The Brief

At a hearing Monday, a federal judge challenged Veterans Affairs officials’ efforts to toss out a lawsuit seeking to fast track housing construction for unhoused veterans at the sprawling West L.A. VA campus.

At the hearing — which ran for several hours — U.S. District Judge David O. Carter distributed a draft ruling in which he would let much of the lawsuit proceed, largely rejecting the government’s requests for him to dismiss it.

In a tense back and forth, Carter repeatedly questioned VA lawyers’ position that it has no legal duty to put veterans first — and at one point had the government’s lawyers call the VA’s housing hotline in open court to ask about outreach efforts to veterans experiencing homelessness.

“We’ve got a judge who feels it, who’s concerned, who wants to do the right thing,” said Mark Rosenbaum, the lead attorney for the veterans suing the VA in the case. “He gets it.”

Attorneys for the VA told LAist they were unable to comment on the tentative ruling.

Carter said he would finalize the ruling in the coming weeks, cautioning that his thinking could change. If it proceeds, Carter said he would likely schedule a trial for the spring.

During the hearing at First Street U.S. Courthouse in Downtown L.A., Carter expressed frustration at the complicated web of agencies involved in the housing efforts – saying the VA ultimately is “absolutely responsible."

And he disputed the VA’s claims that it has no legal obligation – or “fiduciary duty” – to act in the best interest of veterans.

“I think you do have a duty,” Carter told lawyers for the VA.

Carter called the finger-pointing by various government agencies, while veterans suffer on the streets, tragic.

“It’s a magical mystery tour of how these bureaucracies interact,” Carter said. “It’s quite a journey for the court, trying to look through this spaghetti of bureaucracies.”

Federal lawyers argued that federal district court judges — like Carter — don’t have any jurisdiction to decide veteran benefits. But lawyers representing veterans who are the plaintiffs in the case strongly disagreed, arguing that the VA has a legal duty to ensure housing for veterans so they can access healthcare.

Their lawsuit is asking Carter to force the VA to:

• Speed up the building of 1,200 units at the campus so that they’re all built within 5 years, rather than the VA’s current plan of 2030 (which isn’t legally binding).
• Create at least 2,500 new housing options within five miles of the campus, providing permanent supportive housing for veterans with severe mental illness.
• End leases on the campus for non-veteran purposes (such as those with private school athletic facilities) and not enter into any other leases that don’t primarily benefit veterans.

The backstory

In a previous case about veteran homelessness — settled in 2015 — a federal judge found the VA had been illegally renting out the West L.A. campus land for private purposes like athletic facilities for an expensive private school.

As a result of that settlement, the VA promised to build 1,200 units of housing on its campus. But it’s years behind schedule, prompting this latest lawsuit, filed in November. And as the delays linger on, the latest point-in-time count conducted in January shows about 3,900 veterans experience homelessness in L.A. County.

“We wouldn’t be here if that agreement had been honored,” Carter said, expressing frustration with what he said was failures to implement a series of past L.A.-area homelessness court settlements.

The resolution of this lawsuit will need strong court oversight and accountability, Carter told lawyers on Monday, saying the whole system is lacking accountability.

Bureaucracies are “bumping into each other,” he said.

The land was originally gifted to the federal government in 1888 with a deed restriction requiring that it be used as a home for former soldiers. A century ago, about 4,000 veterans lived on the land, but the government started removing the housing after the Korean War.

Promised housing running years behind

At Monday’s hearing, Carter pressed the VA’s attorneys to share how many people are currently living in the newly built housing. There were four attorneys representing the VA at the hearing. But initially none of them had answers when Carter asked in the morning portion of the hearing.

So it fell on the attorney for the veterans suing the federal government — Rosenbaum — to provide a number.

Despite the VA’s promises to build 770 units at the campus by last year, only 185 veterans are housed there, Rosenbaum told the judge.

A few hours later in the hearing, the government attorneys said they heard back with the latest number — 198 people housed currently, out of 233 units that have been built.

Rosenbaum questioned how the VA could still have 35 vacancies, months after those apartments were finished.

“You mean to tell me [in Los Angeles] you can’t find 35 homeless vets?” he said.

The VA’s lawyers said all units have been matched to people, but that they’re just waiting for paperwork to be sorted out.

The problems follow issues first reported by LAist in July. At the time, two thirds of the most recently remodeled apartments on the West L.A. VA campus were still sitting empty two months after after a high-profile ribbon cutting event last spring that declared them move-in ready.

