    But the social worker (who turned out to be Genice Brown) didn’t, and Henderson eventually realized the program was real. The first thing Brown gave her was a $100 giftcard to a local grocery store — a blessing, Henderson said, because she had nothing in her refrigerator.

    Shortly after, Henderson’s landlord sent her a letter warning she had 10 days to pay her rent or be evicted. About a week later, Brown sent the rent money and helped Henderson avoid catastrophe. She also helped Henderson catch up on her car payment.

    Now, Henderson no longer feels like she’s teetering on the edge of homelessness. She has some money in her savings account, and her rent is prepaid for several months.

    “I just really needed the help,” Henderson said. Because she’s used to working hard and taking care of herself, she added, she never would have reached out and asked for it.

    “It really did change my whole circumstances,” she said. “My son had a Christmas that I didn’t think I was going to be able to give him.”

    The future of AI in homelessness services

    Throughout California, new people are becoming homeless faster than aid workers can find existing homeless residents housing. In Santa Clara County, for example, for every one homeless household that moved into housing last year, another 1.7 became newly homeless, according to Destination: Home, a Santa Clara County-based organization focused on ending homelessness.

    The L.A. County team has met with government agencies from all over the country who are interested in its AI model, including Santa Clara and San Diego counties, Vanderford said.

    San Diego County is working on a plan for homelessness prevention, Tim McClain, spokesman for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, said in an email to CalMatters. He wouldn’t provide any additional updates.

    Santa Clara County met with the California Policy Lab earlier this year, and hopes to schedule another informational meeting soon, said Consuelo Hernandez, director of the county’s Office of Supportive Housing. The county has its own homelessness prevention program, which relies on humans triaging clients. If artificial intelligence can do that work more efficiently, it’s worth exploring, Hernandez said.

    But at the end of the day, what they really want is more money to help the people that already fill their queues.

    “Without having additional resources,” Hernandez said, “what is the true benefit of knowing there are more people out there who are in need?”

  • City not pursuing misdemeanor charge
    A police officer in a black uniform and sunglasses stands to the left of a cop car. The police officer is holding the arm of a man in front of him wearing a reflective vest. The man is in haandcuffs.
    Jonathan Hale was arrested in December at the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues in Westwood.
    Jonathan Hale said the city isn’t pursuing misdemeanor vandalism charges lodged against him after Los Angeles police arrested him in December for painting unauthorized crosswalks in Westwood.

    The hearing: At the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues, Hale told reporters that his hearing Tuesday lasted just about 10 minutes. According to Hale, the statute of limitations for his charges remains open until Dec. 7, a year after the street safety activist was arrested. “So they can change their mind, and I do risk arrest if I do this again,” Hale said. The hearing had been rescheduled from its original date of Jan. 5.

    The crosswalks: Police arrested Hale as he and a group of volunteers, known as Peoples’ Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.

    Large rectangles are painted in white on black asphalt. There are bright orange safety bollards and signs laying against a stop sign in the background.
    One of the four crosswalks at the Westwood intersection where Hale was arrested remains unfinished. Two legs of the crosswalk were completed by Hale and his group before the L.A. police arrested the street safety activist.
    (
    Jonathan Hale
    )

    What’s next: Hale said People’s Vision Zero would continue painting crosswalks if the city does not take concrete steps toward its goal of ending traffic deaths. One way Hale said the city could make progress is by creating a community-led initiative to paint code-compliant crosswalks.

    Dig deeper into the background on Hale’s arrest.

    How to reach me

    If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is kharjai.61.

    Jonathan Hale said the city isn’t pursuing misdemeanor vandalism charges lodged against him after Los Angeles police arrested him in December for painting unauthorized crosswalks in Westwood.

    The hearing: At the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues, Hale told reporters that his hearing Tuesday lasted just about 10 minutes. According to Hale, the statute of limitations for his charges remains open until Dec. 7, a year after the street safety activist was arrested. “So they can change their mind, and I do risk arrest if I do this again,” Hale said. The hearing had been rescheduled from its original date of Jan. 5.

    The crosswalks: Police arrested Hale as he and a group of volunteers, known as People's Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.

    Large rectangles are painted in white on black asphalt. There are bright orange safety bollards and signs laying against a stop sign in the background.
    One of the four crosswalks at the Westwood intersection where Hale was arrested remains unfinished. Two legs of the crosswalk were completed by Hale and his group before the L.A. police arrested the street safety activist.
    (
    Jonathan Hale
    )

    What’s next: Hale said People’s Vision Zero would continue painting crosswalks if the city does not take concrete steps toward its goal of ending traffic deaths. One way Hale said the city could make progress is by working with his group to create a community-led initiative to paint code-compliant crosswalks.

