Long Beach police hid an officer's assault conviction for years, defense attorney alleges
Officers from the Long Beach Police Department responded to a March 2025 report of an armed robbery just blocks away — the arrest that followed is now at the center of allegations the department concealed one officer's assault conviction.(Megan Garvey / LAist)A prominent attorney working on a low-level criminal case in Long Beach is alleging the Police Department there concealed an officer’s assault conviction for years — potentially calling into question the legitimacy of hundreds of cases.Scott Sanders, who exposed the Orange County jailhouse snitch scandal, made the allegations in a series of motions filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court to force disclosure of police records and dismiss charges against Lonnie Jacobs, 47, his court-appointed client.Jacobs is facing felony charges after Long Beach police said they found a small bag of cocaine tucked inside his sock while he was held at a jail following an arrest in March 2025. Jacobs has pleaded not guilty to the charge of bringi
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Record humidity creates sweltering conditions in SoCal
Clouds form over Venice Beach in August. Tropical moisture from Hurricane Marie is currently causing extreme humidity in Southern California this week.(Apu Gomes / Getty Images North America)Topline:The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for much of Southern California from Wednesday morning through Thursday.The details: This week’s combination of heat and humidity could be worse than it has been all summer. Forecasters say temperatures will peak on Wednesday. Highs could get up to the triple digits. Overnight lows will also stay elevated. They may only get down to the 70s in places, offering little relief from the heat.The humidity: Climate experts say the humidity this week could be some of the highest on record in Southern California, even after a summer marked by repeated humid heatwaves. The moisture in the air, combined with the extreme heat, makes it increasingly difficult for the human body to cool down, especially when outdoors. It’s also driving scatt
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Southern California coastlines are reeling from the effects of Tropical Storm Marie
Recent storm surges already have damaged Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Topline:Southern California is reeling from the destruction left behind by Tropical Storm Marie.Damages in Dana Point: Six homes were red-tagged when high tides pummelled the coastline. Don Russel, the Capistrano Bay district general manager, said it's possible two other homes will be red-tagged (critically damaged) after high tide activity Tuesday night. Around five homes were yellow tagged (structural damage), he said. Workers are lining the shoreline with large boulders about the size of a small office desk when waters recede, but efforts to armor the beach have been hampered by the tides, Russel added.Malibu felt the effects too: In Malibu, a large sinkhole formed on Sea Level Drive, prompting authorities to declare a local state of emergency. Five homes were red-tagged — meaning they are uninhabitable — and residents from around 30 homes were evacuated. Evac
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How fire survivors can prep their properties for rain
Composted organic mulch on Lydia Whitlock's Altadena property helped prevent erosion after rain. (Courtesy Lydia Whitlock)The El Niño climate pattern is here and, in Southern California, that can mean heavy rain in the winter — which is why experts say now is the time to prepare and make sure you’re signed up for emergency alerts. But for the thousands of people who lost their homes and businesses in the Eaton and Palisades fires, there are some additional concerns.With no trees or vegetation with roots to hold soil together, open dirt lots are prone to flooding and erosion. That soil can still be contaminated with toxic metals, which can wind up downstream with rain.But there are ways survivors can prepare their properties, according to experts LAist spoke with, including understanding how water is flowing in your area, applying organic mulch to bare soil, and diverting water from structures and foundations.Organic composted mulch ftwNatalie Levy, a soil scientist with the University
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Coyote with pellets in her head euthanized after being rescued in Studio City
The coyote rescued from Studio City was euthanized this week, according to the Wildlife Care of Southern California.(Wildlife Care of Southern California / Facebook)Topline:A coyote from Studio City that made headlines for its injured appearance was euthanized this week after wildlife rescuers determined she had been shot and was suffering from a significant infection.The backstory: Wildlife Care of Southern California captured the swollen, disfigured coyote last month after tracking sightings online for weeks. The coyote was nicknamed Wendy by some neighbors who were trying to help her, as reported by LAist’s media partner CBS LA. Rescuers believed the community had been feeding her canned cat food and hotdogs, which they said seemed to be “the only thing she could eat because of her condition.”Why now: The coyote was euthanized after two pellets were found in her head, which rescuers said indicated she had been shot in the past. She also had "severe" injuries from being hit by a car,
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Best things to do in LA and SoCal: Sept. 9-15
Celebrate Orange County's Latino communities at Santa Ana's Fiestas Patrias on Sept. 12 and 13.(Courtesy City of Santa Ana)I was fortunate to get a sneak peek at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art last week and given how many thoughts our Best Things to Do readers had on the new LACMA Geffen Galleries, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the Lucas once it opens to the public on Sept. 22. Please share your thoughts when you go!I was blown away by the building — it’s light and airy while feeling futuristic and somewhat imposing at the same time. The gardens are green and have plenty of places to sit and soak up the sun or the shade, and the reading room (which will be free and open to all) is definitely going on the "best places to cowork" list. The art collection is mostly organized by subject rather than era and includes works by artists from Norman Rockwell to Frida Kahlo to Banksy to Lucas himself via the many pieces of Star Wars history on display. There's truly something for
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How does the uncertainty of TPS for El Salvador affect your community?
