Yusra Farzan
reports on issues affecting current and future college students, their families and communities.
Published June 29, 2026 5:00 AM
Student loan borrowers and advocates have been pressing for debt relief for many years.
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Jemal Countess
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Getty Images
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Topline:
July 1 brings a plethora of changes to student loans as the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act goes into effect. And borrowers in Southern California are feeling those effects deeply.
About the changes: The Biden-era SAVE plan, where monthly payments were calculated on income and family size, comes to an end, so now borrowers have to look into new repayment plans. And if you do not transition to a new plan, you will be automatically transferred to a plan. Some of the plans on offer could increase monthly payments by a couple of hundred dollars. And the new changes also set limits for how much prospective students can borrow — and could force them to seek out costly private loans.
Why it matters: Elizabeth Hill saw going to college as her way out of poverty. But 26 years later, she is still paying back student loans, with around $145,000 still left to go.
“I've been able to stay afloat, but I do not have $145,000 to give them,” Hill said. “My debt-to-income ratio has impacted my ability to do things because I've got this six-figure loan just sitting there on my credit report.”
Her repayment plan has ended, though, which means she is looking at a lifetime of repaying her debt.
Go deeper ... for how others are affected by the upcoming changes and what you can do if you are in the same situation.
Elizabeth Hill saw going to college as her way out of poverty. But 26 years later, she is still paying back student loans, with around $145,000 still left to go.
“I've been able to stay afloat, but I do not have $145,000 to give them,” Hill said. “My debt-to-income ratio has impacted my ability to do things because I've got this six-figure loan just sitting there on my credit report.”
Hill is a therapist who specializes in care for Black, brown, indigenous, queer and trans people. And as an autism assessor, she was relying on an Obama-era plan to have her loan forgiven. She said she signed up for a consolidation plan, and if her loan was in good standing for 20 years, her loan would be forgiven.
That option has ended, though, which means she is looking at a lifetime of repaying her debt.
July 1 brings a plethora of changes to student loans as the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act goes into effect. It ends the Biden-era SAVE plan, where monthly payments were calculated on income and family size, so now borrowers have to look into new repayment plans. And if you do not transition to a new plan, you will be automatically transferred to a plan. Some of the plans on offer could increase monthly payments by a couple of hundred dollars. And the new changes also set limits for how much prospective students can borrow — and could force them to seek out costly private loans.
California could feel those effects deeply. An analysis by the California Policy Lab found that around 11% of borrowers in the state were 30-plus days late on their monthly payments last September. That number was around 3.7% when the pandemic began. Around 10% of Angelenos were delinquent on their loans. Per an analysis from Protect Borrowers using federal data, the total student debt in the SoCal region was $70.7 billion, with over half of that number owned by women.
Trying to do good, at personal cost
Hill had a Pell Grant — financial aid from the federal government that does not need to be paid back — and work study to complete community college in Oregon. Then, at the age of 18, she took out loans in her name, as well as under her mother’s name, to attend San Diego State University for undergrad.
After she graduated, she tried to stay afloat and keep her loans in good standing. But to become a therapist, like she wanted to, she said she needed a graduate degree to increase her earning potential.
“I come from a family that didn't have any money, and the only way to go to school was to take out these loans,” she said. “There was no advisement — this is what the interest is going to be; this is how much you're going to pay back. I'm 18 years old, just signing stuff so I can get into school.”
I'm not really seeing the fruits of my labor, and immediately, I got to start paying my loans.
— Sara Alsheikh
As a therapist, Hill said, she works with “the most marginalized populations because that's where my heart is, that's where I feel the most comfortable, and I'm a member of those populations as well.”
But that means she has to also work on a sliding scale.
“So the folk who can afford to pay the fee are almost essentially sponsoring the other ones who can't, if that makes sense. It's almost like a system of mutual aid,” Hill said.
Despite doing this work helping uplift marginalized communities for around 25 years, Hill said, there is no reward for it.
“I'm still expected to come up with over six figures to pay back the government,” she said.
No job plan, just a repayment plan
Sara Alsheikh took out student loans to attend the University of California, Riverside.
