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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • After a semester, LAUSD sees some change
    A hand places a phone into a box with slits for the phones to fit into them.
    A Venice High School staff member stores a student’s phone as they arrive to campus on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.

    Topline:

    Four months after the Los Angeles Unified School District banned cellphones in its schools, the general consensus among students, teachers and administrators is that there are fewer visible phones during the school day and more interaction between students.

    The backstory: LAUSD enacted a full-day cellphone ban on Feb. 18. The policy also applies to smartwatches and earbuds. Board members cited rising concerns about the effect of phones and social media on youth mental health, bullying and distraction from classroom instruction when they approved the ban in June 2024.

    A new challenge: Venice High School math teacher Jessica Quindel said she noticed an immediate change in her students on the day the ban started in February. “It was almost like you had given them a sugar high; they were bouncing off the walls,” Quindel said. She offered stress balls and other fidget toys to occupy students' hands. “It's a challenge, but it's a good one because it means that kids are not looking at their phones, and instead they're trying to learn,” Quindel said.

    The student perspective: “ People still bring their phones to school, they just don't get caught,” said Sophia, a Venice High sophomore. “The more rules you enforce, the sneakier people get. The more you imply that you don't trust students, the more they give you a reason not to trust them.”

    Go deeper: Listen to the latest episode of Imperfect Paradise on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Read on ... to hear more from students and parents.

    Four months after the Los Angeles Unified School District banned cellphones in its schools, the general consensus among students, teachers and administrators is that there are fewer visible phones during the school day and more interaction between students.

    Venice High School math teacher Jessica Quindel said she noticed an immediate change in her students on the day the ban started in February.

    “It was almost like you had given them a sugar high, they were bouncing off the walls,” Quindel said.

    She offered stress balls and other fidget toys to occupy students' hands and used grant funding to purchase “flexible seating.” Students can choose to sit on a bouncy medicine ball on wheels, a couch, or an intentionally wobbly stool instead of a traditional desk chair.

    “It's a challenge, but it's a good one because it means that kids are not looking at their phones, and instead they're trying to learn,” Quindel said.

    At the same time, students and educators say students aren’t necessarily following the rules as they were originally laid out.

    “ People still bring their phones to school, they just don't get caught,” said Sophia, a Venice High sophomore. “The more rules you enforce, the sneakier people get. The more you imply that you don't trust students, the more they give you a reason not to trust them.”

    Listen 46:11
    On February 18th, 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went.

    On February 18th, 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went.

    The backstory of LAUSD’s cellphone ban 

    The LAUSD Board voted in June 2024 to expand the district’s existing phone ban to include lunch and passing periods (“bell to bell”). The policy also applies to smartwatches and earbuds.

    Board members cited rising concerns about the effect of phones and social media on youth mental health, bullying and distraction from classroom instruction.

    Two months later, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that requires districts state-wide to adopt similar policies by July 2026. California is one of at least 24 states, as well as D.C., that require school districts to ban or restrict the use of phones in schools.

    LAUSD offered schools different ways to implement the ban and set aside $7 million for lockers, pouches and other devices to separate students from their phones. A district spokesperson said in a statement that about half of schools chose to rely instead on the “honor system” and require students to keep their phones turned off and in their backpacks.

    It’s unclear how much of the money was spent. LAist requested invoices related to the policy’s implementation in April through California’s public records law, but has yet to receive them.

    From the community

    For the last year, LAist’s reporting on LAUSD’s cellphone ban has been shaped by the experiences of families, educators and students. Our survey is still open if you want to weigh in.

    ‘It’s a challenge, but it’s a good one’

    Venice High School’s 2,300 students were supposed to stow phones in a portable lockers stored in their sixth-period classes.

    Sophia was one of a few students in her class who relinquished their phones initially, but she said she stopped after about two weeks.

    “ I don't use it throughout the day — I really don't,” Sophia said. “But I just, I feel safer knowing that my property is like, in my bag.”

    She said the phone ban has been more of an inconvenience than anything. She’s in multiple extracurriculars, including the school newspaper.

    “ I want to give respect to my teacher, and I'm there to learn. I understand that,” Sophia said. “But during my free time, during lunch and nutrition, when I have the perfect opportunity to send out communications to get stuff that I need to be done, done, there is no reason for me to still have my phone locked in a box.”

    Sophia’s average screen time is the same as it was before the ban, about four hours a day.

