Teacher Cintya Valdivia sits with transitional kindergarten students during snack time at the International Community School in Oakland on May 17, 2024.
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Beth LaBerge
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KQED
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Topline:
It’s uncertain whether California will have enough teachers to meet the state’s ambitious goals to provide transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds and increase bilingual education for dual-language learners.
Why it matters: California is behind other states when it comes to investing in bilingual education and enrolling English learners in dual-language immersion programs, experts said, and the state may not have enough teachers to reach its big goals.
Who's affected: In California, nearly 60% of children under the age of 6 live in homes where a language other than English is spoken, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data.
Key Points
California is behind other states when it comes to investing in bilingual education and enrolling English learners in dual-language immersion programs.
In California, nearly 60% of children under the age of 6 live in homes where a language other than English is spoken, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data.
From 1998-2016, a voter-passed proposition limited bilingual education in public schools. It dismantled bilingual teacher training programs, and now school districts are struggling to find qualified teachers as demand grows for language immersion programs.
For students in the transitional kindergarten classroom at Oakland’s International Community Elementary School, the day is split in half. They spend their mornings speaking and learning in Spanish from teacher Cintya Valdivia. After lunch, they learn everything in English from teacher Sophie Siebert.
When the school year first began, the 4- and 5-year-olds dreaded the switch to English, Seibert said. The school is in Fruitvale, home to the city’s largest Latin American immigrant community, and with many students speaking Spanish, or a Mayan language called Mam at home, they were not yet comfortable with English.
But by the end of the year, assessments showed that the students were picking up a lot of English, Seibert said.
One student she called her “favorite, rebellious Venezuelan kid,” often avoided talking to her by saying, “I can’t speak English, Miss.” He wound up passing his assessments with flying colors, she said.
“I just looked at him like, ‘OK, you can't understand me? You did pretty well, bilingual genius,’” Seibert said. “And so, it's really cool to see their confidence grow in another language.”
Transitional Kindergarten In California
California is in the middle of an ambitious plan to offer transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year. LAist and KQED have teamed up to examine some of the challenges the state faces as it tries to add a new grade to its sprawling public school system.
Meanwhile, Valdivia said the Spanish-speaking students’ vocabulary grew in their native language, and their sentence structures became more complex.
Valdivia and Siebert’s classroom is a model of California’s effort to boost bilingual education, while it also works to make transitional kindergarten available to all 4-year-olds by next fall. School districts are offering TK classes in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and other languages that reflect the linguistic diversity of their community, and to seize upon the window when young learners are most open to language development.
They have a lot of catching up to do: California is behind other states when it comes to investing in bilingual education and enrolling English learners in dual-language immersion programs, experts said, and the state may not have enough teachers to reach its big goals.
“There are enormous numbers of dual-language learners in California, and taking advantage of those children’s languages and helping them develop them fully is going to be a really big lift,” said Conor Williams, a researcher at The Century Foundation who examined the state’s bilingual education policies. “Could the state do more? Absolutely.”
What Is Transitional Kindergarten?
In 2010, state lawmakers required districts to offer a new program— transitional kindergarten— to kids who would be excluded from kindergarten because of a change to the cutoff age.
The California Department of Education considers pre-K as an umbrella term — transitional kindergarten is pre-K, but not everything that could be considered pre-K is transitional kindergarten. (Programs like Head Start, for example.)
In California, nearly 60% of children under the age of 6 live in homes where a language other than English is spoken, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data.
A five-year study shows these dual-language learners, who are more likely to live in low-income households, benefitthe most from a year of transitional kindergarten. When they get to kindergarten, they’re ahead of their peers in math and literacy skills.
“Sometimes, we hear, ‘Oh, if they want to learn English, we need to get them in English classrooms,’ but actually, the opposite is true,” said Carolyne Crolotte, who promotes dual-language learner programs for Early Edge California. “If children have a very strong foundation in their home language, they actually learn English more easily.”
School districts across the state are promoting the value of bilingualism. In Oakland, parents can attend district-sponsored presentations on how to keep a child’s home language alive so they don’t lose it when they start going to school. In Los Angeles County, billboards and bus stop benches are plastered with the message “two languages, twice the opportunities.”
It’s a dramatic shift in public attitude and policy toward bilingual education.
In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 227, which limited bilingual education in public schools. Backers of the measure were worried bilingual instruction was delaying dual language learners’ ability to read, write and speak English because they were spending too much time learning in their home language.
