The Brief

The race to represent State Senate District 25 has been shaping up to be one of the most hotly-contested in California.

There's an open seat in the largely-Democratic, ethnically-diverse district that sprawls from Glendale to Rancho Cucamonga with the San Gabriel Valley in between. The current senator, Anthony Portantino, is running to replace Rep. Adam Schiff in the 30th Congressional District.

That's set the stage for what's become one of the state’s most expensive and fractious battles. Ahead of the March 5 primary, more than $5 million in campaign contributions and spending by outside groups has flowed into a five-way race with four Democrats and one Republican.

One candidate has dug deep to fund her own campaign: Democrat Yvonne Yiu.

The most recent state fundraising reports show Yiu’s campaign funds total nearly $3.2 million, with $2.9 million — or 92% — coming from her own pocket and the rest from individual contributions.

That makes Yiu, a Monterey Park city council member who used to run her own investment banking firm, the biggest donor to any race in California — surpassing the California Democratic Party and influential unions representing construction workers and correctional officers, as first reported by CalMatters.

“The amount of money that one candidate has used for their own election is pretty astounding even at the state level of politics,” said Sean McMorris, who tracks transparency and accountability in politics for California Common Cause.

Only one other legislative candidate has generated more money. Kathryn Lybarger, who is running for state Senate District 7 in the East Bay, has raised more than $570,000 in contributions while independent groups are spending nearly $2.6 million to support her campaign.

Yiu is not getting help from outside groups. But some of her fellow candidates are, including Yiu’s main rival, fellow Democrat Sasha Renée Peréz.

Labor unions and other groups have spent more than $470,000 in support of Peréz — who’s raised more than $850,000 in contributions on her own.

Yiu, just with the money she gave her campaign, has outraised Peréz and the groups in support of Peréz by a margin of more than 2 to 1.

Yiu has invested in her own campaign before. During an unsuccessful 2022 run for state controller, she drew down nearly $6 million of her own funds.

Asked why she relies on her own money, Yiu told LAist that “first of all, as you all know, fundraising is not easy, and we all need money to run a campaign.”

She added: “I want to make myself a viable candidate and also be independent and not beholden with different interest groups.”

Main rivals

Yiu has used her hefty war chest to buy mass mailings and television and digital commercials in one of the country’s priciest media markets.

Her ads stress that Asian Americans, who make up 30% of the district's electorate, need more representation in the state Senate, especially with senators Dave Min and Janet Nguyen both leaving to run for other offices. Yiu also boosts her tough-on-crime messaging and endorsements by police unions.

Demcractic candidate Sasha Renée Pérez chats with campaign volunteers in Alhambra ahead of going out to meet voters.

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Her ads often target Peréz, the vice mayor of Alhambra, framing her as weak on public safety and juxtaposing her image in commercials next to that of L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón. His critics blame his progressive policies on cash bail and sentencing for emboldening criminals.

Peréz counters that she’s voted to fully fund the city’s police department, and has advocated for a program in which law enforcement works with mental health clinicians and social workers to help unhoused people.

Peréz’s ads tout her platform of reducing homelessness and expanding college opportunities, as well as endorsements by the California Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood.

Peréz has also fired back at Yiu in ads, spotlighting, for example, a $22,000 fine imposed on the investment banking firm that Yiu founded and led. Financial industry regulator FINRA found that Yiu’s firm had “improperly” deposited investor funds into a real estate account owned by a managing member. Yiu blames problems on financial advisers who worked for her firm, and said her own record is clean.

Peréz said she is in nonstop fundraising mode so she can keep advertising, which she recognizes is critical to winning over voters busy with jobs and feeding families.

“You don't want to spend several hours reading through people's websites,” Peréz said. “You want to make that decision as easy as possible.”

Democats Yvonne Yiu and Sasha Renée Pérez are the candidates sending out mailers to voters in Senate District 25.

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A random sampling of five voters across the district found that four of them recognized Yiu from ads but none of the other candidates. (The fifth voter didn’t know who any of the candidates were.)

Dana Chu, a marketing specialist from Alhambra, said she was online when an ad from Yiu made her perk up.

“It was different from the other advertisements I was getting when I watch YouTube — a campaign ad as opposed to an ad for Febreze or insurance,” Chu said.

UCLA political scientist Natalie Masuoka said ads give well-funded candidates an advantage especially in low-turnout, low-information elections like primaries.

“Advertising could inform swing voters and new voters who don't necessarily have really solidified views,” in contrast to highly partisan, motivated voters, Masuoka said.

But Matsuoka noted that self-funded candidates with advertising firepower are not guaranteed success at the ballot box.

Developer Rick Caruso sunk more than $100 million of his own money into his failed 2022 L.A. mayoral bid while former eBay CEO Meg Whitman lost a 2010 gubernatorial race after spending $170 million.

