Topline:
The Los Angeles River isn’t just for walking and biking, you can join other Angelenos and dance in the middle of it.
Why: Local club the Gratitude Group has been helping Angelenos unplug and connect with one another by throwing dry dance parties in unexpected places around L.A.
What's next: The next L.A. River dance party is happening tomorrow, Sunday. Read on to learn more.
There’s a fair amount of recreational activities Angelenos can do in and around the Los Angeles River like biking, walking, even kayaking, but did you know you can also dance in the dry river bed of a Los Angeles icon?
Dancing in the sun
Adam Weiss is the founder of the Gratitude Group, a club that hosts various events across Los Angeles like dance parties at the River, a screen-free reading club at the Central Library and meditative sound baths at Elysian Park. That’s just this weekend alone.
Weiss has been hosting the free dance parties for about two years now. The locations vary. Previously he’s held them at the Elysian Park helipad.
“Everybody wants to dance, they're just waiting to be invited to dance, and then if you're a good DJ, you just keep the floor packed,” said Weiss, who also deejays these events. Lately it's been a lot of disco, funk and soul. Weiss also likes to keep the gatherings dry, meaning no drugs or alcohol. He thinks it makes people engage with each other more.
“So the focus really is on connection and dancing,” Weiss said.
Ariana Valencia lives in Burbank and attended last month's dance party, also at the L.A. River. She says dancing in the middle of the concrete riverbed made the city feel like a playground that she could explore.
“I’d never been to the L.A. River prior to that. You think it’s just a little swampy little pond, but it was actually really full,” said Valencia. “I would have never thought that was in the middle of the city.”
Weiss says part of the appeal is not just getting people outside but to get them to experience Los Angeles differently.
At the last event, people walking or biking along the river path joined on a whim — some even brought their kids. Weiss says that’s exactly the kind of reaction he hopes for.
“ I want it to be family friendly. I want it to feel welcoming. I want it to be inclusive,” Weiss said. “My main thing is I just want people to actually dance. I think it feels good to dance.”
For Valencia that inclusiveness is part of the draw. She says she’ll be joining again this Sunday.
“Even though it wasn’t advertised as a dry event I think the fact that it was a family friendly kind of thing was appealing to me,” said Valencia.
After the last dance party went viral, Weiss says more than 1,500 people have RSVP-ed for tomorrow's event. This compelled him to close reservations.
Weiss plans to hold the event every other week this Spring and Summer — taking place either at the River or the Elysian Field Helipad with its amazing view of the city.
Weiss wants to start branching out too, and is eyeing the Culver City Stairs as a possible location.
“ I just wanna bring people to cool interesting places to dance,” Weiss said.
Topline:
Republican Steve Hilton launched his general election campaign for California governor Wednesday with a gambit to win over left-leaning voters who dominate the state: Even if they loathe President Donald Trump, he said, they should consider voting for him.
Campaign promises: Against the backdrop of the stinking, scorched Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights which he described as a symbol of the state’s political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents buckling under California’s notoriously high cost of living. He vowed to bring the price of gasoline down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents’ utility bills in half, now among the nation’s highest, and eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings.
Distancing from Trump: In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the state, Hilton addressed his relationship with President Donald Trump, who has endorsed him. Hilton’s maneuver is meant to create a sliver of distance from Trump without breaking from him. It’s a tacit nod to the political math in California, one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1 by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican Steve Hilton launched his general election campaign for California governor Wednesday with a gambit to win over left-leaning voters who dominate the state: Even if they loathe President Donald Trump, he said, they should consider voting for him.
During an event in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of a stinking, scorched food warehouse he described as a symbol of the state’s political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents buckling under California’s notoriously high cost of living. He vowed to bring the price of gasoline down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents’ utility bills in half, now among the nation’s highest, and eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings.
He blamed the state’s problems — from homelessness to low student test scores — squarely on Democrats, who hold every statewide office and supermajorities in the Legislature. He called Democrats a “rotten regime that has abandoned the working class.”
In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the state, Hilton addressed his relationship with Trump, who has endorsed him in the race.
“This is not about who you hate in Washington. It’s about what we love about California and what we can do to make California once again the best place anywhere in the country to start and raise a family, to start and run a business,” he said before a small group of supporters. “That’s what this election is about.”
