The Brief

After years of delays, LAX’s automated people mover train finally has an official completion date and could welcome riders as soon as January 2026.

The holdup was due to a series of disputes between Los Angeles World Airports and the project’s contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS). Airport officials approved a sweeping settlement Thursday, structured with $550 million in incentives to ensure the builder gets the job done on time.

Once complete, the automated people mover is expected to carry more than 30 million people to and from the airport in its first year

Fast forward to 2028, it will shuttle thousands of spectators of the 2028 Olympic Games toward SoFi Stadium to many of the city’s new Metro connections, bike shares, and sports arenas.

How did we get here?

Delays began piling up after both parties disagreed over the project’s timeline, technology access, conflicts with local municipalities, and compensation, as LAist reported. Since then, an independent mediator sided with the contractor and said “LAWA failed to act in good faith and comply with the contract documents."

In exchange for resolving all existing contract disputes, LINXS will get a deadline extension and additional funding. Builders are now slated to complete construction by Dec. 8, 2025.

What’s taking so long?

You can already see much of the 2.25-mile elevated train track threading between buildings and the freeway. At first glance, the automated people mover looks finished, which is why the extended timeline has let down some travelers looking to use it.

“Unfortunately, this is par for the course for transit projects in general across the U.S.,” said Jacob Wasserman, the lead public transportation researcher at UCLA. “Cost overruns, and delays like this are frustrating, especially when they report the project is 95% or 96% completed.”

But it's in the final stretch that Wasserman said projects like the people mover face roadblocks as builders rigorously test the train system, and in many cases, they find issues.

“It's when they resolve outstanding claims for things that the contractor and the public sector disagree about, and how much it costs. So that's what they're doing now at the airport authority.” Wasserman said.

Other deadline busters that added to the timeline included permit delays and unexpected construction roadblocks like utility and other engineering challenges.

About the settlement

Thursday’s settlement will only disburse funds to builders as they achieve specific milestones to reach the December 2025 deadline. The agreement resolves more than 80 claims and disputes between the parties.

The biggest win for LAWA is that a date of completion is baked into the contract, said Jacob Adams, executive director of the project.

“One of the biggest things for me personally is allowing my team and the LINXS team to be able to focus on the job, instead of resolving all of these technical issues," he said.

Other outstanding disputes include issues like COVID-19 cost increases, but officials said they plan to settle those after the project is completed.

What's next?

The L.A. City Council still needs to OK the new funding, but Wasserman said it’s likely the settlement will be approved. A vote has yet to be scheduled.

Los Angeles voters could soon get another chance to weigh in on Measure ULA, better known as the city’s “mansion tax.”

First approved by voters in November 2022, the measure has taxed real estate selling for more than $5 million. It funds tenant protection programs and affordable housing construction.

But economists have found that because the tax also applies to apartments — not just mansions — housing developers are pulling back on building in the city compared to other parts of L.A. County. One UCLA study concluded the city would have more low-income units on balance if the tax did not apply to new apartments.

Now, there’s a new effort brewing at City Hall to change how the “mansion tax” works.

City Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, introduced a motion Friday to place a new measure on the June ballot. The ballot measure would ask voters to exempt recently constructed apartment buildings from the tax, among other changes.

“We've seen some real pressures on the market as a result of ULA,” Raman told LAist. “It was sold to voters and talked about as a mansion tax. I don't think it was intended to slow the construction of new apartments in a city with an acknowledged and widespread housing crisis.”

Supporters of the tax say it’s working as intended. They dispute claims that ULA is responsible for slower housing growth in the city.

No council votes have yet been taken.

Local reform effort follows failed state bill

Supporters say the tax has funded eviction defense and rent relief programs. It has also produced the city’s largest-ever pot of money for low-income housing development, though less than 200 apartments have been completed and leased so far.

Joe Donlin, director of the group United to House L.A., called the latest reform effort “irresponsible.”

The proposed tax exemption for apartments built within the last 15 years would be “a tax break for developers and billionaires,” Donlin said.

“That would be giving money away from ULA programs that are protecting renters, that are keeping people from falling into homelessness, and building affordable housing,” he said.

