The Brief

Want to see wildflower blooms this season?

You’re in luck!

After a spate of major storms this season, wildflower blooms are already starting to pop up in desert parks like Anza Borrego and are expected to grow in the coming weeks.

“We're gonna have a really really good, showy bloom event” across the region, said Danny McCamish, a senior environmental scientist at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, which spans from eastern San Diego County to parts of Imperial and Riverside counties.

That’s because more rain has fallen than usual.

“We expect probably an above average bloom,” McCamish said. “I think it could be really vast, stretching all the way up into the later part of the season, up into the Death Valley area.”

BORREGO SPRINGS, CA - MARCH 6: Following record winter rains, wildflowers have been popping up at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, drawing thousands of visitors to a rare "super bloom" of plant life on March 6, 2019, near Borrego Springs, California. It is extremely rare to have two "super blooms" occurring two years apart, but both the 2017 and 2019 bursts of desert color have taken place immediately after an El Nino winter rainy season. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

(

George Rose/Getty Images

/

Getty Images North America

)

Flowers are already blooming at Anza Borrego, but big flower shows also depend on the region.

One of the more popular bloom-sighting spots — the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve — is expecting only a “mediocre” poppy season, but for wildflowers it should be decent, said Callista Turner, a state parks interpreter at the reserve.

That’s because the poppy reserve is considered high desert, and flowers at that elevation aren’t acclimated to excessive rainfall.

“When we experience larger than average rainstorms, what we see is that the non-native invasive grasses really take over. And then they start to especially out-compete and hide poppies,” she said. “So you don't get those vibrant… almost like violent orange hillsides that you can see from miles away.”

When and where to find blooms

Individual state parks post updates on their social media feeds and websites, and the overall parks system plans to publish updates on this webpage.

Updates on Anza Borrego blooms are also posted by the Anza Borrego Foundation on this website.

At the poppy reserve, Turner said the peak of each season’s bloom isn’t known until a couple days later when fewer flowers are around.

“It's entirely dependent on the temperature, the weather,” she said.

So the best thing to do is check the state parks system’s Poppy Reserve Live camera feed to see what the flowers look like.

You can also call the poppy reserve’s wildflower bloom hotline at (661) 724-1180, which updates weekly with the info on what’s blooming.

Where do things stand now

•  Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Blooms are dotting the heart of Borrego Springs along Henderson Canyon Road, the lower sandy dune portions of Coyote Canyon and in the southern portion of the state park along Highway S2 southeast of Agua Caliente County Park, according to California State Parks.

  Primrose, phacelia, wooly sunflower are among the early bloomers spotted near June Wash moving northeast toward Fish Creek and Arroyo Tapiado.
  

• Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve: A few poppies are already starting to bloom. But wildflowers are expected to be the real showstopper between mid-March and May this year. California State Parks said if the weather stays mild, the bloom this year is probably going to better than last year's.
  
• Red Rock Canyon State Park, Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area, Chino Hills State Park, Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, Fort Tejon State Historic Park: The state parks folks said these lesser-known parks are expected to have good wildflower blooms, too, starting mid-March into May.

Etiquette and safety when visiting blooms

Parks officials urge visitors to stay on trails and avoid trampling on the plants.

“You can find all sorts of angles to get your Instagram shot without having to stomp on the flowers,” Turner said. “Poppies and other native flowers that are in our grasslands, they're very sensitive, they will just simply die and leave bald spots. So toward the end of the season, you can see where people have stepped off the trail and it just contributes to this compressed earth, where flowers will not grow next year.”

No dogs are allowed on trails at the poppy reserve, except for service animals.

At desert parks like Anza Borrego, officials also encourage visitors to keep their distance from animals, like bighorn sheep and rattlesnakes.

“Generally, they don't want to harm you, but we should avoid them,” McCamish said. “We should always take pictures and leave only footprints, right?”

More viewing best practices

Here's guidance from the California Botanic Garden on how to responsibly view the state's spectacular flower blooms:

• Stay on designated trails: real trails — not those newly blazed by the person before you.
• Take photos only; leave wildflowers where they are.
• Plant your own super bloom by sowing seeds from reputable nurseries such as the Grow Native Nursery at CalBG or Theodore Payne Foundation.
• Volunteer with organizations to help maintain native ecosystems.
• Avoid visiting the most vulnerable parks with high visitation (i.e., those that you may be hearing about on the news or social media). Instead, spread out to other areas. There is a lot to see in California!
• Share these guidelines with others: your friends, family, people you see violating them.

