The Brief

Stacy Tolchin was pulling into her office parking lot in Pasadena one recent morning when she got a notification on her Next Door app.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting a raid two blocks away. She raced over.

“I feel very protective of the neighborhood and was very upset that ICE had been invading,” said Tolchin, an immigration attorney who grew up in Pasadena and lives in Altadena.

The moment indicates a new reality for Tolchin and other attorneys in Los Angeles County and beyond who specialize in immigration matters. Now that the federal government is following through on the Trump administration’s promise of mass deportations, her work days have become more fraught and more frightening for her clients.

Here’s a look at a day in Tolchin’s life now.

The Pasadena Three

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were gone by the time Tolchin arrived at the bus stop in Pasadena that day. They had taken four men who were waiting there to get picked up for a construction job.

“ICE has been very quick in these kidnappings,” she told LAist.

Tolchin, 50, decided to hand out business cards to several people at the scene. The sister of one of the men ended up with one of the cards. Tolchin now represents three of the people who were arrested.

They are known to supporters as The Pasadena Three.

“It's all a blur at this point,” Tolchin said of the last few months. “It's just been insane.”

She said she began getting flooded with requests for help in January after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. The pleas grew more frantic in early June when the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, started conducting raids throughout Southern California.

It’s been emotionally draining, she said. “I need a vacation.”

Tolchin said she was raised in an activist family. Her father was a member of the National Lawyers Guild, the nation’s oldest progressive bar association. She went to Oberlin College in Ohio before attending UCLA Law School, where she studied public interest law.

She got into immigration work right after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, another time when immigrants were under scrutiny and threats of deportation.

“For me immigrants rights and civil rights are the same,” she said. “I believe this is my calling in a lot of ways.”

A ‘Bureaucratic mess’

On a Tuesday in early July, Tolchin was on her way to the Adelanto Detention Center to see three clients. The facility, where many unauthorized immigrants end up after getting picked up by ICE in Los Angeles, is in the high desert east of Victorville, an hour-and-a-half drive from her Pasadena office.

It holds 2,000 people and is operated by The GEO Group, the private prison company.

“At least it's not North Carolina or Louisiana," she said, noting that the U.S. government has shipped some people to detention centers thousands of miles from where they were detained.

That day, it was nearly 100 degrees in the high desert. Tolchin didn’t appear to break a sweat in her full length cerulean blue coat as she entered the facility for a hearing for Carlos Alexander Osorto, one of The Pasadena Three.

Attorney Stacy Tolchin waits to see clients at the Adelanto Detention Center, where some of her clients are being held among many others arrested during recent immigration raids.

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Her contention was that federal agents racially profiled Osorto, 50, who has been in the country 14 years, and the two others and that the arrest was illegal.

Tolchin was hoping to have a bond hearing at Adelanto so Osorto could be released, but the immigration judge said that would have to happen later.

“Because the numbers of people that are in Adelanto, things have become a bureaucratic mess,” she said later.

Tolchin said she doesn’t have much faith in immigration judges.

“There’s just a predisposition in favor of the Department of Homeland Security and it's not a fair tribunal,” she said.

An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the hearings or on how many people are currently incarcerated at Adelanto.

Judge issues restraining order

The Pasadena Three are lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Homeland Security, alleging officers are conducting illegally indiscriminate arrests.

On Friday, a judge in Los Angeles issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting agents from stopping people based on race, whether they speak Spanish, whether they speak with an accent, where they work or what kind of work they perform.

“It's a great decision, a huge victory,” she said.

The government has appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court.

In a statement to NPR, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin criticized the ruling.

"A district judge is undermining the will of the American people," McLaughlin said. "America's brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists — truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities. Law and order will prevail."

The lawsuit argues that immigration officers must have a reasonable suspicion someone is in the country illegally before the officers stop anyone. To arrest them, the lawsuit says, officers need the higher legal standard of probable cause and an arrest warrant.

Constant emergencies

Back in the car, Tolchin’s phone rang. It was an attorney from her office. An Iranian client called and said immigration agents were at his door.

