People view the Los Angeles River swollen by storm runoff as a powerful long-duration atmospheric river storm, the second in less than a week, continues to impact Southern California on February 5, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images North America
)
Topline:
Los Angeles officials on Tuesday reported some progress in responding to the two atmospheric storms that have left the Southland saturated and still at risk of debris flows.
What's next: While the worst of the storm system has passed, officials warn the region has a ways to go in terms of clean up and recovery.
Expect more flooding, downed trees, debris flows and other hazards, particularly on roadways. That's because another period of heavy rain is expected from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
The danger of mudslides remains due to how saturated the ground.
Keep reading... for more details and the latest conditions.
This story is no longer updating. Get the latest on the storm:
Los Angeles officials on Tuesday reported some progress in responding to the two atmospheric storms that have left the Southland saturated and still at risk of debris flows.
The pair of record-breaking storms have shut down roads, forced mandatory evacuations and severely damaged property in landslides and debris flows.
Firefighters responded to bystander reports that a man jumped in the flowing water in pursuit of his dog. Crews responded to several bridges and access points down river and located the canine, who had managed to swim safely to the edge and escape the rapids. LAFD Air Ops lowered… pic.twitter.com/AnhhXIqE1H
And while the worst of the storm system had passed, they warned the region has a ways to go in terms of clean up and recovery.
"The road to recovery may be long and it requires an all hands approach," L.A. City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a news conference Tuesday evening. "We will rebuild, we will recover, and we will emerge stronger."
Mayor Karen Bass said she was preparing official requests for assistance from state and federal officials.
Power has been reported to 59,000 L.A. customers, with just over 6,600 customers remaining with lights out, mainly because of a downed tree in Brentwood.
As of Tuesday evening, Crowley said the following had been recorded in L.A.:
475 mudslides
390 fallen trees
Multiple successful water rescues
12 structure fires
919 catch basin and storm water systems cleared
441 reports of potholes recorded
From around 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, forecasters said they were expecting another burst of rain, which could prove perilous for already saturated ground.
Expect more flooding, downed trees, debris flows and other hazards as the storm system slowly makes it way southeast.
Rain and thunderstorms will be sticking around a bit longer.
(
National Weather Service in Oxnard
/
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
)
Mud and rock slides were especially prevalent along mountain areas that got hit by the historically heavy rain.
At around 9 p.m. Sunday, 16 residents were evacuated from nine Studio City homes after a mudslide damaged two structures on Lockridge Road. And L.A. firefighters evacuated people from at least three homes affected by debris flows on West Boris Drive in Tarzana. A landslide on Beverly Crest damaged at least six homes, forcing the evacuation of 15 people.
Culver City issued an evacuation warning for residents in Culver Crest as mudflows were reported on Cranks road and Flaxton street. At noon on Tuesday, Hacienda Road in La Habra heights was closed due to an active debris flow moving through the town.
In Santa Barbara, officials evacuated an estimated 40 people from apartment buildings due to cliff erosion.
A view of mudslide damage in Los Angeles, California.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)
There should be a lull in the rain Wednesday morning before the region has to deal with a bit more storm activity through Thursday.
A flash flood warning will likely remain in effect until Wednesday afternoon from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park, as well as the adjacent foothills, the cities of Malibu and and Beverly Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains in southeastern Ventura County.
Some resources to make sure you have the most up-to-date information:
"This has truly been a historic storm for Los Angeles," said Ariel Cohen, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Oxnard, who pointed out that this has been the third wettest two-day stretch for the city since they started keeping records back in the 1870s.
People view the Los Angeles River swollen by storm runoff as a powerful long-duration atmospheric river storm, the second in less than a week, continues to impact Southern California on February 5, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images North America
)
While on Monday, downtown L.A. saw 4.1 inches of rain — breaking the previous daily rainfall record of 2.55 inches set in 1927 — stations across the Santa Monica Mountains are where the real intense rainfall was centered.
Three-day rainfall totals as of noon Tuesday:
Bel Air: 12.32 inches
Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland: 12.01
Topanga: 11.95 inches
Woodland Hills: 11.70 inches
Mt. Baldy: 9.37 inches
Santa Fe Dam: 8.61
Downtown L.A.: 8.13 inches
Hollywood Reservoir: 7.47 inches
Santa Monica: 6.79 inches
Santa Barbara: 5.42 inches
Saticoy: 5.08 inches
To put those rainfall totals in perspective, the average annual rainfall for L.A. is usually around 14 inches or so.
