The Brief

The Los Angeles city controller is making a series of proposals to the city’s Charter Reform Commission to strengthen the powers of his office, including one that would guarantee the controller’s right to conduct performance audits of programs run by other elected officials.

Controller Kenneth Mejia made six recommendations in all to the commission, which was established last year to examine possible changes to the charter, the city’s constitution. It will make recommendations to the City Council.

The role of the independently elected controller in city governance is one of the central questions it's considering. Mejia, who has sought to expand the bounds of the office, has at times been frustrated with the controller’s lack of power.

The proposal to allow the controller to conduct performance audits of programs run by elected officials follows Mayor Karen Bass’ refusal to allow Mejia to audit Inside Safe, her signature program to provide unhoused people shelter.

After learning of the dispute, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered an independent audit of Inside Safe, which found major flaws with the program, including that the city was unable to track exactly how much it spent on homelessness.

“We tried to provide a performance audit but we weren't able to get cooperation,” Mejia told LAist.

Mejia said that’s why there’s a need to enshrine his power to conduct audits on other elected officials in the charter.

“We need that in there so we don't have to go through all the bureaucratic hurdles and opposition all the time,” he said.

Mejia noted the judge’s audit cost the city nearly $2.8 million.

In order to make changes to the charter, the City Council would have to place the recommendations on the ballot and the public would have to vote on them.

Controller's powers

There are differing opinions within city government on what the current charter says in regards to the controller’s powers.

According to the city charter, the controller’s powers include conducting “performance audits of all departments and may conduct performance audits of City programs.”

But city attorney officials say their understanding of the charter is that it doesn’t allow the controller to audit the performance of a mayoral program unless the mayor consents.

A spokesperson for Bass declined to comment on the issue, saying only that the mayor is looking forward to reviewing the recommendations of the Charter Reform Commission.

The chair of the 13-member Charter Commission, Raymond Meza, said he is still considering the proposal and wants to hear other members of the panel weigh in. But he noted the leaders who led the last overhaul of the city charter in 1999 testified before his panel that their intent was to give the controller the power to conduct audits of other elected officials.

“That to me made a very strong case that the controller does have the authority and if that’s not how it's being interpreted right now, then we should clarify that,” Meza said.

Former Controller Ron Galperin, who served from 2013 to 2022, said he was frustrated at the inability to undertake an audit of a program under another elected official. At the same time, he said such an audit could be used for political purposes.

“Imagine you would have a city controller who wants to run against the mayor and then doing an audit of them simultaneously,” Galperin told LAist. “That would create some questions.”

He said he supports expanding the ability of the controller to conduct audits of other elected officials’ programs.

Addressing public corruption

Major corruption scandals have rocked City Hall in recent years, involving current and former City Council members, as well as other public officials. Federal and local investigations have uncovered schemes involving bribery, fraud and "pay-to-play" politics.

Jack Humphreville with the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates said you need only mention the name Jose Huizar to know the controller needs more auditing authority. Huizar is the former City Council member serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for public corruption.

“They’re not above reproach,” Humphreville said of the city’s elected officials. He added that he believes fraud, waste and abuse remain a problem at City Hall.

“We need a strong independent watchdog,” he said

Mejia proposed a range of other changes at the Controller’s Office that he said will strengthen its independence and effectiveness.

One would be to create an independent budget for the office.

Mejia proposed that the controller receive an annual appropriation from the City Council in an amount not less than a fixed percentage of the general fund.

“We need to be able to do our job freely from budget cuts or retaliation,” said Mejia. He noted his office lost 27 positions in the latest budget.

The reductions came as the city was facing a $1 billion budget deficit and nearly every department lost positions.

“We were in a budget deficit, but definitely the proportionality on hitting the Controllers Office, it wiped out all my positions that were vacant that we were trying to fill,” he said. “Other elected officials didn’t get a hit like we did.”

Designating the controller as CFO

Under Mejia’s proposal, the controller’s expenses and budget requests would not be subject to approval by any other city office or position when the controller operates within its budget. In addition, the controller would not be subject to hiring freezes when it operates within its budget.

