The Brief

The CDC on Monday accepted controversial new guidelines for the updated COVID-19 vaccines that could make it harder for many people to protect themselves this winter compared with previous years.

Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill agreed to the recommendations for the COVID shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which met in September.

Unlike in earlier years, the new guidelines call for people to talk to a doctor, pharmacist or some other health care provider about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated before they get a shot. This extra step is called "shared decision-making,"or "individual-based decision-making," according to the language in the news release.

The move is the final action necessary for implementing the new guidelines, which affect who can get and give the COVID shot, and whether vaccination will be covered by private and government insurance without copayments.

Final recommendations were delayed

The step came after an unusual, unexplained two-week lag between when CDC advisers issued the recommendations and the agency accepted them. The official decision allows the CDC to finally start shipping vaccines to doctors, clinics and other providers through the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides vaccines free to about 40% of all U.S. children.

"Informed consent is back," O'Neill said in a statement announcing the step. "CDC's 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today."

Independent vaccine experts challenged that claim.

"There is no basis to claim that routine recommendations prevent doctors from discussing risks and benefits with patients," said Dorit Reiss, who studies vaccine policies at the University of California, San Francisco. "Doctors [have always been] required to get informed consent. Shared clinical decision-making simply signals the vaccine is not routinely recommended and decreases uptake."

Others agree O'Neill's claim is false and could undermine public confidence in the vaccines.

"The claim that the past recommendations deterred health care professionals from talking to patients about risks is completely untrue and is another example of the misinformation and made up information that this administration continues to release to the public and further creates confusion and distrust in healthcare providers and vaccines," wrote Dr. Tina Tan, the president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, in an email. "This is extremely unfortunate and critically increases the American public's risk for serious vaccine preventable diseases."

The CDC also formalized a recommendation that makes it more complicated for some parents to get their babies vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

"If that's his approach, I am concerned about [additional] childhood vaccines recommended for routine use," Reiss added in an email. "If he thinks a routine recommendation undermines informed consent — which it doesn't — that could further reduce uptake and may make the Trump-Kennedy outbreaks of measles and pertussis we are seeing even larger."

The moves guarantee continued insurance coverage for the COVID shots and allows pharmacists nationwide to keep administering the vaccines. But the changes withdraw some government coverage for the combination shot that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox and that some parents prefer.

In previous years, the COVID-19 vaccines have been easily available for free to anyone 6 months and older by simply walking into a pharmacy, doctor's office or clinic and asking for a shot.

Barriers to vaccination

But the vaccines became harder to get in August, when the Food and Drug Administration approved updated versions of the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Novavax vaccines only for people at increased risk for serious disease because they are age 65 or older or had some other health issue.

The change occurred because top Trump administration health officials say they have concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, even though there is overwhelming evidence the vaccines are very safe and highly effective. Federal health officials also argue that most people have so much immunity now that they don't necessarily need annual boosters anymore.

Many public health experts agree that COVID no longer poses the serious risk it once did to many people, especially those who are younger and otherwise healthy. Other countries have also shifted to a more "risk-based" COVID vaccination strategy.

But some healthy people still want to get vaccinated to reduce their risk of getting sick at all, missing work or school, developing long COVID or spreading the virus to vulnerable people, such as older family members and friends with other health issues.

Over the past month, the change caused anger, frustration and confusion. In states like Georgia and Utah, people had to get a prescription to get a shot and some couldn't get vaccinated at all.

The situation was further complicated because Kennedy, who has a long history of criticizing vaccines, said the government was no longer recommending the vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children, even though pregnancy is listed as a risk factor by the CDC and FDA, and COVID can still make some kids very sick.

Earlier this month, the vaccine panel, which gives influential advice to the CDC, voted to recommend the shots for anyone 6 months and older, provided they consult with a health care provider about the risks and benefits.

Confusion still reigns 

The requirement for shared clinical decision-making creates a new hurdle to getting vaccinated compared with previous years, by explicitly requiring a conversation with a provider on an individual's risks and benefits before they get one.

