The Brief

We're still five years away from hosting the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But the city of Mission Viejo already has dreams of cashing in on the event. It hopes to lure international athletes to train in the city in the runup to the 2028 L.A. Games.

"It's sort of a concierge-level service that we intend to provide," said Mayor Brian Goodell, a former Olympic swimmer.

Convincing athletes to establish a base in Mission Viejo, a city of some 92,000 in inland south Orange County, is one of the city council's official strategic goals for the coming years. The city hopes these athletes, and the entourage of coaches, trainers, and medical personnel that often travel with them, will stimulate the local economy and spark civic pride.

"We don't have Disneyland, we don't have Knott's Berry Farm, we don't have a pier at the beach," Goodell said. "But we have great athletic facilities … and so sports tourism is a big economic driver for our city."

Still, it's a little unclear how much it would cost the city to mount the kind of concierge service Goodell envisions and how much the city stands to gain in return.

The city's 'Olympic tradition'

In addition to its Olympian mayor — Goodell won two Gold medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympics — Mission Viejo's ties to the games run deep. The city claims on its recently launched sports tourism website that 143 Olympic athletes have trained there in the past, including five-time medal winning diver Greg Louganis.

Mission Viejo Mayor Brian Goodell, an Olympic Gold Medalist, hopes to attract smaller countries to train in the city in the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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During the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the cycling road race started and finished in Mission Viejo. "It was one of the most exciting things you'd ever see. People were just on fire," Goodell said, "screaming, yelling, waving flags, and banners."

Goodell is especially proud of the Marguerite Aquatics Complex, home of the Nadadores swim team that his parents helped found in 1968. The city recently invested some $11 million in renovating the facilities, which include an Olympic-size competition pool and a new dive tower with double-wide platforms built for synchronized diving competitions.

When Goodell showed me around on a spring day, kids were practicing their dives into a foam pit and swimmers from as far away as New Zealand were warming up for a pro meet that was about to start.

Goodell pointed out that one of the images on Mission Viejo's seal is an Olympic torch. "So we believe in this," he said. "We're an Olympic city."

Let's talk economics

The mayor is already getting to experience some of that Olympic spirit again — the city council recently spent some $8,000 to send Goodell and a consultant to Australia to pitch Mission Viejo and its training facilities at a meeting of the Oceania National Olympic Committee.

Goodell said he'd also like to see the city hire someone to take charge of coordinating sports tourism efforts, akin to the visitors bureaus that exist in other O.C. cities, like Anaheim and Huntington Beach. Right now, he does some of this work himself, but much of it falls to the city's recreation director. "It's not really in his job description," Goodell said. "It's a whole nother job and a whole lot of work."

Kids practice dives on land at the Marguerite Aquatic Center in Mission Viejo.

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Jill Replogle

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How much money does the city stand to make off of this venture? Goodell has said it's too early to know. But Mission Viejo has commissioned several economic studies of large events held in recent years at the Marguerite Aquatic Center.

One of them calculated that attendees at a 2019 U.S. Masters national swim meet spent a combined $471,269 in the city and generated close to $38,000 in sales tax. However, the authors also noted that some portion of that spending likely occurred outside Mission Viejo city limits.

The city has just four hotels, which Goodell said is a problem. "We end up exporting a lot of hotel room nights out to our neighboring cities and they love us for it," he said.

As for facilities, the city owns the Marguerite Aquatics Complex but the nonprofit Mission Viejo Nadadores Foundation runs the operation. According to tax filings, the foundation pays nothing to the city to rent the facility and any fees paid by outside groups to use the facilities for training and competitions goes to the Nadadores.

The aquatic center is generally not open to the public. There used to be an open swim time, but this year the city has been unable to find lifeguards to staff it, said Nadadores executive director Michele Mitchell.

Mitchell, who's a former Olympic diver, said the foundation and the city had a "symbiotic relationship." For example, she said, the Nadadores diving team recently raised $200,000 to add permanent bleachers alongside the diving pool and that that upgrade will become city property. She also said the foundation had contributed $1 million toward the recent renovations.

Mayor Goodell said, in the long term, the city's investment in promoting itself to Olympic athletes amounts to "pennies" compared to the economic and community benefits he expects to flow in.

"We have a lot of opportunities to use our facilities better, to create more opportunities for not only people to come here and enjoy this place, but also our residents to enjoy the feeling, the participation, and to come to watch some of the greatest athletes in the world compete."

