The Brief

Survivors of the deadly Los Angeles County fires, some of whom have been unable to rebuild because their insurance claims have been delayed or denied, are calling for California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to resign.

Lara, a former state lawmaker, has one year left in his second term.

A recent New York Times article detailing loopholes the insurance industry could exploit in Lara’s plan to try to improve California insurance availability was the last straw, fire survivors said. They said it proved Lara has helped the insurance industry more than he has helped policyholders.

Lara and others said his plan, which officially rolled out just days before the L.A.-area fires in January, is in its early stages and will take time to work.

Jill Spivack, a State Farm policyholder whose home burned in the Palisades Fire, said during a press conference Thursday that she has been unable to rebuild.

“We feel alone, we feel forgotten,” she said. She implored Gov. Gavin Newsom to replace Lara. “Californians deserve an insurance commissioner that protects families, not the insurers doing harm,” Spivack said.

Lara — who also faces accusations of improper spending of taxpayer dollars on travel — told CalMatters in an interview that he has no plans to resign.

“I understand the anger [of fire victims],” Lara said. “I’m frustrated with the pace of recovery that involves multiple agencies, multiple levels of government.”

He mentioned the actions he has taken in response, which include the Insurance Department’s June launch of a formal investigation into State Farm over its handling of claims from the L.A.-area fires; a legal action against the FAIR Plan, the state’s fire insurer of last resort; and a bulletin requiring insurance companies to fully investigate and pay smoke damage claims.

Lara’s efforts aren’t helping survivors quickly enough, some of them say. On a website the group recently launched calling for Lara’s resignation, the Eaton Fire Survivors Network links to surveys that say 70% of policyholders face delays and denials, and that 61% expect to lose housing coverage within months. They want the investigations sped up. They want Lara to pause approvals of rate increases in the meantime.

Why one survivor wants Lara out

Andrew Wessels is still waiting to move back into his Altadena home, which did not burn down but was damaged. He first spoke with CalMatters in May, as he was battling State Farm over getting his home tested for toxins because he did not want to move his two children back into a potentially unhealthy environment.

He told CalMatters on Friday that he is still waiting for more tests the insurer ordered as it decides what it wants to pay for. He expects to have to wait until next year before he and his family can actually rebuild. But he feels lucky that he, his wife and kids found semi-permanent housing after shuffling among Airbnbs since the fire. They are now three months into an 18-month lease that State Farm is paying for, and he’s breathing a little easier because he’s “not boxing up things every few weeks.”

He is joining the call for Lara’s resignation. He said the state’s insurance department recently closed his complaint about State Farm’s handling of his claims based on the company’s word alone — without asking him first.

“Recent information provided by the insurer states that the matter you originally brought to our attention is currently in stable condition,” the department’s Oct. 8 letter states.

“It was particularly concerning that it was closed without talking to me,” Wessels said. “They’re supposed to represent me. I think it speaks to who the Department of Insurance actually serves.”

He appealed and asked a couple of his state lawmakers’ staff to contact the department on his behalf, and it reopened his complaint.

“It was also concerning that ‘if State Farm says it, it must be true,’ since the department is investigating (the insurer) for illegal practices,” Wessels added. That proves a change is needed, he said.

Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos and the governor’s office did not return repeated requests for comment about the calls for the governor to replace Lara.

Nicole Ganley, a spokesperson for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said the industry group would have no comment on the effort to oust Lara. She pointed to a letter to the editor the group sent to the New York Times, which took issue with the story about insurers reportedly exploiting loopholes in the commissioner’s new regulations by avoiding writing policies in certain areas, then turning around to request to raise their premiums anyway.

“The reforms are recent, and their impact is still unfolding,” the letter says in part. “Suggesting failure at this stage misrepresents the facts and risks undermining public confidence in a strategy designed to stabilize coverage in high-risk areas.”

