The Brief

Santa Ana Main Library will close to the public starting June 20 as the library is set to undergo extensive renovations. It is slated to reopen early 2026.

The revamp of the library will result in a new children’s area, a space dedicated for teenagers on the second floor and a refurbished patio area with amphitheater style seating and reading nooks. The 1960 building’s Italian marble facade will also be restored.

Library services during the closure

Santa Ana’s other library, the Newhope library branch, will extend its hours for the time being, adding eight additional hours each week.

Additionally, library services such as borrowing and returning books will also be added to community centers in the city. TeenTime, the Santa Ana Public Library program, aimed at creating a safe space for teenagers to do their homework or just hang out will also be available at some of the community centers.

Patrons can also access library services via Knowledge Mobile, which travels around the city offering programs as well as access to books and other learning materials. For their complete schedule, click here.

Library access in Santa Ana

Santa Ana is Orange County’s second most populous city but is home to just the main library and the Newhope Branch Library. In contrast, Anaheim, the county’s most populated city, has seven libraries. According to the latest available state data, Santa Ana’s main library had over 92,000 visits from July 2021 to June 2022.

The city is set to open a new library branch — with 2,500 square feet — inside the Delhi Center later this year. According to a 2022 staff report, residents in the Delhi neighborhood “have minimal access to library services” since there is no library branch in the south part of Santa Ana. Library services will include STEM and robotics programs specifically aimed towards neurodivergent children, an outdoor learning area as well as programs to help students with homework.

An outdoor branch of the library will also open at Jerome Park early next year. The library will operate on a self service model with 400 items including books and movies available to check out. The space will also have outdoor seating and offer Wi-Fi and will include programs for children as well as seniors.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.

Soccer jerseys from all the national teams who have qualified for the tournament are displayed front and center, especially Mexico’s “El Tri” home kit featured on a mannequin. Colombia’s, Argentina’s, Germany’s and Spain’s jerseys complete the colorful arrangement, with a picture of Spanish player Lamine Yamal holding onto his Adidas shoes.

No team that has made an impact in recent tournaments are absent.

As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.

With the tournament quickly approaching, Niky’s says they’re already seeing a rise in sales.

Sales have risen about 30% across Niky’s stores across L.A. County since the start of the year, according to manager Cynthia Molina, who adds that the Pico Union location is helping drive that trend.

The biggest demand has been for national team jerseys, particularly Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Most national team jerseys typically cost between $100 and $150.

“I feel like, with the excitement going around now, we have a lot of people coming in just asking for jerseys,” Molina said. “So, it’s moving.”

As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.

Customers are buying gear as a way to connect with family, often making the visit to the store a memorable trip, Molina said.

“They’re wanting to support their teams. They’re coming and uniting with their families, sharing that whole experience all together,” Molina said. “People from all over the world are coming in sometimes and checking out the items we have.”

The boost in sales at Niky’s Sports is just a small piece of the economic impact expected when the first World Cup game is held in Inglewood on June 12.

The tournament is projected to generate around $892 million in total economic activity across the county, according to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. Most of this is expected to come from visitor spending on housing, dining, and retail — an estimated $515 million, according to forecasts.

A boost is also expected from businesses increasing their purchasing and hiring more workers. When longer-term tourism gains from global exposure are factored in, total benefits could exceed $1.1 billion.

Officials also anticipate about $50 million in new local tax revenue.

The purchase of at least one jersey can be attributed to Janeth Diron, a local resident and longtime customer of Niky’s Sports, who visited the retailer’s Pico Union location on a recent March afternoon. 

Diron, 34, played soccer in high school and would always get her gear from the Pico Union shop, but on Wednesday she went in to buy her husband a Brazil away jersey. He plans to root for the team in the tournament.

Diron is looking forward to the tournament, even as she prepares to have a baby around the same time.

“I’m excited. I’ll have my husband home, and he’ll be enjoying that,” Diron said laughing.

Other shops are also beginning to feel the early effects of the World Cup. At Sportsland in Westlake, staff are seeing a jump in sales, but at nearby Pepe’s Sports, sales have remained steady. 

“For now, everything is staying normal; there’s still a lot of time,” co-owner Diego Ángel Gómez said, noting that demand usually spikes closer to the start of the tournament. 

The business has been in Westlake for nearly three decades and based on past World Cups, sales can jump dramatically depending on team performance, Gómez said.

As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.

During the last tournament in 2022, Argentina’s championship run drove a sharp increase in demand.

“Argentina saved our business,” he said. Argentina jersey sales nearly doubled, and he ran out of stock. 