    Parents struggle to control phone use at home

    Sun Valley parent Norma Chávez said her seventh-grade daughter chose to leave her phone at home rather than lock it in the pouch provided by her school.

    “ She doesn't use it throughout the day, but now it's like she's starving from phone use when she gets home,” Chávez said. She said she catches her daughter hiding a second screen playing cartoons or YouTube while she’s supposed to be doing her homework.

    “I'm trying to get her more involved with activities where she has to be outside the house and she can't have the phone,” Chávez said. For example, next year she’s signed up for the Los Angeles Police Department’s cadet program.

    But other students reported the ban did change their behavior at school.

    Venice junior Chris said that although he didn’t put his phone in the locker, he also wasn’t using it during the school day, for example to play video games during lunch.

     ”I was afraid to get it taken away by my teachers because there was still punishments that you would get if you got caught with it too many times,” Chris said.

    Instead, he spent more time talking with his friends and noticed his peers doing the same.

    But he has noticed another change: In February, he said his screentime averaged five hours a day. By the end of the school year his phone use had crept up to eight hours a day.

    Most of that time is spent on TikTok, but Chris also spends hours in the photos app.

    “ I just like to reminisce on memories I've taken with my phone,” he said. Among the nearly 10,000 pictures he’s taken since 2020 are images of his recent birthday party at his grandmother’s home and trips to Brazil to visit family.

    Compliance ranges, but teachers report positive results

    Sadia Aziz, a teacher at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, says the ban seems to work. “Kids used cellphones blatantly before the ban, now they are sneaking them here and there. You don't see a lot of phones in the classrooms. Students are definitely more engaged when the distractions of [the] phone went away."

    “Cell phones are almost a non-issue on campus now,” said Mike, a Berendo teacher who shared his first name in an LAist survey. “Most students follow the rule to the letter (no phones at all for the whole day, including lunch and recess). Some don't lock the pouch, but they're not taking them out in class and teachers aren't having to police it and that's really all that matters.”

    Math teacher Quindel said the support of a district-wide policy has helped her feel less like the “phone police” in her individual classroom, but lunch, nutrition and passing periods remain a challenge, especially given the other responsibilities teachers have.

    Two hands hold a gray rectangular pouch with green words that read 'YONDR."
    A Walter Reed Middle School student holds the pouch where she is required to store her phone during the school day as part of LAUSD's cell phone policy.
    (
    Zaydee Sanchez
    /
    LAist
    )

    “ We have thousands of kids here, and there's not that many adults to be able to intervene,” Quindel said.

    Quindel said discussions are underway at Venice as to whether the school will continue trying to require students to store phones at the beginning of the day, or switch to a different strategy.

    Students have reportedly found ways to circumvent the phone policy at other schools, for example by storing a dummy phone in the pouch or breaking the locks.

    It’s not yet clear on a classroom or district-wide level whether the policy is helping students learn more.

    “ I teach data science, so I have a very hard time saying that I have any kind of controlled experiment to say that there's a link between their grades and the cellphone policy,” Quindel said.

    But she did mention a few individual cases where students told her that the phone ban helped them focus in class.

    A new attempt next school year

    “The students were all issued pouches, but in practice they are not used and teachers/admin [are] not enforcing the ban at all,” wrote Eagle Rock High School parent Carrie Hansen. “They say they will start [with a] clean slate next year.”

    LAist requested an interview with anyone at LAUSD who might be able to speak to how the policy has been implemented district-wide and received a statement from a spokesperson.

    “While the district has not completed a formal assessment since initializing our implementation of a variety of phone-free policies this semester, our school sites are reporting improved socialization and engagement during the school days and minimal to no disruption,” the spokesperson wrote.

    Listen 23:18
    LAUSD banned cell phones in February. So how’s that going?
    Mariana Dale joins AirTalk to discuss implementation of Los Angeles Unified's cellphone policy.

    Nick Melvoin, an LAUSD board member and major supporter of the ban, said faculty interested in studying how LAUSD schools are implementing the phone ban have contacted his office.

    Researchers, including several at Stanford, have launched a national survey to try to better understand how phone bans are being implemented throughout the country and expect to share initial findings before the start of next school year.

    “We want the world to see that this is a really important policy,” Melvoin said. “I think we will all, as educators and educational leaders, look back in a few years and be like, how did we ever let cellphones in schools?”

