Julia Barajas
explores how college students achieve their goals, whether they’re fresh out of high school, pursuing graduate work or looking to join the labor force through alternative pathways.
Published April 2, 2025 5:00 AM
Ashley Buschhorn, a graduate student in the Narrative and Emerging Media program at ASU in Los Angeles, teaches fellow student, Nariman Mahmoud, how to use a four-camera-rig to create 3D scenes using a technique called "Gaussian splatting."
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Topline:
At Arizona State University’s Los Angeles campus, a professor and her students are using artificial intelligence to build 3D models of the recent wildfires’ aftermath. Some of the software they’re using was created by the makers of Pokémon Go.
Why it matters: The Eaton and Palisades fires wrought incalculable loss. Some people lost loved ones. Thousands lost their homes, community spaces, and places of worship. Many lost priceless mementos. The ASU team hopes their images can be used by survivors when filing insurance claims, and for the wider public to grasp the full extent of the devastation.
In the service of friends: For Nonny de la Peña, who directs ASU’s Narrative and Emerging Media program, the project is also personally important: Because of the fires, 30 of her friends have lost their homes. She hopes the images will also help them preserve some memories.
What's next: Students are continuing to learn how to use the camera equipment and software. Some will assist in documenting the wildfires’ destruction. Others will use this knowledge for other projects. One group of students is creating a 3D model of a historic opera house in the Mojave desert.
Read on ... to learn how the students are using the high-tech cameras.
Since the game’s launch about a decade ago, you might be among the hundreds of millions of people who’ve taken to the streets to catch an elusive Detective Pikachu, a Snorlax, a Mewtwo or some other rare Pokémon.
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The same technology behind Pokémon Go is helping document the aftermath of LA’s wildfires
At Arizona State University’s branch in downtown L.A., students are learning how to use the technology behind Pokémon Go, in concert with other tools, to create 3D models that document the aftermath of L.A. County’s recent wildfires.
The Eaton and Palisades fires wrought incalculable loss. Some people lost loved ones. Thousands lost their homes and places of worship. And many lost priceless mementos.
Which means the ASU initiative has two purposes: Its models can be used by wildfire survivors to make their insurance claims, and “on a public information level, [they allow us to] fully grasp the destruction and what it means for these communities,” said Ashley Buschhorn, a graduate student in the school’s Narrative and Emerging Media program.
Using personal experience to guide the project
The project is led by program director Nonny de la Peña, who’s largely considered a pioneer in virtual and augmented reality.
Professor Nonny de la Peña speaks to students in the Masters in Narrative and Emerging Media program at Arizona State University Center Broadway in Los Angeles, CA on March 27, 2025.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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During the pandemic, de la Peña stored all her work materials in her home studio — including her computers, storage drives and other essentials. She also put up photos of her children to brighten up the place. Two years ago, the battery of her electric bicycle exploded and burned that studio to the ground. In an instant, everything was gone.
But when de la Peña sifted through the rubble, she found that a few things had survived: an old love letter from her husband, charred but still legible; and, “bizarrely,” a card addressed to her son. It was signed by Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. “The Force will be with you always,” it read.
As news of the 2025 fires’ devastation made headlines, de la Peña recalled an ongoing fight she’d had with her insurance company after her studio burned down. At one point, the company tried to deny a sofa she listed in her claim. But de la Peña had a photo of its remains, so she was able to get compensated.
Because of this experience, de la Peña knew that having records of the aftermath would “be important in ways that people can't imagine.”
She also knew that having a record could bring closure, once fire victims began “to piece together memories and process what's happened to them.”
Before officials lifted the evacuation orders, de la Peña and her students headed out to the affected areas.
Clad in hazmat gear, the team flashed their press passes to get past police lines in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. As they made their way through the streets, they avoided debris and were careful not to step on protruding nails.
The four-camera rig used to capture images converted into 3D scenes using a technique called "Gaussian splatting."
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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The team members carried a rig with four cameras: one at the top of the pole, one at the bottom, and two on the sides. Buschhorn explained that the rig is meant to help capture images of the same place from different angles, simultaneously.
