There are so many parts of L.A. that we never get to see because we’re all stuck in our cars. So let’s shake things up a bit. LAist is launching a new series — LAist City Treks — and it’s all about exploring L.A.'s hidden gems on easy hikes and walks.
Why it matters: Remember during the pandemic when we were all itching to get back outside? Well, this new series channels that energy into checking out easy walks and hikes. This series will take you to the unexpected parts of L.A. that you typically just drive on by, or might otherwise miss in sprawling SoCal. Expect a bit of history, a bit of culture, and a whole lot of fun. And did we mention these walks are aimed at beginners (although you can always add on time and distance if you want more).
Why now: The first trek takes us across the structure dubbed the Park To Playa Bridge. This bridge was the last missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle to connect enough parkland and trails so that ambitious hikers — like you — could one day trek all the way from the Crenshaw area down to the Pacific Ocean. The bridge opened during the pandemic, without much fanfare. So this is your invitation to check it out as we explore a small, 3-mile section of the overall trail. You'll be rewarded with sweeping views at the top. And, if it's a clear day, you can see the Hollywood sign.
The guide: If you love walking, and you live in L.A., then you probably have a copy of the popular walking bible known as 10,000 Steps A Day In LA. The author, Paul Haddad, is now taking LAist readers on a new adventure with city treks around L.A. and SoCal.
Welcome to LAist City Treks, a series of easy hikes and walks that will helps you explore the parts of Los Angeles and SoCal that we rarely get to see — or only see through the car window. Expect to get about 5K steps, and plenty of photos for your social media channels. Keep scrolling, because you'll also find three recommendations for grabbing a quick bite to eat once you're finished.
Where are we headed?
We're heading to spectacular city views as we walk across the Park to Playa Bridge and make our way to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. If it's a clear day, you can even take in the Hollywood sign. And if you're feeling up to the challenge, check out as many of the Culver City Stairs — 282 steps in all — as you dare. Tag us on social media @LAistOfficial and #LAistTreks
Why now?
You can't get lost on this trail because it's all fenced in. But you'll still feel like you're getting away from it all in the middle of the city.
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This hike explores a scenic, three-mile stretch of the Park to Playa Trail. The full Park to Playa Trail spans over 10 miles, from the Baldwin Hills Parklands down to the Pacific Ocean. The trail was years in making, as cities and communities pieced the necessary land together like a jigsaw puzzle. The big missing piece was a bridge spanning busy La Cienega Boulevard. The bridge finally opened during the pandemic, but it remains unfamiliar to many.
So go now, before the summer heat becomes an issue, and check it out. The Park to Playa trail has six segments: You could also plan do do little pieces of it over several weekends, and then you'll have Park To Playa bragging rights.
Quickly, what can I expect?
Route conditions: Rolling terrain, mix of pavement and dirt trails
Difficulty: 3 out of 5, with 5 being the hardest (most of the route is easy, but there is one brief, challenging stretch
Distance: About 3 miles, with the option to add on distance (and stairs!) at the top
Dog friendly: Kinda — leashed dogs are allowed on the trail, but technically not the overlook. However, leashed dogs can be seen everywhere
Costs/Parking: Parking is free during the week, $7 per car on weekends. There is also a 25-cent shuttle service option on weekends
Trailhead bathroom: Yes. There are also bathrooms at the Stoneview Nature Center (closed Mondays) and at the turn around point.
Map it!
Want to take this map with you?
Click here and then select "Send directions to your phone." NOTE: The Google Maps directions send you up a steep hill to get to the bridge. We'd rather avoid that. So we recommend you park at the Doris Japanese Garden entrance and then follow our directions outlined here to get to the lower parking lot. It's a much friendlier path. Once you are at the bridge, the Google Maps directions will work just fine.
OK, let's get started...
Entrance to the Doris Japanese Garden at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
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On either side of the entrance, you'll find ornate carved lions... or is that a dragon? Either way, pay your respects.
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The fenced in koi pond is a bit weathered. But still pretty to look at.
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The turtles seem to hid in plain sight here.
