Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published December 16, 2024 5:00 AM
What is the LAUSD school board and how do I put them to work for me?
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Olivia Hughes
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LAist
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Topline:
Voters elected two new Los Angeles Unified board members and returned two incumbents to their seats in November. Now it’s time to hold them accountable.
Why it matters: More than 538,000 students attend traditional public and charter schools in Los Angeles Unified. The district is also the county’s second largest employer with more than 74,000 educators, administrators, and support staff on its payroll.
The board:
Hires, fires and evaluates the superintendent. While the school board sets policy, the superintendent manages day-to-day LAUSD operations. The current superintendent is Alberto Carvalho.
A recent decision: The board voted 5-2 in June to ban student cellphone and social media use during the school day amid rising concerns about the impact of the technologies on youth mental health. The new restrictions take effect in February.
More than 400,000 students attend traditional public and charter schools in Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest district in the nation. LAUSD runs the schools in several other cities in L.A. County, too, such as West Hollywood and South Gate.
The district is also the county’s second largest employer with more than 83,000 educators, administrators, substitutes and support staff on its payroll.
LAUSD doesn't fit neatly into "city" or "county" categories. Although it's enshrined in the L.A. City Charter, LAUSD operates independently of City Hall. That's why you elect school board members directly. That also makes L.A. the largest city in the country in which the mayor has no direct control over the school board.
What can the school board do?
School board members have a lot of power. Among other things, school board members:
Hire, fire and evaluate the superintendent. While the school board sets policy, the superintendent manages day-to-day LAUSD operations. The board placed current superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave and appointed Andres Chait, a longtime administrator, acting superintendent in February.
Early learning and care: Every 4-year-old in California is now eligible for free pre-kindergarten classes, or transitional kindergarten (also known as TK).
Advocating for immigrant and LGBTQ+ students: In August, the school district announced a slew of additional protections for immigrant students, and had previously announced more protections for LGBTQ+ staff, and families of students, as a response to the policies of the second Trump administration.
School Game Plan
Enter your email to follow School Game Plan and learn how to navigate and get involved in your child’s education.
How much money do school board members make?
A committee appointed by local politicians sets the salary and benefits for LAUSD board members.
As of July 2025, LAUSD school board members receive:
$52,000 if they have another source of employment income.
$130,000 if they do not have another source of employment income.
These salaries increase 1% annually through July 2027.
Before 2017, the board’s pay was based on starting teacher salaries at the time, about $45,000 a year.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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When do I want to bring something to the board’s attention?
San Fernando Valley mom Roxann Nazario has spent years advocating for her children’s education and on behalf of others in the community.
She said the first person to talk to about your child’s education is their teacher, but if you don’t feel like your question or problem is being addressed, reach out to the principal and other school staff. Then try the regional superintendents — find your region here and the contact information for who’s in charge here.
“There's a chain of command and you have to work your way all the way up,” Nazario said.
To contact the board member who represents your local school or neighborhood (more on how to find them below), you’ll likely first speak to someone who works for their office.
While there’s no guarantee that a board member can or will solve the problem at your individual school, board members LAist has interviewed often pride themselves on listening to and intervening at the local level.
If your goal is to draw wider public attention to an issue — or success — at your child’s school, you might consider attending a board meeting.
The board also has several committees. These meetings are an opportunity to learn more about specific topics and weigh in on policy development, but major decisions must be voted on by the full board.
This includes all board members and often previews upcoming policy decisions
Don’t miss a meeting
You can sign up to have board meeting agendas and other district news emailed to you.
There is an opportunity to speak directly to the board, and whoever may be watching the meeting, during public comment.
Nazario suggests you watch the livestream of a meeting or attend one in person to familiarize yourself with the order of business.
Speakers must pre-register and can comment by phone or in person. They are generally limited to two minutes.
“Don't be afraid to be emotional,” Nazario said. “Don't be afraid to stumble over your words. Like that just shows that you're human and you're not scripted… . You're a real parent just giving your story.”
While board members typically don’t answer questions or respond in the moment, they can dispatch members of their staff to meet with you about your comment. Speaking publicly can also help connect you to other parents, educators and journalists who may report on what you’ve shared.
