The Brief

The Los Angeles Unified School District is weighing the future of its artificial turf and natural grass athletic fields. The district is in the midst of a study and collecting feedback from parents, students, staff and other stakeholders.

The outcome of the study, expected this summer, will inform the immediate replacement of seven deteriorated high school athletic fields and future projects.

The vast majority of the district’s turf, from front lawns to baseball fields, is natural grass, Krisztina Tokes, LAUSD’s chief of facilities, told LAist.

The percentage of synthetic turf increases if you isolate the district’s athletic fields — about 20% of the district’s athletic fields are synthetic turf and about 80% are natural grass. The concentration is highest in high schools’ combination soccer/football fields, 40% of which are synthetic.

“Synthetic turf was used at many of those school sites where we anticipated there would be very high use,” Tokes said. For some, the district shared the fields with city and youth sports programs.

Synthetic turf has a higher upfront cost than natural grass but requires less maintenance and water.

In recent years, researchers have raised concerns about the artificial turf’s impact on children’s health and the environment— for example, artificial turf can get hot enough to burn skin.

About a decade ago, LAUSD had to replace seven turf fields at the cost of $8.8 million because of defective materials, including plastic pellets that melted in the heat. The district later recovered $3.6 million from contractors associated with the fields, according to a report from the LAUSD inspector general.

Why this process is starting now

The study is the result of a unanimously adopted November 2025 board resolution that also prohibited the installation of artificial turf at early education centers, elementary and middle schools.

“No 4-year-old, no elementary student should be playing on surfaces hot enough to burn their skin or expose our children to chemicals,” said Rocío Rivas, the board’s vice president, during the meeting.

Student board member Jerry Yang said his peers wrote to him with concerns about artificial turf.

“In a dense, urban city like Los Angeles, where the amount of green space is often a reflection of a community's income level, it is all the more important that we switch away from artificial turf,” Yang said.

Speakers during public comment also called on the district to move away from synthetic turf.

The study will consider four key topics: playability, health and safety, environmental impact and cost and maintenance. The district has also brought on consultants LPA and Core America to help evaluate the fields’ environmental impact, health and safety.

LAUSD isn't the only district weighing the future of its athletic fields.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District recently completed a study that found synthetic turf increases field availability and saves water but that the findings about health and safety are less clear.

Here’s how to weigh in

The district is hosting a series of hybrid meetings and is inviting people to complete an online survey to collect feedback.

May 7 

When: 6 p.m.
Where:

• In person at Los Angeles High School, 4650 W. Olympic Blvd., West Los Angeles
• Online

May 12 

When: 6 p.m.
Where:

• In person at Garfield High School, 5101 E. Sixth St., East Los Angeles. 
• Online

Past meetings

Tuesday, April 28 

When: 6 p.m.

Where:

• In person at Cleveland High School, 8140 Vanalden Ave., Reseda
• Online

Thursday, April 30

When: 6 p.m.

Where:

• In person at Dymally High School, 8800 San Pedro St., South Los Angeles
• Online

Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi has broken the record for most World Cup scoring.

Messi made the record goal, his 17th, during the first half of Monday's game against Austria. And then, in the second half, near the end of the match in stoppage time, Messi scored yet another goal, finishing off at 2-0.

Messi, the team captain, started off the World Cup with a bang: in the team's opening game against Algeria, he scored a hat trick: three goals. A rare feat in soccer. He has scored all five goals for Argentina this World Cup. With the win, Argentina advances to the knockout round.

Messi also surpassed Brazilian superstar Marta, who had scored 17 goals at the Women's World Cup.

Copyright 2026 NPR

More than two dozen state historic parks are free through the end of the year in honor of Juneteenth — and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the free “special edition Historian Passport,” which typically costs $50, as a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s attempts to “rewrite the past,” according to a news release by the governor’s office.

