Tag: los angeles

300 Federal Agents Descend on LA’s MacArthur Park in Massive Raid Targeting Mexican Drug Cartels 

At least 300 federal agents descended on Los Angeles’s MacArthur Park in a massive drug raid targeting Mexican cartels.

At least 17 people were arrested and 19 kilos of fentanyl were seized.

The Sinaloa cartel brought the fentanyl and meth to the area controlled by the 18th street gang and rival MS-13, according to Fox News reporter Matt Finn.

Fox 11 reported:

Federal and local law enforcement are conducting a massive drug raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon.

The raid is spearheaded by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and also involves Los Angeles police, authorities said.

At least 17 people have been arrested, FOX LA confirmed. The raid is part of the Department of Justice’s Free MacArthur Park operation, which aims to address the park’s “open air drug market.”

The operation also included arrests in San Gabriel and Calabasas, authorities said.

Federal authorities say they have recovered 19 kilograms of fentanyl, worth more than $10 million.

The DEA says it’s targeting drug dealers related to cartels.

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Karen Bass: Palisades Fire Victim Spencer Pratt ‘Exploiting the Grief’ of Palisades Fire Victims

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused reality television star Spencer Pratt of “exploiting the grief” of Palisades fire victims as he seeks to oust her from office, completely ignoring that he was a victim of those fires.

Pratt, known for the TV series The Hills, received a helpful boost to his mayoral campaign last week when billionaire Jeanie Buss, governor of the Los Angeles Lakers, donated the maximum amount to his campaign, elevating his potential chances. His popularity with aggrieved voters also accelerated when his first campaign ad — in which he criticizes Bass for living in a multimillion-dollar home while Angelenos suffer — went viral with over 12 million views.

Part of the reason why Pratt’s message has resonated so strongly with voters mainly stems from the fact that his home, which he shared with reality television star Heidi Montag, burned to ash in the Palisades Fire of 2025, prompting his entry into public activism.

During an appearance on MSNOW with Katie Phang, Bass called Pratt “reprehensible,” accusing him of exploiting others’ grief, seemingly unaware of the very grief he personally experienced when his home burned down along with thousands of others in his neighborhood.

“Honestly, before this, I had never even heard of Spencer Pratt,” the mayor said.

“But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible. That’s the main thing. And I think that he is about his own celebrity, he’s famous now again,” she added.

Bass even recommended that Pratt take a “basics civics course,” blaming the wildfires on “climate change.”

“He could benefit by a basic civics course, because I don’t think he understands the basics of how any government works,” she said. “For me, these fires, it was the worst natural disaster that we experienced in our city. At the root of it, we have to get adjusted to, just like everybody else in the nation, to different weather experiences because of climate change.”

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Kamala Harris Endorses Disastrous Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for Reelection – Claims She Stamped Out Crime and Homelessness

Failed Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has endorsed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for reelection, claiming that she stamped out crime and homelessness, a downright lie.

In addition to not stamping out either of those serious issues, Bass oversaw the disastrous response to the 2024 wildfires in southern California, which have left thousands of homes still sitting in piles of rubble, unable to rebuild almost a year and a half later.

If ever there was a city in desperate need of new leadership, Los Angeles is it.

The New York Post reports:

Kamala Harris endorses Karen Bass for LA mayor, claiming she’s stamped out crime and homelessness

Kamala Harris has weighed in on the LA mayor’s race and issued endorsements in several other contests — but refused to back a gubernatorial candidate.

The former VP, who now lives in Malibu, endorsed incumbent Karen Bass for mayor of the second-largest city in the US.

“She has my full support for re-election,” the Democrat said.

The two have known each other for more than two decades and were once rumored rivals for the vice presidency when Joe Biden pledged to select a woman as his running mate in 2020.

Bass, who is serving her first term, was sworn in as mayor while Harris was still serving as vice president…

“Mayor Karen Bass is the leader Los Angeles needs right now. She has done what so many said couldn’t be done — the first-ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime to levels this city hasn’t seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors,” Harris said in a statement.

