Business
Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees
Following a loud public outcry about job cuts at the National Park Service — and a relentless media campaign from outdoors enthusiasts across the country — it looks like the Trump administration has reconsidered.
A plan to eliminate thousands of seasonal workers at the beloved federal agency appears to have been reversed.
Last month, prospective seasonal employees — the people who collect the entrance fees, clean the trails and restrooms and help rescue injured hikers — received emails saying their job offers for the 2025 season had been rescinded.
This week, a memo sent from the Department of Interior to park service officials said the agency could hire 7,700 seasonal employees this year, up from the roughly 6,300 who have been hired in recent years.
If fully implemented, that would be a notable exception to the government-wide hiring freeze imposed when the Trump administration clamped down on the federal bureaucracy, threatening to eliminate entire agencies, offering “deferred resignation” to almost all federal workers and firing tens of thousands of career employees.
The reprieve for the parks is “definitely a win,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Assn., which obtained a copy of the memo that was shared with The Times.
And it’s a testament to “advocates, park rangers and everyone else who has been shouting from the mountaintop that we need these positions restored,” Brengel said.
The memo addressed only temporary seasonal employees. It said nothing about the roughly 1,000 members of the National Park Service’s permanent workforce who were fired Friday. They were included in the administration’s multiagency purge of tens of thousands of probationary federal employees, mostly people in the first couple of years of their careers who have fewer job protections than more seasoned employees. Probationary employees represent about 5% of full-time staff at the park service.
“We need to keep pushing until we restore all of the positions for the park service, and get an exemption from the park service in general,” Brengel said.
Park service officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Following the firings Friday, which some have dubbed the “Valentine’s Day massacre,” parks employees and outdoors enthusiasts took to social media, called their congressional representatives and buttonholed anyone who would listen in a coordinated campaign to restore jobs at what is arguably the federal government’s most popular agency.
America’s national parks — including Yosemite, Joshua Tree and the Grand Canyon — attracted more than 320 million visitors in 2023, and have been the settings for countless family vacations for generations of Americans.
After he was fired on Feb. 14, Yosemite maintenance worker Olek Chmura went on Instagram to ask whether he and his modestly paid colleagues were really an example of the kind of wasteful spending Trump and his appointed efficiency expert, Elon Musk, claim they are trying to eliminate.
“I make just over $40,000 a year; scrape s— off toilets with a putty knife nearly every day,” Chmura wrote. “Somehow, I’m the target.”
Like so many other social media cris de coeur, Chmura figured his would get a thumbs-up from a few sympathetic friends and then get lost in the vast sea of online angst.
He was wrong.
By early this week, he had become an unexpected poster child and de facto spokesman for the outrage felt by millions of people, from both sides of the aisle, who treasure America’s parks.
He was suddenly juggling interview requests from seemingly every media organization he’d ever heard of, and a few he probably hadn’t. Fox, NBC, local newspapers, even SkyNews from Britain. A photogenic patch of Yosemite Valley, with the soaring rock face of El Capitan in the background, had become his personal TV studio.
Reached Wednesday afternoon, he said he’d already done several interviews that day. “I’m unemployed,” he joked, “and this is, like, the busiest day of my life.”
Originally from Cleveland, Chmura, 28, caught the rock-climbing bug and made a pilgrimage to classic crags across the U.S., saving the best for last: Yosemite.
“This is where I want to live, you know. This is where I want to grow old, and this is kind of like the place I’ll spend the rest of my life,” Chmura said.
Like so many self-described “dirt bag” climbers in Yosemite, he spent a couple of years doing odd jobs to make ends meet before he got hired by the park service. It meant scraping toilets, picking up used diapers and “squeegee-ing urine” from bathroom floors, he said. But it was still pretty much the holy grail of jobs for a passionate climber.
“It was, quite literally, a dream come true,” Chmura said.
So, when the Trump administration arrived with its slash-and-burn crusade against the federal workforce, he was stunned and heartbroken to be swept up in it.
“I just really don’t understand why they’re attacking working-class Americans who never took these jobs to get rich,” he said. “It’s just extremely confusing. Why us?”
Conservative friends from Ohio, who have seen him on Instagram and TV, have reached out and said, “This is not what I voted for, this is … insane,” Chmura said.
Because he was a probationary full-time employee, Chmura’s job is not among those being restored. But he holds out hope that pressure from the public, and elected representatives, might turn the tide in his favor, too.
Meanwhile, for parks supervisors, the uncertainty continues. Two who asked for anonymity because they fear retaliation said they had received permission to start rehiring seasonal employees. They said they are trying to act fast, because nobody knows when the guidance from the administration might suddenly change again.
“Human resource officers in federal agencies, and particularly the parks, probably have the worst job in America right now,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “They’re dealing with unprecedented levels of chaos.”
The luxury shopping center in Pacific Palisades will reopen next month after more than $100 million in renovations forced by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Palisades Village will reopen Aug. 15, owner Rick Caruso announced Wednesday. The outdoor center survived the blaze that destroyed homes and other businesses but needed refurbishment to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread.
Crews are putting finishing touches on mall buildings after tearing them down to the studs, treating the wood and rebuilding the walls, Caruso said.
