Isabel Dueñas teaches her transitional kindergarten students how to read at San Miguel Catholic School in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Archdiocese of Los Angeles
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Topline:
Los Angeles Unified has settled a 3-year-old lawsuit with the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over how much federal Title I funding low-income students within the archdiocese are entitled to receive.
The background: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles argued that it was owed for ongoing services to low-income students in Catholic schools. After the LAUSD first changed the method of determining student eligibility for Title I, funding was cut by more than 90%, from $9.5 million for the eligible 13,000 students in the archdiocese to $757,000.
What's in the settlement: The district agreed to pay the $3 million it improperly withheld from archdiocese schools and to comply with federal regulations requiring transparency and consultation with the archdiocese it had repeatedly violated.
Los Angeles Unified has settled a 3-year-old lawsuit with the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over how much federal Title I funding low-income students within the archdiocese are entitled to receive.
The district agreed to pay the $3 million it improperly withheld from archdiocese schools and to comply with federal regulations requiring transparency and consultation with the archdiocese it had repeatedly violated.
The agreement covered 2018-19 and 2019-20, when Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD) first changed the method of determining student eligibility for Title I and cut funding by more than 90%, from $9.5 million for the eligible 13,000 students in the archdiocese to $757,000.
The LAUSD school trustees signed off on the agreement in a closed session Dec. 11 and did not publicly disclose details after announcing the vote. A district spokespersondeclined comment before publication of the article.
But Paul Escala, superintendent of the Los Angeles Archdiocese schools, said the agreement sends a clear message. It “ensures that non-public school students who are eligible for these services will get them. While that may seem basic, when we’ve operated in an environment where that was not clear and was not being upheld, that is a win for kids,” he said.
“This recognizes that kids who attend Catholic schools in urban Los Angeles, not only are they eligible for Title I services, but in fact suffer with poverty and needs just like their public school district peers,” he said.
Since its passage in 1968, Congress extended Title I funding to poor students in private schools, including religious schools, to boost their chances for success. However, to avoid directly funding religious schools, Congress decided that districts in which private and religious schools are located should determine student eligibility and consult with the schools on which services, such as counseling, the students should receive.
Districts have a menu of methods for determining Title I eligibility. The simplest and generally most advantageous for private schools is to use census data to determine the level of poverty in a neighborhood and calculate eligibility as the proportion of low-income students that attend a private school. It’s the method most large urban districts have used, Escala said, including LAUSD and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where Alberto Carvalho was superintendent before becoming LAUSD superintendent in 2022. That approach also meets the spirit of Title I, he said.
An incentive to deny Title I to private school kids
Under Superintendent Austin Beutner’s incoming administration, the district changed the eligibility process for 2018-19 without prior notice to require schools to document family incomes through surveys or the number of income-eligible students registered for the federal subsidized meals programs. Along with requiring more time, paperwork and verification by the schools, the district changed the reporting rules several times in a short period and failed to engage the archdiocese about its decisions meaningfully, the California Department of Education wrote in 2021 in response to a formal complaint by the archdiocese. In addition to slashing funding, the district cut the schools served to fewer than two dozen out of 116 schools in the archdiocese. According to the California Department of Education, the district cut its total share allocated to private schools from 2% and 2.6% of $291 million to 0.5%.
Districts have a financial incentive to minimize private schools’ Title I eligibility, since the federal government awards Title I funding to districts. After subtracting the amount going to private schools, a district gets to keep unallocated dollars for its own Title I students.
“There’s a moral and ethical question on the table,” Escala said at the time.
In its 58-page report, the California Department of Education called the funding cuts “totally unreasonable.” Its report concluded that LAUSD “engaged in a pattern of arbitrary unilateral decisions,” including giving archdiocese schools 12 days during a summer break to produce income surveys for families and then removing all the schools that were unable to meet the deadline. It characterized the district’s approach as a “hide-the-ball approach (that) breached both the spirit and the letter” of the law.