College, she said, was a confusing time. She thought she wanted to pursue a career in psychiatry but then pivoted to linguistics.
“ It focused on language, etymologically, and then also, I love anthropology, I love culture, I love people, I love to travel, so linguistics seemed like the perfect match for me,” Alsheikh said.
When she graduated, she didn’t have a plan. But that did not stop the loan repayment.
“ I'm not really seeing the fruits of my labor, and immediately, I got to start paying my loans. So, it kind of felt like, did I make the right decision?” she said. “I think I'm still kind of in that limbo, where like, OK, I went to school, I was proud, and I was happy that I did this, but I don't know.”
She’s still uncertain whether she made the right decision to go to college, she said.
Alsheikh graduated in 2023 and the total loan amount then was around $25,000. Three years later, that number is still the same. She made some payments but had to take a break when she lost her job.
Alsheikh said she only had a “vague understanding” of what she was signing up for.
“ It was just packaged up nice, like, take loans because you need to go to school, and then you can get around it. There will be options for you,” she said.
Those options haven’t materialized. Instead, Alsheikh said, she and others have been “left to the wolves” to figure out a “suffocating and quite complicated” process.
And the upcoming changes mean her monthly repayment amount is set to jump from $50 to around $150 — and this is after she called up her loan servicing provider to figure out her options.
College, Alsheikh said, is encouraged and portrayed as a way to improve your financial standing. But now, she said, she feels like “money is at the center of education.”
Helping new students learn from her experience
Shirley Portal, a nurse turned financial professional living in Los Angeles, gets triggered every time she hears the term student loans.
“Everybody in my position that went to school had to deal with it, whether it's federal or private loans. I feel like there's a lot of miseducation, or actually no education at all on the subject,” she said. “When I went to school, I went to the office. I wanted to ask how to start, how to pay. The first thing they did is literally shove the name of the company they work with, the loaner, and they just recommended it, and that's it.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act ends the Biden-era SAVE plan, where monthly payments were calculated on income and family size, so now borrowers have to look into new repayment plans.
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Maria Grejc for NPR
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Portal took out a student loan with an 11% interest rate to pay for nursing school, a rate she said was “inhuman.”
And after graduating, despite a padded resume with volunteer work and high test scores, she still couldn’t get a job.
“I had to go back to work an office job just to pay those loans,” Portal said. And even then, she considered living out of her car to pay off the loans just because of how high her payment was.
And then came COVID-19, “a slap in the face,” she said.
“They begged us to work, which means I worked 20 days in a row. There was no equipment. I have pictures of me wearing trash bags as gowns that we cut, and there were no masks, so I worked the same mask for 14 days,” Portal said.
The overtime had a silver lining, though: It meant she could finally pay off her nursing school loans, which amounted to over $50,000 plus interest.
But all that overtime also meant she had to pay more taxes.
“ I realized that I'm paying a lot more taxes than I should because I simply worked overtime. I worked holidays while everybody else sat at home and got paychecks,” Portal said.
Are you affected by the changes to student loan repayments?
It was at that moment that she decided to switch careers.
“I'm done being used and abused. This job is already hard mentally, physically, and then after COVID, there was zero appreciation,” she said.
Now, Portal works as a finance professional helping borrowers navigate student debt and taking hold of their finances.
And as borrowers reckon with the changes to their monthly payments because of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, she’s on hand to help.
Advice and resources for prospective students
We asked our sources to share tips for prospective students. Here's what they said.
Have a financial plan going into college. Portal advised students to understand all the costs of college: tuition, rent, transportation, books, parking, food, entertainment.
Get as many grants and scholarships as you can. "This is a system that is extremely difficult to get out of. The interest rates, the long-term nature of it, it's very, very difficult to pay it all back, especially if you're in higher education, post-graduate education,” Hill said.
Build an emergency fund. It will come in handy for unforeseen expenses. And your university might have a basic needs office that can give you small amounts of support. Here's an example.
Find sources you trust. " There's probably a lot of information out there — social media and Facebook and people advertising — and you don't know who to believe anymore. There's so many videos out there, people claiming to be experts, and you don't know who to listen to. Find someone you trust, someone who's legit, someone who's licensed, someone somebody else recommended, and learn from them,” Portal advised.
