Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published May 23, 2025 5:00 AM
“It's a certain kind of grit that gets cultivated navigating these streets, and that grit carried me farther than I could ever imagine,” Dr. Dre said at the ribbon cutting for the new Compton High campus Thursday. “But I'm also excited to see the kind of talent that emerges when grit is paired with a first rate-education.”
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Topline:
Compton Unified leaders — and one-time student Dr. Dre — celebrated the completion of Compton High School’s rebuild Thursday. The $225 million campus includes a performing arts center, a half-size Olympic pool, tennis courts and classrooms where students will learn engineering, video game design and earn college credit.
The backstory: Compton High opened as a one-room schoolhouse in 1896. In 2015, district voters approved Measure S, a $350 million bond, to fund the demolition and rebuild of the historic campus through property taxes.
Dr. Dre’s Performing Arts Center: Dre, given name Andre Young, was once a student in the district but dropped out before he finished high school. The hip-hop mogul donated $10 million for the performing arts center. The Andre “Dr. Dre” Young Performing Arts Center has a 900-seat auditorium, rehearsal spaces and a music recording studio.
What Dr. Dre said: “It's a certain kind of grit that gets cultivated, navigating these streets, and that grit carried me farther than I could ever imagine,” Dr. Dre said at the ribbon cutting. “But I'm also excited to see the kind of talent that emerges when grit is paired with a first rate-education.”
Student reaction: For the last six years, Compton High students shared a campus with Roosevelt Middle School. ”I'm just starstruck right now,” said freshman Jonathan Sandoval Garcia as he looked up at the stage in the performing arts center. “This is phenomenal. Beyond my expectations. This is amazing.” Garcia, a musical theater student, choir member and trumpet player was mum on the first performance that might grace the stage. “ Just know we're gonna go big,” he said.
Read on ... for photos of the campus, students and a beaming alumna.
Compton Unified leaders — and one-time student Dr. Dre — celebrated the completion of Compton High School’s rebuild Thursday.
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Dr. Dre says Compton's rebuilt high school will pair grit and a first-rate education
The $225 million campus includes a performing arts center, a half-size Olympic pool, tennis courts and classrooms where students will learn engineering, video game design and earn college credit.
“ We celebrate the fulfillment of a promise, a vision brought to life through years of determination, collaboration and unshakeable belief in the potential of our young people,” said Compton School Board President Micah Ali. “Most importantly, this achievement was made possible by you. By our community. You believe, you invested, and today you witnessed the extraordinary results of that trust.”
In 2015, district voters narrowly approved Measure S, a $350 million bond, to fund the demolition and rebuild of the historic campus through property taxes.
Dr. Dre donated $10 million for the performing arts center that now bears his name and likeness. Dre, given name Andre Young, was once a student in the district but transferred to a South L.A. school and dropped out before graduating.
“It's a certain kind of grit that gets cultivated navigating these streets, and that grit carried me farther than I could ever imagine,” Dre said at the ribbon cutting. “But I'm also excited to see the kind of talent that emerges when grit is paired with a first rate-education.”
“ This is the type of building that I would've loved to go to when I was a kid growing up," Dr. Dre said at the ribbon cutting for the new Compton High campus Thursday. "Unfortunately it wasn't here, but here it is now. ... I want to acknowledge how proud I am of seeing my city come through with this project."
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Evette Wedlow graduated from Compton High in 1980 and said the ribbon-cutting felt like a homecoming.
“ I can see my granddaughter coming here in four years because it's different and it's giving more people opportunity,” Wedlow said. “ Like Dr. Dre said, it's a lot of great talent [in Compton], but if you don't give them the opportunity to showcase it, it won't be seen.”
Evette Wedlow, Compton High class of 1980, was on hand for Thursday's ribbon cutting at the newly rebuilt campus. "We were strays because we had nowhere," Wedlow said of her fellow alumni. "Our home is opened back up now. ... Tarbabes have a home again."
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The mighty Compton Tarbabes
Compton High opened as a one-room schoolhouse in 1896. The school’s mascot, affectionately called the Tarbabe, was born after a community college opened on the campus in 1927. The adult students were the Tartars, and the high schoolers the diminutive version. The community college outgrew the campus in the 1950s, but the name stuck.
“ This state of the art campus represents a new era for Compton Unified School District,” said Superintendent Darin Brawley. “It's a beacon of opportunity designed to equip our students with the tools, technology and experiences needed to compete in a global economy.”
"This just opens up so many just opportunities and just, it's limitless," said Jonathan Sandoval Garcia, who will be a sophomore next year at Compton High. He plays trumpet, does musical theater and sings in the choir.
