The Brief

Hazel Victoria, a seventh-grader at St. Emydius Catholic School in Lynwood, is building an “adorable but functional” robot that can pick up trash. Specifically, trash left behind by hikers in the forest.

She named it Milo-Bot, after her uncle who died last year. “He loved the forest and he would always get so mad when he saw trash on the floor so I decided to make a robot dedicated to him,” she said.

Victoria’s journey into tech has not always been smooth. Growing up, she didn’t have the internet at home because it was too expensive, so she learned to play computer games with her friends and cousins at their homes.

Cyber-Nauts team members George Secaida and Isaac Turcios.

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Last fall, the 12-year-old started going to Bell Tech Center, a community resource for low-income residents who don’t have broadband or computers at home. There she met other teens, like 18-year-old Isaac Turcios and his twin sister Elizabeth, who had been going to the center since fifth grade.

Elizabeth Turcios, Cyber-Nauts team co-captain, also does media and fundraising for the team.

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Isaac was interested in robotics when he was younger, but it wasn’t offered at his neighborhood school, Bell High, or other nearby schools. When he got into the prestigious California Academy of Math and Science (CAMS) in Carson, a 15-mile commute away, he was finally able to take advanced coding courses.

But he wanted to extend his experience to local teens — so last summer he began to recruit for a robotics team, with guidance from the Bell Tech Center. Students from Warren High School, Odyssey Stem Academy and other local schools showed interest, and the CYBER-NAUTS were formed.

"We got to meet a lot of new people, work with other teams and build a robot from scratch when none of us had done it before," he said.

CYBER-NAUTS team robot placing plastic "pixel" on backdrop for points.

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Their goal was to compete in the annual First Tech Challenge in Fountain Valley in February, for middle and high school students across the region. About 40 teams of up to 15 people design, build and program an autonomous robot. The machine has to be small enough to fit into a 18x18x18 box. During the competition, it scores points by picking up small disk-like objects called pixels and placing them on to a wall. There’s a fierce rivalry, as the teams form alliances and face off against each other.

The CYBER-NAUTS have been meeting at least twice a week to work on their robot, who they've named Jeffrey, since last August. But building a robot can also be expensive. It's cost about $3,000 to construct it from start to finish, plus registration fees for the competition. The team fundraised through car washes and getting sponsorship from local businesses. They also made use of equipment at the center.

CYBER-NAUTS lead coach Marian Gomez helps make adjustments to the robot after the first challenge.

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“Sometimes we can't afford to buy certain parts, or sometimes they're out of stock, so having 3D printers and stuff [at the center] really helps,” Turcios said.

The team’s coach and mentor, Marian Gomez, recently graduated from Cal State L.A. with a computer science degree. She was a fellow for the Southeast Community Development Corporation, which runs the Bell Tech Center.

“Some of our students are taking classes for computer science or engineering and what they have at home isn’t sufficient enough to support the software that is required for that class,” she said. “So they come over to the center and use our equipment to do their homework.”

While she’s never competed in the First Tech Challenge, Gomez has been a judge for the competition. She was able to guide students on what to expect throughout the entire process.

“It’s been an amazing journey with them,” she said. “This is new to all of us. For code, we’re going one step at a time.”

First Tech Challenge competitors setting up their stations.

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Last Saturday, 42 teams gathered at Fountain Valley High School to finally compete against each other, many coming from far more well-resourced high schools.

By 8 a.m., the room was buzzing as dozens of teens tested out their machines and made any last-minute adjustments. Most teams wore outfits that matched their robots. The CYBER-NAUTS wore navy blue hoodies with a team logo designed by co-captain Elizabeth Turcios.

Hazel Victoria, Cyber-Nauts team member.

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The disparity between different teams was evident to those who looked closely. Team member Maya Valenzuela noticed another group of students who had been able to buy higher quality parts for their robot.

"The other team had better motors. That’s why they move so smoothly. But ours don’t have that," she said.

As the competition started, they stood around a large mat on the ground, directing Jeffrey with a remote control. The robot glided around, reaching out its arm to grab the pixels and take them to the wall.

It did well — but despite their valiant efforts, ultimately, not well enough to get through to the final round.

The team was stoked, however, to receive a Judge’s Choice Award, which recognizes unique teams for their outstanding efforts. (A team of CAMS students called NerdHerd Insomniacs won first place).

