The Brief

Library patrons like myself are familiar with long wait times on popular titles: For example, don't even think about putting in a hold for Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem at the Los Angeles Public Library now that it's been adapted into a hit Netflix show, unless you're willing to wait about 15 weeks for it.

But if you really want to read a book and don't mind taking on a side quest, there's a way to hack the system: Find a local library that does have a copy on hand and apply for a card there. If you plan it right, you can walk out with the book on the same day.

That's because most California public libraries allow you to get a card with them as long as you reside somewhere in the state. That includes many of the state's biggest library systems like the LAPL, as well as smaller library systems like the City of Commerce or Irwindale Public Libraries.

I can tell you this from experience: Earlier this week, I was tired of waiting for a hold I'd placed with the L.A. Public Library — which is run by the city of Los Angeles — to come through. (No hard feelings, LAPL!) Normally I'd be fine waiting for the hold to arrive, but it was a new book by my favorite author — Helen Oyeyemi's Parasol Against the Axe, if you're wondering.

So I did the next best thing: I placed a hold at the L.A. County Library, waited a few days, headed over to Culver City, and checked out the book with my L.A. County Library card. I even made a lovely afternoon of the trip, walking around the Culver City Julian Dixon Library's beautiful meditation garden.

That's possible even though I live in the city of L.A., which normally falls under the L.A. Public Library's jurisdiction. But it would've been fine if I lived anywhere from Crescent City to Calexico.

"We're happy to accept all residents of California to apply for a library card," said Jesse Walker-Lanz, assistant director of public services for L.A. County Public Library. "It doesn't matter if you don't happen to live in one of the cities or areas of the county that we serve. And the same is true for most other public libraries in California."

Walker-Lanz said that's especially useful in L.A. County, which is home to dozens of library systems, often right next to each other. For instance, Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena each have their own library system.

"Often, depending on where you live, you may have two or three different library systems within a very short radius," Walker-Lanz said. "We know that our customers use multiple libraries, and we're happy that they have those choices."

How to get a card

For most library systems, all you need to do is show up to any library branch, give them your state ID, and fill out a form or two. You can find a list of libraries in the Southern California Library Cooperative here. Each system's website will have information about applying for a card (though again, you can do this for nearly any library in the state).

If you don't have a California state ID, you can often still apply for a card with alternate identification. For instance, the Los Angeles Public Library will accept passports, student or work IDs, or other photo IDs alongside a proof of current address, like a credit card statement or government mail.

Some libraries do have more restrictions: The Beverly Hills Public Library, for instance, only gives out free cards to residents of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

One more catch: You'll usually have to register for the cards in person, though some libraries do allow you to register for an e-card for online materials. Plus, you'll usually have to visit the library again to renew the card.

The perks of having multiple library cards

Speaking from experience: Having fun is even less hard when you have more than one library card.

Many libraries offer a lot of the same perks, like access to ebook systems like Libby and streaming services like Kanopy. But it never hurts to have more than one library card loaded into Libby to cut down on wait times. It's a practice I like to call "cardmaxxing," and it's saved me a lot of waiting on popular titles.

Another perk: If you're planning a longer trip to, say, San Francisco, you can get a library card while you're there. Not only can you check out reading material for the trip, you can also take advantage of San Francisco Public Library's other offerings, like free admission to more than a dozen area museums and state parks passes (for now, at least).

And if you feel like you're cheating the system, please know that the librarians are cool with you doing this — they encourage it, even.

"San Francisco Public Library is proud of the fact that any California resident can sign up for our library card," SFPL Director of Communications Kate Patterson said in an email to LAist. "We are fortunate to live in a progressive state like California, where residents across county lines can take advantage of the rich diversity of collections and access programs and services in multiple municipalities."

And if you're not planning to leave Southern California, or if you're planning to visit here, both LAPL and LA County Library offer museum passes, not to mention Chromebooks, mobile hotspots, and a host of other services.

So if you pass a library on the regular but didn't realize you could get a card there, consider this your reminder to stop in and register. You never know when they'll have a copy of the book you need.

Workers at SoFi Stadium started voting Thursday on whether to authorize a strike, just days before the World Cup launches in Los Angeles.

Some 2,000 unionized food and beverage workers at the stadium have been threatening to walk off the job for weeks over concerns about Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's role in tournament security and other demands, including premium pay for lucrative events like the World Cup.

But they've yet to strike a deal with Legends Global, the company that runs the stadium's bars and food services.

" I think the combination of the World Cup being unable to get their stuff together and the greediness of the stadium owners may end up leading to workers having to call for a strike," said Kurt Petersen, co-president of the union representing SoFi workers, Unite Here Local 11.

