Cato Hernández
scours archives to understand how our region became the way it is today.
Published February 15, 2026 5:00 AM
Finding the book you want is easier than it was 100 years ago.
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Magali Cohen
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
Finding a book you need at a library is usually quick and easy, but that wasn’t the case about 100 years ago. It changed largely because of an energetic L.A. city librarian named Everett Perry.
Who was he? Perry moved here from the East Coast in 1911 to become L.A.’s top librarian. During a time of rapid growth, the city’s library services were struggling — and its main branch was inside a department store.
Revamping the system: Perry wanted to change that and more. He had progressive ideas about how books should be stored and used by the public. So when he took over, Perry pushed for a Central Library to be built that fit his idea of how these institutions should work. That Art Deco building still exists today. Some of his ideas spread nationwide, including a decision to form subject departments.
Read on ... to learn more about Perry’s novel ideas.
Today, millions of Angelenos use the Central Library downtown (which turns 100 this year) and over 70 branch locations to access the Los Angeles Public Library’s collection of over 8 million books.
But this juggernaut wasn’t created overnight. What started with just 750 books in 1872 was transformed in part because of city librarian Everett Perry, a visionary who wanted books to be easy to access. Here’s a look at how his influence can still be felt today.
A library in disarray
Perry got the job as top librarian in L.A. after working at the New York Public Library, which opened a main building during his tenure. He was accustomed to growth.
But when he arrived in 1911, the Los Angeles Public Library was struggling. With no permanent location, it had moved several times into different rented spaces, the most recent being in the Hamburger's Department Store, where patrons had to ride an elevator to check out books in between women’s clothes and furniture.
Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection
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“The modern library aims to be a vital force in a community,” he wrote. “It can not perform this function, if its usefulness is limited by an inaccessible location.”
This is an early look into his ethos as librarian. Perry was part of a progressive crop of librarians, whose ideas were shifting about how books should be stored and used by the public.
His goal was to create a library system focused on great service and that rivaled the very best on the East Coast. With others, he pushed for a central library to be built, funded by a $2 million bond measure. Voters passed that in the 1920s, which led to the creation of the impressive Art Deco building that still stands downtown.
But what was perhaps even more impressive was how he infused the building with novel ideas about how to make reading more accessible.
One key example was his decision to set up subject departments. For decades prior, libraries stored books on fixed shelves (these couldn’t be adjusted), so they were usually sorted by size or acquisition date. Libraries had only recently moved to the not-very-user-friendly Dewey decimal system.
By grouping books under subjects, Perry made it much easier for people to find what they wanted. His idea was so successful that it eventually spread to other libraries across the country.
Another innovation was where you could read the books. Perry put the circulation and card catalog area in the center of the floor, which was surrounded by book stacks and reading rooms along the edges. That meant they were next to the windows and full of natural light, which according to LAPL, wasn’t customary at the time.
The reference room of the Main Library, seen circa 1913, was in an enclosed section on the third floor of the Hamburger Building, a department store.
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Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection
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Building a teaching program
Perry earned a reputation as a fair, iron-fist leader who wanted top-notch library practices.
He issued a rulebook for staff that covered everything from the janitor’s responsibility to make brooms last longer to requiring librarians to go with patrons to find books.
But Perry’s legacy also includes the next generation of librarians. In 1914, he revamped an aging LAPL librarian training program into a full-fledged, accredited library school that was known as the best in California.
Artist Dean Cornwell, left, shows his proposal for the Central Library rotunda murals to city librarian Everett Perry sometime in the 1920s.
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Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection
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The history department at the Central Library in 1926. This was one of the largest reading rooms of the library.
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Mott Studios
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Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Collection
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He aimed to professionalize librarianship by encouraging men to apply (it had commonly been women), urging all applicants to have at least some college-level education, and creating a formal internship program. The program covered technical librarian skills, as well new coursework that compared how other libraries functioned across the country.
Perry served for over two decades until his death in 1933.
