The Brief

Update, Sunday, Jan. 12, 10 p.m.: With most school districts announcing their intent to return to class on Monday, Jan. 13 — including the largest, Los Angeles Unified School District — we will no longer be updating this story. For the most recent list of school district closures, as well as links to food, mental health and other resources, please visit the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s website.

School districts across Los Angeles County have remained closed for days as multiple fires burn across the Los Angeles area.

In total, nearly two dozen school districts have experienced full or partial closures since the first fire broke out, leaving more than 700,000 students without class. Some districts have tried to reopen, only to shutter once more as the bad air quality became insurmountable.

And many districts said in statements that they simply don't have enough staff, as the fires displace employees from their homes.

Several districts, including Los Angeles Unified, are closed through Friday.

Alhambra Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

Superintendent Denise Jaramillo wrote in a statement Thursday that "challenges such as air quality concerns and ongoing evacuation orders affecting many staff members have necessitated this additional closure day."

"While our campuses have fared relatively well thus far, the air quality is expected to remain poor due to excessive dust from the winds and smoke from the fires," Jaramillio wrote.

The district expects to reopen Monday.

Arcadia Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

All district events and services will continue to be closed and canceled, including athletics, and after-school programs.

“Two campuses are also still without power as of this morning. We have many staff members who have been greatly impacted by the fires, and are still evacuated or are taking care of family members who are,” the district said in a statement.

Bonita Unified School District 

Most schools open.

In a statement posted to social media, the district said Wednesday night that power had been restored at all but three campuses: Ekstrand Elementary, La Verne Heights Elementary, and Oak Mesa Elementary. But the district hasn't announced updates for Friday, Jan. 10.

Burbank Unified

All schools remain closed through Friday, Jan. 10.

The district, which is close to the Eaton Fire, said in a statement that it would not offer childcare or after-school activities.

Charter schools 

Various closures Friday, Jan. 10.

The California Charter School Association announced that more than 70 independently operated charter schools in the area are closed including all campuses of:

• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
• Bright Star Schools
• Citizens of the World Charter Schools
• Fenton Charter Public Schools
• Green Dot Public Schools
• ISANA Academies
• PUC Schools 

Compton Unified 

All schools closed Friday, Jan. 10

The district, which was open earlier in the week, closed schools Thursday and Friday because of “unhealthy air quality,” according to a statement posted to Instagram.

Culver City Unified 

All schools closed Thursday, Jan. 9.

No public announcement has been made about Friday.

Duarte Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

In a previous Instagram post, the district cited concerns about fires, poor air quality, hazardous travel conditions, and power outages in Duarte in deciding to keep schools closed.

El Monte City School District

Schools will close Friday, Jan. 10.

After reopening Thursday, the district reversed course Friday, citing an expected changes in wind patterns and the threat of additional smoke.

Garvey School District

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

Citing concerns about smoke, superintendent Anita Chu said in a statement that the district will be closed, despite hopes of reopening. It would set

The district will provide "a complete breakfast and lunch meal for all children ages 18 and under." Meals are available through a drive-through service or walk-up from 7:30-11:30 a.m. at Sanchez Elementary School: 8470 East Fern Avenue, Rosemead.

Glendale Unified

All schools remain closed through Friday, Jan. 10.

Child care and district offices will also be closed. The district offers tips for helping families cope with the fires and stay safe online.

The district previously cited the accessibility of roadways and air quality in its decision to close schools.

Glendora Unified 

Schools will reopen Friday, Jan. 10.

"Power has been restored at all GUSD sites, as has internet access and phone communication. We will continue to monitor local fire conditions very closely, and our thoughts are with the many people who have been impacted," the district said in a statement.

La Cañada Unified

All schools remain closed through Monday, Jan. 13.

In a statement, the district said it is applying for a state waiver to offset lost instructional days, "meaning additional school days likely won’t be required."

Las Virgenes Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

In a statement posted to the district's Facebook page earlier this week, Superintendent Dan Stepenosky said that Southern California Edison had turned off the power at a number of schools.