Raman’s motion would also cancel the tax on homeowners affected by the Palisades Fire. Another change would restructure certain financing terms in order to attract traditional lenders to participate in ULA-funded affordable housing projects.

Many of the changes are similar to those proposed by state lawmakers in a bill that failed to advance at the tail end of last year’s legislative session in Sacramento.

Dueling effort at repeal is underway 

But those who support reform say without some changes, the tax could soon be thrown out entirely. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is collecting signatures for a separate ballot measure that would overturn not just Measure ULA, but similar taxes across the state.

Mott Smith, a reform proponent and the co-author of a UCLA study that found the tax had sharply reduced high-end real estate sales, said this is shaping up to be a tough political fight.

“I commend Councilmember Raman for doing her best to turn Measure ULA into something that might actually work before it goes away,” Smith said.

Some L.A. council members have already signaled opposition to the push for reform.

Alejandra Alarcon, a spokesperson for Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, said in a statement to LAist that Jurado opposes the motion as written.

“Voters overwhelmingly supported ULA to help build and sustain diverse communities,” the statement read. “Any changes to the measure should be made with community advocates at the table, not without them.”

What’s next?

The new City Council effort has a long way to go before any changes are made to the tax.

If a majority of the council approves it for the June ballot, a majority of local voters would need to sign off on changing a measure that received nearly 58% support from voters back in November 2022.

The eagle (egg) has landed.

Southern California's famous bald eagle couple, known as Jackie and Shadow, appear to have something new to take care of, as seen on the popular YouTube livestream run by Friends of Big Bear Valley that has captivated thousands of people.

Jackie laid the first egg of the season around 4:30 p.m. Friday in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, according to organization records, as more than 14,000 people watched the livestream.

In recent months, the birds were seen working on their "nestorations"— bringing in fresh sticks and fluff furnishings to the top of the Jeffrey pine tree they’ve claimed as their home, according to the nonprofit.

Last year, Jackie laid the first egg of that season around the same time, following up with a second and third a few days later.

Fans are once again eagerly watching the eagles for signs of more eggs in the clutch, which refers to the eggs laid in each nesting attempt, usually three days apart.

Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media and website manager, told LAist the Big Bear bald eagle fan community grew when the couple successfully raised two bald eagle chicks, Sunny and Gizmo, last season.

“The building of the nest, the bonding, the flirting, the mating, the bickering, the moving the sticks around, defending against intruders, you know, that's all been new for a lot of people,” she said.

“People are all kind of like nervous aunties and uncles,” she continued. “So we just try to keep everybody calm.”

As always, Jackie and Shadow are in charge. Fans will have to wait and see what this season will bring, Voisard said.

What to watch for

Friends of Big Bear Valley has been keeping track of the nesting season milestones, including a new daily record of at least 28 sticks delivered to the nest in November. The eagles’ previous single-day stick record was 25, according to the organization.

Other milestones include Shadow dropping off the first fluff in December, and the first mating a few weeks later.

“Pancaking” is a term Friends of Big Bear Valley uses to describe when the eagles lay flat in their nest bowl, before the eggs have arrived, for increasingly longer stretches of time.

The organization said Jackie had her longest “pancake session” of the season so far this week, laying in the nest for a little more than a half hour.

“That activity is a sign that we're getting closer to egg-laying,” Voisard said. “[Jackie’s] doing a few things, she's making the shape and she's testing it out.”

Jackie will likely also eat more fish from the nest so she has enough energy for the egg-laying process, Voisard said. Last January, the eagles brought two fish to the nest in the hours before the first egg was laid and three fish a day earlier, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.

When eggs are imminent, she said Jackie will “pancake” on the nest for long periods of time before rousing and puffing up her feathers. Then, Jackie typically makes a high-pitched, whistling tea kettle noise as she has contractions, according to the organization.

On Friday, Jackie made the tea kettle noise about three minutes before the first egg was laid, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records.

“She looks almost royal, because all of her feathers are out and it's just — I cry,” Voisard said with a laugh. “It's usually pretty amazing.”

