Pérez, Harabedian carve historic sites out of transit housing law
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia) announced this week that the state Senate unanimously passed AB 2576, authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Claremont), a bill that shields historic buildings and districts from the state’s push to force denser housing near transit stops.
The bill amends SB 79, the law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in October 2025 that requires cities to allow housing up to seven stories within a half-mile of major transit stops starting July 1.
Preservation groups, including the Los Angeles Conservancy, argued that the law’s carve-out for historic sites was too narrow — capped at 10% of any given transit zone and mostly limited to properties on local historic registers. AB 2576 widens that exemption to also cover properties listed on state and national historic registers, giving cities more room to protect landmarks from the new density mandate.
“This is especially important for Pasadena, where preservation and history are core parts of our civic identity. I am honored to be a Principal coauthor of this bill, present it to my Senate colleagues, and vote to pass it today. This is an example of responsive government that listens to local stakeholders and honors a commitment to revisit a policy to make it more suitable and stronger,” said Pérez.
According to Pasadena Now, the bill passed the Assembly 75-0 in May before advancing to the Senate, where it was amended in late May.
A letter of support from the city of Beverly Hills states the bill would also extend SB 79’s implementation timeline by a year and raise the population threshold for compliance from 35,000 to 40,000.
The bill now returns to the Assembly for concurrence on Senate amendments before heading to Newsom’s desk.
Brownley, Sherman, Schiff, Padilla press FEMA on Malibu funding
U.S. Reps. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village, Calabasas, Agoura Hills), and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks, Encino, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Malibu, Pacific Palisades), and U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (D-CA), sent a letter yesterday urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to release more than $4.89 million in delayed federal funding for a wildfire emergency water project in western Malibu.
The funding, awarded to Los Angeles County in December 2024 through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, would support the Encinal Canyon Road Emergency Interconnection Project — roughly 7,000 feet of new water main connecting LA County Waterworks District 29 with the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.
County officials warn that without the interconnection, up to 23,000 residents could lose potable water and fire protection if the area’s single 35-mile transmission main, which runs through landslide-prone terrain, is disrupted. Malibu was among the communities affected by the January 2025 Palisades fire.
“The issuance of this grant is essential to strengthen critical infrastructure and ensure the community remains resilient in the face of increasing risk of natural disasters,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter states the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the roughly $9 million project on Nov. 18, 2025, after LA County Waterworks District 29 completed its design.
The application was submitted in August 2023 and selected for the award in December 2024, but FEMA has not yet issued a formal notice of award, citing an ongoing environmental review, according to the letter.
The letter, addressed to FEMA Administrator Hamilton, asks the agency to detail the status of its review, explain the delay, and provide a timeline for issuing the award — warning that the county cannot advertise a construction contract and risks forfeiting the funding altogether until FEMA formally acts.
Kamlager-Dove presses Lutnick on UAE conflicts of interest
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Mid-City), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), ranking member of the full committee, sent a letter this week to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding answers about potential financial conflicts of interest behind the administration’s decision to loosen export controls on the United Arab Emirates.
On July 10, the Bureau of Industry and Security upgraded the UAE’s export control status from a proliferation-concern category to one reserved for the United States’ most trusted partners — a shift that followed reporting in January that an Abu Dhabi royal purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency firm, shortly before President Trump approved sending 500,000 advanced AI chips to the UAE, including 100,000 destined for an AI company owned by the same royal.
“The Department has upgraded the UAE from a proliferation concern to a trusted partner without providing a justification or evidence that the UAE has fully cut off AI and technology cooperation with China. In fact, there remain significant concerns about whether UAE companies such as G42 have adopted sufficient safeguards to prevent diversion to China,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The reclassification raises serious questions about the Department’s review process, the criteria used to support its determination, and whether political influence played a role in the decision. These concerns are heightened given President Trump and his family’s conflicts of interest related to the UAE,” the lawmakers continued.
This marks the second letter Kamlager-Dove and Meeks have led on the matter; the first, sent in February, demanded an investigation into the administration’s May 2025 approval of the AI chip exports to the UAE.
Hochman honors two women’s courage with awards
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman presented Courage Awards to Mia Overstreet and Melissa Par on Wednesday at a ceremony in Westchester, honoring the two women for risking their safety to help bring violent offenders to justice.
Overstreet was 15 years old in August 2024 when she ran outside her Torrance home after hearing screaming and found a stranger, Luis Jacobo, strangling a woman he had been stalking for months. Her intervention caused Jacobo to flee, and her testimony nearly two years later helped convict him; he was sentenced in June to 22 years and eight months in state prison.
Par helped identify and locate Prince David Matt, who fatally shot 17-year-old Angel David Flores Trevino during a random shooting in Baldwin Hills in June 2022. Par encountered Matt near her home shortly after the shooting, alerted authorities and later testified against him; Matt was convicted of murder in 2024 and sentenced to life in prison in 2025.
“It is an honor to recognize Mia Overstreet and Melissa Par’s courage and commitment to justice for victims they had never met, at great personal risk. These cases show the critical role of witnesses and their testimony in our criminal justice system. Today the prosecutors on the cases had the opportunity to express their gratitude and share these women’s extraordinary stories of quick thinking and determination to do what’s right,” said Hochman.
The Courage Awards, formerly known as the Courageous Citizen Awards, have been presented since 1986 to individuals who show exceptional bravery in assisting prosecutions, helping victims or preventing crimes.
The Rotary Club of Westchester hosted Wednesday’s ceremony at the Westchester YMCA.
