The Brief

A long-running court battle between California veterans and the Trump administration will continue, as federal officials consider asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s order to build more housing for unhoused L.A. veterans.

A federal appeals court on Thursday agreed to temporarily pause the order to construct more than 2,500 new housing units on the Veterans Affairs campus in West L.A.

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with Public Counsel representing the plaintiffs, told LAist the delay could spell life or death for unhoused veterans, especially as the region braces for strong El Niño-driven storms.

“These are veterans who risked their lives and suffered both the visible and invisible wounds of war,” Rosenbaum said. “What the government is saying to them is, you're supposed to stay on the street."

VA officials did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

Veterans' lawyers in a court filing called a possible appeal to the Supreme Court a “hopeless shot.”

“The government has lost every time they have taken this to court. No court has ruled for them on any of these matters,” Rosenbaum told LAist. “This is part of the administration’s war on its own veterans, and it’s time for that war to come to an end.”

Could long-running case end up at the Supreme Court?

The litigation was initiated in 2023 by L.A. veterans struggling with homelessness. The case has centered on the 400-acre V.A. campus, which U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has ruled should offer more housing to the approximately 2,250 veterans experiencing homelessness in L.A. County.

In 2024, Carter ordered officials to add thousands of temporary and permanent homes, and end leases with UCLA, a private K-12 school and an oil drilling company, which he said did not serve the needs of veterans.

An appeals court last month blocked the federal government’s efforts to halt the housing construction. But veteran advocates knew that federal officials could ask for further delays as the case winds through the courts.

VA officials now have until Dec. 10 to decide whether to appeal their fight to the Supreme Court. Judges with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals told lawyers for the federal government that if they do not decide to appeal by Dec. 10, “the stay will be lifted immediately.”

Angela Gonzales-Torres has unseated U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez in the 34th Congressional District race, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Gonzales-Torres led Gomez 59% to 41% in the race for the district that includes downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Boyle Heights and Eagle Rock.

She finished 15 percentage points behind Gomez in the June primary election.

“I look forward to working for my community in Congress, holding the Trump administration accountable, abolishing ICE, and putting money back into our communities instead of funding endless wars,” Gonzales-Torres said in a statement.

Gomez, who was elected to the seat in 2017, conceded the race in an emailed statement to LAist, saying he was proud of accomplishments like expanding paid family leave, negotiating labor protections and fighting for working parents and their children.

“Everything I've done in public service has been about making sure the opportunities my parents sought remain possible for the next generation,” Gomez said. “Serving Los Angeles has been a privilege. Titles come and go, but the people and the values we fight for endure.”

Newcomer vs. veteran

Both candidates ran as Democrats and shared some priorities, including the Green New Deal, affordable housing and Medicare for All.

However, Gonzales-Torres criticized Gomez during the campaign for taking money from the tech industry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC. Her campaign website says she plans to get money out of politics by abolishing super PACs.

Gonzales-Torres, who is from Highland Park, was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and gathered support from progressive leaders in California, including U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia.

A relative newcomer to politics compared to her opponent, Gonzales-Torres served as president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council and as a regional representative on Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee.

Gomez was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). He was also supported by the California Democratic Party and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.

Allegations of misconduct sway race

Gomez was a campaign co-chair for former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a close ally who faces allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.

Swalwell has denied the allegations. Federal and state investigations are ongoing.

Gomez resigned from Swalwell’s campaign in April, shortly after the accusations became public. He also called for Swalwell, who resigned from Congress, to end his bid for governor.

Months later, in August, the House Ethics Committee announced that Gomez was under investigation on allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. He has denied those allegations, but they stuck with voters.

In October, a Democracy and Fair Elections Lab at USC poll found that concerns about ethical and sexual misconduct allegations against Gomez were top of mind for many voters.

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Democrats won big in the midterm elections, but with President Trump still in the White House, the next Congress is unlikely to see much major legislation signed into law.

Instead, expect to see a lot more oversight. With public corruption and failing leadership as two of the top issues concerning voters, congressional Democrats have an ambitious agenda of investigations planned for their return to power in the House and Senate.

Their new majorities mean that they will have at their disposal the full investigatory powers of the Congress, which include the ability to subpoena records for review and compel individuals to testify before lawmakers.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat who is expected to become chair of the House Oversight committee, put it bluntly in a statement: "LAWYER UP."

The Democratic Party has a long list of investigative targets. According to conversations with Democratic House and Senate committee staffers, here are some areas the party is likely to prioritize in its oversight work.

Jeffrey Epstein

Among Democrats' primary targets: the administration's handling of — and connections to — the scandals of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bipartisan congressional action forced the Trump administration to release extensive documents tied to federal investigations of Epstein's crimes and other alleged offenses, though Democrats maintain that many of the records were improperly redacted or withheld from the public. They also say that the Justice Department has worked to shield Trump from damaging allegations — claims that the department's leadership has denied.

In the new Congress, lawmakers are expected to probe ties between Epstein and other powerful figures, including the president himself, which they say is part of an effort to secure accountability for victims of Epstein's crimes.

