Pasadena Independent_7/21/2025 by Beacon Media News

21 surrogate-born children in protective custody after abuse claims in Arcadia

JULY 21-JULY 27, 2025

California seeks release of remaining National Guard troops from Los Angeles deployment

By City News Service

Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom applauded a Trump administration decision to cut the number of federalized California National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles area by half, a reduction from 4,000 to 2,000.

“This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong,” Bass said in a statement. “We organized peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court -all of this led to [last week’s] retreat.

“We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in LA, but throughout our country.”

Newsom, who had sued to regain control of the guard troops, continued his push for the full deployment to end.

“For more than a month, @TheCalGuard has been pulled away from their families, communities and civilian work to serve as political pawns for the President in Los Angeles,” the

government said in a statement on X. “While nearly 2,000 of them are starting to demobilize, the remaining guardsmembers continue without a mission, without

direction and without any hopes of returning to help their communities. We call on Trump and the Department of Defense to end this theater and send everyone

After internal error, LA County looks to

The Los Angeles County BoardofSupervisors directed its staff Tuesday to explore ways of correcting an administrative error that led to the inadvertent repeal of a criminal-justice system overhaul measure approved by voters five years ago. County voters in 2020 approved Measure J, which requires the county to set aside 10% of its locally gener-

ated, unrestricted money and spend it on jail-diversion programs and other social services aimed at preventing people from landing behind bars. The funds were intended to be used on programs such as job training, business development, housing services and youth development. But county officials recently discovered a glaring error -- the measure was never

home now.”

On June 7, President Donald Trump ordered that 2,000 California National Guard troops be brought under federal control and

deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal facilities and personnel one day after sometimes destructive protests erupted -- mainly in the downtown area. The

protests came in reaction to widespread immigration raids and other enforcement actions.

Another 2,000 troops were later added to that deployment, along with 700 U.S. Marines tasked with guarding federal property.

Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration challenging the legality of its move federalizing the National Guard -- which is normally under state control -- but a judge ruled in favor of the federal government.

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement saying 2,000 National Guard troops were being released from federal control.

“Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding,” Parnell said. “As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen from the federal protection

preserve criminal justice reform measure

By City News Service

codified in the county charter. So last year, when county voters approved Measure G, which updated the charter to overhaul county government with changes including an expanded Board of Supervisors and an elected CEO, Measure J was inadvertently repealed.

According to the county, without some type of action, Measure J will go away at the

end of 2028. “In 2020 the voters spoke loud and clear: They approved Measure J because they believed we needed to focus on care-first investments in our communities,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. “Since then, this board has done exactly that by establishing the CareFirst Community Investment policy. Now as we move to

implement Measure G, it’s critical that we codify Measure J first to safeguard those community investments. One technical error should not invalidate the clear will of the voters.”

Hahn and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced a motion that was approved by the board Tuesday in an effort to preserve Measure J. The motion instructs county attor-

neys to report back on potential legal actions to maintain the provisions of Measure J, including possibly going to court to obtain a judge’s ruling verifying the passage of the item and ensuring it remains in place. The motion also calls on county staff to explore

Strike in Boston leads to trash collection delay in Rosemead

| Photo courtesy of Mayor Karen Bass / Facebook

21 surrogate-born children in protective custody after abuse claims in Arcadia

By City News Service

Arcadia police Wednesday continued investigating a case of alleged child abuse or neglect that led authorities to take custody of 21 children -- all born via surrogate -- who were under the care of two people arrested in May.

According to Arcadia police Lt. Kollin Cieadlo, a hospital notified them on May 7 that a 2-month-old infant had been admitted with a traumatic head injury and brain bleeding.

Detectives responded to a home in the 600 block of West Camino Real, where a search warrant was served, Cieadlo said.

Seized surveillance cameras showed a nanny employed by the infant’s parents violently shaking

and hitting the child on May 5, causing the baby to lose consciousness, according to Cieadlo.

“Despite being made aware of the incident, the child’s parents failed to seek timely medical attention,” Cieadlo said in a statement. “The child was not transported to the hospital until two days later, after the onset of seizures.”

On May 9, arrest warrants were issued for the parents, 38-year-old Silvia Zhang and 65-year-old Guojun Xuan, and the nanny, 56-year-old Chunmei Li.

Zhang and Xuan were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment/ neglect, with bail set at $500,000 each, Cieadlo said. They have since been

Afirstlookatthe schedule for the 2028 Olympics was released last week by the LA28 organizing committee, including a precedent- breaking switch of swimming and track and field.

Track and field will be held during the first week of competition and swimming the second, according to the announcement made exactly three years before the opening ceremony.

The first two days of the track and field competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, July 15-16, 2028

Thefamous“Corpse Flower” is expected to bloom at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in the coming weeks, with public viewing hours having begun Wednesday, officials said. The bloom, which lasts just 24-48 hours, is one of the rarest and shortestlived spectacles in the plant

released, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate records.

Li remains at large.

“As a result of the investigation, the (county) Department of Children and Family Services was notified and responded to the residence,” Cieadlo said. “The remaining children in the home were taken into protective custody.”

A total of 15 children ranging in age from two months to 13 years old were taken into DCFS custody and six other children had been moved to other homes, but all 21 were confirmed to be the children of Zhang and Xuan, according to a broadcast report that quoted Cieadlo as saying many of the children were

born through surrogacy before Zhang and Xuan took legal guardianship of them.

He said the children suffered severe verbal and physical discipline that caused authorities to suspect they were being abused.

A woman who gave birth to one of the children told ABC7 she conceived through IVF before turning the child over to the couple through an agency called Mark Surrogacy. The agency is owned by Zhang, and now goes by the name Future Spring Surrogacy, according to news reports and online records.

The surrogate mother said she was told Zhang and Xuan had only one child.

It’s unclear why Zhang and Xuan wanted that many children under their care.

First look at 2028 Olympics schedule released

will feature the men’s and women’s 100 meters.

The first medal event of the Games will be in triathlon, to be held along the Venice coastline, also July 15.

The most medals will be awarded on July 29, when there will be gold and bronze medal events in 16 team sports and finals in 19 individual sports.

Competition will conclude July 30 with swimming at SoFi Stadium and a marathon.

The opening ceremony will be held July 14, shared between the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, beginning at

By City News Service

5 p.m. The closing ceremony will be held at the Coliseum July 30, beginning at 6 p.m.

A more detailed schedule with medal events and gender order will be released later this year

The schedule of the 844 ticketed events was arranged to accommodate both U.S. and international television broadcasts and made in coordination with Olympic Broadcasting Services, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board and international federations of the sports that will be in the games, according to

LA28.

LA28 officials celebrated with the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks last week for reaching one million enrollments in the PlayLA initiative. LA28 and the IOC provided $160 million to the program, which provides affordable and accessible sports programming to children ages 5-17.

The initiative also promotes adaptive sports -- such as sitting volleyball, adaptive swimming, para equestrian, among others -- for children with physical disabilities.

Corpse flower soon to bloom at Huntington Library

By City News Service

world. The Amorphophallus titanum is known for its towering height and infamous odor. Native to limestone hills in the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, the plant is endangered in the wild and blooms infrequently, according to The Huntington.

Visitors will be able to

view (and smell) the plant, nicknamed Green Boy, during regular public hours. A 24-hour live-stream will also be available at huntington.org/corpse-flower.

“A Corpse Flower bloom is one of nature’s most extraordinary events -- and a rare opportunity to spark curiosity about plants and highlight The Huntington’s

conservation mission,” said Nicole Cavender, the Telleen/ Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens. “Every bloom connects visitors to the incredible diversity of the plant world and underscores our work here -- through horticulture, research, education, and conservation efforts -- to protect endangered species and their habitats.”

| Photo courtesy of Arcadia Police Department (CA) / Facebook

LA Memorial Coliseum. | Photo by trpnblies7 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Corpse Flower, 2024. | Photo by Linnea Stephan. / The Huntington, San Marino, California

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HReport: Youth vaping down but Hollywood still glamorizes tobacco

By Suzanne Potter, Producer, Public News Service

undreds of millions of American young people are exposed to vaping and smoking in popular movies, TV shows and music videos each year, according to the 7th annual “While You Were Streaming” report from the nonprofit Truth Initiative.

