The Brief

Bo Uce still vividly remembers his experiences as a child soldier under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia — the freezing nights, the constant hunger, the violence. He doesn’t talk much about his past. But his daughter, Victoria Uce, wants to know how her dad’s childhood during the Cambodian Genocide affected him and influenced how he raised her.

Emily Kwong, host of the LAist podcast series Inheriting, guides Bo Uce and Victoria Uce through a conversation about their family history, and how to care for generations of survivors and their descendants.

Bo Uce (left) and his daughter Victoria Uce (right) at the Khemara Buddhikaram Temple in Long Beach.

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Meet Victoria Uce

The Khmer community in Long Beach is a constant for Victoria Uce, defining and surrounding her throughout her life. Her temple, the Khemara Buddhikaram Buddhist Temple, has become an important sanctuary for Victoria Uce’s family and their Khmer community.

“Everyone here [at the temple] is a survivor of the genocide,” she says.

What Victoria Uce is talking about is the killing of Cambodian citizens and other ethnic minorities under the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. An estimated 2 million people in Cambodia died from starvation and mass execution by the Khmer government.

Both of Victoria Uce’s parents came to the United States as refugees, having grown up under the Khmer Rouge. Her father, Bo Uce, was orphaned at a young age and was forced into the regime’s youth brigade.

What Victoria Uce doesn’t understand is how she and her sister were raised with so much warmth and love, even though her parents experienced harsh and traumatic childhoods. While in the brigade, her father often suffered from starvation.

“[My dad] … used to steal food for his siblings. But if you're caught you risk death,” Victoria Uce says. “How is that something you go through as a kid?”

Though she can’t comprehend the magnitude of her parents’ trauma, Victoria Uce wants to understand how they survived. She hopes by doing that, she can start to understand her own behaviors.

“I did notice that with me and my sister, our hunger cues were definitely a lot more skewed than most people,” Victoria Uce says. “I would eat past [being] full, because I was always told ‘I didn't have food growing up, so you're lucky.’ So to this day I still hate wasting food. But I also have to work around my hunger cues.”

A brief history of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide 

The Khmer Rouge fully claimed power in Cambodia on April 17, 1975, after the regime captured the country’s capital, Phnom Penh. Under the new regime, leader Pol Pot attempted to purge Cambodia of its previous culture and history.

• Citizens were forced to take up farming in the hopes the country would establish an agrarian society.
• Doctors, lawyers, and former military personnel from the previous Cambodian government were executed.

Bo Uce says his father, a high-ranking military official, and his mother, were among the estimated 2 million Cambodians killed by the Khmer Rouge during the regime’s multi-year campaign of genocide.

Uce family photos

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Bo Uce and the rest of his family were evacuated to the countryside, where they lived in communes.

The Khmer Rouge established work and military units with thousands of kids, including then 7-year-old Bo Uce. These children were separated from their families and worked from sunrise to sunset, making fertilizer for crops, herding animals, and carrying weapons to battlefields. They also worked during harsh weather conditions with inadequate clothing. If they questioned superiors, they were beaten, Bo Uce says. He was in the children’s brigade for a year, before the regime lost power. Though he ultimately made it to the U.S., Bo Uce’s memories still haunt him.

“[He tells me] ‘I didn't know you [could] still carry that kind of pain in your body. It's been decades. I was just a kid. But it still affects me to this day,'" Victoria Uce says. "And it is things that he's always brushed off.”

How can I listen to more of this story?

Hear Episode 3 of "Inheriting":

Listen to all episodes of "Inheriting" wherever you get your podcasts and on LAist.com/Inheriting.

Updated February 28, 2026 at 03:19 AM ET

WASHINGTON/ TEL AVIV — The U.S. and Israel have launched strikes against Iran, amid weeks of escalating tensions and heightened U.S. military presence in the region.

"A short time ago the United States military began major combat operations in Iran," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social account.

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. It's menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world," he said.

Trump said the U.S. had "sought repeatedly to make a deal" but Iran "rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions."