Supporters of the National TPS Alliance rally at the U.S. Capitol following a federal court ruling that lifted an injunction on the Trump Administration's ability to erase the temporary protected status of 400,000 people from six countries, including El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)Immigrants from El Salvador with Temporary Protected Status remain uncertain about their ability to legally live and work in the U.S. after federal officials said late Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security planned to make an announcement about the program.“Until such [an] announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection,” DHS said in a statement.On Wednesday, the federal program that allows people to live and work in the U.S. due to armed conflict, environmental disaster and other “extraordinary” conditions in their native countries was slated to expire for El Salvador.An estimated 170,000 immig
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LA Mayor Karen Bass 'not available' for Congressional hearing on homelessness funding fraud
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference before LAHSA's annual homeless count at El Rio Community School on Feb. 18, 2025.(Carlin Stiehl / LAist)Topline:Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says she is not available to testify before Congress next Tuesday, but that her office looks forward to working with the House of Representatives subcommittee that made the request.Why it matters: Bass' attorney sent a letter responding to the subcommittee Friday afternoon, writing that "unfortunately" the mayor is not available on Sept. 15. Bass’ team has reached out to the subcommittee to discuss the scheduling issue, and the mayor “looks forward to working” with them, according to the letter.Records request: The subcommittee also requested a trove of documents, including specific communications between the Mayor’s Office, the L.A. City Council, the L.A. Homeless Services Authority and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors dating back to 2020. In the letter, Bass’ office said “we will do our best
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OC Board of Education member faces more penalty fees for failing to report millions in income
Mari Barke, photographed at the California Policy Center in Irvine in 2024. Topline:An O.C. Superior Court judge increased the economic penalties for Orange County Board of Education member Marilyn “Mari” Barke for failing to report millions of dollars in economic disclosure filings. She will now have to pay more than $100,000 in penalties, according to court documents.Why it matters: Barke was elected in 2018 to the Orange County Board of Education, which oversees and approves the county’s education budget that serves around 450,000 students.Background: In 2024, the Fair Political Practices Commission found Barke liable for failing to correctly report income, resulting in a $3,200 penalty. But a judge in July said the FPPC’s settlement didn’t fully address Barke’s actions.What are the penalties? Barke will have to pay $101,800 in penalties, as well as attorney fees, for incorrectly filling out economic disclosure statements and for failure to correct amended statements. She will be c
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For Central Valley farmworkers, a court order brought calm. Now it's on hold — and LA is watching
Farmworkers in California's Central Valley in April 2025, the month an order from a federal judge put new restrictions on immigration officials arresting people without warrants. While that order is now on hold, a similar case is under consideration in L.A.(Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)A federal judge in Los Angeles is weighing whether to place new restrictions on immigration agents arresting people without warrants — a decision that could shape enforcement across Southern California. That decision, expected any day, echoes a fight already playing out in the Central Valley, where farmworkers had won a court order that shielded them for more than a year.On Aug. 24, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel put that Central Valley injunction on hold.That order had blocked Border Patrol from the race-based stops and warrantless arrests that swept through Bakersfield in January 2025, when agents fanned out through farm towns as part of "Operation Return to Sender."For Rosa, a 3
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