Keep going. “Although these financial constraints are held over our head, the most powerful thing that you can do is just pursue higher education. So I would say push through,” Alsheikh said.
Be careful of fraudulent websites. You should not have to pay to get scholarship information, Damian said.
Go to the school first — they do offer loans. "They're considered private loans, but they're dispersed through the school,” Damian said. Credit unions are another good starting point, she said.
Need help doing math on your options? Try the calculator available through the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program, or EDCAP.
California has a Student Borrower Bill of Rights. It protects borrowers from abuse and sets guardrails requiring loan servicers to be responsive and accurate. To report violations, you can reach out to submit a complaint.
Consider legal aid organizations. ”If it's a legal issue, more complex, maybe a borrower that's in delinquency and default ... Los Angeles Legal Aid has great resources,” Damian said.
How should students navigate the new loan changes?
Celina Damian is California’s student loan ombudsperson, appointed by the state to investigate complaints into loan service providers.
With the incoming changes to federal student loans, she said, it might lead to prospective students and families turning to riskier types of financing: private loans.
These have “higher interest rates, they don't have the forgiveness, discharge programs, the repayment forbearance options that federal loans do.”
Damian added that private loans would also require established credit worthiness, which might force students to look for co-signers. She hopes prospective students understand the implications of taking these loans and how it could impact their financial standing in the future.
“You really have to be making good decisions on the front end because then we're seeing this at the back end where I am, right, and I hear many borrowers that have regrets,” Damian said.
Damian advised prospective students and their families to understand their debt they could potentially be taking on. They can start by going to the California Student Aid Commission. Damian said they will help students fill out their FAFSA and help them determine the real cost of attending a school.
And if they are in school and run out of money, Damian asked students to really shop around and understand their options and understand things like fixed-interest rates vs. variable interest rates.
”There's scholarships everywhere, through your parents' employment, through the banks, through McDonald's,” Damian said. “But it does require work. It does require someone to start in the 10th grade sometimes, trying to get those scholarships.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) speaks at a lectern near the Adelanto detention center.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
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Topline:
Conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center have improved but serious concerns remain, according to Rep. Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach, and other members of Congress who visited the facility Friday.
Improvements to water: Rep. Norma Torres of Pomona, who has visited Adelanto in an oversight capacity 25 times, said the only improvement she saw this time was that the facility installed water filtration systems in response to a July court order requiring ICE to ensure people held there have access to clean drinking water 24 hours a day.
Remaining issues: At a news conference immediately following the visit, the representatives described unsanitary conditions in the showers and kitchen areas, food that looked inedible and inadequate access to medical care.
The visit was unannounced: Garcia, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said officials at the facility kept the delegation waiting in the lobby for half an hour before starting the tour, despite a recent court order requiring the Trump administration to grant elected officials access to immigration detention facilities. “We should have been allowed to visit immediately,” Garcia said. “That is the law.”
Conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center have improved, but serious concerns remain, according to Rep. Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach, and other members of Congress who visited the facility Friday.
At a news conference immediately following the visit, the representatives described unsanitary conditions in the showers and kitchen areas, food that looked inedible and inadequate access to medical care.
Improvements to water
Rep. Norma Torres of Pomona, who has visited Adelanto 25 times in an oversight capacity, said the only improvement she saw this time was that the facility installed water filtration systems in response to a July court order requiring ICE to ensure people held there have access to clean drinking water 24 hours a day.
Garcia told LAist he would leave it up to the independent monitors appointed by the court to determine if the facility was fully complying with the order. The monitor overseeing overall conditions at the facility released its first report, containing 12 recommendations for improvement, earlier this month. The federal government recently purchased the facility from the GEO Group Inc. for $950 million. GEO Group is still under contract to run day-to-day operations there.
The visit was unannounced
Garcia, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said officials at the facility kept the delegation waiting in the lobby for half an hour before starting the tour, despite a recent court order requiring the Trump administration to grant elected officials access to immigration detention facilities.