    Dig deeper into the background on Hale’s arrest.

    How to reach me

    If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is kharjai.61.

  • Sponsored message
  • A map to the most widespread Games in history

    Topline:

    The 2026 Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Games in history, the first to span multiple regions and two host cities: Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart from each other by road.

    More details: Over the course of two and a half weeks, athletes in 16 sports will compete in events at 25 venues.

    Where is it happening? The action is divided among four main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will live in one of six Olympic Villages throughout the region: Milan, Cortina, Anterselva, Bormio, Livigno and Predazzo.

    Read on... to see what's happening where in the Olympics.

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    Want more Olympics updates? Get our behind-the-scenes newsletter for what it's like to be at these Games.


    The 2026 Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Games in history, the first to span multiple regions and two host cities: Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart from each other by road.

    Over the course of two and a half weeks, athletes in 16 sports will compete in events at 25 venues.

    The action is divided among four main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will live in one of six Olympic Villages throughout the region: Milan, Cortina, Anterselva, Bormio, Livigno and Predazzo.

    "This approach allows the maximum use of existing venues, reducing the need for new construction and, as a consequence, minimising the carbon footprint," states the International Olympic Committee on Olympics.com.

    The venues span an area covering some 8,495 square miles. Getting between towns could take more than a few hours by car — especially on remote, wintery roads.

    Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, says spectators hoping to attend events in person should be realistic about the time and distance required to get between venues and should plan accordingly.


    "I think this will be the classic 'pack your patience,' because there will be some travel time," she said.

    Even if you're watching from afar, it's still helpful to know which events are happening where. Here's a guide to the 2026 Olympic venues.

    Milan: Opening ceremony, skating and hockey 

    A stadium with large cylinder columns and red metal beams on top.
    Milan's San Siro Stadium, site of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6.
    (
    Pier Marco Tacca
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Milan is a major financial hub in Italy, not to mention a global capital of fashion and design. This is the first time it will host the Olympic Games, kicking off the opening ceremony and housing most of the indoor sports.

    The opening ceremony on Feb. 6 will be hosted at Milan's iconic San Siro Stadium. The stadium — known as the Temple of Football — is home to the city's two main soccer clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan, and marks its 100th anniversary in 2026.

    Figure skating and short track will take place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, known as the Unipol Forum, located in the small town of Assago, less than 2 miles outside Milan.

    Ice hockey is spread across two venues, the temporary Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena and the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The latter is the only new permanent venue constructed for the Games.

    Speed skating will be hosted at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.

    Cortina d'Ampezzo: Sliding sports and women's Alpine skiing

    A village of multiple temporary buildings in an area with trees and large mountains in the background.
    Part of the Cortina athletes village, seen in December in Fiames, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
    (
    Stefano Rellandini
    /
    AFP via Getty Images
    )

    Cortina, a prestigious resort town in the Dolomite Mountains, is known for its Alpine scenery and winter sports. The "Pearl of the Dolomites" has hosted the Winter Games before, in 1956.

    Alpine skiing will take place at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, named after one of the most dramatic mountain groups in the Eastern Dolomites. Many competitors will be familiar with the Olympia delle Tofane — the ski run became a permanent fixture on the women's World Cup circuit in downhill and super-G in the early 1990s and also served as the venue for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2021.

    Curling events will take place at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, which hosted many of the indoor events at the 1956 Games. This time around, the venue will also host the Paralympics closing ceremony.

    Bobsled, luge and skeleton are all happening at the new Cortina Sliding Centre, built on the grounds of the historic track used in 1956. It has already been chosen as a competition venue for the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

    The biathlon will take place in the Antholz valley, about 30 miles north of Cortina, near the border with Austria. The Anterselva Biathlon Arena has the largest spectator capacity of any of this year's Olympic venues, set to accommodate up to 19,000 people per session.

    Valtellina: Freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering and men's Alpine skiing

    A ski slope under construction with other metal structures are set in a snowy area with mountains and trees covered in snow in the background.
    Ski slopes and jumps are shown mid-construction in Livigno Snow Park in December, in preparation for the Winter Olympic Games.
    (
    Mattia Ozbot
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Valtellina Valley is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland, and is known for its skiing, cheeses and wine. The towns of Bormio and Livigno will host several outdoor events.

    Men's Alpine skiing, as well as the new sport of ski mountaineering, are happening in Bormio, a historic ski resort in the Italian Alps. The Stelvio Ski Centre will crown the men's downhill skiing champions and host the one new sport making its Olympic debut this year.

