Community colleges expanding dental care offerings
Julia Barajas
explores how college students achieve their goals, whether they’re fresh out of high school, pursuing graduate work or looking to join the labor force through alternative pathways.
Published March 6, 2024 5:01 AM
Dental hygiene Student Biyoura Sinani and dental hygiene instructor Mariah Bonner staff work in the dental clinic at West LA College.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
Antelope Valley College offers vouchers for free basic dental care. Other SoCal community colleges provide similar services at their educational clinics.
Who’s eligible: The vouchers are solely for students who are enrolled at Antelope Valley College. The educational clinics are open to students and the public.
Why it matters: Dental pain can make it hard for students to focus on school. Poor oral health can also increase their risk of developing other health issues.
Why now: The basic needs programs at California’s Community Colleges have become increasingly robust. Food pantries are now hubs for other essential services. Staff say their goal is to address any barrier that could get in the way of student success.
Basic needs services at California’s community colleges can take any number of forms. Students might find information on how to get help with housing and transportation, or get funding for laundry, utilities, or textbooks. Many schools have also opened up their gyms so that unhoused students can access a warm shower.
Jill Zimmerman is dean of students at Antelope Valley College, home to one of the more robust basic needs programs. She said she and her colleagues are always asking themselves: “What more can we do?”
Their goal is to eliminate any barrier that could get in the way of student success, she said. So through partnerships with local clinics, or by tapping into their own resources, Antelope Valley College and other campuses have also enabled access to another essential service that’s still rare among basic needs services: dental care.
Good oral health through local partnerships
Antelope Valley College has an ongoing partnership with a clinic in Palmdale, about 15 minutes away from campus. All students — with or without insurance, and regardless of their legal status — can get a voucher for dental work every semester. These vouchers entitle students to free X-rays, oral exams, teeth cleanings, and other basic services. (For students without cars, the college also provides bus passes.)
“It's kind of a no-brainer when you think about it,” said Antelope Valley College president Jennifer Zellet. The vouchers are made possible through state funding and a $19 student health fee, she said. Antelope Valley College students can also get vouchers for other health services, including free eye exams and glasses.
Zimmerman, who has been developing the college’s basic needs program for over two decades, said that vouchers for things like dentistry or eye exams or glasses are as important as access to food. For anyone wondering what dental care has to do with education, she added, “that person has obviously never had a toothache.”
Beatriz Gongora is a second-year student who’s getting ready to transfer. She’s a singer who also plays the tenor saxophone, the piano, and the drums. Her goal is to become a music teacher.
Earlier in her college journey, Gongora found herself couch surfing and struggling to find an affordable place to stay. The instability made it hard to keep up in school, she said. She turned to the school’s basic needs center for support, and staff helped her secure free housing through a third-party program.
They also got her a dental voucher; it had been nearly three years since her last visit.
“I got a couple fillers, and I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket,” she said.
Other area colleges are making more of an effort too.
Dental hygiene student Biyoura Sinani and instructor Mariah Bonner at work in West L.A. College.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Long Beach City College has also explored subsidizing oral care.
At the school's Viking Vault, nearly 1,000 students stock up on groceries every week. Last year, they also had a chance to sign up for dental care, said Justin Mendez, the basic needs director.
A local clinic was hosting a day of service and through a one-time partnership, Long Beach City College provided off-campus dental care for students. These services included free teeth cleanings to remove plaque and tartar, which can cause cavities and decay. Mendez said they plan to host more of these events in the near future.
Dental hygiene student Abigail Martinez sits in as a patient for her classmate, Tuesy Phung, who is practicing an exam.
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Brian Feinzimer
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In-house services
While some colleges provide off-campus dental care through partnerships with local clinics, others offer these services through their educational clinics.
Here’s how to make an appointment at a local educational dental clinic:
For West L.A College, fill out this interest form (available in English and Spanish).
At both campuses, services are limited to those that meet the needs of students in training. The procedures will be carried out by students, under the supervision of licensed dentists or dental hygienists.
At Pasadena City College, the Dental Hygiene Clinic offers low-cost services for students and the general public. These include teeth cleanings, X-rays, and sealants. (Those protect molars from cavities.) The procedures are performed by dental hygiene students, under the supervision of licensed dentists and dental hygienists.
West L.A. College — one of the four California Community Colleges that offer bachelor's degrees in dental hygiene — also has an on-campus clinic. There, students and community members can access free services similar to Pasadena City College’s.