A possible trial next spring

If the parties don’t settle the case, Carter said he probably would schedule a trial for April or May.

He encouraged both sides to “try to get together” to work out a deal that helps veterans and gives the court oversight.

The U.S. surf team will officially be managed by surfers when the Olympics come to LA in 2028. Duh? Well, for a while there, it was in doubt. Let us explain:

The backstory

US Ski and Snowboard, based in Utah, had initially been vying for control of the Olympic surf team in hopes of turning itself into an action sports juggernaut. But faced with strong opposition in the surf world, the organization dropped its bid to manage the U.S. Olympic surf team late last year.

Why it's a second chance for USA Surfing

The designation of USA Surfing as the official “National Governing Body” for Olympic surfing is a kind of second chance for the organization. Previously, it had relinquished control over the U.S. Olympic surf team following a 2019 audit that found numerous problems with its accounting and finances.

What changed?

In a news conference this week, Gene Sykes, board chair of the U.S. Olympic committee, credited USA Surfing’s “new leadership and new approach” with earning back the board’s confidence. “Surfing is a sport that has deep roots in Southern California and will no doubt be a highlight of the LA28 games,” Sykes said. “We look forward to a positive and collaborative working relationship as we deliver on the promise of LA28 and beyond.”

Tell me about Olympic surfing

Olympic surfing at the LA28 Games will take place at Lower Trestles, a world-class surf break in San Clemente.

Go deeper on this surf v. sand fight, and the latest Olympic news

• Surfers not on board with plan to have ski group control Olympic surfing
• Why are Olympics tickets so expensive?
• LA28 to award billions in Olympic contracts. City officials worry local businesses won't get a slice
• Why city officials are warning that the Olympics could bankrupt Los Angeles

Orange County is set to host two competitions during the Olympics in 2028, with surfing in San Clemente and volleyball in Anaheim. The global event is set to attract millions of fans to the region, and OC officials now want to figure out how to make money off the Games.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to create the LA 28 Olympic Preparedness Committee, which will be led by Supervisors Katrina Foley and Vicente Sarmiento.

Foley said the county is behind in preparing for the Olympics and the revenue opportunities that may come with the Games.

“Right now, Orange County doesn't really have a seat at the table, so we felt like we needed to get going,” Foley told Laist. “We did miss that opportunity in 1984, and we don't want that to happen again.”

The county is not responsible for paying for the Olympics, but Foley said the committee will work to find out what associated costs there may be.

Those costs could come from transportation needs, security, community events and more.

“It will be a long list,” Sarmiento added. “And we're not going to solve it all, but we need to ask the questions so later on we don't say, 'Why weren't these questions asked?’ or ‘Why wasn't even a discussion entertained?’”

How much of the Games will be in the OC? 

Surfing will be held at a famed break south of San Clemente and volleyball will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Mike Lyster, Anaheim’s chief communications officer, said the city doesn’t have the full details yet on the cost of hosting the volleyball tournament, but that the city is no stranger to large sporting events.

“The Olympics do bring some added dimension with international visitors and other considerations,” Lyster said. “We are working through that now to best understand what it entails.”

The county is also set to host several countries during the Games, according to Foley.

“We just learned that Italy is taking over all of Cal State Fullerton. That's great news for Orange County,” Foley said. “UCI is going to be an Olympic Village. Dana Point Harbor, we're going to create what I'm calling a seaside Olympic Village, not an official village of the Olympics, but official for Orange County.”

Officials say the athletes and the fans could help the county bolster its tourism.

“This isn't just about the Olympics in 2028,” Foley said. “This is about showcasing Orange County as a place for people to want to come back to after the Olympics.”

How much will Olympic-related spending cost the county? 

That number is elusive, Sarmiento told LAist, and the committee will ask for a report on what the county could be on the hook for.

“We'll be trying to anticipate and predict what the cost would be,” Sarmiento said. “But also being preemptive and looking to both the state and the federal administration to see, are there monies that they are going to be providing for the region?”

Supervisor Doug Chaffee said during Tuesday’s meeting that state and federal funding is in question.

“I know on other boards, such as our transportation board, we're being asked to provide special transportation, but the money hasn't come yet,” Chaffee said. “If the money is offered too late, it'll be hard to provide the transportation.”