“We should have been allowed to visit immediately,” Garcia said. “That is the law.”
Garcia and other representatives said it appeared the facility had been cleaned just before the tour started. The representatives also said they were not allowed to speak with people detained at the facility because ICE officials said they were conducting a point-in-time count and people were confined to their cells.
What’s next?
The representatives said they will take recommendations back to the oversight committee and plan to continue unannounced visits to immigration detention centers, including Adelanto. Should Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in November, Garcia and other representatives said they will increase oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. Attorneys representing people held at Adelanto in a class-action lawsuit have asked the court to enforce the July order requiring improvements to the facility based on the independent monitor’s first report and reports from people detained there.
Libby Rainey
has been tracking how L.A. is preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Published October 16, 2026 2:33 PM
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in late March to research what it would take to create a Bureau of Police Oversight, moving accounting and audit roles out of the police department and into the controller’s office.
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Kevin Winter
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia says his office issued a subpoena to Olympics organizing committee LA28 Friday, demanding it hand over documents detailing its finances, contracts and budgets for venue construction projects.
Why now: The move comes after LA28 failed to include a detailed list of its contracts in its recent budget report to the city, despite a contract requiring their disclosure.
Details on the deal: The Games Agreement between the city and LA28 requires the committee to submit the name, type, amount, term and purpose of each contract it has entered into worth more than $1 million. It also requires the organizing committee to give updates on venue improvements, including schedules and budgets.
Read on… for more about why this is a rare move from a city controller.
In a rare move, Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia on Friday said his office issued a subpoena to Olympics organizing committee LA28, demanding it hand over documents detailing its finances, contracts and budgets for venue construction projects.
The Games Agreement between the city and LA28 requires the committee to submit the name, type, amount, term and purpose of each contract it has entered into worth more than $1 million. It also requires the organizing committee to give updates on venue improvements, including schedules and budgets.
The controller issued a request for those details in a letter to LA28 in August, but said he turned to legal action because the organization still hasn’t satisfied its obligations. The city of Los Angeles is the financial backstop for the Games, and will be on the hook for cost overruns if LA28 doesn’t turn a profit.
“The Controller’s Office completed a review of all LA28 documents within the City’s possession and determined that the financial documents requested are either incomplete or wholly absent,” Mejia’s office wrote in a news release issued Friday.
The controller's office told LAist Friday that it worked with the city attorney on the LA28 subpoena and that it "has the full support and backing of the City Attorney’s office."
LA28 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There is precedent for city controllers issuing subpoenas, but they’re not common.
Former City Controller Ron Galperin told LAist that he only issued a subpoena while he was in office one time.
“It’s a power that controllers don’t necessarily exercise a lot, but when it’s the right time, it’s an important tool,” he said.
City officials have seen some of the documents Mejia is demanding, but only in passing. Sharon Tso, Chief Legislative Analyst and a top Games negotiator for the city, told a city council committee last month that she had seen a list of LA28's contracts in a meeting, but that the city didn't have hard copies due to concerns that public disclosure could harm negotiations sponsor deals.
After city councilmembers demanded to see the contracts, Tso and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo requested LA28 submit its contracts. Tso told LAist in an email Friday that they were still waiting on LA28's response.
LAist has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
Keep up with LAist.
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The Norte Fire near San Clemente on Friday afternoon.
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Alert California
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UC San Diego
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Topline:
A brush fire near San Clemente spread to 250 acres Friday, prompting evacuation orders as flames threatened structures.
What we know so far: The Norte Fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. near Portico Del Norte and Eminencia Del Norte, San Clemente, and was 0% contained as of 1:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire. The fire was reportedly affecting homes in the area of Avenida Calita, Via La Mirada, and Via De Agua in San Juan Capistrano, with evacuations ordered for San Juan Zones 4, 5 and 10, and San Clemente Zones 12 and 13. Television news footage showed multiple homes on fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Six homes burned in the Norte Fire, which broke out Friday in the San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano areas. The fire spread to more than 460 acres and forced evacuations, Orange County Fire Authority Chief T.J. McGovern said at a news briefing Friday evening.
