Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his revised 2024-25 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 10, 2024.
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Fred Greaves
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CalMatters
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Topline:
As Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to unveil his revised budget proposal, California is experiencing unexpectedly shaky economic conditions, with a likely deficit of more than $10 billion next year.
Why now: Facing a long horizon of budget deficits, California officials stretched and scrimped and massaged the numbers to stabilize the state’s finances last year. But an unforeseen economic downturn, spurred by President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs strategy, has knocked California out of fiscal balance once again. Gov. Gavin Newsom is now forecasting a $16 billion, or 4%, decline in tax revenues in his revised budget proposal, according to a memo provided by his office in advance of the announcement Wednesday. That plan is the opening salvo in negotiations with the Legislature, ahead of the start of the fiscal year in July.
Why it matters: It’s a sharp turnaround from January, when Newsom projected a modest surplus in his $322 billion spending plan. The memo, which dubs the revenue shortfall the “Trump Slump,” does not provide an updated figure for California’s budget deficit.
Read on... what this means for state programs.
Facing a long horizon of budget deficits, California officials stretched and scrimped and massaged the numbers to stabilize the state’s finances last year. But an unforeseen economic downturn, spurred by President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs strategy, has knocked California out of fiscal balance once again.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is now forecasting a $16 billion, or 4%, decline in tax revenues in his revised budget proposal, according to a memo provided by his office in advance of the announcement Wednesday. That plan is the opening salvo in negotiations with the Legislature, ahead of the start of the fiscal year in July.
It’s a sharp turnaround from January, when Newsom projected a modest surplus in his $322 billion spending plan. The memo, which dubs the revenue shortfall the “Trump Slump,” does not provide an updated figure for California’s budget deficit.
“We are seeing the slow-rolling impact of 'Liberation Day' and it's not a good one,” spokesperson H.D. Palmer said. “Conditions have definitely changed for the worse since January, in significant part because of those federal tariffs.”
California’s financial picture was troubled even before the recent turmoil. Newsom and the Legislature took extraordinary steps last summer to close a budget gap projected in the tens of billions of dollars over two years, including by making sweeping cuts to state agencies and positions, clawing back funding increases for health care providers, eliminating affordable housing programs, delaying money for schools, suspending business tax credits and dipping into reserves.
And while tax revenues came in $6.8 billion above forecast through April, other problems were brewing.
A one-man 'wrecking ball' to California economy
Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income people, has reported a more than $6 billion cost overrun this year — in part because an expansion to include immigrants without legal status brought in more new enrollees than expected — and it needed an emergency cash infusion in March.
The devastating fires that hit Los Angeles in January also introduced new uncertainty for the budget, because the tax deadline for Los Angeles County — where a quarter of all Californians live — was delayed until October.
But the biggest risk is undoubtedly from Trump’s tariffs, which Newsom sued last month to block. Stock market declines are poised to take a bite out of future income tax revenue, because California relies disproportionately on capital gains earned by the wealthiest taxpayers; that accounts for $10 billion of the projected revenue decline. Higher costs from the tariffs are also imperiling major sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and shipping in California, whose largest trading partner is China.
"It's one person that is taking a wrecking ball to our economy," state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, a Healdsburg Democrat, said last week during an event in Sacramento. "That is the existential threat to the state of California right now."
The grim outlook will almost certainly force more reductions to state programs, and legislative leaders will have their own ideas about what to target after Newsom puts forward his priorities today.
Bargaining will ramp up over the next month, with a June 15 deadline for the Legislature to pass a balanced budget or forgo its pay, though sometimes provisions of an overall deal drag out beyond that.
A binder showing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal for 2023-24 during a press briefing at the state Natural Resources Agency in Sacramento on May 12, 2023.
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Rahul Lal
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CalMatters
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“Anyone who thinks we’re not going to make cuts this year is not in touch with reality,” Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat who leads the Assembly budget committee, told CalMatters. “Advocates who are proposing major expansions of programs should stop wasting people’s time.”