Tobacco depictions are down in the most popular Hollywood shows but they are heavily featured in programs like The Bear, Euphoria, and Stranger Things.

Dr. Jessica Rath, a behavioral scientist and senior vice president of Truth Initiative, said youth and young adults are three times more likely to start vaping when exposed to tobacco imagery in shows.

“Animated shows remain a consistent offender,” Rath emphasized. “Five out of six of the top 15 animated shows contain tobacco depictions and those are more popular with Gen Z than any other demographic.”

The report found in 2023, 70% of bingewatched streaming shows contained tobacco imagery,

a 6% increase from the year before. Shows fueling the increase included “American Dad,” “Law & Order SVU,”

“Never Have I Ever,” and “South Park.”

Rath noted her organization is working with entertainment companies and state attorneys general to get information added before or after the shows, like you might see for suicide prevention.

“Companies can roll

advertisements with tested prevention messaging or quit line resources up in the top corner when the content that they’re showing contains tobacco,” Rath suggested.

The good news is youth vaping is actually at its lowest rate in a decade but smoking in entertainment threatens to reverse progress.

Truth Initiative developed a free resource to help

people quit: Text “EXPROGRAM” to 88709.

Disclosure: Truth Initiative contributes to Public News Service’s fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Health Issues, Smoking Prevention, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, visit https://www.publicnewsservice.org/dn1.php.

References: Tobacco survey CDC 10/17/2024

Peacock TV to pay $3.6M to settle cancellation policy dispute

By City News Service

Peacock TV will pay $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the county of Los Angeles, which alleged the media streaming platform failed to provide consumers with conspicuous disclosures and simple ways to cancel automatic renewal subscriptions as required by California and federal laws.

Under an agreement pending final approval by a Los Angeles County Superior Court, Peacock TV will pay $1.5 million to the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs for consumer protection investigation and enforcement activities, $2 million in civil penalties that must be used for enforcement of consumer protection laws by the county and $100,000 in investigative costs.

“This outcome is a significant win for the public and a reminder that no business, regardless of

size or influence, is above consumer protection laws,” said Rafael Carbajal, director of the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. “This settlement strengthens our ability to hold bad actors accountable, expand our investigative reach, and safeguard the communities we serve from future harm.”

As part of the settlement, Peacock TV must present automatic subscription renewal terms clearly and conspicuously, obtain the consumer’s affirmative consent to a subscription agreement, provide an acknowledgment that includes the automatic renewal terms and a description of the cancellation policy and provide an easy cancellation method allowing for immediate termination without further steps that obstruct or delay the end of service.

The lawsuit was filed by

Photo by Sebastian Radu on Unsplash

County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison on behalf of the state in response to what he said were complaints from consumers across the county and the state. County Counsel’s Affirmative Litigation and Consumer Protection Division investigated the alleged violations and negotiated the settlement.

Peacock TV, which in 2024 had more than 2.5 million subscribers in California, is not admitting any liability.

Olympic Game coverage on Peacock. | Photo by Joe Shlabotnik CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

AG Bonta joins suit challenging Trump admin rule on Affordable Care Act

By City News Service

CaliforniaAttorney GeneralRobBonta Thursdayjoineda multistate coalition in filing a challenge to a final rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that critics say would create significant barriers to obtaining health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

“Far from delivering on their promises to drive down costs and `make America healthier,’ the Trump administration’s HHS and CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) are doing their best to make it harder and more expensive for Americans to obtain health insurance and access care,” Bonta said in a statement.

“These sweeping changes would impose onerous verification requirements, junk health insurance premiums for some consumers, shorten enrollment periods in federal and state health care exchanges like Covered California, deprive up to 1.8 million Americans of health insurance, drive up out-ofpocket health care costs and so much more,” he said. “It’s unlawful and it’s wrong

-- we’re meeting the Trump administration in court to defend Americans’ health care coverage.”

The coalition is co-led by Bonta with the attorneys general of Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The Trump administration’s final rule would make a range of amendments to the rules governing federal and state health insurance marketplaces, which the administration estimates will cause between 725,000 and 1.8 million people to lose their health insurance, while causing millions more to pay increased insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs like co-pays and deductibles.

In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the HHS and CMS rule is arbitrary and capricious, contrary to law, and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The coalition is also seeking preliminary relief, and a stay, to prevent the challenged portions of the final rule from taking effect before the Aug. 25 effective date.

Congress enacted the

ACA in 2010 to increase the number of Americans with health insurance and decrease the cost of health care. The plaintiffs say that 15 years later, the act continues to meet its goals, with annual enrollment on the ACA marketplace doubling over the past five years, resulting in over 24 million people signing up for health insurance coverage in plan year 2025 on the ACA exchanges and receiving subsidies to make such coverage affordable.

California has nearly two million ACA plan enrollees, the third highest of any state, Bonta said.

According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, with less than four months until open enrollment for plan year 2026 begins, the Trump administration’s final rule would abruptly reverse the trend, erecting a series of new barriers to enrollment, including imposing an automatic monthly charge on all automatically re-enrolled consumers who qualify for $0 premiums, shortening the open enrollment period for signing up for health coverage,

and making other changes which will make coverage less affordable for millions of individuals nationwide.

| Photo courtesy of Attorney General Rob Bonta / Facebook

Port of Long Beach sees June cargo drop, eyes rebound with tariff pause

Cargo volumes at the Port of Long Beach fell 16.4% in June compared to the same month last year, port officials said Wednesday, though a pause on new tariffs could fuel a rebound in the coming weeks.

Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 704,403 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in June, with imports down 16.9% to 348,681 TEUs, exports down 10.9% to 87,627 TEUs and empty containers falling 17.4% to 268,095 TEUs.

“We’re anticipating a cargo surge in July as retailers stock up on goods ordered during the 90-day pause placed on tariffs and retaliatory tariffs,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said in a statement.

“The Port of Long Beach is prepared to handle the influx by tracking trade moving through the harbor with the Supply Chain Information Highway, our digital solution to maximize visibility and efficiency in cargo movement,” he added.

The port has moved 4.7 million TEUs through the first half of 2025, up 10.6% from the same period in 2024.

“No matter the economic situation, our facilities, dockworkers and marine terminal operators continue to make this the premier gateway for trans- Pacific goods movement,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal. “Over the long term, we’re investing in infrastructure projects to keep cargo moving efficiently and sustainability to preserve our status as the Port of Choice.”

July 7, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending the date for new “reciprocal” tariffs -- excluding China -- to Aug. 1. The tariffs were initially set to take effect Wednesday. The extension allows for continued negotiations with 14 countries, including Japan, Korea, South Africa, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

More recently, Trump added Mexico and the

European Union to the list of countries that could face tariffs of up to 30%.

Japan and Korea could face a levy of 25%, while South Africa, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand may see a tax at or above 30%.

According to the White House, Trump sent letters to those countries explaining that, starting Aug. 1, they will be subject to new reciprocal tariff rates “designed to make the terms of our bilateral trade relationship more reciprocal over time and to address the national emergency caused by the massive U.S. goods trade deficit.”

In some cases, countries will face lower tariff rates than those initially announced on April 2, while others may see higher rates, officials said.

Trump has said the tariffs aim to promote domestic building and manufacturing, and he pledged to fasttrack approvals to bring back American jobs.

Legoland to open space-themed land in 2026

Legoland will launch a new space-themed land early next year that will include an “immersive, groundbreaking indoor roller coaster” that “promises to be the most technologically advanced attraction the resort has ever created,” park officials announced Tuesday.

The coaster is being created by Merlin Magic Making’s global team of designers and engineers, in collaboration with the Lego Group.

“This isn’t just about a new innovative coaster; it’s about creating an entire universe for our guests to

explore, where the boundless creativity of Lego meets the wonders of space,” said Flora Liu, senior project manager of Merlin Magic Making. “We’ve designed it so that families can explore space together in a way that only Lego can make happen.”

