The Brief

The week before prom is crunch time for Sylmar Charter High School's floriculture students.

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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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.

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.

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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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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.

“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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Ashley Balderrama

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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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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Ashley Balderrama

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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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Mariana Dale

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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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Mariana Dale

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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.”

The Los Angeles Metro Board approved on Thursday the agency staff-recommended route of the K Line Northern extension with an amendment.

The amendment calls for additional study of tunneling under Mid-City to inform what that section of the train ends up looking like.

The amendment was billed as a compromise in a political push-and-pull that continued into early Thursday morning between unabashed supporters of the route, including the city of West Hollywood, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who has tried to appease persistent concerns over the project's impact on residents of the Lafayette Square neighborhood.

“ I am very optimistic, and I'm very pleased that we got to an agreement so that we can all move together jointly,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said to LAist in an interview before the vote.

Metro staff, Horvath and Bass assured the public Thursday that the approved amendment won’t delay the project, including the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County’s joint plan to potentially front billions of dollars to kickstart the project without raising taxes.

“[The amendment] explicitly ensures that continued study, engagement and refinement in the Mid-City segment will proceed without scheduling, cost or job impacts,” Bass said about the amendment during the meeting.

The amendment was unanimously approved in an 11-0 vote. Metro Board Directors Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker and Holly Mitchell recused themselves since they own property in proximity to the proposed extension.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has championed the K Line Northern Extension.

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The low-down on the extension

The K Line currently runs from Redondo Beach to Crenshaw and stops at the LAX/Metro Transit Center. Earlier in March, Metro officials recommended a nearly 10-mile route for the train to continue north through Mid City and West Hollywood and terminate at the Hollywood Bowl.

The route would connect to the D Line in Wilshire and the B Line in Hollywood, closing a north-south gap that currently exists in Metro’s rail network. The extension would link to cultural hubs, including the Museum District and Hollywood Bowl, major employers such as Cedars Sinai Medical Center and queer nightlife along Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards.

According to Metro staff estimates, the route that was mostly approved today would serve the highest number of riders and reach the most residents and jobs compared to other alternatives studied.

You can read more about the specifics and the lead up to Thursday’s vote in our earlier coverage.

Didn’t Metro already study tunneling in Mid-City?

Lafayette Square residents have for years expressed fears over the effects of tunneling on property values, noise and vibration.

Based on the concerns, the Metro Board directed agency staff in October 2024 to do further analysis and community outreach. That work, which cost an additional $2.3 million, involved studying 12 different route options through Mid-City and concluded that tunneling will be deep enough to zero out any surface-level disruptions.

It’s unclear what the study prescribed by the amendment approved Thursday will materialize that hasn’t already been addressed.

Once fully built out, the K Line will run from the South Bay to Hollywood.

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L.A. Metro

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What happens now?

Thursday’s affirmative vote was necessary before the city of West Hollywood and L.A. County pursue a plan to capture a certain proportion of future property tax growth in a defined area near the project and funnel it towards construction. Critically, this plan wouldn’t involve raising taxes.

“Every time a property is redeveloped or sold, it adds to that increment, which adds to the amount of money that you can raise,” Eli Lipmen, head of transit advocacy group Move LA and supporter of the Metro-recommended route for the extension, said to LAist last week.

Now that the board green-lit the route, West Hollywood City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will pursue creating the district within which property tax growth could be captured.

The completion of that legislative work will trigger a 12- month clock to conduct the additional Mid-City tunneling study and finalize the route there.

It’s all about compromise

A draft version of the amendment that circulated earlier this week did not include the 12-month time cap on the additional analysis, which raised a red flag for the city of West Hollywood.

“If additional outreach and technical work must be done … it should be capped at a reasonable maximum duration to prevent further delays,” Heilman and City Councilmember Chelsea Byers wrote in a Wednesday letter to the Board.

Heilman said he worked through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning with Horvath and Metro and Bass’ staff toward the amendment that the Board approved.

Today’s vote isn’t final project approval, and it will return back to the Metro Board several more times before shovels hit the ground.

