Nearly four years after California voters approved better wages and health benefits for ride-hailing drivers and delivery workers, no one is actually ensuring they are provided, according to state agencies, interviews with workers and a review of wage claims filed with the state.
The background: Voters mandated the benefits in November 2020 when they approved Proposition 22. The ballot initiative was backed by gig-work companies that wanted to keep their workers classified as independent contractors and were resisting a 2019 state law that would have considered them employees. Prop. 22 stipulated that gig workers would remain independent contractors but be treated better.
What now? The state Industrial Relations Department, which handles wage claims, now tells CalMatters it does not have jurisdiction to resolve those related to Prop. 22, citing a July 25 California Supreme Court ruling that upheld the law and therefore maintains that gig workers are not employees. That effectively passes enforcement responsibility on to the state attorney general, whose office was noncommittal when asked about its plans, saying that it does not adjudicate individual claims but does prosecute companies that systematically violate the law.
Why it matters: The lack of enforcement leaves in limbo workers who in many cases have already been waiting for months or years for the state to resolve their complaints. Workers have filed 54 claims related to Prop. 22 since it went into effect in December 2020. At least 32 of them are unresolved, state records obtained by CalMatters show, although at least two of those are due to workers not following through.
Of the unresolved claims, one goes back to 2021, several are from 2022 and 2023, and about half are from this year, through May.
Read on... for more on how Prop. 22 is failing to deliver for gig economy workers.
Nearly four years after California voters approved better wages and health benefits for ride-hailing drivers and delivery workers, no one is actually ensuring they are provided, according to state agencies, interviews with workers and a review of wage claims filed with the state.
Voters mandated the benefits in November 2020 when they approved Proposition 22. The ballot initiative was backed by gig-work companies that wanted to keep their workers classified as independent contractors and were resisting a 2019 state law that would have considered them employees. Prop. 22 stipulated that gig workers would remain independent contractors but be treated better.
The state Industrial Relations Department, which handles wage claims, now tells CalMatters it does not have jurisdiction to resolve those related to Prop. 22, citing a July 25 California Supreme Court ruling that upheld the law and therefore maintains that gig workers are not employees. That effectively passes enforcement responsibility on to the state attorney general, whose office was noncommittal when asked about its plans, saying that it does not adjudicate individual claims but does prosecute companies that systematically violate the law.
The lack of enforcement leaves in limbo workers who in many cases have already been waiting for months or years for the state to resolve their complaints. Workers have filed 54 claims related to Prop. 22 since it went into effect in December 2020. At least 32 of them are unresolved, state records obtained by CalMatters show, although at least two of those are due to workers not following through.
Of the unresolved claims, one goes back to 2021, several are from 2022 and 2023, and about half are from this year, through May.
Emails included with the claims show that the Industrial Relations Department told one worker it was severely understaffed, and seven others, starting in 2022, that it did not have jurisdiction to help them since they were independent contractors rather than employees.
Although the number of claims filed with the state represent just a fraction of the more than 1 million gig workers in California, they give a glimpse into what happens when workers turn to the state for help instead of the companies that backed Prop. 22.
What gig workers are complaining about
Workers say in the claims, and in interviews with CalMatters, that companies such as Uber, Lyft and Instacart failed to provide higher wages and health care stipends under the law, and that the companies’ representatives sometimes act confused or take a long time to handle their requests for Prop. 22 benefits. The gig companies have touted the law as something that has boosted pay and benefits, and have said it has helped gig workers hang on to work they can do whenever they want.
Laura Robinson is among the workers who have had to aggressively pursue what they believe they’re owed under the law. For the past year, she has filed claims with the state and fought two different gig-work companies for different benefits promised under Prop. 22.
She was making a delivery for Instacart a year ago, she said, when a driver making a U-turn hit her, totaling her car. Now, she said, she has lingering back pain, and has only been able to make a total of a few deliveries over the past several months.
Robinson, who lives in Irvine, tried to get Instacart to retroactively provide her with occupational accident insurance as required under Prop. 22.
When she first contacted Instacart about the collision, “four or five different (representatives) told me on chat ‘we don’t provide insurance,’ but I told them this is California,” Robinson said. “Finally someone said ‘oh yeah, I know what you’re talking about.’ ” Robinson had some difficulties documenting the accident, because, she said, the responding Torrance Police Department officer rode away on his motorcycle without writing a report. But after about seven months, she finally heard back from Zurich, Instacart’s insurance provider. She received a lump sum, and monthly payments for the time that she has been largely unable to work, according to bank statements and emails from Zurich to her, which she shared with CalMatters.
Instacart spokesperson Charlotte Healow said all the company’s shopper support agents should know about “shopper injury protection” and that there is information in the app about how to go about filing claims. But Robinson showed CalMatters several screenshots of her chats with support agents who either thought she was asking about health insurance or who told her someone would email her back about her situation — which eventually happened, though it took a few tries.
Robinson said she had also struggled to get a smaller gig platform, food delivery app Curri, to comply with the law. Under Prop. 22, ride-hailing and delivery gig companies are supposed to pay her 120% of minimum wage for the time she spends driving, making up for any shortfall in the pay she receives, but Curri had not done so, she said. Not knowing where to turn, she asked a few different state agencies for help, including the attorney general’s office. She even lodged a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s National Consumer Complaint Database. After several months, the Industrial Relations Department scheduled a hearing for her case for Aug. 29. Last week, the department told her the company decided to settle and pay her what it owed, according to emails and a release she signed that she shared with CalMatters. Curri’s marketing director referred CalMatters to the company’s legal department, which did not return three emailed requests for comment.