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LA Democrats Move to Use Illegal Aliens to Erase Citizens from Their Own Elections

A proposal introduced by Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez would ask voters to grant the City Council authority to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, including races for mayor, City Council, and the Los Angeles Board of Education.

Soto-Martínez, who represents a district spanning Echo Park to Hollywood, released the proposal on Wednesday.

If advanced, the measure would be placed before voters in the Nov. 3 election.

The proposal must first receive approval from the City Council to appear on the ballot.

If voters approve the measure, the council would then need to pass an ordinance revising city election laws to implement the change.

The proposal has been signed by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and is scheduled to move to the council’s rules committee for consideration.

Soto-Martínez said the measure is intended to address concerns within immigrant communities.

He referenced his own family background while explaining the proposal.

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Los Angeles City Councilman Wants Illegals to be Able to Vote in City Elections

Los Angeles city councilman Hugo Martinez recently remarked that he wants illegals to be able to vote in city elections.

He claims that some of these people have lived in the city for years and pay taxes but they don’t have a say in the policies that affect their children. You know what? Tough.

If Democrats are ever given this concession, next year it’ll be state elections and then of course, federal elections. That’s how the left works. It’s baby steps from here all the way to presidential elections.

ABC 7 in Los Angeles reports:

LA councilmember wants to allow noncitizens to vote in city elections

A Los Angeles city councilmember is pushing to explore whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in future city elections – a proposal still in its earliest stages but already drawing sharp criticism.

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said he hopes his motion will make it onto the November ballot, claiming it could eventually open the door for noncitizen residents to participate in local elections.

Federal law bans noncitizens from voting in national races, but several U.S. cities – including some in California – and the District of Columbia allow limited forms of noncitizen voting. Eighteen states, however, have enacted outright bans.

Soto-Martinez said the idea is about fairness for longtime residents who contribute to the city but have no electoral voice.

“We have folks living in this country who have been here 20 years,” he said. “They started a family, they pay their taxes, many of them are homeowners, but they don’t have a say over the policies that affect their children and families on any given day.”

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Recording of Phone Call Reveals Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Was Warned About Danger of Wildfires Before Her Trip to Ghana

A newly resurfaced recording of a damning phone call has revealed that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was warned about the potential for the dangerous and destructive wildfires that swept through southern California more than a year ago.

She had all of this information before she left the country for a trip to Ghana. She went anyway.

It’s just another reminder of how incompetent Bass is as a mayor. The people of Los Angles were doomed before the fires even began.

PJ Media reports:

In the leaked audio, Bass was reportedly talking to John Alle, a local resident and property manager in the Santa Monica and Westlake areas. Alle himself confirmed this here.

Reports are that Elle called Bass on Jan. 4, 2025, warning her about the risks tied to the weather, the wind, and dry conditions. In the call, Alle said he tried to convince Bass not to leave for Africa, but in the secretly recorded audio, she told Elle she had no intention of canceling her trip in spite of all his warnings.

To be sure, we have not been able to verify with 100% certainty the validity of this leaked audio, but it is worth noting that neither Bass nor her office has disputed the call’s authenticity and the content of the audio.

This is the transcript of the call:

Bass says, “The situation is very dangerous, and I would never do… I will take the criticism before I do a publicity stunt, and frankly a press conference at this point in time would just be publicity.”

Elle interrupts with, “I think my neighbors, property owners, and the residents – 41,000 people live within a square mile here. Two families share a one-bedroom apartment…”

Bass then says, “But they wanna hear that something is gonna be done.”

Elle replies, “They want to know it’s recognized.”

Bass then gets creepily cryptic, “Exactly, but if I have a choice between that and compromising something, I just have to go along with it. It’s not my area of expertise. I wanna make sure that you are safe. And hopefully you can read in between the lines. But I would just appreciate… and it’s hard for me to tell you this, but um, hold tight. You will understand soon.”

The two then indicate they now understand each other, and Bass then adds, “And when I am able to talk, I will be happy to go into great detail.”

