Yusra Farzan
reports on issues affecting current and future college students, their families and communities.
Published January 23, 2026 5:00 AM
A street corner in Santa Ana, shown June 18, 2025.
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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Topline:
Spending in Orange County decreased by about 25% after immigration enforcement ramped up last summer, according to a study by UC Irvine’s Social Impact Hub.
What else did the study reveal: Study authors also analyzed data from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to find Orange County saw economic output drop by $58.9 million over an eight-week period last year coinciding with ramped up ICE enforcement, leading to $4.5 million less in sales tax.
The context: “ I wish I could say I was surprised or shocked. I'm really not,” said O.C. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, whose office partnered with the study authors to create and distribute the study survey among business communities. “I think what the results and findings showed was that we can quantify the impact that all of us logically believe is occurring.”
The bigger picture: Sarmiento added that the results show it’s not just the labor supply, where industries like construction and hospitality are heavily reliant on immigrants, that is affected by immigration raids.
Spending in Orange County decreased by about 25% after immigration enforcement ramped up last summer, according to a study by UC Irvine’s Social Impact Hub.
Study authors also analyzed data from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to find Orange County saw economic output drop by $58.9 million over an eight-week period last year, coinciding with ramped up ICE enforcement, leading to $4.5 million less in sales tax.
“ I wish I could say I was surprised or shocked. I'm really not,” said O.C. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, whose office partnered with the study authors to create and distribute the study survey among business communities. “I think what the results and findings showed was that we can quantify the impact that all of us logically believe is occurring.”
Sarmiento added that the results show it’s not just the labor supply, where industries like construction and hospitality are heavily reliant on immigrants, that is affected by immigration raids.
“ We also are seeing that there is a demand side that is affecting our economy, meaning that there are countless consumers from the immigrant and undocumented population that have significant purchasing power,” he said.
After President Donald Trump promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history, Southern California became the epicenter, with federal agents carrying out raids across the region, including in Orange County. And they haven’t taken their foot off the gas, causing prolonged periods of fear and uncertainty for businesses that can be difficult to sustain, Sarmiento said.
“Small businesses, especially ones that don't have reserves and don't have excess funds on hand to be able to sustain themselves, will probably end up failing and will probably end up closing down,” he said.
“ Where we're at on Fourth Street, it's still empty. There's no people still,” she said.
Vargas has since had to pivot her business model. When the raids started, she began hosting paint-and-sip events for the community to decompress and create art, which brought in more customers. Her next one is right in time for Valentine’s Day, where people will listen to funk music and paint figurines.
She has also tried her hand at online sales.
But because of the ongoing ICE sweeps, people remain hesitant to spend money. And it’s also “nerve wrecking,” Vargas said, because she’s visibly a Latina.
“ I'd rather put up a fight than do nothing,” she said.
Preying on the vulnerable
Sarminento also said his office has seen an uptick in calls from people falling victim to scams. Undocumented workers are being exploited by employers withholding wages. And he said there are phony businesses popping up preying on vulnerable, scared immigrants looking to find legal help.
”We've been in contact with the district attorney's office to look into that,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California will accept federal broadband funding to close the digital divide despite provisions requiring the state to drop net neutrality rules. Sonic technician Tom Sherrill installs fiber optic cable to a home in Berkeley on March 4, 2019.
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Carlos Avila Gonzalez
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San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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Topline:
The state of California has agreed to accept $1.4 billion in federal funding to bring broadband internet access to 270,000 people while simultaneously challenging conditions attached to the funding.
About the federal broadband program: California is the last state to accept money from a broadband program created in 2021 as part of an infrastructure bill passed during the Biden administration. Under terms updated by the Trump administration one year ago, states that accept funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program must stop enforcing net neutrality rules, which ensure equal connection speeds for every app and website, as well as any rules that influence broadband internet costs. California enjoys the strongest net neutrality laws in the nation.
Unresolved terms: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it is both taking the federal money and maintaining its access rules. The president of the California Public Utilizes Commission, the agency chosen by Newsom to administer the program, provided the federal agency that administers the program with both a signed notice that California will accept the funding and a letter that calls the terms vague and outside of the commission’s legal authority. The letter sent Monday also acknowledges that the state will not distribute program funding to companies like Comcast, Pacific Bell, SpaceX, and Verizon until disagreements about the terms are resolved.
