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Mini therapy horses provide big help for trauma victims in LA County – NBC Los Angeles

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Mini therapy horses provide big help for trauma victims in LA County – NBC Los Angeles


They’re roughly a fifth the size of a regular horse, fit perfectly in the back of a van and are helping people deal with mental and physical trauma all over LA County.

“Valentina,” “Blue Moon” and “Penelope Von Schweets” are just three of Victoria Nodinoff-Netanel’s 10 miniature horses, stabled in her yard in Calabasas. Her non-profit is called MiniTherapyHorses.com – and the mission is in the name: bring smiles to faces and warmth to hearts in order to help people heal.

“It makes me feel so good,” said Nodinoff-Netanel as she helped her small staff of volunteers sweep up the sawdust and prepare the horses’ lunch, “like all this hard work is worth it.”

An accomplished artist with years of experience in the (full sized) horse riding discipline called “dressage,” she came up with the idea after buying her first mini-horse more than 16 years ago. Patients at a veterans’ hospital were thrilled to see the animal during a visit.

Victoria has trained several of her tiny team to “play” electronic keyboards with their snouts to the delight of young hospital patients and trot in circles as adults smile and nod in approval.

“I’m so focused on them making a meaningful connection. That’s where the magic happens.”

The connection, said Capt. Adam VanGerpen of the LA City Fire Dept., is apparent almost immediately. “We saw everyone’s faces light up,” he said, after some of Victoria’s horses were introduced to firefighters at the request of the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team.

“It takes you out of where you are and takes you out of what just happened,” he said. “A very traumatic train accident, a car accident – (the horses) can come out to the scene, not only for firefighters but also the public.”

Numerous studies have concluded that animal therapies of all kinds – horses, dogs and cats – have beneficial effects on such conditions as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is diagnosed frequently in the fire service, law enforcement and military.

Caring for “Bindi Blue,” “Black Pearl” and the others is a labor of love, said Nodinoff-Netanel, but it’s also expensive. MiniTherapyHorses.com is a non-profit, supported by private donations that keep the horses exquisitely groomed and in immaculate living conditions. She’s always looking for new funding sources because the need for therapeutic animals of all kinds is so great.



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How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles

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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

  1. Go to Apple Wallet
  2. Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
  3. Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
  4. Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
  5. Scan your face
  6. Take a picture
  7. 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. 



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New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles

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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.





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Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles

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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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