The new land will also feature two additional spacethemed rides, junior astronaut training dedicated to a toddler play area and a galactic grub and gear hub, with spacethemed food and beverages and a souvenir shop.

Entry to the new cosmic park will be included with general park admission and

all annual passes, according to resort officials.

The indoor roller coaster is also being added to Legoland’s Florida Resort, marking what officials call the biggest single in-park investment in the resorts’ histories at more than $90 million.

The land is currently under construction across from the Driving Schools attractions in Fun Town. More details about the expansion, including specific ride names and grand opening, will be released as the 2026 launch approaches. More information can be found at legoland.com/california/.

| Photo courtesy of Port of Los Angeles / Facebook

| Photo by Mattijs Grannetia CC BY-ND 2.0

The IRS is building a vast system to share millions of taxpayers’ data with ICE

By William Turton, Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica

The Internal Revenue Service is building a computer program that would give deportation officers unprecedented access to confidential tax data.

ProPublica has obtained a blueprint of the system, which would create an “on demand” process allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to obtain the home addresses of people it’s seeking to deport.

Last month, in a previously undisclosed dispute, the acting general counsel at the IRS, Andrew De Mello, refused to turn over the addresses of 7.3 million taxpayers sought by ICE. In an email obtained by ProPublica, De Mello said he had identified multiple legal “deficiencies” in the agency’s request.

Two days later, on June 27, De Mello was forced out of his job, people familiar with the dispute said. The addresses have not yet been released to ICE. De Mello did not respond to requests for comment, and the administration did not address questions sent by ProPublica about his departure.

The Department of Government Efficiency began pushing the IRS to provide taxpayer data to immigration agents soon after President Donald Trump took office. The tax agency’s acting general counsel refused and was replaced by De Mello, who Trump administration officials viewed as more willing to carry out the president’s agenda. Soon after, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, and the IRS negotiated a “memorandum of understanding” that included specific legal guardrails to safeguard taxpayers’ private information.

In his email, De Mello said ICE’s request for millions of records did not

meet those requirements, which include having a written assurance that each taxpayer whose address is being sought was under active criminal investigation.

“There’s just no way ICE has 7 million real criminal investigations, that’s a fantasy,” said a former senior IRS official who had been advising the agency on this issue. The demands from the DHS were “unprecedented,” the official added, saying the agency was pressing the IRS to do what amounted to “a big data dump.”

In the past, when law enforcement sought IRS data to support its investigations, agencies would give the IRS the full legal name of the target, an address on file and an explanation of why the information was relevant to a criminal inquiry. Such requests rarely involved more than a dozen people at a time, former IRS officials said.

Danny Werfel, IRS commissioner during the Biden administration, said the privacy laws allowing federal investigators to obtain taxpayer data have never “been read to open the door to the sharing of thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of tax records for a broad-based enforcement initiative.”

A spokesperson for the White House said the planned use of IRS data was legal and a means of fulfilling Trump’s campaign pledge to carry out mass deportations of “illegal criminal aliens.”

Taxpayer data is among the most confidential in the federal government and is protected by strict privacy laws, which have historically limited its transfer to law enforcement and other government agencies. Unauthorized disclosure of

taxpayer return information is a felony that can carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.

The system that the IRS is now creating would give ICE automated access to home addresses en masse, limiting the ability of IRS officials to consider the legality of transfers. IRS insiders who reviewed a copy of the blueprint said it could result in immigration agents raiding wrong or outdated addresses.

“If this program is implemented in its current form, it’s extremely likely that incorrect addresses will be given to DHS and individuals will be wrongly targeted,” said an IRS engineer who examined the blueprints and who, like other officials, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

The dispute that ended in De Mello’s ouster was the culmination of months of pressure on the IRS to turn over massive amounts of data in ways that would redefine the relationship between the agency and law enforcement and reduce taxpayers’ privacy, records and interviews show.

In one meeting in late March between senior IRS and DHS officials, a top ICE official made a suggestion: Why doesn’t Homeland Security simply provide the name and state of its targets and have the IRS return the addresses of everyone who matches that criteria?

The IRS lawyers were stunned. They feared they could face criminal liability if they handed over the addresses of individuals who were not under a criminal investigation. The conversation and news of deeper collaboration with ICE so disturbed career staff that it led to a series of departures in late March and early April across the IRS’ legal, IT and privacy offices.

They were “pushing the boundaries of the law,” one official said. “Everyone at IRS felt the same way.”

The Blueprint

The technical blueprint obtained by ProPublica shows that engineers at the agency are preparing to give DHS what it wants: a system that enables massive automated data sharing. The goal is to launch the new system before the end of July, two people familiar with the matter said.

The DHS effort to obtain IRS data comes as top immigration enforcement leaders face escalating White House pressure to deport some 3,000 people per day, according to reports.

One federal agent tasked with assisting ICE on deportations said recent operations have been hamstrung by outdated addresses. Better information could dramatically speed up arrests. “Some of the leads that they were giving us were old,” said the agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the press. “They’re like from two administrations ago.”

In early March, immigrants rights groups sued the IRS hoping to block

the plan, arguing that the memorandum of understanding between DHS and the IRS is illegal. But a judge in early May ruled against them, saying the broader agreement complied with Section 6103, the existing law regulating IRS data sharing. That opened the door for engineers to begin building the system.

The judge did not address the technical blueprint, which didn’t exist at the time of the ruling. But the case is pending, which means the new system could still come under legal review.

Until now, little was known about the push and pull between the two agencies or the exact technical mechanics behind the arrangement.

The plan has been shrouded in secrecy even within the IRS, with details of its development withheld from regular communications. Several IRS engineers and lawyers have avoided working on the project out of concerns about personal legal risk.

Asked about the new system, a spokesperson

for IRS parent agency the Treasury Department said the memorandum of understanding, often called an MOU, “has been litigated and determined to be a lawful application of Section 6103, which provides for information sharing by the IRS in precise circumstances associated with law enforcement requests.”

At a time when Trump is making threats to deport not only undocumented immigrants but also U.S. citizens, the scope of informationsharing with the IRS could continue to grow, according to documents reviewed by ProPublica and sources familiar with the matter: DHS has been looking for ways to expand the agreement that could allow Homeland Security officials to seek IRS data on Americans being investigated for various crimes.

Last month, an ICE attorney proposed updating the MOU to authorize new data requests on people “associated with criminal activities which may include United States citizens or lawful permanent residents,” accord-

This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

Photo by Olga DeLawrence on Unsplash

ing to a document seen by ProPublica. The status of this proposal is unclear. De Mello, at the time, rejected it and called for senior Treasury Department leadership to personally sign off on such a significant change.

The White House described DHS’ work with the IRS as a good-faith effort to identify and deport those who are living in the country illegally.

“ProPublica continues to degrade their already terrible reputation by suggesting we should turn a blind eye to criminal illegal aliens present in the United States for the sake of trying to collect tax payments from them,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement after receiving questions about the blueprint from ProPublica.

She pointed to the April MOU as giving the government the authority to create the new system and added, “This isn’t a surveillance system. … It’s part of President Trump’s promise to carry out the mass deportation of criminal illegal aliens — the promise that the American people elected him on and he is committed to fulfilling.”

In a separate statement, a senior DHS official also cited the court’s approval of the MOU, saying that it “outlines a process to ensure that sensitive taxpayer information is protected while allowing law enforcement to effectively pursue criminal violations.”

How the System Works

The new system would represent a sea change, allowing law enforcement to request enormous swaths of confidential data in bulk through an automated, computerized process.

The system, according to the blueprint and interviews with IRS engineers, would work like this:

First, DHS would send the IRS a spreadsheet containing the names and previous addresses of the people it’s targeting. The request would include the date of a final removal order, a relevant criminal statute ICE is using to investigate the individual, and the tax period for which information is sought. If DHS fails to include any of this information, the system would reject the request.

The system then attempts to match the information provided by the DHS to a specific taxpayer identification number, which is the primary method by which the IRS identifies an individual in

its databases. If the system makes a match, it accesses the individual’s associated tax file and pulls the address listed during the most recent tax period. Then the system would produce a new spreadsheet enriched with taxpayer data that contains DHS’ targets’ last known addresses. The spreadsheet would include a record of names rejected for lack of required information and names for which it could not make a match.

