An aerial view of houses along a coastal bluff at Boneyard Beach in Encinitas on Sept. 3, 2024.
(
Adriana Heldiz
/
CalMatters
)
Topline:
Three new pro-development appointees at the powerful Coastal Commission are trying to remedy its poor reputation among housing activists and Democratic leaders.
Why now: In a push to address the state’s gripping housing crisis, the California Coastal Commission last week approved a rule change to make it easier to build affordable housing in Monterey and elsewhere along the hundreds of miles of the Pacific coast.
Why it matters: It was the latest effort by the powerful state agency to combat its poor reputation among housing advocates and Democratic leaders who see it as an obstacle to drastic housing reform in California’s coveted coastal regions. While minor and uncontroversial, the amendment was one of a few shifts the commission has made in recent months in an effort to be viewed as playing a part in addressing the state’s crippling housing crisis.
Read on... how the commission got here.
Bone-colored bluffs and jagged cliffs line the Monterey shoreline where chalky sand meets redwoods.
Its rugged coastline, including beloved destinations such as Big Sur, is well-known California iconography protected by the California Coastal Act for nearly 50 years.
In a push to address the state’s gripping housing crisis, the California Coastal Commission last week approved a rule change to make it easier to build affordable housing in Monterey and elsewhere along the hundreds of miles of the Pacific coast.
It was the latest effort by the powerful state agency to combat its poor reputation among housing advocates and Democratic leaders who see it as an obstacle to drastic housing reform in California’s coveted coastal regions. While minor and uncontroversial, the amendment was one of a few shifts the commission has made in recent months in an effort to be viewed as playing a part in addressing the state’s crippling housing crisis.
It released a report for the first time in 2024 that showed local governments were responsible for approving the vast majority of permits in coastal regions, and this year the agency worked with housing activists to make it easier to build student housing in coastal cities. Nor did the coastal commission oppose the landmark housing reform law that excludes most new developments from environmental review.
“I think it’s going to have a real-life change,” Susan Jordan, a longtime conservation activist and founder of the California Coastal Protection Network, said of the regulatory amendment at the meeting.
Reputation rehab: Steps toward more housing
Twelve people — six local elected officials and six members of the public — vote on the independent, quasi-judicial state agency tasked with conserving more than 800 miles of the California coast and keeping it open to the public. Its authority spans about 1,000 yards inland from where the land meets the water at high tide.
The commission has faced relentless scrutiny in recent years for not permitting enough affordable housing in coastal cities, or doing so too slowly, as state lawmakers have stripped numerous housing regulations to make it easier to build more apartments.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a critic of the commission, and other Democratic leaders have appointed three pro-development local officials this year to help get more housing and other developments approved along the Pacific coast.
In October, Newsom appointed wealthy real estate developer Jaime Lee to replace Effie Turnbull Sanders. An attorney appointed by former Gov. Jerry Brown, Sanders was lauded by environmentalists for heralding environmental justice policies to the agency.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, named two pro-development appointees to the commission in May: Chris Lopez, a Monterey County supervisor, and Chula Vista councilmember Jose Preciado.
Ray Jackson, a Hermosa Beach councilmember, was appointed earlier this year by Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire of Santa Rosa, and is largely a skeptic of big developers.
In a unanimous vote last week, Peciado, Lopez and Jackson each approved changing the commission’s rules to give affordable housing projects in coastal areas more time to be built, from two to five years after permits are issued. Lee was not at the Nov. 6 meeting.
Staff and commissioners hailed the change as a step in the right direction for affordable housing developments that cannot be financed quickly enough under the previous two-year deadline.
“I think next year would be a good opportunity to roll out an education campaign in the Legislature to highlight some of the movements we made toward this,” Commissioner Linda Escalante said. “I don’t know if we can have a white paper that we can walk around with and figure out some of the reputation issues that we have.”
A history of protecting the coastline
Critics of the commission point to the exorbitant coastal housing prices, some of the highest in the country, and the disproportionate number of white residents, as exacerbating the housing shortage. To some, the commission’s priorities have not matched the urgency of lawmakers and local officials to help solve the cost problem.
Two-thirds of coastal residents are white, about twice as many as in the state as a whole, according to an analysis by Nicholas Depsky at the United Nations Development Programme.
