Who Will Win California’s 28th Congressional District in 2026?

Nearly two years after the Eaton and Palisades fires, many Los Angeles-area survivors are running out of savings and temporary housing aid, with FEMA rental assistance for renters having expired in October. The Trump administration omitted LA wildfire relief from its summer budget request, and California's request for $16 billion in long-term recovery funds remains unresolved. A nonprofit survey found over a quarter of survivors have exhausted displacement coverage, with mental health and financial strain topping their concerns.

Democratic lawmakers Judy Chu and Norma Torres say a Democratic takeover of the House (and possibly Senate) in November could unlock stalled federal disaster aid, as Republicans have been reluctant to push the issue absent White House backing. State and local officials say they are seeking other funding sources in the meantime.

Glendale, California, officials reported a 12 percent rise in homelessness in the city's 2026 point-in-time count, conducted Jan. 20. The count identified 220 people experiencing homelessness, including 96 sheltered and 124 unsheltered. While the sheltered population fell 13 percent from 2025, the unsheltered population rose 43 percent. Notably, the number of unsheltered people who reported becoming homeless within Glendale dropped 54 percent, from 37 to 17.

City officials cited housing affordability and economic instability as leading causes, with survey respondents most commonly pointing to inability to afford rent, job loss, and family circumstances such as divorce or the death of a parent. Mental health disorders were the most reported disabling condition among unsheltered residents, and 42 percent of that population was age 55 or older. Glendale has launched a rental assistance program and expects to complete over 400 affordable housing units this year, including the Pioneer Village and Parkview Glendale developments, as part of ongoing efforts to address the crisis.

About 1,400 households affected by the January 2025 Los Angeles fires are set to lose their disaster case managers by the end of October, as California and FEMA remain at odds over funding for the program. Case managers help survivors navigate insurance claims, apply for financial assistance, and appeal FEMA decisions during what is widely described as an opaque recovery process.

California had requested $28 million for the program; FEMA awarded $13.2 million over 24 months in four installments but had made only one payment by August, forcing the state to front costs. A March request for an additional $6.5 million to sustain the program went unanswered, prompting California to announce the program's closure. FEMA later reimbursed outstanding payments but did not address the extra funding. Nonprofits managing cases, including CORE, are scrambling to transfer clients to other organizations, though resources are limited and more than 100 case managers face job losses. The dispute is part of a larger standoff over California's request for $15.7 billion in federal disaster aid, which the Trump administration has not yet sent to Congress.

Roughly 1,400 households still recovering from the January 2025 Los Angeles-area fires are set to lose their disaster case managers by the end of October, as California and FEMA remain at odds over funding. Case managers help survivors navigate insurance claims, apply for financial assistance, avoid scams, and appeal FEMA decisions. California had requested $28 million for the two-year program but FEMA awarded only $13.2 million, and by August had issued just one of four promised installments, forcing the state to front costs. A March request for an additional $6.5 million to meet high demand — 700 households remain on a waitlist — has gone unanswered. FEMA eventually reimbursed outstanding payments but has not addressed the extra funding.

Nonprofits running the program, including CORE, are triaging roughly 450 cases apiece and scrambling to transfer clients to philanthropic-funded organizations, though capacity is limited and over 100 case managers face job losses. Rep. Judy Chu warned the cutoff "risks abandoning survivors." The dispute is part of a larger standoff: Governor Gavin Newsom has requested $15.7 billion in federal disaster aid, which the Trump administration has not yet sent to Congress, while the White House says California has mismanaged recovery efforts and has obligated billions in recovery funds already.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1905, which restricts law enforcement from using "Perkins operations" against most people under age 26 who allegedly committed a crime at 17 or younger. These undercover stings place agents posing as incarcerated people in jail cells with suspects to elicit incriminating statements, a tactic the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 does not count as custodial interrogation, leaving it exempt from prior protections for minors. The new law, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, closes that gap, with exceptions when someone's life may be at risk. It takes effect January 1.