The projected cost of the train is fluid until the Mid-City section is finalized. However, earlier estimates had the staff-recommended route for the train extension coming in at around $15 billion. Measure M, the half-cent sales tax county voters approved a decade ago, includes more than $2 billion for the project.

Those funds won’t be available until the 2040s, but the financing plan that West Hollywood and the county are pursuing could expedite the release of that money and construction.

The current Metro K Line train opened to the public on October 7, 2022.

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Raquel Natalicchio

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K Line Northern Extension elicited historic feedback from community

Public officials said the K Line Northern extension was an extraordinary display of community passion and pressure.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who sits on the Metro Board and was listed as a co-author on the draft amendment, said he received “767 emails from West Hollywood.”

“I applaud you,” Butts said during the meeting. “You guys are the strongest advocacy group I’ve seen in 54 years of municipal service.”

The days are getting longer and there's way more pastel out there — yes, it's Easter Sunday on April 5. You may be thinking about getting together with friends and family, so here's a list of the best Easter brunches under $100 per person that your whole fluffle will love.

(In case you didn’t know, a fluffle is an adorable way to say a group of bunnies, so rabbits just got even cuter.)

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills (West Hollywood)

Celebrate Spring with a lively Easter brunch.

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Courtesy The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills

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The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills is hosting a Rooftop Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt when you visit the hotel on Easter weekend.

The menu for Easter Sunday is à la carte and includes crab toast green papaya ($24), lemon ricotta hotcakes ($26), and wood charred spring lamb ($48), among others. Guests with brunch reservations can also enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny, cookie decorating on the rooftop, plus an egg hunt at 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. for the kids. Meanwhile, adults can take a ride on the London rooftop Bloody Mary trolley ($26).

Make your reservations on OpenTable

• Location: 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
  Hours: Brunch is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

LouLou Santa Monica (Santa Monica)

The Easter-themed champagne flight at LouLou.

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Courtesy LouLou

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Perched atop the Santa Monica Place mall is Lou Lou, a French-inspired rooftop spot known for live DJs, drag shows, and more.

For Easter, they're offering an unlimited brunch buffet ($75), including “Le Gigot D’agneau,” a seven-hour roasted leg of lamb, along with dauphine potatoes, flageolet beans, and deviled eggs. Easter-themed cocktails will also be available. Entertainment includes Live DJ Music and a visit from the Lapin himself.

Make your reservations on OpenTable. Parking is FREE for 90 minutes in the surrounding structures.

• Location: 395 Santa Monica Place #300, Santa Monica
  Hours: Brunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
  

Rooftop of the Wayfarer Hotel (DTLA)

The view from the Wayfarer hotel rooftop.

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Courtesy Wayfarer Hotel

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Get lost in the skyline of downtown Los Angeles as you nibble Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon and plunge into buttermilk pancakes. This unlimited brunch includes glazed honey ham, roasted Pacifico sea bass, and a roasted leg of lamb with pomegranate chimichurri. Dessert includes a seasonal fruit display, mini cheesecakes, and cookies. The cost is $70 for adults and $35 for children ages 3 to 12.

Make your reservations on OpenTable.

• Location: 813 Flower St., Los Angeles
  Hours: Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Raymond 1886 (Pasadena)

The Raymond 1886 Hotel's exterior

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Courtesy The Raymond 1886

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There's nothing quite like stepping back in time while dining in the craftsman-style dining room at The Raymond 1886. Whether you're outside on the patio or tucked inside a dark booth, it's hard not to feel right at home. Easter specials include a pastry and fruit board for the table, featuring everything from apple coffee cake to spinach quiche, plus seasonal fruit and berries ($40). You also can't go wrong with Grand Marnier-infused French toast ($24) or a garden omelette ($24). Brunch cocktails include familiar mimosas ($15) alongside more inventive beverages like a charred sunset cocktail with mezcal strawberry foam ($18).

Reservations can be made on their website.

The Portofino Hotel & Marina (Redondo Beach)

The view from the Portofino hotel and marina.

