Norman Jr., an 8-foot prop werewolf, was erected by Pastor Tim Hartley on the scorched lot of a sobering living house in West Altadena operated by the Episcopalian Diocese of Los Angeles.
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Topline:
A prop werewolf put up for Halloween by Altadena residents became a symbol of pride after the Eaton Fire. It's also divided the community.
About the werewolf: Norman Jr., as the werewolf is affectionately known, appeared on this burned-out corner lot in West Altadena just days after the fire, replacing a previous werewolf that popped up on the property a few years earlier. Both belong to Jubilee House, a large sober living home for men operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. One of the residents bought the original werewolf just in time for Halloween a few years ago and named him Norman — a nod to the home’s eerie resemblance to Norman Bates’ house in the 1960 classic slasher film Psycho.
Tensions begin: Photos of the wolfman wearing the outfits the caretaker created started blowing up on social media, and life started returning to the neighborhood, with the pace of rebuilding picking up speed. That’s when the little green taco truck from the San Fernando Valley appeared.
Read on... for more on the community tensions sparked by this local werewolf.
After the Eaton Fire burned across Altadena a year and half ago, an unusual sight reappeared up amid the ashes and debris: a giant werewolf wearing a large T-shirt, with a big rainbow-colored heart that said, “I love Altadena.”
“Where he sits on that hill, the sun behind him when we were there in the evening, the sun was setting and the clouds were perfect. It was just such a weirdly hopeful thing,” said Taylor Jennings, who was visiting from Fresno last summer when he saw Norman standing over the fire-torn intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Mariposa Street.
“All around there’s devastation, and there’s an 8-foot [tall] werewolf. At that point, I realized how Altadena is feral, and he just seemed like the perfect mascot,” Jennings said.
Norman Jr., as the werewolf is affectionately known, appeared on this burned-out corner lot in West Altadena just days after the fire, replacing a previous werewolf that popped up on the property a few years earlier.
Both belong to Jubilee House, a large sober living home for men operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. One of the residents bought the original werewolf just in time for Halloween a few years ago and named him Norman — a nod to the home’s eerie resemblance to Norman Bates’ house in the 1960 classic slasher film Psycho.
Courage Escamilla hams it up with Norman Jr. on a recent weekday afternoon.
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House manager Brian Woodruff said trick-or-treaters would never stop by the house.
“Every year I bought candy, every year,” Woodruff said, laughing, as he stood on the cleared lot near Norman Jr. “And I always ended up being the one eating all the candy!”
That changed after Norman appeared on the front lawn. The trick-or-treaters came in droves, lured by the werewolf’s grinning fangs and gnarled outstretched arms. They’d stop and take pictures with Norman and leave gifts and thank you notes. So, the guys at the house decided to keep him up year-round and started creating new outfits for Norman to mark the changing of the seasons.
“Summer was coming up, we can get the Big-and-Tall catalog, we can order him a tank top,” Woodruff recalled. “And then I went online, and I found some oversized sunglasses,” he said, chuckling at the memory.
Then came the fire. All ten residents of Jubilee House got out safely, but the place burned to the ground. Among the debris lay the mangled pieces of Norman’s metal limbs.
“The first time I came up, I didn’t expect to be so disoriented, you probably experienced this, too,” said Pastor Tim Hartley, the director of the Jubilee House program. “I didn’t know where I was.”
A few weeks later, hoping to boost morale, Hartley started shopping for and found a replacement: Norman Jr.
“Once we put up that werewolf, it became this landmark [after the fire] that people could use for where they were in Altadena, as well as this source of hope for people,” Hartley said.
That’s what Norman Jr. came to symbolize for longtime Altadena resident Courage Escamilla.
“He’s kind of a symbol for people in town who for their whole life have struggled to ever feel like they fit in because they’re eccentric or different or stand out,” Escamilla said.
Rigoberto Gonzales runs through the extensive menu of his Mexican food truck.
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After the fire, he became an advocate and community booster, helping to organize rallies and fundraisers. Escamilla’s hard to miss, usually pulling up to community events on his motorcycle, sporting a red durag, with a raccoon tail dangling from the back of his waistband.
“You feel like you’re now in a community that embraces the weird, the unusual, and so for me, Norman represents the message that we embrace and appreciate the strange and unusual in this town,” Escamilla said.
