Memorial service later this month for fallen firefighter
Indio unveils Avenue 42 Substation upgrade project
Pg 02
Pg 28
VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Thursday, January 08-January 14, 2026
VOL. VOL. 10, 12,
NO. 257
SoCal Dems denounce Trump administration's arrest of Venezuela president
Hollywood stars receive awards at Palm Springs Film Festival
By Joe Taglieri
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
C
ongressional Democrats based in Los Angeles County have blasted the U.S. military's capture of the Venezuelan president, with lawmakers criticizing President Donald Trump for not informing Congress ahead of the raid Saturday. Following months of deadly strikes by the United States against alleged drug boats from Venezuela, in addition to seizing an oil tanker and a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers, the U.S. military conducted a large-scale operation in Caracas overnight Friday into early Saturday. Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing a federal indictment for allegedly running a criminal organization that has brought drugs into the U.S., and his wife Cilia Flores were taken from their home and transported to New York to face charges. "The self-proclaimed president of peace has once again resorted to war," Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and
The Trump State Department makes its approach to regional security clear with this photo and accompanying text posted on social media. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of State/Facebook
Central Asia and member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, said in a statement Saturday. "After months of conducting extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean, this rogue president has just escalated his illegal campaign by carrying out military strikes in Venezuela without any
declaration of war or authorization of military force from Congress. "President Trump has not offered the American people any clear strategic objective for a U.S. invasion of Venezuela except to take over its oil
reserves," Kamlager-Dove said. "Trump has repeatedly lied to Congress about his intentions — an evasion of accountability that has led the U.S. into prolonged military conflicts before. These military operations are a return to the same failed playbook of Cold War-era interventionism and regime change that decades later still hangs over — and will now re-poison — U.S. engagement in the region. And it emboldens autocrats around the world who can argue that invasions are an acceptable tool of foreign policy. "The American people do not want to be dragged into another war. The Trump Administration must immediately come before Congress to face accountability for the lack of legal authority and articulate their plan — if any — for what comes next," KamlagerDove added. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, posted on X: "President Trump just bombed Venezuela and arrested its leader without any explanation to the American people and without authorization from
See Venezuela president Page 05
T
he 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival continued Sunday in Palm Springs, one day after the Film Awards were handed out at a starstudded ceremony at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival kicked off on Friday, and on Saturday the following honorees were awarded:
-- Rose Byrne (Breakthrough Performance Award) presented by Meghann Fahy; -- Timothée Chalamet (Spotlight Award) presented by Josh Safdie; -- Miley Cyrus (Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award) presented by Jack Champion; -- Leonardo DiCaprio (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor) presented by
See Film Festival Page 02
Riverside County starts annual budget priorities survey
R
By Staff
esidents can offer input on what they want in the Riverside County budget via an annual budget priorities survey, officials announced Monday. The survey gives the opportunity for residents to spell out how taxpayer dollars should be spent across county departments and services for the upcoming fiscal year. The survey is online in English
and Spanish and is available until Feb. 28. Last fiscal year, over 24,000 residents participated in the survey, which officials reviewed before the current budget was presented to the Board of Supervisors. "This year, our goal is to exceed last year’s turnout," according to the county's announcement. Officials said the survey
See Annual budget Page 27