L.A. Times - Religious News

L.A.'s Westside once bragged about not needing air conditioning. This year's heat changed that

Iris Kwok — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Many Westside residents without air conditioning told The Times they drastically altered their daily routines due to oppressive heat and humidity. Some avoided cooking and slept on friend's couches.

Arson, conspiracy are behind devastating Old Town Newhall fire, authorities say; 4 arrested

Iris Kwok — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Roughly two months after fire ripped through Newhall's historic downtown, four people are under arrest, accused of arson and conspiracy in the devastating blaze.

L.A.'s Black leaders uneasy about Bass' prospects amid declining clout at City Hall

David Zahniser — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

To win the race, Mayor Karen Bass will need to boost turnout among the city's Black voters and across South L.A. But Councilmember Nithya Raman is also fighting for those votes.

This L.A. city board is more than 150 years old. A ballot measure could quietly hasten its end

Jon Regardie — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The five Public Works board members are appointed by the mayor and earn about $200,000 a year. They oversee more than 5,500 city employees working in sanitation, street repairs, sewer systems and more.

Becerra widens lead in governor's race as voter focus shifts to Trump, new poll shows

Nicole Nixon — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

LA Times/Berkeley poll on California governor's race, October 2026

Cal Fire has a new app. It looks a lot like Watch Duty

Noah Haggerty — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Cal Fire does not credit Watch Duty as the inspiration for the AwareCA app. But it does address the uneasiness of many fire officials that residents are getting life-and-death information from a nonofficial source.

Newsom announces a state 'strike force' to smooth path for 2028 Olympics

James Rainey — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The strike team will aim to knock down bureaucratic hurdles and ensure that state agencies, local governments and LA28 are working together to ensure a successful Olympics.

Fierce debate as California changes course in central water hub

Ian James — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:26:46 GMT

California regulators adopted a controversial plan changing how the state governs the pumping of water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It gives water agencies more leeway in how they comply with the rules.

What is Lewy body dementia? About the condition Patrick Stewart had

Iris Kwok — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 01:09:30 GMT

British actor Patrick Stewart died Wednesday at 86.

A 'compulsion' to hurt kids: San Diego woman pleads guilty to killing best friend's baby

Grace Toohey — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:04:03 GMT

A San Diego woman pleaded guilty this week in the 2024 death of her best friend's 6-week-old baby and harming the baby's twin. She told investigators she had a "compulsion .... to hurt kids."

California county abandons repair plans for crumbling coastal road ahead of El Niño-fueled winter

Hailey Branson-Potts — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:23:56 GMT

Humboldt County officials say planned repairs to fast-eroding coastal road might be too late to save it.

At the Hollywood Forever Día de los Muertos, families carry on an L.A. tradition of more than 50 years

Carlos De Loera — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:13:32 GMT

Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Día de los Muertos yearly festival is the largest celebration of the holiday anywhere outside of Mexico. Latino families from throughout Southern California discuss why they gather there to erect altars in honor of deceased loved ones.

'This is the worst it's been.' King tides flood Southern California beach bars and restaurants

Stephanie Breijo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:53:31 GMT

Enormous waves and record-breaking tides are flooding the Southland's restaurants and bars. Forecasts predict more El Niño-driven storms in the coming months.

California, feds continue election war after courts rebuke challenge to 20,000 ballots

Kevin Rector, Brittny Mejia — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:53:07 GMT

Federal prosecutors issued criminal grand jury subpoenas to three L.A. County election officials, demanding they appear in court the day after the election.

California man who allegedly beat elderly woman with bat captured in Oklahoma

Andrew J. Campa — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:47:47 GMT

Erik Navarro, 26, was taken into custody by San Bernardino County Sheriff's detectives Monday and booked on suspicion of robbery, causing injury to an elder, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and destruction of a wireless communication device.

'Mountain of evidence': ICE agents discriminated against Latinos, judge says

Brittny Mejia — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:41:47 GMT

Citing agents' own testimony and body-camera footage, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong found evidence of an unwritten policy targeting people who are Latino or appear to be and are working class.