He expects a similar pattern this year, with a big rise in sales about a month before kickoff and even more once the matches begin.

At Sports, a shop near MacArthur Park that has been operating for over two decades, sales associate Luis Sánchez said business has remained flat compared with six months ago. He attributes the slower buildup to broader economic and political factors.

“The situation with the government, rising gas prices, lack of jobs, immigration,” Sánchez said, listing what he believes is keeping customers away. Still, he remains optimistic that sales will pick up as the tournament approaches.

“Let’s hope so, we have faith,” he said

Two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers injured when an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night.

Air Canada Flight 8646, operated by regional airline Jazz Aviation, was landing in New York around 11:30 p.m. when it struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.

Officials say 72 passengers and four crew members were on board the flight from Montréal-Trudeau International Airport.

Garcia said at a press conference early Monday that the pilot and first officer, who have not yet been identified, were both killed. She said 41 passengers and crew members were transported to the hospital.

"At this time we understand 32 have been released, but there are also serious injuries," Garcia said early Monday.

The collision happened just before midnight on Sunday.

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Ryan Murphy

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She declined to elaborate on the condition of the nine people who remained hospitalized at the time of the press conference. Air Canada said in a Monday morning statement that it "cannot confirm the exact number of injuries or if there are other fatalities at this time."

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, issued a statement calling "the loss of our two fellow crewmembers onboard Flight 8646 … a profound tragedy."

Garcia deferred many of the reporters' questions to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal agency that investigates civil transportation accidents, which quickly dispatched a go-team to New York.

LaGuardia will be closed until at least 2 p.m. ET on Monday to facilitate that investigation.

Condolences poured in Monday from state and federal leaders on both sides of the border.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the collision "deeply saddening" and said transportation safety officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts on the ground. President Trump, asked about it before boarding Air Force One, called it "terrible:" "They made a mistake. It's a dangerous business."

Air traffic control cleared the vehicle, then tried to stop it

The collision crumpled the front of the passenger jet, tilting its nose upward and forcing passengers to evacuate through emergency exits. Photos from the scene show debris hanging from the exposed cockpit and scattered across the tarmac, as the damaged emergency vehicle lies on its side nearby.

The damaged Port Authority fire truck sits near the runway on Monday. Officials said the two people on board were hospitalized but in stable condition.

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Timothy A. Clary

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Garcia said the two officers on board the Port Authority vehicle were in "stable condition with no life-threatening injuries." The firetruck had been on the runway at the discretion of air traffic control, responding to a separate "odor" incident involving a United Airlines plane, she said.

"Anytime anyone is moving on any of our runways or taxiways, they have to get clearance from the tower," she added.

On an audio feed from the time of the incident, archived on the website LiveATC.net, an air traffic controller can be heard granting clearance to the vehicle to cross the tarmac, then quickly and repeatedly calling on it to stop.

Not long after, a different voice says they have just gotten word the airport will be closed for a while, adding, "that wasn't good to watch."

"I tried to reach out to them, I stopped them," the original voice says. "We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up."

LaGuardia flight cancellations add to travelers' woes

All flights into and out of LaGuardia Airport were cancelled on Monday morning. It's one of three main airports serving the New York City area.

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Michael M. Santiago

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At least 573 flights into or out of LaGuardia were cancelled on Monday, according to a tracker from FlightAware.

Many of those were operated by Delta Airlines, for which LaGuardia is a major hub. The airline said in a statement that it will automatically rebook affected passengers "to the next best itinerary," and that "additional schedule adjustments are possible if the closure extends."

LaGuardia was the 19th busiest airport in the U.S. in 2024, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. It saw about 900 inbound and outbound flights per day in January 2026, according to a Port Authority dashboard.

It is one of the three main airports serving the New York City metropolitan area. Another, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, briefly issued a ground stop on Monday morning after the air traffic control tower was evacuated due to smoke, according to local media.

Travelers pass the time at LaGuardia on Monday morning.

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Steve Kastenbaum for NPR

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Air travel has recently been fraught for many Americans, due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which is now in its sixth week.

Many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, forced to work without pay, have either quit or called out from work, resulting in longer security lines at many airports. The Trump administration said over the weekend that it would be sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist at unspecified airports around the country starting Monday.
Copyright 2026 NPR

Contractors are expected to get the green light Monday from the Port of L.A. to start transforming 12 acres of densely industrial land next to the Wilmington waterfront into a green space called the Avalon Bridge Project and Gateway.

Residents say the project can’t be done soon enough.