Hilton’s maneuver is meant to create a sliver of distance from Trump without breaking from him. It’s a tacit nod to the political math in California, one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1 by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006.
Trump is widely unpopular in California outside his loyal conservative base. In 2016, Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 30 points; in 2020, he lost to Joe Biden by 29 points; and in 2024, he lost to Kamala Harris by 20 points.
California is regarded as the home of the so-called Trump resistance, where Democrats have effectively used Trump as a foil in campaigns to motivate voters. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom essentially nationalized the state’s fight over Proposition 50, which recast U.S. House districts to favor Democrats, by framing it as a confrontation with Trump. The measure notched a 29-point win.
The campaign of Hilton’s Democratic opponent, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, scoffed at the notion of Hilton being a change agent.
“Californians already know who Steve Hilton is: Trump’s puppet in California. His campaign is a promise to run our state the way Trump runs the country and we’re not buying it,” campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement.
As for Hilton’s pitch that voters who dislike Trump should feel free to consider him in November, Underland said, “Steve Hilton cheers on a president whose illegal war has sent gas prices soaring and illegal tariffs have cost California families more than $2,500 this year alone. You can’t fix the affordability crisis while carrying water for the man causing it.”
In a heavily Democratic state, Hilton’s campaign is hoping his appeal to Democrats and independents will “give voters a permission slip” to look past the letter next to a candidate’s name, even in a nation deeply divided by partisanship.
“You do have a choice if you think that this state is going in the wrong direction,” he told supporters at a kickoff event in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood where residents have been complaining about the stench of rotting food, flies and rodents that followed a fire last month at a cold storage warehouse.
He was accompanied by Gloria Romero, a former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties in 2024 and is this year’s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. She delivered her own address in both English and Spanish, with supporters holding “Hilton-Romero” signs in the background.
Becerra, a former state lawmaker, congressman and state attorney general, is heavily favored to win the seat now held by Newsom, a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who is barred by law from seeking a third term. Hilton and Becerra emerged from a chaotic primary election in June that had more than 50 candidates on the ballot.
The race is unfolding at a time when California is facing multiple crises. Despite billions in spending, homelessness remains widespread, especially in larger cities. Multibillion-dollar budget gaps are projected into the future. Home prices remain out of reach for many residents. The home insurance market is in disarray, businesses and residents have been fleeing the state, and residents contend with some of the nation’s highest gas prices, taxes and utility bills.
Making good on his campaign promises won’t be an easy task for Hilton, a former adviser to ex-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron who has never held elective office. The governor doesn’t control the oil or utility markets, but Hilton says he will get rid of mandates, taxes and fees that drive those prices higher. He also would likely need the consent of a Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the state’s income tax structure.
Hilton crowned his campaign kickoff with a 30-second TV ad underscoring the financial challenges for many families.
“Life here has become impossible for anyone who isn’t already rich,” he says. “Let’s fix California.”
Topline:
CalOptima Health, the public health system in Orange County, joined the Covered California marketplace this week, allowing members to apply for the 2027 enrollment period.
What is Covered California? It’s the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace that allows residents to compare and shop for private health and dental plans, including L.A. Care, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield — and now CalOptima.
What does this mean? More than 819,000 residents are enrolled with the OC health provider. CalOptima members who are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal coverage because of income changes could stay with their health provider and avoid a gap in care.
Why it matters: Continuity of care is important to one’s health, especially for those with chronic health conditions, officials said. “We understand the challenges people face when their health coverage changes,” Yunkyung Kim, chief operating officer of CalOptima Health, said in a statement. “With CalOptima Health Covered, we are extending our mission by providing an affordable marketplace option that helps individuals and families avoid disruptions in care while continuing to receive quality health coverage from an organization they know and trust.”
What you need to know: CalOptima Health Covered will include four levels of coverage. Open enrollment opens Nov. 1 through Jan. 1, 2027.
Topline:
Long Beach officials gathered the public Wednesday to unveil the contents of a 50-year-old time capsule buried to mark the city’s bicentennial anniversary.