The images they captured were fed to their phones, then organized using artificial intelligence. De la Peña and her students stitched thousands of these images together to create the 3D models.
The example above is the intersection of Carey and Hartzell in Pacific Palisades. Image courtesy Ashley Buschhorn/ASU.
The process relies on two software companies in particular, Polycam and Snaniverse, she said. Snaniverse is owned by Niantic Inc. — the same company that created Pokémon GO.
That may “seem kind of odd,” de la Peña added, “but it all stems from the idea that the world isn't flat, so we shouldn't be representing it flat.”
The team captured images of intersections, landmarks, homes, cars, and many small objects, including dolls, bicycles and figurines that residents used to decorate their yards and gardens.
Nonny de la Peña, director of the Narrative and Emerging Media program at Arizona State University's Los Angeles Campus.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Ashley Buschhorn, a graduate student in the Narrative and Emerging Media program at ASU in Los Angeles, teaches fellow students how to use a four-camera-rig to create 3D scenes using a technique called "Guassian splatting."
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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For de la Peña, it was especially tough to walk through the affected areas, where at least 30 of her friends have lost their homes. This includes her son’s cello teacher, whose home her family visited every weekend for six years. It also includes the home of a friend who threw de la Peña a baby shower, along with the house in Altadena where, just over a year ago, de la Peña kissed her late friend goodbye.
When they first started creating the 3D models, de la Peña added, a lot of people still could not enter the area, “so we could provide them imagery of their homes when nobody else could.”
Training to go in the field
Buschhorn, the graduate student, has gained enough experience to teach others how to use the camera equipment and software.
In late March, she walked fellow students through best practices for capturing quality images, under de la Peña’s supervision. They also gave students guidance on how to avoid disasters when they’re out in the field.
Ashley Buschhorn, a graduate student in the Narrative and Emerging Media program at ASU in Los Angeles, teaches fellow students.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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“Make sure all your batteries are charged [and] SD cards are cleared,” Buschhorn warned. “Always bring a hard drive and computer with you. ... These files start to get large pretty quickly.”
During that day’s lesson, de la Peña briefly interjected to emphasize the importance of getting images from every angle.
“If you wanted to paint [a] table red,” she said, by way of example, “you'd have to get the paint everywhere.”
The software, Buschhorn added, is “trying to identify the different textures, the lighting, the color — and all of those form together to then create your 3D model.”
Buschhorn moved from Austin to Los Angeles for undergrad.
“To see the place that I have grown and developed so much in the past couple years hurting so much” was devastating, they said.
She was glad to have the skills to create a record of the wildfires’ impact, to help communities as they rebuild.
Makenna Cramer
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published May 7, 2026 3:38 PM
South Pasadena recently moved to not renew a contract with Flock Safety after residents gathered and told the city council they should be canceled.
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Libby Rainey
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LAist
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Topline:
Some Los Angeles County residents are worried about how surveillance data is being used and stored as the Sheriff’s Department tries to address fears about cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.
Why it matters: The department has 480 high-speed cameras that can be used to track vehicles and their activity around the region, according to officials.
Why now: The L.A. County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission held a virtual forum Wednesday focused on surveillance technologies in the county, specifically around the department's use of Automated License Plate Readers, otherwise known as ALPRs.
The backstory: A vast majority of the attendees — 91% — reported that they or someone they know has changed behavior or plans due to concerns about ICE or immigration enforcement. Most attendees said their top concern was who the surveillance data is shared with, and about a third said they were most concerned with how the information is being used.
What's next: The commission is encouraging the public to join its upcoming monthly meetings to share thoughts on department policies and procedures.
Some Los Angeles County residents are worried about how surveillance data is being used and stored as the Sheriff’s Department tries to address fears about cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.
The department has 480 high-speed cameras that can be used to track vehicles and their activity around the region, according to officials.
The L.A. County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission held a virtual forum Wednesday focused on surveillance technologies in the county, specifically around the department's use of Automated License Plate Readers, otherwise known as ALPRs.
The public was invited to share their concerns about unchecked use of the technology and ask experts questions about how the data is collected and shared.