But by that time, the damage was done. Proposition 227 dismantled bilingual teacher training programs, Crolotte said, and now school districts are struggling to find qualified teachers as demand grows for language immersion programs.
“It’s been a challenge trying to get teachers back into the classroom and then also to get new bilingual teachers to fill these classrooms,” she said.
Why aren't there teachers?
The shortage is affecting all grades, but is particularly acute at the TK level because each classroom needs more teachers.
Currently, the state sets the average class size for transitional kindergarten at 24, with one adult for every 12 students to ensure they receive enough attention and supervision — two marks of a high-quality early childhood education program. By the 2025-26 school year, the demand for teachers will be greater as the state lowers the average class size to 20, or one adult for every 10 students.
Already, school districts and charter schools surveyed by the California Department of Education said they’re having a hard time finding fully credentialed teachers to teach TK by the 2025-26 school year.
These agencies also had challenges hiring assistant teachers to maintain adult-child ratios, resulting in a 12% vacancy rate for the position at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. That number slightly improved to 8% by the middle of that year.
Teacher Sophie Seiberth speaks with transitional kindergarten students during recess at the International Community School in Oakland.
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Beth LaBerge
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KQED
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“These positions are some of the most difficult to staff because pay is lower, and often those positions are part-day,” said Hanna Melnick, senior policy advisor at the Learning Policy Institute who analyzed the survey results.
A sample audit of school districts found at least 20 school districts and 50 charter schools failed to comply with the class size requirement and/or adult-to-child ratio in the 2022-23 year when the TK expansion began. These districts and charter schools faced fines ranging from $1,706 to nearly $7 million, according to a report by EdSource.
The districts blamed the problem on a nationwide teacher shortage and difficulty hiring assistant teachers.
To address the shortage, California invested $25 million to prepare teachers to work in dual-language classroom settings. As part of the TK expansion, the state also invested hundreds of millions of dollars to increase the number of early educators in TK and the California State Preschool Program, which serves income-eligible 3- to 4-year-olds.
Critics say the state is missing out on a valuable source of teachers: those who already have experience working with 4-year-olds in private and nonprofit child care settings, and already have met some of the requirements for a teaching credential.
They also point out that women of color and immigrant women form the backbone of the early child care workforce, and by easing their way into the TK classrooms, they could better reflect the diversity of the student body and improve their wages.
“When it comes to young children, you come to work with your entire heart and your full emotional self. That requires training and experience, and just having more education [from a credentialing program] isn’t going to create that,” said Krystell Guzman, co-director of La Plazita Preschool, a private preschool chain in Oakland and San Leandro.
She said most 4-year-old students are leaving her program to attend the Spanish immersion TK classes at OUSD, leaving her to scramble to preserve jobs for the immigrant women on her staff.
What could change?
Advocates for racial equity in public education are supporting a bill by Central Valley Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria that would offer incentives to educators already in the early learning and care field to train to become TK teachers. Offering stipends, child care, transportation and academic support to those educators — many of whom have bachelor’s degrees — would give them a boost as they pursue their credential, said Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, director of TK-12 policy at EdTrust-West.
“We know that being in a culturally and linguistically affirming environment and being taught by culturally and linguistically diverse educators is an effective equity strategy — that’s part of what ‘quality’ means,” she said. “So we want families to be able to choose TK without having to compromise on quality — including a space where they feel welcomed and can see themselves represented.”
The California Department of Education is responding to this concern by advising educators that even when they don’t speak a student's home language, they can learn a few words or provide books that recognize the child’s home language. This recommendation will be included in a new edition of the Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations, which the department will release this summer.
Meanwhile, school districts like Oakland Unified are partnering with a local college to recruit new teachers, and offering financial aid to current staff who want to work in TK classrooms.
Seibert received an emergency permit through the district to co-teach the dual immersion TK classroom at International Community Elementary School while she earns her credential.
The 29-year-old has experience working at a private preschool, but said she was drawn to the statewide effort to provide free early education for all children. She said working side-by-side with Valdivia, and getting additional support from a classroom aide, gave her a chance to hone her teaching skills and provide one-on-one support to the students who needed it.
Her goal was to help students get used to the routines of the school day, learn to solve problems and collaborate with their peers — skills that she said will help them succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
“Those are key goals we’re trying to reach. All the letter recognition, rhyming skills and counting are just like the icing on top,” she said.
She knows she’s fortunate.
Next year, the district won’t have enough funding to put two teachers and an aide in one classroom.
