Opinion | The Water Conflict a Century in the Making

I'm in the New York Times today with some opinions about the Colorado River crisis.

Yes, we need to solve the alfalfa problem eventually. Also the climate crisis. But right now the biggest obstacle to sustainable solutions may be the state of Colorado. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/o...

so cool, congrats!

Reporter's Notebook: He was my fruit vendor for years. I saw immigration agents take him NPR's Adrian Florido has been buying fruit from the same fruit-cart vendor in his LA neighborhood for years. On Tuesday, Florido was there when federal immigration agents whisked him away.

NPR's Adrian Florido has been buying fruit from the same fruit-cart vendor in his LA neighborhood for years. On Tuesday, Florido was there when federal immigration agents whisked him away.

Deported to danger: Returning migrants discover a Mexico transformed by cartels Deportees returning to Mexico find they must learn how to live in a land often controlled by cartels.

“It is no longer the same Mexico of my childhood,” said Ramírez, 45, one of those deported. “There was more joy, more freedom. But that’s not the case anymore.”

www.latimes.com/world-nation...

Pretty weird for me how the guy I spent two years investigating at my first local newspaper job was just arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, and it’s a national tabloid story…

Appreciate everyone linking to my 2018 investigation, which you can read here: www.desertsun.com/in-depth/tec...

Death in the Desert, Part 1: Who Killed Kerri Abatti? An Imperial Valley murder mystery, with a helping of climate change.

Btw, follow my newsletter for new reporting on Mike Abatti, and events preceding his wife’s death. I suspect I’m going to have stuff you won’t find elsewhere. Part 1 last week: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/mike-abatt...

Death in the Desert, Part 1: Who Killed Kerri Abatti? An Imperial Valley murder mystery, with a helping of climate change.

The Imperial Valley grows your winter vegetables, drains the Colorado River and generates tons of solar. Also public corruption runs rampant and a farm baron's wife just got killed under mysterious circumstances.

Did someone say climate murder mystery? www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/mike-abatt...

Trump immigration raids take toll on child-care workers in California and nationwide President Trump’s crackdown has had an outsize effect on the child-care field, which is heavily reliant on immigrants and already strained by a worker shortage.

"ICE officers had begun stopping staff members, all of whom have legal status, and school officials worried about drawing more unwelcome attention.
In California...child-care facilities have experienced months of increased absences among students and staff."
www.latimes.com/world-nation...

More adults return to college in California as inflation and job fears rise With unemployment and consumer prices climbing, community college enrollment is increasing as students look to gain new job skills.

“If you want to gauge the health of California's economy, start with its community colleges.” calmatters.org/education/hi...

Immigration Agents Have Often Grabbed and Mistreated Citizens, Congressional Investigators Find Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump adminis...

Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump administration’s claims that it only detains immigrants. @nicolefoy.bsky.social

Trump’s chief immigration enforcer honed his controversial tactics in California Gregory Bovino’s efforts have landed him at the center of multiple lawsuits accusing him and his officers of excessive force and violating the rights of residents in Illinois, Oregon and...

NEW: Trump’s chief immigration enforcer honed his controversial tactics in California -- w/ @saralibby.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

'I'm terrified': Hunger looms as millions prepare to lose food aid amid shutdown Federal and state officials warn that November SNAP funds will not be issued without a resolution to the ongoing federal shutdown and there is no sign of a breakthrough in Congress.

NEW: ‘I’m terrified’: Hunger looms as millions prepare to lose food aid amid shutdown

California and other states are suing to free funds as local officials, advocates brace for deluge of need

(w/ @jennyagold.bsky.social Ana Ceballos @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social):

www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

Restaurants that survived the Eaton fire are struggling. This club hopes to change that The Altadena Dining Club was formed to help local restaurants stay afloat after the Eaton fire, while simultaneously bringing neighbors together to discuss the recovery.

In Altadena, a grassroots dining club to help restaurants has grown to more than 1,300 online followers, helping local businesses while giving neighbors a chance to meet and discuss recovery from the Eaton fire. my latest -->
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species The 20-acre fire is burning in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park, an important region where experts say the trees are best suited to survive and reproduce in a warming climate.

“This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees,” Rockwell said. “It’s that last refuge.”

Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws.

The government’s own data, which was obtained by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and a team of journalists from Venezuela, showed that officials knew that only 32 of the deportees had been convicted of U.S. crimes and that most were nonviolent offenses, such as retail theft or traffic violations.