Robinson saw the upside of Prop. 22 after it passed. She liked being able to continue setting her own hours and saw a bump in her earnings delivering for Grubhub due to the law. But she is now frustrated about how tough it was to figure out who’s supposed to be upholding it.
“It’s not helpful if it’s not enforced or applied,” she said.
Robinson said the deputy labor commissioner she was in touch with throughout the process of pursuing her claim against Curri told her last week that because Prop. 22 was upheld by the state Supreme Court — effectively ensuring gig workers cannot be considered employees — the department would no longer be handling similar cases because it does not have jurisdiction over independent contractors.
What do gig workers want?
The Prop. 22-related wage claims reviewed by CalMatters were part of a larger set of nearly 200 claims that gig workers filed with the Industrial Relations Department since the law took effect in December 2020. Citing the California Public Records Act, CalMatters sought all wage claims in that timeframe involving gig companies, but the state did not provide any claims against DoorDash, which is one of the biggest of the app-based gig companies. A department spokesperson could not explain why.
Most of the claimants sought delayed or unpaid wages, including adjustments owed under Prop. 22. Others sought health care stipends required under the gig-work law, and one driver said he sought occupational accident insurance but did not receive it.
The claims also shed light on the mechanics of how app companies are allegedly withholding wages. In them, some gig workers claimed that they were deactivated — kicked off or fired by the app — before receiving all their wages.
The records also indicate the state had trouble holding app companies to account in a timely fashion. In emails about the claims, some workers frequently asked for updates about their cases and complained about limited communications from the state. This prompted one supervisor in the Industrial Relations Department’s San Francisco office to respond by email on May 30, 2024, seemingly noting that gig workers’ complaints were just a fraction of the array of worker complaints the state fields: “I am working with 40% staff shortage. There are over 3,000 cases, most of which are older than yours, and only seven people (total) to handle them.” The department did not respond to requests for comment on whether this shortfall persists.
Monetary wage claims ranged from about $2 to nearly $420,000. Most — 54% — were against ride-hailing and delivery giant Uber and 25% were against its rides competitor Lyft. There were 17 claims against grocery-delivery app maker Instacart, seven against food-delivery platform Grubhub, four against Target-owned delivery service Shipt and three against UPS-owned delivery service Roadie.
The Industrial Relations Department has long tried to resolve gig workers’ wage disputes. The labor commissioner, who heads the department’s Labor Standards Enforcement Division, still has pending wage-theft lawsuits against Uber and Lyft that it filed in 2020 on behalf of about 5,000 workers with wage claims going back to 2017.
Those cases predate Prop. 22, originating during a period when gig workers were misclassified and should have been considered employees under California law, the labor commissioner argues in the wage-theft suits. After Prop. 22 passed, opponents challenged it and the case ended up before the California Supreme Court, which upheld the law in July, effectively affirming that drivers are independent contractors, not employees. A department spokesperson, Peter Melton, said the ruling means the department can no longer handle claims about missing wage adjustments under the earnings guarantee, unpaid health care stipends or other aspects of the law.
Department representatives made similar statements to workers even before Prop. 22 was upheld, the claims records show. An email response, dated March 26, 2024, from the department to an Uber driver stated: “The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement enforces employment law. We cannot enforce Prop 22 earnings because they aren’t ‘wages’ earned by ‘employees’.”
This echoes the position lawyers for Uber and Lyft took in some of the records when responding to wage claims. They asked the state to dismiss such claims, writing in one email: “As of December 16, 2020, drivers using Lyft’s platform are considered independent contractors by statute and, thus, cannot seek relief under the Labor Code.”
Now that the department has disavowed responsibility for Prop. 22 claims, the question remains: Who will enforce the law?
Scott Kronland, the attorney for Service Employees International Union California who unsuccessfully argued before the state Supreme Court that it should throw out Prop. 22, told CalMatters: “I’ve also heard from drivers that they’re not getting the things they’re promised by Prop. 22.”
Kronland said their recourse, after the ruling, is to press local prosecutors or the attorney general, who have the ability to hold companies liable for unlawful business practices under the state’s Unfair Competition Law. Still, he said “enforcement is something the Legislature could clarify.”
In an unsigned email response to CalMatters’ questions after the state Supreme Court decision, including whether it planned to pursue Prop.-22-related cases against gig-work companies, the attorney general’s office said gig workers can submit complaints at oag.ca.gov/report. The email added: “Although the Attorney General does not represent individual workers or adjudicate individual complaints by holding administrative hearings like (the Department of Industrial Relations), DOJ brings lawsuits to hold accountable companies that systematically break the law, for example through widespread violations of wage and hour standards. Reports or complaints of employer misconduct are an important part of our work.”
When CalMatters previously asked the attorney general’s office for copies of any wage complaints it had received from gig workers thus far, a spokesperson responded that the office was representing the state in its effort to defend Prop. 22 before the California Supreme Court — and referred CalMatters back to the Industrial Relations Department.
