The Brief

As a parent, for me, one of the most continuously mind-boggling aspects of raising young children is how expensive child care is. When I learned that child care providers barely make enough to make ends meet, it kind of made my brain break. It was enough to make me want to yell, “But, WHY?”

You may feel the same way about this. Or there may be another aspect about how our society is set up for raising kids that confuses you or makes you want to lay flat on the floor. There are a lot of things you don’t know you don’t know until you have children or start working with them.

So what can you do to make things better for families with kids under 5?

This guide is for people who want to channel that yelling-into-a-pillow energy into doing something to fix things year-round, particularly by sharing your story or learning to navigate power to change policy — that’s advocacy. We’ve talked with LOTS of people who have made a difference — parents, early childhood advocates, and policymakers. Now we’re sharing back some of the basic first steps you can take if you’re interested in changing local or statewide laws.

Maria Antoinetta Jandres, left, at Stand for Children Day on May 8, 2024.

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Courtesy Parent Voices

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Does my voice even matter?

Yes.

Parents we spoke to talked about a whole range of benefits that they gained from becoming their child’s first advocate. They came away with insider knowledge about issues facing their kids, they built community, and they felt like they were part of something bigger. And, importantly, many shared how joining forces with others helped them achieve things they thought were not possible.

“You do it because it works,” said Mary Ignatius, director of Parent Voices. “Most policy change happens because somebody spoke up about it.”

Parent Maria Antoinetta Jandres still remembers one of the first times she shared her story in front of the San Francisco mayor and Board of Supervisors. “I was super nervous. I didn’t even know what to do or what to say,” she said.

Now, after working to make multiple early childhood policy changes through statewide advocacy organization Parent Voices, she feels a different level of confidence.

“The supervisors need to listen to us,” she said. “Because we are the ones paying for their salary. Now when I go there, I’m like, well, this is what you guys should be working on because you work for us. It’s not the other way around.”

Jandres stumbled upon Parent Voices during a time where she was looking for child care for her young son while experiencing homelessness. She went to the organization looking for a child care spot, but through getting involved, she came out with deep knowledge about the inner workings of the early childhood system and, essentially, a master’s degree in how change works.

She was part of a San Francisco campaign that created a tax to fund child care for middle-class (and upper-middle-class) families and set a minimum wage of $28 for early education teachers. In 2023, she was also part of a campaign that eliminated monthly payments (“family fees”) for low-income families who receive child care subsidies.

Parent Iesha Foster in Sacramento to advocate for expanding child care funding in the 2024 budget.

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Isaac Cox

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Crystal Stairs

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What do parents bring to the table?

Justin Blakely, who leads L.A. County advocacy program Community Voices, part of Crystal Stairs, remembers vividly how one legislator shared that every day he has 15 to 20 meetings, mostly with professional lobbyists or advocates.

He said that’s why when a representative hears from a community member, particularly one who lives in his district, it makes a difference. Hearing a community member’s experience illustrates the real impact of policies out in the world. They put a name and a face to an issue, moving an issue beyond just another data point.

Parent Iesha Foster, parent of nine, first connected with Head Start’s Policy Council and eventually, Community Voices, when her older children were small. A lack of child care had caused her to turn down extra hours at work, and eventually lose her job. The experience made her want to fight for child care, she said.

“Without childcare, you can't go to work,” she said. “Without work, you can't pay your rent, you can't pay your bills.”

Foster traveled with Blakely to Sacramento in 2023 with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to advocate for child care. During a meeting with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D), chair of the Assembly Education Committee, she told her personal story and shared how hard it is for parents to go to work without child care.

Others in the room had also shared their concerns, but Blakely said that when Foster spoke, her story captivated the full attention of everyone in the room. Muratsuchi kept referring back to her throughout the meeting.

“He just was so passionate in his voice and in his words,” Foster said. “He really listened. And you could tell that he really cared.”

Parent Voices director Ignatius said to remember that you don’t need to speak a particular language or have a degree in anything to make your opinions and experience known.

“Trust that you know what you know and that you have expertise and experiences to offer,” she said. “Being a parent qualifies you for so much.”

A voter places his ballot in a mail-in ballot drop box outside of an L.A. library ahead of Election Day in October 2020.

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Mario Tama

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Getty Images

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An official ballot envelope for the 2024 primary election in Los Angeles.

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Brianna Lee

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LAist

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Small ways to make change, beyond voting.

There are many ways to get involved. The first that comes to mind is voting, which helps make sure your representatives actually represent you and that you have a say in which ballot initiatives go into effect. (In fact, LAist has a whole guide about this.)

Patrick MacFarlane, government relations manager of Child Care Resource Center said that one thing that’s important to keep in mind is this: “Voting is a small part of civic participation. You have to be mobilized in every season, not just in election season.”

