The Brief

It’s been nearly two years since UCLA signed a formal agreement for Southern California tribal members to use a portion of the university’s botanical garden to practice their traditional planting, harvesting, and gathering of crops.

It’s now bearing fruit in the form of deer grass (called huutah by the Tongva) and blue elderberry (or huukat, its Tongva name).

Victoria Sork (left), director of the UCLA Botanical Garden and Chantal Ochoa-Clark, the garden's manager of outreach and education

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“Members of our community, from the very beginning, selected the plants that were most important and… our community needed to have access to… also we were there to help plant the plants,” said Desiree Martinez, a Gabrielino Tongva archeologist.

Martinez helped create the small plot at the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden and Herbarium.

And the portion of the garden planted by Native Americans is small. It’s roughly the size of two pickleball courts if they were asymmetrical and on a steep slope.

It’s easy to miss the native plants unless you look for the knee-high sign that says “Tongva Basket Weaving Garden.”

Native American tradition holds that the Creator established a relationship between people and plants, animals, and the natural elements with the responsibility of people to take care of those things.

“Because of colonization, that connection and that promise or instruction that was made by the Creator, has been severed,” Martinez said.

Native Americans plan to harvest the deer grass in the botanical garden when it's mature, to make baskets.

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“This partnership — groundbreaking in many ways — acknowledges the First People of this area, while also creating a path for the practice, sharing and teaching of culture, customs and stewardship,” said Assemblymember James Ramos in an email. He’s the former chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

The garden's original caretakers

The Mathias Botanical Garden and Herbarium is a 7.5-acre parcel that’s an undeveloped part of the natural canyon between busy Hilgard Avenue on the east and a dense cluster of UCLA medical buildings on its west edge. It’s hard to appreciate the garden’s magnitude from the outside because the topography descends with the canyon.

It was created when UCLA moved to Westwood in 1929, but there was no visible effort to recognize the original caretakers of the land.

The garden was closed until last spring for a renovation of the stream that flows continuously through the garden. Its re-opening now provides the general public, groups of school children, and in particular Native American students and staff, the opportunity to see an example of a public institution going beyond land acknowledgements and actually giving back a portion of land for Native Americans to use.

“I don't think until recently we really had an appreciation that we were on unceded territory of Native people, and we were not in a place where we are showing our respect,” said Victoria Sork, director of the botanical garden and a professor in UCLA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Her interaction with area tribal members led her to understand Indigenous thinking about the symbiotic and caretaker relationship between humans and nature. She was one of the signers of the memorandum of understanding.

Native Americans have special access to these plants. And Sork said it’s very important that no one from the public touch, pick, or take them.

The deer grass will be used to create baskets

In a few years the deer grass will be mature enough to be harvested and used for basket weaving. A Tongva group will organize the basket weaving. And the plan is to make sure Native Americans on campus take part.

“Our goal of the garden is to make everyone feel welcome, but we particularly want to make sure the Native people understand that … this is part of their history and future,” Sork said.

Here’s how you can visit

Take the Sunset Boulevard exit from the 405 Freeway and turn south on Hilgard Avenue. Then turn west on Westholme Avenue into the UCLA campus and look for Parking Structure 2.

After you pay, walk south along Charles Young Drive to the entrance to the botanical garden. There’s no entrance fee. There are picnic benches and lots of shade and many of the paths are paved.

The garden closes at 5 p.m. until next month, when it will close at 4 p.m. Here are the garden’s hours.

Updated August 26, 2026 at 10:22 AM ET

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The social media company Meta and states suing it have agreed to a proposed settlement that would resolve a landmark federal child safety lawsuit and could be a turning point for a wave of lawsuits against social media companies.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey represented a larger consortium of states that alleged that Meta designed its apps — Facebook and Instagram — to be addictive to kids, knew about the risks those platforms posed, but hid that information from the public.