Tolchin said the man had already agreed to self deport and reenter the U.S. with a visa, but they’re going after him anyway.

“They’re rounding up all the Iranians they can,” she said. “We’ve got constant emergencies.”

Immigration officials have set a daily arrest total of 3,000 nationwide.

She advised that the man stay in his house.

Another call. Immigration officials were not releasing two of The Pasadena Three, even though they posted bond the day before.

Tolchin got on the phone with an assistant U.S. attorney. She politely but firmly asked for their release. ICE was dragging its feet, she said.

The assistant U.S. attorney said she’d look into it. Tolchin told the attorney she’d give her 30 minutes before she notified the judge in the case that the government wasn’t following the law.

When the government attorney called back, she said she was working on it. She asked: Can she have more time?

Tolchin agreed, and asked the attorney to keep her posted.

The men eventually were released to organizers with the National Day Labor Organizing Network, who were at the gates of Adelanto to meet them.

Tolchin said her job comes with a lot of pressure.

“You’ve got real lives that are on your shoulders,” she said.

She said she’s also getting calls from U.S. citizens worried they’ll be targeted for their speech.

People are asking if they should erase their social media and whether it's safe to travel out of the country if they’ve been vocal about their opposition to the Trump administration.

“I’ve never had questions like that from U.S. citizens before,” she added.

In March, Tolchin was a lead attorney in the national student visa case in which the Trump administration attempted to deport nearly 5,000 international students based on arrests or minor criminal convictions.

Trump retreated on the policy in April. It wasn’t Tolchin’s case, but she’d helped with the legal strategy to win a nationwide injunction out of a federal court in San Francisco.

“It was a really big victory and I was very proud,” she said.

'Human' stories

Tolchin said she learns about the politics of other countries in her work. She recalled how a client from Cameroon was forced to pay ransom for his own freedom. But that made him ineligible to apply for asylum in the U.S. because he’d given money to a terrorist organization.

“The human stories that are attached give you reason to do this litigation,” she said.

Tolchin has her own human story, of course. She nearly lost her Altadena home in the Eaton Fire.

“For me, we just dealt with the fires and that has been a lot as well. It's day by day. Trying to be a mommy too,” said Tolchin, who has a 5-year-old daughter.

She explained that she was really burned out at her job last year. She didn’t want to continue the work.

“But I feel like my skills are really needed right now,” she said. “I sometimes feel like it's a bit of a superpower.

“And you can’t abandon [people] when you’re needed.”

The Los Angeles City Council decided Tuesday to put off the full effects of a major new state housing law by allowing low-rise apartment buildings in some neighborhoods where such housing has long been banned.

All council members voted in favor of those plans except for Traci Park, who was absent from the meeting.

California’s Senate Bill 79 is set to take effect July 1. The law overrides local limits on housing development by allowing apartment buildings between five and nine stories tall near train stations and rapid bus stops.

However, cities are allowed to postpone those changes until 2030 by developing their own incremental plans for more housing. L.A. elected leaders have chosen to delay. They’re doing so through the city’s new Low-Rise Ordinance, which aims to allow buildings up to four stories tall in 57 neighborhoods near transit lines.

Why it matters

L.A. lawmakers have tried many approaches to bring down L.A.’s high rents. But they have consistently voted to stop apartment developers from encroaching on the nearly three-quarters of city residential land reserved for single-family homes.

Pushed by state lawmakers, city leaders are now having to accept some changes in single-family neighborhoods located near public transit lines.

The reaction

Some local officials and homeowners have expressed frustration over new state limits on their ability to stop development in low-density zones. But advocates for more development said the council’s decision will help address high rents by allowing more housing in areas that have long been off-limits to new apartments.

“The City Council voted to open up high-resource single-family neighborhoods near transit stations,” said Scott Epstein, policy director with Abundant Housing L.A. “This reform is long overdue and will help build a future where Angelenos of all incomes can find homes in the neighborhoods of their choice.”

Where will the projects be allowed?

