David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published March 6, 2024 11:14 AM
Councilmember Nithya Raman holds onto her seat with an outright primary win.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Incumbent Nithya Raman has successfully won her city council seat with more than 50% of the votes cast, the threshold needed to win outright in the primary.
How we got here: L.A.’s worsening housing and homelessness crisis has been front and center in this district. Raman and Weaver sharply disagree on a city policy that bans encampments near schools, parks and other “sensitive” locations.
The backstory: This district changed more than any other during the city’s most recent redistricting process. Renter-heavy parts of Koreatown were taken out of the district, and parts of the Valley featuring more homeowners were added in.
Keep reading ... for analysis of the race and why Raman came up in those taped conversations that roiled City Hall.
Latest results
Incumbent Nithya Raman has successfully won her city council seat with more than 50% of the votes cast, the threshold needed to win outright in the primary.
Ethan Weaver, a deputy city attorney, and her top challenger said he'd called to concede on Thursday, March 14.
A race that appeared tight on election night now has incumbent Nithya Raman in the clear lead. The big question: Does she stay above 50% to retain the seat outright?
(
Erin Hauer
/
LAist
)
As of Wednesday, just 12,000 votes remain to be counted in all of L.A. County. How many of those were cast in CD4 won't be known until they're all counted. Keep in mind that many of the remaining votes will take additional time to verify.
A note on the results
OFFICIAL RESULTS
The California Secretary of State's Office certified the final vote tallies on April 12, marking an official end to the March 5, 2024 Primary Election.
Voter Game Plan will be back in the fall to help you prepare for the Nov. 5 General Election.
L.A.’s worsening housing and homelessness crisis was front and center in the race to represent this district. Some voters who showed up to cast their ballot on Election Day in Los Feliz said Raman has championed smart policies on a tough problem. Others said it was time for a change.
Hollywood resident Vahan Saroians voted for former NASA engineer Lev Baronian (who placed a distant third). But Saroians said he would have been happy with anyone but Raman. He thinks her policies have failed to stop the growth of homelessness.
“Nothing is changing, so whoever is in charge is not doing their job,” Saroians said. “Encampments continue. They just move from one street to another street. Normal people who you never thought would be homeless are homeless.”
Vahan Saroians cast his vote in Los Feliz, hoping for a new city council member who will try new policies to stop the growth of homelessness.
(
David Wagner/LAist
)
Los Feliz resident Brandon Cassadore said encampments have grown so much in his neighborhood that at times he feels unsafe.
“Change is good,” said Cassadore, who voted for Weaver. “We can’t just stick to the old ways if they just haven't been working.”
Tom Kanter, a Los Feliz renter, had seen the criticisms of Raman. But he said he voted for her because he does not support encampment sweeps without offering people help getting housed.
“I think there's some sort of stigma against homeless people where they need to be cast aside or swept under the rug, and that really rubs me the wrong way,” Kanter said.
L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman delivers remarks at a press conference to bolster support for a right-to-counsel program in the city.
(
David Wagner/LAist
)
Outside spending favored Weaver
Real estate interests, as well as police and firefighters unions, poured more than $1 million into defeating Raman. On election night, she said she was feeling energized, but also worried about the effect all that funding could have on the race.
“It's the kind of spending that splits the city apart at a time when more than anything else, we need to come together and do the hard work to get people into housing,” Raman said.
Early results on election night showed Raman and Weaver practically neck-and-neck. Weaver said the initial tally showed his message had resonated with voters, who wanted more action on the problems they see in their neighborhoods — especially when it comes to encampments.
“We have to manage the problem better on our streets day over day to keep our voters patient and engaged with us to show that we're making progress and that their communities are improving, not falling further behind,” Weaver said.
Supporters of L.A. City Council District 4 candidate Ethan Weaver enter his election night watch party in Sherman Oaks.
(
David Wagner/LAist
)
About the district
District 4 stretches from Silver Lake and Los Feliz in the east, into northern sections of Hollywood, before ending in Sherman Oaks, Encino and other parts of the San Fernando Valley.
This district changed more than any other during the city’s most recent redistricting process. Renter-heavy parts of Koreatown were taken out of the district, and parts of the Valley featuring more homeowners were added in.
Raman, who chairs the council’s housing committee, has found herself in the political crosshairs over her advocacy for new tenant rights and expanded eviction protections.
In the leaked tapes recorded at the L.A. County Federation of Labor headquarters in 2021, council members Nury Martinez and Kevin de Leon discussed using the redistricting process to dilute the power of renters in this district.