Supreme Court says Trump may end legal parole given to 532,000 migrants from four countries Trump revoked two large-scale Biden policies that extended temporary protection to migrants. "The court plainly botched this," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in a dissent.

President Trump may seek to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants who recently entered the United States under a two-year grant of parole, the Supreme Court decided Friday.

It's true -- we are having another round of layoffs at the L.A. Times, the second this month. The vast majority of this cash is already in the pipeline to folks who lost their jobs in early May. I'm hoping we can all dig a bit deeper to support the community journalists laid off this morning.

Column: Are plans for the Joshua Tree Art Museum a desert mirage? A foundation announced the groundbreaking for the Joshua Tree Art Museum, but public records reveal a more complicated picture.

Column: Are plans for the Joshua Tree Art Museum a desert mirage?

4-year-old Bakersfield girl facing deportation could die within days of losing medical care In 2023, a Mexican girl, 4, was allowed U.S. entry for lifesaving medical care. She and her parents, who live in Bakersfield, have been told they must leave.

In 2023, a Mexican girl with a life-threatening medical condition was allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds. The Trump administration has now ordered her and her parents to leave the country. Her says that if her treatment is interrupted, “this could be fatal within a matter of days.”

Health clinics that service immigrants are making house calls on patients too afraid to leave home St. John’s Community Health launched its home visitation program after learning that hundreds of patients were skipping appointments because they're afraid of getting caught up in federal immigration ...

Earlier this year, St. John's Community Healthy began surveying patients and found that hundreds were canceling appointments “solely due to fear of being apprehended by ICE.” It launched a home visitation program in March.

@melissagomez.bsky.social

Father ripped from family as agents target immigration courts, arresting people after cases dismissed The Department of Homeland Security is asking to dismiss its own deportation cases, after which agents arrest immigrants as they leave the courtroom and pursue expedited removals, which require no hea...

The courthouse arrests escalate the administration’s efforts to speed up deportations.

@melissagomez.bsky.social and @racheluranga.bsky.social

White House officials wanted to put federal workers ‘in trauma.’ It’s working. Federal workers describe struggling with panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts. “Why doesn’t anyone care?”

Federal workers describe struggling with panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts. “Why doesn’t anyone care?”

In a state with a dire affordable housing shortage, does the Coachella Valley offer hope? A decade ago, the posh resort communities of the Coachella Valley produced 38 units of affordable housing a year. Today, thousands of affordable units are planned or under construction in all nine des...

Great reporting from @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social on how the Coachella Valley is actually succeeding at building affordable housing in CA: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Thanks for sharing the story, Sammy!

In America's 'salad bowl,' farmers invest in guest worker housing, hoping to stabilize workforce In Monterey County, growers are building lodging for thousands of guest workers coming in on H-2A visas. Some advocates say it is an injustice for the farmworkers who've lived here for years, many in ...

A strikingly classical, perfectly composed photograph by Genaro Molina in this story. 📸 (Everyone in California should be conversant in agricultural news, ps!) #journalism www.latimes.com/california/s...

Commentary from @calmatters.org: Rejection of Inland Empire warehouse project signals a retreat from California’s decadeslong boom

Newsom calls for walking back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said his spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year will call for requiring all undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive coverage and for blocking all new...

The governor’s spending plan, which will be released late Wednesday morning, calls for requiring all undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive Medi-Cal coverage and for blocking all new adult applications to the program as of Jan. 1.

In America's 'salad bowl,' farmers invest in guest worker housing, hoping to stabilize workforce In Monterey County, growers are building lodging for thousands of guest workers coming in on H-2A visas. Some advocates say it is an injustice for the farmworkers who've lived here for years, many in ...

In Monterey County, local growers have invested their own capital and often their own land to build at least eight housing complexes for thousands of guest workers.

with @melissagomez.bsky.social

Trump administration investigates L.A. County over federal benefits for unauthorized immigrants Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles field office issues a Title 8 subpoena to California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.

Trump administration investigates L.A. County over federal benefits for unauthorized immigrants

www.latimes.com/world-nation...

In America's 'salad bowl,' farmers invest in guest worker housing, hoping to stabilize workforce In Monterey County, growers are building lodging for thousands of guest workers coming in on H-2A visas. Some advocates say it is an injustice for the farmworkers who've lived here for years, many in ...

Amalia Francisco, a 32-year-old immigrant from southern Mexico, shares a three-bedroom house in Salinas with her three brothers and other roommates. It often takes at least three or four families to cover the monthly rent of $5,000, she said.
@melissagomez.bsky.social @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social