week

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, with an assist from Julia Wick, giving you the latest on city and county government.

Here you thought charter reform would be boring.

A 13-member citizens commission is just getting started on the painstaking, generally unsexy work of poring through the Los Angeles City Charter, the city’s governing document, and coming up with strategies for improving it. Yet already, the commission has had a leadership battle, heard allegations of shady dealings and fielded questions about whether it’s been set up to fail.

But first, let’s back up.

Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and former Council President Paul Krekorian chose a collection of volunteers to serve on the Charter Reform Commission, which is charged with exploring big and small changes to the City Charter.

The commission is part of a much larger push for reform sparked by the city’s 2022 audio leak scandal and a string of corruption cases involving L.A. officials. The list of potential policy challenges the commission faces is significant.

Good government types want the new commission to endorse ranked-choice voting, with Angelenos selecting their elected officials by ranking candidates in numerical order. Advocacy groups want to see a much larger City Council. Some at City Hall want clarity on what to do with elected officials who are accused of wrongdoing but have not been convicted.

“You are not one of those commissions that shows up every few years to fix a few things here or there,” said Raphael Sonenshein, who served nearly 30 years ago as executive director of the city’s appointed Charter Reform Commission, while addressing the new commission last week. “You actually have a bigger responsibility than that.”

The real work began on July 16, when the commission took up the question of who should be in charge. Many thought the leadership post would immediately go to Raymond Meza, who had already been serving as the interim chair.

Instead, the panel found itself deadlocked.

Meza is a high-level staffer at Service Employees International Union Local 721, the powerful public employee union that represents thousands of city workers and has been a big-money spender in support of Bass and many other elected city officials.

Meza, who was appointed by Bass earlier this year, picked up five votes. But so did Ted Stein, a real estate developer who has served on an array of city commissions — planning, airport, harbor — but hadn’t been on a volunteer city panel in nearly 15 years. Faced with a stalemate, charter commissioners decided to try again a few days later, when they were joined by two additional members.

By then, some reform advocates were up in arms over Stein, arguing that he was bringing a record of scandal to the commission. They sent the commissioners news articles pointing out that Stein had, among other things, resigned from the airport commission in 2004 amid two grand jury investigations into whether city officials had tied the awarding of airport contracts to campaign contributions.

Stein denied those allegations in 2004, calling them “false, defamatory and unsubstantiated.” Last week, before the second leadership vote, he shot back at his critics, noting that two law enforcement agencies — the U.S. attorney’s office and the L.A. County district attorney’s office — declined to pursue charges against him. The Ethics Commission also did not bring a case over his airport commission activities.

“I was forced to protect my good name by having to hire an attorney and having to spend over $200,000 in legal fees [over] something where I had done nothing wrong,” he told his fellow commissioners. The city reimbursed Stein for the vast majority of those legal costs.

Stein accused Meza of orchestrating some of the outside criticism — which Meza later denied. And Stein spent so much time defending his record that he had little time to say why he should be elected.

Still, the vote was close, with Meza securing seven votes and Stein picking up five.

Meza called the showdown “unfortunate.” L.A. voters, he said, “want to see the baton passed to a new generation of people.” The 40-year-old Montecito Heights resident made clear that he supports an array of City Charter changes.

In an interview, Meza said he’s “definitely in favor” of ranked-choice voting, arguing that it would increase voter turnout. He also supports an increase in the number of City Council members but wouldn’t say how many. And he wants to ensure that vacant positions are filled more quickly at City Hall, calling it an issue that “absolutely needs to be addressed.”

That last item has long been a concern for SEIU Local 721, where Meza works as deputy chief of staff. Nevertheless, Meza said he would, to an extent, set aside the wishes of his union during the commission’s deliberations.

“On the commission, I am an individual resident of the city,” he said.

Stein, for his part, told The Times that he only ran for the leadership post out of concern over the commission’s tight timeline. The commission must submit its proposal to the council next spring — a much more aggressive schedule than the one required of two charter reform commissions nearly 30 years ago.

Getting through so many complex issues in such a brief period calls for an experienced hand, said Stein, who is 76 and lives in Encino.

Stein declined to say where he stands on council expansion and ranked-choice voting. He said he’s already moved on from the leadership vote and is ready to dig into the commission’s work.

Meza, for his part, said he has heard the concerns about the aggressive schedule. But he remains confident the commission will be successful.

“I don’t think we have the best conditions,” he said. “But I do not believe we’ve been set up to fail. I’m very confident the commissioners will do what’s needed to turn in a good product.”

State of play

— STRICTLY BUSINESS: A group of L.A. business leaders launched a ballot proposal to repeal the city’s much-maligned gross receipts tax, saying it would boost the city’s economy and lower prices for Angelenos. The mayor and several other officials immediately panned the idea, saying it would deprive the city’s yearly budget of $800 million, forcing cuts to police, firefighters and other services.

— INCHING FORWARD: Meanwhile, another ballot proposal from the business community — this one backed by airlines and the hotel industry — nudged closer to reality. Interim City Clerk Petty Santos announced that the proposed referendum on the $30-per-hour tourism minimum wage had “proceeded to the next step,” with officials now examining and verifying petition signatures to determine their validity.

— GRIM GPS: The Los Angeles County Fire Department had only one truck stationed west of Lake Avenue in Altadena at a critical moment during the hugely destructive Eaton fire, according to vehicle tracking data analyzed by The Times. By contrast, the agency had dozens of trucks positioned east of Lake. All but one of the deaths attributed to the Eaton fire took place west of Lake.

— CHANGE OF PLANS: On Monday, Bass nominated consultant and Community Coalition board member Mary Lee to serve on the five-member Board of Police Commissioners. Two days later, in a brief email, Lee withdrew from consideration. Reached by The Times, Lee cited “personal reasons” for her decision but did not elaborate. (The mayor’s office had nothing to add.) Lee would have replaced former commissioner Maria “Lou” Calanche, who is running against Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez in the June 2026 election.

— SEMPER GOODBYE: The Pentagon announced Monday that the roughly 700 Marines who have been deployed to the city since early June would be withdrawing, a move cheered by Bass and other local leaders who have criticized the military deployment that followed protests over federal immigration raids. About 2,000 National Guard troops remain in the region.

— HALTING HEALTHCARE: L.A. County’s public health system, which provides care to the region’s neediest residents, could soon face brutal budget cuts. The “Big Beautiful Bill,” enacted by President Trump and the Republican-led Congress, is on track to carve $750 million per year out of the Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. At the Department of Public Health, which is facing its own $200-million cut, top executive Barbara Ferrer said: “I’ve never actually seen this much disdain for public health.”

— HOMELESS HIRE: The commission that oversees the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority selected Gita O’Neill, a career lawyer in the city attorney’s office, to serve as the agency’s interim CEO. O’Neill will replace Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who stepped down Friday after more than two years in her post.

— THE JURY SPEAKS: The city has been ordered by a jury to pay $48.8 million to a man who has been in a coma since he was hit by a sanitation truck while crossing a street in Encino. The verdict comes as the city struggles with escalating legal payouts — and was larger than any single payout by the city in the last two fiscal years, according to data provided by the city attorney’s office.

— LOOKING FOR A LIAISON: Back in May, while signing an executive directive to support local film and TV production, L.A.’s mayor was asked whether she planned to appoint a film liaison as the City Hall point person for productions. “Absolutely,” Bass said during the news conference, adding that she planned to do so within a few days.

That was two months ago. Asked this week about the status of that position, Bass spokesperson Clara Karger touted the executive directive and said the position was “being hired in conjunction with industry leaders.” She did not provide a timeline.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature homelessness program did not carry out any new operations this week. However, her Shine LA initiative, which aims to clean up city streets and sidewalks, is heading out this weekend to Wilmington, Harbor Gateway and a stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard in South L.A.
• On the docket for next week: A bunch of stuff! The City Council returns from its summer recess, holding its first meeting in nearly a month. The Charter Reform Commission heads to the Baldwin Hills library to study planning and infrastructure. Meanwhile, county supervisors are scheduled to take up a proposal to bar law enforcement officers from concealing their identities in the county’s unincorporated areas, including East L.A., Lennox and Altadena.

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

July 24 (UPI) — Tesla’s shares price declined 1.74% for the week on Friday, two days after posting declining profits for a third straight quarter amid increased competition and a pending loss of federal tax credits.

On Friday, the stock price closed at $316.06, up $10.76, or 3.52%, from the day before, when the stock slumped 8.2%. Its market capitalization slumped to $984.73 billion. Tesla earnings report was released after the market closed on Wednesday.

Tesla is down 16.7% year to date but up 43.5% from one year ago, according to NASDAQ.

Tesla’s price was as low as $284.70 on June 5 when Elon Musk’s feud with President Donald Trump intensified and $221.85 on April 8 when stock indexes and bond market were tumbling before Trump announced a pause on harsh tariffs on trading partners.

The company’s stock price reached a record of 479.86 on Dec. 17 before Trump entered the White House as president again on Jan. 20. Tesla first began trading on June 29, 2010, with an initial price offering of $17 but opened trading at $19 per share.

Back then the only car for sale was the Roadster and two years before the Model S hit the market. The top-selling cars are now the Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan.

Musk wasn’t Tesla founder but he invested early and served as chairman and took over as CEO in 2008.

The conference call Thursdsay was light in earnings information and more focused on robotics and artificial intelligence.

“The company offered remarkably little detail on some of the most important factors” – like its mysterious new lower-priced model – “making our outlook lean more on imagination than realistic targets,” Truist’s William Stein, who has a hold rating on Tesla, said in a note after the call in a report by CNN.

“I wouldn’t say it was a conference call that should be put in the Hall of Fame,” Dan Ives of Wdbush Securities, told CNN on Thursday, but said he is still bullish on Tesla’s robotics future with Musk in charge. “Communication on the call was less than stellar in terms of details, and I think that definitely played into the selloff that we’re seeing.”

Tesla later told staff Thursday it plans to launch its Robotaxi service in San Francisco this weekend, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider. Tesla has a permit for testing its self-driving software in California with a driver behind the wheel.

Earning report

Looking back, Tesla sold $22.5 billion worth of products during the second quarter, which is $3 billion less than the $25.5 billion in sales during the same period in 2024.

Tesla reported $1.2 billion in earnings profit from April to June, which is down from $1.4 billion a year earlier.

The earnings drop is the third straight quarter for the EV maker that last reported an earnings gain during the third quarter last year.

Driving much of the loss is a decline in Tesla vehicle sales, which totaled $16.7 billion during the second quarter — down by 16% from a year ago.

Tesla delivered 384,000 vehicles during the second quarter, which is 14% fewer than a year ago, the company announced in July.

Several factors have contributed to the decline in Tesla sales, including the end to federal tax credits for buying electric vehicles and increased competition for EV makers in China and elsewhere.

Musk recently cautioned investors about the approach of a “few rough quarters” due to the loss of the federal EV tax credits.

A recently signed budget bill that Trump dubbed “one big, beautiful bill” eliminates a $7,500 federal tax credit after September.

Trump said he does not intend to eliminate federal subsidies for Tesla, though.

“I want Elon and all businesses within our country to thrive … like never before,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

“The better they do, the better the USA does, and that’s good for all of us,” Trump added.

