The Brief

About 1 in 3 students in California’s K-12 schools speak a language other than English at home and were not fluent in English when they first started school — 1,918,385 students — according to data from the 2024-25 school year.

About half of these students (1,009,066) are current English learners. The rest (909,319) have learned enough English in the years since they started school to now be considered “fluent English proficient.”

How does a student become designated an English learner? 

When a family enrolls a student in school for the first time, they are asked to fill out a survey about the languages the child speaks. If the child speaks a language other than English — even if they also speak English — the school is required to test the child’s English proficiency and decide based on that test whether the child is an English learner.

If the test — the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, or ELPAC — shows the student to be proficient in reading, writing, speaking and listening in English, they are designated as “Initially Fluent English Proficient” and no longer have to take an English proficiency test again. If the test shows the student is not proficient in English, then they are designated as an English learner. Every spring after that, they must retake the English proficiency test until they are reclassified as “fluent English proficient,” based on this test and how they do on academic tests in English Language Arts, in addition to parents’ and teachers’ perspectives.

How does the population of English learners change over time?

As students advance through elementary and middle school, more of them are reclassified as fluent and English proficient each year, as shown by the illustration below. When students learn enough English to be reclassified as “fluent English proficient,” they are no longer considered English learners. At the same time, new students enroll for the first time in California public schools and are added to the English learner group every year in every grade.

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Justin Allen

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Where are these students from?

The vast majority of English learners were born in the U.S. Among California K-12 students who said they spoke English “less than very well,” 72% were born in the U.S., according to an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey by the Migration Policy Institute. A higher proportion of English learners in grades 6-12 were born outside the country (45%) compared to grades K-5 (13%).

How many are recent immigrants?

In 2023-24, there were 189,634 recent immigrant students in California who were not born in the U.S. and had not been attending school in the U.S. for more than three full academic years, according to the California Department of Education.

What languages do they speak?

California TK-12 students speak more than 100 different languages other than English. The most common language spoken in California other than English is Spanish — 74.27% of current or former English learners in 2024-25 spoke Spanish, according to the California Department of Education.

The second most common language spoken by current and former English learners in 2024-25 was Mandarin, spoken by 3.57% of these students. The third most common language was Vietnamese, spoken by 2.65%. After that were Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Korean and Philippine languages, in that order.

How long does it take for students to learn English?

Research shows it normally takes students between four and seven years to learn academic English proficiently.

Only 7.6% of 2024-25 first graders who started school as English learners had been reclassified as “fluent English proficient” in the short time they had been in school. The percentage increases in every grade — among sixth graders who started school as English learners, for example, 45.4% had been reclassified; among eighth graders who started school as English learners, 62.3% had been reclassified; among 12th graders, 73.2% had been reclassified. It’s important to note that the total number of English learners also includes students who started school in later grades and have been enrolled for less time.

Where do they go to school?

There are English learners and former English learners in almost every school district in California, but the percentage varies widely. For example, 85.7% of students in Calexico Unified School District in Imperial County near the border with Mexico, started school as English learners, but only 4.3% of students in Dehesa School District in San Diego County were ever English learners.

How can you tell how well a school is serving its English learners?

The English Language Progress Indicator measures English learner progress by showing how many English learners progressed at least one level on the ELPAC, maintained the same level as the previous year, or decreased one or more levels. You can look up your school’s progress on the California School Dashboard.

Another measure is the reclassification rate — the number and percentage of English learner students who reclassify each year. However, the California Department of Education has not published this rate since 2020-21.

You can also measure a school district’s English learner progress by looking at the number of students who are “long-term English learners” and “at-risk of becoming long-term English learners.” Long-Term English Learners, or LTELs, are students in 6-12th grade who have been enrolled in a U.S. school for at least six years but have remained at the same English language proficiency level on the ELPAC for two or more consecutive years or regressed to a lower English language proficiency level. Students “at risk of becoming Long-Term English Learners” are in third-12th grade, have been enrolled in U.S. schools for four to five years and scored at the intermediate level or below on the ELPAC.

Are academic test scores good measures of English learners’ performance?