One likely exception is a proposed $420 million annual increase of California’s film and television tax credit, more than doubling the pot of available subsidies and boosting the amount that individual productions can receive. It’s a priority for Newsom, with the strong backing of many Los Angeles-area legislators, especially as the region seeks a comeback after the fires.
Trump’s effort to slash federal spending is another looming question mark. Congressional Republicans have floated shifting more of the cost of social safety net programs to the states, though they are struggling to reach a budget agreement.
If they ultimately push through major changes to federal funding, lawmakers could be back in Sacramento later this year or early next year revising the state budget once again.
“Ninety percent of the ball game is in Washington,” Gabriel said. “It’s frustrating to me that this is beyond our control.”
Monica Bushman
produces arts and culture coverage for LAist's on-demand team.
Published May 7, 2026 5:00 AM
Elle Fanning in Apple TV's "Margo’s Got Money Troubles."
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Apple TV
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Topline:
The new Apple TV series, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Rufi Thorpe — and starring Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer — puts a spotlight on the Orange County city of Fullerton, where it's set and was filmed.
What the author says: Thorpe is from Orange County and in an interview with LAist last year said that setting Margo’s Got Money Troubles in Fullerton was her “little authorly gift” to the character of Margo, who has a baby at the age of 19 and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet: “Yes, it was going to be terrifying and hard and she wasn’t going to know if she was going to get through it, but she was going to do it in Fullerton, dammit.”
The real locations: Some of the locations featured in the show include Fullerton College, beloved local restaurants like Rutabegorz and Angelo's and Vinci's (now closed sadly), and the pedestrian bridge that leads to the Fullerton train station and reads "Welcome to Downtown Fullerton."
Why it matters: Amid increasing concerns about film and TV production leaving Los Angeles, Margo's Got Money Troubles' writer/producer David E. Kelley has doubled down on keeping production work local.
Margo's Got Money Troubles was also a recipient of a state film and TV tax credit. A recent report from FilmLA has sparked hope that California's expansion of its film and TV tax incentive program last year may be starting to have positive effects.
Read on ... for more about the Fullerton locations featured in the series.
Why is the new Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles — which stars Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman — set in the Orange County city of Fullerton?
Author Rufi Thorpe, who wrote the book the series is based on and is an executive producer on the show, is from Orange County and has set some of her earlier books in smaller Southern California locales too — in Corona del Mar (where Thorpe grew up) and a fictional Southern California beach city inspired by El Segundo.
In an interview with LAist last year, Thorpe said that setting Margo’s Got Money Troubles in Fullerton was her “little authorly gift” to the character of Margo, who has a baby at the age of 19 and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.
Thorpe said she grew up visiting a friend of her mom’s, a classical pianist, in Fullerton, so she had a sense of the city’s low-key vibe: “It’s a very cute city, and [there’s] just so many dentists and tax preparation offices — just so many!”
And it felt like a nice place to put her main character, who she was going to be putting through a lot: “Yes, it was going to be terrifying and hard and she wasn’t going to know if she was going to get through it, but she was going to do it in Fullerton, dammit.”
It maybe also didn’t hurt that Kelley’s wife, Michelle Pfeiffer, is from Orange County herself, which Pfeiffer told the Television Academy’s emmy magazine was part of the reason why she connected so much with the book, and signed on along with Kelley, Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and others to executive produce the series.
The locations IRL
Fullerton College
A screenshot of Elle Fanning in a scene from "Margo's Got Money Troubles," filmed at Fullerton College.
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Apple TV
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The scenes that were shot on location at Fullerton College, where Margo is a freshman and has an affair with her English professor, didn’t just add to the show’s sense of place. The community college’s newspaper The Hornet reports that the fees for filming at the college also helped fund a scholarship program.
Rutabegorz
Rutabegorz Restaurant in Fullerton, CA.