    Listen 46:11
    On February 18th, 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went.

    On February 18th, 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went.

  • A surf competition, zoo line dancing and more
    A light-skinned man in a red surf top rides a wave with his surfboard pointed straight up and down vertically.
    The U.S. Open of Surfing is happening this week and weekend, with special concerts two nights in a row.

    In this edition:

    This weekend and beyond, check out line dancing at the zoo, a burger-eating contest, the U.S. Open of Surfing and more of the best things to do.

    Highlights:

    • Head south to Huntington Beach for the annual U.S. Open of Surfing. Watch the world’s best surfers take to the waves or grab a ticket for the music stage where the Allah-las and Local Natives will play this weekend.
    • Burgers Never Say Die is hosting six contestants to see who can devour 20 burgers in just 10 minutes. The winner will be crowned the “Shmasters Champion” and be escorted in a limo to Dodger Stadium for the Red Sox vs. Dodgers game that same night. If one burger is plenty for you, a spectator ticket ($15) gets you a burger, fries and unlimited Skyduster Beer during the two-hour competition — pretty good deal!
    • Put on your cowboy boots for a line dancing night amongst the animals at the L.A. Zoo. The Zoo’s regular after-dark events this week feature music from Pulp Vixen, food trucks, lawn games, and a silent disco.

    This is not a drill. The Cinerama Dome is reopening. I repeat, the Cinerama Dome is reopening! Could 2028 get more exciting for this town? I don’t think so.

    Thanks for bearing with us this week as we transition Best Things to Do to once a week, which we hope will give you more time to plan your weekend and the week ahead. Let us know if you have feedback or event suggestions at bestthingstodo@laist.com

    In music this week, we are spoiled for choice. Licorice Pizza’s picks include the Violent Femmes’ residency at the Bellwether every night through Friday. Let me go on!

    On Wednesday, Tower of Power and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band get horny at the Hollywood Bowl, while Cypress Hill is with Ozomatli at the Pacific Amphitheatre.

    Thursday, the Fixx is at the Belasco, Sublime plays the Grammy Museum roof and Flyleaf begins their three-night run at House of Blues Anaheim. Friday, Motionless In White plays the Forum, the Pretty Reckless with special guest Paris Jackson play the Wiltern, and Black Moth gets their freak on at the Pacific Amphitheatre.

    Saturday, K-pop girl group Ive is at the Forum, Of Montreal is at the Regent, John Legend is at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Lil Wayne with 2 Chainz and The Game play Long Beach F&M Bank Amphitheater.

    Rock Goddess Kim Gordon plays two nights at Pacific Electric this weekend, and another rock goddess, St. Vincent, takes on the Hollywood Bowl with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Anoushka Shankar on Saturday. Plus, Death Cab for Cutie and Nation of Language are at the Greek. Looking ahead to next week, Sarah McLaughlin will take the Greek stage on Tuesday.

    Below are the rest of the events you should know about this weekend and beyond.

    Events

    The People of Pompeii

    Through Sunday, Oct. 4 
    Theatricum Botanicum 
    1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga
    COST: FROM $40; MORE INFO

    A large wooden amphitheater with 17 people onstage, and a crowd watching in the stands.
    (
    Ian Flanders
    /
    Lucy PR
    )

    A new (and timely!) comedy by award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubría, The People of Pompeii opens this weekend at Theatricum Botanicum and runs through the fall. Set in a far-far-away land — ok not really, it’s Topanga — the play takes place in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire as evacuated residents return home and try to regain a sense of normalcy. Cubría, who moved to Topanga five years ago, addresses issues of “performative progressivism, gentrification, race, class and the uneasy social dynamics between longtime canyon residents and wealthy newcomers” in the show, which features characters based on his real life (Cubría co-stars alongside his wife, Lauren Saffa). Plus, Saturday — opening night — is also taco night!


    Surf Guitar 101 Festival

    Friday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 2
    Garden Grove Elks Lodge
    11551 Trask Ave., Garden Grove
    COST: FROM $44; MORE INFO

    An aquatic-themed poster for Surf Guitar 101 Festival 2020 featuring an animated scuba diver playing guitar and a list of bands.
    (
    Courtesy Surf Guitar 101 Fest
    )

    Grab yourself a tiki drink and groove on down to the Surf Guitar 101 Festival in Garden Grove. Southern California’s own invention, surf guitar bands like the Bomboras, Los Straitjackets and Slacktone will play the annual event; plus, you can stick around for a vintage swimsuit contest, guitar seminars and more.


