‘Jet fuel’: L.A. City Council approves ballot measure to boost hotel tax during Olympics

The Los Angeles City Council approved a June ballot measure Tuesday that asks voters to increase the hotel tax by 2% until the end of the Olympics, and 1% permanently.
She was found nude in a ditch. L.A. prosecutors say they’ve solved tragic 30-year mystery

Brian Walton of Los Angeles faces multiple charges in the murder of 23-year-old Claudia Guevara, whose body was found in a drainage ditch next to Encanto Parkway in Azusa on Feb. 21, 1996.
Sleek, lithe and extremely rare: This elusive California fox has finally been GPS-collared
In a major win for conservation efforts to protect the Sierra Nevada red fox, researchers were able to put a GPS collar on one fox and release the animal back into the wild.
L.A. County officials push new sales tax to offset Trump administration healthcare cuts

L.A. County supervisors and healthcare advocates are pushing for a half-cent sales tax to cover services that are expected to be lost due to cutbacks in federal funding.
LAPD to train their body cameras on immigration agents, under mayor’s directive

Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive directive requiring LAPD officers to activate body cameras during federal immigration enforcement operations and preserve all footage.
Gov. Newsom heads to Munich conference to challenge Trump’s vision for U.S.
Newsom will speak about climate issues at a security conference in Munich.
Somebody stole her entire livelihood. L.A. puppeteer is devastated — but not beaten
Jackie Smook has spent years crafting characters and props for “Dilly’s World.” Her life’s work was stolen when thieves swiped a shipping box from outside her apartment.
$600 million in Trump administration health cuts will hit California HIV programs
The Trump administration announced $600 million in funding cuts to HIV prevention programs and healthcare grants.
As winter storm nears, climbers banned from Mt. Baldy’s icy trails

The closure order has sparked a social media backlash from experienced climbers who argue their access should not be limited because of the mistakes made by the unskilled and untrained.
Prosecutors add charges against L.A. soccer coach accused of raping and killing teen
Soccer coach Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino was charged with sexually abusing and killing a teen last year. Prosecutors on Tuesday filed an additional nine counts of sexual abuse against him involving another player he previously coached.