Good morning! Here’s what you need to know today.
Your Weather Planner
Friday will cool by a few more degrees as offshore winds weaken and the sea-breeze strengthens.
Temperatures will remain above average through the weekend.
We will see more of a marine influence with patchy marine-layer clouds and fog near the coast.
This trend will continue through the weekend.
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Around SoCal
1. Mayor Bass urges city council to identify $4.4M for more LAPD hiring
Mayor Karen Bass is urging the City Council to find $4.4 million for additional new police recruits beyond 240 officers that were authorized earlier in the year amid concerns about public safety and preparations for upcoming mega events starting next year.
On Wednesday, Bass sent a letter to council members calling on them to identify and allocate funding for the Los Angeles Police Department to hire 410 officers by the end of the fiscal year in June 2026. While some council members expressed a willingness to support this effort, there’s also concerns about how and where the money will come from.
City officials have already projected a starting deficit of $91 million in the coming 2026-27 fiscal year.
LAPD is hiring at an accelerated rate, with the department on track to hire approximately 480 officers.
2. LA launches holiday drive for families impacted by immigration raids
Los Angeles city officials are accepting donations of new toys, gifts, books, sport equipment and essential items such as grocery cards and warm winter accessories as part of a holiday drive to support families impacted by federal immigration enforcement.
Mayor Karen Bass encouraged residents to participate in the citywide effort to make a meaningful and lasting difference for children and families across the city. The holiday drive will occur through Wednesday of next week with drop-off locations across the city available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Every Angeleno deserves to feel the hope, care and community that comes alive during this time of year — especially families impacted by recent federal immigration activity,” Bass said in a statement.
3. LA artist is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Los Angeles sacred artist Lalo García has spent more than four decades painting religious images, but none move him more deeply than Our Lady of Guadalupe. Even after creating her portrait more than a dozen times, García says every painting feels like the first — because each one brings a new emotion, a new prayer and a new moment in his life.
“The Virgin is more than an image,” García says. “Every time I paint her, it’s a blessing.”
García’s devotion to the Virgin began in childhood, inspired by his mother, who prayed the rosary every day until the end of her life. His connection grew even stronger years later when he became an Aztec dancer and realized he wasn’t just performing — he was praying through movement. That spiritual understanding eventually led him to sacred art, where he now channels the same reverence into his brushstrokes.
(Spectrum News/Jaqueline Hurtado)
Around the Nation
1. Indiana Republicans block Trump’s redistricting push in rare break with president
2. Trump administration says it will keep oil from tanker seized off coast of Venezuela
3. Trump signs executive order to block state AI regulations
Only on Spectrum News 1
(Spectrum News/Nathalie Basha)
The tariffs on the imports of coffee beans may have been removed, but the effects linger
At the start of his term, President Donald Trump imposed a tariff on the import of coffee beans — 40% from Brazil, and 10% as part of the general tariff applied to all imports.
In November 2025, Trump removed the tariffs, but coffee experts say they’re still reeling from the long-term effects of those tariffs. Small coffee business owners couldn’t absorb those costs. People like Tony Jolly.
Jolly is a small-batch coffee roaster and owner of Ora Café in Leimert Park, and he watched the cost of his usual beans — imported from Vietnam, Ethiopia and Brazil — skyrocket.
“Those coffees skyrocketed to $6, $8 — that’s a 30%, 40%, 50% increase,” he said.
Click the link above for the full story.
SoCal Snapshot
James L. Brooks, from left, Danny DeVito, and Jamie Lee Curtis pose with Brooks’ new star during a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)