By definition, students who are designated as English learners are not yet proficient in academic English reading and writing, so it makes sense that they would not do well on academic tests in English. In fact, in many districts, students must do well on those tests, in addition to the English proficiency test, in order to be reclassified as “fluent English proficient.” When students do become proficient in English and are reclassified, they are no longer included in the English learner category. These students tend to do better on tests than students who speak only English at home.

What do other measures like graduation rates tell us about English learners?

Graduation rates tend to be low for English learners, as are other college and career preparation measures, such as how many A-G courses students have completed. (These courses are required for enrollment in the University of California and California State University systems.) However, it is important to keep in mind that the California Department of Education only publishes these measures for current English learners in high school, many of whom are recent immigrants. The department does not publish these measures for students who were once English learners and have since reclassified.

Happy Mother’s Day, and happy opening of the D Line extension to all who celebrate!

This past week, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of artists in Venice who are creating installations that are open 24/7 right on the boardwalk, and doing free pop-up opera and other performances at night all summer long. Being a Venice local, it’s been so fun to see these projects come in along an otherwise pretty quiet stretch of Ocean Front Walk — take a stroll there this summer and you never know what or who you might see.

Licorice Pizza has your weekend music picks. On Friday, Muna begins their two-night run at Shrine Expo Hall, and Wu Lyf plays the first of two nights at the Lodge Room. Plus, Snow Tha Product is at The Novo, Fishbone plays the Teragram, and Netflix Is a Joke has two music-focused events: Beautifully Broken Comedy with Jelly Roll at the Greek, and A Visit From ‘Portlandia’ with Fred & Carrie at the Ford. The dream of the '90s is alive! Saturday, the Netflix fun continues with two nights of Flight of the Conchords at the Greek; on Sunday, Rodrigo y Gabriela are at the YouTube Theater and Norah Jones is at Pacific Electric.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about a local benchmaker who includes the L.A. logo in his work, meet the brand-new eaglets Sandy and Luna and keep track of the more than 100 free World Cup watch parties coming up.

Events

Santa Monica Jazz Festival: A Day in the Park

Saturday, May 9, 1 p.m.
Tongva Park 
1615 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica
COST: FROM $86.90; MORE INFO 

Last weekend, I strolled down to the free jazz shows on Third Street Promenade and was happy to see so many folks out for the music. This week, the fest continues with its marquee events, including Kamasi Washington (the festival’s organizer), jazz legend Stanley Washington (with Stewart Copeland of The Police) and many more greats taking the stage at Santa Monica’s Tongva Park.

Venice Art Walk

Through Sunday, May 17 
910 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Ed Templeton

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Venice Family Clinic Art Exhibition

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Check out dozens of artworks from established, mid-career, and emerging artists — and maybe even snap one up — at the annual Venice Art Walk, benefiting the Venice Family Clinic. This year’s Signature Artist is L.A. artist Alison Saar; the gallery and the online auction are free to peruse and open to the public all week long.

Unique Markets

Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10 
Cooper Design Space
860 S. Los Angeles St., Downtown L.A.
COST: FROM $11.54; MORE INFO 

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Bring mom to pick out her own perfect gift at this spring’s Unique Markets at the Cooper Design Space penthouse. The Unique Market has a knack for finding brands that go on to become L.A. cool-kid household names, like Hedley & Bennett, P.F. Candle Co., CoolHaus, Poke'To and more. There are also free drinks, a free DIY charm-making station and a photo booth with free Polaroid prints.

JANM’s Nikkei Children’s Book Festival

Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo
COST: $10 ADULTS, KIDS FREE; MORE INFO

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The second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival brings children’s book authors and illustrators to the Japanese American National Museum for a fun day celebrating the love of reading. In the morning, there’s a special reading of Ken Mochizuki’s Baseball Saved Us (9:30 a.m.), plus a session with Maggie Tokuda Hall, the author of Love in the Library and a national leader of Authors Against Book Bans. An afternoon session (1 p.m.) features Korey Watari, the author of Kimi the Ballerina, and Mike Wu, a Pixar artist and the illustrator of Kimi the Ballerina. Many more authors and illustrators will be on hand, plus there will be arts and crafts, signings, a pop-up book store and more.

