The Brief

Crowds of people gathered in Westwood on Sunday to support the anti-government protests in Iran. For weeks now, triggered by rising inflation, people across Iran have taken to the streets calling for regime change. As a result, hundreds have been killed.

Protesters in L.A. respond to reports that at least 192 protesters in Iran have been killed.

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Jonathan Alcorn

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AFP via Getty Images

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Activists take part in a "Free Iran" rally in Los Angeles on Sunday.

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Jonathan Alcorn

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AFP via Getty Images

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A U-Haul truck clad with signs opposing the demonstrators also drove through the crowd in Westwood, although no injuries were reported. The Los Angeles police said they arrested the 48-year-old driver on suspicion of reckless driving.

A U-Haul truck drove through a group of protesters in Westwood on Sunday during the demonstration. No injuries were reported.

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Kayla Bartkowski

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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According to human rights groups, the death toll has climbed into the hundreds as protests across Iran stretch into a third week, drawing the ire of President Donald Trump, who has mulled military intervention.

Activists take part in a "Free Iran" rally in Los Angeles.

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Jonathan Alcorn

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AFP via Getty Images

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Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage. 

Durazo is nearing the end of her term and is running for the LA County Board of Supervisors seat currently held by Hilda Solis, who is termed out. 

The forum, hosted by Proyecto Pastoral, brought together Juan Camacho, Wendy Carrillo, Sara Hernandez and Sarah Rascón — four of eight candidates running for the seat — to outline how they would represent Boyle Heights and East LA. Organizers said they initially invited only candidates with active campaigns but later extended invitations to others. “We were open to everyone,” said Enrique Velázquez, with Proyecto Pastoral.

About 60 people attended the forum, many raising concerns about affordable housing, healthcare, and environmental issues tied to the Exide Technologies plant nearby. 

Among them was Martha Martinez, 70, who has lived in Boyle Heights for nearly three decades and says housing affordability tops her list.  

“My children pay extremely high rent,” Martinez said. She hopes that eventually they will be able to afford homes in the neighborhood as well.

Joseph Villela, 43, joined the forum to hear what the candidates had to say about the changes in the district. 

“I want to hear what their priorities are,” Villela said. “How are they prioritizing Boyle Heights?”

Meet the participants

• Camacho immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. He serves as President of Equality California Institute, where he leads programs to protect LGBTQ+ civil rights and support youth leadership.
• Carrillo immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 5 and grew up in Boyle Heights and City Terrace. She previously served the Eastside as State Assemblymember for the 52nd district. 
• Hernandez currently serves on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees and is a housing, immigration and environmental attorney. She began her career as an LAUSD middle school teacher and lives in Eagle Rock. 
• Rascón grew up in El Sereno and her background is in sustainability and environmental justice. Recently, she served as the Director of County and Regional Affairs for Mayor Karen Bass.

Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.

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Laura Anaya-Morga

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Across the board, candidates pointed to their work supporting health resources across the Eastside and emphasized their commitments to protecting immigrant communities from federal enforcement and redirecting state funding to keep immigrant families housed.

On public health and social services

On public health, Rascón pointed to the work she’s done to bring social services and mental health resources to Eastside families as a county liaison for the mayor’s office, including Prop 1, which invested $65 million for mental health services in LA County. 

“Our undocumented immigrant communities should never fear going to the doctor,” Rascón said.

Hernandez said she will redirect Prop 1 funding to support early intervention and community nonprofits. 

Camacho stressed funding for mental health, community clinics, and schools and emphasized the need to get in front of issues like housing affordability to promote healthier communities. 

Carrillo pointed to the work she did as an assemblymember to secure $50 million in state funding to revitalize General Hospital in Boyle Heights. 

“My promise is to keep fighting for resources in the budget,” Carrillo said. 

Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.

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Laura Anaya-Morga

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Boyle Heights Beat

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On protecting immigrant communities 

All four candidates said they would push back against federal immigration enforcement.

Rascón said she spent the summer patrolling her neighborhood for federal agents. 

