Virgin Scent Executives and Company Plead No Contest to Criminal Environmental Charges in 2021 Carson Warehouse Fire
LOS ANGELES —Three executives of Virgin Scent and the company were sentenced July 31 after pleading no contest to one felony and four misdemeanor environmental crimes. The crimes stemmed from the improper storage of alcohol-based hand sanitizers that sparked a massive fire at the business’ Carson warehouse in 2021 and the subsequent illegal discharge of hazardous waste into the municipal storm drain system.
The Virgin Scent corporation and executives Yaakov Nourollah (dob 3/13/86) of Los Angeles, Akiva Nourollah (dob 2/10/89) of Los Angeles and Yehuda Nourollah (dob 9/30/87) of Los Angeles each pleaded no contest to one felony count of disposal of hazardous materials and one misdemeanor count of reckless storage of hazardous materials before and including the day of the Sept. 30, 2021, fire. The hearing took place today in Department H of the Compton Courthouse in case TA157794.
All defendants also pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count each of unlawfully depositing hazardous materials, violating the Clean Water Act and failing to report the discharge of hazardous materials following the fire.
The defendants were placed on two years of formal supervised probation. They were sentenced to one year in county jail, suspended, and ordered to complete 75 hours each of community labor. Restitution to victims will be determined at a future hearing.
$2 Million Federal Investment to Expand CIRCLE Program Transforms Community-Led Crisis Response in L.A.
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Bass was July 31 joined Rep. Luz Rivas, Councilmember Imelda Padilla, and community safety leaders announced more than $2 million in federal funding to support L.A.’s Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement or CIRCLE Program. CIRCLE is led through Mayor Bass’ Office of Community Safety, which she created to advance a comprehensive approach to preventing crime by addressing the social and economic conditions that impact community safety.
Mayor Bass has expanded the CIRCLE Program to more neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including downtown L.A., Central Hollywood, South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Westside communities, and the Harbor Area. The more than $2 million in federal funding will facilitate the hiring of additional health care professionals for emergency response and support the continued expansion of the program.
The CIRCLE program is a proven, 24/7 crisis response model that connects Angelenos experiencing mental health challenges or a moment of crisis with trained mental health professionals and peer support specialists. The focus is on providing the right response, at the right time, without relying on law enforcement for non-violent situations.
“This is certainly a tough day,” City Manager Tom Modica said as he stepped to the podium at Thursday’s press conference regarding the City of Long Beach’s proposed $4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027, a budget that attempts to contend with a $58.2 million structural shortfall.
But the next three minutes were like something out of Mayor Rex Richardson’s annual State of the City address, with Modica touting a long list of what’s going well in Long Beach, all the way down to minutiae such as the fact that the Clean Team collected over 1,100 tons of litter last year.
Finally, though, Modica and Richardson got down to business, tag-teaming the assembled media and interested viewers online with a dizzying array of numbers that supposedly add up to two years of lean times before everything is hunky dory.
Whether it will all work out the way they say is another matter. After all, they’ve been wrong before.
An example of that “before” came in October 2025, when the City projected that the structural shortfall for FY2027 would be $39.3 million — 48% lower than the actual figure. When asked why the projection was so far off the mark, Modica cited “some of the hardest revenue drops we’ve seen since COVID, fluctuations of funding on the federal level, […] reductions in utility taxes, property taxes not coming in as projected,” and unexpected interest rates. Whether such a projection should have better accounted for at least some of this was left unsaid.
FUN FACT: Noting that revenue came in at $21 million below forecast while expenses were roughly $20.8 million above forecast, an NBC4 reporter asked, “What did the City get wrong here, and why should residents trust the forecast you’re providing now?”
In fact, almost completely lacking from the 100-minute press conference was acknowledgement that at any point the City might have better managed its finances to prepare for the rainy day that’s come due to a perfect storm of post-COVID realities and a mingy federal regime. When pressed on the question of whether the City has made mistakes from which decision-makers can learn — such as relying too heavily on one-time revenue sources (in lieu of structural shifts), a hallmark of Long Beach financial planning for at least the last two decades — Modica defended the tactic: “We could have just been cutting [i.e., making structural changes] during the recovery. [But] we were trying to get our businesses back on their feet. […] We could have been making cuts every single year. We chose not to do that, because we had resources that were specifically dedicated from the federal government to do exactly that: to help us recover. So we made those choices. […] But now there are some of those costs that you didn’t address for a year or two.”