Maintaining the district’s previous boundaries, Martinez said, “solidifies her renters’ district, and that is not a good thing for any of us.”
De Leon said of all the districts, this was “the one to put in a blender and chop up left and right.”
Compared to the last election for this seat in 2020, about 40% of eligible voters were new to the district.
What's next
The race for this district was widely seen as a test of the staying power of political progressives on the L.A. city council. Raman, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, became the first candidate to unseat a city council incumbent in 17 years when she first won her seat in 2020.
Those progressive politics manifested in heated campaign debates over how to best confront the city's homelessness crisis. Raman and Weaver sharply disagreed on a city policy that bans encampments near schools, parks and other “sensitive” locations.
Raman said these sweeps don’t get people off the street and into housing, while Weaver said preventing unhoused people from pitching tents near schools is crucial for public safety.
Recent LAist reporting uncovered an internal report that found the city’s policy, known as 41.18, is largely ineffective at housing people.
Raman also came under intense fire from some Sherman Oaks homeowners over her support of an affordable housing project near single-family homes.
If your mail-in ballot is rejected for any reason (like a missing or mismatched signature), your county registrar must contact you to give you a chance to fix it. In Los Angeles County, the registrar will send you a notification by mail and you have until March 27 to reply and "cure" your ballot.
How we're covering this election
Early voters and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known.
Our priority will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted. To that end, we will report when candidates concede and otherwiserely on NPR and The Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more on NPR and The AP's process for counting votes and calling races here, here and here.
Ask us a question
What questions do you have about this election?
You ask, and we'll answer: Whether it's about how to interpret the results or track your ballot, we're here to help you understand the 2024 general election on Nov. 5.
Kavish Harjai
writes about how people get around L.A.
Published January 20, 2026 2:33 PM
Jonathan Hale was arrested in December at the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues in Westwood.
(
People's Vision Zero
)
Jonathan Hale said the city isn’t pursuing misdemeanor vandalism charges lodged against him after Los Angeles police arrested him in December for painting unauthorized crosswalks in Westwood.
The hearing: At the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues, Hale told reporters that his hearing Tuesday lasted just about 10 minutes. According to Hale, the statute of limitations for his charges remains open until Dec. 7, a year after the street safety activist was arrested. “So they can change their mind, and I do risk arrest if I do this again,” Hale said. The hearing had been rescheduled from its original date of Jan. 5.
The crosswalks: Police arrested Hale as he and a group of volunteers, known as Peoples’ Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.
One of the four crosswalks at the Westwood intersection where Hale was arrested remains unfinished. Two legs of the crosswalk were completed by Hale and his group before the L.A. police arrested the street safety activist.
(
Jonathan Hale
)
What’s next: Hale said People’s Vision Zero would continue painting crosswalks if the city does not take concrete steps toward its goal of ending traffic deaths. One way Hale said the city could make progress is by creating a community-led initiative to paint code-compliant crosswalks.
And if you're comfortable just reaching out by email I'm at kharjai@scpr.org
Jonathan Hale said the city isn’t pursuing misdemeanor vandalism charges lodged against him after Los Angeles police arrested him in December for painting unauthorized crosswalks in Westwood.
The hearing: At the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues, Hale told reporters that his hearing Tuesday lasted just about 10 minutes. According to Hale, the statute of limitations for his charges remains open until Dec. 7, a year after the street safety activist was arrested. “So they can change their mind, and I do risk arrest if I do this again,” Hale said. The hearing had been rescheduled from its original date of Jan. 5.
The crosswalks: Police arrested Hale as he and a group of volunteers, known as People's Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.
One of the four crosswalks at the Westwood intersection where Hale was arrested remains unfinished. Two legs of the crosswalk were completed by Hale and his group before the L.A. police arrested the street safety activist.
(
Jonathan Hale
)
What’s next: Hale said People’s Vision Zero would continue painting crosswalks if the city does not take concrete steps toward its goal of ending traffic deaths. One way Hale said the city could make progress is by working with his group to create a community-led initiative to paint code-compliant crosswalks.
The 2026 Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Games in history, the first to span multiple regions and two host cities: Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart from each other by road.
More details: Over the course of two and a half weeks, athletes in 16 sports will compete in events at 25 venues.
Where is it happening? The action is divided among four main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will live in one of six Olympic Villages throughout the region: Milan, Cortina, Anterselva, Bormio, Livigno and Predazzo.
Read on... to see what's happening where in the Olympics.
