Mariana Dale
reports on the financial challenges facing educators — and public school districts.
Published February 9, 2026 4:02 PM
Los Angeles Unified is the second-largest employer in L.A. County with more than 83,000 employees in the 2025-26 school year.
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Mariana Dale
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The Los Angeles Unified School District rescheduled a Tuesday meeting where the board was expected to vote on layoffs as part of a larger plan to cut spending. Educators and parents have urged district leaders to delay the vote.
Why delay? It’s not clear. LAist asked LAUSD for an explanation and when the public will receive more information about the proposed reduction in force (RIF). In a statement, a district spokesperson said board agendas are subject to change and that the proposed reduction in force would be presented at a future meeting. Tuesday’s meeting is currently re-scheduled for Feb. 17.
The backstory: For the last two years, the district has relied on reserves to backfill a multi-billion-dollar deficit. There are more than 40% fewer students compared to the early 2000s and the district has not closed schools or significantly reduced staff as costs have increased. LAUSD hired more staff to support students during the pandemic, but the federal relief dollars that initially funded those positions are gone.
What are the cuts? The district’s fiscal stabilization plan proposes layoffs in those “un-funded” positions, central office staff and at schools that support higher needs students.
Unions push back: In a Friday letter, 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. “The notion that these are dark times for education requiring harmful cuts when there are record high state revenues is fearmongering,” the letter states.
LA County ID's ZIP codes hit hardest in new report
Libby Rainey
covers the news that shapes Los Angeles and how people change the city in return.
Published February 9, 2026 5:12 PM
A new report from L.A. County offers a closer look at the economic damage to the region caused by federal immigration enforcement.
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Kirby Lee
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A new report from L.A. County offers a closer look at the economic damage to the region caused by federal immigration enforcement — and at the neighborhoods most affected.
Where is the report from?The analysis was compiled by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. The report lays out the ripple effect of that campaign on communities, local businesses, and workers, and its uneven influence on the region as a whole.
What were some of the findings? Researchers determined that the most targeted ZIP code in the county is 91402, which spans Mission Hills, Panorama City and North Hills in the San Fernando Valley.
Read on… for how small businesses have experienced in the wake of the ongoing ICE raids.
A new report from L.A. County offers a closer look at the economic damage to the region caused by federal immigration enforcement — and at the neighborhoods most affected.
The analysis, compiled by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, identified the neighborhoods hardest hit by ICE, and found that they were more economically precarious.
Researchers determined that the most targeted ZIP code in the county is 91402, which spans Mission Hills, Panorama City and North Hills in the San Fernando Valley.
The report, which was commissioned by the county Board of Supervisors, also found that many small businesses county-wide have lost revenue and customers since ICE ramped up its presence in Los Angeles last year.
The report lays out the ripple effect of that campaign on communities, local businesses, and workers, and its uneven influence on the region as a whole.
Vulnerable neighborhoods
The report lays out the economic consequences for communities repeatedly hit by ICE sweeps.
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit research group, used census data and reports on detentions from the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network to assess how vulnerable each L.A. County ZIP code was to immigration enforcement.
Researchers looked at four other factors for each ZIP code: shares of foreign-born population from Latin America, renter households, Spanish-speaking households and non-citizen workforce.
The 10 most vulnerable ZIP codes, they determined, are primarily in working class, immigrant neighborhoods including Bell, Pico Rivera and Southeast L.A.
Researchers used employment data for the county and found that those ZIP codes were over-represented in industries, including manufacturing and retail, which have a significant number of undocumented workers. Businesses in these neighborhoods also tended to have fewer employees on average compared to the rest of the county, and employees were paid less.
"Taken together, these exhibits show that areas facing heightened immigration enforcement differ from the rest of Los Angeles County and appear more economically vulnerable," the report states.
Declined revenue, less foot traffic
Researchers also distributed a survey to small businesses county-wide to assess how federal immigration enforcement has affected the communities they operate in and their bottom lines since summer.