Tesla also posted a decline in new vehicle registrations in Europe in July and only sold 4,300 units of its Cybertruck during the second quarter.

Tesla sold about half as many Cybertrucks during the second quarter than it did a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive.

Musk has announced Tesla will soon offer a new EV that costs less after beginning production in June.

Industry analysts anticipate it will be similar to Tesla’s electric Model Y SUV.

Tesla’s declining EV sales come as demand for EVs has grown by 1.5% so far in 2025 in the United States and by 32% and 26%, respectively, in China and Europe, Cox Automotive and Rho Motion reported.

China’s BYD EV maker is growing its market share there, while JATO Dynamics reported Volkswagen has overtaken Tesla as the top EV seller in Europe.

Recent political turmoil also has led to negative publicity for Musk and Tesla by extension.

Musk’s recently controversial activities as the former director of the Department of Government Efficiency, subsequent fallout with Trump and recent announcement of founding a third political party have preceded declines in sales and Tesla’s share price.

The Smithsonian Institution has faced pressure from President Trump since March when he issued his “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order, which demanded an end to federal funding for exhibitions and programs based on racial themes that “divide Americans.”

Amid Trump’s headline-grabbing gambits to remake the landscape of American arts and culture into a more MAGA-friendly image, another challenge to the Smithsonian flew largely under the radar. In early April, Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz introduced the Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act, which proposed to move the space shuttle Discovery from the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to a spot near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The act was folded into President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed into law on July 4.

NASA gifted the Discovery to the Smithsonian in 2012 and it has been in Virginia ever since. Discovery launched on its maiden voyage in 1984 and flew 39 Earth-orbital missions — more than any other orbiter. The Smithsonian considers it a key part of its collection and issued a statement to Congress objecting to the proposed move. According to the Hill, the statement noted that “the case against relocating the orbiter Discovery is both philosophical and practical … It would be unprecedented for Congress to remove an object from a Smithsonian collection and send it somewhere else.”

In late June, the Houston Business Journal reported that the Smithsonian estimated the cost of moving Discovery to Texas would be between $300 and $400 million, far more than the $85 million cited by Cornyn and Cruz in Trump’s massive reconciliation and spending package.

Since the passage of of the bill, the fight over Discovery has heated up. Earlier this week, Rep. Joe Morelle, a Democrat from New York, introduced an amendment to keep Discovery at the Smithsonian. The Appropriations Committee agreed to the amendment, which now moves to the Rules Committee before going to the House floor for a vote.

“The forced removal and relocation of the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum is inappropriate, wasteful, and wrong. Neither the Smithsonian nor American taxpayers should be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on this misguided effort. I am grateful for the bipartisan support of my colleagues on this amendment and hope we can continue working together throughout the remainder of the Appropriations process to keep a treasured Smithsonian artifact where it belongs,” Morelle said in a statement sent to The Times.

The Smithsonian did not respond to a request for comment on the evolving situation, or its quest to keep the Discovery in its collection.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, hoping to orbit a positive news cycle someday soon. Here’s your arts and culture roundup for this week.

The corpse flower is ready to bloom again at Huntington Garden.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Corpse Flower
The infamously stinky plant, formally Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), “produces the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom” and is known for its pungent aroma. “Green Boy,” one of 43 corpse flowers in the Huntington’s collection may have already blossomed by the time you read this, so be sure to check it out as the bloom lasts only 24-48 hours. “It smells pretty bad,” Brandon Tam, the Huntington’s associate curator of orchids,” told Times summer intern Aspen Anderson in her story on the event. But for those who prefer to avoid the full olfactory experience, there’s a livestream.
10 a.m.–5 p.m., closed Tuesday. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org

Father John Misty performing in Atlanta in 2023.

(Paul R. Giunta / Invision / AP)

Father John Misty
Josh Tillman, whose Misty persona was described in a 2017 profile by Times pop music critic Mikael Wood as “a convivial (if polarizing) chronicler of society’s growing absurdity,” is joined by Lucinda Williams and Hamilton Leithauser for an eclectic evening of indie rock and folk.
7 p.m. Friday. Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave. lagreektheatre.com

Phasmagorica: The Room Between Worlds
Limited to nine audiences members at a time, this “experiential paranormal encounter” proudly boasts that it is not a performance and does not use actors. Instead, sacred geometry, occult methodology, immersive light phenomena and 13 speakers of Dolby Atmos sound produce “a fully-contained, tactile installation designed to provoke contact.” Guests are guided through a séance featuring spirit communication via arcane instruments and trigger objects, fortune-telling and psychological thresholds.
7:30 and 9:15 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer St. twilightdisturbances.com

Heather Graham, left, and Mike Myers star in the 1999 movie “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”

(New Line Cinema)

Austin Powers triple feature
Yeah, baby! The academy’s “Summer of Camp” series continues with the shagadelic trilogy of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” (1997), “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” (1999) and “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002). Director Jay Roach will be in attendance.
2 p.m. Saturday. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

Billy Woodberry
The MOCA Artist Film Series presents the L.A. Rebellion filmmaker’s 2016 feature, “And when I die, I won’t stay dead,” a documentary on the life of Beat poet Bob Kaufman. Best known for “Bless Their Little Hearts” (1983), Woodberry assembled archival footage and photos, interviews with Kaufman’s contemporaries, and readings from Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis and others, plus a jazz soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday and Ornette Coleman.
3 p.m. Saturday. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. moca.org

Queens of Soul
The peacocks and peahens will not be the only ones strutting and preening at the L.A. County Arboretum when the Pasadena Pops performs this salute to such divas as Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Adele and others, featuring hit songs such as “Respect,” “Proud Mary, “I’m Every Woman” and “Rolling in the Deep.”
7:30 p.m. Saturday. L.A. County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. pasadenasymphony-pops.org

Black Pasifika: Deep Sea Protocols
Writer, relational architect and guerrilla theorist Neema Githere hosts this program exploring the links between climate crisis and technology across Melanesia. Githere will provide context and discuss deep-sea protocols and the consequences of technological accelerationism on sea-stewarding peoples from the Swahili coast to Melanesia with their grandfather, Dr. Gilbert Githere, founder of the Mombasa-Honolulu Sister City society. The filmic essay “AI: African Intelligence” by Manthia Diawara searches for a more humane and spiritual control of algorithms. Ahead of the program, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., the time-based somatic works “Oceanic Refractions” and “Cries From the Moana” will be shown on monitors in LACMA’s Smidt Welcome Plaza.
6 p.m. Sunday. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org

L.A. Phil at the Hollywood Bowl
In a week of debuts, Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni, recently appointed principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic bow leading the orchestra through Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto” (with soloist Veronika Eberle), selections from Berlioz and Liszt, and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Two nights later, former Dudamel Fellow and current Boston Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor Anna Handler makes her first Bowl appearance, leading the Phil in the world premiere of Eunike Tanzil’s “Ode to the City of Dreams,” Mozart’s “Concerto for Flute and Harp” and Richard Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30.” Mendelssohn, 8 p.m. Tuesday; Tanzil, Mozart and Strauss, 8 p.m. Thursday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

— Kevin Crust

The SoCal scene

“Buddha Shakyamuni,” Burma (Myanmar), circa 13th century; lacquered wood

(Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times)

Times art critic Christopher Knight was thrilled to see the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibit “Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia.” Currently installed in the temporary exhibition spaces of the Resnick Pavilion, the show consists of roughly 180 objects that have been in storage for years after being boxed up in preparation for the demolition of the museum’s original campus and the debut of the new David Geffen Galleries. Catch the exhibit now, before it gets stowed away again, writes Knight, adding that it “includes some of the most splendid sculptures and paintings” in the museum’s permanent collection.

Times classical music critic Mark Swed hopped a plane to Austria and headed for the small town of Bregenz, where a major arts festival that attracts more than 250,000 visitors in July and August and boasts a $31-million budget is hosted. The biggest draw at the bustling festival is opera, and the biggest show is a production staged each year on the Seebühne — a massive stage built directly on Lake Constance with bleachers to accommodate an audience of 7,000. “This year’s ‘Die Freischütz,’ Carl Maria von Weber’s early 19th century opera about a huntsman who makes a very bad deal with the devil for a magic bullet, opened last week and runs through Aug. 17,” writes Swed. “All 27 performances are expected to sell out as usual for the kind of spectacle that exists nowhere else.” Read all about the world-famous technical and artistic extravaganza, here.

Culture news

Johanna Burton was named the new Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

(Photo: Erin Leland)

Johanna Burton is leaving the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, to become the new director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, ICA Philadelphia announced Thursday. Burton became MOCA’s first female director in 2021 after its recently named Artistic Director Klaus Biesenbach unceremoniously left his position for a job in Berlin. Burton’s departure makes her the fifth director to leave MOCA since 2008. Burton will fill the role at ICA Philadelphia left vacant by Zoë Ryan who exited the museum to take over leadership at the UCLA Hammer Museum in Westwood after its longtime director Ann Philbin retired. MOCA did not respond to a request for comment about Burton’s departure.

Architect Paul R. Williams’ L.A. building, Founders Church of Religious Science, is among five structures across the country picked to receive funding through the Getty Foundation’s Conserving Black Modernism Initiative. Announced earlier this week by the foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the money will support preservation plans for the buildings and further train caretakers in maintenance best practices. Another overarching goal is to increase public awareness of the architects’ legacies and the buildings they created. The other four buildings receiving Getty funds are the ITC Administration Building in Atlanta, designed by Edward C. Miller; First Church of Deliverance in Chicago, an adaptive reuse project redesigned by Walter T. Bailey; McKenzie Hall in Eugene, Ore., designed by DeNorval Unthank Jr.; and Vassar College’s 2500 New Hackensack building in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., by Jeh Vincent Johnson.

Contemporary artist Amy Sherald with her painting “As American as apple pie” in 2021.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming solo show, “American Sublime,” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, citing censorship after she was told the museum wanted to exclude a painting featuring a transgender woman holding a torch in a pose meant to evoke the Statue of Liberty. Sherald was told that the museum did not want to provoke a reaction from President Trump, who has brought anti-trans ideals into the federal government. In a statement to the New York Times, Sherald wrote, “It’s clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role.”

The Ebell of Los Angeles has named Camille Schenkkan its chief operating officer. The nonprofit organization, which dedicates itself to “inspiring women and fostering community through arts, culture and education,” was founded in 1894 and occupies one of the city’s most storied historic buildings — a campus and theater designed in 1927 by architect Sumner Hunt. Schenkkan arrives at the Ebell from Center Theatre Group, where she served as deputy managing director.

Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee introduced a proposal earlier this week to rename the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington after the first lady, Melania Trump.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Marlee Matlin shared her favorite Sunday activities with The Times — including a stop for pizza in Eagle Rock (hint: it’s a classic). See you there!

Puka Nacua saw the numbers.

So, no doubt, did Rams general manager Les Snead and other team executives who handle contract negotiations.

When Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets this month signed a four-year extension that includes $90 million in guarantees, he became the latest young NFL receiver star to cash in before playing out his rookie contract.

Nacua is in the third year of his rookie deal with the Rams. He will be eligible for an extension in the offseason.

“I try to do my best to stay completely present where my feet are,” Nacua said this week after the Rams’ first practice, noting that he played in a high school All-Star game with Wilson. “It’s exciting to see guys, to push the envelope for the wide receiver game.”