Don't be surprised if more records fall.
Flood watches and warnings are in place from Santa Barbara to San Diego counties through Tuesday as hazards remain.
Long, sustained periods of rain are characteristic of El Niño storms. Warmer than normal waters off the coast — often associated with the climate phenomenon — are juicing our recent storms by sending more heat and water into the atmosphere.
UCLA has recorded nearly 12 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, a 1 in 1000-year rainfall rainfall event for Westwood.
A truly unprecedented storm in modern history for the region as an atmospheric river stalls over the region. pic.twitter.com/KA7mnDAloP
Mud inundates parts of the Hollywood Hills on Monday. Another day of steady rain is forecast Tuesday.
(
David McNew
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
It's not uncommon for rocks and mud to flow off steep hillsides and onto roads during heavy rains. And debris flows were reported across the region over the past several days. Additional incidents are possible.
Overview of notable incidents as of Tuesday morning:
Studio City: Two homes damaged by mudflow, with a total of 16 residents evacuated from nine homes.
Tarzana: Three homes damaged by a mudflow and two people evacuated from a home.
Beverly Crest: Seven homes have been damaged by debris flow and 15 people were evacuated.
Palos Verdes: Eastbound Palos Verdes Drive south is closed due to mud.
Culver City: An evacuation warning has been issued for residents of the Culver Crest area after mudflows were seen behind multiple homes.
La Habra Heights: Hazardous levels of mud were reported along Hacienda Road at noon on Tuesday.
Coastal erosion
On Tuesday morning, Santa Barbara County officials evacuated approximately 40 people from four apartment buildings in the beachside college town of Isla Vista. Residents were later allowed to return with some of the property cordoned off.
Evacuation efforts underway on 6700 Blk of Del Playa, Isla Vista. 4 apt. Units displaced with approx. 45+ people displaced due to cliff / bluff erosion. More to come. CT9:51am pic.twitter.com/6lcYO8Z4ie
County public information officer Jackie Ruiz said officials were concerned that the columns holding up the structures could give way because of cliff erosion below the buildings.
She said no other evacuations had been issued in the area, and that safety and planning officials were assessing damages to the buildings to determine needed repairs.
Up in the mountains
So far, snow levels have been relatively high, mostly above 5,500 feet.
Winter storm warnings are in effect in both the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests until late Tuesday night.
It continues to #snow in the mountains with a snow level 5500 to 6000 feet now - Mt Baldy region has received 12 to 24 inches of snow above 6500 feet, here is an webcamera provided by Mountain High #cawx chain control in effect through Big Bear city pic.twitter.com/1BfcbKTg7l
Higher mountain peaks like San Jacinto (10,834 feet) could get around 1 to 3 feet of snow, while Mt. San Antonio (10,064 feet) could see 4 to 6 feet.
The eastern San Gabriel mountains and the San Bernardino County mountains are under a winter storm warning until 10 p.m. Tuesday for areas above 6,000 feet.
Travel is expected to be difficult, if not impossible. Higher mountains could see winds up to 70 mph, which can damage trees and knock them onto roadways. If you must head in or around these areas, pack emergency supplies in your car just in case.
The Mount Wilson observatory closed Saturday until further notice because of the weather. Mountain High Resort will reopen today starting at 9 a.m.
The Angeles National Forest is urging people to stay away from the area at least for the next few days. Very hazardous conditions are expected, including heavy rain, fast-moving landslides, snow, and flooding.
What's up with the L.A. River?
Social media has been inundated with videos of the Los Angeles River gushing with water as historic rains pummel Southern California.
Jon Sweeten, a reservoir regulation engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, said videos of the river seemingly on the verge of overflowing shouldn't necessarily be cause for alarm.
“People see a lot of water in a channel that they see that's normally dry and they go, ‘Oh my goodness, there's a lot of water,’” he said. “That's just the channel operating in the way it was designed.”
The system, Sweeten added, “is designed to hold some of the water behind the dams and release it into concrete line channels that will convey the flow very effectively to the ocean.”