Elizabeth said the team was shocked when they won the award.

“We were jumping around being very crazy,” she said. “We had tried so hard just building the robot despite limited resources. We’re proud regardless of the fact that we didn’t win because it’s something we didn’t expect to achieve in the first place.”

Isaac and Elizabeth are graduating high school this year, so they may return next season as mentors.

Meanwhile, 12-year-old Hazel plans to continue competing with the CYBER-NAUTS through high school.

"I'm gonna be here for five years!" she laughed. "But it will be fun, it’ll be worth it."

She says she plans to work for NASA one day.

A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration is not entitled to personal information belonging to California’s 23 million voters. Judge David O. Carter made the ruling.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California, along with 22 other states and Washington, D.C., for access to their full, unredacted voter files. That includes driver’s license, social security numbers and other sensitive data.

DOJ officials said they needed the data to assess whether states were properly maintaining their voter rolls and ensuring "only American citizens are voting, only one time," as Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a social media post in December.

California refused, citing state and federal privacy law. Only a handful of states have complied with the government’s request for their full voter files, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which has been tracking the issue nationwide.

What did the judge say?

In Judge Carter’s ruling, he wrote that amassing sensitive information at the federal level would have a chilling effect on voter registration, which would lead to decreased turnout “as voters fear that their information is being used for some inappropriate or unlawful purpose.”

He added, “This risk threatens the right to vote which is the cornerstone of American democracy."

LAist emailed a request for comment to a spokesperson for the Department of Justice but has not yet received a response.

Reaction to the ruling

Jenny Farrell, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California, applauded the decision. The group had joined California in opposing the government’s data request.

“ We think that voters should never have to choose between their privacy interests and the right to participate in our democracy,” she said.

Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and former Department of Justice employee said, “The court did what we thought the court should do.”

Levitt and a group of other former DOJ employees had filed an amicus brief in the case, siding with California.

In a news release, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber wrote: “I will continue to uphold my promise to Californians to protect our democracy, and I will continue to challenge this administration's disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.”

What's next?

The DOJ's lawsuits against other states are still making their way through the courts.

During a hearing in the case in December, Judge Carter said he anticipated his eventual ruling — whichever way it went — would be appealed, and that a final decision on the issue could rest with the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Superior Court judge has found that the city of Los Angeles violated public open records laws nearly two years ago by taking action on matters related to its homelessness response and failing to report it.

That decision could be a factor in an ongoing hearing in federal court where a different judge is considering whether to hold the city in contempt of court.

In a ruling last week, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin found that the city violated the Brown Act on two occasions in January and May 2024 when it took action in closed session on the following:

— approving an encampment reduction plan;

— approving a memorandum of understanding with the county for support on interim housing beds and other issues.

Afterward, the city did not report those approvals in open session.

The city argued its actions were allowed under the Brown Act because they stemmed from the ongoing settlement between the city and the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of business owners and residents who sued the city over its response to the homelessness crisis.

But Kin disagreed with that argument, saying what the city had done in closed session did not fall within the Brown Act exemptions because they were policy decisions, not litigation decisions concerning the L.A. Alliance settlement.

In federal court, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has been overseeing the city’s compliance with the settlement. Carter has said he’s concerned “the city has demonstrated a continuous pattern of delay” in meeting its obligations.

Carter has been hearing testimony since November from city officials and others in an ongoing contempt-of-court hearing. This week, the judge said in court documents that he would consider Kin’s ruling as the contempt hearing proceeds.

The parties were last in federal court earlier this week. It’s not yet clear when that hearing will resume.

Sidewalk vendors can now apply to receive a free, health-code-compliant food vending cart through a new program launched in a partnership between the county and the city of Los Angeles.

Who can apply

To receive a cart, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live in LA County, be self-employed as a sidewalk vendor, and earn less than $75,000 annually from vending, according to a news release. Applicants must operate within unincorporated LA County or the city of LA, and commit to full compliance with public health and safety regulations.

You can find the application here.

Permits to secure

Vendors who are awarded carts will have to secure required permits in order to begin operating as fully permitted businesses. This includes obtaining the Compact Mobile Food Operation (CMFO) certificate from the LA County Department of Public Health and any Sidewalk Vending Registration Certifications or permits required to comply with the county and city sidewalk vending programs.

