The Brief

If you attend an LAist event or listen to one of our podcasts, you’ll hear an acknowledgement that we operate within the homelands of the Gabrielino Tongva people. The tribe is one of many that has lived on and tended the land now called California.

“We recognize the painful history of displacement, settler colonialism, and erasure of the People, their language, including place names, and their sovereignty,” our statement reads.

We’ve also got resources for adults, but not a whole lot of kid-friendly ways to learn more about the original stewards of Southern California and today’s Indigenous communities.

“If parents really want to be diligent about it, they have to educate themselves first,” said Gregg Castro, the culture director for the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, a Northern California tribe. “Then go along that same path with their kids.”

Castro, who is also T’rowt’raahl Salinan and Rumsien, suggested a locally produced documentary series “Tending the Wild,” which explores how Indigenous knowledge of plant and animal life has shaped the environment.

UCLA’s digital storytelling project Mapping Indigenous LA illuminates the lives of the original inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin as well as those who have relocated and migrated here, including Pacific Islanders and the Indigenous diaspora of Latin America.

Once you’ve done the homework, here are a few family-friendly places to explore, but keep in mind, much of the area we now live in was once someone else’s home.

“Let the sun shine on you, let leaves fall on you,” Castro said. “Let flies and critters buzz around you and understand that you're only part of it, not the apex of it.”

Read Native stories

The Los Angeles Public Library curated Native American themed reading lists for children and teens.

Cindi M. Alvitre tells the Tongva creation story in "Waa’aka’: The Bird Who Fell in Love with the Sun."

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LAist is also a fan of Waa’aka’: The Bird Who Fell in Love with the Sun. Cindi M. Alvitre tells the Tongva creation story with help from beautiful illustrations by Carly Lake. Publisher Heyday Books also has dozens of titles for adults by and about California’s indigenous peoples, from cookbooks to essay collections.

Take a field trip

The Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians council of elders offers this guidance for visiting their homelands and we think it applies to any space you might explore on this list.

“Understand that the land beneath you contains thousands of years of our DNA. Be respectful of our Mother land and all her beings … We ask that you do not disturb our animal relatives, contaminate our sacred waters, or leave trash or belongings on our homelands during your visit.”

The Autry contains one of the country's largest collections of Indigenous art and artifacts.

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Courtesy The Autry Museum of the American West.

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Autry Museum of the American West

The Museum’s collection includes more than 400,000 Indigenous objects. The museum also offers special programs for teachers and schools, and hosts performances by resident theater company Native Voices.

• Address:  4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027
• Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m.– 4 p.m., Saturday - Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed on several major holidays. 
• Admission: 
  
  • Adults: $18
  • Discounts: Seniors and students ($14), children ages 3-12 ($8)
  • Free for: members; active-duty U.S. military and veterans; children age 2 and under; visitors on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons (if you pre-register).

Chumash Indian Museum

The museum was created after Chumash cultural sites were discovered in the area now known as Oakbrook Park in the 1980s. The center also hosts guided tours on the last Saturday of the month and workshops at varying times.

• Address: 3290 Lang Ranch Parkway, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
• Hours: Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. 
• Admission: Adults: $8, Seniors, college students, active military, and children under 12: $5

Kuruvungna Village Springs

University High School sits on the site of a Tongva village near a spring thought to be continuously inhabited for more than 8,000 years. The Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation restored the site in recent years and maintains the cultural center there now.

• Address: 1439 S. Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90025 
• Hours: First Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
• Admission: Free 

A natural spring at Los Encinos State Historic Park once sustained the Chumash, Tongva, and Tataviam people.

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Los Encinos State Historic Park

The natural spring here once sustained the Chumash, Tongva, and Tataviam people who called the village of Siutcanga home. More than 70% of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians descended from residents of the village. In 2023, California State Parks and the tribe deepened their collaboration to protect and provide education at sites within the tribe’s ancestral lands. The park also features Rancho El Encino’s historic adobe and blacksmith shop. Pro-tip: LAist outlined a 2.9 mile trek through Encino that includes a stop at the park!

