Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published February 2, 2025 2:03 PM
Ossie Collins of Santa Clarita attends DodgerFest 2025 with his son, Nathaniel.
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Josie Huang
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Topline:
L.A.'s sports community has been prominent in wildfire recovery with franchise owners giving millions of dollars in donations and sports stars communing with those affected by the disaster.
Why it matters: Fans in L.A. say sports has gotten them through rough patches for the city, ranging from the civil unrest of 1992 to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why now: On Saturday, thousands of fans showed up for DodgerFest, the annual fan extravaganza for die-hards, where proceeds from its “Dodgers Yard Sale” of team gear went toward supporting those affected by the fires.
It wasn’t that long ago that Los Angeles was on top of the world. The Dodgers were the World Series champs, feted by tens of thousands of joyous fans in a boisterous parade through downtown L.A.
Two months later, came the wildfires and the terrible losses.
In the weeks since the fires tore through the region on Jan. 7, the sports community has played a prominent role in relief efforts, be it through the donations of franchise owners or superstars visiting with first responders and those displaced by the fires.
DodgerFest offered fans many photo ops with props like this giant replica of a Dodgers foam finger.
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Listen
4:57
At DodgerFest, baseball helps Los Angeles through thick and thin
LAist's Josie Huang was at DodgerFest on Saturday, where she found devoted fans who remember how the World Series champs help uplift communities.
Meanwhile, the games in season have gone on, giving fans an outlet into which they can pour their emotions.
Ossie Collins, a big fan of the Lakers and Dodgers, says he need only look to Los Angeles’ past to remember how sports uplift.
In 1992, when civil unrest rocked the city after LAPD officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, Collins, then in his teens, found himself looking for comfort.
He turned to the Dodgers, which returned to Dodger Stadium 16 days after the unrest, so he could just have "something that felt normal."
"You don't know what you're feeling," Collins said. "But when you see something you enjoy, it just makes you feel good, even for a little bit of time, it just brings you relief."
Millions in donations
Collins was among the thousands of fans who showed up Saturday for DodgerFest, the annual fan extravaganza for die-hards who brave long lines for a chance to see their favorite players and pick up gear for the upcoming season.
A sober undercurrent ran through this year's edition. Proceeds from ticket sales and fundraisers were going to wildfire recovery. The Dodgers' foundation has, along with Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter and his foundation, pledged to give up to $100 million to relief efforts.
"I think a lot of people outside of L.A. do not understand that L.A. is strong and resilient, and sports are a reason for that," said Amanda Rykoff who attended DodgerFest.
Amanda Rykoff of West Hollywood came to DodgerFest, happy that part of the proceeds from the event were being directed to fire relief.
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Rykoff works in development for Jewish Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Los Angeles, which hosted a pop-up camp at its Glendale facilities for Altadena kids affected by the Eaton Fire. Rykoff, whose close friend and work acquaintance lost homes in the fires, was grateful for sports philanthropy.
Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer has pledged to match the $60 million-plus raised by the FireAid concerts held at his venues, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome, where his NBA franchise plays.
"Sports has an incredible power to bring people together, to not only celebrate wins, but also show that we are a community," Rykoff said.
The atmosphere and crowds for DodgerFest made it feel like game day.
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Giving hope
There are plenty of examples of sports helping to get communities back on their feet. Think the New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina. Or the New York Yankees after 9/11.
Sports also proved a bright spot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Toyin Green, a kindergarten teaching in L.A., was teaching via Zoom and the kids were having a hard go of it. Then she remembered the Dodgers had just won the 2020 World Series the day before.
Dodger fans braved long lines and crowds to attend DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium.
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"I said, 'Wait a minute, you guys, today's a special day," Green said. "We won a game. Do you know what happened? And then they were like, 'Yay, Dodgers!' And they all ran and got their Dodger stuff."
Their parents joined them on the Zoom squares, cheering and wearing their own Dodgers gear.
Another fan Jacob Mandel, a Navy veteran from Torrance, said he leaned on his love of the Dodgers as he moved around the country, from station to station.
Christian Gonzalez (r.) and Jacob Mandel (l.), veterans attending UCLA, bonded over their love for the Dodgers.
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"I actually watched the Dodgers lose their back-to-back World Series on my [aircraft] carrier," Mandel said. "It was a pretty miserable experience."
He says tasting defeat, though, only makes seeing the Dodgers succeed even sweeter. Whenever he’d get homesick, he’d pick up the phone and talk Dodgers with his dad.
