Dominguez Hills and Sonoma campuses lay off dozens
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA. team.
Published January 28, 2025 6:02 PM
The Cal State Dominguez Hills president announced that 32 support staff members were laid off Friday.
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Ashley Balderrama
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Topline:
A nearly $400 million proposed budget cut to California State University system is leading to layoffs.
Why it matters: CSU Dominguez Hills announced Friday that it had laid off 32 support staff. Sonoma State University laid off dozens of people last week.
Why now: Cuts to the CSU had been announced in previous budget cycles, and this month Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’s proposing a nearly 8% cut to CSU’s budget for next fiscal year.
The backstory: A state budget deficit and dropping student enrollment at some campuses is contributing to the budget cuts.
What's next: CSU Chancellor Mildred García is urging state legislators to hold off on the cuts before the budget is made final in June.
Read on ... for more on how other Southern California campuses are responding.
A nearly $400 million proposed cut to California State University is beginning to have a ripple effect on campuses, including some in Southern California.
An email sent Friday by California State University, Dominguez Hills, President Thomas Parham announced layoffs at his campus.
“While these layoffs will be disruptive to our operations, the vast majority of our staff will remain employed at CSUDH,” Parham wrote, “continuing to provide the high level of support to our community that we are known for.”
The email did not say how many people were laid off.
The California State University Employees Union confirmed to LAist that 32 of its members were laid off. A union spokesperson said they are mostly probationary or temporary employees and that the notices are effective within the next 45 to 60 days.
Trustees get an earful at Tuesday meeting
CSU trustees heard complaints from employees and supporters of campuses where layoffs have taken place for more than an hour during their scheduled meeting on Tuesday in Long Beach.
Students walk on campus at Cal State Long Beach.
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Brian Feinzimer
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“I was just laid off from my position as a technical business analyst at CSU Dominguez Hills,” Ayumi Nakamoto told trustees via Zoom.
Her campus said the proposed cuts for next fiscal year translate to $12 million in reductions at Dominguez Hills.
“This decrease in funding will come on top of the $18.8 million that CSUDH has already reduced from its operating expenses over the past several years,” spokesperson Lilly McKibbin said via email.
Dropping enrollment, among other factors, led administrators to make the cuts, she said.
What about other local CSU campuses?
The Northridge and Long Beach Cal State campuses said they are not contemplating layoffs.
“While CSUN’s exact share of this reduction has not yet been determined, we roughly estimate this to be approximately $27 [million],” CSU Northridge spokesperson Carmen Chandler said in a statement.
Welcome sign for California State University Northridge.
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Ashley Balderrama
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“At the current time, we do not anticipate any layoffs for the 2025-26 fiscal year,” she said.
Cal State L.A. and Cal State Fullerton are also facing cuts. They did not make statements ruling out layoffs.
“Cal State Fullerton is aware of the financial situation across the Cal State University system. CSUF is planning and prepared for the fiscal year 2025-26,” said spokesperson Cerise Valenzuela Metzger.
Cal State L.A. President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said last November that the campus is facing a nearly $20 million deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Sonoma State was hit hard. Administrators there announced layoffs last week in an unsigned all-campus email. They said their projected deficit is nearly $24 million, about $3 million more than expected.
The email said 46 tenured and adjunct university professors, along with four management and a dozen staff positions would also be cut. The university also said several academic departments and programs will be combined, downsized or eliminated. (See the full list here.)
The deficit, the email said, was due to employee salaries, price increases for supplies and utilities and inflation — but the main reason is declining enrollment.
What is CSU saying?
Trustees are expecting an update on the proposed cuts Wednesday.
Carrying out cuts “undercuts CSU financial sustainability,” and that’s “unacceptable,” according to a staff document prepared for the session.
“Our leaders must know that the CSU is not an expense,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García told trustees on Tuesday.
Our leaders must know that the CSU is not an expense. It is an investment not only to the students and their families, it is an investment to the vitality of California.
— Mildred García, CSU chancellor
“It is an investment not only to the students and their families, it is an investment to the vitality of California,” she said.
According to the report, 823 positions were cut between fall 2023 and fall 2024, but layoffs were higher on some campuses than others. While 17 universities reduced their workforce by 1,208 positions, the document said, six universities added 384 positions.
Next steps
The next stage of the budget process is the calculation of the state’s income tax revenue. That’ll be part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised version of his budget proposal in May. CSU is calling on its advocates to persuade lawmakers to reduce the cut to the university system before state legislators are required to approve a balanced budget on June 15.
García urged the public to listen to the Cal State board of trustees meeting on Wednesday for more information about the system's finances. You can watch the meeting here.
First artifacts installed in LA museum's expansion
Makenna Sievertson
has been covering space shuttle Endeavour's journey at the California Science Center since December 2023.
Published November 18, 2025 4:08 PM
The first of many artifacts have been installed in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, including a space shuttle main engine (right) and a solid rocket booster segment.
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Makenna Sievertson
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Topline:
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Why it matters: Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet that will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
Why now: The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
The backstory: It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
What's next: Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
Read on ... for a peak inside the expansion coming to Exposition Park.
The California Science Center unveiled Tuesday the first of many launch vehicles, engines and other artifacts set to be installed in the museum’s 200,000-square-foot expansion coming to Exposition Park.
Once complete, the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will include multi-level galleries built around a towering centerpiece — the space shuttle Endeavour — displayed in its 20-story vertical launch position.
It’ll be the only place in the world where visitors can see an authentic space shuttle in its “Go for Stack” position, which is what museum officials called the process of moving each of the space shuttle components into place.
Museum admission will be free.
Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said the $450 million expansion is California’s biggest “endeavor” yet to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.
“The enthusiasm that people have when they come in and see this stuff and get excited about it will hopefully lead to many more people, young and old, but particularly young people wanting to pursue more education in science,” Rudolph told LAist.
Museum officials expect to announce next year an opening date, according to Rudolph.
A look inside the center
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will feature three main galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
Guests will be guided through hundreds of exhibits and authentic artifacts focused on the exploration of the universe — including rocket ships that carried humans into space and telescopes used to view stars and galaxies beyond our reach.
A real Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach spans several stories tall in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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The first artifacts in the expanded museum were placed in the Kenta Kresa Space Gallery, including a three-story-tall Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab in Long Beach.
Adam Spice, chief financial officer of Rocket Lab, told LAist the Electron helped lower the cost of getting to space by sending satellites in smaller, cheaper rockets. The new center is an opportunity to get up close and personal with an Electron for the first time outside of a factory.
Spice said he hopes it’ll show visitors their dreams can become a reality.
“They can be part of something much bigger than probably they ever thought they could,” he said.
The first artifacts installed in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center include a solid rocket booster segment. Kenneth Phillips, aerospace curator, shows the scale of the piece, which has flown into space several times.
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Makenna Sievertson
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The solid rocket booster segment will become a walk-through interactive experience in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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A segment of a solid rocket booster that flew into space several times is laid on its side on the second floor of the gallery.
Kenneth Phillips, the California Science Center’s aerospace curator, told LAist it’ll be turned into an interactive exhibit with audio, video and educational graphics.
“It's 12 feet in diameter, so people can actually walk through it and learn about the function of it from the inside out literally,” Phillips said.
Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with a space shuttle main engine.
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Makenna Sievertson
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A detailed model of a space shuttle main engine is set up next to the solid rocket booster. Three of those main engines helped boost space shuttles into orbit by providing about 20% of their power, Phillips said.
What's next
Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center started more than three years ago and is on track to be completed in the coming weeks, according to museum officials.
With construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center weeks away from completion, crews have started to put in landscaping around the outside of the expansion.
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Makenna Sievertson
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The exterior of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center as of Tuesday.
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Makenna Sievertson
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The remaining exhibits and artifacts will then be installed over "many months," Rudolph said. Officials expect to announce next year an opening date for the expansion.
The California Science Center also is looking to raise about $70 million more for the $450 million project before it opens. You can learn more about its “EndeavourLA” fundraising campaign here.
Matt Dangelantonio
directs production of LAist's daily newscasts, shaping the radio stories that connect you to SoCal.
Published November 18, 2025 3:58 PM
The Westwood Village Theater will be operated and programmed by American Cinematheque when it opens
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George Rose
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Topline:
The group of directors restoring the Village Theater in Westwood are tapping film nonprofit American Cinematheque to program and run the venue when it opens.
Why it matters: American Cinematheque also programs the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz Theater, making it a visible and active film arts nonprofit in the industry.
The backstory: The nearly century-old movie palace went up for sale in 2024 before VDC bought it in February. The group is comprised of more than 30 notable filmmakers. They're led by director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno) and their ranks include Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao, Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler.
What's next: VDC says it's eyeing a 2027 opening for the Village Theater, and is currently in the quiet phase of a capital campaign to raise $25 million to restore and remodel the Village Theater into a more than 1,000-seat venue.
For January fire survivors looking for fresh start
Gillian Morán Pérez
is an associate producer for LAist’s early All Things Considered show.
Published November 18, 2025 3:46 PM
Residents embrace in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8.
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Etienne Laurent
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AP
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Topline:
The city of Long Beach has launched a new jobs program to help people affected by January’s fires.
Who is it for? The initiative will provide paid career opportunities and financial assistance to people looking for a fresh start in Long Beach.
To start, 10 people will get up to 300 hours of paid work experience with local employers. Another five people also will get training scholarships of up to $7,500 in high-demand fields like health care and information technology.
Who's paying for it? The initiative is funded by a $130,000 federal act called the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
How to apply: Anyone interested in applying can contact Nakawa Shepherd, Career Center manager, Economic Development and Opportunity, at Nakawa.Shepherd@longbeach.gov or visit the LBWIN Adult Career Services Center.
How to participate: Long Beach’s Economic Development and Opportunity office also is looking for local employers to provide on-the-job training for applicants.
Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters.
Published November 18, 2025 2:51 PM
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office shows Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has been accused of setting a fire that led to the Palisades Fire.
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U.S. Attorney's Office
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Topline:
The man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire in January will remain in custody without bond, U.S. Judge Rozella Oliver decided Tuesday in Los Angeles. Jonathan Rinderknecht has been in custody since his arrest in Florida on Oct. 7.
Where things stand: Rinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury in October and is charged with one count of arson, one count of timber set afire and one count of destruction of property by means of fire. Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty in mid-October and faces anywhere from five to 45 years in federal prison if convicted. His trial is set to begin April 21, 2026. His lawyers recently asked the court to allow him out of custody as he awaits trial.
Argument against release: In a filing on Monday, prosecutors said Rinderknecht is a flight risk because of his familial ties to France, as well as a danger to the community. The filing states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home and that he purchased a gun and threatened to kill his brother-in-law. Prosecutors also raised the fact that a judge determined in October that the suspect’s mental health had declined.
The allegations: Authorities allege Rinderknecht set fire to brush near the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Santa Monica Mountains at around midnight Jan. 1, starting the Lachman Fire. Though the fire was held to just 8 acres and was believed to have been extinguished, authorities say it flared up once again amid strong, dry winds a week later. That fire grew into the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures.
