Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published June 18, 2025 5:00 AM
A Venice High School staff member stores a student’s phone as they arrive to campus on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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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.
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.”
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.”
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 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.
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.
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.
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Zaydee Sanchez
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LAist
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“ 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.
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.
“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?”
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.
Casey Wasserman puts namesake business up for sale
Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published February 14, 2026 7:28 AM
LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman speaks during a press conference on June 5, 2025.
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Federic J. Brown
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Casey Wasserman, the embattled businessman and head of the organizing body that's bringing the Olympics to L.A., is putting his namesake talent agency up for sale.
Why it matters: Wasserman has been under fire for racy emails he exchanged decades ago with Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted sex trafficker and the ex-girlfriend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The emails were revealed as part of the millions of documents related to Epstein released by the Justice Department in January.
Why now: In a memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Wasserman told his staff that he had "become a distraction" to the work of the high-profile talent agency that he founded more than two decades ago.
In recent days, a number of artists — including musician Chappell Roan — have said they are cutting ties with the Wasserman agency.
Background: Critics have also called for Wasserman to resign as head of LA28, the nonprofit and organizing body behind the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Earlier this week, the board of LA28 expressed support for Wasserman.
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Topline:
Casey Wasserman, the embattled businessman and head of the organizing body that's bringing the Olympics to L.A., is putting his namesake talent agency up for sale.
Why it matters: Wasserman has been under fire for racy emails he exchanged decades ago with Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted sex trafficker and the ex-girlfriend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The emails as part of the release of millions of documents related to Epstein by the Justice Department in January.
Why now: In a memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Wasserman told his staff that he had "become a distraction" to the work of the high-profile talent agency that he founded more than two decades ago.
In recent days, a number of artists — including musician Chappell Roan — have said they are cutting ties with the Wasserman agency.
Background: Critics have also called for Wasserman to resign as head of LA28, the nonprofit and organizing body behind the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Earlier this week, the board of LA28 expressed support for Wasserman.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board will vote on a proposal that could save approximately $250 million through a combination of job closures, transfers and possible layoffs.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Unified School District has unveiled key elements of a $1.4 billion “fiscal stabilization plan” that also involves a reduction in force, which could mean job transfers or layoffs.
What's in the plan? In meeting materials posted late Friday night, the district proposed issuing notices to 2,600 certificated and classified contract management employees and closing hundreds of additional positions at the central office. The move would save approximately $250 million.
What’s wrong with the budget? There are more than 40% fewer students in LAUSD compared to the early 2000s. At the same time, as costs have increased, the district has not closed schools or significantly reduced staff. LAUSD hired more staff to support students during the pandemic, and now the federal relief dollars that initially funded those positions are gone.
The Los Angeles Unified School Board will vote Tuesday on a plan to eliminate jobs as the district contends with several years of spending more money than it brings in.
The reduction in force (RIF) vote is the first step in a monthslong process that could result in layoffs at the district’s central office and schools.
In meeting materials posted late Friday night, the district proposed issuing notices to thousands of employees and closing hundreds of additional positions at the central office.
The move would save approximately $250 million, part of an overall $1.4 billion “fiscal stabilization plan.”
“Even with approval,” the plan states, “with available reserves already being fully utilized, further reductions will be necessary based on the multi-year projections.”
Why is the board voting on potential job cuts?
For the last two years, the district has relied on reserves to backfill a multi-billion-dollar deficit. That deficit comes as enrollment has declined steeply but expenses have not.
There are more than 40% fewer students compared to the early 2000s. At the same time, as costs have increased, the district has not closed schools or significantly reduced staff. LAUSD hired more staff to support students during the pandemic, and now the federal relief dollars that initially funded those positions are gone.
What’s in the plan?
Reductions in force are proposed for several categories including “un-funded” positions, central office staff, and at schools that support higher needs students.
The RIF proposal would:
Authorize notices to about 2,600 certificated and classified contract management employees and certificated administrators. (e.g. teachers, counselors, etc.)
“In total this represents less than 1% of the total Los Angeles Unified workforce,” the materials note.
It is unclear how many positions included in the proposed reduction in force will ultimately result in people being laid off. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a previous board meeting that a RIF did not guarantee layoffs, as staff could be reassigned to other positions or given the opportunity to transfer schools.
The district's budget outlook could also change as employees retire or move to jobs elsewhere, etc.
What happens now?
LAUSD must vote on the reduction in force before March 15, the deadline for California school districts to notify staff they may be laid off. Decisions have to be finalized by the end of June.