The eagles know best

While there are signs of new life coming to the nest, every season is different for Jackie and Shadow, and Friends of Big Bear Valley is encouraging people to be patient.

It was unseasonably warm in the area this past fall, and last season was the first time Jackie and Shadow successfully raised two chicks to fly away from the nest instead of just one. The organization has said both factors could delay this season’s egg-laying timeline.

“I'm sure [two] was a lot more work than with just one,” Sandy Steers, executive director of the organization, told LAist previously. “So I think that had something to do with them needing a longer break.”

And some seasons have ended with an empty nest, including in 2024 and 2023 when both sets of eggs didn’t hatch after weeks of waiting.

Voisard said while we can’t predict what’s going to happen this year, fans don’t have to watch in fear or let human emotions get in the way of enjoying the eagle experience.

“We feel all of the feels with Jackie and Shadow … happiness, laughter, we get worried, we feel joy, we felt sorrow,” she said. “It's all OK, and Jackie and Shadow move forward, no matter what.”

Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear's famous bald eagle nest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

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Friends of Big Bear Valley

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YouTube

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Several hundred people gathered at La Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon, in solidarity with protesters nationwide who are calling for immigration agents to get out of their communities.

The eclectic crowd of Angelenos included high school and college students; veterans; clergy members; unions; local politicians; and parents who took the day off from work.

At a rally in the historic center, several people held up signs calling for “Justice for Renee Nicole Good,” the woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Other protesters carried signs bearing the names and faces of those who’ve died in immigrant detention centers during the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort. One protester held up a sign that simply read: “Due Process. Google it.”

Impact on families  

Centro CSO, a local grassroots organization, made sure students participating in the protest made it safely from school to La Placita Olvera.

“We were getting messages from parents asking if we can help their children get safe passage to get here, because the organization that set this up, [they] were calling for students to walk out, but [they] weren't really providing any guidance or protection,” said Verita Topete, co-chair of the group’s immigration committee.

Students see immigration enforcement activity taking place locally and in other states, and they want to get politically involved, Topete added.

Students from Roosevelt and Mendez high schools joined the march. Both campuses are on the eastside of town, where raids have been rampant.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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That was the case for eleventh grader Jazz, who said she walked out of school on Friday to speak up for those who can’t.

“My mom is very brave. Ever since I was little, my mom has never once backed down from a fight,” Jazz said. “And to see her hide away for the first time in her life really spoke to me. It made me really upset.”

Laura Pastor, a freshman at Cal State L.A., said she’s been inspired by anti-ICE activism across the country, especially among students.

“I'm holding a sign that says ‘Justice for Renee Nicole Good,’” Pastor said. “Not only did she represent an American citizen, but a white American citizen. That means that anybody could be a target now, and I think more people are starting to see that.”

Good’s death and those of people held in detention centers moved Pastor and others at the event to call for changes to enforcement policy.

For some, the demonstration on Friday was a family affair. Tina Ponce joined the call to action along with her 17-year-old daughter, Loki.

“Everything that's going on, it's too close to home. It feels like my ancestors went through this, and it's just a repeat,” Ponce said. “We have to do better.”

What’s the point of protest?  

Following the rally at La Placita Olvera, the protesters marched to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrant detainees are often taken for initial processing. There, organizers asked everyone to face northeast, toward Minnesota. Then, as some of them kneeled, they sang “Hold On” in unison.

At the event, some protesters resolved to boycott Home Depot until the company agrees to intervene with the arrests of people in and around their stores. Others, including state senator Renée Pérez, vowed to ensure a state law that requires immigration agents to unmask is fully implemented.

Raúl García, an elementary school teacher in East L.A., said he knows a single protest won’t change the nation’s immigration policy — but he did not find it futile.

Laura Pastor, a freshman at Cal State L.A., made time to participate in the protest before heading to her internship.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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He said he recently asked his students to write about what they’re afraid of. When he gathered their response, one student wrote: “I’m scared ICE will take my mom.”

“Then I saw multiple entries [with] similar sentiments,” he added. “I was heartbroken.”

For García, it was enough to meet like-minded people and continue organizing.