The student clinic is “very popular,” in part because patients don’t need insurance to be treated, said Lisa Kamibayashi, director of the dental hygiene program. The clinic is open to anyone who’s interested. Some patients have even come from out-of-state.
All students are also supervised by professionals. But, because they’re in training, Kamibayashi added, services usually take “a little bit longer than usual.”
Dental Hygiene Program Director Lisa Kamibayashi, inside the dental clinic at West L.A. College.
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Brian Feinzimer
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Luis Rosales enrolled in West L.A. College’s bachelor’s program after years of working as a dental assistant.
“I wanted to grow within the field,” he said. Plus, as a first-generation college student, he wants to set an example for his children and siblings.
Among other things, he’s learned how to use X-rays to better detect cavities, bone loss, and infections.
Hien Tran is close to completing her coursework. Her goal is to run a clinic with her brother, who's currently in dental school.
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Brian Feinzimer
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Hien Tran, also a student at West L.A. College, is getting close to completing her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.
Looking back on her first time treating a patient, she recalls feeling unnerved. There was “a lot of blood,” she said. Tran was grateful that her professor was there to guide her through the process. Since then, she’s provided care for dozens of patients. And through this experience, she learned the importance of putting patients at ease.
Patients “usually have anxiety when they have to get injections,” she said. “So you need to learn how to [do procedures] without making a face ... You need to be confident, so they don’t feel scared.”
The West L.A. bachelor's program can be competitive. Each year, they get about 200 applications for 35 slots.
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Brian Feinzimer
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Dental students and staff pose for a photo in the dental clinic at West LA College.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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A bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene will open doors for students, Kamibayashi said. Graduates “can go into teaching, research, sales, or public health. Some go on to dental school.”
As for other students on campus, Kamibayashi said that while dental pain can certainly make it hard for students to focus, the issue goes beyond academic performance. Poor oral health can increase their risk of developing “cardiovascular and respiratory [issues], even dementia,” she said. The clinic is meant to support their long-term health.
This billboard, pictured in October 2025, resets every January 1 at midnight.
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Courtesy Google Maps
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Topline:
An anti-smoking billboard has become a gathering point for L.A. people to celebrate the new year. The American Cancer Society says when it comes to raising awareness about getting screened for lung cancer, the more the merrier.
When the tradition started: It’s not clear exactly when, but the reports of it go back to the 2000s. It even earned a writeup in the L.A. Times in 2012, back when it was more of a neighborhood gathering. The billboard itself dates back to 1987.
How’s it grown: After going viral this decade, the tradition has only grown. Videos on social media show the block full of revelers, though not too many smokers.
Read on… for more on what the sponsors have to say.
It’s been a beloved Los Angeles tradition for well over a decade. On New Year’s Eve, a crowd of people gather around on Santa Monica Boulevard and Veteran Avenue in West L.A. to celebrate at midnight.
The crowd isn’t waiting for a ball to drop, or for a bell to toll — not in L.A. Instead, the crowd is waiting for the exact moment that an anti-smoking billboard resets. Its message warns of the dangers of lighting up by showing the number of people who’ve died that year due to smoking.
For one beautiful moment, the billboard shows that not a single American has died from lung cancer or other smoking-related illnesses in the new year. (Of course, there’s no way to know this for sure — the counter is based on previous estimates and statistical averages.)
The billboard has grown from a neighborhood gathering, as the L.A. Times reported in 2012, to a packed viral celebration in the 2020s. Some Reddit users even loosely planned this year’s meetup, and it’s now cemented as a mainstay of how this beautiful, occasionally smoky city rings in the new year.
What’s the origin story?
The billboard dates back to 1987. William E. Bloomfield Sr., an ex-smoker, anti-smoking advocate and Redondo Beach resident, put it up to make the effects of smoking feel more real, according to the L.A. Times.
“I want to do what I can to get even a few people to quit, or at least think about it,” Bloomfield told the Times back then.
Drumroll: What do the sponsors have to say?
LAist reached out to the billboard’s sponsors to get their take, and long story short: They’re fans of the tradition.
“Seeing the social media response of Angelenos counting down the New Year alongside this billboard is a powerful example of how impactful public awareness can be,” said Jen Maduko, the American Cancer Society’s senior executive director in Los Angeles, in a statement provided to LAist. “Lung cancer continues to claim more lives than any other cancer, and smoking remains the leading preventable cause.”
The ACS also said that they hope that the billboard’s viral status will encourage smokers to quit, or at least make current and former smokers consider getting screened for lung cancer. You can find more info on that from the ACS here.