Here are just a few ways to do that, year-round:

• Get involved in your child’s school.
• Volunteer for an organization you care about.
• Donate to the cause of your choice. 
• Plaster your street with campaign signs. 
• Start a boycott. 
• Make political art. 
• Start your own organization.

The list goes on.

And of course, parents can become advocates, sharing their stories and informing the process of creating and passing laws in California. Let’s dive in.

Find your people

Start with a quick Google search of what you care about.

It’s an easy way to find out if anyone has proposed or advocated for a bill related to this issue.

“You're almost certain to find a group of people who feel really passionately about that issue,” said Sarah Diaz, policy and media coordinator with the California WIC Association. “They’ve spent a lot of energy on it already and maybe they’re reintroducing it or bringing it back again.”

From there, you can reach out to either the legislators who proposed the bill or the community groups (often listed as co-sponsors on a bill) working on the issue.

This is exactly what Diaz did. One issue she cares about as a parent is schools getting funding. She didn’t think it made sense to link school attendance to funding. In her mind, this creates an incentive for sick kids to go to school instead of staying at home to recover.

In her personal time, she reached out to her representative to ask if they were working on this issue. That’s how she found that there was a bill up for consideration about the issue last year and submitted comments and letters. The bill is currently headed for a floor vote and will likely head to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk for a signature.

Parent Maria Antoinetta Jandres speaks into a mic to give public testimony.

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Courtesy Parent Voices

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Find your representatives. And talk to them.

It may at first seem strange to talk to your elected officials, but as Jandres pointed out, they do work for YOU. As your representative, it’s literally their job to listen to you.

First, find your local representatives on Shape your L.A., a tool by the L.A. Times.

Some ways to get your representative’s attention:

1. Tag them on social media.
2. Email or write them letters. When writing, be brief and clear. If you live in their district, tell them. Here are some tips and a template from First 5 Contra Costa County. 
3. Call them. Calling is a great option because the person has to listen. They can’t skim over your words like they might be able to with something written. Here’s a draft script from Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, which also includes instructions if you’re using a text-to-speech device.
4. Visit them. If they are a state representative, find them at their Sacramento office or at their field office, close to where you live. (Tip: Summer is a great time to visit state representatives at their field offices, during the legislative recess.) You can walk into their office or call in advance to set up a meeting.
5. Find them at public meetings.
6. Contact your local media outlet. Your local representative probably reads the news. Read, watch, and listen to what journalists in your area are saying about the issues you care about. Reach out — perhaps to your friendly public media station — to share ideas you think they should cover. Here’s a cheat sheet for how to talk to a journalist.

Ignatius said that having a conversation with an elected official through social media is an easy way to start and it can be effective. Elected officials are often active through social channels, or have staffers monitoring them.

“They will flag it for their member and say, ‘Hey, you know, I just saw this thing. This sounds super compelling,’” she said.

Even better: go up and talk to them. 

Patrick MacFarlane, government relations manager of Child Care Resource Center said: “I would go up to my assembly member and say, ‘This is what I'm interested in. Where do you stand on this issue?’”

He added that it helps to share solutions when you share your story. Oftentimes, they may be familiar with the problem, but don’t know how to fix it.

Don’t be bummed if you can only meet with your representative’s staff members. Talking with staffers can often be just as productive as talking directly with your representative, many of the experts we spoke to said. After all, they are the ones who are advising the representative and helping them prioritize issues.

What changes have people already made in early childhood policy?

It can be helpful to understand what issues people have already worked on to figure out what’s possible and where you want to make an impact.

Some big things that have changed in early childhood over the past few years, including:

• Low-income families no longer have to pay out-of-pocket “family fees” for subsidized child care.
• California workers now have more sick leave (five days).
• California’s family leave program expanded so people receive a higher % of their paycheck.
• Medi-Cal now pays for doulas.
• Hospitals and maternal care facilities must undergo anti-bias training.
• California expanded transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds. 
• Child care providers unionized.

Many issues continue to affect families with young children, and people are actively working on changing them:

• High cost of child care 
• Lack of subsidized child care slots
• Child care providers — mostly women of color — not getting paid enough
• Poor birth outcomes for Black moms and babies
• Preschool segregation
• Lack of early screening for developmental delays

This list is just the beginning. Do a quick search on the issue you care about to help you find the people working on it. If no one is working on it, it’s still not impossible; it just hasn’t been done yet.

Medi-Cal now covers doulas due to the advocacy of birthworkers and parents across the state. Doula and Birthworkers of Color Collective member Andrea Howard serves Medi-Cal clients.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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California child care providers were able to unionize in 2019 after a years-long campaign of parents and child care providers sharing their stories. Waverly Stone, right, is a family child care provider in Rialto. Shanae Pharaoh, left, sends her two children to Stone's childcare.