In connection with an October report, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said, "Donald Trump says he knew Jeffrey Epstein 'just like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.' Not exactly."

"Evidence involving 11 women tells a completely different and far more damning story about their relationship and the abuse of young women and girls that took place in their network," Raskin said.

The president, for his part, has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has maintained that their relationship ended before the disgraced financier was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2016.

Public corruption

Democrats also plan to continue their own investigations into what they describe as efforts by administration officials to advance the financial interests of the president, his family, themselves and close allies.

In particular, Democrats highlight the president's continued business interests, including Truth Social, a number of cryptocurrency projects and overseas projects involving his sons and powerful foreign investors.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., speaks to the press on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2026. Garcia is expected to become chair of the House Oversight Committee in the new Congress.

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Garcia on the House Oversight Committee, has gone further, linking the high cost of living to politicians on both sides of the aisle acting in their own self-interest rather than the interest of the American public.

"Millions of dollars in dark money are flowing throughout our political system. Some members of Congress may be trading stocks based on information the public doesn't have. The revolving door between the government and lobbying for large corporations keeps spinning," he wrote last month in an MS Now opinion piece. "Americans are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis, and these abuses of power are making it worse. All the while, the wealthiest people in our country are richer than ever."

Immigration

Trump returned to office promising a stricter approach to immigration in the United States. But public support for his deportation agenda has cratered in the wake of a number of high-profile incidents involving federal immigration enforcement personnel, including the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this year.

While in the minority, Democrats have publicly documented hundreds of incidents of alleged abuse and misconduct by immigration agents and will continue that work in the new term. They are expected to hold hearings on incidents of violence, which have largely gone without congressional oversight in the first two years of the president's second term.

Democrats held a field hearing in Austin, Texas, in October on shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said following the hearing that "ICE is a lawless, rogue agency that is causing generational trauma in communities across the country. House Democrats today are doing the oversight work that Republicans refuse to do — and we will continue to do everything possible to protect our communities from Trump's mass deportation agenda."

Public health

In June, Democrats released a report documenting how they believe that the Trump administration has undermined public health infrastructure and U.S. scientific research into chronic and deadly diseases. That work will continue in the new year, with a particular focus on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Executive power

Trump's muscular use of executive power has been unrestrained by the Republican congressional majority. That is expected to change.

Committee staffers indicate that the president's pet projects — remodeling the White House's East Wing, building a monumental arch, renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, shuttering the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, paving the White House's Rose Garden, among others — will face robust congressional oversight.

President Trump departs after delivering remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Nov. 2, 2026.

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The projects are entwined in a larger constitutional fight over the appropriations process: Congress has the sole authority to decide how taxpayer dollars are spent, and the White House has repeatedly disregarded its declarations and rescinded billions of dollars in congressionally approved spending.

Iran war

Constitutional authorities delegated to Congress will also take center stage in Democrats' U.S.-Iran war oversight. The legislature has the sole authority to declare war, and presidents are required to seek authorization for the use of military force, something that has not happened for any of the Trump administration's military campaigns this term. Democrats also plan to press Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on the war's cost to the American public.

Even before the Democrats take control, a House impeachment vote on Hegseth could come during the lame-duck session.

More war powers votes — efforts to force the president to end the conflict, some of which have attracted limited bipartisan support — are also expected. While previous war powers votes have passed, the votes are largely symbolic and do not carry the weight of law.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk appears alongside President Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, 2025.

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Technology titan Elon Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican politics but has lately drawn the ire of Democrats after interruptions to his satellite internet service provider stymied Ukraine's military operations against Russia.

"We will ensure that the 120th Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Mr. Musk's businesses, including whether these companies meet their contractual obligations, and whether adequate safeguards exist against political interference, arbitrary service restrictions, and misuse of federal resources," a group of Silicon Valley House Democrats wrote in a letter to the White House in October.

There could also be investigations into the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency effort that decimated the government workforce in the first year of Trump's second term but failed to deliver on the promised trillion dollars in cost savings. It has remained a focus of House Oversight Committee Democrats during their time in the minority.
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Voters in 10 states made history on Tuesday with their choices for governor.

Nationwide firsts

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won her race to be Georgia's next governor, will be the country's first Black woman elected governor of any state. The 56-year-old served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018-2022 and then as an adviser to former President Joe Biden. Her defeat of Republican billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson makes Lance Bottoms the first Democrat to win a governor's race in the state in more than two decades.

Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms hugs a family member during an election night watch party at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

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New Mexico's Deb Haaland, who is of Pueblo Indian descent, will be the first Native American woman governor. The Democrat, who defeated Republican Gregg Hull, served in Congress before becoming Interior secretary under Biden. She made history in each of those roles, too — as one of the first Native American women elected to Congress and the first Native American cabinet secretary.

Latino representation

Democrat Xavier Becerra will be the first elected Latino governor of California when he takes office, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa will be the first Latina governor of Texas. Becerra, a former California attorney general and former member of Congress who served as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, will succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom after handily defeating Republican Steve Hilton, a political outsider.