A vast majority of the attendees — 91% — reported that they or someone they know has changed behavior or plans due to concerns about ICE or immigration enforcement. Most attendees said their top concern was who the surveillance data is shared with, and about a third said they were most concerned with how the information is being used.
Hans Johnson, chair of the commission, said there is a sense of a new, chilling reality taking hold in immigrant communities.
“ The fear that everyday activities like traveling to work, taking children to school, seeking medical care or gathering in public spaces could expose people to tracking, data sharing and hunting that threatens their safety and constitutional freedoms,” Johnson said during the forum.
Sheriff officials said it’s difficult to engage with county communities if they believe the department is involved in civil immigration enforcement.
Ernest Bille, a department commander, said officials need to ease those fears so people feel comfortable connecting with local law enforcement, including for Amber Alerts or reporting a crime, so that the Sheriff’s Department can more effectively serve L.A. County.
Sheriff cameras in the county
The Sheriff’s Department only contracts with Motorola Vigilant for its Automated License Plate Readers, Bille said. The cameras can capture license plate numbers, dates, times and geographic locations, as well as images of the vehicle and license plate.
“ It is important to note that our current ALPR system does not capture any personal identifying information whatsoever, and it is stored in the database for authorized law enforcement use,” he said.
Of the 480 Motorola Vigilant cameras operated by the Sheriff’s Department around the county, 42 are mobile, meaning they’re attached to the top of a patrol car while roaming the region. The more than 430 others are fixed, powered and solar cameras.
Bille added that there may still be Flock cameras in L.A. County, specifically from cities that’ve contracted directly with the controversial surveillance company.
Flock did install cameras in burn areas after last year’s Eaton Fire to deter crime and looting, especially in Altadena, Bille said. He added that L.A. County contracted with Flock and made the cameras available to the department, but they’re currently deactivated.
When asked, Bille said he didn’t know how long the cameras have been out of commission in those areas.
How are they used?
The data collected from the department’s cameras can be used in a number of ways, including criminal investigations and recovering stolen vehicles. According to officials, they’ve been used successfully to locate missing people and for life-saving efforts.
Bille said the data is mostly used as an investigatory lead, and it’s not standalone evidence. If an investigator wants to get a license plate from the system, for example, they would have to have a legitimate law enforcement purpose for doing so.
“ It cannot be used for personal or non-work-related purposes, and it absolutely cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement,” he said.
The data is stored for two years in most cases, which was revised down from the department’s five-year policy.
After two years, the records are archived. After five years, the data is permanently deleted.
But there are some exceptions, including ongoing investigations, prosecutions or legal proceedings like appeals.
How is the data shared?
The Sheriff’s Department doesn’t share data from Automated License Plate Readers with any federal agencies, officials said.
The data can only be shared with other public agencies under an inter-agency agreement that includes compliance with privacy protections and applicable laws.
“ We have no inter-agency agreement with any federal agencies,” Bille said. Officials later noted that federal agencies do not qualify as a public entity for this purpose under California law.
The data cannot be sold or used for commercial, personal and non-work related purposes. It cannot be shared for civil immigration enforcement unless required by law or under a judicial warrant, according to officials.
How to get involved
There are internal audits of the sheriff’s Automated License Plate Reader system at least once a year, according to the department.
Semi-annual reports of the system will also be provided to the Office of Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Another report will be published on the department’s public transparency page.
Dara Williams, chief deputy of the county’s Office of the Inspector General, said the department wants to engage with the people they serve and have residents feel comfortable coming forward to report crimes.
“ It’s important to them to be sure that their policies don't overly share with the federal government because the Sheriff's Department does not like the consequences of what oversharing with the federal government would bring to them,” Williams said.
The commission is encouraging the public to join its upcoming monthly meetings to share thoughts on department policies and procedures:
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21
St. Anne's Conference Center, 155 N. Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles
I was given more tea samples than I could drink, so I went to the only person I knew who could help — my mom.
Why it matters: Multiple tea times with my mom made me realize I don’t know as much about her as I should.
Why now: Tea makes for a great Mother’s Day gift. Also, spending time with your mom is fun.