The state of California has agreed to accept $1.4 billion in federal funding to bring broadband internet access to 270,000 people while simultaneously challenging conditions attached to the funding.
Those conditions would stop the state from enforcing broadband laws that reduce costs and guarantee equal access for internet destinations.
California is the last state to accept money from a broadband program created in 2021 as part of an infrastructure bill passed during the Biden administration.
Under terms updated by the Trump administration one year ago, states that accept funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program must stop enforcing net neutrality rules, which ensure equal connection speeds for every app and website, as well as any rules that influence broadband internet costs. California enjoys the strongest net neutrality laws in the nation.
In recent weeks, digital access advocates argued that if the state accepts the money without meaningfully challenging the terms, it could endanger communities reliant on internet access for emergency services and raise costs for low-income Californians who receive internet subsidies. Through 2040, accepting the terms could cost Californians up to $16 billion, according to an estimate from open internet advocacy group Public Knowledge.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it is both taking the federal money and maintaining its access rules. In a written statement shared with CalMatters, Anthony Martinez, a spokesperson for the governor, said that “Connecting these communities is the goal, and so is protecting them. California's laws, including our net neutrality protections, still stand."
The president of the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency chosen by Newsom to administer the program, provided the federal agency that administers the program with both a signed notice that California will accept the funding and a letter that calls the terms vague and outside of the commission’s legal authority. The letter sent Monday also acknowledges that the state will not distribute program funding to companies like Comcast, Pacific Bell, SpaceX, and Verizon until disagreements about the terms are resolved.
“The CPUC cannot be bound by any terms or conditions that are unconstitutional or not authorized by law and it expressly does not waive or concede any arguments or challenges concerning the legality, interpretation, or applicability of any term or condition,” wrote CPUC president John Reynolds in the letter.
Stephen Yusko, a spokesperson for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the Department of Commerce, responded to the letter today by saying that the terms and conditions of the award constitute the entire agreement between his agency and the utilities commission.
“No part of the letter outlining CPUC’s concerns is incorporated into or made part of the award,” he said in a statement provided to CalMatters.
Last month, a group of law professors who work on issues related to internet freedom and access urged the utilities commission and governor’s office not to accept the money without challenging the terms in court. Stanford University professor Barbara van Schewick told CalMatters that “only a court, or NTIA agreeing in writing, can take [the access terms] out of California’s award, and neither has happened.”
But she said she’s happy to see the letter makes clear that the state will not sign agreements with companies getting the federal broadband funding until the utilities commission and federal government resolve their disagreement over the terms. It also preserves a strong legal argument that the utilities commission lacks the authority to prevent other state entities from enforcing the law.
“The real test comes the first time a BEAD provider blocks a competitor’s app, throttles firefighters, or walks away from a price commitment,” she told CalMatters. “If the state enforces its laws when that happens, the letter will have protected Californians.”
She added: “If the state looks the other way, [the terms] will have worked exactly as the providers intended, without a single court ever ruling on it.”
Phil Grosse is a member of the California Democratic Party Rural Caucus. In recent weeks, Grosse and dozens of community leaders along the Russian River in Sonoma County urged the governor to challenge the broadband funding terms in court before accepting the money. He believes the terms would end phone service guarantees and backup battery power for cellular towers, endangering the lives of rural Californians.
“We can’t accept the money without all kinds of poisoned pills attached to it, and I’m glad the CPUC acknowledged that, and that they are bound to follow state laws and regulations,” he said, adding that he anticipates the whole ordeal will end up in court. “I’m hopeful the Trump administration will see the wisdom in the CPUC’s letter but I’m rather doubtful.”
The SS-25 well where the 2015 gas leak occurred is covered at the Southern California Gas Company’s Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch, Jan. 12, 2017.
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Jae C. Hong
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AP Photo, File
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Topline:
Millions of dollars of settlement money from the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak, the largest known methane leak in the United States, are now available to affected residents to replace gas-powered appliances with electric ones.