Since his inauguration, Trump has ordered staff working at all National Park Service locations to remove any content that casts Americans in a negative light from parks, monuments and memorials.

“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history — in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,” Newsom wrote.

Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. The pass gives free entry to state historic parks for up to four people.

The Historian Passport grants entry to more than 30 state historic parks, including parks like Olompali and Malakoff Diggins which, rather than just providing outdoor recreation, also have an educational emphasis on the state’s history.

Jack London State Historic Park in Napa Valley, California.

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Many of these parks tell the story of the state’s cultural or indigenous history, from missions and museums to temples and the site that sparked the California Gold Rush.

Newsom made a similar move to make state parks free for Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, in response to Trump’s decision to eliminate the holiday from the list of fee-free days at national parks across the country, replacing it with his birthday on Flag Day.

How to get your free Historian Passport for up to four people

You must make an account with the state’s reservation site ReserveCalifornia.com to obtain a Historian Pass. Then, visit the site’s Advance Passes page and select “Special Edition Historian Passport” from the dropdown menu, which will show as costing $0. No payment information is required.

After checking out, you’ll receive an email with an attached PDF version of your Historian Passport.

The state recommends you print off this PDF to present at any California state historic park for free entry, although you may just be able to show the image on your phone too.

Bear in mind that cellphone service may be poor at many state historic parks, so it’s worth screenshotting the PDF to save it as an image on your phone in case you’re unable to search your email.

Looking for free entry to other state parks that aren’t included in the Historian Passport? Consider checking out a parks pass from your local library, which provides these passes as part of the California State Library Parks Pass program.

KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this report.

Nearly six months after an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed an armed man on New Year’s Eve in L.A., authorities have yet to finish their investigation into the incident.

Brian Palacios has been identified in court records as the officer who killed Keith Porter Jr., 43, at a Northridge apartment complex where both men lived. Those records are filed to a contentious custody case between Palacios’ girlfriend and her ex-husband, who told the court in a successful application for a restraining order that he feared for his safety and the safety of his children after Palacios harassed and threatened him.

Authorities previously have said Palacios is still employed by ICE, and court records responding to the restraining order show he has recently been placed on administrative duty. ICE officials did not respond to questions about his current status.

Stacie Halpern, an attorney representing Palacios, has not responded to calls or an emailed request to make her client available for an interview. Halpern has previously told news media her client shot Porter in self defense.

The context

Porter’s death came just over a week before ICE agents in Minnesota killed Renee Nicole Good, 37. Seventeen days later, ICE agents killed Alex Pretti, 37. The shootings of Good and Pretti, who were protesting ICE enforcement in their city, were captured on video, made international headlines and spurred Congressional inquiries.

The killing of Porter was not captured on video, did not take place during a protest and did not lead to the same level of outcry. Like with Good and Pretti, the initial law enforcement characterization of Porter’s shooting has come under scrutiny.

The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation shortly after the shooting. LAPD officials told the Board of Police Commissioners on June 2 they expected to finish their investigation and present findings to the Los Angeles District Attorney last week.

Instead, the district attorney’s office said the LAPD is still looking into the case.

"Our office has been briefed on this case and LAPD informed us there is further investigation to conduct before presenting a case to our office for filing consideration," Venusse D. Dunn, a spokesperson for L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, said Monday in an email responding to LAist asking about the status of the case.

Jamal Tooson, an attorney with the law firm Lessem, Newstat & Tooson, who is representing Porter’s family, called the delay “alarming, to say the least.”

Initial accounts of the shooting

Days after Keith Porter, Jr. was killed there, community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA outside the Northridge apartment complex where he lived.

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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According to statements from federal officials, Palacios was off duty the night of the shooting. Federal officials and Palacios’ attorney have said he was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Porter. Police said a rifle was recovered at the scene.

In a statement released to the L.A. Times shortly after the shooting, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Palacios, who was not named at the time, as having “bravely responded to an active shooter situation at his apartment complex” and was “forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter.”