Officials with the city’s planning department said residents can see whether Low-Rise Ordinance projects will be allowed in their neighborhood by clicking on this interactive map and making two selections from the “layer list” menu: “Opportunity Station Sites Eligible for Low Rise” and “Sites Eligible for Low Rise Outside of Opportunity Station.”

The map shows that some of the areas eligible for new apartment buildings under this plan include Westside neighborhoods within a half-mile of the E Line’s Westwood/Rancho Park station, pockets of the San Fernando Valley near G Line stops, and parts of Eagle Rock along Colorado Boulevard’s planned North Hollywood to Pasadena rapid bus line.

Is this a done deal?

Both plans — the decision to delay full SB 79 implementation, and the new Low-Rise Ordinance — now go to Mayor Karen Bass for final approval. Council members are also considering some tweaks they say would help Low-Rise Ordinance projects get built.

Those changes would include letting developers build denser projects if they reserve more units for low-income renters, as well as rules that would let developers build ground-level parking instead of costlier underground parking. The council’s planning committee voted Tuesday to forward those suggestions to the full City Council for further debate.

There’s a new tool to fight illegal fireworks this Fourth of July: drones.

“A drone’s real-time aerial view can help officers assess situations faster, improve safety, support faster response times and ensure the right resources are sent where they’re needed most,” the Anaheim Police Department stated in an Instagram post.

Anaheim's department is the latest law enforcement agency using the technology to quickly identify illegal fireworks use. The Downey City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on potential new fines and new rules that would allow local law enforcement to use drones to patrol neighborhoods for illegal fireworks usage.

How it works

Here's how the tech is put to use: Seconds after authorities receive a call reporting illegal fireworks activity, drones can take to the air, hovering above neighborhoods and businesses to find a specific location and an offender. The surveillance devices are equipped with night vision and zoom lenses that allow first responders to record high definition videos right from their Real Time Crime Center at the station.

Then, officers can determine whether to send out a patrol car or issue a citation for the incident.

Why it matters

The city’s drone usage comes as law enforcement agencies across Southern California brace for the annual flood of complaints about illegal firework use at this time of the year. Drones make the most effective use of time and resources, experts say.

“We'll typically see about 2,000 calls and about 300 related to fireworks,” Anaheim’s chief communications officer Mike Lyster explained about the Fourth of July. “It really is a better use of resources on what is always a very, very busy holiday for us.”

Drones allow officials to collect enough evidence to issue these citations. In Anaheim, the punishment starts at $1,000 and climbs to $3,000 by the third offense. But authorities say the goal is to curb illegal fireworks use altogether due to the risk of injury and wildfires.

Lyster hopes that people will think twice about using illegal fireworks this holiday — not just because of the fines — but because of its negative impact on local communities.

“The Palisades fire was ultimately started by illegal fireworks, and sadly, not in our city, but in our neighboring city, a young Anaheim girl died in an illegal fireworks incident last year,” Lyster said.

Where are drones already in use?

More cities are testing this method in order to crack down on illegal firework use. Sacramento, San Bernardino and Riverside are just a few of the other areas that have adopted this technology in recent years.

How do I know what's legal?

If you have any questions about what is legal or not in your community, a quick Google search can help.

Each county goes by different regulations for the types of fireworks you can use — if at all.

For example, parts of Anaheim allow “safe and sane” fireworks to be used only on the Fourth of July between 10 a.m and 10 p.m. This includes non-explosive, non-aerial devices like fountains, sparklers and smoke balls. State-approved fireworks will have a State Fire Marshal seal.

LAist staffer Anjanette Gile also contributed to this report.

The story first appeared on The LA Local.

Your neighborhood has a reporter. Have you met them yet?

On Saturday, coffee shops across L.A. are turning into places where you can tell a journalist exactly what’s been bugging you about your block … while drinking amazing coffee.

From Boyle Heights to Silver Lake to Inglewood to Long Beach, local reporters will be set up at neighborhood coffee shops from from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — to hear what’s on your mind. Got a tip about a pothole that’s been eating tires for years? A landlord the city keeps ignoring? A community hero nobody’s written about? We want to hear it all!