    Burger-Eating Competition 

    Saturday, August 1, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
    Burgers Never Say Die 
    2388 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake 
    COST: FROM $15; MORE INFO 

    Why should Joey Chestnut have all the fun? Watch or eat (or both) at the first-ever Burgers Never Say Die Burger-Eating Competition. The local spot is hosting six contestants to see who can devour 20 burgers in just 10 minutes. The winner will be crowned the “Shmasters Champion” and be escorted in a limo to Dodger Stadium for the Red Sox vs. Dodgers game that same night. If one burger is plenty for you, a spectator ticket ($15) gets you a burger, fries and unlimited Skyduster Beer during the two-hour competition — pretty good deal!


    MVMTFest LA

    Through Sunday, August 9
    2245 E. Washington Blvd., West Adams
    COST: VARIES; MORE INFO 

    If you've been hesitant to get involved in the dance community in LA, MVMT Fest is your chance to take a drop-in class, catch a performance, check out a dance party or watch a screening. With events going almost a full two weeks, there is something for everyone


    U.S. Open of Surfing

    Through Sunday, Aug. 2
    Huntington Beach 
    COST: VARIES, CONCERTS START AT $73.20; MORE INFO

    A light-skinned woman wearing a red surfing suit hovers above a crashing wave while her surfboard flies next to her.
    Sawyer Lindblad jumps from her board after finishing a ride during last year's US Open of Surfing.
    (
    Robert Gauthier
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    )

    If you didn’t get enough surf at the Surf Guitar fest, keep heading south for the annual U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Watch the world’s best surfers take to the waves, or grab a ticket for the music stage where the Allah-las and Local Natives will play this weekend.


    L.A. Stone Fruit Festival 

    Sunday, August 2 through Saturday, 8 
    Various local farmers market locations
    COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

    I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox. And now I have to go to the L.A. Stone Fruit Festival to buy more. Going all week at many farmers markets around the area, Food Access LA is hosting special events featuring all the plums, peaches and nectarines the area is famous for this time of year.


    Movies at the Steps: Wicked 

    Friday, July 31, 8:30 p.m.
    Culver Steps
    9300 Culver Blvd., Culver City 
    COST: FREE; MORE INFO

    A large brick building lit up behind a plaza. In front of it is a large projector screen that reads "The Culver Steps." People sit on the steps and watch.
    (
    Courtesy The Culver Steps
    )

    What better place to watch Wicked than at the doorstep of where The Wizard of Oz was filmed? Sunset movies on the Culver Steps happen every Friday in the Summer. This week’s pick is sure to be a popular one.


    Madonna: The Rise of the Material Girl (1980-1985)

    Opening Saturday, August 1, 6 p.m. 
    Musichead Gallery 
    7420 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 
    COST: FREE; MORE INFO

    A light-skinned woman in a red hat and black clothes sits on a white couch with her hand on her forehead.
    (
    Musichead Gallery
    /
    Eventbrite
    )

    It’s always been Madonna’s world; we’re just living in it. The Queen of Pop is back with Confessions II on the charts, but you can relive her early days at a new photography exhibit, Madonna: The Rise of the Material Girl at the Musichead Gallery.


    Country Line Dancing 

    Friday, July 31, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
    L.A. Zoo After Dark
    5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park, Los Feliz
    COST: $30; MORE INFO

    Howdy! Put on your cowboy boots for a line dancing night amongst the animals at the L.A. Zoo. The zoo’s regular after-dark event this week features music from Pulp Vixen, food trucks, lawn games and a silent disco.

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  • A ballot measure would restore funding in LA
    The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles
    The Jail complex in downtown Los Angeles

    Topline:

    A proposed charter change aims to ensure that a portion of the Los Angeles County budget be set aside for programs that fund alternatives to jail. The measure, approved Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors, would restore funds accidentally removed under a previous charter measure. The measure is headed to the ballot in November.

    The backstory: In 2020, voters approved Measure J, which required dedicating at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted general funds to alternatives to incarceration, including job training, mental health treatment and youth development. It explicitly banned the use of those specific funds for prisons, jails or law enforcement agencies.