Nacua, a fifth-round draft pick in 2023, will earn just over $1 million this season, according to Overthecap.com.

For the Rams, it ranks as one of the NFL’s best bargains.

Nacua, 24, became a breakout star in his first season, establishing several NFL rookie receiving records and making the Pro Bowl. Last season, despite sitting out five games because of a knee injury that he sustained during a preseason workout against the Chargers and then aggravated in the opener against the Detroit Lions, he caught 79 passes for 990 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide receivers Puka Nacua, right, and Devante Adams work out at training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Wednesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

With Nacua ascending into the No. 1 receiver, the Rams moved on from veteran Cooper Kupp and signed three-time All-Pro Davante Adams.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford will be sidelined through at least the first week of training camp because of back soreness. But on Wednesday, while working with veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo, Nacua and Adams showed flashes of the excitement they are expected to generate for a team that will be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

During their brief time as teammates, Nacua said he has learned about body control, elusiveness, on-field awareness and how to maximize route-running leverage from Adams.

“He explains it so well in the meeting room,” Nacua said, “so it makes it fun to watch tape and to be like, ‘OK, how can I add some of these things to my toolbox?’”

Adams’ “illusion of speed and lateral quickness” stand out, Nacua said.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of people that can replicate some of the things that he can do,” Nacua said, “but trying to understand the movement so I can add it to my game.”

Rams receivers Puka Nacua, left, and Davante Adams prepare for a drill during training camp on Wednesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Nacua and Adams are the stars of a Rams receiving corps that also includes speedy Tutu Atwell, who is playing on a one-year $10-million contract, and second-year pro Jordan Whittington.

As Nacua navigates his third training camp, he said he would be focused on improving his “pre-practice preparation” as the Rams get ready for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans.

“I feel like I could wake up out of bed and get ready to roll and have no warmups,” Nacua said of his first two camps. “I maybe didn’t run as fast as Tutu when I woke up out of bed, but I feel like I could get out and just be ready to go. So … pre-practice preparation, so when I hit down the field, I know I can start rolling as soon as we get out here.”

The Rams are currently in negotiations with running back Kyren Williams about a possible extension. But that deal, if it gets done, will not compare with those looming in 2026 and beyond.

If Nacua remains injury free and he maintains or increases his production, he could have a potential megadeal in hand before 2026 training camp.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner also will be eligible for an extension. Edge rusher Jared Verse is another young star on track for a potential massive payday after the 2026 season.

Nacua is not looking too far ahead as he gets his mind and body ready for the upcoming season.

“This will probably be the best that I feel for the rest of the year,” he joked. “I enjoy these moments because they won’t last too long, but I feel fantastic right now.

“Ready to roll.”

Rams offensive lineman Kevin Dotson shows off his dedication to the team at training camp on Wednesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Etc.

Stafford was not on the field Wednesday. The 16-year veteran was working with trainers in other areas, coach Sean McVay said. Stafford is not expected to practice until next week. “I think that’s the best thing in terms of being able to strengthen, be as strong, sturdy and feel as good as he can go,” McVay said of Stafford working away from on-field activities, “As good as he can be for the time that we get him back out here on Monday.” … Former Rams center Brian Allen is attending camp and helping with the offensive line. … The Rams are scheduled to hold a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 5 in Oxnard.

I took a week of vacation to relax, clear my head and stop obsessing over depressing news.

I hear frequently from people who say that, for their peace of mind, they’re tuning out the news altogether, so I tried it for a couple of days. Opened a book. Walked the dog.

Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.

But I’m in the news business, and I felt like a hypocrite, so I kept sneaking peeks. As it turns out, that wasn’t healthy.

You can’t follow a single 24-hour news cycle without questioning your own sanity.

Do we really live in a country in which the president posts fake videos of a predecessor being arrested?

In which a dead man’s sex trafficking crimes dominate White House news for days on end?

In which the federal government has made it a priority to arrest tamale vendors and fire meteorologists?

President Trump holds a gavel after signing the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4.

(Brendan Smialowski / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

In which the Social Security Administration sends us emails fawning over the president and making false claims, the White House jokes and memes about immigration raids and the Department of Homeland Security triggers a trolling war with social media posts about its version of national heritage?

I have a weekly goal of avoiding alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but in this political culture, what chance do I have?

With lots of time to practice, I picked up my guitar, but events of the last few weeks continued to haunt me.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump signed into law on July 4 will add trillions to the national debt, heap tax breaks on those who need them least and rip healthcare coverage away from the neediest. As a result, L.A. County’s health services are anticipating federal cutbacks in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We can’t survive this big a cut,” Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s head of public health, told the Times for a story by Rebecca Ellis and Niamh Ordner. She added: “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve never actually seen this much disdain for public health.”

Dr. Jonathan LoPresti, who worked at County/USC for decades and is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, is alarmed. He sent me an a copy of an opinion piece he’s writing, which includes a warning that county hospitals could “again be overrun with the poor … and homeless, leading to further hospital and ER overcrowding, delayed discharges and reduction in routine health maintenance … That could lead to an increase in community TB cases and more serious complications of treatable disease, as well as deaths.”

He added this:

“How many public deaths are people willing to accept?”

There is no limit, judging by crystal clear signals from Washington.

I think we can all agree that historic rainstorms, hurricanes and wildfires in the United States and the rest of the world will continue to kill thousands.

Here’s a synopsis of the Trump response:

The U.S. climate change website has been shut down.

Protesters gather on the National Mall for the “Hands Off” protest against the administration of President Trump on April 5.

(Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The administration says the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be eliminated, and the urban search and rescue chief has resigned, citing chaos and dangerous disaster response delays.

Layoffs and buyouts have reduced National Weather Service ranks by 14% despite warnings of dire consequences.

So I swam laps, thinking that having my head under might help, but it only made me feeling like I was drowning.

Hundreds of probationary workers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have been fired, and the fulltime staff will be trimmed by 2,000.

These cuts, and the elimination of federal support for scientific research, are damaging in obvious ways. But when I asked UCLA professor Alex Hall what’s most disturbing, here’s what the director of the Center for Climate Science had to say:

“I feel like the thing that’s most chilling is the way the word ‘climate’ has become a dirty word.”

In other words, the politicization of the subject — Trump and supporters insist human-caused climate change is either exaggerated or a hoax — has created a form of censorship.

“That’s where we really start to face dangers — when people can’t talk about something,” said Hall, who has been studying the link between climate change and California wildfires.

I may be a little biased on this topic. My daughter just graduated from college with a degree in earth science. What she and thousands like her are being told, essentially, is, “Good for you, but the planet’s health is neither a concern nor a priority. If you’re looking for work, the Border Patrol is hiring, and cryptocurrency might be a good career path.”

So there you have it. That’s how I spent my summer vacation, failing miserably in my attempt to look the other way.

But all was not lost.

I played pickleball a couple of times, in Glendale and Los Feliz, and suffered no major injuries. I took my beagle Philly to Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach and watched him race around like the happiest hound in the world. And, borrowing from Trump’s penchant for cutbacks, I’ve trimmed my list of no-alcohol days from three to two.

[email protected]

SAN DIEGO — As the Chargers’ team bus rolled down the freeway past Poway and toward San Diego, Tony Jefferson couldn’t help but smile.

This feels like home.

Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn’t secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise’s contentious departure.

“With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,” said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. “But I think we’re gradually filling that void back.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros.

More than two decades later, this week’s practices are a homecoming for Harbaugh, but it’s not an olive branch for the Chargers organization, he insisted.

“It is all about the great fans we have,” Harbaugh said in June. “We want to go to our fans. We want to go to our Chargers supporters and they’re everywhere.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh instructs players during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Although the Chargers returned this week, they didn’t throw the doors open to all fans. Both of their practices were limited in attendance. Tuesday’s practice was open to only active-duty military and veterans. Wednesday’s is reserved for season ticket holders.

Players signed autographs for almost an hour after practice Tuesday. Quarterback Justin Herbert looped back twice in front of a swath of fans that ran three bus-lengths long. Safety Derwin James Jr., who never played in San Diego after getting drafted in 2018, was in awe of all the No. 3 jerseys he saw in the crowd.

“It made my heart warm just having so much support,” James said. “I can’t wait to give them something to cheer for.”

Harbaugh’s history as a player has helped the Chargers tap back into their roots while celebrating their most iconic players. The coach who played two seasons for the Chargers called former teammate Rodney Harrison to inform the safety that he would be inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame in October. Legendary tight end Antonio Gates will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in less than two weeks. Five years after playing the final season of his 17-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Philip Rivers reversed course to put a more fitting punctuation mark on his career by announcing Monday that he would officially retire as a Charger.

Doubling down on the nostalgia, the Chargers unveiled throwback alternative navy jerseys that were a hit among players and fans. Seeing the navy uniform with gold-lined white lightning bolts “struck me at the core,” Jefferson said. It was just like the first NFL jersey he owned: a Junior Seau jersey he received for Christmas.

The Chargers were at the center of almost all of Jefferson’s core NFL memories growing up. He sat in the nosebleeds with his girlfriend at his first NFL game between the Chargers and Raiders. He played his last high school football game for Chula Vista Eastlake High in Qualcomm Stadium.

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton runs through a drill during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

But the stadium grew outdated, prompting the Chargers to relocate. Now when Jefferson drives south on Interstate 15, he still hates looking to his right because he misses the familiar venue.

“This type of stuff just happens,” Jefferson said. “It happened to the Raiders. They’re our rival and they’re pretty big in what they represent organization-wise and they moved, too. It’s just the business.”

The Padres are the only remaining major pro sports team in San Diego and the city pride runs deep. When the Chargers celebrated the Dodgers’ World Series title last year, die-hard Padres fan Jefferson recoiled at the sight of a floor-to-ceiling congratulatory message in the Chargers practice facility.

But with no pro football in the city, Jefferson, who still lives in San Diego, tries to remind fans that this team is still the Chargers.

“Us just being two hours away, SoFi is a perfect venue for fans, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have the San Diego fans,” Jefferson said. “I think coming here is just opening up the arms again and letting them know.”

Etc.

Rashawn Slater missed a third consecutive day of practice and is “working through something,” Harbaugh said. The coach characterized the undisclosed injury as minor, tip-toeing around suggestions that Slater is trying to wait out negotiations for a contract extension. … The Chargers signed running back Nyheim Hines to bolster a position that is still waiting for Najee Harris’ return. Harris remains on the non-football injury list after suffering an eye injury from a fireworks accident, but has been attending team meetings. While signing Hines, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Savion Washington with a failed physical designation. Washington was on the physically unable to perform list.

USC star freshman Alijah Arenas will miss at least the next six to eight months after sustaining a serious knee injury that will require surgery, leaving his future with the Trojans in question.

An MRI this week found a slight meniscus tear, as well as a bone bruise, according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly, dealing a critical blow to both USC and a player it hoped could become a superstar in short order.

“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman said in a statement. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority.”

The injury comes just two weeks after Arenas was cleared to practice with USC, and three months after he survived a carwreck in his Tesla Cybertruck. Now it’s unclear how much he’ll play for USC — if at all.

