Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published April 17, 2024 5:00 AM
Jamie Hernandez, left, and Natalia Gonzalez work on their corsages for Sylmar Charter High School's prom on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
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Topline:
At Sylmar Charter High School, students grow and create the floral arrangement that adorn school dances and other events. “The students really get to set the tone,” said floriculture teacher Araceli Aguilar. “It's really their vision and we're just trying to help them achieve it.”
The backstory: Floriculture, the growing and care of ornamental plants, is part of an agriculture program that dates to the school’s opening in 1961. The class blends science, sustainability, financial literacy, and creativity.
Mental health: “If I ever feel overwhelmed… I know I could go into the garden and be at peace with all the nature and all the flowers,” said senior Nathan Poor. Research shows growing up with access to green space is associated with better mental health in adulthood. Parents and students have pressed for more vegetation and shade at L.A. schools as temperatures increase.
Teaching sustainability: The floral industry is notoriously wasteful— most flowers are imported and many are wrapped in single-use plastics. Aguilar teaches her students more sustainable practices, including diverting scraps from the trash into the school’s compost program and creating arrangements with recycled materials like wine bottles and native plants. “I just feel like I value the flowers more now that I've taken the class and I've gotten to learn more about them,” said senior Valeria Villalbazo.
The week before prom is crunch time for Sylmar Charter High School's floriculture students.
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Prom Prep Starts Early For These Students Who Grow The Flowers Themselves
On Wednesday, students poke green foliage — lemon and leather leaf — into foam rings that have been soaked in water.
Senior Jamie Hernandez walks out to the garden to pluck green and white pittosporum leaves for her prom date’s boutonniere.
“Personally, I view it as it looks more elegant,” she says. Hernandez contemplates whether weaving in the twisting tendrils of the sweet pea will match the theme’s inspiration: Tangled, Disney’s 2010 reinterpretation of Rapunzel.
“It's really [the students’] vision and we're just trying to help them achieve it,” says floriculture teacher Araceli Aguilar.
Floriculture, the growing and care of ornamental plants, is part of an agriculture program that dates to the school’s opening in 1961. The class blends science, sustainability, financial literacy, and creativity. Students said the high-ceilinged classroom also holds a sense of calm that’s hard to find on a high school campus.
“In other classes you're stressed because you're taking an exam,” says senior Salvador Garcia. “If you've ever, like, grabbed the flower, it's really relaxing to actually bond with them.”
Salvador Garcia Hernandez, a student in the Floriculture class.
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Students in the Floriculture class at Sylmar Charter High School, putting together the floral center pieces for their prom.
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Students ‘at peace with all the nature’
Long stems of lilies — their buds closed tightly like unripened bananas — sit in pink buckets at the back of the classroom.
“You think they're going to pop open by Friday?” Aguilar asks. The response is a hopeful “Yeah!”
Valeria Villalbazo threads wire through small creamy white roses for her corsage.
“A lot of people usually buy their own and it's, like, more expensive,” Villalbazo says. “I have the skills to make my own.”
An estimated 1,000 varieties of native plants, vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees — there are 15 varieties of apples alone — grow at Sylmar Charter High School.
“I tell the kids that there is something to eat in this garden every single day of the year,” says horticulture teacher Steve List, who started at the school in 2006.
The blooming wisteria vines in the farming area of Sylmar Charter High School.
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Sylmar Charter High School distributes many of the plants students grow to other LAUSD campuses, community groups and non-profits.
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The bulk of the two-acre horticulture program is tucked into the southeast corner of campus. A mural featuring Xochipili, the Aztec god of flowers, monarch butterflies, and a hummingbird marks the entrance.
Bees buzz between the blooms of more than a half dozen varieties of lavender, white sage, and holy basil growing nearby.
“If I ever feel overwhelmed… I know I could go into the garden and be at peace with all the nature and all the flowers,” says senior Nathan Poor.
List says agricultural classes were once common throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District; now just 17 schools have dedicated programs.
Sylmar Charter High School is growing olives to replace those on campus and in the community that have died from disease and old age. Horticulture teaching assistant Stefan Strong said replanting the trees highlights Sylmar's history as an olive production hub and is a way to honor "the people that put that much energy into it."
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Yarrow is one of the native plants grown at Sylmar Charter High School that Aguilar incorporates into the floriculture class. It's an important food source for butterflies, bees and other pollinators and indigenous people, including the Miwok, used it as medicine.