When Yiu ran for controller as a self-funded candidate in 2022, she received 15% of the vote, not enough for her to advance to the general election. 

Running with fewer resources

The other candidates in the state Senate race are Republican Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, a Crescenta Valley Town Council member and two other Democrats: Sandra Armenta, a Rosemead City Council member and Teddy Choi, who is a real estate agent from Pasadena, according to his campaign website.

Elizabeth Wong Ahlers is the lone Republican running in State Senate District 25.

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Ahlers, who’s been endorsed by the California Republican Party, is hopeful that the four Democrats will split the vote in the nonpartisan primary and she can land in the top two and advance to the general election.

“It's been kind of fun watching (the Democrats) squabble among themselves and I just stay on course and speak my message,” said Ahlers. Her priorities are to rein in inefficient state spending and ban the teaching of “gender ideology” to schoolchildren.

Ahlers has generated the third-largest amount of money in the race: $207,000 with $122,000 in outside spending to support her campaign.

Armenta, who has raised $126,000 with no outside support, says it’s been frustrating to see rivals with far more resources, whether through self-funding or getting help from unions, which she said should be investing money in its membership rather than on political mailers.

“There's many great elected officials that will never be able to be legislative members because they don't have the finances or they're not ‘the chosen one,’” Armenta said.

Armenta said she hasn’t quit as she still hopes to make it to Sacramento and push for greater investment in police training and workforce development opportunities, starting in high school.

Sandra Armenta is one of four Democrats trying to win a spot in the general election.

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Choi, who did not respond to requests for an interview, has not filed any fundraising reports with the state.

Courting Asian American votes

Yiu, a Hong Kong immigrant who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, said she is hoping to consolidate the Asian American vote.

Yiu, formerly a Republican who said she switched her registration to Democrat several years ago, urged Asian American Republicans to vote for her instead, saying she is a more viable candidate than Ahlers in the safely-Democrat district.

Ahlers, who is fifth-generation Chinese American, also has been courting Asian American conservatives, texting them fundraising appeals in Chinese.

Democrat Teddy Choi is one of three Asian Americans running to represent the 25th state senate district, where Asian Americans make up about 30% of the vote.

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It is a rare race with three Asian American candidates. Research shows that some Asian Americans have a propensity to vote for someone who looks like them. But in a district with as much ethnic and socioeconomic diversity as the 25th, Asian Americans may not coalesce behind a single candidate, said UCLA’s Masuoka.

Masuoka compares the wealthy Asian Americans living in San Marino to working-class Asian Americans in Monterey Park. Both cities have Asian majorities but their residents “have different socioeconomic interests and different immigration-related interests” that will inform their votes, Matsuoka said.

Emily Kim of La Crescenta said for her a candidate’s race is not a deciding factor. She is looking for elected leaders who prioritize education and will stand up to anti-Asian discrimination.

“I do want someone to represent my race, my voice,” said Kim, who is Chinese American and married to a Korean American. “But we do research for every single person.”

Voters have until 8 p.m. on March 5 to get educated and cast their ballot.

Maloy Moore contributed to this story.

Local ice cream chain Wanderlust Creamery offers a sweet relief from this week’s sweltering temperatures. From ube to mango sticky rice, its unique signature and seasonal flavors can be found across Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Founder and chef Adrienne Borlongan sat down with Austin Cross, who hosts AirTalk every Friday, to discuss Wanderlust’s travel-inspired flavors.

About the owner

Borlongan initially thought that she would be a nurse. But after spending two years completing nursing prerequisites, she pivoted to a degree in food science and worked as a bartender for almost a decade.

Adrienne Borlongan, founder and chef of Wanderlust Creamery, is also a food scientist.

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One day, her roommate brought home an ice cream maker.

“And that kind of just snowballed into this crazy ice cream obsession,” Borlongan recalled.

She founded Wanderlust with her partner Jon-Patrick Lopez in 2015.

What sets the store apart?

Wanderlust’s flavors come from places Borlongan has either traveled to or has on her travel bucket list.

Many of the flavors are inspired by Borlongan’s Filipino-American heritage, including a best-selling ube malted crunch. It also features flavors like Ashta, a clotted cream from the Middle East.

The ultimate Wanderlust experience, according to the chef

Wanderlust Creamery is known for flavors from all over the world.

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You're encouraged to try as many samples as your heart desires. Wanderlust’s staff are trained to guide anyone through the flavors and talk you through options before you make a decision.

What’s next for Wanderlust? 

Borlongan is working on innovating new flavors for the summer, including an ice cream based on Swedish candies. She’s trying to whip up a mixture that’s able to keep the gummies chewy while frozen in ice cream.

Wanderlust is also opening a new location in San Diego.

