Pérez blasts alleged Trump-ordered FBI probe of Alhambra protesters
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia) condemned an alleged Trump-ordered FBI investigation of anti-ICE protesters in Alhambra, her hometown, which reportedly began after the president watched a TikTok video of them.
The allegations surfaced when a former FBI intelligence official in the bureau’s Los Angeles field office filed a whistleblower complaint, which U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) made public this week.
FBI Director Kash Patel told top bureau leaders that Trump was angry about the Alhambra protest and wanted the protesters investigated and arrested, according to the complaint. The White House and Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, deny the allegations.
“The FBI whistleblower case shared by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla includes an account of a constituent from my hometown of Alhambra who was targeted for a criminal investigation because the president, himself, watched a TikTok video of protesters exercising their First Amendment rights and became angry,” said Pérez.
The whistleblower, former supervisory intelligence analyst Jill Fields, says the video, posted Feb. 26, 2025, by the League of United Latin American Citizens, showed demonstrators using megaphones to remind residents of their rights during an immigration operation. FBI policy bars opening investigations based solely on First Amendment-protected activity, and her lawyers wrote to senators that the squad had no evidence of a crime. Fields says she resigned before she could be fired for refusing to take part.
Pérez said the allegations show why she authored SB 1105, the Protect California Rights Act, which Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed last month. It would have barred state and local police serving on joint federal task forces from taking part in politically motivated investigations. Padilla has written to Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche asking how many such investigations remain open.
“No matter someone’s political views, they are granted constitutional rights like free speech and the freedom to peacefully assemble,” said Pérez.
Zbur law shields hotel jobs from inflated ground lease costs
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Westwood Village) this week saw Gov. Gavin Newsom sign his legislation (AB 21810, which bars hypothetical housing projects from driving up ground lease rents for operating hotels and motels.
Many California hotels sit on land leased long-term, with rent periodically reset based on the land’s appraised value. Some appraisals assume the land could be redeveloped as housing using state density bonuses, which allow extra units in exchange for affordable housing, even when no such project has been pursued or approved.
“California’s density bonus laws are an important tool for building more affordable housing, but hypothetical projects that have never been pursued or approved should not be used to drive up costs for existing hotels and put hospitality jobs at risk,” said Zbur.
The law doesn’t limit a property’s eligibility for a density bonus, block future redevelopment or change the state’s underlying housing policies, according to Zbur’s office. It’s aimed at protecting the housekeepers, cooks, servers and front desk staff whose jobs depend on hotels staying viable.
“AB 2181 establishes a common-sense standard: property valuations should be based on what can actually be built, not speculative development scenarios that exist only on paper,” said Zbur.
Bass says Convention Center expansion on time and on budget
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass yesterday updated the public on the expansion and modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center, saying the project is on time and on budget one year into construction, with nearly $10 million in wages paid to Angelenos so far.
Since construction began in October 2025, the project has awarded $500 million in contracts to small and minority-owned businesses and created more than 1,700 jobs, according to the mayor’s office. Hundreds of apprentices are working on the project, including veterans, foster care alumni, and people reentering the workforce after leaving the justice system. Eighteen conventions have already booked the expanded center, which the mayor’s office estimates will bring 186,000 visitors downtown and more than $400 million in economic impact.
“With thousands of new union jobs created and almost $10 million in wages paid, this project is putting paychecks in Angelenos’ pockets and already delivering an economic boost for Los Angeles,” said Bass.
The council approved the expansion after years of debate over its cost. Bass, who faces Councilmember Nithya Raman in the Nov. 3 election, was joined by council members and labor leaders at the update.
“There will always be people who find a reason to say no, but delay was costing this city jobs, revenue and opportunity. We chose to move forward, and Los Angeles is already better for it,” said LA City Councilmember Curren Price (D-South Central Los Angeles, University Park, Exposition Park, Watts, Florence, Manchester Square).
Sherman, Lieu mark third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack
U.S. Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks, Encino, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Malibu, Pacific Palisades) and Ted Lieu (D-Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance) marked the third anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel yesterday.
Sherman, co-chair of the House Israel Allies Caucus, noted that the attack killed more than 1,200 people and that about 250 were taken hostage, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. The remaining 20 living hostages held in Gaza returned home last October.
“Today, we must continue to remember those who were murdered, honor their memories, stand with the survivors and families whose lives were forever changed, and recommit to ensuring that Hamas and any like-minded terrorist entity can never be allowed to govern again,” said Sherman.
Sherman said that day’s brutality should have inspired global solidarity.
“Instead, three years later, we are witnessing the return of extreme vilification of the Jewish people and the Jewish state, including through the manufactured and libelous accusation of genocide,” said Sherman.
“Three years have passed since the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, but the pain remains fresh for so many in my district and around the world,” said Lieu.
“I want desperately to see peace in the region. Israeli and Palestinian civilians deserve to live safely,” said Lieu.