The 2026 Olympics are set to be the most geographically widespread Games in history, the first to span multiple regions and two host cities: Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart from each other by road.
Over the course of two and a half weeks, athletes in 16 sports will compete in events at 25 venues.
The action is divided among four main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Athletes will live in one of six Olympic Villages throughout the region: Milan, Cortina, Anterselva, Bormio, Livigno and Predazzo.
"This approach allows the maximum use of existing venues, reducing the need for new construction and, as a consequence, minimising the carbon footprint," states the International Olympic Committee on Olympics.com.
The venues span an area covering some 8,495 square miles. Getting between towns could take more than a few hours by car — especially on remote, wintery roads.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, says spectators hoping to attend events in person should be realistic about the time and distance required to get between venues and should plan accordingly.
"I think this will be the classic 'pack your patience,' because there will be some travel time," she said.
Even if you're watching from afar, it's still helpful to know which events are happening where. Here's a guide to the 2026 Olympic venues.
Milan: Opening ceremony, skating and hockey
Milan's San Siro Stadium, site of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6.
(
Pier Marco Tacca
/
Getty Images
)
Milan is a major financial hub in Italy, not to mention a global capital of fashion and design. This is the first time it will host the Olympic Games, kicking off the opening ceremony and housing most of the indoor sports.
The opening ceremony on Feb. 6 will be hosted at Milan's iconic San Siro Stadium. The stadium — known as the Temple of Football — is home to the city's two main soccer clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan, and marks its 100th anniversary in 2026.
Figure skating and short track will take place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, known as the Unipol Forum, located in the small town of Assago, less than 2 miles outside Milan.
Ice hockey is spread across two venues, the temporary Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena and the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The latter is the only new permanent venue constructed for the Games.
Speed skating will be hosted at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
Cortina d'Ampezzo: Sliding sports and women's Alpine skiing
Part of the Cortina athletes village, seen in December in Fiames, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
(
Stefano Rellandini
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Cortina, a prestigious resort town in the Dolomite Mountains, is known for its Alpine scenery and winter sports. The "Pearl of the Dolomites" has hosted the Winter Games before, in 1956.
Alpine skiing will take place at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, named after one of the most dramatic mountain groups in the Eastern Dolomites. Many competitors will be familiar with the Olympia delle Tofane — the ski run became a permanent fixture on the women's World Cup circuit in downhill and super-G in the early 1990s and also served as the venue for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2021.
Curling events will take place at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, which hosted many of the indoor events at the 1956 Games. This time around, the venue will also host the Paralympics closing ceremony.
Bobsled, luge and skeleton are all happening at the new Cortina Sliding Centre, built on the grounds of the historic track used in 1956. It has already been chosen as a competition venue for the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
The biathlon will take place in the Antholz valley, about 30 miles north of Cortina, near the border with Austria. The Anterselva Biathlon Arena has the largest spectator capacity of any of this year's Olympic venues, set to accommodate up to 19,000 people per session.
Valtellina: Freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering and men's Alpine skiing
Ski slopes and jumps are shown mid-construction in Livigno Snow Park in December, in preparation for the Winter Olympic Games.
(
Mattia Ozbot
/
Getty Images
)
Valtellina Valley is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland, and is known for its skiing, cheeses and wine. The towns of Bormio and Livigno will host several outdoor events.
Men's Alpine skiing, as well as the new sport of ski mountaineering,are happening in Bormio, a historic ski resort in the Italian Alps. The Stelvio Ski Centre will crown the men's downhill skiing champions and host the one new sport making its Olympic debut this year.
Val di Fiemme: Cross-country skiing and ski jumping
A view of the Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium during the Italian Championships Open ski jumping event, held in Predazzo in December.
(
Mattia Ozbot
/
Getty Images
)
Val di Fiemme is a valley in the eastern Trentino province, known for its museums, hiking and cross-country skiing. Olympic events in the cluster are spread across two of its villages, Tesero and Predazzo.
Cross-country skiing and Nordic combined events —as well as Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing— will take place at the renowned Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, which has nearly 12 miles of trails and one of the bigger spectator capacities, at 15,000. It has been a landmark for cross-country skiing since it hosted the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1991.
Ski jumping competitions and the jumping segment of the Nordic combined events will take place at the renovated Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium, which has two main competition hills, three smaller training jumps, a new judges' tower and a spectator capacity of 15,000.
Verona: The closing ceremony
The Verona arena will host the 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony on Feb. 22.
