homelessness

It has a microwave and a radiator

At garage has been put on Airbnb, complete with bed, bathroom and microwave cooker, and r eviewer Zac Jones said he loved it after booking in for a stay.

A video, which has amassed more than 86k likes on social media, showed the property behind an electric security shutter which rose to reveal the entrance door. Inside it was radiator-heated with a double bed, couch, TV, ensuite toilet and shower.

It even had a fridge. Before his stay, Zac said he really didn’t know what to expect. But once inside, he said he was very pleasantly surprised.

He said: “Someone has put a lot of effort in. It’s got snacks, and tea and coffee-making facilities. Shout out to the owner of this place. This has been one of my most interesting check-ins in a while.”

The garage in Bradford, West Yorkshire is available for £30. Viewers were impressed. One person said: “For the price, it actually looks good.” Another viewer added: “30 quid! I’ve stayed in worse for 100.”

And a third commenter said: “This is totally fantastic idea. If all the planning and building controls have been met. The Government should pay attention to ideas like this. Can you just imagine the very quick fix for many of homeless people.”

When he entered the race for California governor, San José Mayor Matt Mahan pitched himself as a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize improving residents’ quality of life and government efficiency.

He unveiled a key part of that promise on Tuesday with an expansive plan to reform state government, including tying pay raises for elected officials and other top leaders to improvements on key issues, and pledging not to approve any tax increase until the state proves “that we can deliver better outcomes with the dollars we already have.”

Mahan also delivered a blistering rebuke of ballooning state spending — which, as he often points out on the campaign trail, has increased nearly 75% over the last six years. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic uncertainty, California lawmakers approved a no-frills state budget that came in at $202 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest spending proposal is nearly $349 billion.

“We have fallen into this lazy, reflexive mindset of always going back to voters and telling them that the only solution to every problem is a tax increase or a new bond or a new rule coming down from Sacramento,” Mahan said in an interview. “We need to step back and take a really hard look at our existing spending and increase the level of transparency and accountability in government.”

His eight-page plan includes ways to measure and track accountability, some of which are drawn from policies in other states. They include lobbying reforms, following up on audit recommendations and overhauling the state’s digital infrastructure and its procurement process — services Mahan described as “clunky and cumbersome.”

He also proposed a “California Performance Review,” inspired by a similar effort in Texas throughout the 1990s, that would review state agencies and solicit input from employees to eliminate waste and inefficiencies.

But near the top of the list is a proposal to tie pay raises for state officials including the governor, lawmakers and thousands of gubernatorial appointees to “measurable outcomes” in areas such as reducing homelessness and unemployment.

“People in the real world don’t get raises if they don’t do a good job,” Mahan said, “and I think it should be the same for the politicians and senior administrators who are allocating budgets, leading projects, making the big decisions on behalf of the people of California.”

Though the benchmarks would be created with input from the state Legislature, Mahan floated one example: reducing unsheltered homelessness by 5% to 10% within one year, something he said he’s accomplished three years in a row in San José.

It’s a solution one might expect from a former entrepreneur and mayor of a city in the heart of Silicon Valley. Mahan made a similar proposal at the local level last year, but it was rejected by the City Council.

“Tying pay to performance is nothing short of revolutionary in government. It’s a private-sector model that is overdue,” said former state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), a Mahan supporter who sponsored several bills aiming to increase transparency in government.

Dozens of tech company executives are backing Mahan in the race for governor and have collectively donated millions to his campaign, as well as two independent expenditure committees supporting him.

That has raised concerns from some voters, and criticism from some of Mahan’s opponents, that he would be beholden to their interests and veto future regulations on tech or artificial intelligence companies.

Mahan has sought to dispel those concerns, arguing that he believes AI and social media platforms should be regulated. Of his plan to overhaul state information technology systems and infrastructure, he said that “whenever we spend public dollars, we have to run open, transparent and competitive procurement processes that ensure best value for the taxpayers.”

Though Mahan did not specify how he would link government outcomes to pay raises, state lawmakers have largely panned his campaign and are unlikely to get on board. The change probably would also require voter approval.

Currently, annual raises for elected officials are determined by a citizen commission that was added to the California Constitution in 1990. Changing how that panel works or imposing limits on when it can approve raises would require a constitutional amendment, which requires voter sign-off.

But Mahan contended it would be one of the fastest ways to fix a system that he says works for special interests at the expense of working people.

“I’m under no illusion that this will be easy, but I think it’s a necessary realignment of incentives,” he said. “We have to make ourselves as accountable to the people as we possibly can be.”

GIRLBANDS have long been as famous for their feuds as their roster of hits or attention-grabbing outfits.