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Monica Bushman / LAist
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The popular Fullerton cafe Rutabegorz isn’t specifically named in the book or show, but it’s well known in Orange County (with another location in Orange), and is the setting of a pivotal scene between Margo and her mom Shyanne, played by Pfeiffer.
A little bit of Rutabegorz history (from this author, who went to high school in Fullerton!): Before it became a coffeehouse in the 1970s, and later a full restaurant, for 48 years it was the office and residence of a doctor, who — according to a sign in the restaurant about the building’s history — was the first to administer the antibiotic medication penicillin to a patient in Southern California.
Today, Rutabegorz is known for its quirky decorations, healthy food options (including very big salads) and long-running $1 chip and dip special.
The Fox Fullerton Theatre
The Fox Theatre in Fullerton, CA.
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Monica Bushman / LAist
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The Fox Theatre in Fullerton dates back to 1925 and is one of the city’s most recognizable buildings, but it hasn’t been an operational theater since 1987, when it closed and fell into disrepair. The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation, which is leading the ongoing restoration effort, does hold some special events there, including the 100th birthday celebration for the theater in May of 2025.
Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante
Angelo's and Vinci's on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, CA.
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Monica Bushman / LAist
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Next door to The Fox Theatre is another beloved, but also now closed, Fullerton institution — the Italian restaurant Angelo’s and Vinci’s. The site of many a special occasion meal for locals, with ornate decorations (and a monster-themed wine cellar) the restaurant closed in 2023 after a 52-year-long run.
In the series, Margo is a waitress at Angelo’s and Vinci’s and has her baby shower there. And for anyone who remembers going to the restaurant, it’s nice to see the space alive again in the show.
Fullerton Car Wash on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, CA.
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Monica Bushman / LAist
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Other Fullerton locations in the series include the Fullerton Car Wash (across from the British pub The Olde Ship) and the Fullerton Lodge Motel, which locals will recognize as being next to the popular B&B Donuts and across from Costco.
More Fullerton spots to check out
Fullerton is only one stop (and about a 30 minute ride) away from L.A.’s Union Station on Amtrak or Metrolink. Here are some other spots to check out if you’re making a day trip:
Electric guitar history: The creator of some of the most popular electric guitars in the world was a life-long resident of Fullerton. The Leo Fender Gallery is housed in the Fullerton Museum Center, which is right down the street from Rutabegorz.
Great pizza in Orange County: Fullerton is home to a couple of multi-award winning pizza places — Two Saucy Broads for New York style pizza and Fuoco for Neapolitan style.
A touch of Disney magic, plus cocktails: Somewhat of a counterpart to Angelo’s and Vinci’s in its old-school charm, the restaurant and cocktail bar The Cellar (actually located in a basement) dates back to 1969 and was designed by one of the “imagineers” responsible for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland (which opened in 1967).
New episodes of 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' are available to stream on Apple TV on Wednesdays. The final two episodes air May 13 and 20.
Unique Markets is a great place to find last-minute gifts this weekend.
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Courtesy Unique Inc.
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In this edition:
Clockshop’s annual Kite Festival, UCLA hosts work about the fires, a kids' book fair at the Japanese American National Museum and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
Clockshop’s free annual Kite Festival takes over the L.A. State Historic Park, giving you a chance to enter your homemade kite into a competition, check out artist-commissioned kites and an inflatable sculpture, and, of course, participate in a free kite-making workshop.
The second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival brings children’s book authors and illustrators to the Japanese American National Museum for a fun day celebrating the love of reading.
Spend Friday afternoon and evening than at UCLA, exploring a new collection of interactive exhibits and music created by artists impacted by last year’s Palisades and Eaton fires.
This past week, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of artists in Venice who are creating installations that are open 24/7 right on the boardwalk, and doing free pop-up opera and other performances at night all summer long. Being a Venice local, it’s been so fun to see these projects come in along an otherwise pretty quiet stretch of Ocean Front Walk — take a stroll there this summer and you never know what or who you might see.