Since the 51 miles of river pass through different cities, at the time the infrastructure was built, municipalities were responsible for building bridges within their respective boundaries. At the time, local officials pushed for a narrower river, so that it would be cheaper to build the bridges while also preserving more land for development.
“In order to make the system work well, they designed it so that it flowed very fast so — the system flows much faster than a natural stream would flow,” Sweeten said. “Which is why it's dangerous for people to stand on the concrete in the L.A. River, because water up to your ankle is capable of knocking you off your feet.”
Sewage spills
Avoid fecal coliform bacteria and all sorts of nasty chemicals by not going into the ocean during or right after it rains.
It's a notion that holds doubly true for Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, and every swimming area in Long Beach, as an estimated 8 million gallons of sewage have flowed down into the water.
A sanitation department spokesperson said sewer systems were so overwhelmed by rain that they backed up and spilled out into the Dominguez Channel, which leads to the Port of Long Beach, and into Compton Creek, which flows into the L.A. River.
An additional 40,000 gallons of sewage are also estimated to have spilled into the L.A. River following a backup in Commerce.
Public health officials advise people to wait at least 72 hours after significant rainfall to go into the ocean water.
Multiple evacuation orders and warnings for L.A., Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have been canceled, though it's possible as the storm progresses that additional alerts will be issued.
Los Angeles County
Topanga Canyon: Evacuation order and warning issued for the area around Santa Maria Road in the Owen Fire burn scar.
Soledad Canyon: Evacuation warning issued for the Agua Fire Burn scar east of Acton.
Juniper Hills: Evacuation warning issued for Juniper Hills and Valyermo area.
San Gabriel Mountains: Evacuation warnings are in effect for areas near the Bobcat Fire (north end) and Lake Fire burn scars.
Duarte: Evacuation warningis in effect for the area in the Fish Fire burn scar.
Culver City: Evacuation warning in effect through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday for areas of Culver City’s Upper Crest area due to potential mud or debris flows. The city is asking people who live above, below, or adjacent to a hillside in or below the Upper Crest neighborhood to take extra precautions.
Warnings and orders will likely remain in place until 6 p.m. Tuesday. More info about above incidents is here.
Orange County
A voluntary evacuation warning was issued for Irvine Lake, Black Star and Baker Canyon, Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon, Modjeska Canyon, Live Oak and North Traduce Canyon, and Traduce, Rose, and Holy Jim Canyons.
Canyon residents were strongly encouraged to prepare and voluntarily evacuate on Sunday, especially those with disabilities, access and/or functional needs, and canyon residents with large animals.
Evacuation warning issued due to potential mud and debris flow in the El Dorado and Apple fire burn scars.
Schools
Los Angeles Unified School District announced that all schools will be open on Tuesday with the exception of Topanga Elementary Charter and Vinedale College Preparatory Academy. Topanga students may report to Woodland Hills Academy while Vinedale students may report to Glenwood Elementary School.
Santa Monica schools are open Tuesday; Malibu schools are closed.
Long Beach Unified schools are open Tuesday.
Santa Barbara Unified school district reopened on Tuesday.
About 62% of LAUSD students attended school on Monday. In a statement issued later that evening, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said close to 90% of teachers made it in as well.
The superintendent also noted some bus delays but said more than 90% of bus drivers reported to work and all routes were eventually completed. One bus had a breakdown that delayed students for an hour and a half.
LAist has asked the district for more details on that incident and how it's accommodating Vineland and Topanga elementary school students.
Road closures
In short, it's a mess.
Rockslides, mudslides, flooding and snow have inundated roads from Ventura to San Bernardino.
Check in with your local department of transportation for the latest updates:
Caltrans (best for highway and mountain conditions)
UCLA- Normal operations. Classes will occur as usual
USC- Normal operations. Classes will occur as usual
In person classes have resumed at Cal State Fullerton.
UC Santa Barbara campuses are set to reopen Tuesday.
Cal State Long Beach said it expects normal operations and classes to resume on Tuesday.
Cal Poly Pomona returns to normal campus operations Tuesday.
Cal State Northridge also resumes campus operations Tuesday.
Emergency proclamations and preparation
L.A. County issued an emergency proclamation Sunday night. Supervisors said that move aligned the county with the state's emergency order and would make it easier to act quickly to deploy resources.