Tax and privacy experts say they worry about how such a powerful yet crude platform could make dangerous mistakes. Because the search starts with a name instead of a taxpayer identification number, it risks returning the address of an innocent person with the same name as or a similar address to that of one of ICE’s targets. The proposed system assumes the data provided by DHS is accurate and that each targeted individual is the subject of a valid criminal investigation. In effect, the IRS has no way to independently check the bases of these requests, experts told ProPublica.

In addition, the blueprint does not limit the amount of data that can be transferred or how often DHS can request it. The system could easily be expanded to acquire all the information the IRS holds on taxpayers, said technical experts and IRS engineers who reviewed the documents. By shifting a single parameter, the program could return more information than just a target’s address, said an engineer familiar with the plan, including employer and familial relationships.

Engineers based at IRS offices in Lanham, Maryland, and Dallas are developing the blueprint.

“Gone Back on Its Word”

For decades, the American government has encouraged everyone who makes an income in the U.S. to pay taxes — regardless of immigration status — with an implicit promise that their information would be protected. Now that same data may be used to locate and deport noncitizens.

“For years, the IRS has told immigrants that it only cares that they pay their taxes,” said Nandan Joshi, an attorney with the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which is seeking to block the data-sharing agreement in federal court. “By

agreeing to share taxpayer data with ICE on a mass basis, the IRS has gone back on its word.”

The push to share IRS data with DHS emerged while Elon Musk’s DOGE reshaped the engineering staff of the IRS. Sam Corcos, a Silicon Valley startup founder with no government experience, pushed out more than 50 IRS engineers and restructured the agency’s engineering priorities while he was the senior DOGE official at the agency. He later became chief information officer at Treasury. He has also led a separate IRS effort to create a master database using products from Silicon Valley giant Palantir Technologies, enabling the government to link and search large swaths of data.

Corcos didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House said DOGE is not part of the DHS-IRS pact.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees the IRS, told ProPublica the system being built was ripe for abuse. It “would allow an outside agency unprecedented access to IRS records for reasons that have nothing to do with tax administration, opening the door to endless fishing expeditions,” he said.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the department’s internal watchdog, is already probing efforts by Trump and DOGE to obtain private taxpayer data and other sensitive information, ProPublica reported in April.

The Trump administration continues to add government agencies to its deportation drive.

DOGE and DHS are also working to build a national citizenship database, NPR reported last month. The database links information from the Social Security Administration and the DHS, ostensibly for the purpose of allowing state and local election officials to verify U.S. citizenship.

And in May, a senior Treasury Department official directed 250 IRS criminal investigative agents to help deportation operations, a significant shift for two agencies that historically have had separate missions.

McKenzie Funk contributed reporting, and Kirsten Berg and Alex Mierjeski contributed research.

Republished with Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Trump administration asks appeals panel to allow deportation of Venezuelans

TheTrumpadministration has asked a federal appeals court in Pasadena to overturn a lower court’s order preserving Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants, including a Culver City woman, who contend they are unable to safely return to Venezuela.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to end the protections just days after taking office in January. However, a federal district court put her decision on hold pending a final resolution in the case, finding that the secretary’s decision appeared to be motivated by racial bias toward Venezuelans and violated the law governing TPS.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday in the administration’s appeal of U.S. District Judge Ed Chen’s ruling in March blocking the government’s attempt to strip Venezuelan migrants of their lawful immigration status.

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed Chen’s ruling pending the appeal.

It was not known when the 9th Circuit panel would issue its ruling.

Ahilan Arulanantham of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law previously said Chen’s ruling was a “detailed, well- reasoned order (that) allows the Venezuelan community to continue living and working

in this country while the case moves forward.”

The lawsuit in which the National TPS Alliance and seven Venezuelans accuse Noem of illegally revoking an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuelans that was granted by the Biden administration was filed in February in San Francisco federal court.

After Chen blocked the government’s attempt to deport Venezuelan migrants, saying the administration’s move “smacks of racism,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blasted the decision.

“This is yet another

example of an activist judge trying to obstruct President Trump’s agenda,” McLaughlin said in a statement sent to City News Service. “This unelected judge didn’t get the memo that on Nov. 5, the American people voted for re-instituting integrity in our immigration enforcement and mass deportations of illegal aliens.

“Secretary Noem will continue fighting to return integrity to the TPS system, which has been abused and exploited by illegal aliens for decades. We will return TPS to its original status: temporary,” the statement said.

Photo by aboodi vesakaran on Unsplash

Orange County Fair returns to Costa Mesa with new boss and attractions

By Paul Anderson, City News Service

James Canfield started his new job overseeing the Orange County Fair and Event Center at the beginning of the month, but said he already loves what he sees as the fairgrounds are being prepared for their biggest event of the year.

“It’s very exciting to be here, and a great time right before the fair, the most exciting time of the year for us at the fairgrounds and a great month for Orange County overall,” Canfield told City News Service.

Canfield, who was hired last month as the OC Fair and Event Center’s CEO and started work on July 1, has been busy overseeing the roll out of the county fair, which began Friday and continues its 23-day run through Aug. 17.

Canfield most recently served as senior director and general manager of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Alabama, but his new gig is a return to Southern California where he grew up.

“I’ve really walked every square (of the fairgrounds) at this point,” Canfield said. “I don’t know that I’ve found a favorite thing yet, but I do know there are some incredible rides in the Midway, there’s some incredible food options.”

The carnival rides, clever food-on-a-stick goodies and concerts at the Pacific Amphitheatre get a lot of attention from fair visitors, but Canfield sang the praises of everything else the fair offers.

He recalled watching the judges scrutinize all of the contest entries for art, crafts, food, wine and other hobbies.

“It’s really fascinating to watch and try to understand how serious that judging is and how professional and educated they are,” Canfield

said.

Some new attractions this year include a collection of original movie posters on display in an exhibit that also mimics the experience of shopping for videotapes at stores like Blockbuster.

“With each of those movie posters the originals were hand painted — it wasn’t a photograph,” he said. “It was painted art and printed from there, so what they have is a collection of the original art from a lot of these movies like `Back to the Future’ and `Star Wars.’ “

Visitors will also see the movie posters for the various films about Superman as well, he added.

As for fair food, Canfield noted, “I have had a chance to taste some very incredible jams,” but one of the

big draws this year may be bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick.

“I can’t think of anything better,” he said, adding there’s also a bacon-wrapped carnitas burrito.

“I’m in,” he said. His wife is “very excited to get the deep-fried Oreo,” he said.

Canfield said he was also looking forward to seeing rocker George Thorogood begin the live concerts with classic rockers Foghat on Friday.

“I remember seeing Foghat awhile back and I love George Thorogood,” Canfield said.

Other popular acts are sure to be the tributes to Abba and the Bee Gees, Canfield said.

The tribute band industry

is growing in popularity, Canfield said.

“It’s sometimes the only way to see that music performed live because those groups and that talent aren’t performing anymore,” he said.

“People relate to all of that music that those folks put out,” he said. “And the tribute bands make it accessible for everyone.”

Canfield recalled meeting some of the most iconic musicians over the years running convention sites such as Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band fame. He’s looking forward to seeing Los Angeles indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums, which he first saw at Coachella.

“I think they’re great,” he said.

As a classical music fan he’s also eagerly anticipating Beck performing with the Pacific Symphony.

“And Blues Travelers, the Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors — that’s right in my wheelhouse of music,” he said.

One of the best things about the fair, he added, is how visitors can also see and meet up and coming artists on the community stages. Visitors can also meet the drivers in the Action Sports arena, he said.

“If you go see monster trucks at Angel Stadium you don’t get those same opportunities,” he said. “You can go to the zoo and see the animals, but they’re away from you and behind the fence. Where do you get to stand right next to them and

pet them?”

The carnival will feature new rides such as the Aviator, Soundstorm, the Royal Wheel and Frog Hopper. The Royal Wheel is a “massive Ferris wheel” that visitors can see illuminated as they drive by, he said.

