Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have paused construction of artificial intelligence data centers in the state because lawmakers in the Maine legislature refused a carve-out to the pause for an already in progress project there. File Photo CJ Gunther/EPA
April 24 (UPI) — Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have paused artificial intelligence data center construction in the state for 18 months.
Mills said she decided to veto it because it would have potentially harmed a permitted and in progress data center expected to create hundreds of jobs, both for construction and once the center opens.
The project, a $550 million data center in Jay, Maine, is a multi-year effort to redevelop the former Androscoggin Mill, which was damaged in a 2020 boiler explosion and then closed in 2023, took with it hundreds of jobs and 22% of the town’s tax revenue.
The bill would have been the first in the country restricting or slowing the spread of large-scale data centers required for power-hungry AI systems, which have driven up the cost of both electricity and water for residents living near them, NBC News and Politico reported.
“A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and electricity rates,” Mills said in a press release.
“But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region,” she said.
There are more than 5,000 data centers in the United States — more than any country in the world — and that number has grown significantly in the last four years as artificial intelligence has become a focus the tech industry.
While many state and local leaders have started to respond to concerns among residents about the huge amounts of electricity needed to power AI data centers and the huge amounts of water needed to keep them cool, as have some members of Congress.
As states have contemplated increased regulation and scrutiny from tech and AI companies, President Donald Trump at the same time has worked to keep the cuffs of tech companies because they “must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” he said in December.
“Excessive state regulation thwarts this imperative,” Trump said in an executive order meant to prevent states from creating new regulations.
Mills said she worked with Maine’s legislature to carve out an exemption for the data center in Jay but was unsuccessful, so she vetoed the law.
The development in Jay, she said, is under contract and permitted, and is expected to create 800 construction jobs, more than 100 high-paying permanent jobs and “substantial tax revenue” for the Town of Jay.
In a letter informing the legislature that she planned to veto the bill, Mills said she plans to issue an executive order to establish a council to study the impacts — real and potential — of data centers in Maine.
“I believe it necessary and important to examine and plan for the potential impacts of large-scale data centers in Maine, as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread,” Mills said.
“Given the serious conversations about data centers here and around the country, I believe this work should commence without delay,” she told legislators.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Health Care Affordability event in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday. Trump announced announced a new drug price deal with Regeneron. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
Members of the non-profit Dignity in Dying campaign group protest outside Parliament in London on Friday where the House the Lords was holding its final debate on an assisted-dying bill before it runs out the clock in the legislative timetable of the current session of parliament, which is due to end next week. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA
April 24 (UPI) — A bill to legalize assisted-dying in England and Wales was Friday set to run out of time to complete all the necessary stages for it to become law in the current session of parliament, 10 months after MPs passed the legislation.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been stalled in its committee stage in the House of Lords since June but with Friday set to be the final debate in the upper chamber before the 2024-2026 session ends in early May, it has run out of road.
“Detailed line-by-line scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill continues,” The Lords said Friday in its order of business for the day.
Members have used up all 14 committee-stage days allotted for the bill as they attempted to grapple with more than 1,000 amendments covering everything from blocking overseas patients from accessing the treatment and the inclusion of people injured serving in the military or in industrial accidents to making patients aware of non-lethal treatment options.
Only around halfway through the stages required before it can receive “Royal Assent” from King Charles and finally become law, the bill can no longer proceed and cannot be carried over to the 2026-2027 session.
Supporters vowed not to give up on the bill, which would give terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the legal right to end their lives with the help of medical professionals, saying they would try to reintroduce it when the new parliament convenes on May 13.
The bill’s sponsor, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, said she had a group of backers who had agreed to try to bring back the bill immediately following the state opening of parliament.
To do so, they need to prevail in a ballot in which MPs compete for 25 slots to introduce legislation they have authored to the House of Commons, so-called private members’ bills.
The next private members’ bill ballot is scheduled for May 21.
Leadbeater said she was disappointed, upset and angry at the outcome.
She said that terminally ill patients and their families she had been speaking with felt “a real sense of feeling let down by our democratic system.”
“This is not over. The issue is not going to go away just because of an undemocratic filibuster in the Lords. We will keep pushing for a safer, more compassionate law until parliament reaches a final decision.”
Opponents were concerned over the watering down of key safeguards in the original bill introduced in the House of Commons in November 2024, including dropping the requirement for a High Court judge to review every case.
“If we’re going to do this, we have to have safeguards and I really don’t think there are anywhere near enough safeguards in it,” said Baroness Grey-Thompson, adding that it was the job of peers to go through every line in legislation.
She told the BBC that when bills failed it because it was usually because they were poorly drafted, rather than because of the number of amendments tabled.
“It was written in haste and there are so many gaps in it that a number of peers are really uncomfortable with this particular bill, even though they may be in favor of the principle,” she said.
Leadbeater said she hoped the Commons would pass the bill again and an accommodation could be agreed with members of the upper house over amendments.
She did not rule out invoking a very rarely used procedural maneuver, a theoretical nuclear option that dates back more than a century in which the Lords is rendered powerless to stop a bill that the House of Commons has passed more than once from becoming law — but said she hoped that would not be necessary.
Children race to push colored eggs across the grass during the annual Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21, 2025. Easter this year takes place on April 5. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have barred medical marijuana dispensaries within 600 feet of homes, saying it stepped on the powers of cities and counties that already have authority to regulate pot shops.
The governor also signed 28 measures into law, making it easier for California firms to sell wine over the Internet and allowing bars to infuse alcohol with fruits and vegetables for use in cocktails.
Brown has until Oct. 9 to act on nearly 600 bills sent to him by the Legislature this year and has already wielded his veto pen several times, complaining about the state imposing too many standards on communities and families.
On the medical marijuana issue, the governor noted that he had previously signed a measure giving cities and counties clearer authority to regulate the location and operation of dispensaries.
“Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the State Capitol,” Brown wrote in his veto message.
The bill was SB 847, by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who said he wanted to allow cities to chose their own regulations and to protect children living near such facilities from second-hand smoke.
The governor signed a bill Wednesday allowing wine merchants without stores to obtain a special state license to sell to customers over the Internet or by telephone or direct mail. Assemblyman Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) introduced AB 623 because current law provides for an alcohol wholesaler’s license but requires holders to periodically sell to other retailers, even if they only want to sell directly to customers on the Internet.
The governor also signed a measure eliminating a state prohibition against bars and restaurants providing infused alcoholic beverages, with fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices added to spirits for flavor.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), author of SB 32, said the restrictions were decades old and were intended to address health concerns about the infusion process. Modern methods make the practice safe, he said.
On another measure, Brown exercised his veto pen and took a swipe at its author in the process.
With budget cuts forcing many state parks to close or reduce operations, Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) proposed that the state post details of potential park closures on a website and respond to any efforts from the private sector to help keep them open.
Brown said the idea in Harman’s bill, SB 386, was good but didn’t require a state law.
“What parks do need is sufficient funding to stay open — something I feel compelled to note the author and his colleagues refused to let the people vote on,” Brown wrote in his veto message, referring to Republican opposition to putting tax extensions on the ballot.
Bruno Mars tickets running for $2,000 and ones for SZA costing $600 caught California lawmakers’ attention. They’re advancing two bills targeting the resale market.
Earlier this year, tickets to see SZA perform at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles were selling for $600 the day before they officially went on sale at $35 a piece.
In San Francisco, tickets to see Sam Smith at the newly renovated Castro Theater went on sale for $120, only to be quickly snatched up by scalpers and resold for upwards of $600.
Those are some of the stories that California lawmakers are citing as they advance two plans to change the ticketing landscape. One caps the extent to which resellers can mark up the original ticket price while the other prohibits resellers from selling tickets they don’t yet own.