    What happened: A clerical error in 2024 at the county led to the inadvertent repeal of Measure J. It happened when voters approved Measure G. That measure included language that had the unintended effect of making Measure J null and void starting in December 2028.

    The details: The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to put on the November ballot a measure that would “continue uninterrupted the County's commitment to community investment and alternatives to incarceration.” Supervisor Holly Mitchell was absent from the meeting.

  • Weather patterns are funneling moisture into SoCal
    A gauge to measure humidity shows a dial marked with temperatures with a "100% Humidity" written in the center.
    A hygrometer, which measures humidity.

    Topline:

    Tropical storms in the Pacific Ocean and rising ocean temperatures are driving up and sustaining the humidity.

    The details: The dew point in Southern California is normally around 60 degrees at this time of year, forecasters say. But in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, the dew point hit almost 70 degrees. Scientists say humidity generally becomes uncomfortable when the dew point is higher than 65.

    Pacific storms: Tropical Storm Fausto formed earlier this month off Central America and is now moving past Hawaii. Hurricane Genevieve is traveling parallel to Mexico about 500 miles offshore. Weather patterns closer to home are siphoning the tropical moisture from the storms into Southern California.

    Warming oceans: Higher than normal ocean temperatures mean seawater evaporates faster, releasing more moisture into the air above it. That moisture is then carried inland by the wind.

    Read on … to learn more about the atmospheric forces behind the humidity.

    Southern California summers aren’t exactly known for mugginess.

    But uncharacteristic humidity has been clinging to the region for almost a month, and it looks like there’s little relief coming our way.

    It’s not enough moisture to create much, if any, rain, but it is abnormal for this time of year

    The dew point in Southern California is normally around 60 degrees at this time of year, forecasters say. But in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, the dew point hit almost 70 degrees.

    Scientists say humidity generally becomes uncomfortable in the summer when the dew point is higher than 65.

    “We do get these prolonged periods of heat, but what is unusual is the humidity,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis.

    So, what’s causing this mugginess?

    A confluence of atmospheric forces, some hundreds or even thousands of miles away, is collecting and trapping moisture in Southern California.

    “It's basically the combination of the warm ocean temperatures, as well as we've just been in the right pattern for some tropical moisture" to be sent our way, Lewis said.

    Storms in the Pacific

    Storms are to blame, at least in part, for the uncharacteristic humidity in the region this summer.

    Two in particular have contributed to moisture levels in Southern California as they traveled across the Pacific Ocean in recent weeks.

    Tropical Storm Fausto formed off of Central America earlier this month before moving off into the open ocean and moving toward Hawaii. It briefly was elevated to a Category 2 hurricane over the weekend before weakening again into a tropical storm.

    Fausto is expected to continue weakening as it passes to the north of the Hawaiian Islands over the next few days.

    The other, stronger storm, Hurricane Genevieve, also formed off the coast of Central America and has been moving relatively parallel to the Mexican coast, several hundred miles offshore.

    Genevieve was elevated to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday.

    The storms aren’t solely responsible for sending moisture hundreds of miles across the ocean.

    Other weather patterns closer to home, including the system of high pressure air currently settled over the Western U.S. and the North American monsoon, siphon the tropical moisture from the storms into our region.

    Thankfully, forecasters say, Hurricane Genevieve is not expected to create as much moisture as Fausto and other recent tropical storms.

    Warming oceans

    Forecasters also say warming ocean temperatures are adding to the humidity.

    When the ocean is warmer than usual, the wind blowing inland off the water is also warmer. The warm seawater also evaporates faster, releasing more moisture into the air above it. That moisture is then carried inland by the wind.

    Ocean warming is not new in Southern California, but it’s getting worse.

    The region has been hit with a series of marine heatwaves over the last decade. They generally recede during the winter, but the current one has lasted for over a year. Scientists say these ocean heatwaves are likely being worsened by human-caused climate change.

    But there is some short-term hope on the horizon for humidity-haters.

    One, Hurricane Genevieve is not expected to pull as much moisture into our region as other recent weather patterns. And two, forecasters expect drier air to flow in from the northwest, cutting down the humidity a bit, especially inland.

    That may not reach people who live along the coast, however, where the higher ocean temperatures will help keep the coastal humidity elevated, especially at night.