Hear it from a parent
This summer middle school parent Lyra Kilston read an LAist story about the possibility of a student cellphone ban in LAUSD.
“Phones and social media and mental health and all of that stuff is almost an obsessive topic for certain parents with kids this age,” Kilston said. ”I felt kind of galvanized by the fact that this was being discussed.”
For the first time, she signed up to speak during public comment to express her support for the ban.
“It kind of felt like most of the board members' minds had probably been made up before they came to that meeting,” Kilston said. “But it still felt valuable to be contributing to the conversation.”
Kilston said the experience also helped her better understand who leads the district.
“Seeing all of these people in the process of doing their job made it more real to me,” Kilston said.
Her message for other parents?
“ It was a lot easier than I would have thought to actually voice my opinion to the board.”
Who is on the school board?
Board members are elected to four-year terms (with a maximum of three full terms), and represent different geographical areas.
The board also streams its meetings online, and offers American Sign Language and Spanish interpretation.
Community members can also request interpretation in other languages by contacting the Board Secretariat at secretariat@lausd.net or (213) 241-7002.
Parking in downtown L.A. can be an adventure. We made a map, below, of district-sanctioned and unofficial lots in the area.
What challenges does the district face?
Balancing LAUSD’s budget: The board has adopted spending plans for the past two years that rely on billions of dollars in reserves to close the gap between expenses and revenue. School leaders say without change, the district could deplete its reserves within a few years. In February, a divided board approved the elimination of more than 650 jobs as part of a plan to cut spending. Decisions about more layoffs and school closures could be on the horizon.
Continuing academic improvement: LAUSD students have achieved notable gains on California's standardized math and reading tests in recent years. Scores rose above pre-pandemic levels in the 2024-2025 school year, outpacing state growth, but the reality remains the majority of students do not meet benchmark scores for any subject. Among the most vocal parents are those of students with disabilities, who say schools failed to meet their children’s needs during distance learning.
Shoring up enrollment: The district’s enrollment has declined for more than two decades. There are also fewer immigrant students attending L.A. schools in the wake of the Trump Administration’s widespread immigration arrests. California uses attendance to set school funding levels— over time fewer students means a smaller multiplier for state funding.
Mental health: In various surveys and reporting, many students say their mental health suffered far more than their transcripts during the pandemic, and schools have struggled to hire enough school counselors and social workers. The school board will have to figure out how to maintain and grow mental health support for students.
Green schools: The majority of LAUSD schools lack cool, shaded places for students to play and learn outdoors. The district has allocated tens of millions of dollars to cool campuses in recent years and estimates it could cost up to $3 billion and take decades, to reach its greening goals.
What if my child attends a charter school?
Charter School 101
Who’s in charge? An independent nonprofit organization with an un-elected board. Some charter schools are affiliated with public districts.
Who funds them? Taxpayers. Charter schools are publicly funded.
Is there tuition? No.
What makes them different from regular public schools? Charter schools are exempt from many laws that govern public education.
The LAUSD board’s influence on charter schools varies and in many cases, charters have boards separate from the district.
Affiliated charter schools are those operated by the district and the LAUSD board’s decisions influence their operations in a similar way to a traditional public school.
Independent charter schools are run by a separate, nonprofit organization. And day-to-day operations are overseen by a separate board, often appointed by the school’s founders or nonprofit leaders.
They might decide on everything from curriculum to hiring and student discipline.
“ The district doesn't generally have any control over any of those local decisions, provided that those decisions are not unlawful or discriminatory,” said Ricardo Soto, chief advocacy officer and general counsel for the California Charter Schools Association.
Charter school operators oversee a much smaller staff and student body than many public school districts.
“It's much more accessible for parents or for guardians of children to attend those board meetings and to get involved," Soto said. “Charter schools are really dependent on their school communities for anything to happen.”
Find out who is on the board, when they meet and how to contact them on your school’s website or by asking your child’s teacher.
Cleanup of the Lineage food storage warehouse has been underway since the fire was put out. The smell of the rotting waste is leading air quality and other officials to get involved.
