Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published June 11, 2024 5:01 AM
Backpacks hanging outside the TK classroom at Will Rogers Elementary School.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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Topline:
In 2021, California embarked on a $2.7 billion plan to offer TK to all 4-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year in what’s poised to be the largest free preschool program in the country. But school districts across the state are struggling to build or modify the classroom space most appropriate for these new young learners who have specific needs.
Why it matters: State requirements for new TK classrooms are different than those of typical classrooms. 4-year-olds can’t just sit at desks all day. They also need space to play. They need supervision when going to the bathroom, which means having a restroom inside the classroom, or close by.
What's the state doing? Last month, the governor in his May revised budget cut more than half a billion dollars intended for a grant program to help school districts build or renovate transitional kindergarten classrooms. That program requires school districts to be able to provide matching funds at the local level.
Key Points
California has embarked on what’s poised to be the largest free pre-K program in the country. But school districts are struggling to build or modify the classroom space most appropriate for these new young learners.
In 2022, the state expanded a grant program to help school districts build or renovate transitional kindergarten classrooms. That program requires school districts to be able to provide matching funds at the local level. And districts have asserted that the way funding is structured makes it harder for lower-resourced districts to get money.
Grant applications indicate there's more than a $1 billion difference between need and what's available.
When Thomas Pace, director of facilities at San Bernardino City Unified, thinks about all the construction that needs to happen at the schools in his district, he struggles to get the math to work.
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4:16
California Is Adding A New Grade For All 4-Year-Olds. But Not Every District Has The Right Space For Them
Many of the existing kindergarten classrooms don’t meet state standards, and now, they’re preparing to layer in another grade for young children: transitional kindergarten.
In 2021, California embarked on a $2.7 billion plan to offer TK to all 4-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year in what’s poised to be the largest free preschool program in the country.
But school districts across the state, like Pace’s, are struggling to build or modify the facilities most appropriate for these new young learners.
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.
San Bernardino City Unified is at the tail end of using $250 million in bond money the city raised over a decade ago for school improvements.
“All of the specialized space is highly expensive, and for those school districts that lack the local resources, we struggle to make those improvements on a grand scale,” Pace said. “So we were already struggling to catch up even in the kinder realm. Now you add in a greater offering for TK, it just puts a larger burden on local school districts.”
State requirements for new TK classrooms (and kindergarten classrooms) are different than those of typical classrooms. Four-year-olds can’t just sit at desks all day. They also need space to play, indoors and outdoors. They also need supervision when going to the bathroom, which means having a restroom inside the classroom, or close by.
In San Bernardino, 150 of the 190 early education classrooms don’t meet those standards, Pace said.
An initial analysis of state data by the Learning Policy Institute, yet to be published, found most districts reported having classroom space for early learners, but a third expressed concerns about adequate facilities, including square footage, bathrooms, and outdoor play areas.
In 2022, California expanded a grant program to help school districts build or renovate TK classrooms. Through two rounds of funding, the state has given out $585.9 million dollars.
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.)
But that program requires school districts to be able to provide matching funds at the local level. And districts have asserted that the way funding is structured makes it harder for lower-resourced districts to get money.
“We have lots of classrooms that need to be modified,” Pace said. “We lack the local funding source to match, and we lack the state funding for it. So if the governor doesn't continue to fund TK improvements to facilities, we are going to struggle.”
Last month, the governor in his May revised budget cut more than half a billion dollars for that program. Lawmakers are weighing putting a statewide bond on the ballot in November.
A spokesperson for the Department of General Services said in its last filing round, $1.04 billion worth of requests were not funded.
Why learning environments matter
Children gather around on a large colorful rug in the center of a TK classroom at Will Rogers Elementary in Santa Monica. The classroom has a wooden toddler play loft, puppets and toys, and tiny-sized furniture for 4-year-olds. But it’s only about 900 square feet and doesn’t have a restroom inside.
Space is important for young children, because they learn through play, said Susan Samarge-Powell, director of early learning at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
“So rather than students sitting at a desk all day long, that's not what our early learning environments are about. It's about moving around, they're moving all day long. And so having that space to afford them that ability is a big deal,” she said.