LAUSD appealed the ruling to the U.S. Department of Education, which largely affirmed the California department’s findings in a November 2023 ruling. It gave the district 60 days to consult with the district, as the Title I law required, and fix the inaccurate count of ineligible students. It gave the district 90 days to provide the services that it had denied.
The archdiocese returned to Los Angeles Superior Court in the spring of 2024 because, Escala said, the district dragged its feet and declined to hand over documents the archdiocese was entitled to.
The documents confirmed what the archdiocese had assumed, said the archdiocese’s chief academic officer, Robert Tagorda. “For years they had insisted that they were following the law. We had suspicions that if you’re cutting us this much, it can’t be lawful. We had the documents to show we had far more low-income students than they had originally counted.”
With revelations of public records, the archdiocese reached out to LAUSD to resume settlement talks. Within several weeks in November, there was a deal. The terms correspond to what the U.S. Department of Education had recommended, Tagorda said. LAUSD would recalculate how much was owed in 2018-19 and apply the corrections to 2019-20. It would disclose how the Title I obligation was calculated and confer with the archdiocese on the services to be provided. The archdiocese also will be able to pool Title I money so that it can direct it to the most intensive-needs schools — a practice that LAUSD had prohibited.
The combined $3 million owed for the two years was far below what had been received the year before the district changed the eligibility method. But staff turnover in the district and the archdiocese, and incomplete records in some schools, undermined the claims, Tagorda acknowledged. The eligibility process in years since 2019-20, unaffected by the lawsuit, changed little. In 2023-24, the archdiocese received $2 million in Title I funding.
Title I rules allow districts to annually change the process of determining eligibility. Escala said the archdiocese will continue to request that LAUSD return to the proportionality method that produced more funding; LAUSD, by law, must give the rationale each year for denying it.
Escala acknowledged that the archdiocese could have chosen to litigate the case — and likely won. But the outcome would have potentially taken years and legal expenses that archdiocese schools don’t have. “We recognized that we could not afford another day, another year, another generation of students not having the ability to fairly access legally entitled services,” he said.
Tagorda said the additional money from the settlement would be used for tutoring, after-school and summer programs, and academic counseling that schools have been requesting.
In an interview with EdSource in March 2022, soon after becoming LAUSD superintendent, Carvalho said he had familiarized himself with the archdiocese lawsuit. “I’m going to resolve this issue sooner rather than later,” he said. “What I can tell you is that we need more objective, transparent tools by which we assess and fund this guaranteed federal entitlement that’s driven by poverty,” regardless of whether for a public or private school.
It took nearly three years since then, after exhausting appeals and losing one ruling in Superior Court, for the district to resolve the case. Escala said he is optimistic it will be enforced.
“When we came back to the table, it was clear that Carvalho took a personal interest to make sure we have the conditions on his side to get a settlement done. We have seen a change in approach by district staff. He is committed to abide by Title I regulations and consultation that is fair, I take him at this word,” said Escala.
“In the course of these negotiations, trust and faith had to be rebuilt. I think that we’re in a far better place than we were six months ago.”
On Dec. 23, a day after the article was published, Carvalho issued the following statement: “I am grateful for our partnership with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I look forward to the ways we can work together in the future and serve the students of Los Angeles. Thanks to Superintendent Paul Escala for his steadfast leadership over the Department of Catholic Schools.”
Construction of the annex at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024.
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Miguel Gutierrez Jr.
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CalMatters
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Topline:
Californians have a constitutional right to government records, but a lawmaker’s plan would allow higher fees to get them. She says it aims to discourage filers who abuse the system.
Why now: Assembly Bill 1821, authored by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, a Downey Democrat, would also allow the charge if government workers spend more than 10 hours within a month looking for documents requested by the same person. The proposal would apply to most people, with exemptions for journalists and educational or scientific institutions.
Why it matters: The measure follows years of local government complaints that fulfilling extensive, sometimes duplicative records requests can be so time-consuming that it distracts government staff from other vital tasks, such as performing health insurance eligibility checks, responding to homeless encampments or conducting elections.
Read on... for more about the proposal.