For his part, Richardson admitted that the City relied on oil revenue for far too long; and he at least suggested that, in terms of relying on one-time funds, things may be different going forward — if only because they have to be: “We strategically leveraged the one-time reserves instead of cutting. […] Our [City] charter says we have to pass a balanced budget every year — so you either balance it by leveraging one-time reserves or by making cuts or by finding revenue. This year, there’s no more federal one-time reserves, so we don’t want to pass on a one-time solution; we want to address it structurally, so next year and in subsequent years we have that stability that, frankly, we haven’t had for many years since COVID.”
But things won’t be stable next year, as — if things go to plan — the City will have to address a projected $27.3 million shortfall for FY2028. But first things first.
Not surprisingly, with employee-related costs making up 79% of General Fund expenditures (i.e., the only completely discretionary fund in the annual budget), the City proposes to balance the FY2027 budget largely through major staffing cuts, saving $33 million by laying off “probably […] about 200 employees currently in filled spots” (Modica), along with eliminating roughly 200 vacant positions — all in all, approximately a 4% reduction in City staff.
The effects this will have on the general public are widespread, including reducing all public libraries to a five-day service week, reduced program hours at all Be S.A.F.E. sites, eliminating teen programming at Chavez Park, reduced code enforcement, staffing reductions at the Health Department (a major victim of federal funding cuts), and eliminating between 13 and 17 police patrol positions.
Another area that will take a big hit is homeless services — this coming on the heels of a 10% increase in the homeless population over the last two years — including reduced capacity for homeless outreach (and eliminating weekend outreach); reduced capacity for the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Program; reducing both homeless shuttle service and Mobile Access Centers from two vehicles apiece to one; cutting the number of motel voucher shelter rooms from 40 to 15; and reduced specialized mental health services for Multi-Service Center participants. Also, 45 fewer households will receive Rapid Rehousing assistance.
FUN FACT: Ironically, the proposed drop in the City’s net expenditure on homeless services from this year to next is exactly the same amount — $790,000 — that was spent on installing permanent fencing around the Billie Jean King Main Library to deter homeless persons from resting there — an expenditure that members of the city’s Homeless Services Advisory Committee complained “makes no sense.”
Another budget casualty is Fire Engine 14, which will be eliminated even though Fire Station 14 reopened in March 2025 after a $5.8 million “comprehensive renovation and upgrade.” The station will not close, with its ambulance continuing to serve the immediate area. (The City notes that 87% of calls to Fire Station 14 are for paramedics only.)
Amid all the cuts outlined in the proposed budget are several new expenditures. One is putting $9.8–$10 million back into the City’s emergency reserves. Primarily intended for crises such as natural disasters, the City dipped into these funds to make ends meet for both 2025 and 2026.
NOT-SO-FUN FACT: The City says that “Emergency reserves will be maintained at 8% minimum (of General Fund ongoing expenditures, including transfers) and 10% target.” However, even adding $10 million to emergency reserves will bring them to only 6% — in other words, 25% less than minimum, 40% less than the target amount.
One new expenditure that may raise eyebrows in a city contending with such harsh economic realities is the creation of a new Traffic Safety Division, which will run an Automated Speed Enforcement Program that Modica says is necessary to combat “a dramatic change in people’s behavior coming out of COVID on how they’re interacting with our streets, the amount of speeding, the amount of pedestrian death […].” The program calls for the installation of 18 “automated speed safety cameras,” plus salaries for 12 employees. When asked how much the cameras will cost to install, Modica said that “the projections show that [the cameras] will pay for themselves; the fines that come back will pay for the system — I think it’s two-and-a-half for three million dollars.” (According to earlier reporting by the Long Beach Post, “The program will cost $835,000 in the first year, with an annual operating cost of about $1.6 million.”)
Richardson emphasized that even while “navigating significant financial headwinds,” it is important for the city to keep an eye toward the future and not stop funding long-term initiatives such as Elevate ‘28, a “five-year infrastructure program made of projects dedicated to serving Long Beach parks, community and public facilities, access to mobility, and street improvements.”
