The Brief

The protest on Monday, June 9, started small.

Nathan Tran, a Garden Grove native and community organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, joined a few dozen people outside the federal building in Santa Ana, a local epicenter for immigration enforcement actions that were ramping up across Southern California.

Despite the small crowd, Tran said he saw federal agents wearing riot gear, standing at the ready. He said they were armed with crowd control weapons and rifles with live ammunition.

By the evening, the crowd had swelled to around 500 people and the protest had moved to the downtown Santa Ana area. Officers with the Santa Ana Police Department formed a skirmish line. Tran watched from Sasscer Park, around 30 feet away from the main crowd, as tensions rose.

Police suddenly cleared the crowd with “barrages of rubber bullets, pepper balls, flash bangs, tear gas,” Tran said, without warning or apparent provocation.

He said people in the crowd responded by hurling back water bottles and fireworks.

Tran turned to leave.

Then, “ I feel this like sensation, like I got punched really hard in the jaw,” Tran said. He had been hit in the face with a less-lethal projectile.

The impact left a deep gash on Tran’s chin. Doctors at UCI Medical Center told him they could see the tendons connecting his jaw muscles.

LAist reviewed his discharge report. Tran was prescribed an antibiotic and recommended to remove his sutures within a week. The diagnosis: “Facial laceration, first encounter. Injury due to rubber bullet.”

How we got here

In the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020 and concerns about the overly aggressive police response to the protests that followed, California lawmakers took steps to protect residents exercising their first amendment rights.

They did so by passing Assembly Bill 48, a 2021 law that bans the indiscriminate use of force against civilians at protests. Law enforcement agencies now have to take several steps including deescalation tactics like dispersal orders before they can use these military equipment such as foam bullets and tear gas. And the law says “projectiles shall not be aimed at the head, neck, or any other vital organs.”

The law also requires agencies to make public reports about their use of force at protests.

The report about June 9 states that officers only fired at noncompliant individuals, and there were no known injuries resulting from their use of force.

Santa Ana said in a June news release that officers responded to the protests on June 9 and the following days “in strict accordance with the law.”

But Tran and other protestors say Santa Ana Police broke the law during those protests. The ACLU SoCal also sent a letter to the police department detailing how they broke AB 48.

Tran said he is considering legal action.

Lawsuits may be the only recourse for Tran and other protestors, because despite the attempts by California lawmakers to rein in law enforcement agencies, there’s no mechanism in place for enforcing the law.

Public reports about protest response provide some measure of transparency, but the reports rely on law enforcement’s own narrative about what took place during protests. Those reports are supposed to be filed to the California Department of Justice, but there is no independent fact-checking process.

In the case of Santa Ana, for example, official version of events do not align with eyewitness accounts or video footage reviewed by LAist.

What the reports say

According to AB 48, law enforcement agencies cannot use projectiles at protests unless a life is threatened or to bring “an objectively dangerous and unlawful situation” under control.

And even then, police officers can only use foam bullets and tear gas after they have used “deescalation techniques,” such as declaring an unlawful assembly. Officers also have to announce several warnings in different languages, give people ample time to leave the area, take caution not to hit bystanders, medical personnel, journalists, or other unintended targets and provide medical assistance to those injured.

Santa Ana officials say police fully complied with the law during the June protests. In the AB 48 reports for June 9, Santa Ana PD said they tried deescalation techniques including calling for additional officers, issuing verbal commands and attempting to “gain voluntary compliance.”

The report also says police officers used projectiles and chemical agents like tear gas only after individuals threw objects including “illegal fireworks, rocks, bricks, concrete, glass bottles, and other unidentified projectiles, directly at law enforcement personnel.”

“In response to targeted assaults, Santa Ana Police Officers deployed 40mm direct impact sponge rounds and CS chemical agents only when specific individuals engaged in violent acts were identified. At no point were kinetic energy projectiles fired indiscriminately into the crowd of protesters,” the police wrote in their report for June 9. Similar language was used for June 10, 11 and 14.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department would also join the Santa Ana police that night. In their AB 48 report, the Sheriff’s Department wrote they “formed skirmish lines with SAPD and worked to move the crowd east. During this effort, individuals in the crowd threw water bottles, rocks, and fireworks mortars/explosives at deputies. OCSD deployed kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents in response to those specific threats.” According to their report, they deployed 23 rounds of pepperballs, four rounds of the foam bullets and one bean bag round.

What the community says

People who were at the protests tell a different story. Tran says he was hit in the face with a kinetic energy projectile while observing the protest from a distance, and says there was no threat to officers beforehand — or deescalation tactics or warning from police.

Even public officials were caught in the fray and have criticized the police response to the protests.

Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez said he was shot at eight times with projectiles as he marched alongside residents.