And as the Pussycat Dolls capture the headlines again after announcing their latest reunion, Nicole Scherzinger and co were no stranger to beef within the band.

Nicole, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt  announced last week they were bringing the iconic band back as a trio, but notably absent were the other original members Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton and Carmit Bachar.

The Sun confirmed that both Carmit and Jessica were not invited back by the trio, who believed they would be better off as a threesome and Melody was said to have not taken part as per her own request.

Carmit has been open about feeling “betrayed” by the reunion and sparked a bitter feud between the former bandmates.

Let’s take a look back at some other epic girlband squabbles…

DOLL DRAMA

Pussycat Dolls star Jessica Sutta breaks silence amid bitter band feud

TOUGH TRIO

Pussycat Dolls trio put on a united front for first TV appearance

Atomic Kitten

The band that brought us songs such as Whole Again and The Tide Is High had a fair few rows, even ones that got physical.

In 2022 Kerry Katona revealed Heidi Range quit Atomic Kitten after she had a fight with bandmate Liz McClarnon, and she walked out of the band after “someone got slapped”.

Heidi, who went on to join the Sugababes, was picked for the original line-up in the 1990s after Kerry held auditions.

“Heidi and Liz didn’t get on,” she told The Jay Hutton Show. “I think one of them slapped the other one. And then she went solo.”

Kerry herself quit Atomic Kitten in 2001 after a series of rows with Liz.

“I remember some of the fights we had in Atomic Kitten back in the day. Once, Liz punched me from behind after we had a little row. I was furious and got my own back,” she said.

Danity Kane

Danity Kane was active sporadically from 2005 to 2020 and had been signed to P Diddy‘s [Sean Combs] record label after forming on MTV’s Making the Band.

The group was made up of Aubrey O’Day, Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex, Aundrea Fimbres, and D. Woods.

In 2008, Combs kicked Aubrey and D.Woods out of the group, which they claimed was retaliation for refusing his alleged sexual advances.

The group reformed as a trio in 2013 with Aubrey, Shannon and Dawn. They disbanded the following year after a physical altercation when Dawn allegedly punched Aubrey in the head during a studio session.

Dawn filed a lawsuit against Combs in 2024 for alleged sexual assault and inhumane treatment. She also testified against Combs in his New York criminal trial last year claiming she had witnessed him abusing his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura on multiple occasions.

Also last year, Aubrey revealed for the first time in the Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning that she was allegedly drugged and molested by Combs.

Sugababes

The superstar girl group became infamous for its never-ending lineup changes.

Eight years after Heidi joined the Sugababes in 2001, backstage rows led to Keisha Buchanan, the only original member left in the line-up, getting the boot.

Heidi revealed the atmosphere between her, Keisha and Amelle Berrabah had been bad for months and the band “couldn’t work together anymore”.

She was replaced by former Eurovision hopeful Jade Ewen, then 21.

Keisha hit out at her former bandmates saying she found it hard to harmonise with them after the departure of original members Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghey, and that the Sugababes had become about “being sexy” rather than creative.

The original trio reformed the group in 2023 and delivered an electric set on the legends stage at Glastonbury that year.

Girls Aloud

After releasing several smash hits, Girls Aloud took their first break back in 2009 and reformed in 2012 only to split again a year later.

Things then went sour when Nadine Coyle publicly distanced herself from the break-up when she wrote on Twitter at the time, “You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn’t stop them. I had the best time and want to keep going.”

Cheryl quickly slammed her claims, saying Nadine was “full of s***” and had asked for a break in 2009 which led to the band’s demise.

The two women became close again following the tragic death of member Sarah Harding, who lost her fight against breast cancer in 2021.

They reunited in 2024 in memory of Sarah for a 30-show tour, which was the biggest UK arena tour of that year and earned them £850,000 each.

Spice Girls

The Spice Girls are probably one of the most famous girl groups of all time, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Wannabe pop stars.

When Geri left the band in the lurch, at the height of their success in 1998, it was the beginning of the end.

The remaining four members called it quits two years later – and put the blame squarely on the shoulders of their former bandmate.

In a 2014 interview, Mel B claimed Geri gave them no warning before ditching them.

“When Geri left the group, it was so bad,” Mel said. “She left on my birthday and didn’t tell anybody. She just didn’t show up.”

As well as spats with Geri, Mel said the rest of the Spice Girls “fought like cats and dogs” and then made up.

TLC

The trio of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was the biggest-selling girlband of the Nineties, now second only to the Spice Girls in the UK.

The history of the band, whose biggest hits were Waterfalls, Creep, No Scrubs and Unpretty, includes bankruptcy, lawsuits, illness and death.

A three-piece group until the tragic death of Left Eye in 2002 in a car crash in Honduras, T-Boz and Chilli returned to touring after 15 years in 2015 as a duo and remain a group to this day.