Dark and stormy weather coming to SoCal, just in time for Halloween

Alex Wigglesworth — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:29:32 GMT

Forecasters are calling for a dark and stormy Halloween in the Los Angeles area, with rain expected Friday through Sunday.

California High Speed Rail Authority boss Ian Choudri resigns under fire

Colleen Shalby — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:50:54 GMT

Ian Choudri, chief executive of the state's high-speed rail authority since 2024, abruptly resigned before a crucial board vote over a key portion of the route.

SoCal coast braces for more flooding as El Niño's high tides break records

Terry Castleman, Rong-Gong Lin II, Hanna Sender — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:32:21 GMT

The National Weather Service extended flood advisories for all of Southern California's coastal counties through 2 p.m. Friday, said Devin Black, a meteorologist for the weather service's Oxnard office. They were originally scheduled to expire Thursday at 1 p.m.

2026 election day obstacles: Fast answers for stalled voters

Karen Garcia — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Forgot to register to vote? Don't know where my polling place is? Where is my nearest ballot box? All the answers to your Election Day burning questions for the 2026 California general election.

Raman leads among younger voters, polls show, but Bass isn't conceding any ground

Melissa Gomez — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Raman, an advocate for affordable housing, is heavily favored by younger voters. But Bass is courting them too, and says she will 'be here waiting for them after I win.'

Arellano: How the Bass campaign channels one of L.A.'s most infamous mayoral races

Gustavo Arellano — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

With less than a week until Nov. 3, it seems like the Los Angeles mayor's race is Karen Bass' to lose.

Support dwindles for wealth tax, voter ID ballot measures, new poll shows

Seema Mehta — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

A new UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll finds 50% of likely voters oppose Proposition 40's one-time billionaire tax, as support has faded amid a heavily funded campaign against it.

L.A. city and county fend off a court battle over homeless services

Doug Smith — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The city and county of Los Angeles, long at odds over homeless services, have in principle reached an agreement that would give the city control who gets placed in city shelters and housing.

Amid Flock backlash, LAPD moves forward with license plate readers from another company

Libor Jany — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

While Flock has faced the brunt of the country's backlash against automated license plate readers, its main competitor has emerged as a winner in the race to equip LAPD with surveillance technology.

A new president takes charge at Caltech as uncertainties linger over JPL, Trump and AI

Jaweed Kaleem — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Caltech President Ray Jayawardhana studies planets beyond our solar system in the search for alien life. But he now faces challenges closer to Earth: Trump threats and Caltech's potential loss of NASA's JPL.

Billionaire tax battle heats up on Instagram with unlikely influencers paid to pick sides

Queenie Wong — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The battle over the billionaire tax proposal is playing out on social media where influencers, including parents and senior citizens, are getting paid to post videos to inform and sway voters.

A man with a knife and another one with a grin. Wendy's encounter goes viral

Iris Kwok — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:54:45 GMT

A video of the encounter, which shows a Wendy's customer holding a knife while facing a grinning man, has gone viral online.

Investigators find Victoria's Secret wear, guns, cash and 9 suspected train bandits with cartel ties

Ruben Vives — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:13:19 GMT

The department said that, during the operation, investigators arrested nine suspects from Sinaloa, Mexico, in connection with the ongoing investigation into organized train cargo thefts.

Nanny for Irvine family caught on camera punching and shaking baby, authorities say

Suhauna Hussain — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:06:40 GMT

Prosecutors allege Iara Dossantos Bomfim used the online platform Care.com to advertise her child-care services and fled the U.S. to her native Brazil after the family that hired her found surveillance footage of her allegedly abusing the infant.

Castaic's Chiquita Canyon landfill blamed for headaches, dizziness and wheezing, says state lawsuit

Andrew J. Campa — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:10:47 GMT

California Atty. General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that his office is seeking civil penalties and equitable relief against the operators of Castaic's Chiquita Canyon Landfill for allegedly mismanaging the operation, lawsuit says.

Hayden Panettiere's manner of death revealed as officials conclude case

Richard Winton — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:01:25 GMT

"Based on the Medical Examiner's determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled accidental," officials in Greenville, S.C., said.