What gig companies share about Prop. 22’s impact
Gig companies have said that, due in part to the initiative’s earnings guarantee, workers now make more than $30 an hour. But a May study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that, for California ride-hailing drivers, average earnings after expenses, not including tips, is about $7.12 an hour, and for delivery workers, $5.93. With tips, drivers’ average hourly earnings are $9.09 an hour, and $13.62 for delivery workers, the study found.
To better understand the impact of Prop. 22, CalMatters asked each of the four largest gig companies — Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart — the following:
How much they have spent on delivering on each of Prop. 22’s four main promises:
120% of minimum wage earnings guarantee
Health care stipends
Occupational accident insurance
Accidental death insurance
How many gig workers have received each of the promised benefits.
Whether they have passed on costs to consumers, and if so, where they account for those customer fees in their public financial filings.
How they handle complaints or issues related to their promises.
Lyft said 85% of California Lyft drivers who have driven for the company since Prop. 22 went into effect have received at least one wage “top up” — the additional money drivers receive under the earnings guarantee — through the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, though spokesperson Shadawn Reddick-Smith would not provide specific numbers of Lyft drivers in the state. None of the other companies would give any information on their delivery of the wage guarantee.
Instacart spokesperson Healow said the company has paid out about $40 million in health care subsidies to its delivery workers, which she said number in the tens of thousands in the state. She also said about 11% of California shoppers have become eligible for a health care stipend since Prop. 22 took effect, and that 28% of those eligible shoppers have redeemed their subsidy.
To qualify for the health care stipends, workers must work at least 15 hours a week each quarter, and be enrolled in health insurance that is not provided by an employer or the government. Because the gig companies won’t share how many workers have received the stipends, CalMatters asked the state health insurance exchange, Covered California, if it had data that might help shed some light. Seven percent of the 1.6 million people who used Covered California reported doing gig work in a 2023 survey, said a spokesperson for the exchange, Jagdip Dhillon.
DoorDash spokesperson Parker Dorrough said that just 11% of eligible couriers used the health care stipend in the fourth quarter of 2023 but that 80% of DoorDash’s delivery workers had health care coverage through another source, such as their full-time job or spouse.
None of the other companies would give any information on their delivery of the stipend. Lyft’s Reddick-Smith said 80% of California Lyft drivers already have health care coverage, including 13% who bought their own coverage (this second group is the set of drivers who qualified for the stipend).
None of the four companies provided the numbers of workers who have used occupational accident or accidental death insurance.
None of the companies would disclose how they account for the fees they charge customers for Prop. 22 expenses, nor are the fees included in their publicly available financial filings. Instacart said it does not charge customers for expenses associated with Prop. 22. Lyft said its per-ride service fee includes a 75-cent “California Driver Benefits Fee.” Uber charges customers a “CA Driver Benefits” fee for each ride and delivery in the state and spokesperson Zahid Arab said the company has “invested more than we collected in fees.”
Uber published a blog post after CalMatters’ questions, saying it has “invested” more than $1 billion in Prop. 22 benefits. Arab would not break down these benefits further.
As for complaints related to the promises, each of the companies said workers should contact support agents, whom they can usually get in touch with in the app; an Instacart spokesperson said workers can make some claims directly in the company’s app.
Accounting and enforcement
Ride-hailing driver Sergio Avedian last year helped raise public awareness of the lack of Prop. 22 enforcement. Specifically, he homed in on one narrow issue: Under the law, gig-work companies were supposed to adjust for inflation each year the reimbursement they pay to drivers for mileage. Avedian said no such adjustment had taken place for two consecutive years. And as a podcaster and contributor to the Rideshare Guy, a popular gig-work blog, he had a high profile. Avedian and a fellow eagle-eyed driver started pestering the state’s treasurer’s office, which had not published the adjusted rates as stipulated under Prop 22. The office eventually did so and, the Los Angeles Times reported, put the state’s gig workers on track to get back pay for the mileage expenses — pay potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now, a year later, Avedian is curious about gig-company math again. He has asked Uber some of the same questions CalMatters did — including how the company accounts for the driver-benefits fee it adds on to each ride or delivery. The company’s response to him was similar — it provided few specifics.
Besides his concern about the issue as a driver, Avedian said “as a consumer who is paying into the Prop. 22 fund on every trip or delivery, I would like to know the accounting of where my money is going.”
But Avedian and other gig workers in California say their paths have not changed much. Many still complain about low wages, little transparency from the companies and lack of worker protections.
Yasha Timenovich said he has worked as a ride-hailing driver for a decade, first with Uber, now with Lyft.
“I work 12, 13, 14 hours a day,” said Timenovich, who drives in the Los Angeles area. “But the time I sit and wait at LAX is not accounted for.” He said he has to work long hours to try to make sure he has enough earnings. “We’re not completely independent contractors. We’re not employees. We’re sort of a hybrid model of theirs. We’re pretty much nobody.”
He also said he must obtain health insurance through Medi-Cal, California’s health care coverage for low-income residents — which in turn means he doesn’t qualify for the health care stipend. He said every driver he knows “is on Medi-Cal because they can’t afford health insurance. I don’t know anyone who has (the stipend).”
Many drivers voted for Prop. 22, he said. But “what we were told was a lie.”
La Chispa de Oro in Boyle Heights has seen fewer customers since immigration enforcement raids began in L.A.
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has launched a cash assistance program for small businesses in Council District 14 to help cover up to $3,000 in expenses, including employee payroll, rent and utilities.