Who qualifies for the settlement: Anyone in the affected area with a single-family home will be eligible for the incentives, and certain income-qualifying residents will be eligible for extra funding. Access for multi-property owners will come later. The announcement makes available the first $20 million in incentive funding from the Aliso Canyon settlement to help home and building owners impacted by the blowout. In total, the program will make $40 million available to help people install heat pumps that cool and heat homes, electric stoves, water heaters and other appliances.
The backstory: The Aliso Canyon gas leak took nearly four months to control, sickened thousands of families and forced them from their homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds. The natural gas storage well failed and uncontrollably released nearly 100,000 tons of methane and other substances into the atmosphere for more than 100 days.
Millions of dollars of settlement money from the largest known methane leak in the United States are now available to affected residents to replace gas-powered appliances with electric ones. Organizations involved in distributing the money say it will help create safer and cleaner homes.
The announcement makes available the first $20 million in incentive funding from the Aliso Canyon settlement to help home and building owners impacted by the 2015 Los Angeles-area blowout. In total, the program will make $40 million available to help people install heat pumps that cool and heat homes, electric stoves, water heaters and other appliances.
Evan Kamei is the director of TECH Clean California, a state program helping distribute the settlement money. He said the incentives “will help create healthier homes, lower energy costs, deliver cooling, and create local jobs by replacing aging gas appliances with efficient electric appliances.”
Anyone in the affected area with a single-family home will be eligible for the incentives, and certain income-qualifying residents will be eligible for extra funding. Access for multi-property owners will come later.
The Aliso Canyon gas leak took nearly four months to control, sickened thousands of families and forced them from their homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds.
The natural gas storage well failed and uncontrollably released nearly 100,000 tons of methane and other substances into the atmosphere for more than 100 days. Methane is a potent, heat-trapping gas that contributes to extreme weather events worldwide through climate change. The natural gas facility involved in the blowout temporarily closed and later reopened at reduced capacity after being deemed safe to operate.
In 2021, thousands of families reached a settlement of up to $1.8 billion with the Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company, Sempra Energy. Some 35,000 plaintiffs were compensated after complaining of personal injury and property damage to their homes. SoCalGas spent more than $1 billion on the blowout, with most of the money going to temporarily relocate 8,000 families.
Weldon Kennedy is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Copper, a California startup that sells electric induction stoves and ovens. He said his company got involved with the program to distribute settlement money after the group Energy Solutions highlighted how hard it would be to get people to switch their cooking appliances from gas to electric.
“People have a cultural attachment to gas when it comes to cooking,” Kennedy said. The kind of appliances Copper sells may help mitigate that attachment because they can be plugged into a regular outlet without the expense of rewiring that is usually associated with switching from gas-powered appliances to electric ones.
Cooking with electricity comes with health benefits. Gas stoves, which 47 million Americans use, release pollutants like nitrogen dioxide that’s been linked to asthma and cancer-causing benzene.
Products like electric appliances are one way to address the significant amount of pollution driving climate change that comes from cooking, heating and cooling living spaces and providing hot water in buildings.
Income-qualified residents affected by the Aliso leak are eligible for up to $31,800 worth of incentives to cover the cost of electric installations in their homes.
Switching from gas to electricity can save energy and lower bills.
Carol Kamei, Evan Kamei’s 72-year-old mother, has lived for 46 years near the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Facility and was one of the plaintiffs in the case against SoCal Gas. She remembers smelling gas and getting nose bleeds. When she read in the news that the leak was also spewing cancer-causing benzene, she knew it was time to go.
Carol Kamei said her nose bleeds went away after moving in with her sister in Hollywood for three months. She recently participated in a health study by the University of California, Los Angeles and found out she has diminished lung capacity, one of the health impacts researchers look for, she said.
“I do know some people that have died from blood-borne illnesses, cancer since then,” Carol Kamei said.
Kamei hopes to use the incentive funding to replace her oven with an electric one. “I’d rather not use gas,” she said.
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Alanis Morissette will play four nights at YouTube Theater.
