The Brief

One in every four people in Los Angeles County owns a dog or a cat, according to local officials. But those furry friends are not welcome in some apartments because many landlords ban pets.

Under a new proposal by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, those restrictions could soon go away for many renters.

The Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Tuesday in favor of exploring a new requirement for landlords to allow renters to have at least one pet per household. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Janice Hahn were absent.

The proposal is still in early stages and would need to be approved in subsequent votes before any changes take effect.

The plan also aims to prohibit — or place a cap on — the ability of landlords to require tenants to pay additional rent, fees and deposits for pets.

These rules would only apply in unincorporated parts of L.A. County, and only in buildings subject to the county’s rent-stabilization ordinance. Various county departments overseeing rental housing and animal welfare will now have 180 days to report back to the Board of Supervisors on the feasibility of passing these protections.

The vote was celebrated by tenant advocates who say many renters are threatened with eviction over their pets, while others struggle to find housing in the first place.

“People really feel stuck in the current housing that they're in because they don't know of any other place where they're going to get their pets accepted,” said Zaira Bernal, co-director of Heart L.A., a legal aid organization focused on tenants with pets.

Big dogs often surrendered due to housing problems 

Bernal said forcing tenants to choose between their housing and their pets can lead to more animals being surrendered at already overcrowded local shelters.

“That just really burdens the system when it comes to animal shelters and decisions they have to make about being over capacity,” Bernal said.

A recent L.A. Times analysis found that the number of euthanized dogs at shelters run by the city of L.A. has increased 72% this year compared to the same time period in 2023.

Supervisor Hilda Solis, who introduced the motion to explore new pet protections in L.A. County, said in a statement following the vote: “At a time when residents across the County are struggling to find affordable housing, especially residents with pets, while our County shelters are experiencing a significant rise in owner pet surrenders, it’s clear we must explore feasible solutions.”

The motion approved by the Board of Supervisors requests the protections to include no limits on weight for pets. County animal shelter officials say housing-related problems have consistently been the top reason owners give for surrendering dogs over 55 pounds.

Landlords say pet restrictions exist for good reasons

Landlords say they worry that blanket pet protections could lead to costly damage to units, complaints about noise and safety, and issues for tenants who would prefer to live in pet-free buildings.

“There are individuals who have allergies and other sensitivities that should be respected,” said Fred Sutton, spokesperson for the California Apartment Association.

Sutton also argued that passing these protections for rent-controlled tenants in unincorporated parts of L.A. County — but not in other areas — would add another layer of confusion to the region’s patchwork of housing laws.

“You're creating really piecemeal regulations that make it very, very hard for rental owners — particularly independent rental owners — to understand and comply with,” Sutton said.

During public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Joseph Laskowski argued against the proposal, saying he was bitten by a dog in 2008.

“There are some animals that should not live in multi-family housing,” he said. “Imagine a 1970s rent-stabilized building, but add four or five pit bulls to it. Who does that help? That helps no one. What it does is it creates an unsafe living environment.”

This isn’t the first attempt to protect tenants with pets 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, L.A. County placed new limits on eviction for tenants who adopted pets that were not permitted under the terms of their lease. Elected leaders said the goal was to keep renters housed during a public health crisis, and to protect animals that provided companionship and emotional support in a period of prolonged isolation.

After those pandemic-era protections expired, the L.A. City Council made the ban on evictions permanent for pets adopted during the pandemic. Landlord groups supported that decision at the time, but asked that tenants be required to notify their landlord about any undisclosed pets.

Other recent attempts at expanding the rights of California tenants with pets have stalled.

A state bill introduced earlier this year by Assemblymember Matt Haney of San Francisco initially aimed to require landlords to accept pets and ban additional pet rent or deposits. After facing fierce opposition from landlord groups, the bill failed to advance past a State Senate committee.

The county proposal discusses giving landlords some ability to screen pets. As currently written, the motion would allow landlords to require a “pet resume” during the tenant application process, detailing the animal’s behavior, vaccination records, licensing, microchip records and whether they are spayed or neutered.

