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Fire survivors demand insurance accountability 6 months after Eaton Fire
Newsom, local officials talk rebuilding plans 6 months after LA fires
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Thursday, July 10-July 16, 2025
Feds vow to continue illegal immigration enforcement in LA
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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National Guard troops accompany immigration enforcement activity in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park. | Photo courtesy of Denise Wu/X
area. Many of the protesters lingered near the park. According to Fox News, the CBP official Bass spoke with on the phone was Chief Gregory Bovino of the agency's El Centro Sector. Bovino told Fox News, "I don't work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles." Speaking at a news conference Monday afternoon, Bass called the MacArthur Park activity a continuation of a "political agenda of provoking fear and terror," with federal agencies parading "armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in our parks." Bass said a children's summer camp was at the park Monday morning when the operation was conducted. The mayor also posted a video on social media showing federal troops, some on horseback,
marching in formation through the park. She said it "looked like a city under siege under armed occupation." The activity was the latest event to raise the ire of local activists opposed to the immigration raids, which have stepped up over the past month. Over the weekend, activists denounced what they called the continued presence of Immigration Customs Enforcement agents and contractors in the lobby of Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital, where a woman was recovering after suffering a medical emergency while being detained. They identified the woman as Milagro Solis Portillo and said she was injured Thursday during an immigration enforcement operation outside a Sherman Oaks apartment complex.
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LA County announces updated wildfire rebuilding priorities
By City News Service .S. authorities are vowing to continue their month-long crackdown on illegal immigration in Los Angeles, after roughly 100 federal agents amassed near MacArthur Park in the Westlake area, but left without appearing to make any arrests. The activity began shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, with dozens of vans and some military vehicles appearing out the outskirts of the park. An estimated 100 or more federal agents, many wearing vests identifying them as with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, appeared to be staging outside the park. About a dozen Border agents were also seen riding horses into the park. As the federal presence grew and gained attention from local media and activists, protesters quickly moved into the area. Also showing up was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who was seen walking through the staging area, at one point speaking on a cell phone handed to her by a CBP officer. Bass, who has repeatedly called for an end to federal immigration raids in the city, told reporters she had spoken on the phone to someone from CBP. Asked for her reaction to the federal activity, Bass said, "They need to leave and they need to leave right now. They need to leave because this is unacceptable." Bass was then driven away from the area. A short time later, the federal agents all appeared to leave the
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Activists said in a statement the presence of ICE agents was "creating a hostile and frightening environment for her, other patients, and hospital staff. Their presence is invasive and inappropriate in a medical setting. Milagro Solis Portillo deserves to heal in safety and dignity, free from intimidation and fear." ICE officials could not be reached for comment or to confirm their agents are waiting for the hospitalized woman. It was also unclear why the woman was being detained or what caused her medical emergency. The hospital Monday issued a statement saying, in part, "Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital acknowledges the community's concerns regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and we share a
See Illegal immigration Page 12
ix months to the day from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, county officials on Monday announced a forthcoming rebuilding plan that includes financial help for residents, speeding up property inspections and moving formerly overhead utility lines underground. This newly announced phase of the recovery effort is part of "LA County Forward: Blueprint for Rebuilding," which is due for release in the weeks ahead. Officials said the plan reflects feedback from homeowners, renters, business owners, community organizations and other community members about their neighborhoods' highest-priority needs. “As we mark six months since these devastating fires, we recognize the historic actions taken to clear debris from thousands of properties in record time,” LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a statement. “But this is only the beginning. We must move into the next phase — rebuilding — with the same determination and urgency." With support from state and federal agencies, Barger said county's rebuilding blueprint "will drive a swift, resilient recovery and ensure our communities emerge stronger than ever." According to the county, strong coordination between state and local agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led to in the fastest
cleanup of disaster debris in California history. As the Army Corps completes its debris removal work and begins to demobilize, state and local officials will focus on accelerating the rebuilding process in an effort to make sure that progress continues. State and federal agencies cleared ash and debris from the first 1,300 properties in just over 70 days, the governor's office reported in March. Clearing 920 properties in similar terrain after the 2019 Woolsey and Hill fires took crews more than four months, which at the time was a record pace. “Six months ago, the Palisades and Eaton Fires put our communities to the ultimate test. In the face of colossal devastation, we witnessed the unshakable resilience of the human spirit. Our residents stood strong, banded together, and reminded us all of the power of community,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement. “Thanks to a close partnership with Governor Newsom, governmental coordination at every level, and tireless County teams, we’ve already led the fastest debris removal in history. "This is the spirit of Los Angeles County — and our momentum will continue," Horvath said. "Together, we are not just restoring what was lost — we are building back stronger, safer, and more united than ever.”
See Rebuilding priorities Page 23