His achievements were numerous. Aside from getting the Central Library built, he grew the staff from 98 to 600, helped the 200,000-book collection balloon to 1.5 million, and added dozens of more branch libraries.
In 2018 he was inducted into the California Library Hall of Fame.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., speaks during a panel at Crooked Con at the Walter E Washington Convention Center, in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2026
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Nathan Howard
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Associated Press
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Topline:
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said today that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, setting up a challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.
Why now: Van Hollen’s challenge comes after he said he was considering a bid and after Schumer has said he has the necessary support to win. The closed-door, secret-ballot election will be held in early December. The race will be the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether to reelect Schumer has already divided the caucus and many senators will not say publicly how they will vote. They have privately deliberated about what message to take from the election, and Schumer recruited many of the party’s winning candidates and raised money for them.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, setting up a challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.
Van Hollen said in a statement that “the American people called for change” and that is why he is running.
“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” Van Hollen said. “This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
Van Hollen’s challenge comes after he said he was considering a bid and after Schumer has said he has the necessary support to win. The closed-door, secret-ballot election will be held in early December.
The race will be the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether to reelect Schumer has already divided the caucus and many senators will not say publicly how they will vote. They have privately deliberated about what message to take from the election, and Schumer recruited many of the party’s winning candidates and raised money for them.
Schumer has been talking to Democratic senators since the election about forming an agenda for 2027.
“I’m going to win it,” Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview last week.
Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published November 12, 2026 5:10 PM
The Los Angeles Unified School District is looking to lease spaces in its schools for infant and toddler care.
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Photo by Anne Wernikoff
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CalMatters
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Unified School District may lease spaces in its elementary, middle and high schools to use as childcare spaces for babies.
What’s new: The district is putting together a list of qualified providers and looking to identify spaces it could lease. Ranae Amezquita, executive director of the district’s early childhood education division, said once the district has a list of spaces, it will start a request for proposal process that childcare providers can apply to during the 2027-2028 school year.
The backstory: In April, LAUSD board members passed a resolution in an aim to expand childcare and early education slots in the district. The district currently runs about 90 preschools, called early education centers, for children 2 to 4 years old, but it has only four centers that serve childrenunder 2. “ The problem with infant care — the reason we can't open them ourself at this time, is because of the cost,” said Amezquita at a board meeting Thursday.
Why it matters: The need for local infant and toddler childcare is high. In 2022, LA County assessed that the county only had enough licensed spaces to care for 4% of kids under 2. At the same time, the district has been facing declining enrollment among lower birth rates. The resolution to expand early childhood care aims to, in part, strengthen the enrollment pipeline into the district.
The Los Angeles Unified School District may lease spaces in its elementary, middle and high schools to use as childcare spaces for babies.
The district is putting together a list of qualified providers and looking to identify spaces it could lease.
Ranae Amezquita, executive director of the district’s early childhood education division, said once the district has a list of spaces, it will start a request for proposal process that childcare providers can apply to during the 2027-2028 school year.
Why is LAUSD looking to expand childcare options now?
In April, LAUSD board members passed a resolution in an aim to expand childcare and early education slots in the district.
The district currently runs about 90 preschools, called early education centers, for children 2 to 4 years old, but it has only four centers that serve childrenunder 2. “The problem with infant care — the reason we can't open them ourself at this time, is because of the cost,” said Amezquita at a board meeting Thursday.
The need for local infant and toddler childcare is high. In 2022, L.A. County assessed that the county only had enough licensed spaces to care for 4% of kids under 2. At the same time, the district has been facing declining enrollment amid lower birth rates. The resolution to expand early childhood care aims to, in part, strengthen the enrollment pipeline into the district.
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Cato Hernández
has spent months following the proceedings against Draper.
Published November 12, 2026 4:55 PM
Judge Robert Draper
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Courtesy the campaign
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Topline:
An L.A. County Superior Court judge has been removed from the bench in a rare move by California’s judicial watchdog.