“We have a lot of work to do over the next weeks,” he said. “Every budget tells a story about a city’s values. It reflects what we choose to protect, what we choose to invest in, and how honestly we confront the challenges before us. […] This budget is not simply about responding to today’s challenges — it’s [also] about protecting the progress that we’ve made together, making responsible choices in the difficult moment, and positioning Long Beach to emerge stronger and more financially secure.”
To take as deep a dive as you want into the proposed budget, go to the City’s Budget Information page to view presentations ranging from 23 to 705 pages, as well as the entire July 30 press conference (excluding media Q&A). If you want to give your input before the proposed budget is finalized in mid-September, the public is invited to attend any or all of five community meetings to be held over the next two weeks.
Port of Los Angeles, State of California Partnership to Shape Future of Vincent Thomas Bridge
From left: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin and Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts
LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles, California State Transportation Agency or CalSTA and California Department of Transportation or Caltrans July 30 signed a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU establishing a planning partnership to evaluate long-term options for replacing or modifying the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
The agreement launches a planning effort to evaluate concepts that would strengthen safety, sustainability, improve freight mobility, support jobs and ensure the Port of Los Angeles remains competitive as global trade continues to evolve.
The MOU establishes a roadmap for the port, CalSTA and Caltrans to evaluate replacement or modification concepts through the Caltrans project development process. The agreement is focused on planning, technical evaluation and environmental review to identify the most effective long-term path forward.
Subject to approval by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the port will provide $5 million for preliminary engineering, environmental studies and other technical work needed to evaluate potential alternatives.
Completed in 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge is undergoing a major redecking project to address maintenance and safety needs. That work does not address the bridge’s 185-foot vertical clearance, which limits access for the newest generation of larger container vessels serving global trade.
The international shipping industry continues to deploy larger, more fuel-efficient container ships capable of carrying 22,000 to 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which cannot pass under the bridge, constraining approximately 40% of the port’s container terminal capacity that lies north of the bridge.
POLA wrote in its press release that expanding access for these new, larger vessels, which are capable of running on alternative maritime fuels including e-methanol, would advance the port’s sustainability goals and reduce emissions per container moved at the terminals closest to impacted communities
Major U.S. Rail Corridor Elects Officers
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker has been elected chair and Long Beach City Councilwoman Suely Saro has been elected vice chair of the governing board of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority or ACTA for the agency’s 2026-2027 term. ACTA is a joint powers authority formed by the cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles that manages the 20-mile dedicated freight rail corridor connecting the nation’s busiest port complex to the transcontinental rail network. ACTA’s seven-member board represents both cities, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
On Aug. 1, the city unveiled its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. You canview the FY27 Proposed Budget in depth orwatch the Press Conference. The budget process will continue throughout August and into September, providing residents with several opportunities to learn more, share feedback, and participate before the budget is adopted.
On Aug.4, the city council meeting will begin early at 3 p.m. to allow councilmembers and city staff to participate in National Night Out activities throughout Long Beach.
The council will conduct its first budget hearing to receive and discuss an overview of the city manager’s proposed FY27 budget and the Human Resources Department. The proposed budget responds to a $58.2 million general fund structural deficit through a shared, citywide approach that prioritizes administrative reductions, operational efficiencies, alternative funding sources and cost recovery before making direct service cuts. It also proposes significant workforce changes, including the elimination of approximately 485 positions citywide. Human Resources would consolidate functions and reduce support staffing while working with the Civil Service Commission to minimize layoffs through reassignment, transfers, attrition and placement into existing vacancies whenever possible.
Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
View the entire agenda for Tuesday’s meeting here. If you are planning on attending and would like to make a comment, city staff will be available to help you get signed up. If you are not able to attend in-person, click here to virtually comment on any of the items on Tuesday’s agenda. Council meetings can also be viewed online via LBTV. The city council meeting on Tuesday evening will begin at 3 p.m.
Despite one of the most challenging years in recent memory, marked by the ongoing response to the devastating wildfires that swept through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities and a cooling real estate market, I’m here to tell you that the 2026 Assessment Roll when closed reached a record $2.272 trillion in total net taxable value.