At best, Arenas may be cleared to return late in his freshman season. But considering his status as a top draft prospect, there could be more to consider surrounding his return to action.

The five-star freshman was expected to step in and play a major role in his first year with the Trojans, despite being a full year younger than most freshmen in the same position. Arenas graduated a year early from Chatsworth High in order to reclassify into the 2025 class and join USC.

“We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger,” Musselman said.

Sean McVay has led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and six playoff appearances.

Now, as he prepares for his ninth season, the 39-year-old coach once again has a team regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The roster includes experience — quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering his 17th season — and young stars such as receiver Puka Nacua and edge rusher Jared Verse, the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year.

“I love the natural, just zest and the joy that this group has,” McVay said this week as players reported for training camp at Loyola Marymount.

After Stafford and the Rams agreed to terms on a contract adjustment last spring, general manager Les Snead provided McVay and Stafford with a bonus of sorts by signing receiver Davante Adams. The three-time All-Pro joins Nacua, receiver Tutu Atwell, running back Kyren Williams and tight ends Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson to give the offense multiple weapons.

Snead also signed center Coleman Shelton — a member of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team — and defensive lineman Poona Ford. Ford will bolster a front that includes Verse, edge rusher Byron Young and tackles Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, among others.

“We are stacked,” Williams said.

Which is not to say that McVay, Snead and the Rams do not have concerns.

Here are five issues to watch as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans:

Ever since she visited Los Angeles with her national team three years ago, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir knew she wanted to play in the National Women’s Soccer League one day.

When the opportunity to play for Angel City presented itself, Jónsdóttir was eager to join the league and play for new Angel City coach Alexander Straus.

“When Angel City came up, I was just really excited about it,” she said. “I know Alex. I played against him when he was at Bayern and so I knew he was a great coach.”

Three new players have joined Angel City (4-3-6) during the past few months, delivering an infusion talent for a team that sits in 11th place in the 14-team NWSL standings. The league’s top eight teams advance to the playoffs.

Jónsdóttir, a forward with Icelandic national team experience, signed with Angel City on May 21. After finishing her stint with Frauen-Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, Jónsdóttir joined her first Angel City practice on Tuesday afternoon.

Midfielder Evelyn Shores, who most recently played for the University of North Carolina, signed with Angel City on July 10. She has played for the U-23 U.S. women’s national team.

Goalkeeper Hannah Seabert, who was Sporting Clube de Portugal’s captain earlier this year, signed with Angel City on May 30 and has been training with the team for three weeks.

Seabert, a Riverside native and Pepperdine alum, spent most of her career playing abroad and wanted to return to the United States.

Angel City goalkeeper Hannah Seabert kicks the ball during a friendly against Bay FC on July 19 at PayPal Park in San Jose.

(Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“As soon as Angel City opened up several years back, I just knew it was a team I wanted to be a part of,” she said of the franchise that began play in 2023.

When Seabert’s contract with Sporting CP expired, she pursued her goal of joining Angel City.

“When I came and visited here a couple weeks ago, it felt like a home away from home,” she said. “The facilities are amazing and the girls were so welcoming. It just felt right when I came here.”

Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said the new players earned contracts because they aligned with the vision for the future of the club: winning.

“Who are the players that we believe represent where we’re going and can play for Angel City when we’re fighting for trophies,” Parsons said, referring to the question Angel City leaders asked before signing any new players.

While the new players present an infusion of fresh talent, Angel City also is benefiting from the return of a familiar face.

Forward Jun Endo, who tore her ACL in February 2024, played for the first time in 18 months during a friendly against Bay FC on Saturday. Endo was on the pitch for 30 minutes and scored the only goal of the game.

“If you’re missing a player like Jun Endo for as much time as Angel City has been missing her, of course it affects [the game] because you cannot replace a player like that,” said Straus, the team’s coach.

Angel City’s Jun Endo dribbles the ball during a friendly against Bay FC on July 19 at PayPal Park in San Jose.

(Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Straus said he expects Angel City to evolve and move closer to achieving its long-term championship goals with the new signees and Endo available to play.

Angel City, which is in the midst of an international break, plays a friendly Saturday against Carolina Ascent FC and resumes NWSL competition on Aug. 1 at Seattle Reign FC.

“Its not just about filling a roster,” Straus said. “We need quality. We need people who can make a difference for us and so we hope they will do this for us.

“We will be good now, but we will be better in January.”

WASHINGTON — Uproar over the Trump administration’s handling of files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continues to grip Washington, prompting the Justice Department on Tuesday to schedule an unusual meeting with Epstein’s top confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the House Oversight Committee to move to subpoena her testimony amid bipartisan calls for transparency in the case.

The renewed focus on Maxwell comes amid persistent questions over Trump’s years-long friendship with Epstein, the late and disgraced financier whose sprawling sex-trafficking ring victimized more than 200 women and girls.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for her role in perpetuating one of the most expansive sex-trafficking rings in modern U.S. history.

It is the first time the Justice Department has approached Maxwell’s counsel for a meeting, according to the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, who wrote in a statement that he would take the meeting himself “to ask: What do you know?”

“No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits,” said Blanche, formerly one of Trump’s personal attorneys.

And yet, Republicans and Democrats alike are expressing suspicion over the Justice Department’s moves, questioning whether its outreach to Maxwell could be an effort to cut a cooperation agreement with a figure holding unique insights on the president’s friendship with Epstein.

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, called Trump “the ultimate dealmaker” earlier this month, and said this week that Maxwell’s team is “grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”

“Ghislaine Maxwell is a federal prisoner right now. Obviously, she wants a pardon, so she will probably sing from whatever hymnal Donald Trump tells her to sing from,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN this week.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced a binding resolution that would compel the release of FBI files related to the Epstein investigation, drawing a rebuke from Trump on social media Tuesday. And Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), a longtime ally of the president, told reporters that he did not trust what the Justice Department was telling the public about the case.

“No, I don’t. I don’t. I don’t trust them,” he said. “I’m big on clarity and transparency, and that’s a good reason people don’t trust government in either party.”

Burchett motioned in the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday to have the panel proceed with a subpoena for Maxwell to appear for public testimony, a move that was adopted by voice vote.

But to prevent a bipartisan vote on releasing the files from moving on the House floor, House Speaker Mike Johnson planned to send the chamber home for summer recess a day early, telling reporters that there was no purpose in Congress pushing the administration “to do something they’re already doing.”

Epstein, a wealthy financier with a deep bench of powerful friends, died in a New York City prison in August 2019 facing federal charges over a child sex-trafficking conspiracy.

The New York City medical examiner and the inspector general of the Justice Department both ruled Epstein’s death was a suicide. But suspicions of conspiracy have surrounded his case and his untimely death due to his known association with some of the country’s most powerful men.

Photos of Trump, Epstein and Maxwell are widely available, and Trump has acknowledged their friendship in the past.

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with.”

“It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” he said. “No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sent a raunchy 50th birthday card to Epstein that included a sketch of a naked woman, featuring breasts and a squiggly “Donald” signature mimicking pubic hair. The sketch also included a note that read, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Maxwell compiled the album, according to the report.

Trump has begged and scolded his supporters to move on from the controversy, despite stoking conspiracies around the existence of a list of Epstein’s clients throughout the 2024 presidential election.

“I would say these files were made up by [former FBI Director James] Comey and [former President] Obama, made up by the Biden” administration, Trump now says, “and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.”

A fragile ceasefire in Syria’s mainly Druze city of Suwayda appears to be holding after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a new truce on Saturday following a week of fighting. Gov’t forces deployed to clear Bedouin fighters out of the governorate.

July 19 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants cease-fire negotiations with Russia next week and said he would be willing to meet directly and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian officials have proposed cease-fire negotiations next week, and Russian officials confirmed their receipt of the proposal for a high-level talk, CNN reported on Saturday.

“We need to do everything possible to achieve a cease-fire,” Zelensky told Ukrainians Saturday during his daily address.

“The Russian side must stop avoiding decisions regarding prisoner exchanges, the return of children and the cessation of killings,” Zelensky said.

“A meeting at the leadership level is essential to genuinely secure peace,” he added. “Ukraine is ready for such a meeting.”

That meeting could be between Putin and Zelensky, the BBC reported.

Ukraine’s call for cease-fire negotiations comes after Russia attacked 10 Ukrainian cities and other locales during the overnight hours from Friday into Saturday.

Russia launched more than 340 explosive drones and decoys and 35 ballistic missiles at targets in Ukraine, many of which the Ukrainian military said it intercepted.

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the United States will sell Patriot missile-defense systems to NATO, which will provide them to Ukraine.

Trump also threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Russia if Putin does not end its war against Ukraine within 50 days.

Russian and Ukrainian officials last met in Istanbul in early June, but that meeting ended quickly with no cease-fire agreement.

A meal in Tuscany’s Valdichiana. Plus, L.A.’s best new Armenian restaurant. Avner Levi’s cherry-topped hamachi crudo. The chicken Caesar wrap comeback. And the best wedding gifts for restaurant lovers. I’m Laurie Ochoa, general manager of L.A. Times Food, with this week’s Tasting Notes.

Something wild

Pasta with wild mint pesto made with walnuts and pine nuts at Massimo Giavannini’s Osteria La Vecchia Rota.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

Most of the time we travel to escape our everyday lives, to experience something new. But sometimes we travel to return to something familiar.

I’ve been returning to the same part of Italy, an Umbrian town where it’s easy to slip across the A1 into Tuscany, for more than 20 years. For many of those years I’ve made my way to Osteria La Vecchia Rota in Marciano della Chiana, a small fortress town between Arezzo and Siena.

Two things bring me back. Certainly, there is the food, intensely local pastas and roasted meats you are unlikely to find in any of the thousands of Italian restaurants that exist in the U.S.

And then there is the proprietor, Massimo Giavannini, who appears before you in a burgundy-red chef’s apron and matching chef’s hat that, in contrast to the stiff toques favored by classically trained French chefs, flops jauntily to the side — a sign of friendliness and approachability.

You can order from a printed menu, but most of the time, if he is not handling a rush of orders in the kitchen, Giavannini — who has called himself “the innkeeper with a passion for organic produce” — prefers to describe the dishes for you in his distinctive raspy voice. These are the moments you realize you have found yourself in the hands of a passionate cook, one who wants you to understand what is special about the ingredients that will go into your food.

“You know pesto,” he said on one visit, “but our grandmother and grandfather made another pesto. We make it with selvatica mint [or wild mint], good garlic, good oil, pine nuts and walnuts.”

He explains that the portulaca, or purslane, which sauces his tortelli, is critical to the region in summer — for people and for animals — “because inside the leaf it’s like water … it’s important for energy, to cool off.”

Of the black truffle-topped ricotta gnudi I always order, he says, “Ours are green because they are made with … “

He struggles with the English word and then smiles big when I ask, “nettles?”

“Yes!” he says. We have done this information exchange before and I love it every time. Often, I’ll learn something new, but mostly I like being in his now-familiar presence.

Gnudi made with nettles and topped with shaved black truffles at Massimo Giavannini’s Osteria La Vecchia Rota.