Democratic Assemblymembers Issac Bryan of Culver City and Matt Haney of San Francisco are each carrying bills that they say would protect consumers from fraudulent and deceptive ticket sales.
Both measures are backed by the ticket market’s dominant seller, Beverly Hills-based Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster. Its support has some worried that the bills will help the company crush its competitors and jack up prices.
A federal jury in New York this week found that the company illegally acted as a monopoly in a victory for, among others, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who with colleagues in other states sued the company two years ago and kept going after federal prosecutors settled. Live Nation is now awaiting penalties.
Despite these headwinds, the ticket bills are sailing through the Legislature.
Supporters say the legislation has nothing to do with the antitrust case against Live Nation and helps consumers. Opponents disagree.
“The state Legislature should really be standing up for consumers instead of advancing bills that are there to help a monopoly that has been caught on record calling its fans stupid and has bragged about robbing them blind,” said Jose Barrera, national vice president for the far west region at the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights advocacy group.
Ticketmaster’s competitors in the online resale market are lobbying against the measures, a sign that they view the proposals as a threat to their business.
Jack Sterne, StubHub’s head of policy communications, wrote to CalMatters, stating, “Passing laws that hand the Ticketmaster monopoly more power and don’t actually make tickets more affordable is the last thing California’s leaders should do.”
But Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, which is co-sponsoring the bills, argues that they will regulate the marketplace to better protect fans by limiting price gouging and encouraging the face value — or below face value — exchange of tickets.
“Ultimately, that is what these bills will do, in addition to making sure that the tickets are actually real,” he said. “That is a good thing for California consumers. It’s a good thing for artists and it’s a good thing for these small businesses and nonprofits that make up the independent stages across the state.”
A Live Nation spokesperson said in a statement to CalMatters, “The resale lobby constantly tries to change the subject by pointing fingers at Ticketmaster, even though it has less than 25% of the resale market. This has nothing to do with anyone’s monopoly, but rather is about protecting fans from scalpers and the resale sites that cater to them.”
The company has spent roughly $165,000 on lobbying efforts this legislative session, including to support Bryan’s bill.
‘Unlikely allies’
Bryan’s Assembly Bill 1349 would ban the sale of speculative tickets — or tickets that are not in the possession or ownership of the people who list them online. In an April hearing, Bryan said the bill protects consumers from predatory mark ups.
“This bill is so important that, after our introduction, it brought unlikely allies together,” Bryan said, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. “In fact, this bill brought the Giants and the Dodgers together, brought the National Independent Venue Association and Live Nation together. It brought Kendrick Lamar and Kid Rock together. It brought Isaac Bryan and Donald Trump together.”
Several secondary ticket sellers are fighting the measure, including StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. The three companies have spent roughly $1.1 million dollars on lobbying efforts this legislative session, which included opposition to Bryan’s bill.
People watch fireworks during Bad Bunny’s halftime show from a parking garage outside Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters
Opponents including Robert Herrell, executive director for the Consumer Federation of California, argue that the bill strengthens Live Nation Ticketmaster’s grip on the ticketing and live entertainment industry. According to them, the measure would give Live Nation complete control over the ticket even after it has been purchased — meaning, for example, that consumers could lose the ability to sell it or give it away.
“There’s no consumer choice in the matter,” said Herrell. “They can keep people out of shows if they want to. There have been situations where, if you bought a ticket on the secondary market, you’ve been denied entry into a show.” Proponents say Herrell and other opponents are mistaken. They say they are not trying to prevent transferability but rather, they want to protect fans from speculative costs.
“We want those rooms full,” said Ron Gubitz, executive director of Music Artists Coalition, which is co-sponsoring both bills. “So you have to be able to transfer a ticket. We just want it to be in a way that’s safe, trustworthy and not creating this run on the market that exists now.”
Gubitz pointed to a recent Bruno Mars concert, where tickets were on StubHub for $400 to $2,000 before they were on sale through Ticketmaster.
“That’s crazy,” he said. “That’s a speculative ticket that Bryan’s bill is trying to stop. That shouldn’t happen. It’s not fair to anybody, except for the secondary (market). It seems great for them.”
Price caps in a free market
Haney’s Assembly Bill 1720, also known as the California Fans First Act, would put a 10% cap on resale event ticket markups, inclusive of the ticket fees. In other words, a reseller could not charge more than 10% higher than the original ticket price.
In an interview with CalMatters, Haney said artists, independent venues and downtowns are currently being “screwed over and exploited” by scalpers and brokers.
“We can’t allow the status quo to continue if we want to ensure Californians have access to affordable tickets to see their favorite artists or if we want independent venues or the broader landscape of musicians and artists to thrive in our state,” he said.
Haney rejected the idea that his bill would strengthen the Live Nation Ticketmaster monopoly, saying that the company is one of the biggest operators and profiteers of the secondary ticket market and would therefore be subject to the same restrictions as any other platform or broker.
“I don’t think it’s a free market to allow folks to come in and buy up all these tickets and then create scarcity and then you’re now required to buy your ticket at a much higher price from someone who had nothing to do with the event,” he said. “This is not something we would ever allow for airplane tickets or even dinner reservations.”
The bill has been criticized by opponents like Diana Moss, vice president and director of competition policy at Progressive Policy Institute, who said price caps notoriously distort the market, describing them as “anti-consumer, anti-competitive and anti-artist.”
“If you shut down the resale market with price caps then guess what? Ticket buyers have no place to go but right back to Ticketmaster,” said Moss. “If (Live Nation) succeed(s) in decimating the resale market, then they steer millions and millions of fans back to their own ticketing platform where they charge monopoly ticket fees and where fans are hostage to their glitchy online platform and all of their data, privacy and security concerns that we always hear about in the news.”
Those concerns didn’t stop the bill from passing out of the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism last week with a 6-1 vote. The bill also passed out of the Assembly Committee on Privacy & Consumer Protection on Thursday with a 9-4 vote.
Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow for CalMatters.
The Legislature voted in Boston to overturn Gov. Mitt Romney’s veto and approved a bill designed to propel the state to the forefront of embryonic stem cell research.
The bill immediately became law over Romney’s objections, after both chambers exceeded the two-thirds vote needed to override a veto. The vote was 112-42 in the House and 35-2 in the Senate.
The Republican governor vetoed the bill last week because it allowed the cloning of human embryos for use in stem cell experiments — a practice Romney said amounted to creating life in order to destroy it.
WASHINGTON — In a rare bipartisan moment, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, a long-shot effort fighting back against President Trump’s attempts to end the program.
The bill, pushed forward by House Democrats with a group of Republicans over the objections of the GOP leadership, would require a three-year extension of temporary protected status for Haitians by the Trump administration. That would allow hundreds of thousands of qualifying immigrants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.
The vote was 224-204, drawing applause in the chamber. But it faces uncertainty in the Senate, and the Republican president would almost certainly seek to veto it.
“I know firsthand how important our Haitian neighbors are to our communities, to our civic life, to our culture, to our workforce, to our economy,” said Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who is co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian communities in the country.
During the debate, she recounted the number of Haitian immigrants working in healthcare, housing construction and other industries. Haitians with temporary legal status “are not the problem, quite the contrary, they are part of the solution,” she said.
Pressley has said deporting Haitians back to the troubled Caribbean country would be a “death sentence,” given the effects of natural disasters and gang violence. “Congress can do the right thing,” she said.
Ten Republicans, many from districts with large numbers of Haitian residents, joined all Democrats and one independent in voting for passage.
Congress tries to act before the Supreme Court does
The effort to help 350,000 Haitians living lawfully in the United States comes as the administration is working to end the temporary legal status for several groups, exposing them to deportation.