The contract between Legends and its workers expired last year, and the two sides are currently negotiating a new agreement. The union has been leveraging its role in the coming World Cup to push for higher wages, especially at mega-events like the World Cup that rake in major profits. Unite Here and Legends were at the bargaining table Wednesday, but Petersen said that they still hadn't made a deal.

Workers are also concerned that FIFA's plans for its luxury suites will lock them out of lucrative jobs during the tournament. FIFA has brought in a company called On Location to offer exclusive packages that can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more. Union workers at SoFi say they're worried that those jobs will go to subcontractors without union protections.

Petersen said that workers represented by his union still don't have their schedules for the World Cup, and that the union doesn't have details on the company's agreement with On Location.

" It is kind of a mess," Petersen said. "Which is also adding fuel to people's anger. Like, really? We have this massive event coming, you want us to work super hard and you can't even tell us what we're gonna be doing when we're coming in, what our schedules are?"

Legends Global did not return a request for comment.

SoFi workers have also been pushing for protections from ICE, which will play a "key role" in tournament security, according to the former head of the agency.

Multiple officials including L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna have said they've received assurances that federal agents won't be conducting immigration enforcement, but Luna said there are no guarantees. Petersen said workers want the option to walk off the job if they feel unsafe because of ICE's presence.

Unite Here filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in April, saying ICE's planned presence at the World Cup threatened the union's ability to collectively bargain. The union has also asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate FIFA's accreditation process for stadium workers, which requires Social Security numbers and other personal information.

FIFA responded in a statement saying that data would be deleted after the fact, and the accreditation process does "not constitute pre-employment checks."

The sporting body did not respond to a request for comment on how a strike at SoFi Stadium could potentially affect the eight matches in Los Angeles.

The results of Unite Here's strike authorization vote could be out as early as Friday evening. If workers vote yes, fans who attend the first U.S. match in Inglewood on June 12 could show up to a picket line.

The two sides are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Monday.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Wilshire Boulevard between MacArthur Park and Lafayette Park will be transformed into a space featuring screenings of the World Cup games in July and vendors will have the opportunity to set up shop and sell their goods as part of the celebration.

Food vendors, artisans and performers interested in participating in the World Cup-themed event at MacArthur Park have less than a week left to apply for a spot.

Council District 1 is currently accepting applications for the two-day open streets event scheduled for July 10 and July 11.  Interested applicants can apply online here.

Applications are open through June 8. According to CD1, 26 applications have already been submitted for 40 available vendor spaces.

“Vendor interest has been strong,” said Jonathan Romero, a spokesperson for CD1. “Reflecting a great mix of food and drink, arts and crafts, and health and community resources.”

There are no application or vending fees to participate, though vendors must have a valid vending permit by the start of the event. 

For some MacArthur Park vendors, the event represents a potential opportunity to reach new customers during the World Cup.

Rabi Gaidani, a street vendor who sells clothing and shoes near MacArthur Park, said he had not previously heard about the Park to Park opportunity, but now plans to apply. 

“I would love that,” he said. “When the World Cup comes, it’s super good. We have more chances with people coming from all over.”

But not all vendors are convinced the opportunity will be accessible to everyone.

Another vendor, who sells shampoos, soaps and creams near MacArthur Park, said she was  unaware of the event. Her reaction reflects a frustration some street vendors say they have experienced for years: learning about city-sponsored events only after plans are already well underway. 

The vendor, who asked not to be named due to her immigration status, said opportunities often do not reach the people who work around the park every day.

She added that the organizations the city partners with do not directly reach out to vendors like her. 

Council District 1 says it is conducting outreach to businesses surrounding the park and working with community partners to promote the opportunity.

“I think they should improve how they select vendors,” she said.

She added that she worries the World Cup event could even draw customers away from businesses like hers, similar to what she says happens during large Guatemalan community celebrations in the neighborhood. 

She said people tend to gravitate toward wherever the festivities are taking place. 

“People want to go where the excitement is, where they’re showing the World Cup,” she said. “The World Cup isn’t going to bring us anything.”

More information about the event is available at cd1.lacity.gov/p2p.

If the goal was to confuse everyone, the mission was accomplished.

Just before Memorial Day, the Trump administration issued a sweeping new policy directive that took aim at legal immigration. It would have required most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees living in the U.S. to return to their home countries to await their green cards.

The memo and accompanying news release bucked a longstanding policy of allowing immigrants to remain in the U.S. while waiting for green cards, stating individuals would have to go back to their home countries except in “extraordinary” cases.

Then, late last Friday, the Trump administration began downplaying the significance of the previous week’s orders, which had already caused panic, confusion and concern among immigrant families and attorneys.

