Category: Los Angeles

Undocumented immigrants in California could qualify for first-time homebuying loans should a recently introduced bill become law. The bill, formally known as AB 1840, would expand the eligibility requirement for the state’s first-time homebuyer loan program to allow undocumented immigrants who live in the state to use it. The California Dream For All Shared Appreciation loan program, which launched in 2023, helps qualified first-time homebuyers with down payments. California to become first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented adults The program, which debuted in March 2023, ran out of the $300 million set aside for the program by April 7. This year, the program application will reopen in April with new changes to address the high demand. The program was initially created to help low-and middle-income individuals buy homes. Still, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno), who introduced the bill, told the Los Angeles Times that the program doesn’t address eligibility based on immigration status. “It’s that ambiguity for undocumented individuals, despite the fact that they’ve qualified under existing criteria, such as having a qualified mortgage,” Arambula told The Times, “underscores the pressing need for

If you’ve felt that some hot peppers have lost their spice in recent years, you may be onto something. According to a report in D Magazine, a publication focused on Dallas, “a vast industrial scheme” has led to milder jalapeños. The culprit is a variety of pepper called TAM II, which has in its two decades of existence “become some of the most popular in the processing business,” Brian Reinhart noted in his report. In exchange for reduced spice levels, TAM II peppers boast properties that many growers and manufacturers find attractive, including larger fruit with more flesh, a faster maturation time, virus resistance and a better appearance. For many producers, such as those making salsa, having more product with less spice is a double win, as they’d prefer to add their own spice, oleoresin capsicum, a pepper extract that’s “pure heat,” so they can better control spice levels in products like salsa. “When you’re doing a huge run of salsa for shipment, and you want a hot label, medium label, mild label, it’s really important to predict what kind of heat you’ll get,” Stephanie

Top California Races Los Angeles & Orange County Municipal U.S. House – California California State Assembly California State Senate Track live election results in the California State Senate races on Super Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. on March 5, 2024. Refresh this page for the most recent numbers.

Top California Races Los Angeles & Orange County Municipal U.S. House – California California State Assembly California State Senate Track live election results from California’s March 5 primary elections, including the races for U.S. Senate, Los Angeles District Attorney, the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries, U.S. House races, Proposition 1 and L.A. city and county contests. Results should appear shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. Refresh this page for the latest data. United States House Races in California

A speeding car crashed into a parked vehicle early Tuesday morning in Altadena, killing two people. Around 12:30 a.m., a 2019 Audi Q5 rear-ended a parked 2008 Volvo CX 90 on West Loma Alta Drive in this hillside enclave just north of Pasadena. The driver, who was a resident of Altadena, and the passenger in the Audi, a resident of Alhambra, both sustained fatal injuries, according to Brian Axt, field supervisor for the California Highway Patrol’s Altadena office. Their identities were not immediately disclosed. The Volvo was apparently unoccupied. The Audi was going at an as-yet-undetermined speed when the front of the the car collided into the rear of the Volvo, Axt said. CBS News reported that the driver was going about 60 mph in a 30-mph zone. When the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived on scene around 1 a.m., the Audi was engulfed in flames, CBS News reported. “After the impact, the Audi rolled over and came to a rest,” Axt said. L.A. County Fire Department personnel extracted the victims from the overturned vehicle. The scene was cleared by

Sinbad informed his fans that a comeback is finally on the horizon, years after he suffered an ischemic stroke in 2020. “Expect to see more of me soon,” the comedian said during his social media return on Monday. “And don’t freak out if you turn around and I’m standing right behind you.” The “Jingle All the Way” and “Sinbad Show” star, 67, reflected on a recent public appearance and thanked fans for their ongoing support in an Instagram video. Last week via Zoom, he joined his former “A Different World” co-stars including Cree Summer, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy and Dawnn Lewis to help kick off a 10-city reunion tour at historically Black colleges and universities. Sinbad, who starred as Coach Walter Oaks in the “Cosby Show” spinoff, addressed attendees at the tour’s first stop at the Atlanta University Center on Thursday. Re-watching his address to students of Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College, Sinbad said, “Man, that was so cool.” “It’s wild that the kids even know who I am,” he said on Instagram. “That’s beautiful.” The comedian (whose birth name is David

