The Brief

For Atwater Village resident Laura Cowan, deep cleaning her home this spring means more than just decluttering and dusting off hard-to-reach spaces. It’s a fresh mind shift.

“I get sad in the wintertime,” Cowan said. “I think instead of the new year, [springtime] is more about renewing your commitment to yourself, your life and what you want to be.”

It’ll also be a time of deep reflection for her. She lost both of her parents and her father-in-law within the first few years of getting married and buying a house with her husband. Her house has become a storage area, full of random items they’ve inherited or kept from their past lives.

Now, this spring, she’s on a mission to clean her house up.

“I do a deep cleaning of my own feelings and emotions this time of year too,” Cowan said. “Sometimes in life, you're pushing things down the road. I just want to clear everything out, physically, mentally, emotionally.”

A season for cleaning

Cowan is one of several Americans who will embark on decluttering, dusting and disinfecting their living spaces this spring. According to the American Cleaning Institute study, 87% of Americans feel like they’re at their mental and physical best when they have a clean home.

Plus, it's allergy season. Dust in one’s home could contain allergens like dust mites, pet dander and mold. And with all the rain we’ve had, blooms are in full force with Santa Ana winds and spring breezes likely blowing pollen through your window.

But where to start? We all know it's a good thing to give our living spaces a big, deep clean once or twice a year. But it can be overwhelming. Where to begin? How to fit it in a busy schedule? What supplies to get?

We’ve got you covered with tips from some pros and a few resourceful Angelenos who responded to our social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Six tips for spring cleaning your house or apartment

Start small

Arjun and Nancy Mehta are the owners of a Molly Maid cleaning franchise in L.A. and they say they see an uptick in clients during this time of year because. As the days get warmer, people open their doors more, invite people over, and want to have a clean home.

But, they warn, don’t do too much at once.

They recommend starting with a smaller room like a home office or a den, rather than the kitchen or the bathroom so that you can feel accomplished at the end of the day.

“Do it section by section,” Nancy Mehta said. “Don’t try to tackle it all in one Saturday where you’re going to get your day completely destroyed by cleaning.”

Use a microfiber towel

Whether it's dirt, pollen or pet hair, dust and particles accumulate everywhere.

“There is something about the combination of a microfiber towel and a little bit of water. Water on a microfiber towel that traps the dust,” Nancy Mehta said.

If it’s been a long time, she recommends using a combination dish soap, vinegar and water to get rid of more stubborn dust.

“You want to try to eliminate the dust so that it doesn't go up in the air and come back down,” she added. “The microfiber towel is more of a trapper than anything else.”

Don't over-rely on chemicals

Laura Cowan said her husband has respiratory issues which has caused them to stop using almost all chemical cleaners. Some products release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause chronic respiratory problems, along with other health issues.

“Baking soda, vinegar, hot water, biodegradable, just everyday soap all do about 99% of what you want and need,” Cowan said. “Tea tree oil with a little alcohol in a spray bottle makes it a nice alternative.”

Clear out the clothes

South L.A. resident Teja Smith said spring cleaning gives her a peace of mind, especially as a busy millennial with a social media agency. Her first target is her closet.

“Spring cleaning to me is getting things out of your main areas and putting things in storage, which is a great way to bring back wardrobes and get yourself excited about certain items back in your house,” Smith said.

She takes time to declutter and refresh twice a year in the spring and fall. Her tip? Ask yourself: Have you worn that lately?

“It’s really just a non-tedious process of realizing what I've worn in the last six months and realizing what I either need to wear or move,” Smith said. “If it still doesn't get used … then it goes.”

Give yourself some grace

Cowan said she struggles with setting high expectations for herself, but the process of spring cleaning can be reassuring when you are overwhelmed with life. There is also a lot of emotion that goes along with “letting go” of things that may have sentimental value or bring up memories.

She said it’s important to ask yourself questions like: Is this particular item serving me? And is this helping me get to where I want to go?

If it feels like a lot, she says to give yourself grace.

“If you're doing this for the first time in a long time, it can be intimidating and scary,” Cowan said. “Something is better than nothing. Only you know what it was supposed to look like. Just do it because it makes you feel good.”

Go slow and take the time you need to process the “letting go” of things.

After decluttering, where to donate

Here’s one last thing that might seem overwhelming, but doesn’t need to be. At the end of all your clearing out, you might have a pile of things — clothes, sports equipment, homewares — that you might think is too good to throw out. Or maybe you just want to avoid adding too much more to our brimming landfills.