    Freestyle skiing and snowboard events will take place at two venues — Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park and Livigno Snow Park — in Livigno, near the border with Switzerland.

    Val di Fiemme: Cross-country skiing and ski jumping

    A low angle view of multiple ski slopes set up on the side of a mountain, with two large slopes are in the center.
    A view of the Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium during the Italian Championships Open ski jumping event, held in Predazzo in December.
    (
    Mattia Ozbot
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Val di Fiemme is a valley in the eastern Trentino province, known for its museums, hiking and cross-country skiing. Olympic events in the cluster are spread across two of its villages, Tesero and Predazzo.

    Cross-country skiing and Nordic combined events as well as Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing — will take place at the renowned Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, which has nearly 12 miles of trails and one of the bigger spectator capacities, at 15,000. It has been a landmark for cross-country skiing since it hosted the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1991.

    Ski jumping competitions and the jumping segment of the Nordic combined events will take place at the renovated Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium, which has two main competition hills, three smaller training jumps, a new judges' tower and a spectator capacity of 15,000.

    Verona: The closing ceremony

    A large arena with arches and columns is set around a town with buildings with red tile roofs.
    The Verona arena will host the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony on Feb. 22.
    (
    Luca Bruno
    /
    AP
    )

    The medieval town of Verona, in the Veneto region, is perhaps best known as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It will also be the closing site of the 2026 Olympics.

    The closing ceremony on Feb. 22 will take place at the Verona Olympic Arena, Italy's third-largest Roman amphitheater, which was built in A.D. 30 to host gladiator battles. In a full-circle moment, the venue will also host the Paralympic opening ceremony on March 6.
    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • TSA will charge you $45 if you don't have one
    Silhouettes of people waiting by a large window in an airport waiting area looking at airplanes outside.
    Passengers wait for their flight at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025.

    Topline:

    Are you taking a domestic flight soon? You should know: Starting Feb. 1, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license — or another federally approved document like a passport — you’ll need to pay a $45 fee at the airport to be able to get on your flight.

    Why now: This new fee was announced by the Transportation Security Administration back in December.

    The backstory: Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening.

    Read on... for what you need to know about the new fee and how to avoid it.

    Are you taking a domestic flight soon?

    You should know: Starting Feb. 1, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license — or another federally approved document like a passport — you’ll need to pay a $45 fee at the airport to be able to get on your flight.

    This new fee was announced by the Transportation Security Administration back in December.

    Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening.

    But as of Feb. 1, every person 18 or older attempting to board a domestic flight without a REAL ID will face the $45 fee – or won’t be allowed through TSA screening to board their flight.

    While TSA says that “more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification,” in 2025, the California DMV reported that only about 58% of all driver’s license and ID cardholders in the state were REAL ID-compliant.

    So if you’re one of those people who doesn’t have a REAL ID yet, here’s what to know about making sure you’re still able to travel, from how to swiftly apply for a REAL ID driver’s license to how to pay the $45 TSA fee, either the day you travel or before you arrive at the airport.

    What kind of REAL ID identification do I need to avoid the new $45 TSA fee?

    Remember, if you’ve applied for or renewed your driver’s license in the past few years, there’s a good chance you already have a REAL ID. (Here’s more information on how to tell, but in short: look for the golden bear with a white star in the top right of your license.)

    If you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s licence yet, you might have access to several other documents you can show TSA instead of a REAL ID, like:

    Two driver licenses highlighting the difference of a bear with a start in the REAL ID card and "Federal Limits Apply" in the other card.
    A side-by-side comparison of a REAL ID driver’s license (left) with a non-REAL ID driver’s license.
    (
    Courtesy of California DMV
    )

    • A U.S. or foreign passport
    • A green card (permanent resident card)
    • A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trusted traveler card, like Global Entry
    • A military ID
    • A Tribal Nation ID

    See other federally recognized documents that TSA says are an “acceptable alternative” to a REAL ID.

    Why will I now be charged a $45 TSA fee?

    Since REAL ID requirements were introduced across U.S. airports for domestic flights in May 2025, passengers who don’t have REAL ID-compliant identification have still been able to fly — but they’ve been asked to undergo extra checks to verify their identity before entering the TSA security line, through a process called TSA ConfirmID.

    According to TSA, this entails completing “an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name and current address to confirm your identity.”

    And while TSA says using TSA ConfirmID is “optional,” they warn that if you choose not to use it “and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and may miss your flight.

    What’s changing on Feb. 1: TSA now intends to pass on the costs of those extra checks directly to the passenger, by charging them this $45 fee to receive the TSA ConfirmID identity verification and make their flight.