• Address: 16756 Moorpark St., Encino, CA 91436
• Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on major holidays. 
• Admission: Free 

Natives 4 Nature 

This community organization hosts presentations and nature walks throughout Southern California with the goal of raising Native American representation in the outdoors. Recent events included outings to Ernest E. Debs and San Gabriel River Parks.

• Locations and hours: Vary by event 

Coastal Live Oak tree (Quercus agrifolia) are one of the native plants found in Sycamore Canyon. The Chumash harvested, dried and created a flour with their acorns.

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Robyn Beck

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Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center

Nearby Sycamore Canyon was part of a Chumash trade route for many years. The Culture Center hosts workshops, presentations, and art shows. You can also picnic and hike the nearby trails throughout the year.

• Address: Parking at N 34.1569 W -118.9733, Via Goleta and Lynn Road, Newbury Park, CA, 91320
• Hours: Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m - 4 p.m. 
• Admission: Free 

Antelope Valley Indian Museum

Mojave Desert homesteader Howard Arden Edwards built the chalet-style building that now houses the museum in 1928. There are more than 3,000 objects that represent the American Indian cultures of the Great Basin. Can’t make the drive? There are also virtual museum tours hosted by tribal members with sign language interpretation.

• Address: 15701 East Ave. M Lancaster, CA  93535
• Hours: Saturday - Sunday 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., group tours Thursdays by reservation only
• Admission: $3

The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe has a list of historical landmarks that includes trails, parks and monuments.

Santa Monica's Tongva Park features more than six acres of walking paths, sculptures, and native plants. The six-acre expanse is one of more than a dozen landmarks identified by the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians.

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Willing to venture farther?

Visit Native California, a section of the state tourism bureau’s website, highlights destinations connected to tribal communities from the Central Coast’s proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary to Temalpakh Farm in Coachella.

“There are all these beautiful hidden secrets everywhere,” Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians public relations director Kate Anderson told Condé Nast Traveler. “All culture is not for tourism, but a lot is.”

Get lesson plan ideas

While California fourth graders have long-studied the state’s history (and once built sugar cube Mission models), the narrative was often incomplete.

There have been various efforts to expand lessons about California tribes. This year, lawmakers introduced legislation that would require teaching about mistreatment during the Spanish Mission and Gold Rush eras.

UCLA researchers created a series of questions to evaluate potential learning materials about American Indians including:

• Does the material speak solely in the past tense? If so, think about ways to speak to how American Indians are alive, present, and all around us.
• Does the material center European superiority and uncenter Indigenous science, technology and gifts given in the world? 
• Does the material homogenize all Indians? Or does it speak to specific histories and cultural attributes?

California Indian History Curriculum Coalition

Videos and lesson plans created and vetted by educators, tribal scholars and native activists.

• LAist pick: This middle school lesson teaches students about primary and secondary sources (we love media literacy!) through the lens of the Miwok Indians, but could be adapted to talk about other communities. 

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Education and Cultural Learning Department

Enrollment in the nation’s workshops and camps is limited to Native American youth in L.A. County, but anyone can purchase this workbook that introduces the Fernandeño Tataviam language through stories, colors, animals, and numbers.

Early childhood reporter Elly Yu contributed to this story.

Topline:

Cost-of-living: Latinos favored Democrats by 34% when it came to the question about who's better handling cost-of-living. “ It is the economy, cost of living and affordability that is, by a far measure, the issue driving Latino voters and Latino sentiments,” said Mike Madrid, Republican political consultant and founder of the Latino Working Class Project.

More support for Dems? No. This does not mean Latino voters are completely satisfied with how Democrats are running things in California.  "They are just as unhappy with Democrats,” said David Binder, founder of David Binder Research, which helped conduct the poll.