Carrillo criticized the state’s recent move to share immigrant driver’s DMV data with the Department of Homeland Security.

Hernandez proposed expanding “safe zone” doctrines in the district beyond schools and healthcare facilities and taxing private ICE detention facilities. 

Camacho emphasized keeping the federal government accountable. 

“I will ask that the attorney general keep going after federal agents terrorizing our communities and that we keep suing the Trump administration when they keep taking away our rights,” he said.

To address the massive state and federal cuts to the state’s Medi-Cal program, which will cause some immigrant populations to lose health coverage, Rascón, Hernandez and Camacho said they’d adopt progressive taxation to fill the gap in funding left behind by the cuts.

The candidates were asked how they would address a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to end certain federal housing assistance for families with mixed immigration status.

All candidates said they would redirect state funding to supplement the funding lost by HUD to protect housing for mixed-status families and renters. 

Carrillo said she would work on legislation to protect tenants from displacement, like eliminating the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to legally back out of their rental business and evict tenants. 

On environmental justice

Environmental justice was another key focus. Rascón and Hernandez emphasized reducing pollution and expanding green space, while Camacho said he would focus on community listening. 

Carrillo pointed to past investments in park cleanups, LA River restoration and remediation of neighborhoods impacted by the Exide battery plant contamination.

Upcoming candidate forum

Rascón, Hernandez, Camacho and Carrillo will participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Maravilla Community Advisory Committee. 

When: Today from 1 to 3 p.m.

Where: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Hall, 4018 E. Hammel St.

WASHINGTON — Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which had been struggling for years, announced it will cease operations.

Spirit had been seeking a $500 million federal bailout from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying "effective immediately".

"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately," the airline said in a statement early Saturday. "[A]ll flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the Department of Transportation was coordinating with other U.S. airlines to help stranded customers rebook travel. Several major carriers agreed to cap ticket prices and offer reduced fares for affected passengers. Several airlines also said they would help Spirit crew members return home and offer preferential interviews to Spirit employees looking to stay in the aviation industry.

Spirit, based in South Florida, had been under mounting financial pressure due to the war in Iran, which sent the price of jet fuel soaring. But its problems ran deeper than that.

The No. 9 U.S. airline (based on seats) faced increased competition from its larger rivals, which adopted some of the same strategies that had made Spirit successful in the first place.

Spirit was a pioneer among ultra-low-cost carriers, keeping its fares down by stripping away amenities that travelers had previously taken for granted. But bigger legacy airlines countered with their own basic economy fares, making it harder for Spirit to survive.

Spirit tried to sell itself to a larger rival, accepting a $3.8 billion offer from JetBlue after a bidding war in 2023. But the U.S. Justice Department sued to block the deal, arguing that the merger would hurt budget-conscious consumers. A federal judge agreed and rejected the acquisition.

Passengers check in for their Spirit Airlines flights at O'Hare Airport on March 10 in Chicago. The budget airline has announced it will cease operations.

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Scott Olson

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Getty Images

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The airline has filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024, seeking to emerge as a leaner, more competitive operation. But the combination of rising fuel costs and changes in the industry proved too much to overcome.

"When you're a low-cost carrier, by definition, you're relying on having a cost advantage. And they just don't have that anymore," said Shye Gilad, a former airline pilot and professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. "They just don't have a lot of options left."

In recent weeks, Spirit had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal that would have provided a $500 million cash infusion in exchange for a significant potential stake in the company. But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.

On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he would like the chance to save the jobs of Spirit's employees, but Trump said it would have to be "a good deal."

"If we can help them, we will. But we have to come first. We're first," Trump said.

While in bankruptcy, Spirit's operations had gotten smaller. In February, the airline had a 3.9% market share of U.S. passengers, down from 5.1% in the same month last year, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Spirit's market share was poised to fall even further to 1.8% in May, which would have made it the country's ninth-largest airline.

But even with a small footprint, consumer advocates say Spirit had an important effect on fares by providing competition for the larger legacy carriers on the routes that it flew.

