Yusra Farzan
reports on issues affecting current and future college students, their families and communities.
Published January 15, 2024 3:53 PM
Kids shared their dreams for the world as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday clothing drive and community breakfast at 42nd Street Elementary School in Leimert Park.
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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Topline:
In 1994, Congress designated Dr. Martin Luther King Day as a national day of service. And in that spirit, thousands of volunteers descended on the Coliseum to pack hygiene kits, make no sew blankets, create mosaic murals, build ready-to-eat meal kits and hear from nonprofits on the work they do and how to get involved at an event organized by L.A. Works, a local volunteering organization.
The Coliseum venue was especially significant given that Dr. King spoke there 60 years ago to a multifaith audience urging the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Why it matters: “This bill does not pass with strength, the already ugly sort of racial injustice on the body politics may suddenly turn malignant,” Dr. King said in the 1964 address. “And our nation may well be inflicted with an incurable cancer that will destroy our political and moral health. And so for the health of this nation, it is necessary to pass this bill.”
The Civil Rights Act passed a few weeks later ending discrimination based on sex, gender, race, religion, color and national origin.
Other events: The annual Kingdom Day parade, the nation’s oldest, kicked off from West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 10 a.m. and headed down Crenshaw Boulevard to ceremonies in Leimert Park.
In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass, who was among the parade participants, said, "Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who brought transformative change to the country and the world on behalf of our most vulnerable communities."
Nearby in Leimert Park, hundreds of volunteers gathered at 42nd Street Elementary School to pack winter clothing kits complete with scarves, beanies and socks.
Shelley Claborn drove from Los Alamitos to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Monday morning with her 11-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Her son, she said, wanted to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and spend the day volunteering.
“I go by it's a day on, not a day off, and so we always try to do something,” she said. “I'm helping them understand the importance of what Dr. Martin Luther King stood for in helping others. So, usually we're at the California African American Museum or we're volunteering.”
Young volunteers posed for photos during the L.A. Works MLK Day Volunteer Festival at the L.A. Coliseum
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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Claborn was not the only one. In 1994, Congress designated Dr. Martin Luther King Day as a national day of service. And in that spirit, thousands of volunteers descended on the Coliseum to pack hygiene kits, make no-sew blankets, create mosaic murals, build ready-to-eat meal kits and hear from nonprofits on the work they do and how to get involved at an event organized by L.A. Works, a local volunteering organization.
The Coliseum venue was especially significant given that Dr. King spoke there 60 years ago to a multifaith audience urging the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Children work on a mosaic design at 42nd Street Elementary School in Leimert Park, where a volunteer clothing drive and community breakfast took place to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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“This bill does not pass with strength, the already ugly sort of racial injustice on the body politics may suddenly turn malignant,” Dr. King said in the 1964 address. “And our nation may well be inflicted with an incurable cancer that will destroy our political and moral health. And so for the health of this nation, it is necessary to pass this bill.”
The Civil Rights Act passed a few weeks later ending discrimination based on sex, gender, race, religion, color and national origin.
Bailor Jalloh, a 22-year-old student from Sierra Leone who was volunteering at the Coliseum on Monday, said he wished he was old enough to hear the speech.
“He's one of the greatest civil rights leaders ever, and I've read about him, I've studied some of his works,” he said. “I've listened to him talk. I try to shape my life according to the way he lived it.”
Kids worked on a mural project as part of Martin Luther King Jr. holiday activities at 42nd Street Elementary School in Leimert Park
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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For Jalloh, there was “no better way” to spend his time than honoring Dr. King.
As he stuck pieces of ceramic on a mural, he said that Dr. King’s message, especially his quote "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” is relevant today given that there are conflicts happening worldwide.
“He was always for peace, trying to get people to see the human side of us where we can communicate, see our differences and come to a conclusion,” Jalloh said.
People from the armed forces march in the 39th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles.
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Olivia Wong
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Getty Images
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The Coliseum event was one of many commemorations throughout Southern California of both Dr. King’s birthday — Jan. 15, 1929 — and the National Day of Service. The annual Kingdom Day parade, the nation’s oldest, kicked off from West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 10 a.m. and headed down Crenshaw Boulevard to ceremonies in Leimert Park.
The Cathedral City High School Ballet Folklorico perform in the 39th Annual Kingdom Day Parade on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2024.
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Olivia Wong
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Getty Images
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In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass, who was among the parade participants, said, "Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who brought transformative change to the country and the world on behalf of our most vulnerable communities. Now, as we confront the homelessness crisis on our streets, we must continue Dr. King’s mission. The inequality is staggering, with more than 70% of unhoused Angelenos being people of color. While we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King today, we must recommit to confronting this crisis of our time. Bringing unhoused Angelenos inside is a matter of life or death.”
Kids shared their dreams for the world as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday clothing drive and community breakfast at 42nd Street Elementary School in Leimert Park.
(
Yusra Farzan
/
LAist
)
Nearby in Leimert Park, hundreds of volunteers gathered at 42nd Street Elementary School to pack winter clothing kits complete with scarves, beanies and socks. Among them was McKenzie Neely-Wright, an Inglewood resident.
“Martin Luther King's message is more important now than it has been ever. We're in a time where we're more divided than ever in this country. And we've lost this understanding of equality and everyone coming together,” she said. “And so, being able to serve and do something like this, that is a benefit to people who don't just look like me, but that also are just minorities and or people that are in need is important.”
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published September 10, 2026 5:00 AM
A fruit vendor sells on Whittier Boulevard in East L.A.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
A recent AirTalk segment highlights the decades-long debate over street vending in Los Angeles. Despite efforts by the City Council and statewide law, enforcement remains murky at best, even though it's a fixture of Los Angeles culture.
