Civics & Democracy

LAist’s coverage of civic life and citizen issues in Southern California. We cover elections, examine who gets listened to and why, and provide a guide for anyone who wants to more fully participate in civic life.

A smoke remediation van is parked on a residential street in Pasadena, a few blocks away from where homes burned down in the Eaton Fire.

CA lawmakers pass new safety rules for smoke-damaged homes. Will Gov. Newsom sign them into law?

Proponents say after last year’s L.A. County fires, the state needs to establish “first-in-the-nation testing and remediation standards based on science.”

Wildfire liability bill dies without a vote on final day of session

A row of electrical towers are pictured against the background of a an orange and grey sky, with smoke from a nearby fire.

USPS 'carefully reviewing' whistleblower claim on plan for Trump's mail in voting order

Listen 3:54

LA County rolls out revamped public comment system for Board of Supervisors meetings

A large auditorium where a large crowd sits in blue chairs facing a dais with a large screen above.

What we know — and don’t know — about the MacArthur Park fence

An entrance where two large columns stand that read "MacArthur Park" leading into a park with trees and walkways.

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Trial starts over whether Huntington Beach undermines the power of Latino voters

Huntington Beach is one of a handful of cities that has chosen to fight in court against efforts to force it to adopt geographic districts for city council elections.

Listen 0:45
A major census test faces cutbacks — with postal workers tapped to help count

The Trump administration has shrunk the number of locations for this year's field test of the 2030 census.
Newsom blasts Trump's immigration crackdown; touts California’s drug enforcement efforts

In San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted California’s drug enforcement efforts, while criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns.
LA Mayor outlines the city’s road to hosting the World Cup, Olympics in annual State of the City

Her speech also focused on fire recovery, immigration raids, affordable housing and homelessness
LA businesses are closing to protest ICE — even though it’s a financial hit

It’s not easy to lose a day of revenue, but these businesses are joining L.A.’s “ICE Out” day of action on Friday.
DOJ releases tranche of Epstein files, says it has met its legal obligations

The Department of Justice on Friday released more than 3 million pages, more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images in its files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Feds arrest Don Lemon in LA and 3 others over Minnesota church protest

Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement.

Listen 3:52
California state employees alarmed by demand to prove their citizenship or work eligibility

Thousands of health department employees were told they must use the E-Verify system to keep funding. They are pushing back.
Huntington Beach's controversial voter ID law is illegal

That means the beach city's bid to require voters to show ID when casting ballots cannot be implemented.

Listen 0:45
Here’s a list of planned 'ICE Out' protests in the LA region

Demonstrations will be held across the nation on Friday and Saturday.
LA Councilmember Curren Price ordered to stand trial on corruption charges

The veteran South L.A. politician faces up to 11 years behind bars if convicted.
LA leaders call Trump order on fire response 'political posturing'

Local leaders say Trump can help survivors by releasing FEMA funds; law scholar says president can’t nullify local regulations.

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Civics & Democracy