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LOS ANGELES — A former nonprofit executive accused of siphoning more than $23 million from Los Angeles homeless services contracts — money prosecutors say was supposed to pay for housing placements and meals — pleaded not guilty Thursday to a federal wire fraud charge in Los Angeles.
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LOS ANGELES — A controversial Westside homeless project has been officially blocked due to illegal backroom deals that raised the cost and budget by nearly $50 million.
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LOS ANGELES - At least $50 million in taxpayer funds meant for homelessness programs has now been allegedly stolen across a growing string of federal cases — with the latest arrest targeting another questionable city-funded nonprofit contractor.
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LOS ANGELES — At the end of 2024, more than 20 senior citizens were evicted from a pair of assisted living facilities on the border of Del Rey and Culver City after the operations were shuttered. The closures were only the first thing to surprise neighbors. The bigger shock—months later both…
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LOS ANGELES — Former state Sen. Kevin Murray, CEO of the Weingart Center, has stepped down from the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA), a government oversight board, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times. His departure follows a year of escalating sc…
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LOS ANGELES — More than one year after our newsroom began asking questions about reported inflated property values, vacant Project Homekey sites and opaque financial trails — questions city, county, and state officials repeatedly brushed aside — residents near a long-planned Cheviot Hills ho…
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LOS ANGELES — The Cheviot Hills property first exposed by The Westside Current for its unusual sale history is still moving forward as a Project Homekey site, even as it remains under federal investigation for alleged real estate fraud, according to FOX 11 reports.
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LOS ANGELES - Five years after it was purchased by People Assisting the Homeless (with an $11 million mortgage from the city, financed with Project Homekey funds), and three years after it was vacated after serving as interim homeless housing for about 14 months, work is set to begin this we…
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LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass says her administration has “zero tolerance for corruption.” But for two years, the Westside Current — and many of the communities we cover — were met with silence, spin, or outright denial when we raised the same concerns now at the center of a federal crimina…
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LOS ANGELES - Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced criminal charges and arrests in two separate cases alleging the theft and misuse of millions in taxpayer funds intended to combat California’s homelessness crisis — marking what authorities called the beginning of sweeping federal acco…
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As homelessness surged 70% across Los Angeles County, 30 taxpayer-funded nonprofits saw their combined revenues soar from $12,000 to more than $121 million in less than a decade.
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Launched under former councilmember Mike Bonin with no clear plan, the Venice Ramada project displaced unhoused residents, burned through nearly $20M, and remains vacant years later with no timeline for housing.
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SAN FRANCISCO - On a quiet Tuesday morning in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, the Granada Hotel stood as a testament to the promise of Project Homekey. Construction workers moved in and out, modernizing plumbing and enhancing communal spaces.
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A year ago, Westside Current investigated empty Project Homekey hotel rooms. Now, a year later, we found not much has changed—despite Los Angeles spending over $1 billion on homeless housing.
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As state-funded homeless housing sites expand across Los Angeles, a review of 911 calls, internal records, and community accounts reveals rising violence, untreated mental health crises, and a system struggling to deliver on its promises.
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Part One: The Growth of Affordable Developers
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LOS ANGELES — The Weingart Center, a local nonprofit agency that helps the unhoused population find permanent housing, is under scrutiny following its latest social media post. The post, which boasts about relocating a homeless woman and her dog from Florida to Los Angeles, has ignited a fie…
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CHEVIOT HILLS - Since 1993, the senior living facility at 3340 Shelby Drive has served as a sanctuary for seniors in Los Angeles' Cheviot Hills neighborhood. Nestled in a residential area with single-family homes, many owned by first-time families, the facility has fostered a vibrant communi…
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Executives at a development company that received $121 million in taxpayer funds through Project Homekey are accused of running a “real estate Ponzi scheme”
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Many vacancies are in luxury buildings for which the City paid premium prices.
LOS ANGELES - The city has secured state funding for two new Project Homekey sites that are expected to provide over 100 units of permanent and interim housing in the San Fernando Valley, announced Mayor Karen Bass.
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VENICE - After spending $10,000,000 to purchase a 33 room Venice hotel for conversion into permanent supportive housing, the City owned property has now been vacant for 8 months - and won’t house anyone until December 2024.
