Los Angeles

City and state leaders issued dire warnings that Los Angeles County is headed for the same surge in COVID-19 cases as New York City. The announcement comes as a $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package will pump billions into the state’s flailing economy.

Government policy is one thing, real life another. What happens if your germ-carrying preschoolers suddenly pose a lethal threat to their elderly grandparents? What becomes of your teenagers’ future if their education is disrupted, long-term? How protected are we if schools cancel class but kids then disperse to malls and bounce houses and movie theaters?

The Legislature is considering giving everyone age 18 and under free rides on public transportation. But will that really create a generation of lifetime riders?

It's easy for volunteer counters to miss unsheltered people, especially when law enforcement clears camps just before counters arrive. And they're not even trying to count people living doubled up, or renting cheap motel rooms. So why is so much riding on a count so bad? 

Santa Clarita rocked by school shooting. Realtors group tries to jumpstart housing construction. Homelessness registers as a top issue among LA voters.

Anger toward PG&E runs deep. Can microgrids help solve state's power woes? Trump administration pressured carmakers to take his side in emissions fight.

Dashboard lists cities in fiscal distress. Report says Salinas nonprofit has been infiltrated by a gang. Toy district turns into black market for vaping.

Mental illness, substance abuse common among L.A. homeless. Voters to decide big school bond. Income inequality grows in California.

Gig workers battle over future of work. Koch brothers machine takes on Kamala Harris donor-disclosure rule. Lawmakers try to remedy Section 8 shortage.

A bill that would allow 10 California cities to extend last call at bars from 2 to 4 a.m. has a fresh shot at making it to the governor's desk. Will Sen. Scott Wiener's SB 58 get a friendlier reception from winemaker-turned-governor Gavin Newsom?