"We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground," Trump vowed.

Trump told the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to "lay down your arms… or you will face certain death."

To the Iranian people he said "your hour of freedom is at hand… when we are finished take over your government, it will be yours to take."

In Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz described the operation as a preemptive action aimed at neutralizing threats against Israel.

"As a result, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future."

A 48-hour state of emergency has been declared nationwide.

The Israeli Defense Forces alerted the public to prepare for the possibility of missiles being launched toward Israel. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel at approximately 8:15 a.m. local time, warning civilians to prepare to enter bomb shelters.

Israel has closed its airspace to all passenger flights, and civil defense protocols have been activated. Regional military forces remain on high alert.

Iranian government media report rocket fire in parts of the capital, Tehran. State television has broadcast footage showing smoke rising after a blast in the city. The extent of the damage and potential casualties has not yet been confirmed.

The strike follows weeks of speculation about potential military action against Iran, particularly amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Facing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, Pasadena Unified's school board voted unanimously this week to finalize a plan to send layoff notices to more than 160 staff members as part of an effort to balance its budget that began last fall.

The district has maintained that the job reductions are necessary because of a $30 million budget deficit, part of a financial crisis made worse by the Eaton Fire.

California schools must notify employees about potential layoffs for the following school year by March 15. The number of current employees who will be out of a job next year is still unclear, in part, because people may be reassigned to vacant positions. In the past, PUSD has also rescinded some layoff notices before they took effect.

Parents, teachers and union leaders at the Thursday meeting criticized the district for targeting teachers and school staff for layoffs instead of administrative positions.

“ Teaching for PUSD means anxiety every March as it approaches, because we don't know if we're going to get to keep our job or not,” said Genevieve Miller, a PUSD teacher who said her children also graduated from the district. “ There's a different way forward.”

Board members acknowledged the decision they made was difficult.

“ I just want to be very clear that this is not the outcome that anybody prefers,” Board member Yarma Velázquez said. “Workforce reductions and the continuous, year after year position of being in this place where we have to reduce positions is draining and it is painful.

“I am very aware of what the implications are for all of the people that work here at PUSD.”

The board meeting

At the meeting, which started at 4 p.m. and nearly lasted until midnight, parents highlighted the potential of families and teachers choosing to leave the district because of the layoffs.

“ Right now, the [PUSD] community is in fight mode, as you can see from the turnout and other comments being made here tonight,” said parent Neil Tyler. “But if you approve these resolutions as proposed tonight, a large chunk of the community will quickly shift to flight mode and the death spiral of this district will begin.”

Jonathan Gardner, president of United Teachers of Pasadena, told the board that the cuts meant the district would lose dozens of middle and high school teachers and child development staff.

“ The best thing for kids and staff is always stability and making sure that we have full staff,” Gardner said. “The priorities should be working from the student experience out. Instead, what we see is millions and millions of dollars being spent on contracted services and millions and millions being spent on extra staffing at the central office.”

Speakers also noted that Pasadena Unified had endured years of budget cuts, which affected teachers, librarians and office staff.

Others said PUSD was failing to meet its requirement under California law to commit at least 55% of the district’s education expenses to teacher salaries.

LAist reached out to the district for comment on this but has not yet received a response.

Pasadena Unified board members said the cuts were necessary, especially after warnings from regulators that they could be out of compliance with requirements to balance the budget.

“For the sake of the district's solvency, I feel like it would be irresponsible if I took an action that put this district in jeopardy,” board member Michelle Bailey said Thursday night. “I can't in good conscience take that kind of action.”

About the budget issues

Concerns over declining enrollment numbers, which are tied to funding, have been growing since the Eaton Fire.

A report commissioned by a state agency recommended that the state increase its funding for the school system to help with fire recovery.

Some observers said Pasadena Unified’s budget issues date back much longer than that.

“Over the past 30 years, Pasadena Unified has faced a mounting fiscal calamity, one that you can no longer ignore or postpone,” Octavio Castelo, director of business advisory services for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, told Pasadena Unified’s board in November. “Despite your best efforts and intentions, the district has not been able to live within its means."