Who is eligible? To qualify for Jurado’s Microenterprise Grant Program, businesses must demonstrate financial need, be located in CD14, have five or fewer employees and generate $1 million or less in annual revenue.
How will grantees be chosen? Grants will be awarded to eligible businesses that create or retain jobs in the city and priority will be given to those that have not received financial assistance through city, state, or federal programs.
Read on... for more about the grants and how to apply.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has launched a cash assistance program for small businesses in Council District 14 to help cover up to $3,000 in expenses, including employee payroll, rent and utilities.
Who is eligible?
To qualify for Jurado’s Microenterprise Grant Program, businesses must demonstrate financial need, be located in CD14, have five or fewer employees and generate $1 million or less in annual revenue.
Business owners with multiple eligible businesses may only apply once. A full list of ineligible businesses can be found here.
According to Jurado’s office, businesses are encouraged to apply even if they are unclear whether they qualify.
How will grantees be chosen?
Grants will be awarded to eligible businesses that create or retain jobs in the city and priority will be given to those that have not received financial assistance through city, state, or federal programs. The program will also prioritize businesses located in low-to-moderate income (LMI) census tracts, those with W-2 employees and those located in commercial “brick and mortar” locations.
Finalists will be notified 30 days after the application closes.
How is the program funded?
The program is funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program provides grants to states, cities, and counties to “develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons,” according to the HUD website.
How to apply:
The application is available online here. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
Application assistance is available in-person at the local BusinessSource Centers listed below:
East Los Angeles (New Economics for Women)
Address: 1780 E First St., Los Angeles
Email: ELABSC@neworg.us
Phone: (323) 568-1520
Pico Union/Westlake (PACE)
Address: 1055 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 900-B, Los Angeles
On the diplomatic front, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country has been facilitating "indirect talks" between the U.S. and Iran by relaying messages between them.
Some background: Iran's foreign minister has denied the country is engaging in negotiations with the U.S., beyond the message exchanges. Iranian state media said Wednesday a senior security official rejected the U.S. proposal and submitted conditions in return. Trump said Iran is "begging" to make a deal.
More details: Pakistan, Trump and Iran have not mentioned if Israel is involved in the process. Israeli officials have told NPR their military seeks several more weeks of war to achieve its objectives in Iran.
Read on... for more updates on day 27 of the Iran war.
The war in the Middle East ramped up on Thursday as Israel launched a wave of strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure in the central city of Isfahan, and said it killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy.
Iran hit back, firing two rounds of missiles at central Israel causing destruction and injuries. Israel was also under attack from a wave of rockets from Iran-backed fighters in Lebanon, and an Israeli soldier in Lebanon was killed.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country has been facilitating "indirect talks" between the U.S. and Iran by relaying messages between them. "In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran," Dar wrote on social media.
Iran's foreign minister has denied the country is engaging in negotiations with the U.S., beyond the message exchanges. Iranian state media said Wednesday a senior security official rejected the U.S. proposal and submitted conditions in return.
President Donald Trump said Iran is "begging" to make a deal.
Pakistan, Trump and Iran have not mentioned if Israel is involved in the process. Israeli officials have told NPR their military seeks several more weeks of war to achieve its objectives in Iran.
Loading...
Here are more updates on Day 27 of the Iran war.
To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
Arab-Israeli residents survey the damage following a projectile strike in the Arab-Israeli city of Kfar Qasim on Thursday.
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NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv spoke to two military officials who said Israel wants to keep fighting and is hoping for several more weeks of war in Iran.
A person briefed on the operation told NPR the Israeli military is speeding up its targeting in Iran over the next 48 hours, focusing on trying to hit Iran's arms factories as much as possible — in case a ceasefire is declared.
The Israeli military said on social media it had completed a "wave of extensive strikes in Isfahan … targeting infrastructure."
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said his country had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the head of Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy, in an overnight strike. An official in Islamabad following the negotiations also said that Tangsiri was killed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it. Iran has not publicly commented.
Displaced Lebanese children play in the playground of a public school that has been converted into a shelter in the town of Dekwaneh, north of Beirut, on Wednesday.
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Israel also came under attack Thursday, with air sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and the Israeli military saying rescue crews were en route to the location of a strike at the center of the country.
The military reported a soldier on the ground in Lebanon had been killed, naming him as 21-year-old Sgt. Ori Greenberg.
Israel says its airstrikes continue in southern Lebanon, in advance of what Israeli officials say will be a "prolonged" ground invasion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Hezbollah began firing rockets at northern Israel this month in support of Iran and after months of Israel's attacks in Lebanon despite a ceasefire. Israeli officials say a civilian woman was killed by their rocket fire this week. More than a dozen people in Israel have also been killed by Iranian attacks since the start of the war.
Israeli officials say they plan to take Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, which runs 10 to 20 miles north of the border with Israel. Hezbollah says it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers inside that area with a drone.
Trump repeats negotiation claims
In remarks at a Republican fundraising dinner on Wednesday night, the president insisted Iran was looking to do a deal but didn't want to admit it because they were afraid their citizens would turn on them.
"We're winning so big. Nobody's ever seen anything like we're doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," he said. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us. There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."
Under a proposed U.S. plan Iran would end its nuclear program, stop supporting proxy militias in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and limit its missile program. In exchange Iran would get relief from sanctions.
