The Brief

Nearly every student in the California State University system has used artificial intelligence tools, but most don’t trust the results, are worried about how AI will affect their future job security and want more say in systemwide AI policy.

That’s according to results of a 2025 survey of more than 80,000 students enrolled at CSU’s 22 campuses, plus faculty and staff — the largest and most comprehensive study of how higher education students and instructors perceive artificial intelligence.

Nationwide, university faculty struggle to reconcile the learning benefits of AI — hailed as a “transformative tool” for providing tutoring and personalized support to students — and the risks that students will depend on AI agents to do their thinking for them and, very possibly, get the wrong information. Educators want a say in how and which AI tools are used. Students across the CSU system want to be included in those discussions.

Some professors teach students how to use AI and encourage students to use it, while others forbid its use in the classroom, said Katie Karroum, vice president of systemwide affairs for the Cal State Student Association, representing more than 470,000 students.

“Both of these things are allowed to coexist right now without a policy,” she said.

Karroum said that faculty practices are too varied and that what students need are consistent and transparent rules developed in collaboration with students. “There are going to be students who are graduating with AI literacy and some that graduate without AI literacy.”

In February 2025, the CSU system announced an initiative to adopt AI technologies and an agreement with OpenAI to make ChatGPT available throughout the system. The system-wide survey released Wednesday confirms that ChatGPT is the most used AI tool across CSUs. The system will also work with Adobe, Google, IBM, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft and NVIDIA.

Campus leaders say the survey and accompanying dashboard provide much needed data on how the system continues to integrate AI into instruction and assessment.

“We need to have data to make data-informed decisions instead of just going by anecdote,” said Elisa Sobo, a professor of anthropology at San Diego State who was involved in interpreting the survey’s findings. “We have data that show high use, but we also have high levels of concern, very valid concern, to help people be responsible when they use it.”

Faculty at San Diego State designed the survey, which received more than 94,000 responses from students, faculty and staff. Among all responding CSU students, 95% reported using an AI tool; 84% said they used ChatGPT and 82% worry that AI will negatively impact their future job security. Others worry that they won’t be competitive if they don’t understand AI well enough.

“Even though I don’t want to use it, I HAVE TO!” wrote a computer science major. “Because if I don’t, then I’ll be left behind, and that is the last thing someone would want in this stupid job market.”

Faculty are divided about the impact of AI on teaching and research. Just over 55% reported a positive benefit, while 52% said AI has had a negative impact so far.

San Diego State conducted its first campuswide survey in 2023 in response to complaints from students about inconsistent rules about AI use in courses, said James Frazee, vice president for information technology at the campus.

“Students are facing this patchwork of expectations even within the same course taught by different instructors,” Frazee said. In one introductory course, the professor might encourage students to use AI, but another professor teaching the same course might forbid it, he said. “It was a hot mess.”

In that 2023 survey, one student made this request: “Please just tell us what to do and be clear about it.”

Following that survey, the San Diego State Academic Senate approved guidelines for the use of generative AI in instruction and assessments. In 2025, the Senate made it mandatory that faculty include language about AI use in course syllabi.

“It doesn’t say what your disposition has to be, whether it’s pro or con,” Frazee said. “It just says you have to be clear about your expectations. Without the 2023 survey data, that never would have happened.”

According to the 2025 systemwide survey, only 68% of teaching faculty include language about AI use in their syllabi.

Sobo and other faculty who helped develop the 2025 survey hope other CSU campuses will find the data helpful in informing policies about AI use. The dashboard allows users to search for specific campus and discipline data and view student responses by demographic group.

The 2025 survey shows that first-generation students are more interested in formal AI training and that Black, Hispanic and Latino students are more interested than white students. At San Diego State, students are required to earn a micro-credential in AI use during their first year — another change that was made after the 2023 survey.

Students in this year’s survey said they want training that will be relevant to their careers. “I want to learn AI tools that are actually used in my industry, not just generic chatbots,” a mechanical engineering student responded. “Show me what engineers are actually doing with AI on the job.”

The California Faculty Association, which represents about 29,000 educators in the CSU system, said in a February statement that faculty should be included in future systemwide decisions about AI, including whether the contract with OpenAI should be renewed in July.

“CFA members continue to advocate for ethical and enforceable safeguards governing the use of artificial intelligence,” the CFA said in the statement, asking for “protections for using or refusing to use the technology, professional development resources to adapt pedagogy to incorporate the technology, and further protections for faculty intellectual property.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

East Los Angeles will undergo months of soil testing and excavation after May’s crude oil spill, with the cleanup expected to continue into early 2027, according to county officials.

County agencies gave an update on recovery efforts during an L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, which they say has shifted from emergency response to long-term remediation. 

Officials said much of the work is contingent on a report due on Aug. 31 by pipeline owner Plains All American that will detail the results of soil testing and other data points to understand the spill’s impact on the surrounding community and the L.A. River.

“There is still some oil contamination at Cesar Chavez and Eastern Avenue,” said Mario Tresierras, chief of the L.A. County Fire Department’s Health Hazardous Materials Division, one of the lead agencies overseeing the cleanup effort. 

What lies ahead is months of soil sampling, air quality monitoring and, eventually, excavation and removal of the contaminated soil, Tresierras said.

According to L.A. County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, the scope of the excavation cannot be determined until after the county reviews Plains’ Aug. 31 report, but he expects the work to be completed by January 2027. 

“January of ‘27 would be a conservative completion date … I’d expect it to be done before then,” Pestrella said. “This is going to be a fairly involved cleanup and construction project.” 

How the spill happened 

Crews clean the scene along Cesar E. Chavez and Eastern avenues, where gallons of crude oil spilled onto the street.