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Genaro Molina
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Air regulators on Thursday ordered Lineage Logistics to strengthen odor-control measures and expand air-monitoring as a result of the massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights last June. Lineage representatives said many of the requirements had already been implemented at the site. Others, including a community communication plan, were expected to happen within five days, the company said.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District Board did not require Lineage to pay any financial penalties, which several elected officials, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, had requested in light of the numerous air quality violations it had been issued.
Why it matters: The decision came after dozens of residents who spoke at the two-day public hearing described enduring weeks of foul odors and health concerns.
Read on... for more updates on the cleanup effort.
Air regulators on Thursday ordered Lineage Logistics to strengthen odor-control measures, expand air monitoring and improve communication with residents as cleanup of the burned warehouse continues.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board unanimously approved an abatement order on the second day of a public hearing into a series of air quality violations tied to the June fire in Boyle Heights.
The board did not require Lineage to pay any financial penalties, which several elected officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, had requested in light of the numerous air quality violations it had been issued.
Lineage is required, among other things, to:
Each day remove 10%, or about 8.8 million pounds, of the food waste stored in the facility at the time of the fire;
Conduct more monitoring for airborne pollutants further from the warehouse;
Increase communication with the community, including providing updates on the cleanup in Spanish.
Many of the order’s requirements had already been implemented at the site, Lineage representatives said, while the community communication plan and increased air quality monitoring is expected to happen within five days.
Representatives for AQMD said the order was designed to strike a balance between swift food waste removal and work to control the odors plaguing the community. AQMD focuses specifically on air pollution regulation.
Dominic DiCarlo, Lineage’s vice president of global safety and compliance, said that he believes all of the rotting bulk food items will be removed by next week, without citing a specific date. He added that it would take another week to remove the rest of the material and fully disinfect the facility.
Bass ordered that all biohazard food waste be removed from the facility by Aug. 14. It’s unclear if Lineage will meet the mayor’s deadline.
DiCarlo said the company expects to spend between $80 million and $100 million on the cleanup and remediation of the burn site. He claims that about 80% of the approximately 88 million pounds of food stored at the facility has been removed to about 10 landfills and recycling facilities in Southern California and Arizona.
“This order will ensure that there are enforceable conditions on [Lineage] as it completes this cleanup project, which will minimize odor impacts on the community and expedite removal of food waste which is the source of these odors,” said Josephine Lee, senior deputy counsel for AQMD.
Anjanette Gile
is a 2026 summer news intern and senior at Cal State L.A.
Published August 6, 2026 3:28 PM
The metal skeleton of a tricycle sits near a pile of ash in January 2025 in the Pacific Palisades.
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Chris Delmas
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
A new guide from a group of local scientists helps Angelenos affected by the 2025 L.A. fires navigate questions about soil testing and clean up.
Why it matters: When the Eaton and Palisades fires burned down houses and garages, items including paint, kitchen appliances and car batteries released dangerous substances into the environment. Exposure to these substances can increase the risk of respiratory, neurological and reproductive problems, as well as certain cancers.
How to get your soil tested: If you suspect that your soil may be contaminated, the guide suggests two main options for getting it tested. One option is to hire specialists to come to your house to collect and test samples. The other option is collect them yourself and submit them for testing.
Read on … to learn who might need soil testing, the steps involved and how soil can be cleaned up.
A new guide from a group of local scientists helps Angelenos affected by the 2025 L.A. fires navigate questions about soil testing and clean up.
Sujeet Rao, the health and well-being practice director at Public Exchange at USC, who contributed to the guide, said it's a response to questions that he and other contributors knew residents had.
“We all came together … to help fire affected families understand and navigate questions they may have about environmental contamination related to the fires,” Rao said.
The guide includes information about soil contamination, testing, cleanup methods and ways to reduce your exposure risk.
The dangers of soil contamination
When the Eaton and Palisades fires burned down houses and garages, items including paint, kitchen appliances and car batteries released dangerous substances into the environment.
Exposure to these substances can increase the risk of respiratory, neurological and reproductive problems, as well as certain cancers.
Lead was the most common concern, according to the scientists’ testing.
Rao said that’s worrying because lead is a neurotoxin.
“What that means is that [for] especially young children whose brains are still developing or women who are pregnant, lead can affect the development of the brain,” Rao said.
