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Los Angeles County’s CEO on Monday proposed a $48.8-billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that avoids broad cuts, but warns reductions in federal funding could hit the county hard.
The budget by acting CEO Joseph Nicchitta recommended a net decrease of 81 budgeted vacant jobs for a total of 115,885 positions. It includes $63.2 million in new ongoing local funding for programs and services.
Family and social service programs would see a $40.1-million bump in funding. That would help protect 1,000 Department of Public Social Service jobs that provide CalFresh services, according to a county statement. The budget plan also includes $12 million more to support public defenders, given increasing caseloads.
Federal policy changes to Medi-Cal and CalFresh eligibility, enrollment and work requirements set to take effect in the next fiscal year “are expected to have a devastating impact on those programs,” according to the statement. The Department of Health Services budget reflects an estimated $662.2 million decline in federal support to maintain the current level of services.
“LA County is currently in the eye of a hurricane,” Nicchitta said. “Previous cuts of 8.5% and a hiring freeze helped balance our spending plan, but we’re preparing for major new budget impacts to our health and social services departments in 2027.”
A beloved Los Angeles puppetry institution said Monday they’re here to stay now that they’ve worked out a plan to buy their building.
The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been delighting L.A. kids — and kids at heart — since 1963. But in 2019, their landlord’s redevelopment plans forced them to move from their original location near downtown L.A. to their current venue in Highland Park.
Co-executive director Mary Fagot said discussions to purchase the building began in 2024. Those talks have culminated in a deal to buy the building for $5 million from its owner, Capstone Equities. Once the sale is complete, Fagot said Bob Baker will be able to redirect rent money to new programming, field trips and special events.
for more on how this deal comes at a time when Bob Baker puppets are gracing bigger stages and reaching new audiences.
The directors of a beloved Los Angeles puppetry institution said Monday their theater is here to stay now that they’ve worked out a plan to buy their building.
L.A. kids — and kids at heart — since 1963. But in 2019, a landlord’s redevelopment plans forced the theater to move from its original location near downtown L.A. to its current venue in Highland Park. Co-executive director Mary Fagot said discussions to purchase the building began in 2024. Those talks have culminated in a deal to buy the building for $5 million from its owner, Capstone Equities. Once the sale is complete, Bob Baker will be able to redirect rent money to new programming, field trips and special events, Fagot said. “Buying the building means that we won't be subject to rent increases or even another displacement in the future,” she said. “We'll be able to go on presenting our special brand of magic, creativity and imagination, here in this location, forever.”
The theater said it has already raised $4.5 million for the purchase from organizations such as the Perenchio Foundation, the Kohl Family Foundation and the Ahmanson Foundation, as well as philanthropists and celebrities, including Wallis Annenberg, Jack Black and Tanya Haden.
The news comes as new audiences have been getting to see White Cat, Skateboarding Clown, Gorgeous and all of the theater’s other distinctive puppets in action.
last weekend. They’ll be there again this weekend, adding a dash of whimsy to a lineup that includes headliners Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G.
Fagot said L.A. families are always bringing new generations of kids to their regular shows in Highland Park. “To be able to say with certainty that this theater will be here for my kids and my kids' kids, and really for the cultural landscape of Los Angeles for generations to come — it feels like a really big deal, not just for us, but for L.A.,” Fagot said.
Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025.
Rep. Eric Swalwell said Monday that he will resign his seat in Congress, a day after he suspended his campaign for California governor following explosive allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from four women, including a former staff member, published by two news outlets.
Swalwell’s campaign collapsed Friday soon after the first report in the San Francisco Chronicle, in which the unnamed former staff member said Swalwell solicited oral sex from her while she was working for him and twice sexually assaulted her when she was too drunk to consent. The account was corroborated with medical records and by people the woman spoke with after the last incident, which she said took place in New York in 2024. CNN later Friday published the same woman’s account, as well as those of three other women.
Rep. Eric Swalwell said Monday that he will resign his seat in Congress, a day after he suspended his campaign for California governor following explosive allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from four women, including a former staff member, published by two news outlets. He said he would'fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.', in which the unnamed former staff member said Swalwell solicited oral sex from her while she was working for him and twice sexually assaulted her when she was too drunk to consent. The account was corroborated with medical records and by people the woman spoke with after the last incident, which she said took place in New York in 2024.
published the same woman’s account, as well as those of three other women, one of whom said he kissed and touched her inappropriately and two of whom alleged he sent unsolicited nude photos and other inappropriate messages on Snapchat.