After all, he said, fictional “monsters” are often just misunderstood.
“They’re often unfairly targeted, and I always felt like I related to that on some subconscious level and have always loved monsters for the fact that they can be loved,” Escamilla said.
“Symbols of things that were previously seen as repugnant are now seen as something that represents love and acceptance, and I find that rather special.”
Norman Jr.’s main character was another Altadena resident who lost her home. She stepped up to the task, creating new seasonal outfits and making sure he stayed upright when it was stormy.
On a spring day, she draped the werewolf’s plastic and metal body and articulated limbs in a form-fitting fake fur suit with a big red heart on its chest, hand-stitched for his frame.
With everyone from the sober living home scattered to new locations, Hartley welcomed her help.
“She honored this space in a way that I just appreciated,” Hartley said. “And then she’d say, he’s a little rickety, so I’m going to put out the word to have people come help me secure him, and these strangers would all gather to help, which I just loved.”
Norman Jr.’s caretaker declined to be interviewed and asked that we not use her name. But she did explain how Norman’s corner became a refuge for her after losing her home in the fire.
Pastor Tim Hartley shows off a Norman Jr. T-shirt, hand-screened by a local artist, to commemorate the Eaton Fire.
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Photos of the wolfman wearing the outfits she created started blowing up on social media, and life started returning to the neighborhood, with the pace of rebuilding picking up speed.
That’s when the little green taco truck from the San Fernando Valley appeared.
Behind the wheel was Rigoberto Gonzales. Also, a plumber who moonlights doing work on home rebuilds around town, Gonzales saw a need for food options that could appeal to the growing army of construction workers.
Knowing nothing about Norman’s story, he parked his lime green truck beneath the giant oak tree that shares the same corner. Norman’s caretaker was not happy. She asked Gonzales to move, even though his vehicle didn’t disturb or block access to the werewolf.
“Every time I see her, she was so mad, for no reason,” Gonzales said, as he took a break from the truck on a recent afternoon.
“Then she later tells me what’s the reason. She just doesn’t want me to be here.”
The conflict simmered for weeks. Gonzales said he felt unfairly targeted. He said he asked her why he needed to move.
“I mean, give me the reason [why] I have to move? And she only walked away,” he said.
The caretaker quit caring for Norman, claiming she felt unsafe. Gonzales insisted that not he, nor any of his staff or customers, ever harassed the caretaker in any way.
Then, a group of fire survivors, who never bothered talking to Gonzales or the property managers, rallied behind the caretaker. They accused Gonzales of exploiting a vulnerable, traumatized community and ruining the sacredness of Norman Jr.’s corner.
Then, it escalated. A disgruntled resident posted Gonzales’ license plate on social media.
Others threatened to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or LA County Public Health. In a community forum on Facebook, one person “joked” about putting nails under his tires. Another person suggested setting off “stink bombs.”
Local therapist and activist Melissa Lopez said a few people tied to that same Facebook group later showed up to hassle Gonzales in person. After that confrontation, they appeared to have backed off.
“That hurts, to see some of these violent reactions, to say they were going to bring a truck and wall off the area to him,” Lopez said. “People are gathering up pitchforks, and [it’s] scary.”
Things eventually cooled down, but not without some sore feelings. Norman’s caretaker still hasn’t returned.
But Norman Jr. continues to be looked after by his community of admirers — including Lopez, who just got a colorful Norman Jr. tattoo on her calf.
Lopez said she found some similarity between the friction over Norman Jr. and a recent monster movie, director Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 Frankenstein film. In the adaptation, she said, the scientist gives Frankenstein’s creature a voice, and the creature tells his story.
“It’s so beautiful because of that, because you get to see that he’s been dehumanized, that we created a monster,” Lopez said.” And I think that’s so true of society. We create the monsters, and how quickly we go to ostracize, to condemn people.”
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published September 14, 2026 6:48 PM
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since being elected in 2020.
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Topline
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since she was first elected in 2020, according to an analysis by LAist, a number that has been criticized by her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race.
The details: A closer look at data from the L.A. city clerk reveals Raman ranks in the middle of the pack of the 15-member council when it comes to votes missed. She was eighth among her colleagues when it came to votes missed so far this year. Last year she ranked third. In 2024, she ranked sixth.
