Schools reel from the extreme heat, but getting a new AC in the classroom isn’t an easy fix
Schools are reeling from extreme heat. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP)That ocean breeze is just not cutting it in schools in Torrance and Long Beach as Southern California reels from a heat wave.Parents have taken to social media, created petitions and are proposing a bond measure in order to address the sweltering classrooms as temperatures hit triple digits in some areas.Only 25% of Torrance Unified classrooms have air conditioning, according to a district spokesperson. And while 90% of Long Beach Unified schools have air conditioning, the schools without air conditioning have to bear this heat spell until the end of 2027 when new air conditioning will be in all classrooms.What are schools doing to beat the heat?In Long Beach, the district says there are portable fans in classrooms without AC and the district has installed heat-blocking window covers."The things that we do immediately and have been doing for several years, hydration stations,” Keith Butler, the deputy superintendent at TUS
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E-bike buyback event in OC offers up to $1,000 in exchange for your electric ride
Students at Ensign Intermediate School have been parking their e-bikes in nearby neighborhoods since the district outlawed them on elementary and middle school campuses. (Jill Replogle / LAist)The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is hosting a buyback event Sunday where people can exchange their e-bikes and e-motorcycles for up to $1,000 in gift cards. The goal is to reduce the number of illegal bikes on the road, and give parents an incentive to get dangerous vehicles out of kids’ hands.“These vehicles are not child’s play, and the consequences are incredibly dangerous and increasingly deadly,” DA Todd Spitzer said in a news release announcing the event.Communities in Orange County have been grappling with a surge in e-bikes and e-motos on the road, including among young kids, and an accompanying increase in serious crashes.“Our area has pretty much the highest concentration of e-bike injuries and e-bike accidents in the country,” said Dr. Tetsuya Takeuchi, the trauma medical d
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Appeals court rejects VA’s effort to stop order for thousands of new homes on West LA campus
Members of a clean-up crew dismantle tents located on the Veterans Row homeless encampment along San Vicente Blvd just outside the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus.(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)An appeals court issued a ruling Friday that strikes down a federal government effort to block a lower court’s order requiring the construction of 2,550 new housing units on the Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles.The long-running case, brought forward by disabled veterans struggling with homelessness in the L.A. area, has centered on the use of the sprawling 400-acre VA campus.U.S. District Judge David O. Carter had previously scrutinized leases for the private Brentwood School’s athletic facilities, a parking lot company, an oil drilling enterprise and UCLA’s baseball stadium.Ruling that the campus was meant to aid veterans, Carter ordered the VA to not renew the leases and quickly build 750 units of temporary housing and 1,800 units of permanent housing.But Car
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After 10 years of bilingual education in California, demand is high but teacher supply low
Julian Moreno-Maciel, a bilingual education teacher trainee in UC Berkeley’s Teacher Education program.(Manny Herrera / Courtesy Cati de los Rios )In 2017, only about 400 public schools in the state offered bilingual education. But in the 10 years since voters approved Prop 58 overturning the ban on bilingual teaching, that number has now grown to more than 1,000. It's still not enough to meet the demand from parents and caregivers who want their kids to have the advantages of bilingualism, as well as academic support for Spanish and other languages spoken at home.California officials now want to increase the number of public schools to 1,600 by 2030.“These programs have expanded quickly, but these schools continue to really struggle to find and retain the teachers to teach in them,” said Cati de los Rios, an associate professor of language, literacy, and culture at UC Berkeley.She said the lag in the teacher pipeline is the main problem. The bilingual education ban, approved by voters
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Laguna Beach in local emergency from coastal erosion as city looks ahead to El Niño
A beachgoer takes a dip as high surf rushes up in Laguna Beach on Sept. 4, 2026.(Don Leach / Getty Images)Topline:Laguna Beach is now in a local emergency because of coastal erosion, city officials announced Thursday.The backstory: The emergency proclamation follows a loss of sand from the ocean swell of Tropical Storm Marie, which caused damage along parts of Southern California’s coast, including Dana Point, Malibu and Long Beach. In Laguna Beach, the city says six oceanfront homes have been yellow-tagged, and the parking lot for Aliso Beach "has partially failed," leaving the lot and three other areas temporarily closed.Why now: Dave Kiff, city manager, said most residents haven’t seen this much sand leave the city’s beaches at once. “We expect it to come back, but we are not counting on it, and with a very strong El Niño forecast we need the ability to act quickly to protect homes, beaches and public infrastructure,” Kiff said in a statement. The city didn’t immediately respond to
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Street vending 101: What’s actually legal in LA
A fruit vendor sells on Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. ( Andrew Lopez / Boyle Heights Beat)Last month, street vending became a flashpoint during one of the recent debates for L.A. mayor when incumbent Karen Bass said, "I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant. Period," drawing a comparison to unhoused encampments.The remarks set off an almost immediate backlash. Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, who has her own 9-point plan to support street vendors, said Bass "took a shot" at the street vending community and reiterated her commitment to work toward regulations and legalizing their operations.Bass's office later eased its stance, saying it had directed the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors — and to dismiss any that had been issued in error.Street vending remains part of the Los Angeles landscape, and the backlash from the debate brought to light just how confusing its legality can be. To understand how we got here, it helps to st
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A cooling trend is here for the weekend, but how cool is it going to get?
