Since his 2024 hire, Chief Matt Hallock has pushed SMFD toward mobile medical care: Community Connect, nurse‑led Advanced Provider Units and an in‑house ambulance program.

AB 713 would let undocumented students access paid campus jobs at UC, CSU and community colleges; it cleared a Senate committee and now goes to Appropriations.

Dr. Kimberlie Linz will take the helm at MBUSD on July 1; her mix of site-level leadership and finance experience arrives as the district confronts layoffs and funding shortfalls.

Packed "mega master" dockets at downtown L.A. immigration courts have left waiting rooms overflowing and prompted same‑day in‑absentia removal orders.

Sen. Adam Schiff urged a temporary federal gas‑tax pause and a windfall profits tax on oil companies as Los Angeles drivers cope with high pump prices.

Mayor Karen Bass’ nominees — Crystal Lee and Joone Kim‑Lopez — were unanimously confirmed by the City Council to lead LA’s engineering and sanitation bureaus as the city ramps up major infrastructure work.

Sen. Josh Becker’s SB 493 would add “war” to California’s price‑gouging law, letting prosecutors pursue suspected wartime profiteering as pump prices spike. Supporters point to a persistent California premium at the pump.

A judge refused to toss L.A.’s price‑gouging suit against Airbnb, which alleges algorithm‑driven rate spikes on thousands of listings after the Jan. 2025 fires. The city now moves into discovery.

City Council approved a Swiss Winter Village for the Pier parking deck this winter, promising vendors, a faux ice rink, community perks and an expected 250,000–400,000 visitors.

Senate Democrats unveiled a program to train and deploy staff as official observers in close Senate races, aiming to document intimidation and support oversight this fall.

Robert William, a lifelong Glendalian and 24‑year department veteran, has been appointed the city’s permanent police chief after serving as interim. City leaders say he’ll focus on modernization, accountability and staff wellness.

Vice President J.D. Vance stopped in Downtown Santa Monica for a recorded interview Friday, prompting temporary street closures and an FAA no-fly zone.

Councilmembers asked staff to draft a $25 minimum-wage ordinance for frontline health-care workers even as state law phases in similar increases. The move could fill gaps or duplicate state rules.