In, L.A., Mayor Bass declared a local state of emergency on Monday.
San Bernardino County also declared a state of emergency Sunday night in anticipation of extreme rain and snow expected through Wednesday.
A man and his dog were rescued from the Pacoima Wash near Foothill Boulevard via helicopter after he jumped into the water after his pet. LAFD Fire Chief Kristen Crowley said both the man and the dog are safe.
Bass said more than 100 unhoused people had to be evacuated from a tiny home complex. She added that they’re being moved into a nearby shelter that wasn’t being used, but now will be “instantly” filled.
Bass also answered a call from President Joe Biden toward the end of Monday’s news conference and held the phone up to the microphone so he could speak to the people of Los Angeles.
“We’ll get any help on the way as soon as you guys request it, so just let me know,” Biden said.
More ahead
Residents in mountain, canyon and coastal areas should prepare for the risk of debris flows and flooding to remain at least through Tuesday.
Those in landslide prone areas like the Palos Verdes Peninsula should be on the lookout for indications of land movement, including the formation of new cracks, the fracturing of underground utilities, doors and windows falling out of plumb and sounds of creaks and groans coming from the ground.
Los Angeles County Fire Department locations also have sandbags and sand.
Sand and sandbags are available at these locations in Orange County.
Significant snowfall expected for #SoCal thru Tue.
- 2 to 4 feet above 7000 ft - 10-20 inches between 6000 and 7000 ft - Up to 10 inches between 5000 and 6000 ft - Wind gusts up to around 90 MPH -WINTER STORM WARNINGS in effect thru Tue#CAwxpic.twitter.com/iKjqJPN7Ss
Here’s an excerpt from our guide to understanding flood warnings, if any are issued:
Flood advisories are how the NWS begins to raise the alarm. The goal is to give people enough time to take action.
Flood watches are your indicators to get prepared to move.
Aflood warning is issued when a hazardous weather event is imminent or already happening. When one is issued for your area, you need to get to higher ground immediately.
A flash flood warning is issued when a flash flood is coming or in progress. Flash floods are sudden and violent floods that can start within minutes.
If you're in L.A. County and need sand bags you can find some at local fire houses.
Staying safe when the winds are high
Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
Make sure you have a battery-operated radio and flashlights. Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh. Use flashlights for lighting during a power outage; do not use candles because they may pose a significant fire hazard.
If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching.
Do not use any equipment inside that is designed for outdoor heating or cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.
Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage.
Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.
Tips on staying warm
State law requires residential units to have heating systems that can keep indoor temperatures at a minimum of 70 degrees. That means every dwelling unit and guest room offered for rent or lease should offer heating equipment, usually central air conditioning (A/C) or a wall heater. — Caitlin Hernández
Use heat smartly to save money: Cranking things like the A/C and wall heaters can be expensive. If money is tight, be judicious about how and when you use your utilities. For example, only use heaters at night or only set the thermostat to around 70 degrees.
Open and close those vents: If you have central A/C, look at where the vents are around your home. Are any open in places where you don’t stay long? Practice opening and closing those so warm air only goes where you need it (most vents should have a small toggle lever). Humidifiers can also help you warm things up — and it’s useful to add moisture into our dry air.
Adjust your wall heaters: If you have a wall heater, you can change the output by adjusting the knob (usually at the bottom). Since wall heaters can only warm the areas where they’re placed, it’s essential to close doors to rooms you won’t be in so hot air doesn’t get wasted.
Turn on your ceiling fan (really): If you have a ceiling fan, try turning it on. This sounds counterintuitive, but there’s science behind it. The direction a fan turns can push air in different directions, and since hot air floats up, you’ll want to move that around. Your fan should spin clockwise to create an updraft to circulate. Not all fans will have this option, though.
George Kiriyama, a senior editor, is tracking the storm and adding updates along with Kevin Tidmarsh, a producer, and Fiona Ng, LAist's weekend editor. Other LAist staff members, including host Sharon McNary and associate producer Gillian Morán Pérez also kept a close eye, while other members of the newsroom have been keeping watch during the week.
