The Brief

At a political summit this summer, California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra briefly broke into Spanish in response to a journalist’s question:

Why should voters choose him over a fresh face?

Becerra could have touted his extensive government experience. He’s a former member of Congress and state attorney general. He also served as Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.

But Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, reflected on his parents’ labor, in connection to California’s current plight.

“My dad used to say to me: ‘Mijo, si me puedo levantar en la mañana e ir a trabajar, va a ser un buen dia,’” he said. Becerra immediately translated for English speakers: “‘My son, if I get up in the morning and go to work, it’s going to be a good day.’”

Becerra’s father was a construction worker, he explained. So for him, missing out on a day’s work could mean not having enough money to put food on the table.

If elected, Becerra pledged, he’ll work to ensure that Californians have access to affordable healthcare and housing; that they can send their kids to college; and that they “retire in dignity.”

A clip of that conversation is now part of Becerra’s social media strategy, which includes a TikTok account devoted to Spanish speakers.

“For some people, it'll be easier for them to really understand [my platform] if they hear it in Spanish,” Becerra said.

“I want to elevate them,” he added. “They deserve to be as informed as anybody else.”

On social media, Becerra makes being bilingual look easy. But honing his mother tongue, he told LAist, has been anything but.

A lifelong learner

Becerra grew up in a bilingual home in Sacramento. Until college, he thought his Spanish was pretty good.

But when he enrolled in a Spanish class as an undergrad at Stanford University, Becerra discovered he had a lot of room left for growth. So he studied abroad at Spain’s University of Salamanca, where he broadened his understanding of the language's many varieties. Still, his ability to communicate complex ideas in Spanish wasn’t seamless.

When Becerra was first elected to public office in his early thirties, Spanish language news organizations began asking for interviews.

“My words weren't always the most eloquent,” he said, recalling on-camera stumbles. “I found out how important it was to be able to communicate both in English and Spanish, and I have since worked hard to try to make sure I can.”

Today, Spanish speakers around the world compliment Becerra’s fluency.

“I take that as a badge of honor,” he said. “I wish I could do it in more than two languages.”

Karen Bass, seen when she was a candidate for L.A. Mayor, has endorsed former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign for California governor.

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Kyle Stokes

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LAist

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Candidates weigh in on California’s linguistic diversity

Other candidates running in the 2026 race to become California’s next governor said they share Becerra’s goals of connecting with voters in their preferred tongue. (LAist reached out to all of the declared candidates and received responses from two.)

Former state controller Betty Yee is vying for the Democratic nomination. In an email, spokesperson Marcey Brightwell said Yee is “engaging trusted community leaders to facilitate in-language discussions in our diverse communities.” These conversations involve citizens across the state, Brightwell added, including Latinos in the Central Valley and those of Vietnamese descent in Orange County.

Yee has done a little Spanish-language social media engagement, but “she is eager to expand [this effort] in multiple languages as the campaign progresses,” Brightwell said.

Antonio Villaraigosa, the former assemblymember and Los Angeles mayor, noted that more than 200 languages are spoken in California.

“From the first time I got elected in 1994, I've always spoken in English and Spanish,” said Villaraigosa, who is also competing for the Democratic nomination. “And if I could speak Korean, Mandarin or Armenian, I'd do that as well.”

Becoming bilingual was also a challenge for him.

Though Villaraigosa is of Mexican ancestry, his mother chose not to teach him Spanish to shield him from anti-Latino discrimination and the potential of being placed in remedial classes at school.

As a result, Villaraigosa didn’t learn Spanish till he was an adult.

To practice, he’d listen to radio and TV programs and watch movies with subtitles. When he tried to strike up conversations with native speakers, most were supportive, he added. But some “people used to make fun of me and say, ‘No, speak in English.’”

Villaraigosa persisted. And today, he’s fluent enough to communicate.

Reclaiming a language

Wendy Ramirez, an East L.A. native who is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, founded Spanish Sin Pena, an online language program and cultural community that helps people with Latin American roots reclaim their Spanish. Part of that work involves acknowledging and celebrating the region’s many dialects, which have been imbued with Indigenous and African tongues.

Ramirez also helps Latino professionals — including lawyers, teachers, therapists, nurses and politicians — take their Spanish to new heights.

“The population I work with comes from that era where people were punished at school for speaking Spanish,” she said.

Like Villaraigosa’s mother, many of her clients’ parents thought it would be best not to pass on their mother tongue.

“We're all healing together,” Ramirez added. “That self-imposed assimilation was an effort to survive.”

What it means to speak Spanish in public right now 

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to temporarily allow immigration agents to continue treating language as grounds for questioning. According to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, speaking Spanish in public or speaking English “with an accent” is one of the factors that can be cause for suspicion.

In this context, the California gubernatorial candidates' use of Spanish is more than just a way to reach multiple constituencies, said Jonathan Rosa, an associate professor at Stanford’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and author of “Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and the Learning of Latinidad.”

“In this political moment, it also has a symbolic meaning,” he said. “It suggests that a political candidate is trying to signal to different audiences that they are taking a stand in opposition to anti-immigrant perspectives … xenophobia, assimilationism and English-only sentiment.”

But in the recent past, politicians have used Spanish for different purposes, Rosa noted. During a 2016 Republican presidential debate, for instance, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz “used Spanish to test one another's credentials, to test one another's latinidad, while promoting anti-immigrant policies,” he said.

“It's important for us to not make sweeping generalizations about the meanings of this language use,” Rosa added, “and to pay attention to how those meanings take shape in context.”

To protect themselves in this political climate, some Spanish speakers — including U.S. citizens — have opted not to speak Spanish in public.

Ramirez won’t be joining them.

“At this point in time,” she said, reclaiming Spanish “is really an act of solidarity and of resistance.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.