The 2026 Assessment Roll increased by $96 billion, or 4.42 percent, over the previous year, extending Los Angeles County’s streak of annual growth to 16 consecutive years.
This will generate more than $27 billion in property tax revenue to support vital public services, including public education, public safety, healthcare, libraries, parks, and other local government services throughout Los Angeles County.
My job as your Assessor is to establish the assessed value of all taxable property in Los Angeles County each year as required by the State Constitution. The assessed value of that property is placed on a list called the Assessment Roll and assessments are based on the value of property on January 1, 2026.
As I said when I presented the forecast to the Board of Supervisors in May, this has been a very challenging year, highlighted by the devastation of last year’s wildfires that laid to waste large sections of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. We will be feeling the effect of those wildfires for years to come.
Despite diverting significant staff resources to assist thousands of property owners affected by those wildfires, we continued implementing innovative assessment strategies supported by recent major technology upgrades. As an example, we continued to improve efficiency in enrolling new construction assessments. As a result, new construction added more than $12 billion to the 2026 assessment roll.
The inflation adjustment mandated under Proposition 13 is a significant factor contributing to the Assessment Roll. This year the California Consumer Price Index trended well beyond the full 2% allowable. This resulted in a $43 billion increase to the 2026 Assessment Roll.
While the housing market has shown signs of slowing, median home sales prices remained robust, reaching a high of $982,000. With that being said, property transfers served as the single most significant factor contributing to this year’s Roll growth – adding $49 billion in additional value.
This growth does not mean property owners will be subject to a corresponding increase on their annual property tax bills. Most property owners will see only a 2% adjustment prescribed by Proposition 13.
Beyond determining property taxes, the Roll serves as an important economic benchmark that local governments rely upon when preparing annual budgets and planning essential public services.
The 2026 Assessment Roll includes 2,399,978 taxable real property parcels, 157,195 business property assessments, 31,938 boats, and 3,566 aircraft.
Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang has been leading the largest local public property assessment agency in the nation since 2014. His office of about 1,400 appraisers and support staff is dedicated to creating an accurate and timely property Assessment Roll. This year, the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office conducted more than 2.5 million real estate and business assessments valued at slightly more than $2.2 trillion.
LOS ANGELES — As the county closes it celebration of the World Cup, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity or DEO announces the launch of Path to 2028, a countywide initiative designed to ensure that small businesses, workers, and communities benefit from the unprecedented economic opportunities connected to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other sports entertainment events.
In partnership with cities and communities across Los Angeles County, Path to 2028 events bring together speakers, public-sector partners, business resource providers, and DEO services to help businesses better understand how to prepare, compete, and grow. Attendees can learn about public contracting, vendor registration, business certifications, bid readiness, access to capital, technical assistance, and other resources available to support small business growth.
The initiative is part of LA County’s broader effort to ensure that local businesses, workers, and communities are positioned to benefit from the economic activity expected before, during, and after the 2028 Games. As the region prepares for increased demand across industries, such as tourism and hospitality, construction, transportation, and the creative economy, Path to 2028 will help connect businesses to the tools and information they need to be ready.
It will also advance LA28’s commitment to engage local and small businesses and achieve 75% local and 25% small business spend targets, in accordance with the LA28 Impact and Sustainability Plan.
The first Path to 2028 event was held on May 26, 2026 in partnership with the City of Pico Rivera. The next event will be held in partnership with the City of Torrance on Aug. 20. Registration and event details are available at opportunity.lacounty.gov/pathto2028. Additional events will be added across the county.
In addition to business support, DEO is also advancing workforce training and job-readiness programs — including Youth@Work, High Road Training Partnerships, and sector-based talent pipelines — to help residents prepare for quality jobs connected to the Games and the region’s long-term economy.
Cities, communities, organizations, and other local county partners interested in co-hosting a Path to 2028 event are encouraged to apply.
Metro Directors Approve Addition of First-ever Voting Seat for Transit Rider
LOS ANGELES — In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors July 23 approved a motion to add a dedicated Metro rider to the board of directors. The motion seeks to give those who rely on the transit system every day a voting seat on the agency’s highest decision-making body.