Canfield advised fairgoers that attendance will continue to be capped each day as has been the tradition since the coronavirus pandemic so tickets must be ordered online and are not available at the gate anymore. Fair officials found that visitors enjoyed the smaller crowds.

“What we’re trying to do is preserve the great guest experience for everyone, and we have an accessible event where everyone who wants to come can get in, but folks just have to plan,” Canfield said.

“Now you can pick your day and know that when you get there it will be a good experience and you won’t have such a large crowd.”

Gone are the days of attempting to break attendance records, he said.

“We think we want to measure our success through guest satisfaction and positive guest experience and make sure everyone who comes has a great time,” Canfield said. Canfield also noted how affordable the fair is with general admission $13 for Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets for seniors and youths 6 to 12 are $7 a day. Parking is $15 for cars and motorcycles and $30 for buses and limousines.

Tickets purchased for shows at the Pacific Amphitheatre, the Hangar and Action Sports Arena include same-day fair admission at no extra cost.

A family enjoys the Orange County Fair’s Ferris wheel. | Photo courtesy of the OC Fair/Facebook

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Temple City City Notices

TEMPLE CITY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL

The City Council is holding a public hearing on the project described below. You are receiving this notice because your property is located near the project, the project may directly, or indirectly affect you, or because you have requested to be notified.

Project Location: Citywide, City of Temple City, County of Los Angeles

Project: Zoning Code Amendment. The proposed ordinance would amend the Temple City Municipal Code to comply with SB 1186 (Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act)

Applicant: City of Temple City, 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780

Environmental Review: This Ordinance is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (also known as the “general rule” exemption) and 15305 (Class 5 – Minor Alterations in Land Use Limitations).

Previous Action: On June 10, 2025, the Planning Commission approved a resolution recommending that the City Council approve the proposed Ordinance.

For questions or concerns regarding this project, or if you wish to review the project file, please contact: Project Planner: Scott Reimers, Community Development Director (626) 656-7316 sreimers@templecity.us or visit the Community Development Department offices at City Hall, located at: 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780 Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,

If you have a request for reasonable modification or accommodation due to a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act please contact staff (planning@templecity.us or (626) 656-7316) 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

The decision of the City Council is final. If you challenge any of the foregoing actions in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the hearing body at, or prior to, the public hearing.

Date: July 17, 2025 Signature: Scott Reimers Scott Reimers, Community Development Director

Published July 21,2025 TEMPLE

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

MARIANNE LAM VELZEN CASE NO. 25STPB07785

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of MARIANNE LAM VELZEN.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by RICHARD LAM VELZEN in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that RICHARD LAM VELZEN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/08/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you

must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner

SHAUNA R. ANDERSON, ESQ.SBN 265989

CHARLOTTE A. FLANIGAN, ESQ. - SBN 264104

LAW STEIN ANDERSON LLP 2601 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1200 IRVINE CA 92614

Telephone (949) 501-4800

BSC 227124

7/14, 7/17, 7/21/25

CNS-3946929# ROSEMEAD READER

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ANN M. RUSSELL CASE NO. 25STPB07715

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: ANN M. RUSSELL A Petition for Probate has been filed

within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: SAMANTHA R. SALES, ESQ. WEINER LAW,12626 HIGH BLUFF DRIVE, STE. 440, SAN DIEGO CA, 92130, Telephone: 858.356.9070 7/17, 7/21, 7/24/25 CNS-3947518# EL MONTE EXAMINER

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

JEANETTE MARY MILLERTREPP

CASE NO. 25STPB07896

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JEANETTE MARY MILLER-TREPP.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by ROXANNA JOYCE HUBBARD in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that ROXANNA JOYCE HUBBARD be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

by TRUDY K. ADAMS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

The Petition for Probate requests that TRUDY K. ADAMS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The Petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court on AUGUST 7, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. 62 Room located at 111 N HILL ST.,LOS ANGELES, CA 90012,STANEY MOSK COURTHOUSE. Per Probate Court - Dept.62 Policies and Procedures Court appearances may be made either in person or virtually, unless otherwise ordered by the Court. Remote appearances must be made using the Court’s LACourt Connect platform. On the day of the hearing, participants must check in through the LACourtConnect Same Day Check-In portal at: htpps://lacc. lacourt.org/

If you objectto the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JOSEF M. SHELP

CASE NO. 25STPB08029

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JOSEF M. SHELP.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by YOLANDA M. SHELP in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that YOLANDA M. SHELP be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/15/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 9 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/15/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 44 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

Attorney for Petitioner PAUL KELLY, ESQ. - SBN 282324

THE KELLY LAW FIRM

3777 LONG BEACH BLVD., SUITE 300

LONG BEACH CA 90807

Telephone (562) 548-7500

BSC 227143

7/17, 7/21, 7/24/25 CNS-3947927# ARCADIA WEEKLY

default, and your wages, money, and property may

Petitioner In Pro Per:

YOLANDA M. SHELP 8945 OAK PARK AVENUE NORTHRIDGE CA 91325 Telephone (818) 681-2764 7/21, 7/24, 7/28/25 CNS-3948571# ROSEMEAD READER

Public Notices

CASE NUMBER: (Numero del Caso): 25NNCV02485 SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): XINGBO ZHAO, an individual; STEVE GORDON, DIRECTOR OF THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, a California state agency as a nominal defendant, and DOES 1 through 20, Inclusive. YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): BMW BANK OF NORTH AMERICA, a Utah industrial bank, by and through its servicer, BMW FINANCIAL SERVICES NA, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask th e court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by

por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov) en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www. sucorte.ca.gov) o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): Alhambra Courthouse, 150 West Commonwealth Avenue, Alhambra, CA 91801. The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REBECCA A. CALEY / CHRISTOPHER M. DOMIN, 131997 / 273951, CALEY & ASSOCIATES, 265 S. Randolph Avenue, Suite 270, Brea, CA 92821, File No. 2030-338, Phone: (714) 529-1400, Fax: (714) 529-1515 Date: (Fecha) 04/10/2025 DAVID W. SLAYTON, Executive Officer / Clerk of Court (Secretario) By: D. GALLEGOS, Deputy (Adjunto) CN117881 ZHAO Jul 7,14,21,28, 2025 SAN GABRIEL SUN

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME PETITION OF Dzung Tu Hang FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER: 25NNCP00498 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 150 West Commonwealth Avenue, Alhambra, Ca 9180 , Northeast Judicial District TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner Dzung Tu Hang filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name a. OF Dzung Tu Hang to Proposed name Dzung Hang Phan 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the

Monterey Park City Notices

BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MONTEREY PARK – COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES –STATE OF CALIFORNIA

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Monterey Park will hold a public hearing on August 6, 2025, at the hour of 6:30 p.m. located at 320 W. Newmark Avenue, Monterey Park, CA 91754, in the Council Chambers. The meeting information can be obtained by contacting the City Clerk’s office at (626) 307-1359 or online at www.montereypark.ca.gov/AgendaCenter.

SAID hearing is to consider the approval of the annual weed abatement charge list submitted by the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioners and Weights and Measures Weed Abatement Division for abatement of noxious and dangerous weeds and rubbish for fiscal year 2024/2025.

REFERENCE is hereby made to the documents on file with the Code Compliance Division for further particulars. The Staff Report on this matter will be available in the City Clerk's Office on or about July 31, 2025, and copies may be obtained at cost or online at www. montereypark.ca.gov/agendacenter.

ANY interested individual may appear in person or by agent at such hearing and be heard on any matter relevant to such proceedings. If you challenge the proposed action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing. For additional information about this matter, please contact the Code Compliance Division at (626) 307-1415.

