California is feeling Minnesota’s pain on immigration raids
Your morning catch-up: California feels Minnesota’s ICE pain, why Trump is skipping the Super Bowl and more big stories.
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The nation’s focus understandably locked on Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed intensive care nurse Alex Pretti. But the sense of unease hardly felt distant here in California.
A day earlier, just blocks from my home in the San Gabriel Valley, a Latino worker watched apprehensively as another set of uniformed agents tried to open the door at the Mexican restaurant where he works. The place hadn’t opened and the worker observed from a distance as the men gave up and drove away.
“All the cooks were nervous. They wanted to go home early,” said the counterman, an American citizen whom I have seen on many late-night dinner runs. “Everyone was kind of shaken up by them just showing up. The owners agreed and they closed up early. It was kind of scary.”
Even as the Trump administration hinted it might be decreasing its presence in Minneapolis and moved out Gregory Bovino, the controversial head of the operation, Californians continue to worry about what will come next.
“Unchecked federal power threatens people in cities across the country,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a mass email Monday afternoon, “and we must all stand up against these authoritarian tactics.”
The restaurant worker, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, noted that the restaurant lost half a day of business. “We are trying to be extra cautious now,” he said. “You see these things and they appear on the internet. But you never think it’s going to happen to you.” Until it does.
Trump and his aides have insisted their immigration enforcement targets only the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” Independent reviews have concluded that a large majority of those detained have not been convicted of violent or serious crimes.
In a region as vast as Southern California, it would be easy to miss the still-significant presence of immigration operatives at work here. But the L.A. Taco website continues to report the presence of federal agents in granular detail. On Friday it detailed instances of uniformed forces operating in South Pasadena, South Gate, Lynwood, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and at multiple locations in Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana and San Bernardino.
“You might not see them out there, but they’re out there somewhere, hitting it hard,” said Memo Torres, a producer and director at L.A. Taco, which has been maintaining a running account of immigration actions in Southern California. He said the site counted about 15 raids a day in the new year.
“Like yesterday, the agents were everywhere, it seemed like, but we had like only four people reportedly taken,” Torres said. “I think that’s the [community] responders having an effect. It’s a constant cat-and-mouse game now between them, trying to outmaneuver each other.”
The anti-Trump No Kings coalition held a video training session Monday evening “to equip community members with the skills to document enforcement actions, legally and as safely as possible, providing a critical layer of defense for each other.”
Nearly 75,000 people nationally appeared on the video chat. They were taught to keep a safe distance from agents and follow orders but keep filming as long as they’re in a public space. Participants said they believed pressure from the public helped force Bovino‘s exit from the Minnesota operation. Organizers encouraged more people to join peaceful protests and write to their senators to demand a cut in funding for the aggressive actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network asked activists to go to places where immigrant workers gather, such as day labor centers and car washes, and keep watch over them.
“The victims of this violence are not abstract numbers. They are our relatives, our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends,” Alvarado said. “We cannot look away. This moment demands that we move from indignation to action. ... Only the people can save the people.”
Today’s top stories
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers launch an open-ended strike
- Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California and Hawaii walked off the job early Monday in the latest work stoppage to roil the nation’s largest not-for-profit medical provider.
- The workers previously held a five-day walkout, with marches and picket lines in rainy weather, in October.
- The union that represents the workers said it called a new strike because contract talks stalled.
California’s iconic Highway 1 is fighting a losing battle against climate change. Can it survive?
- Highway 1 through Big Sur fully reopened after a three-year closure from landslides, the road’s longest shutdown in its 90-year history.
- Scientists warn that climate change intensifies coastal hazards — stronger storms, erosion and wildfires — making future closures more likely along California’s iconic, 650-mile highway.
- As officials grapple with mounting repair costs, questions loom about whether the scenic route can sustainably withstand increasingly severe climate impacts.
Response to Minneapolis ICE shootings
- After a 37-year-old ICU nurse was killed Saturday by Border Patrol in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation, NBA players and unions called for change and solidarity with Minnesota.
- President Trump announced Monday he was dispatching his border advisor, Tom Homan, to Minnesota.
- The likelihood of a government shutdown increased in the wake of the fatal shooting, with Democrats vowing to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Grammy Awards
- Music’s royalty will gather Sunday night to find out what fresh justice or outrage might be served up during the 68th Grammy Awards.
- Kendrick Lamar leads the field with nine nominations, followed by Lady Gaga and the producers Cirkut and Jack Antonoff, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas and the recording engineer Serban Ghenea.
- The telecast, set to air live on CBS from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, will be hosted by Trevor Noah.
What else is going on
- The body of a Newport Beach woman was found in a remote mountain town weeks ago. Now, her tech CEO husband has been accused of murder.
- Shocking video shows a toddler flying out of a car in a busy SoCal intersection; the mom was arrested.
- A 100-foot tunnel, secret bunker and a weapons stash were found at a MAGA activist’s California home.
- Singer D4vd’s friend and a key witness in the case of a girl’s death was arrested in Montana and returned to L.A.
- Why is Trump skipping the Super Bowl? The oft-traveling president says it’s “too far.”
- Video shows Sydney Sweeney climbing the Hollywood sign to hang up some bras. She did not have permission to do so.
Commentary and opinions
- Minnesota’s Fortune 500 corporations finally speak out about ICE, but not loudly enough, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik.
- Columnist Robin Abcarian writes about the LAPD officer who transformed TV policing.
- Los Angeles is sabotaging itself on housing, guest contributor Jesse Zwick argues.
- Blame for the Rams’ loss to the Settle Seahawks begins with coach Sean McVay, columnist Bill Plaschke writes.
- Facts about Alex Pretti’s death are undeniable, columnist Jonah Goldberg writes. The White House is denying them anyway.
This morning’s must read
Spencer Pratt lost everything in the 2025 wildfires. Now, he’s running for L.A. mayor. Inside the Palisades local’s political pivot and his compulsively readable new memoir.
Other must reads
- Noma L.A. reservations at $1,500 a seat were “gone in 60 seconds.”
- What’s the deal with the Dodgers’ TV deal? Is MLB giving them special treatment?
- Kiernan Shipka knew her racy scene in “Industry” would get people talking.
For your downtime
Going out
- Coffee shops: Here are 10 L.A. coffee shops that celebrate local artists.
- Festivals: PaleyFest L.A. 2026 will reunite “Charlie’s Angels” actors for their 50th anniversary.
Staying in
- Television: “Wonder Man” on Disney+ shows why the Marvel Comics Universe is superior on TV with a grounded Hollywood story.
- Books: Why George Saunders’ new novel might be the dark-humor read you need.
- Recipe: Here’s a recipe for Turkey Pot Pie With Biscuit Crust.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
A question for you: What’s your biggest recycling gripe?
Chris Stanford said, “My gripe is when tenants place metal, plastic, or glass into the compost container and/or fail to empty food jars into a paper or compost bag. Composting is easy but these folks just do not get in step, so I am constantly fishing undesirable matter out of the compost. There is a bonus too: When no plastic enters the compost bin, the smell is not foul, as nature naturally begins to break down food matter producing heat and moisture.”
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And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Myung J. Chun of Poko Taufahema, aka Freeway Fan, the Rams’ traffic-preaching inspiration.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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