Good evening! We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

Inland temperatures will bottom out on Saturday, but they will still be above the seasonal averages.

Closer to the coast, temperatures will be near normal or a couple of degrees below normal.

Along with the cooler temperatures, we will see more mid and high clouds along with patchy dense fog. 

Sunday will see more sunshine and a few degrees of warming.

Tomorrow’s Highs



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Today’s Big Stories

1. Law enforcement agencies begin holiday DUI crackdown

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies will join other agencies across the country Friday in stepping up patrols to search for impaired motorists as part of a national campaign to discourage drunken driving during the holiday season.

The national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign began Friday and will continue through New Year’s Day. Sheriff’s officials said the agency will have additional deputies on patrol on the lookout for possibly impaired motorists.

“We want to make sure everyone gets home safely so that they can celebrate the holiday season with their families and loved ones,” sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Lennig said in a statement.

According to the sheriff’s department, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that 1,038 people were killed in the United States in December 2023 in alcohol-related crashes.

Officials also noted that prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, cannabis and other drugs can also cause impaired driving, not just alcohol.

2. LA Council approves $1M for additional LAPD recruits

The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved a $1 million funding proposal for additional hiring of new Los Angeles Police Department recruits for January and February.

In a 9-6 vote, the council advanced a proposal introduced by members Katy Yaroslavsky, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, and Ysabel Jurado to allocate enough dollars to cover additional hiring for the next two months. The proposal allows LAPD to continue hiring new recruits while giving council members time to discuss a larger plan to fund more officers while addressing long-term budget concerns, as well as risks to more than 200 specialized civilian LAPD employees.

Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Heather Hutt, John Lee, Traci Park and Imelda Padilla voted against the plan, opting to support a $4.4 million funding proposal made by Lee.

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo reported the annual cost for additional officers would be closer to $24 million. The initial $4.4 million would serve as partial cost for hiring mid-year. If the department reaches 480 new recruits, the cost increases more than $6 million for hiring mid-year, and approximately $33.5 million for annual, ongoing, spending.

Ultimately, the council approved the $1 million funding plan on the last day before their three-week winter recess begins.

3. LAFD receives Award of Excellence star in Hollywood

Following through on a suggestion by a 14-year-old girl, the Los Angeles Fire Department was honored with an Award of Excellence star adjacent to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday, recognizing the agency’s bravery and public service battling the Palisades and Sunset fires in January.

The star, located outside the Ovation Entertainment Complex on Hollywood Boulevard, was recommended by a Connecticut eighth-grade student, Eniola Taiwo, who wrote a letter as part of a class assignment about personal heroes. Her letter was addressed to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, suggesting that firefighters who battled the deadly January fires were worthy of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Similar awards have been presented in the past, with recipients including the Los Angeles Times, Variety, the Dodgers and Los Angeles Police Department fallen officers.

“This recognition is not only about honoring the bravery of the Los Angeles Fire Department, but also about celebrating the vision of a young student whose words reminded us all of the importance of gratitude and civic pride,” Steve Nissen, president/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement prior to the event.

4. States sue Trump administration over $100K H-1B visa fees

A coalition of 20 states sued the Trump administration Friday over its imposition of a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions.

In their 49th lawsuit against the administration this year, the states’ attorneys general, all Democrats, allege the Department of Homeland Security’s new surcharge on temporary worker visas is illegal and exacerbates a nationwide shortage of doctors, nurses, teachers, researchers and other skilled professionals.

“President Trump’s $100,000 fee isn’t just misguided,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference in San Francisco, where he announced the new lawsuit. “It is illegal, and it threatens to worsen already severe shortages across California.”

At issue is the proclamation President Donald Trump signed Sept. 19 ordering the DHS to implement the new fee for any H-1B application filed after Sept. 21. At the time, Trump said the nonimmigrant visa program had “been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”

The H-1B visa program was created by the Immigration Act of 1990, which allowed U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for jobs in specialty occupations.

5. ‘Dust Bunny’: A family film but with an R rating

When Bryan Fuller set out to write and direct “Dust Bunny,” he wanted to make a movie for the entire family — especially one that little kids could enjoy, particularly little girls who could identify with Sophie Sloan, who plays Aurora.

“I would say, parents… See the movie, decide for yourself, but then take your kids because that is who it’s for. It is for children of all ages, but particularly the young ones,” Fuller told Spectrum News.

In Fuller’s “Dust Bunny,” a 10-year-old Aurora joins forces with her hitman neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) to confront each other’s monsters. When Aurora needs help to kill the monster that she believes ate her entire family, she turns to Mikkelsen for his services. When he takes the job to protect Aurora, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins and accept that some monsters are, in fact, real.

(Image courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

Your Notes for the Weekend

  • The 2025 Army-Navy football game set for Saturday — President Trump expected to attend
  • College football’s Heisman Trophy winner to be announced Saturday
  • Dick Van Dyke to celebrate 100th birthday on Saturday
  • On Sunday, the National Chanukah Menorah grand lighting ceremony set in D.C.
  • The start of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, set for Sunday
  • Geminids meteor shower due to peak Sunday
  • On Monday, a jury trial to begin for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan
  • Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to meet in Berlin to discuss Ukraine on Monday
  • Louvre Museum staff set to strike Monday

In Case You Missed It

(Image courtesy of Vertical/Lyle Vincent)

Based on a true story, “Rosemead” sees Lucy Liu transform into Irene, an ailing woman who takes drastic measures to protect her troubled teenage son.

In the film, as the son’s dark obsessions grow and time runs out, Irene is forced to make impossible choices: how far will she go and what is she willing to sacrifice?

“Irene is a very complicated person,” Liu told Spectrum News. “It shows the depth of humanity to understand the different levels of what she was struggling with … not just physically, but also emotionally.”

Click the link above for the full interview.