Category: Southern California

Annual ‘Report Card’ Ranks California Beaches

Heal the Bay’s annual “Beach Report Card,” released a couple of weeks ago, assigned letter grades to hundreds of beaches across the West Coast. The report card has been an annual release for the past 33 years and advises tourists and residents on which beaches to visit and which ones to avoid. According to the…


Passenger Train Service Through San Clemente Set to Resume Monday

Passenger rail service through San Clemente, which has been halted since early June due to debris and dirt falling on the tracks from an unstable hillside above, will resume on July 17, transit officials announced Tuesday. Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains will again be able to travel through the area thanks to emergency construction…


Teen Suicide Victim’s Unintended Legacy Lives on ‘With Hope’

In the early stages of navigating the unimaginable pain and grief that followed the 2005 suicide of her 14-year-old daughter, Amber, Annette Craig was not looking to create a legacy. She just knew she had to do something to help other people avoid the same misery. More than 18 years later, “With Hope, The Amber…


Ex-USC Athletics Official Sentenced to Prison in Admissions Scandal Released

LOS ANGELES—A former University of Southern California (USC) senior athletics administrator who was sentenced to six months behind bars for her role in the fraud and bribery scheme in which the children of wealthy parents gained admission to some of the country’s top universities as fake sports recruits has been released from custody, records show….


Southern California Landslide Triggers Declaration of Local Emergency

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif.—The cause of a landslide responsible for the destruction of several homes in Rolling Hills Estates remained a mystery on July 11, as the city council declared a local emergency due to the devastating slide. Nearly a dozen upscale homes in the Palos Verdes Peninsula community along Peartree Lane have been crumbling…


Failure of Child Sex Trafficking Bill in California Assembly Committee Sparks Outrage

A bill to strengthen penalties for repeat offenders convicted of sexually trafficking children failed to pass the Assembly Public Safety Committee July 11, with only the two Republican members voting in favor of the measure. Authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), Senate Bill 14 passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support and would have added…


Teen Killed in Shooting Near Los Angeles Mall ID’d

LOS ANGELES—Authorities July 12 identified a 17-year-old boy who was killed in a shooting near the Beverly Center over the weekend that left two other people wounded. Officers were dispatched at 3:50 a.m. July 9 to West Third Street and South Orlando Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). On Wednesday, the Los Angeles…


Hollywood Studios, Actors Agree to Last-Minute Federal Mediation to Avoid Strike

Hollywood actors and major film and television studios were scrambling to avoid a possible strike July 12 by meeting with federal mediators for last-minute contract talks. Negotiations between the actors, represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and an alliance of studios have been ongoing since June 7 and…


Young Californians Are Dying in Fentanyl Crisis Fueled by Social Media

When Amy Neville, of Aliso Viejo, California, lost her 14-year-old son Alex to an illicit pill that contained a fatal amount of fentanyl in 2020, the dealer was just one town over continuing to sell using the popular smartphone app Snapchat. “We think Alex bought from him over the weekend before taking the pill,” Ms….


Young Californians Are Still Dying in Fentanyl Crisis Fueled by Social Media

When Amy Neville, of Aliso Viejo, California, lost her 14-year-old son Alex to an illicit pill that contained a fatal amount of fentanyl in 2020, the dealer was just one town over—continuing to sell—using the popular smartphone app Snapchat. “We think Alex bought from him over the weekend before taking the pill,” Ms. Neville, who…