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Sylmar students grow plants from seed in the green house, harvest fresh vegetables and turn compost. In one area, a student has arranged pots of beans around a pole with twine leading up to the center so the crawling vines create a canopy as they grow.
Support The Program
In addition to what’s grown at the school, Aguilar said the class and the school’s environmental club count on local vendors to donate “less than perfect” blooms for the raw material her class uses to create their assignments. Local nurseries also support the school’s agriculture program with donations of soil and plants. Contact Aguilar about the floriculture program and Steve List about the horticulture program.
“We try and give the kids as much control over the space as we can,” says horticulture teaching assistant Stefan Strong, himself an alum of the program.
The school relies on donations of seedlings, soil, and other supplies. The resulting produce and plants are incorporated into the school’s culinary arts program and distributed throughout the community.
“A lot of people put energy into us,” Strong says. “The least we can do is put it back out.”
Connecting to the San Fernando Valley’s agricultural past
One of the first lessons in floriculture is plant identification or what Aguilar calls “what grows in your hood?”
They visit the olive trees (olea europea) that grow on the school’s campus, a homage to the time Sylmar was one of the world’s largest olive producers.
The students harvest the leaves and create olive crowns.
Historian Jean-Paul deGuzman says there’s value in connecting the students to the history of the land their school sits on.
“The local is their entry point to understanding the complexities of global events, of economic reconfigurations, and even the migrations that might have brought their families to this place,” he says.
Araceli Aguilar works with her Floriculture students.
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Other projects include bouquets, garlands, a Día De Los Muertos altar, and arrangements for school events from homecoming to graduation. The capstone project for the advanced class is a mock wedding held in the school’s garden. Students are responsible for every detail from the invitations to centerpieces.
The floral industry is notoriously wasteful — most flowers are imported and many are wrapped in single-use plastics.
Aguilar teaches her students more sustainable practices, including diverting scraps from the trash into the school’s compost program and creating arrangements with recycled materials like wine bottles and native plants.
“I just feel like I value the flowers more now that I've taken the class and I've gotten to learn more about them,” senior Valeria Villalbazo says.
Floriculture, the growing and care of ornamental plants, is part of an agriculture program that dates to Sylmar Charter High School's opening in 1961.
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The students also learn how to price and market their arrangements.
“You want to give homie hookups? That's up to you,” Aguilar tells her students. “Think of it as an hour of your time. ‘How much are you going to pay for an hour of your time?’”
Aguilar says students have started their own side hustles using the skills from her class.
“This is adulting 101,” Aguilar says. “You get to learn these skills before you go out into the real world.”
For some students, classes build on their personal histories.
Garcia, who grew up in Mexico near San Juan del Río, Durango, remembers his grandmother would send him to her home garden to collect plants for herbal remedies and teas.
During the pandemic, Garcia started a succulent collection with plants from the San Fernando swap meet. He said the class has deepened his knowledge of soil and growing season.
“It's made my garden be better than before I had this class,” Garcia says.
Teacher leads with her journey
Araceli Aguilar, the Floriculture teacher at Sylmar Charter High School.
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Aguilar started at Sylmar Charter High in 2008 as a special education assistant. She helped students with disabilities throughout the school day, including in the school’s horticulture program where she picked up enough skills that she started designing florals for weddings and events.
Aguilar says the detailed work of corsages, boutonnieres and floral jewelry is a way to practice mindfulness.
“I'm just creating and making something beautiful,” Aguilar says. “I don't realize that time is going by because I'm in the moment.”
Aguilar battles anxiety. She doesn’t share details, but said it’s the product of a childhood where she didn’t feel supported. She practiced yoga, ran, and meditated, but realized she needed more help to manage her anxiety and sought out a therapist.
“Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the big picture,” Aguilar says. “But you need to break it down a little bit at a time.”
To help center her students, Aguilar asks the students in her beginner floral class to write down an affirmation before they get to work each day.
Aguilar first heard this quote from motivational speaker and author Greg Reid from a colleague.
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Aguilar’s daughter was born when she was 17, her son, three years later. She earned an associate’s degree while raising her children and working as a bilingual classroom assistant.
“I never thought I was going to teach,” Aguilar says.
Among the requirements to become a certificated educator in California are a bachelor’s degree, a preparation program and at least 600 hours of student teaching. But the state offers an exception for certain technical classes, and Aguilar’s experience in floral design qualified her for a specific credential to teach agricultural classes.
“I'm proud of myself because I did something I thought I would never do,” Aguilar says. Her eyes well with tears when she talks about her journey from teaching assistant to teacher.