 "I still have the bruises on my back from the eight shots that my own officers fired at me,” he said at a June council meeting. “I still have the holes in my black shirt that my own officers from this city fired at me. I had no weapons on me.”

Hernandez said that the police “would shoot tear gas into the direction that they wanted people to flee, and when your back was turned, they would shoot you.”

Daniel Diaz, who runs the local, community publication The Santanero, captured livestream videos which show the Santa Ana Police firing foam bullets at a group of about 100 protesters standing at an intersection holding signs and chanting on June 12. In the video, the police do not appear to give warnings before firing the shots. In his video, Diaz is heard recounting that the bullets were also cracking residential windows.

When LAist reached out to the Santa Ana Police Department about the discrepancies in the report and the conflicting narratives from eye witnesses, the department declined to comment.

ACLU SoCal sent a letter to Chief Robert Rodriguez on June 13 claiming that Santa Ana police violated the law while responding to protests.

Reisberg with the ACLU SoCal told LAist their letter “was based on reports that our office received in the form of intakes and on coverage in the news that was showing that SAPD's use of these so-called less lethal weapons was clearly violating state law.”

Reisberg said that under the law, police have to take steps to deescalate the situation first.

“You can just see from the videos that they weren't doing that,” Reisberg said.

The Santa Ana Police Department replied to the ACLU’s letter, Reisberg said, stating “they acted reasonably.”

“But the state law requires a whole lot more than just acting reasonably,” he said.

So who oversees the police?

The discrepancies between the police reports about the protests, eye witness accounts and video footage reveal a flaw in California’s protest laws, policing experts told LAist.

Law enforcement agencies are required to make public reports about their use of force at protests. But many don’t, and others like Santa Ana Police Department file reports that protesters say don’t capture what went down.

Former Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, a lead sponsor on Assembly Bill 48, said it should be up to the California Department of Justice to make sure law enforcement agencies are complying with the law.

The DOJ doesn’t see it that way. The law requires the DOJ to compile and publish a list of law enforcement websites where agencies provide public access to incident reports and detail how they are following AB 48, according to agency spokesperson Elissa Perez but it doesn’t ask the agency to do much else by way of enforcement.

“The bill [AB 48] does not include requirements for DOJ to review, audit, or enforce law enforcement agency requirements,” Perez wrote to LAist.

According to the California constitution, it is the duty of the Attorney General to enforce state laws.

Another enforcement mechanism members of the public have are lawsuits. The process is long and tedious, but it can be effective. Settlements are typically paid with general fund taxpayer dollars — the money typically earmarked for public parks and public works.

In 2020, the Voice of OC reported that taxpayer funds were used to pay around $24 million to settle lawsuits and legal claims against the Santa Ana Police Department from 2011 to 2020.

While people can share instances of police misconduct with the ACLU, Reisberg has another idea for members of the public who are worried about excessive policing of protesters: put city leaders on notice.

“ Community pressure is essential and there has been amazing community pressure in Santa Ana at the city council. Basically people standing up and saying to their elected representatives, this is not acceptable,” Reisberg said.

How to keep tabs on Santa Ana

• Read tips on how to get involved in your local government.
• The Santa Ana City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
• You can check out the Santa Ana City Council full calendar here and learn how to submit a public comment. 

LAist summer reporting intern Kahani Malhotra contributed to this report.

Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.

A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.

“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.

Ferrer is on the board of the new foundation, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, which held its first meeting Thursday.

She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.

Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.

“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”

Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.

The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.

Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.

If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.

Board members

The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA announced its founding board of directors, which includes:

• Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Department of Public Health director
• Debbie I. Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation CEO
• Sean Penn, actor and co-founder of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)
• Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care Health Plan CEO
• Saree Kayne, R&S Kayne Foundation CEO
• Danny Trejo, actor and restaurateur
• Jarrett Barrios, an executive at the American Red Cross
• Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine Dean
• Kristin McCowan, an executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.

But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.

“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.

The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.

The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.

The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.

Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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“Over the  next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino,  president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.

Getting venues ready will be expensive

The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.

The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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A $360 million proposal to spruce up asphalt in parking lots around Exposition Park won’t be done in time for the Olympics, as originally planned. Meanwhile, just up the street, there’s concern that a $2.6 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center, which is hosting Olympic wrestling, fencing and judo in 2028 won’t be ready for the Olympics.

Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.

Topline:

About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.

Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.

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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo

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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”

About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. 

Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling. 

According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said. 

The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members. 

Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred. 

According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained. 

Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs. 

Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.  

“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.

Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.  

“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”

Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students. 

“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.

Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation. 

Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated. 

Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students. 

“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?” 

In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.

The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction. 

The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April. 

“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”

Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said. 

“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said. 

Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.

“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.