Not everyone thinks this is a great idea

At the March City Council meeting, several residents spoke up against Goodell's lobbying trip to Australia. "This appears to be a taxpayer-funded joyride," said resident and former mayor Cathy Schlicht. Another resident called it a "boondoggle."

Councilmember Cynthia Vasquez voted in favor of paying for the trip, but she told LAist she's not yet convinced the city's Olympic recruiting venture should be a top priority. "I just want to be sure that we're being fiscally responsible and that there's not just that financial return, but also a return on the public good," she said.

An economist's viewpoint

Economists like Victor Matheson are often critical of the touted benefits of big events like the Olympics, largely because of the often huge initial cost of building stadiums and other infrastructure.

"So, for example, the Olympics need a 10,000-seat swimming facility that will never, ever be used except for the Olympics," said Matheson, a professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. That example is on the nose — for the L.A. games, the plan is to install a temporary pool in USC's Dedeaux baseball field to hold the diving and swimming events.

But the calculus is different, Matheson said, if the facilities already exist, which they do in Mission Viejo, and if they are, and will be, used by the community in the future.

Marketing material in Mayor Goodell's city office.

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Julie Leopo

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The other, big thing to consider, he said, is the opportunity cost. "What would you have been doing otherwise with your facilities and your money," he said. For example, if hotels have empty rooms, then it's great if a team comes in to use them. If that team is taking up rooms that other guests would have otherwise booked then there's really no gain.

Goodell said bringing in Olympic athletes to train could temporarily displace some local sports teams and practices, "but we can be very flexible, too."

Mitchell from the Nadadores said foreign athletes generally come to train for only a few weeks, and that since the local swim and dive teams have access to the aquatic center around the clock, they can shift to accommodate more bodies.

What's the price of Olympic spirit?

Mission Viejo's plan to recruit Olympic athletes isn't all about money, it may be even more about stimulating the Olympic spirit and civic pride. Matheson said civic pride does have economic value, but not all that much.

"I think mayors get a little bit of stars in their eyes," he said of the Olympic pull. "I don't think it's a negative, but don't count on this making the L.A. suburbs wildly rich either."

Goodell and Mitchell, though, say the opportunity to have top athletes in the community is priceless. "It's a once in a 40-year opportunity to have the experience," Mitchell said, referring to the last time the Olympics were held in L.A., in 1984.

She noted that when she competed in the Olympics, in 1984 and 1988, she and other athletes visited hospitals, libraries, and elementary schools to meet with locals and talk about "Olympic ideals." She thinks it would also motivate kids to get "off the couch and off their phones and get involved in pick your sport."

Who's wooing whom?

Mission Viejo already has at least one team that seems sold on the idea of making the city its training base for the 2028 L.A. Games — and maybe longer. "Mission Viejo would be the perfect base for us," the New Zealand national swim team's Gary Francis told LAist.

"It gives us the opportunity to, you know, go down and swim in San Diego, go up and swim in San Francisco, Santa Clara," he said. "The fact that swimming is part of the culture around here, that's really good for us."

Francis said more than hotel stays, he'd like to arrange for homestays in Mission Viejo — for the cultural value, but also because it would be cheaper for his team. "Our federation [Swimming New Zealand] is really a pauper federation and a lot of our swimmers have to pay for everything themselves," he said, noting that travel expenses had doubled in recent years.

"It's always logistically hard for us," he said. Francis envisions an athlete exchange, where Southern California athletes might get the chance to visit and swim in New Zealand. "We have to make friends, he said. "What we can offer in return is a lot of hospitality."

Master escape artist and world-famous entertainer Harry Houdini had been dead for decades by the time teenager Kevin Connolly sat down with his dad in their New Jersey home in the late 1960s to watch Houdini, the biopic with actor Tony Curtis in the title role.

“I'm so engrossed in the movie that I'm crying that he passed away. And my dad looks down at me and says, 'What's the matter, son?' I said, 'Houdini died,'" Connolly said.

His father then comforted him.

That experience with the movie and with his father sparked a five-decade-plus collector’s obsession in the teen that led him to amass thousands of items from Harry Houdini’s life and career.

The collection includes handcuffs owned by Houdini, a signed life-size portrait of Houdini in chains, a linen bag his wife, Bess Houdini, made him and a pocket watch she gifted him on his birthday in 1910, at the height of his career.

Signed Cabinet Card Photograph of Houdini in Chains.

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Connolly Collection courtesy Potter & Potter Auctions.