Judge denies feds' request to block 20,000 California ballots in blistering opinion

Kevin Rector, Brittny Mejia — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:53:08 GMT

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the administration's allegations were "not credible" and that the intervention it sought would violate a host of federal laws.

Tack on another day of misery from high tides that have swamped Southern California coast

Terry Castleman — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:05:44 GMT

Unusually high tides were expected to continue across Southern California's coastal areas through Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

Your last-minute voter guide to California's 2026 general election

Karen Garcia — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:57:54 GMT

Everything you need to know about how to vote in the 2026 California general election, including how to register, where to vote and how to check the status of your ballot.

Los Angeles approves ban on oil production after years-long fight

Hayley Smith — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:31:50 GMT

The City Council ordinance will halt new oil and gas drilling in L.A. and phase out production on existing oil wells over the next 20 years. It applies to some 600 active and 1,200 idle wells within city limits.

Arellano: The Dolores Huerta I'll remember

Gustavo Arellano — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 19:11:43 GMT

People couldn't believe how approachable she was, how she never seemed to say no to an autograph, a photo request, a chance to hear the stories of others.

Ventura County man sentenced after violent drive ends in deadly crash into teens on bicycles

Hailey Branson-Potts — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:59:23 GMT

A Ventura County man was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison after driving into a group of bicyclists, killing a 16-year-old.

'Star Wars' executive Kathleen Kennedy to produce L.A.'s 2028 Summer Olympics ceremonies

James Rainey — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:59:57 GMT

Kathleen Kennedy, the veteran producer behind the 'Star Wars' and 'Jurassic Park' franchises, will lead the creative team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies.

They raced across the border, then returned to find their cars had been towed

Alex Wigglesworth — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:57:54 GMT

Dozens of runners in the Binational Race returned from the race to find their cars had been towed.

Marcellus Wiley faces another sexual assault allegation in lawsuit filed by a former USC student

Steve Henson — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:48:37 GMT

A lawsuit alleges former NFL player and media figure Marcellus Wiley raped a USC student in 1999. Wiley has denied similar allegations from his estranged wife and others.

Dolores Huerta, the fiery and resolute activist who helped launch the nation's first enduring union for poor farmworkers, dies

James Rainey — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:53:19 GMT

The emotional compass of the United Farm Workers of America for decades, Huerta attained singular stature as godmother of the Chicano power movement and doyenne of American labor.

Actor Cheyenne Jackson was 'one job away' from losing SAG-AFTRA healthcare. Now, he's helping others

Suhauna Hussain — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Actor and singer Cheyenne Jackson, who has starred on Broadway and acted in dozens of TV shows, said he has received hundreds of messages since offering to help union members keep their healthcare.

Proposition 45 would sideline dozens of tribes from input on major California projects

Noah Haggerty — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 GMT

California Proposition 45, aimed at streamlining the state's environmental review process for "essential" projects, would bar tribes that are not recognized by the federal government from consulting in reviews, while maintaining the right for tribes with recognition.

Teens work, drive and pay taxes. But should they vote? This California city will soon decide

Hailey Branson-Potts — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00:00 GMT

Arlo Meighan-Thiel is 16, and he's ready to vote. Not in two years, when he becomes a legal adult.

Surprising close encounters with marine predators in California bring awe and fear

Andrew J. Campa — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Social media footage showed Eastern Tropical orcas, who normally enjoy the warmer waters of Baja in October, traveling in a pod and within feet of a few boats, leaving guests stunned and howling on Saturday outside Laguna Beach.

Arellano: Nithya Raman is learning Spanish. What that says about her vision for L.A.

Gustavo Arellano — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Since the start of her mayoral campaign, Raman has sprinkled Spanglish into her speeches and sometimes offered whole sentences in softly accented, lightly stilted Spanish. It's part of an effort to win over Latinos.

Marissa Roy's lead grows over John McKinney in L.A. city attorney race, latest poll shows

Sonja Sharp — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

California Deputy Atty. Gen. Marissa Roy leads Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney by 17 points in the race to replace Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, according to the latest poll results, which show a large number of voters still remain undecided in the contest.