Regardless of motivation, here’s some options to consider for passing on all that excess stuff without tossing in the trash: donate, consign, recycle.

Donate

There is always the Goodwill or the Salvation Army, which will take gently used items for donation almost any day of the week. But there’s plenty of other spots to consider as well. Just be sure to call ahead before dropping stuff off.

• Alexandria House in Koreatown offers supportive housing for women and children who are experiencing homelessness and trauma
• Los Angeles Mission serves people living on Skid Row
• Downtown Women’s Shelter exclusively serves women and gender diverse people experiencing homelessness
• El Nido Family Centers serves low-income families in need across L.A. County
• Miriam’s House is a sober living home for women and their families. 
• Habitat for Humanity accepts gently used appliances and furniture 
• San Fernando Rescue Mission Alliance provides shelter to families experiencing homeless and recovery services to men experiencing homelessness and living with substance abuse issues, as well as job counseling support
• Out of the Closet Thrift Store helps raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS, and provides free HIV testing
• Animal shelters and animal rescue organizations typically accept hand-me-down towels as well as gear like leashes and harnesses

Consign

If you have an unworn or barely used dress in that closet of yours and would like to make a little money back on that purchase, consider a consignment shop, which will offer to sell it for you for a piece of the profit.

• Trove in West L.A. accepts clothes, accessories and housewares that are in good shape based on a seasonal basis and other demands 
• Gift of Garb in Silver Lake is a little more high end but if you’ve got that Gucci belt collecting dust in your armoire, see if you can resell it
• Left Bank is not a traditional consignment shop but, similar to Crossroads, this shop will buy or trade clothes in exchange for money or store credit 
• Rebag specializes in designer purses and will buy, trade or consign that Louis Vuitton you just don’t use anymore (as long as its in good shape)

Recycle

If you’re conscious about the environment and want to find a way to get rid of things that may not be in decent enough shape to donate or consign, you could check out Ridwell. You need to get a membership but, for a fee, it will pick up your old threads — as well as other items — each month. You put your recyclables in a bag, and the workers get the bag right at your front door.

Locally, there's also the Suay It Forward program at Suay in L.A. where you can buy a $20 recycling bag in exchange for $20 in store credit. Fill up the bag with unwanted clothes and fabrics and drop it in their bin.

Facing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, Pasadena Unified's school board voted unanimously this week to finalize a plan to send layoff notices to more than 160 staff members as part of an effort to balance its budget that began last fall.

The district has maintained that the job reductions are necessary because of a $30 million budget deficit, part of a financial crisis made worse by the Eaton Fire.

California schools must notify employees about potential layoffs for the following school year by March 15. The number of current employees who will be out of a job next year is still unclear, in part, because people may be reassigned to vacant positions. In the past, PUSD has also rescinded some layoff notices before they took effect.

Parents, teachers and union leaders at the Thursday meeting criticized the district for targeting teachers and school staff for layoffs instead of administrative positions.

“ Teaching for PUSD means anxiety every March as it approaches, because we don't know if we're going to get to keep our job or not,” said Genevieve Miller, a PUSD teacher who said her children also graduated from the district. “ There's a different way forward.”

Board members acknowledged the decision they made was difficult.

“ I just want to be very clear that this is not the outcome that anybody prefers,” Board member Yarma Velázquez said. “Workforce reductions and the continuous, year after year position of being in this place where we have to reduce positions is draining and it is painful.

“I am very aware of what the implications are for all of the people that work here at PUSD.”

The board meeting

At the meeting, which started at 4 p.m. and nearly lasted until midnight, parents highlighted the potential of families and teachers choosing to leave the district because of the layoffs.

“ Right now, the [PUSD] community is in fight mode, as you can see from the turnout and other comments being made here tonight,” said parent Neil Tyler. “But if you approve these resolutions as proposed tonight, a large chunk of the community will quickly shift to flight mode and the death spiral of this district will begin.”

Jonathan Gardner, president of United Teachers of Pasadena, told the board that the cuts meant the district would lose dozens of middle and high school teachers and child development staff.

“ The best thing for kids and staff is always stability and making sure that we have full staff,” Gardner said. “The priorities should be working from the student experience out. Instead, what we see is millions and millions of dollars being spent on contracted services and millions and millions being spent on extra staffing at the central office.”

Speakers also noted that Pasadena Unified had endured years of budget cuts, which affected teachers, librarians and office staff.

