Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published November 11, 2025 11:49 AM
Fullerton police say and an ICE agent pulled a gun on a woman recording him in an incident that was caught on videotape.
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Hyoung Chang
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Denver Post via Getty Images
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Topline:
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent pointed a gun toward a woman who was allegedly following and recording him on Sunday in Santa Ana, according to police in nearby Fullerton and a social media video post.
The details: The Fullerton Police Department said in a Facebook post Sunday that one of its officers witnessed a man getting out of his car at the intersection of Santa Ana Boulevard and Shelton Street and pointing a gun in the direction of a woman in another car. When the Fullerton officer stopped to investigate, the man presented credentials showing he was an ICE agent and said he had stopped the woman because she was following and recording him, according to the post.
Tense moments: The incident was caught on video and shared by media outlets, including LA Taco. The man who identified himself as an ICE agent appears to be in plainclothes and holding a gun. A tense verbal exchange follows. A woman’s voice can be heard in the video asking what the man is doing, noting that he pointed the gun at her and questioning why local police are “helping” him. When the man says, “You can’t be following us,” she yells, “I live here!”
Not a crime: The Fullerton officer told the agent he could not assist with someone following or recording him if no crime had occurred, the department said in its post. The woman left the area shortly afterward. The officer then left the scene, the department said.
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Fullerton police say ICE agent pulled gun on woman recording him in Santa Ana
The Fullerton post said its officers would assist ICE “in situations involving immediate officer safety,” however, state law prohibits local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement.
ICE response: LAist sent an email to ICE seeking comment and is awaiting response. In a statement to CBS LA, ICE said the woman was trying to "cause a collision." "To defend himself, following the aggression of the driver and her refusal to follow law enforcement commands, our officer followed his training and drew his weapon," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement.
LA public art experience debuts on Valentine's Day
James Chow
produces SoCal arts and culture coverage and news podcast Imperfect Paradise for LAist's on-demand team.
Published February 13, 2026 7:30 AM
Top row (left to right): Sarah Rara, Beatie Wolfe, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, claire rousay, Media Pollution; Bottom row (left to right): L. Frank, Carmina Escobar, Odeya Nini, Qur’an Shaheed, Kerstin Larissa Hovland and Emery C. Martin.
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Courtesy of NXT Art Foundation
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Topline:
On Valentine’s Day, a free public art exhibition focused on sound and light will appear across 10 locations in L.A. County. The event, called Attune 1.0, encourages participants to put their phones down and have an interactive experience with the program.
What to expect: Live acoustic performances from L.A.-based artists L. Frank, Carmina Escobar, claire rousay, Odeya Nini, Beatie Wolfe, Qur’an Shaheed, Sarah Rara and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson will be simulcast via an old school television installed at each of the participating L.A. County sites.
The performances will be book-ended by L. Frank, a Tongva artist who will sing in their indigenous language. The musicians will put on sets ranging from 15-30 minutes. A pyramid-like installation will display different color hues as the performances play out.
Why now: “We want to amplify love,” said Carmen Zella, who’s owner and chief curator of creative arts agency NOW Art and co-founder of NXT Art Foundation. “ As we think about Los Angeles and everything that we've been through together — the fires, these ICE raids — we need to be able to have these moments of connectedness with our community in its entirety.”
List of participating locations:
East Hollywood: Barnsdall Park
Northeast Los Angeles: Sycamore Grove Park
Exposition Park: Jessie Brewer Jr. Park
Porter Ranch: Jane and Bert Boeckmann Park
Lake View Terrance: Hansen Dam
South Los Angeles: Leimert Park
Culver City: Wende Museum
Long Beach: Promenade Square Park
Santa Monica: Tongva Park
Altadena: Loma Alta Park
How to attend: The event is free and will last from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Zella recommends RVSP’ing to get more information about preparing for the exhibition.
Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters.
Published February 13, 2026 5:00 AM
We got soaked in December, and we're due for another soaking here in mid-February.
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Myung J. Chun
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Several days of rain are forecast to kick off Sunday as a series of storms rolls through, one after another. It’ll be one of the coldest weather systems we’ve seen so far this year, bringing a whole lot of much-needed snow to California, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall timing: The heaviest rain is expected to fall on Monday, with 2 to 4 inches possible in the Los Angeles area. Then, there will be on-and-off precipitation for the remainder of the week, though there’s a lot of uncertainty about exactly when you’ll need to have your umbrella handy. Thunderstorms could bring isolated pockets of heavy rainfall, potentially causing debris flows. Things should dry out by late next week.
About the snow: The coldest part of the weather system is expected to arrive on Tuesday, dropping snow levels to around 4,000 feet in Southern California. Two to 3 feet of snow could fall at higher elevations throughout the week, including at ski resorts. We could see anywhere from 4 to 6 feet of snow along the crest of the Sierra Nevada, from Mammoth past Lake Tahoe, along the crest of the Sierra. That's all good news for California's snowpack, which is well below average for this time of year.