The time capsule: When Long Beach civic leaders and dignitaries sealed and buried a steel box five decades ago, it contained notes of what locals hoped the future might look like, and tokens of what the city was, in case anyone forgot. The box, a 5.1-cubic-foot safe of stainless steel, was originally unearthed in 2022, amid the demolition of the former City Hall-Main Library. But it remained sealed until a few weeks ago, when officials privately opened and previewed the capsule to prepare for Wednesday’s main event.
The contents of the capsule: The capsule held more than 85 items reflecting life in 1976: a Wham-O Frisbee in its original packaging, a fine-dining menu offering a prime rib dinner for $5.75, a 1976 telephone directory, Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogues, ashtrays, cufflinks featuring the Long Beach flag, and a model of the Long Beach-built DC-10 jetliner.
Read on . . . to learn about other items found inside the time capsule.
What have we become in 50 years?
When Long Beach civic leaders and dignitaries sealed and buried a steel box five decades ago, it contained notes of what locals hoped the future might look like, and tokens of what the city was, in case anyone forgot.
Civic leaders gathered the public Wednesday to unveil the contents of a 50-year-old time capsule buried to mark the city’s bicentennial anniversary. The box was opened before a crowd of residents, historians and students, revealing papers, flags and inexpensive tchotchkes. But together, they provide snapshots of a drastically different past and confident predictions of a thriving 21st century Long Beach.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stood before the eager onlookers to catch a glimpse of a bygone era. “It’s not every day that we get to open a 50-year time capsule here in the city of Long Beach,” he began. “Who’s excited to see what’s in this box?”
The box, a 5.1-cubic-foot safe of stainless steel, was originally unearthed in 2022, amid the demolition of the former City Hall-Main Library. But it remained sealed until a few weeks ago, when officials privately opened and previewed the capsule to prepare for Wednesday’s main event.
Inside, the capsule held more than 85 items reflecting life in 1976: a Wham-O Frisbee in its original packaging, a fine-dining menu offering a prime rib dinner for $5.75, a 1976 telephone directory, Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogues, ashtrays, cufflinks featuring the Long Beach flag, and a model of the Long Beach-built DC-10 jetliner.
It also contained organizational flow charts from an era when the city government had 40% more departments, a vial of crude oil pumped from beneath the city — a nod to 1970s fears that local reserves would run dry by 2026 — and an aqua-blue Los Angeles County flag.
“Well, it’s not the best-looking flag, but we are still in LA County, that holds true,” Richardson joked to the crowd, before glancing at the city’s flag and adding, “It might be time we update this flag.”
Among the most poignant contents were letters written by local elementary students describing their daily lives and offering earnest visions for the future. Several of those former students were present Wednesday to read their childhood essays aloud.
Sharon Schreiber-Fisher, a former student at Bret Harte Elementary School who eventually grew up to become a teacher herself, recalled finding her original draft essay in a dusty suitcase in her attic prior to the event.
“I don’t believe my teacher chose me because of this essay,” Schreiber-Fisher said. “I believe my teacher chose me because she knew that I needed a win.”
Her childhood letter painted a vivid, innocent picture of 1976 life with wild futuristic predictions: that Long Beach will have nice people who no longer steal, pretty flowers, impressive transportation and an abundance of homes to live in. “Cars will be running and moving along streets and won’t need gas… The television will go to anything a person wants to watch. It will run on water… Yes, I think the world will be very nice in the future,” she read. (She might have been on to something with on-demand TV.)
Amelia Fritz, a former student at Patrick Henry Elementary, peppered her 1976 letter with questions for the future: Will people learn faster? Is the smog still bad? Do people still go to the beach? Are computers still an important part of our lives?
“Is the country still run by a president elected by the people of the United States?” she asked, getting a mix of chuckles and groans from the audience.
Historical Society President Julie Bartolotto noted that in many ways, Long Beach’s present mirrors its past. Fifty years ago, life was also marked by high gas prices, deep political divisions and widespread distrust in the federal government amid an unpopular Vietnam War, scandals like the Pentagon Papers and Watergate, and the recent resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Several speakers continued that 1976 was also a moment of intense civic ambition for Long Beach, much like today. By then, the city had navigated decades of unbridled growth, the 1933 earthquake, wars and shifting demographics.