Who’s under evacuation orders
The evacuated areas are San Juan Capistrano Zones 4, 5 and 10 and San Clemente Zones 12 and 13.
Shelters in the area — the San Juan Capistrano Community Center and the San Clemente Community Center (addresses below) — have space and will accept small pets, said Justin Chevalier, chief of police services for San Clemente.
Chevalier said police would maintain “high visibility” as a deterrent to anyone wanting “to take advantage of the situation.”
How fast the fire moved
Due to weather and topography, this fire moved fast,” McGovern said. “It was a wind-driven event.”
The fire ignited around 11:30 a.m. near Portico Del Norte and Eminencia Del Norte in San Clemente, according to Cal Fire. The Orange County Fire Authority received a call at 11:33 a.m. and sent crews that were already on standby, McGovern said.
“When the call came in, we had a robust response already ready to go from the air and the ground, and I can tell you — that made a difference,” he said.
Injuries and containment
No residents were hurt, but two firefighters were injured and were being treated at a local hospital, McGovern said.
The fire, which was at 465 acres Friday night, was 0% contained as of 6:45 p.m. About 400 firefighters were working the fire, with 400 more on the way, and crews planned to stay on the fire line overnight, McGovern added.
Fire weather across Southern California
Other fires have broken out across Southern California amid gusty winds and dry conditions, including the Bryson Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu. Red flag warnings are in effect through Saturday, according to National Weather Service, with cooler weather and a chance of light rain expected over the next few days.
The basics
Acreage: 465 acres as of Friday night
Containment: 0%
Structures destroyed/impacted: At least six homes
Deaths: None
Injuries: 2 firefighters injured and receiving treatment at a local hospital
Personnel working on fire: Multiple helicopters and water-dropping aircraft, along with ground crews
A performer with Puro Corazon dances at the Día de los Muertos Festival at Placita Olvera in 2025.
(
Steve Saldivar
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Boyle Heights Beat rounded up a list of mostly free events on L.A.’s Eastside and downtown to celebrate the cherished cultural holiday.
Why it matters: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor the memory of loved ones who have died. The holiday’s most beloved traditions include building ofrendas at home or visiting cemeteries to decorate the graves of those who have departed.
What to expect: The celebration, widely observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, also brings colorful, vibrant events to Los Angeles. On or before Nov. 1 and 2, cempasúchil-covered altars, intricately designed sugar calaveras and pan de muerto will spring up.
Read on... for your guide on events on the Eastside.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor the memory of loved ones who have died. The holiday’s most beloved traditions include building ofrendas at home or visiting cemeteries to decorate the graves of those who have departed.
The celebration, widely observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, also brings colorful, vibrant events to Los Angeles. On or before Nov. 1 and 2, cempasúchil-covered altars, intricately designed sugar calaveras and pan de muerto will spring up.
We’ve rounded up a list of mostly free events on L.A.’s Eastside and downtown to celebrate the cherished cultural holiday.
Oct. 17: Día de los Muertos at El Sereno Community Arts
El Sereno Community Arts presents its 17th annual Día de los Muertos community celebration with a day full of activities for the whole family. The event will feature free arts and culture programming, community altars, live musical performances and food from local vendors. The festival will also feature artwork and handmade catrinas made from the arts center’s community workshops.
More information: Check their Instagram page here.
Oct. 17: What We Carry: East L.A. to Palestine at Tonalli Studio
Ofelia Esparza stands by an altar at Tonalli Studios on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.
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Carol Martinez
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Tonalli Studio will open its Día de los Muertos exhibition and ofrenda to showcase how land, home and family are threatened today. What We Carry tells the stories of resilience across generations from the communities of East L.A. to Palestine. Guests are invited to add names, prayers or written statements to this year’s “East L.A. to Palestine” ofrenda.
More information: Check their Instagram page here.
Oct. 18: Paint and Sip at Cafe Niña
Join the beloved coffee spot for a morning decorating a miniature altar to add to your ofrenda at home. Each ticket will include your choice of a coffee or matcha, a paint set with a miniature ofrenda and a light brunch. Tickets are limited, so be sure to grab yours through their Instagram page.