L.A. County health officials Wednesday confirmed the county's seventh measles case this year — a traveler who passed through Hollywood Burbank Airport on the morning of June 17.

They're warning people who may have come in contact with the person of possible exposure to the highly contagious virus.

What you should know: Public health officials say the infected traveler arrived on Southwest Airlines Flight 4245 Gate A4 on June 17 at the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Anyone who was at that gate between 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. may have been exposed.

Officials also noted that people who were at the Thrifty Rental Car Service on June 17 from 9:20 to 10:20 a.m. and on June 18 from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. may have been exposed. That's located at 2627 N. Hollywood Way in Burbank.

What if I was on the flight? Public health officials say passengers sitting next to the traveler will be notified by local health departments and should monitor for symptoms. Keep in mind those symptoms could appear up to three weeks after you were exposed.

Symptoms to look out for: Common symptoms include runny nose, fever cough, or a rash. It's also important if you develop these symptoms, don't just walk into a health care center without calling ahead first.

For people exposed on June 17, the last day to monitor for symptoms is July 8. For those exposed on June 18, the last day to monitor for symptoms is July 19.

How can I protect myself?: It's important to check if you are vaccinated against the measles. As health officials noted in the news release reporting the latest case: "The most effective way to protect yourself and your family is with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine."

The Los Angeles Unified Board voted unanimously to appoint Andres Chait, a longtime district administrator, as superintendent days after his predecessor resigned.

 “This board's decision reflects the confidence in Mr. Chait's leadership, his decades of service to Los Angeles Unified, and his demonstrated ability to guide the district during this period of transition,” said board President Scott Schmerelson.

The board met privately to discuss the district’s top job three days after Alberto Carvalho resigned. Carvalho wrote in a letter that he was leaving “because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction.”

The board placed Carvalho on paid administrative leave following FBI searches of his home and district office in February and appointed Chait acting superintendent. Carvalho has not been charged with a crime and has maintained his innocence.

Who is Andres Chait?

Chait rose through the ranks from teacher to administrator at LAUSD over nearly three decades. The responsibilities of his most recent role, chief of school operations, included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management.

Chait thanked the board, the community and his family after the announcement Wednesday and reflected on his first day as a kindergarten teacher 30 years ago. “ I was probably more nervous than the kids were, but I knew then that this was a place where I could make a positive difference in the lives of students and families,” Chait said. “I've always known that there is no greater accelerator of change and opportunity than the schoolhouse, and that is still true today.”

What is the superintendent responsible for?

LAUSD is the country’s second-largest school district, employs 83,000 people and enrolls more than 400,000 students across more than 1,000 schools. Despite recent gains in student test scores, the majority of students are not proficient in reading and math skills for their grade level. The district also faces looming financial challenges from declining enrollment — which is tied to state funding — and federal investigations into programs designed to help underserved students succeed.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A former state parks superintendent who oversaw Orange County beaches was charged Wednesday with secretly filming naked male lifeguards and other workers inside the locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach. The former superintendent, Kevin Pearsall, is also accused of sending some of the images to two other men.

What charges does he face?

Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 18 years and eight months behind bars.

Scott C. Thomas, a defense attorney representing Pearsall, declined to comment in the wake of the charges being announced by the Orange County District Attorney's office. Pearsall is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 6 and could enter a plea at that time.

Details of the investigation

In July 2025, a California State Parks officer discovered a USB stick with a hidden camera in the men's locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters. The officer contacted California Highway Patrol, which launched an investigation.

The investigation found Pearsall allegedly had recorded numerous secret videos in the locker room over an 11-month period beginning in August 2024, according to the DA's announcement. Pearsall retired from his job shortly after CHP served search warrants in the case. He turned himself in earlier this week.

State Parks reaction

Marty Greenstein, a spokesperson for California State Parks, told LAist the agency “takes these charges very seriously and has fully cooperated with law enforcement through every step of the investigation.” Greenstein declined to comment further, citing the active criminal investigation.

Making your way through South Coast Plaza — the sleek consumer cathedral in Costa Mesa, a sort of mall of malls — past Uniqlo window displays and Pop Mart blind boxes, there's a good chance you'll eventually land at Tiny's, the new casual restaurant from Chef Sang Yoon.