She said restrooms are also a big deal because 4-year-olds don't have quite the same bladder control as older kids.
The construction site of a new building and field at Will Rogers Elementary School.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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The construction site of a new building and field at Will Rogers Elementary School.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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"When you have little bodies, they have to go to the bathroom often. With the older kids, we can say, we're going before recess. But with littles, whenever they're ready, you have to go. So, it's a challenge," she said.
Across the other side of the elementary school, construction is underway to build new early learning classrooms that offer students an ideal environment — with their own play yard and their own bathrooms. District officials hope it’ll be ready by summer of 2025, but the district won’t be finished with most of its other TK construction until 2026 or 2027, said Carey Upton, the district’s chief operations officer.
“We’re playing catchup, and I think all school districts are,” Upton said. But Upton added his district, which includes Malibu, has the benefit of high-assessed property values and bond measures that tend to pass.
“It works OK for school districts that have funding. It works really poorly for school districts that don't, who don't have the money to front the costs,” Upton said.
But Sara Hinkley, a program manager for the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools, says quality may look different based on ZIP code.
Dr. Susan Samarge-Powell, Director of Child Development Services at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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Carey Upton, Chief Operations Officer of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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“If you see that as being very uneven, then the idea of TK being a way to make up the difference between kids who have access to nice, expensive preschool experiences and kids whose families can't afford to send them to those kinds of experiences — we've kind of missed the entire goal of the expanded program, and that would be a shame,” Hinkley said.
“I think what we'll also end up seeing is that local districts that can raise money locally, that can issue voter-approved general obligation bonds to retrofit these facilities, will have better educational environments for their very young kids,” she said.
“[Kids] need to be up, they need to be exploring, they need to be interacting with each other and with the teacher, and they need to have an environment that facilitates all of that happening,” she said.
The garden at Will Rogers Elementary School where students can have classes to maintain it.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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When bathrooms aren’t in the classroom for instance, or their lunch is in the cafeteria with older students, it leads to more “transition” time, she explained — kids having to line up to go to the bathroom, or walk down the hall. Not only does that lead to less learning time, it leads to teachers having to exert more behavioral control on kids, she said.
“There's a lot of just waiting. And what happens with 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds is they get fidgety during all that wait time, right? And they may even start talking to a friend. And that leads teachers then to start what we call ‘behavior disapproval.’ Like, ‘put a bubble in your mouth,’ or ‘I told you no talking in the hall,’” she said. “And so children are hearing a lot more no's than they are hearing yes's. And that's also not good for children.”
If not done right, she said: “It will solidify the inequity at an earlier age.”
How does the state help besides money?
The California Department of Education says there are ways to make classrooms best suited for children, beyond the actual building. It’s advising local school districts on best practices — on how to arrange child-sized furniture and make classrooms appropriate for 4-year-olds. The department also has a toolkit on helping kids go to the bathroom.
When bathrooms aren't inside the classroom, teachers work with aides and other support staff to make sure they're taking kids to the restrooms in teams and developmentally appropriate ways, said Sarah Neville-Morgan, deputy superintendent at CDE.
“I think it goes far beyond what the school looks like now,” she said.
One of the TK classes at Will Rogers Elementary School working on a project.
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Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
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A study by the American Institutes for Research found children who attended TK in California had stronger literacy and math skills when entering kindergarten than kids who didn’t attend the program.
Neville-Morgan also pointed to touring Boston preschools, where, in one case, children had to go up a floor to use the restroom because they’re in an older building. “But their outcomes, their results from the Boston public schools, universal pre-K are phenomenal,” she said.
She said giving 4-year-olds access to transitional kindergarten will better set them up for success later in life.
“We're investing in [TK]... to give more children, those chances, those opportunities to later go out and have access to home ownership, to higher ed or for pathways that give them, not just a living wage, but a really good salary occupation,” she said.
Who oversees the state's education budget?