Two pedestrians walk near the Lineage fire site in Boyle Heights on June 22, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Neighbors near the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights continue to report concerns about air quality more than a month after the June fire, according to a new survey by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released Monday.
Why now: The department conducted door-to-door outreach on July 15 and 16 to assess community needs, identify health concerns and connect residents with resources, including air purifiers, masks and health information.
The backstory: The warehouse fire began on June 17 and burned for a week, but residents say its impacts have continued. Many residents and small business owners have complained of foul odors and pests after tons of food was left rotting inside the cold storage facility.
Read on... for more on the results from the new survey.
Neighbors near the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights continue to report concerns about air quality more than a month after the June fire, according to a new survey by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released Monday.
The department conducted door-to-door outreach on July 15 and 16 to assess community needs, identify health concerns and connect residents with resources, including air purifiers, masks and health information.
The warehouse fire began on June 17 and burned for a week, but residents say its impacts have continued. Many residents and small business owners have complained of foul odors and pests after tons of food was left rotting inside the cold storage facility.
Among 240 households that completed the survey, 90% reported a constant odor, 82% said they noticed very strong odors, and 85% said they were concerned about air quality.
Public health teams visited 650 households within the area bordered by Calzona Street to the west, the 5 Freeway to the north, South Herbert Avenue to the east, and Noakes Street to the south. Residents were invited to participate in the voluntary survey and 633 households received resource packets, the agency said in a news release.
The survey also found that 84% of respondents reported an increase in pests, while 74% were concerned about health symptoms. In addition, 79% of public health field staff reported a strong odor during the home visits.
The L.A. County Public Health Department has cited Lineage Logistics for unsanitary and nuisance conditions related to rodent and pest control violations following a complaint investigation on July 15. The department said it will continue to monitor corrective actions and conduct regular reinspections to verify compliance.
Resources and information
Find nearby clinics or doctors:
Call the L.A. County Public Health Department at (833) 540-0473, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
How to report odors:
Call South Coast AQMD
Dial (800) CUT-SMOG / (1-800-288-7664)
Submit a complaint online
File a report through South Coast AQMD’s complaint form at aqmd.gov/complaints.
The U.S. Open of Surfing is happening this week and weekend, with special concerts two nights in a row.
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Robert Gauthier
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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In this edition:
This weekend and beyond, check out line dancing at the zoo, a burger-eating contest, the U.S. Open of Surfing and more of the best things to do.
Highlights:
Head south to Huntington Beach for the annual U.S. Open of Surfing. Watch the world’s best surfers take to the waves or grab a ticket for the music stage where the Allah-las and Local Natives will play this weekend.
Burgers Never Say Die is hosting six contestants to see who can devour 20 burgers in just 10 minutes. The winner will be crowned the “Shmasters Champion” and be escorted in a limo to Dodger Stadium for the Red Sox vs. Dodgers game that same night. If one burger is plenty for you, a spectator ticket ($15) gets you a burger, fries and unlimited Skyduster Beer during the two-hour competition — pretty good deal!
Put on your cowboy boots for a line dancing night amongst the animals at the L.A. Zoo. The Zoo’s regular after-dark events this week feature music from Pulp Vixen, food trucks, lawn games, and a silent disco.
This is not a drill. The Cinerama Dome is reopening. I repeat, the Cinerama Dome is reopening! Could 2028 get more exciting for this town? I don’t think so.
Thanks for bearing with us this week as we transition Best Things to Do to once a week, which we hope will give you more time to plan your weekend and the week ahead. Let us know if you have feedback or event suggestions at bestthingstodo@laist.com
In music this week, we are spoiled for choice. Licorice Pizza’s picks include the Violent Femmes’ residency at the Bellwether every night through Friday. Let me go on!
On Wednesday, Tower of Power and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band get horny at the Hollywood Bowl, while Cypress Hill is with Ozomatli at the Pacific Amphitheatre.
Thursday, the Fixx is at the Belasco, Sublime plays the Grammy Museum roof and Flyleaf begins their three-night run at House of Blues Anaheim. Friday, Motionless In White plays the Forum, the Pretty Reckless with special guest Paris Jackson play the Wiltern, and Black Moth gets their freak on at the Pacific Amphitheatre.
Saturday, K-pop girl group Ive is at the Forum, Of Montreal is at the Regent, John Legend is at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Lil Wayne with 2 Chainz and The Game play Long Beach F&M Bank Amphitheater.