Los Angeles Unified

All schools will be closed through Friday, Jan. 10 

The district announced late Thursday morning that all schools and offices will be closed through Friday, while some essential employees will report to work.

“The confluence of factors — wind, fire, and smoke — have created unpredictable, complex situations that present potentially unsafe conditions for our school communities,” the statement read.

Students can find academic support through LAUSD's Continuity of Learning plan.

Resources

Food

The district will distribute meals to LAUSD students from 8–11 a.m. Friday. Those meals have been helpful for many families.

In region North:

• Mulholland Middle School— 17120 Vanowen St., Lake Balboa
• Sepulveda Middle School— 15330 Plummer St., North Hills
• San Fernando Middle School—130 N Brand Blvd, San Fernando
• Richard E. Byrd Middle School—8501 Arleta Ave, Sun Valley

In region East:

• Hollenbeck Middle School— 2510 E 6th St., Los Angeles
• South Gate High School— 3351 Firestone Blvd., South Gate
• Los Angeles Academy Middle School—644 56th St., Los Angeles
• John H. Liechty Middle School— 650 S Union Ave., Los Angeles

In region South:

• Fremont High School— 7676 San Pedro St., Los Angeles
• Harry Bridges Span School— 1235 Broad Ave., Wilmington
• Edwin Markham Middle School—1650 E 104th St., Los Angeles
• Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy—1700 W 46th St., Los Angeles

In region West:

• Marina Del Rey Middle School— 12500 Braddock Dr., Los Angeles
• Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences and Magnet-— 2050 N San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles
• Berendo Middle School— 1157 S Berendo St., Los Angeles
• Fairfax High School—7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles

Families may receive two meals per student.

Mental health

• For students and families: Student and Family Wellness Resource Line, (213) 241-3840, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• District employees: Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) and a 24/7 support line at (800) 882-1341

The Palisades fire reached the campuses of three LAUSD schools.

Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Charter Elementary School were destroyed.

“ We were on site and could not believe what we were witnessing,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a press conference Wednesday. He said the school’s 700 students will be relocated.

In addition, Carvalho said that a large portion of Palisades High, which is not currently in session, was destroyed.

Monrovia Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

Superintendent Paula Hart Rodas cited "ongoing issues, including power and water outages at some of our schools," in a statement announcing the extended closure.

Mountain View School District

All schools closes Friday, Jan. 10.

In announcing schools would be open again for Thursday, the district warned of air quality concerns: "Therefore, we will continue to assess the situation and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our students and staff."

Despite measures to reduce the impact, those issues proved too powerful; the district said in a statement Thursday afternoon that schools would close on Friday, "as the region's unhealthy air quality is expected to persist and potentially worsen."

Pasadena Unified

All schools remain closed through Friday, Jan. 10. 

As the Eaton Fire continued to burn Wednesday the district announced school closures would extend through the end of the week.

“This allows our teams time to assess the conditions of our facilities and for our employees, students, and families to begin reestablishing some normalcy,” Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco wrote in a statement.

The district is also suspending grab-and-go meals because the facility where the food is stored is within a mandatory evacuation zone.

Rosemead School District

All schools closed Friday, Jan. 10.

The district said in an Instagram statement that air quality would be monitored.

San Gabriel Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

Superintendent Jim Symonds wrote in a statement that a host of factors required canceling classes:

"The significant number of District staff that have been impacted by the fires; hazardous air quality that poses health risks to students and staff; and, the current conditions that make it unsafe for custodial and maintenance staff to prepare our campuses for a safe return," he said.

San Marino Unified

Schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

Despite hopes to reopen, Superintendent Linda de la Torre said in a statement that in addition to safety concerns, large numbers of staff have been displaced. “We are acutely aware of the sleepless nights, stress, and anxiety that many of our staff and families have faced,” she said.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

"We watch with all of you in disbelief the devastation and displacement caused by the Palisades fire, which continues to grow and evade containment," Superintendent Antonio Shelton wrote in a statement.

The district has collected resources for families online.

South Pasadena Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

The closure includes the district office, before- and after-school programs and activities.

