Kamlager-Dove votes to release Epstein files
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, View Park-Windsor Hills, parts of South LACA-37) voted yesterday in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The vote came after months of delay, including House Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to swear in Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), whose addition would have provided the 218th signature needed to bring this bill to the Floor.
“After campaigning on a promise to release the Epstein files, Donald Trump instead used the weight of his administration to delay, dilute, and even block their disclosure,” said Kamlager-Dove. “Releasing these files isn’t about spotlighting the relationship between the president and a known sex offender—it’s about transparency, accountability, and justice for every woman who has been denied it after being harmed by a powerful man. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and Trump should finally make good on his promise by releasing the files today.”
Before the vote during debate, Kamlager-Dove spoke on the House Floor in support of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“One in three women and girls around the world are physically and sexually assaulted each year. Of the 152 women in this body, that means 51 women. It includes your daughters, your sisters, your nieces, your mothers. And with the Epstein files, we have a chance to change that,” she said.
Gomez Challenges GOP on naming children’s savings account after Trump
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Downtown LA, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock) yesterday slammed the Republican-controlled House for naming a children’s savings account program after President Donald Trump.
Gomez’s comments came during floor debate on releasing the full Epstein files, and he noted how Trump’s name appears repeatedly in documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I rise to ask a point of parliamentary inquiry. Is this an appropriate time to point out that the Republicans named children’s savings account in their so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ after Donald Trump, someone connected to one of the most notorious pedophiles in this country?” asked Gomez. “Or that the Speaker of the House just lied on the [House] floor by stating that there isn’t protections for the victims in the Epstein bill.”
Republicans inserted the “Trump Accounts” provision into the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” turning a newborn savings program into a Trump-branded product. The move comes at the same time Trump and Republicans have resisted efforts to fully release Epstein-related records to the public.
Gomez has been one of the loudest voices in Congress pushing for the full release of the Epstein files, insisting that the public deserves every name, every email, and every document out in the open.
Hochman announces murder convictions of Lancaster mother and father
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman yesterday announced a Lancaster father and mother of four have been convicted of murdering their teenage son and daughter and abusing their two younger boys in 2020.
“This was a monstrous act of cruelty that shattered an entire family,” said Hochman. “Two innocent children were brutally murdered, and their young brothers were left to live through unimaginable horror. The jury’s verdict delivers justice for these victims and sends a powerful message: Those who commit such evil acts will be held fully accountable.”
A jury found Maurice Jewel Taylor Sr., 39, and Natalie Sumiko Brothwell, 48, guilty of two felony counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance that each defendant was convicted of more than one murder in the same case and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death in case.
During the trial, prosecutors proved that on Nov. 29, 2020, the defendants fatally stabbed and decapitated their 13-year-old daughter, Maliaka T., and 12-year-old son, Maurice T., inside the family’s Lancaster home. They then forced their two younger sons, ages 8 and 9, to view their siblings’ bodies and remain confined in their bedrooms without food for several days.
Taylor and Brothwell face a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole plus a consecutive sentence of six years and four months in state prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026, in Department A18 of the Antelope Valley Courthouse.
Bass calls on banks to provide extended mortgage relief to wildfire homeowners
Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass yesterday urged banks and mortgage servicers to voluntarily extend mortgage payment relief for homeowners still recovering from the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires., calling for three additional years of payment relief beyond the one year that is provided under state law.
While many residents currently benefit from short-term mortgage relief as they rebuild, that relief is set to expire for most families. Bass is proposing that banks and mortgage servicers voluntarily provide three additional years of payment relief. Under her plan, homeowners would receive 4 years of payment relief.
California recently passed Assembly Bill 238, dubbed the Mortgage Forbearance Act, allowing homeowners whose properties were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the fires to pause mortgage payments without late fees, penalties or risk of foreclosure for up to one year.
While Bass acknowledged this as a critical first step, she emphasized that additional support is essential for sustainable recovery.
“AB 238 is an important start, but one year simply isn’t enough. Families need more time to truly rebuild,” said Bass. “With rebuilding underway across the Palisades and Los Angeles County, many impacted residents remain in temporary housing and face mounting financial strain. These families are already carrying more than anyone should have to. Asking them to shoulder mortgage payments on top of all that would force them into an impossible — and unacceptable — choice.
“We are urging our banking partners to join us in delivering meaningful relief at this critical moment.”