Licorice Pizza has your weekend music picks. On Friday, Muna begins their two-night run at Shrine Expo Hall, and Wu Lyf plays the first of two nights at the Lodge Room. Plus, Snow Tha Product is at The Novo, Fishbone plays the Teragram, and Netflix Is a Joke has two music-focused events: Beautifully Broken Comedy with Jelly Roll at the Greek, and A Visit From ‘Portlandia’ with Fred & Carrie at the Ford. The dream of the '90s is alive! Saturday, the Netflix fun continues with two nights of Flight of the Conchords at the Greek; on Sunday, Rodrigo y Gabriela are at the YouTube Theater and Norah Jones is at Pacific Electric.
Last weekend, I strolled down to the free jazz shows on Third Street Promenade and was happy to see so many folks out for the music. This week, the fest continues with its marquee events, including Kamasi Washington (the festival’s organizer), jazz legend Stanley Washington (with Stewart Copeland of The Police) and many more greats taking the stage at Santa Monica’s Tongva Park.
Venice Art Walk
Through Sunday, May 17 910 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice COST: FREE; MORE INFO
8-27-006 001
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Ed Templeton
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Venice Family Clinic Art Exhibition
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Check out dozens of artworks from established, mid-career, and emerging artists — and maybe even snap one up — at the annual Venice Art Walk, benefiting the Venice Family Clinic. This year’s Signature Artist is L.A. artist Alison Saar; the gallery and the online auction are free to peruse and open to the public all week long.
Unique Markets
Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10 Cooper Design Space 860 S. Los Angeles St., Downtown L.A. COST: FROM $11.54; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Unique Inc.
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Bring mom to pick out her own perfect gift at this spring’s Unique Markets at the Cooper Design Space penthouse. The Unique Market has a knack for finding brands that go on to become L.A. cool-kid household names, like Hedley & Bennett, P.F. Candle Co., CoolHaus, Poke'To and more. There are also free drinks, a free DIY charm-making station and a photo booth with free Polaroid prints.
JANM’s Nikkei Children’s Book Festival
Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Japanese American National Museum 100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo COST: $10 ADULTS, KIDS FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy JANM
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The second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival brings children’s book authors and illustrators to the Japanese American National Museum for a fun day celebrating the love of reading. In the morning, there’s a special reading of Ken Mochizuki’s Baseball Saved Us (9:30 a.m.), plus a session with Maggie Tokuda Hall, the author of Love in the Library and a national leader of Authors Against Book Bans. An afternoon session (1 p.m.) features Korey Watari, the author of Kimi the Ballerina, and Mike Wu, a Pixar artist and the illustrator of Kimi the Ballerina. Many more authors and illustrators will be on hand, plus there will be arts and crafts, signings, a pop-up book store and more.
Firebirth
Friday, May 8, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Herb Alpert School of Music Lani Hall Theater 445 Charles E. Young Drive East, Westwood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Mural by wemok_art/Photo by Michele Yamamoto
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I don’t think there’s a better place you could spend Friday afternoon and evening than at UCLA, exploring a new collection of interactive exhibits and music created by artists impacted by last year’s Palisades and Eaton fires. From a custom Fender Stratocaster crafted for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity from trees that were damaged around the Eaton Fire to listening and viewing stations for works from local artists, including the L.A. Field Recording Club, there are all kinds of ways to explore how the community has responded and processed grief and resilience over the past year. A panel conversation features Chris Douridas (KCRW), Jessica Schwartz (UCLA Musicology), Liz Koslov (UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) and Kim Yu (Altadena Town Council, Caltech), followed by a closing concert with works from UCLA students and faculty, including the Herbie Hancock Institute Band and the Los Angeles premiere of Will Rand’s Firebirth with violinist Grace Alexander.