“A significant percentage of our employees and neighbors are under evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, or have lost their homes,” Superintendent Geoff Yantz wrote in a statement.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who has experienced hardships.”

Yantz said it is difficult to safely operate schools without enough staff.

Temple City Unified

All schools remain closed Friday, Jan. 10.

"We anticipate significant improvement in the air quality over the weekend," the district said in a statement, predicting a return to schools on Monday. "However, upon our return, outdoor activities will likely remain limited."

Valle Lindo

Schools will close again Friday, Jan. 10.

Despite reopening Thursday, Superintendent Elizabeth Evans said in a statement that the air quality is too poor to keep schools open.

Grab-and-go meals will be available for students on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dean L. Shively Middle School: 1431 N. Central Ave., South El Monte

More fire coverage

These fires are fast-moving and straight up frightening. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:

Palisades Fire

LAist coverage ▶

• CalFire incident page
• L.A. Fire Dept. via X
• Latest evacuation map

Eaton Fire

LAist coverage ▶

• CalFire incident page
• Angeles National Forest X account
• Latest evacuation map

Hurst Fire

LAist coverage ▶

• CalFire incident page
• Latest evacuation map
  

Watch CalFire for new incidents ▶

It’s about the size of a park bench and made of steel and wood. The bench’s arm rests are formed by the letters “L” and “A” in a design that’s unmistakable to any sports fan. But the welder-artist who created it says it’s not a Dodgers bench.

“This is about civic pride, L.A. pride. I made a design statement saying that it has nothing affiliated with the Dodgers,” said Steve Campos.

Campos grew up near Dodger Stadium, raised by parents who were die-hard Dodgers fans. So much, that they named him after Steve Garvey but that legacy doesn’t keep him from confronting how the Dodgers benefitted from the mass displacement of working-class people from Chavez Ravine after World War Two. That’s why he calls it an L.A. Bench, and not a Dodgers Bench.

The logo may be synonymous with the city's beloved baseball team, but the design of the interlocking letters was used by the L.A. Angels minor league baseball team before the Dodgers moved to L.A. in 1958.

“The monogram was here before the Dodgers,” Campos said.

A second-generation welder

Welding is the Campos family business. His father created gates and security bars for windows and doors for L.A. clients. That was the foundation for the work Campos has done for two decades since graduating from Lincoln High School, L.A. Trade Tech College, and enrolling in a summer program at Art Center in Pasadena.

The inspiration for the L.A. Bench came last year while he was playing around in his shop creating versions of the L.A. logo. A friend he hangs with at Echo Park Lake asked Campos to make him a piece of furniture.

“I was trying to figure out what my friend Curly wanted. He liked Dodgers and drinking and getting into fights, so I was like, 'Let me make something with the LA monogram,'” he said.

Welder-artist Steve Campos created whimsical steel sculptures with the LA logo.

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Courtesy Steve Campos

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It didn’t design itself. He said he had to lengthen the legs on the “A” and lean the back of the “L” in order to make the bench functional. In the process, he’s made a piece of furniture with a ubiquitous logo that he’s embedded with his own L.A. pride, as well as city history past and present.

LA civic pride travels to Japan

Campos vacationed in Japan the last week of April and took advantage of the trip to reach out to people who may be interested in the L.A. Bench. He was caught off guard by people’s reaction when he showed them pictures of it.

“They look at it and they go, 'Oh, Ohtani bench,'” he said.

For them, it’s still a bench embedded with pride, he said, but centered around Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, an icon in his native Japan.

Campos has made four L.A. benches and is selling them fully assembled, he said, for $2,500 each — taking into account his labor and how costly the raw materials have become. For now, he’s offering the metal parts as a package for $500, which requires the buyer to purchase the wood for the seat and the back — an easy process, he said.

While he has no plans to mass produce the L.A. Bench, he does have one goal in mind that shows how hard it is for him to separate L.A. civic pride and the Dodgers.

“I would love to get a couple of them installed at Dodger Stadium,” he said.

