Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published July 7, 2026 5:48 PM
Team USA fans cheer during the U.S. vs. Australia match June 19.
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Heather Diehl
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Getty Images
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Topline:
When your team is out of the World Cup, who do you support for the rest of the tournament? It’s a dilemma for U.S. and Mexico fans. Many are basing their decisions on a myriad of reasons, like soccer skills, admiration of a star player, colonialism and ancestral heritage
Why it matters: For dedicated soccer fans, there’s still almost two weeks of matches to go. You’ve got to cheer for somebody as you’re watching, right?
Why now: Watch parties and fan fests continue in L.A. and other World Cup host cities. Organizers are hoping they can continue the momentum the group stage of the tournament has generated.
What's next: The FIFA 2026 World Cup is winding down. The last game at SoFi stadium is on Friday and the World Cup final is about a week and a half away.
Even though the U.S. and Mexico national soccer teams have been knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their fans aren’t giving up on the tournament. Instead, they’re throwing their support behind other teams still in the competition.
But how to choose which one to cheer on? It can depend on myriad of factors, from prowess on the soccer pitch and fandom for a particular player, to hunches that involve ancestral DNA.
Cheering for the underdogs
“I’m supporting Morocco,” said Alfredo Botello, a U.S. citizen born in Guadalajara, Mexico, who was cheering on Mexico until the team lost Sunday to England.
Morocco placed fourth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating a powerhouse Spanish squad in penalty kicks. Botello said he admires the team’s performance and likes its underdog status. He’s not the soccer fanatic he used to be, he said, and that’s led him to enjoy the game more.
Other fans are backing the team that’s expected to win the trophy.
At this point I would say France because of Mbappé and his stance on anti-racism and anti-gambling — and just a great player too.
— Maria Romero Morales, a Mexico team fan, who lives in El Monte
“At this point I would say [I will support] France because of Mbappé and his stance on anti-racism and anti-gambling — and just a great player too,” said Maria Romero Morales, a Mexico team fan. She lives in El Monte and was in Mexico during the group stage of the World Cup.
DNA and soccer
For some, family lineage takes precedence. “My father’s mother is 100% Norwegian,” said Jake Downey, a fan of the U.S team who organized a watch party for 14 people at his house in Northridge on Monday to watch the U.S. play Belgium.
Norway fans wearing Viking hats and adorned with face paint arrive before a World Cup match.
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Buda Mendes
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Getty Images
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“I’m all in on [Erling] Haaland,” he said of Norway’s striker, who scored two goals in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat of Brazil.
Some Mexico fans are supporting Norway, too, in a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of way.
“I would love for England to lose, a little vengeance there,” said Amanda Durán of England’s World Cup match against Norway on Saturday. She’s still upset at England’s defeat of Mexico on Sunday.
She lives in Torrance and her in-laws are Argentine so she’s backing Argentina too.
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup 2026 group match against Austria.
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Charlotte Wilson
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Getty Images
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Other fans take into account the social and political baggage each team’s national identity represents.
“I’ve watched the World Cup since 1994 and I’m definitely a person who goes for the colonized countries over the colonists,” said Xochitl-Julissa Bermejo, who lives in the San Gabriel Valley and wanted Mexico to win on Sunday.
I’ve watched the World Cup since 1994 and I’m definitely a person who goes for the colonized countries over the colonists.
— Xochitl-Julissa Bermejo, a Mexico team fan
But her support is complicated. She’s now cheering for Belgium, despite its severe colonialist past, after experiencing its warmth on a recent trip.
“I've gone to Belgium and it's a really fun place and everyone is really friendly and lovely,” she said.
Fun and friendliness is what she experienced with family watching Mexico play their last game, and she wants more of those soccer experiences before the World Cup ends.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., speaks during a panel at Crooked Con at the Walter E Washington Convention Center, in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2026
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Nathan Howard
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Associated Press
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Topline:
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said today that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, setting up a challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.
Why now: Van Hollen’s challenge comes after he said he was considering a bid and after Schumer has said he has the necessary support to win. The closed-door, secret-ballot election will be held in early December. The race will be the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether to reelect Schumer has already divided the caucus and many senators will not say publicly how they will vote. They have privately deliberated about what message to take from the election, and Schumer recruited many of the party’s winning candidates and raised money for them.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, setting up a challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.
Van Hollen said in a statement that “the American people called for change” and that is why he is running.
“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” Van Hollen said. “This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
Van Hollen’s challenge comes after he said he was considering a bid and after Schumer has said he has the necessary support to win. The closed-door, secret-ballot election will be held in early December.
The race will be the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether to reelect Schumer has already divided the caucus and many senators will not say publicly how they will vote. They have privately deliberated about what message to take from the election, and Schumer recruited many of the party’s winning candidates and raised money for them.
Schumer has been talking to Democratic senators since the election about forming an agenda for 2027.
“I’m going to win it,” Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview last week.
Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published November 12, 2026 5:10 PM
The Los Angeles Unified School District is looking to lease spaces in its schools for infant and toddler care.
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Photo by Anne Wernikoff
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CalMatters
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Unified School District may lease spaces in its elementary, middle and high schools to use as childcare spaces for babies.
What’s new: The district is putting together a list of qualified providers and looking to identify spaces it could lease. Ranae Amezquita, executive director of the district’s early childhood education division, said once the district has a list of spaces, it will start a request for proposal process that childcare providers can apply to during the 2027-2028 school year.
The backstory: In April, LAUSD board members passed a resolution in an aim to expand childcare and early education slots in the district. The district currently runs about 90 preschools, called early education centers, for children 2 to 4 years old, but it has only four centers that serve childrenunder 2. “ The problem with infant care — the reason we can't open them ourself at this time, is because of the cost,” said Amezquita at a board meeting Thursday.