Sarmiento said there is interest in developing the relationship between the Los Angeles and Orange counties transportation systems.

“It really is aligning the transportation systems so people can easily access events, training facilities [and] temporary residential sites,” Sarmiento added.

Last month, the Trump administration’s federal budget proposal for L.A. Metro’s key transit plan for the Games didn’t provide a dime of the $2 billion the agency is seeking. The plan includes using thousands of buses to scatter venues hosting the Games.

What could this mean for Orange County residents? 

The committee will also look into organizing community events, like public watch parties and its own fan zones.

“At the county parks, where we currently have movie nights and concerts and we can host 2,000 people, I would like to see us have viewing opportunities and experiences where not only the tourists can participate, but our own residents can participate in the game,” Foley said.

That’s especially important for residents who couldn’t afford the tickets to the Olympics, Sarmiento added.

“Watching them in community, watching them at our parks, at venues that we have available here in the county, is going to be a unique, special experience for many of our residents because we just know they will be priced out of being able to attend in person,” Sarmiento said.

Israel has agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which would pause Israel's conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran. The truce will start Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern time, President Donald Trump announced.

The devastating conflict in Lebanon has posed a challenge for the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, as Iranian leaders have insisted the agreement include Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues enforcing a naval blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, as mediators work to bring about an end to the Iran war that has engulfed the region and caused oil supply disruptions and higher fuel prices around the world.

Here are more updates from the Middle East conflict:

Israel ceasefire in Lebanon | U.S.-Iran talks | Iranian threats

Lebanese displaced woman Mariam Zein sits with her son inside the classroom of a school transformed into a displaced reception center in the area of Dekwaneh, east of Beirut on April 15, 2026.

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Joseph Eid

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AFP via Getty Images

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Israel agrees to a 10-day ceasefire in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has agreed to enter a 10-day ceasefire in the fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah but will not withdraw Israel's troops from southern Lebanon.

His remarks followed President Trump's announcement on social media that Netanyahu and the president of Lebanon agreed to the temporary ceasefire.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he welcomed Trump's ceasefire announcement.

But Hezbollah said the Lebanese people have "the right to resist" if Israeli forces remained in Lebanon, Reuters reported, raising the question of whether it will abide by the truce.

Hezbollah has both a political wing, with lawmakers in Lebanon's national parliament, and a militant wing that operates largely independently of the Lebanese government and receives funding and direction from Iran.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said the ceasefire would take effect at 5 p.m. — but warned that Israeli forces would take action if threatened.

"We will have to follow very carefully what's happening on the ground. And if we will feel threatened, we will react," Danon told reporters at the State Department in Washington. "We are not going anywhere. We are holding our positions."

"The problem is not with the Lebanese government. The problem is with Hezbollah. And it will be challenging," he said.

Trump also said he is inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for peace talks.

These developments come two days after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S. held rare talks in Washington, the first direct high-level engagement between the two countries in decades.

Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon in 2024, but U.N. peacekeepers recorded more than 10,000 violations of that agreement, mostly by Israeli forces.

The latest chapter of fighting escalated after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Within a few days, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel. Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,100 people and displaced over 1 million in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.

Hezbollah's attacks have killed at least 12 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Pakistan army chief visits Tehran to revive talks

Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, a key mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran, was in Iran's capital Tehran Thursday to secure a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations ahead of April 22, the deadline of the tenuous two-week ceasefire.

Pakistan, which holds strong diplomatic relations with both the U.S. and Iran, has emerged as a key mediator in negotiations between the two countries.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed the point on Wednesday, saying the Pakistanis "are the only mediator in this negotiation" and the president felt it's important to streamline the process through them.

Vice President Vance, Washington's lead negotiator, said a major sticking point that led to the breakdown in Saturday's talks was Iran's refusal to commit to abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

In this photo released by Telegram channel of the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

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AP

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Telegram channel of the the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

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"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance said.

Iran, under its 10-point negotiation plan, demanded an end to Israel's attacks against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other demands from the Iranian delegation included the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's military threatens to block key shipping routes

Iran's military warned it will retaliate by blocking other important shipping routes if the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.

Major-General Ali Abdol-lahi, the commander of Iran's top military command center, renewed threats on Wednesday to halt all trade in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea in retaliation for U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Of particular concern is Bab al Mandeb, a narrow waterway in the Red Sea for vessels sailing between Europe and Asia. Iranian-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen control much of the coastline near the Bab al Mandeb. Houthis disrupted shipping in that passage during the height of the Gaza war.