“Today we took a big step toward making Metro more representative of the people we serve. A dedicated rider would bring a different kind of expertise on what’s working, what’s frustrating, and how our policies affect the people who rely on this system every day,” said Hahn. “This isn’t about replacing anyone’s voice. It’s about adding a perspective we don’t currently have.
The motion directs Metro staff to now coordinate with Metro’s community advisory councils, community-based organizations, and other stakeholder groups and report back to the board with a process for selecting the rider representative. The Metro board’s makeup will ultimately need to be approved through state legislation.
“Seven years ago today, Jeffrey Edward Epstein was charged by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York with operating a vast sex trafficking network to sexually exploit and abuse underage girls and young women between 2002 and 2005 at his mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida” opened Julie K. Brown, the intrepid reporter from the Miami Herald who has covered the Epstein saga for the previous decade, in a July 8, 2026 Substack post. That same day, the National Post wrote “Epstein inquiry has found few answers Lawmakers and survivors are still looking for justice from Congressional probe” covering the one-year anniversary of the United States House of Representatives investigation into convicted late sex offender Epstein.
Since the House investigation began, a lot has changed. In November 2025, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act which ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all of its files into the investigation of Epstein. However, as a CBS investigation notes, all of the files have not been released, and many of the released files are redacting names and information that go beyond survivors. In fact, the DOJ was ordered in July 2026 by a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to release all of the remaining files, but refused.
The files that have been released show Epstein as a well-connected figure to people in finance, governments, intelligence, big tech, academia, and news media. As the one-year anniversary of the initial release of Department of Justice files approaches, numerous recent developments in investigative reporting, congressional inquiries, and government disclosures have shed further light and raised new questions regarding Jeffrey Epstein. (As a reminder, all previous coverage of Epstein and the Epstein files is available in chronological order here.)
Investigative Breaks
In addition to CBS’s reporting on the missing files, there has been other solid coverage on the Epstein saga. For example, in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan document how during the summer of 2025, the Trump administration met in the Situation Room without the President to decide how to address the release of the files. One of their key concerns was how allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving Trump in the documents would play out publicly, as Trump wanted those allegations and others kept out of the public discourse.
The student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian published a story titled “Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s attempts to recruit women from Penn,” documenting how Epstein pressured a woman who had just enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania to recruit women for him. This is especially concerning given that Epstein and his associates have been tied to numerous academic institutions, and the documents show him using his influence to get women accepted into colleges and universities.
The reporting about Epstein’s death continues to raise more questions than answers. Previously, both CBS and MSNOW did some strong reporting regarding inconsistencies in Epstein’s alleged suicide. However, in June 2026, The New York Times published reporting that included never-before-seen evidence and concluded that it was indeed a suicide. Despite citing a mishandled scene, inconsistent autopsy evidence, and reliance on incomplete records, there has been little pushback on The New York Times report. Nonetheless, adding to the intrigue, it was revealed that right before his 2019 arrest, Epstein moved millions of dollars through U.S. Virgin Islands banks and offered to provide dirt on Trump, presumably to stay out of jail. How these actions align with his death remains a mystery.
Federal, State & Foreign Probes
Numerous individuals have been called to testify before the House of Representatives committee investigating Epstein. Much of the testimony seemed to be an attempt to dodge complicity. For example, Goldman Sachs’s former top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, who allegedly helped Epstein recruit National Security Agency (NSA) codebreakers, claimed to have known nothing about Epstein’s crimes when they met. She called Epstein a “Masterful Liar.” Similarly, Epstein’s alleged co-conspirator, Lesley Groff, also testified and argued that she never met any of the women Epstein abused and did not know their ages, something survivors claim is a lie.
Others seemingly saw their testimony as an opportunity to protect their associates. For example, longtime Bill Clinton aide Doug Band walked back a claim he previously made that Clinton visited Epstein’s island.
When Bill Gates of Microsoft fame testified, he failed to quell the scrutiny surrounding his relationship with Epstein. He called his friendship with Epstein a “grave error in judgment,” but said it was because he wanted to raise money for philanthropic ventures. Gates admitted he knew about Epstein’s crimes when he engaged in communication with him, and he also confirmed what the files revealed: that Epstein contemplated blackmailing Gates by exposing his extramarital affairs. Apparently, Gates’s testimony failed to convince Warren Buffett, as the billionaire decided to skip his annual donations to the Gates Foundation.
