2023, the year in photos: Strikes, floods, fire and war - Los Angeles Times
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2023, the year in photos: Strikes, floods, fire and war
By Times Photography Staff
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It’s hard to capture a year in a single word, but for 2023, the word might just be turbulent.

Consider the floodwaters that roiled California, the unruly debates that shook Capitol Hill, the strikes that paralyzed Hollywood. And, of course, a new war in the Middle East. Turbulent.

But along with conflict, 2023 also saw moments of discovery and reinvention, tenderness and fun. Relive them and more through the work of L.A. Times photographers.

Themes of 2023

Mexicali, Mexico-June 5, 2023-Mexicali police officer Sergio Lopez checks for a pulse after a man who overdosed after shooting up in downtown Mexicali. Calls for help were made by witnesses, but three hours passed before police arrived. Red Cross paramedics arrived soon after to assist and take him to the hospital. He was still breathing. Most all of the heroin and meth drugs in Mexicali have traces of fentanyl, leading to a high death rate amongst addicts. Even if they wanted to avoid fentanyl, it would be impossible. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Drug Epidemic

RAMALLAH, ISRAEL -- OCTOBER 13, 2023: A Palestinian boy slings a rock at Israeli forces as local Palestinians protest Israeli occupation in the West Bank, and are met with tear gas, flashbang and live fire from Israeli forces, in Beit El area of Ramallah, Israel, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Tensions are rising all across Israel and Palestinian Territories as IsraelOs military prepares for a wide scale incursion into Gaza in the countryOs south. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

Israel-Gaza

Islamorada, Florida-July 24, 2023-Nikkie Cox, of Coral Restoration Foundation works on retrieving young coral transplants that will be removed from the ocean nursery for safe keeping in land-based aquariums. Members of Coral Restoration Foundation work to save coral species that are threatened by extremely warm waters due to global warming in the Florida Keys. Coral that had been out planted is being removed from the ocean for safe keeping until the water cools down. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. and Beyond

Sheriffs deputies attend a candlelight vigil for LA County Sheriff Ryan Clinkunbroomer.

Losses

Lahaina, Maui, Monday, August 14, 2023 - A view of destruction from Hwy 30 days after a fierce wildfire destroyed the town. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Maui

Eagle Pass, Texas, Saturday, September 23, 2023 - People who crossed the US/Mexico border are led, single file, to a border patrol processing center along the banks of the Rio Grande. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Migrants Border

Monterey Park, CA - January 23: Mourners take part in a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at the Star Dance Studio on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Monterey Park, CA. The investigation into a mass shooting in Monterey Park is focused on the gunman's prior interactions at two dance studios he targeted and whether jealousy over a relationship was the motive, law enforcement sources said.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Monterey Park

WEST HOLLWYOOD , CA - JUNE 4, 2023 - The Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Los Angeles participate in the WeHo Pride Parade in West Hollywood on June 4, 2023. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

People

SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 06: Governor Gavin Newsom in People's March on Tower Bridge during inauguration ceremony for a second term in downtown on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 in Sacramento, CA. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Politics

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is stopped just short of the goal line by Utah Jonah Elliss and Miles Battle

Sports

CULVER CITY, CA - MAY 09: Writer and producer Bill Diamond at the Writers Guild of America picket line at Sony Studios in Culver City. He joins other writers who are demanding fair pay for their work. Photographed at Sony Studios on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 in Culver City, CA. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Strikes

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15: Damaged cars sit beneath a fallen tree at the El Camino Shopping Center on Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The tree fell Satuday night trapping some people inside the cars. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Weather

Weather

Workers brush floodwater in Union Station.
Metro workers help clear a flooded pedestrian walkway at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles in January amid unrelenting rain.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A person shovels snow from a roof.
Owner Brang Miller shovels snow off the roof of Mammoth Fun Shop in Mammoth Lakes. Up and down California, snow records fell in 2023.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Vehicles on a flooded road.

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An aerial view of a sinkhole with cars inside.