Elle reminds Bass, “You’ve got me on the street, and you’re welcome to call me at any time, I’ll call you right back.”

On the matter of her plans to travel to Ghana in the midst of this crisis, Bass tells Elle, “Just in terms of my trip, just so you know I’m missing two work days. That’s it. And if President Biden extends an invitation, I took it.”

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Trump to Probe Banks Regarding Los Angeles Wildfire Response

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 23 that his administration will look into banks’ handling of payments and debts in the aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Two Los Angeles-area communities were devastated by wildfires in January 2025. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the Palisades fire caused 12 deaths, destroyed 6,845 structures, and damaged 975 more. The nearby Eaton fire, which ignited in Altadena on Jan. 7, 2025, claimed 19 lives. Combined, the fires have claimed 31 lives and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

Last month, Trump said State Farm and other insurers should “get their act together,” following a meeting with California politicians.

Trump met with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Thursday and said he is now turning his attention to banks.

“Since my strong action and statements with respect to Insurance Companies, and the way they were treating the Home Owners, that aspect of this Disaster has proceeded well — Big progress has been made, and those Companies are ’stepping up to the plate,’ as they should be,” Trump ​said in a 23 April post on Truth Social.

“The Banks, however, have a long way to go, and we will be looking into their actions, effective immediately. Wells Fargo, in particular, has been very difficult to deal with. The Banks must treat those people, who so horribly lost their Homes in this tragic fire, very fairly and well. I will be working with the Mayor, Supervisor, and everyone else to help this tragic situation go smoothly.”

A Wells Fargo spokeswoman told The Epoch Times via email that the company did not have a comment to share.

In an April 23 joint statement, Bass and Barger said they had “a very positive discussion about FEMA and other rebuilding funds, as well as the support of the President to continue joining us in pressuring the insurance companies to pay what they owe – and for the big banks to step up to ease the financial pressure on LA families.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in January ​2025 that five major lenders, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, and Citigroup, would grant 90-day mortgage forbearance ​to homeowners in Los Angeles and Ventura fire zones. The relief included a pause in credit reporting and the potential for extended aid.

“After so much trauma, we hope this deal will provide thousands of survivors a measure of relief,” Newsom said at the time. “These financial protections will enable residents to concentrate on taking care of their immediate needs rather than worrying about paying their mortgage bills. I thank each of the financial institutions that are offering this help for Californians recovering from this catastrophic firestorm.”

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SAY WHAT? Los Angeles Proposes New TAX to Pay to Fix Street Lights Broken by Copper Wire Thieves

The city of Los Angeles has a major street light problem. Thousands of the lights are out because thieves strip them of copper wire which they then turn around and sell for cash.

To deal with this problem and fix the lights, the city government is proposing a new TAX on the law abiding citizens who did not steal the copper wire. Can you even believe this?

The city wants to punish the people who didn’t ruin the street lights and make them pay to fix it. Unreal.

FOX 11 in Los Angeles reports:

Los Angeles voters to weigh fee increase for streetlight repairs amid copper theft concerns

A citywide plan to replace thousands of broken streetlights across Los Angeles could come with a cost increase for property owners under a proposed Proposition 218 assessment.

Mayor Karen Bass is urging voters to approve the measure, which would raise property-owner fees by an estimated 120% to help fund a $125 million program aimed at replacing more than 200,000 streetlights citywide. City officials say the current system generates roughly $45 million and has not been significantly updated since the 1990s, when Proposition 218 was adopted by California voters to require property-owner approval for new or increased local assessments.

Under the law, the city cannot raise streetlighting fees without a majority vote from affected property owners, a process that has kept much of the funding system largely unchanged for decades.

Ballots are expected to be mailed this week.

Across Los Angeles, officials say copper theft continues to worsen infrastructure problems, with thieves stripping wire from underground fiber lines and disabling streetlights in neighborhoods across the city. More than 32,000 streetlight repair requests remain pending.