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LOS ANGELES — Taxpayers could end up paying hundreds of millions if the 2028 Olympics run over budget, and one City Councilmember says the city needs stronger financial protections before the Games arrive.
LOS ANGELES — Walking through downtown Los Angeles with a cocktail in hand could eventually become legal under a new proposal from Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado.
LOS ANGELES — County supervisors voted to move ahead with creating the county’s first Ethics Commission, advancing a Measure G reform meant to add new ethics oversight to county government.
LOS ANGELES — The county’s rent price-gouging protections are set to expire May 28 after a divided Board of Supervisors declined Tuesday to extend emergency limits put in place after the January 2025 wildfires.
LOS ANGELES — People across the country united for a common cause on April 18: Earth Day cleanups and conservation projects organized by We Explore Earth. The nationwide events removed more than 2,000 pounds of trash from natural and public land and culminated in local celebrations, the largest of which was in L.A. The nonprofit hosts year-round programming, creating exciting and educational outdoor experiences to help people connect – and give back to – nature.
LOS ANGELES — Michelin has added four Westside-area restaurants to its California Guide, giving new statewide attention to a Mar Vista French bistro, two Sawtelle restaurants and a Pico-Robertson tasting menu spot ahead of next month’s awards ceremony.
LOS ANGELES — Blue is currently at the West LA shelter, where volunteers describe her as affectionate, outgoing, playful, and eager to connect with people.
LOS ANGELES — The animal welfare system continues its march towards collapse as City leaders appear resigned to accept preventable downstream consequences rather than invest in affordable prevention.
LOS ANGELES — Bagel started life in a homeless encampment and has spent the last two years bouncing between Los Angeles shelters. By every measure, the 4-year-old Pit Bull Terrier has had a rough start, but no one would ever know it.
LOS ANGELES — More than five years after Rebecca Grossman struck and killed two young brothers in a Westlake Village crosswalk, a psychiatrist testified that their mother continues to show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
LOS ANGELES — Rihanna was standing inside an Airstream trailer at her Beverly Crest home when bullets pierced the windshield directly in front of her, according to police.
MARINA DEL REY — Nordstrom Rack is opening a new Marina del Rey store as Santa Monica’s traditional shopping core absorbs another major retail departure.
CULVER CITY — IKEA opens its new Culver City store today, bringing the company’s smaller-format, planning-focused retail concept to the Helms Design District ahead of a grand opening block party this weekend.
SANTA MONICA — The Pier will close out its spring “Locals’ Night” season Thursday with a free evening of live music, classic cars, storytelling and a Fleet Week-themed 5K.
SANTA MONICA – In celebration of World Whisky Day, an extraordinary culinary collaboration is coming to the coast as The Lobster hosts a one-night-only five-course whisky pairing dinner on May 21. The exclusive evening brings together two of Santa Monica’s most celebrated chefs for an unforgettable oceanfront experience honoring the art of fine whisky and cuisine.
LOS ANGELES — California is pouring more money into Los Angeles County’s homelessness housing pipeline while federal prosecutors continue pursuing cases alleging millions in earlier homelessness dollars were diverted.
LOS ANGELES - More than one-third of Project Homekey housing units were still offline as of January, even as City Hall faced mounting pressure to show progress on homelessness.
LOS ANGELES — California is pouring more money into Los Angeles County’s homelessness housing pipeline while federal prosecutors continue pursuing cases alleging millions in earlier homelessness dollars were diverted.
LOS ANGELES — The County may soon face a contempt of court hearing alongside the City, a new report in the LA Alliance homelessness case warns. If the County wants to avoid a similar proceeding, the report says it must give the court reliable and verifiable data proving it is complying with the settlement agreement.
LOS ANGELES — Taxpayers could end up paying hundreds of millions if the 2028 Olympics run over budget, and one City Councilmember says the cit…
LOS ANGELES — Walking through downtown Los Angeles with a cocktail in hand could eventually become legal under a new proposal from Councilwoma…
LOS ANGELES — Officials are moving to fold three city departments into one, advancing a consolidation plan Tuesday that city officials say wil…
LOS ANGELES — Three motions now introduced signal the beginning of a broader Charter reform effort now moving through the City Council’s Rules…
LOS ANGELES — A proposal to break up one of City Hall’s most powerful offices is drawing sharp pushback from City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Sot…