(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)

Of course, it was my late husband and this paper’s previous restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, who first brought me and our kids — and then our friends — to La Vecchia Rota thanks to his obsession with trying as many places in the guidebook Osterie d’Italia, put out by Italy’s Slow Food organization. I didn’t see it in this year’s guide, but at one point La Vecchia Rota — specializing, as its website says, in “the now-forgotten cuisine of the Valdichiana” — was awarded a “snail,” the guide’s highest ranking for restaurants that epitomize Slow Food’s cook-local ethos.

Last month, a big group of us gathered in the piazza outside the restaurant, where tables are set out in the summer for al fresco dinners. Plates of our favorite pastas were passed around, including one of hand-cut squares of dough sauced with pears and Pecorino cheese and another made with Tuscany’s big-bulbed garlic known as aglione di Valdichiana, then platters of chicken “made the way it used to be,” roast pork, onions cooked in the ashes of the wood-fired oven and some of the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

We may have been a group of outsiders with no actual roots in this land, but after being fed here by Giavannini year after year, this corner of Tuscany has started to feel a bit like home.

Freshly baked

A spread of dishes, including fresh-baked breads, stews and an omelet with basturma at Tun Lahmajo in Burbank.

(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)

Ever since I shared a meal with critic Bill Addison early in his research for this week’s review of Tun Lahmajo in Burbank, I haven’t stopped craving the Armenian restaurant’s many meaty and cheesy breads, stews and roasted potatoes hand-mashed at the table. Since then, I’ve tried to get other people to come try what Addison calls “L.A.’s best new Armenian restaurant” — in part because Tun Lahmajo serves dishes that go beyond the classic repertoire of charcoal-grilled meats and sides we’ve come to love in Southern California. I wasn’t always successful. Maybe now, with Addison’s official blessing on the place, I can persuade my friends to come along.

Red hot

The founders of Dave’s Hot Chicken work the line in their East Hollywood parking lot pop-up in 2017.

(Dave’s Hot Chicken)

“A trio of friends — all from L.A.’s Armenian community, and all high school dropouts — scraped together $900 in 2017 because they believed that their Nashville-style fried chicken stand was the future,” writes Food’s reporter Stephanie Breijo. “Now Dave’s Hot Chicken is worth $1 billion.”

Breijo describes how Arman Oganesyan, Tommy Rubenyan and Dave Kopushyan (a former line cook at Thomas Keller‘s now-closed Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills) went from an unpermitted pop-up in an East Hollywood parking lot to the central figures in “one of L.A.’s most astounding small-business success stories” after being acquired in June by private equity firm Roark Capital.

It’s a classic L.A. story — one more national fast-food chain born in Southern California. Of course, Dave’s is not the L.A. restaurant that popularized hot chicken in Southern California. That would be Howlin’ Ray’s started in 2015 by Johnny Ray Zone. He gives full credit to the Black cooks of Nashville, who started bringing the fire to fried chicken, especially the family behind Prince’s Hot Chicken, started in the 1930s by Thornton Prince after an angry lover tried to get her revenge on the philandering entrepreneur with an overdose of spice on his fried chicken. (The name of the woman who made that first fuming batch seems to have been lost to history.) Angelenos have access to the Prince legacy through Kim Prince, who partnered with Dulan’s on Crenshaw owner Greg Dulan to start the Dulanville Food Truck.

Back in 2020, columnist Jenn Harris made hot fried chicken with Prince and Zone for her Bucket List video series. It still makes good watching.

With a cherry on top

Cento Raw Bar chef Avner Levi prepared hamachi crudo with cherries and jalapeno in the L.A. Times Test Kitchen.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Cento Raw Bar has become one of L.A.’s hottest new restaurants of 2025. Its chef, Avner Levi, came to the Times Test Kitchen recently for our “Chef That!” video series to show us how he makes hamachi crudo, fresh jalapeños and an unusual but delicious addition of sweet cherries. Watch Levi break down half of a hamachi into two filets and then transform the fish into a perfect summer appetizer in this video. Then try the recipe for yourself. It’s a wonderful summer dish.

Closings

Shibumi chef David Schlosser prepares the mackerel dish shime saba in a style that originated over 250 years ago.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Reporter Lauren Ng talked with Shibumi chef-owner David Schlosser about his decision to close the Kappo omakase-style restaurant on Saturday. “In the end of 2023 to 2024, things really flattened out,” he said. “The staff is the same, the recipes were the same. The only thing that wasn’t the same was people just weren’t coming in.”

And in another loss for downtown L.A., Verve Coffee Roasters has closed its Spring Street location, the first shop it opened in Southern California. “Like many businesses in downtown L.A., we saw lasting changes in foot traffic patterns that deeply affected day-to-day operations,” a Verve spokesperson told Ng in an email. “The level of consistent foot traffic simply didn’t support what is needed to sustain the cafe in a high-overhead environment like downtown.” Its other L.A. locations remain open.

Chef Michael Mina‘s Mother Tongue in Hollywood has also closed, and Cabra, the Peruvian-inspired restaurant from Girl & the Goat chef Stephanie Izard at downtown L.A.’s Hoxton hotel is closing on July 31.

Also …

• Contributor Kelly Dobkin says the much-maligned and often soggy chicken Caesar wrap is making a comeback “with some much-needed upgrades.” In her guide to some of the best new-style and classic chicken Caesar wraps, she’s seeing better bread for the croutons (from Jyan Isaac Bread at Dialog Cafe and Alfalfa), better wrap choices (grilled Mejorado flour tortillas at Ggiata) and sometimes changing up the croutons themselves (falafel croutons cooked in beef tallow at Mini Kabob and tortilla chips instead of croutons plus cotija cheese instead of Parmesan at Casa Vega).
• “I love it when you call me Big Salad.” Carolynn Carreño defends the California big salad … with recipes.
• Could this be the start of a wedding gift trend? Jenn Harris tells the story of Liv Dansky and Jeffrey Rosenthal, a couple who skipped the usual wedding registry requests and asked for gift cards to L.A. restaurants instead of an Instant Pot or even honeymoon contributions. Dansky was new to L.A. so when their guests came through with gift cards for restaurants all over the city — including Musso & Frank, Bavel, Osteria Mozza, Playa Provisions, République and Pink’s Hot Dogs — they started exploring the city through food and fell in love with their new home. “I lived in a lot of cool places, but in L.A., anything you want is accessible,” Dansky says. “On the weekends, we can spend the entire day running around, eating and exploring new neighborhoods. It’s the best way to get to know a city.”

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Rebecca Ellis, with an assist from Julia Wick and Noah Goldberg, giving you the latest on city and county government.

The ‘five little queens’ of L.A. County agree: accidentally wiping out a ballot measure is not a good look.

It’s a “bureaucratic disaster,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said this week of the revelation that voters had wiped out the promise of hundreds of millions toward services that keep people out of jail. That snafu happened when voters approved her completely unrelated ballot measure in November to change the county’s form of government.

It’s clear, the supervisors say, someone messed up badly. But who?

The bureaucratic whodunit has confounded county observers — even those who once were creatures of the county themselves.

“I just can’t figure it out,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former longtime county supervisor. “The charter amendment just disappeared. I just don’t know how that happened, mechanically.”

The mistake, it seems, began with the county’s executive office, which supports the five politicians with the less glamorous, administrative parts of the job — preparing meeting agendas and guiding the board through marathon Tuesday meetings.

One of the lesser-known job requirements: updating the county charter — think of it like the county’s constitution — when voters make changes at the ballot box. To do that, the executive office is supposed to submit the change to Municode, the online vendor hosting the county’s charter, when the measure passes.

That didn’t happen.

In 2020, voters approved Measure J, enshrining the promise of hundreds of millions toward services that keep people out of jail in the charter. Only the language was never actually added to the official charter document.

Executive Officer Edward Yen, who was sworn into the top job last year, told his bosses Tuesday that the office was cleaning up its act.

“This failure of this magnitude is the reason why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he said at the Tuesday board meeting, noting he’d found his office’s policies “limited and lacking” when he came on the job.

Celia Zavala, the former executive officer who retired in January 2024 after more than three decades with the county, couldn’t be reached for comment.

The executive office called its role “purely ministerial” when it came to charter amendments and said it was working closely with the lawyers to make sure future changes were “accurately and promptly reflected in the charter.”

It was sloppy governance, but — until recently — it didn’t really matter. Voters approved the measure, so it was, legally speaking, part of the county’s governing document, even if you couldn’t open up the charter and see it.

But when a majority of county supervisors decided they wanted to revamp the county government last year, the outdated document became a real problem.

County counsel had their marching orders: They were to create a ballot measure, known as Measure G, that would overhaul the county government, expanding the five-person board of elected supervisors to nine and bringing on a new elected executive, who would act almost as a mayor of the county.

That’s how it works, says Yaroslavsky. A supervisor has the vision. The lawyers create a ballot measure that makes it a reality.

“They put it into the secret language of legalese that none of us understand. And it wasn’t like we took a magnifying glass to it,” said Yaroslavsky, who sponsored a ballot measure in 2002 to raise money for the county’s trauma care network. “I don’t think I had any lawyers on my staff at the time — and certainly not legislative experts. So, I mean, you have to rely on your lawyers.”

To change the county government, county lawyers wrote a ballot measure that would repeal most of a section of the charter — called Article III — in 2028. That section details the powers of the board — and, most consequentially, includes the requirement from Measure J that the board funnel hundreds of millions toward anti-incarceration services.

County lawyers rewrote that chunk of the charter with the new changes the board wanted to make to the county’s form of government — but left out the anti-incarceration funding.

So when voters approved Measure G, they unwittingly repealed Measure J.

The county counsel, led by Dawyn Harrison, said in a statement last week that the fault lies with a “prior Executive Officer administration.” The charter wasn’t updated, so they were left in the dark about what they needed to include in the new version.

But some say the county lawyers — who drafted both ballot measures and therefore were presumably familiar with that part of charter— share some of the responsibility.

“It is an inexcusable administrative failing of the County’s Executive Office and Counsel,” Supervisor Holly Mitchell said last week.

“It’s just amazing that you wouldn’t recall that you had Measure J,” said John Fasana, the former Duarte City Council member who first spotted the mistake.

County counsel said in a statement that it was unrealistic. They were going off of what was posted on the online charter, which they said they’re expected to treat “as the governing law.”

“The idea that county attorneys should have ‘just known’ a provision was missing assumes we memorize every law ever passed,” county counsel said in a statement. “That’s not how the law works, and it couldn’t function if we did.”

Derek Hsieh, head of the sheriff‘s deputy union that opposed both ballot measures, says the buck stops at the top.

“The responsibility for this is with Los Angeles County supervisors. They are in charge, they take responsibility,” said Hsieh, underscoring one didn’t need to have had a law degree to figure this out.

“And by the way, John Fasana’s not a lawyer,” he said.

State of play

— MEASURE J(K): County supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to ask their lawyers to find a way to bring back Measure J. The county says it’s looking at multiple options to try to get the measure permanently back in the charter including a change in state law, a court judgment or a ballot measure for 2026.

— A HELPING HAND: County officials say a cash fund for families financially reeling from federal immigration raids will be stood up within a month. It’s not clear yet who will be eligible or how much a family could expect to collect.

— HOMELESSNESS HOPE: For the second straight year, the city and county saw declines in the number of homeless people. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the county dropped 4% in 2025, including a 10% decrease in people living on the street, according to the county’s annual point-in-time homeless count.