Living near Hollywood sign means cars, diapers, bottles of urine. Neighbors say they've had it

Iris Kwok — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Hollywood sign neighbors filed a legal complaint saying L.A. is responsible for nuisance conditions on public property because it promoted the area as a viewing destination and didn't take steps to address residents' complaints.

Your last-minute guide to California governor candidates' views on gas prices, EVs and high-speed rail

Nicole Nixon, Seema Mehta — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

In California, fuel prices often are higher than anywhere else in the country, a reflection of the state's high cost of living that voters want their next governor to address.

Desperate mom-and-pops turn to risky cash advances in tough economy — and can get burned

Audrey McGlinchy — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Struggling small businesses are turning to costly merchant cash advances for quick capital, but high fees and daily payouts are driving many into debt.

Amid rash of unusually high DWP bills, board suspends shutoffs for nonpayment

Melissa Gomez — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:27:17 GMT

L.A. officials moved to temporarily suspend water and electricity shutoffs due to nonpayment. But the charges are not forgiven and still must be paid.

Dog rescue favored by celebrities is an 'illegal commercial enterprise,' L.A. claims

Alene Tchekmedyian — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:11:54 GMT

The Los Angeles city attorney's office is suing an animal rescue organization that was once a favorite among Hollywood celebrities, alleging that its owner purchased dogs from puppy mills and portrayed them to adopters as animals that were rescued.

Judge finds L.A.'s top federal prosecutor is unlawfully serving, bars him from two cases

Brittny Mejia — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:08:23 GMT

The judge barred Bill Essayli from overseeing two prosecutions but delayed the order's effect, leaving his leadership of the L.A. office under a legal cloud.

LAPD officer arrested after dragging romantic partner into street at gunpoint, sources say

Libor Jany, James Queally — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:02:40 GMT

The officer, Anthony Gutierrez, was off duty when he was taken into custody by officers from the LAPD's Mission Division late Monday and booked on suspicion of kidnapping and assault with a firearm.

Judge in L.A. weighs feds' request to block 20,000 California votes with skepticism

Brittny Mejia, Kevin Rector — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:08:34 GMT

Judge David O. Carter seemed skeptical of a Trump administration request to immediately block California officials from counting about 20,000 ballots from voters whose citizenship the administration questions, but said he would not rule until Wednesday.

As filming lags, L.A. City Council offers $1 a day parking fees and free permits for micro-shoots

Cerys Davies — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:03:38 GMT

As local productions continue to decline, L.A. City Council is taking modest action. The council passed two measures Tuesday to encourage more filming activity.

Online vigilantes say they trapped LAPD officer in predator sting

Richard Winton — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:54:55 GMT

L.A. Police Officer Leonardo A. Ruiz, 31, was arrested by Monrovia police last week after an amateur sting by a group recording the encounter to post online.

'Minecraft' creator asks $70 million for Beverly Hills mansion with 15 bathrooms, private nightclub

Jack Flemming — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:08:29 GMT

Markus Persson, creator of "Minecraft," is selling his Beverly Hills home for $70 million — the same price he paid for it in 2014.

El Niño flooding grips Newport Beach in a vise. 'Mother Nature comes to collect some tax'

Fedor Zarkhin, Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:22:49 GMT

A mix of astronomical and tidal events are converging with unusually warm waters off Southern California's coast to push the tides higher than ever before, sending surges of water into beach cities like Newport Beach and Redondo Beach.

Prop. 3 is being touted by unions as a school funding bill. That's partly true

Howard Blume — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:48:45 GMT

Proposition 3 is touted as a school funding bill. Learn how California's other tax measure on high incomes would actually distribute its revenue.

Immigrant detainee dies at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego

Andrea Castillo — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:13:54 GMT

The death on Saturday marks the 61st person to die in ICE custody so far under the Trump administration.

FBI raids billionaire's Beverly Hills mansion in connection with Eric Swalwell probe, sources say

Richard Winton — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:43:09 GMT

The FBI is raiding a mansion in Beverly Hills in connection with an investigation into former Rep. Eric Swalwell of Dublin, Calif.