Porter’s friends have said he was shooting a rifle into the air to celebrate the new year. The LAPD, which has worked for years to reduce gunfire on the holiday, calls the practice a “deadly New Year’s tradition in our city.”

“If it actually happened the way the officer said it did, it would have been an open and shut case,” Tooson said.

Tooson said he has witness testimony contradicting federal officials' version of events — specifically the claim that gunfire had been exchanged — and submitted a tort claim on May 11 to the federal government on behalf of the Porter family. The government has 45 days to respond, before the family can pursue further legal action.

Porter was born and raised in Compton, according to a neighbor, Jieun Ko, who wrote a remembrance on Substack. Ko called her friend “diligent and hardworking.” He had two daughters, aged 10 and 20, when he was killed.

Why Porter’s family has questioned that account

Franceola Armstrong, Keith Porter. Jr.'s mother, embraces her cousin Nakeda Phillips days after he son was shot and killed.

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The claim letter sent to the federal government says that Porter was “attempting to peacefully return to his residence” when he was killed. The letter claims Palacios did not personally observe Porter firing a weapon, and that he failed to use de-escalation tactics before opening fire. “The use of deadly force was unjustified, unreasonable and without legal cause,” the letter reads.

"Although Mr. Porter was armed," the letter said, "he never posed an imminent threat to Agent Palacios or the public."

Tooson told LAist he interviewed two witnesses shortly after the shooting whose description of the shooting differ from what Palacios’ attorney and federal officials have described.

According to Tooson, both witnesses to the interaction between Porter and Palacios said they did not hear Palacios identify himself as a member of law enforcement. They also said they heard just three gun shots.

The autopsy report from the L.A. County Medical Examiner says Porter was shot three times.

If the two had exchanged gunfire — as federal officials claim — Tooson said the witnesses would have heard more shots.

“It’s not possible. If he was shot three times, they’re going to hear more than three shots,” Tooson said.

The witnesses also told Tooson the shots sounded like they came from the same weapon.

Tooson said he first spoke to the witnesses when canvassing the apartment complex the day after the shooting and that one of the witnesses provided footage from a Ring camera to LAPD that captured audio of the shooting.

Representatives for LAPD, ICE and DHS have not responded to requests for comment.

At a news conference in January, Tooson, who said the shooting "could be race related, and certainly a hate crime," publicly called on Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate Porter's killing.

Tooson told LAist he sent a letter and spoke to a representative at the Attorney General’s office but has not heard back.

Tooson said his main goal is to get transparency for Porter’s family. “They don’t have any other information other than the story that’s been shared, and it’s not adding up.”

Troubling allegations surface in custody dispute 

Palacios was first identified as the off-duty ICE agent who killed Porter by the Los Angeles Times in January based on court records filed in an unrelated custody dispute between Palacios’ girlfriend and her ex-husband.

That custody dispute has continued, with a judge granting a temporary restraining order against Palacios on May 22 that barred him from contacting his girlfriend’s ex-husband or their children. Omar Escorcia, the ex-husband, asked for the restraining order because, he told the court, Palacios threatened to send ICE agents to his home in a phone call on April 30.

Escorcia recorded the call and submitted that recording and transcripts to the court as evidence. Palacios separately recorded that conversation and a subsequent call, and also submitted it to the court.

According to the transcripts (LAist also reviewed the audio file), Palacios said during the conversation that he believed Escorcia leaked his name and involvement in the Porter shooting to activists.

“Because at this point, my agency’s going to go after you for conspiracy for what you did,” Palacios said, according to the transcript.

“Threats of violence and abuse of power were directed toward me and my family,” Escorcia wrote in the petition for the restraining order.

Escorcia added that Palacios “gives the impression that he is untouchable no matter who he hurts.”

In his petition, Escorcia states: “Palacios admitted to having murdered his neighbor on 12/31/2025 while telling me he would use his position as a federal agent to come after me at my home and to make criminal charges against me.”