When I went to the Natural Products Expo West earlier this year, a conference that highlights innovations in food and drink, I learned two things. One is that I could get my 10,000 steps by walking the Anaheim Convention Center. And two, that tea is really popular right now. As I walked around, I was given dozens of samples for teas from various flavors and brands, many of which were unknown to me.
Later, when I got home, I realized I had far more tea than I could drink. I have a pet peeve about waste, so I went to the one person I knew who could help……my mother, Jacqueline Richie.
Ryan's mom, Jacqueline Ritchie.
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Courtesy Ryan Ritchie
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My mom drinks multiple cups of tea a day, and has a wooden sign in the dining room that reads “A cup of tea and all is fine.”
While I have a background as a a food writer, I’m not a massive tea drinker, so I figured getting her perspective would help. It would also give me a good reason to spend quality time with my mother and get to know her better, perhaps through a different lens.
So we set up multiple afternoons and evenings to get through them all.
Ryan Ritchie on his tea drinking journey with his mother
First the bergamot tea. “This one is really good,” she said. "It has bergamot oil from Italy, not like some cheapo off brand. The bergamot is not overpowering. Some cheap teas hit you like 'ooh.'”
Next was the Moroccan mint. “It’s, uh, minty,” my mother said, “and I’m tasting the cinnamon and vanilla. Cinnamon can be overpowering, but this one is a faint, light taste. It lingers at the bottom of the cup as the water decreases. They did a good job of blending. A perfect combination.”
Two thoughts occurred: One, my mother knows way more about tea than I imagined. Two, she seems to have a strong palate, a term I’d never think to use when describing her. Most of the meals we had growing up were store-bought items she could heat up in the oven.
We ended our session with the Sapphire Bay tea. It was, unexpectedly, a majestic purple-blue, apparently from butterfly pea flower. My mom, a black tea lover, surprised herself — and me — by liking it.
The blue-purple hue of Bigelow's Sapphire Bay is only slightly stronger than the tea's floral taste.
Her adventurous palate was news to me. Could there be more adventure to a woman who wears holiday-themed sweaters?
For the next session, we started with Dandelion Masala by Yaygit. “I have no idea what dandelion tastes like,” she said, warily.
Apparently the dandelion root was blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and clove as "an ode to chai," as it says on the website. Her verdict after she sipped it? She approved of its "earthy, sweet taste. This is a nice afternoon or after-dinner tea as a palate cleanser.”
“Palate cleanser?” "Earthy"? I’d never heard my mother use those terms. She described another tea we had later as “robust” and “malty.” Had my mom been the Anthony Bourdain of tea for decades and I was just now realizing it?
What I don’t know about my mother could fill volumes of encyclopedias. But, to be fair, I’ve never inquired about things like her first boyfriend or why her bathrooms don’t have hand towels. Perhaps I don’t want to know the answers to these questions. Perhaps I’ve always assumed my mom doesn’t have an adventurous side, that she’s happy baking desserts for my dad and reading on the couch.
But now she’s drinking dandelion tea like a pro.
We ramped up the new discoveries next time with Magiktea’s Palo Azul. What is Palo Azul exactly? I didn't know, and I eat nutritional yeast with my salads. Neither did my mom.
Turns out it is, according to a Google search, a medicinal shrub found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.
And the tea it makes is also blue (clearly a color of the moment), but with a florescent sheen. It came not as a packet of tea leaves, but as two wooden sticks she poured hot water over.
“It looks like wood pulp,” she said. “All I can say is it’s interesting. I guess the more you drink it the more you’d get used to it. The first sip was not what I expected — not that that's bad. Maybe we should have used alkaline water as they recommend on the packet?”
I would have bet good money that my mother would have hated any tea that looked like wood pulp, but I was wrong. What else had I been wrong about?
Another session, we wanted to end with a nightcap and turned toPure Chamomile from Twinings.
“It’s chamomile, alright,” she said. “It’s soothing and good if you’re sick or want to take a two hour nap and forget about everything. I prefer my chamomile mixed with something else. It’s not like I hate it, but it’s not my cup of tea.”
