Latest news with #LauraFriedman
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Families allegedly detained by ICE during annual status check-ins, Mayor Bass says
The Brief Anti-ICE protests entered their fourth day in Los Angeles on Monday. Mayor Karen Bass claimed families who were attending their required immigration status check-ins were being detained. LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said families who were attending their required annual status check-ins with immigration were being detained, despite having the proper paperwork. Bass said these allegations will cause fearmongering among residents who would otherwise follow the proper protocol when it comes to updating their immigration status in the United States, but will now be "pushed" into a potentially illegal situation. "I heard, today, something that was so over the top. Can you imagine having your annual appointment to ICE. You're here, you might not be a citizen, but you have papers and you're told that you need to go to the facility to check in, and then you are detained? And you go with your family and your kids and the whole family is detained?" Bass said during a news conference on Monday. "I can't emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now," Bass added. Rep. Laura Friedman said her office has received reports of people being detained by ICE during their court appointments. "The president himself said he wanted to focus on people who are dangerous, people who are gang members, people who are criminals. I have no problem with going after people- whether they have a visa or they don't- who are criminals in this country committing crimes. But when we see people who are working as gardeners, people who are working in the back of restaurants, being picked up, that's not what the president said he was going to use precious ICE resources on," Rep. Friedman told FOX 11. News of these detainments comes amid ongoing anti-ICE protests across Los Angeles, which has entered its fourth day. As many are being held at the Roybal Federal building in downtown LA, eyewitness accounts and attorney reports detail overcrowded conditions, with individuals held in the building's basement, conference rooms, and even outdoor tents due to lack of space. People are being processed and moved to facilities out of state that have room, as there is none left in the local facilities. Detainees have reportedly been deprived of food and water for 12 to 24 hours or more, with some families, including young children, forced to endure these conditions overnight. Additionally, lights in the building reportedly shut off at 5 p.m., leaving families in complete darkness. One attorney reported a client was being held without food or water from 2 p.m. until the next day, while his wife and two children waited over 12 hours. There are also reports of a 20-year-old woman being held alone, separated from her mother, despite having legally checked in with ICE for years and being days from a court date for an asylum process. Attorneys inside said this began Tuesday, June 3 with more than a hundred people in custody. Local immigration groups protesting outside the federal building and the Metropolitan Holding Facility say people are being denied due process and that the federal building basement is not a fitting location to hold people. The backstory Tensions have escalated in Los Angeles following President Donald Trump's decision to deploy more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to respond to ongoing immigration protests. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have called the move unlawful, accusing Trump of manufacturing chaos to justify federal force. Monday's protest began peacefully but turned volatile as the evening progressed. RELATED:Marines deployed to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests intensify What's next California officials have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration to challenge the National Guard deployment. Meanwhile, federal forces under Task Force 51 continue to increase their presence in Los Angeles. It's unclear whether any investigation is underway into who handed out riot gear—or why they weren't arrested. RELATED:Trump calls for Newsom's arrest, calls him 'grossly incompetent' The Source Information for this article was taken from live coverage of a news conference held by Mayor Karen Bass on June 9, 2025. Previous reporting from KTTV contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Debris Cleared From Thousands of Properties Since January Wildfires in Los Angeles
More than 4,000 properties participating in government-run debris removal programs have been cleared in the aftermath of the Los Angeles County January wildfires, according to authorities. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) The crews are removing burned structural remains, trees, ash, and other debris, along with six inches of soil, including two to five feet around the footprint of the burned area. 'Crews continue to work seven days a week across impacted communities, prioritizing safety and environmental protection throughout the operation,' said Cal OES in a statement. According to the state, $129.1 million in FEMA assistance has also been distributed to victims of the fires, and all eight public schools that were disrupted have returned to in-person learning as of May 5. Construction workers have also started rebuilding homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, where multi-million-dollar houses stood before they were devastated by the Palisades Fire. Related Stories 4/17/2025 3/6/2025 Concerns remain about the safety of returning to land that was burned in the conflagration, due to the potential threat of toxins such as lead and asbestos in the environment. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Calif.) and seven other Congress members said in March that FEMA had 'Families deserve to know their homes are safe and free of dangerous chemicals. This is a break from decades of FEMA precedent—and it risks exposing entire communities to long-term health threats,' said Friedman in a statement. According to state authorities, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is Homeowners are also seeking approval for new home designs and other permits to rebuild or repair damaged homes, while 267 properties are At an Ad Hoc Committee for L.A. Recovery special meeting in March, city representatives heard from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety regarding the slow pace of permit issuance after the city had approved only three permits to rebuild two months after the fires destroyed over 6,800 homes in the Pacific Palisades community. Since that meeting, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has In late April, Gov. Gavin Newsom 'The current pace of issuing permits locally is not meeting the magnitude of the challenge we face. To help boost local progress, California is partnering with the tech sector and community leaders to give local governments more tools to rebuild faster and more effectively,' Newsom said in a statement.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro D Line will be closed for 70 days, starting May 17
The Metro D line, also known as the Purple Line, will soon be closed for 70 days as construction continues on the rail expansion project beneath Wilshire Boulevard. Service on the route will be suspended at all stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Western from May 17 to July 25. B Line service — which shares stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont — will increase from North Hollywood to downtown to accommodate riders. Shuttle service will be provided for the last leg of the line to connect riders to Koreatown from Wilshire/Vermont to Wilshire/Normandie and Wilshire/Western stations. The project will add seven stations and expand service on the line from Koreatown to Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, Westwood and West L.A. broke ground more than a decade ago. It's faced delays over safety concerns and received pushback from some Westside residents. Metro's goal is to finish the project by the 2028 Olympics, but hundreds of millions of dollars promised by the federal government for the project have not yet been delivered. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and recently toured the rail project, also warned that tariffs affecting the cost of materials could pose new obstacles to infrastructure projects. The current route is one of Metro's most heavily used. Ridership numbers for the B Line and D Line, which Metro combines, were more than 1.8 million in March. The first $3.7 billion phase of the extension under Wilshire Boulevard will include three stations — Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. Those are expected to open by the end of 2025. Tunneling is complete for that section, according to Metro. Tracks have been laid and lighting has been installed. The transit agency will next work on connecting communication and power systems between the existing line and new sections during the upcoming service interruption. The next phase of the project will include Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation stations, which are expected to open in 2026. The final section to create the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations are planned for a 2027 opening. 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.
Los Angeles Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Metro D Line will be closed for 70 days, starting May 17
The Metro D line, also known as the Purple Line, will soon be closed for 70 days as construction continues on the rail expansion project beneath Wilshire Boulevard. Service on the route will be suspended at all stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Western from May 17 to July 25. B Line service — which shares stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont — will increase from North Hollywood to downtown to accommodate riders. Shuttle service will be provided for the last leg of the line to connect riders to Koreatown from Wilshire/Vermont to Wilshire/Normandie and Wilshire/Western stations. The $2.4-billion project to add seven stations and expand service on the line from Koreatown to Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, Westwood and West L.A. broke ground more than a decade ago. It's faced delays over safety concerns and received pushback from some Westside residents. Metro's goal is to finish the project by the 2028 Olympics, but hundreds of millions of dollars promised by the federal government for the project have not yet been delivered. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and recently toured the rail project, also warned that tariffs affecting the cost of materials could pose new obstacles to infrastructure projects. The current route is one of Metro's most heavily used. Ridership numbers for the B Line and D Line, which Metro combines, were more than 1.8 million in March. The first phase of the extension under Wilshire Boulevard will include three stations — Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. Those are expected to open by the end of 2025. Tunneling is complete for that section, according to Metro. Tracks have been laid and lighting has been installed. The transit agency will next work on connecting communication and power systems between the existing line and new sections during the upcoming service interruption. The next phase of the project will include Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation stations, which are expected to open in 2026. The final section to create the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations are planned for a 2027 opening.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greenland is ‘worried' U.S. will invade: Dem sounds alarm on Trump's annex talk
Greenland and Denmark have affirmed their alliance amid President Trump's interest in acquiring the territory. Democratic representative from California, Laura Friedman, discusses what she heard from Greenland officials when a congressional delegation met with them in Denmark. She also reacts to the protest held by Democrats on the U.S. Capitol steps, gives her thoughts on Trump's approval rating sinking to historic lows in recent polling, and explains what Democrats can do to combat the Trump a
