David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published June 20, 2025 5:00 AM
Leslie Quechol, second from left, stands with relatives outside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, where her cousin is being held after a raid on an L.A. apparel company.
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David Wagner
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LAist
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Topline:
Federal immigration raids across Southern California have been taking workers away from their families. After the initial shock of separation, those left behind are starting to wonder how they’ll pay next month’s rent.
Rise in evictions feared: As President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts collide with L.A.’s deeply entrenched housing crisis, local tenant advocates are bracing for more families to fall behind on rent. So far, L.A.’s elected leaders have not shown support for calls to temporarily pause evictions in response to the raids.
Who’s at risk? Relatives of detainees say they’re not sure how they’ll cover their July 1 rent payment. Other immigrant workers who have not been detained are also losing income as entire workplaces shut down to avoid being targeted in future sweeps.
Read on … to learn how local landlords view the situation, and how families are trying to make ends meet.
Federal immigration raids across Southern California have been taking workers away from their families. After the initial shock of separation, those left behind are starting to wonder how they’ll pay next month’s rent.
As President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts collide with L.A.’s deeply entrenched housing crisis, local tenant advocates are bracing for more families to fall behind on rent.
“We will likely see an uptick of folks being evicted due to non-payment of rent, and the inciting event will be that their loved one was detained and taken by" Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Henrissa Bassey, an eviction defense attorney with the legal aid nonprofit Bet Tzedek.
Relatives of detainees say they’re not sure how they’ll cover their July 1 rent payment.
Other immigrant workers who have not been detained are also losing income as entire workplaces shut down to avoid being targeted in future sweeps.
Immigrant workers were already struggling to afford L.A.’s high rents before this month’s raids. By federal housing affordability standards, 67% of undocumented households are considered to be financially burdened by L.A. rents, according to a 2024 report by the USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute.
Bassey said loss of income triggered by the raids could be devastating for families in a region where Latinos have been one of the fastest-growing segments of the unhoused population.
“This could have the result of increasing homelessness for entire families,” Bassey said.
When breadwinners are locked up
In the desert city of Adelanto, two hours northeast of L.A. by car, people seized in recent sweeps are being held in an ICE detention center run by the private prison company GEO Group.
U.S. Congress members who recently inspected the facility said the Adelanto ICE Processing Center is holding about 1,200 detainees. Some families have been able to visit their relatives, who have been moved far from their homes.
Some people who have been detained by ICE are being held in Adelanto, in the California desert, at a facility run by the private prison company GEO Group.
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David Wagner
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LAist
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“Their conditions inside there were awful,” said Leslie Quechol, who came to visit her cousin this week. Her cousin was one of dozens arrested in a raid on Ambiance Apparel, a company in downtown L.A.’s Fashion District.
Quechol said her cousin is “the head of his household.” After being detained, he “left three kids and his wife” behind in their Boyle Heights home, Quechol said.
Listen
3:39
ICE raids lead to another crisis for immigrant workers and families: How to pay rent
With their sole breadwinner behind bars, the family is worried about paying next month’s rent. Quechol said her cousin’s wife is staying home to care for their children, aged 1 to 9. Quechol doubts their landlord will have much patience if the rent is late.
“That's not how it works," she said. "She's going to have to see where she's going to have to go with her three children.”
Should L.A. pause evictions?
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has described the raids as a “body blow” to the L.A. economy. Some tenant advocates think the city should respond with a moratorium on evictions.
Tony Carfello, an organizer with the L.A. Tenants Union, said a pause on evictions is necessary because immigrant workers are facing “two crisis situations at once.” L.A. rent puts them at risk of eviction, while ICE raids put them at risk of deportation if they keep working for rent money.
The way Carfello sees it, many immigrant renters are in a double bind: “Am I going to be picked up and deported without due process,” he said, “or am I going to be sent out on the streets?”
In an email, Dan Yukelson with the Apartment Association of Greater L.A. said his organization is “unaware of any issues concerning payment of rent” because of recent detentions.
Local landlords have consistently opposed calls to reinstate pandemic-era eviction protections for late rent payments.
“Renters who might invariably claim that ICE has somehow impeded their ability to sustain employment and pay rent on time will merely use any excuse to not pay rent,” Yukelson said.
LAist asked Bass and L.A. City Council Housing Committee Chair Nithya Raman if they would support an eviction moratorium. Neither responded.
Similar proposals related to the economic fallout from January’s wildfires have failed to win the support of the L.A. City Council.
Workplaces closing as a precaution
Paying rent on time will be challenging not just for families with someone in detention. Entire workplaces have shut down, causing immigrant workers to lose income even if they haven’t been detained.
