The Brief

Thousands of University of California healthcare, research and technical employees have voted to authorize their union to call a strike, potentially disrupting hospitals and research facilities statewide as the federal government threatens cuts to the university’s funding.

The vote, which concluded Thursday, passed with 98% support, according to a Friday press release from the University Professional and Technical Employees Local 9119, which represents more than 20,000 UC employees. The union said the strike has been scheduled for Feb. 26 to 28 and will involve members across all UC campuses.

It represents the latest escalation in a conflict over staffing levels and compensation that sparked a two-day work stoppage at UC San Francisco in November. Also on Friday, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents more than 37,000 UC patient care and service workers, announced a strike at all UC campuses and five medical centers from Feb. 26–27.

Contract negotiations between UPTE and UC, the state’s third-largest employer, began eight months ago. However, both parties remain far apart on the union’s goal of fixing a recruitment and retention crisis that is harming patients, research and students, according to Dan Russell, UPTE’s president and lead negotiator.

“We don’t want to have to strike. But we’re also not going to let this crisis continue to drag out,” said Russell, a business technology support analyst at UC Berkeley. “We hear these stories from almost every group of workers, whether it’s pay is too low, people are leaving to go to Kaiser or people just feeling disaffected.”

Physician assistants, mental health clinicians, laboratory scientists, IT workers and other UC employees are fed up with the lack of progress, he added. The union declared an impasse on Jan. 3, and the two parties met with mediators later in the month.

UC has proposed wage increases for UPTE-represented employees of 5% starting in July, 3% in 2026 and 3% in 2027. The university also offered to streamline some of its career growth mechanisms and expand access to vacation time.

A spokesperson for the university called the union’s talk of preparing for a work stoppage “disheartening.”

“The university has been and remains ready to settle these contracts: we have offered UPTE what it has asked for,” Heather Hansen, a spokesperson with the UC Office of the President, said in a statement. “In the event of a strike, the University is prepared to make every effort to ensure the critical operations of the University system, which includes patient care, continue at a level of excellence UC patients, students, faculty and staff expect.”

UPTE and UC have accused each other of engaging in bad-faith bargaining on key issues. The union charged the university with unfair labor practices before the California Public Employment Relations Board, including for allegedly failing to provide job vacancy and financial data to assess the extent of staffing issues, increasing employee health care costs without negotiating over the changes and limiting worker and union speech.

Hansen told KQED last October that the university was working to produce information on vacancy rates and other data. But Russell said the union has yet to receive that information.

The labor standoff comes as a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked this week the National Institutes of Health from reducing funding that supports biomedical and public health research at universities, after California and 21 other states sued. The NIH is the largest funder of UC research, and the university said it could lose hundreds of millions of dollars per year, leading to layoffs and disruptions to life-saving research. A hearing in the case is set for Feb. 21.

The union was relieved the proposed NIH funding cuts were paused, Russell said, though he noted that reductions would represent a relatively small fraction of the $51.4 billion budget for UC in 2023–24.

John Logan, who chairs the labor and employment studies department at San Francisco State University, said UC is bracing for challenges with the Trump administration over various issues that could impact federal funding, including policies affecting transgender, LGBTQ and undocumented students, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion measures.

Financial uncertainty under the Trump administration could make UC administrators reluctant to give out generous multi-year labor deals. However, the timing of a large, disruptive walkout could also be disastrous, he added.

“A strike which would cause major disruptions — would be the absolute last thing that university administrators would want at this time when it is trying to protect its funding and talk about the value of medical research at places like UCSF and UC San Diego,” Logan said. “The university, while being very concerned about the potential financial implications of what the Trump administration is trying to do, should also be concerned about its public image.”

The summer heat is now in full swing, bringing with it scorching temperatures for some areas of Southern California over the next few days.

Starting Tuesday, a heat advisory kicks in for interior mountains and valleys in L.A. County, with temperatures in the mid 80s to 90s. Meanwhile, closer to the coast, temperatures will hover in mid 70s.