But Chilli was never meant to be in the group originally but replaced founding member, Crystal Jones, who was booted from the group over contractual issues and their desire to replace her.

En Vogue

The R&B group shot to stardom in 1989 but made headlines last year when one of the former members revealed that they had been homeless for the past three years.

Dawn Robinson was one of the founding members of the group – and wasn’t present on tour with En Vogue when they reunited last year and played at Glastonbury.

She stayed with the band until En Vogue’s 1997 disbandment and in 2025 revealed that 28 years on she was homeless and living in a car.

But there was plenty of other drama for the band after they broke up.

In 2012, group members Cindy Herron and Terry Ellis sued former members Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson for the En Vogue name.

Cindy and Terry also sued Maxine and Dawn for $1 million in damages after the group split, claiming that the two women continued to tour under the name En Vogue.

They won a judgement allowing only Cindy and Terry to use the band name, but failed to receive the damages they wanted to obtain.

After decades of legal woes, both sides agreed to settle out of court.

Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony rose to fame on the US version of The X Factor in 2012 and were on track to be one of the biggest girl groups of all time.

But things went off the rails when old social media posts by band member Camila Cabello surfaced and featured racist slurs and derogatory memes.

Even though she apologised for her posts, Normani, the only black member of the group, later addressed the racism she experienced from Camila’s fans, and how she didn’t feel supported by her bandmates.

In 2016, Fifth Harmony announced in a statement that Camila had informed them through her “representatives” that she’d left the group, which Camila disputed.

But the dispute led to a dramatic performance at the 2017 VMAs when Fifth Harmony hit the stage without Camila.

A fifth silhouette appeared beside them, but was then violently yanked away as a clear message they were moving on without her.

The beef continued after Fifth Harmony’s dissolution when in July 2021, when Camila chose the day that Normani released her hotly awaited single, Wild Side, to announce her own new track.

WARNING: Contains spoilers about the Handcuffed final.

The sheer number of people who pulled out proves just how hard Channel 4’s Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing was: challenging 18 Brits to remain handcuffed to a total stranger. And not just any total stranger – one a team of producers have judged will create the most explosive TV possible.

Tonight, viewers saw Staffordshire porn star Rob, 32, and West Sussex homemaker Charlie, 44, make it all the way to the end, winning the show and a suitcase bulging with £100,000. Now, after the pre-recorded series, they explain whether they stayed in touch and just what they plan to do with the winnings.

The reality is quite sweet – with the pair very much in each other’s lives. Speaking about the moment they were uncuffed, Rob said: “It felt great! I just wanted to shout “FREEDOM” at the top of my lungs. It was a nice moment, but also a little sad moment knowing that my partner has now got to go.”

Charlie added: “It was a huge relief. We actually had to wait quite a long time! It wasn’t like we were instantly un-handcuffed. It was a crazy experience but a huge relief. It took a while to get used to doing things on my own, but that’s maybe because I was very overtired.”

But fans of the couple will be pleased to hear that they have stayed in touch in a major way. Charlie explained: “I’ve learned so much from Rob. He’s such a gentle giant and a kind person. It’s lovely now that we don’t have to keep our friendship secret.

“We can meet up and we’ve been texting a lot. He’s been chatting to my husband Simon! I’ve been chatting to his mum! He and his family are coming over to our house this Friday night to celebrate. I learned so much from walking beside him.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience. Rob was really keen that I didn’t put everyone else’s needs first and I’ve tried to implement that since. We talked about a lot of things! Rob is a very deep person and he’s a very good listener.”

Rob said: “One of the first things I’m going to do is a huge Costco run of food and drink and go out with Tilly to feed the homeless. I was very inspired watching what she did on the programme – I’d like to do a few acts of kindness. I’m also going travelling round South East Asia and investing in a new business. And then I’ll put the rest in savings for a rainy day.”

He added: “I learned a lot. I learned that money doesn’t always buy happiness. It’s important to spend a lot of time with your friends and family, and that I was putting work before everything. I was working too hard and not having an equal balance. And Charlie taught me how to make sourdough!”

Speaking about what they learnt about themselves during the programme, Rob said: “I learned that I need to take a little bit of a step back and prioritise different things in my life. And I want to get a bit more into baking and cooking.”

Charlie said: “That I can slow down, and be a bit more patient. And that I can take some time to rest and recharge, so then I can be my best for myself and others.”

Tonight viewers saw host Jonathan Ross taking the final pairings to Loch Lomond in Scotland to take part in a Mr & Mrs quiz to see who knew each other best. The final three – Charlie and Rob, Tilly and Anthony and Morag and Angie – all then competed in a handcuffed race from Scotland, to Wales and on to London.