“Right now, it's not safe to walk from downtown Wilmington all the way to the waterfront,” said Salvador Lara, who’s lived in Wilmington for 35 years and works for a nonprofit that does clean-ups in the neighborhood.

Until 2024, most Wilmington residents had little reason to walk to the waterfront. That year, officials unveiled the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, a 9-acre open space with picnic areas, grass and a public dock.

Now, residents go there to enjoy the park and trails, as well as free events such as wellness fairs and Dia de los Reyes celebrations. But access remains a problem.

Lucia Moreno-Linares, a Wilmington resident and former L.A. Harbor Commissioner, points to last year’s Shakespeare-by-the-sea event as a good example of the challenge.

“Most people used their car to get there, especially because it was in the evening,” she said. Yet for many residents, it would not have been a long walk, if there was a way to get through the industrial area safely."

She expects the bridge project will make a big difference.

“When the bridge is finished, I think we'll have a better turnout for that event,” she said.

Public officials broke ground in February on the Avalon Bridge Project and Gateway.

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Courtesy Port of L.A.

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The 380-foot bridge will give pedestrians and bicyclists a way to safely cross over working rail lines and avoid port traffic to get to the promenade. The concrete bridge will feature a cable-stayed arch structure.

The Avalon Bridge Project is expected to be completed in 2028. It's part of the Port of L.A.'s decade-old Public Access Investment Plan that's set aside $400 million for waterfront and education projects, including the promenade, the bridge project and San Pedro Town Square. One construction will be a massive sundial.

A rendering of the Avalong Bridge Project and Gateway. It's meant to help people avoid train tracks and truck traffic to walk to a watefront park.

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Courtesy Port of L.A.

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A rendering shows what part of the Avalon Bridge Project is expected to look like when finished in 2028.

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Courtesy Port of L.A.

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The access problems residents hope the bridge project will fix

Just north of the promenade and the future gateway project lie the dense residential and business districts whose roots go back to the mid-19th century.

But the harbor grew massively in the 20th century, with railroad tracks and heavy container truck traffic popping up between those residents and the water.

Now that the waterfront promenade includes places for people to walk, ride their bikes and grass on which to lay a picnic blanket, the industrial area acts as a barrier.

The Avalon Bridge Project gives pedestrians a way to safely skip over those hurdles. It's designed to improve the quality of life of residents, who for generations have sacrificed a lot for being on the doorstep of the massive Port of L.A.

“What makes this project special is that it's all about more than just building infrastructure,” said Port of L.A. executive director Gene Seroka at a recent briefing. “It's about giving Wilmington residents direct access to their own waterfront and creating spaces where the community can gather and connect.”

I went to get my hair cut last week, and when I pulled into the driveway of the salon, I saw the biggest lizard I've ever seen in Southern California — and this was in West Adams, nowhere near a hiking trail! Turns out I’m not alone. As Jacob Margolis reported last week, alligator lizards and other scaly friends are having a field day with this weather. And while I was sufficiently freaked out by my sighting in our urban jungle, the real risk of the early warm weather is to them, not us.

Sing your lizard heart out this week with Licorice Pizza’s music calendar. On Monday, K-pop girl group Hearts2Hearts will be at the Grammy Museum as part of the museum’s Global Spin Live program, while Lady Blackbird, aka the “Grace Jones of jazz,” is at the Blue Note.

On Tuesday, there’s a very special show at the El Rey with the Dirty Three, featuring Warren Ellis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, while country-pop troubadour Lindsay Ell is at the Troubadour.

On Wednesday, L.A. garage band ALEXSUCKS plays the El Rey, misleadingly named folk singer Skullcrusher plays the Lodge Room and there will be a rebirth of slick with alternative hip-hop legend Digable Planets at the Blue Note (they’re also there on Thursday). Also on Thursday, metal band Bad Omens plays the Forum, and veteran indie band Voxtrot is at cool new Chinatown venue Pacific Electric.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about how the Iranian community in L.A. is celebrating Nowruz in wartime, head to North Hills for a late-night Filipino grocery store rave (yes, you read that right) and get a ticket for Kai Ryssdal’s special Marketplace Live event on March 29.

Events

Silent film screening with music: The Cruise of the Jasper B and The Yankee Clipper

Monday, March 23, 7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Heritage Museum 
2100 N Highland Ave., Hollywood
COST: $10; MORE INFO

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Courtesy Hollywood Heritage

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Catch a double feature of silent films — The Cruise of the Jasper B (1926) and The Yankee Clipper (1927) — projected from 16mm Kodascope prints, with live accompaniment by Jon Mirsalis. The two films are both part of a celebration of the DeMille Pictures Corporation (as in Cecil B.); the first is a comedy starring Rod LaRocque and Mildred Harris; the second is not about Joe DiMaggio, but is an adventure about the U.S. and Great Britain’s seafaring rivalry.