Want to know what your government is up to? Be prepared to pay up.
A California state lawmaker wants to let public agencies charge an unspecified, uncapped fee if it takes their workers more than two hours to search for records to fulfill a public records request. The proposal is raising concerns among transparency advocates that the fees could deter Californians from accessing records they are constitutionally entitled to.
Assembly Bill 1821, authored by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, a Downey Democrat, would also allow the charge if government workers spend more than 10 hours within a month looking for documents requested by the same person. The proposal would apply to most people, with exemptions for journalists and educational or scientific institutions.
In a statement responding to CalMatters’ questions, Pacheco said public agencies have had to spend substantial time responding to a spike in the volume and scope of records requests.
“This bill is intended to address a narrow set of high-cost, resource-intensive requests that can delay agencies’ ability to respond to other records requests,” she said. “The goal is to ensure that agencies can continue to respond to all requests in a timely manner.”
The measure follows years of local government complaints that fulfilling extensive, sometimes duplicative records requests can be so time-consuming that it distracts government staff from other vital tasks, such as performing health insurance eligibility checks, responding to homeless encampments or conducting elections.
“The growing volume and complexity of requests creates real challenges for local governments — straining limited public resources,” said Ben Adler, spokesperson for the California State Association of Counties, which has not taken an official stance on the bill.
It becomes even more difficult for governments when someone “disgruntled” or “unreasonable” files requests maliciously, an attorney who represented public agencies in California wrote in a 2023 op-ed.
Pacheco said in her statement that one person submitted more than 100 records requests in the city of Fontana and stated that their goal was to disrupt city operations, resulting in more than $300,000 in legal and staffing costs. Another request received in Chula Vista, she said, could require 150 to 300 staff hours to fulfill.
“Requests of this size consume a disproportionate share of public resources and delay agencies’ ability to respond to other requests.”
Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco in the Assembly in Sacramento on March 13, 2025.
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Fred Greaves
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CalMatters
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But agencies already try to charge astronomical fees for public records, which has a chilling effect on the public’s right to know because “for most people … $100 is going to be too much,” said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition.
Applying the charge to most Californians threatens their constitutional right to government information, Snyder said.
“The California Constitution says that it’s a fundamental … right of everybody in this state to obtain records from their public agencies,” he said. “The underlying principle is that the government’s records are the people’s records. The government serves the people; not the other way around.”
State law allows public agencies to charge fees for making copies of public records but not for the time spent searching, reviewing or redacting them. In 2020, the California Supreme Court concluded that governments cannot charge for search and redaction and said such costs would undermine Californians’ right to access.
“Just as agencies cannot recover the costs of searching through a filing cabinet for paper records, they cannot recover comparable costs for electronic records,” the ruling said. “Even if higher costs to the agency mean slower disclosure rates or greater inconvenience to the requester, these burdens on access are insignificant if the alternative is no access at all.”
But several local governments tried to charge those fees anyway. Shasta County, for example, adopted an ordinance in January 2021 to charge $25 an hour for staff to find, review and redact records. A year later, Mendocino County established regulations to charge up to $150 an hour, in one case sending a local journalist an $84,000 bill. Both counties only repealed their ordinances after drawing widespread criticism and litigation threats from journalists and First Amendment advocates.
Under Pacheco’s measure, they wouldn’t have had to.
What is a 'reasonable' charge?
The measure would require the rates agencies charge for records searches to be “reasonable.” But without a dollar amount cap, that guardrail is meaningless, Snyder said.
“If it’s a large volume of body cam footage, that could be many, many, many hours of review time,” he said. “And if agencies are charging hourly, let’s say $100 an hour, you can see how those numbers can go up really fast.”
The proposal also doesn’t say who would determine what is a reasonable amount of time necessary to search and review records, which could further empower public agencies to justify expensive fees, Snyder said.
“It leaves an enormous range of variables up to agency discretion,” he said. “Many agencies unfortunately behave in a way that suggests that their goal is to not produce the records asked for.”