The Department of Homeland Security told the New York Times that it wasn’t a blanket policy and that individual officers in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have always had the discretion to decide.

“That’s a CYA,” said Patrick Kolasinski, an immigration attorney based in Modesto. “To me, it seems really clear that what they’re doing in their covering-their-bases thing is … a little bit of public blowback, but also trying to avoid some litigation because trying to change this policy the way they did is completely illegal.”

An unnamed Department Homeland Security spokesperson also told the Times that the groups that could be heavily affected include people who overstay visas or come from countries whose citizens are heavy users of public assistance.

The department did not respond to a CalMatters question about the apparent reverse course of the newly announced policy, as reported by the New York Times.

Many questions remain unanswered about the new policy and how it will be applied, but legal experts say it is part of an ongoing pattern by the Trump administration targeting people trying to follow established guidelines for obtaining a legal status. Employers, especially those in the tech sector, have loudly balked at the new memo, saying the mandate could disrupt operations and cause talent to leave.

The new mandate will almost certainly end up in court, but where does that leave people now?

Here are a few things to know:

Who is affected by new green card rules?

Relatives of U.S. citizens, laid-off tech workers, mixed-status families and international students are among those most at risk.

The change would mostly affect people already inside the United States who are applying for permanent residency, a process called adjustment of status. Roughly half of all green cards issued each year go to people already living inside the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security.

In 2023, 112,100 Californians received green cards through adjustment of status. That's more than any other state, accounting for nearly one in five of all U.S adjustments in 2023.

Family-based applicants make up the largest share, as opposed to employment-based applications. About 64% of all new green card recipients in 2023 obtained status through a family relationship with a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, according to DHS.

It’s not clear if the policy would apply to people with pending adjustment applications. Lynn Damiano Pearson, the director of legal strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, said immigration attorneys are already seeing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers question applicants in ways that suggest the answer is yes.

Some immigration lawyers told CalMatters people were asked by officers in interviews last week why they were applying for green cards from within the United States, and if any factors would keep them from applying and waiting in their home countries.

“People are being questioned about consular processing in a way that seems to flow directly from this new memo and makes us assume, unfortunately, that this administration is planning to apply the policy retroactively,” Damiano Pearson told CalMatters last week.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a question from CalMatters about whether the policy change applies to people with applications already in the pipeline Instead, in a written statement, the department said the policy “will have no noticeable impact on highly qualified applicants and skilled professionals who have followed the law.” The spokesperson declined to provide their name.

Congress created adjustment of status

Congress created adjustment of status in 1952, and it has been used by administrations of both political parties for more than 70 years. More than half a million people use it each year. The new memo reframes that process as “extraordinary.”

“This memo is wrong. It’s reprehensible. It’s illegal,” said Jeff Joseph, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He said he is “100% sure that it’s going to be litigated.”

Nina Sheridan, a spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta, indicated the same. “The Trump administration continues to wage a campaign against legal immigration, putting up barriers and pushing out immigrants who are trying to follow the established process to obtain permanent residence,” she said. “We’re monitoring where the administration goes next with its latest attempt to flout longstanding law and policy, and we are evaluating our options.”

The Department of Homeland Security told CalMatters the memo “restates longstanding law and policy” that was “disregarded by the Biden Administration.”

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Immigrants fear a deportation trap

Many people who applied for green cards have, with the government’s blessing, allowed their original visa to expire while they wait for their interview, sometimes for years because of backlogs in processing. Under the new policy memo, attorneys worry that could be used against them.

Lawyers are concerned people could be denied at their interview and then immediately placed into removal proceedings. Last year, people were taken into custody at their routine immigration appointments and then detained, sometimes for months.

Damiano Pearson said it is too early to say how often that could happen, but she said experts could not rule out the possibility that ICE agents might take people into custody immediately following their citizenship interviews.

Many applicants can't go back home

For most applicants, consular processing would not be a quick plane ride home to sign some paperwork. Wait times and backlogs for Department of State processing can take years to resolve.

“This is not about buying a plane ticket and waiting a little bit longer,” said Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “For many people, consulate processing is not realistic or safe, and for others it can mean months or years of separation from U.S. citizen spouses, children, employers, and communities.”

Visa processing has been halted completely in more than 70 countries.

Immigrants who have overstayed their visas could face three to 10-year reentry bans if they are forced to leave and apply from abroad.

“We don’t know from the language of the memo if those issues will be taken into account,” Damiano Pearson said.

“This memo has obviously created a lot of panic and fear amongst people who thought they were well on their way to receiving a green card.”

What are attorneys telling their clients?