People wave national flags and hold portraits of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei as they march in support of the Iranian armed forces in central Tehran on March 25, 2026.
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But Iran rejected the proposal, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country wants to end the war only on "our own terms." Iran has given five conditions: "end to aggression by the enemy, concrete guarantees preventing the recurrence of war, clear determination, guaranteed payment of war damages and compensation, comprehensive end to the war across all fronts, incl. against all resistance groups, recognition of Iran's sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz."
Iranian officials have insisted they are not negotiating with the U.S., saying the countries have only exchanged messages via regional intermediaries.
Pakistan has emerged as a potential mediator for negotiations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday would not confirm news reports that there could be U.S.-Iran talks in the coming days. "Nothing should be deemed official until it is announced formally by the White House, I would not get ahead of our skis on reporting about any talks this weekend, until you hear directly from us," she said.
An official in Islamabad told NPR, on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, that the Pakistani interior minister held a secret meeting with the Iranian ambassador in Pakistan Thursday.
And publicly, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on social media: "US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan," adding that Turkey and Egypt were also "extending their support to this initiative." He said Iran is deliberating upon a U.S. 15-point proposal.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also spoken to his Iranian counterpart, stressing the war "should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, not by force."
Will U.S. forces seize Kharg Island?
A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.
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The Pentagon is set to deploy up to 3,000 paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, and thousands of Marines are also on their way to the region.
NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam reports it comes as President Trump weighs whether to seize Kharg Island, the home of Iran's main oil processing facility.
Analysts say such an operation would be risky for U.S. service personnel.
It could also spark fallout if Iran steps up strikes on Gulf countries in retaliation.
Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on social media Wednesday that Iran's enemies were "preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands," with the support of a country in the region. "If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks," he warned.
Germany's defense minister slams the U.S.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius gave a frank assessment of the war in remarks on a trip to Australia.
"To make it crystal clear, this war is a catastrophe for the world's economies," he told reporters.
"What really concerns me the most about that war is there was no consultation, there is no strategy, there is no clear objective and the worst thing from my perspective is that there is no exit strategy," he said.
He also criticized Washington's changing demands of Europe, noting the U.S. had asked Europe to ramp up its defense spending and told it to focus on its own backyard.
"That was before the war started against Iran. Now, the arguments are different. Now they are saying: 'Where are you, you are cowards, you don't help us,'" Pistorius said.
He was referring to Trump calling NATO allies cowards after they declined his request to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Pistorius said while Germany would not be getting involved in the war, they could help secure the vital economic waterway once a ceasefire is agreed.
Oil prices higher amid Strait of Hormuz standoff
Two Iranian state-affiliated news agencies, Tasnim and Fars, reported Iran's Parliament is planning to formalize fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait, but Iran has essentially blocked most traffic since the start of the war.
A oil tanker is docked unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on March 25, 2026.
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The strait, a narrow passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway for ships to access freely.
But an Iranian Embassy social media post said the country has laid out as one of its conditions for ending the war with the U.S. and Israel the "recognition of Iran's sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz."
Iranian media quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that Iran's "Parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran's sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees."
Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of Arab nations, said in a briefing that Iran is already charging fees for safe passage — in violation of international law.
Oil prices edged higher in Asia trading, with Brent crude trading around $100 a barrel. Asian and European stock markets also opened lower on Thursday.
UAE's stable reputation at risk
On Thursday morning alerts sounded in the United Arab Emirates. Two people were killed in Abu Dhabi by falling debris after a successful missile interception, officials said.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry announced the interception of a drone in the Eastern Province, while Kuwait and Bahrain also reported attacks.
Airlines in what used to be one of the globe's busiest regions for air travel continue to suffer. Oman Air announced flight cancellations to numerous regional countries as well as parts of Europe until April 15.
Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the huge state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., accused Iran of "economic terrorism" for its stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
In comments at Washington's Middle East Institute he said: "When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way."
Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Israel, Diaa Hadid in Mumbai, India, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Jackie Northam in Maine, Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 NPR
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Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers begin their title defense this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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In this edition:
The Dodgers host opening weekend, the native plant festival comes to Clarement, a kids’ sci-fi fest is in Pasadena and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
We made it to another baseball season! Head out to see Shohei Ohtani and theDodgers take on the Diamondbacks in their first home games of the year, or watch the games on the big screen at one of the many baseball bars around town.
Say it ain’t so! While downtown icon Cole’s French Diphas been threatening to close for a while now, this weekend is the last weekend the 118-year-old establishment will be open. Get your last orders in and celebrate the end of an era with other local chefs inspired by Cole’s, including special “dips” from Jitlada, Found Oyster, Little Fatty’s, Bay Cities and more.
Get to know our native flora at the second annual California Native Plant Festival at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont. It features workshops on native plant gardening, talks and tours on ecology and plant restoration, family-friendly crafting, and live music!
Ahem. Please indulge this minor rant: I’m over this whole “location upon RSVP” trend with L.A. events. I’m not paying to go to something, only to find out it’s all the way on the other side of town at 7 p.m. on a Thursday — and I wouldn’t want you to have to do that either! Event organizers, I want to hear from you. Are things really getting that popular that you’re hesitant to share a location? Can we at least designate “Westside” or “Eastside” or “Orange County”? Is there an underground scene I’m not cool enough to know about that folks are afraid of outing? OK, rant over.
