The Brief

The Los Angeles Police Department spends an average of $46.6 million each year to fly its helicopters over the city, according to an audit released Monday by the L.A. City Controller’s Office.

That’s more than the annual budget for over a dozen L.A. city departments, including the Ethics Commission, the Department of Aging, and the Department on Disability.

With 17 helicopters in the LAPD Air Support Division’s fleet, each hour in the sky costs nearly $3,000, according to the audit. However, the audit notes that most of the helicopter flight time from fiscal years 2018 through 2022 weren’t connected to high priority crimes.

What were the helicopters being used for then?

The helicopters flew for a total of 80,687 hours in that five-year period, which is an average of more than 16,000 hours each year.

According to the audit, only 39% of the flight time was dedicated to high-priority incidents, such as burglaries and felony incidents involving personal injury or harm.

The rest of the time was dedicated to transportation flights — in which a helicopter is used instead of a car — general patrol time, and ceremonial flights.

“Some transportation and ceremonial flights were an inefficient, inappropriate use of city funds,” Controller Kenneth Mejia said at a news conference Monday. “Including passenger shuttle flights for a ‘Chili Fly-In,’ and a fly-by at a golf tournament.”

Are the helicopters flying over some areas more than others?

The audit found that LAPD helicopters spent a disproportionate amount of time in certain communities when compared to the levels of crime.

The LAPD areas that experienced more helicopter flights relative to the area’s crime rate were:

• 77th Street, which serves the Athens Park, Chesterfield Square, Gramercy Park, Hyde Park, South Park-51st and Menlo, Vermont Knolls, Vermont Park, View Heights, Morningside Park, West Park Terrace communities. 
  
• Hollenbeck, which serves the Aliso Village, Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Estrada Court, Hermon, Hillside Village, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Pico Gardens, Ramona Gardens, Rose Hills Courts, University Hills communities.

• Southwest, which serves the Adams-Normandie, Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Village, Baldwin Vista, Crenshaw, Exposition Park, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Union Square, University Park, Village Green, West Adams, Western Heights communities.

• West Valley, which serves the Encino, Lake Balboa, Mandeville Canyon, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, Warner Center communities. 

"The kind of auditory intrusions we all suffer through in living in a big city like this, and in LA in particular, they have an impact on our heart health, our stress levels, our ears, and our general demeanor,” Sergio Perez, the chief of accountability and oversight for the controller’s office, told LAist.

What are the environmental impacts of the helicopters?

LAPD helicopters use approximately 761,600 gallons of jet fuel per year, according to the audit.

That’s the equivalents of about 7,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, or an average gas-powered car driving a little more than 19 million miles.

“The emissions from [LAPD] helicopters highlight the need to reduce negative impacts on the community to the greatest extent possible,” the audit states.

Controller’s recommendations

The audit recommends ways the LAPD can increase transparency, reduce inefficiencies, and boost performance monitoring.

Specifically, the controller’s office recommends the LAPD establish a formal set of performance metrics and goals that are publicly accessible. They include assessing air support needs for patrol and incident response, and establishing policies for the planning and authorization of directed patrols, fly-bys, and administrative flights.

The controller’s office is also developing a new tool that will let the public “visualize the cost” of the LAPD helicopter program.

The L.A. City Controller's office gave a sneak peek of their new helicopter tool at a news conference Friday.

(

Makenna Sievertson for LAist

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Once the tool is launched, you’ll be able to search for flight path details for each helicopter, the pollution released for each flight, and how much money it costs.

For example, the helicopter flights on Aug. 24, 2019, cost the city $26,292 and released more than 11,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution.

The controller’s office is still working out the details, but they hope it’ll be able to reflect each year and flight covered by the audit.

In a statement to LAist, Chief Michel Moore said “The Department received the final report today and will review it closely. I believe the Air Support Division’s activities play a critical role in our public safety mission here in Los Angeles.”

Students within the Los Angeles Unified School District showed improvements on state reading, math and science standardized tests for a third consecutive year, district authorities announced Tuesday.

Superintendent Andrés Chait revealed the preliminary results at the annual opening-of-schools address at East L.A.’s Garfield High School— his first as the district’s leader since the board appointed him to the job in June.

“ These are not just numbers on a page,” Chait said to an audience that included about 1,000 principals, administrators and district supporters. “They are the result of your passion, your persistence, your belief in what students can achieve. These are collective accomplishments.

"They reflect the dedication, skill, and commitment of our entire community,” he said.

Jai Gant-Leau, principal of Eagle Tree Continuation High School, said the “back-to-basics” focus of Chait’s speech was a welcome departure from the tone of recent opening addresses.