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Elly Yu

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LAist

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Be persistent. Enjoy the ride.

Working on changing local and statewide policies takes time. It’s important to buckle up for the long haul, and to be persistent.

When things do start to change, it can be really satisfying.

Parent Iesha Foster said what keeps her motivated to continue the work is being able to share what she has learned with others. She said that she often finds herself giving advice, resources, and information to other parents and even teachers. By getting involved, she’s been able to become the resource for other parents that she wishes she had early on.

“I like to be the voice for the ones who don't know about it,” Foster said. “I can actually help someone that didn't know, so they can have a better understanding.”

This guide was informed by the Hey bb review committee: September Hill, nonprofit advocacy consultant and Ofelia Carrillo, former communications specialist at SEIU-Local 99 / Child Care Providers United.

The $360 million effort to turn Exposition Park’s largest parking lots into green space won’t be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics.

State leaders announced the multi-million dollar investment into the park in 2024, planning to prep the park for an Olympic close-up by replacing the warren of asphalt lots on Expo Park’s southern edge with an underground lot and green park land.

Now park officials say the 6-acre project now won’t break ground until 2028, after the Olympic torch is extinguished.

Expo Park and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will be a centerpiece of L.A.’s Olympic image in the summer of 2028. But for residents of the surrounding South L.A. neighborhoods, the park and its facilities help fill a serious need for recreation and green space.

Andrea Ambriz, general manager of the state-run park, said the park hasn’t had an investment of this kind since the 1984 Olympic Games, but that the inspiration and funding for the park project go beyond the 2028 games.

“Whatever we do now is intended in full to support the community. It’s not just for these games,” Ambriz said.

Ambriz said park officials hit pause on project planning after realizing it would not be completed before the Olympics.

State leaders are still angling to get at least some of the park freshened up in time for the Olympics, with officials announcing in January that Gov. Gavin Newsom planned to earmark $96.5 million in proposed funds for renovations in the park.

The funding, according to the governor’s proposed budget, will be used for “critical deferred maintenance” to meet code compliance and accessibility requirements.

Ambriz said the lion’s share of the money will go to rehabbing roadways, sidewalks and ramps throughout the park to ensure safe pedestrian and vehicle access.

“This is a part of what we know we need,” Ambriz said. “It is a really significant downpayment from the state.”

How will the park affect the neighborhood? 

John Noyola is a 42-year resident of the Exposition Park neighborhood who sits on the North Area Neighborhood Development Council. For him, any major overhaul of the park still feels like an abstract concept.

He’s seen news reports about the proposed changes, but heard little more.

“It hasn’t really affected us or the community,” Noyola said.

The 150-year-old Expo Park has one of the densest collections of cultural institutions in Los Angeles, said Esther Margulies, a professor of landscape architecture just across the street from the park at USC.

Four museums, including the under-construction Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, will soon share the park with the BMO Stadium and the Coliseum.

Margulies said Grand Park, in downtown Los Angeles, has begun to fill a role as a “living room for the city” in recent years, but that Expo Park is falling short of its potential.

“People should see Expo Park as a place to begin their journey of visiting Southern California and Los Angeles,” Margulies said. “This is where you should come and there should be this energy of, like, ‘Wow!’”

Changing Expo Park, Margulies said, starts with building a space that serves its community.

In its current design, the park’s best-kept green spaces sit behind the fences of its museums, Margulies said, and large asphalt expanses act as heat sinks. Major events often come at the community’s expense.

“There’s tailgating, day drinking in the park,” Margulies said. “People don’t come to the park on those days.”

Noyola, the Expo Park resident, said his family and others in the community frequent the park recreation center, pools and fields near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. He worries that construction could block parking or other access to the park spaces that are available.

He remains wary of the unintended consequences of a park remodel, especially after watching traffic spike in Inglewood when SoFi Stadium and the Intuit Dome were built.

“It would be nice,” Noyola said of the remodel. “Looking at the greater vision of LA 28, it’s needed. But at what cost?”

Southern California is in for a wet week, with the potential for what the weather service is calling "widespread" impacts.

Ahead of the heavy rain, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has issued an evacuation warning for the Palisades, Sunset and Hurst burn scar areas due to the potential for mud and debris flows.

The warning is in effect from 9 p.m. on Sunday until 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Storm details

When is the rain coming?

Rain is expected to arrive in Ventura and Los Angeles counties Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.

When is the rain heaviest?

Weather forecast this week for Southern California.

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Courtesy NWS

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Moderate to heavy rain is expected early Monday, with significant snow and damaging winds starting at about 3 a.m. Heaviest impacts, including the possibility of widespread flooding and thunderstorms, are expected to last until around 9 p.m.