This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials and reporters on the ground). Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and/or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published May 19, 2026 5:53 PM
A man casts his ballot during early voting
(
Jeff Kowalsky
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
Write-in candidates in Southern California are no joke. Election officials require them to qualify. While many are already in, Tuesday is the deadline to be considered. The full list will be released to the public Friday.
The rules: The city of L.A. requires write-in candidates to file a form and pay $300 or submit 500 valid signatures, while other cities may not require anything except paperwork. Qualified candidate names are sent to county election officials and will post the information Friday for voters.
Some write-in candidates: As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Registrar of Voters listed 20 write-in candidates who filed in California for a wide range of races, from state Assembly and state Senate to governor. Of the 20, 11 filed as write-ins for the governor’s race.
Why it matters: Most write-in campaigns are a long shot but some have won: Lisa Murkowski won an Alaska U.S. Senate seat in 2010; Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams was reelected in 2002.
Who gets counted: Only votes for qualified write-in candidates are counted and certified. Sorry, Mickey Mouse and George Washington.
What's next:Here’s the current list of qualified write-in candidates in L.A. County. Checking the box that says Show only Write In Records will show you write-in candidates. Orange County election officials say they have no write-in candidates.
Matthew Ballinger
is the senior editor for climate and environment coverage at LAist.
Updated May 19, 2026 5:56 PM
Published May 19, 2026 4:02 PM
A fire on Santa Rosa Island has been burning since May 15, 2015. The island is seen here in 1997.
(
Carlos Chavez
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Topline:
Several fires are burning across Southern California, with some destroying structures, threatening homes and charring pristine landscapes.
Where are the fires? A large fire is burning on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park. A fire in Simi Valley has destroyed one home and led to multiple evacuation alerts. Two fires are in Riverside County, and a small fire is in the San Gabriel Mountains.
The forecast: Warm weather and Santa Ana wind conditions have hampered firefighting efforts and are expected to continue through Wednesday this week.
Read on ... for details about the Sandy Fire, Santa Rosa Island Fire and others.
Several fires are burning across Southern California, with some destroying structures, threatening homes and charring pristine landscapes.
Warm weather and Santa Ana wind conditions have hampered firefighting efforts and are expected to continue through Wednesday this week. The National Weather Service forecasts cooler weather and "May gray" through the weekend.
Here's a roundup of some of the fires burning now.
(All dates refer to today, Tuesday, May 19, unless otherwise noted)
The fire is burning in Channel Island National Park territory. Firefighters traveled by boat with their equipment to get to the island, according to news reports. The island is home to rare and endangered plants and animals.
CalFire reported about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday that lessening winds allowed "firefighters to take full advantage of improved weather to strengthen containment lines and continue aggressive suppression efforts. Crews remain actively engaged both on the ground and in the air to gain additional containment and keep the fire within its current perimeter."
The fire started Monday in the southern part of Simi Valley. It eventually spread eastward toward L.A. County communities in the San Fernando Valley, but overnight conditions were favorable to firefighters, CalFire said. Several communities were under evacuation orders and warnings, and schools in the area were closed.
The fire was first reported around noon Tuesday, according to CalFire, near Jurupa Valley (east of the 15 Freeway and south of the 60). CBS News Los Angeles reported that four people have been injured.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published May 19, 2026 3:42 PM
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath sponsored the motion to create an L.A. County Ethics Commission.
(
Screenshot via YouTube broadcast of L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting.
)
Topline:
Citing a desire to prevent corruption within county government, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday established Los Angeles County’s first ethics commission.
The backstory: In 2024, voters approved Measure G, which called for the creation of an Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance. The measure came amid a series of corruption cases at L.A. City Hall but calls for reform spilled over into the county government.
The details: The motion by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and approved by the board Tuesday directs county departments to begin establishing the operational, staffing and legal infrastructure necessary to launch the commission in this year. It also directs staff to prepare a charter amendment for voter consideration on the November ballot to enshrine the commission in the charter.
Composition: Supervisors voted for a plan that calls for a seven-member commission. Initially, the chair of the Board of Supervisors, the county assessor and the Governance Reform Task Force would each appoint a commissioner, filling three spots. Those appointees would then select the remaining four members from a pool of applicants.
Opposition: Supervisor Janice Hahn supported the overall motion but opposed the composition of the commission, saying too many members were to be appointed by elected officials — the same people the panel would be charged with watchdogging.