Fewer than 2.5% of California residents live in coastal cities, or “coastal zones,” which comprise less than 1% of land in the state but are home to some of the most valuable real estate in the world, from Malibu to Marin.
Waves break near beach homes in Malibu on Dec. 28, 2023.
(
Damian Dovarganes
/
AP Photo
)
The Coastal Commission began as a 1972 ballot initiative in the shadow of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in the country at the time. Amid a broader national environmental movement, there was greater concern about how to protect California’s coveted shoreline in the midst of unregulated offshore drilling and fears of relentless development that would mirror Miami’s coastline.
Four years later, the state Legislature made the commission permanent with the Coastal Act to protect its natural habitats and keep beaches open to the public.
Early tensions between then-Gov. Jerry Brown and the commission brewed when he slammed its members as "bureaucratic thugs” in 1978, just years after championing its creation. Brown would spend his final years in office, nearly 40 years later, roiled by criticism from environmentalists who accused him of appointing commissioners who were too pro-development. Those fears were heightened with the ousting of executive director Charles Lester in 2016, a strong advocate for coastal protection.
Scrutiny of the commission has accelerated in the Newsom administration, as the governor has publicly chided the agency for its broad powers. After the Los Angeles fires, he swiftly moved to suspend all of its authority over rebuilding efforts in the Pacific Palisades, which abut the coastline.
Last year, the commission rejected billionaire Elon Musk’s proposal to increase the number of SpaceX rocket launches off the Santa Barbara coast while criticizing his support of President Donald Trump. Newsom said he was “with Elon” after the company filed a lawsuit for political discrimination. The case is still pending.
Lee, the newest commissioner, hails from Los Angeles and has built a reputation as a prolific builder known for revitalizing Koreatown. Her real estate company, Jamison properties, has built 6,600 multifamily units and is one of the largest private landowners in Los Angeles, according to its website.
Lee did not return emails and phone calls seeking comment from CalMatters.
The new appointments have made many pro-housing advocates hopeful. “We now have three out of 12 voting members who are appointed to the commission in this period when many legislators and the governor want reform at the commission to design more affordable housing,” said Louis Mirante, a lobbyist with the business coalition Bay Area Council. “That tells me that these members will probably move that vision forward.”
Lopez, who has emphasized his support for affordable housing on the coast since joining the commission, said the optimism is warranted.
“I think that that excitement is well placed given where we’re sitting at right now and given the voice that the speaker and the governor are giving at this issue and wanting to see a remedy to it,” Lopez said. “And I do feel it’s the reason I was put here was to have that conversation at the forefront.”
Environmental advocates watch
Environmentalists have mostly been quiet about the new appointments. Instead, they are waiting to see how they vote before raising the alarm.
“While there have been concerns expressed within the environmental movement, at this point we have no idea how this commissioner (Lee) will be,” said Jennifer Savage, associate director of Surfrider Foundation, a coastal protection advocacy group. Lee was not an obvious choice for many, but Savage is optimistic that she’ll support coastal protection.
“It’s actually not that surprising that the governor would appoint someone with housing expertise,” given the political climate, she continued.
A longtime local water authority official and current administrator at San Diego State University, Preciado said part of his pitch for the role to top Democratic leaders was that he wanted to see more of the coast developed to help create jobs and homes for working-class families.
“We have a keen interest in developing the California coast in such a way where underrepresented communities that live on the coast have more access,” Preciado said of himself and Lopez.
Wealthy coastal residents have long sparred with the commission over violations for blocking public access, such as Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla, who has been entangled in a slew of legal fights with regulators and coastal groups for years over access to Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay.
An empty road leading to Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay on Aug. 29, 2017.
(
Karl Mondon
/
Bay Area News Group
)
Many commissioners and staff view protecting public access and conservation as their primary purpose rather than housing policy.
Conservationism is out of style, even among Democrats, which has led support for the commission to dramatically shift in recent years, according to legislative director Sarah Christie.
To some commissioners, lawmakers’ push to rip away more and more of its housing authority is a misguided attempt to simplify a complex issue. They point out that 80% of coastal cities and counties have their own coastal laws and are not subject to the commission.