A view of the San Gabriel Mountains.(trekandshoot/Getty Images / iStockphoto)Topline:Believe it or not, cooler temperatures are on the horizon as the tropical moisture brought on by Torpical Storm Marie exits the region.Why now: According to the National Weather Service, a trough pattern is coming in to push away the upper level ridge that’s been creating warmer temperatures and trapping tropical moisture (hence the muggy feeling). NWS says the new system will allow for more onshore air flow and even the return of the marine layer tonight through the weekend for most coastal areas.The forecast: Today, we’re looking at highs from 79 to 84 degrees at L.A. County beaches and 89 to 94 degrees for the inland coast. In the valleys, temperatures will reach 92 to 99 degrees. Ventura County areas will see highs from 89 to 98 degrees inland and 83 to 88 degrees closer to the coast.In Orange County, temperatures along the coast will range from 80 to 90 degrees and 87 to 94 degrees more inland. Th
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Lineage sues solar company and contractor, blames them for warehouse fire in Boyle Heights
The Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights on August 31, 2026. (Brian Feinzeimer / The LA Local)Lineage Logistics sued a solar power provider and its contractor Thursday, blaming them for the fire that destroyed its cold storage facility and plagued Boyle Heights and surrounding communities with polluted, foul-smelling air for months.The company accuses Altus Power, Inc., Los Palos Street Operating, LLC, and Pearce Services of failing to address faults in the massive solar array installed on the 500,000-square-foot facility’s roof. Faulty electrical in that array led to a fire in 2024, and the same problems sparked the fire on June 17, Lineage claims in the suit.“This lawsuit is about Altus and Pearce starting this fire and then being nowhere to be found when the community needed help,” said Greg Lehmkuhl, president & CEO of Lineage, in a prepared statement.The fire remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and its cause has not yet been determined. But because both t
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DOJ opens investigation into conditions inside LA's Men's Central Jail
The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles(Robert Garrova / LAist)Topline:The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, specifically looking into whether L.A. County has failed to provide environmentally safe, humane and habitable conditions for people held there.The details: The jail has long been plagued by allegations of poor conditions. Monitors from the American Civil Liberties Union have documented problems including overcrowding, severe mold and mildew, and rodent infestations.The context: The federal investigation is expected to focus on conditions within the facility and not the actions of the county sheriff’s deputies who staff it, according to the Justice Department. The new investigation is separate from a 2015 settlement between the county and federal government, which stemmed from allegations of inadequate mental health care provided at county jails.What happens next: Investigators
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Best things to do in LA and SoCal: Sept. 9-15
Celebrate Orange County's Latino communities at Santa Ana's Fiestas Patrias on Sept. 12 and 13.(Courtesy City of Santa Ana)I was fortunate to get a sneak peek at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art last week and given how many thoughts our Best Things to Do readers had on the new LACMA Geffen Galleries, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the Lucas once it opens to the public on Sept. 22. Please share your thoughts when you go!I was blown away by the building — it’s light and airy while feeling futuristic and somewhat imposing at the same time. The gardens are green and have plenty of places to sit and soak up the sun or the shade, and the reading room (which will be free and open to all) is definitely going on the "best places to cowork" list. The art collection is mostly organized by subject rather than era and includes works by artists from Norman Rockwell to Frida Kahlo to Banksy to Lucas himself via the many pieces of Star Wars history on display. There's truly something for
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