  • Dennis Block admits violations, gets probation
    Two men with light-tone skin appear in side-by-side windows. Each wears a dark suit and red tie. The chyron at the bottom reads:  Q&A session and has contact info for the eviction attorney.
    Dennis Block discusses Southern California tenant protections in a video posted by the Apartment Owners Association of California on July 14, 2022.

    Topline: 

    Los Angeles-area eviction lawyer Dennis Block has agreed to one year of probation after the California State Bar Court found he violated a court order and engaged in other misconduct.

    The Backstory: LAist first reported in January on the disciplinary charges against Block, who admitted to some of those charges in a stipulation filed by the State Bar Court last week, including claims that he charged clients improper fees, represented a landlord and their tenant at the same time, signed off on an error-filled court document a junior attorney in his firm generated using ChatGPT and failed to pay court-ordered sanctions for nearly three years.

    Disciplinary action: Block is expected to be placed on probation for one year. The State Bar Court’s recommendation still needs to be approved by the California Supreme Court. The bar court also recommended that Block be suspended from practicing law for one year, but allowed the suspension to be stayed as long as he complies with the bar’s ethics rules and his probation conditions.

    Read on . . . for more about Block’s case and what former clients say.

    Los Angeles-area eviction lawyer Dennis Block has agreed to one year of probation after the California State Bar Court found he violated a court order and engaged in other misconduct.

    The decision came through a stipulation — similar to a settlement agreement with the court — in which Block admitted to charging clients improper fees, representing a landlord and their tenant at the same time, signing off on an error-filled court document a junior attorney in his firm generated using ChatGPT and failing to pay court-ordered sanctions for nearly three years.

    LAist first reported on these disciplinary charges in January.

    Block, who runs a firm that claims to have evicted hundreds of thousands of tenants, is expected to be placed on probation for one year. He will also be required to take classes on ethics and proper handling of client funds if the State Bar Court’s recommendation is approved by the California Supreme Court.

    The State Bar Court recommended Block be suspended from practicing law for one year, but allowed the suspension be stayed as long as he complies with ethics rules and his probation conditions.

    David Bramante is one of the clients who reported Block to the bar. He said he paid Block $17,000 up front to work on a court motion that needed to be taken care of quickly.

    “The Ellis Act work I paid for never got done,” Bramante told LAist. “And when I terminated him, his office wouldn't give me a real accounting of where the money went.”

    Bramante said it was only after many months and the State Bar’s investigation that Block’s firm refunded him the money.

    Three legal ethics experts told LAist the disciplinary actions the bar recommended against Block are in line with similar cases they have seen in the past.

    “This is a pretty serious sanction,” Scott Cummings, a UCLA law professor who teaches legal ethics, told LAist.

    Cummings said suspension and disbarment are the two highest forms of discipline given by the bar.

    Even though the suspension is being stayed in this case — because Block cooperated with State Bar investigators and has had a long career without disciplinary issues — Cummings said it seems like the bar is sending a message to Block and other attorneys that they need to treat their clients’ interests and money with the highest level of care.

    Still, others think the court didn’t go far enough.

    Richard Zitrin, an emeritus lecturer with UC Law San Francisco, called it a “slap on the wrist" considering the level of wrongdoing in the case.

    “The failure to suspend Mr. Block is letting him get away with clearly unethical conduct that harms his clients,” Zitrin told LAist.

    Other clients who were not involved with the bar’s investigation also claimed they had negative experiences with Block’s firm.

    Xavier Jones said he hired Block’s firm for a few months in 2025. He told LAist there were no issues at first. Then, he said he saw Block’s attorneys start coming to court unprepared for his case. He said he also felt Block was overbilling him for the firm’s services.

    Block would hang up on him when he asked legal questions or about how much he was being billed, Jones said. He said there were two times the firm’s lawyers came to court without having a copy of the tenants’ lease, which he says he sent them.

    “I'm paying for this, for them to show up, for them to do their back-end work,” Jones said. “It's just unprofessional, it's embarrassing, and it's costing me a lot of money.”

    Jones said he stopped working with Block in November. He said he had lost about $70,000 in unpaid rent, legal fees and other costs he believes could have been avoided with proper legal assistance.

    LAist reached out to Block and his attorneys this week for comment, but did not receive a response. Last month, Erin Joyce — Block’s defense attorney — told LAist that the State Bar Court’s investigation into her client was “thorough” and found “no conduct by the firm involved moral turpitude,” which had been alleged in the original charges.

    How to reach me

    If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is  jrynning.56.