More information: Check their Instagram here to purchase a ticket.
Oct. 18: Crafting Party at Benny Boy Brewing
Benny Boy Brewing is hosting its 4th Annual Día de los Muertos Crafting Celebration, featuring sugar skull decorating sessions. There will be an assortment of crafting materials to choose from and additional items include a clear box to display your completed sugar skull, ribbon, cempasuchil flowers and a customized tealight candle. Guests can purchase a small or large skull and get free face-painting. Please note that the event is for guests 21 and over.
More information: Visit their Instagram or purchase tickets here.
Oct. 24: Calavera LGBTQ+ Festival by Latino Equity Alliance
A catrina is pictured with a Pride flag at the Calavera LGBTQ Street Festival.
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Courtesy of LEA
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The Latino Equity Alliance will celebrate its annual Calavera LGBTQ+ Festival with an evening of drag and musical performances, dancing, community resource booths and an altar. In collaboration with the Get Out the Vote Initiative, the festival will also feature a free, nonpartisan, L.A. County Mobile Voting Center located outside the venue for the public to access.
More information: Visit their webpage to purchase tickets
Oct. 24 – Nov. 2: Día de los Muertos at Gloria Molina Grand Park
For 10 days, Gloria Molina Grand Park will transform into an exhibition space honoring cultural traditions through art, community altars and remembrance. Kicking off the festivities with an opening ceremony, attendees can enjoy live musical performances from El Río, Grupo Bella, Anaís Azul, and Mariachi Arco Iris de Los Angeles. The celebration will honor indigenous roots by including a sacred processional and blessing from Ohtli Yollotl Collective. Guests can explore up to 17 unique altars from local artists and organizations on display and are encouraged to contribute to the event’s designated community altar by leaving a photo, note, or memento in remembrance of a loved one. This year’s theme is “The Power of One” and is curated by artist Consuelo G. Flores. Guests will be able to participate in family-friendly activities, including free face painting, sugar skull workshops and wellness offerings from community partners.
Cost: Free
When: Opening ceremony: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Noche De Muertos Closing Celebration: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. 10-day exhibition displays open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Oct. 25: Family Day at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Young dancers at Día de los Muertos Family Day at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in October, 2024.
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Courtesy of LA Plaza
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For an afternoon full of family-friendly activities and entertainment, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes welcomes attendees to participate in this year’s community celebration. Featuring three workshops that explore traditional practices, including painting skull masks, flower accessories and herb bundles. Food from Tamales Veracruz y Más and Sammy’s Elotes y Más will be available for purchase. This year’s celebration will feature a number of live entertainment acts, including Banda Filarmónica Los Alebrijes, Grupo Folklórico Princesa Donaji, and Los Elejidos de Asís de los Muertos. LA Plaza encourages guests to contribute to their Ofrenda Comunitaria.
In partnership with Youth to the People, Las Fotos Project is hosting its bi-monthly community wellness day with a Día de los Muertos celebration. The event will feature family-friendly activations like art-making, including their signature vela decorating station, calavera or catrina face painting, a community ofrenda, and a stylized portrait station. Guests can enjoy light bites and beverages and explore the free clothing swap station and community resources available, including special guest Soluna to discuss their free mental health resources. In partnership with Polo’s Pantry and Saticoy Food Hub, there will also be fresh produce available while supplies last.
Beginning Oct. 24, SuperNova Thrift invites the community to take part in the making of their Día de los Muertos altar. People are encouraged to bring a photocopy of their loved ones with their name, a letter, drawing, or memory, flowers, and small nonvaluable offerings. Participants are also welcome to join by being a helping hand in the making of the altar. The altar will be open for viewing at the storefront from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, with three special days of remembrance.
More information: Check their Instagram page here.
Oct. 30: 1st Street Community Block Party
A child dances folkorico at Día de Muertos 1st Street Community Block Party on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
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Luis Cano
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Boyle Heights Beat
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The 1st Street Collective, a hub for the businesses along Boyle Heights’ 1st Street corridor, is back with its Día de Muertos Community Block Party at Mariachi Plaza. This year’s celebration will feature music, dancing, family-friendly activations and local vendors. Enjoy free face painting, live art installations, performances, a community altar and more for people of all ages.