Preemptive workplace closures have been happening in L.A.’s apparel industry, a low-wage sector that heavily relies on undocumented workers. In a 2020 survey conducted by the Garment Worker Center, 93% of L.A. workers said they worry about paying rent.
Juan, a garment worker in L.A., said his boss told him and dozens of other workers to stay home after the Ambiance Apparel raid. The decision to close the factory was made to avoid being targeted in another federal sweep. But it means workers are not getting paid.
Like others in this story, Juan asked us not to use his full name because of the risk of being targeted by immigration authorities.
Speaking in Spanish, Juan said: “I think about this every day. Day after day, I think maybe I won’t be able to make rent.”
Juan said his wife and daughter have been cooking and selling food out of their apartment. But it’s not bringing in enough money to cover the rent, which claims about two-thirds of his monthly income.
“As the father of the family, I’ll have to see where I can get the money to pay my rent,” Juan said. “I’ll have to figure it out.”
Arturo has spent less time looking for work as a day laborer at this Home Depot since federal agents stormed the parking lot and arrested workers on June 6.
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David Wagner
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LAist
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Raids send some workers into hiding
Day laborers are among the workers who have been arrested in recent raids. Arturo normally goes to the parking lot of a Home Depot in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood to look for work.
“Many people are no longer coming, because they’re afraid,” he said, speaking in Spanish.
Arturo was there when masked agents stormed the parking lot and started grabbing and handcuffing people on June 6. Arturo said he managed to run to safety inside the Home Depot. But since the raid, his income has dropped significantly.
Arturo said he’s been getting some work from past clients. But he’s not hanging around the Home Depot for now. He fears he could be late on next month’s rent.
Immigrants without legal authorization to be in the country are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Arturo said he has learned more about his rights from the L.A. Tenants Union, but other forms of assistance are hard to find.
“Sometimes, there's no support — moral, psychological or legal support from people who can help or tell you what you can do to avoid being evicted,” Arturo said.
Arturo recalled one time when he paid his rent late. He said his landlord told him there are plenty of people who’d like the chance to take his spot.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Max Muncy #13, Tommy Edman #25, Mookie Betts #50, Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on during a pitching change during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
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Sean M. Haffey
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
Milwaukee’s brilliant bullpen slammed the door late and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1982.
What happened: Shohei Ohtani’s first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS.
Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, Milwaukee’s brilliant bullpen slammed the door late and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1982.
No. 9 hitter David Hamilton’s two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz gave the Brewers a two-run cushion in the ninth. Hamilton had just four homers in the regular season.
“We got down early tonight and we were like, it’s going to be a great story,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “We’re going to come back and win this. Like, stay together, start chipping away. And that’s exactly what they did.”
Shohei Ohtani’s first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS.
Milwaukee became the first major league club to complete a postseason sweep after getting swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason.
“Playing with that chip on our shoulder,” Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby said. “You don’t ever know what to expect going into a series like that last year. You don’t know how bad it can be, and then it was as bad as it was. And we came out and we survived, and we came back this year, and those guys played their tails off.”
The Brewers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in their only other World Series appearance, when Milwaukee played in the American League.
With the score tied 4-all, Mitchell fell behind 0-2 before reliever Tanner Scott threw three straight balls for a full count. Mitchell’s 409-foot leadoff drive to center field — the first homer of his career on an 0-2 count — put the Brewers ahead for the first time. Mitchell also homered in their 6-2 victory Wednesday.null
“I’ve always dreamt of moments like these as a kid,” Mitchell said.
The Brewers’ bullpen coolly turned away multiple threats when the Dodgers had the potential tying run on base.
Winning pitcher JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy with Kyle Tucker at third to end the sixth.
Ashby, who worked three scoreless innings for a save, struck out Ohtani swinging before Mookie Betts grounded out with Andy Pages at third to end the seventh. Will Smith doubled to right with one out in the eighth and was safe at third when the ball got away from Sal Frelick for an error before Ashby got Tucker to fly out and Teoscar Hernández to strike out.
The Brewers tied it in the fifth, when the Dodgers bullpen issued four walks and Milwaukee stole two bases. Hamilton’s single chased starter Tyler Glasnow and scored Frelick, who walked and stole second, to pull Milwaukee to 4-3.
Alex Vesia came in and promptly walked Brice Turang and William Contreras to load the bases. Vesia then walked NLCS MVP Jake Bauers with two outs to force in Hamilton with the tying run.
Glasnow retired his first 10 batters — six on strikeouts — before the Brewers got to him in the fourth. Turang walked, Contreras hit a ground-rule double and Bauers followed with another ground-rule double that closed Milwaukee to 4-2.
Ohtani broke out of his postseason slump with a three-run homer after Pages’ RBI single in the second. The four-time MVP released weeks of pent-up frustration by raising his arms and yelling and the crowd of 49,104 joined him in celebration.
