After Ruby Marichalar’s son was killed, she turned to the California Victim Compensation Board to help pay for her son’s funeral, but she was denied twice.
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Florence Middleton
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For CalMatters
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Topline:
Many survivors of crime have had their claims to the California Victim Compensation Fund denied. Under California law, the compensation board is required to offer in-person evidentiary hearings for those who contest a denied application. But for over a decade, a recent court order says the agency relied on an invalid regulation that allowed it to limit hearings to a written record. Now, the compensation board is scrambling to bring itself in line with the law as it works through thousands of appeals.
The fund: The California Victim Compensation Board collects restitution and provides financial aid for crime recovery expenses such as funeral costs, income loss and mental health services to eligible survivors and their families. In the last state budget year, the compensation board approved 31,214 applications. It denied 9,326 applications. In a recent request to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom, the agency asked to spend an additional $4.4 million in order to comply with the order and more quickly process its appeals.
Lack of transparency: Survivors and advocates have long voiced concern over the compensation board’s stringent criteria and discretion, which they say has locked out and revictimized people who have been harmed by violence. A 2022 report by the nonprofit organization Prosecutors Alliance California found that roughly 70% of the 700 crime survivors surveyed did not know why they had been denied compensation.
Read on ...
Ruby Marichalar didn’t have the money to pay for her son’s funeral after he was stabbed to death in September 2012. Like thousands of Californians every year, she turned for help to a state agency that was created to support survivors of crime.
The California Victim Compensation Board collects restitution and provides financial aid for crime recovery expenses such as funeral costs, income loss and mental health services to eligible survivors and their families.
It twice denied Marichalar’s application without ever meeting with her.
“They didn’t lift a damn finger to help me,” she said. “I didn’t get a hearing. I didn’t get anything.”
Under California law, the compensation board is required to offer in-person evidentiary hearings for people like Marichalar, who contest a denied application. But for over a decade, a recent court order says the agency relied on an invalid regulation that allowed it to limit hearings to a written record. Now, the compensation board is scrambling to bring itself in line with the law as it works through thousands of appeals.
In a recent request to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom, the agency asked to spend an additional $4.4 million in order to comply with the order and more quickly process its appeals.
California established the first-of-its-kind victim compensation program 60 years ago. Today, it’s overseen by three members: State Controller Malia Cohen; Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton; and a representative from Newsom’s cabinet, Government Operations Secretary Amy Tong. The agency receives the majority of its funding through restitution fines, federal grants and the general fund.
In the last state budget year, the compensation board approved 31,214 applications. It denied 9,326 applications — roughly a quarter of all applicants. The agency refused to answer how many approved applications first went through an appeal. CalMatters filed a public records act request to obtain the information.
Survivors and advocates have long voiced concern over the compensation board’s stringent criteria and discretion, which they say has locked out and revictimized people who have been harmed by violence. A 2022 report by the nonprofit organization Prosecutors Alliance California found that roughly 70% of the 700 crime survivors surveyed did not know why they had been denied compensation.
“It really is sort of an insurance agency model,” said Gena Castro Rodriguez, an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco who wrote the study. “They use the statutes and regulations as reasons why they exclude or limit who they give money to.”
The number of appeals has increased by nearly 200% since 2019 — from roughly 1,200 to 3,500 per year. On average, appeals take 325 days to complete — which “far exceeds” the six month processing time that’s required by law. That’s according to the agency’s recent budget request, which would allow the compensation board to hire 17 employees to its appeals unit.
“Without additional staffing, [the compensation board] will remain unable to meet its legal obligations, leaving victims of crime waiting in limbo for a decision on whether they will receive services that they desperately need,” the compensation board wrote in the January request.
Ruby Marichalar holds a photo of her son, Junior, who was killed at age 28, in San Jose.
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Florence Middleton
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CalMatters
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In a statement to CalMatters, the compensation board said it does not comment on the proposed budget but “want[s] to make clear that victims of crime are our focus every day.”
The statement continued, “[The compensation board] is committed to providing financial assistance to victims of crime to help them restore their lives.”
Compensation board relied on written record
Delaney Green, clinical supervisor with the Policy Advocacy Clinic at UC Berkeley Law, said it’s unclear whether an increase in staffing is going to help survivors more readily access better resources.
“By and large, accessing victim compensation is very, very difficult,” she said. “I’m hoping this is starting to signal some changes that are reprioritizing the needs of survivors.”
Jonathan Raven of the California District Attorneys Association said it’s troubling to hear that survivors have had a challenging time working with the compensation board.