“It’s creating a lot of chaos and dysfunction at the local level and is making it harder,” Christie said of the movement toward slashing housing regulations. “In the Legislature’s enthusiasm and zeal in order to effectuate housing more quickly, they’re kind of stepping on themselves.”
Jackson, a commissioner who represents the South Bay, said lawmakers need to focus more on affordable housing rather than increasing supply more broadly.
Special environmental considerations and its highly sought after nature are what make the coastal zone uniquely expensive, Preciado said. “I think that a broader view, a more objective view, is that developing on the coast is different than developing in urban areas.”
Julia Barajas
explores how college students achieve their goals, whether they’re fresh out of high school, pursuing graduate work or looking to join the labor force through alternative pathways.
Published February 5, 2026 5:00 AM
Like campuses across the CSU system, Cal State Dominguez Hills was pushed to make tough financial choices last year.
(
Ashley Balderrama
/
LAist
)
Topline:
After concerted pushback from faculty, students and alumni, Cal State Dominguez Hills has decided not to eliminate six academic programs that were on the chopping block for months.
Why it matters: Critics said that cutting classic majors like art history and philosophy would be unthinkable at elite universities. They also held that Cal State Dominguez Hills, where Black and Latino students make up the majority and where more than 60% are eligible for federal Pell Grants, should have continued access to robust course offerings.
The backstory: Faced with a potential $375-million cut in state funding last winter, campus leaders across the CSU system moved to lay off faculty, shutter athletics programs and end majors.
What's next: In an email, campus spokesperson Lilly McKibbin said “No programs are currently being considered for potential discontinuation.” She also said that, as the campus continues “the process of reviewing our academic offerings, faculty and university leaders will consider many options, which could include expanding or consolidating existing programs, launching new ones, developing more interdisciplinary programs, discontinuing some offerings, or a combination of these possibilities.”
After concerted pushback from faculty, students and alumni, Cal State Dominguez Hills has decided not to eliminate six academic programs that were on the chopping block for months.
Faced with a potential $375 million cut in state funding last winter, campus leaders across the CSU system had moved to lay off faculty, shutter athletics programs and end majors.
At Cal State Dominguez Hills, campus leaders considered eliminating art history, earth sciences, geography and philosophy, along with labor studies and “Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding,” which are rare at most campuses.
This week, interim provost Kim Costino informed LAist that the programs will not be eliminated.
“Instead,” Costino added via email: “over the next year, [Cal State Dominguez Hills] will engage in a broad, holistic redesign process that will result in a leaner academic program portfolio that aligns the university’s academic offerings with our strategic plan, the CSU strategic plan, our university mission, the needs of our students and the job market demands of the region.”
In a followup email, campus spokesperson Lilly McKibbin said, “No programs are currently being considered for potential discontinuation.”
“Throughout the process of reviewing our academic offerings,” she added, “faculty and university leaders will consider many options, which could include expanding or consolidating existing programs, launching new ones, developing more interdisciplinary programs, discontinuing some offerings or a combination of these possibilities.”
A community effort
For educators like labor studies professor Stephen McFarland, Cal State Dominguez Hills’ decision to change course for now comes as “a big relief.”
In December, the California Faculty Association rallied against the proposed cuts. If implemented, members said, they wouldn’t just be detrimental to their colleagues but also to students.
In an email, McKibbin had told LAist: “Like all universities, [ours] must continually assess academic programs and invest in those which meet student needs, fulfill job market demands, and advance our mission. The university’s current financial constraints limit our ability to invest in new or expanded programs that could meet those needs.”
Students and alumni also spoke out against the proposed cuts. Noting that more than 60% of students are eligible for federal Pell Grants and that most financial aid awards go to families with incomes below $20,000, critics expressed concern that students from working-class backgrounds would have less access to humanities and social sciences.
Cutting classic majors like art history and philosophy, they told LAist, would be unthinkable at elite universities.
For months, non-tenured faculty in the designated programs navigated the anxiety of losing their employment. (McKibbin said the campus did “not anticipate layoffs of tenured or tenure-track faculty as a result of program discontinuation.") Meanwhile, the campus promised that if the cuts were made, students enrolled in those programs would still be able to finish their degrees at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Labor studies professor McFarland, a CFA executive board member, credits the administration’s about-face to the “quick and rapid action” of faculty, students, alumni and other community supporters. They “really banded together” to make phone calls, send emails, show up to rallies and speak up at meetings, he said, all to convey the message that the programs are “core to any university that claims to be comprehensive.”