"You do not have to fly a small carrier in order to benefit from its presence, because they will bring down the big guys' fares," said William McGee, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Without Spirit flying those routes, he predicted that "everyone will be paying more."
Copyright 2026 NPR

A new trail across the beloved natural area of Elephant Hill in Northeast Los Angeles is officially opening this weekend.

The route is years in the making, and it's a big milestone in the decades-long conservation efforts to preserve this local jewel in the community of El Sereno.

The hiking trail connects one side of Elephant Hill to the other — from the corner of Pullman Street and Harriman Avenue all the way across to Lathrop Street.

It's 0.75 miles in total, but packs a punch.

"It's a pretty straight shot, but because of the terrain — the trail is kind of twisty and curvy. There's switchbacks — and great views," Elva Yañez, board president of the nonprofit Save Elephant Hill, said.

People have always been able to access the 110-acre green space, but Yañez said the new trail provides a safe and easy way to navigate the steep hillsides.

The El Sereno nonprofit has been working for two decades to preserve the land. Illegal dumping and off-roading have damaged the open space over the years. And the majority of the 110 acres are privately owned by an estimated 200 individual owners.

Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) joined the efforts in 2018, spurred by a $700,000 grant from Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, in part, to build the trail. The local agency received some $2 million in grants from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to add to the 10 acres of Elephant Hill it manages and conserves. This year, MCRA acquired an additional 12 parcels — or about 2.4 acres.

And the spiffy new footpath — with trail signage, information kiosks and landscape boulders — is not just a long-sought-for victory but a beginning in a sense.

"We know that it means a lot to the community," Sarah Kevorkian, who oversees the trail project for MRCA, said. "We're wrapping up the trail, but it really feels like the beginning of all that is to come."

A hint of that vision already exists — for hikers traversing the new route, courtesy of Test Plot, the L.A.-based nonprofit that works to revitalize depleted lands.

"They're able to see at the end of the trail, at the 'test plot' — exactly what a restored Elephant Hill would look like," Yañez said.

Here's a preview:

A coalition of residents from across the San Gabriel Valley are mobilizing over a battery storage project and possibly more industrial development in the City of Industry they say could pollute communities next door.

A protest is scheduled today in neighboring Rowland Heights, targeting a 400-megawatt battery energy storage facility sited on about 9 acres that was approved by the City of Industry leaders in January.

Such Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, are used to keep the power grid stable, especially as output from renewable energy sources like solar and wind fluctuate. But fires involving lithium batteries at some sites have heightened environmental and public health fears.

Because of the City of Industry’s unusual, sprawling shape stretching along the 60 Freeway, it borders on more than a dozen communities, meaning what happens there can have far-reaching impact.

“Pollution does not end right at the border,” said Andrew Yip, an organizer with No Data Centers SGV Coalition. “Pollution travels.”

Some local activists with the Puente Hills Community Preservation Association have challenged the approval of the battery facility under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Beyond environmental concerns, locals have also been frustrated with how decisions are made by officials in the City of Industry, a municipality that’s almost entirely zoned for industrial use and has less than 300 residents.

Organizers say they’ve struggled to get direct responses from city officials whom they say have replaced regular meetings with special meetings, which under state law require less advance notice.

A city spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment.

The so-called Marici Energy Storage System Facility would be run by Aypa Power. The fact that the battery storage developer is owned by the private equity giant Blackstone, a major investor in AI and data centers, has only fueled concerns that a battery storage facility would lay the groundwork for data center development.

A request for comment from Aypa was not returned.

Today’s protest is taking place at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights across the street from the Puente Hills Mall, a largely vacant “dead” mall, which activists fear could be redeveloped into a data center and bring higher utility costs and greater air and noise pollution.

Yip pointed out that industrial developments make a lot of money for the City of Industry.

“But none of these surrounding communities receive any of those benefits,” Yip said. “Yet we have to put up with all the harmful effects and impacts from this city that does all this development without really reaching out.”