Why it matters: Judge Robert Draper engaged in 17 instances of misconduct, according to the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Removing a judge is reserved for only very serious matters.
The background: Draper’s misconduct includes offensive comments on race and gender, sending unnecessary photos of his naked backside to colleagues and defying orders to not work on cases while on involuntary leave.
What’s next: Draper lost reelection in June. Gov. Gavin Newsom may appoint his successor sooner. The court could also fill his department.
Read on… to see what Draper said about the outcome.
In an extraordinary turn of events, the state’s judicial watchdog has removed Judge Robert Draper, 84, from the Los Angeles County Superior Court after 14 years of service. He faced several counts of misconduct prior to losing reelection earlier this year.
“Judge Draper persistently violated the standards governing judicial behavior and engaged in extensive and severe misconduct,” the commission said in a statement, adding that it was “aggravated by his refusal to accept responsibility for his misconduct, and his lack of insight or remorse for his misconduct and its effect on others.”
Draper previously admitted to some of the claims and denied others in interviews with LAist earlier this year. In a statement this week, he called the decision “deeply disappointing.”
“Any individual put under such intense and meticulous scrutiny likely would find themselves in a similar situation, albeit with slightly different facts,” he said.
Draper said the investigation came at a time when he raised concerns within the judiciary, and that it was used “presumably for purposes of dismissing his dissent by discrediting him.”
He plans to pursue “other avenues” to change the system, according to the statement. Draper's attorney declined to share what those would be.
“It’s very rare for a judge to be removed from the bench,” said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “It’s the ultimate sanction against a judge.”
The commission has only removed 15 judges since it gained the authority to do so in 1995, according to its records, with the last for an L.A. County Superior Court judge happening in 2006.
The misconduct
The decision comes after a yearslong investigation and legal proceedings with independent evaluators. Prior to that, Draper had never been disciplined. According to the commission, his long list of misconduct includes:
Making “offensive” and “insensitive” comments in court about race and gender.
Sending “abusive” emails and unnecessary graphic pictures of his naked backside to colleagues.
Acting with “deliberate defiance of his presiding judge’s orders” by continuing to access court systems and work on cases while on involuntary leave.
Some allegations the commission reviewed were dismissed for lack of evidence, including one that he inappropriately touched an attorney’s hair.
What happens next
While Draper lost reelection, his seat is now empty sooner than usual. Judge-elect Tal Khan Valbuena is on deck to replace him in January.
It’s possible Gov. Gavin Newsom may decide to appoint Khan Valbuena sooner. The court could also move another judge into his department.
Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published November 12, 2026 4:02 PM
Flooding inundated coastal communities around Southern California this week, including Orange County's Sunset Beach.
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Robert Gauthier
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
El Niño is making the California coast much warmer than usual, and scientists are concerned about coastal flooding.
Unseasonably warm waters: The ocean temperatures along a stretch of coast from Sonoma County down to Ensenada, Mexico, are 10 degrees warmer than average. In a webinar Thursday, University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain stressed how unusual the current heat wave is, describing it as “mind-boggling” and “record-shattering.” “I'm using all the superlatives in the book because I think they're appropriate,” Swain said.
Exceeding records: The water temperatures in nearly every location are higher than any measured during the cold season in recorded history. “Not only is the water warmer than it's ever been at this time of year, but in fact it is warmer than it has ever been at any point after Nov. 1 and before May in any previous year,” Swain said.
The stakes for coastal flooding: Warmer oceans mean that the water expands, leading to high tides like the ones Long Beach and Orange County have experienced in recent months. Scientists are especially watching for king tides during Thanksgiving week. (King tides are also expected around Christmas and in late January.) And any significant rainstorms — which El Niño could bring — would also make flooding worse.
Why the heat wave is expected to stick around: “ Marine heat waves take a lot longer to develop, and they're a lot more persistent,” Swain said. That’s because water takes longer to heat up or cool down than air, and because wind can generally move air faster than ocean currents.