“We feel vindicated,” McFarland added. “And we're proud of the community effort that came together to protect these programs.”
To boost enrollment in the labor studies program, McFarland and his colleagues continue to advertise, in person and online.
(
Julia Barajas
/
LAist
)
The professor also believes the campus’ new leadership was central to the decision. Interim provost Costino and interim president Mary Ann Villareal “recognize the value of the humanities,” McFarland said because they come from humanities backgrounds.
But how the relationship between faculty in these departments and the administration pans out remains to be seen.
When it comes to his students, McFarland said, there is a belief that because most of them are the first in their families to go to college, they “ought to be steered into hard science: engineering, computer science, you know, [programs] with a clear career payoff.”
McFarland says he and his colleagues view the university “much differently.”
“We see it as a forum for students to study any subject they want,” he said, “to explore the worlds of creativity and human inquiry — and then decide which career path [to pursue].”
"Sinners" writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler, producer Zinzi Coogler and producer Sev Ohanian attend the European premiere of "Sinners" at Cineworld Leicester Square on April 14, 2025, in London.
(
Tim P. Whitby
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
'Sinners' producer Sev Ohanian is the first Armenian immigrant to the U.S. to be nominated for best picture.
The context: Ohanian produced Sinners, along with writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler and Coogler’s wife and fellow producer Zinzi Coogler.
The 2025 film made history in more way than one with its 16 total Oscar nominations, breaking the previous record of 14 set by All About Eve and later matched by Titanic and La La Land. It also marked the first time that an Armenian American immigrant was nominated for Best Picture.
Ohanian was born to Armenian parents in Germany, immigrated to Glendale with his family when he was a baby. Hank Moonjean (Dangerous Liaisons) was the first Armenian American to be nominated for best picture in 1989.
Read on ... for more from Ohanian about the making of Sinners.
The vampire epic Sinners made history in more ways than one this year with its Oscar nominations.
The film’s 16 total nominations broke the previous record of 14 set by All About Eve and later matched by Titanic and La La Land. It also marked the first time that an Armenian American immigrant — Sev Ohanian — was nominated for best picture.
Ohanian produced Sinners, along with writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler and producer Zinzi Coogler.
LAist News host Julia Paskin spoke with Ohanian about Sinners and how making funny YouTube videos about his Armenian parents helped kick off a creative partnership with his fellow USC film school classmate Ryan Coogler.
Below are highlights from the conversation and an extended version of the interview is available here.
On Sinners as ‘the final exam of filmmaking’
Ohanian says he describes Sinners as like “the final exam of filmmaking,” with some more common challenges and others that were more unique.
That included casting: “Ryan knew from the very beginning [that] he wanted to find almost like a young unknown talent who would be great at acting, great at singing, could play guitar, [...] someone who had a youthful face, but a voice that was far beyond his years, which, how do we even find that? Is that something that people put on their resumes?”
With the help of casting director Francine Maisler (also nominated for an Oscar in the Academy’s first year bestowing a casting award), they found newcomer Miles Caton.
Then there were challenges unique to shooting in the swamps of Louisiana. Ohanian says there were “I think 6,042 mosquitoes at any given day. There was that one time an alligator literally showed up on set. Thankfully, it was all taken care of. Everyone was safe.”
How the Armenian American community in LA helped him launch his film career
Growing up, Ohanian says he loved the idea of making a career in filmmaking but was daunted.
“I had this idea that to be a filmmaker, you’ve gotta have connections and resources and knowledge, things that will be passed down. But as an Armenian American immigrant,” Ohanian says, “those are not things that were part of my community.”
He put the idea of filmmaking as a career to the side, but after making some YouTube videos about his Armenian parents for fun, “they blew up. Armenians all around the world were sharing them. They were going viral. And I ended up writing a movie called My Big Fat Armenian Family,” inspired by My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
He screened the movie at Glendale High School, got the word out to the Armenian American community, and people showed up and paid to see it.