L.A. Art Book Fair
Through Sunday, May 10 Printed Matter ArtCenter College of Design, South Campus 960 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena COST: $8, FREE ON SUNDAY; MORE INFO
So much more than just a collection of art books, the annual L.A. Art Book Fair is organized by Printed Matter and features a whole weekend of DJs, live music and exhibitions. This year’s projects include an archival show of newspapers by Chicano in Print; a curated selection of Ed Ruscha's expansive Sunset Strip project by The Getty Research Institute; artifacts of pre-Y2K Asian girlhood from the '90s band Emily’s Sassy Lime (E.S.L.), organized by Ooga Booga; and a site-specific billboard project by Werkplaats Typografie that evolves over the course of the fair.
PICASSO: Le Monstre Sacré
Through Sunday, May 17 Odyssey Theatre 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. COST: $38, MORE INFO
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Brigitta Scholz Mastroianni
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NUX Photography
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If you saw Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special Nanette, perhaps you also will never be able to read Picasso’s name without whispering Pablo Pic-asshole to yourself. It’s no secret that Picasso, like many brilliant artists, had a dark side, and this new play, coming to the Odyssey straight from London, explores just that. British actor Peter Tate and Olivier Award-winning director Guy Masterson bring their production here for just two weeks.
Clockshop Kite Festival
Saturday, May 9, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. L.A. State Historic Park 1245 N. Spring St., Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Let’s go fly a kite! Clockshop’s free annual Kite Festival takes over the L.A. State Historic Park, giving you a chance to enter your homemade kite into a competition, check out artist-commissioned kites and an inflatable sculpture, and, of course, participate in a free kite-making workshop.
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Effort to buy land near eagle nest is halfway over
Makenna Cramer
leads LAist’s unofficial Big Bear bald eagle beat and has been covering Jackie and Shadow for several seasons.
Published May 7, 2026 5:00 AM
Big Bear's bald eagle nest, including eaglets Sandy and Luna, on Wednesday.
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Friends of Big Bear Valley
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YouTube
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Topline:
The fundraiser led by environmental organizations to buy land in Big Bear Valley to prevent construction of a planned housing project not far from the famous bald eagle nest for Jackie and Shadow is about halfway over but has so far raised roughly a quarter of its $10 million goal.
Why it matters: Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the famous bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.
Why now: The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.
What's next: If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.
Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the resident bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.
The organizations instead want the land to be placed under a permanent conservatorship.
The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.
Jenny Voisard, the nonprofit’s media manager, told LAist that the money has mostly come through small donations from thousands of loyal fans around the world.
She said Friends of Big Bear Valley is “deeply grateful” for the love and support the community has shown since the fundraiser launched in February. She described the donations as an “investment in conservation and humanity.”
“What happens with California's biodiversity is important to every one of us on this planet, and you are all helping to take care of that,” Voisard said. “Biodiversity is responsible for the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the medicine we take. And you're all heroes.”
How the fundraiser is faring
Voisard said she’s been struck and brought to tears by how personal the fundraiser has become to people.
Some fans have been donating monthly, every payday or with their morning latte money. Others have been writing letters to news outlets, institutions, government officials and “anybody that will listen,” she said.
Friends of Big Bear Valley’s eagle livestream has become a popular fixture in classrooms, and a few elementary schools have organized their own fundraisers to support “Save Moon Camp.”
A third grade class at Wildwood Elementary in Yucaipa, for example, pooled together $373 for the fundraiser, Voisard said. Another elementary school in Connecticut sent a little more than $970.
“This is our next generation of environmental caretakers and stewards, and so that's why this is so important,” she said. “We need to raise the money, and it's not about the amounts. It's that they believe in what we're doing and that it's worth saving.”
Larger gifts have also been rolling in.
There have been a few $50,000 donations, an anonymous donation of $77,000 and a $20,000 gift sent along with a handwritten letter. Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley is actively reaching out to philanthropists and tribal councils to garner their support as well.