In less than two weeks, the Supreme Court is prepared to consider a fast-track case that would end the protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants in a challenge widely seen as threatening the broader program. The administration filed emergency appeals after lower courts stopped the immediate end of the program.
It is part of the administration’s efforts to strip certain immigrant groups of legal status as the White House works to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of conducting the largest mass deportation operation in history. Some 1.3 million people fleeing countries around the world have been granted temporary protected status in the U.S.
The protections for Haiti, first approved after a devastating 2010 earthquake, have been extended multiple times. The State Department warns Americans not to travel to Haiti “due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest.”
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy organization, fought back tears as she described the fear of deportations coursing through the community.
“We are asking, where will you be? On the right side of history?” she said at a news conference outside the Capitol. “Or continuing to cause trauma to people who are asking for nothing other than safety and protection?”
Trump has described migrants from poorer countries in vulgar terms, and he has falsely accused Haitian migrants in Ohio of eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs.
The conservative majority court has allowed the end of temporary legal status for a total of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, leaving them to face potential deportation.
Lawmakers debate whether to help Haitians or stick with Trump
Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) whose district includes Long Island’s Haitian community, said she promised constituents she would work to protect their status. She introduced the legislation with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York as soon as she took office last year.
“It’s cruel to expect Haitians to be forced to return to these deadly, dangerous conditions,” she said at a news conference. “Human lives are at risk.”
Lawler said there are differences of opinion on immigration policy, but that Haitian immigrants have become vital to his community and forcing them out would be unjust and unwise.
“They are small business owners, they are nurses, they are caregivers, they participate in our economy and take care of American citizens,” he said. “Congress has a responsibility to act.”
But Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) decried the number of immigrants, including Haitians, who have entered the U.S., and cited Democratic efforts to halt funding for enforcement and deportation efforts.
“Make temporary permanent,” he said, “that’s their plan.”
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) said the program was “backdoor amnesty” for foreigners.
To Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), the temporary status first granted under the Obama administration has become “an open-ended invitation” for immigrants to enter the country, including some illegally, and remain.
“The Trump administration has heeded the cries of the American people,” he said.
Using a discharge petition to force votes
The vote was the latest effort by House Democrats to maneuver past the Republican majority using a discharge petition — once a rare tool, but now used increasingly to form bipartisan coalitions.
The discharge petition process forces the bill to the House floor for consideration, powering past House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP leaders. It was used to help pass legislation that required the Justice Department to release the files of the sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the House and are typically able to swat back such efforts from Democrats. But Democrats and Republicans have formed bipartisan alliances to reach the majority needed on the discharge petitions.
Pressley’s effort to discharge the bill won support from four Republicans on the initial petition, and several more once it came to the floor vote.
President Trump has signed a bill restoring federal funding to tech startups in California and elsewhere, money that had been held up for more than six months.
The Small Business Administration money, a key source of capital for new aerospace and defense firms in the Los Angeles region, ran out in October after a Congressional impasse.
They provide more than $4 billion in seed funding to commercial startups that provide valuable services to the government and public, stimulate the economy and help maintain the country’s competitive edge.
The money is awarded by multiple agencies, including the Health and Human Services and Energy departments and NASA, with the military distributing the largest portion.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, held up reauthorization over concerns some startups had become reliant on the money instead of developing commercial businesses. She proposed a bill with a $75-million lifetime funding cap for individual companies.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the committee’s ranking Democrat, contended the bill would crimp innovation and hurt companies.
The reauthorization includes no lifetime caps but requires departments to set limits on how many times companies can apply each year for the SBA funding, prioritizing startups .
The bill also establishes a Strategic Breakthrough Allocation program that awards up to $30 million in SBA funding to a single company provided it can bring in matching funding.
The new program is intended to assist startups to become commercially viable after they run through their SBIR or STTR funding, which are intended to fund feasibility studies and prototypes. STTR requires a partnership with a research institution.
Other provisions in the bill include new due diligence standards to prevent any tech developed by the startups from falling into the hands of adversaries such as China .
“With a bipartisan, five-year reauthorization signed into law, small businesses are once again empowered to create these innovative technologies and tackle our nation’s most pressing challenges head-on,” Markey said in a statement.
SACRAMENTO — Legislation to move the California presidential primary from early June to early March, in an effort to make the state a more important player in presidential politics, passed the Assembly on Wednesday.
The bill was sent to the Senate on a 43-22 vote. If approved there, it will go to Gov. Pete Wilson, who has said he favors moving up the primary date.
A March date would make California the first large-population state to hold a presidential primary or a caucus.
Assemblyman Jim Costa (D-Fresno), the measure’s author, said Californians have been “no more than onlookers” as presidential candidates have been selected in recent years. Costa said the California vote last affected the outcome of a Democratic primary in 1972, while the state has not played a major role in a Republican selection since the 1964 contest between Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller.
Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) said California “has been treated like a 24-hour ATM machine,” with candidates raising large amounts of money in this state but spending it on primaries and caucuses elsewhere.
Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) denounced the proposal as an “expensive boondoggle to allow people in this building to become kingmakers.” Nolan also said moving up the primary date would make it difficult for the Legislature or the courts to arrive at a reapportionment plan well in advance of the primary.
But Costa said a March primary would cost no more than an election in June and that “modern computers can draw reapportionment lines quickly.”
Forty Democrats were joined by three Republicans–Assemblymen Gerald N. Felando of San Pedro, David G. Kelley of Hemet and Charles W. Quackenbush of Saratoga–in supporting the bill. All 22 no votes were cast by Republicans.
Coachella is never cheap, much less this year’s sold-out edition with the long-awaited live return of Justin Bieber. But if you’re looking to score a last-minute pass, you likely lost your swag when you saw the resale prices on secondary sites like StubHub.
As of Friday afternoon, you’ll pay between $4,000 and $5,000 for a sold-out weekend one GA pass on StubHub. (Prices are lower for weekend two on Coachella’s official resale site. Weekend one tickets originally retailed for $649).
“That’s insane,” said California Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who has introduced AB 1720, the California Fans First Act, to combat extortionate ticket re-selling. Haney’s bill would ban reselling tickets at more than 10% above face value in California.
“We’ve allowed live events including Coachella to be dominated by speculators who aren’t fans, but who simply want to profit off these events,” he continued. “They didn’t contribute to Coachella, they don’t play an instrument. They’re using events as a way to screw over fans and jack up prices. The result is that people who are Justin Bieber fans pay eight or nine times over the face value of a ticket.”
The proposal comes as the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced a settlement with Live Nation in a federal suit that will allow it to keep control of Ticketmaster. Many states, including California, are looking at options to pursue their own legal action and legislation to fix a ticket market fans have come to see as deeply broken.
Coachella, produced by Goldenvoice and AEG, isn’t affiliated with Live Nation or Ticketmaster. But eye-watering secondary market prices are an example of how desirable concerts have become a hot commodity for predatory resellers.
“We’ve got to break up [Live Nation’s] monopoly, but there is a problem with the secondary market and the ways we’ve allowed scalpers to crowd out fans. That exists on all platforms,” Haney said. “We’ve got to address monopolies and ridiculous fees in direct ticket sales, but we also can’t allow scalpers to buy up tickets to profit off the art of others. I have no doubt that if we didn’t allow gambling on ticket prices, there would still be Coachella tickets available for fans.”
The issue of high concert prices is multifaceted, and artists and promoters play more of a role than many fans want to believe. The technology exists for many tours to do what Haney’s bill proposes — cap resale prices — on their own. Fans clearly are willing to pay extremely high prices for in-demand performances like Coachella.
