The most important stories for you to know today
Motorcyclists wait at a stop light outside the Shell gas station on 598 Bryant Street in San Francisco on April 24, 2026.are likely to see another price hike in the coming weeks as the war in Iran strains the global market, lawmakers said on Tuesday at a hearing about the uncertain future of the state’s fuel supply.to pass through the Strait of Hormuz arrived at the Port of Long Beach this week — the last shipment from the Middle East expected to reach California for the foreseeable future.
Californians have been feeling the pain at the pump since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran spiked crude oil prices around the world. Today, drivers pay about $6.13 per gallon compared to the national average of $4.48, according toare likely to see another price hike in the coming weeks as the war in Iran strains the global market, lawmakers said on Tuesday at a hearing about the uncertain future of the state’s fuel supply.to pass through the Strait of Hormuz arrived at the Port of Long Beach this week — the last shipment from the Middle East expected to reach California for the foreseeable future.
“When this tanker is empty, it’s unclear where the next replacement ship will be coming from,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, and Utilities and Energy Committee chair at Tuesday’s hearing. Californians have been feeling the pain at the pump since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran spiked crude oil prices around the world.
Today, drivers pay about $6.13 per gallon compared to the national average of $4.48, according to While officials do not foresee California running out of oil, consumers should brace for additional price increases. High gas prices are listed at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles on March 9, 2026, as gasoline prices surge amid the ongoing war with Iran.
“Based on what we’re hearing from the industry and what we have heard, the pricing will move molecules towards California, but it will come at a price,” Siva Gunda, vice chair of the California Energy Commission, said. Gunda said the costs will come from a bidding war to divert oil from Asian markets to the West Coast.
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, a California Energy Commission spokesperson said in a statement that the price spike is due to “the rapid escalation of crude oil prices because of the Iran War. These elevated prices are not unique to California, and prices are continuing to rise globally. ” However, Jamie Court, the head of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer protection group, said that California legislators, along with the state’s oil refiners, should take more responsibility for high prices.
In a, Consumer Watchdog said oil refiners have been taking advantage of the current war to make record oil-refining profits, and Court said California Gov. Gavin Newsom “chickened out” of price gouging regulation.
“Trump can be responsible for about 70 cents of this because of the crude oil increase, but the rest of the two extra dollars we’re paying at the pump … are on Newsom,” Court said. Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of The Energy Institute, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said in the public hearing that the recent spike is just one part of a larger trend.
$0.72 per gallon in taxes and $0.50 per gallon in environmental programs, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — a refinery fire in Southern California in 2015 led to aThe Commission’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight said in the hearing that it’s also taken steps to deal with “branded” retailers like Chevron that have been overcharging California consumers at the pump. Following a year-long inquiry into the admissions policies and practices at UCLA’s medical school, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice alleges that school leadership “intentionally selected applicants based on their race,” to the detriment of white and Asian applicants.
In a statement, an unnamed UCLA spokesperson responded that the medical school is complying with all federal and state laws.
“The admissions process at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is based on merit and grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant. We are confident in our practices and our mission to maintain access to a high-quality education to all qualified students,” the statement said.
In a press release, the department noted that “Medical schools use substantial federal financial assistance to train the next generation of doctors,” and that this fuels its “focus on eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools. ”The Department of Justice has repeatedly gone after the University of California in Trump’s second term.
Earlier this year, the departmentover allegations that UCLA officials allowed antisemitism on campus, and unsuccessfully demanded a range of concessions to bring UCLA more in line with its ideology, in addition to more than $1 billion in fines. The administration also tried toThe DOJ says it wants to find an agreement with the university “to ensure that admissions practices are brought into legal compliance.
”Full Story Following a year-long inquiry into the admissions policies and practices at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice alleges that school leadership “intentionally selected applicants based on their race,” to the detriment of white and Asian applicants.
“UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, an assistant attorney general for the DOJ. In a statement, an unnamed UCLA spokesperson responded that the medical school is complying with all federal and state laws.
“The admissions process at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is based on merit and grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant. We are confident in our practices and our mission to maintain access to a high-quality education to all qualified students,” the statement said. AAMC PREview Exam scores What does the DOJ say about academic scores?