Coming up: Another storm could arrive the week of Feb. 22, though it’s still a bit too far out to tell.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published February 12, 2026 4:22 PM
Ricardo Lopez said he's been a teacher for about a decade. The 2025-26 school year was his second at Synergy Quantum Academy.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Topline:
A former South L.A. charter school teacher says he was fired after he opened a campus gate so students could leave and join a protest of federal immigration activity.
What happened? Last week, Synergy Quantum Academy students joined regional walkouts protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But with the South L.A. school’s tall metal gate shut, some opted to climb and jump over it. Teacher Ricardo Lopez said he opened the gate out of concern for the safety of students who might have hurt themselves leaving the school.
What did he do wrong? In messages to parents and staff, Synergy's principal said an "unauthorized staff member" opened the campus' gate in conflict with LAUSD protocol. A plan provided to LAist states “if students leave campus, school site administrators do not have a legal obligation to protect the safety and welfare of the students.” The document provided does not explicitly prohibit a staff member from opening a gate.
Why it matters: The dismissal has spurred further protests and raised questions about whose responsibility it is to ensure safety as students exercise their First Amendment rights.
Last week, Synergy Quantum Academy students joined regional walkouts protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But with the South L.A. school’s tall metal gate shut, some opted to climb and jump over it.
The school’s leadership wrote in messages to parents and staff that an “unauthorized staff member” then opened that campus gate — in conflict with Los Angeles Unified School District protocol.
That staff member, teacher Ricardo Lopez, said he acted out of concern for the safety of students who might have hurt themselves trying to leave the school.
He said the school fired him the same day. Now his dismissal has spurred further protests and raised questions about whose responsibility it is to ensure safety as students exercise their First Amendment rights.
Here’s what we know
Thousands of students across Los Angeles walked out during the first week of February to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including students at Synergy Quantum Academy.
Lopez said that after the walkouts on Feb. 4, he heard several students talk about injuring themselves climbing over the metal fences that surround the South L.A. school.
On Thursday morning, during his academic prep period, Lopez said he saw students trying to climb over the metal gate on the north side of the campus.
“When I saw one of my [AP U.S. History] students climbing the fence and jumping…and like almost falling, I started rushing towards the gate,” Lopez said. “ I opened the gate for them so other students wouldn’t get hurt like the day before.”
Guidance from the ACLU of Southern California related to student walkouts states “locking exits to the school can pose serious health and safety concerns for students and staff.”
Lopez said he opened this gate on the north side of Synergy Quantum Academy and Maya Angelou Community High School's shared campus after watching students attempt to climb over Thursday Feb. 5.
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Mariana Dale
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Lopez said within an hour, Synergy’s human resources department informed him that he’d been terminated for insubordination. Lopez said there was no hearing or additional meeting where he was able to defend his actions.
“What hurts even more was that they escorted me out like I was a — I felt like a criminal,” Lopez said.
The contents of his classroom were later boxed and sent to him via a third-party delivery service.
Lopez said it’s still unclear to him why he was fired. He said staff received an email earlier in the week telling them not to participate in student protests, but there was no mention of any policy related to the gate.
“ I wasn't participating [in the protest],” Lopez said. “To me it was about protecting students from getting hurt.”
What has the school communicated?
The school’s public justification for terminating Lopez intersects with a longstanding source of friction in Los Angeles schools — the co-location of independent charter schools on the campuses of traditional district schools.
Synergy Quantum Academy shares a campus with Los Angeles Unified's Maya Angelou Community High School. Synergy is an independent charter school with a separate staff overseen by a board of directors outside of the district.
In messages to parents and staff, Synergy's principal said opening the gate conflicted with LAUSD protocol.
Synergy Quantum Academy enrolled 564 students in the 2024-2025 school year and is one of several charter schools operated by Synergy Academies.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Synergy Academies CEO Rhonda Deomampo confirmed Lopez is no longer employed at the school.
In response to LAist's inquiry about which protocol was violated, Deomampo wrote in an email that Maya Angelou Community High School’s safety plan “clearly outlines the authority of the principal or designee in situations like these.” She also said “to date, the school has received no reports of student injuries related to student protests.”
The excerpt provided from the 206-page safety plan states it is the responsibility of the principal or designee to “maintain adequate safeguards to ensure the safety and welfare of students” during a walkout. The plan states “if students leave campus, school site administrators do not have a legal obligation to protect the safety and welfare of the students.” The document provided does not explicitly prohibit a staff member from opening a gate.
How is LAUSD involved?
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson said while independent charter schools are expected to follow district policies related to walkouts, the district does not weigh in on personnel decisions.
“Independent charter schools are responsible for the supervision and management of the charter school employees,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Lopez said at Synergy, like many charter schools, he was an “at-will” employee, which means he can be terminated with or without cause and does not have the additional protections associated with union membership.
Community calls for teacher’s reinstatement
Lopez said he has a shared background with many of his students as the son of undocumented, working, immigrant parents who didn’t have an opportunity to pursue higher education themselves.
“That's one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher because a lot of things that I learned [in college] really helped me grow,” Lopez said. Teaching was a way to pay forward that knowledge.