The vast majority of those votes were unanimous or near unanimous among the other council members, meaning her vote on those matters would not have changed the outcomes.
Criticism: The campaign of her mayoral opponent incumbent Karen Bass has stressed that the missed votes matter. "This isn't just missing a few votes, it's about six years of Nithya Raman not showing up — for constituents wanting encampments outside of schools cleaned up or voting to make it cheaper to film here,” said Alex Stack, Bass’ campaign spokesperson.
Conflicting meetings: Raman’s campaign said she was officially excused from many of the meetings because she was appointed to represent L.A. on the board of the Air Quality Management District, which is charged with reducing local air pollution and improving public health. Bass appointed her to the board.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since she was first elected in 2020, according to an analysis by LAist — a number that has been criticized by her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race.
A closer look at data from the L.A. city clerk reveals Raman ranks in the middle of the pack of the 15-member council when it comes to votes missed. She was eighth among her colleagues when it came to votes missed so far this year.
Last year she ranked third. In 2024, she ranked sixth.
The vast majority of those votes were unanimous or near-unanimous among the other council members, meaning her vote on those matters would not have changed the outcomes.
Still, the campaign of her mayoral opponent — incumbent Karen Bass — has stressed that the missed votes matter.
"This isn't just missing a few votes, it's about six years of Nithya Raman not showing up — for constituents wanting encampments outside of schools cleaned up or voting to make it cheaper to film here,” said Alex Stack, Bass’ campaign spokesperson.
“If you don't show up for your job, you shouldn't get a promotion," he said.
Bass brought up Raman’s City Council meeting absences during a debate earlier this month, and the campaign has since set up a website, titled NoShowNithya, devoted to highlighting those absences.
Raman’s campaign said she was officially excused from many of the meetings because she was appointed to represent L.A. on the Air Quality Management District board, which is charged with reducing local air pollution and improving public health.
Those meetings happened at the same time as some council meetings. The board meets on the last Friday of every month. The City Council meets three times a week — on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“The data shows that Nithya’s attendance is in line with other council members,” said campaign spokesperson Liz Garcia. “These desperate attacks from Mayor Bass will not distract Nithya from campaigning to make LA a city that works and is affordable for everyone."
The numbers
City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian has missed the most votes so far this year — 393 — compared to Raman, who was ranked eighth at 233. Last year, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez ranked first with 631 and Raman ranked third with 556.
In 2024, Rodriguez ranked first with 741. Raman ranked sixth with 575.
Bass isn’t the only one who believes this is an issue.
“Attendance at meetings isn't ceremonial,” said Pomona College Associate Professor of Politics Sara Sadhwani. “It’s where amendments and laws get shaped, it's where budgets get fought over and it's where constituents' priorities either make it into policy or they don’t. So missing that work means missing those leverage points.”
“Generally, the expectation is that you show up for work,” she added.
In January, Bass removed Raman from the Air Quality Management District AQMD board, a role she’d been serving in since 2022 when she was appointed by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Nazarian was appointed to the air quality board to replace Raman.
As for Raman’s absences, her campaign sought to turn the tables on Bass. It pointed to the incumbent’s absences from commission meetings of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Since joining, the mayor has skipped more than half of the meetings held by the L.A. Homeless Services Authority Commission, according to an LAist review of attendance records, despite the mayor’s insistence that homelessness is her No. 1 issue.
The Raman campaign also pointed to Bass’ absence during the early hours of the Palisades Fire when she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana.
"This is ironic coming from a mayor who was missing during our city’s most devastating emergencies [and] failed to show up for more than half of LAHSA homelessness meetings,” Garcia said.
Bass’ office told LAist that, regardless of her attendance record, she has kept up to date on what LAHSA has been doing. The regional agency is responsible for managing the region’s homelessness response.
Earlier this month, following LAist’s reporting, Bass announced she was stepping down from the LAHSA Commission.
“It cuts both ways, and it's a reminder that both of these candidates are political insiders and have a track record with the city,” Sadhwani said.
Too many meetings?
The issue of missed meetings points to another question: Does the City Council meet too often? The city charter mandates that the panel meet three times a week. Its counterpart on the county level — the Board of Supervisors — meets once a week even though its budget is far larger.