Why it matters: The need for local infant and toddler childcare is high. In 2022, LA County assessed that the county only had enough licensed spaces to care for 4% of kids under 2. At the same time, the district has been facing declining enrollment among lower birth rates. The resolution to expand early childhood care aims to, in part, strengthen the enrollment pipeline into the district.
The Los Angeles Unified School District may lease spaces in its elementary, middle and high schools to use as childcare spaces for babies.
The district is putting together a list of qualified providers and looking to identify spaces it could lease.
Ranae Amezquita, executive director of the district’s early childhood education division, said once the district has a list of spaces, it will start a request for proposal process that childcare providers can apply to during the 2027-2028 school year.
Why is LAUSD looking to expand childcare options now?
In April, LAUSD board members passed a resolution in an aim to expand childcare and early education slots in the district.
The district currently runs about 90 preschools, called early education centers, for children 2 to 4 years old, but it has only four centers that serve childrenunder 2. “The problem with infant care — the reason we can't open them ourself at this time, is because of the cost,” said Amezquita at a board meeting Thursday.
The need for local infant and toddler childcare is high. In 2022, L.A. County assessed that the county only had enough licensed spaces to care for 4% of kids under 2. At the same time, the district has been facing declining enrollment amid lower birth rates. The resolution to expand early childhood care aims to, in part, strengthen the enrollment pipeline into the district.
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Cato Hernández
has spent months following the proceedings against Draper.
Published November 12, 2026 4:55 PM
Judge Robert Draper
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Courtesy the campaign
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Topline:
An L.A. County Superior Court judge has been removed from the bench in a rare move by California’s judicial watchdog.
Why it matters: Judge Robert Draper engaged in 17 instances of misconduct, according to the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Removing a judge is reserved for only very serious matters.
The background: Draper’s misconduct includes offensive comments on race and gender, sending unnecessary photos of his naked backside to colleagues and defying orders to not work on cases while on involuntary leave.
What’s next: Draper lost reelection in June. Gov. Gavin Newsom may appoint his successor sooner. The court could also fill his department.
Read on… to see what Draper said about the outcome.
In an extraordinary turn of events, the state’s judicial watchdog has removed Judge Robert Draper, 84, from the Los Angeles County Superior Court after 14 years of service. He faced several counts of misconduct prior to losing reelection earlier this year.
“Judge Draper persistently violated the standards governing judicial behavior and engaged in extensive and severe misconduct,” the commission said in a statement, adding that it was “aggravated by his refusal to accept responsibility for his misconduct, and his lack of insight or remorse for his misconduct and its effect on others.”
Draper previously admitted to some of the claims and denied others in interviews with LAist earlier this year. In a statement this week, he called the decision “deeply disappointing.”
“Any individual put under such intense and meticulous scrutiny likely would find themselves in a similar situation, albeit with slightly different facts,” he said.
Draper said the investigation came at a time when he raised concerns within the judiciary, and that it was used “presumably for purposes of dismissing his dissent by discrediting him.”
He plans to pursue “other avenues” to change the system, according to the statement. Draper's attorney declined to share what those would be.
“It’s very rare for a judge to be removed from the bench,” said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “It’s the ultimate sanction against a judge.”
The commission has only removed 15 judges since it gained the authority to do so in 1995, according to its records, with the last for an L.A. County Superior Court judge happening in 2006.
The misconduct
The decision comes after a yearslong investigation and legal proceedings with independent evaluators. Prior to that, Draper had never been disciplined. According to the commission, his long list of misconduct includes:
Making “offensive” and “insensitive” comments in court about race and gender.
Sending “abusive” emails and unnecessary graphic pictures of his naked backside to colleagues.
Acting with “deliberate defiance of his presiding judge’s orders” by continuing to access court systems and work on cases while on involuntary leave.
Some allegations the commission reviewed were dismissed for lack of evidence, including one that he inappropriately touched an attorney’s hair.
What happens next
While Draper lost reelection, his seat is now empty sooner than usual. Judge-elect Tal Khan Valbuena is on deck to replace him in January.
It’s possible Gov. Gavin Newsom may decide to appoint Khan Valbuena sooner. The court could also move another judge into his department.
Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published November 12, 2026 4:02 PM
Flooding inundated coastal communities around Southern California this week, including Orange County's Sunset Beach.
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Robert Gauthier
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
El Niño is making the California coast much warmer than usual, and scientists are concerned about coastal flooding.
Unseasonably warm waters: The ocean temperatures along a stretch of coast from Sonoma County down to Ensenada, Mexico, are 10 degrees warmer than average. In a webinar Thursday, University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain stressed how unusual the current heat wave is, describing it as “mind-boggling” and “record-shattering.” “I'm using all the superlatives in the book because I think they're appropriate,” Swain said.
Exceeding records: The water temperatures in nearly every location are higher than any measured during the cold season in recorded history. “Not only is the water warmer than it's ever been at this time of year, but in fact it is warmer than it has ever been at any point after Nov. 1 and before May in any previous year,” Swain said.
The stakes for coastal flooding: Warmer oceans mean that the water expands, leading to high tides like the ones Long Beach and Orange County have experienced in recent months. Scientists are especially watching for king tides during Thanksgiving week. (King tides are also expected around Christmas and in late January.) And any significant rainstorms — which El Niño could bring — would also make flooding worse.
Why the heat wave is expected to stick around: “ Marine heat waves take a lot longer to develop, and they're a lot more persistent,” Swain said. That’s because water takes longer to heat up or cool down than air, and because wind can generally move air faster than ocean currents.