In addition to claims that Meta broke state consumer protection laws, the states accused Meta of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data about children under the age of 13. Meta has a policy of not allowing kids under 13 on its platforms, but some skirt the rule by registering with false birth dates.

The proposed settlement would require Meta to pay $17 billion in penalties to the states over 10 years, and to make significant changes to how its platforms operate so that they are safer for minors.

"Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

"Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months," he added.

Meta's Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said in a statement the framework was groundbreaking and "will empower parents to easily manage how their children access our platforms." 

"But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta's lead," he said, making an explicit call for TikTok and YouTube to implement this same framework.

Tiktok and Google, which owns YouTube, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meta has denied the allegations brought by the states.

Bonta's office also said Meta had agreed to a default time limit of two hours for users under 18 and a nighttime block between midnight and 6am, both of which can only be lifted by a parent; default night and schooltime notification blocks; a ban on displaying the numbers of "likes" or reactions to posts made by minors; a ban on cosmetic surgery image filters for minors; and an option for young users to have a "non-personalized feed" that is not run by an algorithm targeting them with content.

Meta must also bring on an independent auditor with "expansive access to information and resources" and the right to communicate with the attorneys general, the announcement said, and would also be subject to an injunction "prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features."

"I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram — right now, no more waiting," Bonta wrote.

The proposed settlement says a portion of the funds would go toward things like youth mental health programs, after school programs and crisis intervention services.

The trial started last week in federal court in Oakland, Calif., and was expected to run through early October. But the settlement announcement comes only midway through the trial's second week.

Key testimony came from insiders who worked at Meta, including whistleblower Arturo Béjar, who testified that the company culture was obsessed with increasing user numbers and that Meta's internal studies showed that young users were exposed to harmful experiences at much higher rates than the company acknowledged publicly.

Yesterday, the states brought Instagram head Adam Mosseri to the stand and questioned him about the effectiveness of some features added to Instagram to try to keep teens from using it too much. They accused Mosseri of publicly touting the use of one of those safety features — called "Take a Break," a feature that nudged kids to close the app — when the reality was that it had very limited uptake by teens.

The proposed settlement must be approved by the judge in the case, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The case is part of a wave of lawsuits that has been compared to litigation against tobacco companies in the 1990s. Those suits led to record settlements, changes to the way the companies operate, and a shift in the public discourse about cigarettes.

The case was consolidated from a series of lawsuits by attorneys general around the country against Meta, and the settlement resolves the cases and claims of 51 of those, according to the California Attorney General's Office.

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Maestro Gustavo Dudamel’s farewell shows at the Hollywood Bowl after his 17-year run as conductor of the LA Phil were truly a special moment in this city, from the visible lovefest between him and Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl on Saturday to the moving fundraiser for Venezuela with YOLA and stars from Chris Martin to Beck to Carlos Vives on Sunday. A fitting send off for someone who changed the shape of music in Los Angeles. The Dude will be missed! If you didn’t catch the Concert for Venezuela, you can stream it on YouTube.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about December’s Annenberg Wildlife Crossing opening event, visit a stand-up club in Bellflower and get ready for JANM’s January reopening.

Music

Wednesday

• Jeff Goldblum with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra at the Blue Note 

Thursday

• EDM star Crankdat begins the first of four nights at the Shrine

Friday

• The Roots with Nas & De La Soul at Long Beach’s F&M Bank Amphitheater 
• Comedy rock trio Wolves of Glendale perform their new album, Go to the Woods, at Licorice Pizza

Saturday

• Courtney Barnett and Built to Spill at the Palladium
• Meyer Hawthorne is spinning at the free Tongva Twilight: Sounds and Cinema concert in Santa Monica

Sunday

• Hollywood Forever’s all-star Ramones’ 50th anniversary celebration with Billie Joe Armstrong and Travis Barker
• Inaugural CAMP: THE NEXT GEN MUSIC FEST at the Underground Museum, with Kim Theory, Yoyoka, LED and more