One of her next long-term goals is to complete a bachelor’s degree. Potentially in sustainability.
“It's going to be little baby steps, but I'll get there,” Aguilar says. “I might be 60 by the time I'm done, but you know, I'll get it.”
‘At last we see the [prom] night’
On the night of prom the lilies have opened into bright yellow stars. Fairy lights twinkle from the lanterns, hand stenciled by the student government to match the sun pattern from the Disney movie.
In all, Aguilar and the students have created 36 centerpieces, 12 bouquets for the prom court, boutonnières, and corsages for themselves and school administrators.
The theme of the prom was "At Last We See The Night." Teacher Araceli Aguilar worked with the students in the floriculture class and student government to create the design of asiatic yellow lilies, white carnations, purple asters and pink wax flowers circling a lantern-shaped vase.
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Salvador Garcia arrives in a black suit, purple tie and Doc Marten oxfords laced with white ribbon.
“I feel like it brings my personality out,” Garcia says.
The white rose in his boutonniere has unfurled and the petals sparkle with glitter— he plans to save it for the memories.
Jamie Hernandez made her date's boutonniere with a white rose, green and white pittosporum leaves, black and gold tulle, and pink waxflower. "It came out nice," Hernandez said. "I think they look elegant."
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Salvador Garcia's boutonniere is a white rose surrounded by black tulle, a purple ribbon bow and baby’s breath." I just wanted to have creative freedom," Garcia said. "Sometimes like you see [boutonnieres] that are like generic. I want to have my own twist to it."
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Valeria Villalbazo's corsage is five white spray roses, baby's breath, and green and white pittosporum leaves. "I enjoy being able to get stuff, like, straight out of our own garden," Villalbazo said. "It's pretty cool and it's more affordable too."
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Alexander Noriega's boutonniere includes a white rose, green leatherleaf, white baby's breath and a ribbon bow. "I learned how to do this... and now it's just a skill that I know how to do for the rest of my life," Noriega said.
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Valeria Villalbazo’s white spray rose corsage is accented by green and white pittosporum leaves from the high school’s garden.
“Ay, that is cute,” her friend exclaims. “It goes with her dress very well.”
Aguilar, wearing a ring and earrings with fresh flowers, greets the students with “how handsomes” and “que bonitas.”
She stops to help Alexander Noriega pin the boutonniere he made in her class to the lapel of his black suit jacket.
“I think it turned out great,” Noriega says of the white rose surrounded by delicate baby’s breath. “I loved making it. It was really fun and I love how I look at the end.”
He signed up for floriculture on a whim and has used his skills to make arrangements for his friends and his mom.
“When she picks me up and she sees me carrying a flower, I see her get excited,” Noriega says. “It's the most precious thing I think I've ever seen.”
LAist reporter Mariana Dale wants your help telling stories about K-12 education
Fire department honored with 'Award of Excellence'
Makenna Sievertson
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published December 12, 2025 4:30 PM
The "Award of Excellence Star" honoring the Los Angeles Fire Department on Friday.
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Topline:
The Hollywood Walk of Fame has a new neighbor — a star dedicated to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Why it matters: The Fire Department has been honored with an “Award of Excellence Star” for its public service during the Palisades and Sunset fires, which burned in the Pacific Palisades and Hollywood Hills neighborhoods of L.A. in January.
Why now: The star was unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard on Friday at a ceremony hosted by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Hollywood Community Foundation.
Awards of Excellence celebrate organizations for their positive impacts on Hollywood and the entertainment industry, according to organizers. Fewer than 10 have been handed out so far, including to the LA Times, Dodgers and Disneyland.
The backstory: The idea of awarding a star to the Fire Department was prompted by an eighth-grade class essay from Eniola Taiwo, 14, from Connecticut. In an essay on personal heroes, Taiwo called for L.A. firefighters to be recognized. She sent the letter to the Chamber of Commerce.
“This star for first responders will reach the hearts of many first responders and let them know that what they do is recognized and appreciated,” Taiwo’s letter read. “It will also encourage young people like me to be a change in the world.”
LAFD Chief Jaime E. Moore, Eniola Taiwo and LAFD firefighters with the "Award of Excellence Star" Friday.
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The Award of Excellence Star is in front of the Ovation Entertainment Complex next to the Walk of Fame; however, it is separate from the official program.
What officials say: Steve Nissen, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement Taiwo’s letter was the inspiration for a monument that will “forever shine in Hollywood.”
