The Brief

Campaign signs including the word "PORN" in big block letters were posted across Huntington Beach this week — and many have since been torn down — as the library culture wars heat up in Surf City.

What were the signs about?

The campaign signs were posted in the runup to a special election set for June 10 where the city’s voters will weigh in on two ballot initiatives, Measures A and B, that could determine who controls the city’s public libraries. The signs read “Protect our kids from porn” and urge a no vote on both measures.

What happened next?

The backlash was immediate. Residents, especially parents, criticized the prominent use of the word “porn” on signs placed near schools. One person fumed on a community Facebook group that the signs “got a whole city full of kids googling ‘What is Porn’ on their smart phones.”

What’s the backstory?

The beach city’s libraries have been a point of controversy since staunch conservatives took over city government and voted in late 2023 to establish a board of residents to review children’s books for the city’s public libraries and weed out ones they determine to have sexually inappropriate content — based on their own criteria.

Opponents say the job of choosing and classifying books for the library should be left to professional librarians — and they mounted a petition drive to get the board repealed, which resulted in Measure A.

Public library advocates mounted a second petition drive after the City Council flirted last year with outsourcing library operations to a private company. Measure B would prohibit the city from privatizing the city’s libraries.

Who put up the 'PORN' signs?

They’re from the "No on Measures A and B" campaign, paid for by a campaign committee opened by City Councilmember Chad Williams. Williams defended the signs in a video message posted on social media: “The people who are concerned about this word ‘porn’ being out in the public, I redirect your attention to the fact that this sexual content was pushed into the public library and that is what has pushed this into the public forum.”

Williams told LAist he won’t back down from the campaign.

“The bottom line is there’s pornography that’s available to minors in our public library,” he said. “I’m not going to dance around the subject, it needs to be addressed.”

He added that his own young kids had asked him about the word “porn” on the signs.

“I just told them it’s a bad thing they’re trying to protect us from," he said. "You don’t have to get into the details."

What has happened to the signs?

Some of the signs, which were put up over the weekend, had been taken down by community members by Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the Huntington Beach Police Department said they had received four complaints of vandalizing political signs since Monday and that two people had received misdemeanor citations.

One of the sign vandals confessed in a video posted on social media, saying he supported Williams and voted for him in the last election, but that the ad campaign was “counterproductive.” He said he had removed the word “porn” from 12 of the signs.

“Frankly, it feels more like a tactic intended to provoke than a message grounded in conservative values,” the man, who said his name was Jason, said into the camera, quoting from an email he sent to Williams. “These signs, placed in clear view of elementary age children, may be legal, but it’s not appropriate."

How to keep tabs on Huntington Beach

• Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.
  
• You can also watch City Council meetings remotely on HBTV via Channel 3 or online, or via the city’s website (you can also find videos of previous council meetings there).
  
• The public comment period happens toward the beginning of meetings.
  
• The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the city’s calendar or sign up there to have agendas sent to your inbox.

LAist take you deeper on the issues

• Why Huntington Beach keeps tackling library initiatives
• Why Huntington Beach residents want a say on libraries
• Huntington Beach pulls the plug on a controversial plan to have a private company manage its libraries

A slim majority of likely California voters are backing a proposed tax on billionaires, according to a new poll, but voters are also lining up behind two competing November ballot measures that could nullify the billionaire tax.

Voters will weigh in Nov. 3 on Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time, 5% wealth tax on billionaires who lived in California as of Jan. 1, 2026. The tax is estimated to raise up to $100 billion and would be used to offset deep federal healthcare cuts imposed last year by Congress.

According to the poll released late Tuesday by the Public Policy Institute of California, 52% of likely voters said they would vote yes on the tax, while 46% said they would vote no.

“Supporters of Proposition 40, the so-called billionaires tax initiative, have a lot of work to do,” said Mark Baldassare, the institute’s statewide survey director, noting the challenge of keeping support above 50% with what is only a “slim” lead.

A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026.

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Patrick T. Fallon

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But opponents of the tax, led by several billionaires, are also asking voters to weigh in on Propositions 41 and 42, which have provisions that could nullify the billionaire tax if they pass with more votes.

Proposition 41, which would make any new taxes subject to the state’s existing spending limit, is leading in the Public Policy Institute of California poll 51% to 44%.

Proposition 42 would prohibit taxes on financial assets such as stocks and other personal property other than real estate. It’s leading in the poll 54% to 43%.