Monday

• Rainbow Kitten Surprise at the Grammy Museum

Tuesday

• Rapper and slam poet Noname is at the Fonda Theatre

Events

Daisy Chain Fields Festival

Saturday, Aug. 29
Great Park Live
8000 Great Park Drive, Irvine 
COST: FROM $255; MORE INFO

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If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket (it’s currently waitlist-only), this new celebration of women in rock is being hailed as the second coming of the Lilith Fair and hopefully the start of something big. Hosted by Olivia Rodrigo, it features an amazing bill that includes Chappell Roan, Die Spitz, Doechii, Garbage, Katseye, Mitski, Karen O, Sarah McLachlan, Bikini Kill and even Stevie Nicks. It’s all going down at Great Park Live in Irvine.

Mahjong Social 

Monday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
15225 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

A mahjong social is coming to Palisades Village.

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Celebrate the reopening of Palisades Village by meeting new friends for a game of American mahjong at the weekly mahjong social. There’s no formal instruction, so just sign up and show up alone or with a group of up to four players.

Donate a rock to ICA

Through Friday, Sept. 18
Institute of Contemporary Art LA 
1717 E. 7th Street, Arts District 
COST: FREE (well, a rock, I guess); MORE INFO

The South Korean tradition of building wishing rock towers called 돌탑, or DOL-TOP, is believed to protect the community. ICA LA artists-in-residence Saewon Oh and C. Ryu of Hwa Records are collaborating with ICA’s 2026 Agency of Assets Youth Fellows and the lands of Tongva/Los Angeles on a new installation, and they need your help. Donate a rock at the reception desk to be part of the new installation opening this fall.

10th Annual Festival Chapín Los Angeles

Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30
Lafayette Park
625 S. La Fayette Park Place, Westlake
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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The 10th edition of the annual Festival Chapín celebrates Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala’s gateway to the Caribbean and the Atlantic. A replica of the iconic “Tierra de Dios” arch, created by artist David Olivares, will welcome visitors at Lafayette Park to the free two-day event, which spans seven blocks and showcases the best of the Garifuna people and Guatemala through music, food and arts and crafts.

East Hollywood Block Party 

Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Heliotrope Drive, East Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

East Hollywood is quickly becoming a major art hub, so head to Heliotrope Drive for an afternoon of art and food, with events at Track 16 Gallery, Art Bug, David Zwirner, Wilding Cran, Ondo Coffee, Cateye Spectacles, GoGo Juice Bar and Red Vintage Co. There’s art, music, raffles, shopping and more.

The Novelizers Live: 35th anniversary of Terminator 2: Judgment Day 

Thursday, August 27, 7 p.m.
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown
COST: $22.99; MORE INFO

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This isn’t a screening; it’s more of a comedic reinterpretation-slash-mockumentary look at the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, honoring the film’s 35th anniversary (is that really possible? 35?!). Comedians like Andy Daly, Paul Scheer and Colton Dunn will perform alongside co-host of the Novelizers podcast, Stephen Levinson.

UNO SOCIAL CLUB 

Thursday, August 27, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
No Vacancy
1727 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

An UNO Social Club is coming to L.A.

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First Mattel tackled movies with Barbie and He-Man; now they're branching into live events, hosting UNO socials all over the country. The L.A. event at No Vacancy is free to RSVP — just bring your lungs and get ready for a heated game of UNO.

Hungry Ghost Festival 

Saturday, Aug. 29, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
Alpine Recreation Center
817 Yale Street, Chinatown 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO  

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Honor the Hungry Ghosts of the ancestors at the annual Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown. Don your costume and dance alongside the East Wind Lion Dance Troupe, enjoy food from local vendors, performances, art activities for kids and much more; the annual event is free for all.