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Jean Catuffe
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Getty Images
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In this edition:
Heaux Church, Alanis rocks the YouTube, L.A Zine Fest and more of the best things to do this weekend and beyond.
Highlights:
The '90s are back! If you ever doubted it, head to the 13th annual L.A. Zine Fest, a free all-ages event celebrating the best of the very much alive and well D.I.Y. publishing community. More than 350 vendors will be there.
You oughta know that Canadian rock icon Alanis Morissette will bring her Butterfly with a Machete residency to the YouTube Theater for four nights starting Thursday.
Following a run off-Broadway, Brandon Kyle Goodman’s Heaux Church is “part sermon, part confession, part dance party.” Celebration Theatre and The Elysian, in association with Lena Waithe, produced the L.A. stint, which features former pastor’s kid Goodman giving “the sex talk you never got, but always deserved.” Each performance features a free talkback after the show.
The days are getting shorter, so it’s important to keep your spirits up, whether that’s by already starting to decorate for Christmas (too soon, if you ask me! I was just in London and all the department stores were decked out even before Halloween!) or just putting some fun things on the calendar for the weeks ahead. Like some of the events listed here!
Saturday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. 2100 Ocean Front Walk and 200 N. Venice Blvd., Venice Beach COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Luminex
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Luminex has lit up downtown with immersive projection work from a variety of artists, and now the innovative collective is heading to Venice, just in time to make the most of our shorter days.
Blading Cup USA
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7 Yost Parking Lot 307 Spurgeon St., Santa Ana COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Watch expert skaters show off their tricks, or register to compete yourself as the Blading Cup USA returns to downtown Santa Ana. Now an official World Skate Challenger competition — World Skate is the international governing body for roller sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee — the Blading Cup is a full weekend of ollies, flip tricks and more.
SKY: Jacob Jonas
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 8 p.m. Occidental Studios 2821 Council St., Echo Park COST: $57.55; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Jacob Jonas
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Dance troupe Jacob Jonas the Company will be at Occidental Studios in Echo Park for a two-night-only run of their latest show, SKY. The performance is free-form, and attendees are encouraged to move around the sound stage space like an art gallery. Jacob Jonas is always trying something new!
LA Loft Movie Club: Foragisms
Sunday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Philosophical Research Society 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz COST: $12.51; MORE INFO
This quirky one-minute film festival got its start back in 2021 and is a chance to see new work, plus test your own (entries are curated around a theme at each event). This one is the last of the year for the LA Loft crew, so don’t miss it. The cozy fall theme is "Foragisms," co-curated with animator and Loose Frames curator Kat Ball — more on the inspiration behind "Foragisms" here.
Adrianne Calvo: Maximum Flavor at Home
Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., Downtown L.A. COST: FROM $11:49; MORE INFO
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Eventbrite
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Award-winning chef and restaurateur Adrianne Calvo is bringing her latest cookbook — and some tasty treats — to one of my favorite places, the Last Bookstore. The new recipes are from Maximum Flavor at Home, which came out Nov. 3. Chef Adrianne will demonstrate some of her favorite crostini recipes.
L.A. Zine Fest
Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Angel City Derby Warehouse 785 E. 15th Place, Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
The '90s are back, and if you ever doubted it, head to the 13th annual L.A. Zine Fest, a free all-ages event celebrating the best of the very much alive and well D.I.Y. publishing community. More than 350 vendors will be there, including a wide range of artists, small presses, independent booksellers and community organizers from across Southern California and zine creators from all over the country.
Piano Department Recital
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m. Pepperdine's Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Pepperdine
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What a treat to head up to Malibu for a free piano recital at Pepperdine, led by director Barry Tan. The student piano performance showcases talent on a regular basis, but what they will be playing remains a surprise.
Alanis Morissette: Butterfly with a Machete
Thursday and Friday, Nov. 5-6; Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 10-11 YouTube Theater 1011 S. Stadium Drive, Inglewood COST: FROM $49.50; MORE INFO
Alanis Morissette will play four nights at YouTube Theater.
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Jean Catuffe
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Getty Images
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You oughta know that Canadian rock icon Alanis Morissette will bring her Butterfly with a Machete residency to the YouTube Theater for four nights starting Thursday. I’ll be there, basking in teenage nostalgia.