Texas Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa speaks during her election night watch party at Assembly Hall on Nov. 3, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

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Hinojosa, a Texas state representative, defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, one of the country's most influential governors and an ally of President Trump. Hinojosa's win follows a demographic shift in the state, which has seen a surge in its Latino population. Hinojosa will be Texas' first Democratic governor in more than 30 years.

Black representation

Voters in Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin elected the first Black governors in their states — Republican Byron Donalds in the Sunshine State, Democrat Aaron Ford in the Silver State and Democrat David Crowley in the Badger State.

President Donald Trump listens as Republican Rep. Byron Donalds speaks at a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Fla. Donalds won his election and is set to become Florida's first Black governor.

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Donalds, who had the backing of President Trump and a hefty election war chest, beat Democrat David Jolly by campaigning on affordability and promising to continue the conservative politics of outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds has been in Congress since 2021 and served two terms in the state legislature.

Ford, Nevada's attorney general, unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The Democrat will be the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River. He was previously Nevada's first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general. He was first elected to the state legislature in 2012, and before that practiced law privately and taught math.

Crowley, a Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, whose campaign massively outspent Crowley's. Crowley actually suspended his campaign during the primary, but reentered it — with the support of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers — after the candidate Crowley backed dropped out. Crowley campaigned on his record as a "deal maker" who can work across the political aisle.

Breaking the glass ceiling

Other women gubernatorial candidates notched historic wins in three states.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the first woman to win a gubernatorial race in Tennessee. Although Blackburn, who defeated Democrat Jerri Green and multiple independent candidates, had long been a favorite for this race, her victory was narrower than expected. Her campaign focused on curtailing immigration, confronting China and cutting wasteful government spending.

Amy Acton waves to supporters during a campaign rally with former President Barack Obama at Cleveland Public Auditorium on Oct. 24, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the first woman to be governor of Minnesota when she assumes office in January. She defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Demuth, like Green in Tennessee, would also have been the first woman governor of her state.

In one of the bigger upsets of Tuesday's election, Democrat Amy Acton is poised to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the first Jewish governor of the state. She will be the first Democrat to serve in the office in two decades. Acton, who served as the state's chief public health officer during the pandemic, defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in an election marked in the final weeks by vicious mudslinging and an attack ad that garnered national criticism.
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A few hours after polls closed on election night Tuesday, eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopters took off from the far corners of the county to bring ballots to the processing center in the city of Industry.

The roar of the rotor and rushing wind echoed throughout a parking lot, landing just outside the center where a team of sheriff's officials were waiting.

With the pilot still on board, sealed boxes and bags of ballots were handed off from the helicopters, put on carts and rolled toward waiting cars as the numbers were checked, and checked again.

The partnership with the Los Angeles Sherriff's Department goes back decades.

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Election officials rely on the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to securely transport ballots to the central ballot processing center where they are ultimately counted and reported.

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Sheriff officials were waiting for the helicopters with carts and cars on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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Why helicopters?

It comes down to size. L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from far-flung places such as Lancaster, Palmdale and Van Nuys to Industry quicker than a car could. Plus, there’s a lot less traffic.

“If you relied on vehicle transportation, the early results will be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the counting center,” Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department’s air support, told LAist. “This way, we can grab a broad early return from all over the county, bring it in and they can start counting those ballots.”

L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from places like Lancaster and Palmdale to the city of Industry quicker than a car could.

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An election official said they take the security of ballots "extremely seriously."

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The backstory on helicopters and elections

The partnership between the department and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk goes back decades.

Lately, its' become even more important as election officials are asked to move at a “lightning pace,” according to Mike Sanchez, communications manager for the RR/CC.

If the county relied on vehicle transportation only, the early results could be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the processing center, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

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Election workers have chain of custody protocols, including counting ballots and sealing them in containers.

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“That's exactly what the sheriff's department provides is getting ballots back to us quickly, and just as important, getting them back to us securely,” Sanchez told LAist.

The ballots are transported by land, air and sea, he added. Catalina Island, for example, uses a boat to get ballots to the mainland.

Sanchez noted that there is “dual-custody,” meaning one single person isn’t left alone with ballots or voting equipment.

“We have extreme processes and protocols in place to ensure the security of their ballots and their votes,” Sanchez said. “And security really is at the heart of everything that we do.”

The helicopters are used throughout the county into the early hours after election night.

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"We as the sheriff's department, and the employees of the sheriff's department and ultimately employees of the county of Los Angeles, are committed to the process of ensuring that ballots are counted fairly," said Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department.

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How it works

Once election night rolls around, the helicopters are already waiting at points around the county, including helipads, local airports and even parking lots converted to temporary helipads.

The pilots are greeted by a group of sheriff's officials who know exactly how many sealed containers of ballots are being transported. Sheriff’s and election officials said the numbers are documented and reconfirmed at every handoff.

Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the department's air support, ahead of Election Day.

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Then, the choppers take off. The numbers and takeoff time are radioed back to the ballot processing center, and when they land, they’re counted again.

“Every step of the way there's confirmation, there's a chain of custody,” Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department, told LAist. “If you think about it like evidence, there's no break in that continuity.”