Similar to Gates, billionaire Leon Black testified in front of the House probe. Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo Global Management in 2021 due to intense scrutiny over his professional and financial relationship with Epstein, which included paying Epstein approximately $158 million for tax and estate planning services. Black denied that the two were close, even though in a birthday message to Epstein he wrote that they were “best friends.” Black, who is accused of sexually assaultingmultiplewomen and is currently in a legal battle with the firm that represents some of his accusers, walked out of the hearing after Congress demanded he answer questions and hand over any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) he had with the women.
Pam Bondi was fired from her position as Attorney General (AG) in Spring of 2026, just before she had to testify about the DOJ’s handling of Epstein. It is presumed that she was removed close to her testimony to avoid testifying in an open setting. Regardless, during her testimony, she refused to discuss Trump’s involvement in the release of the Epstein files by her DOJ.
Bondi’s replacement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, had a difficult time during his confirmation hearings to become Attorney General in July 2026 due to the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files. Blanche was responsible for ignoring the court order in July 2026 to release the files. A month earlier, a judge ruled that by failing to release the files or present a legal defense for why they could not be released, Blanche was effectively admitting that the DOJ was defying the law. This followed the DOJ’s “embarrassing” attempt to claim that they could not release the files because they needed to be translated from another language, a claim rejected by the courts. Influential U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) stated he would refuse to confirm Blanche’s appointment unless he met with Epstein survivors, a key demand after then AG Bondi refused to even look at them. Blanche agreed, but survivors claimed they were disrespected by the acting AG when they met.
Despite the administration’s lack of transparency in releasing the files, Congress is still moving forward. In July 2026, U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would give survivors and state attorneys general the power to sue the DOJ to force the release of the files. This places additional pressure on the administration. At the same time, pressure is mounting on powerful individuals as U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has sent a letter seeking information from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon about whether he took advice from Epstein.
In July 2026, House Democrats launched an investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein acted as a foreign agent. This has long been rumored and is supported, at least tangentially, by claims in some of the files. In those documents, a Confidential Human Source (CHS) reported that Epstein was trained by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, under former Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and that lawyer Alan Dershowitz acted as the intermediary between Mossad and Epstein. Dershowitz recently refused to testify regarding the Epstein files. The foreign intelligence connection is particularly intriguing, as a CHS also claimed Trump is “compromised by Israel.” As part of Congress’s effort, Representative Jamie Raskin demanded that the federal government release all files regarding Epstein’s contact with foreign officials in a letter that alleged the late sex offender was a conduit between Saudi Arabia and members of the Trump administration, consulted with Russian officials on engaging with the president, and advised Barak.
One of the most promising locations for Epstein investigations in the U.S. is New Mexico. That is where Epstein’s Zorro Ranch is located, which is rumored to have been a place where people were killed, sexual assaults occurred, and Epstein’s work on gene editing may have been performed. Among these efforts is the Truth Commission, a bipartisan legislative committee established by the New Mexico House of Representatives that is tasked with investigating the systemic failures that allowed Epstein’s alleged abuse at Zorro Ranch to go unaddressed. Additionally, there is an investigation by the Attorney General of New Mexico. New Mexico has issued a high volume of subpoenas to obtain information from the federal government, but the state claims federal officials are stonewalling their efforts. At the same time, one of the reporters working on the New Mexico investigation has fled the U.S., alleging that she was the target of “direct energy weapons.”
Public Pressure & Reckonings
Some are not waiting for the reporting and investigations to take place and instead are demanding transparency. For example, in Great Britain there were protests at Buckingham Palace arguing that the royal family needs to explain what they knew and when regarding former Prince Andrew’s relationship and alleged crimes with Epstein. Similarly, in the U.S., an accuser has recently come forward testifying that while Epstein enjoyed a so-called “sweetheart deal,” a slap on the wrist for his original conviction which included being allowed to leave jail, he began sexually abusing her. A model and former friend of Melania Trump has now claimed that Epstein introduced Melania to Trump, fueling long-held rumors that Melania was trafficked to Trump.