The Venice Boardwalk after sunset has generally been a no-go zone for tourists and locals alike, as the beachside bars and restaurants close on the early side and safety is often an issue. Now, a group of artists is out to bring some vibrancy to the creative neighborhood with a series of new installations that will include live evening performances – and even a “Venice Opera House.”

“Let's play with light and let's play with sound and give people a reason to come to the Boardwalk after sundown,” said artist and entrepreneur Stefan Ashkenazy, who is curating the project and owns the buildings housing them. “I mean, let's just be open 24 hours a day.”

The concept doesn’t have an official name yet, but he’s been calling it “See World.”

Artist James Ostrer's space looks out from a bed through the fence to the ocean at Venice Beach.

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Laura Hertzfeld

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LAist

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William Attaway, a longtime Venice artist, created a gallery space filled with various paintings and sculptures.

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Laura Hertzfeld

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LAist

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The pair of modern buildings on the Venice Boardwalk at Thornton Ave. – with their big balconies, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and seven open garage-style retail spaces – have sat mostly empty since Snapchat vacated their beachside offices in 2019. Ashkenazy recently bought the building and recruited artists to fill those front-facing spaces with creative work until a full-time tenant comes in.

Over the past several weeks the installations have been created in real-time, in public.

All of the projects are loosely along the theme of “home,” with each artist claiming a “room” in the two buildings that stretch across a full block on the Boardwalk. Several local Venice artists are featured, including William Attaway, whose intricate mosaic work is recognizable on the Venice public restrooms along the beach. Attaway’s space features a floating larger-than-life-sized statue and various works in a mini-gallery. In the next room is Robin Murez’s pieces, featuring carved wooden seats from her beloved neighborhood Venice Flying Carousel.

Ashkenazy is no stranger to wild (and wildly successful) art ideas. He’s the owner of the Petit Ermitage hotel in West Hollywood, a longtime haven for visiting artists, and the founder of the decade-old Bombay Beach Biennale, where artists install all kinds of work in an annual event near the Salton Sea. Many of the artists from that community are featured at the Venice project.

A "Venice Opera House" will host pop-up music events throughout the summer.

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Laura Hertfeldz

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LAist

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New York-based artist Greg Haberny's paintings on the wall of his Venice space.

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Laura Hertzfeld

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LAist

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New York-based artist Greg Haberny and London-based artist James Ostrer have brought some of their work in the Bombay Beach Biennale to the Venice project. Their windows on the Boardwalk both speak to a child-like sense of wonder and creativity.

“I think it's just kind of exploring and playing a little bit, to have the freedom to be able to do that,” Haberny says of his imagined child’s bedroom space, which includes a fort made out of puffy cheese balls. “It's a big space, too.
It's beautiful.”

Ostrer is experimenting with a performance art idea where he sits in bed amongst a room full of his own artwork, which he describes as “happy art with an edge.” Looking out at the ocean from the bed, he’s invited passersby to sit and have chats with him about his work or anything else they want to talk about.

“It’s a very intimate space, so you have a different kind of conversation,” he said. “I use art to channel human creativity, and [talk about] dark things.”

While there are open fences that block off the spaces, they aren’t sealed up at night. Both Ashkenazy and the team of artists seemed open to the idea that anything could happen and that the installations are a conversation with the public – and with that comes some risk.

Greg Haberny (right) works with his assistants on an installation featuring kid-inspired graffiti art and a "cheesy puff" fort.

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Laura Hertzfeld

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LAist

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“I don't really know if I [would] say worried, but I guess it's just the cost of doing business,” Haberny said. “I don't really make things to get damaged or broken, sure. But I have done [things like] burned all my paintings and then made paint out of ash.”

While he’s felt safe – and even slept overnight in the installation – Ostrer has been collaborating with a local female artist who performs in a pig mask in front of his installation some nights. Watching her perform, he said, has taught him about the vulnerability of women in public spaces like the Boardwalk. “I've started to, on a very fractional level, have seen how scary that is. Because I've sat in the bed behind her performing at the front here… the way in which men are approaching her and shrieking at her … it's shocking.”

Ashkenazy says he will keep the artists in the space, potentially rotating new ones in, until a fulltime tenant takes over.