Maychelle

Yee, City Clerk

Published on July 21, 2025 MONTEREY PARK PRESS

ORDINANCE NO. 2266

AN URGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 3.100 OF THE MONTEREY PARK MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED (PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTS) AND MPMC § 3.90.050 (SIGNATURE AUTHORITY) TO ADD SECTIONS GOVERNING CONTRACTING TO ABATE PUBLIC NUISANCES

The City Council of the City of Monterey Park does ordain as follows:

SECTION 1. Findings. The City Council finds, determines and declares as follows:

A. Ordinarily, the City must comply with the competitive bidding requirements set forth in the Monterey Park Municipal Code and California Public Contracts Code for public works projects;

B. The purpose of such bidding requirements is to guard against favoritism, improvidence, extravagance, fraud and corruption, to prevent waste of public funds, and to obtain the best economic result for the public;

C. For nuisance abatement projects, however, competitive bids would be unavailing or would not produce an advantage, and competitive bids would thus be undesirable and impractical for the following reasons:

1. Nuisance properties may pose imminent dangers to public health, safety, and welfare, particularly when they are structurally unsound, partially constructed, or blighted with hazardous conditions conducive to crime, trespassing, and fire;

2. Nuisance structures are often the site of fires, attributable to illegal occupancy, hazardous conditions, or intentional acts (e.g., arson);

3. Nuisance properties frequently sustain further damage over time, exacerbating the above-referenced safety risks and increasing nuisance abatement costs if not promptly remediated;

4. Although the City issues notices and orders for property owners to remediate nuisances on private properties, these are often ignored. Consequently, the City is compelled to urgently abate the nuisances to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

5. This Ordinance implements regulations that helps facilitate a prompt clean-up of nuisances. Contractors must still be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”); have required insurance and bonding; be properly licensed; and execute the City’s standard agreement for nuisance abatement projects.

D. In waiving the competitive bid requirements otherwise required by the Public Contract Code, the City Council takes note of the analysis and decisions set forth in Graydon v. Pasadena Redevelopment Agency (1980) Cal.App.3d 631; Hodgeman v. City of San Diego (1942) 53 Cal. App.2nd 610; Orange County Water

LEGALS

Dist. v. Bennett (1958) 156 Cal. App.2nd 745; and Los Angeles G&E Corp. v. City of Los Angeles (1922) 188 Cal. 307.

E. Because of the findings set forth above, the City Council finds that this Ordinance should be adopted on an urgency basis to preserve the public health, safety, and welfare in accordance with Government Code §§ 36934 and 36937(b).

SECTION 2: Public Works Contracting Amendments. Monterey Park Municipal Code (“MPMC”) Chapter 3.100, entitled “Public Works Contracts,” is amended to read as follows: “Chapter 3.100 PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTS

3.100.030 Definitions.

“Prevailing wage law” means Labor Code § 1720, et seq. and California Code of Regulations, tit. 8, § 16000, et seq., as amended.

3.100.040 Soliciting Bids and Awarding Contracts.

A. The city manager may solicit bids, award contracts up to $100,000, and execute contracts, in a form approved by the city attorney, for public projects, including without limitation, urgency abatement projects, without approval from the city council. Contracts for public projects costing more than $100,000 may be solicited by the city manager but must be awarded by the city council.

B. Should the expenditure be less than or equal to $100,000, the work (including maintenance) may be performed by the employees of the city, by force account, by informal bids from qualified contractors, or by negotiated contract.

C. Regardless of the expenditure amount, the city manager is authorized to solicit bids for projects identified in the capital improvement plan approved by the city council and included in the current operating budget without additional city council authorization. The city manager is required to bring all recommendations for award exceeding $100,000 to the city council.

D. Beginning in January 2026, the sums set forth above will adjusted automatically in accordance with the Engineering Construction Cost Index – U.S. City Average as published by the Engineering News-Record. In the event this Cost Index is no longer available, the City Manager, or designee, must use a similar index that is standard in the industry to account for inflation in any adjustment.

3.100.110 Design Immunity.

A. Pursuant to Government Code § 830.6, the city engineer is authorized to approve standard design and construction plans for construction or maintenance projects before work commences.

B. The city engineer may also exercise discretionary approval for plans or designs for each project identified in the capital improvement plan approved by the city council in advance of the construction or improvement. Such approval must conform with the following:

1. The city engineer must determine that design and plans for the capital improvement projects are consistent with the city’s standards, guidelines, practices, or otherwise comply with applicable law and engineering standards, guidelines, or practices;

2. Approval must be in writing and be stamped by the city engineer while exercising his or her discretion in accordance with California law; and

3. The design approval must occur before a solicitation of bids is issued in accordance with this code and before actual construction work construction commences.

C. The city engineer is authorized to act on the city’s behalf in approving any alterations or modifications of approved design and plans.

D. The approval and authorization granted in this section is intended to avail the city of the immunities set forth in Government Code § 830.6.

3.100.120 Nuisance Abatement.

Where abatement of public nuisances constitutes rehabilitation, demolition or repair, or removal of real property including, without limitation, structures or landscaping, or other work as authorized by an abatement warrant, the city manager is authorized to directly negotiate with a qualified contractor to expeditiously abate the nuisance. Such projects are not public works projects and, accordingly, prevailing wage need not be paid. All abatement costs will be recovered in accordance with this code.”

SECTION 3: Amendments for Signature Authority. Subsection C is amended in MPMC § 3.90.050 to read as follows (the existing subsection C is renumbered as subsection D): “3.90.050 Signature Authority. *

C. The city attorney when directed to do so by the city council; to retain special counsel; retain expert witnesses in anticipation of litigation; or retain contractors for nuisance abatement in accordance with this code; *

SECTION 4: Invalidity. If any part of this Ordinance or its application is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the City Council intends that such invalidity will not affect the effectiveness of the remaining provisions or applications and, to this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are severable.

SECTION 5: Environmental Assessment. This Ordinance is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (Cal. Pub. Res. Code §§ 21000, et seq.; “CEQA”) and CEQA Guidelines (14 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 15000, et seq.) because it authorizes the administrative approval of the repair, maintenance, permitting, licensing, or minor alteration of existing private structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment, including the rehabilitation or restoration of deteriorated or damaged structures to meet current standards of public health and safety. Nuisance abatement projects covered by

this Ordinance will involve such activities and will not result in expansion of existing uses. In addition, this Ordinance authorizes the replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities on the same site and with substantially the same purpose and capacity. This Ordinance, therefore, is categorically exempt from further CEQA review under CEQA Guidelines §§ 15301 (Class 1, Existing Facilities) and 15302 (Class 2 Replacement or Reconstruction).

SECTION 6: Electronic Signatures. This Ordinance may be executed with electronic signatures in accordance with Government Code §16.5. Such electronic signatures will be treated in all respects as having the same effect as an original signature.

SECTION 7: Recordation. The Mayor, or presiding officer, is authorized to sign this Ordinance signifying its adoption by the City Council of the City of Monterey Park and the City Clerk, or her duly appointed deputy, may attest thereto.

SECTION 8: Effective Date. Based on the findings in Section 1, this Urgency Ordinance is adopted by a four-fifths vote for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and welfare and becomes effective immediately pursuant to Government Code § 36937(b).

PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of July, 2025.

Vinh Ngo, Mayor ATTEST:

Maychelle Yee, City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

KARL H. BERGER, CITY ATTORNEY

Joaquin Vazquez, Deputy City Attorney

STATE OF CALIFORNIA)

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES)§ CITY OF MONTEREY PARK)

I, Maychelle Yee, City Clerk of the City of Monterey Park, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Urgency Ordinance No. 2266 was duly passed, approved and adopted at its regular meeting held on 16th day of July, 2025 by the following vote:

Ayes: Council Members: Wong, Lo, Yiu, Ngo

Noes: Council Members: None

Absent: Council Members: Sanchez

Abstain: Council Members: None

Recusal: Council Members: None

Dated this 16th day of July, 2025.

Maychelle Yee, City Clerk

City of Monterey Park, California

Publish July 21, 2025

MONTEREY PARK PRESS

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Leopoldo O. Laboriante CASE NO. 25STPB07491

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: Leopoldo O. Laboriante

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Encarnacion L. Dominguez in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Encarnacion L. Dominguez be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority . (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on 8/1/2025 at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 79 located at 111 N. HILL ST. LOS ANGELES CA 90012 STANLEY MOSK COURTHOUSE.

a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Steven M. Gluck, Esq. SBN # 80097 1313 Post Avenue Torrance CA 90501 Telephone: (818) 267-4718 7/14, 7/17, 7/21/25 CNS-3945939# BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF COMPETING PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: RAYMOND R. RENTERIA CASE NO. 22STPB00164 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of RAYMOND R. RENTERIA.