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Choose the center path as you walk into the Japanese garden. You want to walk so that the koi pond is on your immediate left. (If you choose the wrong path, you could be in for a very steep hill.)
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If you stick to the center path, and keep the koi pond on your immediate left, this trail should soon come into view. See that yellow metal pole up ahead? That's your sign you're on the correct path.
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A few more steps, and look to your left: You'll see the lower parking lot, and the bridge that we're about to walk over. You might be wondering — couldn't I have just parked here? But this parking lot is not always open. In the future, though, look for its entrance immediately to the left as you are entering the park. It's a narrow, one-way road. And if the gate is open, you are free to head on in, according to park officials.
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Enter the Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area entrance at 4100 S. La Cienega Boulevard in Baldwin Hills and make your first left into a parking lot. From there, you'll travel back through two parking lots — almost as if you are heading back to La Cienega — until you hit a cul-de-sac and see the distinctive red entrance to the Doris Japanese Garden. You'll park here, and then venture through the gate, stopping to say hello to the ornate carved lions on either side. The garden here is a little weathered and worn, but you can still enjoy the koi, the turtles, squirrels, ducks and other wildlife that make their homes here.
Upon entering, choose the center path so that you keep the koi pond on your immediate left as you walk on by it. Keep on this path, and, as you can see in the photos above, you'll see a yellow metal pole up ahead — that means you're in the right place. A few more steps and the lower parking lot, and the bridge, will soon come into view on your left. (This path is all so new that you won't even find it yet on the park's own maps! And if you don't stick to the right path, you could end up on a nearby trail that has a grueling 12% grade.) Continue on the path as bends and curves down into the lower parking lot, and the eastern end of the bridge.
Here, the hike begins in earnest.
What's with that name?
This covered bridge honors the person who helped create it.
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This isn't just for looks. It's a critical crossway for critters dodging cars.
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This is probably where you'll do a doubletake: The optics of a convicted felon’s name engraved into the steel truss of this bridge may seem surprising, but there’s no denying that Mark Ridley-Thomas helped create more open space in South L.A. as a member of the county board of supervisors.
As you walk over the bridge, the beds of native landscaping to your right aren’t just for show; they offer safe passage for the park’s critters to cross over bustling La Cienega Boulevard. After you step off the bridge, you'll follow the fenced trail as it begins to gently zig and zag its way up the hillside.
Watch out for art work
This is L.A., and so you're never too far from creativity, even on the trails. About 500 feet past the bridge you’ll find one of a half-dozen “Citizen Seeds” sculptures created by artist Kim Abeles. The installation calls attention to the area’s biodiversity and history.
Keep walking, enjoying the twists and turns of the road as you continue a gradual climb.
Detour at the Stoneview Nature Center
A few more hundred feet on your right is the Stoneview Nature Center. Completed in 2017, the county-run complex is a model of adaptive land use, sitting as it does on an abandoned oil mine. Amble along a well-curated trail that takes you past meditative gardens, compost stations, a labyrinth, even a “bee hotel.” There are many classes held here, such as cooking and art creation for kids, yoga in the shade for adults. (You can also drive directly to the center.)
The entrance to the Stoneview Nature Center, which is definitely worth exploring.
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Raised garden beds are just once place where visitors here can learn about raising their own food and native plants.
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Shhhh! It's yoga time on the weekends under the trees here. Extra umbrellas also provide some shade.
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Cooking and arts classes are held here, too.
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There are many places to have a picnic in this area.
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If you like to garden, you'll find plenty of resources here.
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On a breezy day, you can hear the gentle sounds of the wind chimes here, made from kitchen and gardening tools.
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Plan ahead, and find your secret spot to break out a picnic. If the breeze is just right, you just might be serenaded by the soothing sound of metal music. I’m talking, of course, about the two unique wind chimes in the nature center's avocado and orange groves. Designed by the art collective Fallen Fruit, the chimes are made up of discarded kitchen utensils and cookware donated by neighbors.
What's this mural in the middle?
The Lavendar Chiveevi mural. It is a dedication to the land, and its people.