In a letter sent earlier this month, the unions representing LAUSD teachers, support staff and principals asked the board to delay the RIF vote until there is more information available about state funding and the public has more time to understand the proposed cuts.
United Teachers Los Angeles members recently gave their leadership the power to call a strike if the union can’t reach a contract deal with the district.
How can I weigh in?
The board meets Tuesday at 10 a.m. Registration for public comment opens Monday at 9 a.m.( 24 hours before the meeting). Speakers can comment by phone or in person and are generally limited to two minutes.
You can also email all board members here or find your individual representative below or leave a voicemail message at (213) 443-4472, by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting .
Find Your LAUSD Board Member
LAUSD board members can amplify concerns from parents, students and educators. Find your representative below.
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Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published February 14, 2026 5:00 AM
Steve Wastell (left) and Paula Ficara of Apex Protection Project pose with one of their "wolf crossing" signs.
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Courtesy Paula Ficara
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Topline:
In case you haven’t heard, a 3-year-old, female gray wolf was found last week near Lancaster.
Experts say it's the first time we’ve seen one of these carnivores in L.A. County in a century.
A new campaign called 'Wolf Crossing' aims to keep her safe.
Wolf crossing? Paula Ficara and Steve Wastell, the founders of local wolf sanctuary Apex Protection Project, are encouraging people to post homemade "wolf crossing" signs at wildlife corridors, trailheads and other places where roads meet wild.
Road dangers: A male gray wolf, OR93, traveled as far down as Ventura County in 2021. But sadly, the wolf was hit by a vehicle and killed along Interstate 5 in Kern County.
How you can participate: Check out Apex Protection Project's Instagram to see what "wolf crossing" signs people are making. They are encouraging participants to post their signs on social media.
In case you haven’t heard, a 3-year-old, female gray wolf was found last week near Lancaster.
Experts say it's the first time we’ve seen one of these carnivores in L.A. County in a century.
The young gray wolf is officially tagged as BEY03F. But Paula Ficara, executive director of the Apex Protection Project, has a better name.
“Everyone has decided to call her bae, which is really cute because that’s her number: B-E-Y. So for Valentines she can be your Bae: B-A-E,” Ficara said with a chuckle.
Ficara’s nonprofit has the mission of protecting captive-born wolves and wolf dogs, as well as wolves in the wild. They have a sanctuary in Acton, where 23 wolves live.
She said people have had a lot of questions about BEY: Is she sick? Is she a lone wolf?
“The truth is that ... the wolves are coming down. They’re migrating naturally back to their original habitat. ... She’s a young adult and she’s decided to go off in the hopes of starting her own family,” Ficara said.
It’s not impossible but unlikely that she’ll find a mate this far south. Ficara said she’s likely to go back home to Northern California if she can’t spot a partner within a couple weeks or so.
Steve Wastell, Ficara’s husband of 30 years and director of operations at Apex, explained their biggest concern while the wolf is in L.A. County.
“The last wolf that came down, almost this far, on his way back up, ended up being hit by a car. So that’s one of the biggest things that could happen to her,” Wastell said.
A male gray wolf, OR93, traveled as far down as Ventura County in 2021. But sadly, the wolf was hit by a vehicle and killed along Interstate 5 in Kern County.
It's part of the reason why Ficara and Wastell started the "Wolf Crossing" campaign. They’re encouraging people to post homemade wolf crossing signs at wildlife corridors, trailheads and other places where roads meet wild.
“Obviously, not everyone is going to slow down on the highway. But just to bring a little more awareness that there may be a wolf crossing,” Wastell said.
One of their first wolf crossing participants? A group of school-age kids who stopped by the sanctuary recently to learn about wolves and make a sign of their own to post in their area.
“They had just met most of our wolves here, face to face. And they were super excited about protecting and super excited about this wolf being down here. So they were like, 'Yeah, let's do it!'” Wastell said.
Wastell and Ficara are encouraging everyone to make a sign and post to social media in the hopes it will make L.A. a little more hospitable for our visitor from the north.
The Olympic medal is one of the most coveted awards that an athlete can receive. But at this year's Winter Games in Milan, medalists are celebrating cautiously.
What's the issue? Several athletes have reported their medals detaching from their ribbon and, in one case, breaking in half.
Olympics response: At a press briefing on Tuesday, Olympic organizing committee spokesperson Luca Casassa said he was aware that there were issues with some medals. He added that a solution has been identified and encouraged athletes with faulty medals to return them for repair. "As a precaution, we are re-checking all the medals to make sure that the athletes' joy can be really 360 degrees when they conquer something which is so precious and so important," Casassa said in Italian.