Hmmm. What is “everything” my mom wants to forget, exactly? She’s a retiree who gardens, practices yoga and enjoys time with her two grandchildren. Also, her use of “It’s not my cup of tea?” My mom is Anthony Bourdain and Jerry Seinfeld.
23 cups of tea later, (ginger, Lady Grey, wild berries to name a few) over a few sessions, we finally finished our tea time with mother sessions. And it did, in fact, bring us closer together. We don’t normally schedule much time to see each other… but she texted me a few days later with another idea.
“When is our next tea time?😀Maybe next time we can sample chocolates! 🍫I'll do the eating. You do the writing! 😂”
It sounded great, but I had to remind her I had two housesitting gigs that would keep me busy for three weeks.
“Okay,” her text read. “So you're gone until the 16th? I'm going to miss my tea buddy.🙉.”
Me too, mom. Me too.
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Kavish Harjai
is on a general assignment shift today.
Published May 7, 2026 1:02 PM
It’s the first time in 30 years that the university system is introducing new bachelor’s degrees.
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Garvin Tso
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California State University
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The California State University Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday to approve three new bachelor’s degree types, including one for people interested in becoming teachers.
Why: One reason cited for the new degree types is to appeal to nontraditional learners, like adults or people returning to school. The degree types could be achieved with a lower number of credits than is typically required of a Bachelor of Science or Arts. That’s meant to help CSU campuses create more “nimble” programs for students, according to Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Nathan Evans.
The degrees: The new degree types include Bachelors of Education, Professional Studies and Applied Studies.
Read on… for more details on the new degrees.
The California State University Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday to approve three new bachelor’s degree types, including one for people interested in becoming teachers.
The new degree types could be achieved with fewer credits than what’s typically required for Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees. They were designed to be flexible for adults, people returning to higher education and those who have a job while in school.
It’s the first time in 30 years that the university system is introducing new bachelor’s degrees.
At a committee meeting earlier in the week, Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Nathan Evans said the new degree types aren’t meant to replace traditional bachelor's degrees.
“They will provide more options for more nimble innovative program designs for a broader set of new learners,” Evans said during a presentation at the May 5 committee meeting.
Evans cited lowering rates of high school graduation in California, more competition and changing technology, including AI, as challenges facing higher education.
“Additional undergraduate degree frameworks … can better align with particular career goals, reduce the time required for students to earn a degree or … to offer more immediate access to economic and social mobility,” he said.
The degree types
One of the new degree types is a Bachelor of Education. CSU campuses could design programs through the degree to “complement other pathways to the teaching and education profession,” according to a CSU news release. California has had persistent issues with teacher staffing, a result of teacher turnover and the expense of getting certification, among other issues.
Another one of the new degree types is a Bachelor of Professional Studies, which would include courses of study that are interdisciplinary and focused on management, communication and leadership. CSU said in its news release that this degree type is flexible and would allow people to “integrate prior college coursework, professional certifications, military training and work experience.”
In board documents about the new degree types, CSU officials said universities across the country offer such programs, including Syracuse University. The private university in central New York offers several programs ranging from cybersecurity to project management as a Bachelor of Professional Studies.
The Bachelor of Applied Studies is focused on “students with backgrounds in applied, technical or vocational fields.” Programs offered through this degree type at other universities in the country cited by CSU, like the University of Pennsylvania, include data analytics, communication and physical and life sciences.
When do these new programs start?
CSU campuses are not required to offer programs through the new degree types; the new policy instead allows each individual campus to “begin to envision and design” such programs, the university system said in a statement. Those that choose to do so have flexibility in determining the number of credits required to achieve the degree.
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From left, Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton at a CNN California gubernatorial debate in Monterey Park Wednesday.
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Ethan Swope
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AP Photo
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Topline:
Onetime progressive darling Katie Porter’s campaign for governor stalled over viral videos that critics say showed temperament issues. Seven months later, they’re still her biggest liability.
Why now: The Democratic former congressmember from Orange County released an ad this week addressing her lowest moment so far in her race for governor: a video showing her yelling at a staffer who came into the frame of her Zoom interview, telling her to “get out of my f–king shot.”