"The Dodgers have been present for some moments, where I felt a little bit down," Mandel said. "And, you know, they do have a big place in my heart. And I love them to death."
Jordan Rynning
holds local government accountable, covering city halls, law enforcement and other powerful institutions.
Published November 10, 2026 8:00 AM
Precincts won by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, left, are shown in blue. Mayor-elect Nithya Raman's wins are in yellow.
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Topline:
Nithya Raman turned the tide in the L.A. mayoral race by winning over large swathes of the city that voted for Karen Bass in 2022, according to an LAist analysis of election data.
Breaking down the vote: Raman had overwhelming support from Hollywood through downtown and across the East side. She also won majority support in areas like Van Nuys and North Hollywood that voted for Bass in the 2022 general and 2026 primary elections.Bass made her biggest gains in the Pacific Palisades, South Valley and San Pedro — drawing voters from areas that supported Rick Caruso in 2022 and Spencer Pratt in the 2026 primary.
Read on . . . for a more detailed view of how precincts voted.
Nithya Raman turned the tide in the L.A. mayoral race by winning over large swathes of the city that voted for Karen Bass in 2022, according to an LAist analysis of election data.
Bass was a favorite in many areas that voted for Rick Caruso when she faced him in 2022. She held onto a majority of voters across South L.A., but lost much of her previous support.
The switchup came after Bass — a veteran in progressive politics — took a relatively-conservative approach on issues like policing and high-density housing developments compared to Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
About the tallies so far
Election data in this analysis includes 793,692 votes recorded by the L.A. County Registrar of Voters in precinct-level data as of Nov. 9. More than 1 million votes were cast in the L.A. mayoral race across the city. This story will be updated as additional precinct-level data is made available by county election officials.
How to reach me
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is jrynning.56.
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Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published November 10, 2026 5:00 AM
The chemical tank at the GKN Garden Grove aerospace facility.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Getty Images
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Topline:
A claims support center to help victims evacuated in Garden Grove’s chemical tank scare opens Tuesday, Nov. 10. GKN Aerospace, the company behind the hazmat incident, said the center in Los Alamitos will help eligible residents file for reimbursement.
Background: GKN Aerospace opened its $100 million claims program last month for those affected by the Garden Grove hazmat scare that forced more than 50,000 nearby residents to evacuate their homes and businesses.
What we know: The independent Claims Administrator, Ernst & Young, will operate the center and is responsible for reviewing, processing and evaluating claims. Assistance will be available in English, Vietnamese, Spanish and Korean.
Who is eligible? People and households who lived within the mandatory evacuation zone are eligible for the claims program. Businesses can file a business interruption claim for losses of income. Residents who lived in the warning zone, not the mandatory evacuation zone, do not qualify.
Know before you go: The center is located at 4281 Katella Ave., Suite 100 in Los Alamitos. Doors are open Monday through Friday from noon to 8 p.m.
Keep up with LAist.
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Nick Gerda
is an accountability reporter who has covered local government in Southern California for more than a decade.
Published November 9, 2026 6:33 PM
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority workers observe L.A. city sanitation workers removing an encampment in Venice Beach in June 2023.
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Brian Feinzimer
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Topline: The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority told its employees Friday to stop work, shut down their computers and stay off agency systems while it looked into “a potential security issue affecting our systems,” its chief executive confirmed to LAist. That shutdown order was still in place Monday evening, according to a LAHSA official not authorized to speak on the record.
Unknowns: Gita O'Neill, the agency’s interim CEO, told LAist on Friday evening that the agency did not “yet have enough information to say definitively whether any sensitive or confidential personal information was accessed.” She has not answered questions about whether or not services for unhoused people are disrupted.
Sensitive data: LAHSA holds highly sensitive information collected from people experiencing homelessness in the region. The agency oversees the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS, which includes unhoused people’s names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and disabilities, as well as self-reported mental health and substance abuse history, income sources and domestic violence history.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority told its employees Friday to stop work, shut down their computers and stay off agency systems while it looked into “a potential security issue affecting our systems,” its chief executive confirmed to LAist.
That shutdown order was still in place Monday evening, according to a LAHSA official not authorized to speak on the record.
Gita O'Neill, the agency’s interim CEO, told LAist on Friday evening that the agency did not “yet have enough information to say definitively whether any sensitive or confidential personal information was accessed.”
She has not answered questions about whether or not services for unhoused people are disrupted.
Gita O’Neill, interim CEO of LAHSA, speaks ahead of the annual homeless count on Jan. 20, 2026.