It’s part of Local News Day LA, a pop-up series organized by The LA Local that connects you with your local reporter and give you a chance to become the source instead of just the reader.

LAist has been meeting community members in person through LAist Listens tabling events by popping up at local businesses.

See below for the full list of participating media outlets and coffee shops — The LA Local and our media partners hope you’ll join us:

LAist will be joining The LA Local and other local media partners for Local News Day LA on June 27.

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The LA Local

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Where to find a journalist

1. The LA Local – Koreatown, Pico Union, Westlake will be hosted by Open Market
2. The LA Local – Inglewood and South LA will be hosted by Asteroid Vinyl Cafe
3. Boyle Heights Beat will be hosted by Picaresca Cafe
4. CalMatters will be hosted by Yia Caffe 
5. Calo News will be hosted by Cruzita’s Deli and Cafe
6. The Eastsider will be hosted by Rosebud Coffee (Highland Park location)
7. LAist will be hosted by Cafe Calle
8. Los Angeles Radio Collective will be hosted by Spoke Bicycle Cafe
9. LA Sentinel will be hosted by Patria Coffee
10. LA Taco will be hosted by Cafecito Organico (Silverlake location)
11. LA Public Press will be hosted by Holy Grounds Coffee & Tea
12. Long Beach Post will be hosted by Wrigley Coffee
13. Q Voice News will be hosted by Hot Java
14. USC Annenberg Media will be hosted by South LA Cafe (Western location)

Come enjoy a cup of coffee (or tea) with us while supplies last. 

A coalition of 17 states and a trade association representing U.S. wholesalers and distributors have sued California to block the enforcement of a stringent recycling law that aims to reduce plastic packaging waste.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, argues that California’s recently finalized regulations that will gradually require companies to scale back single-use plastics and ensure all packaging is recycling or compostable should be struck down. The plaintiffs called the regulations “onerous mandates” that will cause steep price increases in everyday necessities that will be passed on, at least in part, to consumers.

“Once again, California is trying to enact a policy that negatively impacts the rest of the country. If California goes unchecked, consumers will be forced to pay more for basic necessities,” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who led the coalition, said in a news release.

The law, called the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, was enacted in 2022.

“Virtually every product packaged or shipped in plastic containers, as well as a significant number of other types of packaging materials that merely incorporate plastics, fall into the Act’s remarkable sweep,” the lawsuit said.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, which represents companies that import and distribute goods in California, also joined the lawsuit.

“California is not entitled to pronounce nationwide policies,” Eric Hoplin, the trade association’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Because the Act extends California’s regulatory reach far beyond its borders and brings within its sweep conduct wholly unconnected to California, the Act violates principles of federalism, the horizontal separation of powers, and due process.”

The lawsuit argues the law violates both the U.S. and California constitutions. It asks the court to declare California’s law invalid and unenforceable, and halt its implementation.

The lawsuit names as defendants Zoe Heller, director of California’s recycling agency known as CalRecycle, and the Circular Action Alliance, a nonprofit involved with implementing the law.

Melanie Turner, a spokesperson for CalRecycle, said in an emailed statement that the agency does not comment on pending litigation and that it remained focused on implementing the law.

The alliance said in a statement that it was aware of the lawsuit and closely monitoring developments while at the same time working to implement the law’s “ambitious goals.”

In a May news release announcing regulations under the law, state officials said the changes would fight plastics pollution while protecting the interests of taxpayers and local governments.

“California is shifting the responsibility of managing single-use plastic and packaging onto the producers. New packaging reforms lower waste costs for communities and decrease garbage and pollution across the state,” Environmental Protection Secretary Yana Garcia said in a statement. “This approach pushes producers to innovate and design packaging that truly supports a circular economy.”

Joining Nebraska in the lawsuit were 16 other states with Republican attorneys general: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.Environmental groups also have sued over the law. A coalition that included the Natural Resources Defense Council recently filed a complaint over what it said in a news release were “weakened” final regulations for the “landmark” law.