The California State Assembly's Subcommittee on Education Finance and the State Senate's Education Committee are the points of contact for proposals and oversight of public education funding, including:
San Bernardino City Unified got some funding from the state grant program to help build an early learning center at the site of a high school, but that would be for just seven classrooms across a large district. Pace said the district didn’t apply for another round because they didn’t have enough local money to put up a match, which the state requires for the grants. There’s an exception for financial hardship, but that adds some limits on how money can be spent.
"That's the inequitable part about the system — if you have the money, you can turn in [the applications],” Pace said.
Fontana Unified School District applied for more than $23 million but hasn’t received any of it, and the district is in the process of putting up a bond in November. Leslie Barnes, an associate superintendent at Fontana Unified, said the district is looking to put TK classrooms in seven schools.
“The fact that they haven't slowed down the TK rollout, but yet aren't providing the funding we need to be available to provide that on our own,” Barnes said.
Alan Reising, business services administrator with Long Beach Unified and chair of the Coalition for Adequate School Housing, said districts will be forced to re-prioritize their local dollars.
“It was disappointing because there's such a demand out there for [the funding],” he said.
“Whether or not we are ready for them, students are coming,” Reising said. “And so we will do what we have done for decades, which is, we will make do with what we have.”
Dwight Yoakam will take his Bakersfield sound to Pacific Amphitheatre.
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Matt Winkelmeyer
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Getty Images for the Recording Academy
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In this edition:
Sign up for a Graffiti Towers walking tour, eat out with Dine LA Restaurant Week deals and check out some Route 66-themed films at the Norton Simon.
Highlights:
When graffiti artists took over the abandoned luxury building project Oceanwide Plaza in 2024, the subversive move became an instant skyline icon for anyone driving east on the 10. The group Rent Brigade has started offering tours of the site, looking at the design of nearby L.A. Live, and the “history of speculation, displacement, and resistance in DTLA.” A debrief over drinks follows. This week is sold out, but check back as they are adding more dates.
Dine LA Restaurant Week is here again, so make your reservations now, because hot tables go fast. Ranging from $35 to $65, deals include tasting menus and specials at some of the most popular new spots and old favorites.
The Norton Simon is celebrating historic Route 66 with a themed film series. Saturday’s pick: The 1940 classic The Grapes of Wrath. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, the Oscar-winning John Ford film stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who heads west from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
I have family in town this week, and since they’ve been to L.A. many times over the years, I was trying to think of some new places for us to check out this trip.
Our first stop was sister dreamer, Lauren Halsey’s “architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles” — and I can’t recommend it enough. The perfect detour on your way to or from picking up or dropping off someone at LAX (truly SoCal’s highest form of saying you love someone), the installation creates an oasis in the heart of South Central. Halsey’s portrait of the neighborhood is a feat of carving work that is part Getty, part street mural and part ancient Egypt, honoring both her neighborhood and artistic ancestors. Head to the corner of Western Avenue and 76th Street to check it out; the site is hosting regular events like jazz jams, yoga sessions and more. Plus, Halsey will join Erykah Badu at the Bowl for a show this September.
Sunday, Aug, 16, 5 p.m. 1101 Flower St., Downtown L.A. COST: SOLD OUT BUT MORE DATES TBD; MORE INFO
The so-called Graffiti Towers in 2024.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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When graffiti artists took over the abandoned luxury building project Oceanwide Plaza in 2024, the subversive move became an instant skyline icon for anyone driving east on the 10. The group Rent Brigade has started offering tours of the site, looking at the design of nearby L.A. Live, and the “history of speculation, displacement, and resistance in DTLA.” A debrief over drinks follows. This week is sold out, but check back as they are adding more dates.
CHIMAC-FEST 2026
Friday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16 Great Park Live 8000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine COST: FROM $17; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Great Park Live
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You had me at fried chicken and beer. CHIMAC-FEST takes the popular Korean pairing and raises it to the next level, while showcasing a wide range of Korean food, culture, live entertainment and more at Great Park Live in Irvine.