Oysterpalooza

Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunset Beach Community Center and Greenbelt 
16861 12th Street, Huntington Beach 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Tommy Pierucki

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World Surf League

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Oysters aren’t just for eating! Orange County's inaugural oyster festival kicks off with a beach cleanup at 9 a.m. and continues through the day with art activities using recycled oyster shells, talks on sustainability, indigenous storytelling with the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation, and of course, oyster (and ale!) tastings.

Nearly 300,000 California K-12 students experienced homelessness in the 2024-25 school year, the highest numbers ever recorded by UCLA researchers and a 10% increase from the prior peak in the 2018-19 school year.

“The sheer magnitude of how many students are experiencing homelessness and how much it's increased, that was the biggest finding for us,” said Grace Kim, study co-author and research analyst at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools.

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties account for half of the students experiencing homelessness in the state. About 62,000 — nearly 5% — of L.A. County students experience homelessness in the 2024-25 school year.

Researchers at UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools examined data collected by the California Department of Education between the 2017-18 and 2024-25 school years, including homeless student enrollment, attendance and test scores.

Schools are required to identify students who lack stable housing and provide resources, such as transportation, so they can access the same quality of education as a housed child.

Students experiencing homelessness are more likely to frequently miss school and fall behind academically. While many students have started to score higher on the state’s standardized math and reading tests following pandemic-related declines, the percentage of students experiencing homelessness who meet the benchmarks is about 20% lower than their housed peers, the research found.

Black, American Indian and Alaska Native students experienced higher rates of homelessness than their peers of other races — about 1 in 12.

California’s most recent budget includes $116 million to help schools identify and support students experiencing homelessness. The report’s authors say while “encouraging,” more than one-time funding is needed to support students experiencing homelessness.

“Having integrated systems of support is also a super important factor,” Kim said. “The reason why we see these gaps in terms of academic achievement or chronic absenteeism … it's not [students’] fault.”

Cleanup is just beginning for a contaminated industrial site in South Gate, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials who are leading the effort.

The small southeast L.A. city was built on industry — in the early 20th century it boomed with auto, chemical and other manufacturers.

That legacy also left it with three Superfund sites, areas designated by the federal government as highly contaminated with hazardous waste.

The three sites are all clustered on a large lot framed by Southern and Rayo avenues. A residential neighborhood is nearby.

“This site is less than 50 yards away from a home, so we want to make sure that we clean it to a point where we can feel confident,” said South Gate Mayor Joshua Barron.

South Gate is home to about 90,000 people, the majority of whom are Latino. The median household income is about $74,500 and the state has identified the city and surrounding communities to be disproportionately burdened by pollution and its health effects.

This site, dubbed the Southern Avenue Industrial Area, housed a screw manufacturing business for 30 years, then a carpet adhesive plant. Both businesses are now defunct and the site was designated by the federal government as a Superfund site in 2012.

The pollution at this property was compounded by pollution from companies next door.

One of the two adjacent Superfund sites was used by Cooper Drum Co., a steel drum recycling plant. A group of Cooper Drum’s former customers, including chemical manufacturers and oil companies, are paying for part of that cleanup. The other site, previously operated by an aircraft rivet and conveyor belt manufacturer, is still in the analysis and planning stages.

At the Southern Avenue site where the EPA broke ground Tuesday, analyses commissioned by the agency found widespread lead and other toxic contamination in the soil, as well as a plume of trichloroethylene, a carcinogen, in the groundwater.

Officials say the plume has not affected the deeper aquifer South Gate and other southeast L.A. cities rely on for drinking water.

In 1986, the city closed water wells contaminated by the neighboring Cooper Drum site.

EPA project manager Kelia Liang explains the cleanup effort in South Gate on Tuesday.

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“ The water is safe to drink,” said Mike Montgomery, superfund director for the EPA. “What we're trying to do is prevent it from becoming impacted.”

EPA officials estimate soil cleanup will take about two months. Groundwater cleanup planning will start in 2027 and could take a year or more. The whole effort is estimated to cost between $45 million and $60 million, primarily through federal dollars.