Rock Goddess Kim Gordon plays two nights at Pacific Electric this weekend, and another rock goddess, St. Vincent, takes on the Hollywood Bowl with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Anoushka Shankar on Saturday. Plus, Death Cab for Cutie and Nation of Language are at the Greek. Looking ahead to next week, Sarah McLaughlin will take the Greek stage on Tuesday.
Below are the rest of the events you should know about this weekend and beyond.
Events
The People of Pompeii
Through Sunday, Oct. 4 Theatricum Botanicum 1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga COST: FROM $40; MORE INFO
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Ian Flanders
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Lucy PR
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A new (and timely!) comedy by award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, The People of Pompeii opens this weekend at Theatricum Botanicum and runs through the fall.Set in a far-far-away land — ok not really, it’s Topanga — the play takes place in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire as evacuated residents return home and try to regain a sense of normalcy. Cubría, who moved to Topanga five years ago, addresses issues of “performative progressivism, gentrification, race, class and the uneasy social dynamics between longtime canyon residents and wealthy newcomers” in the show, which features characters based on his real life (Cubría co-stars alongside his wife, Lauren Saffa). Plus, Saturday — opening night — is also taco night!
Surf Guitar 101 Festival
Friday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 2 Garden Grove Elks Lodge 11551 Trask Ave., Garden Grove COST: FROM $44; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Surf Guitar 101 Fest
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Grab yourself a tiki drink and groove on down to the Surf Guitar 101 Festival in Garden Grove. Southern California’s own invention, surf guitar bands like the Bomboras, Los Straitjackets and Slacktone will play the annual event; plus, you can stick around for a vintage swimsuit contest, guitar seminars and more.
Burger-Eating Competition
Saturday, August 1, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Burgers Never Say Die 2388 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake COST: FROM $15; MORE INFO
Why should Joey Chestnut have all the fun? Watch or eat (or both) at the first-ever Burgers Never Say Die Burger-Eating Competition. The local spot is hosting six contestants to see who can devour 20 burgers in just 10 minutes. The winner will be crowned the “Shmasters Champion” and be escorted in a limo to Dodger Stadium for the Red Sox vs. Dodgers game that same night. If one burger is plenty for you, a spectator ticket ($15) gets you a burger, fries and unlimited Skyduster Beer during the two-hour competition — pretty good deal!
MVMTFest LA
Through Sunday, August 9 2245 E. Washington Blvd., West Adams COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
If you've been hesitant to get involved in the dance community in LA, MVMT Fest is your chance to take a drop-in class, catch a performance, check out a dance party or watch a screening. With events going almost a full two weeks, there is something for everyone
U.S. Open of Surfing
Through Sunday, Aug. 2 Huntington Beach COST: VARIES, CONCERTS START AT $73.20; MORE INFO
Sawyer Lindblad jumps from her board after finishing a ride during last year's US Open of Surfing.
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Robert Gauthier
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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If you didn’t get enough surf at the Surf Guitar fest, keep heading south for the annual U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Watch the world’s best surfers take to the waves, or grab a ticket for the music stage where the Allah-las and Local Natives will play this weekend.
L.A. Stone Fruit Festival
Sunday, August 2 through Saturday, 8 Various local farmers market locations COST: FREE; MORE INFO
I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox. And now I have to go to the L.A. Stone Fruit Festival to buy more. Going all week at many farmers markets around the area, Food Access LA is hosting special events featuring all the plums, peaches and nectarines the area is famous for this time of year.
Movies at the Steps: Wicked
Friday, July 31, 8:30 p.m. Culver Steps 9300 Culver Blvd.,Culver City COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Culver Steps
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What better place to watch Wicked than at the doorstep of where The Wizard of Oz was filmed? Sunset movies on the Culver Steps happen every Friday in the Summer. This week’s pick is sure to be a popular one.
Madonna: The Rise of the Material Girl (1980-1985)
Opening Saturday, August 1, 6 p.m. Musichead Gallery 7420 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Musichead Gallery
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Eventbrite
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It’s always been Madonna’s world; we’re just living in it. The Queen of Pop is back with Confessions II on the charts, but you can relive her early days at a new photography exhibit, Madonna: The Rise of the Material Girl at the Musichead Gallery.
Country Line Dancing
Friday, July 31, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. L.A. Zoo After Dark 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park, Los Feliz COST: $30; MORE INFO
Howdy! Put on your cowboy boots for a line dancing night amongst the animals at the L.A. Zoo. The zoo’s regular after-dark event this week features music from Pulp Vixen, food trucks, lawn games and a silent disco.
