West
Los Angeles beaches could become national parks, NPS seeking input
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The National Parks Services (NPS) is seeking public input over whether Los Angeles County’s iconic coastline should be designated as a national park.
The “Los Angeles Coastal Area Special Resource Study,” which was approved by Congress in 2022, will examine a large swath of the Pacific Coast stretching from Will Rogers State Beach near the Santa Monica Bay to Torrance Beach.
The study also includes the San Pedro coastline within the city of Los Angeles. It will evaluate four specific factors: significance, suitability, feasibility and the need for NPS management.
The agency stated that the study’s purpose is to “gather information about select sites along the Los Angeles coast through research and public input, and then to report these findings to Congress,” Fox Los Angeles reported.
NEW NATIONAL PARK ON ‘EDGE OF THE WORLD’ TO BE BUILT IN TWO YEARS: SEE THE STUNNING PHOTOS
A lifeguard tower at Will Rogers State Beach, north of Santa Monica, California. The National Parks Service is studying whether the coastline from the beach down to San Pedro in Los Angeles could be designated as a national park. (Getty Images)
The public comment period closes on April 6, after which the NPS will analyze the feedback alongside their internal research.
The study will produce a report in 2027, which will provide answers on whether the targeted areas are feasible for either a national park or an NPS unit.
“New national park units are typically added to the National Park Service (NPS) by an Act of Congress,” the NPS website states. “However, before Congress decides to create a new park or add land to an existing park, it needs to know whether the area meets established criteria for designation as a national park unit. This evaluation is conducted through a special resource study.”
THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL HIDDEN MARIJUANA PLANTS REMOVED FROM NATIONAL PARK ALONG WITH GUN, DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
A distressed seal rests on shore at Will Rogers State Beach. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes the San Pedro coastline, told Fox News Digital that she will wait for the report on the study.
“Los Angeles County’s beaches are among our greatest shared treasures and public assets, and any conversation about their future deserves a thoughtful, fact-based approach,” Hahn said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to seeing the pros and cons that come out of this study and what making our beaches a national park could mean for public access, local decision-making, and our responsibility to protect our beaches for generations to come.”
The NPS manages 433 individual units covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories, according to the NPS website.
Fox News Digital reached out to the NPS and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors for comment, as well as local environmental groups.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Ballet presents ‘Don Quixote’
Dancer Madeline Woo, who is performing as Kitri, the leading lady, in Don Quixote, talks first year with San Francisco Ballet. Don Quixote performance dates run from Thursday, March 19 – Sunday, March 29.
Denver, CO
What are TSA wait times at DEN? Spring break adds to challenges
TSA security delays at airports nationwide amid government shutdown
Travelers face massive TSA delays as the government shutdown leaves officers unpaid and airports strained nationwide.
Denver International Airport expects to see more than 1.3 million passengers go through security during the spring break window between March 11 and 29, a challenging amount of traffic in and of itself.
And doing that with Transportation Security Agency workers who are not getting paid because of the partial federal government shutdown seems like a recipe for massive lines.
That scenario is playing out in airports across the country already, as security workers are calling out so they can work other jobs to pay their bills.
Denver International Airport has yet to be hit as hard, but the potential remains there. March 20 and 22 are expected to be among the busiest days for screenings during the season, according to the airport.
Here is how to get real-time updates on security wait times.
How to check wait times at DEN?
To check wait times at Denver International Airport, go to flydenver.com/security. The page gives waiting times for each checkpoint, differentiating for those who will undergo a standard screening and the line for those with TSA Precheck and CLEAR.
The page also has other important information, including directions on how to sign up for an appointment to skip part of the line at the checkpoints, the latest directions on what to do with your belongings at the screening and how long average walking times are to go to gates.
How long are wait times at Denver International Airport?
As of 2 p.m. MT on March 19, times were:
- East Security, standard: 3 to 7 minutes
- East Security Precheck: 3 to 7 minutes
- West Security, Standard: 0 to 4 minutes
- West Security, Precheck: 1to 5 minutes
DEN warned wait times can change quickly and noted that the peak times when lines tend to be longest are 3 to 4:30 a.m., 8 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.
