In the News

By Leslie Berestein Rojas

One hot Sunday afternoon along Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, street vendor Cesar Benitez and his wife Margarita were doing brisk business at their aguas frescas stand, ladling their candy-colored, Mexican-style fruit drinks into cups of ice for thirsty customers.

They were among the dozens of food and non-food vendors lining the sidewalk next to the Commerce Center shopping development, which sits on the Commerce side of the border.

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Tougher clean energy goals, a ban on new oil and gas wells near homes and schools, and establishing guidelines for capturing carbon and storing it underground are among the climate proposals California Democrats advanced in the final days of the legislative session.

Taken together, along with tens of billions in budget money for climate proposals, the policies marked one of the state’s most groundbreaking years for climate action, some advocates said.

BY TARYN LUNA 

After years of failed attempts to impose health and safety buffer zones around new oil and gas wells in California, state lawmakers on Wednesday sent a bill to the governor that would require setbacks between those production sites and residential neighborhoods and other sensitive areas.

Senate Bill 1137 is a major part of a package of climate legislation that Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to bolster the state’s environmental policies.

BY THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD

The taco and hot dog stands that dot Los Angeles sidewalks are beloved for their tasty fare. But for the estimated 10,000 street vendors in Los Angeles County, only about 200 have permits to sell food. The rest are subject to fines and, in some cases, arrest.