The agency “is going to have to comply — and that’s what’s important — to comply with the law to best serve our victims,” he said.
Previously, the compensation board had been leaning on a regulation “that allowed for resolution of the majority of appeals on the written record,” according to the request. But that all changed in August 2024, when Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch found that the regulation was “contrary to the statute and thus invalid.”
The decision concluded a roughly three-year court battle. In 2021, Mothers Against Murder, a nonprofit organization that advocates for crime victims and their families, sued the compensation board, alleging it had “resisted and doubled down on continuing to deny hundreds of applicants their right to due process and to the in-person hearing,” wrote executive director Margaret Petros in her original petition.
“They are using this regulation to make it easier on themselves,” she said in an interview with CalMatters. “It is such a blunt abuse of power.”
‘They’re missing the whole story’
According to court filings in the Mothers Against Murder case, Marichalar was one of the first people to have been denied an in-person hearing.
On Sept. 30, 2012, her son, Junior Marichalar, and a friend arrived at a bar in San Jose. Shortly after, according to court filings, two men provoked Marichalar and challenged him to a fight.
With a background in mixed martial arts fighting, Marichalar was “disciplined and trained to walk away from a challenge to fight,” according to court filings. In an attempt to avoid the men, he exited the bar through a back door, but court documents stated he was again confronted in the parking lot, where he was fatally stabbed.
In February 2013, the compensation board wrote that it was denying Ruby Marichalar assistance because “[her] son knowingly and willingly exited a bar with the intent to fight with the suspect which resulted in [her] son’s death.” Its decision was based on a recommendation by the Silicon Valley Conference for Community and Justice, a nonprofit organization that was contracted by the compensation board, according to court filings.
“My son did not contribute to his murder,” Marichalar wrote in appealing the recommendation. “How could any reasonable person know his life will be violently taken away. A criminal stabbed him to death.”
The compensation board yet again denied her request for compensation without offering her an in-person hearing.
Ruby Marichalar at her home in San Jose on March 14.
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Florence Middleton
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CalMatters
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Without the funds to pay for her son’s funeral, Marichalar borrowed money from family and friends, and was forced to sell his motorcycle – one of the last remaining possessions that she had of him.
“It broke my heart even more,” she said.
After his death at age 28, Marichalar said she received phone calls from people Junior had met while riding his motorcycle all over the country. She described him as a big character and a stand-up guy.
“Sweet as pie,” she said.
The compensation board eventually reversed its denial, but only after a Santa Clara County prosecutor stepped in and objected to its decision, according to court filings. The agency later reimbursed Marichalar with $5,000 — only a third of what she spent on the funeral.
Looking back on her two-year correspondence with the board, Marichalar said the opportunity to appear at an in-person hearing would have allowed the agency to see what she was going through, rather than simply reviewing paperwork.
“They’re missing the whole story without taking the time to listen to the victims,” she said.
While she views the court order as “long overdue,” she’s wary that the compensation board should be given more money.
“Are they going to stick it in their pockets?” she said.
Cayla Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow.
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.
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Aaron Schrank
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LAist
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A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.
Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.
Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.
Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.
A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.
“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.
She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.
Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.
The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.
More cuts expected
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.
“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”
Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.
The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.
Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.
If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published April 2, 2026 4:20 PM
Water infrastructure such as pipes that feed water to drinking fountains and toilets at the Rose Bowl Stadium are getting an infusion of $1 million for fixes.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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Topline:
Rep. Laura Friedman today announced that she secured $1 million for improvements to the water infrastructure at the aging Rose Bowl Stadium as it prepares for a global starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
Why it matters: The pipes may be working fine — for now — but the fear of backed-up toilets as the world watches is an ongoing worry at the venue.
Why now: Public officials have been pushing for spending to improve Olympic venues and surrounding areas as L.A. and other municipalities roll out the red carpet for the world to attend the Olympics. But they’ve hit road bumps and detours.
The backstory: The Rose Bowl is 103 years old and public officials have committed to spending $200 million to upgrade the Pasadena venue over the next two decades.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.
“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.
The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.
The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.
The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.
Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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“Over the next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.
Getting venues ready will be expensive
The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.
The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.
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Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM
This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.
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Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo
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The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
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Screenshot courtesy of BHAC
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Topline:
Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.
The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.
According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.
Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.
Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.
“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.
Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.
“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”
Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.
“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.
Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.
Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.
“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”
In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.
The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.
The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.
“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”
Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.
“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.
Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.
“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.