The report looks at median GPA and found that based on materials provided to the DOJ, the scores for some applicant groups were lower than others for the 2023 and 2024 admitted classes. Here’s 2023:The DOJ investigation also takes issue with “a theory that increasing ‘diversity’ of the healthcare workforce will improve healthcare outcomes for Black and Hispanic patients” that it says was promoted by the program’s director showing an “intent to racially discriminate under the guise of saving lives and conceal her true motive to treat certain applicants unfavorably based on their race.
” The investigation also looks at the PREview Exam, which it says asks open-ended questions about whether applicants are from marginalized backgrounds.
“By design, this question asks Black and Hispanic applicants to reveal their race so that DGSOM can know and consider it. ” A number of studies suggest that when patients have doctors of the same race it leads to better medical results. Aout of UCLA found Hispanic Medicare patients had a lower readmission rate and length of stay when treated by Hispanic doctors.
In a press release, the department noted that “medical schools use substantial federal financial assistance to train the next generation of doctors,” and that this fuels its “focus on eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools. ” Still, the administration has also curtailed that funding.
Last year, the Republican-backed “big, beautiful bill” that President Donald Trump signed into law—a move that could push students to borrow from private lenders, which provide far fewer protections for loan repayment and don’t offer loan forgiveness. The Department of Justice has repeatedly gone after the University of California in Trump’s second term.
Earlier this year, the departmentover allegations that UCLA officials allowed antisemitism on campus, and unsuccessfully demanded a range of concessions to bring UCLA more in line with its ideology, in addition to more than $1 billion in fines. The administration also tried toThe DOJ says it wants to find an agreement with the university “to ensure that admissions practices are brought into legal compliance.
”Destiny TorresThe Santa Ana City Council unanimously approved an ordinance last night requiring retail stores to staff self-checkout lanes in efforts to improve public safety and address theft. : The approved ordinance requires that retail stores staff at least one employee to monitor self-checkout lanes. Shoppers will be limited to 15 items or fewer, and they would not be able to purchase items that require I.D. , like alcohol.
: Mayor Valerie Amezcua said the ordinance is an attempt at protecting shoppers and employees, not at driving businesses out of Santa Ana.
“Similar to Costa Mesa and Long Beach, where we look at the employees and what benefits them,” Amezcua said, “I want to make sure our Santa Ana residents go home safely, and they don’t put themselves in danger because, again, the quality of their lives matter to me. ”“Unfortunately, we would be forced to consider passage of this ordinance at this time a dismissal of the importance of grocery and a denial of policy consideration in a fair and open manner,” Tim James, director of local government relations for the California Grocers Association, wrote.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health. A new art exhibition from L.A.
's own Gary Baseman is breathing life into the mid-century, Googie architecture of Johnie’s Coffee Shop at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax. “Off the Menu: Dining and Drawing in LA” features work drawn directly on menus from 40 different local staples, including Musso and Frank’s and Genghis Cohen, and of course, Canter's.his iconic cat illustrations and whimsical characters that have shown up in the New York Times, Disney animation and plenty of toys.
His L.A. food institution roots go deep: He grew up in the Fairfax district and his mom worked in the bakery at the legendary Canter’s Deli for 35 years.
“There’s a sense of community and comfort by being in these places,” Baseman told LAist. “This show is all about my love and celebration of L.A. dining culture. ”A new art exhibition is breathing life into the mid-century, Googie architecture of Johnie’s Coffee Shop at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.his iconic cat illustrations and whimsical characters that have shown up in the New York Times, Disney animation and plenty of toys.
His L.A. food institution roots go deep: he grew up in the Fairfax district and his mom worked in the bakery at the legendary Canter’s Deli for 35 years.
“Off the Menu: Dining and Drawing in LA” features work drawn directly on menus from 40 different local staples, including Musso and Frank’s and Genghis Cohen, and of course, Canter's. “There’s a sense of community and comfort by being in these places,” Baseman told LAist. “This show is all about my love and celebration of L.A. dining culture. ” Baseman said the idea for the exhibition can be traced back to his time traveling around the world.
At many of his dining stops around the globe, he would... borrow... menus and begin sketching scenes in his cartoon-like style.
“Let’s just say I wouldn’t give them back to the waiter and I would actually start drawing on the menu itself... It was a way of giving them immortality through the body of work,” Baseman said. Baseman said he loved the idea of opening Johnie’s up again for people to see. He called the location the perfect place for a show like this, which takes visitors on what he calls a “dream reality” tour of L.A.