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Exit Stoneview and make a right, continuing on your walk. You'll soon come up on Lavender Chiveeví, a Los Angeles County commissioned mural that honors the biodiversity of the plants found in the area, the surrounding community and roads, and the indigenous people who once called the area home.
Active oil pumpjacks can be seen in the distance, part of the Inglewood Oil Field. The trail will dip once more before it begins a climb of 200 feet over the next half-mile.
Don’t worry, you got this! Just take your time.
Along the way, take an opportunity to pause and turn. At several points, you can enjoy the blissful feeling of seeing nature all around, and barely any signs of "civilization" beyond a glimpse of some power lines and the whirring of traffic in the distance.
Final push to the top
Make your way to the top, and you'll find it's always busy with people getting in a workout or just enjoying the sweeping views. When it's a clear day, you can make out the Hollywood sign.
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The trail will lead you to the edge of the parking lot at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Outlook. Walk all the way through the parking lot, and just before you hit the street on the other side — Hetzler Road — take a right and walk into the outlook area. This spot is almost always busy with people walking dogs, working out and chatting with friends.
Walk past the bathrooms and events area and begin making your way to the left, along a new series of fenced trails, and head to the outer edge and outlook. You'll know you're going in right direction when you hear lots of voices. Follow the voices.
You'll then walk out into an opening and all your hard work will be rewarded with sweeping cities views.
The turnaround point
The famed Culver City Stairs are no joke. There are 282 steps in all.
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Now, you have a decision to make: Turn back, or explore the Culver City Stairs and the trail that zig zags around it. Just remember, what goes down, must come up, and these stairs are no joke. Also fun: Just watching others navigating the stairs while you enjoy the vistas before you including the Hollywood sign, DTLA, and more.
When you're ready, make your way back the way you came, back down the trail, across the bridge, and back up past the koi pond to your parking spot.
No one gives you side eye for ordering a taco on a fresh flour tortilla (instead of corn) at Loqui. There are also plenty of bowls with the protein of your choice served with rice, beans and man options for vegetarians. They also have extra sides of protein (shrimp, chicken, etc.) for those watching the carbs. And chips and quac for those who are not.
Step back into the year 1958, slide into a red booth, admire the Googie architecture and enjoy some classic diner fare at Pann's, such as eggs and buttermilk biscuits, hot cakes, and country fried steaks, milkshakes, burgers and more.
Location: 6710 LaTijera Blvd., Los Angeles Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If it's a Saturday or Sunday, and you're not too grimy from the hike, head to Post & Beam for their weekend brunch. They're known for Southern food with a California twist, such as shrimp and grits and fried chicken and waffles and pecan pie French toast. Plant based and gluten free options, too.
Location: 7367 Santa Rosalia Drive, Los Angeles Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where to next?
Any suggestions for great hikes in and around L.A.? Don't keep it to yourself! Let us know, and we might check them out for a future story.
Trumpeter and Cuban jazz performer Arturo Sandoval has released his 49th album.
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Topline:
Arturo Sandoval boasts a history that includes being mentored by Dizzy Gillespie, winning 10 Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and collaborating with towering figures like Stevie Wonder and the "Queen of Salsa" herself, the late Celia Cruz.
Why now: On his 49th studio album, "SANGÚ," Sandoval turns inward, with a little help from his family. His son, Arturo "Tury" Sandoval III, and daughter-in-law, Melody Lisman, helped conceive and produce the album.
Read on ... for more on Sandoval's legacy and new work.
Jazz maestro and Afro-Cuban music legend Arturo Sandoval's obsession with sound began at the age of 13 in the small town of Artemisa in western Cuba.
Now 76, Sandoval boasts a history that includes being mentored by Dizzy Gillespie, winning 10 Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and collaborating with towering figures like Stevie Wonder and the "Queen of Salsa" herself, the late Celia Cruz.
But on his 49th studio album, "SANGÚ," Sandoval turns inward, with a little help from his family. His son, Arturo "Tury" Sandoval III, and daughter-in-law, Melody Lisman, helped conceive and produce the album.
"They came one day to my house and said 'you know what? We have an idea,'" Sandoval says. "'You need something different. You need to refresh your repertoire.' And I said okay."