Applications will be selected by lottery, will be reviewed on a monthly basis, and will be prioritized based on “compliance readiness.” Priority will also be given to those who are based in the county’s “highest-need areas,” as according to the county equity explorer map.

Eligible applicants will be connected to partner organizations like Inclusive Action for the City to help navigate the permitting process and to provide business business support and language assistance.

What kind of carts?

Carts offered through the program include:

• Integrated grill carts for precooked meat for tacos, hot dogs, and hamburgers that are assembled on a cart
• Hot-holding carts for pre-portioned cooked tamales, corn, quesadillas, gyros, pupusas
• Cut fruit carts for fruits, bionicos, and acai bowls
• Cold-hold ice cream carts that store prepackaged ice cream items

Currently, the county and city have 50 hot-holding and 30 cold-holding carts for the first round of awards with 40 integrated grill carts underway.

More about the program

The launch of the Sidewalk Vending Cart Program – which invests $2.8 million in more than 280 carts – follows the passage of state legislation that decriminalized street vendors and that streamlined the permitting process.

“The program aims to help vendors meet new legal requirements, overcome financial barriers to formalization, and operate safely and legally in their communities,” according to the news release.

Los Angeles County Board Chair Hilda Solis said the program can help ensure a “permitted pathway” toward entrepreneurship.
“Many vendors are navigating increasingly difficult and uncertain times due to cruel federal immigration actions, and we know vendors play an essential role in the economic and cultural vitality of Los Angeles County,” Solis said in a statement. “This is more than a program — this is a chance to support small business growth, economic stability, and even generational wealth.”

The biggest mobile network in the United States, Verizon, experienced a huge outage on Wednesday, leaving at least tens of thousands of customers without cell service for much of the day.

An update on Verizon's website today said the outage had been resolved. "We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that people expect from Verizon," it said.

What happened?

It's still unclear. Verizon has not posted details nor an explanation of the cause of the outage on its website. In an email to NPR, a company spokesperson wrote that the problem stemmed from "a software issue" and that Verizon is conducting a full review.And while Verizon hasn't released a figure for how many customers were affected, the staff at the Downdetector website — where users go to report service outages — posted on Facebook that they received 2.3 million outage reports for Verizon throughout the day. (That doesn't necessarily translate to 2.3 million affected customers.)

Cell networks experience small outages fairly regularly, though, and sizable ones are not uncommon. Verizon had a disruption across several major cities in September 2024, and competitor AT&T was hit by a large outage in February 2024, affecting more than 125 million registered devices and customers in all 50 states.

Sanjoy Paul, a wireless network expert at Rice University, says telecommunications systems have become more complex over the past decade and a half as they've moved from physical infrastructure — wires and cables — and into the cloud.

"What used to be a completely hardware-dependent network transformed into a complete software-dependent network," he said. That shift has given operators more flexibility to add services or tweak products but, he said, it has come at the expense of reliability.

With a cloud and software-based networks, there are more opportunities for glitches and attacks, he said. Small issues with computer code buried inside these systems can have big consequences.

What have been some consequences of the outage?

Users had no connectivity for much of the day and were only able to access "SOS" mode during the outage.

Verizon, which has styled itself as America's best and most reliable network, has been in damage control mode. The company has issued instructions for customers to restart their devices to reconnect to the network if they are still having problems. It also pledged $20 credits as "a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us," according to their website.

The Federal Communications Commission said in a statement it was "continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation to determine next steps."

Could it happen again?

Yep — to Verizon or any of its competitors.

Since the cause of this latest outage remains unclear, it's too early to say whether or not this exact thing could happen again. But Lee McKnight, an associate professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, told NPR's Morning Edition outages are "a fact of life these days for major telecommunications firms."

"Modern telecom networks are cloud networks. 5G networks are mainly, like, hundreds of different cloud services," he said. "The telecom companies haven't yet adjusted their training to that reality, that their staff have to be expert not just in cell towers and wireless, like we think about, but about cloud services, like AWS, or Microsoft, or Google."

At the end of the day, experts say, consumers should consider having a "Plan B" for connectivity. That may mean a land line for your house or getting a second phone on a different cell network.
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