The Brief

In California, students who need help paying for college have two options: U.S. citizens can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Undocumented students fill out the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) to get state-funded support.

FAFSA completion rates went down this year, a dip largely attributed to glitches and other obstacles that arose after a U.S. Department of Education revamp last December.

But Dream Act application numbers took an even harder fall. According to the California Student Aid Commission, as of July 22, there has been a nearly 16% drop in applications (4,940), compared to just about 6% for FAFSA. Among new filers and high school seniors, CADAA completion is down by 20% (1,877).

Completing the Dream Act application allows students to be considered for state aid, scholarships, and loans. For many students, these financial aid packages determine where, or even if, they go on to pursue higher education.

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Courtesy California Student Aid Commission

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Problems unique to 2024

Unlike FAFSA, Dream Act completion has fallen year-to-year since at least 2019, with an especially significant drop during the pandemic.

Marcos Montes, policy director at the Southern California College Attainment Network, said this year’s drop was likely impacted by the chaos that surrounded FAFSA.

“Students were hearing from their peers that the FAFSA was giving them a lot of problems,” Montes said. And “a high school senior often doesn't distinguish between one application and another — they're just hearing about all these negative experiences. And many get discouraged.”

Denise Luna, director of Higher Ed Policy at The Education Trust-West, said it didn’t help that the Dream Act application was released in December, instead of its traditional release date in October.

According to California Student Aid Commission spokesperson Shelveen Ratnam, “the Commission needed time to be able to program the CADAA and test the application to ensure it was consistent with the new changes to the FAFSA,” and reliable for students.

Still, college access advocates want to avoid repeating this year’s financial aid fiasco. Along with 24 other organizations representing counselors, college administrators, and college access advocates, The Education Trust wrote to the U.S. Department of Education, asking the administration to commit to the traditional launch date for the upcoming FAFSA application cycle. The organization is asking state officials to do the same for CADAA.

Montes also pointed to the political climate as a possible factor. “With the 2024 election, we have candidates who are promising strict enforcement and mass deportations,” he said, and that can make students wary of “submitting very personal information to government agencies” — even though California has promised not to share it with the federal government.

Looking toward the future, Montes added: “We also know that the [number] of 18-year-olds is going to start decreasing over the next couple of years,” and that could have an impact on college enrollment.

Common, ongoing problems

Alouette Cervantes-Salazar oversees the Dream Resource Center at East Los Angeles College, where undocumented students can get help completing the financial aid form. Over the years, she’s noticed that students sometimes encounter problems that can be easily prevented.

High school seniors, for instance, often use their school emails for their CADAA. But when they graduate, they lose access to those emails — and to the account they created. Another common issue is when students don’t use the same name on their CADAA as they do on their ID, such as “Juan” and “John.”

This might seem trivial, Cervantes-Salazar said, but to fix it, students have to call the California Student Aid Commission and share their ID.

“It could be one little thing, one little thing that doesn't match, and it could just stop the process,” she said.

Cervantes-Salazar has also noticed that many students assume they don’t qualify for aid. At ELAC’s Dream Resource Center, she’s worked with students who are fresh out of high school. Others have been away from school for years, or even decades.

For some of those older students, finding out that they qualify for financial aid can be an emotional experience. “We’ve had people crying, saying things like: ‘All this time I’ve wasted,’” she said.

What’s being done to help students?

To boost financial aid application rates, the California Student Aid Commission advocated for AB 469, the universal completion law that requires all high school seniors to submit a financial aid application or formally opt out.

The agency also sought to make college more affordable and make it easier for students to get the aid they need by merging the CADAA and the AB 540 affidavit, which allows eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. That turns a two-step process into one step.

The commission is also in the process of launching a new campaign with culturally relevant messaging and partnerships with social media influencers.

Aranza Mejia is a third year political science major at Cal State Fullerton.