If all three pass, but Proposition 41 or 42 gets more votes than Proposition 40 gets, the state will be prohibited from enforcing the billionaire tax.

“So the supporters [of Proposition 40] have the work to do of both keeping their support, which is now just above 50%, in the majority range, and also raising questions about Propositions 41 and 42 that may reduce support below what Proposition 40 is getting,” Baldassare said.

That task will likely be made even harder by the large amount of money being spent by billionaires against the proposed wealth tax: Opponents of the billionaire tax have already raised nearly $120 million to fight Proposition 40 and support Propositions 41 and 42.

The poll from the Public Policy Institute surveyed 1,103 likely voters from Sept. 4–10 and found an electorate that is pessimistic about the trajectory of both the state and the nation. Majorities of adults and likely voters told pollsters that price increases have caused financial hardship for their households, and just 27% of likely voters approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance.

The survey also found Democrat Xavier Becerra leading Republican Steve Hilton 60%-38% in the race for California governor.

“Affordability continues to be top of mind for Californians,” Baldassare said, “when considering their choice for governor: 65% of likely voters say that a candidate’s plans to address cost-of-living issues are very important to their vote.”

The poll also asked voters about the other 11 ballot measures on the November ballot.

It found strong support for Proposition 3, which would make existing higher tax rates permanent for individuals earning more than $371,000 a year, and for Proposition 37, which would create a new loan program for middle-income home buyers in the state.

Proposition 45, which is aimed at speeding up construction by expediting some environmental reviews, is narrowly leading 48% to 46%.

Likely voters are also backing Proposition 1, which would authorize $11 billion in state bonds for affordable housing, and Proposition 2, which would increase the state’s rainy-day fund.

But a voter ID measure, authored by Republicans in the state Legislature, is trailing in the poll, with 43% of likely voters backing Proposition 39 and 55% opposed.

A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.

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Beth LaBerge

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The survey also shows several other measures trailing among likely voters, including Proposition 4, which would repeal a prohibition against public funding of candidate campaigns; Proposition 5, which would change the process for replacing a state elected official who is recalled by voters; and Proposition 43, which would make it harder for voters to approve local tax increases.

In all, California voters will weigh in on 14 ballot measures this fall, and the Public Policy Institute found voters “exhausted” by the responsibility: Nearly 80% of respondents said they are frustrated with the size of the ballot.

Baldassare said it’s the rare question that unites Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

“Every time we’ve asked this question of Californians, they tell us that, you know, there’s too many ballot measures that they have to deal with,” he said. “This is something that everybody agrees on.”

Updated September 16, 2026 at 15:32 PM ET

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years Wednesday, in a show of its determination to attack stubborn inflation.

The central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to a range between 3.75% and 4%. That makes it more costly to borrow money to buy a car, grow a business or carry a balance on a credit card.

"Inflation remains elevated," Fed policymakers said in a statement. "Today's policy action will support a timelier return to the Committee's 2% goal."

The U.S. war with Iran has rekindled inflation, pushing oil and gasoline prices higher and driving the price of diesel fuel into record territory. Higher interest rates won't automatically bring lower prices at the pump, but they do signal the central bank's commitment to restoring price stability.

Financial markets had widely expected the rate hike after hawkish comments from Fed chairman Kevin Warsh last month.

"The responsibility for 65 months of sustained, elevated inflation sits squarely with the central bank," Warsh told an audience in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. "We must be confident that underlying inflation is moving to our objective, clearly and at sufficient speed. Otherwise, we have work to do."

Still, some economists questioned whether the rate hike would have much effect on price pressures.

"Today's decision reinforces the Fed's commitment to price stability and addresses credibility concerns," said Selma Hepp, chief economist at the real estate data firm Cotality. "The bigger question is whether the Fed risks fighting the wrong inflation battle. A rate hike is unlikely to lower gasoline prices, reduce tariff-related costs, or accelerate homebuilding, but it will further dampen housing demand and delay a broader market recovery."

Gas prices are a big driver of inflation

Annual inflation was clocked at 3.4% in August, according to the cost-of-living index released by the Labor Department last week. Prices rose a sharp four-tenths of a percent between July and August, with a surge in gasoline prices accounting for more than a third of the total monthly increase.

The price of diesel fuel has reached an all-time high, averaging $6.31 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA. That has the potential to raise the cost of many other goods that have to be transported by truck or train.

Since April, prices have been climbing faster than average wages, so the typical worker's paycheck doesn't stretch as far as it used to.

