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.

A criminal investigation is underway Tuesday at the burned Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights.

Agents with California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control Criminal Investigations Bureau, a law-enforcement unit that investigates potential violations of the state’s hazardous-waste laws, are serving a search warrant at the site. Surveillance video showed law enforcement arriving around 7:30 a.m., and some remained on scene as of midday Tuesday.

An agent with the department confirmed that the Office of Criminal Investigations is the lead agency but declined to comment further. Several investigators with badges from the LA County District Attorney’s office were also present. The office later confirmed it assisted DTSC in serving the search warrant and is supporting the department’s ongoing investigation.

In a statement, Lineage — which operates cold-storage facilities around the world — said that it works collaboratively with various regulatory agencies.

“To be clear, we do not store hazardous chemicals or products in this facility. We store food. Further, the facility’s ammonia refrigeration system was safely pumped out shortly after the fire began and before the fire reached the refrigeration system. The ammonia was subsequently removed from the site. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no ammonia was detected during its response, and subsequent environmental monitoring has consistently shown results within normal levels for the neighborhood and no ammonia concentrations above health-based action levels. We have shared relevant testing and monitoring information on our website and with regulatory agencies and will continue to do so,” the statement said.

In the weeks after the fire, community testing as well as data from Lineage and the South Coast Air Quality Management District showed elevated levels of ammonia near the warehouse. Community members found the results alarming, though Lineage and regulators stressed the levels didn’t meet the threshold to take action to protect public health.

Last week, Eastside Padres held a press conference outside the warehouse,calling on the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to open a criminal investigation of the warehouse fire after the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that the cause of the fire could not be determined.

A person who works at the facility said the operation started earlier Tuesday morning. Employees initially believed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were involved, but soon found they were not.

Anna Rivas works at Ciclon Pallets across the street from the Lineage parking lot where agents served the search warrant. A man driving a truck and a large trailer had to expertly back into her garage to pick up a load of pallets, dodging the law enforcement vehicles parked nearby.

The business’s surveillance cameras captured a police vehicle with lights and siren pulling up to the facility at about 7:30 a.m., with about 20 unmarked vehicles approaching soon after and entering the parking lot or stopping to block the entrance.

Rivas said the pallet company had to shut down for about a month and a half around the time of the fire, citing respiratory problems for workers and a loss of business.

“We thought we finally had our space back to do our work,” Rivas said. “But no, here we go again.”

She said the police did not question her or her colleagues, and she added she hopes the neighborhood gets the justice it deserves after months of disruption related to the fire.

In a statement, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said she welcomed the investigation “as a positive step toward the transparency and answers Boyle Heights residents deserve.”

“This community has lived with the consequences of the Lineage warehouse fire for months. Residents deserve to know what happened, what risks remain, and who must be held accountable.”

“Investigators must be able to follow the evidence wherever it leads, and their findings should help give residents the information they need about their health, safety, and the future of this site. I will continue pushing for those answers, a safe and complete cleanup, and accountability for any violations uncovered. Boyle Heights should not be left to shoulder the consequences of this disaster.”

The office of Mayor Karen Bass also acknowledged the investigation, stating:

“The residents of Boyle Heights and East L.A. deserve environmental justice and corporate accountability. Mayor Bass has been working with many agencies to protect this community. In her emergency executive order, Mayor Bass called for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to investigate and pursue enforcement action at the Lineage warehouse.”

The fire at the cold storage warehouse broke out on June 17 and burned for eight days. The fire and cleanup of millions of pounds of rotting food caused a flood of issues for residents living in Boyle Heights, East LA and surrounding communities, including an infestation of flies and pests, nausea and headaches, higher utility bills and other health concerns.

The Los Angeles Fire Department could not determine the cause of the fire but said solar panels could not be ruled out as an ignition and fuel source.

Boyle Heights Beat reporter Laura Anaya-Morga contributed to this report.

Eva Marie Saint, the pale, willowy actor who won an Academy Award for her first movie, “On the Waterfront,” and starred opposite Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest,” has died. She was 102.

