The Brief

The thing with social media platforms is misinformation can spread as fast as the fires currently burning across the L.A. region. Hot off the announcement that Meta is doing away with fact checkers, social media has been ablaze with conspiracy theories and AI generated images and videos.

The Department of Homeland Security says scammers take advantage of disasters and emergency situations “to further an ulterior agenda” by playing on people’s emotions and using trending algorithms for “hijacking conversations and financial scams.”

Kristina Lerman, a research professor at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering who specializes in misinformation, AI and how people communicate in digital spaces, said during times of crises  everybody's talking about the same thing so it gives opportunities for people to push their misinformation.

“They use these opportunities, times of crisis, to push their agendas through propaganda,” she said. “They would take one grain of truth, and then they would twist it to fit the narrative, to promote their own specific narrative that they want to push.”

Cailin O'Connor, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, said sometimes when misinformation spreads, people can act on it, which could have consequences during an emergency situation.

" There's also kind of emotional impacts where sometimes people are upset or scared about things that they don't need to be because of misinformation spreading about something that's so scary and serious," she said.

LAist sorted through the fact and fiction for you regarding some of the misinformation that has cropped up recently:

• Should you book a ticket to L.A. to aid in clean up?

No, there is a false post making the rounds on Facebook asking people to come to California to aid in the cleanup of areas affected by the fires. CalFire officials say this is false and “there is no such opportunity available.”

• Are fire crews from South Africa aiding in the firefighting efforts?

No. A video circulating on social media shows firefighters from South Africa landing at a Canadian airport while supposedly enroute to Los Angeles. The video was from 2023 when South African crews aided in firefights in Mexico.

• Were Oregon firefighters turned away because their equipment did not pass emission tests?

No. They were not turned away and their equipment did pass safety checks. Oregon firefighters joined in the L.A. firefight Friday morning.  ”The L.A. County Fire Department has never turned down any offers for mutual aid assistance and resources,” L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Monday.

• Did fire crews actually use handbags to put out the fire?

On the contrary, those bags in the videos circulating online are canvas bags, an LAFD spokesperson told CBS News. Canvas bags are a common tool used by first responders to put out smaller flames — an easier response than pulling out a hose.

• Did the Hollywood sign burn? Was a neighborhood mosque the only structure left standing?

WhatsApp messages a reporter received to verify a video doing the rounds.

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Yusra Farzan

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LAist

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No and no. The image of the Hollywood sign on fire is AI generated and the mosque in question is in Indonesia. Want to fact check content forwarded to you? You can use Google Reverse Image Search.

• Is Gov. Gavin Newsom going to work with property developers to rebuild Pacific Palisades into apartments instead of single family homes?

No, Newsom took to X to refute those claims. And changes to zoning fall under the purview of city governments, not the state.

• Why didn’t Newsom sign the "water restoration" declaration?

There is no water restoration declaration, despite what President-elect Donald Trump said. Read more here.

• Why did the water hydrants in Pacific Palisades run dry?

They didn’t. Pressure in those water hydrants was reduced as demand for water – four times than normal – increased. My colleague Kevin Tidmarsh has a great explainer here.

• More brush clearance could have helped prevent the Palisades Fire, why wasn’t it done? 

Even if the excess vegetation was cleared, there was no stopping the powerful winds that fueled the spread of the wildfires. The winds could cast embers more than a mile away, making containing the spread impossible, my colleague Jacob Margolis writes.

• Can I donate to the L.A. County Fire Department via links I found online?

No, the L.A. County Fire Department is currently not accepting online donations as they do not have a system in place to accept them.  "We have staff working on a process to accept donations over the internet for our L.A. County Fire Department," said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. "I ask that those wanting to donate hold off until we have a process established that will guarantee the funds benefit our personnel."

• I am seeing reports online about how the L.A. Fire Department prioritized DEI efforts in the last few years and that's why the wildfires caused so much destruction. Is this true?

L.A. Fire Department is headed by a gay woman, Kristin Crowley. As our friends at NPR write, partisan politics during a crisis is used to drive engagement online.

"The story is something like this: We as a society used to hire on the basis of competence and meritocracy. But that system has been hijacked by powerful minorities," Ian Haney López, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the author "Dog Whistle Politics" told NPR.

• How can I get a permit for expedited reentry into Malibu?

You can't get one because they don't exist. The city of Malibu said people are not currently allowed into evacuation zones, neither are private contractors. If people need to check on a pet or obtain medication, they can call the city at (310) 456-2489.

• I have heard the billionaire owners of The Wonderful Company, Stewart and Lynda Resnick own most of the water in California. Is this true?

Stephanie Pincetl, director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA, told NPR that they do use a lot of the state's water, but it is not "distinct and not germane to the problem" of battling wildfires.

• Are we running out of water to fight the wildfires?