"That experience, beyond the success of it on the financial level,” Ohanian says, “the fact that my community responded to something that I thought of, that I shot with my friends, it kind of made me realize that those things that I thought were necessary — connections and resources and knowledge — I had those this whole time in my community. That's what got me into USC where I started doing it for real.”
Keep up with LAist.
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.
Seattle Seahawks fans have another shot to see a Super Bowl win.
(
Jason Kempin
/
Getty Images
)
In this edition:
This weekend, check out Super Bowl (and Puppy Bowl!) watch parties, a Matisse talk, Joe Wong (in Mandarin and English) at the Improv and more of the best things to do.
Highlights:
Comedian Joe Wong is bringing his show, Twin Lunarcies, to the Improv in both Mandarin and English. Catch him before his Netflix is a Joke show in May.
The dream of the ‘90s is alive and well at the Lodge Room as a supergroup with members of R.E.M., Screaming Trees and Them Crooked Vultures join forces as a new band, Drink the Sea.
Watch the Puppy Bowl while surrounded by actual puppies at Annenberg Pet Space?! I think this one speaks for itself. Ruff!
The Broad’s current exhibit, Robert Therrien’s This is a Story, plays with the idea that everyday objects and materials can become art and move between worlds.The Grammy-nominated orchestral collective Wild Up takes a similar approach to their music and will work with a group of 30 non-musicians when they take the stage at the Broad to perform The Great Learning, Paragraphs 2 and 7, written in the late 1960s by Cornelius Cardew.
Aha! I found excellent art nerd Super Bowl alternative programming. Head to the Hammer and listen to independent art historian and former Getty Museum director John Walsh discuss Matisse’spainting of the female form between the wars.
I think there’s a football game on Sunday — before and after the Bad Bunny concert. Don’t worry, there are some watch party options (and Super Bowl alternatives!) in today’s newsletter. If football isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other sports options available in the form of the Winter Olympics, which begin this weekend.
We’re all getting a free concert on Sunday, but Licorice Pizza has the rest of your music picks for the week, including hometown faves the Silversun Pickups album release party at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Barnsdall Gallery Theater, Aimee Mann at Pacific Electric and Mandy Patinkin singing Sondheim and more at the Carpenter Center on Saturday.
Sunday, February 8, 7 p.m. (Mandarin) and 9:15 p.m. (English) Hollywood Improv 8162 Melrose Ave., Hollywood COST: $44.79; MORE INFO
(
Michael S. Schwartz
/
Getty Images
)
Comedian Joe Wong has done what few comics can — build an audience in two languages — and he’s bringing his show, Twin Lunarcies, to the Improv in both Mandarin and English. Wong hosted a TV show in his native China for a decade before exploring and finding success in the U.S., where he’s roasted Joe Biden at the Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner and appeared on many late-night talk shows. Catch him before his Netflix is a Joke show in May.
Drink the Sea (members of REM, Screaming Trees, Them Crooked Vultures)
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. Lodge Room 104 N. Ave. 56, 2nd floor, Highland Park COST: $45.50; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Lodge Room
)
The dream of the ‘90s is alive and well at the Lodge Room as a supergroup with members of R.E.M., Screaming Trees (remember when all the bands had gerunds in their names?) and Them Crooked Vultures join forces for a new band, Drink the Sea.
Fuego Burlesque: A Bad Bunny Tribute
Saturday, February 7, 10 p.m. Harvelle's Long Beach 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach COST: $22; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Harvelle's Long Beach
)
We’re getting a little racy at Best Things To Do this week, but this one is too good not to include, because just 15 minutes of Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl is not sufficient. Get the party started early with this burlesque tribute to the Puerto Rican superstar from Dirty Little Secrets Burlesque. Obviously, this event is 21+.
Super Bowl Watch Parties
Sunday, February 8, kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Various locations COST: VARIES
Atmosphere during CMT After Midnight After Party and Super Bowl Sunday
Sunday, February 8, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wallis Annenberg PetSpace 12005 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista COST: FREE; MORE INFO
(
Laura Roberts
/
Unsplash
)
Watch the Puppy Bowl while surrounded by actual puppies?! I think this one speaks for itself. Ruff!