“If people are willing to pay a lot to see a performance,” Haney said, “Those dollars should go to the artist, to folks who work at the event. If demand is high, tickets may be expensive, but we shouldn’t allow scalpers to create scarcity and higher prices.”
If the California Fans First Act were to pass (it’s still working through the Assembly) it would bring the state‘s ticket market more in line with many European countries that already ban exorbitant resale practices. Other states like New York are considering similar legislation, and in the absence of federal action to address issues in the ticket market, state legislation may be the next best option.
Haney hopes California — a state whose cultural identity and economy is deeply tied to live music — can lead on that front.
“There is no California without creators and culture and music,” he said. “It’s the heart and soul of who we are, it’s a massive part of our economy and part of our culture. We have to make sure creators can receive the support for their art, and that fans have the opportunity to experience it. Right now, we’re losing on both fronts. There’s an urgency for this legislation here more than anywhere because of how central it is to who we are.”
Survivors of the devastating Eaton fire called on state lawmakers on Wednesday to pass a bill requiring audits of spending by Southern California Edison and the state’s two other big for-profit electric companies on wildfire prevention.
The survivors pointed to an investigation by The Times that found that Edison had not spent hundreds of millions of dollars that it told regulators before the fire was needed to keep its transmission system safe. Edison had begun charging customers for the costs.
“Californians funded the wildfire prevention,” Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, told members of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Commission on Wednesday. ”And we survivors paid the price when that work was not done.”
While the government’s investigation into the fire has not yet been released, Edison has said it believes that a century-old transmission line, which had not carried power since 1971, may have briefly re-energized on the night of Jan. 7, 2025, to ignite the fire. The inferno killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures in Altadena.
Chen’s wildfire survivors group and Consumer Watchdog sponsored the bill, known as Assembly Bill 1744. It would require the wildfire safety spending by Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric to be audited by an independent accounting firm.
The state Public Utilities Commission would have to consider the audits’ findings before agreeing to raise customer rates to cover even more wildfire spending.
“Had Edison known it would be accountable for those funds, that wildfire may not have started,” Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog told the committee, referring to the Eaton fire.
All three utilities said at the hearing they opposed the bill.
A lobbyist for San Diego Gas & Electric said he believed the audits were unnecessary because the commission was already reviewing the spending.
“We think it creates a duplicative process,” he said.
At the committee hearing, Edison’s lobbyist did not say why the company was opposed to the bill.
The company has previously said that safety is its top priority and that it does not believe maintenance on its transmission lines suffered before the Eaton fire.
Also voicing support for the bill at the hearing were survivors of other deadly wildfires in the state, including the 2018 Camp fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed much of the town of Paradise. Investigators found that the fire was ignited when equipment failed on a decades-old PG&E transmission line.
The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner, an Encinitas Democrat, pointed to how independent audits of the three companies’ wildfire spending from 2019 to 2020 found that $2.5 billion could not be accounted for.
Those were the last independent audits of the three companies’ wildfire spending.
Despite the findings, the commission did not require the companies to return any of the questioned amounts to electric customers. Instead, the commission agreed the companies could spend billions of dollars more, Boerner said.
“This is frankly unacceptable,” she said.
Asked for a response to those audits, the lobbyist from San Diego Gas & Electric told the committee he wasn’t familiar with the findings.
California electric rates are the nation’s second highest after Hawaii.
In 2024, wildfire expenses amounted to 17% to 27% of the costs the three companies charge to consumers, according to a legislative analysis of Boerner’s bill. The average residential customer pays $250 to $490 a year for that spending.
A tourist in Tenerife bought a meal abroad for a family of seven, but people were left floored by the bill. Gemma Loveden was taken aback when she saw the cost
07:49, 09 Apr 2026Updated 07:49, 09 Apr 2026
The tourist in Tenerife was left floored by the bill (stock image)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Lots of people visit Tenerife to soak up the sun and enjoy a much needed break abroad, but the cost of food has left some a little floored. Mum Gemma Loveden previously took her family of seven for a meal out in the Canary Islands hotspot, and the cost was quite unexpected.
When visiting Tenerife, the family opted to sample treats from steak to pizza, and they washed their food down with drinks when they soaked up the holiday atmosphere. Despite the prices likely being on the menu, the family were left gobsmacked by how reasonable the bill was when it was presented to them at the restaurant.
She shared a clip, stating: “Evening meal this evening cost €54.84 (around £45)”. She wasn’t the only person who was impressed by the value either.
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After the clip was shared, several people commented to share their thoughts. People were stunned by how cheap it was.
One user admitted: “That would be £150 easy in Turkey.” Another wrote: “How? That’s amazing!”
A third commenter added: “Good price. We normally pay roughly €50 to €60 for three people.” Meanwhile, a fourth exclaimed: “Amazing value, and your kids seem very well behaved too. That’s amazing.”
Others were also impressed with her children’s table manners. One noted: “Love their table etiquette. Great parenting.”
Someone else also replied: “That’s amazing. I live in Cyprus. It would be much more than that.”
While it’s no secret that the cost of a lot of things has increased lately, food is generally considered reasonably priced in Tenerife. When compared to the rest of Europe, it’s believed to be one of the most affordable places to eat.
Obviously, holidays can be as cheap or expensive as you choose to make them though. Despite this, you can bag some budget meals when you’re out and about.
Dining out is popular with tourists, with budget meals reported to range from €6 to €15 and mid-range meals averaging €20 to €40 per person. This is considered to be excellent value when compared to other major European cities.
If you’ve never been to Tenerife, it’s a popular destination due to its “eternal spring” climate. The island offers year-round sunshine and warmth and it’s just a few hours’ flight from mainland Europe.
Many people love it as it homes a diverse mix of affordable beach resorts, volcanic landscapes (including Mount Teide), vibrant nightlife and family-friendly attractions. It’s popular with those who enjoy a spot of winter sun too.
1 of 2 | Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, attends a dinner hosted by President Donald Trump with U.S. tech leaders at the White House in Washington D.C., on September 4. Gates agreed to an interview with the House Oversight Committee related to its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
April 7 (UPI) —Bill Gates is expected to give testimony to the House Oversight Committee in its investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Microsoft co-founder’s representative said Tuesday.
Gates will appear for a transcribed interview June 10, unnamed sources familiar with the arrangement told Politico, CNBC and CBS News.
A representative for Gates told Politico he “welcomes” the testimony.
“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” the representative said.
Gates’ relationship with the late Epstein has drawn scrutiny after documents released by the Justice Department included email drafts by Epstein implicating Gates. In the drafts, Epstein claims he arranged sexual encounters for Gates.
Gates has denied that Epstein arranged such encounters and said he interacted with Epstein only on philanthropic discussions. He said he also never traveled to Epstein’s island, Little St. James, and “never met any women.”
Lisa Phillips, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, speaks out during a rally with other survivors on Capitol Hill in Washington on September 3, 2025. Photo by Anna Rose Layden/UPI | License Photo
April 7 (UPI) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation authorizing state officials to designate certain groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, creating a mechanism to punish those blacklisted in the Sunshine State.
The legislation creates a mechanism for Florida to sever funding, contracting and other ties to blacklisted groups. If a corporation is named, the state may pursue proceedings to dissolve it.
“We must defend our institutions from those who would harm us — especially terrorist organizations that seek to infiltrate and subvert our education system,” DeSantis said in a statement.
The bill specifically authorizes Florida’s chief of domestic security to designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, subject to approval from the governor and Cabinet, if certain conditions are met.
Once designated, state agencies, political subdivisions and public school districts are barred from working with, supporting or taking money from them.