1. In central California, vehicles cross a flooded 10th Avenue in Corcoran as a resurgent Tulare Lake, filled by powerful March rains, flows through levee walls. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2. In Southern California, a sinkhole opened on Iverson Road in Chatsworth in January, swallowing two vehicles and trapping four people. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A recreational vehicle lies at the bottom of a cliff by a river.
Persistent rain undermines a cliff along the Santa Clara River in Castaic in February, sending a recreational vehicle to the bottom.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Peartree Lane landslide in Rolling Hills.
Homes on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates continue to slide downhill months after the hillside below gave way in July. A city report would later blame “unusually heavy†rains for the landslide.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of a tree fallen onto cars.
In January, a tree topples at the El Camino Shopping Center in Woodland Hills, trapping some people inside their cars.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A man wades through knee-deep water carrying a birdcage.
Herbeto Estrada rescues two birds from his flooded home in the Central California community of Pajaro in March.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A flooded pistachio grove.
In July, months after pounding rains, the Hansen Farms’ pistachio grove remains underwater near the edge of Tulare Lake in Corcoran.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Residents from a senior living facility are held by firefighters in a front loader while being brought to safety.
Residents from a senior living facility, held safe by firefighters, are evacuated in a front loader. The facility in Cathedral City was inundated with flooding by Tropical Storm Hilary in August.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The morning sun creates shadows from the pier across the sand and water and a surfer heading out.
The weather in 2023 wasn’t all bad. On a sunny day with clear skies in October, a surfer prepares to hit the waves at Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Strikes

A man holds a Writers Guild strike sign reading "No Words."
Writer and producer Bill Diamond joins the Writers Guild of America picket line outside Sony Studios in Culver City. The strike, launched in May, would finally end in September.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Writers Guild members protest during a strike.

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People march with "SAG-AFTRA on Strike" signs.

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City workers march in downtown L.A.

1. Actor and writer Daheli Hall, left, joins picketers on May 2, the first day of the WGA strike, outside Paramount Studios in Hollywood. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 2. Actors Danielle Pinnock, center right, and Lanisa Frederick, center left, lead a SAG-AFTRA march outside Warner Bros. in Burbank. Movie and TV actors joined the WGA strike in July. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 3. Actors and writers weren’t the only ones picketing. Thousands of Los Angeles city workers go on a one-day strike in August after union leaders accused the city of unfair labor practices. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. and Beyond

A diver retrieves coral transplants.
Nikkie Cox of the Coral Restoration Foundation retrieves young corals from an ocean nursery off the Florida Keys for safekeeping in land-based aquariums. The foundation works to save corals threatened by extremely warm waters because of climate change.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter stands near burning debris.
Forest Service firefighters in the Angeles National Forest burn piles of forest debris below Mt. Baldy in November. Controlled burns are part of the service’s forest management practices.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
An annular solar eclipse is seen reflected in small binoculars against a photograph.
A solar eclipse in October is seen reflected in a small set of binoculars.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Students look at ladybugs in a kit.
Transitional kindergarten students discover the wonder of ladybugs at Oropeza Elementary School in Long Beach.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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A man surfs with a goat.
Chupacabrah, a surfing goat (yes, it’s a thing), is flipped off a giant surfboard along with five human surfers at San Onofre Beach. Chupacabrah’s owner, Dana McGregor, is the only one who manages to hold on.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A dog jumps at Delta K9 Academy in North Hollywood.
Mike Israeli breeds, trains and sells protection dogs for up to $70,000 at Delta K9 Academy in North Hollywood. L.A. homeowners have created a market for top-of-the-line guard dogs.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A group of people work on power poles.
Students in an electric and power transmission installation training program hit the power poles at Los Angeles Trade Technical College.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A woman takes a deep breath and blows out the candle at the end of a psychosocial workshop at San Juan Bautista Church.
At San Juan Bautista Church in Cotzal, Guatemala, Catarina blows out a candle at the end of a workshop held for people who experienced or witnessed violence during the country’s 36-year civil war.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
LAPD officers grapple with protesters.
Los Angeles Police officers try to keep counterprotesters away from a group demonstrating against LGBTQ+ education near the downtown offices of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Aerial view of the 10 Freeway days after a large pallet fire.
An aerial view shows the remains of a large pallet fire that burned below the 10 Freeway in November. A portion of the busy Los Angeles roadway was shut down more than a week as crews repaired the damage.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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A man is confined in an outdoor cage in the exercise yard of a California State Prison.
Maurice League, 46, who says he has spent most of his adult life in prison, is confined in an outdoor cage used for segregated or solitary confinement, in the exercise yard of the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit of California State Prison, Sacramento. The California Legislature is considering another bill (AB 280) to restrict solitary confinement after a similar proposal died last year wasn’t passed this year as well.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A dog looks out of its cage at the Lancaster Animal Care Center.
A dog looks out of its cage at the Lancaster Animal Care Center. A Times investigation found that the Lancaster and Palmdale animal shelters, both in the Antelope Valley, euthanize more dogs — and at a higher rate — than other county facilities.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles, California April 24, 2023-Lakers LeBron James celebrates his basket after being fouled by a Grizzlie player in overtime in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com arena Monday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Sports

