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Faith leaders decry ICE operation in Downey Memorial Christian Church parking lot

Faith leaders gathered at Downey Memorial Christian Church on Wednesday, June 11, to decry the detention of an unidentified man on their property earlier that day.
The man, described as a dark-skinned man with dark hair who only spoke Spanish, was taken into custody by law enforcement dressed in plainclothes who refused to identify themselves or produce a warrant for the man’s arrest on Wednesday, according to church leaders.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. Immigration a...
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Hundreds gather at Long Beach Civic Center to protest ICE, urge more money for Justice Fund

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Long Beach Civic Center on Tuesday, June 10, to protest recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the Los Angeles area and to ask the City Council to allocate additional money to a local fund supporting legal services for immigrants.
The gathering began with about 100 people at Harvey Milk Park in downtown Long Beach, where demonstrators gathered before marching to the Civic Center, just a few blocks down the road.
Robert Marquez, with...
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California’s political leaders call for end to federal immigration action in LA

Political leaders representing Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions across California asked President Donald Trump on Monday, June 9, to put an end to federal immigration action in and around the L.A. area.
Representatives from the California State Assembly, including Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, said the administration’s federalizing of the National Guard in L.A., among other recent actions, are unconstitutional.
“What we are seeing — raids without c...
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Officials working to reduce high levels of toxic pesticide in West Long Beach

After discovering high levels of a toxic pesticide in West Long Beach, city officials — alongside several state and federal regulatory agencies — are working to limit the chemical’s presence in the area.
The pesticide, methyl bromide, is used by companies to kill harmful pests on imported fruits and vegetables that arrive through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, according to a Thursday, April 22, city report.
Though the use of methyl bromide was globally banned under the Montreal Agreeme...
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Here’s a deeper dive into spcaLA’s lawsuit against Long Beach after lease termination

With Long Beach and spcaLA’s dispute over the city ending their 26-year partnership officially in litigation, additional details about the events leading to that decision have come to light — from the latter party’s perspective.Tension between Long Beach Animal Care Services and the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had been brewing for several years before the city terminated spcaLA’s lease in late February, giving the charity a month to relocate its operations from t...
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10 years after Torrance Refinery explosion, pressure for a ban on MHF builds

As the South Bay community marks the 10th anniversary of an explosion at Torrance Refinery, advocates and elected officials are renewing their efforts to ban modified hydrofluoric acid at the facility — including via federal legislation.The 2015 explosion at the Torrance Refinery, which registered as a small earthquake, left four workers injured and covered the surrounding communities in catalytic dust. But it also ignited a movement against the use of modified hydrofluoric acid, at both the Tor...
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As 2028 Olympic Games nears, here’s how Long Beach is prepping for the international stage

In less than four years, Long Beach will take the international stage as a venue city for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which city officials say will be both a massive undertaking and an opportunity to elevate the city’s status, bolster tourism and economic development — and develop a lasting gold-medal legacy that’ll benefit the town for years to come.Though Long Beach isn’t the host city — that’s Los Angeles, of course — it will play a major role in the upcoming Games as a venue city...
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Is the air, water safe in LA County after Palisades, Eaton fires? Here’s what you need to know

As firefighters close in on the Palisades and Eaton fires — with both nearly 100% contained as of Tuesday, Jan. 27 — concerns remain about lasting public health impacts across L.A. county from the disasters.Worries about bad air quality from wildfire smoke have been on the rise since the fires broke out and lots of discussion — and misinformation — populates social media these days. Here are some answers to your questions about post-fire air quality, and how to keep yourself safe.Q: Is the air q...
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Air quality monitoring not equipped to measure full dangers from Eaton, Palisades fires, experts say

A race against time.That’s how one air quality expert describes the current public health situation in Los Angeles, where thousands are coping with destruction wreaked by the Palisades and Eaton fires.Together, the fires have ravaged more than 37,000 acres since they broke out last Tuesday — leaving over 12,000 structures, including homes, business, cars, and more, melted to nothing in their path.And unlike California’s usual wildland fires — which have occurred in mostly forested, sparsely popu...
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Vigil mourns Eaton fire victims at Nickerson Gardens, including grandson of community’s namesake

Candles are held up in honor of the victims who died in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires at a vigil in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
City officials and residents light up candles for victims of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires at a vigil in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer...
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Rodney Nickerson, 83-year-old engineer with ties to Nickerson Gardens, among Eaton fire victims

Rodney Nickerson, an engineer with deep family ties to the broader Los Angeles community, resisted pleas from his family to evacuate as flames approached the Altadena home where he had lived for more than five decades.“Despite the dangerous conditions, my grandfather insisted on staying in his home, a place that was deeply meaningful to our family,” Chase Newton, Nickerson’s grandson, wrote on GoFundMe. “His last words to my mother were, ‘I’ll be here tomorrow,’ but he never made it out.”Family...
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With so many newly homeless amid fires, efforts to help already unhoused get tougher

As fire crews continue to work to gain control of the massive Palisades and Eaton fires, organizations from around Los Angeles County are working to support thousands whose homes were destroyed in an area where housing affordability and availability were already an enduring crisis.Aside from the newly homeless, the Eaton and Palisades fires have complicated efforts for agencies that help people who were already without dwellings long before the deadly fires were unleashed.“Before the crisis of t...
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Long Beach distributing respirator masks to at-risk residents as fires worsen air quality

Long Beach began distributing N95 respirator masks to eligible residents at all of its library branches and various community centers on Friday, Jan. 10, to help protect at-risk people from the impacts of bad air quality caused by the ongoing fires in the region.Masks will be available for residents over 18 years old who are at high risk of negative health impacts from the poor air quality, the city said in its Friday announcement, including older adults, people with disabilities, and people wit...
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Palisades fire damages or destroys more than 5,300 structures

The number of structures damaged or destroyed by the fire that has ravaged Pacific Palisades and Malibu is more than 5,300, according to an aerial survey, Cal Fire said on Thursday, Jan. 9.A structure can include residential and commercial buildings, motor homes, outbuildings and vehicles, officials said.Officials also said there have been two fire-related deaths but didn’t provide details.The blaze had blackened 19,978 acres, although it had slowed down considerably as wind conditions turned mo...
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Panama Joe’s withdraws application for permanent parklet after community pushback

Panama Joe’s, a popular restaurant and sports bar on Belmont Shore’s busy Second Street, has officially withdrawn its application for a permanent outdoor dining parklet after pushback from residents in the area.The bar’s application was set to go before the Long Beach City Council for a vote during its Tuesday, Oct. 22, meeting, but was stricken from the record after Panama Joe’s formally withdrew on Friday, Oct. 18.Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan, whose district includes Belmont Sh...
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Phillips 66 closing its LA Harbor-area refinery; more than 600 jobs at stake

Phillips 66 announced Wednesday it will close its Los Angeles-area refinery next year, idling 600 employees and 300 contractors who work at two sprawling facilities that straddle Wilmington and Carson in the port region.A statement cited uncertainty about the “sustainability” of the facility going forward.“We understand this decision has an impact on our employees, contractors and the broader community,” Mark Lashier, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66, said in a statement. “We will work to help an...
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Southern California fans share excitement as U.S. women’s soccer clinches gold

Anticipation. Covered eyes. Murmurs of frustration.Those were the feelings of hundreds of U.S. Women’s Soccer supporters at two Long Beach sports bars in the early morning on Saturday, Aug. 10 as they watched — with bated breath — as the USWNT played out a shaky first half against the Brazilian Women’s National Team in pursuit of Olympic gold at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris.The gold-medal match, an especially tense one for both national teams who had much to prove on the international stage...
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