She completed the CADAA for the first time a few years ago, when she was a senior at Schurr High School in Montebello. Back then, the process took “a couple days,” she said.

“I was new to it, so I was asking questions from my high school teachers and gathering the documents for my parents,” Mejia added. This year, it took her less than an hour to complete her application, which she described as “more accessible and straightforward.”

Thanks to the aid she’s received, Mejia has so far managed to get through college without taking on any debt.

As the deadline for community college students to apply for financial aid approaches, college access advocates are doubling down on their summer outreach.

Ahead of September 3, the California Student Aid Commission will continue offering virtual webinars. The Southern California College Attainment Network is also providing dozens of in-person clinics, and Dream Resource Centers across the region are likewise offering their support.

“If you’re not sure if you qualify [for CADAA], ask,” said ELAC’s Cervantes-Salazar. If students find it hard to meet in-person, she and her staff are willing to meet over Zoom.

“Most [high school graduates] are not in school, so they don’t have access to their teachers or counselors,” Montes added. “We want to keep the momentum going.”

At the center of the 1998 film Practical Magic is a story of sisterhood — and, well, a healthy round of margaritas. In the newly released sequel, Practical Magic 2, the cocktails make their celebrated return.

Margaritas all around in Practical Magic 2

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Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

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For anyone who watched the original midnight margarita scene — with Aunt Franny, Aunt Jet and their nieces, Sally and Gillian Owens, gathering around their warm New England kitchen dancing to the tune of Harry Nilson's "Coconut" — the joyous boisterousness is likely seared well into memory.

As we turn toward Halloween, we figured the ghouls, witches and warlocks of Los Angeles may well be inspired to roam under the cloak of darkness seeking their own midnight margaritas.

Here are the best places to visit across the city that will be open to host your own shenanigans — at midnight and beyond. So go out past 10 p.m., live a little.

Bar Flores (Echo Park)

The hibiscus-infused Flores margarita at Bar Flores in Echo Park.

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Andrea Aliseda

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LAist

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The hibiscus-infused Flores margarita at Bar Flores delights with its pink hue and wonderfully balanced profile. Enjoy it with your choice of agave spirit, share a pitcher with friends, or have a Tommy or Cadillac margarita by request. Owner Karla Flores highlights their humpday special, Margarita Wednesday, where the margaritas are $9.

Daisy (Sherman Oaks)

Daisy's takes on the cocktail include mangoneada and baja slaw.

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Andrea Aliseda

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LAist

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Daisy, the bar in Sherman Oaks dedicated to margaritas, is fashioned as an Angeleno take on the norteño cantinas of Baja California that birthed the drink. Unique versions of the cocktail, like mangoneada margarita and baja slaw margarita, invigorate the experience, but salient standards like the Cadillac and Tommy margaritas make for a well-rounded menu.

Footsies (Cypress Park)

Footsies off-menu options include watermelon, classic lime, and spicy kumquat tamarindo.

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Andrea Aliseda

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LAist

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Footsies welcomes you with its black U-shaped tufted booths, wide dance floor, rustic charm and some quality midnight margaritas. Theirs are off-menu, but consist of watermelon, classic lime and spicy kumquat tamarindo. Beverage director Raul Morales says to look for the rotating chalkboard, which changes once a month, for his seasonally-inspired drinks.

Shim Sham (Filipinotown)

Shim Sham's offers a class margaritas, no strings attached.

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Andrea Aliseda

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LAist

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Count on this lively horseshoe bar, with their idiosyncratic whole dill pickle martini, to give you your midnight margarita fix. Shim Sham's is as classic as it can get, with just tequila, lime juice and sugar on ice. Pay them a visit during their nightly happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for an $8 margarita.

Mermaid (Little Tokyo)

Mermaid's version offers a sweet, tangy, tropical tide of guava and pineapple.