Firebirth

Friday, May 8, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Herb Alpert School of Music 
Lani Hall Theater
445 Charles E. Young Drive East, Westwood 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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I don’t think there’s a better place you could spend Friday afternoon and evening than at UCLA, exploring a new collection of interactive exhibits and music created by artists impacted by last year’s Palisades and Eaton fires. From a custom Fender Stratocaster crafted for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity from trees that were damaged around the Eaton Fire to listening and viewing stations for works from local artists, including the L.A. Field Recording Club, there are all kinds of ways to explore how the community has responded and processed grief and resilience over the past year. A panel conversation features Chris Douridas (KCRW), Jessica Schwartz (UCLA Musicology), Liz Koslov (UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) and Kim Yu (Altadena Town Council, Caltech), followed by a closing concert with works from UCLA students and faculty, including the Herbie Hancock Institute Band and the Los Angeles premiere of Will Rand’s Firebirth with violinist Grace Alexander.

L.A. Art Book Fair 

Through Sunday, May 10 
Printed Matter
ArtCenter College of Design, South Campus
960 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena
COST: $8, FREE ON SUNDAY; MORE INFO

So much more than just a collection of art books, the annual L.A. Art Book Fair is organized by Printed Matter and features a whole weekend of DJs, live music and exhibitions. This year’s projects include an archival show of newspapers by Chicano in Print; a curated selection of Ed Ruscha's expansive Sunset Strip project by The Getty Research Institute; artifacts of pre-Y2K Asian girlhood from the '90s band Emily’s Sassy Lime (E.S.L.), organized by Ooga Booga; and a site-specific billboard project by Werkplaats Typografie that evolves over the course of the fair.

PICASSO: Le Monstre Sacré

Through Sunday, May 17 
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: $38, MORE INFO 

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Brigitta Scholz Mastroianni

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If you saw Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special Nanette, perhaps you also will never be able to read Picasso’s name without whispering Pablo Pic-asshole to yourself. It’s no secret that Picasso, like many brilliant artists, had a dark side, and this new play, coming to the Odyssey straight from London, explores just that. British actor Peter Tate and Olivier Award-winning director Guy Masterson bring their production here for just two weeks.

Clockshop Kite Festival 

Saturday, May 9, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
L.A. State Historic Park 
1245 N. Spring St., Downtown L.A. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Let’s go fly a kite! Clockshop’s free annual Kite Festival takes over the L.A. State Historic Park, giving you a chance to enter your homemade kite into a competition, check out artist-commissioned kites and an inflatable sculpture, and, of course, participate in a free kite-making workshop.

The fundraiser led by environmental organizations to buy land in Big Bear Valley to prevent construction of a planned housing project not far from Jackie and Shadow's famous bald eagle nest is about halfway over but has so far raised roughly a quarter of its $10 million goal.

Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust are trying to raise the money by the end of July to purchase more than 62 acres of land pegged for Moon Camp.

Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the resident bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.

The organizations instead want the land to be placed under a permanent conservatorship.

The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.

Jenny Voisard, the nonprofit’s media manager, told LAist that the money has mostly come through small donations from thousands of loyal fans around the world.

She said Friends of Big Bear Valley is “deeply grateful” for the love and support the community has shown since the fundraiser launched in February. She described the donations as an “investment in conservation and humanity.”

“What happens with California's biodiversity is important to every one of us on this planet, and you are all helping to take care of that,” Voisard said. “Biodiversity is responsible for the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the medicine we take. And you're all heroes.”

How the fundraiser is faring

Voisard said she’s been struck and brought to tears by how personal the fundraiser has become to people.

Some fans have been donating monthly, every payday or with their morning latte money. Others have been writing letters to news outlets, institutions, government officials and “anybody that will listen,” she said.

Friends of Big Bear Valley’s eagle livestream has become a popular fixture in classrooms, and a few elementary schools have organized their own fundraisers to support “Save Moon Camp.”

A third grade class at Wildwood Elementary in Yucaipa, for example, pooled together $373 for the fundraiser, Voisard said. Another elementary school in Connecticut sent a little more than $970.