Forecasts released at the conclusion of Wednesday's meeting show Fed policymakers expect an average of one additional quarter-point rate increase this year and no rate hikes in 2027.

Warsh, who took over as Fed chairman in May, did not offer a forecast. He has generally discouraged such forward guidance, fearing it could tie the Fed's hands and leave policymakers with less maneuvering room.

The bond market is already pushing long-term borrowing costs higher. The yield on 10-year Treasurys topped 5% this week. Bondholders are demanding higher returns in response to inflation and the strong demand for capital from both the federal government and private borrowers.

The yield on 10-year Treasurys helps set the rate for many types of borrowing, including mortgages and car loans.
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A privately owned green space along busy Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown could become a city park.

The property is Liberty Park, which sits next to Beneficial Plaza and around the corner from The Wiltern. Councilmember Heather Hutt, who represents a large swath of Koreatown, wants the city to acquire the space in a private sale with the property owner.

The proposal will come before the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners on Thursday, when commissioners will consider whether to authorize the department to begin the acquisition process for several properties in Council District 10.

Hutt is also pursuing other efforts to add green space and recreation opportunities in Koreatown, according to a spokesperson for her office.

Liberty Park and the adjacent Beneficial Plaza were designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2018 after Koreatown residents organized to preserve the property from a proposed 36-story residential tower.

The park has long served as a gathering place for the community and recently hosted World Cup watch parties.

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Jamison Properties, which owns the site, is now seeking to convert the 11-story office building at 3700 Wilshire Blvd. into 370 apartments through adaptive reuse.

If the city acquires Liberty Park, it would become public park land. Council District 10 does not yet have specifics on what it would do with the park, spokesperson Devyn Bakewell said.

The park’s historic designation also limits what can be changed. Any changes would need to preserve the park’s defining historic features, according to Adrian Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy.

“Liberty Park could theoretically be altered, but any changes would need to preserve its character-defining features — its deep setback, open lawn, grove of Canary Island pines, plaza design, and Liberty Bell replica,” Fine said.

The push to add more park space comes as Koreatown faces a significant shortage of green space. The city’s 2025 Park Needs Assessment identified a one-mile area in Koreatown as a priority for new park space. About 18,000 people, or 37% of the area’s 48,561 residents, live more than a 10-minute walk from a park.

That number is projected to grow to 21,783 by 2050.

Earlier this year, the city moved forward with a pocket park at 355 S. Kingsley Drive, a roughly 7,400-square-foot vacant lot at the corner of Kingsley Drive and 4th Street. The project grew out of a partnership with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, which previously owned the property.

Council District 10 is now looking to acquire the parcel directly across Kingsley Drive. The second property would allow the city to create a roughly one-acre park between the two sites, according to Bakewell.

The empty lot on Kingsley Drive and 4th Street in Koreatown will likely become a park in the coming years after it’s transferred to the city of Los Angeles.

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The district plans to hold community workshops with residents, the Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council and local community advocates after the city acquires the properties to “design each park to fit the community’s needs,” Bakewell told The LA Local.

Council District 10 is also looking for a large property for a new arts and recreation center in Koreatown and is considering potential sites, including parcels at 621-643 S. Vermont Ave. and 3201-3213 W. Wilshire Blvd., both within walking distance of the Wilshire/Vermont Metro station. Nothing has been finalized, and the district has not selected a site.

“We are looking for a location that is state-of-the-art, and big enough to fit the community’s needs,” Bakewell said. “In order to properly build an Arts & Recreation Center, the city needs to acquire a large piece of property accessible to the public — a difficult task within the densest community in the city.”

The city is looking into the feasibility of building a Koreatown Arts and Recreation center on an open lot on Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.

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Steve Saldivar

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The proposal also includes several properties in the Mid-City and South L.A. areas, which Hutt also represents.

The city is moving forward with the acquisition process, but funding is still a big question mark.

“It is unknown at this time if there is sufficient funding available to complete these proposed acquisitions,” a Recreation and Parks report says. “Funding for the acquisitions and all related costs will be determined after approval of this Report.”

The council district plans to use Quimby funds, along with other funding sources, to pay for the properties. Quimby funds come from fees paid by developers of new residential projects and can be used to acquire or improve parks and recreational facilities.

The acquisitions would also mean more work for Recreation and Parks to maintain the properties, which would require additional money through the department’s regular budget process, according to the report.

If commissioners approve the proposal Thursday, the Department of Recreation and Parks can continue the work needed before any purchases can be completed. The department would later return to the Board with proposed purchase agreements for final approval.