The burger shack-meets-Asian convenience store is the latest from Yoon, best known for Father's Office, the Los Angeles institution where he's spent two decades running one of the city's most uncompromising kitchens — no substitutions, no exceptions.

Tiny’s marks Yoon’s first venture into Orange County — a deliberately accessible entry point for a chef who has spent decades at the top of L.A.'s gastropub scene.

The concept

Tiny's is the place Yoon wanted to exist as a kid.

Inside, you're greeted by shelves stocked in the style of a konbini, the beloved Japanese convenience corner store, with cilantro-flavored Doritos from China, elote-flavored Turtle Chips from Korea and, for the purists, the requisite Japanese Kit-Kats and Pocky too.

At the counter, a friendly employee greets you beneath a letterboard menu anchored by Yoon’s signature 30-day dry-aged beef burger. Starting at $9 for a plain burger, up to $12 for the Tokyo Dog dressed in bonito flakes and furikake, there's also salt and vinegar tots, french fries, miso mac 'n' cheese and soft serve that runs from Straus vanilla to Pineapple Dole Whip, available as a swirl, cup, cone or float. That's the menu, streamlined by design.

Chef Sang Yoon's cheeseburger and Tokyo Dog at Tiny's, his new fast-casual concept inside South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa

(

Grid Vongpiansuksa

/

Courtesy Tiny's Burger

)

For Yoon, the son of Korean immigrants who grew up between two worlds, the idea of opening a burger stand with a konbini was about tapping into the happy place of his memories: after school with friends, trying out the latest snacks to hit the market to Friday nights with the entire family celebrating after a long week of grinding it out with burgers and chili fries.

"The corner burger stand is where life happened. ... What if those two of my favorite things were under one roof?" said Yoon.

Tiny the dog

Inspiration for the name Tiny’s came from a somewhat unlikely place: Yoon’s beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yoon describes her as appearing extremely cute and friendly, but in reality, she was actually sassy and judgmental. Illustrations bearing Tiny’s "don't mess with me" vibe can be seen throughout the restaurant.

“People would rather hear this from a sassy, cute dog than me. So I decided that we should channel Tiny. And let this belong to her," Yoon said.

The food

The cheeseburger itself is simple: a thin patty topped with melted American cheese and Tiny's signature sauce — a blend of Kewpie mayo, caramelized gochujang, ssamjang and tomato — finished with pickle chips and a bed of lettuce.

What sets it apart is what you can’t see, the same 30-day dry-aged chuck Yoon has used at Father’s Office for over 25 years.

“I still don’t think there’s any product superior to that for the purpose of a hamburger,” he said.

The spread at Tiny's includes the cheeseburger, miso mac 'n' cheese, chicken nuggets, tater tots, fries and a jammy egg sando — a konbini staple in Japan.

(

Grid Vongpiansuksa

/

Courtesy Tiny's Burger

)

The nuggets ($10) had a crispy, craggy exterior finished with visible seasoning crystals, a small but deliberate touch, and came with a fresh herbaceous dipping sauce. As for the chili fries ($8), the chili itself was sufficient as an L.A.-style chili (think Tommy's), but since Lao Gan Ma chili crisp was promised in the name, I was expecting that distinctive, crunchy, fermented kick — but left wanting more of it. It felt more like a whisper than a statement.

The miso mac 'n' cheese ($6) was a highlight of the meal, especially for someone who doesn't usually order mac 'n' cheese. Fresh ridged elbow pasta with a proper chew in each bite, and salty morsels of miso folded into a tight cheese sauce had me picking up forkfuls until it was mostly gone. Consider my position reconsidered.

Encouraged, I went back and ordered a Dole Whip ($7). The electric, tangy flavor, paired with the soft creaminess, served as a suitable exclamation point for my lunch that day.

With Tiny's, Yoon has built his most personal restaurant — accessible in price, but uncompromising in intention.

Could mall food now be on a new trajectory? Perhaps we've finally transcended corn dogs at Hot Dog on a Stick and cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon.

After dining at Tiny’s, all signs point to yes.