    Be warned, though: TSA says even if you pay the new $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1, “there is no guarantee” they’ll be able to successfully verify your identity through TSA ConfirmID.

    A spokesperson for TSA confirmed to KQED by email that the $45 fee is non-refundable in this instance. But because payments are “valid for a 10-day period after their original first flight date,” travelers who miss their flight because their identity couldn’t be verified can “use the receipt once they are able to rebook their flight within that 10-day period,” the spokesperson says.

    Where do I pay the $45 TSA fee?

    You can pay at the airport itself, or beforehand, but either way, TSA says you have to pay online at pay.gov, the same federal website that processes payments like Department of Veterans Affairs medical bills and Social Security remittances.

    You won’t be able to pay TSA staff directly at the airport.

    People carry luggage in an airport terminal.
    Passengers walk through Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025.
    (
    Beth LaBerge
    /
    KQED
    )

    You can create a pay.gov account to make the $45 payment or check out as a guest. TSA says it will accept credit cards, debit cards, bank account details, PayPal and Venmo.

    Make sure you enter an email address you have instant access to, as you’ll need to open the pay.gov receipt that will be sent to that inbox and show it to TSA staff at the airport to prove you’ve paid the $45 fee for TSA ConfirmID identity verification.

    Will TSA automatically know I’ve paid my $45 fee?

    No, TSA says you’ll need to manually show staff in the security line proof of payment by producing the email receipt.

    The agency says that your receipt should arrive via email “immediately” after payment. Consider screenshotting the email receipt as soon as you receive it to be sure.

    “If a traveler is unable to produce a confirmation email at the checkpoint, you may need to pay again,” TSA says.

    If I’m having trouble paying online, can someone else do it for me?

    Yes, as long as the name and travel dates match the traveler who needs TSA ConfirmID identity verification, someone else can pay online for you, TSA says. The payment card does not have to match the traveler’s name.

    Will I have to pay another $45 TSA fee when I fly home?

    TSA says the ConfirmID service is valid for 10 days, so if your trip is 10 days or less, you won’t have to pay again — but “any travel beyond the expiration date will require a new payment.”

    However, you’ll need to show your original receipt of payment to pay.gov that arrived in your email when you first paid online, so make sure you don’t delete it on your trip.

    How long will all this take?

    In general, TSA warns you to expect “increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.”

    For one thing, expect the actual process of verifying your identity through TSA ConfirmID to take a while. Even if you pay the $45 in advance, the actual identity verification will take place at the airport itself.

    A pereson, in partial motion blur, walks down a walkway in an airport with large posters and artwork framed on a wall.
    A person walks to their destination at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025.
    (
    Beth LaBerge
    /
    KQED
    )

    You should also factor in the time required beforehand for paying your $45 online, either before you leave or at the airport itself. And if you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant ID and you haven’t already paid the $45 fee when you arrive for your flight, TSA says that “you must leave the [security] line to pay” and return to the end of the line once you’ve done it.

    So, in short, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license or other compatible ID, you should arrive at the airport with a lot of time to spare.

    Do the REAL ID requirements and TSA fee apply to children?

    TSA says it “does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States” — so the REAL ID requirements, and the TSA fee for those who don’t have them, don’t apply to kids.

    However, “unaccompanied minors who are eligible for TSA PreCheck must show an acceptable ID to receive expedited screening,” and the agency suggests you contact the airline you’re flying with about any specific ID requirements they may have for passengers under 18.

    OK, how do I get a REAL ID ASAP to avoid this new TSA fee?

    Firstly, remember that even if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s licence yet, you might have access to several other documents you can show TSA instead of a REAL ID — like a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card (permanent resident card) or a Tribal Nation ID — that mean you won’t have to pay the $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1.

    To apply for a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card in California, you’ll need several documents, including one that proves your identity and contains your full name, like a U.S. passport or a permanent resident card (green card).

    You’ll need to visit a California DMV office to obtain your REAL ID card, with or without an appointment, but you can upload your documents online in advance to save time in the field office. Check current wait times for your closest California DMV office without an appointment.

    According to the REAL ID Act, states must require individuals to prove that they are either U.S. citizens or are in the country “lawfully.”

    Non-U.S. citizens who can apply for a REAL ID include permanent residents (green card holders), holders of a valid student or employment visa and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

    If you don’t have any type of legal status, like the ones above, then you will not be able to request a REAL ID.

    This story contains reporting from KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí.

  • 82-year-old moves to her garage
    A woman with cropped gray hair and a red T-shirt stands in front of a hollowed out home raised on wooden planks.
    Sallie Reeves stands in front of what was her ranch-style home in Rancho Palos Verdes.

