Messages obtained by LAist shed new light on what led up to, and what happened after, the massive Airport Fire was unintentionally sparked by an Orange County Public Works crew. The cause of the fire has been publicly acknowledged by county officials.
What the messages reveal: Those messages,obtained by LAist through a public records request, show that managers and crew supervisors were alerted to the high fire danger three hours before the fire was sparked. Post-fire, records show managers acknowledged having a water truck was a “BMP,” best management practice, but none was on site.
What we know about the internal reaction: Messages reveal high alarm about the county’s role in sparking a fire that ultimately burned down homes, resulting in hundreds of millions in damage claims filed to date.
Keep reading... for details about what officials said about what went wrong.
Key Findings:
Messages between public officials obtained by LAist show that all three work crew supervisors and a manager at O.C. Public Works were alerted to high fire danger on Sept. 9, hours before their crew accidentally started the Airport Fire.
No water truck accompanied the crew working with heavy equipment in Trabuco Canyon that day, even though a supervisor had asked for one and the department considered doing so a “best management practice,” according to records. The crew used fire extinguishers, but it wasn’t enough to stop the flames, according to fire officials.
The lack of preventative measures was out of step with written policies in many neighboring counties and federal agencies, according to LAist’s review of other departments’ practices. Those are in place to reduce the risk of fire during backcountry maintenance work. LAist found no such written policy in Orange County documentation.
Messages obtained by LAist show that Orange County Public Works officials were alerted to high fire danger, yet failed to take precautions on the day a crew accidentally started the massive Airport Fire during a September heat wave. Over the next 26 days, the fire burned down more than 160 buildings, injured 22 people and resulted in nearly $400 million in claims county taxpayers could be on the hook for.
Sean Doran, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority, told LAist the fire was sparked the afternoon of Sept. 9 while the crew was using heavy equipment to move large rocks in Trabuco Canyon.
LAist’s review of messages sent on Microsoft Teams, obtained through a public records request, show Operations & Maintenance supervisors and a senior manager were informed at 10 a.m. that morning of high fire danger. By that time, work at the site had been underway for three hours, according to Doran.
Even after the high fire danger warning, no water truck was brought in. More than three hours after that warning, work at the site sparked the fire.
That work was taking place without a water truck present, according to an equipment log in the job’s work order obtained by LAist. However, in a chat log from Sept. 10, Edward Frondoso, the deputy director for operations and maintenance at O.C. Public Works, says: “I know yesterday morning Bud had asked them to take the water truck out.” Nina Quimsing, an operations and maintenance manager, responds by noting that using a water truck is a department best practice.
On Sept. 10, the day after an O.C. Public Works crew unintentionally started the Airport Fire, department managers discuss what one described as a request for the crew to take a water truck with them. An OCFA spokesperson told LAist the fire was classified as unintentional.
(
Illustration by Olivia Hughes for LAist
/
County of Orange public records
)
The records prompted LAist to seek answers with the county officials to understand decisions made that day, including:
What is the county’s protocol for doing field work when fire risk is high?
Who was responsible for making sure the crew took appropriate precautions?
What, if anything, is the county doing to make sure such a misstep isn’t repeated?
Shannon Widor, a spokesperson for O.C. Public Works, told LAist he couldn’t comment for this story “due to pending claims and the likelihood of litigation.”
James Treadaway, who was the head of O.C. Public Works at the time of the fire, left his job suddenly in late September without a public explanation.
LAist reached out to the public works departments of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and the National Forest Service to ask about their policies for limiting risk on days when fire danger is high.
Several agencies require supervisors to only schedule work on low fire risk days or halt work on high fire risk days. Riverside County both forbids work on high fire danger days, and requires a water truck to be present for roadside work that could start a fire.
In contrast, an LAist review of Orange County’s policies did not find any reference to wildfire prevention, nor requirements to bring water trucks or halting work when the fire risk is high.
Image shows a re-creation of Microsoft Teams messages sent Sept. 10, the day after an O.C. Public Works crew unintentionally started the Airport Fire.
