Los Angeles Daily Local Headlines: Crisis response vote, Long COVID recognition, Pasadena protections, and LAX delays

Los Angeles had a busy stretch of civic news over the past couple of days, with City Hall making moves on public safety, public health, and how the region handles pressure from federal enforcement.

Unarmed crisis teams get a longer runway

The Los Angeles City Council voted to make the city’s unarmed crisis-response pilot permanent, a step aimed at steering some mental health-related 911 calls away from armed patrols and toward specialized clinicians.

The vote also advances work on a more centralized dispatch approach, with additional reporting requested on how separate unarmed-response efforts could be folded into one citywide program.

City Hall marks Long COVID Awareness Day

In another council action, Los Angeles formally recognized Long COVID Awareness Day (March 15) and approved plans to light City Hall teal as a public awareness signal.

Advocates framed the move as a visibility win that could help residents push for better support services and policy attention around ongoing post-infection disability.

Pasadena adopts immigration-enforcement protections

Just northeast of Downtown, Pasadena’s City Council unanimously approved a resolution directing staff to develop new protections limiting civil immigration enforcement activity on city property.

The resolution also calls for formal police protocols for interactions with federal agents, contractor disclosures tied to federal homeland security agreements, and additional reporting on data use connected to automated license plate reader technology.

LAX disruptions ripple in from a national storm

Travelers also felt knock-on impacts from a major winter system in the Northeast, with more than 100 flight cancellations reported at LAX on Monday morning as airlines adjusted schedules and equipment.

For locals, the main takeaway was practical: check flight status early, and expect rebooking lines to be longer than usual on affected routes.

Sources

• https://mynewsla.com/government/2026/02/24/la-council-enshrines-unarmed-model-of-crisis-response-2/
• https://thesicktimes.org/2026/02/25/los-angeles-recognizes-long-covid-awareness-day/
• https://pasadenanow.com/main/pasadena-city-council-unanimously-approves-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-protection-resolution
• https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/morning-briefing/2026/02/22/socal-morning-briefing-february-23-2026