A man was hospitalized Tuesday morning after being struck by an arrow in Echo Park, authorities said. The Los Angeles Police Department received a 911 call just before 8 a.m. in the 1400 block of Sunset Boulevard, Officer Charles Miller said. The victim, described as an approximately 40-year-old man, was hit by an arrow and refused to cooperate with police. Police did not say where in the body the man was injured. But someone who saw the victim said he was holding his shoulder when he came into the store at the United Oil gas station on Sunset Boulevard asking for help. “I couldn’t tell where he was hit,” said the person, who declined to give their name.”He was bleeding all over the place.” The witness said the victim approached from the west on Sunset Boulevard, where a trail of blood led several hundred feet to McDuff Street, where more blood was splattered on the sidewalk. Employees at the gas station, which was closed Tuesday morning after the incident, declined to speak to the media. Miller said the victim was struck somewhere near the gas

The beach at Launch Pointe marina on Lake Elsinore is now completely covered with water. The tree in the water used to shade beachgoers on a sandbar. (Mark Boster/For The Times) March 5, 2024 11:25 AM PT After a series of atmospheric river storms dumped record levels of rain on Southern California, the region’s largest natural freshwater lake has recovered in a major way. As of last week, Lake Elsinore was deeper than it had been since June 2011, according to data from the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. Years of drought and the occasional wet winter have caused wide variations in the lake’s depth. At 1,248 feet above sea level, the lake is now more than 10 feet deeper than it was in July 2022, and almost 15 feet deeper than at its lowest recent point, in November 2018. The deeper lake attracts visitors and commerce but also presents challenges, said Lake Elsinore spokesman Jovanny Huerta. On the one hand, “the algae issue takes care of itself,” he said. Toxic algae has made the water unsafe and caused the city to shut down the

White House says it won’t pull funding from Israel despite aid blockade to Gaza – CBS News Watch CBS News National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby bristled at the idea the White House would pull funding from Israel over the blockage of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza during Tuesday’s White House briefing. “‘Well if [Israel’s] not doing what you want then cut off the aid, so they can’t defend themselves.’ That’s not the way we’re gonna do this,” Kirby said. “They have a right to defend themselves… They need the capabilities to do that. There’s aid that’s desperately in need, and you know what? We can do that too. We can do both.” Kirby was referring to the U.S. military airdropping humanitarian aid into northern Gaza. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Essentials By Jason R. Rich Updated on: March 5, 2024 / 3:01 PM EST / Essentials CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Samsung Spring flowers may not be here yet, but Samsung is already showering us with serious savings. Its Discover Samsung Spring Sale is offering deals so impressive that you could save thousands on major appliances, TVs, projectors, laptops and more. Our team of in-house shopping experts has scoured the sale and found all the best deals in one, tightly curated list. Best Discover Samsung Spring Sale deals available right now Whatever Samsung products you’re looking for, chances are they’re on sale right now. Head over to Samsung to discover all of the ways you can save money on the company’s most in-demand products and appliances. Samsung’s Frame TV: Save up to $1,000 Samsung Our team loves the Frame TV. It’s also one of the all-time most popular TVs among our CBS Essentials readers. You can read our full review

Second U.S. airdrop for Gaza; U.N. reports on allegations of Hamas using sexual violence – CBS News Watch CBS News There are “reasonable grounds to believe” sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, according to a United Nations report released Monday. CBS News foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has more on those findings and other developments in the conflict as cease-fire negotiations stall. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