(
Illustration by Olivia Hughes for LAist
/
County of Orange public records
)
The Airport Fire burned more than 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties before it was contained nearly a month later. It was officially declared out on Nov. 15.
The total cost of fighting the fire is expected to reach $95 million, according to Adrienne Freeman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service.
Numerous families reported losing their homes and livelihoods in claims to the county, which now reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Among those injured in connection with the Airport Fire were eight firefighters, who rolled their vehicle as they were returning home from duty. Two of the firefighters were treated in a specialty neurorehabilitation hospital in Colorado. One was released last week after two months of treatment. The other continues to receive rehab treatment in Colorado.
A house burns in El Cariso Village along Ortega Highway during the Airport Fire.
(
Wally Skalij
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
What the messages say
One thing that is clear: County officials have said the fire started when the crew was moving boulders to block off illegal paths and turnouts made by offroad vehicles along Trabuco Creek Road. An OCFA spokesperson told LAist two employees — a crew member and a supervisor — saw smoke coming from the basket of a truck loaded with boulders. They called 911 and used fire extinguishers at the scene in an unsuccessful attempt to put out the fire.
LAist’s review of Microsoft Teams messages between high-level O.C. Public Works managers detail some of their discussions after the fire started, and raise further questions about who’s responsible.
Fire officials received reports of a fire near a model airplane field in Trabuco Canyon around 1 p.m. on Sept. 9. About an hour later, at 2:08 p.m., Frondoso, the deputy director for Operations & Maintenance, sent a message through Microsoft Teams to his colleague Fiona Man.
“i kind of have something important to talk to KO about,” Frondoso wrote. Frondoso's boss at the time was Kevin Onuma, who is now is the interim director of O.C. Public Works.
The following exchange between Frondoso and Man took place over the next 15 minutes:
Edward: i'm going to talk about that we f***ing started a fire [redaction by LAist] Edward: and it’s bad Fiona: WE???? Edward: and we have a guy ___________ Edward: but ok Edward: ttyl lol Fiona: shit Fiona: what happened Edward: i was trying not to put it on teams Edward: someone didn't follow directives Fiona: ok dont
Note: The redaction was made by the county before turning over the documents to LAist.
The county and state fire officials have separate, ongoing investigations into how the fire started.
LAist tried to reach out to all supervisors and managers named in the messages by phone and email and reached 10 of the 12. No one responded to the requests for comment.
What the crew did, and didn’t have that day
A house in flames at El Cariso Village in Lake Elsinore on Sept. 10.
(
Apu Gomes
/
Getty Images
)
Flames are seen near the side of a road as the Airport Fire gained ground near Lake Elsinore.
(
David Swanson
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
LAist obtained the crew’s master work order for the Trabuco Canyon job via a public records request. The project to place boulders and barriers called K-rails began on Aug. 28 and was set to finish on Sept. 13, according to the work order. On the day of the fire, the equipment assigned were a CAT loader, dump truck, and pickup truck, the work order shows.
Records the county disclosed to LAist do not show an order for a water truck or tank associated with the work on the day the fire started, although work orders from previous weeks along the same road do include a water truck or tank.
Messages obtained by LAist via the California Public Records Act from Sept. 10, the day after the fire started, show managers trying to piece together why the crew didn’t have a water truck.
“On the work order, it shows what equipment will be used, but I know yesterday morning [a crew supervisor] had asked them to take the water truck out,” Frondoso wrote to his subordinate Nina Quimsing, an operations and maintenance manager.
Quimsing wrote back:
“Use of water truck or water buffalo would be considered a BMP. It is up to the crew to use BMPs where appropriate. But our Field Operations Manual activity guidelines state ‘Use appropriate BMP.’ For every maintenance activity.”
“BMP” refers to best management practice.
LAist requested from O.C. Public Works all of its written policies and procedures regarding fire prevention during the type of work the crew was doing that sparked the fire. County officials have turned over 99 pages of documentation, which include a fire prevention plan.