The measure would additionally give agencies more time to respond to and fulfill requests: While state law requires agencies to tell the requestor what’s disclosable within 10 calendar days and allows them to extend that deadline by no more than 14 calendar days, Pacheco’s measure would prolong those periods to 10 and 14 business days, respectively.
Pacheco said she will amend the bill to ensure it is “narrowly tailored” to establish “appropriate thresholds” for charging for public records, although she did not elaborate on what those thresholds would be.
La Chispa de Oro in Boyle Heights has seen fewer customers since immigration enforcement raids began in L.A.
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Andrew Lopez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has launched a cash assistance program for small businesses in Council District 14 to help cover up to $3,000 in expenses, including employee payroll, rent and utilities.
Who is eligible? To qualify for Jurado’s Microenterprise Grant Program, businesses must demonstrate financial need, be located in CD14, have five or fewer employees and generate $1 million or less in annual revenue.
How will grantees be chosen? Grants will be awarded to eligible businesses that create or retain jobs in the city and priority will be given to those that have not received financial assistance through city, state, or federal programs.
Read on... for more about the grants and how to apply.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has launched a cash assistance program for small businesses in Council District 14 to help cover up to $3,000 in expenses, including employee payroll, rent and utilities.
Who is eligible?
To qualify for Jurado’s Microenterprise Grant Program, businesses must demonstrate financial need, be located in CD14, have five or fewer employees and generate $1 million or less in annual revenue.
Business owners with multiple eligible businesses may only apply once. A full list of ineligible businesses can be found here.
According to Jurado’s office, businesses are encouraged to apply even if they are unclear whether they qualify.
How will grantees be chosen?
Grants will be awarded to eligible businesses that create or retain jobs in the city and priority will be given to those that have not received financial assistance through city, state, or federal programs. The program will also prioritize businesses located in low-to-moderate income (LMI) census tracts, those with W-2 employees and those located in commercial “brick and mortar” locations.
Finalists will be notified 30 days after the application closes.
How is the program funded?
The program is funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program provides grants to states, cities, and counties to “develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons,” according to the HUD website.
How to apply:
The application is available online here. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
Application assistance is available in-person at the local BusinessSource Centers listed below:
East Los Angeles (New Economics for Women)
Address: 1780 E First St., Los Angeles
Email: ELABSC@neworg.us
Phone: (323) 568-1520
Pico Union/Westlake (PACE)
Address: 1055 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 900-B, Los Angeles
Email: PicoUnionLABSC@pacela.org
Phone: (213) 353-9400
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On the diplomatic front, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country has been facilitating "indirect talks" between the U.S. and Iran by relaying messages between them.
Some background: Iran's foreign minister has denied the country is engaging in negotiations with the U.S., beyond the message exchanges. Iranian state media said Wednesday a senior security official rejected the U.S. proposal and submitted conditions in return. Trump said Iran is "begging" to make a deal.
More details: Pakistan, Trump and Iran have not mentioned if Israel is involved in the process. Israeli officials have told NPR their military seeks several more weeks of war to achieve its objectives in Iran.
Read on... for more updates on day 27 of the Iran war.
The war in the Middle East ramped up on Thursday as Israel launched a wave of strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure in the central city of Isfahan, and said it killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy.
Iran hit back, firing two rounds of missiles at central Israel causing destruction and injuries. Israel was also under attack from a wave of rockets from Iran-backed fighters in Lebanon, and an Israeli soldier in Lebanon was killed.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country has been facilitating "indirect talks" between the U.S. and Iran by relaying messages between them. "In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran," Dar wrote on social media.
Iran's foreign minister has denied the country is engaging in negotiations with the U.S., beyond the message exchanges. Iranian state media said Wednesday a senior security official rejected the U.S. proposal and submitted conditions in return.
President Donald Trump said Iran is "begging" to make a deal.
Pakistan, Trump and Iran have not mentioned if Israel is involved in the process. Israeli officials have told NPR their military seeks several more weeks of war to achieve its objectives in Iran.
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Here are more updates on Day 27 of the Iran war.