During the pandemic, when live music venues were shut down, Sandoval's frustration at being stuck at home led to a burst of creativity.
"I started composing new tunes and making videos every day. For two and a half years, I was doing that, and I wrote a few hundreds new songs,"
Sandoval III and Lisman selected 100 of those songs and then came back to the older Sandoval and told him to choose just 12 to record for the new album.
Sandoval's famous trumpet peppers the entire album with classic bebop, funk and Afro-Cuban stylings that made him famous, but it also sounds unmistakably modern, as if he's reaching back into his history and plucking notes specifically to pass on to future generations.
What is 'SANGÚ'?
One might be tempted to try and translate the album's title, but you won't find it in any Spanish/English dictionary. The elder Sandoval says the title is funnier, and more personal than that.
"My English, my pronunciation is very funny," Sandoval explains.
After recording the first track on the album, he turned to his son and daughter-in-law and said, "It sounds good."
"They started laughing so hard," Sandoval recalls. " I said, 'what is funny about it?' I said 'it sounds good.'"
"They said 'no, you didn't say that. You said S-A-N-G-U with an accent.' SANGÚ."
A surprisingly common language
Perhaps the oddest part of the "SANGÚ" story is that even though Sandoval III has never considered himself a musician, helping to produce his father's latest project was incredibly natural.
"It's been quite a journey," Sandoval III says. "To some degrees music was the common language, was the lingua franca that my dad and I could really speak unexpectedly even though it's not my natural language."
Sandoval III calls collaborating with his father "magical," but admits there might have been some discomfort when he wanted to give his father some notes.
"It's really funny because he prides himself that no one has ever told him to make music this way or the other. So, for someone who is basically music-illiterate to tell him to try it some other way, was quite shocking for him, as you can imagine," Sandoval III says.
"But we had a really clear vision and we really wanted to jar him back into maybe some of the stuff that he was even doing in the early 80s that was so inspiring to so many people."
Like Lazarus, hope springs eternal
One of the most recognizably Cuban songs on "SANGÚ," and one of the only tracks that features Arturo Sandoval's speaking voice, is called "Babalu Ayé." It's dedicated to the Catholic Saint Lazarus, or San Lázaro in Spanish – a man Jesus rose from the dead.
"We are very devoted to San Lázaro," Sandoval says. "We light candles,we pray, and we ask San Lázaro for health."
Though, he notes, he's not one to go to church every Sunday.
"When I need to communicate with God, I make a direct call."
Connecting with his audience
"I try to be sincere when I'm playing, to really express what I am feeling inside of me," Sandoval says. "That experience to play in front of an audience and see the people appreciate it … is kind of like a unique experience, man."
"That's the most important thing. It's like you're winning the lotto every night … sometimes you see a couple of ladies in the audience with tears in their eyes and I say 'thank God, thank God, thank God.' I get to their soul."
Hope for his homeland
Sandoval fled Cuba and then became an American citizen with the help of his mentor Dizzy Gillespie back in the late '90s, but thoughts of the island and its people are never far from his mind. And even though he says he tries to stay away from politics, he also admits he can't keep quiet when it comes to the suffering of the Cuban people.
"The word hope is the last thing you should lose in your life, but I'm going to tell you it's been 67 years and a half," Sandoval says. "It's way too long because the people have reached the bottom already. The people are desperate and hopeless."
"I would love to before I die to go and visit if the conditions get according to a principle of freedom. Otherwise I'm going to die dreaming."
Arturo Sandoval's latest album "SANGÚ" is out now.
Winnie Mandela raises her fist during the funeral for 17 people who were killed during fierce rioting on Wed. March 5, 1986, in Johannesburg's Alexandra township.
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Topline:
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered —and controversial — women in South African history, but to her grandchildren the anti-apartheid icon was always just their beloved "Big Mommy."
Background: While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon — having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid — his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.
That's because Winnie is accused of encouraging some of the worst Black-on-Black violence in the townships during apartheid in the 1980s.
Why now: Two of Mandela's granddaughters are reexamining her divisive legacy in a new Netflix documentary series called The Trials of Winnie Mandela, currently only available in Africa.