That policy specifies that “all heat-producing equipment/appliances shall be kept at a sufficiently safe distance from other combustible materials and have adequate space for air circulation.” But it does not specifically address fire hazards associated with field work, such as whether to bring a water truck or cancel work on high fire danger days. Those conditions are addressed in plans by other counties’ agencies.
Crew were informed of fire danger after work had already started
Garrett Keene stands in the rubble of his home in El Cariso Village on Sept. 12.
(
Gina Ferazzi
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Vintage cars destroyed by the Airport Fire.
(
Etienne Laurent
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
At 11:48 a.m. on Sept. 10, Frondoso wrote to Quimsing: “have you ever heard of us delaying or deferring work due to fire safety concerns?”
Quimsing replied: “This is why we announce the fire danger ratings over the 800 Mhz in Silver 1 so crews are informed of the risks when operating equipment etc.”
The National Weather Service had issued an excessive heat warning for Sept. 9, the day the fire broke out, advising the public of “dangerously hot conditions” in the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills, which include Trabuco Canyon. Records show temperatures in the canyon reached 100 degrees that day.
Public records obtained by LAist document that a public works dispatcher followed the standard practice of radioing twice daily announcements about the level of fire danger to field crews, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Work at the site began at 7 a.m. A log of those announcements shows that on the day the fire started, the dispatcher warned in both announcements of “high” fire danger — the first warning of that level in 2024.
In addition, public records show “Darrell, Bud, Brandon and David” were sent an email and called about the high fire danger alert. In the organization chart obtained by LAist via a public records request, Darrell Wilson is an operations and maintenance manager and David Fernandez, Brandon Morgan and Erik Budzinski are all listed as maintenance supervisors. They are all listed in the chart as working under Frondoso.
The struggle to get records
LAist filed a public records request with OC Public Works for the Microsoft Teams chat logs on Sept. 12, three days after the fire started. Initially, county officials responded that no chat records were found and closed our request on Sept. 23. LAist asked again if there were relevant records. They then disclosed dozens of chat messages, saying the records were identified in a “subsequent search.”
County officials have told LAist that this is just one batch of records and more will be released in the coming weeks. Staff told LAist that all public records requests related to the Airport Fire are being reviewed by legal counsel because it is a “high visibility” item.
Chat logs reviewed by LAist also reveal how staff were directed to “pick up the phone” if they were discussing the fire. “As a reminder, please do not email, message or text any opinions or details,” Widor wrote via Teams to some managers.
Claims for damages and the fallout
As a result of the Airport Fire, Orange County has already received claims for damages amounting to close to $400 million. They range from people who say they lost their entire homes, to hotel costs due to evacuation orders.
“My entire retirement plans + future have been affected by this loss, and I have lost everything to plan for my future wellbeing,” one person wrote in their claim, seeking $1.8 million for losses.
Another man, who claimed $39,000 in damages, said his vehicle was torched with all of his construction equipment inside.
Residents wishing to file a claim against the county have six months to file from the date the damage was incurred.
How to file a claim
If it is a claim related to personal injury or damage to property against the County of Orange, a claim form must be filled and mailed or hand delivered within six months to:
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
400 W. Civic Center Dr., 6th Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92701
All other claims have to be filed to the same address within one year.
Residents with damages to their property caused by the Airport Fire can also file for property tax relief.
To apply, fill out this form and submit to the County Assessor’s office within 12 months from the time your property was damaged.
At some other SoCal agencies, work stops on high fire danger days
LAist reached
out to the public works departments of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and the National Forest Service to ask about their policies for limiting risk on days when fire danger is high.
Notably, San Bernardino adopted fire guidelines in 2010. In a memo released to LAist, then-San Bernardino County Public Works Director Granville Bowman said the new guidelines were adopted due to two earlier fires caused by “vehicles and equipment being used to conduct field operation assignments.” The guidelines require supervisors to “schedule all non emergency activities that can start fires to a period of low fire risk and ensure all risks are considered before scheduling,” among other measures.
The county’s guidelines also say vehicles should not be operated in “high risk” areas defined by a combination of dry vegetation, temperatures over 85 degrees, and humidity of less than 25%. Failure to follow the guidelines can result in disciplinary action or dismissal.