Pomona College Professor of Politics Sara Sadhwani said an independent budget could stop the mayor and City Council from “meddling” in the controller’s audits.

“Kenneth Mejia comes from a further left political ideology that could potentially run counter to that of the mayor or council president, who are closely aligned,” Sadhwani said.

She said for the charter commission, the question is about independence of the Controller’s Office “regardless of who is sitting in that elected position.”

Another proposal from Mejia would be to designate the controller as the city’s chief financial officer, consolidating functions now dispersed among the mayor, the City Council, the City Administrative Officer, the Office of Finance and the controller.

The controller already performs many of the traditional CFO functions, including accounting, financial analysis, forecasting and establishing internal financial controls, according to Mejia.

Certain CFO functions, such as the control over the treasury and debt issuance, would be added.

Mejia argued appointing the controller CFO would increase transparency and accountability amid ongoing financial challenges.

“There’s no one steering the ship of the city financially, and that's what the CFO would be doing,” Mejia said. “We’d be the ones who would be responsible,”

“At the end of the day, the mayor and City Council would still make the budget and finance decisions,” he added.

Mejia made three other recommendations, including that the controller has the necessary experience and qualifications, that the controller may hire outside counsel when there is a conflict of interest with the city attorney, and that its fraud, wast, and abuse function be incorporated into the charter.

The composition of the 13-member commission includes appointees from Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Council President Pro Tempore Bob Blumenfield.

The commission is scheduled to submit its recommendations to the City Council in early 2026, with a formal deadline of April 2. Those proposals could be placed on the November 2026 ballot for voters to consider.

The Los Angeles Unified Board voted unanimously to appoint Andres Chait, a longtime district administrator, as superintendent days after his predecessor resigned.

 “This board's decision reflects the confidence in Mr. Chait's leadership, his decades of service to Los Angeles Unified, and his demonstrated ability to guide the district during this period of transition,” said board President Scott Schmerelson.

The board met privately to discuss the district’s top job three days after Alberto Carvalho resigned. Carvalho wrote in a letter that he was leaving “because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction.”

The board placed Carvalho on paid administrative leave following FBI searches of his home and district office in February and appointed Chait acting superintendent. Carvalho has not been charged with a crime and has maintained his innocence.

Who is Andres Chait?

Chait rose through the ranks from teacher to administrator at LAUSD over nearly three decades. The responsibilities of his most recent role, chief of school operations, included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management.

Chait thanked the board, the community and his family after the announcement Wednesday and reflected on his first day as a kindergarten teacher 30 years ago. “ I was probably more nervous than the kids were, but I knew then that this was a place where I could make a positive difference in the lives of students and families,” Chait said. “I've always known that there is no greater accelerator of change and opportunity than the schoolhouse, and that is still true today.”

What is the superintendent responsible for?

LAUSD is the country’s second-largest school district, employs 83,000 people and enrolls more than 400,000 students across more than 1,000 schools. Despite recent gains in student test scores, the majority of students are not proficient in reading and math skills for their grade level. The district also faces looming financial challenges from declining enrollment — which is tied to state funding — and federal investigations into programs designed to help underserved students succeed.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A former state parks superintendent who oversaw Orange County beaches was charged Wednesday with secretly filming naked male lifeguards and other workers inside the locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach. The former superintendent, Kevin Pearsall, is also accused of sending some of the images to two other men.

What charges does he face?

Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 18 years and eight months behind bars.

Scott C. Thomas, a defense attorney representing Pearsall, declined to comment in the wake of the charges being announced by the Orange County District Attorney's office. Pearsall is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 6 and could enter a plea at that time.

Details of the investigation

In July 2025, a California State Parks officer discovered a USB stick with a hidden camera in the men's locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters. The officer contacted California Highway Patrol, which launched an investigation.

The investigation found Pearsall allegedly had recorded numerous secret videos in the locker room over an 11-month period beginning in August 2024, according to the DA's announcement. Pearsall retired from his job shortly after CHP served search warrants in the case. He turned himself in earlier this week.