Photos: The biggest L.A. sports moments in 2023

Relive the biggest Los Angeles 2023 sports moments through pictures from The Times’ award-winning photographers.

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Politics

Gov. Gavin Newsom joins the People's March on Tower Bridge during his inauguration ceremony for a second term.
In an event billed as the People’s March, Gov. Gavin Newsom crosses Tower Bridge in Sacramento prior to his inauguration ceremony in January.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy is elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Jan. 7.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is elected speaker of the House of Representatives in January on the 15th ballot. It was the first time in 100 years that the speaker was not elected on the first ballot. He set another record in October, becoming the first speaker ousted by a vote of the chamber.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Mayor Karen Bass with Jawonna Smith, 33, who lived in a tent on a sidewalk before she was moved to a motel.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chats with Jawonna Smith, 33, who lives in a tent on a sidewalk behind the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, before she was moved to a motel under the “Inside Safe†program.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tells a crowd at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley that a “woke mind virus†was infiltrating schools, corporations and other institutions in California.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is pushed in a wheelchair to attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington in May.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington in May. It was her first hearing after an illness kept her away from the Senate for almost three months.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Rep Nancy Pelosi, left, pays her respects to Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she lies in state at San Francisco City Hall.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, left, pays her respects as Sen. Dianne Feinstein lies in state at San Francisco City Hall. Feinstein, the first woman to represent California in the Senate, died Sept. 28.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
San Pedro, CA - August 31: the sun sets as each goers watch the waves roll in on the Cabrillo Beach breakwater in San Pedro Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Entertainment & Arts

Photos: Times features photographers’ favorite moments in 2023

2023 feature photos of the year, through the lens of Times staff photographers.

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Migrants Border

People who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border are led to a Border Patrol processing center along the banks of the Rio Grande.
People who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border are led, single file, to a Border Patrol processing center along the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Migrants wait next to Border Patrol agents.

2

A man crawls through razor wire.

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People camp near the border.

1. Border Patrol agents assist migrants after they crossed the Rio Grande river in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2. A migrant, one of thousands who had gathered in Piedras Negras, Mexico, crawls under razor wire after crossing the Rio Grande to reach the Texas side of the river. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 3. A Chinese immigrant watches videos on his phone while other migrants who crossed from Mexico huddle around a campfire at a camp near Jacumba Hot Springs, a community along the California-Mexico border. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Losses

Sheriff's deputies attend a candlelight vigil for L.A. County Sheriff Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies hold a vigil for Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was killed Sept. 16 in Palmdale when a gunman in another vehicle pulled up to his patrol car at a traffic light and shot him in the head.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the Combat Veterans Assn. motorcycle club view a growing memorial to victims.
Members of the Combat Veterans Assn. view a growing memorial to victims of a mass shooting in September at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon. A gunman killed three people and wounded six others before he was fatally shot by Orange County sheriff’s deputies.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Keith Morrison, second from right, walks with police investigators down the street from Matthew Perry's house.
Journalist Keith Morrison, second from right, walks with police investigators near the Pacific Palisades house of Matthew Perry, who died there in October. Morrison is married to Suzanne Perry, the actor’s mother. Authorities would later say Perry’s death was accidental and the result of acute effects of the drug ketamine.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A "Ghost Tire Memorial'' in memory of the victims of a driver who killed four Pepperdine students.
A traffic safety group, Streets Are For Everyone, hosts a “Ghost Tire Memorial†for four Pepperdine University students killed in a crash along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams were on the side of the road, among parked cars, when a BMW struck them, police said.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Maui

1

Driven by fierce winds, a fire raged through the Hawaiian island of Maui in August, killing more than 90.