Another route that could be in jeopardy if Iran retaliates is a pipeline that Saudi Arabia has used just after the Iran war began on Feb. 28 to divert crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.

A top aide to Iran's supreme leader said Thursday Iran would sink U.S. ships if Trump tries to "police" the Strait of Hormuz and that he'd welcome a ground invasion as a chance to hold US soldiers hostage.

Mohsen Rezaee, a former commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, told the Iranian Fars news agency he is personally opposed to a ceasefire, and that Iran is prepared for a prolonged conflict with the United States.

Feelings are mixed among the Iranian public about the possibility of a ceasefire. Many say they welcome an end to the war, but critics of the regime say keeping a hardline government in place will lead to a harsher crackdown on dissent and personal freedoms.

In this voice note shared with NPR, a carpenter in the city of Rasht, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his safety, said he thinks it's a good sign that Iran has sat at the negotiating table at all. But many, he says — are fed up with and how long the process has taken. It makes people's hopelessness even worse, he said.

Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Israel, Kat Lonsdorf and Jawad Rizkallah in Beirut, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Abuhamda in Cairo, Rebecca Rosman in London, Jackie Northam in Maine, Tina Kraja and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR

Today is officially the last day as a county employee for L.A. County CEO Fesia Davenport, who has been on medical leave for the past six months and received a controversial $2 million taxpayer payout that LAist brought to light last fall.

Davenport announced her planned departure last month, citing health concerns. While on leave, she has faced criticism from the public and county employees over the payout, as well as a lawsuit alleging it was an illegal gift that must be reversed. The payout was labeled “confidential” and kept secret from the public until LAist unearthed it two months later, even though state law requires settlement agreements to be public.

When announcing her plan to step down, Davenport said in a LinkedIn post last month she was doing so “to focus on my health and wellness.” She also emailed CEO office staff to say she’s learned she has a predisposition for the same type of health problem that killed her brother Raymond in 2018 and that two of her sisters experienced last year. One of her sisters will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life, Davenport wrote.

The $2 million payout, approved in secret by county supervisors, was in response to Davenport claiming she was harmed by a voter-approved measure that will change her job into an elected one in December 2028, almost two years after her employment contract was set to expire in early 2027.

The supervisors agreed to pay Davenport the $2 million she had requested, without negotiating her down from that amount. As part of receiving the taxpayer payout, the settlement deal says Davenport cannot make — nor cause anyone else to make — “negative statements or communications disparaging” the Board of Supervisors and other county officials. There are exceptions, including for required testimony and disclosing workplace conduct she believes is unlawful.

The $2 million payout was in addition to Davenport’s county salary of $630,813 in annual base pay.

Leaders of the two largest L.A. County employee unions — representing nurses, social workers, sheriff’s deputies and others — said many of their members were shocked and outraged to learn about the payout from LAist’s reporting. They said Davenport had been telling workers there was no money to give them raises, while secretly negotiating a $2 million payout for herself.

A lawsuit filed by a county resident and taxpayer in February claims the payout was illegal because Davenport did not have a valid legal dispute with the county. Under the state Constitution, local government settlement payouts are illegal gifts of public funds if they’re in response to allegations that completely lack legal merit or exceed the agency’s “maximum exposure,” according to court rulings.

If a judge finds a payment was an illegal gift, they can order the money to be paid back. County lawyers are disputing the case, saying the payout served a legitimate public purpose.

The judge assigned to the lawsuit, James C. Chalfant of L.A. County Superior Court, is retiring at the beginning of next month, before the first scheduled hearing in the case. Online court records do not yet indicate which judge will take over the case.

Last month, county supervisors ordered new transparency measures in response to LAist revealing the payout. The county will now create a public dashboard of settlements between the county and its executives, and make sure all such settlements are reported to the public on meeting agendas after they’re finalized.

Ever since Davenport suddenly went on leave Oct. 8, her CEO role has been filled temporarily by Joe Nicchitta, the county’s chief operating officer.

The county CEO oversees the roughly $50 billion county budget, labor relations with over 100,000 county employees and implementing key priorities of the county Board of Supervisors — including poverty alleviation and addressing homelessness.

County supervisors, who oversee the CEO, will be in charge of selecting a permanent chief executive.