“We will continue to rise for the outcomes and expectations for the success of our students. That's the message I got,” Gant-Leau said. “Very different than the others where it was a lot of… bells and whistles.”

Why it matters

Student achievement, as measured by test scores, plummeted during the pandemic. Los Angeles Unified’s growth in 2025 outpaced the state, as test scores exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

This year the percentage of students in all grades who met or exceeded the standard are 39.7% for math, 48.3% for English and 32.1% for science. It’s unclear how this compares to students statewide because those results have yet to be released.

Challenges ahead

Chait also acknowledged the challenges posed by declining enrollment, community fears of immigration enforcement actions and proposed budget cuts.

 “The decisions will be hard, but we cannot lose sight of what defines us,” Chait said. “We are the system that lifts students to opportunity, turns potential into achievement, creates spaces of belonging, healing, growth.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

We hope you’ve gotten used to the hot weather, because it’s going to be here for a while.

The National Weather Service has issued yet another heat advisory for much of Southern California, less than a week after other high-temperature warnings were lifted.

This week’s advisory will be in place from 10 a.m. Wednesday through Monday. Forecasters expect temperatures to climb steadily over the course of Wednesday and Thursday.

The San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and other inland areas in L.A., as well as Riverside and San Bernardino counties, will likely see highs ranging from the mid-90s to about 105 degrees. Areas closer to the coast, including downtown Los Angeles and much of Orange County, will hit the 90s. Beaches will hover mostly in the upper 70s.

Humidity will also add to the discomfort. Even though it’s decreasing slightly, it makes cooling down harder, especially at night.

People who work outdoors or do not have air conditioning are especially at risk from the heat and humidity, along with people over 65, young children and other sensitive populations.

Fire risk

Forecasters are warning that conditions are ripe for fires, driven by a combination of wind and dry vegetation.

Southern California hasn’t seen much rain recently, despite the humidity, leaving plants with little moisture and turning them into the perfect fuel.

“Even though the air feels kind of moist, we're in the time of season where it doesn't matter. The fuels are dry and they're ready to go,” said NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell.

Kittel said people should take extra care with anything that could create a spark, and residents in fire-prone areas should remain aware of their surroundings in case a fire starts.

The fire risk is likely to be concentrated in a few specific areas that will experience higher winds than others, including parts of the 5 Freeway corridor in northern L.A. County, especially around the Grapevine, and in southern Santa Barbara County.

For most of the region, though, winds should stay fairly mild.

Dangerous beach conditions

Southern Californians also have to contend with some ocean-specific risks this week.

Forecasters expect dangerously large waves and strong rip currents to hit the coastline at a time when the heat may drive more people to the beach. The conditions are expected to persist through the weekend.

If you decide to head to the beach, it’s a good idea to ask a lifeguard for advice on the conditions before entering the water. It’s also recommended to swim only near occupied lifeguard stands, stay off of rock jetties and avoid turning your back to the waves.

South-facing stretches of coastline will bear the brunt of the swell, which is being driven by two tropical storms churning hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean.

“Those two systems generated the winds and the waves locally that are pushing towards us, and so that's creating elevated surf and some stronger currents than normal,” Kittel said.

The swell is not expected to cause significant coastal flooding as high tides remain relatively low.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Free transportation to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area swim beach will be available this week as East LA families continue to seek relief from another heat wave and the aftermath of the Lineage warehouse fire.

Los Angeles County is offering complimentary transportation Wednesday through Saturday at select Eastside parks so residents can enjoy a day at the lake at no cost.

More than a month after the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire, many residents continue to report persistent odors from rotting food and cleanup efforts. Because of the ongoing air quality concerns and community complaints, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation has canceled its local aquatic programming.

To ensure families still have access to summer recreational activities, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis directed resources toward providing the “beach bus” program to Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area Swim Beach in Irwindale.

Read below for more information on the free shuttle services, schedules and more. 

Pickup locations

Belvedere Aquatic Center

5035 1st St. East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Obregon Park Pool

4021 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063

Salazar Park Pool 

3864 Whittier Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023

City Terrace Park Pool

1126 N. Hazard Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90063

Shuttle dates and times 

• Wednesday, July 22
• Thursday, July 23
• Friday, July 24
• Saturday, July 25

Morning trip: 

• Check in at 8:30 a.m. 
• The bus departs East LA at 9 a.m. 
• The bus leaves Santa Fe Dam to go back to East LA at 12 p.m.

Afternoon trip: 

• Check in at 12:30 p.m. 
• The bus departs East LA at 1 p.m. 
• The bus leaves Santa Fe Dam to go back to East LA at 4 p.m. 

What to know

No registration or proof of address is required, but children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your own food and drinks. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.