Viewers saw Charlie and Rob scramble onto a bus where Jonathan was waiting with the key to unlock them – and a case full of the cash.

A majority of Los Angeles voters are undecided about the race for mayor, with support for incumbent Karen Bass at 20%, according to a new poll.

The poll by Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics found that about 51% of Angelenos have not made up their minds about who should lead the city for the next four years.

Spencer Pratt, a conservative reality TV star, came in second to Bass, at just over 10%. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a former Bass ally who shook up the field with her last-minute entry, polled at slightly more than 9%. Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller was supported by just over 4% of those polled, with leftist candidate Rae Huang at about 3%.

Although Bass had the most support among the candidates in the June 2 primary election, the poll showed that nearly half of Angelenos are unhappy with her performance. She was weakened politically by her handling of the devastating Palisades fire but has touted reductions in homicides and homelessness.

About 25% of those polled said they approve of the job Bass is doing as mayor, while about 47% disapprove. About 28% said they have no opinion or felt neutral.

The poll, based on interviews with 350 likely voters March 7-9, revealed just how up for grabs the mayoral election is, with less than three months before the primary.

“This is a wide open race,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former city council member and L.A. County supervisor who runs the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. “The general narrative [of the poll] is that the mayor is not popular for somebody going into reelection, but the majority of people have not made up their mind whether they’ll come back to her or go to someone else.”

City Councilmember Nithya Raman meets with reporters after filing paperwork to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Bass campaign spokesperson Doug Herman did not respond directly to the poll. But he said in a statement that the mayor “took on the challenge to change Los Angeles after decades of decline from long ignored issues; resulting in first ever back to back drops in homelessness, 60 year lows in homicides and an unprecedented 40,000 affordable housing units accelerated.”

Pratt said through a campaign spokesperson, “The Emerson poll confirms what we’ve been seeing on the ground — this is a two-person race for Mayor of Los Angeles between me and Karen Bass. Angelenos are frustrated with the direction of the city and it’s reflected in her low approval numbers. Our campaign is gaining real momentum as more voters look for new leadership focused on results and accountability. This race is just getting started.”

Raman’s campaign, however, said she’s the one gaining momentum.

“It’s clear that voters want change, and we’re gaining momentum for our campaign to make L.A. more affordable and to govern with urgency and accountability,” the campaign said in a statement.

The field of candidates did not take shape until the week of the February filing deadline. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath both flirted with a run before deciding against it, and former L.A. schoolsSupt. Austin Beutner dropped out after the death of his 22-year-old daughter. With no other major candidate opposing Bass, Raman filed her paperwork with hours to spare.

With petitions still being verified, 13 mayoral candidates have qualified for the June ballot. If no one gets 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two finishers will head to a runoff in November.

“This race could shift dramatically come June,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.

Kimball cited the large percentage of undecided voters of all stripes — 67% of independents, 49% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans are undecided. Pratt is a Republican, and the other major candidates are Democrats in a heavily blue city.

Pacific Palisades resident Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, stands with supporters after announcing his run for Los Angeles mayor on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire in the Palisades Village on Jan. 7, 2026.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The poll is not the first to show negative views of Bass.

Last year, after the Palisades fire, a poll of L.A. County residents by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs found that 37% held favorable views of the mayor, while 49% held unfavorable views.

The Emerson poll also featured questions on issues such as public safety and homelessness.

More than 82% of Angelenos in the poll said they feel very safe or somewhat safe in their communities, while about 17% said they feel not too safe or not safe at all.

On homelessness, the view was grimmer. Only 15% of Angelenos polled said that homelessness is getting better, while more than 55% said it is getting worse. Almost 30% feel it is staying the same.

Los Angeles has seen significant reductions in street homelessness for the last two years, after years of steady increases.

Bass has attributed the declines to her signature Inside Safe program, which clears encampments and places homeless people in short term housing.

“There is no doubt that Inside Safe, by bringing thousands of people inside and reducing street homelessness by 17.5 percent, has saved lives and helped drive this decline,” Bass said in a statement Tuesday.

The Emerson poll also asked California residents about the governor’s race. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) had the most support at slightly more than 17%, followed by Republicans Steve Hilton at just over 13% and Chad Bianco at more than 11%. Billionaire Tom Steyer came in at about 11%.

Nearly a quarter of California voters were undecided, according to the poll.

Paul Mitchell, a political data expert, called the Emerson poll flawed. Not enough Angelenos were polled, and the sample skewed too heavily toward young people, when older residents are more likely to vote, he said.

Mitchell called the poll an “amuse-bouche.”

“This tells all of the candidates [they] should be doing a poll,” he said.