(
Luca Bruno
/
AP
)
The medieval town of Verona, in the Veneto region, is perhaps best known as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It will also be the closing site of the 2026 Olympics.
The closing ceremony on Feb. 22 will take place at the Verona Olympic Arena, Italy's third-largest Roman amphitheater, which was built in A.D. 30 to host gladiator battles. In a full-circle moment, the venue will also host the Paralympic opening ceremony on March 6.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Keep up with LAist.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
The backstory: Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening.
Read on... for what you need to know about the new fee and how to avoid it.
Federal REAL ID requirements were originally introduced for domestic air travelers in May 2025. Until now, anyone who lacked a REAL ID license or other acceptable form of identification was still allowed to go through airport security, albeit with additional screening.
But as of Feb. 1, every person 18 or older attempting to board a domestic flight without a REAL ID will face the $45 fee – or won’t be allowed through TSA screening to board their flight.
So if you’re one of those people who doesn’t have a REAL ID yet, here’s what to know about making sure you’re still able to travel, from how to swiftly apply for a REAL ID driver’s license to how to pay the $45 TSA fee, either the day you travel or before you arrive at the airport.
What kind of REAL ID identification do I need to avoid the new $45 TSA fee?
Remember, if you’ve applied for or renewed your driver’s license in the past few years, there’s a good chance you already have a REAL ID. (Here’s more information on how to tell, but in short: look for the golden bear with a white star in the top right of your license.)
Since REAL ID requirements were introduced across U.S. airports for domestic flights in May 2025, passengers who don’t have REAL ID-compliant identification have still been able to fly — but they’ve been asked to undergo extra checks to verify their identity before entering the TSA security line, through a process called TSA ConfirmID.
A spokesperson for TSA confirmed to KQED by email that the $45 fee is non-refundable in this instance. But because payments are “valid for a 10-day period after their original first flight date,” travelers who miss their flight because their identity couldn’t be verified can “use the receipt once they are able to rebook their flight within that 10-day period,” the spokesperson says.
Where do I pay the $45 TSA fee?
You can pay at the airport itself, or beforehand, but either way, TSA says you have to pay online at pay.gov, the same federal website that processes payments like Department of Veterans Affairs medical bills and Social Security remittances.
You won’t be able to pay TSA staff directly at the airport.
Passengers walk through Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025.
(
Beth LaBerge
/
KQED
)
You can create a pay.gov account to make the $45 payment or check out as a guest. TSA says it will accept credit cards, debit cards, bank account details, PayPal and Venmo.
Make sure you enter an email address you have instant access to, as you’ll need to open the pay.gov receipt that will be sent to that inbox and show it to TSA staff at the airport to prove you’ve paid the $45 fee for TSA ConfirmID identity verification.
If I’m having trouble paying online, can someone else do it for me?
Yes, as long as the name and travel dates match the traveler who needs TSA ConfirmID identity verification, someone else can pay online for you, TSA says. The payment card does not have to match the traveler’s name.
Will I have to pay another $45 TSA fee when I fly home?
However, you’ll need to show your original receipt of payment to pay.gov that arrived in your email when you first paid online, so make sure you don’t delete it on your trip.
A person walks to their destination at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025.
(
Beth LaBerge
/
KQED
)
You should also factor in the time required beforehand for paying your $45 online, either before you leave or at the airport itself. And if you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant ID and you haven’t already paid the $45 fee when you arrive for your flight, TSA says that “you must leave the [security] line to pay” and return to the end of the line once you’ve done it.
So, in short, if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s license or other compatible ID, you should arrive at the airport with a lot of time to spare.
Do the REAL ID requirements and TSA fee apply to children?
However, “unaccompanied minors who are eligible for TSA PreCheck must show an acceptable ID to receive expedited screening,” and the agency suggests you contact the airline you’re flying with about any specific ID requirements they may have for passengers under 18.
OK, how do I get a REAL ID ASAP to avoid this new TSA fee?
Firstly, remember that even if you don’t have a REAL ID driver’s licence yet, you might have access to several other documents you can show TSA instead of a REAL ID — like a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card (permanent resident card) or a Tribal Nation ID — that mean you won’t have to pay the $45 TSA fee starting Feb. 1.
According to the REAL ID Act, states must require individuals to prove that they are either U.S. citizens or are in the country “lawfully.”
Non-U.S. citizens who can apply for a REAL ID include permanent residents (green card holders), holders of a valid student or employment visa and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
If you don’t have any type of legal status, like the ones above, then you will not be able to request a REAL ID.