This story first appeared on Long Beach Post.

For 22 years, the Scorpion patrolled the Pacific as an attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. For 17 years, it stood guard beside the Queen Mary, welcoming aboard visitors eager to learn about the hidden world of undersea warfare.

Now the sub may be facing its final mission: a one-way trip to the scrap yard.

Long Beach is probing the local market for the possible cost and difficulty of towing the 55-year-old submarine out of the water and to an accredited disposal facility.

It’s not a formal bid request, city officials say, but a request for information — asking qualified ocean towing operators to respond by Sept. 16 with a sense of the scope of work, the permits required and the likely price tag.

If enough qualified vendors respond, the city says it could issue a bid for the job.

The Russian Scorpion submarine tail end deteriorates in Long Beach, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

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Officials say the outer skin of the 1970s-era Foxtrot-class vessel has been deteriorating for some time, its once sleek profile disfigured by holes, rust and protective netting. Saltwater and the occasional severe storm have not been kind.

How did the sub get here?

Commissioned by the Soviet government in 1971, the Scorpion spent its working life searching for and tracking enemy forces in the Pacific before it was decommissioned in 1994. After a three-year stint at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, it was bought by Palm Springs resident Ed Skowron and towed to Long Beach as a tourist attraction in 1998.

For years, it drew about 8,000 visitors a month, its own lure alongside the Queen Mary.

A file photo of the Scorpion during better times.

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Long Beach Post

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But after its hull ruptured and a ballast tank flooded, the sub closed to the public in 2015. It has sat empty and deteriorating ever since, and raccoons eventually moved in, according to past reporting from the Long Beach Post.

Since then, Long Beach’s Public Works Department says the sub has seen significant deterioration along its outer hull, along the topsides and waterline.

“In the interest of safety, water quality, and to mitigate any risk of damage to the Queen Mary, the vessel has been identified by the City as an abandoned asset for removal, pending any future legal or administrative actions required for its removal,” wrote Public Works spokesperson Jocelin Padilla.

In a preliminary assessment of the submarine, the city says the sub can handle a landside or waterside removal. “However, further analysis has to be conducted to determine the most appropriate course of action, taking into account safety, risk, impacts, and costs,” Padilla wrote.

The Russian Scorpion submarine is now closed to visitors and sits next to the Queen Mary.

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Thomas R. Cordova

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Ownership of the Scorpion has grown murky after years of legal disputes among the companies that leased and operated it. The submarine’s most recent owner, an Australian company called NEWCO Pty Ltd., dissolved in 2020, leaving no one to answer the city’s demand letters. With no one to take responsibility for it, Long Beach may end up paying for the sub’s removal.

How hazardous would it be to move?

At one point, there was concern the sub could sink and damage the Queen Mary, but a more recent survey by engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol found the vessel still watertight and unlikely to roll toward the ship. City officials say further analysis is needed to settle on a removal method and account for any potential hazards.

Curtin Maritime Corp., a marine construction and salvage company with an office at the Long Beach seaport, is among the firms weighing whether to take on the job.

Ralph Botticelli, the company’s director of business development, said the first question is whether the Scorpion can even be moved safely. Wherever the sub ends up, it won’t be near the Queen Mary — Botticelli estimated it would be towed at least four or five miles offshore before any cutting begins to disassemble it.

The sub’s batteries, asbestos piping, the thickness of the steel and its overall condition would all factor into whether crews put a towline on it or lift it out with a crane, he said. If hazardous materials need to come out first, Curtin would likely bring in a third-party environmental cleanup contractor, Botticelli said. Soviet-era diesel submarines like the Scorpion typically carry lead-acid battery banks, residual fuel and oil, asbestos insulation and sometimes PCBs.

The Russian Scorpion emblem remains visible on the submarine’s side as it deteriorates in Long Beach on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

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Long Beach Post

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Finding a hazardous-waste facility equipped to handle the job should also be manageable, he said, since Southern California has a number of pre-approved sites for that kind of material. It’s just a matter of finding the right one.

But without a full assessment, it’s difficult to say exactly how the sub would come apart — likely in sections, cut along its watertight bulkheads so the remaining pieces in the water don’t sink. “There’s no rule of thumb,” he said. “It’s just what is deemed appropriate at the time and most cost-effective and most safe.”

“Thirty years in this business and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Botticelli said, calling the Scorpion “a museum piece.”