History: The county has had its own campaign, lobbying and ethics laws on the books for years, but they were enforced by ethics officers in various departments. The latest proposal calls for a 54-member ethics office to enforce those laws and for the commission to impose fines if they are violated.
Students walk past a sign for a campus financial aid office Dec. 8, 2017.
(
Lea Suzuki
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
After a spike in fraudulent applications to California’s community colleges, school officials say they are getting better at detecting and preventing fraud, though it still happens.
Why it matters: Between January and March 2025, scammers stole nearly $5.6 million in federal student aid and over $900,000 in state aid. By comparison, this spring colleges have reported losing just under $1.5 million in federal student aid and about $330,000 in state aid to fraudsters. Last spring was “really the peak,” Hadsell said. He said he anticipates the end-of-year total in 2026 to be “significantly lower” than last year.
The backstory: Last spring, CalMatters reported that colleges were seeing unprecedented reports of fraud, with scammers stealing millions more dollars of student aid than in any previous period, according to reports submitted by colleges to California’s Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
Read on... for more on how community colleges in the state are cracking down on financial aid fraud.
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
California’s community colleges have been battling fraudulent students for years, trying to prevent scammers from stealing financial aid money.
Recent data shows the colleges’ efforts finally may be working.
Last spring, CalMatters reported that colleges were seeing unprecedented reports of fraud, with scammers stealing millions more dollars of student aid than in any previous period, according to reports submitted by colleges to California’s Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
Now fewer scammers are bypassing colleges’ vetting systems, according to monthly reports, and school administrators say they’re better, though still not perfect, at detecting and preventing fraud.
After CalMatters reported on the rise in fraud last year, Republican U.S. Congress members called for a federal investigation, a Democratic state legislator launched a state audit and later, California’s Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office approved a new ID verification policy for students. Colleges now are more vigilant about policing fraud, said Jory Hadsell, an executive in technology initiatives for the chancellor’s office, who pointed to better filtering practices and new software to detect fraud.
Between January and March 2025, scammers stole nearly $5.6 million in federal student aid and over $900,000 in state aid. By comparison, this spring colleges have reported losing just under $1.5 million in federal student aid and about $330,000 in state aid to fraudsters.
Last spring was “really the peak,” Hadsell said. He said he anticipates the end-of-year total in 2026 to be “significantly lower” than last year.
Even in the worst months, such as last spring, the money distributed to scammers is less than 1% of the total financial aid distributed to community college students in California. Students use the money to help pay for tuition, books and the cost of daily living expenses, such as rent, transportation and food.
But any fraud, however small, is unacceptable, said Chris Ferguson, executive vice chancellor of finance and strategic initiatives. “The ultimate goal for our system is zero.”
Some anti-fraud policies have been slow to take effect. The California Community Colleges Board of Governors voted nearly a year ago to require ID verification for all students, but only about 50% of college students are doing it as of this month. Hadsell said the delays arose in part because of complications verifying information of students under 18 years old, who represent a growing demographic for the community colleges. He said ID verification, which is currently optional, will become mandatory on July 1.
The board also voted to “explore” the option of charging students an application fee of no more than $10, but with the rates of fraud declining and other solutions that seem to work, the chancellor’s office is no longer pursuing that option, Ferguson said.
After blaming California officials, the U.S. Department of Education, which shares responsibility for administering federal aid and detecting fraud, said it would implement a “screening process” for applicants. It was supposed to take effect last fall but didn’t launch until last month, according to press releases from the department and statements from the California Student Aid Commission. CalMatters reached out to the U.S. Education Department five times over the last 12 months, seeking clarification, but the department has refused to respond to questions about delays with the screening process.
When more than a third of college applicants are fake
After classes suddenly moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office saw an increase in financial aid fraud on their application portal, CCCApply, which is used by nearly every student as the first step in applying to community college.
In 2021, the chancellor’s office suspected roughly 20% of applicants were fraudulent.
The estimate was higher in January 2024, around 25%. Last spring, it was 34%, though some schools saw much higher rates.