If the designated entity is a corporation, then the state may begin proceedings to dissolve it. It also creates criminal consequences for actions involving designated domestic terrorist organizations, including receiving military-type training from them, providing them with material support or resources and willfully becoming a member.
It also imposes consequences for schools, including secondary education, for promoting designated organizations and requires the immediate expulsion of students determined to have promoted them.
The bill also prohibits Florida courts or other adjudicatory bodies from enforcing any provision of what it calls “religious or foreign law” if it is inconsistent with federal or state law. The legislation specifically states Sharia law, the religious legal system of Islam.
“This legislation reinforces that the U.S. Constitution and Florida law remain the supreme authority in our court systems, preventing any foreign or religious legal code from overriding fundamental rights,” State Rep. Hillary Cassel, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement after her legislation was signed into law.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement of concern on Monday over the potential misuse of the designation power, highlighting DeSantis’ previous attempt to designate it as a terrorist organization via executive order. before a judge blocked the blacklisting.
“This is not just about CAIR. This expanded and deeply flawed framework can attack any organization that dares to dissent,” CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hiba Rahim said in a statement.
“As Floridians, together, we’ll watch how this unprecedented law is enforced, and whether it is used or abused.”
A California state senator alleges that police officers fabricated evidence to falsely accuse her of driving under the influence after she was T-boned at an intersection near the state Capitol.
Their motive, she claims, was discriminatory bias and a piece of legislation she wrote that law enforcement agencies did not like.
Now, she is suing the city of Sacramento alleging “a deliberate and unlawful campaign to falsely accuse, arrest, and discredit her.”
On Monday, state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) filed a federal lawsuit against the city as well as the police officers who cited her for driving under the influence in May. The Sacramento district attorney’s office declined to file charges after a blood test showed there were no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system.
Cervantes accuses officers of pushing forward with an arrest despite lacking probable cause and building a case against her based on false statements. She said officers submitted false information to the DMV, forcing her to retain a lawyer to stop her license from being suspended or revoked, according to the complaint.
The Riverside County legislator alleges that this conduct was in retaliation for a bill she authored seeking to restrict how law enforcement agencies store and use data from automatic license plate readers. She claims that officers discriminated against her as an LGBTQ Latina woman and provided more respectful treatment to the white woman who was at fault in the crash.
Cervantes further alleges that unknown parties within the Sacramento Police Department leaked news of her arrest to the press in a deliberate attempt to tarnish her reputation. Representatives for both the city and the Police Department said Monday that they were unable to comment on pending litigation.
“This case is about the abuse of power,” Cervantes’ attorney James Quadra said in a statement Monday. “Officers ignored the facts, fabricated evidence, and tried to turn a victim into a criminal.”
In September, Cervantes filed a government claim against the city, a necessary precursor to taking further legal action. Her lawsuit, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California, seeks damages for violations of federal civil rights and state law, including false arrest, unlawful search and seizure, and defamation.
The crash took place at 12:55 p.m. on May 19, 2025, when Cervantes’ car was hit by a driver who failed to yield to the right of way at an intersection in downtown Sacramento. The state senator was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment where officers met and interviewed her for hours, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that “despite clear damage to the vehicles showing that the other driver, a young white woman, had t-boned Senator Cervantes’ vehicle” the responding officer “treated the at-fault driver with a deference and respect which was not accorded to Senator Cervantes.”
At the hospital, one of the officers requested that Cervantes submit to a “subjective sobriety test” that included measuring her eye’s response to stimuli, according to the complaint. Cervantes said she was troubled by this request given that she broke no traffic laws and was the victim of a dangerous driver.
In order to obtain a warrant to obtain a blood draw, the officer “falsely claimed that Senator Cervantes had an unsteady gait, slurred speech, and an appearance of drowsiness,” the complaint alleges.
After news of the crash became public, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department told reporters that “based on the objective signs, officers believed that Cervantes was under the influence of a central nervous system depressant.” Redacted test results Cervantes chose to share with the media showed she had a near-zero blood alcohol level, and the district attorney declined to file charges later that month.
Her lawsuit accuses parties within the Police Department of falsely telling the media she was driving under the influence “with the intent to harm Senator Cervantes because of her sponsorship of SB Bill 274 and her status as a Latina member of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The bill sought to restrict law enforcement’s use of automatic license plate readers, following concerns that the technology was being used to violate driver’s privacy and that data was being unlawfully shared with agencies outside of the state.
Civil liberty groups such as the ACLU have demanded that California police stop sharing automatic license plate reader data with out-of-state agencies that could use it to prosecute women traveling to seek abortion care.
In June, an investigation by Calmatters found that law enforcement agencies across Southern California, including the Los Angeles Police Department, violated state law by sharing information from automated license plate readers with Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Senate Bill 274 passed the state Senate and Assembly but was vetoed in October by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sided with law enforcement agencies that expressed concerns over how the bill could hinder their ability to solve crimes.
The bill would have limited the lists agencies could use to monitor for certain cars, required enhanced data security and privacy training for officers and mandated that certain data be deleted after 60 days.
In a letter explaining his veto, Newsom wrote that the bill “failed to strike the delicate balance between protecting individual privacy and ensuring public safety.” He noted that, in instances such as cold cases, license plate data are needed to solve crimes beyond a 60-day window.
White is the latest festival alum added to the bill for a surprise slot in recent years, joining the likes of Weezer and Ed Sheeran in 2025, Blink-182 in 2023 and Arcade Fire in 2022.
The sold-out festival is topped by Sabrina Carpenter on Friday, Justin Bieber on Saturday and Karol G on Sunday. Carpenter has the earliest headlining spot of the three, with a set scheduled for 9:05 to 10:35 p.m. Following Carpenter on opening night is electronic artist Anyma, who is debuting a production called “Æden” at midnight on the Coachella stage.
It’s free to see, but there’s a reservation system for a time slot. People who can’t make a reservation will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
On the Coachella website, it describes the Bunker as being located near the Sahara Tent.
Before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival became a world-famous event, it started as a much more modest music festival in Southern California’s desert in 1999.
As the festival kicks off its 25th year, we combed through The Times’ extensive archives to take a trip down Coachella’s memory lane. Scroll through and you’ll see those epic moments from Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Prince and Madonna, but also the iconic large art installations at the festival and just how much the event has grown and changed over the years.
Dennis Carrillo wears a sombrero as a shield against the blistering sun as he and friend Dario Soto, both of Los Angeles, walk toward the stage at the inaugural Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio in October 1999, where the temperature hit triple digits.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Beck was one of the headliners of the original Coachella in October 1999.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of music fans wait at the main stage area at the inaugural Coachella in 1999.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Rage Against the Machine was one of the headliners of the inaugural Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 1999.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
2001
Due to the financial losses, Coachella skipped a year and returned in April 2001 as a one-day event with a headlining set by Jane’s Addiction and a bill featuring artists such as Weezer and Paul Oakenfold. It drew more than 32,000 people to the desert.
When Coachella returned as a one-day event in 2001, Jane’s Addiction headlined the show.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Even in its early years, Coachella made art part of the vibe. In 2001, people on stilts roamed the field in front of the main stage.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of fans hang out on the main field at Coachella in 2001.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Paul Oakenfold’s first time playing Coachella was in 2001.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
2002
Coachella went back to being a two-day event in 2002, headlined by Bjork and Oasis. One of the emerging acts on the bill that year was a rock combo out of New York called The Strokes.
Oasis, with guitarist Noel Gallagher, headlined the second day of Coachella 2002.
(Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)
When The Strokes first played Coachella in 2002, the New York band was just emerging in the rock scene. Singer Julian Casablancas and the group will perform again in 2026.
(Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)
The first time Bjork headlined Coachella was the 2002 edition of the festival.
(Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)
Fans watch arm in arm as Oasis closes out Coachella 2002.
(Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)
2003
The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined Coachella 2003, but the lineup also included The White Stripes, Iggy and The Stooges, Underworld and the Blue Man Group.
Coachella attracted about 35,000 fans per day in 2003.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The White Stripes were one of the standout acts at Coachella 2003.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The Sahara Tent has always been the heartbeat of Coachella’s dance scene, but in 2003 it was much smaller than the airplane hangar-sized stage it is today.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The Blue Man Group performed at the 2003 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
2004
In 2004, the Flaming Lips created an iconic Coachella moment when singer Wayne Coyne traveled over the crowd in a giant inflatable ball. Headlined by Radiohead and The Cure, the festival also included a reunion of the Pixies. It also marked Coachella’s first sellout, with 60,000 attendees per day.
The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne travels over the Coachella 2004 crowd in an inflated plastic bubble.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Syd Klinge’s “Cauac” Tesla coil was one of Coachella’s firstart pieces. It made its debut in 2004.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Coachella 2004 featured a highly-regarded reunion of the Pixies.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Fans brave sweltering heat as they wait for the Pixies to perform at Coachella 2004.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
2005
Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails headlined Coachella in 2005. Weezer, The Chemical Brothers and Wilco were some of the other notable acts on the bill. Among the memorable moments was the reunion of Bauhaus and singer Peter Murphy performing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” while hanging upside down like a bat.
Wilco performs before a crowd of tens of thousands at dusk at the 2005 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails headlined Coachella in 2005. Reznor will return to the festival in 2026 with German music producer Boys Noize to perform as Nine Inch Noize.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Music fans break a sweat dancing in the Sahara Tent during the 2005 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Allen Writhen, of Santa Maria, takes a spin on a bicycle at the Cyclecide arena at Coachella 2005. Cyclecide, a San Francisco–based bicycle rodeo group, brought bike-centric art installations to Coachella for multiple years.
Prince headlined Saturday night of Coachella 2008, performing a memorable cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.”
(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Kestrin Pantera dances while Marc Goldstein DJs aboard a special Amtrak charter, the Coachella Express, which traveled from Los Angeles to Indio in 2008. The free train service provided transportation to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival attendees.
(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Roger Waters performed Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” during the final day of Coachella 2008. His set also included a giant inflatable pig that was let loose into the Indio night.
(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
A dance circle develops inside the Do Lab at the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
2009
Coachella 2009 marked the final year the general public could buy single-day tickets to the festival. Paul McCartney headlined opening night and played 50-plus minutes after curfew. When The Cure tried the same thing to close down Sunday, the sound was cut earlier. Sandwiched in between was a headlining set from The Killers. Other notable performers included M.I.A., who stepped in after Amy Winehouse dropped off the lineup, Morrissey, who complained about the smell of burning flesh, and Leonard Cohen.
Paul McCartney headlined the main stage at Coachella 2009 in a career-spanning set that went nearly an hour past the 1 a.m. curfew.
(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Festivalgoers find shade in the Do Lab at Coachella 2009.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
M.I.A. stepped in to perform at Coachella 2009 after Amy Winehouse dropped off the lineup.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
“Bamboo Starscraper” was a 90-foot-tall bamboo tower by Gerard Minakawa that was part of the art at the festival in 2009.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
2010
This year was the first time the festival only offered three-day passes and Coachella drew a record 75,000 people per day, up nearly 15,000 from the previous year. It was also the year Coachella had its first rap headliner with Jay-Z, who brought out wife Beyoncé to perform “Young Forever.” The other headliners in 2010 were Muse and Gorillaz. The eruption of an Icelandic volcano kept some artists from getting to the festival, including The Cribs and Frightened Rabbit. Then there was Sly Stone’s oft-delayed set that ended with him ranting about his former manager and led to a slander lawsuit. The full festival was also livestreamed for the first time.
In 2010, Jay-Z became the first rapper to headline Coachella. He brought out wife Beyoncé as a surprise guest.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the Old Crow Medicine Show jam in the VIP area of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio in 2010.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
DJ Lance Rock and the creatures of “Yo Gabba Gabba!” performed at Coachella in 2010.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The crowd reacts during Benny Benassi’s DJ set in the Sahara Tent at Coachella 2010.
Snoop Dogg performs with a hologram of Tupac Shakur near the end of the Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s headlining set at Coachella 2012.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Laura Newton, left, Lucy Holme and Louise Watkins from Britain attended their first Coachella in 2012 and protected themselves from the rain that swept in on opening day with garbage bags.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
David Guetta brought lots of lasers to his performance in the Sahara Tent at Coachella 2012.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“Helix Poeticus,” created by Poetic Kinetics makes its way, slowly, across the polo field at Coachella 2013.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined Sunday night at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The Yuma Tent made its debut at Coachella 2013 with air conditioning, a hardwood floor and comfy chairs.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Tesla coils by artist Syd Klinge go off along with the “Coachella Power Station,” left, by artists Vanessa Bonet, Derek Doublin and Chris Waggoner at Coachella 2013.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
2014
A reunited Outkast, Muse and Arcade Fire headlined Coachella 2014, but one of the most memorable performances was Pharrell Williams’ star-studded set on the Outdoor Theatre. We also saw the debut of Poetic Kinetics’ “Escape Velocity,” a.k.a. the Coachella astronaut, and the mirrored “Reflection Fields” by Phillip K. Smith among the festival’s major art installations.
A nearly 40-foot tall astronaut, “Escape Velocity” by L.A. art collective Poetic Kinetics, is reflected in “Reflection Fields” by Phillip K. Smith at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Andre 3000 of Outkast performs inside a screen box opening day of the 2014 festival. Andre 3000 and Big Boi reunited for the festival.
(Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Fans pack the Sahara Tent for the performance of Showtek at Coachella 2014.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Pharell Williams performs at the second weekend of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Angus Young duck walked in his traditional schoolboy uniform during AC/DC’s Coachella 2015 headlining performance.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Music fans flock to “Desiderium Eruca,” Poetic Kinetics’ large butterfly sculpture that replaced the “Papilio Merraculous” caterpillar sculpture at Coachella 2015.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Florence + The Machine was one of the memorable performances at Coachella 2015. Singer Florence Welch broke her foot when she leaped from the stage during Weekend 1.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Aerial performers spin above the crowd at the Do Lab at Coachella 2015.
After breaking his foot the week before Coachella 2016 during Guns N’ Roses’ Troubadour warm-up show, Axl Rose performed on stage at Coachella atop the motorized throne Dave Grohl previously used on tour after breaking his leg.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Alejandro Murcia and Wanda Quintero take a photo in front of R&R Studios’ “Besame Mucho” installation at Coachella 2016. The typographic sign was covered in silk flowers and is among the more memorable art pieces from the year. Today, the installation lives on at Miami International Airport.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Ice Cube’s performance at Coachella in 2016 led to an on-stage reunion with the surviving members of N.W.A, featuring MC Ren and DJ Yella Weekend 1 with Dr. Dre joining them on Weekend 2.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Brian Sneed and Claudia Jerez jump as a friend takes their photo in front of the “Katrina Chairs” art installation at Coachella 2016.