To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
Arab-Israeli residents survey the damage following a projectile strike in the Arab-Israeli city of Kfar Qasim on Thursday.
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Ilya Yefimovich
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AFP via Getty Images
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NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv spoke to two military officials who said Israel wants to keep fighting and is hoping for several more weeks of war in Iran.
A person briefed on the operation told NPR the Israeli military is speeding up its targeting in Iran over the next 48 hours, focusing on trying to hit Iran's arms factories as much as possible — in case a ceasefire is declared.
The Israeli military said on social media it had completed a "wave of extensive strikes in Isfahan … targeting infrastructure."
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said his country had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the head of Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy, in an overnight strike. An official in Islamabad following the negotiations also said that Tangsiri was killed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it. Iran has not publicly commented.
Displaced Lebanese children play in the playground of a public school that has been converted into a shelter in the town of Dekwaneh, north of Beirut, on Wednesday.
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Anwar Amro
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AFP via Getty Images
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Israel also came under attack Thursday, with air sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and the Israeli military saying rescue crews were en route to the location of a strike at the center of the country.
The military reported a soldier on the ground in Lebanon had been killed, naming him as 21-year-old Sgt. Ori Greenberg.
Israel says its airstrikes continue in southern Lebanon, in advance of what Israeli officials say will be a "prolonged" ground invasion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Hezbollah began firing rockets at northern Israel this month in support of Iran and after months of Israel's attacks in Lebanon despite a ceasefire. Israeli officials say a civilian woman was killed by their rocket fire this week. More than a dozen people in Israel have also been killed by Iranian attacks since the start of the war.
Israeli officials say they plan to take Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, which runs 10 to 20 miles north of the border with Israel. Hezbollah says it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers inside that area with a drone.
Trump repeats negotiation claims
In remarks at a Republican fundraising dinner on Wednesday night, the president insisted Iran was looking to do a deal but didn't want to admit it because they were afraid their citizens would turn on them.
"We're winning so big. Nobody's ever seen anything like we're doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," he said. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us. There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."
Under a proposed U.S. plan Iran would end its nuclear program, stop supporting proxy militias in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and limit its missile program. In exchange Iran would get relief from sanctions.
People wave national flags and hold portraits of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei as they march in support of the Iranian armed forces in central Tehran on March 25, 2026.
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But Iran rejected the proposal, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country wants to end the war only on "our own terms." Iran has given five conditions: "end to aggression by the enemy, concrete guarantees preventing the recurrence of war, clear determination, guaranteed payment of war damages and compensation, comprehensive end to the war across all fronts, incl. against all resistance groups, recognition of Iran's sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz."
Iranian officials have insisted they are not negotiating with the U.S., saying the countries have only exchanged messages via regional intermediaries.
Pakistan has emerged as a potential mediator for negotiations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday would not confirm news reports that there could be U.S.-Iran talks in the coming days. "Nothing should be deemed official until it is announced formally by the White House, I would not get ahead of our skis on reporting about any talks this weekend, until you hear directly from us," she said.
An official in Islamabad told NPR, on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, that the Pakistani interior minister held a secret meeting with the Iranian ambassador in Pakistan Thursday.
And publicly, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on social media: "US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan," adding that Turkey and Egypt were also "extending their support to this initiative." He said Iran is deliberating upon a U.S. 15-point proposal.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also spoken to his Iranian counterpart, stressing the war "should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, not by force."
Will U.S. forces seize Kharg Island?
A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.
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Atta Kenare
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AFP via Getty Images
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The Pentagon is set to deploy up to 3,000 paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, and thousands of Marines are also on their way to the region.
NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam reports it comes as President Trump weighs whether to seize Kharg Island, the home of Iran's main oil processing facility.
Analysts say such an operation would be risky for U.S. service personnel.
It could also spark fallout if Iran steps up strikes on Gulf countries in retaliation.
Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on social media Wednesday that Iran's enemies were "preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands," with the support of a country in the region. "If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks," he warned.
