Bass announces UNAM will relocate its LA campus to El Pueblo
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a new partnership bringing the National Autonomous University of Mexico, known as UNAM, to a new downtown Los Angeles home at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.
The City of Los Angeles commission that oversees El Pueblo, home to landmark Olvera Street, approved lease terms for the move, which Bass and Mexican Consul General Carlos González Gutiérrez spearheaded. Under the partnership, UNAM will fund the renovation of the historic Sepúlveda House’s vacant second floor, bringing the space back into use as the university’s Los Angeles offices. UNAM will also offer 15 free cultural and educational events annually at El Pueblo and open its library to the public at no cost. The deal still requires final approval from the Los Angeles City Council.
“El Pueblo connects Angelenos to the history and culture of our city,” said Bass. “UNAM’s move to El Pueblo will give new life to the historic Sepúlveda House and offer free events where people can gather and learn. I welcome the university’s investment as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and I look forward to working with Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and the City Council to finalize the partnership.”
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado (D-Historic Filipinotown, Echo Park, Boyle Heights), whose district includes El Pueblo, called it a fitting home for the university.
“There is no better place for UNAM to bring its legacy of publicly accessible, world-class education than El Pueblo,” said Jurado. “I look forward to advancing this partnership with the City Council and welcoming UNAM to a new home in Los Angeles.”
Irwin’s invasive plant marketplace bill gets signed
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Topanga, Westlake Village, and portions of the Santa Monica Mountains and Brentwood/Bel Air area of Los Angeles), yesterday saw Gov. Gavin Newsom sign her legislation increasing penalties on online marketplaces that facilitate the sale of illegal invasive plants in California.
While selling invasive plants in California is already illegal, online marketplaces have operated in a gap that shields them from meaningful liability, since they connect third-party sellers to buyers without ever taking possession of the plants themselves.
The bill follows an April report from the California Department of Food and Agriculture that found significant gaps in marketplace compliance: of 62 websites reviewed that sold plants to California consumers, only 16 clearly displayed the state’s required shipping restrictions, and the agency documented 768 e-commerce violations between 2020 and 2023.
“The impact invasive plants have on California’s ecosystem is devastating,” said Irwin. “These plants overrun crops, disrupt ecosystems, and kill our vibrant biodiversity. They also cost our state over $80 million every year in our attempts to control their spread, and the economic impacts of these plants spread into the billions of dollars. It is high time online marketplaces pay up for the role they play in the spread of these plants.”
Solis ratifies local emergency declaration for 2026-27 El Niño season
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis (D-Downtown LA, East LA, Pico-Union, Boyle Heights, El Monte, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Pomona) is asking the Board of Supervisors today to formally ratify the Proclamation of Local Emergency she issued Sept. 23 for the 2026-27 El Niño event, keeping the declaration in effect until the board votes to end it.
The declaration comes as state officials warn this winter could bring one of the most significant El Niño patterns in years, following a season that has already tested the county’s coastal and hillside communities.
Long Beach declared its own local emergency last week after Hurricane Marie damaged its boardwalk and allowed seawater into homes along the Peninsula, and Rancho Palos Verdes continues battling an active landslide that has shifted parts of the Palos Verdes Peninsula by as much as 40 to 50 feet since 2023.
The motion directs the county’s Office of Emergency Management to forward the proclamation to the state’s Office of Emergency Services, asking the governor to waive regulations that could slow preparedness and recovery work and to expedite county access to state and federal resources.
It also directs all county departments to carry out assessment, assistance and monitoring efforts tied to the emergency, giving the county broader authority to move quickly, procure supplies and coordinate with cities and regional agencies as storms develop.
The ratification comes as the county’s earthquake and wildfire preparedness structures also face scrutiny; a separate after-action review found the county’s Office of Emergency Management understaffed relative to peer cities, a gap officials have said they are working to address ahead of future disasters.