What this means for the gubernatorial race: An overwhelming amount of Latino voters are supporting Xavier Becerra over Steve Hilton, 72% to 24%.  ”If Xavier Becerra wins the election in November, it'll be incumbent upon him to prove that he is also working on behalf of Latino voters and all working class voters to help bring down costs and make things more affordable,” Binder said.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Four weeks ago, Matt Johnstone received a call from the board-and-care facility in North Hollywood where his 89-year-old father lives. Health Net, the insurance company that pays for his care, was eliminating its assisted living benefit, meaning he would have to move out soon.

Johnstone panicked. His father has dementia and needs around-the-clock care. Neither Johnstone nor his brother can afford the roughly $6,000 per month the facility costs, and with health problems of their own, they can’t safely meet his needs at home either. Without insurance coverage, their father could end up on the streets, he said.

“He’s declining, and I just don’t know what’s going to happen if the program ends,” Johnstone said. CalMatters is not publishing the father’s name because Johnstone fears the plan will target him for speaking with media.

Health Net, one of the largest Medi-Cal insurers in the country, is canceling assisted living benefits for members at the end of the year, according to documents obtained by CalMatters and interviews with providers. Approximately 3,500 Medi-Cal patients like Johnstone’s father rely on Health Net to pay for assisted living costs. Most are elderly, and many have cognitive issues like dementia, senior advocates say. Medi-Cal is the state’s public insurance program for low-income Californians and people with disabilities.

CalViva Health and Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley, which contract with Health Net to provide services, have also notified the state of their intent to discontinue assisted living benefits.

Health Net's decision has been shrouded in confusion with little public information. Senior advocates and family members of assisted living residents fear people will become homeless or be shuffled between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

A disaster in the making?

Pauline Shatara, deputy director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said a few assisted living facilities have already confirmed to her organization that residents have been dropped off at emergency rooms.

“This is going to be a disaster,” Shatara said.

Senior advocates also say the state did not include enough consumer protections to ensure patients stay housed if plans decide to terminate coverage. State regulators dispute that characterization.

The assisted living support is an optional Medi-Cal benefit, meaning plans can opt-into offering it to members and decide annually whether the program will continue. Assisted living support is part of CalAIM, California’s broad effort to improve Medi-Cal services and save money by stabilizing high-cost users who often end up repeatedly in emergency rooms. It pays a majority of the 24-hour service costs at board-and-care homes, memory care facilities, or larger group settings, while residents cover room-and-board fees.

The average nursing home, which offers a higher level of medical care, costs upwards of $10,000 per month, while an assisted living facility costs between $5,000 to $7,000 monthly.

The state created the benefit in part to relieve pressure on a separate assisted living program for low-income patients managed directly by the state, which has an 18,000 person cap and a three- to four-year waitlist.

Health Net operates Medi-Cal plans in 10 counties: Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare.

In an unsigned statement, a spokesperson for the company disputed the assertion that patients would be left without services and would end up unhoused. Affected members will receive care through their individual authorization date, and could be transitioned to nursing homes, back home with in-home supportive services, or to other programs, according to the statement.

“We are working closely with members, providers and care management teams to develop individualized transition plans based on each member's clinical needs and eligibility for other available programs and services,” the company statement said. 

The statement also said internal data showed the assisted living program “has not led to better care” in terms of fewer emergency room visits or days hospitalized.

Matt Johnstone helps his dad Jim put on his shoes while he sits at the edge of his bed in his room at an assisted living facility in North Hollywood on Aug. 13, 2026.

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Health Net told state regulators its decision was fueled partly by an increase in members moving from home to assisted living rather than from nursing homes, a trend that costs the plan money instead of generating savings, according to a termination notice sent to the Department of Health Care Services. The plan also blames regulators for changing program guidelines that had previously allowed Health Net to limit community transitions.

“The guidance raises concerns regarding program integrity and long term viability,” the notice reads.