A CalMatters investigation found the practice widespread across several California counties, often involving false evidence ploys, recording devices, and paid operatives who posed as violent gang members. Ten related cases challenging convictions are pending before the California Supreme Court. Defense attorneys and some lawmakers argue the tactic is coercive and risks false confessions, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino defendants, while law enforcement groups, including the California State Sheriffs' Association, opposed the bill as a loss of investigative tools. The measure passed largely along party lines.

The Trump administration has warned California election officials that processing ballots cast by suspected noncitizen voters could expose them to criminal investigation and prosecution. A letter from acting deputy attorney general Trent McCotter called noncitizen voting a federal crime and said officials who knowingly facilitate it risk being treated as aiders and abettors. The DOJ sued California after it missed a 48-hour deadline to cross-check a federal list of roughly 20,000 flagged names; federal prosecutors have since charged 28 green-card holders across California, 11 arrested, saying all appeared on that list. Secretary of State Shirley Weber called the demand unprecedented and said officials provided too little information to verify names. Governor Newsom calls the suit voter suppression; the dispute looms over competitive California House races in the midterms.

The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to rule quickly on its bid to stop California from counting ballots cast by people on a federal list of more than 20,000 potential noncitizens. The request came after Secretary of State Shirley Weber and L.A. County registrar Dean Logan did not review the list on the DOJ's timeline; California's Attorney General Rob Bonta has moved to dismiss the suit, calling it legally weak. Federal officials separately charged 28 legal permanent residents with voter fraud-related offenses this week. In a related case, a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security from using its own noncitizen-voter list, finding it unreliable. State audits show noncitizen voting is rare.

A Los Angeles-area state Senate race between labor-backed West Hollywood City Councilmember John Erickson and business-supported media consultant Brian Goldsmith has become California's most expensive state Senate general election contest this cycle, driven by heavy outside spending. The district, covering Malibu, Santa Monica, the Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, carries a 12-year term limit as both seek to succeed termed-out Sen. Ben Allen.

Business groups have targeted Erickson with attack spending, while tech-linked donors and Goldsmith's own personal funds have boosted his campaign; labor groups opposing Goldsmith have spent far less. Nancy Pelosi recently endorsed Goldsmith. Ads focus on affordability, housing, public safety and partisan loyalty, reflecting a broader business-labor struggle over California Democratic Party direction.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of bills establishing California's first statewide standards for testing and remediating smoke damage from wildfires, aimed at speeding recovery for survivors of the January 2025 Los Angeles County fires. Nearly two years later, many homeowners whose houses did not burn remain displaced amid disputes with insurers over who pays for smoke-damage testing and cleanup; the state Insurance Department estimates more than 13,000 such claims stemmed from the fires.

Assembly Bill 1642 directs the Department of Toxic Substances Control to set lead and asbestos testing standards by 2028 and broader contaminant standards by 2029, with existing federal and state rules applying in the interim. AB 1795 creates a legal presumption that smoke damage in a fire zone originated from the fire, requiring insurers to cover testing, remediation and alternative living expenses until a home is confirmed safe to reoccupy. Additional bills establish a statewide mortgage forbearance program for homes deemed uninhabitable after disasters and extend forbearance to 24 months for fire survivors. Advocacy group Eaton Fire Residents United, whose testing found lingering contaminants even after professional cleanup, backed the changes. Insurers and local governments remain in separate disputes over smoke-damage claim handling.

With polls showing a tight contest days before the Nov. 3 election, LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman has detailed plans to challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Her platform includes moving the city's homelessness budget away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, giving the city controller broad audit power, and cutting encampments by half before the 2028 Olympics. On housing, she pledges a "shot clock" for permits, self-certification for simple projects, new high-rise zones, and a Office of Tenant Protections. On public safety, Raman would expand unarmed crisis response teams and has signaled she would replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

Bass, in office since 2022, has faced scrutiny over wildfire response, federal immigration enforcement, and homelessness policy, issues likely to shape how voters weigh the race's outcome.