In Orange County, high temperatures along the coast will range from 71 to 80 degrees, and from 79 to 86 degrees more inland. In the Inland Empire, temperatures there will reach up to 98 degrees.

In Coachella Valley, there's an extreme heat warning since temperatures are expected to reach up to 113 degrees on Tuesday.

Come Wednesday, temperatures will continue to increase, so make sure to stay hydrated and check in on loved ones.

SEATTLE — This time was supposed to be different.

The U.S. men's national team came into this FIFA World Cup with a lineup full of players with key roles in Europe's top leagues. They had the name-brand coach — Mauricio Pochettino, of Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea fame. And they had homefield advantage, with every game on U.S. soil for the first time in three decades.

For weeks, the hype seemed like it might be real: The team's three wins over Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were the most ever by a U.S. men's squad in a World Cup. A new generation of American fans filled stadiums by the tens of thousands and tuned in on TV by the tens of millions.

But in the end, the Americans' exit was the same as it ever was: Eliminated yet again in the Round of 16 at the hands of a European team — this time, Belgium, by a score of 4-1.

From the moment they stepped onto the Seattle field, the U.S. was outclassed by their opponent, No. 9-ranked Belgium. Countless turnovers and defensive lapses were seized on by the Belgians, who needed only nine minutes to take a 1-0 lead.

Then, once the Americans equalized on a free kick by midfielder Malik Tillman, Belgium scored yet again in barely a minute of play. Belgian forward Charles De Ketelaere scored both his team's first-half goals.

After halftime, came an embarrassing nail in the coffin that silenced the Seattle sellout crowd for good — a 57th minute roll-in by Hans Vanaken after a slip-up by goalkeeper Matt Freese outside of the penalty area left the goal unguarded. Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time goal to seal the final score at 4-1.

Malik Tillman #17 of the United States celebrates scoring his team's only goal during their World Cup match against Belgium. In what was one of the few bright spots of the game, the U.S. pulled even with Belgium at 1-1. The tie lasted less than two minutes before Belgium scored again.

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The U.S. had entered Monday's game under a cloud of controversy around their striker Folarin Balogun, who was shown a red card in last week's Round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. An automatic one-game suspension was set to sideline Balogun, the Americans' leading scorer at the World Cup, for Monday's game.

Then, the day before the game, a FIFA disciplinary panel took the highly unusual step of delaying Balogun's suspension by a year to allow him to participate. Then, news broke that President Trump had personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to encourage him to review the red card.

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it would protest Balogun's inclusion in the lineup. But even at full strength, the U.S. were never real contenders in Monday's game.

Belgium will advance to the quarterfinals for the third time in the past four World Cups, where it will face Spain on Friday in Los Angeles.
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California could begin testing students as early as kindergarten in math.

Proponents of Senate Bill 1067, including state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, say the goal is to identify students who are falling behind in math early so they can get help. More than 60% of California students perform below the benchmark on the state’s standardized math test.

“Math learning is cumulative, and when students fall behind in the early grades it becomes much harder to catch up,” Weber Pierson wrote in support of the bill. “At its core, this bill is about making sure every child builds a strong foundation in math, opening the door to lasting academic achievement, meaningful career pathways, and lifelong success in California’s innovation economy.”

How the law would work

By January 2028, schools would have to choose a math test for kindergarten, first and second grades from a list created by the state’s education department.

The State Board of Education would set the criteria for the test and consider multiple factors, including learning standards for math and how students’ demographic information, including their primary language, may affect their performance.

The state must also provide guidance for educators on how to interpret and explain test results to families. The results could not be used in teacher evaluations, student grades or to identify a disability.

The Senate Appropriations Committee found it would cost more than $100 million to develop and select the test, train educators and provide ongoing support as the policy is implemented.

What are the possible challenges?