In the trailer for the series, sisters Princess Swati Dlamini-Mandela and Princess Zaziwe Mandela-Manaway acknowledge they have set themselves a hard task, asking, "How do you ask your grandmother, are you a murderer, are you a kidnapper?'"
Read on ... for more on the new Netflix documentary.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered —and controversial — women in South African history, but to her grandchildren the anti-apartheid icon was always just their beloved 'Big Mommy.'
Now two of Mandela's granddaughters are reexamining her divisive legacy in a new Netflix documentary series called The Trials of Winnie Mandela, currently only available in Africa.
In the trailer for the series, sisters Princess Swati Dlamini-Mandela and Princess Zaziwe Mandela-Manaway acknowledge they have set themselves a hard task, asking, "How do you ask your grandmother, are you a murderer, are you a kidnapper?'"
But they think they managed to present an unbiased portrayal of Winnie in the series.
"I'm so proud of this work, because it is not just a myopic view of a person that we love, but also who is complex, and has had a complex history," says Dlamini-Mandela, 47.
While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon — having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid — his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.
That's because Winnie is accused of encouraging some of the worst Black-on-Black violence in the townships during apartheid in the 1980s.
A gang of youths associated with her, called the Mandela United Football Club, were responsible for vigilante abductions and killings of those suspected of being government informers – even children.
In 1997, she appeared in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established by the new government to investigate crimes committed during apartheid.
After being pressed by the Desmond Tutu, who led the commission, she said: "Things went horribly wrong…for that I am deeply sorry." The commission found her "politically and morally accountable" for the crimes committed by her gang of bodyguards.
Even though the Netflix show is only being released now, filming of the documentary started before Winnie's death in 2018 aged 81. So she gets to answer for herself.
"Our grandfather's painted as a saint, and our grandmother's painted as a sinner," Dlamini-Mandela says.
"And we ask her that question…what do you think about that? And she says, well, who is anyone to say, whether you're saint or a sinner, that's between me and my God."
What is clear is that Winnie's commitment to the struggle came at great personal cost.
When Mandela was imprisoned, she was left not only to raise their children alone, but to carry on his activism – which she did fearlessly.
She became such a thorn in the side of the apartheid state that she was regularly targeted.
In 1969 she was put in solitary confinement for 491 days and tortured. She says in the documentary of that time: "The 18 months in solitary confinement, it left scars nothing can heal."
She was jailed numerous times in the decades that followed, with her Soweto home frequently raided in the dead of night. Ultimately, she was exiled to the remote town of Brandfort, in the Free State, in a harsh attempt to stifle her influence and activism.
Despite the brutal treatment and constant humiliations, she never gave up.
But she was criticized for her increasing militancy, even within her African National Congress party. Especially for a speech she gave in 1986 appearing to condone the brutal township punishment of "necklacing" used on alleged police collaborators.
In South Africa, "necklacing" was a brutal form of killing in which a car tyre was forced over a person's chest and shoulders and set alight.
She was also villainized for alleged romantic affairs while her husband was in jail. When Mandela was released, their marriage faltered, ending in a divorce in 1996 for which she was mostly blamed.
Reassessing Winnie through a feminist lens
"I wholeheartedly don't believe that a male comrade would've waited 27 years for a wife's return. The alleged affair feels like something they used against her in order to vilify her," says Momo Matsunyane, who directed a recent play in Johannesburg, "The Cry of Winnie Mandela," which sought to rehabilitate her image.
In recent years, a new generation of young South Africans like Matsunyane have begun to reassess Winnie's legacy from a feminist perspective.
When she died in 2018, thousands mourned all night outside her home. There are now t-shirts with her face on them, street murals, and a major Johannesburg road named after her.
"It's true to say that she may have been involved in some events that occurred that made her seem ruthless," Matsunyane says.
But she adds it doesn't have to be a false dichotomy.
"It's also true that she was fiercely resilient in the face of a greatly violent and inhumane system. She put her life and body on the line for the fight for freedom."
Aside from her renewed status as a revolutionary icon, what are her granddaughters' most cherished memories of her?