Saint, whose acting work lasted well into her 90s, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, confirmed family representative Jeff Sanderson.

Saint had one of the most spectacular debuts in Hollywood history, as the love interest of Marlon Brando’s tormented Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” and her first trip to the Academy Awards was memorable too. Pregnant with her first child, Saint accepted her Oscar from Frank Sinatra and smilingly murmured a unique winner’s speech: “I think I may have the baby right here.” (Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.)

The award for the 1954 classic made her an instant star, but she soon astonished Hollywood with a firm independence that would mark her career. She refused offers of studio contracts and declined chances to follow up on her great success, explaining that she was taking time off to become acquainted with her new son. (A daughter, Laurette, was born in 1958.)

A curated career

In her first decade in Hollywood, Saint appeared in a mere seven films. She declined such top-level productions as “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” with Gregory Peck, “Summer and Smoke” with Laurence Harvey and “The Rainmaker” with Burt Lancaster. She credited her husband, TV and stage director Jeffrey Hayden, with persuading her to star in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” the classic 1959 thriller in which Saint plays a spy who seduces Grant, but ends up falling for him.

“I vividly remember him saying, ‘Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I’ll take care of the children and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,’” she told Vanity Fair in 2014. “He was so right. And that’s what husbands are for.”

Instead of being put off by her selectivity, studios continued offering her starring roles in such films as “Exodus” (with Newman), “Raintree County” (Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift) and “All Fall Down,” with Warren Beatty.

She turned more to television in the 1970s and enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1980s as the mother of Cybill Shepherd in the hit sitcom “Moonlighting” and as Tom Hanks’ mother in the film comedy “Nothing in Common.” She won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries “People Like Us,” and had roles in such 21st century movies as “Because of Winn-Dixie,” “Superman Returns” and “Winter’s Tale,” adapted from Mark Helprin’s novel of the same name. In 2021, she played Marisa Tomei’s aunt in the brief audio play “The Bus Ride,” part of “The Pack Podcast.”

Saint was married to Hayden for 55 years, until his death in 2016.

That was her real name

When Saint emerged in the public consciousness, many believed her theatrical-sounding name must have been invented. She was born with it on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. The family moved to Delmar, a small town near Albany, New York, where her father was a Goodrich Rubber Co. manager. Eva’s goal was to become a third-grade teacher like her mother, but at Bowling Green State University in Ohio she tried out for a play and won the leading role.

After graduation she lived with her parents in Flushing, Long Island, and began hunting for acting jobs in Manhattan. After a fruitless year, she landed a two-line role as a telephone operator on a radio drama and soon was working steadily on soap operas and nighttime dramas, appearing for two years as Claudia on “One Man’s Family.” Network television was booming in the early 1950s, and her looks and dramatic sense made her a favorite with casting people and producers.

She credited Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome shyness

A critical turn in Saint’s career came when she auditioned before Elia Kazan and was accepted into the Actors Studio, which shaped a generation of method-actor stars. She credited acting coach Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome her shyness.

“Lee Strasberg, when he got to know me a little bit, gave me a scene to do where I had to cry in front of my peers,” she told The Santa Barbara Independent in 2009. “I worried about it, I worked on it, I tried to use what I was learning at the studio. I finally did the scene, and I cried, and my peers were crying with me. It was just an incredible moment for me.”

Saint was rejected for the single female role in the play “Mister Roberts,” but was hired to understudy the actor chosen, Jocelyn Brando, Marlon’s sister. In six frustrating months Saint never got to substitute for Brando. She finally made it to Broadway in “A Trip to Bountiful,” which she had played on television.

Kazan invited her to try out for the female lead in “On the Waterfront” by improvising a scene with Brando. She was told to try to stop a young man from entering her apartment. She told the Los Angeles Times in 2001: “All I know is that Marlon got in the door and turned on the music. We started dancing. He flicked my skirt. Kazan saw the sparks fly, and that’s how I got the part.”

Thomas, a former Associated Press Hollywood correspondent who died in 2014, was the primary writer of this obituary.