‘No magic wand’ for insurance crisis

Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that is often at odds with Lara, was also at the press conference. Throughout his tenure, her organization has questioned his insurance ties, beginning in 2019 when Lara received and returned campaign contributions from the industry. He ran for office pledging not to take money from companies he’d regulate.

The organization is also the main intervenor in insurance rate reviews, meaning it often submits challenges to insurers’ proposed rate increases and changes. On Nov. 20, a public hearing is scheduled to discuss Lara’s proposed changes to the intervenor process, which Consumer Watchdog has characterized as the commissioner’s revenge.

“What we’ve seen happen over the past couple of years is things getting worse for consumers, not better,” Balber told CalMatters ahead of the press conference. “We need someone new in charge who will hold the industry accountable to its promises.”

But Amy Bach, executive director of San Francisco-based consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, said she is “sorry to see energy being expended in this direction.”

She said there are legal, regulatory and other efforts underway to try to improve the state’s home insurance market, and that bringing in a different commissioner isn’t likely to speed things up. “There is no magic wand that will solve the insurance challenges that are plaguing L.A. wildfire survivors and causing premiums to rise untenably across the state,” Bach said.

Robert Herrell, a former deputy insurance commissioner under Lara’s predecessor, also used the magic-wand analogy. As climate disasters and risks proliferate, there is no easy fix to what ails property insurance in this state, nation and the rest of the world, he said.

Yet he said survivors need a strong commissioner who stands up to the insurance industry. “This is not that commissioner,” said Herrell, who is now executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Consumer Federation of California. “Just because he says that every time he takes action it’s for the consumers doesn’t make it true.”

Bach said Lara has had to find a way to balance competing interests: “No prior commissioner faced the marketplace conditions he’s faced, so it’s hard to say whether a heavier-handed approach would have worked any better than what he’s trying to achieve.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

The priority deadline for California students to apply for federal and state-based financial aid is March 2. And as students hustle to meet this deadline, the state is also encouraging them to claim their CalKIDS scholarship—up to $1,500 that can be used to pay for college or a career training program.

Typically, scholarship applications involve writing essays, meeting GPA requirements and maybe even securing letters of recommendation in a competition for limited funds.

But the CalKIDS scholarship requires none of that, said Noah Lightman, assistant deputy director at ScholarShare Investment Board, which oversees the program.

About 60% of California’s public school students are eligible for the scholarship, and it’s non-competitive. Students are entitled to the money by state law, Lightman said — they just have to claim it.

CalKIDS launched in 2022. To date, about 850,000 California students have claimed their scholarships.

Lightman pointed to research showing that children with even a modest amount of money set aside for higher education are three times more likely to attend college—and four times more likely to graduate college than children who don’t have any savings.

He knows from personal experience, having juggled coursework, extracurriculars, standardized tests and college applications while figuring out how he’d pay for college. Knowing there’s easy-to-access money “can be life-changing,” he added.

How are the CalKIDS scholarship amounts determined? And how do I claim it?

Students in second grade and up who are eligible for a CalKIDS scholarship will get at least $500.

The state determines eligibility based on a variety of factors, including family income and whether the student is learning English as a second language. If a student is unhoused or fostered, they will receive an additional $500. Eligible students who are unhoused and fostered will receive $1,500.

Lightman encourages everyone to check, though.

To claim their scholarships, Lightman said, students just need their 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier, which is assigned to them at school. (If you don’t know what yours is, ask your teacher or counselor.) Once they have their SSID, students or their parents can go to the CalKIDS website, plug in that number, along with their birthdate and county where they attend school, and readily find out if they are eligible and, if so, for what amount.

Students do not need a Social Security number to access these funds.

The process takes about five minutes or less, said Julio Hernandez, a college and career administrative coordinator for Los Angeles Unified School District. Counseling teams across the district have been instructed to tell students about CalKIDS, Hernandez added. He’s also used the website to secure a $500 scholarship for his son. Once he graduates, Hernandez’s son will be able to use that money to help cover tuition or other higher ed expenses.

According to CalKIDS, students have used their scholarships to pay for everything from books to housing bills.

