The Brief

On a recent hot morning in Reseda, three members of the neighborhood council gathered in a parking lot outside a Food 4 Less, carrying clipboards, flyers and red "Know Your Rights" cards.

The goal for the day was to inform shopkeepers and store clerks of their constitutional protections, and encourage them to pass that information onto their customers. It wasn't a one-off. Since federal immigration agents showed up in full force in communities across Los Angeles, local representatives in Reseda have also hit their neighborhood's streets.

They say they've visited just about every storefront in Reseda — which neighborhood council president Jamie York said added up to hundreds of locations.

"This is not just to apprise people of their rights, but also to help people have a plan in place for if ICE does come to their business," said York, her hands full of materials to disburse. "We're trying to be very proactive and encouraging people to have those plans."

The Food 4 Less was a good place to start that day. In the weeks prior, York said agents had detained a street vendor near the same parking lot. When another neighborhood council member stopped into a tobacco shop in the strip mall, a cashier there said he saw it happen.

" The way that they took him, it's not good," he said. "Some people have children, have business."

He took some flyers to display in the shop.

Cards in many languages

Neighborhood councils are the smallest form of government Los Angeles has — there are 99 neighborhood councils composed of elected representatives that advise city government and take local actions. Accordingly, they get a small budget to conduct their business.

York told LAist their neighborhood council had ordered red cards back in February, anticipating they'd need them. They started distributing them to places like schools, parks and libraries in March. They ramped up distribution at businesses when the raids started this summer.

The council decided to target storefronts because it would allow each business to become its own hub for community members. York said it's been a huge success that could be a model for other neighborhood councils.

They've ordered nearly 50,000 cards and distributed more than half. And they've expanded the languages they're printing to include Spanish, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Pashto, Tagalog, Armenian and Thai. They also made cards with a QR code linking to Know Your Rights videos in Indigenous languages. York said those had specifically been requested by some nearby schools.

The Reseda Neighborhood Council has authorized spending $3,000 on red cards and other canvassing efforts so far — no small number, considering its annual budget of just $25,000, York said.

City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Nithya Raman both represent parts of Reseda. York said both of their offices have agreed to reimburse the neighborhood council for some of those costs. Raman's staff has also joined the council in canvassing the neighborhood.

The Reseda Neighborhood Council distributed signs and other materials to businesses to prepare them for potential encounters with immigration agents.

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Libby Rainey

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LAist

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Scenes from canvassing

Now that they've covered the whole community, neighborhood council members are returning to storefronts they've already visited. At a supermarket last week, they stopped at multiple departments to make sure all the workers had a chance to receive some materials.

At a laundromat, neighborhood councilmember Doug Smith handed out red cards in Spanish. Next door, the owner of a water store asked for some in Farsi. But he had questions too. He said he was an immigrant from Iran who eventually became a citizen, and he wanted to see people in the country without documents do the same.

Still, he said he'd put out the red cards.

Bruno Hernandez, another member of Reseda's neighborhood council who was out that day, said the majority of shop owners were happy to see local representatives out in the community talking to people.

" I think it's really important to have somebody from the community… come in and give a sincere hand to try to help," he said.

Why businesses?

It's not just "Know Your Rights" cards that they've been handing out in Reseda. Neighborhood council members and community volunteers have also been distributing papers to show people what a valid judicial warrant looks like. And they've been bringing businesses signs to put up marking private space — which can limit where immigration agents can go without a warrant.

In Reseda last week, the cashier at a kabob restaurant inside a grocery store took a few signs. York gave him tips on how to use them.

"Have that up in the back — that protects your guys' back area as private," she said. "Then they can't come back there without a warrant."

At other shops, Hernandez emphasized that the red cards weren't just for business owners — they were for customers.

" You're giving [business owners] the opportunity to serve their community and their customer base," he said.

Members of the Reseda Neighborhood Council and other volunteers have been talking to businesses about how to respond to immigration activity in Los Angeles.

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Libby Rainey

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LAist

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What are the City Council and other neighborhood councils doing? 

Los Angeles has no citywide "Know Your Rights" campaign. The city council voted to explore it in March, but that effort is still in progress.

In the meantime, some other neighborhood councils have taken local actions. In Palms, neighborhood council president Kay Hartman said they'd started putting up "Know Your Rights" lawn signs. Other groups distribute information too, as evidenced by the flyers and cards that have popped up in cafes and on lamp posts around the city.

In Reseda, the neighborhood council there said their efforts are making a difference — and could provide lessons for other communities in Los Angeles.

After visiting stores multiple times, they saw that a donut shop had put up signs marking private space. Others had, too.

" We've also heard success stories of people successfully using their Fourth Amendment rights to prevent raids from happening, people demanding warrants," York said. "And that has actually successfully kept ICE raids from occurring in some of the businesses."

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.