Matthew Ballinger
is the senior editor for climate and environment coverage at LAist.
Published October 15, 2026 5:52 PM
The Henderson Fire sparked Thursday afternoon at Camp Pendleton.
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Alert California
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UC San Diego
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Topline:
Parts of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton have been ordered to evacuate, and the 5 Freeway has been closed in both directions as a wildfire burns in the area. The Henderson Fire had charred more than 1,100 acres as of 4:40 p.m.
What we know so far: The 5 Freeway was closed between Harbor Drive, near Oceanside, and Basilone Road, near the Orange County line. The Camp Pendleton Fire Department was fighting the fire, according to Cal Fire.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Parts of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton have been ordered to evacuate, and the 5 Freeway was briefly closed in both directions due to a wildfire in the area. The Henderson Fire had charred more than 1,118 acres as of 7 p.m.
CHP closed the 5 Freeway between Harbor Drive, near Oceanside, and Basilone Road, near the Orange County line, but began reopening the interstate just before 6 p.m.
The Camp Pendleton Fire Department was fighting the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The basics
Acreage: 1,118 acres as of Thursday afternoon
Containment: 0%
Structures destroyed: None reported
Deaths: None reported
Injuries: None reported
Evacuation orders
According to Cal Fire: "An evacuation order has been published for the Las Flores (41 Area). All affected personnel, please evacuate to Paige Field House, located in the 11 Area." A secondary evacuation point was set up at 21 Area gym, according to the Camp Pendleton Facebook page.
Road closures
5 Freeway between Basilone Road and Harbor Drive, but it was being reopened.
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Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published October 15, 2026 4:19 PM
A Costa Mesa woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in two elections has had her case dismissed
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Tiffany Ujiiye
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LAist
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Topline:
A Costa Mesa woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in two elections has had her case dismissed, according to the district attorney’s office Thursday. She won’t serve time but will have to pay for four anti-voter fraud billboards that feature her dog’s image.
Background: Laura Lee Yourex, 64, was charged with five felonies in 2025 for illegally registering her dog and casting ballots on its behalf. Yourex was facing up to six years in prison. In April, Yourex pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of knowingly registering a “non-existent person to vote,” and the DA’s office dismissed the remaining four felony charges against her. LAist did not immediately hear from Yourex’s lawyer.
More on the billboards:As part of the plea deal, Yourex was required to pay $1,500 for four anti-voter fraud billboards along the 55 and 22 freeways in Orange County for the Nov. 3 General Election. The billboards read, “Don’t be a dog. Voter Fraud is a Crime. If you can’t legally vote, don’t vote. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute.”
Laura Lee Yourex was required to pay $1,500 for four anti-voter fraud billboards along the 55 and 22 freeways in Orange County.
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Courtesy of the OC District Attorney's Office.
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Why this matters: The dog incident comes at a time of heightened debate over voter ID. In the General Election, Californians will be asked whether to require voters to show proof of ID at polling places and provide identification numbers on mail-in ballots. Currently, voters only need to provide an ID and Social Security number when they register to vote.
Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period.
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Kelsey Knight
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Unsplash
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Topline:
California’s wine industry is still trying to figure out how to adapt to a world with fewer alcohol drinkers, where even the most high-end wineries are fighting a losing battle. Because the state has more wine than people want to drink, some wineries are quietly selling their premium bottles under generic retail home brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature or Kroger and Aldi labels.
Sales: Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing grape prices to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production.
“They have way too much of it, and they haven’t been able to sell it the last few years,” said Jess Lander, wine reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news show.
Listen
15:51
How California wineries are dealing with a high-end bottle surplus
Bargain bottles: Lander has reported that bottles that typically cost around $150 are now, in some cases, going for less than $30 under a different brand label.
How to take advantage: Lander says if you’re looking to take advantage of the surplus bargain, look at the region on the bottle and then do a little experimenting with your palate.
Listen to the full conversation above: To learn more about the wine industry’s outlook and the effects on consumers.
Topline:
California’s wine industry is still trying to figure out how to adapt to a world with fewer alcohol drinkers, where even the most high-end wineries are fighting a losing battle. Because the state has more wine than people want to drink, some wineries are quietly selling their premium bottles under generic retail home brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature or Kroger and Aldi labels.
Sales: Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing grape prices to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production.
“They have way too much of it, and they haven’t been able to sell it the last few years,” said Jess Lander, wine reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news show.
Bargain bottles: Lander has reported that bottles that typically cost around $150 are now, in some cases, going for less than $30 under a different label.
How to take advantage: Lander says if you’re looking to take advantage of the surplus bargain, look at the region on the bottle and then do a little experimenting with your palate.
Listen to the full conversation above: To learn more about the wine industry’s outlook and the effects on consumers.