Others said PUSD was failing to meet its requirement under California law to commit at least 55% of the district’s education expenses to teacher salaries.

LAist reached out to the district for comment on this but has not yet received a response.

Pasadena Unified board members said the cuts were necessary, especially after warnings from regulators that they could be out of compliance with requirements to balance the budget.

“For the sake of the district's solvency, I feel like it would be irresponsible if I took an action that put this district in jeopardy,” board member Michelle Bailey said Thursday night. “I can't in good conscience take that kind of action.”

About the budget issues

Concerns over declining enrollment numbers, which are tied to funding, have been growing since the Eaton Fire.

A report commissioned by a state agency recommended that the state increase its funding for the school system to help with fire recovery.

Some observers said Pasadena Unified’s budget issues date back much longer than that.

“Over the past 30 years, Pasadena Unified has faced a mounting fiscal calamity, one that you can no longer ignore or postpone,” Octavio Castelo, director of business advisory services for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, told Pasadena Unified’s board in November. “Despite your best efforts and intentions, the district has not been able to live within its means."

Cutting staff will likely mean losing some school programs, including language and music.

“ You have Mary Jackson [Elementary in Altadena] — it's a science magnet school, and they're cutting the science teacher,” Gardner, the teacher’s union president, told LAist. “That's the heart of the school.”

What happens next

The layoff notices are expected to be sent to affected staff members by mid-March.

The district will have until summer to finalize the list.

K-12 education reporter Mariana Dale contributed reporting.

The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted unanimously Friday to place Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

The FBI searched Carvalho’s home and district offices Wednesday. A DOJ spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide additional details. The FBI told LAist media partner CBS LA that the underlying affidavit remained under court-ordered seal.

The board also appointed current Chief of School Operations Andres Chait as acting superintendent after the seven-hour closed meeting Thursday and Friday.

“I know that this is a very challenging time,” said Board President Scott Schmerelson in a brief public statement after the decision was announced. “I want you to know that the board believes in you, supports you and knows that you will continue to do your very best to support the students and families of the district.”

Schmerelson clarified in an email to LAist that he was referring to Chait. The seven-member board exited the meeting room without taking questions. Carvalho was not present and has not made a public statement since the searches Wednesday.

The district posted a statement online later in which Schmerelson wrote that “today’s action is aimed at fulfilling our promise to students and families to provide an excellent public education without distraction.”

The board’s decision provided clarity about district leadership but did not shed light on the reason for the searches, which have been the subject of widespread speculation.

“While we understand the need for information, we cannot discuss the specifics of this matter pending investigation,” read the district’s statement.

Who is the acting superintendent?

Chait has worked for the district for nearly three decades. The chief of school operations’ responsibilities are varied and include athletics, the district’s office of emergency management and staff investigations. Chait has presented to the board on everything from school safety to the cell phone ban and the district’s calendar.

Chief of School Operations Andres Chait has worked for LAUSD for nearly three decades.

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Courtesy of Los Angeles Unified School District

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“I am humbled by the board’s confidence in appointing me to serve as acting superintendent during this critical time," Chait said in the district’s statement. "Our focus remains clear: to ensure stability, continuity and strong leadership for our students, families and employees."

What we know about AllHere, LAUSD’s AI tool

A spokesperson for the FBI in Miami confirmed Wednesday’s L.A. searches are linked to a search of a South Florida home the same day. That property, identified by local media outlets, belongs to Debra Kerr, who was associated with the company LAUSD contracted to create a short-lived AI tool called AllHere.

Federal authorities have not connected AllHere to this week’s investigation.

Los Angeles Unified approved a $6.2 million contract with AllHere in June 2023 to develop a tool that would create an “individual acceleration plan,” using district data and featuring an artificial intelligence chatbot.

LAUSD debuted “Ed” the following March as a "personal assistant" to students that would point them toward mental health resources and nudge students who were falling behind.

Within three months of its debut, the company behind Ed, AllHere, furloughed the bulk of its staff; its CEO was later charged with fraud. The district defended the process it used to debut that chatbot, which cost $3 million.

Parents and educators demanded transparency after the district shut down the chatbot.

Many questions remain

The federal investigation comes at a time when LAUSD is financially strained, cutting hundreds of jobs and facing pressure from the district’s largest labor unions to settle new contracts.

SEIU Local 99, which represents school support staff and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) have issued statements calling on the district to clearly communicate about the status of the superintendent and the investigation.