2

A man stands amid the wreckage of Lahaina, a historic city devastated by the fire. More than 2,000 structures were destroyed in the disaster.

3

Hawaiians join hands in prayer after delivering a boat load of supplies for Lahaina fire victims at Maalaea Harbor, Maui.

1. Driven by fierce winds, a fire raged through the Hawaiian island of Maui in August, killing more than 90. 2. A man stands amid the wreckage of Lahaina, a historic city devastated by the fire. More than 2,000 structures were destroyed in the disaster. 3. Hawaiians join hands in prayer after delivering a boat load of supplies for Lahaina fire victims at Maalaea Harbor, Maui. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

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Monterey Park

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The Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, after police tape was taken down. Eleven people died in the mass shooting during a Lunar New Year’s Eve celebration.

2

The suspect in a mass shooting in Monterey Park appears slumped over in a van.

3

Mourners take part in a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at the Star Dance Studio.

1. The Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, after police tape was taken down. Eleven people died when a gunman opened fire during a Lunar New Year’s Eve celebration. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 2. The body of the dance studio gunman appears slumped over in a van in Torrance the day after the shooting. The 72-year-old gunman shot himself after authorities tracked him down. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 3. Mourners gather in Monterey Park to mourn the victims of the the worst mass shooting in modern Los Angeles County history. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Israel Gaza

A Palestinian boy slings a rock at Israeli forces as local Palestinians protest Israeli occupation in the West Bank.
Israeli Merkava battle tank units regroup near the border of Gaza, in the southern part of Israel, on Oct. 14.
Top: A Palestinian boy slings a rock at Israeli forces as Palestinians protest Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Israeli forces respond with tear gas, flashbang devices and live fire. The conflict erupts a week after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Bottom: Israeli Merkava battle tank units assemble near the border with Gaza in southern Israel.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Two people embrace as they pay their last respect to MirelaOs son Daniel Levy who was killed in the BeOeri Kibbutz
Mourners carry the nine bodies of 13 Palestinians killed in an Israeli assault on the Nour Shams refugee camp.
Top: Jeffrey Ludmir, center left, embraces his sister, Mirela Ludmir, as they mourn Mirela’s son Daniel Levy, who was killed when Hamas attacked Be’eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel. Bottom: Mourners carry the bodies of nine Palestinians killed in an Israeli assault on Nour Shams, a refugee camp in the West Bank, in October. Four other Palestinians also were killed in the assault.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Israel-Gaza L.A. and Beyond Losses Maui Migrants Border Monterey Park People Politics Strikes Weather

Drug Epidemic

Mexicali police officer Sergio Lopez checks for a pulse after a man overdosed in downtown Mexicali.
Mexicali police officer Sergio Lopez checks for a pulse after a man overdoses on drugs in the Mexican border city. Red Cross paramedics arrive soon after to assist and take him to the hospital.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
At right, seated on a subway train, a young man with dark blond hair and a baseball cap smokes fentanyl.
Matthew Morales smokes fentanyl on the Metro Red Line leaving MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. By the time the subway train arrives at the Wilshire/Western station, Morales is doubled over and near motionless.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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People

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence participate in the WeHo Pride Parade.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence participate in the WeHo Pride Parade in West Hollywood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Dennis Kasumba throws an old tire to build strength outside his home in Guyaza, Uganda.
Frederick Keys player Dennis Kasumba signs autographs for fans prior to a game with the Trenton Thunder.
Top: Dennis Kasumba, an aspiring baseball catcher from a poor Ugandan village, builds up his strength with improvised training equipment. His training efforts gain him a worldwide following on TikTok. Bottom: Invited to play in the MLB Draft League during the summer, Kasumba signs autographs for fans prior to a game with the Trenton Thunder in Trenton, N.J.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Graduating inmate Richard Teer, in cap and gown, prepares for the Offender Mentor Certification Program graduation ceremony.
Richard Teer, an inmate at the state prison in Lancaster, readies his cap and gown to participate in a graduation ceremony for inmates who completed a program that trained them to become alcohol and drug counselors.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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