“This is our next generation of environmental caretakers and stewards, and so that's why this is so important,” she said. “We need to raise the money, and it's not about the amounts. It's that they believe in what we're doing and that it's worth saving.”

Larger gifts have also been rolling in.

There have been a few $50,000 donations, an anonymous donation of $77,000 and a $20,000 gift sent along with a handwritten letter. Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley is actively reaching out to philanthropists and tribal councils to garner their support as well.

You can learn more about the fundraiser and track its progress at SaveMoonCamp.org.

Addressing common questions

If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.

Voisard said there’s a financing option that would allow the groups to purchase the land — but with quarterly payments and a high interest rate. She acknowledged that would be “difficult” and require longer-term fundraising, but it’s an option.

The eventual goal is to have the acres be protected under the U.S. Forest Service, but some people have expressed concerns about the state of the agency under President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has recently taken steps toward a sweeping agency overhaul, including moving the headquarters out of Washington, D.C., and closing research facilities in 31 states, including California. The Forest Service lost more than 5,800 employees last year, or about 16% of its workforce, amid Trump’s push to cut federal spending, according to the New York Times.

But the land transfer process would take years, and Voisard said a different administration would be in charge by then.

“This land will also have special protected status, so that we don't go through all of this for nothing,” she said.

The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is no stranger to the preservation process. It has helped conserve more than 15,000 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest since it was founded in 1995, according to the organization.

Moon Camp concerns from the community

T.J. Fraser moved to Big Bear Valley’s community of Fawnskin about eight years ago to escape city life in Los Angeles. He said he's “100% opposed” to the Moon Camp project for a "myriad of reasons."

The most important factor is protecting the bald eagles and the joy they bring to people, but he said he’s also concerned about development changing the quiet, close-knit community.

“I think part of living here … is that you learn very, very quickly that we adapt to the surroundings,” he said. “We don't expect the forest to adapt to us.”

Fraser said residents’ respect extends to the squirrels, bears and coyotes in Fawnskin, which he described as “our neighbors.” He added that the eagle livestream, which features a picturesque view from the trees towering over Big Bear Lake, may be some viewers' only connection to nature.

“I think that if they were able to look into that screen and extrapolate out into those trees, in the water, and understand that people live there, and the way that we live there is very similar to the way the eagles live in the nest,” he said. “We're all in it together. … No matter where you live, you are a product of nature and the environment.”

Fraser said he sees the fundraiser as helping Jackie and Shadow stay in the area for years but also as a message: There are some things more important than money.

Why is the new Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles — which stars Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman — set in the Orange County city of Fullerton?

Author Rufi Thorpe, who wrote the book the series is based on and is an executive producer on the show, is from Orange County and has set some of her earlier books in smaller Southern California locales too — in Corona del Mar (where Thorpe grew up) and a fictional Southern California beach city inspired by El Segundo.

In an interview with LAist last year, Thorpe said that setting Margo’s Got Money Troubles in Fullerton was her “little authorly gift” to the character of Margo, who has a baby at the age of 19 and turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.

Thorpe said she grew up visiting a friend of her mom’s, a classical pianist, in Fullerton, so she had a sense of the city’s low-key vibe: “It’s a very cute city, and [there’s] just so many dentists and tax preparation offices — just so many!”

And it felt like a nice place to put her main character, who she was going to be putting through a lot: “Yes, it was going to be terrifying and hard and she wasn’t going to know if she was going to get through it, but she was going to do it in Fullerton, dammit.”

That the show was also filmed in Fullerton (and Los Angeles too) was thanks in part to writer/producer David E. Kelley’s commitment to keeping production work local, and the fact that the series received a state film and TV tax credit.

It maybe also didn’t hurt that Kelley’s wife, Michelle Pfeiffer, is from Orange County herself, which Pfeiffer told the Television Academy’s emmy magazine was part of the reason why she connected so much with the book, and signed on along with Kelley, Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and others to executive produce the series.

And while Fullerton locations have often been used in other movies and TV shows, what’s different about Margo’s Got Money Troubles is that it’s purposefully recognizable as Fullerton, instead of the locations standing in for someplace else.