More than 200 small businesses responded. Most reported having fewer than 10 employees, and the majority were in industries like restaurants, retail, professional or personal services and manufacturing.
The majority of respondents — 82% — reported being negatively affected by federal immigration enforcement. Around half reported lost regular customers, less foot traffic or reduced daily sales. Around a quarter reported temporary closures due to concerns from community members.
Many surveyed business owners reported a climate of fear that has led people to stay home and avoid certain places altogether.
"Businesses reported that customers expressed fear about their location, that customers asked about safety in the neighborhood, and that customers avoided shopping or dining in their neighborhood," the report states.
Undocumented workers generate 17% of county's economic activity
No corner of Los Angeles is exempt to the ongoing immigration sweeps that have become a new reality for the region. Nearly 950,000 undocumented immigrants live in L.A. County, according to recent estimates. That's more than 9% of people in the county who lack legal status.
Undocumented workers also play a huge role in many of L.A.'s key industries. Recent research from the USC Equity Research Institute estimates that 37% of cleaning and maintenance workers and 25% of food preparation and service workers in L.A. County are undocumented.
The industry with the highest percentage of undocumented workers is construction, at 40%.
The county's undocumented population together generates just under $240 billion in economic output, according to the county's report. That's around 17% of the county's total economic activity.
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published February 9, 2026 3:46 PM
A proposal from Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell is meant to make up for some federal funding cuts, most of which were to the county's healthcare system.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a proposal to place a plan on the ballot that, if passed, would raise the sales tax by half a cent to address federal funding cuts. The increase would bump the county’s sales tax to 10.25% — the highest allowed by state law.
The backstory: L.A. County faces projected losses of $2.4 billion over the next three years as a result of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” most of it to the county’s healthcare system. In just four months following the bill’s signing, the county lost an average of 1,000 people per day from Medi-Cal enrollment — over 120,000 people between July and November 2025, according to Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
Children hit hard: During the same four-month period, more than 27,000 children under age 18 lost their Medi-Cal coverage, equating to nearly 200 children per day, according to Mitchell. The county also lost more than 70,000 CalFresh enrollees receiving food assistance, including approximately 27,000 who were children under age 18.
Temporary tax: Under Mitchell’s proposal, which must be approved by voters, the sales tax would raise $1 billion a year and expire in five years. Mitchell is proposing to place the measure on the June ballot.
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Matt Dangelantonio
directs production of LAist's daily newscasts, shaping the radio stories that connect you to SoCal.
Published February 9, 2026 2:51 PM
A fan unboxes his 50/50 Ohtani bobblehead on May 15, 2025, at Dodger Stadium.
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Gina Ferazzi
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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The Dodgers announced their promotional giveaway schedule for 2026 on Monday, and it includes some special bobblehead games commemorating the team's 2025 World Series repeat that are sure to be popular.
Memorable playoff moments: There are two bobblehead series in particular that look like they could reach collectors item status. The first is a set of four bobbleheads depicting pivotal moments from the Dodgers' World Series Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, including Miguel Rojas' game-tying 9th inning home run (Friday, May 8), Will Smith's go-ahead home run in the 11th (Saturday, March 28), Mookie Betts' game-ending double play (Friday, June 19) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's reaction to the final out from the mound (Wednesday, May 27).
The Ohtani factor: The second is a pair of bobbleheads honoring Shohei Ohtani's "Greatest Game of All Time" on the mound and at the plate in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers when he struck out 10 batters and hit three home runs. The bobblehead giveaway honoring his hitting performance will be Friday, April 10, and the pitching one will be Wednesday, July 8.
Go deeper: You can see the full schedule of promotional giveaways planned for the 2026 season here.
Why it matters: Bald eagles generally have one clutch — the group of eggs laid in each nesting attempt — per season. But a replacement clutch is possible if the eggs don’t make it through the early incubation process, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley.
The backstory: In January, nest watchers were saddened to see that the eggs were breached by ravens.
What's next: But because the eggs were lost so early in the season, Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media manager, told LAist they’re hopeful there’s still time for another clutch.
