Topline:
Residents across Los Angeles have been adopting Home Depot parking lots and conducting patrols in their neighborhoods, keeping an eye out for federal immigration agents.
Why it matters: Home Depots have become a common site for immigration sweeps since June.
Read on... to learn about how one East Pasadena resident started to organize her community to "adopt" a Home Depot parking lot and keep watch.
Since June, the parking lots of businesses like Home Depot across Los Angeles have become places where federal agents are targeting immigration sweeps.
In response, Angelenos have taken it upon themselves to "adopt" these lots to keep tabs on enforcement actions.
People like Dayena Campbell, who moved to East Pasadena more than a year ago and has fallen in love with the community. So once the ICE sweeps started, she felt compelled to do more.
" I decided to create a community defense corner in East Pasadena, specifically at Home Depot, so that we could be a physical presence of safety for the day laborers," Campbell said.
In July, Campbell founded the East Pasadena Community Defense Corner — a volunteer-run group that patrols for ICE activity and distributes “Know Your Rights” information at the Home Depot parking lot off Walnut Street.
Her group is modeled after the National Day Laborer Organizing Network's "Adopt a Day Laborer Corner" action.
"There has yet to be a day that we haven't been at that Home Depot patrolling," Campbell said.
Every morning, Campbell and other volunteers scout the lot and patrol surrounding streets. The group also maintains a table at the Home Depot parking lot, talking with shoppers about their cause — and inviting those interested to join.
But the top priority is to be there for the day laborers who have long become part of the community.
"We know them by name. We talk to them daily," Campbell said. "They come to our table. We give them snacks. They have expressed their gratitude tenfold for what we do. A lot of them have expressed that if it wasn't for us, they wouldn't be there coming to look for work anymore."
Campbell said volunteering has had its highs and lows. The group has taken pride in the fact that no one's been taken from their adopted Home Depot yet, and they wanted to keep it that way.
But not long after, Campbell texted to say that at least one day laborer was detained by federal agents at the location.
In her text, Campbell wrote that "about 50 volunteers" showed up within about 20 minutes of the arrest to see how they could help.
The group's response will be to continue what they've been doing, she continued.
“We will keep showing up.”
Topline:
California for now has prevented the Trump administration from changing priorities in homelessness funding to favor temporary shelters rather than long-term housing.
More details: California scored a legal victory Monday that, for now, undermines the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut funding for homeless housing. Changes that would have diverted huge chunks of federal funds away from permanent housing and funneled them instead into temporary shelters and sober living programs will remain suspended after the Trump administration dropped its appeal of an earlier court loss. While the broader case is still being litigated, the new development could provide some reassurance to California counties waiting for the federal funds.
The backstory: In November, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to change the way it doles out money for homeless services via its Continuum of Care program. It decreed that jurisdictions applying for a piece of about $4 billion in federal homelessness funds can’t spend more than 30% of that money on permanent housing — a move that would result in a significant cut to the type of long-term housing that can resolve someone’s homelessness.
Read on... for more on the new development.
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
California scored a legal victory Monday that for now, undermines the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically cut funding for homeless housing.
Changes that would have diverted huge chunks of federal funds away from permanent housing and funneled them instead into temporary shelters and sober living programs will remain suspended after the Trump administration dropped its appeal of an earlier court loss. While the broader case is still being litigated, the new development could provide some reassurance to California counties waiting for the federal funds.
“We continue to fight for Californians and the rule of law, and we continue to win,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “People experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness need the federal government’s continued support — not a rollback of assistance.”
In November, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to change the way it doles out money for homeless services via its Continuum of Care program. It decreed that jurisdictions applying for a piece of about $4 billion in federal homelessness funds can’t spend more than 30% of that money on permanent housing — a move that would result in a significant cut to the type of long-term housing that can resolve someone’s homelessness.
Last year, California communities spent about 90% of their federal Continuum of Care funds on permanent housing.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration quickly joined 19 other states and the District of Columbia in suing to stop the Trump administration’s changes. In December, a federal judge in Rhode Island temporarily blocked the changes and ordered HUD to process funding applications under the original rules. The Trump administration appealed that ruling, leaving local governments and homeless service providers unsure of what they would be awarded funding for, and when.
The federal government on Monday dropped its appeal. While the rest of the lawsuit will move forward, and could take months to resolve, counties should be able to access permanent housing funds in the meantime.
Instead of prioritizing permanent housing, as has been the rule in the past, the Trump administration wants to focus more on shelters that get people off the streets quickly and temporarily, and on programs that require residents to be sober. HUD also attempted to ban the use of federal homelessness funds for diversity and inclusion efforts, support of transgender clients, and use of “harm reduction” strategies that seek to reduce overdose deaths by helping people in active addiction use drugs more safely.