SkyFest Big Bear
Friday, August 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Various locations in Big Bear COST: FROM $15; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Big Bear
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Allow me a little leeway to share something beyond our usual L.A. and Orange County limits this week and encourage you to take a ride to Big Bear. The mountain town hosts SkyFest, a three-day celebration of science and discovery, featuring NASA and Caltech astrophysicists and DarkSky experts. You’ll learn about black holes, NASA’s next space telescope and the search for life in the universe. The festival features shows at the immersive AstroDome, rides to stargaze from the mountain summit, guided night hikes, a mountaintop forest sound bath and special events for kids.
Dine LA Restaurant Week
Friday, Aug. 14 through Friday, Aug. 28 COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Redbird
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Dine LA Restaurant Week is here again, so make your reservations now, because hot tables go fast. Ranging from $35 to $65, deals include tasting menus and specials at some of the most popular new spots and old favorites. A few that caught food editor Gab Chabrán’s eye:
Saturday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., Ground Floor, Downtown L.A. COST: $5; MORE INFO
The Last Bookstore in DTLA is just one of the many places to purchase and get lost a book that can be found throughout the city.
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Jonathan Hoffman
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LAist
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There’s never a bad time to make a pilgrimage to The Last Bookstore, but this weekend you can see much more than books as the whole Spring Arts Tower is getting in on the action. There will be a pop-up market featuring hundreds of vendors across all 12 floors of the historic downtown building.
Route 66 Film Series: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Saturday, August 15, 4:30 p.m. Norton Simon Museum 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena COST: FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION; MORE INFO
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Courtesy 20th Century Fox
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The Norton Simon is celebrating historic Route 66 with a themed film series. Saturday’s pick: The 1940 classic The Grapes of Wrath. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, the Oscar-winning John Ford film stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who heads west from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
Fool in the Pool
Monday, Aug 17, 8 p.m. El Cóndor 3701 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake COST: GA $25, VIP $40; MORE INFO
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Kay DeMuco
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Eventbrite
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Fool in the Pool is an immersive karaoke play at El Cóndor. There's a live band, the audience sings as part of the narrative, and VIP ticket-holders perform on stage with the band. The story follows a washed-up child star turned karaoke host across one unraveling night — it opens as comedy and turns darker. No two performances are the same, and the night ends with open karaoke for everyone.
Soul Jazz Sessions
Thursdays, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. State Social House 8782 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Soul Jazz Sessions is a new weekly live-music event on Thursdays. While the Sunset Strip may be better known for loud rock acts, check out this new — and decidedly more chill — jazz jam session at State Social House on Sunset Boulevard. There’s no cover (rare for a jazz set in this town!).
Netflix's BEEF wellness-themed giveaways
Through Friday, Aug. 14 Various locations COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Netflix
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We’re deep into FYC season, and that means only one thing for us normies: free stuff. Netflix’s series BEEF is taking the show’s calm-down lesson to the masses by offering free wellness treats and experiences. From a limited-edition “Yogi” smoothie at SunLife Organics to a sound bath in partnership with the Den at the London in West Hollywood, get in line early for your free dose of chill.
Elizabeth Mitchell performances
Garden Concerts for Kids: Elizabeth Mitchell Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15 and 16, 4 p.m. The Getty Center 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood COST: FREE with reservation; MORE INFO
Ida at Lodge Room Monday, August 17, 8 p.m. Lodge Room 104 N. Ave. 56, 2nd floor, Highland Park COST: $32.50; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Lodge Room
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This week brings three opportunities to catch Elizabeth Mitchell’s varied talent. Bring the kids to the Getty this Saturday and Sunday afternoon for family concerts celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Smithsonian Folkways children’s music album, You Are My Little Bird. Joined by her husband Daniel Littleton and daughter Storey, Mitchell will put on performances that are true family gatherings, covering traditional songs and favorites ranging from Woody Guthrie to Bob Marley.
On Monday, you can see Elizabeth and Daniel perform at the Lodge Room with Ida, the thoughtful and spare indie group they formed in 1991. Fun fact: While at Brown University, Elizabeth Mitchell played in a duo with Lisa Loeb, and she and Daniel later sang backup vocals on her hit “Stay (I Missed You).” — Roy Lenn
LAPD officer makes secret recordings of colleagues
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published August 12, 2026 5:00 AM
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman faces criticism for prosecuting a police officer who secretly recorded colleagues making what the officer describes as racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.