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O’Keefe Media Group: LA Housing Department Financial Officer Admits Witnessing Fraud – Embezzlement Helps Mayor Karen Bass Maintain “Re-Election Funds” 

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday released undercover video of a Finance Development Officer for Los Angeles Housing Department admitting to witnessing multiple instances of fraud.

Donald Byers told the undercover OMG journalist that $10 to $20 million are going into people’s pockets and that homeless developers are embezzling money.

Byers also said that the superiors look the other way to help corrupt Democrat Mayor Karen Bass maintain “re-election funds.”

Per the O’Keefe Media Group:

Donald Byers, a Finance Development Officer from the Los Angeles housing programs, admits on hidden camera that millions of taxpayer money disappear inside the city’s low-income housing system. Byers told our undercover journalist he flagged the fraud internally but was ignored.

“I’ve reported it… nothing happens.”

Accountability is avoided. Despite years-long delays on projects, funding continues to flow even when, by his own admission, officials are failing. Meanwhile, as billions are poured into homelessness programs, the money is “going to people’s pockets.”

Despite years-long project delays, funding continues to flow even as, by his own admission, oversight appears to be failing. After raising red flags, Byers says nothing changed and now he claims, “At this point, I’m just covering myself.”

“I have a couple of developers doing really sketchy stuff,” Donald Byers said.

My project was with a developer called CRCD — Marcella Gardens. We [LA City] can’t figure out where all the money is going… it’s going to people’s pockets,” Donald Byers said.

“If they [LA Housing Department] were to call out the people [Developers] contacting Karen Bass’s office, she might not get enough money for re-election — or for what she needs done,” he said.

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Los Angeles Teen Blinded in One Eye by DHS Agent at ‘No Kings’ Rally, Attorney Says

An 18-year-old college freshman was blinded in his right eye by a federal agent during the Los Angeles “No Kings” protest on March 28. 

Tucker Collins, who is studying astronautical engineering with a minor in cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, was documenting the rally protesting policies implemented under President Donald Trump near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigration detainees are held. Video of the incident shared by Collins’ attorney, V. James DeSimone, shows a crowd of people separated from agents by a tall black fence surrounding the facility. Collins can be seen holding his phone and filming near the back of the group before abruptly falling to the ground. Blood streams from his right eye as bystanders come to his aid. He was helped by a nurse present at the protest, DeSimone told CNN, and later taken to the hospital.

In the video, DeSimone accuses Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents of unlawfully shooting Collins with “a less-lethal launcher…shooting directly into his head” while exercising his First Amendment rights. The strike caused irreparable damage to Collins’ eye and fractured bones in his eye socket, DeSimone told CNN. Collins’ eye had to be surgically removed. 

In a statement made to the Los Angeles Times, a DHS spokesperson claimed that agents “followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property” after a group of 1,000 protestors “threw rocks, bottles, and cement blocks at officers.” The agency said seven warnings were given before crowd control measures were used. “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly—not rioting,” the spokesperson continued. 

Under DHS use-of-force guidelines, while agents may be authorized to use less-lethal weapons, such as pepperballs and rubber bullets, using such a device is considered deadly force when “it carries a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily injury,” such as “strik[ing] the neck or head.” Deadly force is only permissible when “the [officer] has a reasonable belief that the subject of force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the [officer] or to another person.” 

Even with this guideline in place, a federal court in California issued a preliminary injunction last September prohibiting DHS agents from, in part, “using crowd control weapons,” including less-lethal weapons, “on members of the press, legal observers, and protesters who are not themselves posing a threat of imminent harm to a law enforcement officer or another person.” The order was a result of a lawsuit in which DHS agents were accused of using excessive force and suppressing First Amendment-protected activities when officers shot less-lethal weapons at people protesting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics in Southern California last summer. 

In this case, Collins “was not threatening anyone. He wasn’t attacking anyone,” DeSimone told The Guardian. “DHS officers took out his eye and they did it despite a federal injunction that plainly forbids firing these weapons at people’s heads,” he continued. 

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