Los Angeles County

A stack of multicolored shipping containers, including brands like COSCO, Wan Hai, and tex, sits at the Port of Los Angeles. Above, a semi-truck carrying a blue container drives across a bridge, silhouetted against a light sky. The composition emphasizes the scale and flow of international freight transport.

Commentary

Pollution-plagued port communities near LA and Long Beach say regulator excludes them

Communities near the ports say regulators didn't consider their input when weighing a cooperative agreement about pollution from the ports.

By Theral Golden and Paola Vargas • November 7, 2025

Clouds of smoke and flames illuminate the night sky during a fire at a refinery location.

Environment

Federal oversight is disappearing as multiple refineries explode. Who’s in charge now?

An El Segundo refinery fire has renewed questions about who is investigating the state’s oil industry after serious accidents. With the U.S. Chemical Safety Board defunded, California has yet to fill the gap.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• October 9, 2025

A person lays on a white metal bunk bed as they hold up a book that covers their face. Clothing, bedding and other personal item can be seen around them inside a prison cell.

Justice

California sues Los Angeles County over ‘inhumane’ conditions in its jail system

About 14,000 people are housed in L.A.’s jail on a daily basis. The state’s lawsuit said they have been exposed to rats, spoiled meals and no clean water.

By

Cayla Mihalovich

• September 8, 2025

A winding waterway cuts through a dense wetland landscape, creating branching channels surrounded by patches of green vegetation and brown reeds.

Commentary

Delta tunnel plans echo California’s troubled history of trying to control water

As Californians recover from fires and Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project, we must learn from history's hard lessons.

By Devon Provo • August 22, 2025

The exterior of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.

Reader Reactions

Don’t just blame Los Angeles County’s lawyers for accidentally repealing justice reform measure

The blanket blame being placed on the L.A. County Counsel's Office for the accidental repeal of Measure J glosses over the root cause, argues the county counsel.

By Dawyn Harrison • August 14, 2025

Two people in conversation, with the focus on a smiling woman with long red hair, glasses, and a floral-patterned blouse. The woman in the foreground is out of focus and has hair styled in multiple small buns. The background is a solid dark blue.

Commentary

LA County repealed its own justice reforms. Restoring them would require a shaky electorate

An unfathomable drafting blunder could wreck years of work to make Los Angeles County government more responsive. Restoring the voter-approved reforms will be difficult.

By

Robert Greene

• August 5, 2025

A Metro Rail light rail train travels through an intersection near the Atlantic station in Los Angeles. The train is silver with yellow accents and carries an advertisement on its side. A Metro sign and palm trees stand in the foreground, with residential buildings and traffic signals in the background under an overcast sky.

Commentary

Why building more homes near transit will transform lives across California

For decades, California cities have systematically banned apartments and condos, preventing working people from living near jobs and transit systems their taxes fund.

By Monica Rivera • August 4, 2025

A newborn baby sleeps in a bed in a hospital room while their mother rests in a bed nearby, looking at her.

Commentary

Maternity ward closures in California result in much more than strained health care

As labor and delivery units close in California, a hole is being created in many communities. Even more tragic is that pregnant patients in both rural and urban areas will have a much harder time having a safe birth.

By John McHugh • July 24, 2025

An aerial view of a yellow construction truck as it drives through piles of trash on a plot of dirt in a landfill.

Commentary

California air quality regulators are doing the bare minimum to curb landfill pollution

California regulators haven't updated landfill pollution standards since 2010, and appear to be only doing the minimum in the latest effort to revisit them, argues an L.A. County activist impacted by the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

By Yasmina Valdivia • July 7, 2025

A person stands in front of a bright blue building between two storefronts. They lean against the wall with one arm raised, holding onto a pink and blue striped awning. To their left is a shop with hanging snack packages; to their right is a clothing store with mannequins and shelves displaying folded garments. Sunlight casts sharp shadows across the sidewalk and wall.

Investigation

Taken: What happens after an LA immigration raid

CalMatters spoke with a number of migrants about their arrests and detentions after the first weekend of LA raids. Their accounts raise potential legal questions about the government’s operation.

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• June 26, 2025