It was unclear when Swalwell would step down, but he said he would work with his congressional staff to ensure they are able to meet the needs of his San Francisco East Bay district, where he was first elected in 2013. Because he is leaving the race after a state deadline to file for or withdraw from a race, his name will still appear on the June 2 primary ballot.
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The Olympic cauldron is lit at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in January ahead of ticket registration. The IOC's new policy takes effect for the 2028 Summer Games.
If you have a small business and want to get in on some of the LA28 action, here’s where local business leaders say to start.
to direct 75% of its spending to companies in the Greater L.A. region, with 25% going to small businesses. More indirect opportunities will also come to the city from large companies and national sporting federations looking to temporarily set up camp during the Olympics.
, a contract marketplace run by the city of Los Angeles, will be the core platform for contracts from LA28 organizers, according to John Reamer, LA’s Bureau of Contract Administration director. The platform, as of Friday, is already populated with requests for toilet providers and equestrian course builders.
Organizers of the 2028 Olympics say they want much of the millions of dollars coming in from the games to stay local.
to direct 75% of its spending to companies in the Greater L.A. region, with 25% going to small businesses. More indirect opportunities will also come to the city from large companies and national sporting federations looking to temporarily set up camp during the Olympics. “We have to lean in and uplift these micro businesses and small businesses,” said Erikk Aldridge, LA28 vice president of impact. He was in Inglewood for a small business panel discussion at COSM on Friday. Those targets aren’t going to be met automatically, said Michèle Turner, the associate vice president of USC’s Office of Business Opportunity. “As big as this region is, it’s hard to find these businesses,” Turner told The LA Local. “These next two years — 820-some-odd days — are going to be crazy.” If you have a small business and want to get in on some of the LA28 action, here’s where local business leaders say to start.
, a contract marketplace run by the city of Los Angeles, will be the core platform for contracts from LA28 organizers, according to John Reamer, L.A.’s Bureau of Contract Administration director. The platform, as of Friday, is already populated with requests for toilet providers and equestrian course builders.
, a small business database launched Friday by the L.A. Business Council Institute in conjunction with the city of L.A. and USC.
Reamer said small businesses will need to prove they are up to the task of Olympic-related work. “LA28, make no mistake about it, they’re looking for the best,” Reamer said. “These are the Olympics. There are going to be standards and expectations.” Leila Lee, assistant director of the L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity, said small businesses should start now with a few non-Olympic contracts in order to beef up their resumes for the Olympics and longer-term success. Businesses can also burnish their credentials by applying for a local small business certification from the county or city of L.A. Reamer said the city wants to take care of its own. “There are going to be a number of businesses that come here for the LA28 games that claim to be and they are not,” he said.
Billups, of AECOM, said businesses should take time to assess the market around them, understand how they fit, and build relationships with the people who control the purse strings. One way to network is through any of the mentorship and training programs run by government agencies and large businesses. The nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or LISC, runs a
Two months ago, Democrats in Congress said they would not give immigration enforcement agencies another cent without reforms to limit the tactics of their officers. But 59 days into a record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown, that strategy has resulted in none of the policy changes they have demanded, while President Trump's immigration crackdown is still operating at full speed.
Thanks to congressional Republicans, who gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement a $75 billion windfall last year with few strings attached — that money has helped insulate ICE from congressional pressure and oversight. And as Congress returns from a two-week recess, top Republicans are making plans to skirt Democrats again to ensure ICE and Customs and Border Protection have funding through the end of Trump's term.
The fight over ICE tactics has been at a standstill for two months, leaving DHS without the regular annual funding that Congress is required to approve for all federal agencies. The lack of funding would typically impact an entire agency. But this shutdown has been different. Unlike airport security employees who worked without pay for weeks, most ICE and Border Patrol operations continued largely unimpaired due to the $75 billion cash infusion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That flood of money has also allowed ICE to hire thousands of agents and expand the number of detention center beds, even moving to purchase warehouses to house more detainees.
Two months ago, Democrats in Congress said they would not give immigration enforcement agencies another cent without reforms to limit the tactics of their officers. But 59 days into a record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown, that strategy has resulted in none of the policy changes they have demanded, while President Trump's immigration crackdown is still operating at full speed. That is thanks to congressional Republicans, who gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement a $75 billion windfall last year with few strings attached — money that has helped insulate ICE from congressional pressure and oversight. And as Congress returns from a two-week recess, top Republicans are making plans to skirt Democrats again to ensure ICE and Customs and Border Protection have funding through the end of Trump's term.