The first time Lady Gaga headlined Coachella was in 2017 and it was because she stepped in after Beyoncé had to postpone due to her pregnancy.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Crowds of people take photos of Gustavo Prado’s art piece “Lamp Beside the Golden Door”at Coachella 2017. The sculpture featured more than 2,100 mirrors.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Kendrick Lamar released “Damn.” the Friday of Coachella 2017 Weekend 1, two days before his headlining performance that included ninjas.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Olalekan Jeyifous’ 50-foot-tall “Crown Ether” treehouse art installation provided a backdrop for photos at Coachella 2017.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
2018
Coachella was already regarded globally as a music festival. Then Beyoncé turned Coachella into the pop culture moment of the year. Coachella became Beychella and her Homecoming performance was nothing short of epic, even becoming its own Netflix special. Beyond Beyoncé, Eminem and The Weeknd headlined, but one of the other standouts was Cardi B’s TLC-inspired performance on the main stage. On the grounds, 2018 was the year “Spectra,” the cylindrical rainbow tower, became part of the festival’s landscape.
Beyoncé’s stunning headlining performance at Coachella 2018 celebrated America’s historically Black colleges and universities. Her set also featured cameos from husband Jay-Z, sister Solange and a Destiny’s Child reunion.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The rainbow-colored cylindrical tower “Spectra” made its debut at Coachella in 2018.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Cardi B performed a set inspired by TLC at Coachella in 2018.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Festival goers walk in front of Edoardo Tresoldi’s “Etherea” wire mesh cathedral structures and Randy Polumbo’s “Lodestar,” which was made with the fuselage of a military jet, at Coachella 2018.
(Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times)
2019
Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino and Tame Impala headlined Coachella in 2019, but the big memories from that year were the rise of artists like Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish as they were becoming bona fide superstars. Arguably the most memorable performance of the year wasn’t even during normal festival hours — it was when Kanye West held a Sunday Service in the campgrounds on Easter Sunday during Weekend 2. Meanwhile, to mark Coachella’s 20th year, Poetic Kinetics brought back the famous roving Coachella astronaut in a new form as “Overview Effect.”
Bad Bunny’s set at Coachella 2019 included a guest spot from J Balvin.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Kanye West’s Easter Sunday Service happened outside of the main festival grounds during Weekend 2 of the Coachella 2019.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
“Overview Effect,” a roaming astronaut sculpture made by Poetic Kinetics, roams around the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club grounds in Indio.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Fans go wild as confetti drops during Tame Impala’s headlining performance at Coachella 2019.
Billie Eilish’s 2022 Coachella headlining turn included a guest spot from Damon Albarn to join her for “Getting Older” and “Feel Good Inc.”
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Wearing the signature blue wigs of Karol G, music fans cheered the star as she arrived on the main stage at Coachella 2022.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Swedish House Mafia x The Weeknd became a last-minute headliner replacement for Kanye West at Coachella 2022.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
One of the largest art installations at Coachella 2022 was Cristopher Cichocki’s “Circular Dimensions x Microscape,” which was made with more than 25,000 feet of PVC tubes and was five stories tall. At night, images were projected on the piece.
Bad Bunny performs at Coachella Weekend 1 in 2023.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
People walk by Güvenç Özel’s sculpture “Holoflux” at Coachella 2023.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Doechii performs at Coachella 2023.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
A reunited Blink-182 joined the Coachella 2023 lineup days before the festival. The band played in the Sahara Tent during Weekend 1 before moving to the main stage Weekend 2 to help fill the gap left by headliner Frank Ocean dropping off the bill.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
2024
Lana del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat headlined the festival in 2024, but one of the big draws was the reunion of No Doubt, who brought out Olivia Rodrigo. Sabrina Carpenter, who is headlining the 2026 festival, also performed on the main stage during the day. The big changes in 2024 were that the main festival grounds expanded with a larger Sahara Tent on the southern end of the site and the addition of the Quasar Stage.
Tyler, the Creator’s headlining set at Coachella 2024 featured the rapper dressed as a park ranger and an elaborate national park-like stage set.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Gwen Stefani of No Doubt performs at Coachella 2024. The band reunited for the festival and brought out Olivia Rodrigo as a guest.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Doja Cat was the Sunday night headliner at Coachella 2024 and her performance included dancers dressed like yetis.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Chappell Roan was one of the breakout stars at Coachella 2024.
James Gadson, a prolific drummer who worked closely with Bill Withers and as a member of the widely sampled Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band — and whose playing motored hits like Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover,” Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” — died Thursday, according to Rolling Stone. He was 86.
Rolling Stone didn’t say where Gadson died or specify a cause but said the drummer’s wife, Barbara, had confirmed the news; she told the magazine that Gadson had experienced a fall recently and undergone surgery.
Described by the Roots’ Questlove as “breakbeats defined,” Gadson was known for a funky, laid-back style best exemplified perhaps by his playing in Withers’ 1972 “Use Me,” in which he seems somehow to keep finding space for an extra beat. Forty years later, Kendrick Lamar borrowed Gadson’s intricate rhythm pattern for “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” from the rapper’s 2012 breakthrough album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.”
In “Love Hangover,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1976, Gadson’s drumming anchors a production that moves from lush soul balladry to a frisky disco groove; Gaye and his producer Leon Ware got a similar thump out of the drummer for “I Want You,” which reached No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1976 and was later interpolated by Lamar for his Grammy-winning “The Heart Part 5.”
Among the many other songs from the ‘70s featuring Gadson’s playing are the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine,” Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real,” Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin,’” Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You,” Tavares’ “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” Peaches & Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing” and Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” In later years he worked with the likes of Beck, D’Angelo, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Harry Styles and Sturgill Simpson.
Gadson was born June 17, 1939, and grew up in Kansas City. His father was a drummer, and when Gadson and his brother were teenagers they played in a doo-wop group called the Carpets. Gadson moved to Los Angeles in the mid-’60s following a stint in the Air Force and joined the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, led by the singer and guitarist Charles Wright; the group scored hits such as “Do Your Thing” and “Express Yourself,” the latter of which N.W.A would eventually sample for its song of the same name from 1989’s “Straight Outta Compton.”
In the early ’70s, Gadson and several other Watts band members left the group and took up with Withers (who’d already broken out with “Ain’t No Sunshine”) to make his album “Still Bill.” In addition to “Use Me,” the LP spun off the hit single “Lean on Me,” which went to No. 1 and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Gadson backed Withers in 1972 for a concert at Carnegie Hall that was recorded for a classic live album; the record opens with a version of “Use Me” that stretches past the eight-minute mark.
Though Gadson’s crack at a solo career around the same time didn’t pan out, he quickly became an in-demand session drummer, particularly for acts signed to the Motown label, which had just moved to L.A. from its original home of Detroit. He played on Motown records by the Temptations, the Miracles, the 5th Dimension and the Supremes’ Mary Wilson; over the decades that followed, he also worked with Philip Bailey, Anita Baker, Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones and Lana Del Rey.
On Friday, the jazz guitarist Jeff Parker wrote on Instagram about his experiences playing with Gadson.
“The last time we convened, he noticed me glaring at his drum kit in wonder — I knew that there had to be a LOT of history there,” Parker recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘Jeff, that’s my disco kit.’ I said, ‘Are those the drums on “Love Hangover”?’ He nodded and said, ‘They’re the drums on a whooooole lot of records.’”
Imagine being sent out on a one-week emergency loan – and the only game you stand a chance of playing in is one of the biggest of the season, against your new club’s bitter rivals.
Then imagine scoring your first Super League try, on debut, to put your side in front with three minutes left.
Then you score another try moments later, with a driving run from the halfway line, to seal the win.
And there is a reasonable chance you will never play for that club again.
That is the reality for Bill Leyland, whose sensational late double earned St Helens a sensational comeback win over Wigan Warriors in a Good Friday derby for the ages.
Leyland only joined injury-hit Saints from Hull KR earlier this week and almost did not pull on the Red Vee at all, finally taking to the field when Daryl Clark was subbed off following a head knock.