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Andrea Aliseda

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LAist

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Divey and glowing in blue light with an underwater motif, Mermaid in Little Tokyo is the place to go for a seaside take on the margarita. Their cocktail, tropical margarita, offers a sweet and boozy drink that is carried by the tangy, tropical tide of guava and pineapple for a refreshing sip.

People who have never relied on a food bank before are increasingly walking through the doors of Community Space Food Bank looking for something to eat.

Some tell founder Gaines Newborn that their CalFresh benefits have been reduced or ended. Others say they recently lost their jobs and do not know where else to turn.

“I hear the same story — hey I’ve never done this before. I need food. I need to make it a couple days. I’ve never done this before. My food stamps just ended. I have no idea what to do,” Newborn said.

The food bank typically saw between two and 10 new people a day. Since the beginning of this year, Newborn said, that number has climbed to about 30 to 40.

A customer picks up groceries at Community Space Food Bank. The food bank operates a community-choice pantry where customers can select the food they need.

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Hanna Kang

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The LA Local

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That demand is coming as the food bank is dealing with its own financial challenges. Community Space Food Bank is trying to raise $17,000 to cover its expenses for the next two months while also working to buy the building where it operates.

“Every food bank tries their best, but funding is not always there. I think the biggest issue with food banks is that they’re only open once a month, once a week,” Newborn said. “So us being here daily … people thank us everyday and that’s why I’m here everyday. And I can’t see this place go.”

The food bank has been open seven days a week for more than two years, including through a fire last year. It serves about 150 hot meals a day and about 100 families through its pantry, Newborn said.

The pantry operates on a suggested-donation model, and people who cannot afford to pay can still receive food. It is stocked with donations from local supermarkets, restaurants and farmers markets. Newborn said donors include Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Lassens, Lazy Acres and Mother’s Market.

A community fridge operated in partnership with LA Community Fridges sits outside the pantry and is available 24 hours a day.

“Our whole goal is to make sure no one goes hungry, no food goes to waste,” Newborn said. “There’s no ID, nothing required here, just show up for services.”

Keeping the food bank open has also come with a string of setbacks. Two vans were stolen, another broke down recently and three freezers have stopped working, Newborn said. A unit damaged in last year’s fire remains unusable, but the organization is still paying rent on it.

“That’s really kind of eaten into our ability to survive,” he said.

The building where the food bank operates is also for sale. Newborn wants to buy the property so the organization can stay there and have more stability.

Newborn and his wife, Hang, also want to expand the food bank’s freeze-drying operation. They started exploring the technology during the pandemic as a way to preserve surplus food that might otherwise be thrown away.

Hang Newborn said the idea grew out of two problems she saw while working in education: people going hungry and food being wasted.

“That was a way to help us solve two problems, which is there’s too many hungry people, and then there’s food going to landfills and polluting our ozone,” she said.

The food bank currently has eight freeze-drying machines and hopes to eventually have 30.

The idea also became personal for Gaines Newborn after his father died last year at 91. His father had difficulty chewing, so the family began freeze-drying foods that could be broken down and added to soups.

“We started freeze drying and realized you can crumble steak into a soup. You can crumble fruits, veggies, corn, carrots, things that are hard to eat, and he was able to maintain his nutrition,” Gaines Newborn said.

Hang Newborn said the long-term goal is to open a freeze-dry supermarket where people could buy food that can be prepared with hot water rather than relying on a stove or microwave.

“Freeze-drying would help us extend the window in which people could eat … people are given a finite time to eat, and most of the food is tethered to refrigeration,” she said.

Community Space Food Bank is located at 3615 Beverly Blvd. near Beverly Boulevard and Virgil Avenue. It’s open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Donations can be made through the food bank’s website.

The post Local food bank under pressure to expand as cuts to food services fuels demand appeared first on LA Local.

A criminal investigation is underway Tuesday at the burned Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights.

Agents with California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control Criminal Investigations Bureau, a law-enforcement unit that investigates potential violations of the state’s hazardous-waste laws, are serving a search warrant at the site. Surveillance video showed law enforcement arriving around 7:30 a.m., and some remained on scene as of midday Tuesday.

