Rivas responds to ICE acting director resignation, cites district impact
U.S. Rep. Luz Rivas (D-Arleta, Pacoima, northeast San Fernando Valley) on Thursday marked the end of Todd Lyons’ tenure as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it a record of constitutional violations and community trauma in one of the most heavily ICE-impacted congressional districts in the country.
Lyons’ resignation from ICE follows that of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had jurisdiction over ICE and reportedly put Lyons under intense pressure to carry out the administration’s deportation goals, which included 3,000 arrests a day.
Zip code 91402 — covering Panorama City, Mission Hills, and North Hills, all within Rivas’s district — was identified in a February 2026 report by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity as the most heavily targeted area in the San Fernando Valley, with at least 40 reported enforcement incidents as of August 2025.
“Under Lyons’ leadership, ICE has operated with a complete disregard for Americans’ constitutional rights and civil liberties,” Rivas said. “Because of ICE’s actions, my constituents are terrified to go to work, show up for school, or even leave their house.”
Rivas has maintained an aggressive oversight record on the issue. Over the past year, she sent five letters to ICE leadership, conducted four visits to detention facilities, and was denied entry twice while attempting to conduct congressional oversight.
Among the cases she pursued was that of Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, an 18-year-old Reseda High School student detained by ICE while walking his dog, who was transferred to Arizona without his family’s knowledge within 24 hours. Rivas intervened and Guerrero-Cruz was released and reunited with his family in December 2025.
Lyons, Rivas said, repeatedly blocked congressional oversight attempts and ignored calls to halt enforcement actions she argued violated the Fourth Amendment. She introduced the INFORM Act in 2025 to require transparency in ICE detainee transfers.
Bass appoints new General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appointed Gabrielle Amster as the new General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services Thursday, tapping a veteran animal welfare leader with more than 19 years of experience to oversee the city’s shelter system.
Amster most recently served at Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, where she significantly increased adoptions, improved staff retention, and expanded access to spay/neuter and veterinary services. She is known for using technology to strengthen the human-animal bond and for building mission-driven teams across both municipal and nonprofit sectors.
“Gabrielle Amster has spent nearly two decades advancing innovative approaches in animal welfare, building strong teams, and improving lifesaving outcomes,” Bass said. “I am confident she will bring steady leadership and a forward-looking vision that strengthens the department and improves services for both animals and the communities that care for them.”
The appointment must be referred to the LA Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee before going to a full City Council vote.
Rubio secures $2.5 million for entrepreneurship center at her alma mater
State Sen. Susan Rubio (D-El Monte, Baldwin Park, West Covina, Azusa, and the eastern San Gabriel Valley) secured a $2.5 million state investment to launch the Susan Rubio Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center at East Los Angeles College, celebrating its grand opening Thursday in Monterey Park.
The center will provide hands-on training, mentorship, incubation, and access to real-world market opportunities for students, community members, early-stage founders, and small business owners across the region.
“Expanding access to entrepreneurship is critical to building stronger, more resilient communities,” Rubio said. “This $2.5 million investment will open doors — ensuring that individuals, regardless of background, have the tools, support, and opportunity to build businesses, create jobs, and generate long-term economic mobility.”
The center carries personal significance for Rubio, who attended ELAC before becoming a teacher and eventually one of the first two sisters to serve simultaneously in the California Legislature. Her sister, Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park, Covina, West Covina, Glendora, and communities of the eastern San Gabriel Valley), also attended the college.
“Our journey — from being deported at the age of five, to becoming a teacher, and now being the first sisters to ever serve in the CA Legislature — is a reminder that when we invest in people, we change what’s possible,” she said.
Hochman: Case dismissed against two Torrance officers in 2018 shooting death
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Thursday that a judge has dismissed the voluntary manslaughter indictment against two Torrance police officers charged in the 2018 shooting death of 23-year-old Christopher Deandre Mitchell, who was sitting in a suspected stolen car with an altered air rifle between his legs.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Samuel Ohta granted the prosecution’s motion to dismiss in the interests of justice, finding no evidence of bad faith by prosecutors. In his 34-page ruling, Ohta drew a sharp line between the law and public sentiment.
“Courts do not make decisions based on the feelings of the public,” Ohta said from the bench. “This is not a civil rights case. This is a voluntary manslaughter case.”
Hochman had retained Special Prosecutor Michael Gennaco, one of the nation’s most experienced police use-of-force experts, to review the case.
“In this case, despite its best efforts, the prosecution could not meet its burden to prove the officers committed voluntary manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt when the officers shot and killed Mr. Mitchell, who was sitting in a stolen car at night in a parking lot with an altered air rifle between his legs at the point at which he moved his hands down from the steering wheel toward his lap and the rifle,” Hochman said.
Officers Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez responded to a stolen vehicle call on Dec. 9, 2018. After Mitchell initially complied with orders to keep his hands on the steering wheel, Concannon opened the driver’s side door and Chavez spotted what appeared to be a rifle between Mitchell’s knees. When Mitchell’s hands moved toward the weapon, Concannon fired once and Chavez fired twice. Mitchell died at the scene. Mitchell’s family previously received a $7.8 million wrongful-death settlement from the city.
The case had been originally reviewed under then-District Attorney Jackie Lacey, whose prosecutors concluded in 2019 that the officers acted lawfully. Former DA George Gascón later reopened it, hiring a special prosecutor who presented the case to a grand jury in 2023, resulting in a voluntary manslaughter indictment.