The locations IRL

Fullerton College

A screenshot of Elle Fanning in a scene from "Margo's Got Money Troubles," filmed at Fullerton College.

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The scenes that were shot on location at Fullerton College, where Margo is a freshman and has an affair with her English professor, didn’t just add to the show’s sense of place. The community college’s newspaper The Hornet reports that the fees for filming at the college also helped fund a scholarship program.

Rutabegorz

Rutabegorz Restaurant in Fullerton, CA.

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The popular Fullerton cafe Rutabegorz isn’t specifically named in the book or show, but it’s well known in Orange County (with another location in Orange), and is the setting of a pivotal scene between Margo and her mom Shyanne, played by Pfeiffer.

A little bit of Rutabegorz history (from this author, who went to high school in Fullerton!): Before it became a coffeehouse in the 1970s, and later a full restaurant, for 48 years it was the office and residence of a doctor, who — according to a sign in the restaurant about the building’s history — was the first to administer the antibiotic medication penicillin to a patient in Southern California.

Today, Rutabegorz is known for its quirky decorations, healthy food options (including very big salads) and long-running $1 chip and dip special.

The Fox Fullerton Theatre

The Fox Theatre in Fullerton, CA.

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The Fox Theatre in Fullerton dates back to 1925 and is one of the city’s most recognizable buildings, but it hasn’t been an operational theater since 1987, when it closed and fell into disrepair. The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation, which is leading the ongoing restoration effort, does hold some special events there, including the 100th birthday celebration for the theater in May of 2025.

Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante

Angelo's and Vinci's on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, CA.

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Next door to The Fox Theatre is another beloved, but also now closed, Fullerton institution — the Italian restaurant Angelo’s and Vinci’s. The site of many a special occasion meal for locals, with ornate decorations (and a monster-themed wine cellar) the restaurant closed in 2023 after a 52-year-long run.

In the series, Margo is a waitress at Angelo’s and Vinci’s and has her baby shower there. And for anyone who remembers going to the restaurant, it’s nice to see the space alive again in the show.

Fullerton Car Wash on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, CA.

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Other Fullerton locations in the series include the Fullerton Car Wash (across from the British pub The Olde Ship) and the Fullerton Lodge Motel, which locals will recognize as being next to the popular B&B Donuts and across from Costco.

More Fullerton spots to check out

Fullerton is only one stop (and about a 30 minute ride) away from L.A.’s Union Station on Amtrak or Metrolink. Here are some other spots to check out if you’re making a day trip:

• Electric guitar history: The creator of some of the most popular electric guitars in the world was a life-long resident of Fullerton. The Leo Fender Gallery is housed in the Fullerton Museum Center, which is right down the street from Rutabegorz.
• Great pizza in Orange County: Fullerton is home to a couple of multi-award winning pizza places — Two Saucy Broads for New York style pizza and Fuoco for Neapolitan style. 
• A touch of Disney magic, plus cocktails: Somewhat of a counterpart to Angelo’s and Vinci’s in its old-school charm, the restaurant and cocktail bar The Cellar dates back to 1969 and was designed by one of the “imagineers” responsible for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, which opened in 1967.

New episodes of 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' are available to stream on Apple TV on Wednesdays. The final two episodes air May 13 and 20.

The story first appeared on The LA Local.

5:18 p.m. Wednesday, May 6: This story has been updated with additional details.

Federal agents swarmed MacArthur Park on Wednesday afternoon in a joint operation targeted at suspected drug dealers.

Agents also searched six businesses in the Westlake neighborhood and said that at least 18 people were arrested as part of the investigation, which was called “Operation Free MacArthur Park.”

The suspects are allegedly tied to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine out of the park, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Agents also raided a home in Calabasas and found 40 pounds of fentanyl believed to be part of the network of drugs distributed to MacArthur Park, according to authorities.

Agents in tactical gear and armored vehicles rolled through the neighborhood shortly after 2 p.m., according to images shared over social media, and an agent used a large saw to cut through a metal security door at a business storefront on Alvarado Street, NBC News reported.

The investigation included six businesses in Westlake and a federal indictment names 25 people, with several who have not been found.

