The Brief

Welcome to 2025! We hope you enjoyed lots of food and drink over the holiday season, and if you’ve resolved to get a few more steps each day in the new year, we can help with that.

Our resolution inside the LAist newsroom is to continue to serve you with hard hitting investigative coverage, drool-worthy food stories, A+ education coverage and everything in between.

Here’s a look at some of our coverage plans for the new year:

Do sentencing

Former O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do is scheduled to be sentenced March 31 on his plea to conspiracy to commit bribery. Prosecutors say Do accepted over $550,000 in bribes for directing over $10 million in COVID funds to a nonprofit that his youngest daughter helped lead. Authorities say they continue to investigate the misuse of taxpayer funds directed by the former supervisor, which was first uncovered by LAist reporter Nick Gerda.

New year, new nest

The saga of Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagle couple in Big Bear that have become internet famous over the years, continues in 2025. Last year, Jackie laid three eggs. But fans monitoring the livestream of their nest were left heart broken when none of them hatched despite the couple’s best efforts. This year, hope renews as Jackie and Shadow set up a new nest and try again — and we’ll all be watching.

Jackie and Shadow at their nest. (Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook page)

What will rainy season bring?

Land movement in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes may have slowed from an unprecedented 1 foot a week to an average 2.7 inches, but residents are bracing themselves for the winter rain season, which could lead to even more destruction. Will the city’s underground de-watering efforts be enough? LAist's Yusra Farzan will be keeping close tabs on these developments.

Local climate action

LAist climate reporter Erin Stone is looking forward to digging into more stories that show how climate solutions intersect with other issues that affect our quality of life. Erin will be keeping track of the efforts to create a more sustainable water supply and waste system, as well as the challenge and opportunities of shifting to an electric economy. She also plans to explore how housing and affordability intersect with climate change. Erin will also be keeping an eye on what a Trump presidency may mean for local climate action.

Sustainable eats

In terms of food and drink, Gab Chabran will continue to scour the city for restaurants, chefs and trends you should know about. In particular, how chefs are working more sustainably. One emerging concept is "zero waste" restaurants and cooking — using every part of whatever you’re cooking. For example, using a diced onion for a particular dish, and using the rest of it (skin and all) to enrich a stock. Another top on his radar is is sourcing suppliers locally, which cuts down on truck emissions.

And while Los Angeles remains the strong beating heart of the SoCal culinary scene, we’re going to explore further in Orange County, too, where more and more excellent eateries have been opening up.

Executive Chef Philip, at Heritage Restaurant in Long Beach, which has been honored for its sustainability efforts.

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On the education beat

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid finally seems to be working, but, last school year, students encountered glitches and delays that put their futures in jeopardy. Now, students in mixed-status families are making tough choices about whether to apply. LAist's Julia Barajas will be closely following those developments. She'll also dig deeper into why barriers to student success come about in the first place, and why higher ed often promises more than it can deliver.

Following the money

Voters approved more than $15 billion of taxpayer funded school repairs and construction in L.A. and Orange counties this election cycle. LAist's Mariana Dale will closely follow how districts are spending the money, especially considering that there are fewer students in many Southern California classrooms than a decade ago.

What about the students?

The University of California system is set to cut a half billion dollars in spending this fiscal year. The much larger California State University is set to cut about twice as much. Some campuses are feeling the hurt more than others. The big question that LAist's Adolfo-Guzman Lopez will be asking: How will cuts affect students?

Early childhood education

Backpacks hanging outside the TK classroom at Will Rogers Elementary School.

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California is currently in the midst of rolling out an entirely new grade for 4-year-olds called transitional kindergarten, or TK, that is offered at public schools. And it’s a huge deal. LAist's Elly Yu will follow how districts are filling their teacher spots, and making classrooms appropriate for these young students. And we’re curious to hear from parents about how it’s going, and what effect it’s having on the existing preschool system.

AAPI communities

LAist's Josie Huang says that as part of her coverage of AAPI communities she’ll be closely following President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to abolish birthright citizenship. (The constitution says anyone born in the United States is automatically a U.S. citizen. This was affirmed in 1898 with the landmark case of Wong Kim Ark. The Supreme Court ruled Wong, a cook born in San Francisco to Chinese-born parents, was indeed a citizen.) Trump's pledge will no doubt be challenged in court. Trump had also proposed ending birthright citizenship during his first term in office but did not act.

Making sense of LA

For LA Explained, LAist's Cato Hernandez will continue to focus on aspects of SoCal that spark curiosity, those fascinating tidbits of history that you maybe didn’t know about yet. We’ll definitely give you stories that make for great table conversations. (Check out our story about SoCal area codes!)

And since navigating such a diverse and complex city can be tricky at times, we’ll be offering practical guides to make your life easier, from dealing with local governments to living with wild animals to an insider’s guide to places to explore.

Criminal justice, mass deportations

Crime statistics will be closely watched under the new District Attorney.

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LAist's Frank Stoltze will be watching how the new Los Angeles County district attorney’s policies will play out. Nathan Hochman, who beat incumbent George Gascón in the November election, has promised his policies will reduce crime. Although it's difficult to hang the crime rate on any district attorney, Hochman blamed Gascon for the county’s crime rate and now will likely be judged by the same measure. Stoltze will also watch how Trump’s promises of mass deportations will play out in Southern California.

How we treat mental health issues

LAist's Robert Garrova will keep an eye on various investments on the state and local levels that are designed to assist people with mental illness get the help they need. One program in particular, California’s CARE Court, appears to be off to a slow start. The program allows family members, first responders and others to ask a court to step in with a voluntary care plan for someone living with serious, untreated mental illness, like schizophrenia.

Housing and homelessness

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority — better known as LAHSA — was the subject of a scathing audit this year that found serious accounting problems. County supervisors and some L.A. City Council members responded with proposals to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. This year, we’ll see how serious elected leaders are about setting up an alternative to LAHSA. LAist's David Wagner will be closely following it all.

What about Tustin's 'twin'?

The city of Tustin will soon start holding a series of community meetings to discuss what to do with the remaining World War II blimp hangar after its twin burned down just over a year ago. The city has been paying for extra security to keep the hangar — one of the largest wooden structures ever built — from suffering the same fate. LAist's Jill Replogle will follow the fate of the beloved remaining hangar.

Recommended reading

Replogle will also continue to follow developments in Huntington Beach, including two potential ballot measures regarding the city's pride and joy — its libraries. One measure sees to ban the city from ever privatizing the libraries. The other seeks to upend a review board that would decide what books are, and are not, appropriate children’s books for the library. (Critics of the review board want to leave that power to the professional librarians.)

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.