“Although we appreciate how it brings renewed attention to the effects of smoking, we hope that it encourages action throughout the year,” Maduko added.
So there you have it. The sponsors behind the smoking deaths billboard have given Angelenos the blessing to ring in the new year on the side of the road in West L.A.
Who knows, one day this billboard might become even more iconic than the more traditional celebrations at places like Grand Park in downtown L.A. and the Queen Mary in Long Beach — or even make it to a national telecast.
LAUSD's revamped Winter Academy has fewer students
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published January 5, 2026 4:18 PM
Middle school students watch a paper flower unfold in a pan of water in a lesson on surface tension at the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Students.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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On the first day of Los Angeles Unified’s Winter Academy, enrollment is 14% lower than last year with about 64,000 students signed up for a week of credit recovery and enrichment camps.
The backstory: Winter Academy started in 2022 as "acceleration days,” meant to help students make up for lost learning time during the COVID-19 pandemic using winter and spring breaks. Enrollment has ranged from 71,000 to 74,000 students, with an average attendance of 55% to 60%, according to a statement provided to LAist by a district spokesperson.
New this year: The district moved the program to start in January this year, ahead of the second semester, rather than keep it in December at the end of the first semester, as in previous years. And it is now a full week instead of three days.
Why it matters: “Bringing kids in earlier, particularly students who actually need it, giving them a bit more of … a ramp into the second semester makes a great deal of sense to all of us,” Superintendent Albert Carvalho said Monday. He said that while enrollment is lower, he hopes overall attendance will be higher than previous years.
On the first day of Los Angeles Unified’s Winter Academy, enrollment is 14% lower than last year with about 64,000 students signed up for a week of credit recovery and enrichment camps.
The district moved the program to start in January this year, ahead of the second semester, rather than keep it in December at the end of the first semester, as in previous years. And it is now a full week instead of three days.
“ I believe that even though the enrollment is a bit lower, attendance hopefully will be higher,” said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Monday.
Families can still sign up
When is Winter Academy? Mon., Jan. 5 through Fri., Jan. 9.
Where is it?319 sites spread throughout the district and online.
How do I sign up? Fill out a paper application and take it to a participating school site.
The program started in 2022 as "acceleration days,” meant to help students make up for lost learning time during the COVID-19 pandemic using winter and spring breaks.
Enrollment has ranged from 71,000 to 74,000 students, with an average attendance of 55% to 60%, according to a statement provided to LAist by a district spokesperson.
Variations on winter recovery
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies is one of 319 campuses offering Winter Academy. About 200 students attended the school’s enrichment camps, which in addition to STEAM programs (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), included focuses on writing and math.
Middle schoolers at SOCES on Monday crowded around lab tables to watch folded paper flowers bloom when placed in a pan of water, a display of “capillary action”— the movement of sticky water molecules through a porous material.
Norman Goss keeps a foil ball aloft with the power of static electricity as classmate Catherine Galvez, left, watches, on the first day of SOCES' Middle School STEAM Camp during Winter Academy.
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Mariana Dale
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Seventh grader Catherine Galvez said her dad signed her up for the camp because she wants to be an astronomer.
“We're trying to find STEM programs that are like, inviting, but also, like, easy to get into,” Galvez said.
Teacher Riley Leary said unlike the traditional Winter Academy, the Middle School STEAM Camp is not focused on replacing work from the school year.
“This is based on curiosity. This is based on wonder,” Leary said.
Across campus, seventh grader Sophia Bezgubenko's wonder is limited to whether she can bring up her grades in health and science. She's one of the 300 students who are signed up for credit recovery. Bezgubenko is here at her mom’s urging.
“ I'm a little annoyed, but it’s alright,” she said of having to get up early during the last week of winter break.
The Algebra II students in Raymond Toleco's Winter Academy classroom review linear functions and absolute value functions.
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Mariana Dale
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A few doors down, 31 of 35 students enrolled showed up for Raymond Toleco’s Algebra II class.
Toleco said the additional days of Winter Academy give him more time to review with students instead of just assigning them work to complete on their own over the break.
“Mostly I have hardworking students and some of them wanna improve from D to hopefully a B,” Toleco said.
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Nick Gerda
is an accountability reporter who has covered local government in Southern California for more than a decade.
Published January 5, 2026 4:14 PM
Crews work on storm damage in Wrightwood on Christmas Day.
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Eric Thayer
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Santa Ana winds are expected in Southern California this weekend, which forecasters say could topple trees in soil soaked by weeks of heavy rains that broke records in some areas.