Palacios has denied making any admission to Escorcia about the Porter shooting. He also denies making threats.

In February 2025, a court barred Palacios from contact with his girlfriend’s children, Escorcia wrote in the petition.

“The court was told about domestic violence by Palacios and his use of homophobic, racial, and abusive language,” Escorcia wrote. Palacios, in his response, said those allegations were investigated and not substantiated — and shared findings from social workers.

The 2025 orders are permanent, so Palacios violated them by threatening to send agents to his home, Escorcia wrote.

In the call Escorcia recorded, Palacios warns him that two agents are going to come to his home to interview Escorcia about his alleged sharing of Palacios' name, adding, "make sure no one's there that doesn't have papers, OK?"

Palacios denied Escorcia’s allegations

Palacios has denied Escorcia's allegations that he was threatening. He also denied the allegation that he admitted to killing anyone, in a response filed to the court on June 9.

In the response, Palacios wrote that Escorcia has “never liked that (Palacios) was in law enforcement.”

Palacios alleged that Escorcia has shared images on social media encouraging “vigilante justice” against him. He also wrote that he has had to move due to threats and harassment and said allegations of domestic violence and use of racist language were investigated back in 2025 and not substantiated by multiple agencies.

He wrote that the April 30th call was not a threat against Escorcia. “At that time I wanted him to understand that what he was threatening was a continuation of an ongoing investigation into his attempt to expose my location to the public,” Palacios wrote.

Palacios submitted another transcript of a follow-up call to the court, in which he specifically references Escorcia's mother. In his response to the restraining order, he states he held "no animosity toward [Escorcia] or those in his family, including his mother who has always been nice and polite to me... I was simply stating a fact as individuals need to be documented to be in the country."

Court records show Palacios surrendered six firearms on June 11 as part of the May 2026 restraining order.

According to records submitted to the court, ICE temporarily suspended Palacios’ authorization to carry a firearm on May 29, prompted by the May 22 restraining order. The letter states that Palacios will be reassigned to “work that is administrative in nature.” It also states that the restriction does not constitute a disciplinary action.

What's next

• After LAPD presents its findings, the district attorney may decide to pursue criminal charges against Palacios or to find the shooting was justified.
• Tooson said he expects the federal government to reject the Porter family's tort claim. At which point, the family will pursue a civil claim, Tooson said.

Clive Davis, the record company lawyer who became one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has died, his family confirmed. He was 94.

Earlier this year, Davis was hospitalized following an upper respiratory issue and was released a few days later. His death, in his Manhattan apartment, was confirmed by his publicist Aliza Rabinoff, who also shared a statement from his family.

“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations,” the statement read.

Unlike other record moguls whose influence waned as they got older, Davis’ might only seemed to grow over his career, which spanned multiple genres and labels. Into his 80s, he was directing the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow to “American Idol” winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

His success stories were staggering, with Houston a crowning achievement and devastating tragedy: Davis signed her to his Arista record label when she was just a teen and turned her into America’s reigning pop princess.

Houston racked up multiple No. 1 hits and became one of the top-selling artists in pop history before drug abuse hobbled her career. She died in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2012, just hours before she was to appear at the annual pre-Grammy Awards gala hosted by Davis, who had been convinced she was turning her life around.

“Maybe I should have been more skeptical,” Davis wrote in his 2013 memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life,” “but I’ve always been optimistic, and I felt hopeful. It felt like old times.”

He also launched the career of multi-platinum, multiple-Grammy winner Keys — and was quick to note other talents he signed, including Joplin and Billy Joel, Blood Sweat & Tears and other “all-timers,” as he so often put it.

“I signed Patti Smith, the great Renaissance woman ... I signed Lou Reed ... I signed the Grateful Dead,” he proudly touted in an interview with The Associated Press in 1999.