Students can start using their CalKIDS funds as young as 17, and they don’t have to spend it while they’re undergraduates. If they would like to hold on to that money till grad school, they may, Lightman said—but the money must be spent by the time they turn 26. Currently, he added, nearly 150,000 students are using CalKIDS to help pay for college.

What might keep students from claiming their scholarship?

At Long Beach Unified, counselors help students and parents navigate the claim process.

Counselors at the district also describe the process as quick and straightforward. But, Candyce Simpson, a counselor at Jordan High School, noted in an emailed statement to LAist that students and their parents are often “bombarded with emails about college and the cost of college.”

“There are predatory programs that spam our kids about scholarships, if you pay a fee,” she added. “As counselors, we constantly remind our students and families that if they ask for a credit card, they should delete the email immediately. These programs are very savvy, and they look very legitimate.”

Messages from CalKIDS may get “buried,” Simpson said. “Students know FAFSA and Studentaid.gov; we need to add CalKIDS to our narratives more intentionally.”

Hey, new parents! There is also a CalKIDS scholarship for babies 

Every baby born in California on or after July 1, 2022 is also eligible for a separate CalKIDS scholarship—regardless of their family income.

These scholarships start at $100. To access them, parents need their child’s 13-digit local registration number, which can be found on their birth certificate. If families choose to link this money with the state's official college savings program, ScholarShare 529, CalKIDS will add another $50 to their account.

The scholarship, though small in comparison to escalating college costs, “serves as a conversation starter,” Lightman said, “helping families look at college savings in general.”

Community members have organized an event called “Disneyland Raza Invasion” outside the theme parks to take place the same day as the planned "MAGA Takeover" at Disneyland in Anaheim tomorrow. Here’s what to know about the dueling events.

Disney is not involved in the events. The two are solely organized by outside groups with no direct affiliation with the amusement park, such as “Dapper Dan Day” and “Bats Day.”

Park officials declined to respond to LAist’s requests for comment.

Organizers with 805 Patriots say “Patriots in the Park” is a “peaceful” event for “family-oriented” conservatives to enjoy a day at the park. They’re encouraging attendees to show support for the president by wearing attire permitted by Disneyland, such as red hats, shirts and accessories.

Organizers say the “MAGA Takeover” meet-up is strictly recreational and participants should enjoy the park as regular visitors, without seeking attention or creating disruptions.

“It is NOT a march, protest, demonstration or political action. Attendees will enter the park as everyday guests and are expected to follow all Disneyland guidelines,” according to a statement from 805 Patriots.

Signs, flags or any form of disruptive conduct are prohibited, according to Disneyland’s rules of entry.

The Brown Berets of California, a Chicano community organization, is also planning a “Disneyland Raza Invasion” outside of the main park entrance on Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m.

Organizers on social media said the “peaceful, united presence” is to “stand against hate and intimidation.” The group speaks out against the Trump administration’s policies, including immigration raids.

Every year, a South Bay ice cream gives kids the opportunity to turn their ideas into sweet, sweet frozen reality.

Over the years Kansha Creamery’s kids’ flavor contest has yielded all kinds of creations, some featuring hibiscus, others with strawberry lemonade or kinako (roasted soybean powder) — and 2026 marks the competition's 10th anniversary.

The shop is in a strip mall off Western Avenue on the border of Gardena and Torrance, and owned and operated by siblings James Marumoto and Elaine Marumoto-Perez. Their neighbors include a yakitori spot, a ramen shop and a dentist.

The kids flavor contest is a reflection of the owners’ vision for their shop, a space shaped by the people in their neighborhood.

“We were kind of just open to just trying anything,” Elaine said of their first contest in 2015. “We really wanted to just kind of be a part of the community. So it was a good way to do that.”

Putting the community into ice cream

As kids, James and Elaine said they entered Mitsuwa — then Yaohan— grocery store’s annual Mother and Father’s Day drawing contests.