You can learn more about the fundraiser and track its progress at SaveMoonCamp.org.
Addressing common questions
If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.
Voisard said there’s a financing option that would allow the groups to purchase the land — but with quarterly payments and a high interest rate. She acknowledged that would be “difficult” and require longer-term fundraising, but it’s an option.
The Trump administration has recently taken steps toward a sweeping agency overhaul, including moving the headquarters out of Washington, D.C., and closing research facilities in 31 states, including California. The Forest Service lost more than 5,800 employees last year, or about 16% of its workforce, amid Trump’s push to cut federal spending, according to the New York Times.
But the land transfer process would take years, and Voisard said a different administration would be in charge by then.
“This land will also have special protected status, so that we don't go through all of this for nothing,” she said.
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is no stranger to the preservation process. It has helped conserve more than 15,000 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest since it was founded in 1995, according to the organization.
Moon Camp concerns from the community
T.J. Fraser moved to Big Bear Valley’s community of Fawnskin about eight years ago to escape city life in Los Angeles. He said he's “100% opposed” to the Moon Camp project for a "myriad of reasons."
The most important factor is protecting the bald eagles and the joy they bring to people, but he said he’s also concerned about development changing the quiet, close-knit community.
“I think part of living here … is that you learn very, very quickly that we adapt to the surroundings,” he said. “We don't expect the forest to adapt to us.”
Fraser said residents’ respect extends to the squirrels, bears and coyotes in Fawnskin, which he described as “our neighbors.” He added that the eagle livestream, which features a picturesque view from the trees towering over Big Bear Lake, may be some viewers' only connection to nature.
“I think that if they were able to look into that screen and extrapolate out into those trees, in the water, and understand that people live there, and the way that we live there is very similar to the way the eagles live in the nest,” he said. “We're all in it together. … No matter where you live, you are a product of nature and the environment.”
Fraser said he sees the fundraiser as helping Jackie and Shadow stay in the area for years but also as a message: There are some things more important than money.
Agents raid park in drug trafficking investigation
By Nathan Solis, Hanna Kang and Marina Peña | The LA Local
Published May 6, 2026 4:41 PM
Federal agents arrested several people and searched multiple businesses around MacArthur Park on Wednesday as part of an investigation into drug trafficking.
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Marina Peña
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Federal agents swarmed MacArthur Park on Wednesday afternoon in a joint operation targeted at suspected drug dealers.
More details: Agents also searched six businesses in the Westlake neighborhood and said that at least 18 people were arrested as part of the investigation, which was called “Operation Free MacArthur Park.”
Why now: The suspects are allegedly tied to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine out of the park, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Agents also raided a home in Calabasas and found 40 pounds of fentanyl believed to be part of the network of drugs distributed to MacArthur Park, according to authorities.
5:18 p.m. Wednesday, May 6: This story has been updated with additional details.
Federal agents swarmed MacArthur Park on Wednesday afternoon in a joint operation targeted at suspected drug dealers.
Agents also searched six businesses in the Westlake neighborhood and said that at least 18 people were arrested as part of the investigation, which was called “Operation Free MacArthur Park.”
The suspects are allegedly tied to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine out of the park, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Agents also raided a home in Calabasas and found 40 pounds of fentanyl believed to be part of the network of drugs distributed to MacArthur Park, according to authorities.
Agents in tactical gear and armored vehicles rolled through the neighborhood shortly after 2 p.m., according to images shared over social media, and an agent used a large saw to cut through a metal security door at a business storefront on Alvarado Street, NBC News reported.
The investigation included six businesses in Westlake and a federal indictment names 25 people, with several who have not been found.
Authorities arrested 18 people in connection to suspected drug trafficking in and around MacArthur Park. The suspects were identified in a news conference Wednesday by federal authorities.
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Hanna Kang
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The LA Local
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The raids began Tuesday evening and are expected to continue, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a press conference outside the park.