The new guidelines continue to ensure coverage by private and public insurers, including Medicaid, Medicare, the Vaccines for Children Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The recommendation should also clarify that anyone age 6 months and older is eligible for the COVID vaccine, including healthy children, pregnant women and younger adults. (The only way to protect younger babies, who are among those who face the greatest risk from COVID, is by immunizing their mothers during pregnancy.)

But some providers may remain confused or hesitant to administer the shots because of lingering uncertainty and mixed messages, for instance, speculative safety risks presented during the CDC's advisory committee meeting that are not backed by solid evidence.

Some states and major medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have issued separate guidelines recommending the shots to most everyone ages 6 months and up, to protect themselves and their communities this upcoming respiratory virus season.

In addition, more doctor's offices may opt against stocking the new vaccines because of concerns the debate may further dampen demand, requiring people to go elsewhere, such as a pharmacy.

Some pharmacies may require patients to read and fill out a form that discusses the potential risks and benefits of the vaccines. But CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy chain, says people will be able to get a COVID vaccines simply by asking for one. Pharmacists won't have to require anything, including even a conversation, unless patients have questions, CVS says.

A separate shot for chickenpox is now recommended 

O'Neill also accepted the panel's vote to ban the MMRV combination shot, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, or chickenpox, for children under 4.

Young children can gain the same protection by getting separate shots for MMR and varicella, and most of them – some 85% – already do, according to CDC data shared and discussed at the advisory committee's September meeting.

That's because the combination shot is associated with a slightly higher risk of fevers that can lead to seizures in kids under 4. Because of the risk the CDC has, for more than 15 years, preferred that children under 4 receive the shots separately. Still, some parents were choosing to get the combo shot, because it was easier or more available, and the risk associated with the potentially frightening but temporary side effect is low.

Because of the recommendation, the MMRV vaccine will no longer be covered by federal programs that offer subsidized vaccines. "This panel has made a recommendation for a practice that's essentially in place anyway, but removed the option of having those vaccines financed for those who may think this is a better option," says Dr. Katrina Kretsinger, a medical epidemiologist who worked on vaccine policy for more than a decade at CDC, before retiring from the agency in 2023, "This is effectively removing a choice from parents."

Making different policies from the same safety information that was thoroughly examined years ago will also raise mistrust among parents, Kretsinger says. "There is confusion about how to proceed, and also doubts raised by the fact that this is being re-examined," she says, "It furthers the chilling effect on vaccine uptake."

The change may also cause shortages of the separate vaccines, at least initially, until manufacturers can adjust their production to meet the new demand.

A fresh call to break up the MMR vaccine

A few hours after issuing the new vaccine guidelines, Acting CDC Director O'Neill also called on makers of the combined MMR vaccine to break it up into three separate shots for measles, mumps and rubella in a post on X.com. The post praised President Trump for his leadership and reposted his call in September that the MMR vaccine be administered as "THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS."

The combination shot for measles, mumps and rubella has been used in the U.S. for decades.

"This really is absolutely completely ridiculous and really sets us back over 50 years in time given that the MMR vaccine was licensed here in the US in 1971," said Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, in an email. "It was made as a combination vaccine to ensure that persons would receive all the vaccines that they would need as a single shot as opposed to 3 separate injections. This is crazy and continues to erode the public health system and the public trust in vaccines."

"There is no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots," said a statement from Merck, which makes an MMR vaccine. "Use of the individual components of combination vaccines increases the number of injections for the individual and may result in delayed or missed immunizations."

The statement also said that evidence suggests combination vaccines improve outcomes for kids by increasing completion of recommended vaccines and getting them at the right ages. Merck also said there are no single-shot vaccines approved for use in the U.S. for measles, mumps or rubella.

"Combination vaccines play a crucial role in improving vaccination coverage rates; their safety and efficacy have been demonstrated by decades of research," said a statement from GSK, maker of the other MMR vaccine available in the U.S. "By reducing the number of separate injections required, combination vaccines allow for a simpler and more efficient immunization process, which is essential for timely protection against disease."
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A year after former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do reported to federal prison to serve time for bribery, evidence continues to surface of widespread corruption and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars during his time in office.