— TRUMP BASH: A day after the Pentagon ordered the withdrawal of half the National Guard troops deployed in L.A., Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference in Downey to criticize the president for wasting hundreds of millions of dollars to appear “tough” by punishing immigrants.

— PALISADES PERSPECTIVE: Mayor Karen Bass’ political image was badly bruised in the wake of the fires, but she has compensated amid a string of historically good headlines in recent days. However, six months after the fires, she still faces some harsh critics in the Palisades, where the devastation is still palpable.

— TRAGEDY WHILE TRAINING: Three deputies were killed on Friday in an explosion at the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Training Center in East L.A. The agency has a history of dangerous incidents at its training facilities, with at least four fires at its mobile shooting ranges in the last 12 years.

— ICE IN JAIL: The sheriff’s department has resumed transferring jail inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the first time in years. Eight inmates were released to ICE in May and a dozen more in June. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he has “no choice” in the matter. He said the department must follow federal judicial warrants seeking the transfer of inmates in its county jails.

— COSTLY CROSSWALK: A jury decided this week that the city must pay nearly $50 million to a man who has been in a coma since he was hit by a sanitation truck while crossing a street in Encino. The verdict comes as the city continues to struggle with escalating legal liability payouts.

— MOUNTING LIABILITY: The county’s no stranger to big payouts either. The supervisors approved a $14-million settlement this week to Alexander Torres, who spent more than 20 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit.

QUICK HITS

• On the docket for next week: The L.A. City Charter Reform Commission will be meeting today at 11 a.m. at Cal State Northridge.
• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s office conducted a citywide response effort this week, bringing more than 65 Angelenos inside from Echo Park, Hollywood, South L.A., Baldwin Hills, Canoga Park, Reseda, North Hills, Westlake and the Miracle Mile (Council Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13).

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Forget MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode, Jessica Boulton’s ruthless rundown of the showbiz week reveals the EIGHT stories you should be talking about instead….. including the only cancelled BBC star who actually deserves our tears

Jessica Boulton works on the Mirror’s features desk, specialising in celebrity features and interviews. She also writes a weekly observational comedy column Jess Saying, which runs each Saturday. In addition, she oversees the entertainment pages, helps co-ordinate the Pride of Britain coverage and newsletter and guest edits The Diary. Jessica joined The Mirror’s sister paper The People in 2006, and has since worked on the Sunday Mirror and Now magazine. Most likely to be found raving about The Oscars, BAFTAs, Netflix, Friends or Star Wars.

Daily Mirror Columnist Jessica Boulton brings you Jess Saying, her wry, witty and slightly whimsical take on the heroes and villains, winners and losers and the outright outrageous showbiz shenanigans keeping us amused this week. So….where better to start than….

JUSTICE FOR BBC ICON MONDAY

I’ve always considered myself to be woke. I’m left-wing, open-minded and look good in red (in the UK, definitely not in the US). I’d fully support trigger warnings on Bambi and The Lion King. And I’d argue there should be one on Titanic (for “scenes of disturbing door hoggery”). But this week I’m afraid to say, even I think the woke world has gone too far. For a true BBC icon has ­outrageously and undeservedly been cancelled. It’s a sad, sad state of affairs after 30 years of excellence. But it’s a sign of the times: one day everyone loves you and the next…you’re persona non grata, written off as a bad fit for the Gen Zs of today (who don’t watch TV anyway, so why are we pandering?). So which iconic BBC veteran has been tragically stripped of work this week? Clue: they first appeared in 1995 – and won millions of fans overnight. Yes, you’ve guessed it. There’s only one BBC star I’m weeping for: Mr Darcy. Well, his Wet White Shirt, to be precise.

For three decades, the sterling performance of Colin Firth’s infamous Pride and Prejudice shirt has never been equalled. But its outstanding contribution to entertainment has now been called into question – over fears it’s been objectifying men. Yup. It’s true. Some buttoned-up bores at Netflix are currently debating what’ll make the cut and what won’t in their upcoming P&P remake.

READ MORE: MasterChef bosses decide BBC show fate for coming years after show scandal

Considering Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden is the new Darcy (alongside The Crown’s Emma Corrin as Lizzie Bennet), I was FERVENTLY in support of the decision to completely remove the Wet White Shirt, at first.

But then I realised I’d got the wrong end of the stick…I’m only teasing of course. But I do have two little points I’d like to flag to people’s attention:

POINT 1. What else would Netflix need to change to fit a more ‘2025-friendly’ adaptation? Jane’s famous first line definitely loses a certain something after my woke rewrite:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged – but not necessarily accepted as we each have our ‘own truth’ – that a single man, sorry, dependent-free gender-neutral individual, in possession of a ‘good fortune’ (aka, a disproportionate amount of wealth thanks to genetic privilege and the unjust dominance of patriarchy), must be – although is under no obligation to be and will face no ­judgment if they are not – in want of a wife…..or a loving relationship that equally fulfils the needs of both you and your consenting partner/partners, but does not necessarily adhere to any ­societal expectations.”

And POINT 2: ……Season 2, Episode 5 of NETFLIX’S Bridgerton. Look familiar, guys?

NAKED AMBITION TUESDAY

The Primetime Emmy nominations are finally in! Adolescence was the UK’s biggest contender this year – with nods including Best Actor for Stephen Graham and Best Supporting for 15-year-old Owen Cooper (I’d argue it should be reversed).

Meanwhile, leading the way with a mindblowing 27 noms was Apple’s truly genius Severance – a drama in which people clock off at 5pm and all memory of work from that day is completely wiped. (You can decide for yourselves if that’s a good thing or not.)

The most delightful Emmy news of all? Nobody Wants This, with my all-time celeb faves Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, landed nods for best comedy series, actor and actress. It was an achievement ­Kristen’s hubby Dax Shepard immediately celebrated with this pic – of Kristen’s naked yoga workout.

I’m not married, so maybe I’m wrong… But should Dax really have gone so very public with his congratulations? A great big bear bare hug may have been the better choice.

END OF TORODE WEDNESDAY

Talking of draaaaaama and cancellations… it was all going off the boil at MasterChef this week. Just days after Gregg Wallace was given the heave-ho after vowing to fight the dozens of allegations against him, his co-star John Torode was ALSO left with egg on his face. Torode was accused of making a racial slur – said to be “the worst word possible” – in a social setting some years ago. Torode denied it. But it left Auntie with a sour taste, so he was sent packing with a P45 as well.

The poor BBC now has an entire as-yet-unreleased pre-recorded series of MasterChef with not one but TWO disgraced hosts. That’s got to be tough to swallow. It also explains the reasoning behind one of its latest new hires. For even wholesome Blue Peter has had its share of scandalous stars…

So when faced with finding its latest prestigious presenter, the Beeb hired someone who’s been nothing but a safe pair of hands their whole career. Some might even go as far to say he’s the perfect ­corporate puppet.….(see below).

FISHING FOR INSULTS? THURSDAY

Gregg and John might be in for a grilling over their alleged behaviour, but another under-fire celeb, Sacha Baron Cohen, was probably feeling a little, um, roasted this week. Yes, his actress ex-wife Isla Fisher has not had the most amicable of splits with Da Ali G and Borat actor. So some social media users took her quip on Instagram to be a tiny dig at his expense (literally). The Confessions Of A Shopaholic star wrote: “For all the men who say ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’, here’s an update for you. “Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why?

“Because women realise it’s not worth buying an entire pig… just to get a little sausage.” No porkies there! I’d rather bring home the bacon alone than be stuck with a man who’s the literal wurst. So, bravo, Isla! That took proper chops.

FACING FACTS FRIDAY

You can’t make this one up. And to be fair, whatever you say about Katie Price, at least she can take the mickey out of herself. Which is why she’s made a startling admission this week. Apparently Katie was ­travelling and got pulled over by ­security at passport control – because she’s had so many trips under the knife, the scanners couldn’t recognise her passport photo. Yes, Katie might have been accused of being two-faced in the past, but, as she’ll admit herself, she’s been through at least 10 of them now. On the upside, it’s something to add to her CV next time she’s bankrupt. After all, everyone wants their staff to multi-faceted nowadays.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

She’s always been a woman with Klass. So it’s good to see Myleene hasn’t let her newly-award MBE go to her head. Ahem.

Yes, Myleene was presented the honour this week after her tireless charity work, including raising the awareness of the emotional toll of miscarriage. But it looks like the Hear’Say singer might be taking the honour a little too literally.

For the morning after receiving the medal – alongside fellow honouree Leona Lewis OBE – Myleene posted this bathtime snap.

Umm….It looks like you’ve got a little something in your hair, Myleene. To be fair, it could have been worse. She could have posted a snap of her in her tiara….sitting on the throne.

JESS A QUICKIE:

Myleene’s not the only one having some bathroom fun. Charlotte Crosby decided to promote her new fiction tome by sitting in a bath of books. It makes sense: she’s always swimming with novel ideas.* *Sorry I couldn’t help myself

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or via IG/X @JessicaBoulton

Watch Stranger Things on Netflix for free with Sky

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from £15

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things.

There’s plenty of dramas in store this week, with Lauren Lyle reprising her role as Karen Pirie on ITV and Keeley Hawes fronting a new show on Amazon Prime. Get the lowdown.

Drama is all the rage this week on the box, with a string of new shows guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

For starters, BBC2 is airing a gripping show, Unforgivable, set to explore the impact of abuse with a star-studded cast. On ITV, Outlander star Lauren Lyle returns to Karen Pirie, ready to face a new cold case on-screen.

Amazon Prime, on the other hand, is gearing up for some gritty scenes with The Assassin, starring Keeley Hawes and The Good Doctor’s Freddie Highmore.

And while there’s plenty more on streaming platforms, Sky viewers will soon wave goodbye to one of their all-time favourite series as Shemar Moore fronts SWAT for the last time.

READ MORE: Get 30% off menopause supplements for bloating women ‘wish they’d found sooner’

Lip Reading the Royals: The Secret Conversations

Saturday, 5

Ever wondered what Prince William whispers to his wife, Kate Middleton, during royal events? Lip Reading the Royals: The Secret Conversations reveals the monarchy’s most private exchanges, caught on camera at weddings, funerals and formal occasions.

With expert lip reading and royal insiders on hand, this eye-opening documentary decodes the hidden dialogue of the royal family – from knowing glances to tense exchanges – offering a rare glimpse behind palace walls. It’s the Crown, unfiltered.

Krays: London’s Gangsters

Saturday, Prime Video

Forget the movie mythos, this two-part documentary unpacks the real Reggie and Ronnie Kray. Featuring never-heard-before recordings from the brothers in prison, this film digs deep into the psychological bond that kept London’s East End crime lords together.

Through expert insights and interviews, this series explores their brutal reign, their unwavering loyalty and descent into popularity. Shedding the Hollywood sheen, this is the raw and unfiltered truth behind Britain’s most renowned gangsters.

SWAT

Sunday, Sky

Shemar Moore leads SWAT into its explosive eighth and final season as Hondo confronts his most personal mission yet. When a school bus carrying students and his former football coach disappears, the team races against the clock.

Meanwhile, tension mounts with new recruit Devin Gamble, whose criminal family ties raise serious red flags. Balancing action-packed sequences with emotional stakes, this season promises high-risk takedowns, moral dilemmas, and a powerful send-off for the elite unit that’s kept L.A safe for seven years.