In addition to deciding who will be L.A.’s mayor, voters in November will decide whether the number of mandated weekly City Council meetings should be modified. The council has placed a proposed change to the city charter that would require only one meeting per week.
The winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards were announced Monday night for shows that aired between June 2025 and May 2026.
The context: Last year's winner for best drama, The Pitt, was up against Pluribus, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Diplomat, and more. On the comedy side, two Apple TV newcomers — Widow's Bay and Margo's Got Money Troubles— were up against a slate of returning nominees including Hacks, nominated for its fifth and final season, and The Bear, nominated for its fourth season.
Read on... for an updated list of winners as they're announced.
The Pitt and Widow's Bay took home the top prizes in television at the Emmy Awards on Monday night. And actor Matthew Rhys became the first person to win in two lead acting categories in one night. Here are our takeaways from the 2026 Emmy Awards — and check out the list of winners and who wore what on the red carpet.
Widow's Bay was the hot comedy property.Drama series recognition was shared more widely. The Apple TV horror/mystery/comedy series Widow's Bay not only won outstanding comedy series, but also brought home awards for lead actor (Matthew Rhys), supporting actress (Kate O'Flynn), supporting actor (Stephen Root), along with writing and directing. The only "major" category it didn't receive an award in is lead actress (which went to Hacks' Jean Smart), where it didn't have an eligible candidate. On the other hand, while The Pitt took home outstanding drama series and Noah Wyle repeated last year's win as lead actor, Rhea Seehorn won lead actress for Pluribus, Allison Janney won supporting actress for The Diplomat, Tom Pelphrey won supporting actor for Task, Vince Gilligan won for writing Pluribus, and Saul Metzstein won for directing Slow Horses.
Matthew Rhys pulls off the double play. Rhys won for lead actor in both the limited series category (for The Beast in Mewith Claire Danes) and comedy series (for Widow's Bay). This makes him the first actor to ever win lead performance awards in two categories in the same year. Rhys also won for lead actor in a drama series for his work in The Americans back in 2018, so he's won in three lead categories overall, and that's some serious versatility.
Rhea Seehorn wins an Emmy at last, while Jean Smart wins her last Hacks Emmy. For years, while she was on Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn was a frequently cited example of an overlooked performer. She was eventually nominated for her supporting role in that show twice, though she didn't win. In the Apple science fiction show Pluribus, creator Vince Gilligan's follow-up to Saul, Seehorn plays a miserable widowed novelist dealing with the end of humanity as she knows it. This time, she did not have to wait to be recognized. She won her first Emmy for lead actress in a drama for the show's first season. Meanwhile, Jean Smart completed an impressive sweep, winning lead comedy actress for the fifth time — meaning she won every year she was eligible for the now-concluded Hacks. Smart's character, the legendary comedian Deborah Vance, would likely enjoy having gone undefeated.
Host Mariska Hargitay had the time of her life. The opening number was corny and cringe — so much so that it almost came all the way back around to being endearing. But over the course of the evening, Hargitay made jokes about how long her show, Law & Order: SVU,has been on the air, she participated in skits, and she actually showed some chops with her delivery of standard awards banter. She is not a comedian by profession, but she was impressively game, and that may be the most important quality a host can bring. It was a strangely paced evening that ended with what seemed to be Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey trying to fill time, but Hargitay did what she could to keep the energy up.