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Robert Gauthier
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline
The L.A. County district attorney’s decision to file criminal charges against an LAPD officer who recorded colleagues has sparked controversy, with critics saying the charges will create a chilling effect on people who want to report misconduct at the department. The officer says the recordings capture colleagues making racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.
The backstory: Officer Daniel Flores made 122 recordings of colleagues in the department's Recruitment and Employment Division.
The details: District Attorney Nathan Hochman alleges Flores violated California privacy laws and that he should be prosecuted regardless of his motives to root out bigotry.
Backlash: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and others have denounced the prosecution, saying it could "send the wrong message that calling out egregious behavior could land you in prison."
Read on ... for details about the case.
Los Angeles Police Officer Daniel Flores thought he was doing the right thing.
Colleagues in the department’s Recruitment and Employment Division were making what he said were racist, sexist and homophobic remarks in the office, and he wanted to report them to superiors.
So he started secretly recording them.
In June, Flores, 43, sued the department, claiming the LAPD had created a hostile workplace. In his lawsuit, he said he made the recordings in what he believed was part of a “lawful investigation as a police officer.''
Now, the tables have turned. It's Flores who is the target.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has filed 16 felony counts of eavesdropping or recording confidential communications against Flores.
“We are going to enforce the laws to prevent police officers from using illegal means to achieve their goals, even if that goal in that individual’s mind is to root out bigotry,” Hochman said during a news conference last week.
Flores could face up to 13 years in state prison if convicted. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty in Superior Court.
Reaction to the charges
The district attorney’s decision to file criminal charges against Flores has sparked a firestorm of controversy, with some saying the charges will create a chilling effect on people who want to report misconduct at the Police Department.
“While I understand that it is inappropriate and a crime to record colleagues without their consent, these charges certainly send the wrong message that calling out egregious behavior could land you in prison,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “I am worried that this will deter whistleblowers and discourage officers from using the appropriate reporting channels in the future."
Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez introduced a resolution Tuesday condemning Hochman for his decision to charge Flores.
Police abuse activists also weighed in.
“I think that’s Nathan Hochman’s intention — is to make sure he maintains that blue wall of silence,” said Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter L.A. “DA Hochman is continuing to show whose side he’s on — that he’s not on the people’s side.”
Hochman has said his decision to file the criminal case is appropriate, and that Flores had other legal ways to report alleged misconduct by fellow officers.
“He had a number of legitimate avenues to go through,” Hochman said.
Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Friday that Flores’ complaint triggered an internal investigation into 18 other officers. Seventeen faced disciplinary complaints, he said.
The chief declined to say what discipline, if any, the officers received.
About the 122 recordings
California has one of the most restrictive recording laws in the nation, prohibiting someone from recording anyone without their consent. The law requires all parties to a conversation to agree to be recorded before a recording can begin, unless somebody has a court order allowing them to record.
“These laws do, I think, interfere with people's ability to gather information, including information that might be seen as misconduct by the people that they are recording,” said UCLA Law School Professor Eugene Volokh. “This is what I sometimes call the dark side of privacy."
But there are exceptions for police officers who are engaging in official investigations.
In his lawsuit, Flores claims co-workers made various racist, dehumanizing, misogynistic and homophobic comments.
He said it all started when a new supervisor took over the Police Department’s recruitment division and “repeatedly made derogatory statements and fostered an environment in which other employees were encouraged to do the same.''
The lawsuit said Flores submitted his complaints about his co-workers to LAPD Internal Affairs and the Los Angeles Police Commission in January 2025. That’s what triggered the internal investigation.
Flores turned over 122 recordings in all.
The District Attorney’s Office charged Flores on July 31.
In a 27-page brief filed Monday, prosecutors suggested Flores’ motives were not altruistic. The filing alleges Flores “manipulated conversations by initiating or participating in discussions about a particular topic before activating the recording device, then ceasing his own participation.”