The Veil

Sunday, C4

Elisabeth Moss trades Gilead for global espionage in this gripping thriller series. She stars as MI6 agent Imogen Salter, tasked with uncovering the truth behind Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan), a woman suspected of orchestrating a deadly terrorist plot.

As secrets mount and loyalties blur, both women engage in a psychological game of chess spanning Paris, Istanbul and London. It’s tense, atmospheric and rich in twists, exploring trust and the veil between fact and fabrication.

Karen Pirie

Sunday, ITV

Lauren Lyle is back as cold case specialist DI Karen Pirie in this gripping adaptation of Val McDermid’s A Darker Domain. The second season tackles the 1984 kidnapping of heiress Catriona Grant and her toddler son Adam.

Their disappearance has rattled Scotland but when a body and Catriona’s car keys resurface in a remote quarry, Karen must untangle a web of secrets, betrayal and hidden romances. With its dual-timeline and Karen’s razor-sharp wit, there’s more deadpan banter, bold deductions and emotionally charged revelations.

Mandy

Monday, BBC2

Diane Morgan dons the leopard print as Mandy Carter in the fourth season of the gloriously daft BBC comedy. This time, the loveable oddball finds herself in increasingly surreal misadventures and bizarre job trials. But don’t expect her to learn anything new – she’s still up to her old tricks.

Every episode is short and savage and packs absurdist laughs and deadpan brilliance, keeping the cult following firmly on board. There’s plenty of chaos in store for Mandy but in her world, disaster is always part of the plan.

Cold Case Forensics: The Cheesewire Killer

Monday, 5

George Murdoch’s brutal 1983 murder – committed with a cheesewire has haunted Aberdeen for decades. Now, this gripping forensic documentary reopens the chilling case with cutting-edge analysis and fresh leads.

Presented by Kirsty Ward and narrated by Unforgotten’s Nicola Walker, the film retraces the night of the crime, the botched early investigation and what new DNA technology might uncover. With emotional interviews, and detailed insights, this show explores whether justice for George is finally within reach.

Critical: Between Life and Death

Wednesday, Netflix

From the producers of 24 Hours in A&E, this Netflix docuseries offers unprecedented access to London’s Major Trauma System. Cameras follow paramedics, surgeons, nurses and patients across four hospitals – St George’s, Royal Londo, St Mary’s and King’s College – as they tackle life-and-death emergencies.

Shot in real time, Critical: Between Life and Death delivers raw and unfiltered moments from the frontline. Brace yourselves for harrowing injuries, emotional recoveries and the incredible teamwork that keeps Brits alive against the odds.

Acapulco

Wednesday, Apple TV

The sun-drenched dramedy Acapulco returns for its fourth and final season as Maximo Gallardo faces the past – and the future. In 1986, young Maximo (Enrique Arrizon) tries to reclaim the top hotel title after a shock defeat.

Meanwhile, present-day Maximo (Eugenio Derbez) works tirelessly to revive Las Colinas before its grand reopening. Acapulco’s final chapter wraps up loose ends with heart, humour and the show’s trademark neon charm. Expect generational reflections and heartfelt growth for this last dip in Acapulco’s glamorous poolside chaos.

Mr Bigstuff

Thursday, Sky

Danny Dyer is back as loudmouth Lee in Mr Bigstuff’s second season, fresh off a 2025 TV BAFTA win for his performance in the bonkers Sky comedy.

This time, family drama ramps up when Lee and younger brother Glen (Ryan Sampson) discover their supposedly dead father may still be alive.

But as tensions rise between them – and with Glen’s fiancee Kirsty (Harriet Webb) keeping huge secrets – old wounds reopen. Guest stars include Fatiha El-Ghorri and EastEnders icon Linda Henry. With brawls, breakdowns and belly laughs, season two dives deeper into dysfunction with twisted humour and heartfelt honesty.

Unforgivable

Thursday, BBC2

Jimmy McGovern delivers a gripping new BBC Two drama with Unforgivable, where he delves deep into the emotional wreckage left by grooming and abuse within a working-class family.

Anna Friel leads the cast as Anna McKinney, a mother desperately trying to keep her family together, while Bobby Schofield plays Joe – a man sent to rehabilitation after his release from prison, seeking redemption with help from a former nun (Anna Maxwell Martin). It’s gut-punch storytelling at its finest.

Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain

Thursday, ITV

Tom Kerridge swaps British classics for Iberian delights in this six-part travelogue series. Journeying through Spain’s most flavour-packed regions, Tom samples all kinds of delicacies – from sherry vinegar aged since 1896 in Andalusia to anchovies in Santoña and explores seafood culture in Valencia.

Made in partnership with M&S’ Farm to Foodhall campaign, this series offers rich local insight, culinary history and vibrant visuals. Expect a mouth-watering tour of tapas, tradition and technique, filled with Tom’s trademark warmth and love of food. You won’t want to miss a bite.

A Normal Woman

Thursday, Netflix

Marissa Anita commands the screen in this taut, psychological Indonesian drama where she plays Milla – a privileged housewife on the brink of madness after convincing herself she’s contracted a mysterious and incurable illness.

Her body feels alien, her family’s dismissive and, soon enough, reality starts to blur. As her seemingly perfect life teeters on the edge, Milla has to confront uncomfortable truths or cling on to delusion. Dark and unflinching, A Normal Woman explores identity, repression and the cost of being believed.

The Assassin

Friday, Amazon Prime

Keeley Hawes stars as Julie, a retired hitwoman whose peaceful life in Greece is upended when her estranged son Edward (Freddie Highmore) arrives – unearthing secrets that put both of their lives at risk. When enemies from Julie’s shadowy past surface, the duo are forced to collaborate for survival.

Created by Harry and Jack Williams (The Tourist), this six-part thriller blends emotional depth, covert manipulations and sun-soaked suspense. Expect sharp twists, explosive action and a gripping exploration of legacy, family and redemption.

Whitstable Pearl

Friday, U&Alibi

Kerry Godliman returns as Pearl Nolan, the food-loving, crime-solving seaside sleuth in Whitstable Pearl’s third season. In six new episodes, Pearl balances running her restaurant with investigating a string of mysterious deaths across Kent’s coastal community.

With DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) complicating things both professionally and personally, Pearl finds herself in deeper waters than ever.

Get ready for local secrets and emotional tension as the amateur detective tackles love, loss and layered cases in this quietly compelling Brit drama.

Here We Go

Friday, BBC2

The Jessops are back for the third season of Here We Go – and they’re just as chaotic as ever. This time, the lovable family faces everything from disastrous holidays to awkward jobs – even baby bombshells – all with their usual mix of mishaps and mayhem.

Created by Tom Basden and starring Jim Howick and Katherine Parkinson, the hit BBC comedy continues to capture the hilarious ups and downs of everyday life. Expect more laughs, heart and more family m havoc.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Ken Burns has made more than 30 documentaries and won multiple Emmys.

But without funding from public television, his educational programming such as “The Civil War” and “Baseball” might never have existed, he told “PBS News Hour” in an interview Thursday.

Even today, the acclaimed filmmaker whose works — including his upcoming project “The American Revolution” — are broadcast on PBS, said his films get around 20% of their budgets from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the body Congress recently voted to defund.

Projects that receive a higher percentage of their funding through public media “just won’t be able to be made,” Burns said. “And so there’ll be less representation by all the different kinds of filmmakers. People coming up will have an impossible time getting started.”

The U.S. Senate this week passed the Trump administration’s proposal to cancel $9 billion in federal funding previously allocated for foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the House of Representatives approved the package after midnight Friday, sending it to President Trump’s desk.

The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which administers the funds for NPR radio stations and PBS TV affiliates, is on track to lose $1.1 billion that had previously been budgeted for the next two years.

The impact of those cuts will be deeply felt across both NPR and PBS, leaders of both organizations told The Times. Layoffs and reduced programming are expected, and the blows will disproportionately strike smaller markets that rely more heavily on federal funding.

“This is going to hit hardest in the places that need it the most,” said Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Stations in smaller markets are staffed significantly less than stations in larger cities, often because of the disparity in funding. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting acted as “the great equalizer,” Kahn said, padding the budgets of smaller stations so they could continue operating.

“It’s just going to be increasingly lonely out there as these voices, who were of the community and generally very well trusted, are going to disappear,” Kahn said. “Because within a year, you’re not going to be able to hear these things on the radio anymore in a lot of places.”

The cuts fulfill a longtime dream of conservatives and libertarians, who bristle at the notion of public funds supporting media organizations, especially ones they view as left-leaning. Republicans have for decades called for cuts to public broadcasting because of their perceived liberal slant of its programming.

Trump has called NPR and PBS government-funded “left-wing propaganda.”

But several prominent voices in media and politics were quick to call attention to the harm the cuts will have, especially on communities where the local stations rely heavily on federal funding.

“A PBS station is really like the public library. It’s one of those important institutions that may be the only place where people have access to local news,” Burns said. “There’s a kind of sense of local accountability, and as news becomes nationalized and even internationalized, there’s a loss there.”

PBS President Paula Kerger expressed similar concerns.

“Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,” Kerger said in a statement Thursday.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of two Senate Republicans to vote against the package, said she strongly opposes the cuts to public media in a statement after the vote. She referenced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Alaska this week that triggered a tsunami warning as an example of the public service stations provide.

“My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting — and, over time, closing down — local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts and educational programming in Alaska and across the country.”

A devastating blow to SoCal stations

Public media outlets in Southern California’s urban areas, which can turn to wealthy locals for donations, are less dependent on federal funding than stations in smaller markets. But they will still feel an immediate loss.

Washington, D.C.-based NPR has two major affiliates serving the Los Angeles area: LAist, or KPCC-FM (89.3), and KCRW-FM (89.9).

LAist, based in Pasadena, was set to receive $1.7 million, about 4% of its annual budget. Alejandra Santamaria, president and chief executive of LAist, said the money is equivalent to 13 journalist positions at the local news operation. KCRW in Santa Monica was expecting $264,000 from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting.

PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, is facing a loss of $4.3 million in federal funding, according to Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations.

Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR Public Media in San Bernardino, which operates PBS and NPR affiliates, said earlier this week that the Senate action will mean losing $540,000, about 6% of its operating budget. Thus, she has to consider cutting five positions on an already lean staff.

Kahn, the USC professor who is also the publisher and editor of Crosstown L.A., a nonprofit newsroom focused on local reporting and data journalism, said the cuts could have unintended consequences for Trump’s own voters.

“The irony, of course, is that these are areas that generally support Trump with high margins, and they’re are also areas that have the greatest allegiance to their local public radio station,” he said.

Artists are formed by the spaces they spend time in — and in the case of countless Los Angeles artists, writers and musicians, that place was the city’s oldest restaurant and bar, Cole’s French Dip, which is slated to close on Aug. 2.

Founded in 1908 by Harry Cole in downtown’s historic Pacific Electric building, then the city’s primary railway transit hub, the legendary public house is credited with inventing the French dip sandwich after its chef dipped bread in au jus to soften it for a patron who had trouble chewing. (Note: Philippe the Original in Chinatown takes issue with this story, claiming full credit for the juicy culinary delight.)