An agent with the department confirmed that the Office of Criminal Investigations is the lead agency but declined to comment further. Several investigators with badges from the LA County District Attorney’s office were also present. The office later confirmed it assisted DTSC in serving the search warrant and is supporting the department’s ongoing investigation.

In a statement, Lineage — which operates cold-storage facilities around the world — said that it works collaboratively with various regulatory agencies.

“To be clear, we do not store hazardous chemicals or products in this facility. We store food. Further, the facility’s ammonia refrigeration system was safely pumped out shortly after the fire began and before the fire reached the refrigeration system. The ammonia was subsequently removed from the site. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no ammonia was detected during its response, and subsequent environmental monitoring has consistently shown results within normal levels for the neighborhood and no ammonia concentrations above health-based action levels. We have shared relevant testing and monitoring information on our website and with regulatory agencies and will continue to do so,” the statement said.

In the weeks after the fire, community testing as well as data from Lineage and the South Coast Air Quality Management District showed elevated levels of ammonia near the warehouse. Community members found the results alarming, though Lineage and regulators stressed the levels didn’t meet the threshold to take action to protect public health.

Last week, Eastside Padres held a press conference outside the warehouse,calling on the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to open a criminal investigation of the warehouse fire after the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that the cause of the fire could not be determined.

A person who works at the facility said the operation started earlier Tuesday morning. Employees initially believed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were involved, but soon found they were not.

Anna Rivas works at Ciclon Pallets across the street from the Lineage parking lot where agents served the search warrant. A man driving a truck and a large trailer had to expertly back into her garage to pick up a load of pallets, dodging the law enforcement vehicles parked nearby.

The business’s surveillance cameras captured a police vehicle with lights and siren pulling up to the facility at about 7:30 a.m., with about 20 unmarked vehicles approaching soon after and entering the parking lot or stopping to block the entrance.

Rivas said the pallet company had to shut down for about a month and a half around the time of the fire, citing respiratory problems for workers and a loss of business.

“We thought we finally had our space back to do our work,” Rivas said. “But no, here we go again.”

She said the police did not question her or her colleagues, and she added she hopes the neighborhood gets the justice it deserves after months of disruption related to the fire.

In a statement, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said she welcomed the investigation “as a positive step toward the transparency and answers Boyle Heights residents deserve.”

“This community has lived with the consequences of the Lineage warehouse fire for months. Residents deserve to know what happened, what risks remain, and who must be held accountable.”

“Investigators must be able to follow the evidence wherever it leads, and their findings should help give residents the information they need about their health, safety, and the future of this site. I will continue pushing for those answers, a safe and complete cleanup, and accountability for any violations uncovered. Boyle Heights should not be left to shoulder the consequences of this disaster.”

The office of Mayor Karen Bass also acknowledged the investigation, stating:

“The residents of Boyle Heights and East L.A. deserve environmental justice and corporate accountability. Mayor Bass has been working with many agencies to protect this community. In her emergency executive order, Mayor Bass called for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to investigate and pursue enforcement action at the Lineage warehouse.”

The fire at the cold storage warehouse broke out on June 17 and burned for eight days. The fire and cleanup of millions of pounds of rotting food caused a flood of issues for residents living in Boyle Heights, East LA and surrounding communities, including an infestation of flies and pests, nausea and headaches, higher utility bills and other health concerns.

The Los Angeles Fire Department could not determine the cause of the fire but said solar panels could not be ruled out as an ignition and fuel source.

Boyle Heights Beat reporter Laura Anaya-Morga contributed to this report.

Eva Marie Saint, the pale, willowy actor who won an Academy Award for her first movie, “On the Waterfront,” and starred opposite Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest,” has died. She was 102.

Saint, whose acting work lasted well into her 90s, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, confirmed family representative Jeff Sanderson.