Recent allegations also appear to have shed more light on Epstein’s associates. A beauty queen alleged that Trump’s beauty pageants, where he famously said he was allowed to “grab em [women] by the pussies,” were used to recruit women for Epstein. If so, this fits with other allegations that beauty pageants and modeling agencies owned by Epstein associates Jean-Luc Brunel and Les Wexner were used to attract women for trafficking by Epstein. Speaking of Wexner, 80 alums of The Wexner Heritage Program, which aimed to empower and expand the vision of Jewish leaders, have signed a petition demanding that the foundation take “meaningful action to support survivors of sexual violence and trafficking.” The Jerusalem Post posits that this may be “the largest organized accountability effort to emerge so far in the Jewish community’s reckoning with Wexner’s ties to Epstein.”
Electoral Fallout
Whether it be a talking point, a topic to avoid, or a source of funding, Epstein and his associates continue to play a major role in electoral politics. It is no secret that Vice President J.D. Vance is aiming for a presidential run in 2028. He has made the Epstein saga part of that effort, becoming the first U.S. official to claim Epstein was linked to the Israeli “deep state“ in an interview with Joe Rogan, where he also admitted that the Trump White House botched the Epstein files rollout. It is also believed that he is the one who leaked the Situation Room meeting about Epstein to Haberman and Swan to make himself look good by reporting that he wanted to release all of the files.
Meanwhile, other candidates are not so lucky, such as U.S. Senate candidate John E. Sununu, who is dodging questions about why his claim that he was not at an event with Epstein is contradicted by his campaign and the Epstein files. Meanwhile, Truthout found that the Epstein class has given $1.6 billion to candidates, 80% of which went to Republicans and conservatives, since the Citizens United ruling expanded the ability to donate money.
Conclusion: Censored Truths
“I actually heard Trump may come tonight but he couldn’t make it,…He got caught in sex traffic.” Exclaimed comedian Whitney Cummings at the July 2026 Kennedy Center presentation of the Mark Twain award to Bill Maher. The joke drew headlines but was cut from the final broadcast. It is a microcosm of the entire Epstein saga: a subject of public intrigue, political leverage, and open speculation that remains heavily censored, deliberately obscured, and endlessly shielded from full accountability.
Dr. Nolan Higdon, courtesy of the author.
Nolan Higdon is an author, political analyst, and lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, whose work focuses on the intersections of politics, media, technology, and education. A prominent voice in media criticism, he is a columnist for the Gaslight Gazette on Substack, co-host of The Disinfo Detox podcast, co-host of Just Ask the Press, a KTVU political analyst and national judge for Project Censored.
LOS ANGELES —Los Angeles County property owners may now file an application for a Decline-in-Value Review or DIV if they believe the market value of their property has fallen below its current assessed value.
Decline-in-Review applications are accepted annually from July 2 through November 30. To file, complete the Decline-in-Value Review Application (Form RP-87), which is available on our Decline-in-Value webpage under the Forms tab beginning July 2. The application may be submitted online for your convenience.
What Is a Decline-in-Value Review?
If you believe your property’s market value as of January 1 is lower than its assessed value, you may qualify for a temporary reduction in your assessed value under California law.
California’s Proposition 13 established a property’s base year value for property tax purposes and generally limits annual increases in assessed value to no more than two percent unless ownership changes or new construction occurs.
In 1978, California voters approved Proposition 8, which allows for a temporary reduction in assessed value when a property’s market value falls below its assessed value. This is commonly referred to as a Decline-in-Value review.
It is important to remember that a Decline-in-Value reduction is temporary. As market values recover, assessed values may increase accordingly. As a result, property owners who received reduced assessments in prior years may see their property taxes increase by more than two percent in years when market values rise.
Property owners are encouraged to visit the Assessor’s Decline-in-Value webpage for additional information about eligibility requirements, the review process, and how property values are assessed.
Please Note: If the filing deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, an application that is mailed and postmarked on the next business day will be considered timely filed.
On Aug. 4, the city council will receive the latest updates on the landslide emergency.
Land Movement Continues to Slow; Wells Remove Half a Billion Gallons of Groundwater
According to the most recent survey data from early July, the landslide complex is moving 60% slower than it was one year ago, despite a slightly above average rainy season. The average movement rate for areas still moving within the active landslide boundary was 1.1 inches per week, a 15% decrease since May. The Abalone Cove Landslide decelerated by an average of 15.8% to 1.4 inches per week and the Portuguese Bend Landslide decelerated by an average of 13.9% to .94 inches per week. The Klondike Canyon Landslide generally continued to see no measurable movement.