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Courtesy The Portofino Hotel and Marina

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For a truly family-friendly experience, visit The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, where the Bayside Ballroom is home to your brunch. The hotel will offer two seatings for an endless dining experience, complete with pancakes and waffles, a smoked salmon station, a full charcuterie and cheese board, made-to-order omelettes, prime rib and a sweet station.

Even more important than the food is the fun, which includes an egg hunt and face painting for the kids following the brunch. Adults also have a chance to win prizes, like an overnight stay in a junior suite. The price is $95 for adults and $45 for children under $12.

Reservations can be made on their website.

Gelson's (Various)

Focus on family instead of fixing things up, thanks to an Easter brunch at home, catered by Gelson's.

Try a spiral-glazed ham that feeds eight ($60) or a vegetable lasagna for 12 ($75) Finish the fiesta with touches like fresh flowers ($8.99+) and smoked salmon deviled eggs with caviar ($45 for 24 pieces).

Online ordering is already open with store pickup from April 3 to April 5. The last day to order is April 3.

The Culver Hotel (Culver City)

Tea for two, or however many you'd like, at the Culver Hotel.

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Courtesy Culver Hotel

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The Culver Hotel will host their afternoon tea in the Grand Lobby and Crystal Room, where Easter bonnets are encouraged. Take in the sounds of a live harpist while you relish in housemade scones, chicken curry tea sandwiches, petit fours, and loose-leaf teas.

The cost is $75 per person before adding on garden-fresh cocktails or bubbly. The hotel will also be hosting a full buffet brunch for $95 per person and $45 for children if you'd prefer a little more feasting. Face painting will be offered in the garden for children of all ages.

Make your reservations on OpenTable for both the tea and the brunch.

Bunny Bungalows (The Grove and The Americana at Brand)

Too many brunch cocktails and you'll start thinking this guy is real.

Although not a brunch, it’s easy to curate an afternoon adventure around this family photo opportunity. The Easter Bunny is currently burrowing at the Bunny Bungalows at The Grove and The Americana at Brand. Make your reservations from now until Sunday, April 5, for VIB (very important bunny) photo packages. Caruso Members can get extra perks like petting zoo access on select days, and keep your eyes open for golden egg days, which come with $15 vouchers to select restaurants. Pricing begins at $55.

The International Olympic Committee will prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, starting at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The new policy, approved by the IOC's executive committee Thursday, requires all athletes to undergo a genetic test to compete in women's sporting events at the Olympics.

The move comes as transgender athletes' participation in sports at all levels — from youth athletics to professional competition — faces intense scrutiny and often partisan debate, including in communities in California.

"At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said today, announcing the ban. "So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."

The number of transgender women competing in international sporting events like the Olympics is estimated to be tiny, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, a research center focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. The push to bar trans athletes from girls' and women's sports has picked up as a raft of new policies in the U.S. target the rights of transgender people.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to keep trans athletes out of women's sports, through an executive order and legal action, including a lawsuit against California for allowing trans girls to compete in girls' school sports.

" It is basically the IOC bowing down to the pressure on its body by the federal government, and particularly Donald Trump," said Terra Russell-Slavin with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, responding to the new policy on Thursday.

About the new policy

The new Olympic policy limits participation in the women's competitions to "biological females" in order "to ensure fairness, safety and integrity in elite competition."

The IOC had previously allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules for trans athletes — but the topic became a huge focus of controversy in Paris in 2024, when conservative commentators questioned the sex of two female Olympic boxers, including gold medalist Imane Khelif, kicking off an international firestorm.

The policy change faced immediate criticism from some women's groups and LGBTQ organizations.

“By mandating sex testing and excluding transgender and intersex women from competition, the International Olympic Committee is embracing a policy that invites confusion, stigma and invasive scrutiny rather than clarity or safety," Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI equality at the National Women’s Law Center, said in a statement.

Dittmeier also said the decision would "trickle down" to school sports and discourage young athletes. According to a recent survey by the L.A.-based Trevor Project, less than one in three young LGBTQ people reported participating in sports. Many cited fear of discrimination as a barrier.