The Department of Health Care Services, which oversees the program, refused an interview request. In an emailed statement, officials said the department would communicate with Health Net to “ensure member protections and continuity of care”

Health Net’s decision follows a similar one last year to terminate a separate CalAIM benefit with a provider in L.A. County, affecting hundreds of people in temporary medical housing.

“Their position is it’s less costly to offer no services than some services,” said Hagar Dickman, director of long-term services and supports for Justice In Aging.

No information sparks confusion, 'rumor mill'

When Johnstone first heard about Health Net’s decision, he searched the company’s website for information about the change: Nothing. Then, he picked up the phone.

“When I called into Health Net customer service, they didn't even know what the program is,” Johnstone said. He has not received a letter notifying him of the upcoming termination.

Jennifer Horcasitas-Glenn ran into the same problem. Her 75-year-old mother-in-law, Jacqueline Glenn, has dementia and Alzheimer's. Horcasistas-Glenn and her husband spent nine years caring for Jacqueline at home until recent hospitalizations made it impossible to continue. She has been in a memory care facility since May.

Horcasitas-Glenn said she was also notified of the change by a third-party provider, not Health Net, and hasn’t gotten answers from the insurer. Horcasitas-Glenn said she spent days bouncing between customer service representatives and supervisors who had never heard of the program before being transferred to a Health Net social worker who was aware of the changes but had no further information.

“I told her I have a plethora of questions I need answered. She said ‘I think you should forward all of your questions to this email,’” Horcasitas-Glenn said. To-date she has not received answers.

The health plan notified some major contractors that services would be terminated Oct. 7, according to providers interviewed by CalMatters. But Medi-Cal enrollees themselves have not been notified of changes by Health Net, according to advocates and multiple families interviewed for this story.

One of the biggest sources of confusion is when services will actually stop. Many of the plan contracts end in October, but the plan has an obligation to continue services until the end of the year, Dickman said.

“The question is, what's Health Net going to do after October 7? They don't have contracts with these facilities, so how are they going to provide?" said Jonathan Istrin, chairman of Libertana, one of the groups whose contracts were terminated. Libertana subcontracts with hundreds of assisted living facilities in California, Istrin said, and Health Net doesn’t have the infrastructure to pay those places directly.

Health Net must notify members of termination 30 days before the service end date. Providers aren’t certain whether notices will go out at the end of September or beginning of December. For some, the notices may come after members are already evicted, Shatara said..

“Right now it can feel like a rumor mill and nobody knows what they should do because Health Net has not been giving anyone any information,” Shatara said.

Matt Johnstone, left, and Russell Granger, right, help their father Jim get up from his bed at an assisted living facility in North Hollywood on Aug. 13, 2026.

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On Aug. 10, Horcasitas-Glenn said she received a letter from Health Net stating that approval for her mother’s memory care facility would be revoked a month early “at the request of the provider.” The provider told Horcasitas-Glenn that they had not requested an early termination and had instead asked Health Net how to accommodate patients who have a right to services until the end of the year. CalMatters independently confirmed this information.

“This is baloney. They’re not being transparent about anything, and they’re lying on documents,” Horcasitas-Glenn said. Customer service still doesn’t know what program she’s talking about when she calls.

According to state regulators, Health Net members are entitled to services until Dec. 31 as long as it is “clinically appropriate.” If the authorization for a member’s assisted living expires before the end of the year, they should request an extension.

State offers few consumer protections

Other than the 30-day notice, advocates say, the state has very few protections for patients when services are terminated.

Health Net has not given patients transition plans, and the state cannot guarantee patients will receive the same level of care elsewhere, Shatara said. Advocates and providers told CalMatters the Department of Health Care Services and Health Net have mutually referred questions to the other organization, offering no clear answers.

The Department of Health Care Services in an email argued its patient notification requirements are adequate, stating “Medi-Cal members have strong protections.” Some patient protections include the right to appeal or file a grievance with the plan, access to alternative services, and continuity-of-care requirements. The state also places responsibility with Health Net.