’s food institutions through sketches and drawings. Designed by the firm Armet and Davis, Johnie’s Coffee Shop occupied the building from 1966 to 2000, when it closed down,Johnie’s hasn’t been completely dormant over the past decade though . Under the guidance of the Community Solidarity Project, a mutual aid nonprofit with a longstanding footprint in Mid-Wilshire, the building served as a campaign center for Bernie Sanders, a mutual aid distribution hub, a filming location with student filmmakers and more.
Now it’ll house Baseman’s first solo show in L.A. since 2013’s “The Door is Always Open” at the Skirball Center. The launch of “Off the Menu” was purposefully timed to coincide with the “Off the Menu” kicks off at Johnie’s on Friday, May 8, with a Metro D Line celebration from 3 to 6 p.m.Published May 6, 2026 12:30 PM Boyle Heights is turning the World Cup into a neighborhood celebration with a free block party next month aimed at supporting local businesses and bringing residents together along the 1st Street corridor.
Boyle Heights is turning the World Cup into a neighborhood celebration with a free block party next month aimed at supporting local businesses and bringing residents together along the 1st Street corridor. The celebration will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. June 18 to mark the Mexico vs. South Korea match. The block party is expected to close 1st Street between Vicente Fernandez and State streets. A large LED screen will be set up near Eastside Luv.
Metro, along with Angel City Football Club, will activate the Mariachi Plaza station as a “welcoming platform” with screens showing highlights of the match. Miriam Rodriguez, president of the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce said the event aims to boost local businesses facing economic strain tied to the recent federal immigration raids. Many of the businesses along the corridor will be participating, including Espacio 1839, Street Tacos and Grill, Tenampal, Casa Fina, Birrieria Don Boni, SuperNova Thrift and Distrito Catorce.
Some may offer food and merchandise outdoors or host DJs similar to past CicLAvia events in Boyle Heights. Boyle Heights is turning the World Cup into a neighborhood celebration with a free block party next month aimed at supporting local businesses and bringing residents together along the 1st Street corridor.
“There’s a lot of focus on tourism and trying to make LA suitable for people to visit us, but at the end of the day, it’s our business members, our community members, who are here day to day, and they deserve to have a safe space to watch the game,” said Miriam Rodriguez, president of the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce. The block party is expected to close 1st Street between Vicente Fernandez and State streets.
A large LED screen will be set up near Eastside Luv. Metro, along with Angel City Football Club, will activate the Mariachi Plaza station as a “welcoming platform” with screens showing highlights of the match, Rodriguez said. A music lineup is in the works and other details are still being finalized, Rodriguez said. Las Fotos Project, JD Sports, Neighborhood Music Schools, and the Angel City Football Club supporter group, known as PodeRosas, are among the participating organizations.
Rodriguez said the event aims to boost local businesses facing economic strain tied to the recent federal immigration raids.
“Soccer brings unity,” Rodriguez said. “We want to … let our community know that even in hard times we’re still here for our businesses. ”LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown L.A. will host Casa Mexico Los Angeles 2026, a five-week community-centered celebration of soccer and culture. The event will feature free public programs, including live match viewing parties, music, gastronomy, exhibitions and more.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Shop TODAY Insider Curated Box SweepstakesEver wonder what products our editors can’t get enough of?
Read more »
The MCU Movie That Answered Marvel's Biggest Avengers: Doomsday Problem Turns 10 TodayTony Stark looks angry in Captain America: Civil War
Read more »
Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Predictions for Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyrese Maxey)Breaking down the best prop bets for the conference semifinal matchups on Wednesday, including a pick for Anthony Edwards.
Read more »
Obama Presidential Center museum tickets go on sale todayTickets for the Obama Presidential Center museum go on sale today. Here’s what to know before it opens.
Read more »
Look out, Brookline: A 12-day partial closure of the Green Line begins todayShuttles are replacing Green Line trolleys on the C branch between Kenmore and Cleveland Circle from May 6 to May 17.
Read more »
The 14th Amendment Is 160 Years Old Today—And We Are in Serious TroubleJeffrey C. Isaac is James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His books include: 'Democracy in Dark Times'(1998); 'The Poverty of Progressivism: The Future of American Democracy in a Time of Liberal Decline' (2003), and 'Arendt, Camus, and Modern Rebellion' (1994).
Read more »