Why it matters: The video came out in October on the heels of another viral video in which Porter argued with a reporter and threatened to walk out of an interview. Porter was widely panned as being unable to control her temper. She took a hit in the polls and hasn’t climbed back since.
Read on... for more on Porter.
Katie Porter is taking her L’s in stride.
The Democratic former congressmember from Orange County released an ad this week addressing her lowest moment so far in her race for governor: a video showing her yelling at a staffer who came into the frame of her Zoom interview, telling her to “get out of my f–king shot.”
The video came out in October on the heels of another viral video in which Porter argued with a reporter and threatened to walk out of an interview.
Porter was widely panned as being unable to control her temper. She took a hit in the polls and hasn’t climbed back since.
In the new ad, she references it: “Now, could you guys please get out of my shot?” she says lightheartedly with a crowd of laughing, whiteboard-wielding supporters behind her.
It’s a risk for her campaign, designed to show Porter can make fun of herself and isn’t avoiding talking about her perceived weaknesses. If the yelling incident was the worst thing about her, the ad suggests, there’s not much to be afraid of.
But it’s also a reminder that she doesn’t have much to lose in the final weeks of a race that has largely passed her by.
Last fall, Porter, a UC Irvine law professor, was one of the more recognizable names in the field, with national liberal accolades for refusing corporate donations, flipping a Republican congressional seat in the 2018 blue wave and for grilling CEOs in Congressional hearings.
But the progressive, who supports single-payer health care, free child care and college tuition and higher taxes on large corporations, has struggled to sustain a liberal base. Many coveted factions of the state’s Democratic establishment, including major labor unions, have coalesced around former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, billionaire Tom Steyer, or at one point, now-disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell.
Addisu Demissie, a Democratic strategist who ran Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2018 campaign and his successful campaign against a recall in 2021, said he’s surprised Porter hasn’t won more Democratic support after Swalwell’s exit a month ago. In polls, voters have instead flocked to Becerra while Sacramento power players like Planned Parenthood of California, SEIU, the California Medical Association and the California Teachers Association have split between him and Steyer.
The videos “arrested any momentum she may have had,” Demissie said. “That matters in a race like this, where fundraising matters and elite opinion certainly matters. I think that has hamstrung her.”
'There’s this perception that women should not exhibit anger.'
— Sacramento State University professor Kimberly Nalder
Now, Porter is the only woman left in a crowded field of eight, apparently losing the race based on personality. Her fundraising over the past four months has been lukewarm, with campaign donors giving her just under $3 million — less than she raised in the second half of last year.
To experts, it shows voters and political insiders continue to hold female candidates to higher standards than men.
“One thing that has hurt her is evidence of her anger coming out,” said Sacramento State University professor Kimberly Nalder, who researches gender and politics. “There’s this perception that women should not exhibit anger, but it’s perceived as strong when men do it.”
Porter tries calculated restraint
The videos were particularly damaging for Porter because they appeared to confirm longtime speculation that she’s a harsh boss and a “scold.”
She’s repeatedly asked about them during forums and debates. One political strategist told CalMatters Porter could secure the “angry woman vote” but not much else.
Porter has said the incidents captured on video were mistakes, that she apologized to the staff member she yelled at and that they continued to work together. She told the San Francisco Chronicle that the staffer recently sent her a text expressing support. Last month, the Washington Post reported, 30 former staffers signed an open letter calling the videos “a caricature built from a few clips on a bad day.” The letter’s organizer, Maine congressional candidate Jordan Wood, did not respond to an interview request made to his campaign.
In recent weeks she’s sought to more directly counter the temperament questions. During two televised debates in the past two weeks, she made calculated displays of restraint, holding back several times as the other candidates — all men — squabbled around her, and, at times, interrupted her.
“I can’t believe that on a stage with 30 minutes of interrupting and bickering and name-calling and shouting and disrespect for everyone up here who’s stepping into public service, that anyone wants to talk about my temperament,” she said during a debate Tuesday night on CNN.