In more important issues, Saturday is the next No Kings Day protest, so please be safe if you’re heading out to any of the many rallies being organized all across L.A. and Orange County.
Music-wise, if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to Sir Paul McCartney himself at the Fonda on Friday or Saturday, count me as jealous. Beyond that, Lyndsey Parker at Licorice Pizza recommends former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr at the Lodge Room and Nick Lowe at the Bellwether on Friday. Saturday, the Freestyle Explosion is at YouTube Theater, with Exposé, Lisa Lisa, Pretty Poison and more. Also on Saturday, the first-ever darkwave festival, Los Darks, has an amazing lineup at Santa Ana Stadium with Caifanes, Johnny Marr, Twin Tribes, The Adicts, London After Midnight and Mareux. Finally, Mariah the Scientist plays Saturday and Sunday at the Palladium.
Thursday, March 26 to Saturday, March 28 Dodger Stadium 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Elysian Park COST: FROM $85; MORE INFO
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are looking for a three-peat.
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We made it to another baseball season! The Dodgers are at it again for what will maybe be a three-peat World Series season (we can dream). Head out to see Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the squad take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first home games of the year, or watch the games on the big screen at one of the many baseball bars around town.
Cole’s French Dip Closing Weekend Extravaganza
Saturday and Sunday, March 28 to 29 Cole’s French Dip 118 E. 6th St., Downtown L.A. COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
Say it ain’t so! While downtown icon Cole’s French Dip has been threatening to close for a while now, this weekend is the last weekend that the 118-year-old establishment will be open. For real. Get your last orders in and celebrate the end of an era with other local chefs inspired by Cole’s, including special “dips” from Jitlada, Found Oyster, Little Fatty’s, Bay Cities and more. Proceeds will go to the Independent Hospitality Coalition in support of their efforts to save L.A.'s independent operators.
Women Who Create
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Runway Playa Vista 12775 W. Millennium Drive, Playa Vista COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Wrap up Women’s History Month by supporting local women makers, creatives and small businesses. Runway Playa Vista is hosting this artisan market, which also includes mahjong lessons, live music and an “interactive junk journaling table.”
California Native Plant Festival
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California Botanic Garden 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Get to know our native flora at the second annual California Native Plant Festival at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont. Featuring workshops on native plant gardening, talks and tours on ecology and plant restoration, family-friendly crafting, and live music, the day is a great way to explore the garden (for free!) and learn more about improving your corner of the ecosystem.
Green-House record release concert
Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Geoponika Greenhouse 3209 Fletcher Drive, Glassell Park COST: FROM $22; MORE INFO
Continue your plant-focused weekend with a visit to the Geoponika Greenhouse, where the (aptly named) band Green-House will be playing a record-release concert for their new album, Hinterlands. Their ethereal sounds follow a walk through “a labyrinth of rare and exotic cacti” alongside “visuals made by Michael Flanagan and the office axolotl.”
Mail-Art Making inspired by Raymond Saunders
Saturday, March 28, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. David Zwirner Gallery 616 N. Western Ave., Melrose Hill COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Oakland-based artist Raymond Saunders marked his time in Los Angeles by collecting mementos and found objects. David Zwirner Gallery is currently showing his work (Notes from L.A. is on view through April 25) and hosting a special crafting activity in the gallery’s gorgeous garden. You can make your own “mail-art” with collage items and send postcards to friends and family. Plus, there will be matcha from neighborhood favorite Rocky's Matcha.
Cento Pasta Bar x Bravo Toast
Friday and Saturday, March 27 to 28, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bravo Toast 632 1/2 N. Doheny Drive, West Hollywood COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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West Adams favorite Cento Pasta Bar is popping up at Bravo Toast on Doheny, bringing cult-favorite pastas to West Hollywood. Try the acclaimed beet pasta or spicy pomodoro with basil oil.
Octavia Butler Science Fiction Festival
Friday, March 27, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. OEB Magnet Academy 1505 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Go on interplanetary adventures at the Octavia Butler Science Fiction Festival — from stargazing in an inflatable planetarium to upcycling a space-themed costume for the costume contest to earning free books by completing “missions.” This kid-focused event honors local Pasadena author Octavia Butler and aims to inspire the next generation of explorers.
ICE agents stand next to the security line at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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What should you know about ICE in U.S. airports right now? Keep reading for what we know about immigration officers, air travel and your rights around ICE officers.
The backstory: Since Feb. 14, Transportation Security Administration staff have worked without pay due to the ongoing partial government shutdown — and with many calling out of work, passengers across the United States have experienced hourslong security screening lines. This weekend, President Donald Trump announced that as of Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be deployed to airports to support TSA operations.
What airports have ICE been deployed to? According to reporting by The New York Times, 14 airports around the country will host ICE agents. CNN reported that these locations include Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in New York and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. No California airports appear on CNN’s current list.
Can ICE make arrests at airports?: There have been instances of ICE arresting people at airports . But according to CNN on Tuesday morning, Trump said that agents will continue arresting undocumented people, but said of ICE agents in airports: “That’s not why they’re there; they’re really there to help.” Most TSA officers are not commissioned law enforcement officers.
Read on . . . for more about what you can do if you encounter ICE agents at an airport.
This weekend, President Donald Trump announced that as of Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be deployed to airports to support TSA operations.
San Francisco International Airport, the Bay Area’s biggest airport, has been spared long wait lines by the fact that its security screening is contracted by a private company rather than TSA.