    Topline:

    From Sallie Reeves’ backyard in Rancho Palos Verdes, you can see Catalina Island on a clear day. You can also spot whales in the Pacific Ocean, neighborhood peacocks and red-tailed hawks. It’s the type of idyllic retirement the 82-year-old envisioned when she moved into her ranch style home in the Portuguese Bend area in 1982. But she has had to rethink what her retirement looks like after a 6-foot fissure developed through her property.

    Why it matters: It’s a predicament dozens of RPV residents have had to grapple with as their properties also slowly rip apart.

    About the land movement: Reeves lives in an area of the city that sits on an ancient landslide. Movement was minimal for decades. But above average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 set off a rapid increase in land movement, which prompted Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents, including Reeves.

    What happened to Reeves' house: Reeves' three-bedroom, two-bath home is now a hollowed out shell, raised from the slab on wooden platforms. The only thing that remains intact are some of the walls, beams and floor to ceiling windows. It’s now red tagged as she awaits a FEMA buyout.

    Where does she live: Reeves has since had to downsize. She now lives in a converted garage, with a modest bathroom, a bedroom and a living space that also doubles as a dining area and kitchen. Her furniture has been distributed to her nieces and nephews, and most of her belongings are in storage, packed into containers parked on her driveway.

    From Sallie Reeves’ backyard in Rancho Palos Verdes, you can see Catalina Island on a clear day. You can also spot whales in the Pacific Ocean, neighborhood peacocks and red-tailed hawks.

    It’s the type of idyllic retirement the 82-year-old envisioned when she moved into her ranch-style home in the Portuguese Bend area in 1982. But she has had to rethink what her retirement looks like after a 6-foot fissure developed through her property. It’s a predicament dozens of Rancho Palos Verdes residents have had to grapple with as their properties also slowly rip apart.

    Reeves lives in an area of the city that sits on an ancient landslide. Movement was minimal for decades. But above average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 set off a rapid increase in land movement, which prompted Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents, including Reeves.

    Her three-bedroom, two-bath home is now a hollowed out shell, raised from the slab on wooden platforms. The only thing that remains intact are some of the walls, beams and floor to ceiling windows. It’s now red tagged as she awaits a FEMA buyout.

    “We got snake bit, that’s all,” she said, adding that the damage to some of her neighbors’ homes is much worse.

    Reeves has since had to downsize. She now lives in a converted garage, with a modest bathroom, a bedroom and a living space that also doubles as a dining area and kitchen. Her furniture has been distributed to her nieces and nephews, and most of her belongings are in storage, packed into containers parked on her driveway.

    “ I can live here a long time. We've got a full bath, and we don't have cupboards or anything, so it's pretty ugly looking at it, but I'm functioning just fine,” she said about her new home.

    When things started going from bad to worse

    When Reeves moved into her home in the '80s, land movement wasn’t a concern. She used to be able to walk to the bottom of the canyon behind her home. Now, that’s all washed away and it’s a 30-foot drop.

    Storms at the end of 2022 leading into 2023 were the turning point.

     ”We just started noticing thresholds coming apart, cracks here and there,” she said.

    And pretty soon it wasn’t just a crack in the bedroom wall.

    “One night we had animals come in through the walls,” Reeves said, describing how the bedroom wall separated from the home during a storm, “It was like the fire hose was right on our bed.”

    A white washing machine is covered in a yard area of a home. Nearby, a ladder leading to the roof rests against a wall.
    There was no room for a washer in Sallie Reeves' converted garage, so she uses it outside.
    (
    Yusra Farzan
    /
    LAist
    )

    In response to wildlife incursions, they decided to convert the garage. It was a 33-day process.

    A reluctant buyout applicant 

    In 2024, Rancho Palos Verdes announced a buyout program — with the help of federal funds — for residents whose homes were made inhabitable by land movement.

    Reeves was a reluctant applicant.

     ”Tearfully, I went to the city and filled out the application on the very last day, down to the last hour,” she said.

    She still doesn’t know if she’ll accept the buyout money: Doing so will mean she has to move and the property will be converted to open space.

    It could take years before she has to make that decision, so the two-time breast cancer survivor spends some of her time raising money for the disease and enrolling in 60-mile walks across the country to raise awareness for breast cancer. The rest of the time, she tends to her native plants and spends time with her dogs.

    Plants and pots sit on shelves near a wooded area.
    Where Sallie Reeves spends time gardening.
    (
    Yusra Farzan
    /
    LAist
    )

    “ I think half the world thinks that I am bat shit crazy, and you gotta be a little that way. But I've been privileged in the sense that I know how valuable this is to me,” Reeves said.