With the South Portico adorned in red, white and blue bunting, the White House's Fourth of July celebration last summer doubled as a signing ceremony for the Republicans passed it by circumventing Democrats with a tool known as budget reconciliation. Trump called the law, which cut taxes, slashed Medicaid and eliminated clean energy tax credits, the'biggest bill of its type in history.' That big bill also included $75 billion in new funding for ICE, on top of the agency's annual funding, which is usually only about $10 billion. The infusion made ICE the
Democrats have used this party-line reconciliation maneuver too, including in 2021 to approve
But Sam Bagenstos, who was general counsel at the White House Office of Management and Budget at the time under President Joe Biden, says this ICE funding is not a collection of targeted funds. Instead, it is more like a blank check. 'Here what we have is just a massive shoveling of cash to an agency with few if any strings,' he says.'I can't think of an example that's anywhere close to that.' The expansive pot of money received renewed scrutiny roughly six months after Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act when immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Article I of the Constitution says Congress holds the purse strings — a key check on the executive. 'But if turns out Congress had already taken away its ability to do that by passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gave ICE enough money that they can say to Congress, 'Yeah, sorry, we don't need to come back to you for money, and there's nothing you can do to us,'' Bagenstos says.
The fight over ICE tactics has been at a standstill for two months, leaving DHS without the regular annual funding that Congress is required to approve for all federal agencies. The lack of funding would typically impact an entire agency. But this shutdown has been different. Unlike airport security employees who worked without pay for weeks, most ICE and Border Patrol operations continued largely unimpaired due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trump also signed an executive order to pay other workers, circumventing Congress again. That flood of money has also allowed ICE to hire thousands of agents and expand the number of detention center beds, even moving to purchase
John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director and acting DHS general counsel during the Obama administration, says having to ask Congress for money every year makes agencies more responsive to concerns or requests for information from lawmakers. 'Having that appropriations mechanism where you have to get up there and defend what you did and how you did it every year — that is a tempering influence on the agency,' he says.'You might get a call from a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. Those calls resulted in a lot more changes.' When Congress gives an agency money, lawmakers usually attach specific guidelines for how that money should be spent. Sandweg says the $75 billion has very few specific guardrails. Then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem used some of it to buy two luxury jets and has drawn criticism for awarding a multimillion-dollar ad contract to a firm with ties to her and top aides. ICE has also drawn questions from lawmakers'When you have tens and tens of billions of dollars that can be easily spent with very limited oversight and no fear that you're going to have problems in the next fiscal year with Congress, you have created a real vulnerability to fraud or misconduct,' Sandweg says.
some of Noem's spending policies. Democrats say the shutdown fight helped prompt the changes, despite no agreement between Congress and the White House on the list of legislative demands that Democrats are pressing for. 'DHS is still subject to congressional oversight,' a DHS spokesperson wrote in a statement.'The 'misconduct' that needs to be corrected is the Democrats' longest government shutdown in U.S. history.'
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is depicted on a television next to him as he prepares to do a television interview on April 2 after the Senate passed a Department of Homeland Security funding bill by unanimous consent.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., says by withholding funding, Democrats are going beyond oversight, obstructing a basic responsibility of Congress because regular appropriations bills require 60 votes to overcome the Senate filibuster. 'Obviously the Democrats are stretching it by messing with the appropriations process in a way that was never intended,' Thune told reporters.
to fund DHS, except ICE and Border Patrol, but the House has yet to vote on the Senate-passed deal amid pushback from House Republicans. Now top Republicans say they will use that same party-line tool again to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the rest of Trump's term, without having to acquiesce to Democrats' demands for reforms. 'I think we may very well be in a world where these Senate Democrats will never again vote to fund ICE,' Cruz told Fox News.
Bagenstos, now a law and public policy professor at the University of Michigan, sees a different threat as the White House bypasses Congress on funding in all sorts of ways.
And though lawmakers did sign off on giving ICE that $75 billion, Bagenstos says sidestepping the regular funding process is one more way Congress has surrendered power.
Bagenstos says the Constitution's framers gave Congress that appropriations power because they saw the legislative branch as closest to the people. 'They disagreed about almost everything in the construction of our government, but one thing that people across the board agreed on was that the legislature should have the power of the purse,' he says.'If Congress doesn't stand up, I don't see why every executive in the future isn't going to follow some playbook like this,' he says.
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