The Brief

Los Angeles Unified School District campuses could become cellphone- and social media-free places.

The Los Angeles Unified Board will consider on Tuesday directing staff to collect feedback and create a policy that would ban student phones and social media use from bell to bell.

“I think that we can do more to monitor the school day to make sure that kids are focused, that their mental health doesn't suffer, and that they get some more time to just be with one another,” said Board Member Nick Melvoin, who authored the resolution with Board President Jackie Goldberg and member Tanya Ortiz Franklin.

The district’s current policy technically bars phone and social media use in class, but educators say even that is unevenly enforced.

A yes vote on the resolution would direct district staff to revise the existing cellphone and social media policies and present a plan to the board that could be rolled out by the time students return from winter break in January 2025.

A no vote would maintain the district’s existing policy which prohibits cell phone and social media use during class time.

LAUSD joins California’s lawmakers and those from states across the country in trying to pry students’ attention from their devices during school.

Teenagers' near-constant use of cell phones and social media belies the reality that more than three-quarters of districts already have policies to restrict non-academic cell phone use at school.

Young people are experiencing increased feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and attempting suicide more often than a decade ago. Researchers are still trying to determine how and whether the parallel increase in smartphone and social media use is connected.

On one hand, this technology offers new avenues for friendship and connection, but increased use is also tied to poorer sleep, youth gun violence, and depression and anxiety.

What district policy says about phones now 

The district last revised its student cellphone policy in 2011 and its rules governing social media use in 2018.

Students are allowed to carry their devices, but they must be stored out of sight and off during school. Social media access is limited to "educational purposes" at school.

But educators say implementation of the existing policy varies from campus to campus and even from classroom-to-classroom.

“It's basically fallen to every single classroom teacher to protect their space,” said Venice High English teacher Hazel Kight Witham.

She worked with colleagues for the last year to try and implement a phone-free school policy, but was hampered, in part because of a lack of resources to store confiscated devices. Even efforts to bolster enforcement eroded as the school year went on.

School publication The Oarsman reported “some students feel nothing has changed,” in May.

“It's absolutely exhausting to try to continually stay vigilant,” Kight Witham said. “To tell students again and again the same thing, and still have it happen.”

Board member Melvoin said he’d like the district to consider investing in phone lockers or pouches that create a physical barrier between the student and their device and that it’s possible the funding could come from bonds.

“I really want it to be enforced so that it's not just an honor system,” Melvoin said. ”I don't want kids to feel the temptation or teachers to be policing it.”

The new policy would not restrict the use of district-issued tablets and computers. Families would also be notified about how to contact their child during school and in case of an emergency.

A bill recently passed in the California Assembly would require schools to adopt policies to limit student smartphone use by July 2026. Assembly Bill 3216 advanced to the state senate in late May.

Los Feliz parent Kaveri Nair said she wants her elementary-school aged son to attend a middle and high school with a strict cellphone policy in part so he learns to focus on the task at hand.

“Part of being in school is that you, like, learn to, hopefully, train your mind to sustain attention,” Nair said.

She also worries about bullying.

“I don't want this ruthless machine chewing him up, like people being cruel and ganging up,” Nair said. “It's already enough in real life, and it gets amplified so badly in social media.”

Lessons from a cellphone free middle school 

Katherine Johnson STEM Academy became a “phoneless campus” in spring 2022. The school enrolls about 150 students, largely from Westchester, Playa del Rey, and Playa Vista.

“We love technology,” said Principal Kyle Hunsberger, nodding to the T in the school’s name. “But the reality is that the devices that our kids were bringing to the classroom were causing anxiety, stress—a constant FOMO of what they were missing on their devices.”

Hunsberger, who started in LAUSD as a teacher 20 years ago, said that technology has far outpaced analog classroom distractions like note-passing and paper-football.

“The challenge with the cell phone is the constant barrage of notifications that students are receiving,” Hunsberger said.

Cellphones and wireless headphones are not allowed on campus from the moment a student enters to when the school day ends. Any student who brings a phone, affixes a sticker with their name and places it in a locker at the beginning of the day. Educators confiscate any visible devices and hold them until the end of the week.

Parents who need to reach their child call the school’s main office or use the school’s digital platforms to contact educators and administrators. Those same platforms also allow the school to contact families within minutes to provide urgent updates, for example, about a lockdown at the school.

Hunsberger also shares a Google voice number that rings his cell phone to parents.

“Teachers aren't spending their time having to tell kids over and over and over to put their phones away,” Hunsberger said. “It allows students to really be focused on the academic learning.”

Hunsberger said having a district-wide policy could make it easier for other schools to follow in the Academy’s footsteps.

Weigh in on LAUSD’s technology policies

LAist wants to hear from you too. Use the box below to tell us:

• The policy at your school
• The impact of social media and cell phone use on yourself, your child or students 
• What’s important for the district to consider as they explore creating a new policy

We’ll read every response and may be in touch for an upcoming story.

Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.

A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.

“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.

Ferrer is on the board of the new foundation, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, which held its first meeting Thursday.

She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.

Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.

“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”

Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.

The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.

Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.

If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.

Board members

The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA announced its founding board of directors, which includes:

• Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Department of Public Health director
• Debbie I. Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation CEO
• Sean Penn, actor and co-founder of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)
• Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care Health Plan CEO
• Saree Kayne, R&S Kayne Foundation CEO
• Danny Trejo, actor and restaurateur
• Jarrett Barrios, an executive at the American Red Cross
• Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine Dean
• Kristin McCowan, an executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.

But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.

“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.

The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.

The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.

The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.

Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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“Over the  next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino,  president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.

Getting venues ready will be expensive

The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.

The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.

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A $360 million proposal to spruce up asphalt in parking lots around Exposition Park won’t be done in time for the Olympics, as originally planned. Meanwhile, just up the street, there’s concern that a $2.6 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center, which is hosting Olympic wrestling, fencing and judo in 2028 won’t be ready for the Olympics.

Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.

Topline:

About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.

Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.

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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo

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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”

About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. 

Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling. 

According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said. 

The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members. 

Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred. 

According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained. 

Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs. 

Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.  

“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.

Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.  

“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”

Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students. 

“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.

Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation. 

Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated. 

Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students. 

“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?” 

In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.

The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction. 

The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April. 

“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”

Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said. 

“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said. 

Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.

“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.