The city’s deep dewatering wells at the toe of the Portuguese Bend Landslide have now removed over half a billion gallons of groundwater since fall 2024. Well production has increased in recent months since two wells that had sheared off due to land movement were re-drilled.
Workers install protective liner and a drainage pipe down Altamira Canyon in November 2024 to prepare for the rainy season.
Preparing for the Rainy Season
During next week’s meeting, city staff will give an update on efforts to prepare the landslide area for the rainy season, including forecasted El Niño conditions. A work plan is underway to prevent water infiltration into the ground by filling fissures, resetting protective liner and sandbags in canyons, installing drainage improvements, and strengthening existing winterization measures to stabilize the land in the event of heavy rain. This work is scheduled to be completed by mid-October.
Finally, the council will consider extending by 60 days the local emergency declarations in the landslide area and the temporary prohibition of bicycles, motorcycles, and other similar wheeled vehicles from an approximately 2-mile stretch of Palos Verdes Drive South.
A staff report (PDF) with more information is available on the city website.
Extending the Home Stabilization Urgency Ordinance
In a separate agenda item (PDF), the council will consider extending an urgency ordinance that was put in place in September 2024 to establish regulations to help homeowners in the landslide area stabilize and level their houses. Permitted temporary solutions include placing homes on cargo structures and other leveling systems, such as I-beams, installing alternative foundation systems, and using temporary modular housing and storage while repairs are made. Because the urgency ordinance allows these solutions to be utilized until the end of 2026 and the state of emergency is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the council will consider renewing the ordinance for another two years through Dec. 31, 2028.
Meeting Info
Time: 7 p.m., Aug. 4
Details: To participate in public comment during the meeting in person or virtually, complete a form at rpvca.gov/participate. Email your comments on agenda items to cc@rpvca.gov.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating a localized outbreak of flea-borne typhus in the Pico-Union neighborhood as cases continue to rise across Los Angeles County. Five symptomatic cases associated with this outbreak have been identified this year. All cases were hospitalized, and all have since recovered.
People are often exposed to typhus in and around their homes, when infected fleas are carried indoors on pets or other animals. In Los Angeles County, infected fleas are commonly found on rats, free-roaming cats, and opossums.
The outbreak and the overall increase in infections is concerning because nearly nine out of 10 people diagnosed with flea-borne typhus in 2025 required hospitalization, highlighting the severity of the illness.
Symptoms typically appear within 1–2 weeks after becoming infected and may include fever, headache, rash, and body aches. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek medical care promptly, especially if they may have been exposed to fleas or animals.
Flea-borne typhus can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early and it can be prevented with simple steps.
“As flea-borne typhus cases continue to increase across Los Angeles County, preventing exposure to infected fleas is more important than ever,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “Community members can help protect themselves and their neighbors by keeping pets on flea control year-round, avoiding stray animals, and making sure wildlife cannot live in or around their homes.”
Flea-borne typhus cases have been rising in Los Angeles County since 2010. In 2025, Public Health identified a record 220 cases—the highest number ever recorded in the county. Cases occurred among people ranging in age from one to 85 years, highlighting that people of all age groups are at risk. This follows 187 reported cases in 2024 and reflects a sustained upward trend in recent years.
Protect yourself and your pets:
Routinely use flea control products on your pets.
Keep pets indoors as much as possible.
When outside, use EPA-registered insect repellent labeled for protection against fleas.
Avoid attracting wild or stray animals:
Don’t leave pet food outdoors.
Don’t feed or touch free-roaming animals.
Maintain your property:
Keep your yard free of debris and trim overgrown plants and bushes.
Keep trash in containers with tightly fitting lids.
Close off crawl spaces and seal openings where animals can enter, hide, or find food.
Report concerns:
Notify local animal control if you observe stray animals, rodents, or opossums near your property.
Know the symptoms:
Flea-borne typhus can cause fever, chills, headache, and rash. Seek medical care promptly if symptoms develop.