After they apply through CCCApply, students get filtered locally at their college of choice. In the Los Rios Community College District, which represents Sacramento, college officials suspected 64% of local applications from January to March 2025 were fraudulent. And that was after the state already vetted them through its portal, said Gabe Ross, a spokesperson for the district. The San Diego and Los Angeles community college districts also reported spikes in the number of fraudulent applications around the same time.
CalMatters reached out to the five largest community college districts for an interview. The Rancho Santiago Community College District, which includes parts of Orange County, did not provide sufficient data to draw conclusions about trends in fraud. The State Center Community College District, which represents schools in Fresno and Madera counties, did not respond to CalMatters’ questions.
Monthly data reports to the chancellor’s office show that once detected, most scammers who applied to community colleges were then caught and kicked out before they could apply for financial aid, but some succeeded.
This year, both Sacramento and San Diego community colleges say they’re seeing fewer attempts at fraud and are getting better at stopping those who try. The San Diego Community College District is now manually screening for fraudulent applications twice a week and is finalizing a contract with a company to help improve its detection software.
CCCApply has improved its filtering process, which helped reduce fraud attempts at Sacramento area colleges, said Ross. “When we talked about such a complex dynamic challenge, it's always hard to identify what's the one thing that sort of moved the needle. The truth is that we needed support from the feds, we needed support from the (chancellor’s) office, and we needed to invest in tools locally.”
This spring, he said the district flagged about 12% of college applications as suspect.
Using AI to detect AI
Measuring fraud is, by definition, imprecise. If a scammer is truly successful, colleges have no way to identify that fraud.
For a long time, administrators assumed bots enrolling in online classes were responsible for most fraudulent attempts. Yet teachers, students and financial aid administrators say some of the scams are more sophisticated now and are coming from real people impersonating students. Many fraudulent applications to Los Angeles’ community colleges have real names, dates of birth, and addresses that are likely “leaked or stolen,” said Nicole Albo-Lopez, the deputy chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District.
In San Diego, Victor DeVore, dean of student services, said the college district only requires ID verification for students flagged as fraudulent. At that point they must prove their identity, either in person or through Zoom. Once, a potentially fraudulent student appeared on Zoom and presented a valid-looking ID that matched their face, but DeVore’s team noticed that the student’s IP address was odd. “One minute they’re logging in from Nairobi, the next minute they'll be logging in from Virginia,” he said, adding that the use of AI, virtual private networks (VPNs) or other technology has made fraud harder to detect.
Students’ personal data is supposed to be private, but school districts and education technology companies are frequently hacked. Last week, Canvas — one of the go-to learning platforms for California’s community colleges, University of California and California State University campuses — went offline temporarily due to a major hack. Its parent company, Instructure, said last week that it reached an agreement with the hackers to relinquish students’ data.
The state has turned to AI to fight fraud. Last summer, the state chancellor’s office negotiated a multimillion dollar contract with N2N Services Inc., enabling any college in the state to access the company’s software at a discounted rate. The software uses AI to detect potentially fraudulent applicants. Colleges are not required to use it, and so far, only about two-thirds do. Some districts, such as the Los Angeles Community College District, use a different fraud detection software, known as Socure.
Colleges and the state chancellor’s office continue to face political pressure and scrutiny of their approach to fraud. Last month, the U.S. Education Department said it had prevented more than $171 million in fraud in California after implementing a new policy regarding ID verification. Hadsell, with the state chancellor’s office, said the federal policy had no impact on California’s colleges. “They issued some interim guidance last year that basically said you should at least have a Zoom call with students and have them show an ID when you're approving their aid. And those were things that were already happening. It was not, you know, some new thing at least for most of our colleges.”
Kiran Kodithala, the CEO of N2N, which collects its own data on fraud at community colleges, said the education department’s claim makes no sense.
“I don’t see how $171 million in fraud in California can occur,” he said. “There’s no basis for those numbers. We’re not seeing anything remotely close.” Kodithala estimates that N2N has prevented over $34 million in fraud since last summer, though his platform is not yet in use by all of California's 116 community colleges.
Collecting more precise data may take months or years. U.S. Representative Young Kim, who represents parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, launched the effort for a federal investigation last spring, but her office could not provide any updates or confirm that an investigation was in fact underway. At the state level, the Legislature last year approved conducting an audit of how California’s community colleges handled fraud but the findings won’t be released until this summer.