“This recognition is not only about honoring the bravery of the Los Angeles Fire Department but also about celebrating the vision of a young student whose words reminded us all of the importance of gratitude and civic pride,” said Nissen, who’s also president and CEO of the Hollywood Community Foundation.
L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto was accused of an ethics breach in a case the city settled for $18 million.
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Fallout from allegations of an ethics breach by Los Angeles’ elected city attorney has reached the City Council. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a motion Friday requesting a closed-session meeting about an allegation that City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto improperly contacted a witness days before her office entered into one of the city’s biggest settlements in recent years. The motion came a day after LAist reported about the allegation.
The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.
The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.
What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."
What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."
Topline:
Fallout from allegations of an ethics breach by Los Angeles’ elected city attorney has reached the City Council. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a motion Friday requesting a closed-session meeting about an allegation that City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto improperly contacted a witness days before her office entered into one of the city’s biggest settlements in recent years. The motion came a day after LAist reported about the allegation.
The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.
The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.
What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."
What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."
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Destiny Torres
is LAist's general assignment and digital equity reporter.
Published December 12, 2025 3:38 PM
Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his Santa Ana home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe.
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Today marks el Día de La Virgen de Guadalupe, or the day of the Virgen of Guadalupe, an important holiday for Catholics and those of Mexican descent. In Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana builds an elaborate altar in her honor that draws hundreds of visitors.
What is the holiday celebrating? In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman, wearing a green veil with her hands clasped in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak. Every year on Dec. 12, worshippers of the saint celebrate the Guadalupita with prayer and song.
Read on … for how worshippers in Santa Ana celebrate.
Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.
Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.
Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.
Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.
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Why do they celebrate?
In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.
To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.
Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.
The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).
“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”
The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.
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Gathering in a time of turmoil
Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.
“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”
Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.
“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.
Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the VirginMary represents strength.
“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”
See it for yourself
The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.
The offices of the Employment Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2022.
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CalMatters
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California’s unemployment agency kept paying cellphone bills for 4 1/2 years without checking whether its workers actually were using the devices. That’s how it racked up $4.6 million in fees for mobile devices its workers were not using, according to a new state audit detailing wasteful spending at several government agencies.
The investigation: The Employment Development Department acquired 7,224 cellphones and wireless hotspots by December 2020. State auditors analyzed 54 months of invoices since then and found half the devices were unused for at least two years, 25% were unused for three years and 99 of them were never used at all. The investigation, which auditors opened after receiving a tip, identified 6,285 devices that were unused for at least four consecutive months and said the department spent $4.6 million on monthly service fees for them.
Department response: Officials told auditors they were unaware of the spending, but auditors pointed to regular invoices from Verizon that showed which phones were not being used. The unemployment department began acting on the auditors’ findings in April, when it canceled service plans for 2,825 devices. It has since implemented a policy to terminate service plans for devices that go unused for 90 days.
California’s unemployment agency kept paying cellphone bills for 4 1/2 years without checking whether its workers actually were using the devices.
That’s how it racked up $4.6 million in fees for mobile devices its workers were not using, according to a new state audit detailing wasteful spending at several government agencies.
It acquired 7,224 cellphones and wireless hotspots by December 2020. State auditors analyzed 54 months of invoices since then and found half the devices were unused for at least two years, 25% were unused for three years and 99 of them were never used at all.
The investigation, which auditors opened after receiving a tip, identified 6,285 devices that were unused for at least four consecutive months, and said the department spent $4.6 million on monthly service fees for them.
From the beginning, the department had about 2,000 more cellphones than call center employees, according to the audit. The gap widened over time after the pandemic ended and the department’s staffing returned to its normal headcount.
As of April, the audit said the department had 1,787 unemployment call center employees, but was paying monthly service fees for 5,097 mobile devices.
“Although obtaining the mobile devices during COVID-19 may have been a good idea to serve the public, continuing to pay the monthly service fees for so many unused devices, especially post-COVID-19, was wasteful,” the audit said.
Department officials told auditors they were unaware of the spending, but auditors pointed to regular invoices from Verizon that showed which phones were not being used.
“We would have expected EDD management to have reconsidered the need to pay the monthly service fees for so many devices that had no voice, message, or data usage,” the audit said.
The unemployment department began acting on the auditors’ findings in April, when it canceled service plans for 2,825 devices. It has since implemented a policy to terminate service plans for devices that go unused for 90 days.
The California state auditor highlighted the mobile devices in its regular report on “improper activities by state agencies and employees.” The audit also showed that the California Air Resources Board overpaid an employee who was on extended leave as he prepared to retire by $171,000.