They looked forward to seeing their art displayed in-store and their parents were excited about the free gift card.

Kansha’s contest invites kids 12 and under to submit a drawing of their flavors. James and Elaine weigh the entries’ art, story and likelihood the idea will yield tasty ice cream.

One of the winners in 2023 was Wafu-Wahoo Japanese Memory by Kairi Kitagawa. The flavor is so popular, Kansha’s made it on-demand for wedding orders. “ It's like super cool, the fact that they're like making my ice cream [at] special events,” Kairi said. “I feel, like, really happy about that.”

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Kairi, now 15 (back left) said he was inspired by a summer trip to Japan where he toured a mochi factory. His sister Sayana, pictured here with his mom, won the kid’s flavor contest in 2018 with Love Love Strawberry Heart.

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Korra entered the contest several times before winning with Winter Chip in 2024. “I really [like] mint chip and I thought about winter,” she said. “I thought of snow.. and the marshmallows were like the same colors.”

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Korra's mom, Winnie, estimated she bought more than 30 pints of the flavor to share with family and friends.

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Elaine remembered a submission from a few years ago that proposed an ice cream flavored like rain on pavement.

“That is so beautiful and so artistic, but we cannot make that flavor,” she said.

Other times, the contest doesn’t align with the right season for a particular ingredient.

Once they select the winners, James is responsible for making them a reality.

“It's more stressful than like a regular day,” James said. “Because I don't want to let the kid down. I also don't wanna let the parents down.”

Opening a South Bay ice cream shop 

Before James and Elaine opened Kansha in 2015 they rotated between part-time jobs. Elaine nannied and taught piano. Both worked at local restaurants.

They donated part of what they made to charity, but wanted to do more.

“Kansha means gratitude in Japanese,” Elaine said. “We kind of wanted to embody that in our business practices.”

James and Elaine way back when.

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They chose an ice cream shop, in part, because they wouldn’t need additional employees and they said there were few options for frozen treats in the South Bay at the time.

James taught himself to make ice cream from books and emails with other makers. Early flavor experiments included mustard and straw.

The organic ice cream base for every flavor is from Northern California’s Straus Family Creamery. Some of the store's best-known flavors, including matcha, draw on their Japanese heritage and the area’s Asian diaspora.

The flavors rotate frequently, but the Mr. Universal — vanilla ice cream with caramel and oatmeal cookies — is always on the menu.

The flavors rotate frequently, but the Mr. Universal— vanilla ice cream with caramel and oatmeal cookies— is always on the menu.

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It represents “the humble and the rich,” James said. “Anyone can enjoy it.”

The business survived the pandemic by switching from in-store scoops to pints-to-go.

“It's kind of a miracle,” Elaine said. “We believe in God and so we're like, ‘this is God's story and he's been taking care of us this whole time.’”

On a recent afternoon, the shop’s customers included friends catching up over cones, a grandmother and granddaughter, and school age kids doing homework and playing Jenga.

After more than a decade in business, Elaine and James are still the primary employees. Their cousin helps out on the weekends.

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“They want you to stay,” said Winnie Laurel, a regular who lives nearby. “It's not a turn and burn, you know, type of place.”

Elaine greeted many people personally — asking about their kids or a recent concert they’d attended.

She said the siblings have grown more confident and more connected to the community over the years.

“The job before was, kind of like, to give the product to the person,” Elaine said. “But now… I feel more like a host of this place and make people feel comfortable.”

They also give back: Within six months of opening, Kansha had donated more than $10,000 to feed children in need. The shop now reports their lifetime giving tops more than $550,000.

The 2026 kids’ flavor contest winners 

About two dozen kids entered the contest this year.

Charlotte's reaction to her first bit of Ooey Gooey Greatness? "Oh, that's good!"

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The hue of 8-year-old Charlotte Hosmer’s painting of a gold-brown scoop of Oooey Gooey Greatness caught James’ eye.

“ It's hard to capture the color of salted caramel, and that was like the perfect color of salted caramel,” James said.

