Category: Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County Ends COVID-19 Emergency After 3 Years

After three years of the COVID-19 emergency in place in the most populous county in the country, Los Angeles ended its emergency declaration March 31. The county first declared a local emergency on March 4, 2020, which brought a wave of restrictions and closures of businesses in the weeks that followed as rigorous shelter-in-place orders…


Santa Monica Residents Call for an End to LA County’s Needle Exchange Program in City’s Parks

A needle exchange program for drug users sanctioned by the Los Angeles County of Public Health operating in a handful of Santa Monica’s public spaces has sparked outrage among a coalition of business owners and residents who are calling on the county to move it indoors. The group claims that rather than curbing drug use,…


Santa Monica Residents Call for an End to Needle Exchange Program in Parks

A needle exchange program for drug users sanctioned by the Los Angeles County of Public Health operating in a handful of Santa Monica’s public spaces has sparked outrage among a coalition of business owners and residents who are calling on the county to move it indoors. The group claims that rather than curbing drug use,…


Southern California Water Supplier Rescinds Rule Limiting Outdoor Irrigation

LOS ANGELES—With recent storms helping alleviate severe drought conditions that were plaguing the state, Southern California’s water wholesaler announced March 15 it is rescinding emergency outdoor watering restrictions it imposed last year. The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to rescind the restrictions—which impacted six local water agencies in…


Southern California Rescinds Rule Limiting Outdoor Watering After Storms

LOS ANGELES—With recent storms helping alleviate severe drought conditions that were plaguing the state, Southern California’s water wholesaler announced March 15 it is rescinding emergency outdoor watering restrictions it imposed last year. The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to rescind the restrictions—which impacted six local water agencies in…


‘A Light to All Who Knew Him’: Los Angeles Man Dies After Falling Off Oregon Cliff

A 25-year-old Los Angeles man died March 4 after falling 20 feet while hiking along a dangerous part of Oregon’s coast, according to Oregon State Police, marking the eighth fatality at the site since 2009. The hiker, identified as Henry Minh Hoang of West Covina—a suburb Los Angeles County—was hiking beyond a safety barrier in…


LA County Officials Warn Deadly Drug ‘Tranq’ Poses Serious Overdose Risk

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles County health officials issued a public alert March 8, warning of increased overdose risks associated with the animal sedative xylazine, which has been detected in illicit drugs in areas including San Francisco and San Diego. LA County reports that the presence of xylazine, commonly known as tranq, in these California cities indicates…


Carjacking Suspect Held After Gunfire, High-Speed Chase Across Riverside, Orange, LA Counties

LOS ANGELES—A 44-year-old Los Angeles man remained jailed in Riverside March 4 after allegedly carjacking a vehicle in Corona and firing multiple shots at authorities during a dangerous pursuit that spanned three counties and ended with his arrest in Harbor City. The Corona Police Department said Benjamin Gonzalez—who they said had a “violent criminal history”—was…


LA County Approves Record Budget for Homeless Initiatives

LOS ANGELES—Following its Jan. 10 declaration of a countywide homeless emergency, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Feb. 7 authorized its largest-ever annual budget allocation for the county’s Homeless Initiative—$609.7 million. “Budgets reflect priorities and I’m pleased this year’s allocation includes funding our city partners so they have adequate resources to do their part,”…


Cities in Los Angeles County Finally Issue Their Financial Reports … From 2019

Commentary Each city in California has a due date for issuing its annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR), which includes its audited financial statements—but there is no penalty for missing the deadline. So, of course, some cities are laggards. A few cities in Los Angeles County still have to issue their ACFR for the years ending…