The possibility of an apocryphal legend aside, Cole’s went on to become one of the very best bars in the area, attracting a solidly blue-collar crowd over the years, including the notoriously ribald, drunken poet Charles Bukowski. The restroom even sported a placard that read, “Charles Bukowski pissed here,” an unflinchingly literal claim to fame frequently mentioned in self-guided tours of literary L.A. (Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood has a less off-color plaque at its bar in reference to Jim Morrison, who allegedly relieved himself on the spot without heading for the urinals.)

I like to think of Bukowski with a beer and a shot of whiskey in front of him, scribbling away on a napkin at the bar in Cole’s. I’ve done the same over the years, having discovered the bar in 1999 when I first moved to Los Angeles. Downtown was not on the up-and-up in those days, and Cole’s had fallen on hard times but was still beloved.

Cole’s French Dip in 1996.

(Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)

My rock band played a few shows in its back room, and I fell in love with what was at the time a true dive bar — a place where the occasional unhoused patron spent his Social Security check alongside a smattering of unknown, paint-spattered artists who stopped by from nearby studios. I remember meeting a musician there one night who invited me and a friend to his 6th Street loft and showed me literally thousands of records stacked like a maze throughout the space, so high that you couldn’t see over them, so many that I wondered if he had space to sleep.

Cole’s was that kind of bar — a refuge for artists and misfits, a place that didn’t care what your story was as long as you had a good one.

The last time I went to Cole’s before downtown bar magnate Cedd Moses (artist Ed Moses’ son) bought it and restored it to its early 20th century glory, a rat ran over my foot as I sat at a torn, tufted banquette. I love a good dive (my husband proposed to me at the now-shuttered Brown Jug in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District), but that was a bridge too far, even for me.

Moses has long had a deep affinity for dive bars and, in the aughts, went about transforming and resurrecting a number of spaces in downtown L.A., including Cole’s, in ways that stayed true to their historic integrity. His 213 Nightlife Group (now called Pouring With Heart), was integral to downtown’s prepandemic boom.

That downtown is once again suffering from the kind of trouble and malaise that beset it in the ’80s and ’90s should be cause for great concern. On the bright side, it’s times like these when artists can again afford to move in. Maybe they can rally to save Cole’s.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, warning you that there is now often a line to get into Cole’s, but encouraging you to go anyway. Paying your respects to the classic institution is worth the wait. Bring a good book and a sketch pad.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.”

(Andrew Cooper / Miramax Films)

‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’
Quentin Tarantino presents rare screenings of the complete version of his four-hour martial arts epic that brought together “Vol. 1” and “Vol. 2,” with additional flourishes. Uma Thurman stars as the Bride in a quest for revenge against the title character (David Carradine) and his band of assassins (Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen). Added flair: It’s the filmmaker’s personal 35 mm print screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, so it has French subtitles.
Friday-Tuesday, Thursday-July 28. Vista Theater, 4473 Sunset Drive. vistatheaterhollywood.com

Artemisia Gentileschi in Naples
Curator Davide Gasparotto discussses the Italian artist’s work from the period she spent in Naples beginning in 1630. Gentileschi quickly became one of the most in-demand painters in the region, and Gasparotto illustrates the large-scale works, including the newly restored “Hercules and Omphale,” she completed during this time.
2 p.m. Saturday. J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu

George Strait performing in 2021.

(Jack Plunkett / Invision / AP)

George Strait
Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town join the country legend on this stadium tour in support of his latest album, “Cowboys and Dreamers.”
5:45 p.m. Saturday. SoFi Stadium, 1001 S. Stadium Drive, Inglewood. sofistadium.com

TaikoProject
The L.A.-based taiko drumming group marks its 25th anniversary with a one-night-only concert featuring its innovative percussion work, plus guests including the Grammy-winning Latinx group Quetzal and multi-instrument soloist Sumie Kaneko, performing vocals, on the koto and the shamisen.
7 p.m. Saturday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. musiccenter.org

‘Bye Bye Tiberias’
Filmmaker Lina Soualem portrays four generations of Arab women, including her mother, actor Hiam Abbass, who carry the burden of history within them and deal with an evolving meaning of home. Preceded by a 1988 short, “Measures of Distance,” in which filmmaker Mona Hatoum combines letters from her mother in war-torn Beirut with layered images and voice to question stereotypes of Arab womanhood. Both films are part of the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s series “(Dis)placement: Fluctuations of Home.”
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Billy Wilder Theater, UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu

DeJuan Chirstopher and Kacie Rogers in the play “Berta, Berta.”

(Makela Yepez Photography)

‘Berta, Berta’
Andi Chapman directs the West Coast premiere of Angelica Chéri’s love story about a Black man seeking redemption in 1920s Mississippi. DeJuan Christopher and Kacie Rogers (“Furlough’s Paradise” at the Geffen) star.
July 19-Aug. 25; 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays; 4 p.m. Sundays. The Echo Theater Company. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. echotheatercompany.com

Catherine Hurlin as Giselle and Daniel Camargo as Albrecht in an American Ballet Theatre production of “Giselle.”

(Rosalie O’Connor)

Giselle
American Ballet Theatre dances this romantic tale set in the Rhineland forests where betrayal, revenge and forgiveness play out. With the Pacific Symphony.
7:30 p.m. Thursday and July 25; 2 and 7:30 p.m. July 26; 1 p.m. July 27. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org

The SoCal scene

Conductor Thomas Sondergard, left, applauds solo pianist Kirill Gerstein on opening night of the L.A Phil at the Hollywood Bowl on July 8, 2025.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic opened its 103rd season at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this month, and all was not well, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed, noting low attendance, the cancellation of highly anticipated shows featuring Gustavo Dudamel with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and a general edginess that has taken root in the city since the intensive ICE raids began.

“‘A Beautiful Noise’ is a jukebox musical that understands the assignment,” begins Times theater critic Charles McNulty’s review of the show playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through July 27. Anyone familiar with McNulty’s taste knows this is high praise coming from a critic who often doesn’t take a shine to the genre. This musical gets a pass because it exists simply to pay tribute to Neil Diamond’s beloved catalog with “glorious” singing of “American pop gold.” Former American Idol winner Nick Fradiani delivers a “thrilling vocal performance,” McNulty notes.

The New Hollywood String Quartet celebrated its 25th anniversary with a four-day festival at the Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall, and Swed was there to capture the scene. The festivities conjured the magic of the legendary studio musicians who first formed the quartet in the late 1930s. Classical music fans and lovers of cinematic scores didn’t always see eye to eye, but it was Hollywood that “produced the first notable American string quartet,” Swed writes.

McNulty also reviewed two shows in Theatricum Botanicum’s outdoor season: “The Seagull: Malibu” and “Strife,” both of which are reimagined in the American past. Ellen Geer directed the former, setting Chekhov’s play in the beach city of Malibu during the 1970s. Geer co-directs John Galsworthy’s 1909 social drama alongside Willow Geer — moving the action from the border of England and Wales to Pennsylvania in the 1890s. The plays are ambitious, if uneven, writes McNulty.

Culture news

Attendees surround the stage area where singer-musician Abraham Alexander is performing with his band at KCRW’s summer nights event at the Hammer Museum.

(Kailyn Brown / Los Angeles Times)

The Hammer Museum is back with its annual summer concert series, which is free as always. There are two upcoming shows: Very Be Careful with Healing Gems and DJ Eléanora, July 31; and Open Mike Eagle with Jordan Patterson and J.Rocc, Aug. 19.

Ann Philbin, former director and current director emeritus of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, was named this year’s Getty Prize recipient. She chose to donate its accompanying, pay-it-forward $500,000 grant to NPR and its Los Angeles member stations, KCRW and LAist.

The “Jesus Christ Superstar” casting news keeping coming. Earlier this week, it was announced that Josh Gad will play King Herod and Phillipa Soo will play Mary Magdalene in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical, staged at the Hollywood Bowl in early August and starring Cynthia Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas.

The Carpenter Center announced its 2025–2026 season, including an evening with Sandra Bernhard and Mandy Patinkin in concert; a cabaret series that opens with Melissa Errico performing Barbra Streisand’s songbook; a dance series featuring Alonzo King LINES Ballet; a “Wow!” series that includes the Peking Acrobats; and a Sunday afternoon concert series with a special tribute to the songs of John Lennon and Harry Nilsson.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Hot cheese bread and meat pies? Count me in!

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court signaled again this week that it believes the president has the full power to control federal agencies, including by sharply cutting their staffs and their spending.

It’s the latest example of the court’s conservative majority intervening to rule for President Trump and against federal district judges. They have done so in brief orders with no explanation, prompting further criticism from Democrats and progressives.

But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and his conservative colleagues have made clear over many years that they believe the president’s “executive power” includes controlling agencies and firing officials, even those who were deemed “independent” by Congress.

On Monday, the court issued a one-line order setting aside the decision of a federal judge in Boston who said the Education Department must rehire about 1,400 staffers who had been laid off.

Trump’s attorneys had appealed in early June, arguing the administration was “streamlining” the department while “acknowledging that only Congress can eliminate” it.

Democratic state attorneys had sued to stop the layoffs, arguing Trump was effectively “dismantling” the department, and the judge agreed the layoffs were illegal.

The week before, the conservative majority set aside the decision of a federal judge in San Francisco who blocked Trump’s plans for laying off tens of thousands of employees at more than 20 departments and agencies.

Democrats and progressives condemned the decisions and the majority’s refusal to explain its reasons.

Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center, said the justices “have let Trump amass vast new power, and they have done so without putting their names on it. They are proving willing accomplices to a constitutional coup, all without leaving a trace.”

In May, Roberts and the court upheld Trump’s dismissal of Democratic appointees to the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, both of whom had fixed terms set by Congress.

“Because the Constitution vests the executive power in the President, he may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf,” the court said. “Both the NLRB and MSPB exercise considerable executive power.”

The three liberals dissented.

Peter M. Shane, a New York University law professor, has written extensively on the so-called “unitary executive theory” and said it explains why Trump has been winning since he returned to the White House.

“Trump’s use of executive power is not a distortion of the Roberts court’s theory of the presidency,” he said. “It is the court’s theory of the presidency come to life.”

Still pending before the court this week is an appeal from Trump’s lawyers that seeks the firing of three Democratic appointees to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The commissioners have seven-year terms, but in May, the Trump White House told the three Democratic appointees they had been “terminated.”

They sued and won a reinstatement order from a federal judge in Baltimore.

The recent rulings from the court have come on emergency appeals at the early stage of a lawsuit. The court’s majority said Trump’s initiatives may go into effect while the litigation continues. But at some point, the justices will have to hear arguments and issue a written ruling on the underlying legal issue.

In ruling for the three officials the CPSC, the judge in Baltimore pointed to the Supreme Court’s 1935 decision which protected the constitutionality of “traditional multi-member independent agencies.”

The court’s opinion in the case of Humphrey’s Executor vs. United States drew a distinction between “purely executive officers” who were under the president’s control and those who served on a board “with quasi-judicial or quasi-legislative functions.”

But that precedent has been endangered in recent years.

Five years ago, Roberts spoke for the court and ruled the director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau can be fired by the president, even though Congress had said otherwise.

But since that case did not involve a multi-member board or commission, it did not overrule the 1935 precedent.