A county report released Wednesday found that millions of dollars in COVID-era contracts and grants were directed by Do and another top county official with no competitive bidding and little to no accounting of how the money was spent. Overall, the report paints a picture of a local government facing an unprecedented public health crisis, flush with federal relief dollars, but with minimal guardrails to ensure those dollars were properly spent.

For example, Do awarded a $500,000 small business grant in May 2021 to Bridgecreek Realty Investment Corp. to expand outdoor dining in Little Saigon during the pandemic. But the audit noted that the contract never required Bridgecreek to provide supporting documentation for how the money was spent — such as invoices or receipts. In the end, there is no documentation for how more than half of the taxpayer funds were used.

LAist left a voicemail with Frank Jao, owner of Bridgecreek, requesting comment and will update this story if we receive a response.

The audit also details the numerous times that top county officials were alerted to, but didn’t act on, potential irregularities regarding millions in county funds awarded to a nonprofit connected to Do’s adult daughter, Rhiannon Do. The audit details one occasion in which Clayton Chau, the former county health care director, reprimanded a subordinate for raising concerns and stated “that Supervisor Do was a lawyer and he would know if there was a conflict.”

Chau did not return a text and message from LAist left on his voicemail. We will update this story if we receive a response.

Frank Kim, the former Orange County chief executive, was also interviewed by the auditors. The audit said he was also aware of the alleged conflict of interest, but failed to consult with the county’s top lawyer at the time. Instead, according to the audit, he relied on the word of Do’s then-chief of staff, Chris Wangsaporn, who assured Kim there was no conflict.

LAist left a voicemail on Wangsaporn’s cellphone seeking comment and will update this story if and when we receive a response.

“It’s not an excuse, but that was a strange time,” Kim, the former county CEO, told LAist on Wednesday. Referring to the pandemic and the audit’s findings, Kim added: “None of the processes were really set up to deal with emergencies.”

Kim told LAist he had trusted the supervisors and top county staffers.

“I never thought there would be fraud," he said. “These were people I had worked with for a long time. I never thought they would do something like that.”

Several county supervisors were quick to react to the audit findings, calling for even deeper investigation into what Supervisor Donald Wagner called “potential additional abuses of taxpayers’ dollars.”

Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who was elected to replace Do, said Do and Chau had “scammed taxpayers in the most difficult time of their lives.” She also said the audit showed the county had “routinely bypassed its own rules” for contracting with outside entities.

Supervisor Katrina Foley said the report exposed “deficiencies in oversight and accountability that the board continues to address,” adding that the county must complete the next two scheduled phases of the forensic audit to “uncover remaining problems, strengthen our controls, and protect taxpayers from corruption and abuse.”

The backstory

The new report is the result of the second phase of a forensic audit of major pandemic-era contracts ordered by the O.C. Board of Supervisors in the wake of the Do scandal. The outside firm Weaver is conducting the audit.

Do pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in 2024 following a more than year-long investigation by LAist that found he directed some $13 million in taxpayer funds to an organization affiliated with his daughter, Rhiannon, who was a student at the time. Most of that money was slated to provide meals and services for needy residents of Do’s district during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, at least $550,000 of the funds was rerouted back to Do and his two daughters in the form of bribes, according to federal officials, while just 15% was used to feed residents.

Do will complete his first year in prison on Saturday. He’s scheduled for release in June 2029, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

How to watchdog your local government

One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention. Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community.

• Read tips on how to get involved.
• The Orange County Board of Supervisors meets on alternating Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. at 400 W. Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana. You can check out the O.C. Board of Supervisors full calendar here.
• Learn how to submit a public comment to the O.C. Board of Supervisors.

A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted Nick Reiner on murder charges in the killings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, and adds the allegation that he was lying in wait before attacking them.

The grand jury, which had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, and it was unsealed Wednesday, when 32-year-old Nick Reiner entered a not guilty plea.

Rob Reiner, a director, actor and Hollywood luminary, and his wife, a photographer and producer, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested within hours and charged two days later.

Why the indictment matters

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

Lying in wait means a suspect waited for or hid from victims in order to ambush them, and as an allegation it’s meant to show premeditation. A finding that he was lying in wait along with a murder conviction would make Reiner eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they haven’t decided whether to seek it.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”

What does the indictment say?