Shop details

• Wanderlust’s ice cream has less air compared to traditional ice cream, making it rich and creamy. 
• Its seasonal menu items include Buontalenti, honey butter corn, Kaya toast, white peach verbena, Icelandic milk chocolate and Ashta. 
• The local ice cream shop has locations in Atwater Village, Fairfax, Pasadena, Sawtelle, Venice, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Torrance. 

Menu items we tried

• Ube malted crunch (malted milk, malted milkballs, and ube) 
• Stick rice and mango (rice milk, coconut cream, salt, Alphonso mangoes)
• White peach verbena (peach, lemon verbena)

What should we try next?

An Orange County Superior Court judge this week found that Orange County Board of Education member Marilyn “Mari” Barke failed to report millions of dollars in assets and income in her annual economic disclosure filings over multiple years.

Barke will have to pay nearly $82,000 in penalties, as well as attorneys’ fees, according to a proposed decision statement. The fees could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What’s next? 

State court rules allow parties 15 days to file objections to the proposed decision. After that, the court will be able to enter a final judgment.

About the case

Barke was elected to the OC Board of Education in 2018, and she currently serves as a board trustee. She is also the director of coalitions at the California Policy Center, an educational non-profit.

Under the California Political Reform Act, local elected officials are required to disclose their income, investments and other assets.

Barke filed amended financial statements for 2018 through 2021, following a complaint by private citizen made in February 2023. The Fair Political Practices Commission in 2024 found Barke liable on 16 counts for failing to report that income. Barke agreed to a settlement and paid a $3,200 penalty.

The judge later found that the FPPC’s settlement did not fully address the “willfulness/recklessness” or “adequacy of corrective efforts,” according to the proposed decision statement from Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover.

According to the court records, Barke argued that the mistakes in her filings were because she was following the advice of her now ex-husband, Dr. Jeff Barke, who she says advised her that the filings only needed to list economic interests if they conflicted with her role on the board.

Colover's response was that Barke’s reliance on that alleged advice was objectively unreasonable and wrong.

The response

Lynne Riddle, a retired judge who filed the complaint, said in a statement that financial interest disclosures are critical to the public.

“When elected officials flout their disclosure obligations like this, it undermines the public's right to honest and ethical government,” stated Riddle, who has published op-eds about charter schools and the OC Board of Education. “The Court’s decision vindicates the public’s right to know what their elected officials are doing.”

Riddle said the ruling and penalties should send a clear message that elected officials cannot shirk their responsibilities to disclose their economic interests.

Barke’s lawyer, Mark Rosen, in a statement to LAist, said: "From the start, this case was a vendetta against Mrs. Barke because she supports charter schools."

“As a first-time candidate, she made some technical mistakes in her forms with the Fair Political Practices Commission, and she freely admitted and corrected those mistakes and paid a fine,” Rosen said. “The anti-charter schools gang then piled on with this frivolous lawsuit.”

There are mistakes in the court’s decision, and “we are exploring a further course of action,” Rosen added.

Thinking about buying or leasing an electric car in the near future? California will soon be making that cheaper.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that sets aside millions of dollars in state funds to fund rebates for residents who buy or lease a zero-emission vehicle — a category that includes battery-electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles.

First-time EV buyers can qualify for a $3,500 discount when buying or leasing a new electric vehicle, as long as the retail price is under $50,000. If you’re looking for a used electric car, there’s still a price reduction available — a smaller one, however: $1,750 off for vehicles retailing for under $25,000.

The state’s program — called “MyFirstEV” — comes a year after President Donald Trump’s massive spending and tax plan known as the One Big Beautiful Bill ended federal tax credits for EVs nationwide. Previously, American consumers could claim a $7,500 tax credit after buying a new EV or $4,000 for used EVs.

Newsom said on Monday that as the federal government pulls back from supporting EVs, California would instead be “putting its foot on the accelerator” — and that the instant rebate program would “[make] it easier for families to drive clean, breathe clean, and keep more money in their pockets.”

The program has secured $270 million in funding — half of that from the state budget and the other from participating EV automakers.

One big thing to know: Despite the fanfare, the MyFirstEV program has not yet started — and we don’t have an official start date either. State officials will reveal next month which car brands are actually included, so don’t expect to receive this discount if you purchase an EV today.

Who qualifies for this program?

Only California residents who are buying or leasing an EV for the first time are eligible for this rebate.

And consumers will have to confirm that this is the first time they are buying or leasing an EV before taking their car home, said Lindsay Buckley, communications director of the California Air Resources Board, the agency tasked with managing the program.

“Participants will be required to sign a legal document declaring that this is in fact their first purchase or lease of an electric vehicle,” she said.

“So if you’ve already bought or leased an electric vehicle in the past, then you wouldn’t be eligible for this program.”

Limiting the program to first-time buyers could actually help boost the popularity of EVs among people who have never bought them, said Scott Moura, a UC Berkeley professor of civil engineering.