"God, there's so many," says Mandela-Manaway. "I mean, her cooking for us in the kitchen on Sunday lunches … giving me hugs, giving me advice, talking to her about anything."
Despite growing up in turbulent times, the sisters — now both in their late forties — weren't that politically aware until they were young adults.
"We were kids, so we didn't realize that we were Nelson and Winnie's grandchildren," Mandela-Manaway says. "Not like...we knew that these were political figures who were known across the world. We had no idea."
But much as their mother Zenani – Winnie and Nelson's first daughter – tried to normalize things for them, it was an unusual childhood.
"And we literally were like, we only had each other, because no one wanted to be associated with us," the sisters say. "Being cool... Mandela became cool after."
"There are a lot of young women who identify with the spirit of Mama Winnie," says theater director Matsunyane.
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Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
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Topline:
Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
Background: Durazo is nearing the end of her term and is running for the LA County Board of Supervisors seat currently held by Hilda Solis, who is termed out.
What's next: Rascón, Hernandez, Camacho and Carrillo will participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee.
Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
Durazo is nearing the end of her term and is running for the LA County Board of Supervisors seat currently held by Hilda Solis, who is termed out.
The forum, hosted by Proyecto Pastoral, brought together Juan Camacho, Wendy Carrillo, Sara Hernandez and Sarah Rascón — four of eight candidates running for the seat — to outline how they would represent Boyle Heights and East LA. Organizers said they initially invited only candidates with active campaigns but later extended invitations to others. “We were open to everyone,” said Enrique Velázquez, with Proyecto Pastoral.
About 60 people attended the forum, many raising concerns about affordable housing, healthcare, and environmental issues tied to the Exide Technologies plant nearby.
Among them was Martha Martinez, 70, who has lived in Boyle Heights for nearly three decades and says housing affordability tops her list.
“My children pay extremely high rent,” Martinez said. She hopes that eventually they will be able to afford homes in the neighborhood as well.
Joseph Villela, 43, joined the forum to hear what the candidates had to say about the changes in the district.
“I want to hear what their priorities are,” Villela said. “How are they prioritizing Boyle Heights?”
Meet the participants
Camacho immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. He serves as President of Equality California Institute, where he leads programs to protect LGBTQ+ civil rights and support youth leadership.
Carrillo immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 5 and grew up in Boyle Heights and City Terrace. She previously served the Eastside as State Assemblymember for the 52nd district.
Hernandez currently serves on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees and is a housing, immigration and environmental attorney. She began her career as an LAUSD middle school teacher and lives in Eagle Rock.
Rascón grew up in El Sereno and her background is in sustainability and environmental justice. Recently, she served as the Director of County and Regional Affairs for Mayor Karen Bass.
Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
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Laura Anaya-Morga
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Across the board, candidates pointed to their work supporting health resources across the Eastside and emphasized their commitments to protecting immigrant communities from federal enforcement and redirecting state funding to keep immigrant families housed.
On public health and social services
On public health, Rascón pointed to the work she’s done to bring social services and mental health resources to Eastside families as a county liaison for the mayor’s office, including Prop 1, which invested $65 million for mental health services in LA County.
“Our undocumented immigrant communities should never fear going to the doctor,” Rascón said.
Hernandez said she will redirect Prop 1 funding to support early intervention and community nonprofits.
Camacho stressed funding for mental health, community clinics, and schools and emphasized the need to get in front of issues like housing affordability to promote healthier communities.
Carrillo pointed to the work she did as an assemblymember to secure $50 million in state funding to revitalize General Hospital in Boyle Heights.
“My promise is to keep fighting for resources in the budget,” Carrillo said.
Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
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Laura Anaya-Morga
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Boyle Heights Beat
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On protecting immigrant communities
All four candidates said they would push back against federal immigration enforcement.
Rascón said she spent the summer patrolling her neighborhood for federal agents.
Hernandez proposed expanding “safe zone” doctrines in the district beyond schools and healthcare facilities and taxing private ICE detention facilities.
Camacho emphasized keeping the federal government accountable.
“I will ask that the attorney general keep going after federal agents terrorizing our communities and that we keep suing the Trump administration when they keep taking away our rights,” he said.