But in just over 20 minutes, Leyland made his mark, as Saints overturned a 14-point deficit to beat the Cherry and Whites by 10 points after scoring four tries in the final 10 minutes.
“It’s a pretty special debut in one of the biggest games in rugby league. To get two tries and man of the match is a pretty special feeling,” the 23-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I’m glad to go out and make an impact and bring so much joy to the fans.”
Lawmakers pass a revision to the Restriction of Special Taxation Act during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, with 206 votes in favor, 2 against and 2 abstentions out of 210 members present. Photo by Asia Today
March 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties agreed Tuesday to pass a package of economic measures, including a currency stabilization bill, as the won weakened sharply amid prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
The legislation was approved during a plenary session alongside more than 60 bills aimed at stabilizing the economy and supporting livelihoods.
The currency measure includes tax incentives designed to encourage domestic investment by individuals who have invested in overseas markets, often referred to in South Korea as retail investors in foreign stocks. Officials said the goal is to increase demand for the Korean won and reduce volatility in foreign exchange markets.
The won traded at 1,530.1 per U.S. dollar on Tuesday, well above the psychologically significant 1,500 level, adding to inflationary pressure.
Floor leader Han Byung-do said the worsening Middle East crisis had begun to affect everyday life, emphasizing the need to contain exchange rate volatility and shield the economy from external shocks.
Lawmakers also approved additional economic legislation tied to the crisis. These include a measure to support corporate restructuring, allowing companies to streamline mergers and spin-offs and receive tax benefits as they respond to industrial challenges and shift into new sectors.
Other bills passed include revisions to trade-related laws aimed at helping businesses adapt to changes in the global trade environment.
Separately, lawmakers voted to fill several vacant leadership posts in National Assembly committees. The Democratic Party nominated Rep. Seo Young-kyo as chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, along with Rep. Kwon Chil-seung and Rep. So Byung-hoon for other committee leadership roles. Their terms will run through May.
The votes were conducted by secret ballot and passed with support from the Democratic Party, while the People Power Party is believed to have opposed the selections.
The People Power Party had argued that the judiciary committee chair should be held by the opposition to ensure checks and balances, noting that the Democratic Party already holds the position of National Assembly speaker.
There will be no Charlie Kirk highway in his home state of Arizona. The reason: politics.
Exactly whose politics is to blame has become a point of debate.
Kirk, the conservative activist known for his campus debates, was assassinated last year during an event at Utah Valley University. Republicans in Arizona, where Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization is based, passed legislation attempting to add Kirk’s name to Loop 202, a highway circling through the sprawling Phoenix area.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed it on Friday.
In a veto message to state lawmakers, Hobbs denounced political violence but suggested that Republicans had inappropriately injected politics into a decision rightly left to a state board that names historic highways.
“I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard by inserting politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan,” Hobbs wrote.
Republican state Senate President Warren Petersen, who sponsored the legislation, said it was Hobbs who practiced politics by breaking with “a long-standing Arizona tradition” of recognizing people who made an impact on society.
The veto “tells people that recognition now depends on political alignment, not contribution,” Petersen said in a statement. “That’s not how Arizona has ever approached these decisions, and it’s a disappointing shift for our state.”
Lawmakers in more than 20 states have introduced over five dozen bills seeking to honor Kirk, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. Many propose naming things after Kirk or creating an official day of remembrance. Others invoke Kirk’s name for measures that would protect free speech rights on college campuses or encourage schools to teach about the role of Judeo-Christian values in American history.
Arizona and Florida were among the first states to give final approval to Kirk-inspired legislation.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to act on a bill that would designate a road in Miami-Dade County as “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue” while also designating a road in Broward County as “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.”
We’re headed to the 25th edition of the festival, which returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 10-12 and April 17-19 with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber,Karol G at the top of the bill.
Our crew heading to the desert has literally decades of experience covering the festival, giving us unique insight into one of the world’s most famous music festivals.
So tell us — what do you want to know about Coachella? And what do you want to see from our live coverage in the field?
Are you heading to Indio or celebrating Couch-ella (and its more affordable beverage options) at home? Do you have tried-and-true tips you tell anyone when Coachella comes up in conversation? We want to know about them.
WASHINGTON — Buried in the fine print of the massive deficit-reduction bill is–of all things–a brand new social program.
The new program will cost $1 billion over the next five years–somewhat less than the Clinton Adminstration had requested, but still a substantial sum in this era of tight budgets.
Supporters, including Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, insisted that some provisions in the new program actually would save the government money in the long run. Even many of the program’s supporters questioned that assertion, however, although they insisted that the money is worth spending in any case.
The family preservation and support program–along with expanded spending for childhood immunization, tuberculosis prevention, food stamps, “empowerment zones” intended to help inner cities and the earned income tax credit for low-income workers–represents the flip side of the massive budget cutting and tax-raising efforts of the bill. All told, those social programs–aimed in large part at helping families with children–will receive an additional $29 billion from the bill.
“The President’s long-term investments for kids and families have been very well supported by this bill,” said Shalala.
The social-program funds not only were key to keeping some of President Clinton’s policy initiatives alive, they were crucial to winning support for the budget in the heavily Democratic House, where liberal Democrats and members of the Congressional Black Caucus had threatened to vote against the budget bill unless it contained money to back up at least part of Clinton’s promise to “invest” in programs for the poor.
“There are a number of important features in this bill that represented the basis for many liberal and progressive Democrats to feel they could support the overall budget,” said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles).
The survival of the family preservation program, which at several points during the long budget negotiations seemed likely to die, would mark the end of a long legislative road. The program would give money to the states for early intervention and support programs for troubled families. It has passed the House three times and was approved by both chambers last year as part of another piece of legislation ultimately vetoed by then-President George Bush.
Supporters of the program argued that, by intervening early, social workers can help troubled families before their situations deteriorate so much that the state has to place children in costly foster care programs.
Skeptics, including Senate Finance Committee Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), argued that the ability of social workers to accomplish those goals has never been proven. At one point during budget talks, Moynihan derided the program as “welfare for social workers,” several participants said.
But other legislators argued that, even if the program does not save money by avoiding foster-care placements, it will provide badly needed help for children. “This creates early intervention to keep children from being abused,” said Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento), who was the program’s chief sponsor in the House.
The program “has been pared down a good deal, but at least we got it,” Matsui said.
The birth of this new program is an object lesson in how legislators and Administration officials can use the arcane rules of the budget-cutting process to advance other items on the legislative agenda.
Over the years, Waxman has become a master at that art. This time around, he engineered a new $200-million program to expand the number of tuberculosis patients who can receive federal Medicaid benefits over the next five years. He also played a key role in winning money for the Administration’s proposed child immunization program, which would receive $585 million under the budget bill.
Although immunization has been a high priority for Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Waxman and other supporters of the program had to overcome opposition not only from congressional conservatives but from some White House officials who were willing to accept much lower dollar amounts for the program as they sought to hit their deficit-cutting goals, according to Administration and congressional sources.
Under the tuberculosis program, people who are poor but not otherwise eligible for Medicaid–primarily single men without children–and who have active tuberculosis can receive government-supplied out-patient services if the state they live in decides to participate. Public health officials said they hope that the additional money will reduce the rapid spread of the disease by targeting a group of people who often do not receive care.
The immunization program has two major components. The first part will provide $500 million over the next five years to pay for vaccinations for 2.6 million children whose families lack insurance. The money also will cover the 6.5 million children now covered under Medicaid, relieving the states of a financial burden.
The second part of the bill, which has drawn howls of outrage from drug manufacturers, would allow all states to buy vaccines in bulk at the price manufacturers provide to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–something 11 states now do. The CDC has negotiated steep discounts from the prices that drug companies charge private pediatricians.