State Parks reaction

Marty Greenstein, a spokesperson for California State Parks, told LAist the agency “takes these charges very seriously and has fully cooperated with law enforcement through every step of the investigation.” Greenstein declined to comment further, citing the active criminal investigation.

Making your way through South Coast Plaza — the sleek consumer cathedral in Costa Mesa, a sort of mall of malls — past Uniqlo window displays and Pop Mart blind boxes, there's a good chance you'll eventually land at Tiny's, the new casual restaurant from Chef Sang Yoon.

The burger shack-meets-Asian convenience store is the latest from Yoon, best known for Father's Office, the Los Angeles institution where he's spent two decades running one of the city's most uncompromising kitchens — no substitutions, no exceptions.

Tiny’s marks Yoon’s first venture into Orange County — a deliberately accessible entry point for a chef who has spent decades at the top of L.A.'s gastropub scene.

The concept

Tiny's is the place Yoon wanted to exist as a kid.

Inside, you're greeted by shelves stocked in the style of a konbini, the beloved Japanese convenience corner store, with cilantro-flavored Doritos from China, elote-flavored Turtle Chips from Korea and, for the purists, the requisite Japanese Kit-Kats and Pocky too.

At the counter, a friendly employee greets you beneath a letterboard menu anchored by Yoon’s signature 30-day dry-aged beef burger. Starting at $9 for a plain burger, up to $12 for the Tokyo Dog dressed in bonito flakes and furikake, there's also salt and vinegar tots, french fries, miso mac 'n' cheese and soft serve that runs from Straus vanilla to Pineapple Dole Whip, available as a swirl, cup, cone or float. That's the menu, streamlined by design.

Chef Sang Yoon's cheeseburger and Tokyo Dog at Tiny's, his new fast-casual concept inside South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa

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Courtesy Tiny's Burger

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For Yoon, the son of Korean immigrants who grew up between two worlds, the idea of opening a burger stand with a konbini was about tapping into the happy place of his memories: after school with friends, trying out the latest snacks to hit the market to Friday nights with the entire family celebrating after a long week of grinding it out with burgers and chili fries.

"The corner burger stand is where life happened. ... What if those two of my favorite things were under one roof?" said Yoon.

Tiny the dog

Inspiration for the name Tiny’s came from a somewhat unlikely place: Yoon’s beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yoon describes her as appearing extremely cute and friendly, but in reality, she was actually sassy and judgmental. Illustrations bearing Tiny’s "don't mess with me" vibe can be seen throughout the restaurant.

“People would rather hear this from a sassy, cute dog than me. So I decided that we should channel Tiny. And let this belong to her," Yoon said.

The food

The cheeseburger itself is simple: a thin patty topped with melted American cheese and Tiny's signature sauce — a blend of Kewpie mayo, caramelized gochujang, ssamjang and tomato — finished with pickle chips and a bed of lettuce.

What sets it apart is what you can’t see, the same 30-day dry-aged chuck Yoon has used at Father’s Office for over 25 years.

“I still don’t think there’s any product superior to that for the purpose of a hamburger,” he said.

The spread at Tiny's includes the cheeseburger, miso mac 'n' cheese, chicken nuggets, tater tots, fries and a jammy egg sando — a konbini staple in Japan.

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Courtesy Tiny's Burger

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The nuggets ($10) had a crispy, craggy exterior finished with visible seasoning crystals, a small but deliberate touch, and came with a fresh herbaceous dipping sauce. As for the chili fries ($8), the chili itself was sufficient as an L.A.-style chili (think Tommy's), but since Lao Gan Ma chili crisp was promised in the name, I was expecting that distinctive, crunchy, fermented kick — but left wanting more of it. It felt more like a whisper than a statement.

The miso mac 'n' cheese ($6) was a highlight of the meal, especially for someone who doesn't usually order mac 'n' cheese. Fresh ridged elbow pasta with a proper chew in each bite, and salty morsels of miso folded into a tight cheese sauce had me picking up forkfuls until it was mostly gone. Consider my position reconsidered.