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" I love seeing everybody happy and everybody just together," said Caleb Kemp, who plays the snare drum and will be a senior next school year. "We are already united because we were people of the same color, people of the same stories, just seeing us all in a closed space, just having fun and laying our eyes on this masterpiece is really a good feeling. It feels wholesome."
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"I wasn't expecting this. It looks really good," said Delshanae Williams, who plays the tenor drum, and will be a senior next year. "I can't wait to make memories here."
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‘Starstruck’ students
For the past six years, Compton High students shared a campus with Roosevelt Middle School.
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'Starstruck' students celebrate Compton's rebuilt high school with Dr. Dre
”I'm not even gonna sugarcoat it. It's too many fish for such a small pond,” said freshman Jonathan Sandoval Garcia.
Garcia — who is a musical theater student, sings in the choir and plays in the band — saw the performing arts center for the first time Thursday.
”I'm just starstruck right now,” Garcia said as he looked up at the stage. “This is phenomenal. Beyond my expectations. This is amazing.”
Garcia was mum on the first performance that might grace the stage.
“ Just know we're gonna go big,” he said.
The newly rebuilt Compton High School has a half-Olympic size swimming pool.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Compton High students have been going to class at a nearby middle school while the new campus' classrooms were readied.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the U.S. Senate election in Michigan, according to a race call by the Associated Press, a crucial victory in his party's quest to win back the Senate majority. One of the most closely watched elections in the U.S., the race in Michigan tested how an antiestablishment candidate on the left would fare in a perennial Midwest battleground.
Why now: Harnessing anger over the cost of living and corruption, El-Sayed galvanized young and infrequent voters by focusing on passing single-payer healthcare and curbing the influence of corporate money in politics. He is not a democratic socialist, unlike several candidates whose insurgent campaigns gained traction in primaries this cycle, though his campaign was backed by some of the biggest stars on the political left.
The backstory: El-Sayed, a Michigan native who ran the health departments in Wayne County and the city of Detroit, first arrived on the political stage in 2018 with an unsuccessful bid for governor.
What's next: Now as Democrats wrestle with their party's identity, El-Sayed has signaled that he intends to be a prominent voice, especially given Michigan's prime position in the presidential nominating process in 2028.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has won the U.S. Senate election in Michigan, according to a race call by the Associated Press, a crucial victory in his party's quest to win back the Senate majority.
One of the most closely watched elections in the U.S., the race in Michigan tested how an antiestablishment candidate on the left would fare in a perennial Midwest battleground.
El-Sayed will be the first Muslim American to serve in the Senate.
The 42-year-old former public health official defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. Rogers lost his first bid for the Senate in 2024.
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Harnessing anger over the cost of living and corruption, El-Sayed galvanized young and infrequent voters by focusing on passing single-payer healthcare and curbing the influence of corporate money in politics.
He is not a democratic socialist, unlike several candidates whose insurgent campaigns gained traction in primaries this cycle, though his campaign was backed by some of the biggest stars on the political left.
His positions on Israel alienated some Jewish voters, including comments after a truck-ramming attack at a synagogue preschool in metro Detroit — for which he later offered an apology — and campaigning during the primary with controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Those were among the dynamics during a heated primary contest that turned into a stand-in for many of the broader debates fueling the direction of the Democratic Party after two years in the political wilderness.
In the primary, El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 percentage point, despite Michigan heavyweights like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and retiring Sen. Gary Peters backing his opponent.
Mike Rogers speaks to supporters during a campaign event at Hoffman Farms Winery on Oct. 9 in Highland Township, Mich.
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In the general election's closing days, Stevens reversed course and announced she was endorsing Rogers, after initially saying she would support the Democratic ticket, underscoring the rocky path to uniting the Democratic coalition in Michigan. After the primary, polls showed a tight race with Rogers, despite Democrats having held the Senate seat since 1979.
During the campaign, El-Sayed criticized his opponent and other Republicans, including President Trump, for targeting him with Islamophobic rhetoric.
Trump early on endorsed Rogers, who has embraced some of the president's false claims about widespread election fraud, despite previously condemning them, including after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. As November neared, Rogers tried to distance himself from some of the president's policies, including the war in Iran.
El-Sayed, a Michigan native who ran the health departments in Wayne County and the city of Detroit, first arrived on the political stage in 2018 with an unsuccessful bid for governor.
Dawn arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, a day before midterm elections flipped political control of Congress.
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Democrats had an overwhelming comeback on election night, recapturing both the House and Senate and shattering expectations in some longtime GOP strongholds. Democrats also had strong showing in gubernatorial races across the nation.