Faced with urban sprawl and deterioration, city leaders at the time launched an all-out revitalization program to reshape its image as a sleepy coastal town into a 24-hour city where residents could work, live, lunch on a grassy knoll by the water, view an art collection, or take in a convention on anything from tattoos to tariffs.
When the time capsule was buried in July 1976, it was deemed a “Bicentennial gift to the future.”
Its burial came ahead of the much-anticipated opening of the then-gleaming, $25 million City Hall-Main Library. A crowd of 6,000 people gathered for bands, balloons and speeches by civic officials, and a parade themed “Let Freedom Ring” featured a 485-pound tiger named Spot chained to a convertible.
As the capsule was lowered into the earth 50 years ago, then-Mayor Thomas Clark reflected on the city’s transformation from a “sleepy hamlet to the sixth-largest city in the most populous state in the union.”
“We can be proud of our living heritage, which grows as we grow, changes as we change and harnesses the combined strengths of all manner of peoples to provide a future for our children and their children,” Clark said.
Topline:
The findings of the 2026 homeless count held earlier this year in L.A. County are scheduled to be officially announced this Friday, July 23. That was the plan put out by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. But L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has acknowledged ahead of that release that the annual tally will show a rise in L.A.’s unhoused population after two years of declines.
Why the mayor spoke out early: Bass was responding to a report late Wednesday night by Fox 11 that the numbers had gone up. Bass, who was briefed on the findings, acknowledged to FOX11 that the unhoused population has increased, although she didn't share a specific percentage. The mayor blamed state funding cuts and federal policy changes for the rise after two years of falling homelessness numbers in the city..
Why it matters: The point-in-time census, which is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and takes place yearly in L.A., provides a data snapshot. Local officials use it to gauge year-to-year fluctuations, and it also helps the federal government determine how millions of dollars in federal homelessness grants flow.
When will we get a look at the actual official numbers? The public release of the findings is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, July 24. LAist will have a team of reporters covering the results.
The findings of the 2026 homeless count held in January across most of L.A. County are scheduled to be officially announced this Friday, July 24, by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, ahead of that official release, has acknowledged that the annual tally will show a rise in the city of L.A.’s unhoused population after two years of declines.
Bass was responding to a report late Wednesday by Fox 11 that the numbers had gone up. Bass, who was briefed on the findings, acknowledged to Fox 11 that the city's unhoused population has increased, although she didn't share a specific percentage. The mayor blamed state funding cuts and federal policy changes for the rise.
On Thursday, the mayor’s office shared a longer written statement with LAist:
“For two years straight, we drove down homelessness by historic margins — but as expected, last year our efforts ultimately couldn’t keep up with policies and funding cuts at the federal and state levels that pushed more people onto the streets,” Bass said.
When asked to clarify, Bass’ office said she was most concerned about state reductions to the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grant program, known as HHAP.
Bass also said she believed the Trump administration has played a role in more people going unhoused. She said the administration's policies have “driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and rent” and “slashed critical safety net funding.” More broadly, she said city leaders have ignored the homelessness crisis for decades and that the “lack of adequate services provided by L.A. County continues to be a real problem.”
Several people briefed on the findings also confirmed to LAist that this year’s results show the area’s unhoused population increased.
The point-in-time census, which is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and takes place yearly in L.A., provides a data snapshot. Local officials use it to gauge year-to-year fluctuations, and it also helps the federal government determine how millions of dollars in federal homelessness grants flow.
In 2025, the city's and county’s homeless populations dropped by 3.4% and 4%, respectively. The 2024 count also showed declines — those drops were smaller and within the count’s margin of error.
Bass, who took office at the very end of 2022, has been touting two consecutive years of declining homelessness in her reelection campaign this year. She’s facing City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who chairs L.A.’s housing and homelessness committee.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA, conducted the count in January and initially planned to release the results in “late spring or early summer.” The release was delayed slightly this year, as LAHSA officials opted to wait on a federal review of the data. The agency typically released past homeless count findings in June.
LAHSA’s public release of the findings is currently scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, July 24.
Bass, who was present at the event for the past three years, has not responded to requests from LAist asking whether she will attend this time.