Rain continues all week

Light rain is expected to continue Tuesday through Friday.

Upcoming weather alerts for L.A.

• A Flood Watch will go into effect on Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• A Wind Advisory will go into effect Monday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• A High Surf Advisory will go into effect Monday at 10 a.m. through Thursday, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. for the Pacific Palisades, Playa del Rey, San Pedro and Port of Los Angeles areas. Angelenos are encouraged to avoid the ocean.
• A Gale Watch, which includes sustained surface winds near coastal areas, will go into effect Monday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for all inner waters near the Pacific Palisades, Playa del Rey, San Pedro and Port of Los Angeles areas. Angelenos are encouraged to avoid boating until the weather is calmer.

Today, millions of Angelenos use the Central Library downtown (which turns 100 this year) and over 70 branch locations to access the Los Angeles Public Library’s collection of over 8 million books.

But this juggernaut wasn’t created overnight. What started with just 750 books in 1872 was transformed in part because of city librarian Everett Perry, a visionary who wanted books to be easy to access. Here’s a look at how his influence can still be felt today.

A library in disarray 

Perry got the job as top librarian in L.A. after working at the New York Public Library, which opened a main building during his tenure. He was accustomed to growth.

But when he arrived in 1911, the Los Angeles Public Library was struggling. With no permanent location, it had moved several times into different rented spaces, the most recent being in the Hamburger's Department Store, where patrons had to ride an elevator to check out books in between women’s clothes and furniture.

Perry aired his grievances in a 1912 library report.

Everett Robbins Perry in 1911.

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Witzel Photo

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Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection

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“The modern library aims to be a vital force in a community,” he wrote. “It can not perform this function, if its usefulness is limited by an inaccessible location.”

This is an early look into his ethos as librarian. Perry was part of a progressive crop of librarians, whose ideas were shifting about how books should be stored and used by the public.

His goal was to create a library system focused on great service and that rivaled the very best on the East Coast. With others, he pushed for a central library to be built, funded by a $2 million bond measure. Voters passed that in the 1920s, which led to the creation of the impressive Art Deco building that still stands downtown.

But what was perhaps even more impressive was how he infused the building with novel ideas about how to make reading more accessible.

One key example was his decision to set up subject departments. For decades prior, libraries stored books on fixed shelves (these couldn’t be adjusted), so they were usually sorted by size or acquisition date. Libraries had only recently moved to the not-very-user-friendly Dewey decimal system.

By grouping books under subjects, Perry made it much easier for people to find what they wanted. His idea was so successful that it eventually spread to other libraries across the country.

Another innovation was where you could read the books. Perry put the circulation and card catalog area in the center of the floor, which was surrounded by book stacks and reading rooms along the edges. That meant they were next to the windows and full of natural light, which according to LAPL, wasn’t customary at the time.

The reference room of the Main Library, seen circa 1913, was in an enclosed section on the third floor of the Hamburger Building, a department store.

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Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection

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Building a teaching program

Perry earned a reputation as a fair, iron-fist leader who wanted top-notch library practices.

He issued a rulebook for staff that covered everything from the janitor’s responsibility to make brooms last longer to requiring librarians to go with patrons to find books.

But Perry’s legacy also includes the next generation of librarians. In 1914, he revamped an aging LAPL librarian training program into a full-fledged, accredited library school that was known as the best in California.

Artist Dean Cornwell, left, shows his proposal for the Central Library rotunda murals to city librarian Everett Perry sometime in the 1920s.

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Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection

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The history department at the Central Library in 1926. This was one of the largest reading rooms of the library.

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Mott Studios

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Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Collection

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He aimed to professionalize librarianship by encouraging men to apply (it had commonly been women), urging all applicants to have at least some college-level education, and creating a formal internship program. The program covered technical librarian skills, as well new coursework that compared how other libraries functioned across the country.

Perry served for over two decades until his death in 1933.

His achievements were numerous. Aside from getting the Central Library built, he grew the staff from 98 to 600, helped the 200,000-book collection balloon to 1.5 million, and added dozens of more branch libraries.

In 2018 he was inducted into the California Library Hall of Fame.

Federal immigration agents have left a U.S. Coast Guard facility that's been a key staging area for them in the Port of L.A., according to U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan who represents the area.

Since last summer, agents have been using the base on Terminal Island as a launch point for operations.

In a statement to LAist, Barragan, a Democrat, says she confirmed with the Coast Guard last night that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol have vacated the base. She says it's unclear at this time whether the move is permanent or if agents are moving to another location in L.A. County.

Local officials and community groups are celebrating the agents' departure from Terminal Island. Volunteers with the Harbor Area Peace Patrols have been monitoring agent activity for months, tracking vehicles and sharing information with advocacy networks.

Earlier this week, the group said it received reports of the department.