“This is an experiment … and after acquiring the building, the intention wasn't, ‘let's open a bunch of public art spaces,’ he said. “It is kind of …what the building wanted and listening to what the Boardwalk needed. Let's play, let's have the artists that we love and appreciate have a space to play and engage and give the locals and the visitors to the Boardwalk something to experience.”

A new trail across the beloved natural area of Elephant Hill in Northeast Los Angeles is officially opening this weekend.

The route is years in the making, and it's a big milestone in the decades-long conservation efforts to preserve this local jewel in the community of El Sereno.

The hiking trail connects one side of Elephant Hill to the other — from the corner of Pullman Street and Harriman Avenue all the way across to Lathrop Street.

It's 0.75 miles in total, but packs a punch.

"It's a pretty straight shot, but because of the terrain — the trail is kind of twisty and curvy. There's switchbacks — and great views," Elva Yañez, board president of the nonprofit Save Elephant Hill, said.

People have always been able to access the 110-acre green space, but Yañez said the new trail provides a safe and easy way to navigate the steep hillsides.

The El Sereno nonprofit has been working for two decades to preserve the land. Illegal dumping and off-roading have damaged the open space over the years. And the majority of the 110 acres are privately owned by an estimated 200 individual owners.

Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) joined the efforts in 2018, spurred by a $700,000 grant from Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, in part, to build the trail. The local agency received some $2 million in grants from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to add to the 10 acres of Elephant Hill it manages and conserves. This year, MCRA acquired an additional 12 parcels — or about 2.4 acres.

And the spiffy new footpath — with trail signage, information kiosks and landscape boulders — is not just a long-sought-for victory but a beginning in a sense.

"We know that it means a lot to the community," Sarah Kevorkian, who oversees the trail project for MRCA, said. "We're wrapping up the trail, but it really feels like the beginning of all that is to come."

A hint of that vision already exists — for hikers traversing the new route, courtesy of Test Plot, the L.A.-based nonprofit that works to revitalize depleted lands.

"They're able to see at the end of the trail, at the 'test plot' — exactly what a restored Elephant Hill would look like," Yañez said.

Here's a preview:

A coalition of residents from across the San Gabriel Valley are mobilizing over a battery storage project and possibly more industrial development in the City of Industry they say could pollute communities next door.

A protest is scheduled today in neighboring Rowland Heights, targeting a 400-megawatt battery energy storage facility sited on about 9 acres that was approved by the City of Industry leaders in January.

Such Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, are used to keep the power grid stable, especially as output from renewable energy sources like solar and wind fluctuate. But fires involving lithium batteries at some sites have heightened environmental and public health fears.

Because of the City of Industry’s unusual, sprawling shape stretching along the 60 Freeway, it borders on more than a dozen communities, meaning what happens there can have far-reaching impact.

“Pollution does not end right at the border,” said Andrew Yip, an organizer with No Data Centers SGV Coalition. “Pollution travels.”

Some local activists with the Puente Hills Community Preservation Association have challenged the approval of the battery facility under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Beyond environmental concerns, locals have also been frustrated with how decisions are made by officials in the City of Industry, a municipality that’s almost entirely zoned for industrial use and has less than 300 residents.

Organizers say they’ve struggled to get direct responses from city officials whom they say have replaced regular meetings with special meetings, which under state law require less advance notice.

A city spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment.

The so-called Marici Energy Storage System Facility would be run by Aypa Power. The fact that the battery storage developer is owned by the private equity giant Blackstone, a major investor in AI and data centers, has only fueled concerns that a battery storage facility would lay the groundwork for data center development.

A request for comment from Aypa was not returned.

Today’s protest is taking place at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights across the street from the Puente Hills Mall, a largely vacant “dead” mall, which activists fear could be redeveloped into a data center and bring higher utility costs and greater air and noise pollution.

Yip pointed out that industrial developments make a lot of money for the City of Industry.

“But none of these surrounding communities receive any of those benefits,” Yip said. “Yet we have to put up with all the harmful effects and impacts from this city that does all this development without really reaching out.”