We are not. Local reservoirs have enough water to aid firefights. " There's way more water in local storage than you could ever fight a fire with," Marty Adams, former general manager and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, told NPR.

• Did mansions belonging to Ukrainian military officers burn down in the fire?

No, that was misinformation pushed by pro-Kremlin accounts. "It is the latest in a long string of assertions by Russian officials, media, and the pro-Kremlin online ecosystem that Ukrainian officials are corrupt and use foreign aid money to enrich themselves." Léa Ronzaud, a senior investigator at research firm Graphika, told NPR.

• California has stringent environmental policies. Did those cause the wildfires?

No, this is a claim by people like Elon Musk doing the rounds on social media. Experts from UCLA's Law School Emmett Institute say the regulations help rather than hurt California. The L.A. Municipal Code requires homeowners to clear brush that could pose fire risk from near their property. The state also passed a law in 2020 requiring homeowners to create a 5-foot fire resistant buffer zone around their property. That law hasn't been formally enforced as some homeowners are resistant to the change because they don't find it aesthetically pleasing.

How to be a fact checker

Lerman and O'Connor shared some tips that people can use to sift through all the information:

• Take a moment to verify. Turn to other people in your social circles, the media or government officials to verify claims. For example, when the false alarm evacuation texts were sent out, a call to the local police station confirmed that it was indeed false. 
• Check your source. If the message has a political bias, ask whose agenda it could be serving. “ Anything that's linked to the blame game right now, like blaming somebody as being responsible for it, that's a sure sign that's actually being used for propaganda purposes and not to convey relevant information,” Lerman said.  Some of the best information comes from those who have vast experience and background on topics. “If it’s an online influencer, like a fashion influencer or celebrity or even a politician from outside of the state who really is not addressing the wildfires directly, then be skeptical about the information they are promoting because they could have some hidden agenda behind it.”
• Check if an image is AI generated — a tall tale sign is misplaced text or inaccuracies. For example, the viral photo of the Hollywood sign on fire had an extra L in “Hollywood.”
• Slow down. O'Connor said take a moment to pause before sharing information. Sometimes just stopping to think through what you are about to share can help distinguish whether it is false or not.

This story will be updated as more misinformation is spotted.

According to the Recording Academy itself, the Grammy for best new artist is for musicians who are having "a breakthrough into the public consciousness."

What did it look like to have a breakthrough moment in 2025? More often than not, it meant having a hit song on TikTok. At this weekend's Grammys, all eight best new artist nominees are musicians whose popularity skyrocketed thanks to the app.

"If there's anything that speaks to TikTok's power right now, I think it's this category in particular," says Robert Steiner, a media analyst at the music and entertainment insights company Luminate.

Last year, Luminate partnered with TikTok on a Music Impact report. It found what many powerbrokers in the music industry have known for awhile: The app is not only a large source of music discovery, but also a leading driver of chart success. According to the report, 84% of songs that entered Billboard's Global 200 chart went viral on TikTok first.

And music, in turn, is essential to the app as well. Steiner says going all the way back to its roots in Musically — a platform for lip-syncing videos — songs have been the currency for TikTok's biggest memes and dances.

"A lot of the trends that we see on TikTok are audio-based. Obviously video is part of it, but the sound is a huge aspect of it as well," Steiner says. "It was set up to really capitalize on audio becoming a key driver to the app, and I think as a result, it does seem like they created at least a segment of their user base that is very musically inclined."

Looking at this year's Grammy nominations, the best new artist contenders run the gamut from indie darlings who started making music a decade ago to former Hype House TikTok creators who launched recording careers in 2025. All eight nominees used the app in their ascent to pop stardom — but did they rise through the music industry into TikTok virality? Or the other way around?

Olivia Dean

The English singer is not a newcomer; as she told NPR's Morning Edition in September, she's been recording and releasing music for nearly a decade. In 2023, her album Messy was shortlisted for the U.K.'s Mercury Prize. But in 2025, the warm soul-pop melodies of her album The Art of Loving put her on the map in a major way. The single "Man I Need" became a hit on TikTok — it's been used in 1.7 million videos so far, according to the app — and quickly climbed the charts.

Did Olivia Dean come from TikTok or the music industry: The music industry. 

KATSEYE

Born out of a reality television competition show in 2023, KATSEYE is a global girl group seemingly created for TikTok virality — and so far, the sextet has delivered. In 2025, singles like "Gnarly" and "Gabriela" steadily climbed the charts; but perhaps more importantly, they soundtracked millions of videos on TikTok. Choreography from KATSEYE's Gap commercial (set to "Milkshake" by Kelis, not their own song) became a dance trend too, heralded as a clap back to Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle jeans ad. In December, TikTok officially crowned KATSEYE its Global Artist of 2025.