What’s expected: Forecasters expect dry weather for the next couple of weeks, with moderate Santa Ana winds arriving this weekend. That carries a risk of downed trees, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s regional office for L.A., Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Louis Obispo counties. “The soil is still so saturated from all this rain that it'll be easier for trees to be blown down and things like that from the stronger wind,” he said. One positive from all the rain is that fire risk is now minimal in the near term, he said.
How heavy was the recent rainfall? The storms over the last several weeks have been “very impressive,” Thompson said. “ Some areas pretty much smashed their daily records in terms of rainfall.” Santa Barbara saw 4.5 inches of rain on Christmas Eve, setting a new daily rainfall record for Dec. 24. Downtown L.A. saw its fourth wettest time period since records began nearly 150 years ago, going back to 1877.
A couple weeks without rain expected: “Hopefully enjoy this next dry couple of weeks,” Thompson said. “Because we're still early into the season — we're not even halfway through the rainy season, so we’ve still got potential for more storms in the future. But right now just enjoy the next couple weeks, things should be dry.”
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published January 5, 2026 3:29 PM
Little Flower Candy Company owner Christine Moore was described by her children as "the heart and guiding force of Little Flower and our community."
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Courtesy of Little Flower Candy Company
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Topline:
Christine Moore, founder of Little Flower Candy Company in Pasadena, has died. Her children announced her passing Monday, describing her as "the heart and guiding force of Little Flower and our community." Moore built the beloved café over nearly two decades, most recently making headlines when she fed fire evacuees despite being displaced herself.
Why it matters: Moore's death is a significant loss to Pasadena's culinary scene. For nearly two decades, she was more than a business owner; she was a community anchor who built lasting relationships.
What people are saying: Community and industry tributes poured in, celebrating Moore as a "beacon of light" who fostered welcoming spaces. Pastry chef Nicole Rucker called her "the best of the best." Many highlighted her role as a champion for women in business and a steadfast supporter during the Eaton Fire crisis.
Read on... for more on Christine Moore's life and impact on the Los Angeles culinary scene.
Christine Moore, founder and owner of Little Flower Candy Company in Pasadena, has died. Her children announced her death on Monday in a post on the cafe’s Instagram describing her as "the heart and guiding force of Little Flower and our community."
Moore founded the beloved candy company nearly two decades ago from her home kitchen in Highland Park, where she pioneered what would become her signature sea salt caramels and handmade marshmallows.
In 2007, she opened Little Flower at 1422 W. Colorado Blvd. The cafe transformed her candy business into a neighborhood gathering place known for its French-influenced pastries and seasonal fare.
Moore built her reputation on what Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold described in her acclaimed cookbook “Little Flower Baking” as food that makes you "feel happy and well served by life." Moore also published her cookbook “Little Flower: Recipes from the Cafe”.
She trained in Paris under award-winning chef and baker Nancy Silverton, at the former Campanile restaurant in Mid-City.
Along with the cafe, Moore opened Lincoln restaurant in 2016 inside a restored 1920s machine shop in northern Pasadena. It closed permanently during the pandemic in 2020.
Moore’s family made headlines when her 17-year-old son, Colin, fought to save their home from the Eaton Fire as it swept Altadena last year.
Despite being displaced herself, she immediately opened Little Flower to feed evacuees and first responders with her staff of 27. The service embodied what Moore had long championed: "We have 200 chances every day to make someone happy."
Christine Moore was described by her children as "the heart and guiding force of Little Flower and our community."
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Courtesy Little Flower Candy Company
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"She was a beacon of light and hope for me and our Braeburn pod after the fires, like she was for so many others in our community. That's just who she was," wrote Olivia Gutierrez.
"Christine was warmth itself. She welcomed people, remembered them, celebrated families, and built a true community at Little Flower," wrote Rachel Bitan.
Artist Anna Chotiner recalled a recent conversation with Moore: "We talked about how special [Little Flower] is. We were both in tears in the middle of the store as she radiated love and pride for the legacy she built. She talked about how all she wanted was for LF to be a place where anyone can come in and feel loved and cared for and feel just a little better about the world."
Pastry chef Nicole Rucker wrote, "They better have their sh*t together in heaven cause if not Christine is gonna bust em up! The best of the best."
Moore is survived by her three children: Maddie, Avery and Colin. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Camp Conrad Chinnock, a nonprofit diabetes camp for children, in her memory.
Little Flower is temporarily closed until Tuesday, but service is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, according to the family.