The Southern California Muslim community during the early to mid-20th century became more diverse, but the visibility of Muslims in SoCal didn’t significantly increase until the creation of new Islamic institutions and hubs like the Islamic Society of Orange County.

Community pillars like the Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC), located in Garden Grove, allow Muslims in Southern Calfironia to connect with their faith and explore their religious identities in a rapidly changing society.

With the holy month of Ramadan underway, the Islamic Society of Orange County is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Muzammil Siddiqi, director and Islamic scholar for ISOC, who has served the community since 1981, recently joined LAist’s daily news program AirTalk with Larry Mantle, along with Deana Helmy, chair of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, to talk about the community center’s impact on the region over the past five decades.

How ISOC got its start

Muslims began arriving in Southern California as early as the 20th century, with roots primarily from South Asian Punjabi descent and the Middle East.

“It was a small number,” said Sidiqqi. “They started gathering at religious services and learning about the Quran within their families.”

As numbers continued to increase, particularly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Muslims in Southern California formed the basis of the ISOC, and in 1976, it became the first mosque in Orange County.

The Islamic Society of Orange county serves thousands of Muslims with prayer, educational, and counseling services, including a youth group.

(

Samanta Helou Hernandez

/

LAist

)

“At the time, when the community bought this place, they thought it was too big for them,” said Sidiqqi, adding, “Soon a large number of people started coming, and we had to buy neighboring properties.”

Today, the SoCal muslim community is diverse, as people from the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Latin America and descendants from Europe attend ISOC and share it as a community space.

“The Mother Mosque”

The Islamic Society of Orange County has grown to become the largest Muslim community center in Southern California, serving more than 10,000 followers throughout the area.

“That’s why we call it the mother mosque,” Sidiqqi said.

The mosque is more than just a place for worship for Muslims in SoCal; it's a community center.

“I actually attended the elementary school at ISOC called Orange Crescent School,” Helmy said.

Orange Crescent School is located within the Islamic Society of Orange County Masjid premises in Garden Grove. It currently offers full-time schooling from preschool to 8th grade, and intends to expand its reach and become the first Islamic High School in Orange County.

Children's backpacks hang outside of a classroom at the Orange Crescent School located on the grounds of the Garden Grove mosque.

(

Samanta Helou Hernandez

/

LAist

)

“All subjects that are taught in other schools are taught here. Aside from that, they learn the Arabic language and Islamic studies,” Sidiqqi said. “We emphasize very much the moral character of our students, according to Islamic traditions.”

AirTalk listeners also weighed in and shared the role ISOC plays in their lives.

Adis in the city of Orange told Larry, “My dad was the first president of the youth group organized in the masjid, and my mom was very involved in organizing as well,” adding, “that was the first place where they met, and it was history from there.”

“I just go to hang out with my daughter sometimes over the weekend,” said LAist reporter Yusra Farzan, adding, “They have cool Friday night programs for kids.”

Equality, leadership, and interfaith outreach

In addition to making inroads with the Muslim society-at-large, ISOC has also played a crucial role in acknowledging the need for women's representation in its organization.

“Leadership at the masjid has always elevated and highlighted women,” said Helmy, adding that ISOC has “really ensured that women have the space and place to belong, to be able to speak up and to be encouraged to take on leadership roles.”

ISOC offers a variety of services and programs that aim to educate people about Islam and debunk misconceptions and myths about the faith. Sidiqqi recalled being in the nation’s capital the day of the 9/11 attacks, telling Mantle that he was actually invited by President George W. Bush to participate in the interfaith service that was held at the Washington National Cathedral.

“This has been our work at the ISOC. Bringing understanding, reconciliation, peace, and harmony,” he said. “These have been the teachings of Islam, and so we invite people to come learn about the faith.”

You can listen to the full AirTalk SoCal History segment here.

President Donald Trump called the Supreme Court's decision against his sweeping use of tariffs "deeply disappointing" and slammed the members of the court who ruled against him.

Trump called the justices who opposed his tariffs "fools" and "lapdogs," charging that they were acting because of liberal partisanship, though three of those ruling against him were appointed by Republican presidents and two were Trump appointees.

"I think it is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," he said.

The court — in a 6 to 3 decision —found that a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.

The ruling was the president's most significant defeat at the Supreme Court since he returned to office, and threatens to upend one of Trump's favorite and most powerful tools of his economic and foreign policy agenda.

The decision injects even more uncertainty into the future of tariffs, but Trump made clear that he has no plans on giving up on his agenda.