He was flanked by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department. Armored vehicles lined Alvarado Street and more agents in tactical gear stood under the shade of a nearby tree.
“We’re not leaving,” Essayli said. “We’ll come back as many times as we need to.”
The Los Angeles Police Department announced it provided assistance to its federal partners and clarified the investigation was not related to immigration enforcement.
Anthony Chrysanthis, special agent in charge for the DEA’s field office in Los Angeles, reiterated that the federal agency will return to Westlake.
“We will be watching this place every day, all the time. We’ve been gathering evidence for 60 days,” Chrysanthis said. “Privately, we get phone calls every day. ‘What are you doing about this?’ So, if you live in an area where you see drug activity, you can plan a friendly visit from law enforcement.”
Chrysanthis said the operation at the park was chosen because “this place is symbolic to Los Angeles.”
“The communities have to go back to the people. We have to make our city safe again for all people in Los Angeles. So today the message starts,” he said.
Troy Feller, volunteer with the faith-based organization Dream Center, was handing out lunch to people in the park when agents arrived. Feller saw police and agents wearing tactical gear pull up to the park.
“They started wrapping up the area really quickly. We’re out here every week and we have never seen something like this,” Feller said.
By 4:30 p.m. the road closures around the park reopened. A vendor swept up the sidewalk around their stall. Boxes of aspirin, back pain ointment and fake eyelashes spilled onto the sidewalk, along with broken glass.
A hole cut through the metal security door was visible from the sidewalk where an agent used a saw to cut into the vendor’s stall. Boxes of Monistat and Neosporin hung from inside the stall.
Araceli Arrega said she found out about the raid from the news coverage of the federal raid.
“I found out on TV they were cutting up my store. We don’t sell drugs here. I sell creams and medicine,” Arrega said. “They didn’t find anything. I can’t open my store until I fix my door.”
Aura Garcia, who owns Vitamins and Plus next to Arrega’s store, said law enforcement officers went to her daughter’s home and took her into custody. Garcia said officers also handcuffed her 13-year-old granddaughter in the process.
Garcia is still uncertain about whether the arrest is related to the federal operation. Their store was raided Wednesday, but she reiterated that they do not sell drugs.
Susana Cruz, an employee at the market La Bendición de Dios near Alvarado and Sixth said, “They thought that we sold drugs here, but they didn’t find anything.”
Cruz said federal agents raided the market and threw all the products to the floor, which includes creams and other pharmaceutical items. Agents also pulled down a security camera at the market.
Jose Ramirez, a street vendor on Sixth and Alvarado said, watched the aftermath of the raid from the sidewalk.
“I don’t know if this is all for show, but this made people afraid and the businesses that are barely surviving, I don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” he said. “There’s other ways to combat drug trafficking. I don’t know what the mayor is thinking.”
Others in the neighborhood said they support the operation in response to the ongoing drug use at the park.
Victoria Sykes, has lived in the neighborhood for the past five years and has been visiting the area for at least two decades.
“I’ve seen people dealing drugs here on Alvarado and I personally support what happened here today because I think drugs should leave this neighborhood. It’s not safe. We need to clean it up,” Sykes said.
The federal indictment names several people, including Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and Jackson Tarfur, 28, who are both from the Westmont neighborhood in South Los Angeles. Authorities claim that the couple hand-delivered drugs to storefronts and dealers street-level dealers. Federal documents detail 27 drug deals of fentanyl and methamphetamine from March 9 to April 15 in and around MacArthur Park.
The indictment references multiple street gangs, including 18th Street. Chrysanthis with the DEA said the operation is intended to send a message to the drug traffickers who operate out of the park.
“This is our park. This park belongs to the people of Los Angeles and to anyone who wants to sell drugs, I want them to look around because at any day we can come back and take it,” he said.
When asked why the operation took place now, Chrysanthis said, “FIFA is coming. The Super Bowl is coming. The Olympics are coming. It’s time to give the community back to the people of LA.”