“You are actually interrupting them, too,” Republican candidate Chad Bianco retorted, though Porter had waited for the moderators to call on her.
In an interview last month, Porter would not say whether she thinks sexism has stalled her, but said as the only woman in the race, and a single mother of three, she relates to voters.
“I can’t really comment on how every voter thinks about everything,” she said. “Women understand better what it’s like to push the shopping cart, what it’s like to have to write that check for that permission slip. Those are decisions that I’ve made. I think I have an ability to relate to Californians precisely because I’m a mom.”
Progressives have questions
She’s also struggled to attract solid liberal support as she appeared to vacillate on key progressive issues.
In Congress, Porter was a vocal supporter of “Medicare for All,” but last year she told Politico single-payer health care was unrealistic for California.
The proposal is estimated to cost the state nearly $400 billion and would need federal approval — a non-starter with President Donald Trump. Yet supporting single-payer remains a progressive rallying cry, and a litmus test for the left.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter speaks during The Western Growers California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum in Fresno on April 1, 2026.
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Larry Valenzuela
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CalMatters
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She also raised eyebrows by courting the support of billionaire crypto executive Chris Larsen, who is spending his money this year fighting proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy. He donated to Porter’s campaign last year before revoking his support in March when she endorsed a San Francisco ballot measure to raise taxes on corporations with highly paid CEOs. Larsen, who supports Republican Steve Hilton, declined to comment through a spokesperson.
And she shocked labor leaders last month when she criticized the state’s agricultural overtime law. In a room full of farmers in Fresno, she got applause for saying regulations like the law that grants farmworkers overtime after 8 hours each day “don’t make sense.” Growers have tried for years to overturn or limit that law; early studies have found many have responded by cutting workers’ hours and hiring other contractors.
Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, which has jointly endorsed Porter, Steyer and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, saidPorter had previously given the federation a different answer about farmworker rights.
The comments prompted a flurry of weekend phone calls with union leaders before Porter clarified on social media that she supports the eight-hour workday.
“It was an educational experience for her,” said Gonzalez, who said she agrees Porter has been judged too harshly on temperament as a female candidate. “You can’t just be told something by business and just change your position on something, especially without coming and talking to us.”
Labor groups were also perplexed earlier this year when an independent political spending group supporting Porter’s candidacy received a $150,000 donation from Uber, which also gave to Hilton and a group supporting Swalwell. In response, the California Teamsters, which has endorsed Porter but opposes autonomous driving that Uber supports, withdrew its own $100,000 contribution. The union spent that money on its own ads supporting Porter.
A spokesperson for the political action committee, Danny Kazin, would not answer questions about who was directing the PAC’s activities. Uber spokesperson Zahid Arab did not respond to questions about the PAC or explain why the company supported Porter.
Porter denied that soliciting support from business has hurt her standing with progressives.
“I will talk to every Californian, every union, every business, every nonprofit, every entity, every local leader,” she said. “The job of the governor is to listen and to learn and then to make good decisions. I think it’s important that I’ve been talking to entities, including some that I haven’t had the chance to work with before.”
In the meantime, many progressives — even those who previously backed Porter — have flocked to Steyer. Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Cupertino Democrat, was one of Steyer’s earliest progressive backers in the race. Two years ago, he supported Porter in her quest for a U.S. Senate seat but said Steyer won him over this year campaigning against “the corporate status quo.”
“I have no regrets endorsing Katie Porter for the U.S. Senate where I think she would’ve been a great senator,” Lee said in a text message.
Steyer previously opposed single-payer but in December became a vocal proponent, earning him the endorsement of the Nurses Association. The state’s two major teachers unions also back him and SEIU jointly endorsed him and Becerra.
“It’s disappointing to me that some organizations and people that I really respect are not supporting Katie and are supporting Steyer,” said Sal Rosselli, president-emeritus of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, a longtime Porter backer.
Rosselli said he anticipated some of Porter’s perceived weaknesses and said it’s good that “she’s not so tight in Sacramento.” He said he hopes Porter’s new ad addressing the video would help turn things around.
“If a guy did that, this would not be happening, in terms of that reaction,” he said.