WINNER: Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay Dale Dickey, Widow's Bay Hannah Einbinder, Hacks Janelle James, Abbott Elementary Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo's Got Money Troubles Megan Stalter, Hacks Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Stephen Root, Widow's Bay Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons Paul W. Downs, Hacks Nick Offerman, Margo's Got Money Troubles Michael Urie, Shrinking Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
WINNER: Tom Pelphrey, Task Patrick Ball, The Pitt Billy Crudup, The Morning Show Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt Gerran Howell, The Pitt Jack Lowden, Slow Horses Carlos Manuel-Vesga, Pluribus
Outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis Youn Yuh-jung, Beef Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Hiro Murai, Widow's Bay Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary Christopher Storer, The Bear Andrew DeYoung, The Chair Company Lucia Aniello, Hacks Mary Lou Belli, The Ms. Pat Show
Outstanding directing for a drama series
WINNER: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses Salli Richardson-Whitfield, The Gilded Age Hanelle M. Culpepper, Paradise Noah Wyle, The Pitt Vince Gilligan, Pluribus Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Task
Outstanding writing for a comedy series
WINNER: Katie Dippold, Widow's Bay Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, The Chair Company Michael Patrick King, Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Hacks Anthony King, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
Outstanding writing for a drama series
WINNER: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus Peter Ackerman, Debora Cahn, The Diplomat Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman, R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt Valerie Chu, The Pitt Will Smith, Slow Horses Brad Ingelsby, Task
Outstanding reality competition program
WINNER: The Traitors Dancing With the Stars RuPaul's Drag Race Survivor Top Chef
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The Supreme Court has sided against President Donald Trump, rejecting his efforts to enact new mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm election.
The context: The ruling released Monday by the high court means the U.S. Postal Service is expected to continue delivering ballots as usual. Voting by mail has already begun in states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, with more soon to follow — including Western states such as Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, where elections are held primarily or fully with mail ballots.
Why it matters: Under the still-blocked USPS plan, which followed an executive order by Trump, states would have had to turn over lists of voters' names and addresses and have certain specific barcodes on ballot envelopes in order to have them delivered by the mailing agency.
How we got here: Earlier this month, a federal judge in Boston had issued a preliminary injunction against USPS, blocking the mailing agency from imposing those new ballot requirements on states. The judge found the requirements are likely illegal because the Postal Service has no authority to control mail-in voting. Now, a majority of the Supreme Court decided to keep that injunction in place.
Updated September 15, 2026 at 10:28 AM ET
The Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, rejecting his efforts to enact new mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm election.
The ruling released Monday by the high court means the U.S. Postal Service is expected to continue delivering ballots as usual.
Voting by mail has already begun in states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, with more soon to follow — including Western states such as Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, where elections are held primarily or fully with mail ballots.
Under the still-blocked USPS plan, which followed an executive order by Trump, states would have had to turn over lists of voters' names and addresses and have certain specific barcodes on ballot envelopes in order to have them delivered by the mailing agency.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction against USPS, blocking it from imposing those new ballot requirements on states. The judge found the requirements are likely illegal because the Postal Service has no authority to control mail-in voting. A second federal judge issued another preliminary injunction late Sunday.
Now, a majority of the Supreme Court decided to keep that injunction in place. The court said the Trump administration was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a short concurring opinion, saying "there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority." But, he added, "applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections."
Indeed several Republican state election officials, including from the mostly vote-by-mail state of Utah, signed on to a Supreme Court brief, warning that any attempt to carry out the USPS plan now "will almost certainly lead to mistakes, delays, and confusion for both voters and election officials."
Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the order, and would have granted the administration's request to pause the Boston-based judge's ruling.
While the USPS plan remains paused for the midterms, the legal fight will likely continue over how the agency may try to implement it for future federal elections.
For now, challengers of the proposal are celebrating their victory.
"Today, the Supreme Court refused to allow the federal government to throw our elections into chaos just weeks before Election Day. The Postal Service exists to deliver Americans' mail — not to rewrite election rules, demand voters' personal information, or decide which ballots make it through the system," Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, said in a statement.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a separate statement that she was "truly relieved" by the high court's ruling.
"Voters should never have to wonder whether a ballot they legally cast will be counted because the federal government suddenly changed the rules," said James, whose state was among the 24 mainly Democratic-led states that sued alongside Washington, D.C. "We will keep fighting to make sure every eligible ballot is counted come November. Now, I encourage all eligible Americans to get out and vote — and vote early."
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump blasted the Supreme Court's ruling as "a big loss for Republicans."
"These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves," added Trump, who nominated Kavanaugh and fellow conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett during his first term.
Trump praised Alito and Thomas as "legends" for disagreeing with the court's majority ruling.
The president also made a baseless claim that the USPS plan was a "solution to our totally CORRUPT and out of control Mail-In voting 'disaster.' "
Trump has previously said he issued the call for USPS to change its rule for mail ballots as a way to stop illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens, a problem that many studies and audits show is extremely uncommon. For this legal fight over the USPS plan, the administration's lawyers have provided the courts with no evidence of mail-voting fraud.