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Jordan Rynning
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LAist
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LAHSA holds highly sensitive information collected from people experiencing homelessness in the region. The agency oversees the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS, which includes unhoused people’s names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and disabilities, as well as self-reported mental health and substance abuse history, income sources and domestic violence history.
In a statement Monday, LAHSA said it had taken its internal computer systems offline “as a precaution” and “engaged outside cybersecurity specialists to investigate the nature and scope of the incident.” The statement, sent on O'Neill's behalf by outside public relations strategist Trevor Daley, continued to call it “a potential cybersecurity incident.”
The agency is “taking steps to maintain essential operations,” the statement added, saying LAHSA “remains open” while the investigation continues. It said the agency is working with its technical and legal teams.
What staff were told
Friday’s email to "Team LAHSA" carried the subject line "URGENT: Log Off and Shut Down for the Week." LAist obtained a copy, and O'Neill confirmed by text message that she had sent it.
“As a precaution while we look into a potential security issue affecting our systems, we're asking all staff to stop work and take their machines offline for the remainder of today and through the weekend,” the email said.
It told employees to “Log off and shut down your LAHSA computer” and not to log back in or connect to LAHSA systems, including email, “until you receive an all-clear from us.”
The email also told staff to report anything “unusual” before shutting down, such as “files renaming on their own, unexpected pop-ups or messages.”
What LAHSA leadership has said
In a texted response to LAist on Friday evening, O'Neill said she asked staff to take their computers offline “out of an abundance of caution” while the agency’s IT team assessed the situation.
“Our IT team is actively reviewing the situation now and working to understand exactly what occurred and whether any information was affected,” she wrote. “Protecting people’s personal and confidential information is a top priority in that review.”
Leaders of three LAHSA-funded service providers told LAist on Monday afternoon that they had not received any communications from LAHSA about the potential cybersecurity issue. All three use the HMIS system that holds unhoused people’s personal details.
Previous attacks against another LA housing agency
Another L.A. housing agency was previously hit by cyberattacks. The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles — a separate agency known as HACLA — has said hackers got inside its network in 2022 and may have accessed people’s names, Social Security numbers, financial accounts numbers and medical information.
Two years later, HACLA was breached again, according to an official notice, with hackers potentially accessing names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and phone numbers.
LAist reporter Aaron Schrank contributed reporting to this story.
Lindsey Horvath has announced she will run for county CEO in 2028.
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Topline:
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Monday that she is running to be the county’s first elected chief executive. Horvath is the only candidate so far to enter the race, which is set for 2028.
Why it matters: The new executive post will take the place of the county’s appointed CEO and implement key priorities of the county Board of Supervisors.
Voters created the position in 2024 when they approved Measure G, which was proposed by supervisors Horvath and Janice Hahn.
Pushback: On Monday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement saying she believed it was “premature” to campaign for the new county executive position when it remained unclear whether “the office itself is constitutional.” Barger pointed to questions raised by former federal judge Stephen Larson about whether California’s Constitution allows an elected county executive to veto board decisions, control county contracts and take on powers state law currently gives the Board of Supervisors.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Monday that she is running to be the county’s first elected chief executive. Horvath is the only candidate so far to enter the race, which is set for 2028.
The new executive post will take the place of the county’s appointed CEO and implement key priorities of the county Board of Supervisors. The executive will oversee the county budget, which is currently roughly $50 billion, and labor relations with more than 100,000 employees.
Horvath was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 and was re-elected in June to another four-year term. She represents the county’s 3rd District, which covers the San Fernando Valley and parts of the Westside and Central Los Angeles. She is a former mayor of West Hollywood.
The supervisor made her announcement Monday via social media and her campaign website. She called the race a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
The backstory
Voters created the position in 2024 when they approved Measure G, which was proposed by Supervisors Horvath and Janice Hahn.
Among other changes, the measure allowed the Board of Supervisors to expand from five to nine members by 2030 and established an independent Ethics Commission, which held its first meeting last month.
The pushback
On Monday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement saying she believed it was “premature” to campaign for the new county executive position when it remained unclear whether “the office itself is constitutional.”
Barger pointed to questions raised by former federal judge Stephen Larson about whether California’s Constitution allows an elected county executive to veto board decisions, control county contracts and take on powers state law currently gives the Board of Supervisors.
“Moving forward with an office that would fundamentally change how Los Angeles County is governed, without first resolving these questions, is putting the cart before the horse,” Barger said in her statement. “We need clarity.”
The primary election is scheduled for March 7, 2028.