According to the termination notice filed with the state, Health Net members “will be transitioned to alternative care settings, including home, as appropriate.”

Jim smokes his pipe outside an assisted living facility in North Hollywood on Aug. 13, 2026.

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Ariana Drehsler

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Pictures of Jim’s sister, Jim with puppies, books, a stuffed animal and a first-prize award for a motorcycle show sit on a nightstand in his room.

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For most patients, home is not an option, Shatara said. Many live on fixed Social Security incomes and give up their primary residence in order to pay room and board fees at care facilities that Medi-Cal doesn’t cover. Their needs are also too acute for family members to meet. The only other appropriate alternative care settings, Shatara said, are nursing homes and hospitals, which may not be able to handle the influx.

“It’s inevitable that people will end up in ERs and on the streets,” Shatara said.

Some families like Horcasitas-Glenn are contemplating switching to another Medi-Cal insurer that still provides the benefit, but have been told other plans don’t want to approve these expensive long-term services for new patients. Others, like Johnstone, are at a loss.

Johnstone’s dad turned a lifelong love of motorcycles and racecars into a successful autobody repair and restoration business in Southern California. Eventually, in his later years, undiagnosed dementia would trap his mind 20 years in the past, Johnstone said, causing him to make poor business decisions and take on enormous amounts of debt and work he could no longer perform. A terminal cancer diagnosis for Johnstone’s mother would also wipe out all of the family’s savings.

“There is nothing else,” Johnstone said.

Worried your loved one will be affected by changes to Medi-Cal services? Send tips to health@calmatters.org.

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

For more than six years, a Los Angeles-area fiduciary altered bank statements and fudged court reports to steal more than $6 million from his clients, the California Attorney General’s Office claims, setting up what it called a “Ponzi-style” scheme to rob people who can’t take care of themselves.

In May, state prosecutors filed grand theft charges against Gregory Oveross and his accountant, Faranita L. Corvalan, alleging what would be one of the largest fiduciary thefts in California history.

Oveross and Corvalan pleaded not guilty and have been released on bond, awaiting trial.

Prosecutors say Oveross misled his clients and the probate court. But court and other public records reviewed by CalMatters show that court officials and the state Professional Fiduciaries Bureau missed red flags years before Oveross was charged, highlighting our ongoing reporting into the state’s weak oversight of fiduciaries, who have the power to control people’s finances and basic aspects of their lives.

For example, in one case Oveross allegedly wrote himself 19 checks totaling $670,000 over the course of a year from one client’s accounts. Even though the state accounting form asks for check numbers for every expense, Oveross left that column blank.

Still, Superior Court Judge Deborah L. Christian approved the financial report.

“Not having check numbers would be a big red flag,” said Judge Sandra Bean, the supervising judge for probate court in Alameda County. “It’s all very practical. If something smells bad, it probably is.”

In response to past abuses, lawmakers in 2006 passed a law that required fiduciaries to turn in more detailed documentation to account for how they spent their clients’ money. By forcing fiduciaries to list check numbers, the courts would ostensibly be able to spot if check numbers were missing and stop fiduciaries from writing hidden checks.

In a separate case, the Attorney General’s Office said Oveross never paid a $1.7 million inheritance to beneficiaries after the court appointed him to manage a deceased person’s estate.

Records do not indicate that Los Angeles Superior Court ordered a hearing to ensure the money had been distributed. State law does not require courts to automatically schedule such a review, creating a hodgepodge of rules across California counties.

The courts in some counties automatically set up such a hearing. Others, such as Sacramento, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties, do not.

During the time of Oveross’ alleged thefts, the Los Angeles Superior Court did not automatically schedule such hearings. The court changed its rules in January 2026, automatically scheduling follow-up review dates after approving the final distribution, said Rob Oftring, a spokesperson for the court.