Why now? During a recent debate, Mayor Karen Bass made a series of comments that cast street vending in an unsavory light, prompting an almost immediate backlash from her opponent, Nithya Raman, who has devised her own nine-point plan to address street vending if elected.
Why is it important? Street vendors are as much a part of L.A.'s identity as its restaurants — but the system meant to support them is so broken that only a fraction operate with full legal standing. As this becomes a defining issue in the mayor's race, it's worth knowing the difference between political rhetoric and how the rules actually work on the ground.
Last month, street vending became a flashpoint during one of the recent debates for L.A. mayor when incumbent Karen Bass said, "I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant. Period," drawing a comparison to unhoused encampments.
The remarks set off an almost immediate backlash. Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, who has her own 9-point plan to support street vendors, said Bass "took a shot" at the street vending community and reiterated her commitment to work toward regulations and legalizing their operations.
Bass's office later eased its stance, saying it had directed the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors — and to dismiss any that had been issued in error.
Street vending remains part of the Los Angeles landscape, and the backlash from the debate brought to light just how confusing its legality can be. To understand how we got here, it helps to start with the basics.
Is street vending legal?
Yes. Since SB 946 in 2018, state law has decriminalized it. That means cities and counties can't criminally cite vendors or ban them from specific zones. They can, however, still enforce health and safety rules — things like sidewalk clearance and ADA access.
So why does it feel unregulated?
On a recent segment forAirTalk, Memo Torres ofL.A. Taco pointed to a stark gap between L.A.'s vending population and its permitted vendors. According to an email from the California Restaurant Association reported byFOX 11, an estimated 50,000 street vendors operate across Los Angeles — yet only 53 hold permits specifically for food sales.
Why so few permits?
Vending requirements largely mirror restaurant-grade standards — large refrigeration units, multi-basin sinks — that don't fit the reality of most vendor setups: flat-top griddles, folding tables, pop-up tents.
That isn't to say there haven't been efforts by the city to address the permitting gap. In 2024, the City Council, with Raman's backing, voted to drop the annual permit fee from $541 to $27.51.
Raman's mayoral campaign has since proposed another potential fix: extending a state permit category — currently used by vendors at farmers markets who share equipment like a communal three-compartment sink — to street vendors, so operators wouldn't need their own restaurant-grade setup to qualify.
What about health and safety?
County health inspectors technically oversee street food vendors, but both industry and vendor advocates agree enforcement is inconsistent — leaving reliable data on violations hard to come by.
Are vendors and restaurants actually enemies?
A 2015 Economic Roundtable study found that businesses located near street vendors were more likely to see job growth than those without nearby vendors.
What’s next
Proposals like Raman's permitting reforms aim to close the gap — but for now, most of L.A.'s vendors remain outside the formal system.
Outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the NFL game between the Rams and 49ers. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
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Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
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Associated Press
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Topline:
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
Why it matters: The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The backstory: The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment. The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
What's next: The Rams and 49ers kick off at 5:35 p.m. Thursday night on Netflix.
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium.
The NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they made this epic journey have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studded rosters preparing to put on a show.
The 49ers have been Down Under for more than a week, adjusting their body clocks in the traditional manner and winning over thousands of Aussie fans who appreciate their commitment to the historic moment.
The Rams were only scheduled to arrive in Melbourne around dawn Thursday, roughly 28 hours before the Friday morning kickoff that’s necessary to play the game Thursday night in prime time in the U.S. That’s because head coach Sean McVay is convinced they can thwart jet lag and optimize their game readiness by staying home on California time.
Both teams agree this contrast in preparation is not a referendum on the best way to handle a pair of 16-hour flights with a football game in between — even if the rest of the world might see it that way after the final whistle.
Instead, this game is primarily a difficult early test for both the Super Bowl favorite Rams and the talent-laden 49ers, who also intend to be a title challenger. The coaching staffs and veteran players all know each other thoroughly after a decade of competition between Shanahan and McVay, who are both constantly looking for an edge.
“I don’t think there’s any right way to do it,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who will make his Rams debut in Australia. “They have a plan, and I’m sure they consulted different teams and people to find out a way to combat jet lag and such long travel. We’ve done the same thing. I think we’re both riding our methodologies.”
Garrett will be joined by star cornerback Trent McDuffie and cornerback Jaylen Watson in their debuts with Los Angeles’ revamped defense.
“I’ve never been more excited to be wrong about something,” Shanahan said.
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Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published September 9, 2026 6:36 PM
The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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Topline:
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, specifically looking into whether L.A. County has failed to provide environmentally safe, humane and habitable conditions for people held there.
The details: The jail has long been plagued by allegations of poor conditions. Monitors from the American Civil Liberties Union have documented problems including overcrowding, severe mold and mildew, and rodent infestations.
The context: The federal investigation is expected to focus on conditions within the facility and not the actions of the county sheriff’s deputies who staff it, according to the Justice Department. The new investigation is separate from a 2015 settlement between the county and federal government, which stemmed from allegations of inadequate mental health care provided at county jails.
What happens next: Investigators will determine whether the county has violated the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, and 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
Reaction: L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger welcomed the investigation, and said she had said for year that the jail was “antiquated, inhumane, and unfit for our workforce and those incarcerated there.”
Jason Wells
manages the daily news product that you hear and read every day.
Published September 9, 2026 5:13 PM
Smoke rises from a brush fire near the Getty Center on Sept. 9, 2026.
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CBS LA
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Topline:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
What we know so far: As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This story is no longer being actively updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above. Forward progress of the fire was reported stopped shortly after 6 p.m. at a little over 20 acres.