“Everybody’s working, and stores are moving their products in,” he said. “It’s a really cool feeling that people have really locked arms and are working together.”
An electrician installs lighting for a restaurant at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Palisades resident Allison Polhill, who is rebuilding the home of 30 years that her family lost in the blaze, said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of returning to the mall she used to frequent. Its comeback is a boost for the community, she said.
“Every single step that we make to reopen our commercial corridors is going to bring more people back into the Palisades,” said Polhill, who expects to move back into her home at the end of August.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction.
The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon, which may be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood when it opens.
Caruso’s company was able to fill the mall with tenants despite the long shutdown.
Palisades Village is 99% leased, with the majority of tenants returning, said Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer. Nearly one-third of the shops and restaurants are new to the property.
A firefighter carries a hose back to his rig while walking through a destroyed home from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street to the inferno.
Other neighborhood shops destroyed in the fire that are reopening at the mall include K Bakery and Loomey’s Toys, which caters to children up to age 12 and used to be across the street from Palisades Elementary Charter School.
“It’s been a journey and I’m excited because I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a place to come back to,” said toy store owner Amanda Rastegar. “Hopefully we can bring some of that magic back.”
Rastegar’s home in the Palisades survived but was damaged by the fire. The family returned about eight weeks ago. Her last memory of the fire was a burning supermarket.
“I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what was happening,” she said. “By the time I left, Gelson’s was on fire.”
Among the returning tenants is Angelini Ristorante & Bar. Well-known Los Angeles chef Gino Angelini said he will be in the kitchen next month for a return of the Italian restaurant.
“We won’t do a big celebrity open,” he said. “We want to have a very soft opening and see our customers come back.”
Construction takes place at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An elaborate celebration would not feel “correct for me,” Angelini said, because the devastation has been “very sad” for so many.
Other new tenants include local chef Nancy Silverton, who has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto. Women’s activewear retailer LESET will open its first West Coast location.
Caruso said he is optimistic that customers will return to the center, even though many Pacific Palisades residents are still dispersed. One tracking system estimated that about 30% of the Village’s customer base was impacted by the fire, he said.
“That means 70% did not get impacted, so there’s a lot of customers still left out there,” Caruso said. Historically, the center drew customers from as far away as Beverly Hills and Calabasas, as well as Malibu, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
He also hopes many will be inspired to visit the revived mall.
“I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that people are going to want to support the Palisades,” he said. “They’re going to want to be there and support the businesses that have had the courage and the heart to reopen.”
Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.
The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
The chargers also offer an incentive for customers to choose Walmart — Walmart Plus members will receive a 10% discount off an average price of $0.46 per kilowatt-hour of energy at the company’s chargers.
Walmart chargers are already available at more than 75 locations in 17 states, with Texas boasting the most charging stations, followed by Florida and Arizona.
Matthew Nelson, Walmart’s director of energy policy, said last week on LinkedIn that the network will soon reach 29 states, including California.
“We are delivering on the promise of affordable, reliable and convenient charging,” Nelson said in his post.
According to Walmart’s website, six charging stations are coming to California soon, though the company did not offer a specific timeline.
The chargers will be installed at stores in Antelope, Brea, Fresno, Stockton, Suisun City and Vallejo.
Most charging sites in California will include eight to 16 fast-charging stalls, said Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl.
The company first announced plans in April 2023 to install its own EV chargers at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, with a goal of installing thousands of chargers by 2030. Partnering with ABB E-Mobility and Alpitronic, it added 25 new charging sites this past May and six more in June.
“Walmart is building a leading retail-integrated EV fast-charging network, focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and convenient charging experience where customers already shop,” Bohl said in an emailed statement. “Customers can charge while they shop, access stations through the Walmart app they already use, and benefit from affordable pricing.”
The charging stations already available include 612 individual charging stalls using 400-kilowatt chargers. Each stall has a dual charging cord with both Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors. The standard connectors, designed by Tesla, are smaller and lighter than the combined systems.
The primary way to pay for the chargers is through the Walmart app, but the company is also experimenting with built-in credit card readers to allow those without the app to use the stations.
Customers can check charger availability on the Walmart app. The company said the chargers will be available 24 hours a day.
Robotaxis could be turning into robocops.
A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, Calif., police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.
According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were riding in contacted the department and stopped in a parking lot until law enforcement arrived.
“Parents do you know where your teens are?” the San Mateo Police Department wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Waymo does!”
Officers removed both teens from the vehicle and determined they were using toy guns to shoot Orbeez out the windows. Orbeez are small, water-absorbing beads sold at toy stores.
“Toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” the Police Department said. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in [passersby].” “
A video posted on Facebook shows at least five officers and a police dog responding to the scene and approaching the Waymo with their weapons raised.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waymo vehicles have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” according to Waymo’s online support page.
The cameras are also used to ensure the vehicles are clean and to help find lost items, according to the support page.
The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals.
“In more urgent circumstances, support may access live video during a trip,” the Waymo page said.
The San Mateo Police Department’s Facebook post has garnered nearly 60 comments, with one user accusing Waymo of “snitching.”
“At least they got a designated driver?!” one user commented.
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