Local News
Norwalk defies Newsom’s threat, extends homeless shelter ban – NBC Los Angeles
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s threat of a possible lawsuit against the city of Norwalk over its emergency ordinance that bans homeless shelters and supporting housing facilities, the city council voted Tuesday to extend the moratorium through August 2025.
The vote came a day after Gov. Newsom sent a notice of violation letter to the city, saying the moratorium on various establishments, such as emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing and transitional housing is “unlawful.”
City staff recommended during the city council meeting that the council pass the motion to extend the moratorium, so it can conduct a further study on how prohibiting the types of facilities would impact the community and whether the city would need zoning amendments.
A man who described himself to be a lifelong resident of Norwalk spoke during the city council meeting, criticizing Newsom’s threat of a possible lawsuit against the small city.
“Norwalk should not be forced to bear the brunt of the region’s homeless population,” Brian Lopez said. “There are 88 cities in this county. Why is the focus placed on our working class community of color?”
Another resident, who was speaking on behalf of Mr. Rosewood Family Restaurant, urged the council to extend the moratorium as he said the area surrounding the restaurant was a “disaster scene” while the city ran a Project Roomkey site in front of the eatery.
“We’ve seen a lot of hanging out, a lot of loitering that people don’t need to see when they’re going to go eat with their families,” Jason Perez recalled. “I commend you for listening and making sure that you take care of Norwalk and make the right decision.”
Before Tuesday’s council meeting, Norwalk Mayor Margarita Rios urged Newsom to acknowledge her city’s “proactive measures” to address homelessness while asking for “direct resources to support” its efforts.
“Norwalk also hosted one of the largest Project Roomkey sites during the pandemic. Despite these efforts, Norwalk has received no Measure H funding,” Rios said.
Measure H passed in 2017 to establish a quarter cent sales tax for homeless services.
Mayor Rios said because the city couldn’t tap into Measure H funding, the city was forced to “use its own resources to manage the fallout from abandoned state-mandated programs, which puts both residents’ safety and the city’s finances at risk.”
The city council had noted the city’s power to make and enforce ordinances to regulate the use of land within its jurisdictional boundaries when it passed the ordinance.
Although Norwalk passed the moratorium based on the Housing Crisis Act, which allows local governments to issue a housing or facility ban when there’s “an imminent threat” to public health and safety, the state argued in the letter that “there are no findings of a threat specific to the housing subject to the moratorium, nor any finding of a citywide threat.”
With the notice of violation, the state implied the Los Angeles County city with the population of 100,000 could face the same fate as Anaheim and Huntington Beach. The two Orange County cities were forced to bring forward new housing plans after they lost lawsuits brought on by the state in similar fashion.
In a statement, Newsom’s team condemned the city’s decision.
“The Norwalk City Council’s decision is disgraceful and clearly violates the law,” the statement read. “The state will act swiftly to address this dereliction of duty. Stay tuned.”
Local News
How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles
California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.
The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses.
“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.
Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet
- Go to Apple Wallet
- Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
- Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
- Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
- Scan your face
- Take a picture
- Wait for verification from the California DMV.
But there’s a catch
The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants.
If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.
Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:
- Wearing headwear
- Not using plain background
- Lack of consistent lighting
- Other faces in the frame
- Wearing sunglasses
More tips can be found here.
Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards.
Local News
New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian will hand over the position Friday to Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson in a leadership shakeup for the 15-member panel.
First elected to in 2015, the 54-year-old Harris-Dawson represents Council District 8, where he won his first election with 62-percent of the vote in an area that includes Baldwin Hills, Chesterfield Square, Crenshaw, Jefferson Park and other communities.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harris-Dawson won his bid for the top council post in May and vowed to focus on the city’s homeless crisis. The chair of the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee co-authored Prop HHH, which was a $1.2 million bond measure to provide permanent supportive housing.
The council voted 14-0 to name Harris-Dawson as Krekorian’s successor as president.
As president, Harris-Dawson will preside as chair over council meetings, have the power to assign council committees and handle parliamentary duties such as ruling motions in or out of order. He was elected president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down after he was charged in June 2023 with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
Harris-Dawson is expected to serve as president through mid-December. Following November’s election and once new council members assume their offices, another election will be held to elect a council president for a new term.
Krekorian received an ovation Thursday at his final meeting as council president. The Council District 2 representative will leave the body in December due to term limits. Councilman Bob Blumenfield unveiled plans to rename two sites in honor of Krekorian — the Victory Valley Child Care Center at 6451 Saint Clair Ave., and the Valley Plaza Sports Fields at 6980 Whitsett Ave. in North Hollywood.
Krekorian, whose district includes east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, was first elected to the council in late 2009. He was elected council president in the wake of a leaked audio recording of colleagues, including then-President Nury Martinez, that shook City Hall.
Martinez resigned in 2022 after being heard in a recorded racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process. The recorded conversation included racist comments about a colleague’s young Black adopted son.
Krekorian stepped into the council presidency during the tumultuous time at City Hall.
“I couldn’t do the work for the next 79 days and I couldn’t do the work as council president, and I couldn’t have done the work as an Assembly member or anything else without the support, guidance and love that I’ve received from my wife, Tamar, for the last quarter of the century almost,” Krekorian said.
He also thanked his staff.
“To all my staff, I hope you noticed that a number of members of this council specifically recognized you and that’s because you do extraordinary work — not only for me, our constituents, but for the entire city of Los Angeles,” Krekorian said.
Local News
Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles
Residents impacted by the Airport Fire in Riverside County can visit a local assistance center in Lake Elsinore.
Residents seeking assistance with food, health care support and more are welcomed to visit the one-stop resource center located at the Lake Community Center. The center will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Public Health, Housing & Workforce Solutions and other local agencies will be joined by representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services and several nonprofit organizations to provide information on how to get financial, medical and related aid.
Residents seeking help also can click here.
On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration, enabling the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the blaze.
As of Thursday, the Airport Fire was 41% contained at more than 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
For information about Orange County recovery resources, click here.
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