James Crumbley trial jury selection begins. Who will testify in Oxford school shooting case? – CBS News Watch CBS News James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter, is awaiting jury selection for his involuntary manslaughter trial to start. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted last month for her involvement in the case. CBS News Detroit’s Andres Gutierrez is covering the trial. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs announced one of the “largest-ever expansions in veteran health care” on Tuesday, declaring that millions of retired servicemembers can now enroll directly in VA programs if they were exposed to toxins or other hazards at home or abroad.  A press release from the VA states that the expansion comes at the direction of President Joe Biden and eliminates the phased-in approach of the PACT Act, a previous expansion of the VA health care system.   Man struck by arrow leaves trail of blood, walks to minimart in Echo Park Since Biden signed the PACT Act into law in August 2022, more than 500,000 veterans have signed up for health care benefits through the veterans affairs department.  The new initiative – part of the largest outreach campaign in VA history – speeds the enrollment process up by as many as eight years earlier than written into law.  “This means that all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror or any other combat zone after 9/11 will be eligible to

A sweep of a detention center in the Inland Empire resulted in the discovery of narcotics, weapons and other “dangerous contraband” over the weekend, officials said. Narcotics detection canines and narcotics division personnel conducted the facility-wide search of the West Valley Detention Center on Saturday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release. “The operation was successful in recovering weapons and dangerous contraband from inside the jail facility,” the Sheriff’s Department stated. In addition to finding weapons, canines successfully alerted the presence of narcotics within several pieces of mail sent to inmates and drugs that had made it inside the inmate housing unit. “The investigation is ongoing pending further analysis to determine the type and quantity of narcotics recovered,” the Sheriff’s Department stated. The West Valley Detention Center located in Rancho Cucamonga was opened in 1991 and is one of the largest county jails in the State of California, the Sheriff’s Department says on its website.

A pair of businesses in Fairfax and Beverly Grove were burglarized early Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The first burglary occurred in the 100 block of North Fairfax Avenue at about 5:20 a.m., according to Officer Madison. Stringer service OnScene reported that the affected business at that location is the restaurant Chao Krung Thai. Arsonist torching cars in the Fairfax district leaves residents on edge The burglar broke in, grabbed a cash register with $100 in it and fled on foot, police said. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black pants. The second burglary occurred about 45 minutes later in the 8000 block of West 3rd Street, policed said. OnScene identified the victim as Verve Coffee Roasters. Officers took a burglary report at the scene, as the windows had been smashed. Video from the scene showed the glass in the door had been broken, and a rock was laying on the coffee shop’s floor. No further information about what was stolen or damaged was reported, and police did not specify if the same person is believed to be responsible

After winning 14 of 17 Pac-12 freshman of the week honors, USC’s JuJu Watkins was named conference freshman of the year on Tuesday. The phenom who leads the conference in scoring at 27.8 points rewrote USC’s record books. The Sierra Canyon alumna’s laundry list of program records includes USC’s single-season freshman scoring record (751), the most points scored in a game (51 against Stanford) and most 30-point games in a season (11). Not only was she the first woman in conference history to sweep the conference player and freshman of the week awards multiple times in a season, she did it three times. She led the Trojans to their highest-ever seed in the Pac-12 tournament, entering this week’s event as the No. 2 team that will open the postseason in the quarterfinals on Thursday against Washington or Arizona. Watkins was named to the All-Pac-12 team, along with USC’s second-leading scorer McKenzie Forbes and UCLA‘s Lauren Betts, Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice. The Bruins, who have the third seed in the Pac-12 tournament, could play USC in the semifinal on Friday in Las Vegas. With Watkins