Calling it his "favorite word in the dictionary," Trump has repeatedly credited his use of tariffs with helping him stop wars and pressure world leaders to bend to U.S. interests.

He boasted about the economic benefits. A recent Congressional Budget Office report found that tariffs were expected to help reduce the deficits by about $3 trillion over a decade. But that same report found that U.S. consumers - not foreign companies - were paying the vast majority of that money.

But while talking with reporters Friday, Trump sought to put a positive spin on the court decision. He said that it would provide certainty for the U.S. economy and that he plans to seek alternatives, which he laid out specifically.

"Their decision's incorrect. But it doesn't matter, because we have very powerful alternatives that have been approved by this decision," he said.

Trump cited a dissent written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh who listed laws that the administration could pursue, including "the Trade Act of 1974 sections 122, 201, 301, and the Tariff Act of 1930 section 338."

He acknowledged that those processes may be more cumbersome, but had stronger legal standing. He also cited Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, that allows the president to impose tariffs to address trade deficits. But those tariffs are limited to 15%, and only for 150 days, after which Congress would have to approve them.

"While I am sure that they did not mean to do so, the Supreme Court's decision today made the President's ability to both regulate trade and impose tariffs more powerful and more crystal clear, rather than less. I don't think they meant that. I'm sure they didn't," Trump said.

And he said he would sign an executive order today to continue certain tariffs under alternative authorities, including adding a "10% global tariff."

That rule would also eventually need approval from Congress, after 150 days, which could be difficult with an election approaching.

Republicans are facing pressure from constituents about high costs and the business community that is afraid to invest with all the economic uncertainty.

A recent NPR/Marist poll finds that a majority of Americans — 56% — feel tariffs or fees on imported products from other countries hurts the U.S. economy.

The former Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell praised the Supreme Court's decision.

"Congress' role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an inconvenience to avoid," the Kentucky Republican said. "If the executive would like to enact trade policies that impact American producers and consumers, its path forward is crystal clear: convince their representatives under Article 1" of the Constitution."

But Trump, who has expressed frustration with gridlock in Congress, expressed confidence that he would continue to be able to employ tariffs unilaterally.

"Foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years are ecstatic," Trump said. They are so happy and they're dancing in the streets. But they won't be dancing for long. That I can assure you."
Copyright 2026 NPR

A judge has ruled that the city of Los Angeles cannot move forward with a program that would allow local officials to remove and dismantle more recreational vehicles the city deems a nuisance.

The city planned to roll out a new state law that gives L.A. County authority to dispose of abandoned or inoperable RVs worth up to $4,000. The previous threshold was $500.

Some city officials who support the new law say L.A. must have the tools to get unsafe and unsanitary RVs off the streets for good.

But opponents argued the law does not apply to the city of L.A. — only the county — and that the city’s “illegal” actions would harm vulnerable Angelenos who live in RVs, according to court documents.

In a new ruling issued Thursday, Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin agreed with the opponents. The judge said the new law “provides no such authority to the City of Los Angeles.”

The backstory

The ruling stems from a legal challenge by a coalition of housed and unhoused residents in West L.A. around the city’s implementation of Assembly Bill 630, which became law Jan. 1.

The L.A. City Council voted in December to approve a motion instructing various city departments to “immediately implement” the law.

The CD11 Coalition for Human Rights then asked a judge to intervene, claiming L.A. is “recklessly charging ahead” with a program it’s not authorized to execute, according to court documents.

What the officials say

Councilmember Traci Park, who introduced the council motion in October, told LAist previously that nuisance RVs create health and safety issues that put entire neighborhoods at risk. Park said residents want solutions, not frivolous lawsuits.

Shayla Myers, an attorney with Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, told LAist after the ruling Thursday that the lawsuits aren’t frivolous when the petitioners keep winning.

“It is incredibly unclear why the city did not simply accept the plain language of AB 630 and instead forced our client to go to court, wasting court resources, city resources at a time when the city doesn't have resources to spare,” Myers said.

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s office did not respond to LAist’s requests for comment on the city’s implementation of AB 630.

What’s next

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass proposed AB 630 in partnership with Assemblymember Mark González, who introduced the California assembly bill. González said in a statement to LAist last month that his office is “working with our partners to clarify the law to ensure the City can fully implement AB 630."

González has introduced another bill, AB 647, that would expand the language of the law to include “any public agency” within L.A. County.

Go deeper: West LA coalition challenges city's rollout of new RV law