Did KATSEYE come from TikTok or the music industry? Both.

The Marías

The indie pop band started releasing synth-driven, bilingual songs nearly a decade ago and collaborated with Bad Bunny on his 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti. But it was a demo of their song "No One Noticed," which lead singer María Zardoya released unofficially on her TikTok account, that would become the band's biggest song to date, and was later officially released on their 2024 album Submarine. Zardoya told podcast host Zach Sang that despite being a slower, introspective song — the opposite of what the band's label wanted at the time — fans gravitated towards it on social media.

Did The Marías come from TikTok or the music industry? The industry via the independent route — they built a fanbase and eventually landed a record deal with Atlantic, then hit big on the app. 

Addison Rae

Originally from Lafayette, La. — cue the Britney Spears comparisons — Addison Rae became a TikTok sensation in 2019 by posting videos of herself dancing to viral songs. She moved to Los Angeles, joined the Hype House and amassed millions of followers, all of which then helped build momentum for a music career. After a co-sign from Charli XCX on the "Von Dutch" remix, she released her effervescent debut album Addison in June.

Did Addison Rae come from TikTok or the music industry? TikTok. 

sombr

Hailing from New York City's Lower East Side, the Gen Z rocker sombr has had his share of viral TikTok songs. His 2022 single "Caroline" was the first, helping him get signed to Warner Records when he was still 17 years old. Two more followed in 2025; his singles "Back to Friends" and "Undressed" were used on hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos and both steadily climbed Billboard's Hot 100 chart, months before sombr released his debut album I Barely Know Her.

Did sombr come from TikTok or the music industry? Both. 

Leon Thomas

A child Broadway star and former Nickelodeon actor, it's safe to say Leon Thomas has been grinding for decades. After being mentored by Babyface for years, the 32-year-old has produced for artists ranging from his Victorious co-star Ariana Grande to Rick Ross. In 2024, he won a Grammy for best R&B song for his contributions to SZA's "Snooze." But Thomas' sophomore album, MUTT, landed him directly in the spotlight — its lead single took off on TikTok and climbed Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Of this year's best new artist contenders, Thomas is the most widely recognized by the Recording Academy; he landed five additional nominations, including for album of the year.

Did Leon Thomas come from TikTok or the music industry? The music industry. 

Alex Warren

Another member of the Hype House collective, Alex Warren went from posting massively popular pranking videos online to releasing a romantic ballad — and instant wedding playlist staple — that spent months climbing Billboard's Hot 100 chart. "Ordinary" became one of the biggest hits of the summer, and earned Warren an invitation to perform with country superstar Luke Combs at Lollapalooza.

Did Alex Warren come from TikTok or the music industry? TikTok.

Lola Young 

Often drawing comparisons to previous best new artist winner Amy Winehouse, the 25-year-old had already released several albums before her 2024 single "Messy" went viral on TikTok. Young's songs had already been gaining traction on the app for a while — videos of her performing "Don't Hate Me" on a playground in 2023 racked up millions of views — but "Messy" became a different kind of phenomenon. Before performing at Coachella last spring, Young told NPR's Morning Edition that she does not identify as a TikToker, but recognized the massive impact the app has had on her career.

Did Lola Young come from TikTok or the music industry? The music industry.

More than a century after it first opened its doors, the Vermont Square Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library still is operating out of its original building, nestled among the homes on West 48th Street.

It’s not just a library. For generations, it’s been considered a safe place and gathering spot for people who otherwise may have no place to go. Today, the neighborhood council uses the room in the library’s basement for meetings, the grassy area out back is a place to relax, and for some, the building is a refuge from hot- and cold-weather days.

Of course, people also go there to read books, for free access to the internet and for children’s programming. But they also go there to find peace and quiet amid the hustle and bustle of inner-city Los Angeles.

“It feels safe. It’s pretty big. It’s nice inside and comfortable. There are people to talk to, and I can meet friends,” resident Moses Rogers told The LA Local.

The Vermont Square Branch was built in 1913 on what had been park land donated by the city of Los Angeles. It was funded with a Carnegie Foundation grant, the philanthropy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the arts, higher education and public libraries after making his fortune in steel in the late 19th century.

The library is not the oldest branch in the city system, but it’s the first library building owned by the city. All other city libraries and facilities were housed in rented spaces.

It was designed in the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance, and you still can find the original circulation desk, windows that allow in natural light, old furniture and marble fixtures inside the library.

Branch manager Martha Sherod has worked at the library for 13 ½ years and calls the Vermont Square Branch a hidden treasure that some in the neighborhood can overlook. She said some people think it’s a government building, but for the people who grew up using the library, it symbolizes being home.

“People come here for a purpose, they want to be here. We really like serving them,” Sherod told The LA Local. “Now that I’ve been here so long, I’ve seen kids grow up from being little kids to college students. So, it’s really been a joy for me.”