A COMPETING PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by YSABEL RENTERIA in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE COMPETING PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that YSABEL RENTERIA be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE COMPETING PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the competing petition will be held in this court as fol-

ANGELES, CA 90012

MICHAEL G. EBINER - SBN 183499

EBINER LAW OFFICE

100 N. CITRUS ST., #520 WEST COVINA CA 91791

Telephone (626) 918-9000 7/14, 7/17, 7/21/25 CNS-3946030# WEST COVINA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

RONALD DEAN KETTNER AKA RONALD D. KETTNER CASE NO.

30-2025-01495738-PR-LACMC

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of RONALD DEAN KETTNER AKA RONALD D. KETTNER.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by ERICA PENNINGTON KELLY GAGNON in the Superior Court of California, County of ORANGE.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that ERICA PENNINGTON KELLY GAGNON be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 09/03/25 at 1:30PM in Dept. CM08 located at 3390 HARBOR BLVD., COSTA MESA, CA 92626

NOTICE IN PROBATE CASES

The court is providing the convenience to appear for hearing by video using the court’s designated video platform. This is a no cost service to the public. Go to the Court’s website at The Superior Court of California - County of Orange (occourts. org) to appear remotely for Probate hearings and for remote hearing instructions. If you have difficulty connecting or are unable to connect to your remote hearing, call 657-6228278 for assistance. If you prefer to appear in-person, you can appear in the department on the day/time set for your hearing.

tion 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

Attorney for Petitioner

ROBERT L. COHEN, ESQ. - SBN 150913

LAW OFFICES OF ROBERT L. COHEN, INC. 8081 ORANGETHORPE AVE. BUENA PARK CA 90621

Telephone (714) 522-8880 7/14, 7/17, 7/21/25 CNS-3946765# ANAHEIM PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF DURIE BAILEY, JR.

Case No. 25STPB04373

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of DURIE BAILEY, JR.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Sandra Benson Bailey in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Sandra Benson Bailey be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on August 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 67 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Jul 17,21,24, 2025 WEST COVINA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ALBERT L. CONNER, JR. aka ALBERT LAWRENCE

LEGALS

CONNER, II aka ALBERT L. CONNER

Case No. 25STPB07920

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ALBERT L. CONNER, JR. aka ALBERT LAWRENCE CONNER, II aka ALBERT L. CONNER

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Albert L. Conner, III in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Albert L. Conner, III be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on August 14, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 79 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

LOS ANGELES CA 90017 CN118549 CONNER Jul 21,24,28, 2025 WEST COVINA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION INCLUDING 1ST AMENDMENT TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JOAN ELIASOPH CASE NO. 24STPB11270

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: JOAN ELIASOPH

A Petition for Probate has been filed by TIMOTHY S. FELTHAM, MICHAEL HECHT, & IAN B. MACCALLUM in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. The Petition for Probate requests that TIMOTHY S. FELTHAM, MICHAEL HECHT, & IAN B. MACCALLUM be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The Petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The Petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons

unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court on August 5, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. 99 located at 111 N Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Stanley Mosk Probate Court.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appear-ance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: TIMOTHY S. FELTHAM, ESQ., MCLAUGHLIN & STERN LLP, 260 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016, Telephone: (212) 4550422 7/17, 7/21, 7/24/25 CNS-3947197# PASADENA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: WINIFRED LINDSEY CHILD CASE NO. 24STPB07864

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of WINIFRED LINDSEY CHILD.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by WILLIAM J. ABELMANN in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that WILLIAM J. ABELMANN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/04/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 4 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept

by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner

JOSEPH A. SIFFERD SBN 226219

POINDEXTER & DOUTRE, INC. 400 SOUTH HOPE STREET, SUITE 1320 LOS ANGELES CA 90071

Telephone (213) 628-8297 7/17, 7/21, 7/24/25

CNS-3947243# PASADENA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: ROGER ELLIOTT COHEN CASE NO. 25STPB07802

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of ROGER ELLIOTT COHEN.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by LISA ANDERSON in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that LISA ANDERSON be appointed as Special Administrator to administer the estate of the decedent.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/11/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 62 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

Attorney for Petitioner

JEFFREY L. CONDON - SBN 132774

CONDON & CONDON, APC 3435 OCEAN PARK BLVD., STE. 108 SANTA MONICA CA 90405

Telephone (310) 393-0701

7/17, 7/21, 7/24/25 CNS-3947461# BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: ROBERT S. REMMEL AKA

ROBERT SHELDON REMMEL CASE NO. 25STPB07902

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of ROBERT S. REMMEL AKA ROBERT SHELDON REMMEL.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by SUE CAMPION in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that SUE CAMPION be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 08/22/25 at 8:30AM in Dept. 29 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

KENNETH G. CAMPION - SBN 65380 2604-B EL CAMINO REAL #317 CARLSBAD CA 92008

Telephone (562) 947-1665 7/21, 7/24, 7/28/25 CNS-3948135# GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF VALERIE HARRIET DENNETT aka VALERIE HARRIET MYERS

Case No. 25STPB08030

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of VALERIE HARRIET DENNETT aka VALERIE HARRIET MYERS A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Shoushan Movsesian in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Shoushan Movsesian be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on August 15, 2025 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 11 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

LA County supervisors explore ways of maintaining LGBTQ suicide-prevention counseling

By City News Service

Withthefederalgovernmentslashing funds for the program, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to explore ways of maintaining a suicide-prevention hotline tailored for LGBTQ+ youth.

A national suicideprevention hotline has been accessible by dialing 988 since 2022. The following year, an option was added to the hotline to provide specialized counseling to LGBTQ+ youth, who could press the number 3 on their phones to access the service -- provided locally by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit based in West Hollywood.

In a motion set to be discussed Tuesday, Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath noted that

the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced last month that funding for the specialized LGBTQ+ services would end on July 17.

“This cut in funding is devastating to a population that is especially vulnerable,” according to the motion. “L.A. County needs to fully understand the impact of this SAMHSA announcement and find a way to continue providing specialty services for LGBTQ+ youth through 988.”

The motion calls for county staff to report back on the impact of the funding cut and explore ways of continuing the service locally.

“Having a specific option for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis to receive specialized services

through 988 is not only the right thing to do, but it is also essential for preserving lives,” according to the motion.

“LGBTQ+ youth experience a higher risk of suicidality, not because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized by others. In fact, LGBTQ+ youth are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that looked at 10 years of data found that 65% of LGBTQ+ youth selfreported feeling persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness compared to 31% of cisgender and heterosexual youth.”

Horvath said the use of

Guatemalan Festival in LA postponed over immigration enforcement concerns

By City News Service

Organizers of the annual Festival Chapín Los Angeles announced Tuesday they have postponed the event due to concerns over recent federal immigration enforcement activity in the region.

Hosted by Chapín Summer Festival Inc., a Californiabased nonprofit, the event celebrates Guatemalan culture through music, food, art and traditional dance. The ninth edition of the two-day festival, originally scheduled for Aug. 30-31, will now be held Oct. 11-12 at

Lafayette Park in the Westlake area of Los Angeles. The location remains unchanged.

“We decided to reschedule the 2025 Festival Chapín Los Angeles due to action taken by immigration authorities in our county and neighboring areas, following careful analysis and legal consultations,” according to the announcement made Tuesday.

“This decision aims to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all sponsors, collaborators, staff, and attendees. Your safety and the integrity of our event remain our top

the LGBTQ+ support line has “spiked over the past year” due to federal administration policies targeting

the community.

“This horrific, immoral decision by the administration makes the county’s

National Guard

commitment to supporting our youth, especially our LGBTQ+ youth, more critical than ever,” Horvath said.

priorities,” the statement continued.