Hochman’s brief referred to some of the officers’ comments as “locker room talk.” Prosecutors also accuse Flores of editing the recordings to hide his own racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.
The district attorney based that claim largely on what the officers — the alleged victims in the criminal case — told detectives. According to prosecutors, the officers said Flores often talked about wanting to win the “LAPD lottery,” meaning he wanted a big payout from his civil lawsuit.
LAist reached out to Flores’ attorney, but did not receive a response. However, the defense has argued Flores is protected by the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which allows secret recordings by police officers.
Volokh, from UCLA, said the law allows police officers to make some kinds of recordings in secret.
“Obviously, we know that there are recordings done by police officers in various kinds of investigations,” Volokh said. “But it's not unlimited latitude. It’s not enough that the police officer be well motivated. He has to be acting within his scope of his authority as a police officer.”
For that reason, Hochman said, Flores stepped over the line.
“In our all-party consent state, where California has been one of the nation's leaders in protecting privacy and deterring illegal eavesdropping for over a half a century, one cannot simply choose to break the law because one wants to pursue a personal agenda,” Hochman said Friday.
Holding the line
Soto-Martínez said Tuesday that Hochman should drop the charges immediately.
“The District Attorney is sending a chilling message: If you report misconduct through the appropriate channels, you could be prosecuted,” said Soto-Martínez. “Beyond that, dismissing racist, misogynistic and homophobic behavior as ‘locker room talk’ is unacceptable.”
But Hochman said at the Friday news conference that he believes allowing a police officer to secretly record colleagues would signal to fellow officers that other misconduct would be acceptable, too.
“If we don’t hold the line there, where does it next take us?” he said.
Hochman used the example of an officer using illegal means to arrest a drug dealer by planting evidence. He said that there are implications for non-police officers as well.
“We want to make sure nobody cuts corners and decides they want to go ahead and record a conversation when they come over to your home, when they come over to your workplace, when they come over to a social setting.”
Flores remains free on his own recognizance while the case is pending.
Keep up with LAist.
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Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published August 11, 2026 4:44 PM
An aerial view of the clean-up process at the Lineage warehouse on Friday, July 31, 2026. LAUSD reports there are dozens of schools within a three-mile radius of the fire.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles Unified School District officials said environmental tests have concluded the Boyle Heights warehouse fire did not result in widespread contamination at nearby schools. However, on Tuesday they reported lead levels in the soil at two elementary school campuses that exceeded California’s acceptable threshold.
Why it matters: Officials announced the results one day before classes resume at dozens of schools within a three-mile radius of the Lineage warehouse. The school district promised to give families advance notice of testing results ahead of the start of school on Wednesday. Those results were posted in a 561-page document uploaded to a district website Tuesday morning.
The district’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety concluded that schools near the disaster “remain safe for occupancy and that the Lineage fire did not result in widespread residual contamination or conditions at LAUSD campuses posing a health hazard to students or staff.”
The two campuses with high levels of lead: Officialssaid they found elevated levels of lead in soil samples from two schools. City Terrace Elementary School had 170 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil, while Christopher Dena Elementary School had 120 milligrams. Both exceeded the 80 milligram threshold considered “acceptable” by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
What district officials are saying: Carlos Torres, director of LAUSD’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, told LAist the district doesn’t believe the lead is tied to the warehouse fire. “Most likely this could be from things like lead-based paints from use in the past. It could be from agricultural use,” Torres said. “There isn't such a thing as clean soil anywhere.”
What's next: Torres said the front lawn at City Terrace and the tree wells at Dena, where elevated levels of lead were detected, have been fenced off. He said district staff are reviewing the lab results and could decide to conduct more testing, remove or otherwise remediate the soil, for example, by laying down mulch.
How families can learn more: The district plans to hold another virtual meeting for East L.A. parents on Monday, August 17 at 6 p.m.
This is a developing story. LAist will update this post as more information is available.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials said environmental tests have concluded the Boyle Heights warehouse fire did not result in widespread contamination at nearby schools.