California’s school finance watchdog agency has found the Los Angeles Unified School District is at high risk of financial insolvency.

The Financial Crisis and Management Assistance Team presented its analysis at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

“FCMAT’s role is not to determine which programs the district should preserve, which reductions it should make or what agreements it should reach with the labor [unions],” Jennifer Noga, an intervention specialist with the agency, told the board. “That is 100% a local decision. Our goal is to help identify the fiscal risk and help the district understand what needs to be addressed to restore fiscal stability.”

How did the state make its determination?

The agency’s analysis of LAUSD is based on a series of questions the agency has identified as risk factors for insolvency.

The analysis found that LAUSD's deficit spending, declining enrollment and increasing costs of employee salaries and special education put the district at risk of exhausting its reserves by the end of next school year.

The analysis found LAUSD is at a “moderate” risk of insolvency, but ultimately received a “high” rating because a previous evaluation by the Los Angeles County Office of Education automatically triggered a more severe label. (That LACOE evaluation is also what triggered the state evaluation in the first place.)

Union pushback

United Teachers Los Angeles, the union that represents LAUSD educators, said in a memo to the board and in public comments that FCMAT’s analysis penalized the district for paying teachers more and overstated financial risk.

“There are different ways to tell a story with numbers and statistics and data, and we just think that FCMAT is presenting the most austere version of that and we have to fight back against that,” said Julie Van Winkle, the union's vice president. “There is declining enrollment in the district, and who is going to want to put their kids in schools if we keep cutting programs because of austerity?"

The district has a plan to cut spending, which includes eliminating thousands of jobs and funding for high-needs schools. The district must also bargain with employee unions before implementing furlough days planned for the 2027-28 school year.

More than 100 cannabis businesses in L.A. that were expected to lose their licenses at the end of the year may be able to stay open after a City Council vote Tuesday.

A city ordinance that took effect in August would only have allowed cannabis businesses to renew their licenses if they owed less than $1 million in unpaid city taxes and had been delinquent on their taxes for less than four years.

The limits were set to get more strict each year until 2030, when businesses would need to owe less than $100,000 in unpaid taxes.

The City Council voted to delay the restrictions for one year because a separate program intended to provide an exception to businesses who agreed to follow a tax payment plan could not begin on time.

There are more than 1,000 licensed cannabis businesses in the city of L.A., according to the Department of Cannabis Regulation, and 125 of those would not have been eligible to renew their licenses had Tuesday’s vote not passed.

In October 2025, City Treasurer Diana Mangioglu reported that 500 cannabis businesses owed a total of $500 million in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties. Of those businesses, 48 owed more than $2 million.

Owners of many cannabis retailers, manufacturers and distributors have asked local government leaders for help as they face higher taxes than most industries and strong competition from unlicensed businesses — which pay no taxes and typically sell at a lower price in the illicit market.

Evelyn Scott gave public comment during the City Council meeting and said these challenges led her business to close.

“Losing our license will make it even harder to reopen, generate revenue, create jobs and meet our obligations to the city,” Scott said.

What is the tax amnesty program?

When the city enacted licensing restrictions based on cannabis businesses’ unpaid taxes, local officials also intended to make a pathway for delinquent businesses to come back into compliance.

The cannabis tax amnesty program allowed for some businesses that would otherwise be prevented from renewing their licenses to agree to a payment plan that could last up to five years. If the businesses kept to the agreement, they could continue to renew their licenses, would have penalties and interest on unpaid taxes forgiven and wouldn’t face criminal charges for not paying those taxes on time.

Could the agreements help the city?

L.A.’s Office of Finance, which is in charge of the program, estimates it could bring in $10 million in city tax revenue in the first year.

But it wasn’t possible to start the program for 2027 licenses, according to Matthew Crawford, assistant director of the finance office.

He told LAist in an email that the office wouldn’t be able to begin the program in time without exposing the city to “unacceptable levels of risk to both [a tax administration] system replacement project and the integrity of the amnesty program.”

Crawford said the finance office still expects the city to receive the same amount of revenue once the program begins.