Latest news with #KatyYaroslavsky
CBS News
27-06-2025
- CBS News
Demolition of Beverly Grove apartments taken over by squatters begins
Construction crews have started demolishing the trio of abandoned apartment complexes at the center of safety concerns for a Beverly Grove neighborhood. The residents say that their usually quiet street has been hit with a rash of fights, fires and people using drugs because of the nearly 20 people squatting in the vacant buildings. The most recent fire sparked in the middle of the night on Tuesday. A cell phone video showed the flames burning behind the abandoned apartment complexes located at First Street and S. Flores Street. Multiple neighbors rushed out of their homes with fire extinguishers to try to put out the flames. "I was just trying to sleep and I saw some orange in my window," said resident Leo Petronzio. "It was fire, and we were all rushing outside." It's been more than a week since CBS News Los Angeles first spoke with residents living nearby, who say this is just another in a long trend of concerning issues created by the nearly 20 squatters who took over. In the time since, the property owner has posted "No Trespassing" signs, and some city officials have taken notice, but neighbors said people remained inside. After Tuesday's fire, LA Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky's office called the ongoing squatting situation "outrageous and unacceptable." "The Council Office has continued to apply pressure to ensure the owner addresses the safety and nuisance issues without delay, including requesting the repair of fencing around the properties and hiring private security," Yaroslavsky's office wrote in a statement.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
LA Councilmember: Trump ‘disappearing' migrants
LA Councilmember: Trump 'disappearing' migrants CNN's Erin Burnett talks with LA Democratic Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky about President Trump's claim that LA would be 'burning to the ground' if he hadn't intervened. 01:14 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos LA Councilmember: Trump 'disappearing' migrants CNN's Erin Burnett talks with LA Democratic Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky about President Trump's claim that LA would be 'burning to the ground' if he hadn't intervened. 01:14 - Source: CNN China's 'trump' card in the US trade war The US and China have agreed on a plan to roll out their trade truce after days of negotiations in London. CNN's Phil Mattingly explained what brought both sides to the table, and where the relationship goes from here. 02:00 - Source: CNN Meatpacking employees block ICE cars with their bodies following raid Workers at a meatpacking plant in Omaha Nebraska tried to block ICE agents by throwing themselves on top of the cars to block their path following a raid on the business. More than 70 undocumented people were detained, the largest to take place in Nebraska since the start of the Trump's second term. 01:10 - Source: CNN "Jane' testifies for fifth day in Combs trial 'Jane" continued cross-examination in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial for her fifth day. Prosecutors expect to rest their case at some point next week. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports. 02:18 - Source: CNN Trump says why his second term is different from the first In an interview with The New York Post's Pod Force One, President Trump explained why he "can be stronger on an attack on Los Angeles" in his second term compared to his first. Trump also said he told Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, he planned to deploy National Guard troops before doing so. 01:09 - Source: CNN Elon Musk called President Trump on Monday night expressing regret CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports the latest details on Elon Musk's Monday call with President Donald Trump and what it means for their relationship. 00:57 - Source: CNN The U.S. travel industry is bracing for a drop in international tourists New York City tourism officials say they expect to host 2 million fewer international travelers this year than in 2024. CNN's Jason Carroll speaks with tour operators in the city who say they can already see the difference. 01:31 - Source: CNN Construction begins on Trump's changes to White House Rose Garden Construction on President Trump's redesign of the historic White House Rose Garden is underway. Trump says he's replacing part of the grass with a patio 00:48 - Source: CNN The many adventures of the Stanley Cup Winner's of the NHL's Stanley Cup each get to take the cup for a day and do whatever they want with it. CNN's Coy Wire recounts some of the Cup's wildest days out. 00:43 - Source: CNN 5 stories to start your day 06:17 - Source: CNN Analysis: Is Netanyahu's government under threat? Among an ongoing corruption trial, protests against his leadership and an upcoming vote to dissolve the government, CNN's Oren Liebermann looks at the growing pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 01:59 - Source: CNN
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. council panel votes to save 1,000 city jobs, reducing layoffs to 650
A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to cut the number of employees targeted for layoff by Mayor Karen Bass by more than half, bringing the total down to an estimated 650. The council's budget committee took steps to save more than 1,000 jobs by pursuing an array of cost-cutting measures, such as hiring fewer police officers and scaling back funding for Bass' Inside Safe program, which moves homeless people into temporary or permanent housing. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the committee, said those and many other moves would help the city protect core services, including tree trimming, street resurfacing, street light repair and sanitation teams that address illegal dumping. "We looked for ways to save positions — not for the sake of job counts only, but to make sure the departments can still do the work our constituents need them to do for their quality of life," said Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the Westside. The committee's recommendations for the proposed 2025-26 budget now head to the full council, which is scheduled to take them up on Thursday. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who sits on the committee, expressed some optimism after the vote. "We were in very rough waters, and a very different landscape, when we started this process," said Hernandez, who represents part of the Eastside. "And now there seems to be some light between the clouds." As part of Friday's deliberations, the budget committee voted to recommend a slowdown in sworn hiring at the LAPD, which would leave the agency with 8,400 officers by June 30, 2026. That represents a reduction of about 300 from the current fiscal year and 1,600 compared with 2020. The budget committee also agreed to eliminate 42 emergency incident technicians at the fire department, a move opposed by interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva, while also canceling Bass' plan for a new homelessness unit within that agency. In addition, the five-member panel recommended a hike in parking meter fees, which is expected to generate $14 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Yaroslavsky said the changes endorsed by the budget committee on Friday would save about 150 civilian workers in the police department. Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, who advises the council, said she believes that city officials will keep finding ways to reduce the number of layoffs, by transferring workers to vacant city positions or to agencies that are unaffected by the budget crisis, such as Los Angeles World Airports and the Port of Los Angeles. "I think we're going to be able to truly get that number down to less than 500," she told the committee. Bass, faced with a nearly $1-billion shortfall, released a proposed budget last month that called for the layoff of about 1,600 employees, a fourth of them civilian workers at the LAPD. Some of the largest reductions were planned at agencies that handle sanitation, street repairs and maintenance of city facilities. Friday's deliberations set the stage for many positions to remain intact, particularly at the Department of City Planning, which had been facing 115 layoffs. Kevin Keller, executive officer with that agency, said the committee found the funding to restore more than 100 of those positions. "I know there's a lot of city workers that are breathing a big sigh of relief tonight," said Roy Samaan, president of the Engineers and Architects Assn., whose union represents planning department employees. L.A.'s budget crisis has been attributed to a number of factors, including rapidly rising legal payouts, lower-than-expected tax revenue and a package of raises for the city workforce that is expected to add $250 million to the upcoming budget, which goes into effect on July 1. Bass and the council have been hoping to persuade city labor unions to provide financial concessions that would help avoid more cuts. So far, no deals have been struck. On Friday, before the committee began its deliberations, Bass said she is optimistic about avoiding layoffs entirely. At the same time, she spoke against a budget strategy that pits the hiring of police officers against the preservation of other jobs, calling it "a Sophie's Choice." If the LAPD slows down hiring, it will have fewer officers in the run-up to next year's hosting of the World Cup, she said. "I'm not going accept that as my choice," she said. During the final minutes of Friday's five-hour meeting, council members made some last-minute restorations, identifying additional funds for youth programs, tree trimming and fire department mechanics. Hernandez pushed for the committee to restore $1 million for Represent LA, which provides legal defense of immigrants facing deportation or other enforcement actions, and $500,000 for graffiti paint-out crews. Hernandez said the city needs to stand by immigrants amid a harsh federal crackdown. And she described graffiti removal as crucial for public safety in her district. "Getting graffiti down quickly prevents a lot more people from getting shot, prevents them from getting killed," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Motion to remove double staircase requirement in L.A. building code adopted
The Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion Wednesday that would remove a requirement for apartment buildings to have double stairwells. The motion, introduced by Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Katy Yaroslavsky, looks to create more space for more affordable family-sized units. 'These requirements, born out of early 20th century planning concerns – have since become a hindrance to creating larger units with greater natural light and ventilation and buildings with enhanced green space,' the councilmembers stated in a media release. California bill seeks to limit ICE presence on school campuses Wednesday's legislation begins the process of updating the city's building code to allow for multifamily residential buildings up to six stories to be built with a single stairwell instead of a double stairwell. This provides 'greater flexibility in housing construction across the city,' the councilmembers' release said. City lawmakers criticized L.A.'s current building code, calling it outdated and claiming it is a significant barrier to building larger units. The city's most recent Housing Element estimates that less than 15% of rental homes in Los Angeles have three or more bedrooms as compared to 70% of owner-occupied residences. 'As a majority renter city, the lack of available family-sized apartments has resulted in severe overcrowding, with most apartment units housing more people than there are rooms,' officials said. 'Studies have shown that increased safety features, like sprinklers and fire-resistant materials, have rendered the need for multiple staircases obsolete, and major cities across the country, such as New York and Seattle, now allow for the development of single-stairwell buildings over three stories.' Following Wednesday's vote, the L.A. Department of Building and Safety, Los Angeles Fire Department and Department of City Planning will have 90 days to present modifications to the city's building code in order to allow for single-exit, single-stairway multifamily unit residential buildings up to six stories. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
L.A. City Controller Rings Alarm Bell on City Finances
L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia painted a bleak picture of the state of Los Angeles's city budget in a revenue forecast report sent last Friday to the mayor and City Council. His report predicts that the revenue this fiscal year will fall $140 million short of the adopted budget, along with facing an additional $73 million decrease in the next fiscal year. This is coupled with the second year in a row that the City Administrative Officer projects a budget deficit. Combined with the fact that the city is expected to overspend by $300 million, a revenue shortfall leaves the council with a substantial gap to make of the reasons given for the revenue forecast in the City Controller's report are the new federal administration's extreme approach to tariffs, a continued trend of automation in industries that have been reliable sources of city revenue, and the lasting effects of the fires in January. Council Budget Chair Katy Yaroslavsky says the city faces $100 million in LAFD overtime. The fires also laid bare the unsatisfactory state of the departments' facilities, which the city would urgently need to address by upgrading them. Other councilmembers believe a part of the budget problem can also be attributed to general waste, particularly after an audit released Thursday exposed that a significant amount of the money for homeless services could not be insists that the budget problem is a long-term one — Mejia agrees. 'Our short-term focus on year-to-year balance neglects the need for a multi-year transition to service models that allow the City to live within its means,' writes Kenneth Mejia. 'Any conceivable plan for a sustainable and equitable operating and capital budget must have broad-based support from community, labor, business and other vital stakeholders.' Never Miss a Beat! Subscribe to Los Angeles Magazine's The Daily Brief for daily updates delivered straight to your inbox. Join below or by clicking here.