Encouraged, I went back and ordered a Dole Whip ($7). The electric, tangy flavor, paired with the soft creaminess, served as a suitable exclamation point for my lunch that day.

With Tiny's, Yoon has built his most personal restaurant — accessible in price, but uncompromising in intention.

Could mall food now be on a new trajectory? Perhaps we've finally transcended corn dogs at Hot Dog on a Stick and cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon.

After dining at Tiny’s, all signs point to yes.

The Downey City Council voted 5-0 to allow local police to use drones to patrol neighborhoods for illegal firework activity over the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

The vote, which also greenlit new fines for party hosts and spectators watching illegal fireworks, took place at Downey City Hall on Tuesday night.

The move is part of a citywide crackdown on fireworks in Downey — the city currently only allows the use of “safe and sane” fireworks, which include sparklers and smoke bombs. As in many cities in Southern California, any firework that is projectile and explodes in the air is banned in Downey.

The details 

The new ordinance will treat property owners, tenants, party hosts and spectators of unlawful firework activity the same as people in possession of or discharging illegal fireworks within city limits.

Dorothy Pemberton, a Downey City Council member, spoke with LAist after the meeting and explained her support of the ordinance.

“It's a message to send to people to try and be respectful of the neighborhood and just abide by the rules,” Pemberton said.

She explained that often people don’t want to take accountability for illegal firework activity, despite encouraging it through hosting events where fireworks are shot off or watching them on their street.

“They don't want to abide by the rules,” she said.

In addition to the fines, the new ordinance also allows the city to recoup the costs of emergency services used in response to unlawful firework activity, including payment for first responders, city equipment and any needed medical treatment.

How the new drone enforcement and citations will work

The city will allow its police force to begin using drones they previously acquired, along with other military equipment, in order to “observe, record and document violations from the air.”

The drones are authorized to be used for the first time next month on July 4 and can be used going forward for high-profile events like New Year’s Eve and Dodgers wins.

The drones used by the police will be able to detect location and thermal signatures in order to identify suspects and allow law enforcement to send a citation to the property the firework was discharged from.

Scott Loughner, Downey’s chief of police, gave more details to LAist on what drone enforcement will look like this year.

“It's the first time we've done it, so it's kind of figuring out exactly what to do, but we have several different licensed drone pilots,” Loughner said. “There'll be two two-man teams, and they'll be overhead.”

Loughner added that the drones will not “be going into people's backyards, looking through windows, things like that. It’s more of you see it in the distance, you zoom in and try to target people that are causing disturbances.”

Loughner said the department may use the drone footage to coordinate with officers on the ground who are alerted to the illegal activity and then drive to residences to put a stop to it.

Downey staff cited six other California cities — Artesia, Brea, Stanton, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Sacramento — as setting precedents for using drones for firework enforcement.

Anaheim also recently started using drones to spot illegal fireworks.

There has been mixed public reaction on social media regarding drone usage in Downey. Some people have said they’re glad that action is being taken, given the adverse effect of fireworks on members of the community and their pets. Others have emphasized their concerns about excessive surveillance and the need to prioritize issues such speeding and car accidents that have long plagued the city.

Current firework rules in Downey

Currently, “safe and sane” fireworks can be legally discharged between 3 and 10 p.m. on July 4 in Downey.

Fines in the city start at $4,000 for the first offense of possession or discharge of a dangerous firework, $5,000 for second offense, $6,000 for third offense and go up from there during a three-year period.

This is the second time the Downey City Council has made changes to its fireworks rules in recent years. In 2024, the council voted to increase the fine for a first offense from $1,000 to $4,000.

How to keep tabs on the Downey City Council

The Downey City Council meets on scheduled Tuesdays. Meetings start at 6:30 p.m.

Here’s how you can follow along:

• Attend in person: The board meets at City Hall, Council Chambers, 11111 Brookshire Ave. in Downey.
• Watch the live broadcast.
• Here’s how to submit a comment or contact the council.