Ways to limit exposure to contaminated soil
While you’re waiting for testing results or remediation to be completed, you can minimize your exposure to many soil contaminants.
Wash your hands regularly.
Take off your shoes before going in the house.
Wet mop floors and wipe down surfaces.
Wipe off your pet’s paws and fur before letting them inside the house.
Purchase a HEPA vacuum or air purifier.
Should you test your soil?
Rao said it’s hard to say whether any specific property needs soil testing or cleanup, but gave some general guidelines.
If your house burned, definitely.
If you saw ash in the air, on the ground or otherwise near your house during the fires, get your soil tested.
If not, testing is likely unnecessary.
Other things to consider are the age of the houses that burned and their proximity to your property.
“We do know that if you’re in a neighborhood that has a lot of old housing, it is more likely that there is lead that could have been mobilized,” Rao said. “The inverse of that is, in the Palisades, we generally see much lower levels of lead contamination because the housing there tends to be so much newer.”
What to know about soil testing
The guide suggests two main options for going about testing.
One option is to hire specialists to come to your house to collect and test samples.
The other option is collect samples yourself and submit them to a testing program, such as USC CLEAN.
Both account for how the area is used, including whether children are playing outside or people are gardening.
Cleanup methods
If your soil test results are above the EPA or DTSC limits, the guide offers four main methods to clean it up.
Excavation: Removing the soil, throwing it out at a disposal facility and replacing it with clean soil.
Capping: Putting clean soil, gravel or another physical barrier between the contaminated soil and the people and animals who may come into contact with it.
Immobilization: Adding compost, phosphorus or other materials to stop the spread of contaminants.
Bioremediation: Putting plants, bacteria or fungi into the affected soil to break down biodegradable contaminants.
Some soil remediation can be paid for through insurance. Costs will depend on the size of your yard and which contaminants are present. The guide estimates that the least costly options are capping and immobilization, which can run around $10,000.
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By Will Weissert, Rebecca Santana | The Associated Press
Published August 6, 2026 3:21 PM
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington.
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Ale Brandon
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AP Photo
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Topline:
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens, in a sign that even after his first attempt at limiting birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court, he’s ready to try again.
Restricting automatic citizenship: The written executive order appeared to focus on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organizations as well as anyone considered an “alien enemy” of the United States. It also aimed to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents “engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship.”
Birth tourism: A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country. Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens, in a sign that even after his first attempt at limiting birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court, he’s ready to try again.
The president said he was signing two executive actions on immigration, including one limiting the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States.
The written executive order released later Thursday was narrower in scope than the previous one shot down by the Supreme Court and appeared to focus on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organizations, as well as anyone considered an “alien enemy” of the United States.
It also aimed to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents “engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship.”
A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country.
Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.
“I thought we were going to win it at the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, we had a bad decision, very unfair decision. Our country suffers because of it and we’re ending it a different way,” Trump said.
In June, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s previous efforts to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens, and upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship.
On Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, which allows anyone born in the United States to automatically become an American citizen.
Trump’s administration was immediately sued by opponents who said the executive order went against the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, which makes anyone born in the country a citizen, with very limited exceptions.
The executive order was blocked by several lower courts and never took effect.
In June, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s order by a 6-3 vote. But the vote was too close for many immigration advocates and legal observers who felt the legal question of birthright citizenship was a long-settled issue.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published August 6, 2026 2:53 PM
A spread from ALTO's new bar menu, including the Tongue & Trout Roe Toast, oysters, avocado ceviche and Milanga Fugazeta.
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Soledad Recatume
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Courtesy ALTO
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Topline:
ALTO chef-owners Esteban Klenzi and Juana Castellanos have launched a new bar and lounge, bringing Argentine vermouth culture and everyday Rioplatense dishes to the Studio City restaurant.
Why it matters: ALTO built its name on special-occasion asado, but the new bar menu — choripán, beef tongue, vermouth service — gives regulars a reason to come back during the week for a casual bite, not just for a milestone dinner.
