For many California parents, paying for childcare means racking up credit card debt
Amid rising costs for childcare, families are racking up credit card debt to pay. (Illustration composite by Sabrina Sanchez/LAist / Images via Canva)Genny Richard constantly thinks about her family’s finances.“The stress level has been immense,” she said. “Because childcare is our largest expense, that's been a big part of the reason.”Her 5-year-old son is in his third year at a full-time Montessori school in Irvine. It costs her family $2,020 a month — more than their rent. They don’t have family nearby to help with childcare.“We definitely had to start severely restricting our budget because of that cost,” Richard said. “We hardly eat out … we are part of a community garden, so we grow whatever vegetables we can on our own. … We only have one car.”They’re also staying put in their two-bedroom apartment, which is offered through UC Irvine, as they expand their family; Richard is due next month. “We’re probably in a smaller apartment than we actually need, especially with a baby on th
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In this OC election, fight over 'Bunnyhenge' and new police station looms large
The question of whether to build a new police headquarters on a large portion of Newport Beach's Civic Center Park has become a focal point in the upcoming City Council election.(Jill Replogle / LAist)Drive around Newport Beach this election season, and you’re likely to see lawn signs with an image of four giant concrete bunnies behind bars below the phrase “SAVE OUR PARK.” It’s a reference to the current City Council’s controversial idea of building a new police headquarters and jail on the parkland that surrounds the Newport Beach Civic Center, home to the famous, or infamous, “Bunnyhenge” sculpture.The proposal, one of several the city is considering for a new police headquarters, wouldn’t actually lead to the sculpture’s demise, but the idea of paving over a significant portion of the open space and paths around the sculpture has emerged as a top issue in the city’s November City Council race. Other major issues include protecting the city’s vulnerable shoreline from El Niño and pr
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Record-breaking tides and coastal flooding are 'a preview' of what’s coming, scientists say
High tides flooded parts of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach on Monday.(Jill Replogle / LAist)Record-breaking high tides rolled into Southern California waters for the second day in a row Tuesday.The tide gauge in San Pedro read 8.18 feet Tuesday morning, its highest measurement since records began more than a century ago, after already setting a new record on Monday. The previous record of 7.93 feet was set in 2005.Records were also broken at tide gauges in La Jolla and Santa Barbara.High water levels spilled over seawalls and swept across beaches, inundating communities along L.A. and Orange County coasts that have been hit repeatedly by storm surges and destructive surf over the last few months.“We've already seen impacts that we have not had in quite some time,” said Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. The exceptionally high tides were expected to peak Tuesday and slowly subside as the week progresses. Coastal flood warnings are in effect up and dow
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Police politics infuse LA mayor’s race — with fate of LAPD chief at the center
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell delivers the commencement address during graduation for a recruit class at the Los Angeles Police Academy in Los Angeles on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)The Los Angeles Police Department has become a major issue in the race for L.A. mayor, with the fate of Chief Jim McDonnell at the center of the debate between the candidates.Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, has called for the chief’s removal, saying his department was too cooperative with federal immigration agents during last year’s protests over raids.“I believe he’s lost the trust of Angelenos, especially in light of the ICE raids,” Raman said at a debate earlier this month.Bass has backed McDonnell, whom she appointed in 2024, saying removing a chief so close to the 2028 Olympics would send the department into "disarray." She also points out crime is down across the city, mirroring crime trends nationwide."I don’t think y
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Evacuated during the Garden Grove tank scare? How to file a claim from the $100M fund
The GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove. (Jill Replogle / LAist)GKN Aerospace opened its $100 million claims program Tuesday for those affected by the Garden Grove hazmat scare that forced more than 50,000 nearby residents to evacuate in May.The company is also hosting a community meeting Tuesday night to go over the program.The claims money comes from a $125 million settlement between the Orange County District Attorney and GKN Aerospace. Another $8.5 million will be used to reimburse government agencies that responded to the emergency, including the county, the Orange County Fire Authority and others. The remaining $15 million will be used to pay civil penalties.How it works People and households who lived within the mandatory evacuation zone are eligible for the claims program. Businesses can file a Business Interruption Claim for losses of income.Residents who lived in the warning zone, not the mandatory evacuation zone, do not qualify.Eligible evacuees can be reimbursed for lod