Sherod said the branch holds about 24,000 items and has 4,500 visitors a month on average. The library also offers adult and teen programming, including free legal advice, health screenings, arts and crafts and book club activities.

“The library isn’t just for quietly sitting and reading. There’s usually a lot of good activities happening. There are resources that you can use at home by downloading or just coming in here,” Sherod said.

The Vermont Square Branch was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 1983 after the community rallied to keep the building from being replaced. The exterior of the building remains the same, although the library was retrofitted for earthquake safety in 1990, a process that caused the branch to close to the public for six years.

Longtime Vermont Square resident Fletcher Fair told The LA Local she’s been going to the branch since the late 1960s, and the library will always be a cornerstone of the community.

“It’s the neighborhood library, and that’s where everyone went and prospered. We hung out, studied and partied,” she said. “There were a lot of events here.”

The first measles case of the year in Los Angeles County has been confirmed by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

County public health officials said Friday a county resident who recently traveled abroad has been confirmed to have measles. Authorities have not identified any locations, other than healthcare settings, where the person could have exposed others.

Affected healthcare facilities are contacting patients and employees about potential exposure. County officials also are in the process of identifying those who may have had contact with the person.

Measles spreads easily through the air and can stay on surfaces for many hours. Those infected can spread the virus before showing symptoms, which can take weeks to appear.

Symptoms include a fever above 101 degrees; cough; runny nose; red, watery eye; and a rash that typically starts on the face.

So far, 588 measles cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. this year, the highest number of cases in a January since the U.S. eliminated measles in 2000. Most of these cases are linked to outbreaks in South Carolina, Arizona and Utah.

The L.A. County Department of Public Health is encouraging Angelenos to check their immunization statuses for a measles, mumps, rubella vaccine to determine if they’re protected against the virus.

Residents also should notify their health providers for guidance in the case of a potential exposure.

If symptoms develop, contact a healthcare provider via phone as soon as possible. L.A. Public Health advises people not to go physically into a health care facility before notifying them of measles symptoms.

The leaders of the Los Angeles Unified teachers union now have the power to call for a strike if they can’t reach a deal over pay, benefits and student support with the district.

United Teachers Los Angeles’ has about 37,000 members. Of those who voted, 94% voted in favor of authorizing a strike. The tabulation process lasted late Friday night, and results were announced overnight Saturday.

Union members, which include school psychologists, counselors and nurses, simultaneously voted to approve an agreement that preserves existing health benefits without increasing costs to educators.

The strike authorization vote does not guarantee teachers will stage a walkout this semester. First, the union must exhaust all steps of the collective bargaining process.

Stephanie Castro teaches seventh-grade English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Highland Park and voted for the strike authorization.

“ I will do what needs to be done to fight for these proposals,” Castro said. “I want to make it super clear to Angelenos that teachers don't want to go on strike. We absolutely would rather be in our classrooms with our students. … We also know that things cannot continue as they are.”

In a statement Saturday, the district pointed to other recent agreements with its labor unions, while also citing fiscal challenges related to declining enrollment and other factors: "We recognize the real financial strain on educators and staff but must make difficult decisions to preserve classrooms, student services and long-term stability within finite resources."

How did we get here? And what happens next?

UTLA’s bargaining team has met with the district more than a dozen times since negotiations began last February.

The union declared an impasse in December, a legal step that triggers intervention from a neutral mediator appointed by the state’s labor relations board.

On Wednesday, the mediator determined the two parties would move to the next step in the process, fact-finding, wherein a representative from the union, the district and the California Public Employment Relations Board collectively develop a recommendation to settle the negotiations.

The rejection of this panel’s recommendation could lead to a strike — or more negotiating.

As in previous contract talks, the proposals that cost the most money are those that take the longest to hash out.

The union is asking for raises and changes to the salary schedule so that newer teachers who complete professional development can earn increases more quickly. UTLA estimated before mediation that this would amount to an average pay increase of 16% the first year and 3% the following year. The annual ongoing cost to the district would be about $840 million.

The district has said it cannot afford what the union has proposed and has offered annual increases of 2.5% the first year and 2% the second year with a one-time payment of 1%.

“Significant distance remains between what the district can responsibly offer and what UTLA proposes,” read a Jan. 28 statement from LAUSD.

The union’s other proposals include more investment in arts education, legal aid for immigrant families and staff to support students’ mental health.

Castro, the middle school teacher, said she notices a difference when her students have access to the school’s psychiatric social worker and other wraparound services.

“It allows them to be fully present in the classroom,” Castro said. “They're not so worried about things that are happening outside of it and can really focus on that essay that they need to write or developing a thesis statement.”

Are you a UTLA member? Share your thoughts on your strike authorization vote with me via email.