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“Engraved inside the cover is a very personal note from her to him that also contains a little hidden code in the inscription,” said Gabe Fajuri, president and principal auctioneer at Potter & Potter Auctions. The watch has the highest valuation of the items, with an estimate between $20,000 and $40,000.

The auction house has been displaying these 100 items at its Chicago offices and will transport them to the Magic Castle in Hollywood for display on Oct. 30 and the final auction the day after.

“ These are things that potentially have his DNA on them. These are things that Houdini himself owned, handled, used, treasured,” Fajuri said.

The auction marks two milestones: 100 years since Houdini's death and the winding down of 71-year-old Connolly's collecting efforts, which enriched his and his family’s life.

“It broadened our world, and it was nice to be recognized for your collecting abilities,” he said.

Connolly’s collection has turned him into a Houdini authority, attracting the attention of Houdini biographers, film documentarians, as well as museums and galleries.

Houdini was born in Hungary in 1874. He came to the U.S. as a young child and moved to New York with his father, a rabbi, at 13. He began performing as a magician four years later and shot to stardom on the vaudeville circuit with bold escape acts. There wasn’t a straitjacket, chains or ropes that he couldn’t escape.

Connolly admires how Houdini inspired a generation of immigrants with these stunning feats.

A photo of an escape stunt by Harry Houdini. It's the first Houdini item Kevin Connolly bought as a teen during his 50-plus years of collecting Houdini memorabilia.

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Courtesy Kevin Connolly

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One of those acts is captured in the very first Houdini item Connolly bought after watching that Houdini movie. It’s a photo of Houdini hanging upside down from a rope in front of a building, two stories up. His arms are bound to his body. Crowds look up from the street, staring at Houdini as he attempts to escape. “TORONTO OCT. 18/’16” is written along the bottom edge of the photo.

“That one is not in the auction,” he said. Oct. 18 is Connolly’s father’s birthday, which makes it special. Plus, “That would be probably the last one I'd let go, because that's the one that started it all.”

With Halloween approaching, a women’s walking group is helping Angelenos explore the city’s spooky and historic landmarks. Their next outing is Angelino Heights — home to century-old Victorian homes and an iconic piece of pop culture history.

Los Angelistas organizes weekly walks throughout Los Angeles. October draws some of its biggest crowds, according to the group. Earlier this month, the group visited the Spadena House in Beverly Hills for a witch-themed walk and explored Los Feliz for a murder-themed tour.

Members of Los Angelistas stand in front of the "Spadena House" in Beverly Hills in 2025.

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Exploring LA’s spooky side

On Nov. 1, the group heads to Angelino Heights, a tiny neighborhood next to Echo Park known for its Victorian homes.

“It has so much history, but also really beautiful, stunning Victorian architecture,” said Jillian Goodman, one of the group’s three co-founders. “It’s such a cool place that I don’t think many people know about.”

Some of the homes have been backdrops for films and TV shows, including Michael Jackson’s 1983 “Thriller” video — which will be a stop on the tour.

Los Angelistas visit the "Charmed" house while on a walk through Angelino Heights in 2024.

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(Jillian Goodman/Los Angelistas)

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Building friendship beyond the walks

Los Angelistas began in April 2023, when Goodman and a few women who met through another social club decided to continue spending time together through walks.

The group has since grown to more than 7,000 members, Goodman said. Its organizers live across L.A., allowing them to host events in neighborhoods like Brentwood, Mid-City and Glendale.

Goodman said the walks encourage women to discover parts of L.A. they might pass by without stopping.

“Everyone thinks of L.A. as a driving city. No one ever really stops and takes a breath,” Goodman said.

For Goodman, watching members build friendships that extend beyond the walks has been one of the most rewarding parts of the group’s growth.

“They go to each other’s weddings. They go to concerts. Seeing people connect, not just in the group, but then having that extend outside has been amazing to watch,” she said.

The group has also helped members support one another during devastating times. Amid last year’s Eaton and Palisades wildfires, some members helped others find places to stay, despite having only met on walks.

“I thought that was so beautiful and wonderful that without us they wouldn’t have known each other,” Goodman said.

A slew of Medicare Advantage plans are disappearing for next year, leaving seniors in many areas with fewer options. In 193 counties across the country, no plans are offered at all.

Medicare's annual open enrollment period kicked off October 15 and runs until December 7, and seniors enrolled in those privatized Medicare plans that are closing in certain markets should carefully review their options.