Prosecutors have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides.

The Los Angeles County chief medical examiner told The Associated Press he would like to make their autopsy reports public, but a court order has prevented him from doing so.

The unsealed indictment reveals few new details in a case that has been shrouded in secrecy. It does not explain how or why Reiner was lying in wait. Without elaborating, prosecutors have said since December that the parents were stabbed. The indictment includes a special allegation of use of a deadly weapon — a knife — that could also contribute to a stiffer sentence.

What about the trust funds?

The indictment comes as Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense.

Reiner said in a court petition that the trustees who oversee the funds have denied them to him without legal justification. The money was to have gone to Nick Reiner even if his parents were alive, legal filings say. The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but trustees would not share the exact amount.

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue,” the petition says.

He is seeking to hire back high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who initially represented him before Reiner’s siblings would no longer agree to fund his defense and a public defender took over.

A hearing on the petition is set for next week.

The LA County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Reiner, declined to comment on the indictment.

Why is this process shrouded in secrecy?

California prosecutors can charge a defendant and take the case through a preliminary hearing — a sort of trial in miniature where evidence is publicly aired and a judge decides whether it should be sent to trial — as recently happened with singer D4vd.

Or they can use a grand jury to go through the process in secret. They can also publicly file charges and later seek a secret grand jury indictment, essentially creating a new version of the case, as happened here and in the Los Angeles prosecution of Harvey Weinstein.

Remembering Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner began as an actor, starring in the TV sitcom, “All in the Family,” as Michael “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal son-in-law to a much more conservative and bigoted Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor. Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role, and last month got a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work as a guest star on “The Bear.”

He became a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally…” during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.

Nick Reiner was the second of the three children they had together. He and his father co-wrote the script for the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which was partly based on the son’s teenage struggles with addiction and homelessness.

His older brother Jake Reiner wrote in April that the experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center of it was “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”

The City of L.A. is still on the hook for a potentially infinite amount of money if the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics are a financial failure.

But in the latest attempt to moderate that risk, the Los Angeles City Council voted 10-4 Wednesday to approve an overdue agreement with the private Olympic organizing committee LA28.

What to know about the agreement 

Matt Szabo, the City Administrative Officer who negotiated the agreement with LA28, spoke at Wednesday's council meeting.

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The deal lays out how LA28 will repay the city for services rendered during the Games, like traffic control. It establishes that the city will seek reimbursement for the cost of policing venues from the federal government, which is overseeing Olympics security.

The council also approved an amendment to a 2021 agreement between the city and LA28 that allows the city to tap an LA28 contingency fund to recoup security costs if the federal government doesn't cover those expenses.

Matt Szabo, the City Administrative Officer who negotiated the agreement with LA28 alongside the city's Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, acknowledged the agreement had big limitations. At the same time, he told the council Wednesday that he believed it was the best bet at protecting the city.

" This is not an agreement that is intended or even has the capability of eliminating risk that the city has agreed to take on," Szabo told the council. "The purpose is to limit the risk to the greatest extent possible. And we do believe that it achieves that."

Still, some in city government said the agreement doesn't go far enough to protect taxpayers.

"Despite being delivered months behind schedule, it still fails to establish a clear baseline of City services, financial protections for Los Angeles taxpayers, and accountability that the City needs to successfully host the Games," said Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who was one of four councilmembers to vote against the agreement, in a statement.

The agreement now heads to Mayor Karen Bass and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson for a signature with LA28.

Concerns about the deal with security costs looming

A sticking point for dissenters is security costs — which are expected to be massive. Organizers and the city are counting on the federal government to pay for public safety at Olympic venues that are considered part of a "national special security event."

LA28 has not included security costs in its $7.1 billion budget — a fact that City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto criticized earlier this year.

The federal government has so far allocated $1 billion for security costs for the Olympics. Exactly where those federal funds will go has not yet been determined, and there's no guarantee they will cover all of L.A.'s policing costs.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell estimated LAPD personnel costs alone could exceed that total, putting the cost for his department at $1.15 billion in one budget memo issued earlier this year.