Yusra Farzan
has been covering the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide since 2023.
Published January 20, 2026 10:48 AM
Sallie Reeves stands in front of what was her ranch-style home in Rancho Palos Verdes.
(
Yusra Farzan
/
LAist
)
Topline:
From Sallie Reeves’ backyard in Rancho Palos Verdes, you can see Catalina Island on a clear day. You can also spot whales in the Pacific Ocean, neighborhood peacocks and red-tailed hawks. It’s the type of idyllic retirement the 82-year-old envisioned when she moved into her ranch style home in the Portuguese Bend area in 1982. But she has had to rethink what her retirement looks like after a 6-foot fissure developed through her property.
Why it matters: It’s a predicament dozens of RPV residents have had to grapple with as their properties also slowly rip apart.
About the land movement: Reeves lives in an area of the city that sits on an ancient landslide. Movement was minimal for decades. But above average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 set off a rapid increase in land movement, which prompted Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents, including Reeves.
What happened to Reeves' house: Reeves' three-bedroom, two-bath home is now a hollowed out shell, raised from the slab on wooden platforms. The only thing that remains intact are some of the walls, beams and floor to ceiling windows. It’s now red tagged as she awaits a FEMA buyout.
Where does she live: Reeves has since had to downsize. She now lives in a converted garage, with a modest bathroom, a bedroom and a living space that also doubles as a dining area and kitchen. Her furniture has been distributed to her nieces and nephews, and most of her belongings are in storage, packed into containers parked on her driveway.
From Sallie Reeves’ backyard in Rancho Palos Verdes, you can see Catalina Island on a clear day. You can also spot whales in the Pacific Ocean, neighborhood peacocks and red-tailed hawks.
It’s the type of idyllic retirement the 82-year-old envisioned when she moved into her ranch-style home in the Portuguese Bend area in 1982. But she has had to rethink what her retirement looks like after a 6-foot fissure developed through her property. It’s a predicament dozens of Rancho Palos Verdes residents have had to grapple with as their properties also slowly rip apart.
Her three-bedroom, two-bath home is now a hollowed out shell, raised from the slab on wooden platforms. The only thing that remains intact are some of the walls, beams and floor to ceiling windows. It’s now red tagged as she awaits a FEMA buyout.
“We got snake bit, that’s all,” she said, adding that the damage to some of her neighbors’ homes is much worse.
Reeves has since had to downsize. She now lives in a converted garage, with a modest bathroom, a bedroom and a living space that also doubles as a dining area and kitchen. Her furniture has been distributed to her nieces and nephews, and most of her belongings are in storage, packed into containers parked on her driveway.
“ I can live here a long time. We've got a full bath, and we don't have cupboards or anything, so it's pretty ugly looking at it, but I'm functioning just fine,” she said about her new home.
When things started going from bad to worse
When Reeves moved into her home in the '80s, land movement wasn’t a concern. She used to be able to walk to the bottom of the canyon behind her home. Now, that’s all washed away and it’s a 30-foot drop.
Storms at the end of 2022 leading into 2023 were the turning point.
”We just started noticing thresholds coming apart, cracks here and there,” she said.
And pretty soon it wasn’t just a crack in the bedroom wall.
“One night we had animals come in through the walls,” Reeves said, describing how the bedroom wall separated from the home during a storm, “It was like the fire hose was right on our bed.”
There was no room for a washer in Sallie Reeves' converted garage, so she uses it outside.
(
Yusra Farzan
/
LAist
)
In response to wildlife incursions, they decided to convert the garage. It was a 33-day process.
A reluctant buyout applicant
In 2024, Rancho Palos Verdes announced a buyout program — with the help of federal funds — for residents whose homes were made inhabitable by land movement.
Reeves was a reluctant applicant.
”Tearfully, I went to the city and filled out the application on the very last day, down to the last hour,” she said.
She still doesn’t know if she’ll accept the buyout money: Doing so will mean she has to move and the property will be converted to open space.
It could take years before she has to make that decision, so the two-time breast cancer survivor spends some of her time raising money for the disease and enrolling in 60-mile walks across the country to raise awareness for breast cancer. The rest of the time, she tends to her native plants and spends time with her dogs.
Where Sallie Reeves spends time gardening.
(
Yusra Farzan
/
LAist
)
“ I think half the world thinks that I am bat shit crazy, and you gotta be a little that way. But I've been privileged in the sense that I know how valuable this is to me,” Reeves said.