“Providing incentive to people who have bought EVs before isn’t really adding to the number of people who purchase EVs,” he said. “The funds can be used most effectively if they’re targeted towards first-time EV buyers.”

Do I need to apply ahead of time?

No — there’s no application to fill out ahead of time. Once state officials announce that the MyFirstEV program has officially begun, all you need to do is go to a dealership of a participating automaker.

This is different from other past state rebate programs — like the now-terminated Electric Bicycle Incentive Program — which have required participants to fill out an application before making a purchase.

If you move forward with making a purchase or lease, confirm two things with the salesperson and the financing team:

• That you qualify for the MyFirstEV discount
• That there are still state funds available for this specific car brand.

When federal EV rebates were available, buyers had to initially wait until they filed their taxes the year after buying their car to request this money back. But state officials say that folks interested in the FirstEV discount won’t have to wait so long.

“Once launched, Californians will be able to go down to participating automakers’ dealerships and access the rebates at the point of sale,” Buckley said. “They won’t have any delay in getting this discount.”

Can the program help me pay for any EV I want?

No — MyFirstEV discounts will only cover battery-electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles from automakers participating in the program. State officials will confirm next month which car companies are included.

But this means that if an EV brand you really want to purchase is not on the list, you won’t get the discount when buying or leasing the car.

Hybrid vehicles are also not included in MyFirstEV, state officials confirmed with KQED.

There’s also a price limit: The EV you choose must cost under $50,000 if it’s a new car, and $25,000 if it’s used. There is, however, a small exception to this price rule if the automaker is headquartered in California — in which case the discounts will apply regardless of the manufacturer’s retail price. More than a dozen electric car brands are based in the Golden State, with several selling models priced beyond the $50,000 limit.

I’m really interested in this program. What should I do while I wait for it to open?

While consumers wait for the program to begin, Buckley said they learn as much as they can about different EVs available on the market.

“Maybe head to a dealership and take a test drive of an electric vehicle that you’re eyeing,” she said. “We do expect this to be a popular program and for [funds] to get gobbled up pretty quickly” — so the more prepared you are when the program officially begins, the better.

A Polestar electric car prepares to park at an EV charging station on July 28, 2023, in Corte Madera. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Potential buyers can also learn about what it takes to care for an EV, like how to find charging stations and battery maintenance.

Buckley said the site ElectricForAll — created by the nonprofit Veloz — is a good source of information.

Will some carmakers have more rebates available than others?

No — funds will be divided equally among the participating automakers.

However, there may be greater demand for some brands, which could mean that rebates may run out faster at some dealerships.

This article includes reporting from KQED’s Laura Klivans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

Health officials analyzed 190 cases of cyclospora in Michigan where a person who fell ill reported eating at Taco Bell. Officials found that 90% of those people said they ate iceberg lettuce.

More than 1,644 sick people in this multi-state cyclospora outbreak reported eating at Taco Bell in those states starting May 13, according to the agencies. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.

The FDA traced this subset of cases identified nationwide to a single supplier of contaminated iceberg lettuce from Mexico, but did not name the supplier.

FDA says it's working with the supplier to identify other locations where the contaminated lettuce has been distributed. The agency notes this is one large cluster that is epidemiologically related. There are other clusters across the country that may or may not be associated. Cases have been identified in 34 states.

Taco Bell issued a statement July 16 that it took "immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states." The statement also said the lettuce would be removed from the supply chain nationwide and replaced within 24 hours.

A wide reach for salad suppliers

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed federal official, has reported that Taylor Farms was the supplier of the lettuce. NPR has not independently confirmed that, and Taylor Farms has not responded to a request for comment.

A handful of big players with integrated supply chains and advanced processing infrastructure, including Taylor Farms, dominate the bagged lettuce and salad industry in the U.S.

With such a big reach, a single supplier can provide lettuce products to a number of retailers, so it's possible that additional clusters of cyclospora around the country could be linked to lettuce from the same supplier. It's also possible that there are multiple sources and suppliers linked to other cases around the country.

The FDA and CDC say the investigation is continuing.

How to protect yourself

The symptoms of the illness include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and fatigue, and people contract it by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

To protect yourself from the parasite, the CDC advises people to follow standard food safety handling protocols. "Wash your hands and any fresh produce thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. This will reduce the risk of infection. Cooking kills the parasite, so heating food to 158 F or 70 C or higher is effective," said Dr. Gwen Biggerstaff with the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.

If people do develop symptoms, health officials advise people to contact their healthcare providers to be tested specifically for cyclospora. Routine stool tests often don't include that test.

"People with symptoms should stay well-hydrated and avoid preparing food for others while acutely ill, out of general caution, even though person-to-person spread is very unlikely," Biggerstaff said.

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