Protections for the city are limited

Under an agreement approved by the council Wednesday, if L.A. is not reimbursed by the federal government for all its eligible expenses, it could dip into LA28's contingency fund of $270 million before the private organizing committee could use that money for any legacy projects.

Here's the catch: that bucket will first be used for any costs that Olympics organizers still owe if they run out of revenue — meaning if the Olympics don't turn a profit, the city's access to that money will depend on how much is left for the taking.

" LA28 has no real incentive not to bankrupt us," said Chris Tyler with the community organization Strategic Actions for a Just Economy in public comment. "And if they come in under-fundraised and over-budget, taxpayers will be on the hook for billions of dollars potentially."

Szabo, the city administrative officer, said later in the council meeting that the Olympics turning a profit was in L.A. and LA28's best interest.

" We are joined at the hip here," he said. "They want a successful Olympics. They want to have a successful legacy for those '28 Olympics. We want a successful Olympics."

The agreement is late — and some still say it was rushed

At the Wednesday meeting, several city council members introduced six amendments to the agreement with LA28, aimed at clarifying or tightening LA28's obligation to the city.

All but one proposal was referred to committee for further discussion, and weren't included in the final agreement. Council President Harris-Dawson warned the council that approving amendments would send the city back into negotiations with LA28 that had already dragged on for years.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who introduced two amendments seeking to regularly audit LA28's finances and guarantee reimbursements for unexpected "health and safety incidents" related to the Games, responded saying she hadn't had adequate time to consider the deal.

" I have Dodger Stadium in my district, which is an Olympic venue," she said. "So you're asking me to make a decision on something that's going to impact us for years to come, and particularly within the heart of my district, but I was only briefed two weeks ago."

City Controller Kenneth Mejia also criticized the process in an interview with LAist.

" Why are we rushing through this thing so fast?" he said, calling the deal "fiscally irresponsible" and asking: "Why are we not trying to maximize protections for the city today?"

Some, though, told the council they thought the agreement, which was due Oct. 1, 2025, was already too delayed.

" Every additional month of delay reduces the run[way] for detailed planning for our businesses," said Jacqueline Iniguez with the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce in public comment. "The city and LA28 now need to move forward together quickly to keep the 2028 games on track." 

More big agreements ahead 

Jacie Prieto Lopez, a spokesperson for LA28, said Olympics organizers were proud of the final agreement, saying it "delivers on our commitment to execute a safe, secure, and fiscally responsible Games that benefit Los Angeles for decades to come."

The agreement approved by council Wednesday will serve as a master document as the city now goes on to execute "Venue Service Agreements" – even more specific agreements between LA28 and the city on what services will be provided at each venue in the city.

Other municipalities hosting Olympic venues will also have to execute their own agreements with LA28 on reimbursement.

How those agreements are inked will also have implications for the city of Los Angeles. It's the financial backer of the entire Olympics, whether the venues fall inside city boundaries or not.

On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Unified School District students returned to campuses for the first day of school. For many, that meant coming back to schools located near a Boyle Heights warehouse that burned for more than a week in June.

The disaster forced the district to relocate summer programs at several nearby schools, including Christopher Dena Elementary. But on the morning of back-to-school, Maria Bravo said she was ready for her third-grade son and sixth-grade daughter to get back into Dena Elementary classrooms

“ I know that they're going to be in a good place here,” Bravo said. She said her kids needed a new routine after a summer spent largely indoors, trying to avoid the heat and the smell of rotting food wafting from the Lineage warehouse.

“They're going to find ways to keep them busy and active, and at the same time safe," Bravo said.

Principal Robert Salazar said classrooms have air purifiers and there’s a plan to bring students inside if rotting food smells interrupt recess or lunch.

“ It's like three plans — we have, A, B and C,” he said.

Karoline Linde, a 5th grade teacher at Dena Elementary, brought souvenirs back from a summer trip to Croatia to include in her Medieval Times unit. " You want the kids to succeed. You want the kids to do their best," Linde said. "That's my job as an educator. How am I gonna do that?"

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However, as has been true throughout the summer, the odor varied across the neighborhood.

At Eastman Elementary, Ivett Dominguez walked her child to Eastman Avenue Elementary School and told LAist the smell outside was “consistent and annoying,” but that she didn’t notice it inside her son’s classroom.