Cutting staff will likely mean losing some school programs, including language and music.

“ You have Mary Jackson [Elementary in Altadena] — it's a science magnet school, and they're cutting the science teacher,” Gardner, the teacher’s union president, told LAist. “That's the heart of the school.”

What happens next

The layoff notices are expected to be sent to affected staff members by mid-March.

The district will have until summer to finalize the list.

K-12 education reporter Mariana Dale contributed reporting.

The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted unanimously Friday to place Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

The FBI searched Carvalho’s home and district offices Wednesday. A DOJ spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide additional details. The FBI told LAist media partner CBS LA that the underlying affidavit remained under court-ordered seal.

The board also appointed current Chief of School Operations Andres Chait as acting superintendent after the seven-hour closed meeting Thursday and Friday.

“I know that this is a very challenging time,” said Board President Scott Schmerelson in a brief public statement after the decision was announced. “I want you to know that the board believes in you, supports you and knows that you will continue to do your very best to support the students and families of the district.”

Schmerelson clarified in an email to LAist that he was referring to Chait. The seven-member board exited the meeting room without taking questions. Carvalho was not present and has not made a public statement since the searches Wednesday.

The district posted a statement online later in which Schmerelson wrote that “today’s action is aimed at fulfilling our promise to students and families to provide an excellent public education without distraction.”

The board’s decision provided clarity about district leadership but did not shed light on the reason for the searches, which have been the subject of widespread speculation.

“While we understand the need for information, we cannot discuss the specifics of this matter pending investigation,” read the district’s statement.

Who is the acting superintendent?

Chait has worked for the district for nearly three decades. The chief of school operations’ responsibilities are varied and include athletics, the district’s office of emergency management and staff investigations. Chait has presented to the board on everything from school safety to the cell phone ban and the district’s calendar.

Chief of School Operations Andres Chait has worked for LAUSD for nearly three decades.

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“I am humbled by the board’s confidence in appointing me to serve as acting superintendent during this critical time," Chait said in the district’s statement. "Our focus remains clear: to ensure stability, continuity and strong leadership for our students, families and employees."

What we know about AllHere, LAUSD’s AI tool

A spokesperson for the FBI in Miami confirmed Wednesday’s L.A. searches are linked to a search of a South Florida home the same day. That property, identified by local media outlets, belongs to Debra Kerr, who was associated with the company LAUSD contracted to create a short-lived AI tool called AllHere.

Federal authorities have not connected AllHere to this week’s investigation.

Los Angeles Unified approved a $6.2 million contract with AllHere in June 2023 to develop a tool that would create an “individual acceleration plan,” using district data and featuring an artificial intelligence chatbot.

LAUSD debuted “Ed” the following March as a "personal assistant" to students that would point them toward mental health resources and nudge students who were falling behind.

Within three months of its debut, the company behind Ed, AllHere, furloughed the bulk of its staff; its CEO was later charged with fraud. The district defended the process it used to debut that chatbot, which cost $3 million.

Parents and educators demanded transparency after the district shut down the chatbot.

Many questions remain

The federal investigation comes at a time when LAUSD is financially strained, cutting hundreds of jobs and facing pressure from the district’s largest labor unions to settle new contracts.

SEIU Local 99, which represents school support staff and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) have issued statements calling on the district to clearly communicate about the status of the superintendent and the investigation.

"UTLA educators and our school communities have long raised concerns about LAUSD rapidly increasing spending on education tech and outside contractors, while investment in classrooms and educators has declined,” UTLA wrote in a statement provided to LAist.

Carvalho has been superintendent of LAUSD since 2022, and the board unanimously renewed his contract in 2025. Prior to coming to L.A., Carvalho had worked for the Miami-Dade County school district for decades, 30 years as a teacher and the last 14 years as the district's supervisor.

Carvalho's time at LAUSD has included a number of wins for the district, including gains in test scores and participation in AP classes.