Allegations against Rep. Jimmy Gomez fuel momentum for DSA-backed challenger Gonzales-Torres

Dakota Smith — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Accusations of sexual misconduct have left Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-L.A.) vulnerable to Angela Gonzales-Torres, an upstart challenger backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Deaf workers lose thousands in power tools to thieves, have group hug, vow to 'keep going'

Ruben Vives — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The theft occurred in broad daylight while the construction workers were making repairs to a home in Granada Hills.

Body of missing climber found, buried in snow, on Mt. Whitney

Iris Kwok — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Inyo County Sheriff's Office said it received a report from an employee at a Lone Pine motel of a guest who missed checkout and left his personal belongings behind.

El Niño's record-hot ocean waters driving coastal flooding in Southern California

Rong-Gong Lin II, Hannah Fry — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Unprecedented flooding is quickly becoming a fact of life in some Southern California coastal communities.

L.A. homicides are down to near-historic lows — but killings of Black men persist

Libor Jany — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Homicides in Los Angeles have fallen to levels not seen since the 1960s, but more than a third of those killed this year have been Black.

Measure A could radically alter L.A. County labor talks. There's been little debate

Jon Regardie — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Measure A would mandate binding arbitration when labor talks between the L.A. County supervisors and public safety unions that are barred from striking reach an impasse.

DSA's national leaders postpone decision on rescinding Raman's endorsement for mayor

Noah Goldberg — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 03:00:11 GMT

The left-wing group held a meeting Monday evening to decide whether to allow the local Los Angeles DSA chapter's endorsement of the council member to stand.

Woman who claimed she was carrying 'Bachelor' star's baby sentenced in pregnancy fraud scheme

Salvador Hernandez — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:55:28 GMT

A woman who faked two pregnancies and falsely claimed that a former star of "The Bachelor" was the father of one of the children has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

A pair of rare Brooks-Disney athletic shoes led detectives to $1 million in stolen gear, police say

Richard Winton — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:34:06 GMT

Investigators struck athletic-gear gold last week when they discovered a cache of stolen athletic shoes and other goods worth $1 million inside a Chatsworth warehouse.

9th Circuit denies feds' appeal over 20,000 ballots; district court hearing to proceed

Kevin Rector — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:18:42 GMT

The decision clears the way for the lower court to proceed with hearing the case. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday afternoon before Judge David O. Carter in Los Angeles.

Former Bass opponent Rick Caruso now says he will vote for her reelection as mayor

Noah Goldberg — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:56:09 GMT

Caruso said that he feared Raman would turn the LAPD into a "a laboratory for risky DSA social experimentation."

Ethics complaint filed over ads falsely portraying Raman promoting homeless camps

Itzel Luna — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:49:13 GMT

The Raman campaign's complaint says the ads spread on social media steer viewers to an interactive AI phone line with a voice falsely identified as that of Nithya Raman.

Ahead of midterms, Trump offers $1-million reward to voter fraud tipsters

Ana Ceballos — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:16:17 GMT

The offer comes as the Trump administration has moved more aggressively to intervene in the midterms, including a push in California to segregate ballots from voters it considers likely noncitizens.

Your guide to Pasadena Measure PFD: A special parcel tax to fund the fire department

Alex Wigglesworth — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:14:40 GMT

Measure PFD on the ballot in Pasadena would levy an annual parcel tax of 19 cents per square foot of improved property, with exemptions for low-income homeowners. The money would go into a special fund earmarked for fire stations, apparatus, equipment and staffing.

SoCal coast hit by widespread flooding as record-breaking tides move in

Rong-Gong Lin II, Hannah Fry — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Seawater levels could reach near-record or record heights along Southern California, the National Weather Service warned. The highest high tides are expected Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Experts question whether big-money campaigns backing Karen Bass are truly independent

David Zahniser — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

A former Bass advisor now runs an outside campaign committee supporting her reelection, raising questions about whether the committee is truly independent.

Bass and Raman skirmish over treatment of small business. The Valley is a battleground

Itzel Luna — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

L.A. mayoral candidates Bass and Raman skirmish over their support for small businesses. The San Fernando Valley is a battleground

Chabria: California votes. Trump's Justice Department panics

Anita Chabria — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Lawyers for the Justice Department managed to get a three-judge panel to convene a rare emergency hearing on Sunday.