The Brief

Some neighbors in Torrance’s Sleepy Hollow are mourning a holiday tradition — selling hot chocolate from their front yards.

The decorative, string-light lined community draws visitors from all over, bringing long lines of cars and crowded sidewalks. But residents are no longer allowed to sell festive drinks or small snacks once the sun goes down, or anywhere outside their home.

This fall, the Torrance City Council expressed concerns about safety and cost around the popular attraction, rejecting a move that would’ve allowed front yard food sales citywide until 9 p.m. in December.

James Casale, who’s lived in Sleepy Hollow (officially known as Seaside Ranchos) for nearly 20 years, used to sell churros from a “Churro Tron,” homemade cookies, and drinks with his family.

But now, his small stand has a sign that reads “this local tradition has been banned by the Torrance City Council,”and he told LAist it’s a shame.

“ We have a lot of new families in the neighborhood and those kids are not going to be able to have the same experiences that our kids have had,” he said. “I think tradition is very important to us, and I'd like to see it continue. Unfortunately, I don't see how this can be resolved.”

How we got here

The Torrance City Council considered amending the Cottage Food Pilot Program, which allowed residents of Sleepy Hollow to sell food items from their driveway between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The sellers also needed a city business license and have registered with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

That program expired more than two years ago and wasn’t renewed.

The 2022 season was treated as an educational period, and the city ended up making an exception the following year that allowed food sales within front yards from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Currently, people are allowed to sell food directly from their homes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. A proposed ordinance that would have allowed front yard food sales until 9 p.m. during December was rejected by the City Council during its Sep. 24 meeting.

Cars driving through the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in Torrance.

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Officials estimated it would have cost the city nearly $200,000 to support this year’s event, mostly for traffic control and code enforcement, which Councilmember Bridgett Lewis said is “ludicrous.”

“ I just can't sit here and justify spending 200 grand on a non-city sanctioned event,” she said.

Councilmember Jon Kaji said the holiday lights has  morphed into an attraction that outstrips the city's ability to control and properly manage it. He added that the neighborhood becomes so crowded it's “dangerous.”

“ We have to bring down the hammer at some point, and I think that point is now,” he said.

Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci, on the other hand, supported the move. He said the 5 p.m. cut-off punishes homeowners in a neighborhood that lights up after dark.

Mattucci didn’t immediately respond to LAist’s request for an interview.

What visitors and homeowners say

Casale has been bombarded with questions about the sweet treats he used to sell, even before the big Christmas rush, so he decided to make a statement with the sign on his stand.

 James Casale uses his former food stand to make a statement.

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He has fond memories of handing out hot chocolate with his now-grown daughters, who he said would use some of the sales to raise money for their soccer teams, Girl Scouts, and color guard.

“ I hate to see this tradition go away because it was really spectacular for my kids growing up,” he said.

Casale acknowledged that Sleepy Hollow has had issues with outside vendors setting up in people’s driveways and evading code enforcement officers, which he said detracted from the “wholesome” and “magical” event.

And although he still enjoys seeing the lights, the ukulele orchestra, and drum line down the street, he’s disappointed by the city’s decision.

“ It's just really sad to me,” he said.

Mona Sullivan, who lives in Palos Verdes and stops by Sleepy Hollow almost every year with her family, told LAist she understands why homeowners might be upset, but she almost couldn’t make it down the block last season.

“As a person who walks through the street, it's dramatically more peaceful,” she said. “It doesn't feel like Disneyland, it just feels like a more personal, peaceful [experience].”

How enforcement works

People are not allowed to sell food from outside their home, or from their home, between the hours of 5:01 p.m. and 8:59 a.m., city officials confirmed to LAist.

People could be cited for selling in those unpermitted hours or outside the home, such as from an attached garage or driveway. The first citation would be $100, the second would be $200, and any additional citations would be $500.

“ What that means is when code enforcement goes out there, anybody who is vending from their home, they will be cited and told they will continue to be cited as long as they are vending,” said Michelle Ramirez, community development director, at the Sep. 24 council meeting.

Stationary vendors are not allowed within residential areas. And roaming vendors are banned in areas with narrow sidewalks, which city officials noted applies to Sleepy Hollow.

Those vendors could be asked to leave the area. If they stick around, and a code enforcement officer is able to get their identification information, they would be cited.

You can find more information about the holiday lights here, including frequently asked questions about food sales and parking restrictions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

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

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

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

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

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

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

Board members

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Getting venues ready will be expensive

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

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

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

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

Topline:

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

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

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

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

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

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

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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