Other parents were more critical of the district’s decision to reopen the schools while the clean-up continued.

LAUSD Superintendent Andrés Chait visits a classroom at Belvedere Middle School the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.

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Andrés Chait, LAUSD’s superintendent, said preliminary attendance results showed about 92% of students enrolled at campuses near the burned warehouse came to the first day of school, exceeding the district’s overall attendance rate of 90%.

“[I have]  gratitude to our communities for having faith in us and in the measures that we took,” Chait said.

He said the district will take “corrective action” where lead and other toxins are found and that he’s directed his team to look into other ways for the district to advocate for climate justice.

“ Our primary role always is to provide education and academic advancement, but I think we can do more than that,” Chait said.

Some environmental health experts and advocates who reviewed the district’s testing results told LAist that school officials have more work to do on testing and cleaning at some campuses.

Environmental testing raises questions about long-term fire impact

District officials said environmental tests — which they released the day before school started — concluded the Boyle Heights warehouse fire did not result in widespread contamination at nearby campuses and affirmed the decision to reopen schools.

Soil tests found lead levels that exceeded California’s acceptable threshold at two elementary school campuses — Christopher Dena and City Terrace. The district said in its report that staff will evaluate whether more testing or cleanup at those sites is needed.

Carlos Torres, director of LAUSD’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, said the front lawn at City Terrace and the tree wells at Dena, where elevated levels of lead were detected, have been fenced off.

At Christopher Dena Elementary in Boyle Heights, school officials fenced off a tree and a patch of soil where environmental testing found elevated levels of lead.

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Torres said the district doesn’t believe the lead is tied to the warehouse fire.

“Most likely this could be from things like lead-based paints from use in the past. It could be from agricultural use,” Torres told LAist on Tuesday. “There isn't such a thing as clean soil anywhere.”

The district said the levels of several other substances, including ammonia, formaldehyde and manganese, were low enough that they did not threaten the health of students or school staff.

Teacher Jose Salazar introduces Belvedere Middle School students to the different components of the career and technical education class which include engineering, child development and criminal justice on the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.

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Jill Johnston, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at UC Irvine, agreed that elevated lead levels in the soil at nearby schools could have been present before the warehouse fire.

But she expressed concern about test results for ammonia at three schools within two miles of the Lineage warehouse: Eastman Avenue Early Education Center, Humphreys Avenue Elementary School and Stevenson College and Career Prep.

Two indoor samples and one outdoor sample from those campuses were found to have between 319 and 327 micrograms of ammonia per cubic meter.

“Ammonia is a respiratory irritant,” Johnston said. “It can affect lung function, particularly in kids… Breathing in ammonia, particularly at levels that are much higher than background concentrations, is something we want to try to avoid, especially for vulnerable kids.”

California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment sets a 200 microgram safety limit for chronic exposure to ammonia, meaning situations where people are breathing in the chemical compound continuously. District officials noted that the test results were far below the state’s 3,200 microgram limit for acute exposure, meaning about an hour or less.

Johnston said closing schools would have been a difficult decision for district officials. But she said additional scrutiny and monitoring at those three schools is warranted.

“If they're also kids from the neighborhood, they're being exposed at home,” she said. “It just builds this evidence that we've been observing over the last several weeks, that toxic chemicals associated with the activities at Lineage are getting into the community, and in this case, is getting inside the schools.”

East L.A. has a long history of pollution linked to nearby freeways and dense industrial development. In May, about 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the streets after an underground pipe ruptured.

“This continues to remind us where our schools are located and how vulnerable our communities and schools are,” said Rocío Rivas, school Board vice president and representative for the neighborhood. “I think it's important to elevate the testing and continue to monitor regardless if there's a fire or not.”

The teachers union sent a letter to the superintendent on Aug. 6 with more than a dozen demands related to Boyle Heights schools, including additional environmental testing, heating, ventilation and cooling system upgrades.

“Fire-impacted school communities deserve more than assurances — they deserve an actionable plan that puts health and safety first,” wrote Gloria Martinez, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

LAist reporter David Wagner contributed to this story.