The Brief

Since early June, Huntington Park residents have witnessed federal immigration agents chase, question and detain their neighbors at stores, churches and more.

The same day this week that the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security appeared in the Southeast L.A. neighborhood to help lead those operations, about 1,200 people gathered at an auditorium a few miles away to celebrate the area’s students — the graduation of Maywood Academy High School’s 230 seniors. But because of the ongoing ICE crackdowns, for many families, attending the event was marred with anxiety.

“I was really scared for my family to come out here, ‘cause I didn't know if they were going to get picked up by ICE,” said Lorraine Guzman, part of Maywood’s class of 2025.

Other Los Angeles residents have weighed the risk, too. Some schools set up live streams of the graduations for families who didn’t feel comfortable attending because of their immigration status.

But, ultimately, thousands of families poured onto Los Angeles Unified school campuses to celebrate, in many languages, their seniors’ accomplishments in person, and to shower them with gifts and hugs.

“It's really hard not to feel angry and just really stuck with everything that's going on in the world,” said Wilson High School graduate Hanna Corona. “But I also think we also really wanted to celebrate all that we accomplished.”

Denise Pacheco called out of her grocery store shift to help her parents and little sister sell leis, flowers and stoles along the sidewalk outside of Wilson High School. She said: “It's really scary right now. I don't want them to get deported. I know my dad made a struggle to bring my whole family here, so I was like, ‘It's OK to give a little struggle …for them.”

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Alexa Alvarado’s mortarboard, right, reads in English "For my mother, with the small amount she had, she gave me everything." “ She was my biggest inspiration  through completing high school and pursuing a career,” said Alvarado, who plans to study criminal justice at Cal State Fullerton in the fall and wants to become a police officer.

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District, families prepare for the possibility of graduation raids 

Jose Eduardo Reyna’s family also debated who would attend his graduation at Wilson High School in El Sereno.

Reyna has three step-sisters who arrived in L.A. as refugees from the Mexican state of Sinaloa two years ago. His mom, Isabel, said immigration officials went to the family's home in recent weeks. The family was not there, but she saw the officials on their home cameras. LAist agreed not to publish Isabel’s last name to protect the privacy of her stepdaughters.

Before deciding whether it would be safe for the whole family to attend, Isabel consulted with a website that crowdsources ICE sightings.

"They were able to come amongst all their fear, but they're here, thankfully, and enjoying it,” Isabel said.

“ It was a little bit heartbreaking,” she added, “because it should be something happy.”

Though LAUSD does not collect information about students’ immigration status, an estimated 10% of L.A. County residents are undocumented.

Board Vice President Rocío Rivas spoke at Wilson High School's graduation Tuesday evening. The three stripes on her robe's sleeves represent the doctorate she earned from Columbia University. She said: " I always mention I'm a proud Mexican immigrant because I want [the students] to see themselves reflected in me and vice versa. It was a lot of sacrifice and for me it's an honor because I'm the first one in my family to have a doctorate."

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Ahead of the graduation ceremonies, LAUSD leaders announced that school police would be deployed to set up a loose perimeter around these events, not all of which take place on school grounds.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said those officers could intervene and interfere if immigration enforcement officials arrived without the proper documentation to be there.

The district also directed school leaders to move attendees quickly into venues to avoid long lines outside that could be targeted by immigration raids and allow attendees to shelter in the venue should one occur.

A friend and student, taken

At the Maywood Academy graduation, at least two LAPD officers were stationed close to the auditorium entrance. On their way out, two L.A. Sheriff’s deputies sat in a golf cart next to a vendor peddling leis and graduation-themed toys.

Mau Trejo, an organizer with the activist group Students Deserve, also attended the Maywood graduation. They beamed with pride while watching the student activists they’ve worked with receive their diplomas. Together, they’ve advocated to end policing in schools.

For Trejo, seeing police outside the auditorium was unsettling. With so many law enforcement agencies in the area — including ICE, the National Guard and the Marines — “How can people even tell the difference?” they said.

Wilson High School sits atop Ascot Hills in El Sereno. The continuing legacy of the school's connection to the Chicano rights movement was present in students' speeches throughout the night.

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Trejo, along with students and faculty at the graduation, said one Maywood student is currently being detained, allegedly during a check-in with immigration authorities.

According to a fundraising page, Johanna is a 10th grade asylum seeker, as well as an athlete on the swim team and a member of the hiking club. Now she, her mom and her sister are in custody at a detention center in Texas.

LAUSD declined to confirm any details about the student. In an email, a district spokesperson said: “Due to student confidentiality laws, we are unable to share private student information. However, we are currently monitoring, and through our partners, providing legal support to several students impacted by immigration enforcement activity.”

Last Monday, Superintendent Carvalho said the district was aware of at least six students whose families were affected by the raids, and that one student was allegedly detained with a parent and transported from L.A. to Texas in federal custody.

Henry Marsos tied a Mexican flag around his shoulders and decorated his mortarboard with the name of his parent’s hometown in Oaxaca. “ Es obvio que no estoy de aquí. Pues estoy feliz de haber logrado llegar hasta aquí,” Marsos said. “It’s obvious that I’m not from here, but I’m happy to have gotten here."

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Jose Eduardo Reyna said the walkouts at Wilson High School stuck with him, even though he didn't participate. “I just feel like we had a voice,” Reyna said. His parents and grandparents are from Mexico.

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At the Maywood graduation ceremony, Christopher Sanabria Cortes was drenched in stoles, ropes and leis. He’d also affixed a plush rat resembling Remy, the lead character in Disney’s Ratatouille, to his shoulder. “I'm feeling very proud,” he told LAist.