Bald eagles generally have one clutch — the group of eggs laid in each nesting attempt — per season. But a replacement clutch is possible if the eggs don’t make it through the early incubation process, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley.
In January, nest watchers were saddened to see the eggs were breached by ravens. But because the eggs were lost so early in the season, Jenny Voisard, the organization’s media manager, told LAist they’re hopeful there’s still time for another clutch.
Jackie is typically fertile and able to lay eggs January through April each year, according to the organization. Several years ago, Jackie laid a second clutch after the eggs were broken or breached by ravens.
Voisard said that while there’s no guarantees in nature, people are hopeful this isn’t the end of Big Bear’s nesting season.
“Chicks are always welcome and we love them so much, but we love Jackie and Shadow,” she said. “We're going to remain optimistic.”
By Jan. 30, viewers noticed that Jackie and Shadow had left their nest unattended for hours at a time.
Friends of Big Bear Valley wondered if the eagles were practicing delayed incubation, and whether a third egg was on the way for the third season in a row, according to Voisard. The Big Bear bald eagles have practiced delayed incubation in previous seasons, which is when they don’t incubate full time until the last egg is laid, usually three days apart.
Jackie with the first and second egg of the season in January.
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But that wasn’t the case this time.
“When the raven was able to get so close, we had suspicions,” Voisard said. “Earlier in the day, we were examining and rewinding and looking at one of the eggs because it wasn't looking right to us.”
The organization zoomed in with the livestream camera and confirmed an egg was cracked. A raven came back to the nest again later that day and breached both eggs.
“The fact that the egg was broken could have signaled to the raven to come,” Voisard said.
More bald eagles have been seen in the Big Bear area, and the animals’ territorial activity could have also contributed to Jackie and Shadow’s time away from their nest, according to the organization.
“My heart hurts for Jackie and Shadow,” a Facebook user wrote in a comment. “Do Eagles have feelings? Are they sad? Are they grieving? Are the[y] angry at the ravens?”
Voisard stressed that the ravens didn’t do anything wrong, nor did Jackie and Shadow. It’s just part of nature, she said.
Another Facebook comment asked why Friends of Big Bear Valley didn’t move the livestream camera around to try and scare the raven off.
While the organization understands the instinct to want to help the eagles, Voisard said humans are not allowed to intervene during nesting season.
What about past seasons?
A second clutch is possible if the eggs don’t make it through the early incubation process.
In 2021, Jackie laid the first egg on Jan. 6. It was destroyed by a raven the next day, according to organization records. Jackie laid the second egg Jan. 9 that year, and the third on Jan. 13. Both were broken or eaten by ravens.
But about a month later, Jackie had a second clutch of eggs.
She laid the first egg on Feb. 8, 2021 and the second three days later. One chick didn’t survive the hatching process, while the other egg wasn’t viable after more than 50 days of incubation.
In 2023, Jackie laid two eggs in mid-January that were both breached by ravens on March 7, according to organization records.
Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley volunteers were curious as to whether the eagle couple would lay another clutch that year. They came to believe later that it was too late in the season.
Looking ahead
The eagles have withdrawn from incubation and have been spending more time away from the nest, according to the nonprofit.
Voisard said the withdrawal was a “really good thing” that may open the door to more eggs.
For Jackie’s hormones to reset, the bald eagle duo need to go back to bonding and working on their nest, which Friends of Big Bear Valley refers to as the birds' “nestorations.” It typically includes deliveries of sticks and fluff to furnish their long-time nest, which is toward the top of a Jeffrey pine tree overlooking Big Bear Lake.
Big Bear's resident bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, in their nest overlooking Big Bear Lake on Saturday.
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The duo did some of that work Sunday, which the organization said is a hopeful sign bonding and nesting behaviors may be returning. Shadow, or the “Stickman,” as some fans call him, has brought at least three new sticks to the nest since the eggs were lost, according to organization records.
Jackie and Shadow have also been heard mating in the area, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley.