Saint had one of the most spectacular debuts in Hollywood history, as the love interest of Marlon Brando’s tormented Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” and her first trip to the Academy Awards was memorable too. Pregnant with her first child, Saint accepted her Oscar from Frank Sinatra and smilingly murmured a unique winner’s speech: “I think I may have the baby right here.” (Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.)

The award for the 1954 classic made her an instant star, but she soon astonished Hollywood with a firm independence that would mark her career. She refused offers of studio contracts and declined chances to follow up on her great success, explaining that she was taking time off to become acquainted with her new son. (A daughter, Laurette, was born in 1958.)

A curated career

In her first decade in Hollywood, Saint appeared in a mere seven films. She declined such top-level productions as “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” with Gregory Peck, “Summer and Smoke” with Laurence Harvey and “The Rainmaker” with Burt Lancaster. She credited her husband, TV and stage director Jeffrey Hayden, with persuading her to star in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” the classic 1959 thriller in which Saint plays a spy who seduces Grant, but ends up falling for him.

“I vividly remember him saying, ‘Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I’ll take care of the children and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,’” she told Vanity Fair in 2014. “He was so right. And that’s what husbands are for.”

Instead of being put off by her selectivity, studios continued offering her starring roles in such films as “Exodus” (with Newman), “Raintree County” (Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift) and “All Fall Down,” with Warren Beatty.

She turned more to television in the 1970s and enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1980s as the mother of Cybill Shepherd in the hit sitcom “Moonlighting” and as Tom Hanks’ mother in the film comedy “Nothing in Common.” She won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries “People Like Us,” and had roles in such 21st century movies as “Because of Winn-Dixie,” “Superman Returns” and “Winter’s Tale,” adapted from Mark Helprin’s novel of the same name. In 2021, she played Marisa Tomei’s aunt in the brief audio play “The Bus Ride,” part of “The Pack Podcast.”

Saint was married to Hayden for 55 years, until his death in 2016.

That was her real name

When Saint emerged in the public consciousness, many believed her theatrical-sounding name must have been invented. She was born with it on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. The family moved to Delmar, a small town near Albany, New York, where her father was a Goodrich Rubber Co. manager. Eva’s goal was to become a third-grade teacher like her mother, but at Bowling Green State University in Ohio she tried out for a play and won the leading role.

After graduation she lived with her parents in Flushing, Long Island, and began hunting for acting jobs in Manhattan. After a fruitless year, she landed a two-line role as a telephone operator on a radio drama and soon was working steadily on soap operas and nighttime dramas, appearing for two years as Claudia on “One Man’s Family.” Network television was booming in the early 1950s, and her looks and dramatic sense made her a favorite with casting people and producers.

She credited Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome shyness

A critical turn in Saint’s career came when she auditioned before Elia Kazan and was accepted into the Actors Studio, which shaped a generation of method-actor stars. She credited acting coach Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome her shyness.

“Lee Strasberg, when he got to know me a little bit, gave me a scene to do where I had to cry in front of my peers,” she told The Santa Barbara Independent in 2009. “I worried about it, I worked on it, I tried to use what I was learning at the studio. I finally did the scene, and I cried, and my peers were crying with me. It was just an incredible moment for me.”

Saint was rejected for the single female role in the play “Mister Roberts,” but was hired to understudy the actor chosen, Jocelyn Brando, Marlon’s sister. In six frustrating months Saint never got to substitute for Brando. She finally made it to Broadway in “A Trip to Bountiful,” which she had played on television.

Kazan invited her to try out for the female lead in “On the Waterfront” by improvising a scene with Brando. She was told to try to stop a young man from entering her apartment. She told the Los Angeles Times in 2001: “All I know is that Marlon got in the door and turned on the music. We started dancing. He flicked my skirt. Kazan saw the sparks fly, and that’s how I got the part.”

Thomas, a former Associated Press Hollywood correspondent who died in 2014, was the primary writer of this obituary.