"UTLA educators and our school communities have long raised concerns about LAUSD rapidly increasing spending on education tech and outside contractors, while investment in classrooms and educators has declined,” UTLA wrote in a statement provided to LAist.

Carvalho has been superintendent of LAUSD since 2022, and the board unanimously renewed his contract in 2025. Prior to coming to L.A., Carvalho had worked for the Miami-Dade County school district for decades, 30 years as a teacher and the last 14 years as the district's supervisor.

Carvalho's time at LAUSD has included a number of wins for the district, including gains in test scores and participation in AP classes.

After threatening to sever ties with Scouting America and kick the youth group off military bases worldwide, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday gave a six-month reprieve to the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America.

Hegseth made the announcement in a video posted to X, framing it as an ultimatum to Scouting to conform to the Trump administration's anti-DEI agenda. He detailed his many criticisms of the group, saying Scouts had "lost their way" by changing the organization's name and "watering down" what he called "the focus on God as the ruler of the universe."

He accused the Scouts of promoting "an insidious, radical, woke ideology that is anti-America and anti-American."

Hegseth also made clear he thinks the organization should go back to being exclusively male. " Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men," he said. "Maybe someday."

The Pentagon's promise to reevaluate its relationship with Scouting in six months was nonetheless a retreat of sorts for Hegseth. Today's announcement came after word of Hegseth's plans to shun Scouting sparked weeks of backlash, including from some Republicans. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska has said of Hegseth's plans: "I've heard a lot of dumb stuff, but this is up there."

In a meeting with Scouting officials in January, Hegseth had demanded that the organization change its name back to Boy Scouts and remove some 200,000 young girls from its membership.

" I knew in the meeting that my board, my organization, was not gonna make those changes," Scouting America CEO Roger Krone said in an interview with NPR.

Krone explained that the organization considers including girls to be a service to families.

" When I was a youth, we left parts of the family in the parking lot on Friday night when we went camping," Krone said. "Long before I came back to Scouting, our board made several decisions, by a vote of our national council, that we were gonna serve the entire family."

A week after the Pentagon meeting, Scouting officials sent a letter to Hegseth outlining proposed concessions. While they wouldn't change the name or kick out girls, they would drop a Citizenship in Society merit badge that promoted diversity and had been instituted after the killing of George Floyd. They would also add a Military Service merit badge, waive membership fees for military families and offer a public rededication "of duty to God, duty to country, and service."

Even after the concessions, which Scouting officials said they planned to implement regardless, a spokesman told NPR the group expected an announcement from the Pentagon severing ties was imminent. But after NPR reported on the rift, Krone said Scouting's members and alumni started lobbying against breaking the century-old partnership.

Hegseth has for years criticized Scouting for allegedly caving to progressive politics. He repeated the claim Friday. "Scouting became an organization that no longer supported and celebrated boys," Hegseth said. "They even welcomed the destructive myth of gender fluidity and transgenderism to infiltrate their membership."

The Secretary also highlighted another concession. "Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity," he said. "That means that the application, any application, will have only two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant's birth certificate."

Krone noted that the Scouting application already has only two sex designations. " Tomorrow it will be the same application that we had yesterday," he said. "We ask for that information so we can operate our units in a way that ensures that our kids are safe and are safeguarded."

In the wake of sexual abuse allegations that resulted in a $2.46 billion victim compensation fund, Krone says Scouting has implemented stringent policies. Along with other practices, he said they ask for gender information " so that we know from a tenting standpoint and from a bathroom standpoint how to run our programs."

Severing ties with Scouts would have meant banning scouts from meeting on military bases, withdrawing military medical and logistical assistance to the quadrennial Scout Jamboree and eliminating the program that allows Eagle Scouts to enlist at advanced rank and pay.

As reported by NPR, the Pentagon had gone so far as to coordinate with the heads of the different branches on what a separation might mean. The Pentagon circulated a draft notification internally meant for the congressional Armed Services Committees, justifying the withdrawal of military support for the Jamboree. The memo, reviewed by NPR, claimed that providing medical and logistical help to the campout, scheduled for July, would threaten national security.

With this six-month trial period, base access for Scout troops will continue and Jamboree assistance is moving forward for now, including recruitment coordination. As Hegseth pointed out on X, many boy Scouts have become high-ranking military officers, or have served the country in other ways.

"Six Boy Scouts have been elected president of the United States," Hegseth said. "Eleven of the 12 Men to walk on the Moon [were] boy Scouts."

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