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Andrew Lopez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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An estimated 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled on May 22 after crews conducting directional drilling for a fiber-optic line struck the 16-inch petroleum pipeline. Initial reports placed the spill at about 2,400 gallons before the pipeline operator revised the volume.

Much of the oil seeped into nearby streets and soil, and a “significant” amount also made its way into the storm drain system and the L.A. River, Pestrella said.

State and federal agencies completed cleanup of the river and storm drains on June 23, according to L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

Public Health says no ongoing health impacts detected 

Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said there are no ongoing health impacts related to the spill and the noxious odors that caused headaches and nausea for some residents have subsided.

Ferrer said the department has not detected elevated levels of benzene, a known carcinogen and respiratory irritant, despite community concerns. Though odors may return during excavation work, the department does not anticipate dangerous benzene levels during remediation, Ferrer said.

Solis proposes community meetings 

At the meeting, Solis asked county departments, including Public Works, the L.A. County Fire Department and the Department of Public Health, to hold a community meeting “to ensure that residents are fully aware and updated on the status and recovery while we’re preparing, and then after the report.”

The request comes after months of demands from community groups calling on Solis to host a community town hall and provide greater access to environmental testing results, public health guidance and cleanup updates. Those calls for transparency were reignited following the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, with residents calling it another example of the environmental injustice faced by Eastside residents.

As of Wednesday, Solis’ office had not yet determined any dates for the meetings but said they expect the departments to host them as soon as possible.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A local outbreak of flea-borne typhus is spreading in the Pico Union neighborhood, according to health officials. Five cases have emerged in the city of Los Angeles with all five patients being hospitalized and recovering. 

The outbreak is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health who are hoping to minimize the spread of the infection.

Infections occur when feces from infected fleas are rubbed into cuts or scrapes on the skin or rubbed into the eyes. 

Symptoms include fever, body aches, headaches, nausea and rashes. They can appear within one to two weeks after becoming infected. There is no vaccine for flea-borne typhus but it can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early.

According to the DPH the best way to prevent illness is to reduce exposure to fleas and animals that may carry them. This includes stray animals, rodents, and other wildlife such as opossums. 

“Community members can help protect themselves and their neighbors by keeping pets on flea control year-round, avoiding stray animals, and making sure wildlife cannot live in or around their homes,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis said in a statement.

Flea-borne typhus has increased in Los Angeles since 2010, with an all time high of 220 cases in 2025. The highest ever number reported in L.A. County.

The DPH advises residents to protect themselves and their pets by routinely using flea control products, keeping pets indoors as much as possible, and using EPA-registered insect repellent labeled for protection against fleas when outside.

They advise keeping pet food indoors to not attract wild or stray animals, as well as not feeding or touching any free-roaming animals.

Keeping yards free of debris and free of overgrown plants or bushes can also help wild animals avoid the area. It is recommended to keep trash in tightly closed containers, and to close off crawl spaces and openings where animals can enter, hide, or find food.

Infected animals do not typically show signs of illness and flea-borne typhus does not spread from person to person. Animal owners can be infected by touching their infected pets or if infected fleas are on the animal.

In 2025, nearly 90% of people diagnosed with flea-borne typhus required hospitalization, according to the DPH. All age groups are susceptible to catching typhus with documented cases in people ranging in residents from 1 – 85 years old, according to officials.

The county advises residents to get checked sooner rather than later, and to continuously be on the lookout for wild animals. The city will look to deal with an increase in cases since 2024.  

Residents can learn more about flea-borne typhus and prevention: ph.lacounty.gov/Typhus

Dating is not cheap, especially in a place like greater L.A. And costs are rising.

The overall average date is running $189, according to a BMO Real Financial Progress Index. That’s up 12.5% from last year. We asked listeners of AirTalk, LAist’s daily news show, to share how they find ways to date without breaking the bank.

Head outdoors

A number of listeners said hikes are their go-to cheap date.

“ I like going into an area where you get into a canopy, a lot of trees, so you don't get too warm,” Adrian in Corona said.

There might even be some science behind Angelenos’ love of hiking dates. Dating coach Damona Hoffman said there are benefits to doing something active while on a date.

“It boosts your endorphins… when you do something physical, you can sort of transfer some of those feelings of excitement to the person that you're with,” she said.

Kiz in Beverly Hills recommended Los Leones Canyon in Pacific Palisades — which is open after the Palisades fire — where he went on an early first date with his wife, adding that it’s also kid-friendly.

LAist host Austin Cross pointed out this may not be the best idea for a first date though.

“If the conversation's not hitting, but you're two miles into this hike, you still gotta walk back with them,” he said.

Take advantage of the arts

Heidi in Los Feliz recommended taking an art class, specifically at Heavy Manners Library in Echo Park.

Read more: Beloved Heavy Manners Library in Echo Park is moving — and it’s looking for a few good volunteers

“During the summer, the Hollywood Bowl has $6 seats for the symphony,” Adriana in Hollywood said. “You can take in your own food, you can bring in a bottle of wine, you can sit under the stars, listen to the LA Phil, and to me, that is just the most romantic, gorgeous way to spend a summer evening.”

Simplicity can be a good thing 

Durie in Lomita said he and his wife like to go watch planes at the In-N-Out by LAX. He said it would even make a good spot for a first date.

“ It lends a lot to discussion of what you want in your future,” he said.

Elizabeth in San Bernardino suggests meeting up at a bookstore.

“Conversation came organically through looking at the type of books that we liked,” she said of her experience.

Cross used to go to IKEA on dates back in the day.

“It was also a fun cheap date because you could see a person in so many different settings,” he said. “You could see if they were game to pretend to play house.”

The beach triumphs as an all-time cheap date spot

 Diane in West L.A. said — even after 41 years of marriage — eating dinner on the beach never fails.

“One of you can carry the basket, one of you can carry the blanket,” she said.