The policy will require all female athletes to do an SRY gene test to determine if a "Y" chromosome is present. According to the IOC, with "rare exceptions," no athletes who test positive will be able to compete in women's sports at the Olympics.

Groups respond to new rule

InterACT, a group that advocates for intersex youth, said the IOC's new required genetic test discriminates against intersex athletes — athletes whose sex characteristics don't fall into the binary categories of male or female.

"Sex testing invades all women’s privacy, forcing them to give up their personal medical and genetic information for the IOC to determine if they are 'woman enough' to compete," Erika Lorshbough, interACT’s executive director, said in a statement.

Some groups in California celebrated the change, including the California Family Council, a conservative and religious advocacy group that is pushing the California Interscholastic Federation, California high school's governing body for sports, to ban trans youth from girls' sports.

"We're going to see that reflected in the Olympics, which will be coming up in L.A.," Sophia Lorey with California Family Council said in a video on Instagram about the IOC's new policy. "So it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out."

Russell-Slavin with the L.A. LGBT Center said Olympic organizers and local politicians should respond to the ban by affirming their support for trans people in Los Angeles.

" The fact that the policy will be implemented for the first time in Los Angeles is also at direct odds with our values as a city," she said. "I feel very clearly that one of the things that makes Los Angeles so great is our diversity and our inclusion, and this is the opposite."

The city of Anaheim is looking to create an immigration legal defense fund for residents affected by ongoing ICE raids.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously directed the city attorney’s office to move forward with searching and entering into an agreement with a nonprofit to provide legal aid. That fund could range from $50,000 to $100,000.

The city has had talks with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Immigrant Defenders and the Public Law Center, according to city documents.

The idea is to connect families of detained loved ones to legal professionals within the first 24 to 48 hours of an arrest. Anaheim public information officer Mike Lyster told the council it’s a critical time for families.

“As you can imagine, most families, when we approach them, have a shell-shocked look,” Lyster said. “They have no idea what to do, what's next or even where to find their loved one.”

Lyster said he and city staff have responded to over 100 incidents involving immigration enforcement or suspected enforcement.

Why it matters

Tuesday’s discussion comes as families throughout Anaheim, like many Southern California cities, continue to see immigration enforcement since last summer.

City Councilmember Carlos Leon said that in times of crisis, immigrant families can be taken advantage of by bad actors.

“I know firsthand of families that say they were charged $20,000 to $30,000 and literally have nothing to show for it,” Leon said. “And families pay that because they're scared, because they don't know who else to call, and in that moment, any answer feels better than no answer.”

Leon said he would love for the city to help families connect to legitimate guidance.

City Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava questioned the defense fund amount and said the proposed funding seemed low.

“I don't anticipate this is going to end anytime soon. Anaheim has been hit a lot lately,” Rubalcava said. “I would even be supportive if we looked at a higher amount, so we don't have to come back to council. It just gives a little more room for support when our residents need it.”

Interim City Manager Greg Garcia said he thinks the $100,000 could go a long way. He explained the money isn’t meant to pay for a staff attorney to work on a set number of cases.

“Our focus is going to be on supplementing and enhancing the intake and counseling services at the front end,” Garcia said. “But I won't have that refined scope until we finalize the agreement with our nonprofit partners.”

What about Anaheim Contigo and other programs? 

In July, the city created the Anaheim Contigo program, which provides immigrant households with financial assistance for rent, groceries and other essentials. The city also posts timely updates on immigration enforcement actions in Anaheim.

Initial funding for grants through that program was $250,000. It has so far benefited 343 Anaheim residents, according to city documents.

Starting next month, the city’s housing department will launch the “Stay Housed Anaheim Program,” which will provide one-time emergency rental assistance of up to $3,000 to qualifying residents. The Anaheim Public Utilities will expand access to electrical and water bill assistance programs.

The Contigo fund balance sits at around $45,310 and will continue to be utilized for general expenses not covered by the rental or utility programs, like medical costs, phone bills and transportation.