Asked about the ICE crackdowns over the past few weeks, his tone became somber. “I've tried to stay positive,” he said, but learning that a classmate has been detained was a big blow. “It's affecting our community at such a deep level,” he added.

Yitzel Jimenez, a history teacher who’s been at Maywood for two years, had a lot of feelings to reconcile. Coming to school and hearing about Johanna “was very devastating,” she said. Johanna “was such a valuable member of our community, and she still is.”

At the same time, Jimenez was happy to see her first class of seniors walk the stage.

“It's beautiful to see them celebrate their accomplishments, despite everything [that’s] going on,” she said.

‘What a world’

When these students started freshman year in 2021, masks and weekly COVID-19 tests were required. Since then, they’ve balanced the rigors of academics and extracurriculars with momentous elections and January’s fires.

“Your education happens within the context of this broader, historic, environmental, economic, political, and social realities. What a world we're sending you off into,” said Gregorio Verbera, Wilson's principal. “But you’re bright and talented and armed with courage and compassion.”

Verbera noted students walked out of school six times in February to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and called them “ an exercise of your constitutional rights to voice and act and live out your passions and your concerns.”

"Honestly this day and age is very scary, not just what's going on here in L.A., but what's going on globally," said John-Paul Rodriguez, a graduating Wilson High senior. His advice for other students? “ I don't think there is a correct way to go around preparing yourself. It's literally just make sure you have a strong enough chin to take the blows.”

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“ I'm kind of scared for my parents and I know it's very hard for like my community and immigrants that come here,” Daniela Alvarado said. “This will not stop us and this just shows that we can strive for better.” When Alvarado starts studying neuroscience at UC Riverside she will be the first in her family to go to college.

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Student activism has a long history on the Eastside. In 1968, Wilson students were the first to walk out in protest against unequal education for students of color. That walkout spread throughout East L.A. Today, those students’ actions are seen as the start of the urban Chicano rights movement.

Hanna Corona, senior class president, was among those who walked out this winter. She emceed Wilson’s graduation.

She spoke in English, but switched to Spanish to address her mother from the podium.

“ Eres mi fuerza, mi ejemplo y la razón por la que sigo adelante,” said Corona, calling her mom the reason she keeps going. “Mil veces. Gracias.”

Corona and nearly 40% of her graduating peers earned a California-wide honor, for their skill in speaking, reading and writing in more than one language.

“Never forget to be proud of where you come from and of the people who helped you get here,” Corona told them. “When you walk across the stage, do it with pride for yourself, for your families, and for those who couldn't be here beside us, but whose sacrifices carried us forward.”

The mortarboard of Julie Franquez, who will attend Cal State Fullerton to study chemistry and plans to become a nurse. Her summer plans include getting a job “to  help my family out just give back to my parents throughout the summer.”

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At Maywood, meanwhile, salutatorian Mayah Rhianna Flores, standing beside school authorities, said walking out of class earlier this year “was one of my proudest moments.”

“As we marched through our local streets, we made our voices heard,” she said. “We will be remembered as the class that made a difference. A class that stood up for what we believe in, who spoke up for our parents and grandparents when they were told they didn't have a voice. We were united not only by our culture, but by our shared belief that education can help us fight for justice and freedom. I'm incredibly proud to call myself a member of this class.”

Atop their white robes, several of her classmates wore stoles resembling the flags of countries their families hail from. Many of their caps also bore the same message: “Para mis padres” — “For my parents.”

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena’s music community have really shown up to support fire survivors, especially fellow musicians who lost instruments and record collections.

That effort continues this weekend with a special donation concert at a Pasadena record store, with the aim of getting vinyl records back in the hands of survivors who lost their collections.

“You know, our name is Healing Force of the Universe, and I think that gives me a pretty clear direction… especially after the fires,” said Austin Manuel, founder of Pasadena record store, where Sunday’s show will be held.

The record donation effort is the brainchild of musician Brandon Jay, who founded the nonprofit Altadena Musicians after losing his home and almost all of his family’s instruments in the Eaton Fire. Through Altadena Musicians’s donation and registry platform, Jay said he and his partners have helped some 1,200 fire survivors get their music instruments back.

Brandon Jay.

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Now, that effort has fanned out to restoring vinyl record collections.

“All of that stuff evaporated for thousands of people,” Jay said. “Look at your own record collection and be like, ‘Wow, what if that whole thing disappeared?’”

You might know Jay from several bands over the years, including Lutefisk, a 1990s alt-rock band based in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, composed music for TV shows, including Orange is the New Black and Weeds.

Jay plans to play some holiday tunes at Sunday's record donation show (which LAist is the media sponsor), along with fellow musician Daniel Brummel of Sanglorians. Brummel, who was also a founding member of Pasadena’s indie-rock sensation Ozma, said he was grateful to Jay for his fire recovery work and to Manuel for making Healing Force available for shows like this.

Brummel, who came close to losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recalled a show he played at Healing Force back in March.

Ryen Slegr (left) and Daniel Brummel perform with their band, Ozma, on the 2014 Weezer Cruise.

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“The trauma of the fires was still really fresh,” Brummel said. After playing a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going to a Town,” that night — which includes the lyrics “I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down” — Brummel said his neighbors in the audience told him the rendition hit them hard. “It felt really powerful. And without that space, it just wouldn’t have occurred.”

Details

Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show
Featuring: Quasar (aka Brandon Jay), Sanglorians (Daniel Brummel) and The Acrylic.
Sunday, Dec. 14; 2 to 5 p.m.
1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena
Tickets are $15 or you can donate 5 or more records at the door. More info here.

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

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Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

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Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.