Megan Franke, professor of education and vice chair of professional programs at UCLA, said one challenge is that many standardized assessments do not reflect all students' understanding of mathematical concepts.

“Young children solve problems differently than adults do, and they don't all solve problems in the same way at the same time,” Franke said.

For example, a student who doesn't remember the word for “11” may not lack an understanding of the number system, they just may be struggling with the vocabulary.

“Our number system is a little bit wonky, [in] that we don't count ten-one, ten-two, ten-three,” Franke said. “We made up words — eleven, twelve and thirteen.”

Franke said there may also be other reasons why students struggle with standardized assessments, including difficulty using technology or anxiety.

Franke said a single test, or intervention, is not a long-term solution.

“Really, we should be thinking about schools and how we help schools be these places…where they're creating these rich opportunities for each and every student to learn mathematics,” Franke said.

What's next 

The bill passed the state Senate unanimously in May and is now moving through the Assembly. You can sign up to track the bill's progress through the California Legislative Information website.

As Mexico took on England in the World Cup’s Round of 16 on Sunday, fans had one thing to say: “¿Y si sí?”

The chant translates to “What if, yes?” It refers to the swirling hope of: what if the Mexican national team wins the World Cup? What if Mexico breaks (more) historic records? What if?

The saying grew louder after Mexico ended a 40-year curse with a 2-0 win against Ecuador last week. The national team had not won a World Cup knockout game since 1986. Not only did the team advance to the Round of 16 knockout stage, but it did so without conceding a single goal.

Despite Mexico’s 3-2 loss against England on Sunday, “¿Y si sí?” took on a new kind of power for Mexico fans during the team’s World Cup run, especially in Southern California.

What does the phrase mean for fans? 

Jorge Leal, an assistant professor of history at UC Riverside, told LAist the term has grown in popularity in the last couple of weeks.

“It's a way of saying maybe it can happen this time. It gives people a new chant, and it's hopeful,” Leal said. “From being ‘Si se puede,’ which is a great phrase, but it's very tentative, to the ‘¿Y si, sí?’ I think it's a little more affirmative.”

“¿Y si sí?” is more empowering, whereas “Si se puede” is more aspirational, Leal added.

Sebastian Garcia said the phrase started off as more of a joke at the top of the tournament.

“Everyone kind of knew Mexico's history, and it was like it'd be cool, but it wouldn't happen,” Garcia said. “And then, as they started playing and they started winning … you start believing it, and then it kind of takes you over.”

What makes this team different? 

There are many reasons why this Mexican national team differs from previous years.

“We cannot discount that they're playing at home, and that home advantage is huge,” Leal said. “This national team came together with really low expectations. People were very skeptical, myself included. There's a couple really great players, but most of them are young or improving.”

Throughout the global tournament, however, that skepticism turned into optimism.

“This national team has beaten the odds,” Leal said. “We were not expecting much of them, but now we can dream that they're going to beat expectations.”

Nevertheless, Sunday’s loss was heartbreaking, Leal said.

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Why it matters 

Mari Garcia said Mexican Americans, and Latinos overall, have been feeling so much uncertainty in the last year, especially following last summer’s ICE raids.

“Another soccer player, when asked about that phrase, he said ‘¿Por que no?’ (Why not?), and I think that's simply the answer,” Mari said. “(It’s) reaffirming that we are capable of doing anything.”

Mexico’s run was more than 20 days of euphoria that show how unifying global events can be, Leal added.

“We have been in an era that ethnic Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Chicanos, people of Mexican descent - we have been under persecution,” Leal said.

As the World Cup continues on, Leal said, what keeps us from continuing the watch parties and collectivity?

“Obviously, the ones for the Mexican team are much more fun, but … I think in L.A., in a region that sorely needs this type of collective event, we can see how they can bring people together,” Leal said. “It's very bittersweet, but I think that we can … rejoice that it happened, that we lived through this very special three-and-a-half weeks.”