To address the massive state and federal cuts to the state’s Medi-Cal program, which will cause some immigrant populations to lose health coverage, Rascón, Hernandez and Camacho said they’d adopt progressive taxation to fill the gap in funding left behind by the cuts.
The candidates were asked how they would address a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to end certain federal housing assistance for families with mixed immigration status.
All candidates said they would redirect state funding to supplement the funding lost by HUD to protect housing for mixed-status families and renters.
Carrillo said she would work on legislation to protect tenants from displacement, like eliminating the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to legally back out of their rental business and evict tenants.
On environmental justice
Environmental justice was another key focus. Rascón and Hernandez emphasized reducing pollution and expanding green space, while Camacho said he would focus on community listening.
Carrillo pointed to past investments in park cleanups, LA River restoration and remediation of neighborhoods impacted by the Exide battery plant contamination.
Upcoming candidate forum
Rascón, Hernandez, Camacho and Carrillo will participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee.
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Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which had been struggling for years, announced it will cease operations.
Why now: Spirit had been seeking a $500 million federal bailout from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying "effective immediately".
The backstory: Spirit, based in South Florida, had been under mounting financial pressure due to the war in Iran, which sent the price of jet fuel soaring. But its problems ran deeper than that.
WASHINGTON — Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which had been struggling for years, announced it will cease operations.
Spirit had been seeking a $500 million federal bailout from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying "effective immediately".
"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately," the airline said in a statement early Saturday. "[A]ll flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come."
Last flights
People all around the country have been documenting last flights from Spirit landing at their airports, including at LAX on Friday night. Watch it here.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the Department of Transportation was coordinating with other U.S. airlines to help stranded customers rebook travel. Several major carriers agreed to cap ticket prices and offer reduced fares for affected passengers. Several airlines also said they would help Spirit crew members return home and offer preferential interviews to Spirit employees looking to stay in the aviation industry.
Spirit, based in South Florida, had been under mounting financial pressure due to the war in Iran, which sent the price of jet fuel soaring. But its problems ran deeper than that.
The No. 9 U.S. airline (based on seats) faced increased competition from its larger rivals, which adopted some of the same strategies that had made Spirit successful in the first place.
Spirit was a pioneer among ultra-low-cost carriers, keeping its fares down by stripping away amenities that travelers had previously taken for granted. But bigger legacy airlines countered with their own basic economy fares, making it harder for Spirit to survive.
Spirit tried to sell itself to a larger rival, accepting a $3.8 billion offer from JetBlue after a bidding war in 2023. But the U.S. Justice Department sued to block the deal, arguing that the merger would hurt budget-conscious consumers. A federal judge agreed and rejected the acquisition.
Passengers check in for their Spirit Airlines flights at O'Hare Airport on March 10 in Chicago. The budget airline has announced it will cease operations.
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Scott Olson
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Getty Images
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The airline has filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024, seeking to emerge as a leaner, more competitive operation. But the combination of rising fuel costs and changes in the industry proved too much to overcome.
"When you're a low-cost carrier, by definition, you're relying on having a cost advantage. And they just don't have that anymore," said Shye Gilad, a former airline pilot and professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. "They just don't have a lot of options left."
In recent weeks, Spirit had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal that would have provided a $500 million cash infusion in exchange for a significant potential stake in the company. But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.
On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he would like the chance to save the jobs of Spirit's employees, but Trump said it would have to be "a good deal."
"If we can help them, we will. But we have to come first. We're first," Trump said.
While in bankruptcy, Spirit's operations had gotten smaller. In February, the airline had a 3.9% market share of U.S. passengers, down from 5.1% in the same month last year, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Spirit's market share was poised to fall even further to 1.8% in May, which would have made it the country's ninth-largest airline.
But even with a small footprint, consumer advocates say Spirit had an important effect on fares by providing competition for the larger legacy carriers on the routes that it flew.
"You do not have to fly a small carrier in order to benefit from its presence, because they will bring down the big guys' fares," said William McGee, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Without Spirit flying those routes, he predicted that "everyone will be paying more."
Copyright 2026 NPR