Nat Geo Live: Discovering the Galapagos
Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. Broad Stage 1310 11th St., Santa Monica COST: FROM $75; MORE INFO
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The Broad Stage
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The always-popular Nat Geo Live series returns to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica with a trip to the Galapagos. I was just there with my family a couple of years ago, and while the real thing is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime trip, the Nat Geo immersive version and live discussion with disease ecologist Sarah Knute about the islands that fascinated Charles Darwin won’t disappoint, either.
Heaux Church
Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 5-8, 7:30 p.m. Elysian Theater 1944 Riverside Drive, Silver Lake COST: FROM $42.53; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Elysian
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Following a run off-Broadway, Brandon Kyle Goodman’s Heaux Church is "part sermon, part confession, part dance party." Celebration Theatre and The Elysian, in association with Lena Waithe, produced the L.A. stint, which features former pastor’s kid Goodman giving "the sex talk you never got, but always deserved." Each performance features a free talkback after the show.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the U.S. Senate election in Michigan, according to a race call by the Associated Press, a crucial victory in his party's quest to win back the Senate majority. One of the most closely watched elections in the U.S., the race in Michigan tested how an antiestablishment candidate on the left would fare in a perennial Midwest battleground.
Why now: Harnessing anger over the cost of living and corruption, El-Sayed galvanized young and infrequent voters by focusing on passing single-payer healthcare and curbing the influence of corporate money in politics. He is not a democratic socialist, unlike several candidates whose insurgent campaigns gained traction in primaries this cycle, though his campaign was backed by some of the biggest stars on the political left.
The backstory: El-Sayed, a Michigan native who ran the health departments in Wayne County and the city of Detroit, first arrived on the political stage in 2018 with an unsuccessful bid for governor.
What's next: Now as Democrats wrestle with their party's identity, El-Sayed has signaled that he intends to be a prominent voice, especially given Michigan's prime position in the presidential nominating process in 2028.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the U.S. Senate election in Michigan, according to a race call by the Associated Press, a crucial victory in his party's quest to win back the Senate majority.
One of the most closely watched elections in the U.S., the race in Michigan tested how an antiestablishment candidate on the left would fare in a perennial Midwest battleground.
El-Sayed will be the first Muslim American to serve in the Senate.
The 42-year-old former public health official defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. Rogers lost his first bid for the Senate in 2024.
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Harnessing anger over the cost of living and corruption, El-Sayed galvanized young and infrequent voters by focusing on passing single-payer healthcare and curbing the influence of corporate money in politics.
He is not a democratic socialist, unlike several candidates whose insurgent campaigns gained traction in primaries this cycle, though his campaign was backed by some of the biggest stars on the political left.
His positions on Israel alienated some Jewish voters, including comments after a truck-ramming attack at a synagogue preschool in metro Detroit — for which he later offered an apology — and campaigning during the primary with controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Those were among the dynamics during a heated primary contest that turned into a stand-in for many of the broader debates fueling the direction of the Democratic Party after two years in the political wilderness.
In the primary, El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 percentage point, despite Michigan heavyweights like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and retiring Sen. Gary Peters backing his opponent.
Mike Rogers speaks to supporters during a campaign event at Hoffman Farms Winery on Oct. 9 in Highland Township, Mich.
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Chip Somodevilla
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Getty Images
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In the general election's closing days, Stevens reversed course and announced she was endorsing Rogers, after initially saying she would support the Democratic ticket, underscoring the rocky path to uniting the Democratic coalition in Michigan. After the primary, polls showed a tight race with Rogers, despite Democrats having held the Senate seat since 1979.
During the campaign, El-Sayed criticized his opponent and other Republicans, including President Trump, for targeting him with Islamophobic rhetoric.
Trump early on endorsed Rogers, who has embraced some of the president's false claims about widespread election fraud, despite previously condemning them, including after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. As November neared, Rogers tried to distance himself from some of the president's policies, including the war in Iran.
El-Sayed, a Michigan native who ran the health departments in Wayne County and the city of Detroit, first arrived on the political stage in 2018 with an unsuccessful bid for governor.