The organization bills itself as “dedicated to promoting Guatemalan art and culture internationally.”

Last year, the festival spanned a seven-block stretch in the heart of the Guatemalan community at the park. The event featured musical talent including Alma Huiteca, Maya Excelsior and Ballet Folklórico del Inguat.

The term “Chapín” is a word Guatemalans use with pride to describe their heritage, organizers noted.

mission.”

The remaining 2,000 Guard troops and 700 Marines will remain on their deployment to protect federal assets in the area, administration officials said.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has filed court papers seeking a stay of a Los Angeles federal judge’s orders barring federal agents from detaining people without reasonable suspicion beyond their race, ethnicity or occupation.

Attorneys for the federal government July 13 filed a formal notice of appeal, announcing its intention to challenge the July 11 ruling by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong. The government on July 14 asked Frimpong to put the ruling on hold pending a review by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Federal attorneys also submitted paperwork to the 9th Circuit, also asking for a stay of the ruling.

In its emergency motion lodged with the appellate court for a stay pending appeal, government attorneys argued the ruling places “coercive restraints on lawful immigration enforcement affecting every immigration stop and

detention.”

The lawyers contend the judge’s injunction is a “straight-jacket” inflicting “irreparable harm” by preventing President Donald Trump “from ensuring that immigration laws are enforced.”

The ruling levels “systemic challenges to federal immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area,” according to the appeal.

Frimpong’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed July 2 in Los Angeles federal court by Public Counsel, the American Civil Liberties Union and attorneys representing Southern California residents, workers and advocacy groups on behalf of people who allege they were unlawfully stopped or detained by federal agents targeting locations where immigrant workers are traditionally hired.

It accused immigration officials of carrying out “roving patrols” and detaining people without warrants and regardless of whether they have actual proof they are in the country legally.

It further alleged federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border

Protection, engaged in unconstitutional and unlawful immigration enforcement raids by targeting Angelenos based on their perceived race and ethnicity and denying detainees constitutionally mandated due process.

U.S. officials have strongly denied those claims.

“A district judge is undermining the will of the American people. America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists -- truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities. LAW AND ORDER WILL PREVAIL!” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. White House border czar Tom Homan also criticized the order.

“Look, we’re going to litigate that order, because I think the order’s wrong. I mean, she’s (Frimpong) assuming that the officers don’t have reasonable suspicion. They don’t need probable cause to briefly detain and question somebody. They just need reasonable suspicion. And that’s based on many articulable facts,” Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” July 13.

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

| Photo courtesy of Festival Chapin De Los Angeles / Facebook

Walt Disney audio-animatronics figure debuts for Disneyland’s anniversary

By City News Service

Disneyland marked the 70th anniversary of the park’s opening Thursday, with guests getting the chance to see the first Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney.

“Walt Disney -- A Magical Life” at the Main Street Opera House begins with a film about Disney’s life, culminates with a visit with Disney in his office and brings “together the past, present and future of Disney storytelling,” according to a statement from The Walt Disney Co.

The speech the AudioAnimatronics figure gives comes from research of Disney’s speeches and documents in the Walt Disney Archives in an attempt to “find the words that would bring him to life in a way that would feel as if we dropped into his office for a chat,” according to Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering.

“Creating our first Walt figure is an idea that’s been whispered in the hallowed halls of Imagineering for years -- decades, even,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro

Strike in Boston leads to trash collection delay in Rosemead

By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com

In solidarity with a nationwide strike in support of union workers in Boston, trash collection in Rosemead ceased last week, city officials announced Wednesday.

While the underlying labor dispute is unrelated to the city of Rosemead, local employees of Republic Services, the city’s contracted trash hauler, have joined in support fellow union members.

Starting Thursday, one residential driver was scheduled to service as much of the Monday route as possible, officials said.

Republic Services also will respond to reports of overflowing commercial bins. Businesses can report bins filled to capacity by calling 800-299-4898 or emailing CityofRosemead@RepublicServices.com.

Republic Services issued a statement to Rosemead residents and businesses:

“We want to inform you that due to a labor stoppage beyond our control, there will be delays in trash collection services in your area. We are actively working to resolve this situation and resume normal service as quickly as possible.”

When normal operations resume, Republic has committed to using additional resources to adequately address the service disruptions throughout Rosemead, city officials said.

waiting for delayed trash pickup, residents and businesses with proof of residency, such as an ID that shows a Rosemead address or a Republic Services invoice, can drop off bagged garbage free of charge at Republic Services’ East LA Transfer Station. The facility is at 1512 N. Bonnie Beach Place in Los Angeles and accepts trash from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

should go to the Public Works Department at 626-569-2150.

The city suspended street sweeper parking enforcement for the duration of the strike and until further notice, officials posted on social media Tuesday. Steet sweeping will take place as scheduled. Enforcement-related questions should go to the Public Safety Department, 626-569-2292.

said at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event last Aug. 10.

“We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And we’re finally ready.”

The attraction also includes site plans never seen before publicly as well vintage merchandise. Part of the exhibit includes furniture from the apartment Disney had with his family at the theme park when it opened. The Presidential Medal of Freedom Disney received from President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 is also on display.

“Walt Disney -- A Magical Life” will eventually run in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which is being refurbished.

Debuting Thursday in the Main Street Cinema was “The Last Verse,” a threeand-a-half minute film tribute to the songwriting Sherman brothers, which includes a new verse to “It’s a Small World (After All),” created for the song’s 60th anniversary in 2024.

The verse written by legendary composer

Richard M. Sherman was his final Disney contribution in a career that also included joining his brother Robert in winning two Oscars for their work on “Mary Poppins.”

Richard M. Sherman died May 25, 2024, at the age of 95. Robert Sherman died March 5, 2012, at age 86.

The new verse began being played on the “It’s a Small World” ride Thursday.

The anniversary was marked Thursday by Disney CEO Bob Iger ringing the New York Stock Exchange opening bell from Disneyland, joined by NYSE President Lynn Martin and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

According to park officials, park employees -referred to as cast members -- were treated to an early morning celebration to mark the occasion. The festivities also included live entertainment and a flagraising ceremony.

Iger and other cast members remained on hand to welcome park visitors on Main Street U.S.A. when the gates opened.

A Republic Services spokesperson said Thursday morning, “All employees returned to work in the Los Angeles area, and regular service is resuming.”

As an alternative to

“The city of Rosemead appreciates the community’s patience and understanding as we work through this temporary service disruption,” according to a city statement. “The city will continue to provide updates via our website and social media platforms as new information becomes available.”

For trash service-related questions, officials said to contact Republic Services at the contact information above. Any other inquiries

Criminal justice

possible changes in state law that might preserve the measure without the need to go back to voters to reaffirm Measure J. It also directs staff to prepare a new ballot measure should it be determined that a new public vote will be necessary to re-enact Measure J.

The motion also called for an internal investigation into the cause of the administrative error, and what steps can be taken to avoid any future oversights.

“In 2020, the people of Los Angeles County overwhelmingly approved Measure J to shift county resources away from incarceration and toward community-based investments,” Horvath said in a statement. “This measure was

Republic Services workers in Boston went on strike July 1. Republic is the nation’s second-largest waste-removal and recycling company, and workers in Southern California and the nation have been honoring the strike in an effort to put pressure on the company.

In addition to Rosemead, the lack of trash collection also affected Inglewood, Compton, Whittier and Santa Fe Springs. In Orange County, Santa Ana and Anaheim experienced delays.

the result of a hard-fought, community-led effort that I wholeheartedly supported -and remain deeply committed to upholding. When five people are in charge, no one is in charge. This is a quintessential example of why the governance reforms in

Measure G are so urgently needed.”

Horvath called the situation a “sloppy” bureaucratic error that “must be fixed urgently.”

“The county holds responsibility,” she said. “It is our problem to fix.”

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath speaks at the Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting.

Screenshot courtesy of LACountyBOS / YouTube

This map outlines the proposed area for collection in Rosemead Thursday, July 17, 2025. | Image courtesy of the city of Rosemead

Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary. | Photo by Chad Kainz CC BY 2.0