Germany's defense minister slams the U.S.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius gave a frank assessment of the war in remarks on a trip to Australia.
"To make it crystal clear, this war is a catastrophe for the world's economies," he told reporters.
"What really concerns me the most about that war is there was no consultation, there is no strategy, there is no clear objective and the worst thing from my perspective is that there is no exit strategy," he said.
He also criticized Washington's changing demands of Europe, noting the U.S. had asked Europe to ramp up its defense spending and told it to focus on its own backyard.
"That was before the war started against Iran. Now, the arguments are different. Now they are saying: 'Where are you, you are cowards, you don't help us,'" Pistorius said.
He was referring to Trump calling NATO allies cowards after they declined his request to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Pistorius said while Germany would not be getting involved in the war, they could help secure the vital economic waterway once a ceasefire is agreed.
Oil prices higher amid Strait of Hormuz standoff
Two Iranian state-affiliated news agencies, Tasnim and Fars, reported Iran's Parliament is planning to formalize fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait, but Iran has essentially blocked most traffic since the start of the war.
A oil tanker is docked unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on March 25, 2026.
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AFP via Getty Images
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The strait, a narrow passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway for ships to access freely.
But an Iranian Embassy social media post said the country has laid out as one of its conditions for ending the war with the U.S. and Israel the "recognition of Iran's sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz."
Iranian media quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that Iran's "Parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran's sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees."
Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of Arab nations, said in a briefing that Iran is already charging fees for safe passage — in violation of international law.
Oil prices edged higher in Asia trading, with Brent crude trading around $100 a barrel. Asian and European stock markets also opened lower on Thursday.
UAE's stable reputation at risk
On Thursday morning alerts sounded in the United Arab Emirates. Two people were killed in Abu Dhabi by falling debris after a successful missile interception, officials said.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry announced the interception of a drone in the Eastern Province, while Kuwait and Bahrain also reported attacks.
Airlines in what used to be one of the globe's busiest regions for air travel continue to suffer. Oman Air announced flight cancellations to numerous regional countries as well as parts of Europe until April 15.
Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the huge state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., accused Iran of "economic terrorism" for its stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
In comments at Washington's Middle East Institute he said: "When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way."
Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Israel, Diaa Hadid in Mumbai, India, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Jackie Northam in Maine, Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 NPR
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers begin their title defense this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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Ronald Martinez
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Getty Images
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In this edition:
The Dodgers host opening weekend, the native plant festival comes to Clarement, a kids’ sci-fi fest is in Pasadena and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
We made it to another baseball season! Head out to see Shohei Ohtani and theDodgers take on the Diamondbacks in their first home games of the year, or watch the games on the big screen at one of the many baseball bars around town.
Say it ain’t so! While downtown icon Cole’s French Diphas been threatening to close for a while now, this weekend is the last weekend the 118-year-old establishment will be open. Get your last orders in and celebrate the end of an era with other local chefs inspired by Cole’s, including special “dips” from Jitlada, Found Oyster, Little Fatty’s, Bay Cities and more.
Get to know our native flora at the second annual California Native Plant Festival at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont. It features workshops on native plant gardening, talks and tours on ecology and plant restoration, family-friendly crafting, and live music!
Ahem. Please indulge this minor rant: I’m over this whole “location upon RSVP” trend with L.A. events. I’m not paying to go to something, only to find out it’s all the way on the other side of town at 7 p.m. on a Thursday — and I wouldn’t want you to have to do that either! Event organizers, I want to hear from you. Are things really getting that popular that you’re hesitant to share a location? Can we at least designate “Westside” or “Eastside” or “Orange County”? Is there an underground scene I’m not cool enough to know about that folks are afraid of outing? OK, rant over.
In more important issues, Saturday is the next No Kings Day protest, so please be safe if you’re heading out to any of the many rallies being organized all across L.A. and Orange County.