Medicare Advantage means private insurers run Medicare for older Americans who choose it over traditional Medicare, where the federal government itself administers the program. More than half of the 70 million Americans in Medicare choose Medicare Advantage. It's popular because it covers services like vision and dental, often with lower premiums than traditional Medicare. It also often folds in the "Part D" drug benefit, simplifying that decision.

But a downside of Medicare Advantage is that companies can pick and choose where they offer plans. If a certain community is not profitable, a company can leave that market. And that has been happening on an increasingly large scale the last three years, according to research published in JAMA.

Who is affected

Big swaths of rural America are losing Medicare Advantage choices and so are some major metro areas.

Last year, 2.9 million seniors were in Medicare Advantage plans that closed up shop, according to JAMA. This year, an analysis of insurance company announcements by An Arm and A Leg podcast, shows at least 2 million people will be affected. Other preliminary estimates range from 3.2 million to 5 million seniors. About 35 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

According to an analysis of federal data by the health policy research organization KFF, the 193 counties that will have zero Medicare Advantage plans are mostly rural. Last year that number was about 120 counties without a plan offered.

KFF's numbers also show that there will be far fewer plans offered in some metro areas. Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston and Portland all have between a quarter and a third fewer Medicare Advantage plans for seniors.

What happens next

If your plan is ending, and you don't choose another, the insurance company will assign you to another Medicare Advantage plan or the government will enroll you in traditional Medicare — but without a supplemental or drug plan.

If you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare and your plan is ending, you can enroll in a Medicare supplemental plan — also known as Medigap — without the same restrictions that you would normally have. If you have a pre-existing condition that has prevented you from enrolling in Medigap before, that could be good news.

Another wrinkle this year is that insurance companies can cap enrollments on some of the Medicare Advantage plans that they do offer.

Which means: If you wait to sign up, a plan you want might already be full.

The companies are supposed to enroll people on a first-come, first-serve basis — and not cherry-pick customers based on health conditions, age, or demographics.

Another reason not to delay is that with so many people on the hunt for new plans, it may take longer than usual to get help.

How and where to find help

Here are some tips for navigating Medicare open enrollment this year:

• Find out if your plan is still offered: First, check your mail. Medicare Advantage plans that are closing should have sent letters the first week in October. You can also log in to your account on Medicare.gov to check your plan's status for next year.
  
• Try calling your SHIP: There's a State Health Insurance Assistance Program — known as a "SHIP" — in every state to help seniors with Medicare. The name's not easy to remember or particularly descriptive, but it's free, mandated by the federal government, and the staff and volunteers are required to give you unbiased information on all available options. Find your state in the directory at shiphelp.org. Your county may have a specific number that you can find on your state's SHIP website.
  
• Look for local Medicare counseling services: Friends, family, leaders at your place of worship, and the constituent services of your local elected officials may have the scoop on where you can get one-on-one help. The nonprofit Medicare Rights Center also has a national helpline, and a well-organized library of online guides.
  
• Brokers can be helpful, but be savvy: You want a broker who's going to talk with you about all your options — including switching to traditional Medicare and a supplemental plan. Ask if they sell plans from all available insurance carriers. And ask if they answer questions about your plan year-round, because insurance never stops being confusing.
  
• Double check what you see on Medicare.gov: Medicare's Plan Finder allows you to search plans online. But lists of doctors and drugs that are covered can sometimes be wrong. To be safe, double check with your doctor's office or a SHIP counselor, broker, or other Medicare assistor.
  
• Don't share your personal information with services you find online: Be careful where you share your personal information like your phone number. Some online agencies will sell your information, leading to spam calls and potentially even scam artists.
  
• Be mindful of the deadlines: Open enrollment for Medicare runs October 15, 2026 through December 7, 2026. The coverage starts January 1, 2027. If your plan is ending, you qualify for a "special enrollment period" to give you a little more time — until February 28, 2027. (For coverage that starts January 1, 2027, enroll by December 31.)

Emily Pisacreta is the senior producer for An Arm and a Leg, a podcast about the cost of healthcare produced in partnership with KFF Health News and distributed by KUOW, Seattle's NPR member station. 

Copyright 2026 NPR

Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said may belong to noncitizens, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The letters are the latest escalation in a legal battle between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to root out noncitizen voting ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.

Earlier this month, the federal government targeted Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.

The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.

Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.

“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

The Justice Department is asking counties to send information about the voters it suspects are noncitizens including social security numbers, ID information, a copy of their registration and more.

That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.

California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.

Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.

The letters on Friday came on the heels of statewide sweep by federal authorities earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.