Read on … for what to order, what to drink, and how the two chefs are turning ALTO into a neighborhood spot …
Just past the doorway at ALTO, off busy Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, the bar opens up under exposed post-and-beam ceilings, tanned cowhides hanging along the walls like abstract art.
Grab a seat at one of the small tables and settle in for the open-fire South American restaurant's new, more casual bar concept, where street food takes center stage from executive Chef Esteban Klenzi and co-founder Juana Castellanos.
In its first year, ALTO has already landed a spot in the Michelin Guide California.
One culture, two chefs
Both chefs came up through fine dining — including time in Spain's Basque Country — and watched their peers wear rigid, high-pressure kitchen culture as a badge of honor.
But Castellanos and Klenzi wanted something different.
For Klenzi, cooking is as much about feeling as it is about food — an idea his new bar menu extends directly.
"It's like cooking at home for my friends or my family," he said.
ALTO Co-Founder Chef Juana Castellanos and Executive Chef Esteban Klenzi.
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Courtesy ALTO
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Their connection runs deeper than the kitchen, though. Both chefs grew up around the Río de la Plata, the shared basin uniting Argentina and Uruguay into a single Rioplatense identity — once part of the same Spanish colonial territory before an 1828 treaty, brokered under British pressure, split them apart. Not unlike the Basque Country straddling Spain and France: one culture, divided by a border neither side chose.
What to order
The bar leans into what Klenzi calls the rotisserías tradition — the everyday, prepared-food spots common across Argentina. That shows up in the Tongue & Trout Roe Toast ($17): sous-vide beef tongue over brioche, finished with a celery-carrot vinaigrette and a crown of trout roe. It's a savory, briny bite, perfect for sharing to start the meal.
Close-up of two pieces of toast on a dark plate, each topped with ruffled, thin-sliced beef tongue tinted pale pink, scattered with chopped herbs and diced vegetables, and crowned with a generous mound of glistening orange roe.
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Soledad Recatume
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Courtesy ALTO
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The Real Deal ($18) — ALTO's take on the classic choripán sandwich — pulls from the dinner menu, too: short rib and smoked pork, the same cuts used in the Asado Banderita and Pork Txuleta.
When the pair first sat down to design the menu, Klenzi found himself facing a deceptively simple question: "Should we make a burger? Or shall we make a choripán?"
They chose the choripán, prizing the way beef and pork together deliver, in his words, "the best flavor you can get from both of them." Lard from the pork chop trim adds richness; the short rib's fat keeps the sausage moist, with smokiness carried over from that same applewood-smoked chop.
For something heartier, there's the Banderita & Frites ($39): a thinner cut of short rib than its dinner-menu counterpart, seared on both sides.
Alongside it, try the smashed potatoes from Weiser Family Farms, cooked in the charcoal oven with beef tallow. Klenzi refuses to serve french fries — this is his answer instead, crisp outside, rich with tallow underneath.
What to drink
A pour from ALTO's Vermucito Experience, served over ice with soda water.
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Soledad Recatume
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Courtesy ALTO
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Ever since I wrote about Spanish vermouth last month, I've been a magnet for the stuff — not complaining, especially during these warmer months. ALTO had me covered, though the serving style looked nothing like what I'm used to.
Unlike the Spanish and Italian style of an orange slice and olive, Argentine vermouth is served over ice with soda water — lighter, easier to drink.
A cozy corner of ALTO's dining room, where velvet chairs surround a wood-burning fireplace.
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Courtesy ALTO
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On the table: a trio from the Vermucito Experience— Las Flores blanco from Uruguay, and La Fuerza's rojo and sideral from Argentina, Malbec-based pours ranging from $12 to $22.
"When you pour it in the glass, it's almost red. It looks almost like a wine," Klenzi said of La Fuerza's rojo, made with Malbec. "You can really feel the pure essence of the Malbec wine."
ALTO celebrates its first anniversary Aug. 13 and 14 with an à la carte collaboration dinner featuring chefs Clara Corso and Lucas Canga. Reservations are available via ALTO's Instagram.
The regular dinner menu is a great choice for a special night out. But the bar is for every other night — the "almost every day" Klenzi imagined when he decided a choripán, not a burger, was the answer.
"If we see your face every day, we're gonna take care of you every day," Klenzi said.