More information: Visit their Instagram page here.
Nov. 1: Día de los Muertos at Plaza de la Raza
A truck is decorated at Plaza de La Raza’s Dia de los Muertos celebration in 2024.
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Join Plaza de la Raza’s annual outdoor community celebration, which will include hands-on workshops, musical entertainment, art and local vendors. Attendees can join a variety of crafting workshops, from calaca puppet making to papel picado, alebrije making, and flower making with altarista Ofelia Esparza and family. Attendees can also walk through a vendor marketplace and explore the artwork and altar installations that will feature over 25 participating artists. Live performances include members of Ozomatli, El Mariachi Manchester, Danza Divina de Los Angeles, Tiny Tots Folklorico, Plaza de La Raza Mariachi and Folklorico students, and Folkor Pasión Mexicana.
The Boathouse Gallery will also be open for its “El Velorio” exhibit, featuring original work from over 200 local artists and curated by Superchief Gallery, Irene Hernandez and Manny Martinez. The exhibit will be on display from Oct. 10 to Nov. 7.
Nov. 6 – 8: Every Altar Begins with a Story by Colibri Dance Theatre & Casa 0101 Theater
This Día de Los Muertos, a contemporary theatrical dance production takes center stage at Casa 0101. Presented by the Colibri Dance Theatre, the performance will be full of stories of love, family, resilience, joy, grief, forgiveness and strength. In this showcase, an altar comes to life as told through the eyes of CUENTOS characters “La Catrina,” “El Catrin,” “Alebrije,” and “Calacas.” Attendees can experience a night of movement, music, and poetry that honors Día de Muertos traditions and cultural practices.
Cost: $23 – $29, including special ticket prices for Boyle Heights residents, students/seniors, and group ticket purchases.
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
More information: Visit their webpage to purchase tickets.
Nov. 7 : Cafecito + Little Piñata Workshop
Join this community collaboration between Healing in Spanglish and Little Piñata Guy for a mini piñata workshop to dedicate and honor loved ones. Each attendee ticket includes coffee from Anhelo Coffee, Pan de Muerto by Repostería Aguilar, and materials to create your own mini piñata. Spend your morning remembering your loved ones and crafting with community. Tickets are limited.
Nov. 7: Día de los Muertos at Self Help Graphics & Art
Dancers perform Danza Azteca at Mariachi Plaza during a procession for the Self Help Graphics & Art Día de los Muertos celebration.
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Courtesy of Self Help Graphics & Art
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To round out their monthlong community art workshops and events, Self Help Graphics and Art will host its 53rd Annual Día de los Muertos celebration. This year’s celebration is in partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. The communal gathering will begin with a procession at 2 p.m. at Mariachi Plaza led by Danza Azteca Chicomecoatl and will end on the corner of 1st Street and Anderson Street, outside Self Help Graphics, for the festivities. Attendees can shop through the “Muertos Market,” featuring local artists and artisans, local food vendors, Self Help Graphics prints for sale, face painting, and arts activities for all ages. The celebration will also include a main stage for live musical performances from Extra Ancestral, Chulita Vinyl Club L.A., Jimetta Rose and the Voices of Creation, La Santa Cecilia, The Red Alibi, Mendez High School Mariachi, and headliners, Los Lobos.
More information: To register and reserve your spot, visit the webpage here.
* Event will take place outside on the Anderson Street side
Nov. 7 – 8: Floricanto’s Fiesta de Día de los Muertos
The Floricanto Center for Performing Arts and Danza Floricanto will host a Día de los Muertos-themed showcase for its 24th annual program. For one weekend only, the Center will be transformed into a cemetery, and a series of characters, including the show’s guide “La Catrina,” will lead audiences through an evening of storytelling and dance. The showcase will feature themes of love, death, mental illness, teen pregnancy and immigration. Show doors open 30 minutes before showtime.
Cost: General admission pre-sale: $15, $20 at the door
VIP seating presale only:Children ages 5 to 10 years old $10 *child tickets only sold at box office