Kolasinski, the immigration attorney, said he has clients with green card interviews this week who are nervous about what might happen next.

“You walk in, and you have no idea what kind of officer you’re going to get and what they’re operating under,” he said.

“There is no more rule of law. There is no more predictability. It’s completely the Wild West, and that’s been the case for a year and a half now,” said Kolasinski.

His advice to clients with interviews scheduled: Don’t go alone. “Nobody should be doing anything with immigration these days without a lawyer present,” he said.

CalMatters’ journalism engineer Mohamed Al Elew contributed to this report. 

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stormed ahead in early returns Tuesday night, overshadowing six little-known rivals and potentially securing him four more years in office in a race that strengthens his standing for a potential run for higher office.

With over 56,000 ballots counted and more still being tallied, Richardson was holding just over 56% of the vote.

Joshua Rodriguez, a former law enforcement officer, was in second with 20.4%, followed by local business owner Chris Sweeney at 10.2%.

Standing beside family and several City Council members at a rooftop election night party, Richardson thanked his supporters, saying the results reflect a voter base that supports his vision for the city and the direction it is headed.

“For me, this means we’re going to continue building jobs, jobs that are accessible, good high-paying union jobs in our city,” he said. “We’re going to continue to attract companies as the fastest growing aerospace cluster in America in Space Beach. We’re going to continue building housing in every part of our city.”

Richardson used his speech to reiterate his plan to remake Long Beach as an entertainment and sports destination.

He gestured for the crowd to look right, toward the newly built coastal amphitheater that debuts Saturday. “The industries of the past will not serve us well in the future,” Richardson said.

Richardson first won his seat in a 2022 general election with 56.6% of the vote, or 63,184 ballots, over then-Councilmember Suzie Price.

None of his challengers this year had as much political experience as Price, and Richardson substantially outraised them all.

Richardson spent more than $358,000, pulling from the $472,000 raised through donations from powerful unions, established Democratic colleagues and many of the defense companies he has helped bring to the city. By comparison, nonprofit executive Terri Rivers spent $17,000, and Sweeney spent nearly $10,000.

The mayor’s race in Long Beach is a tough one for political newcomers. The city has not elected a mayor who hasn’t first sat on the City Council since Beverly O’Neill’s inaugural win in 1994.

Early results in other races also favor incumbents

Results are as of 2:08 a.m. Wednesday. See the latest numbers at results.lavote.gov

Five City Council offices and the city auditor’s seat were also at stake in Tuesday’s primary, with incumbents across the city — except in the 7th District, where longtime Councilmember Roberto Uranga was termed out — holding early leads over their challengers.

City Auditor

Incumbent Laura Doud was leading Ginny Gonzalez with 71.1% of the vote compared to 28.9%. They are the only two candidates in the race.

1st District 

Incumbent Mary Zendejas was leading with 50.9% of the vote. Deb Kahookele was in second place with 14.6% of the vote. There are six candidates in the race.

3rd District

Incumbent Kristina Duggan was ahead with 66.5% of the vote. Rebecca Hinderer was in second place with 25.9% of the vote among four candidates.

5th District 

Incumbent Megan Kerr had 51.2% of the vote versus 48.8% for her challenger Tara Riggi. They are the only two candidates in the race.

Kerr said she was “cautiously optimistic” her lead would hold after a bruising race. “This was not an easy ride this time around,” she told her supporters.

Megan Kerr, District 5 Councilmember, attends an election night party in Long Beach on Tuesday, June 3, 2026.

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Richardson, who endorsed her, said he expected her to cruise to victory at this point.

“Councilwoman Megan Kerr stood up for affordable housing, and they tried to punish her for it, because she believes in a Long Beach that looks like this, where everybody has a seat at the table and a place to call home,” Richardson said in his election night speech. “And I’m so proud that the Fifth District voters agree.”

7th District 

LBCC Trustee Vivian Malauulu had 75.1% of the vote. Dameon Gordon was in second place with 17.5%. Jamies Shuford had 7.4% of the vote.

9th District

Incumbent Joni Ricks-Oddie led with 66.6% of the vote. Sequoia Neff is her only challenger and had 33.4% of the vote.

Will there be runoffs?

Any candidate who earns more than 50% of the vote in the June 2 primary wins outright. If no candidate reaches that mark, the top two vote-getters will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff. In tight races, final results may not be clear for weeks.

Voter turnout appeared strong Tuesday, with Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan reporting earlier in the day that at around 2 p.m., more than 100,000 voters had cast a ballot in person and nearly 1 million mail-in ballots had been received — about three percentage points higher than the June 2022 gubernatorial primary election.