While standing in line, open up the airline app and rebook yourself, says travel reporter Chris Dong.
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So what should you know about ICE in U.S. airports right now? Keep reading for what we know about immigration officers, air travel and your rights around ICE officers.
Bear in mind that the following information doesn’t constitute legal advice, and you should direct any specific questions about your individual situation to a lawyer.
CNN reported that these locations include Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in New York and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
No California airports appear on CNN’s current list.
On Tuesday, a TSA spokesperson confirmed to KQED that ICE would be deployed to “airports being adversely impacted” by TSA callouts and resignations — and that none of these were in the Bay Area.
Why was ICE at SFO on Sunday?
In footage from around 10 p.m. Sunday that was posted to social media, men wearing dark clothing were filmed at SFO pulling a crying woman from an airport terminal bench and then pushing her into a wheelchair — as a girl of around 10 is heard crying nearby. San Francisco police officers were seen standing by as the arrest occurred.
The men are not wearing visible badges or agency markings, but the Department of Homeland Security said on the social media platform X Monday that they were, in fact, ICE officers.
According to a DHS spokesperson, the woman and her daughter were arrested at the airport and were being “escorted to the international terminal for processing” when the woman tried to flee. Read more about Sunday night’s incident at SFO. As reported by The New York Times on Tuesday evening, ICE had originally been alerted to the pair’s presence at SFO by TSA.
According to a statement released by SFO, the airport was “not involved in or notified in advance of this incident.”
“We understand federal officers were transporting two individuals on an outbound flight when this incident occurred,” the statement reads. “We believe this is an isolated incident and have no reason to suspect broader enforcement action at SFO.”
As of Monday afternoon, local immigration advocates said they were still assessing the situation and working to “confirm all the facts related to this incident.”
“After killing people in our streets and detaining U.S. citizens, ICE has lost all credibility and trust with the public,” Bay Area Rep. Kevin Mullin and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said in a joint statement. “We demand immediate answers as to the mother’s and her child’s condition and the grounds for their detainment.”
Jonathan Blazer, director of border strategies and senior advisor at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that there is “nothing that categorically prohibits ICE from going into an airport as an immigration enforcement agent.”
For example, Blazer said, ICE agents have used commercial flights in the past to transport individuals on deportation flights — or to transfer arrested people to immigration detention centers.
Travelers and their luggage in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport.
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Additionally, as first reported by The New York Times in December 2025, TSA has shared information about air travelers who are believed to be under deportation orders with ICE, enabling immigration agents to make arrests at the airport.
But Blazer said that this week’s deployment of ICE to airports — the “mere presence for this purpose, in an untargeted fashion, in large numbers” — was “unprecedented.”
According to CNN on Tuesday morning, Trump said that agents will continue arresting undocumented people, but said of ICE agents in airports: “That’s not why they’re there; they’re really there to help.” (Most TSA officers are not commissioned law enforcement officers.)
“Part of what’s so challenging here is that the Trump administration hasn’t really made clear what authorities they are vesting with ICE as part of this mission,” Blazer said.
In its roundup of risks of air travel, the National Immigration Law Center said that for people who are undocumented, have temporary immigration status or who are under a deportation order, there is “a significant risk of arrest at a U.S. airport.”
However, NILC also said that “all non-citizens face some risk” while traveling through U.S. airports, including those with green cards, if they have certain criminal convictions or who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.
Customs and Border Protection already regularly works in airports. What’s the difference between their powers and ICE’s?
ICE and CBP are both immigration enforcement agencies within DHS.
While ICE conducts enforcement within the U.S. and manages detention and deportation operations, CBP conducts inspections at all U.S. “ports of entry” — at land borders, seaports and airports.
ACLU’s Blazer said that while CBP has a lot of “power when they’re screening people coming in on an international flight,” that doesn’t apply to domestic flights. For example, CBP — and ICE — should not be able to check your electronic devices without a warrant for a domestic flight.
Nicole Hallett, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and a clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago, told the Washington Post that ICE cannot search a passenger’s personal belongings without a warrant — and can only do this if they are working on behalf of an agency that can, like CBP.
“If they’re acting as a TSA agent, they have to follow TSA rules. If they’re acting as a CBP agent and doing Border Patrol work, then they have the authority that Border Patrol has,” Hallett said.
“And if they are just merely standing in the airport as ICE officers, then they have the same legal authority that any ICE officer standing in a public location has,” she said. (Regardless, she said that ICE can approach passengers anywhere in the airport, including after security.)
What should I do if ICE approaches me in the airport?
At border checkpoints — including airports — officers can ask questions, carry out personal searches and detain people with wide latitude, Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law & Policy, told NPR.
But Blazer said that in order for ICE to arrest someone for an immigration violation without a warrant, they would need to establish probable cause that the person is in the U.S. in violation of U.S. immigration laws — and that the person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained for the arrest. There has been recent litigation across the country challenging some of ICE’s warrantless arrests, he said.
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ICE officers “have no additional authority in an airport,” Blazer said. But in reality, he said, the constitutional protections and rights people have can be “a lot trickier to make the choice to exercise them” in an airport setting for most people — who are dealing not only with the added pressures of catching expensive flights but also the impatience of other passengers in the security line.