What's next: President Donald Trump has said he will accept results and blamed GOP candidates for their own losses.
Keep reading... to see the live results.
Democrats had an overwhelming comeback on election night, recapturing both the House and Senate and shattering expectations in some longtime GOP strongholds. Democrats also had strong showing in gubernatorial races across the nation.
President Donald Trump has said he will accept results and blamed GOP candidates for their own losses.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his revised 2025-26 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 13, 2025.
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On Tuesday 60% of voters supported Proposition 2, which seeks to shore up the state’s reserves for an economic downturn, with 40% of voters opposing the measure. With 46% of votes counted, The Associated Press declared the measure had passed.
Why it matters: California state leaders will be able to put away more money when its economy is booming. Prop. 2, or the Save for California’s Future Act, aims to shore up the state’s rainy day fund by allowing state leaders to save up to 20% of the state’s general fund tax revenue, up from the current ceiling of 10%. The state will also be required to save more when revenue is growing faster, and allow state lawmakers to use some of it to pay down California’s $20 billion in federal unemployment insurance debt.
California state leaders will be able to put away more money when its economy is booming.
On Tuesday, 60% of voters supported Proposition 2, which seeks to shore up the state’s reserves for an economic downturn, with 40% of voters opposing the measure. With 46% of votes counted, The Associated Press declared the measure had passed.
California’s booming stock market is bringing in billions of dollars in unexpected tax revenue.
Prop. 2, or the Save for California’s Future Act, aims to shore up the state’s rainy day fund by allowing state leaders to save up to 20% of the state’s general fund tax revenue, up from the current ceiling of 10%.
The state will also be required to save more when revenue is growing faster, and allow state lawmakers to use some of it to pay down California’s $20 billion in federal unemployment insurance debt.
Supporters say saving more now would help the state weather a future economic downturn.
California has been stuck in a boom-or-bust state budget cycle because its tax revenue depends heavily on wealthy residents’ stock market earnings. Some economists have warned the current economic boom may not last, and the state could face deeper budget uncertainties due to federal budget cuts and potential tax filing delays triggered by natural disasters.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators spearheaded Prop. 2, which is also endorsed by labor unions, chambers of commerce and a coalition of advocates for healthcare, housing and transit.
“If you don’t have a rainy day fund, then what happens is you get forced to contemplate cuts to core essential services,” said Assembly Budget Chair Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat.
But opponents, including most Republican lawmakers, say saving more would only embolden legislators to spend more. The state should refund taxpayers during a good year, not set the money aside, they argue.
“When they say we’re here for fiscal responsibility, it’s like the devil offering a Bible study. Don’t buy it,” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican.
California leaders and voters have historically established reserves several times, but always quickly withdrew all the funds during budget crises. In 2014, voters approved a law that required the state to save more aggressively and made it harder to withdraw money.
The law requires the state to set aside 1.5% of its general fund revenue and any spikes in capital gains tax revenue each year for reserves and paying down debts. State lawmakers are allowed to withdraw up to half the balance from the reserves when the governor declares and the Legislature ratifies a budget emergency, unless they’ve already done that the previous year and the emergency remains. There are no limits on what lawmakers can spend the money on.
Prop. 2 would keep those rules and allow the state to save more. Critics say state leaders have too much leeway in spending the money.
David Crane, a former economic adviser to former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the rules let “governors bake in spending based on optimistic forecasts, knowing they can always dip into reserves if revenue falls short.”
This combination of photos shows, from top left, President Donald Trump on Nov. 1, 2026, with images of GOP candidates who lost to Democrats on Tuesday: U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, bottom left, Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio and Sen. Darline Graham, of South Carolina.
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President Donald Trump told Fox News he has congratulated Democrats for their string of victories but maintains that the midterm elections are not a referendum on him.
What he said: “The Democrats did a good job. They fought hard,” he said in a phone interview.
Was it a rebuke? Several Trump-backed candidates lost in places that he won easily in 2024. But he blamed the candidates themselves, not policies of his that voters have looked on unfavorably, like the economy and Iran war. “I don’t view it as a hit on me,” he said. “We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency.”
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President Donald Trump has congratulated Democrats for their string of victories but maintains that the midterm elections are not a referendum on him.
“The Democrats did a good job. They fought hard,” he said in a phone interview with Fox News.
Several Trump-backed candidates lost in places that he won easily in 2024. But he blamed the candidates themselves, not policies of his that voters have looked on unfavorably, like the economy and Iran war.
“I don’t view it as a hit on me,” he said. “We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency.”
What to keep in mind about these numbers
For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, There will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here and here.
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