Authorities arrested 18 people in connection to suspected drug trafficking in and around MacArthur Park. The suspects were identified in a news conference Wednesday by federal authorities.

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The raids began Tuesday evening and are expected to continue, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a press conference outside the park.

He was flanked by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department. Armored vehicles lined Alvarado Street and more agents in tactical gear stood under the shade of a nearby tree.

“We’re not leaving,” Essayli said. “We’ll come back as many times as we need to.”

The Los Angeles Police Department announced it provided assistance to its federal partners and clarified the investigation was not related to immigration enforcement.

Anthony Chrysanthis, special agent in charge for the DEA’s field office in Los Angeles, reiterated that the federal agency will return to Westlake.

“We will be watching this place every day, all the time. We’ve been gathering evidence for 60 days,” Chrysanthis said. “Privately, we get phone calls every day. ‘What are you doing about this?’ So, if you live in an area where you see drug activity, you can plan a friendly visit from law enforcement.”

Chrysanthis said the operation at the park was chosen because “this place is symbolic to Los Angeles.”

“The communities have to go back to the people. We have to make our city safe again for all people in Los Angeles. So today the message starts,” he said.

Troy Feller, volunteer with the faith-based organization Dream Center, was handing out lunch to people in the park when agents arrived. Feller saw police and agents wearing tactical gear pull up to the park.

“They started wrapping up the area really quickly. We’re out here every week and we have never seen something like this,” Feller said.

By 4:30 p.m. the road closures around the park reopened. A vendor swept up the sidewalk around their stall. Boxes of aspirin, back pain ointment and fake eyelashes spilled onto the sidewalk, along with broken glass.

A hole cut through the metal security door was visible from the sidewalk where an agent used a saw to cut into the vendor’s stall. Boxes of Monistat and Neosporin hung from inside the stall.

Araceli Arrega said she found out about the raid from the news coverage of the federal raid.

“I found out on TV they were cutting up my store. We don’t sell drugs here. I sell creams and medicine,” Arrega said. “They didn’t find anything. I can’t open my store until I fix my door.”

Aura Garcia, who owns Vitamins and Plus next to Arrega’s store, said law enforcement officers went to her daughter’s home and took her into custody. Garcia said officers also handcuffed her 13-year-old granddaughter in the process.

Garcia is still uncertain about whether the arrest is related to the federal operation. Their store was raided Wednesday, but she reiterated that they do not sell drugs.

Susana Cruz, an employee at the market La Bendición de Dios near Alvarado and Sixth said, “They thought that we sold drugs here, but they didn’t find anything.”

Cruz said federal agents raided the market and threw all the products to the floor, which includes creams and other pharmaceutical items. Agents also pulled down a security camera at the market.

Jose Ramirez, a street vendor on Sixth and Alvarado said, watched the aftermath of the raid from the sidewalk.

“I don’t know if this is all for show, but this made people afraid and the businesses that are barely surviving, I don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” he said. “There’s other ways to combat drug trafficking. I don’t know what the mayor is thinking.”

Others in the neighborhood said they support the operation in response to the ongoing drug use at the park.

Victoria Sykes, has lived in the neighborhood for the past five years and has been visiting the area for at least two decades.

“I’ve seen people dealing drugs here on Alvarado and I personally support what happened here today because I think drugs should leave this neighborhood. It’s not safe. We need to clean it up,” Sykes said.

The federal indictment names several people, including Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and Jackson Tarfur, 28, who are both from the Westmont neighborhood in South Los Angeles. Authorities claim that the couple hand-delivered drugs to storefronts and dealers street-level dealers. Federal documents detail 27 drug deals of fentanyl and methamphetamine from March 9 to April 15 in and around MacArthur Park.

The indictment references multiple street gangs, including 18th Street. Chrysanthis with the DEA said the operation is intended to send a message to the drug traffickers who operate out of the park.

“This is our park. This park belongs to the people of Los Angeles and to anyone who wants to sell drugs, I want them to look around because at any day we can come back and take it,” he said.

When asked why the operation took place now, Chrysanthis said, “FIFA is coming. The Super Bowl is coming. The Olympics are coming. It’s time to give the community back to the people of LA.”