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Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published July 28, 2026 5:35 PM
The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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Topline:
A proposed charter change aims to ensure that a portion of the Los Angeles County budget be set aside for programs that fund alternatives to jail. The measure, approved Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors, would restore funds accidentally removed under a previous charter measure. The measure is headed to the ballot in November.
The backstory: In 2020, voters approved Measure J, which required dedicating at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted general funds to alternatives to incarceration, including job training, mental health treatment and youth development. It explicitly banned the use of those specific funds for prisons, jails or law enforcement agencies.
What happened: A clerical error in 2024 at the county led to the inadvertent repeal of Measure J. It happened when voters approved Measure G. That measure included language that had the unintended effect of making Measure J null and void starting in December 2028.
The details: The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to put on the November ballot a measure that would “continue uninterrupted the County's commitment to community investment and alternatives to incarceration.” Supervisor Holly Mitchell was absent from the meeting.
Weather patterns are funneling moisture into SoCal
Lucas Brady Woods
covers the weather and disasters, among other climate and science topics.
Published July 28, 2026 5:30 PM
A hygrometer, which measures humidity.
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phattaraphum
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Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Topline:
Tropical storms in the Pacific Ocean and rising ocean temperatures are driving up and sustaining the humidity.
The details: The dew point in Southern California is normally around 60 degrees at this time of year, forecasters say. But in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, the dew point hit almost 70 degrees. Scientists say humidity generally becomes uncomfortable when the dew point is higher than 65.
Pacific storms: Tropical Storm Fausto formed earlier this month off Central America and is now moving past Hawaii. Hurricane Genevieve is traveling parallel to Mexico about 500 miles offshore. Weather patterns closer to home are siphoning the tropical moisture from the storms into Southern California.
Warming oceans: Higher than normal ocean temperatures mean seawater evaporates faster, releasing more moisture into the air above it. That moisture is then carried inland by the wind.
Read on … to learn more about the atmospheric forces behind the humidity.
Southern California summers aren’t exactly known for mugginess.
But uncharacteristic humidity has been clinging to the region for almost a month, and it looks like there’s little relief coming our way.
It’s not enough moisture to create much, if any, rain, but it is abnormal for this time of year
The dew point in Southern California is normally around 60 degrees at this time of year, forecasters say. But in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, the dew point hit almost 70 degrees.
“We do get these prolonged periods of heat, but what is unusual is the humidity,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis.
So, what’s causing this mugginess?
A confluence of atmospheric forces, some hundreds or even thousands of miles away, is collecting and trapping moisture in Southern California.
“It's basically the combination of the warm ocean temperatures, as well as we've just been in the right pattern for some tropical moisture" to be sent our way, Lewis said.
Storms in the Pacific
Storms are to blame, at least in part, for the uncharacteristic humidity in the region this summer.
Two in particular have contributed to moisture levels in Southern California as they traveled across the Pacific Ocean in recent weeks.
Tropical Storm Fausto formed off of Central America earlier this month before moving off into the open ocean and moving toward Hawaii. It briefly was elevated to a Category 2 hurricane over the weekend before weakening again into a tropical storm.
Fausto is expected to continue weakening as it passes to the north of the Hawaiian Islands over the next few days.
The other, stronger storm, Hurricane Genevieve, also formed off the coast of Central America and has been moving relatively parallel to the Mexican coast, several hundred miles offshore.
Genevieve was elevated to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday.
The storms aren’t solely responsible for sending moisture hundreds of miles across the ocean.
Other weather patterns closer to home, including the system of high pressure air currently settled over the Western U.S. and the North American monsoon, siphon the tropical moisture from the storms into our region.
Thankfully, forecasters say, Hurricane Genevieve is not expected to create as much moisture as Fausto and other recent tropical storms.
When the ocean is warmer than usual, the wind blowing inland off the water is also warmer. The warm seawater also evaporates faster, releasing more moisture into the air above it. That moisture is then carried inland by the wind.
Ocean warming is not new in Southern California, but it’s getting worse.
The region has been hit with a series of marine heatwaves over the last decade. They generally recede during the winter, but the current one has lasted for over a year. Scientists say these ocean heatwaves are likely being worsened by human-caused climate change.
But there is some short-term hope on the horizon for humidity-haters.
One, Hurricane Genevieve is not expected to pull as much moisture into our region as other recent weather patterns. And two, forecasters expect drier air to flow in from the northwest, cutting down the humidity a bit, especially inland.
That may not reach people who live along the coast, however, where the higher ocean temperatures will help keep the coastal humidity elevated, especially at night.