Israel Film Festival
Through Thursday, February 19 Saban, Fine Arts and Regal North Hollywood COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Israel Film Festival
)
The 37th annual Israel Film Festival kicks off this week and will host four U.S. premieres, plus a 40th anniversary screening of Ricochets, the 1986 film about the First Lebanon War starring Alon Aboutboul. Many new Israeli films will screen at three area venues — the Saban and the Fine Arts theaters in Beverly Hills, and the Regal in North Hollywood. The festival has a wide range of films, from comedies to features to docs, and many of the screenings include Q&As with talent afterward.
Home and Away: Matisse Makes Another Heaven
Sunday, February 8, 3 p.m. Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy Hammer Museum
)
Aha! I found excellent art nerd Super Bowl alternative programming. Head to the Hammer and listen to independent art historian and former Getty Museum director John Walsh discuss Matisse’s painting of the female form between the wars. Walsh will explore the influence of Matisse’s time in Nice and emerging art eras like Cubism on his work. This is the third of four in a lecture series about Matisse with Walsh at the Hammer; the last one follows on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Wild Up: The Great Learning
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The Broad 221 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: $25; MORE INFO
(
Courtesy The Broad
)
The Broad’s current exhibit, Robert Therrien’s This is a Story, plays with the idea that everyday objects and materials can become art and move between worlds. The Grammy-nominated orchestral collective Wild Up takes a similar approach to their music and will work with a group of 30 non-musicians when they take the stage at the Broad to perform The Great Learning, Paragraphs 2 and 7, written in the late 1960s by Cornelius Cardew. The public ensemble will learn the work “through repetitions and echoes, culminating in a performance where music becomes a shared space to embody collective creativity.”
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published February 4, 2026 6:23 PM
Thousands of students from schools across Los Angeles walked out Wednesday in peaceful protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
(
Sabrina Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Thousands of students from schools across Los Angeles walked out Wednesday in peaceful protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Los Angeles Unified School District estimated 4,400 students from about two dozen schools participated.
Hear it from a student: “The reason I came out is 'cause we're so young and I feel like people always think that like young people don't have a voice and in reality we have one of the strongest voices,” said Jazlyn Garcia, a senior at Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School. “I want people to go out and vote for midterms, pre-register to vote.”
Why now: Students say the Trump administration's immigration raids threaten their families, communities and education. Alexis, a senior at Brío College Prep, said administrators locked down his campus after agents detained a nearby fruit vendor. “He was a part of our community,” Alexis said. “He would always be out there selling fruits to us after school.”
What's next: San Fernando Valley students at more than 40 schools plan to walk out Friday. “Los Angeles Unified supports the rights of our students to advocate for causes important to them,” a district spokesperson wrote in a statement to LAist. “However, we are concerned for student safety at off-campus demonstrations as schools are the safest place for students.” The district encouraged students to exercise their rights in on-campus discussions and demonstrations.
Thousands of students from schools across Los Angeles walked out Wednesday in peaceful protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The Los Angeles Unified School District estimated 4,400 students from about two dozen schools participated.
“ I think it's really empowering that we aren't being discouraged to [protest], but it's also really discouraging to have to live through this,” said Roybal Learning Center senior Melisa.
“The reason I came out is 'cause we're so young and I feel like people always think that like young people don't have a voice and in reality we have one of the strongest voices,” said Jazlyn Garcia, a senior at Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School. “I want people to go out and vote for midterms, pre-register to vote.”
Leonna, a senior at Downtown Magnets High School and daughter of immigrants from Cambodia, said she was thinking of her neighbors. “We need to protect the people that make sure that the economy is running and make sure that our lives are the way that they are every day.”
Students said the Trump administration's immigration raids threaten their families, communities and education.
LAUSD estimated that several thousand students walked out.
(
Sabrina Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Students said they were concerned for family and neighbors.
(
Sabrina Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Alexis, a senior at Brío College Prep, said administrators locked down his campus after agents detained a nearby fruit vendor. “He was a part of our community,” Alexis said. “He would always be out there selling fruits to us after school.”
“Los Angeles Unified supports the rights of our students to advocate for causes important to them,” a district spokesperson wrote in a statement to LAist. “However, we are concerned for student safety at off-campus demonstrations as schools are the safest place for students.”
The district encouraged students to exercise their rights in on-campus discussions and demonstrations.