The context: This isn't the first time that Olympic medals needed to be replaced. After the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, athletes raised concerns that their awards, which famously included pieces of the Eiffel Tower, were tarnishing and corroding after the games.
The Olympic medal is one of the most coveted awards that an athlete can receive. But at this year's Winter Games in Milan, medalists are celebrating cautiously.
"I was jumping in excitement and it broke," American skier Breezy Johnson said after earning her gold medal on Sunday. She warned other medalists "Don't jump in them."
Johnson is one of several athletes who reported their medals detaching from their ribbon and in one case, breaking in half.
American skier Breezy Johnson holds up her gold medal on the podium of the women's downhill event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Feb. 8.
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Stefano Rellandini
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AFP via Getty Images
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At a press briefing on Tuesday, Olympic organizing committee spokesperson Luca Casassa said he was aware that there were issues with some medals. He added that a solution has been identified and encouraged athletes with faulty medals to return them for repair.
"As a precaution, we are re-checking all the medals to make sure that the athletes' joy can be really 360 degrees when they conquer something which is so precious and so important," Casassa said in Italian.
He didn't specify what the issue or the fix was.
This isn't the first time that Olympic medals needed to be replaced. After the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, athletes raised concerns that their awards, which famously included pieces of the Eiffel Tower, were tarnishing and corroding after the games.
Athletes report faulty medals, but continue to celebrate their achievements
The exact moment when German biathlete Justus Strelow's medal came loose was caught on camera. In a video that has since gone viral, Strelow's teammates are seen clapping when a clang can be heard. The camera pans to Strelow, who picks up his medal and tries to re-attach it to his ribbon — leading to an awkward halt in celebrations.
In a video posted on Instagram, Alysa Liu, a figure skater with Team USA, showed off her ribbon-less medal, alongside the words, "My medal don't need the ribbon."
While most of the medal snafus were limited to strap issues, Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson told Swedish broadcaster SVT that her silver broke in two when it fell in the snow.
Johnson, the American skier, said a small rectangular piece — that was supposed to hold the medal and ribbon together — came apart, making her medal unwearable.
"I'm sure somebody will fix it. It's not crazy broken but a little broken," she said on Sunday.
A few days later, Johnson told Reuters that she received a replacement medal, but she would prefer to have her original back, noting that her new medal was not yet engraved.
"They couldn't fix it so they gave me a new one," she said. "Although I'm actually curious, because then I think some of the later ones they were able to fix. So now I'm kind of wondering if maybe I can get the old one back fixed."
Design flaw or manufacturing glitch?
This year's medals resemble two halves coming together. In a video, Raffaella Paniè, who serves as the Brand, Identity and Look Director at this year's Winter Games, said it was meant to symbolize how each victory is the result of the athlete, as well as their team of family, coaches and trainers.
Reuters reported that the medals featured a safety clip, intended to snap off when pulled forcefully to prevent the ribbon from strangling. The Milano-Cortina press team did not respond to an email request for comment about the medals' clip function.
"It sounds like it's not all of the metals, it's just some of them, which leads me to believe that — just speculating — there's some sort of manufacturing glitch," said Doug McIndoe, editor of The MCA Advisory, a magazine from the Medal Collectors of America.
According to McIndoe, when cast metals are poured into mold and harden, it can cause the metal to shrink.
"It's possible that the opening where that clip goes in is maybe slightly too big, just a few millimeters or less than that, and it's just not securing that clip in properly," he said.
He added that it's an age-old question of how to make medals wearable, explaining that drilling a hole or incorporating one into the design of a mold to thread a ribbon through were historically unpopular methods. It wasn't until the 1960s that Olympic medals began to be worn around athletes' necks.
"Back from Roman times, they were, they were just something you hold in your hands and enjoy and a lot of them were issued in boxes," McIndoe added.
Even with the design hiccups, this year's gold and silver medals are worth the most they've been in a century. That's because the price of these precious metals have soared over the past year. Several factors are contributing to record prices, but a main driver is President Trump's tariffs, which is causing economic uncertainty in markets around the world, according to precious metals expert Peter Krauth.
Although each gold medal contains only about six grams of actual gold (the rest is made of silver) Krauth estimates that their current worth stands at around $2,300 — twice their value during the Summer Olympics in July 2024. A silver medal is currently worth around $1,400 — nearly three times its value two years ago, he said.
Krauth believes the price of gold and silver will continue to remain high for years to come, even up to the 2028 Summer Olympics. But he noted that the real worth of Olympic medals comes from the athletic achievement behind it.
"The sentimental value of a medal is worth way more than the metal in the medal," he said.
Copyright 2026 NPR