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Appeals court declines to block California from counting 20,000 disputed ballots
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)An appeals court on Monday declined to rule on whether California elections officials can count roughly 20,000 ballots that the Justice Department alleges likely belong to noncitizen voters.The 2-1 decision sets the Trump administration and state officials up for another legal showdown on the matter on Tuesday in front of a federal district judge, giving the federal government a very short window to compel California to sequester votes before the Nov. 3 elections.The decision marks the latest in a string of legal setbacks for President Donald Trump’s administration as it seeks to assert greater federal control over state-run elections. Noncitizen voting has been a central focus of Trump’s political messaging for years, although available data indicates it is exceedingly rare.Although the panel primarily ruled
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How should LA County spend its multibillion-dollar budget? Weigh in by Saturday
Are you a Los Angeles County resident? What county programs and services do you find most valuable as the county heads into its fiscal year 2027-2028 budget?(Andrew Lopez / Boyle Heights Beat)Are you a Los Angeles County resident? What county programs and services do you find most valuable as the county heads into its fiscal year 2027-2028 budget? L.A. County is seeking residents’ input on what services should be prioritized, what programs should be cut and how else officials should be spending money through a series of short online surveys, open now through Saturday, Oct. 31. In each of the surveys, residents can weigh in on any of the county’s 39 programs, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Public Health and Youth Development, or fill out the countywide questionnaire. Survey responses are anonymous, unless respondents choose to share their contact information, and will be reviewed by the departments to inform their budget planning for fiscal year 2027-2028, which
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With El Niño bearing down, I got a free LA County engineering assessment at home. What I learned
L.A. County civil engineer Eden Ly shares how water may flow at a property below a steep hillside. (Kerjon Lee / L.A. County Department of Public Works)A pair of Los Angeles County engineers knocked on my door a couple of weeks ago and handed me a booklet about how to prepare for flooding and mudflows. They also told me they offer free, specific engineering advice for individual properties.I was definitely interested in this — I live in a neighborhood affected by the Eaton Fire, and the house I rent is tucked right against a steep hillside with vegetation that burned.A few days later, two engineers, as well as the county’s public information officer, showed up at my door.Eden Ly, a civil engineer with the county, looked up at the mountainside looming above my house.“This mountainside is very steep, and that's the scary part,” Ly said.The more recent the burn scar, the steeper the hillside and the closer your house is to it, the bigger the danger. The good thing, Ly said, is that much o
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California Courts of Appeal for LA and OC: What you need to know
Get ready to vote on Nov. 3. (Raymond Rivera / For LAist)You're going to see members of the California Courts of Appeal on the November ballot in Los Angeles and Orange counties. While you don’t have to decide between candidates in these races, voting for the state’s second-highest court is important because it often involves a slate of new justices.Why do we vote for appellate court justices?Elections for appellate courts work differently than when you vote for county judges. Candidates don’t run against each other to become justices. Instead, voters are asked whether to keep sitting justices in their posts. These nonpartisan races are called retention elections, which are fairly common in the U.S.In California, appellate court justices are first appointed by the governor and then subject to approval by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Newly confirmed justices have to face voters at the next gubernatorial election and when they want another term.Retention elections are “yes” o
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Best things to do in LA and SoCal: Oct. 21-27
Kool & the Gang will play Pershing Square's free "I Love Funk" festival this weekend. (Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images)While those of us closer to LAX wait around for the People Mover to finally make its much-delayed debut (oh, how I remember fondly taking a video of its virgin run around the terminals when I got off a plane a few months ago … ), those in the Valley and parts north have had the last laugh as the new Burbank terminal makes the area’s best airport even better. Sigh.But who needs to go anywhere? We’ve got plenty going on right here. And remember to get your ballot in and use our voter guides as your one-stop-ballot-info stop. Election Day is Nov. 3!MusicIn music around the region this week, highlights from Licorice Pizza's recommendations include:Chief Keef will be at the Wiltern on Oct. 27(Erika Goldring / Getty Images)WednesdayG-Eazy with Logic and Juicy J at the YouTube TheaterChappell Roan’s two-night charity event “Super Graphic Spectacular” at the Shrine Auditorium,
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