However, on Tuesday they reported lead levels in the soil at two elementary school campuses that exceeded California’s acceptable threshold. Officials announced the results one day before classes resume at dozens of schools within a three-mile radius of the Lineage warehouse.
The district promised to give families advance notice of testing results ahead of the start of school on Wednesday. Those results were posted in a 561-page document uploaded to a district website Tuesday morning.
The district’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety concluded that schools near the disaster “remain safe for occupancy and that the Lineage fire did not result in widespread residual contamination or conditions at LAUSD campuses posing a health hazard to students or staff.”
District officials said indoor and outdoor testing found the presence of ammonia, formaldehyde and manganese, but at low levels that did not raise concern about fire-related contamination that could harm the health of students or school staff.
While some parents have told LAist they feel safe sending their children to schools in the area, others have said they’re worried about potential health impacts from the fire, which covered the neighborhood in smoke for more than a week and left tons of food to rot in the sun.
Two campuses with elevated lead levels
Officialssaid they found elevated levels of lead in soil samples from two elementary schools. City Terrace Elementary School had 170 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil, while Christopher Dena Elementary School had 120 milligrams. Both exceeded the 80 milligram threshold considered “acceptable” by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Carlos Torres, director of LAUSD’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, told LAist the district doesn’t believe the lead is tied to the warehouse fire.
“Most likely this could be from things like lead-based paints from use in the past. It could be from agricultural use,” Torres said. “There isn't such a thing as clean soil anywhere.”
How the testing works
LAUSD tested 10 schools out of the more than 50 campuses located within a three-mile radius of the Lineage warehouse.
The report said the schools were selected based on their proximity to the warehouse and in relation to wind patterns that may have influenced where the fire smoke deposited contaminants. The district also tested one school farther from the fire, but similar to those near the warehouse because of its proximity to other industrial sites and a freeway.
The tests were conducted from July 28 to August 7.
The district collected:
Dust wipe samples from indoor and outdoor spaces including desks, drinking fountains, tables, and playgrounds
Soil samples from unpaved areas and gardens
Air samples from indoor and outdoor areas including athletic fields, classrooms and gyms
The district tested for substances that included metals identified as potential contaminants from the fire, including arsenic, lead, lithium and manganese, as well as ammonia, formaldehyde and hydrogen fluoride in the air.
The report said the district consulted with an industrial hygienist, a UCLA researcher, a geologist and a third-party environmental consulting firm to create the testing plan.
District officials have described their response to the warehouse fire in several virtual meetings, including:
Inspecting and twice replacing air-conditioning filters with those rated MERV-13, an indicator of the filter’s ability to trap small particles
Deep cleaning, including by washing walls and furniture, waxing floors and pressure-washing outdoor areas and playground equipment
Placing air purifiers with carbon charcoal filters in all classrooms
What's next
Torres said the front lawn at City Terrace and the tree wells at Dena, where elevated levels of lead were detected, have been fenced off. He said district staff are reviewing the lab results and could decide to conduct more testing that could lead to the removal or remediation of the soil, for example, by laying down mulch.
Julia Barajas
is following the impact of President Trump's immigration policies on Southern California communities.
Published August 11, 2026 3:22 PM
An ad inside Alexandra Lozano Kennedy's office in Commerce.
(
Julia Barajas
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Alexandra Lozano Kennedy, a former immigration attorney who made wide use of social media and Latino religious iconography to attract clientele — had offices across the country, including one in the city of Commerce in Southeast L.A. Because she has been suspended from practicing due to alleged misconduct, immigrant advocates have provided guidance on what former clients can do to track and manage their cases.
Why it matters: Lozano Kennedy, who had tens of thousands of clients, is accused of falsifying stories of trafficking and abuse without her clients’ knowledge, according to lawsuits and immigrant advocates. She is also accused of using nonlawyers to perform client consultations and provide legal advice.
What do advocates recommend? If you were represented by Lozano Kennedy and have petitions or applications pending before USCIS, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Loyola Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic have provided guidance for former clients. M. Lucero Ortiz, the supervising attorney at the clinic, stressed that these are all steps community members can take for themselves, without the help of an attorney.