What can people do to support TSA security screeners?
With security screeners now missing paychecks and no end to the shutdown in site, DEN is accepting donations of gift cards for gas stations and grocery stores for the workers who continue to show up despite not being paid.
The donations can be dropped off in collection bins and secure lock boxes in the Great Hall of the Jeppesen Terminal and Final Approach, the airport’s cell phone Lot.
“TSA employees just missed their first paycheck, and as we enter a busy Spring Break travel period, we want to do what we can to ease the stress of this moment,” Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said in a statement.
Why are TSA security screeners not getting paid?
While most of the federal government is fully funded, the Department of Homeland Security ran out of funds allocated by Congress through the typical budget process at midnight on Feb. 13. The dollars are tied up in a dispute over the tactics and practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with congressional Democrats saying they will not approve more funding for the department without reforms at ICE.
Essential employees can still be called to work during a shutdown, and most workers in Homeland Security’s alphabet soup of agencies and bureaus tasked with protecting the nation are considered essential.
Essential workers are required by law to be paid in full after a shutdown ends, but they do not typically get paid during a shutdown. Most of Homeland Security’s workers are getting paid on time through funds allocated in the Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, but TSA screeners are a notable exception.
How long will the government shutdown last??
There is no clear end in sight. Funding passed by the Republican-led House has been blocked by congressional Democrats. An end-around by Democrats, known as a discharge petition, to get the House to vote on funds for most of DHS — but not ICE — faces an uphill battle. And the Senate has a recess scheduled for March 30 through April 10.
Projections on Kalshi and Polymarket, a pair of prediction markets, have the partial government shutdown lasting through April 13.
Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.
Seattle, WA
Cesar Chavez name to be removed from Seattle garden after abuse accusations
SEATTLE — César Chávez’s name will be removed from a Seattle institution after newly public sexual abuse allegations.
At El Centro de la Raza in Seattle, Executive Director Estella Ortega said a garden named for Chávez would be renamed and that other tributes at the building would also change.
“The farm worker movement is bigger than just one person,” Ortega said. “We’ve got a garden named after him, those things will change.”
A photo of the garden on March. 19, 2026. (KOMO){ }
The renewed debate in Seattle follows a New York Times report published this week that detailed allegations Chávez sexually abused women and girls, including fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta. The revelations have prompted officials and institutions around the country to reconsider Chávez commemorations, with California leaders backing a proposal to rename César Chávez Day as Farmworkers Day and other communities moving to review streets, schools and monuments that bear his name.
In Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson already said he will not issue a proclamation for César Chávez Day this year and instead plans to celebrate Dolores Huerta Day on April 10.
Asked Thursday whether he would press local agencies to remove Chávez’s name from places such as the garden outside El Centro, Ferguson said the state had already decided to stop honoring Chávez in the ways he directly controls, while broader changes would require more discussion.
“My view is the movement’s bigger than any one individual,” Ferguson said. “The farm worker movement did so much for farm workers, for labor rights, for human dignity. It’s bigger than any one person.”
Ferguson said he had met with Ortega and lawmakers before speaking publicly and described the allegations as so serious that many people were still “reeling” and trying to decide what would be appropriate next.
Seattle’s César Chávez Park, in the South Park neighborhood, is managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, when asked about the park, did not indicate a change would be immediate.
State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña said Latino leaders in Washington were urging that this year’s March 31 observance move away from celebration and instead focus on community service, survivors and the broader farmworker cause.
“At this moment, I think the Latino Democratic caucus will be saying, we need to pause,” Saldaña said. “This March 31 this year should be about community service. It should be about making sure that the farm worker movement and the farm worker cause is what’s centered.”
Saldaña stopped short of immediately endorsing a permanent name change for the holiday, saying it was still too soon and that leaders should follow survivors’ lead. But she said she expected more conversations about accountability, healing, and how public spaces should be named going forward.
Across the country, those conversations are already underway. The Associated Press reported Thursday that communities and institutions nationwide are distancing themselves from Chávez, identifying more than 130 sites that bear his name, including parks, schools, and other public landmarks.
For Ortega, the question in Seattle was more immediate.
“We cannot just let the lie continue to live in our way,” she said.
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