“ I really miss my students, you know, I miss being in the classroom,” Lopez said. “ I just want to be reinstated, you know, and just keep, keep doing what I'm doing, teaching and supporting my students and protecting my students.”
Lopez said he is also worried that the termination could jeopardize his teaching credential or ability to get future jobs as an educator.
On Tuesday, dozens of students from both Maya and Synergy joined with organizers from Unión del Barrio and the Association of Raza Educators to rally for Lopez’s reinstatement.
Ayleen was a junior in Lopez's AP U.S. History class. “ When he sees that a student's not OK, he asks them personally and he doesn't embarrass them in front of everybody," she said.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Synergy junior Ayleen said she didn’t participate in Wednesday’s walkout, but heard about peers who’d jumped the fence and gotten hurt. Ayleen requested to be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy.
“We truly believe that he shouldn't have been fired for protecting a student,” she said. “That's his number one priority as a teacher, protecting his students, and he's the only one that upheld that that day.”
Lopez was Ayleen’s AP U.S. History teacher. AP classes culminate in a rigorous test where students can earn college credit.
“He has this way of teaching that he helps so much because he re-words questions,” Ayleen said. “It sounds simple, but so many teachers don't do that. He genuinely helps us to learn.”
Ayleen’s mother, Mary, said she supported her daughter’s decision to join the Friday walkout in protest of Lopez’s termination and would like the school to bring him back.
According to an Instagram post, students from Maya and Synergy plan to participate in another walkout Friday — still against ICE, but now also in support of their former teacher.
Destiny Torres
is LAist's general assignment and digital equity reporter.
Published February 12, 2026 3:30 PM
The National Park Service is asking for public input for its study on whether the L.A. coastline should qualify for national park designation.
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Getty Images
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iStockphoto
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Topline:
The National Park Service is asking for public input for its study on whether the L.A. coastline between Torrance and Santa Monica should qualify for national park designation.
Background: Congress signed a law in 2022 that called for this study, as well as provided funding for the three-year process. The first virtual meeting about the study was held this week.
How to participate: The Park Service is holding another virtual meeting on March 11 at 6 p.m.
Webinar link: https://bit.ly/4akUPVE
Join by phone: (202) 640-1187, Conference ID: 362420885#
Who makes the final call? The National Park Service is looking into the move, but the decision ultimately falls to Congress and the president.
Read on … for what it takes for an area to become a national park.
The National Park Service is asking for public input for its study on whether the L.A. coastline between San Pedro and Santa Monica should qualify for national park designation.
Federal officials held a public meeting Wednesday and outlined the study process.
Lawmakers will use the findings to decide whether to designate the stretch of coastline — which includes the Santa Monica Pier, Ballona Creek and RAT Beach — a national park.
Sarah Bodo, project manager at NPS, said the coastline is interpreted as part of the sea to approximately 200 yards inland.
“The 200-yard number is an effort to include the beach areas and the public lands, while excluding private property from the study area,” Bodo said. “In cases where private property is within 200 yards, those properties are excluded from the study.”
What are the criteria?
To become a national park, the area needs to contain nationally significant resources, not already be in the national park system and require direct NPS management.
Sequoia National Park, for example, was recognized in 1890 to protect the giant trees from logging.
Officials will also consider where the access, cost and size of the area can be managed by the department.
The National Park Service is studying whether the red portions of the L.A. coastline should qualify for national park designation.
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Courtesy of the National Park Service
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“A study area must meet all four of the criteria,” Bodo said.
What happens now?
The agency is early in the study process. If you have thoughts on the matter, now is the time to share them.
The public comment period is open until April 6.
In the coming months, the agency will review that feedback before preparing a study report for Congress.
Only Congress and the president have the ability to designate a new national park.
“At that point, it will be up to Congress or the president to take action or not. There is no timeline for further action from Congress or the president,” Bodo said. “The completion of the study does not establish a new park unit.”
The process could take years. The last designation given to Missouri’s Ste. Genevieve National Historic Park in 2018, according to the Associated Press. Congress ordered the study for that park in 2005.
Outstanding questions
One question raised at Wednesday’s meeting was what the benefits and downsides of having NPS manage this area are.
Bodo said that would depend on what the legislation would say if designated and how management would work.
“The National Park Service is required to conserve unimpaired scenery, natural and historic objects, wildlife of parks, and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. That's our overall mission,” Bodo said. “National parks can also generate economic activity in nearby communities.”
And, if designated, how exactly would management of this area work?
It’s also still too early to say, but existing property owners, like the county or city, could continue to own and manage the property, Bodo added.
“If this were to be designated, there maybe wouldn't be significant changes in that arena,” Bodo said. “The Park Service would seek to work collaboratively with local communities and existing agencies on common goals for resource protection and recreational opportunities.”
Another question asked was how might Park Service involvement along the L.A. coast affect fishing and hunting regulations?
“That's really dependent on land ownership, so if land ownership did not change, nothing would change,” Bodo said.
How you can participate
The National Park Service is looking for public input. A second virtual meeting will be held March 11 at 6 p.m. You can join here.
Public comments are also being accepted online here.