Read on... for more on how this fraud has affected Angelenos.
Alexandra Lozano Kennedy — a former immigration attorney who made wide use of social media and Latino religious iconography to attract clientele — had offices across the U.S., including one in the city of Commerce in Southeast L.A.
Lozano Kennedy was licensed by the Washington State Bar Association, which enabled her to represent clients nationwide. In May, she resigned in lieu of discipline for misconduct and is permanently barred from practicing law in that state. As of June 2026, she is also suspended from practicing before the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; immigration courts; and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Lozano Kennedy, who had tens of thousands of clients, is accused of falsifying stories of trafficking and abuse without her clients’ knowledge, according to lawsuits and immigrant advocates.
At her office in Los Angeles County, clients were met with a large image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the reception area, flanked by flowers and votive candles, much like a scene inside a local Catholic church. This holy image was also on business cards distributed at the locale. Lozano Kennedy’s use of this iconography as a business strategy harmed community members, said M. Lucero Ortiz, supervising attorney at Loyola Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic.
“A lot of them are questioning their own faith," Ortiz said.
“Her fraud really only had a shelf life of about five to six years, because that's how long these cases take to be processed,” Ortiz added.
The clinic she supervises is using social media to help Lozano Kennedy’s former clients navigate the fallout amid the Trump administration’s ongoing mass deportation campaign.
Lozano Kennedy billed herself as a miracle worker, Ortiz said. The work permits clients received as their applications made their way through the immigration process bolstered this belief.
"Clients would think: ‘Oh, my gosh! Everybody else told me that my case was too complex, but this woman got me a work permit in six to nine months,’" Ortiz said. “But what they didn't know is that, five years later, that case would be denied. And they would be in removal proceedings.”
What is Lozano Kennedy accused of?
According to the Washington State Bar Association, Lozano Kennedy's alleged misconduct includes:
directing staff to use a script that contained false and/or misleading information when communicating with prospective clients
filing applications for immigration benefits with USCIS when she knew the clients were ineligible for those benefits
using nonlawyers to perform legal functions on behalf of clients, and/or delegating legal functions to non-lawyer staff, such as performing client consultations and providing legal advice
Find a full list of her alleged misconduct here. Lozano Kennedy has denied any wrongdoing.
What do advocates recommend?
If you were represented by Lozano Kennedy and have petitions or applications pending before USCIS, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Loyola Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic have provided guidance for former clients. The latter recommends former clients take the following steps:
Open an account online at my.uscis.gov. This allows people with pending immigration cases to manage and track their status in real time, including filing applications, receiving digital notices, uploading evidence and communicating securely with USCIS officers.
Submit a change of address (USCIS Form AR-11) request. Be sure to file online and mail the request.
Cases with a receipt number starting with EAC should mail the request to the Vermont Service Center, USCIS Service Center Operations, Attn: Humanitarian Division, 38 River Rd., Essex Junction, VT 05479-0001.
Cases with a receipt number starting with LIN, should mail the request forms to the Nebraska Service Center, USCIS Service Center Operations, P.O. Box 87918, Lincoln, NE 68501-7918.
Send USCIS a revocation of legal representation letter expressing that you no longer want the attorney of record to represent you and that you will be representing yourself (pro se) while you hire another attorney.
Request a copy of your case file online at USCIS FOIA and through email from Luz Legal.
Check your case status at USCIS and immigration court.
Submit a request to the victims’ compensation fund with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA).
After you receive a copy of your case file, consult a licensed and experienced attorney about the strategy in your case.
Ortiz, the supervising attorney at the clinic, stressed that these are all steps community members can take for themselves, without the help of an attorney. You can find details for each step here.
The Immigrant Justice Clinic also addressed these frequently asked questions:
Should all of Lozano Kennedy’s former clients withdraw their pending USCIS application?
No, if a pending case is withdrawn, it can lead to a notice to appear (NTA)/deportation process. Consult with a licensed and experienced attorney before making any decision regarding your case.
Are all former clients eligible to join the two pending civil lawsuits against Lozano Kennedy?
No, not all former clients will be able to join the pending lawsuits.
