Trump-led cuts at NOAA bemoaned by a California-trained ocean researcher

It’s hard for Californians not to be riveted by the hot war that President Trump has brought to our doorsteps. Our television and computer screens are crowded with video of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents making arrests.

This week, masked men in camouflage swept through MacArthur Park, arresting no one, but instilling plenty of fear. Less obvious, but still ongoing, is the Trump administration’s cold war; the one it’s waging on government workers, a practice the Supreme Court declined to block Tuesday.

When I talked to a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week, it reminded me how that quieter, sub rosa cold war also unleashes a boatload of uncertainty and angst. The scientist I talked to got his academic training at California universities and now conducts marine research in the Pacific Ocean. I agreed not to divulge anything more specific to identify the researcher because he worries about retaliation.

Here’s a quick look at what he had to say:

Q: NOAA lost hundreds of probationary employees this year and a new plan outlines cuts that would reduce full-time staff from 12,000 to about 10,000. How has that impacted the agency?

A: It’s been hard. We lost thousands of years of institutional knowledge and expertise overnight and all kinds of operations and systems are in danger because of that.

Q: The deadly flooding in Texas got everyone’s attention. The New York Times reported that some positions had been left open in the National Weather Service offices in that state, though it also reported it was not clear those vacancies contributed to difficulty forecasting the storm. What are people saying inside NOAA, the weather service’s parent agency?

A: It appears they had the meteorologist and they made the forecast. But what we don’t know is if they had the communicators, the people who send the crucial message or call the local sheriff to alert them. All those linkages are so important.

Q: What other work could be curtailed because of the cutbacks?

A: We don’t know. Will we be able to put Saildrones [remote, seaborne weather monitoring devices] to help monitor the progress of hurricanes? Can we still send out barges with gear to observe how ecosystems are being affected by climate change?

Q: You told me you once thought you would spend your life in this work. What are you thinking now?

A: I looked up marine biology jobs in the city where I live and all that came up was a job for a fishmonger. [laugh] But I want to stay in public service…. It seems like, increasingly, you might have to find your own billionaire to support the kind of work that we’re in.

Q: What are your colleagues feeling about all this?

A: We are hoping we are not descending into a dark age in American science. We want to believe this is just a blip and that there is a renaissance for science. That’s the only thing that allows me to sleep at night.

Kim Doster, NOAA’s communications director said in a statement Thursday that the agency had all the personnel and technology it needed and, in the Texas case, “issued some of the earliest flood alerts ever, giving Texans hours—not minutes—to evacuate.”

She said the Trump administration is focused on “restoring gold standard science, which will champion unbiased scientific research and restore the trust of the American public in our federal research institutions.”

Today’s top stories

(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

Some tenants are evicted to make way for renovations. Here’s how L.A. plans to curb that

• On July 1, the City Council unanimously voted to amend a rule that granted landlords the ability to evict tenants in order to take on a substantial remodel or renovation of their property.
• The approved amendment will prevent landlords from using a substantial remodel as a legal reason to evict their tenants, unless they get a Government Agency Order.
• The temporary protection lasts through Aug. 1.

Los Angeles is on pace for the lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years

• Homicides across the city fell by more than 20% in the first half of the year, according to an LAPD tally.
• Although violent crime persists in parts of the city, homicides overall in L.A. have dropped to 116 through June 28, the most recent date for which reliable data were available, compared to 152 in the same period last year.
• The deflated crime numbers paint a different picture than the dystopian image of the city offered by President Trump and other senior U.S. officials as justification for the deployment of military troops in L.A. in recent weeks.

Foreign, feral honeybees are crowding out native bee species in southern California

• You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Save the bees.” But new research suggests we may need to be more specific about which bees we’re saving.
• Europeans introduced western honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) to the Americas in the early 1600s. They play an essential role in pollinating crops and flowering plants, and are often hailed as the “unsung heroes of our planet.”
• Their dominance may be coming at the cost of some native pollinators.

What else is going on

• L.A. firestorms and Texas floods show communities are ill-prepared for worsening climate disasters.
• Stephen Miller, a Trump acolyte who has remained essential through his second term, finally gets his revenge on L.A.
• Nathan Hochman restored “normalcy” as L.A.’s top prosecutor. Can it last under Trump?
• ICE left cars abandoned and lawn mowers running when it arrested workers. There’s a new push to secure their property.
• Three Californians, the family of a former Giants pitcher, are missing in Texas flash floods.
• California refuses to comply with the Trump administration’s demand to bar female trans athletes.

Commentary and opinions

• Social Security sends millions of Americans a misleading and “blatantly political” message, argues columnist Michael Hiltzik.
• In an L.A. park, Trump unleashed his latest show of farce: The Battle of the Photo Op, argues columnist Gustavo Arellano.
• Elon Musk’s America Party is a long shot, argues columnist Jonah Goldberg.

This morning’s must reads

California

For Subscribers

A new Scott Peterson mystery: Why is the Innocence Project trying to set him free?

An L.A. affiliate of the Innocence Project, a respected exoneration group, is trying to free convicted murderer Scott Peterson. Why?

July 9, 2025

Other must reads

• After a climber survived a gruesome injury in the Sierras, it took five helicopters to rescue her.
• Hits, flops and scandals: Here is Hollywood’s 2025 midyear review, by the numbers.

For your downtime

Images from the El Encanto resort in Santa Barbara, a Hollywood getaway for more than a century where rooms cost more than $1,000 a night.

(Mike Kelley)

Going out

• Vacations: The five-star El Encanto resort in Santa Barbara — a Hollywood getaway for more than a century where rooms cost north of $1,000 a night — is getting an upgrade under its new owner.
• Dining: A pioneering L.A.-style soul food bistro will close on Pico at the end of July after 12 years.
• Theme parks: Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion will close its doors for a spell this summer to prepare for Halloween.

Staying in

• Television: South Korea celebrates the transformative power of “Squid Game” — which recently released its third season.
• Comedy: Scheming roomies Danny DeVito and Charlie Day talk to The Times about 20 years of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Its 17th season premieres today.
• Recipes: Here’s a recipe for ice kacang.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What’s your favorite California beach?

Laurie Taylor writes: “My favorite beach is Carlsbad State Beach, the section the locals call ‘Southside,’ to the south of Tamarack Beach. I grew up in Carlsbad in the late 70s and 80s, when there was nothing on that stretch of coastline than the beautiful sand and waves. As teenagers, my friends and I went there for long summer days ... Carlsbad was still a sleepy beach town then, and I don’t think we knew how good we had it!”

Barb Smith writes: “I just love thousand steps in Laguna Beach. Walking down the steps takes you to a pristine beach. It’s like you’re back in time enjoying the sounds of the waves, hearing seagulls. Spectacular! It’s a great workout going back up too!!!”

Email us at @latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Participants in the Run Against ICE Resistance Relay begin the 15-mile run in Koreatown, passing through areas of the city where communities have rebuilt and locations where recent ICE raids have occurred. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Christina House. Participants in Saturday’s Run Against ICE Resistance Relay jogged 15 miles through neighborhoods affected by L.A. immigration enforcement raids.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff writer
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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