But Davis didn’t simply have an eye for new talent — he also knew how to keep veterans relevant decades after their first hit. Aretha Franklin, whose legend was made at Atlantic Records, flourished in her later years at Arista, as did Luther Vandross, who made his last albums for another Davis label, J Records.

It was Davis who conceived of the 1999 album “Supernatural,” which paired guitar god Santana with some of the day’s hottest talents. The record won a record-tying eight Grammys and gave Santana more success than he had ever enjoyed in his decades-long career.

He had middle aged star Rod Stewart trade in his rock hits for standards from “The Great American Songbook.” The album, released in 2003, sold millions and was so successful it spawned four titles in all.

Davis didn’t always make the right choices; he turned down a chance to sign up Meatloaf. And he and his collaborators didn’t always agree. He and producer David Foster fought bitterly over the arrangement for Houston’s all-time hit, a cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”

And Manilow strongly objected to recording “I Write the Songs,” noting that he didn’t even write the song, a Bruce Johnston ballad that became a signature hit for Manilow, who would have similar latter-day success mining the music of the 1950s, 60s and ‘70s.

“He’s just brilliant at picking ideas he thinks the public will connect,” raved Manilow, who had worked with Davis since he was a budding singer at Columbia Records.

Davis also had his struggles. Though he became president of Columbia Records in 1967 after joining the label in 1960 as a lawyer, by 1973 he was gone in a bitter fallout. The label accused him of mismanagement of funds and he was fired. Although Davis says he was later cleared, it wasn’t the end of his problems; he later was indicted on tax evasion charges, pleaded guilty to one count and had to pay a $10,000 fine.

However, Davis would declare victory: He says Columbia gave him the money to start Arista to resolve the dispute, and the label would become a huge success with artists like country superstars Brooks & Dunn, sassy R&B group TLC, Babyface, Houston, Franklin and others.

The label had huge success with a debut act — Milli Vanilli. But the male pop duo would become the embarrassment of the industry when, after winning a Grammy, it was revealed that they weren’t actually singing their songs (Davis blamed the debacle on the label’s European division, which he said signed them; the group was later stripped of its best new artist Grammy).

In 1999, as Arista was celebrating its 25th anniversary, Davis faced another crisis: The label’s then-parent company, BMG Entertainment, a division of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, wanted him to retire; most of its executives were eased out by 60, and Davis was in his mid-60s.

In 2000, despite support from his superstar roster, the company ousted him in favor of producer and songwriter Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who would later become chairman of Island/Def Jam.

However, instead of severing its ties with Davis, BMG helped him launch J Records in what BMG has described as the largest record company startup ever created. Vandross was one of his initial artists, along with forgettable acts like the boy-band O-Town.

J Records was a success from the start, though, and only grew in stature with the arrival of a young singer named Keys, a piano-playing singer-songwriter with powerful pipes and dramatic R&B songs. Keys’ albums would go on to sell millions and win several Grammys.

His influence grew even more when Davis was tapped for BMG’s U.S. division.

He became a key backer of the careers of the winners of “American Idol,” guiding many albums to platinum status. The show’s link to Sony BMG came through a deal between Davis and 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by “Idol” creator Simon Fuller.

In 2007, however, Davis disagreed with the direction of Clarkson’s “My December,” and she publicly criticized him. The album was a flop, and she later apologized.

In 2008, Sony BMG replaced Davis as chairman and chief executive officer of the BMG label group, giving him the title of chief creative officer.

Davis, who was born on April 4, 1932, had four children. In his memoir, he confirmed longtime rumors that he was bisexual and had been living with a man in recent years.

“Do I feel I could have been similarly attracted to a woman?” Davis wrote. “The answer is yes.”

His family shared a loving statement on Monday.

“Through every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained Clive’s greatest pride and deepest joy. Today, we celebrate not only a towering figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly, cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives.”

Former AP writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody was the main writer of this obituary.