For example, people — whether citizens or immigrants — have the right to ask an immigration officer, “Am I free to go?” If they don’t have a specific, individualized, reasonable suspicion that you’ve committed a crime, they can’t question you further and you can go, Blazer said.
“But let’s think about how that works in the airport context,” he said. “‘Am I free to go?’ and leaving means that I’m probably leaving the airport to get myself out of a situation, and I may miss my flight at that point.”
Do I have to answer ICE’s questions at the airport?
If an ICE agent asks you questions in the airport, you “have the same right to remain silent as you do on the street,” Blazer said. “Nothing changes just because you’re in an airport.”
But this is another example of how the pressures of the airport setting can affect your situation, Blazer said. If you choose to exercise your right to remain silent, the officer may pull you out of the security line and try to ask more questions.
“We have the same rights, but in that environment, there are additional costs associated with exercising those rights,” Blazer said. “Many people in that situation, out of their own self-interest … ‘go along to get along’ as much as possible.”
What if ICE asks me for ID?
According to reporting from USA Today, travelers do need to provide identification and comply with TSA screening to board a flight. But generally, citizens and immigrants have the right to remain silent when talking to law enforcement, including ICE.
Blazer said that federal law said people with lawful permanent residency or other visas that grant them lawful status must carry proof of their status with them — like their green card. “And it may be in their interest, in terms of avoiding further improper questioning or improper unlawful arrests, to answer those questions and to show that proof of status,” Blazer said.
“So even though you have a right not to, I want to make clear that people are going to need to make an individualized decision as to whether it’s in their interest to exercise that right,” he said. “Especially if they are an adult green cardholder or somebody else who is subject to a federal law requiring them to carry proof of their status at all times.”
Is it legal to film ICE?
“Taking photographs and video of things that are plainly visible in public spaces is a constitutional right — and that includes police and other government officials carrying out their duties,” the ACLU’s guidance reads.
And while there’s no Supreme Court ruling on an unambiguous First Amendment right to film law enforcement officers, “all of the seven U.S. Federal Circuit Courts that have considered the issue have pretty much said there is a First Amendment right to record the police and observe the police,” criminal justice reporter C.J. Ciaramella at Reason told KQED’s Close All Tabs podcast earlier this year.
Atlanta Police Department officers look on as travelers stand in long lines at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
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But airports could be a potentially harder environment to film, Blazer said.
“It’s not as though the First Amendment doesn’t exist at airports, but airports are not traditional public domain in a way that parks [are],” Blazer said. For example, some TSA security lines have a sign nearby that says “no photos.”
“They rarely enforce that, but it just shows you that it’s already a more regulated environment in which they can impose certain restrictions,” Blazer said.
It is lawful to film law enforcement in “any open, visible place when they’re performing their duties,” Blazer said, echoing the guidance laid out in this thorough guide by the ACLU.
“But at the same time, it can be permissible for airport operators to impose certain reasonable rules, and those rules might include restricting photographing in particular areas of the airport,” Blazer said.
Practically, it could be hard to argue against an airport official who is telling you not to take photos in an area, Blazer said. And there may be a legal fight after the fact, “if a person doesn’t comply with that order and is arrested or is taken out of the line,” he said.
“But, I think, the practical reality is that” in an airport “environment, it gets harder to exercise that right,” he said.
Bystander videos also provide important counternarratives to official law enforcement accounts. After the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE officers in Minnesota earlier this year, Trump administration officials immediately claimed Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” intending to “massacre” officers — claims contradicted by the multiple eyewitness videos taken of the killing.
What do immigrant advocates say about traveling during this time?
San Francisco advocacy group Mission Action warns that noncitizens who do not currently have legal status “should carefully consider the risks of air travel, including domestic flights within the U.S.”
“Recent reporting suggests increased risks, including that TSA may be sharing traveler information with ICE, which could expose individuals to enforcement,” their social media post reads.
However, the organization cautions that “refusing to answer routine questions about the nature and purpose of your travel could result in delay and/or further inspection.”
Noncitizen visa holders and visitors who refuse to answer questions could face a delay or be denied entry. Lawful permanent residents, like green card holders, only have to answer questions about their identity and permanent residency, according to ACLU NorCal.
“Refusal to answer other questions will likely cause delay, but officials may not deny you entry into the U.S. for failure to answer other questions,” ACLU NorCal advised legal permanent residents — noting that green card status “may be revoked only by an immigration judge,” and warning, “Do not give up your green card voluntarily!”
The Asian Law Caucus also has a helpful chart on what people of differing statuses can expect in airports when it comes to their baggage, device searches and length of potential detainment.
What should I do if I think I see ICE in an airport?
Instead of posting possible ICE sightings to social media, immigration advocates highly encourage people to call them first instead. With these hotlines, advocates can fact-check these sightings, with the goal of preventing the spread of misinformation online.
You can also follow these organizations on their social media accounts to see if these are confirmed sightings or just rumors.
Immigration agents detained someone I know. How do I find them?
Typically, a person of any status can be detained up to 72 hours at a port of entry, according to the Asian Law Caucus. They can also be transferred to criminal or ICE custody.
According to the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, it may take a few days for a person to appear in the ICE database. If the name you’re searching for isn’t showing up in the ICE system — or if you’re concerned about their safety and possible deportation — you can seek out assistance from advocacy organizations such as Freedom for Immigrants.
This story contains reporting from KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti, Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, Tyche Hendricks and Carly Severn.