Hosmer envisioned the flavor as a combination of hot fudge, caramel (the Ooey Gooey) and chocolate chips.

“The greatness came from 'cause I thought I was gonna be great,” Charlotte said.

After more than a decade of making ice cream, James can reference the shop's encyclopedia of past flavors for techniques to create the kids’ ideas.

Amaya Ingram's initial reaction to tasting Golden Zoeycolada for the first time?  "I think it's really good!"

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Take the second winner, Golden Zoeycolada— piña colada with pineapple chunks and shortbread cookie— which borrows techniques from a previous Taiwanese pineapple cake ice cream.

Creator Amaya Ingram, 6, was inspired by her favorite fruit and the breakout song from “KPOP Demon Hunters.”

Zoey, the rhyme-spitting star from Burbank, is Amaya’s favorite of the trio and what she dressed up as for Halloween last year —  “She looks a lot like me. Like she has bangs. I have bangs.”

“ I worked so hard on this flavor,” Amaya said. “ I did drawing and thinking and writing and typing.”

How did winning feel?

“Amazing."

Elaine said she hopes the kids who participate feel like their voice matters.

“ Even if you don't win, it's like you made something that you're excited for,” James said. “And you have a chance of something good happening.”

Afterall, everyone who entered gets a free scoop at the shop this week.

Thanks to Cindy Ujiiye for translation help

The Warner Bros. Discovery board announced late Thursday afternoon that Paramount's sweetened bid to buy the entire company is "superior" to an $83 billion deal it had struck with Netflix for the purchase of its streaming services, studios, and intellectual property.

Netflix says it is pulling out of the contest rather than try to top Paramount's offer.

"We've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," the streaming giant said in a statement.

Warner had rejected so many offers from Paramount that it seemed as though it would be a fruitless endeavor. Speaking on the red carpet for the BAFTA film awards last weekend, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos dared Paramount to stop making its case publicly and start ponying up cash.

'If you wanna try and outbid our deal … just make a better deal. Just put a better deal on the table," Sarandos told the trade publication Deadline Hollywood.

Netflix promised that Warner Bros. would operate as an independent studio and keep showing its movies in theaters.

But the political realities, combined with Paramount's owners' relentless drive to expand their entertainment holdings, seem to have prevailed.

Paramount previously bid for all of Warner — including its cable channels such as CNN, TBS, and Discovery — in a deal valued at $108 billion. Earlier this week, Paramount unveiled a fresh proposal increasing its bid by a dollar a share.

On Thursday, hours before the Warner announcement, Sarandos headed to the White House to meet Trump administration officials to make his case for the deal.

The meetings, leaked Wednesday to political and entertainment media outlets, were confirmed by a White House official who spoke on condition he not be named, as he was not authorized to speak about them publicly.

President Trump was not among those who met with Sarandos, the official said.

While Netflix's courtship of Warner stirred antitrust concerns, the Paramount deal is likely to face a significant antitrust review from the U.S. Justice Department, given the combination of major entertainment assets. Paramount owns CBS and the streamer Paramount Plus, in addition to Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and other cable channels.

The offer from Paramount CEO David Ellison relies on the fortune of his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. And David Ellison has argued to shareholders that his company would have a smoother path to regulatory approval.

Not unnoticed: the Ellisons' warm ties to Trump world.

Larry Ellison is a financial backer of the president.

David Ellison was photographed offering a MAGA-friendly thumbs-up before the State of the Union address with one of the president's key Congressional allies: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican.

Trump has praised changes to CBS News made under David Ellison's pick for editor in chief, Bari Weiss.

The chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, told Semafor Wednesday that he was pleased by the news division's direction under Weiss. She has criticized much of the mainstream media as being too reflexively liberal and anti-Trump.

"I think they're doing a great job," Carr said at a Semafor conference on trust and the media Wednesday. As Semafor noted, Carr previously lauded CBS by saying it "agreed to return to more fact-based, unbiased reporting."
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