A HUD spokesperson said the agency stood by its funding reforms.
“HUD remains committed to reforming the failed ‘Housing First’ approach and restoring the Continuum of Care program to its core objectives; reducing homelessness and promoting self-sufficiency for all vulnerable Americans, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed towards those goals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
HUD experienced another legal setback last month when a federal judge in Rhode Island shot down the agency’s attempt to upend another, smaller, source of federal homelessness funding. At issue in that case was a program called the Continuum of Care Builds grant, which funds the construction of new homeless housing. HUD last year made grantees reapply under a very different set of criteria, which seemed to disqualify organizations that support trans clients, use “harm reduction” to prevent drug overdose deaths or operate in a “sanctuary city.”
About $75 million in federal funds had been frozen as that case moved forward.
In March, the court found HUD violated the law through its “slapdash imposition of political whims.”
“This ruling is a victory for people across this nation who have overcome homelessness and stabilized in HUD’s permanent housing programs,” Ann Oliva, chief executive of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which filed the lawsuit, wrote in a statement. “Today’s news reinforces a fundamental truth: that the work to end homelessness is not partisan, and never should be interfered with for political means.”
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
Topline:
The LAUSD school board will consider restrictions on screen time for students in school.
What’s new: The measure requires the school district to create a policy to set maximum screen time limits based on grade. It would also get rid of iPad and laptop usage in TK, kindergarten and first grade.
Why now: Advocates say this move is needed to curb unhealthy relationships with technology amid growing research that shows excessive screen usage can hurt a student’s attention span and physical and mental health.
What’s next: If adopted, the district would create a policy that the school board would approve by June and that would be implemented next school year.
The Los Angeles Unified School Board is set to vote Tuesday afternoon on moving toward limiting screen time for students at school.
The resolution requires the school district to create a policy that includes maximum daily and weekly screen time limits based on grade level and “encourage the use of paper and pen assignments.”
“We had not recalibrated or reset our relationship with technology post-COVID,” said school board member Nick Melvoin, who brought forth the measure. “Six years ago, we sent every kid in L.A. home with a device, which was a lifeline. … But when they came back, I'm still seeing kids as young as preschool on devices all day.”
If adopted, the district would create a policy that the school board would approve by June and that would be implemented next school year.
Research has shown excessive usage of screens can hurt children’s mental and physical health.
“Addiction-like use of short-form video content — including YouTube and social media platforms — are correlated with higher levels of social anxiety among adolescents,” the resolution reads.
Sandra Martinez Roe, a parent in northeast L.A., said she had tried to limit screen time at home for her now fourth-grade son, but in second grade, he started bringing home a laptop from school for his homework.
“ I just feel very strongly about children being able to experience childhood and really delaying the tech as long as possible. And when my son came home with a Chromebook and started talking about the Minecraft games and this game and that game, I about lost it,” Martinez Roe said.
Martinez Roe is a member of the parent advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens, which has been pushing for the resolution.
“ He didn't understand why the keyboard wasn't in alphabetical order. And this was a real big concern for me because I thought, he's in second grade, he's learning how to read, how to write, and you're expecting him to do this all on a Chromebook without a typing class first?” Martinez Roe said.
While the school district currently has a ban on cell phones throughout the school day that went into effect last year, this resolution is about laptops and tablets that are given to students in the district. The district moved to equip each student with their own digital devices during the pandemic that they could take home.
“There’s still access to YouTube, some games like Roblox, Minecraft. … I've seen some clever kids who know that they can't be on their phones during lunch, will be on their computers during lunch,” Melvoin said.
The measure would ban the student use of digital devices from preschool through first grade, except when needed for district-mandated assessments.
The district will set maximum daily and weekly screen time limits for students by grade level. It would also block student-led use of YouTube or other video streaming platforms on district devices.
For students from second to fifth grade, the policy would “encourage schools to utilize laptop carts and/or computer labs.”
The measure would also ban the use of student devices during lunch and recess through middle school — except for teacher-approved work.
For middle and high school students, Melvoin said it’s about creating guardrails on screens versus a strict ban.
“So the high school student who is in class and sitting on their device and needs to Google it will almost certainly still be allowed to,” he said.
The resolution is aimed at student-led use of digital devices. Teachers can still use YouTube and devices for instruction.
“Teachers, even in kindergarten and preschool, who want to put up a video of singing the alphabet song in different languages or some of those morning routines that I see when I'm in preschools [are] unfettered by this resolution,” Melvoin said. “It was really about the students and the ads that come up on YouTube, the algorithm that will send kids from a video about dinosaurs to something that we don’t want them to see.”