After plenty of teases, Jamie Foxx says he’s going to finally share the details of his mysterious 2023 medical emergency. But it will be on his terms, in a “funny way” and likely onstage. The Oscar and Grammy Award winner, who suffered an undisclosed “medical complication” in April and raised concerns about his well-being for months, revealed Sunday that he’s going back to his stand-up roots to tell everyone what happened. Variety reported that the multi-hyphenate offered attendees of the African American Film Critics Assn.’s Special Achievement Awards luncheon a taste of his material, which was “a mix of heartfelt reflection” and “some top-notch zingers.” The “Ray” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star delivered his lines while accepting the association’s Producers Award with his Foxxhole Productions partner Datari Turner, who co-produced Netflix’s mystery-comedy “They Cloned Tyrone” and Amazon’s courtroom drama “The Burial.” Jamie Foxx attends the African American Film Critics Assn.’s Special Achievement Awards luncheon Sunday in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press) But the 56-year-old knew that people had something else on their minds. “Everybody wants to know what happened, and

A San Diego man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling potent greenhouse gases into the United States from Mexico, becoming the first in the nation to be charged with smuggling the environmentally harmful gases that are commonly used as refrigerants and illegally selling them, according to federal prosecutors. Michael Hart, 58, is accused of hiding the hydrofluorocarbons, also known as HFCs, in his vehicle to transport them across the border from Mexico, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of California. Hydrofluorocarbons are considered a major driver of global warming and have been targeted in climate legislation and treaties worldwide. In 2020, the refrigerants became illegal to import in the U.S. without allowances from the Environmental Protection Agency. Hart, who was arrested Monday, pleaded not guilty in the case, according to prosecutors. It wasn’t immediately clear who was representing him in the case. “This is the first time the Department of Justice is prosecuting someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it will not be the last,” Tara McGrath, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California

LAPD inspector general Mark Smith is a finalist for a job overseeing court-ordered reforms at the Portland, Ore., police department, officials in the Pacific Northwest city announced this week. If hired, Smith would serve as an independent monitor to settle a decade-old review of the Portland Police Bureau by the U.S. Department of Justice, which previously accused the city’s police of engaging in a continuing pattern of excessive force during arrests of people with mental illness. Smith’s business, MPS & Associates, was named among three finalists named in a press statement released Monday by Portland officials. The other two finalists are Katie Zafft, with the Crime and Justice Institute, a Boston-based consulting group that analyzes local law enforcement, and Darryl Neier, a former prosecutor who now works for a New Jersey public safety think tank. The city of Portland and the Justice Department agreed last November to appointing an independent monitor to oversee remaining reforms from their 2014 settlement. According to local news reports, the city had already adopted numerous reforms, including overhauling its Taser policy and creating a mobile unit that responds to behavioral

Follow this article throughout the evening for updates on election results.Election Day is here! Tuesday, March 5 is the last day to submit your ballot for the 2024 California Presidential Primary Election. Local polling places close at 8 p.m. For your vote to count, your ballot must be dropped off at an election office, polling place or dropbox by 8 p.m. Find your polling place –  https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place  or call (800) 345-VOTE (8683) You also still have time to mail your ballot, as long as it is postmarked with todays date. Your ballot came with a postage-paid envelope, so you dont even need a stamp! If you are not registered to vote, you can request and vote a provisional ballot in-person at a polling place or election office. Track your ballot –  wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov Election results will be available shortly after the polls close. The first set of results to be released will consist of ballots that have already been turned in and processed. Elections officials say it may take a few weeks before all of the ballots are processed and the final results are known. Visit

Santa Maria City Council members will take up an application for a new Holiday Inn Express and consider its impact on the local economy. The Holiday Inn Express project site is a 2-acre lot on Roemer Court just north of Santa Maria. The development is expected to be a 4-story hotel with 93 units. City leaders say the project will provide a new source of tax revenue and new jobs. What this says about the community is that the developer believes that there’s another good reason to bring a new hotel property to Santa Maria, said Mark van de Kamp, City of Santa Maria, public information officer. Santa Maria is a great place for people who are looking for a place to stay. This would also have a positive impact economically on restaurants as travelers are going to be looking around for four different meals, and things to do.” Community members say they are excited about the new job prospects. I feel like it’s going to be a boost for the community just because I know a lot of people don’t have jobs in the