Music-wise, if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to Sir Paul McCartney himself at the Fonda on Friday or Saturday, count me as jealous. Beyond that, Lyndsey Parker at Licorice Pizza recommends former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr at the Lodge Room and Nick Lowe at the Bellwether on Friday. Saturday, the Freestyle Explosion is at YouTube Theater, with Exposé, Lisa Lisa, Pretty Poison and more. Also on Saturday, the first-ever darkwave festival, Los Darks, has an amazing lineup at Santa Ana Stadium with Caifanes, Johnny Marr, Twin Tribes, The Adicts, London After Midnight and Mareux. Finally, Mariah the Scientist plays Saturday and Sunday at the Palladium.
Thursday, March 26 to Saturday, March 28 Dodger Stadium 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Elysian Park COST: FROM $85; MORE INFO
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are looking for a three-peat.
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Ronald Martinez
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Getty Images
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We made it to another baseball season! The Dodgers are at it again for what will maybe be a three-peat World Series season (we can dream). Head out to see Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the squad take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first home games of the year, or watch the games on the big screen at one of the many baseball bars around town.
Cole’s French Dip Closing Weekend Extravaganza
Saturday and Sunday, March 28 to 29 Cole’s French Dip 118 E. 6th St., Downtown L.A. COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
Say it ain’t so! While downtown icon Cole’s French Dip has been threatening to close for a while now, this weekend is the last weekend that the 118-year-old establishment will be open. For real. Get your last orders in and celebrate the end of an era with other local chefs inspired by Cole’s, including special “dips” from Jitlada, Found Oyster, Little Fatty’s, Bay Cities and more. Proceeds will go to the Independent Hospitality Coalition in support of their efforts to save L.A.'s independent operators.
Women Who Create
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Runway Playa Vista 12775 W. Millennium Drive, Playa Vista COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Runway Playa Vista
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Wrap up Women’s History Month by supporting local women makers, creatives and small businesses. Runway Playa Vista is hosting this artisan market, which also includes mahjong lessons, live music and an “interactive junk journaling table.”
California Native Plant Festival
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California Botanic Garden 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Get to know our native flora at the second annual California Native Plant Festival at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont. Featuring workshops on native plant gardening, talks and tours on ecology and plant restoration, family-friendly crafting, and live music, the day is a great way to explore the garden (for free!) and learn more about improving your corner of the ecosystem.
Green-House record release concert
Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Geoponika Greenhouse 3209 Fletcher Drive, Glassell Park COST: FROM $22; MORE INFO
Continue your plant-focused weekend with a visit to the Geoponika Greenhouse, where the (aptly named) band Green-House will be playing a record-release concert for their new album, Hinterlands. Their ethereal sounds follow a walk through “a labyrinth of rare and exotic cacti” alongside “visuals made by Michael Flanagan and the office axolotl.”
Mail-Art Making inspired by Raymond Saunders
Saturday, March 28, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. David Zwirner Gallery 616 N. Western Ave., Melrose Hill COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Oakland-based artist Raymond Saunders marked his time in Los Angeles by collecting mementos and found objects. David Zwirner Gallery is currently showing his work (Notes from L.A. is on view through April 25) and hosting a special crafting activity in the gallery’s gorgeous garden. You can make your own “mail-art” with collage items and send postcards to friends and family. Plus, there will be matcha from neighborhood favorite Rocky's Matcha.
Cento Pasta Bar x Bravo Toast
Friday and Saturday, March 27 to 28, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bravo Toast 632 1/2 N. Doheny Drive, West Hollywood COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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Max Shuster
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Cento Pasta Bar
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West Adams favorite Cento Pasta Bar is popping up at Bravo Toast on Doheny, bringing cult-favorite pastas to West Hollywood. Try the acclaimed beet pasta or spicy pomodoro with basil oil.
Octavia Butler Science Fiction Festival
Friday, March 27, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. OEB Magnet Academy 1505 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Go on interplanetary adventures at the Octavia Butler Science Fiction Festival — from stargazing in an inflatable planetarium to upcycling a space-themed costume for the costume contest to earning free books by completing “missions.” This kid-focused event honors local Pasadena author Octavia Butler and aims to inspire the next generation of explorers.