Michael Orland’s Broadway Sing-Along

Wednesday, March 25, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 
Three Clubs 
1123 Vine Street, Hollywood
COST: $28; MORE INFO

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Jonathan Sadowski

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Eventbrite

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A Broadway sing-along with American Idol’s in-house pianist? Say no more. I’m prepping my best rendition of “Defying Gravity” as we speak. Sign up to sing with pianist Michael Orland, or just sing along with other Broadway fanatics.

Dolores: Group exhibition

Through Sunday, April 12
Plaza de la Raza Boathouse Gallery
3540 N. Mission Road, Lincoln Heights
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Barbara Carrasco

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Plaza de la Raza

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This group exhibit honoring Dolores Huerta, a trailblazer, survivor and farmworkers’ rights activist, could not be better timed. While the news about César Chávez's history of abuse is harrowing, this show is a chance to honor Huerta and her work for the greater good of farmworkers and California writ large — and view the farmworkers’ movement through the eyes of artists of all stripes.

Sister Dreamer

Through September 2027
Wednesdays to Sundays 
1810 W. 76th Street, South Central L.A. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Lauren Halsey, who's from South Central, had a vision to create a sculpture park in her home neighborhood for years, and it’s finally a reality. Sister Dreamer, the artist’s “architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles,” is a new monument, attraction, gathering spot and homage to innovation to be enjoyed by all.

Dragon Mama

Through Sunday, April 12
Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood 
COST: FROM $39; MORE INFO

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Jeff Lorch

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Geffen Playhouse

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The second installment of the popular Dragon Cycle series about a Filipina woman’s relationship with her mother, her culture, her queerness and her love life recently opened at the Geffen Playhouse to rave reviews. The one-woman show Dragon Mama follows last year’s Dragon Lady, and is written and performed by Sara Porkalob. It’s peppered with ghosts, Filipino gangsters and a '90s R&B soundtrack.

Secret Walls: Wet Paint LA

Through Saturday, April 4
2272 Venice Blvd., Harvard Heights
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Secret Walls

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Eventbrite

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Graffiti as a movement and as an art takes center stage at Secret Walls' first Wet Paint show in Los Angeles. It features graffiti artists including CAN2, MERLOT, JOSE MERTZ, JOSHUA VIDES, YES2 and many more.

A Celebration of Ralph Steadman: A Live Show 

Wednesday, March 25, 8 p.m. 
Actors’ Gang
9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City 
COST: $58; MORE INFO

Exhibit through Saturday, May 9 
Ralph Steadman
Torrance Art Museum
3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Ralph Steadman

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Courtesy Torrance Art Museum

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The writings and illustrations of Ralph Steadman (most famous for his illustrations of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s work) is the focus of an evening on stage at the Actors’ Gang in Culver City. It will feature readings by Josh Brolin, Michael C. Mahon and Pat Healey; singing by Kim Chase; and an introduction by Steadman’s youngest daughter, Sadie Williams. Can’t make the stage show? Head to Torrance Art Museum through May 9 for an exhibit that features more than 140 drawings and other works of Steadman’s, including illustrations for Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Plus, check out the Gonzo Art Trail around the L.A. area that the museum has created, which challenges users to a scavenger hunt for Steadman’s SoCal inspirations, and includes events like the Actors’ Gang show throughout the exhibition’s lifecycle.

Regarding Her reception and cooking classes

Monday, March 23, 5:30 p.m.
Maydan Market 
4301 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams
COST: $108; MORE INFO

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Ashley Randall Photography

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Rose Previte, the founder of new West Adams hotspot Maydan Market, joins women’s culinary organization Regarding Her for a cooking class and networking evening at the hip space. Several other big-name L.A. female chefs will join Previte for the event, which invites foodies to participate in an array of intimate cooking classes. You can make Guerrerense tamales with Heidie Irra from Maléna; indigenous Oaxacan chocolate and atole with Odilia Romero and chef Evelyn Gregorio from Lugya’h; market fruit hand pies with Anastashia Chavez from Inglewood’s Cadoro Bakery; Korean pork mandu with Deborah Pak from legendary Koreatown institution Soban; and gnocchetti sardi with Victoria Bermudez from Leona, a micro-batch pasta shop in Los Feliz.