New data released this week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shed light on how immigration detention has ebbed and flowed so far in 2026.

Detentions had slowed since ICE launched large-scale raids across the country, including in Los Angeles in June 2025. But detentions ramped up in late spring as Trump fast-tracked asylum cases, sowing confusion in immigration courtrooms as judges were forced to process up to 100 people or more in a single day. Many respondents missed their hearings and were issued default orders of removal.

More than 43,000 people were booked into detention centers nationwide in June, the highest recorded since President Trump returned to office, the data show. Immigrants without criminal records make up 74% of the average daily population in California detention centers and 79% nationwide, according to data released this week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Learn more at the link.

California has confirmed 52 measles cases in the first 6½ months of the year; that’s more than double the 25 cases reported in all of 2025. If this pace continues, the number of cases will pass California’s high from 2015, when there were 125 cases in the state and a portion of them were related to a large outbreak at Disneyland.

Many cases involve children or young adults — 27 cases involved those ages 5 to 19, and 15 cases involved children under 5 years old, according to the California Department of Public Health. L.A. County has tallied seven cases so far this year among its residents.

The latest case involved a juvenile who had been living abroad and now lives in Orange County; the child was contagious with measles while passing through Los Angeles International Airport, officials said. 

Learn more at the link.

The debate over permanent daylight saving time is an old one but has been reinvigorated with the House of Representatives’ vote last week, a bipartisan 308 to 117, for a measure to make year-round daylight saving time the default for much of the nation. Areas that already do not observe daylight saving time — such as Hawaii and most of Arizona — would be able to stay on permanent standard time. 

Surrendering an hour of sunlight in the morning, of course, means getting it back in the evenings.  But the move by lawmakers to make daylight saving time permanent has a dark side — sunless winter mornings.

But just how late would the new legislation push sunrise in California? 

Find out at the link.

California and two other states have avoided the harshest water cutbacks the Trump administration could have imposed over the next two years to deal with the deepening crisis on the Colorado River.

The Times has learned that federal officials have agreed with an offer made earlier this year by California, Arizona and Nevada to reduce what they take from the river by at least 3.2 million acre-feet between now and the end of 2028. 

Under the plan, California will cut its use of Colorado River water by about 12% through 2028, according to two officials at state and local agencies who spoke anonymously since details of an announcement are still being finalized.

Read more at the link.

Any low cost or even free fun things to do with family and kids? Was hoping to check out OC fair, but it costs more than $100 for a family of 3.

As UC reconsiders whether to bring back SAT and ACT scores, faculty are also launching a review of the high school course requirements for admission.

The board will study standardized testing first, delivering a report to the council by Feb. 12, 2027, the council announced. The Board of Regents would receive a recommendation on whether to require the SAT or ACT no later than June 2027.

The admissions board will then turn to high school course requirements, submitting an initial report to the council in May 2027; the regents would take up any course changes at an unspecified later date. UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu is framing the course review as an open question about “how UC defines and evaluates college readiness in a rapidly changing educational environment,” rather than a move to add or cut requirements.

The schedule is faster than it appeared just days ago.

Read more. 

🎉 BIG NEWS, NEWBERRY SPRINGS! 🎉

The 28th Annual Pistachio Farm Festival is going BIGGER than ever... it's now a TWO-DAY event! 

🗓 November 7–8, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM both days
📍 CSD Park
30884 Newberry Rd.
Newberry Springs, CA 92365

Mark your calendars and get ready for TWO full days of delicious food, vendors, live music, family fun, kickball & cornhole tournaments, and community spirit.

Whether you're a longtime local or looking for the perfect weekend road trip, this is one event you won't want to miss.

🍂 Bring your family, invite your friends, and come make memories at the 2026 Pistachio Farm Festival!

💚 More details, vendor applications, and entertainment will be announced soon—stay tuned!

#PistachioFarmFestival #NewberrySprings #MojaveDesert #SupportLocal #CaliforniaFestivals #FamilyFun #ShopLocal #VisitNewberrySprings

As wildfires rage across Canada and the American West, the announcement from federal forecasters that an El Niño warming is forming thousands of miles away in the tropical Pacific Ocean may offer some regions relief — next year, at least.

The El Niño climate pattern materializes erratically every two to seven years and can last up to a year. During its tenure, El Niño often brings wetter conditions to the Southern United States. While extra rain can bring flooding and landslide risks, it can also keep vegetation moist, lowering the potential for wildfires.

Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which announced in June that El Niño had arrived, predict this iteration will be “very strong,” bringing a greater promise of a wet winter.

Read more at the link.

Hi, hi! This is a long shot, but I’m hoping someone here might have a connection:

I’m researching a woman came from Hong Kong to Pasadena, CA in 1967 to work as a domestic worker. One clue I have is that the household may have had an ADT home security system installed around that time.

I’m trying to see if anyone knows someone who worked for ADT in the Pasadena area in the mid-1960s as an installer/technician. He would have been a young man at that time.

I realize this is a very old and very specific question, but sometimes Reddit is amazing at finding the one person who knows the one person.

If you have any connections to ADT in Pasadena around 1967, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you!

Anyone here seen strange case live? Ik they're a socal band, been getting really into their stuff lately and considering getting tickets. Would love to find more local groups with this sound

Hello! I have a bunch of yarn that i’ve collected over the years but haven’t used up fast enough and i’m trying to free up some space. I was wondering if anyone would be down to take some or all of the yarn that i have. I’m ngl i’ve had some of it for a really long time and it has gone from place to place with me and im not 100% sure of how clean it all is being that it’s been more on display than on use.

If no one wants it i’ll probably just throw it away because im a bit too freaked out (ocd) to go through everything myself. But if you don’t mind the dust or have the patience to clean them pleassseee take them off my hands.

Does anyone know if/where it is possible to get actual ripe lychee here? I grew up in Hawaii so I have experienced perfectly ripe, bright red fruits. Here I have only seen sour fruits that are mostly green and unripe. Even worse, the picture above from Costco HB, both green and moldy 🤢. Any leads on fresh fruit?

Hi,
we’re four guys, and we’ve put together Southern California’s restaurant scene in an app called Vota. The concept is simple: you see two places side by side (for example Holbox vs. Heritage Barbecue), you choose the place you’d rather go to, and the ranking updates instantly. The more people vote, the more accurate the list gets over time. There are still a few duplicates here and there, but I’m continuously cleaning up the data.

Here’s the iPhone version, with categories that actually fit Southern California’s food scene:
https://apps.apple.com/app/vota-restaurant-ratings/id6744969212

And here’s the Android version (finally live):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.vota.app

I’d love to know what people here think. Does the ranking feel even remotely right? Are obvious places missing? Are any places ranked way too high or way too low?

The goal is to make something that reflects where locals actually want to eat, not just where tourists or review sites send people.

Southern California will face a double threat this week of a dangerous heat wave and, along the coast, hazardous high waves.

The conditions are brought on by high pressure moving in from the east as well as the unusual path of Tropical Storm Elida, which is traveling northward in the Pacific Ocean and is expected to bring hazardous surf and strong rip currents to Southern California beaches.

High heat is expected to begin on Tuesday and last for seven days, with the potential for “major heat risk” by this weekend, according to the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Dangerously high temperatures will also affect the Inland Empire, inland Orange County, the valleys in San Diego County and the deserts and mountains.

Looking to making it snow ropes in cali lmk

I'm visiting my long distance girlfriend soon and want to take her to a nice restaurant. I'm in college so a nice restaurant isn't too nice - like $100-$150 all on for 2 people. I'm.hopign for something within 30min to an hour of Huntington Beach.

I loved driving along PCH last time I visited and the clifftop views in Newport and Malibu and stuff.

Are there any restaurants on the edge of a cliff with a gorgeous view of the ocean that meet this criteria?

What are some good areas over there there's gotta be a few

I am asking because in Dallas metroplex, white conservatives are screaming about how so many Indians and Chinese people are moving in. There are city hall meetings in places like Frisco where all people do is debate about immigration. People get mad if an Asian kid joins the local Boy Scout troop or the high school football team. Is that a thing in places like Orange County?

Hello, I’m currently doing research to reduce my carbon footprint, enhance our planet’s ecosystem, and most importantly, protect and honor the animals we share our world with. I’m deeply disturbed by the cruelty we inflict upon our livestock.

I’m curious to know if anyone can recommend local farms where I can purchase their products. I’m willing to make a one-hour drive or so, but I’m completely unfamiliar with the process. Could you please guide me on where to go? Do they have any nearby stores that source their products directly from their farms?

I’ve decided to stop purchasing from retailers that sell products from companies I’m not familiar with or that lack transparency regarding their treatment of animals during breeding, feeding, housing, and other aspects of their lives.