Trump has long been a vocal critic of the way about one-third of voters cast ballots in the lasttwo federal elections. In 2024, the share of voters who reported casting ballots by mail was higher among Democrats (37%) than Republicans (24%), according to a national survey by the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.
In a social media post last year, Trump said he is "going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS" and claimed that "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING."
Faheem Khan
is an Associate Producer for AirTalk and FilmWeek, assisting with live radio production and in-person events.
Published September 14, 2026 4:37 PM
Caltech president Ray Jayawardhana at his announcement ceremony at Caltech in Pasadena on January 6, 2026.
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Topline:
Ray Jayawardhana — or Ray Jay for short — has served as Caltech's president officially since the beginning of July. His expertise in astrophysics, coupled with extensive experience in university administration, is what he's using to lead the school while continuing his own research. He sat down with AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, saying he's optimistic about the school's future and relationship with the Jet Propulsion Lab.
Why it matters: NASA — which now owns and sponsors JPL — is opening its contracting to other research institutions for the first time, which could mean a bidding war. Losing the contract for Caltech would mean losing a stream of federal funding valued at $3 billion per year.
What's next? Jayawardhana said he’s confident Caltech and JPL’s partnership will continue, saying that the university's value proposition is unrivaled. NASA’s current contract with Caltech expires in September 2028.
Listen to the full conversation with Caltech's new president
Listen
22:22
New Caltech president Ray Jayawardhana
Ray Jayawardhana, a seasoned astrophysicist and university administrator, officially took over as Caltech’s 10th president on July 1.
The newly appointed president sat down with Larry Mantle on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news program, to talk about his plans for the future of the esteemed university.
Ray Jay and Caltech — it was in the cosmos
Jayawardhana, who goes by “Ray Jay,” told Larry he was always interested in the cosmos growing up.
He shared that, as a teenager in Sri Lanka, he wrote to the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) — NASA's leading space exploration center, which is managed by Caltech — to ask for images from the Voyager space missions they were conducting during the 1980s.
“I waited impatiently for a response, and one day, this large envelope with an oversized wheel of books arrived with a set of images of the outer planets and their moons,” he said. “That just delighted me to no end.”
Saturn and its satellites Tethys (outer left), Enceladus (inner left) and Mimas (right of rings) are seen in this mosaic of images taken by NASA's Voyager 1 on Oct. 30, 1980 from a distance of 18 million kilometers (11 million miles).
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This view of Jupiter was taken by Voyager 1. This image was taken through color filters and recombined to produce the color image. This photo was assembled from three black and white negatives by the Image Processing Lab at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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This picture of Neptune was produced from images taken by NASA’s Voyager 2 in the summer of 1989 as it became the first spacecraft to fly by the planet.
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Today, he’s the first South Asian American to lead Caltech, overseeing the operations of the same Jet Propulsion Lab he wrote to in the '80s.
How he came to the U.S.
After attending St. John’s College in Sri Lanka, he decided to pursue higher education in the United States. He earned an undergraduate degree from Yale and subsequently his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard, quickly establishing himself as one of the world’s most renowned astrophysicists.
He previously held positions at Cornell University and Johns Hopkins.
Exoplanetary president
Aside from his main focus as the school’s head of administration, Ray Jay continues his own research exploring the formation of planets and stars, saying it keeps him intellectually engaged.
He's part of a team that works with the James Webb Space Telescope to observe and characterize so-called exoplanets — planets around other stars — with an eye toward the potential for life beyond Earth.
He’s confident in Caltech’s future with JPL
Universities like Caltech are on rocky terrain amid sweeping federal government cuts of public funding for scientific research.
Additionally, JPL's future is uncertain. NASA — which now owns and sponsors JPL — is opening its contracting to other research institutions for the first time, which could mean a bidding war.
The entrance to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
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Losing the contract for Caltech would mean losing a stream of federal funding valued at $3 billion per year.
Jayawardhana said he’s confident Caltech and JPL’s partnership will continue, saying that the university's value proposition is unrivaled.
“It’s not only about the self-interest in continuing to ensure there's federal and public funding for research, it's also about enriching humanity,” he said.
NASA’s current contract with Caltech expires in September 2028.