Additionally, public records obtained by CalMatters show that Oveross omitted from his annual statement a case in which he’d been accused of wrongdoing. The statements, which are supposed to give the public and the bureau a window into fiduciaries who’ve been in trouble, are based on the honor system. Fiduciaries sign the statements under penalty of perjury.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2021 law that would have required courts to notify the bureau when judges punished fiduciaries for abusing their licenses. However, that requirement was to go into effect only if lawmakers funded it. They haven’t.

In 2022 and 2023, Oveross submitted statements to the bureau that didn’t answer a question about whether he had settled any complaints, records show. The bureau still issued Oveross a valid license each year, according to its website. The bureau declined to answer any questions about Oveross, citing the pending criminal case.

The state Professional Fiduciaries Bureau was established two decades ago to protect consumers after a news investigation showed that judges were not preventing abuse and conflicts of interest by fiduciaries. However, CalMatters’ reporting this year has found that some of the same issues remain.

The bureau says it depends on courts to police fiduciaries, and the courts often depend on the bureau, creating a loop of blame and little accountability.

Oftring said an attorney reviews fiduciaries’ accounting and confirms that “all required information and supporting documentation are provided, that financial activity is clearly explained, and that the accounting is accurate and balanced.”

When asked why the court approved Oveross’ accounting, he said judges and court staff are “prohibited from publicly commenting on any pending or impending proceeding in any court.”

In the arrest declaration, the Attorney General’s Office said Oveross had a “systematic and pervasive pattern of asset misappropriation, discrepancies, unauthorized fund diversions and non-compliance with probate court mandates.”

Attorneys for Oveross and Corvalan didn’t respond to requests for comment for this story.

Oveross kept his license for years while under investigation

Jean C. Elbert had dementia. Her extended family was far away, and her closest relative, her brother, was battling Alzheimer’s. Elbert’s family asked the court to appoint a fiduciary to handle her care and finances. The court appointed Oveross, a longtime fiduciary, in August 2018.

Oveross managed Elbert’s conservatorship for about a year. During his time as her conservator, prosecutors say, Oveross wrote 19 checks to himself and didn’t include any of them on the financial report he filed with the court.

After Elbert died in August 2019, Oveross told the court that he had $1.8 million to distribute to her heirs, and the court ordered him to deliver the money.

Oveross did not send $764,000 owed to Elbert’s brother, according to court filings and state prosecutors.

The brother’s son sued for his father’s share of the inheritance, court records show. The son’s attorney discovered that Oveross had taken money from the conservatorship and estate, according to the court filings, and that he had used money from other clients’ accounts to eventually pay Elbert’s brother his inheritance.

In May 2024, the two sides entered into a settlement agreement, but state records show the fiduciary did not report it on his 2025 annual statement, as is required.

All told, the fiduciary made $1.3 million in unauthorized payments from Elbert’s accounts, according to court filings from the Attorney General's Office.

In another case, Oveross was in charge of Guadalupe Rodriguez Diaz’s $2 million estate after she died in 2019.

After paying the bills, Oveross told the court that Diaz’s estate had $1.6 million left for her beneficiaries.

The Attorney General’s office says Oveross opened “a secondary set of accounts” and made “unauthorized” transfers to himself and Corvalan, and to another trust he managed. In court filings, they say Oveross spent nearly the entire estate on himself and his associates.

Diaz’s heirs, prosecutors say, never got a dime from the accounts.

“Notably, no transactions related to heir distributions were observed within these accounts,” prosecutors wrote in court records.

The criminal case was launched after Elbert’s nephew and one of Oveross’ clients filed complaints to the bureau in 2023, according to court records. Shortly afterward, the bureau investigator forwarded the case to the California Department of Justice.

As the criminal investigation played out, Oveross was allowed to work with a valid fiduciary license for more than two years.

His license was suspended less than two weeks after he was arrested. In its order prohibiting Oveross from practicing, the bureau asked him to turn over a complete list of all matters in which he serves as a fiduciary.

Those are details the bureau should have had. The bureau requires its fiduciaries to accurately report them every year on their annual statements.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.