Melvoin told LAist that’s a fair concern but has heard about students pointing out their parents’ own excessive usage of their cell phones.
“ It's about creating good habits that we hope will trickle up both to their parents and also outside of the school day,” he said.
Martinez Roe agrees.
“I think that now when you see what's happening to us as adults, where we can barely put our phones down, it's like, it’s going to be three times as hard for our kids, and I don't wanna set my kid up for that — and definitely not do it through the school,” she said.
Topline:
A late season storm is expected to blow into Los Angeles and Ventura counties with light rain, wind gusts and cooler weather starting Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
What’s coming: Most of the L.A. region can expect up to a quarter inch of rain, with most of the rainfall coming midday Tuesday and into the evening. Temperatures are expected to be below normal on Tuesday and Wednesday, and gusty winds are expected through Friday.
Areas with heavier rain: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties are likely to see heavier rains of up to 1 inch. Northern parts of San Luis Obispo County have a 10% to 20% chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
Later in the week: Temperatures are expected to rise back into the 70s on Friday, before a second storm system comes through over the weekend, bringing a chance of more rain and temperatures in the 60s.
Topline:
A stretch of residential streets between Koreatown and Pico Union is slated for changes to slow down traffic aimed at making it safer to walk and bike, as Los Angeles moves forward with street redesigns ahead of the Summer Olympic Games.
More details: The project — currently referred to as Koreatown Pico Union Neighborhood Connect — would create a nearly two-mile, pedestrian-friendly route along New Hampshire Avenue, Berendo Street, and Washington Boulevard, connecting residential blocks with schools and Metro’s Wilshire/Vermont Station.
Why it matters: It’s designed as a lower-stress alternative to Vermont Avenue, a major corridor that carries heavy traffic through the area.
Read on... for more on the project.
The story first appeared on The LA Local.
A stretch of residential streets between Koreatown and Pico Union is slated for changes to slow down traffic aimed at making it safer to walk and bike, as Los Angeles moves forward with street redesigns ahead of the Summer Olympic Games.
The project — currently referred to as Koreatown Pico Union Neighborhood Connect — would create a nearly two-mile, pedestrian-friendly route along New Hampshire Avenue, Berendo Street, and Washington Boulevard, connecting residential blocks with schools and Metro’s Wilshire/Vermont Station.
It’s designed as a lower-stress alternative to Vermont Avenue, a major corridor that carries heavy traffic through the area.
On a recent weekday afternoon near Berendo Middle School — one of the schools along the route — pedestrians were out and about, including students walking home, residents on a leisurely stroll with their dogs, and people biking through the streets.
Sol Mendoza, who walks down the street from the school with her 5-year-old son every day, said she generally feels safe in the neighborhood but has concerns about how some drivers behave at crossings.
“Sometimes the cars passing don’t stop or forget to stop,” she said, gesturing to the curb where her son was playing with his mini kick scooter. “They fail to see people walking and go really fast.”
The plan aims to slow vehicle traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists through measures including traffic circles, speed humps, crosswalk signals, traffic diverters, bike boxes and wayfinding signage, though final decisions will depend on community feedback, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2028, according to city documents, with final designs anticipated this fall. The project has been awarded about $5.4 million in funding from Metro through its Active Transportation grant program, according to city documents.
According to LADOT, the corridor would make it easier and safer to get to schools, including Berendo Middle School, Loyola High School, and Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. The proposal is part of the city’s Mobility Plan 2035, which identifies streets for improvements aimed at walking and biking.
A LADOT survey of 729 respondents last fall found that 68% want safer, quieter streets and 43% would consider biking along the route if safety improved. Top concerns included speeding traffic, dangerous intersections and limited visibility at crossings.
Mary Lee, who lives near the route, supports creating an alternative and safer path to Vermont Avenue for pedestrians.
“I feel pretty safe here but when I’m walking along Vermont to go to the bank or a restaurant with my friends, I’m on edge because people on scooters whiz past me sometimes and they’re really fast. It’s also very loud,” she said.
Lee, who does not drive, said residential streets can also feel unsafe depending on how certain drivers behave.
“There are people who go really fast and don’t slow down when they turn,” she said. “You don’t know if they’ve actually seen you or not, and it doesn’t always feel safe.”
She’s skeptical about how well the pedestrian-focused changes will work.
“It sounds promising, but who knows, it’s L.A., and a lot of people just ignore signs and break the rules,” she said.
Scooter riders in the area also see room for improvement.
Alfredo Hernandez, a delivery driver who frequents Koreatown, feels generally comfortable navigating the area on a scooter as an experienced rider but sees gaps in infrastructure.
“I’d like to see more dedicated paths for people who are on scooters or walking,” he said. “I don’t think there’s enough of that.”