The National Forest Service relies on a fire risk management tool called the “Project Activity Level” (PAL) system to determine which industrial activities, including timber harvesting and maintenance, can be safely allowed to proceed on a daily basis. On the day the Airport Fire broke out, the danger rating for the closest Forest Service stations, and most stations in Southern California, was “E” — the highest danger level.
Freeman, the U.S. Forest Service spokesperson, said “anything that’s not emergency work” is prohibited when the PAL system indicates that level of fire danger. “We actually can and do shut down things like utility work if we feel like there's a high potential for a fire to start based on that work,” Freeman said, referring to work on U.S. Forest Service land.
The Airport Fire started just outside of forest service land. But at least one local agency, San Diego County, relies on the Forest Service fire danger alert system to plan its own field work.
Donna Durckel, spokesperson for San Diego County’s Land Use and Environment Group, said the county’s senior equipment operators receive a text each day advising them of the current PAL level. They use that information to determine “what work is allowed to take place,” she said.
In Los Angeles, the public works department halts construction and maintenance activities in fire-prone areas during red flag days, according to Lisette Guzman, a spokesperson for L.A. County’s Public Works Department. O.C. was not under a red flag warning the day the Airport Fire broke out.
In Riverside, the county’s Transportation and Land Management Agency, which maintains county roads, has a written policy that requires a water truck be assigned to tractor mowers when trimming vegetation on roadsides. Felisa Cardona, a spokesperson for the agency, told LAist the policy also applies to other types of road maintenance work that has the potential to start fires.
Riverside’s policy also requires employees to check the weather forecast in the morning, and to postpone work when there’s low humidity and/or high winds that could spark fires.
Do you have questions or know of something we should look into?
We are here to investigate abuse of power, misconduct and negligence in government, business, and any venue where the public is affected.
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.
(
Aaron Schrank
/
LAist
)
Topline:
A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.
Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.
Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.
Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.
A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.
“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.
She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.
Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.
The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.
More cuts expected
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.
“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”
Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.
The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.
Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.
If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published April 2, 2026 4:20 PM
Water infrastructure such as pipes that feed water to drinking fountains and toilets at the Rose Bowl Stadium are getting an infusion of $1 million for fixes.
(
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
)
Topline:
Rep. Laura Friedman today announced that she secured $1 million for improvements to the water infrastructure at the aging Rose Bowl Stadium as it prepares for a global starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
Why it matters: The pipes may be working fine — for now — but the fear of backed-up toilets as the world watches is an ongoing worry at the venue.
Why now: Public officials have been pushing for spending to improve Olympic venues and surrounding areas as L.A. and other municipalities roll out the red carpet for the world to attend the Olympics. But they’ve hit road bumps and detours.
The backstory: The Rose Bowl is 103 years old and public officials have committed to spending $200 million to upgrade the Pasadena venue over the next two decades.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.
“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.
The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.
The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.
The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.
Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.
(
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
)
“Over the next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.
Getting venues ready will be expensive
The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.
The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.
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.
Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM
This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.
(
Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo
)
Topline:
The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
(
Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
)
What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
(
Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
)
What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
(
Screenshot courtesy of BHAC
)
Topline:
Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.
The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.
According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.
Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.
Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.
“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.
Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.
“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”
Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.
“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.
Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.
Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.
“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”
In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.
The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.
The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.
“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”
Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.
“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.
Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.
“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.
![A re-created Microsoft teams chat with a gray and lavender text bubbles that read "I will send you a copy of the guideline for Acitivity 146 which is what they were performing in this WO" "On the work order, it shows what equipment will be used, but I know yesterday morning [redacted] had asked them to take the water truck out / I know it wasn't originally contemplated, so does that mean it wouldn't be captured anywhere on the work order?" "Use of water truck or water buffalo would be considered a BMP. It is up to the crew to use BMPs where appropriate. But our Field Operations Manual activity guidelines state "Use appropriate BMP." For every maintenance activity."](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/799daad/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1080x1350+0+0/resize/1344x1680!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F87%2F90%2F72d51edb48b5adb308fb5765163a%2Fteams-chat-1.jpg)
