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LAUSD first day, Lakers sale, city considers fare-free Metro and more
LAUSD is the country’s second largest school district and is projected to enroll 378,000 students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade in the 2026-27 school year.
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Genaro Molina
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Getty Images
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Jump to
- LAUSD starts school today: New superintendent, financial troubles and more
- Millions gather in Spain to see total eclipse
- What’s happening in LA’s regional theater scene?
- What would go into a ‘fare-free’ LA Metro system?
- How groups have been combating hate since Post-World War II
- The Lakers are being sold… again
Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses first day of school, what's going on with regional theater, a "fare-free" LA Metro system, a book on resistance to hate groups and the latest on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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LAUSD starts school today: New superintendent, financial troubles and more
The topic:
The first day of school is here for the 2026-2027 school year, and with it comes a new superintendent, environmental concerns for students in Boyle Heights and financial struggles.
New leadership: This will be Superintendent Andres Chait’s first full year on the job. He was appointed as acting superintendent back in February following the FBI search of former Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home and district office. Chait was appointed in June after Carvalho’s resignation.
Lineage fire aftermath: As cleanup of rotten food continues, the current plan is for students to return to their home campuses today. The district said staff conducted a “deep, thorough cleaning,” installed new air conditioning filters and air purifiers at affected campuses and that environmental testing is ongoing.
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LAUSD insolvency concerns: In July, the L.A. County Office of Education sent a letter to LAUSD warning the district that it would run out of money if it did not revise its budget. Declining enrollment, a negative cash balance and new teacher agreements have all contributed to the district’s financial woes. Consolidation or receivership may result if funds are not improved.
Join the conversation: What memorable first day stories do you have? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
With files from LAist
Guest:
- Mariana Dale, LAist’s senior K-12 education reporter
Millions gather in Spain to see total eclipse
A viewer enjoys the solar eclipse from Caltech in Pasadena on April 8, 2024.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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The topic:
Across a swath of northern and central Spain, millions of people will have some of mainland Europe’s best views of a rare total solar eclipse. A sliver of Greenland and Iceland, too, will witness the spectacle, when the sun, moon and Earth align, briefly bringing parts of the planet into darkness.
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Totality: It’s when the moon completely covers the sun’s light and is expected to last fewer than 2 1/2 minutes, reaching its maximum duration off Iceland’s west coast. By the time it gets to a small patch of Portugal and then to Spain just before sunset, totality will have dwindled to a minute or so. The spectacle will then end over the Mediterranean.
Guests:
- Desmond Mantle, Larry's son, who is in Leon, Spain at a temporary eclipse observation area set up by the European Space Agency
What’s happening in LA’s regional theater scene?
Interior of the Pasadena Playhouse.
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Jeff Lorch
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Courtesy Pasadena Playhouse
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The topic:
What will the future of regional theater be like in Southern California? Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater, was pessimistic about nonprofit theater in an interview with The New York Times announcing his planned retirement in 2028. Today on AirTalk, we’ve convened a roundtable.
What’s coming to L.A.? The Yiddish language production of the Fiddler on the Roof is coming to the Center Theatre Group in 2027, and in the fall Sara Porkalob will stage workshops of the final musical in her acclaimed Dragon trilogy, Dragon Baby, at the Geffen Playhouse.
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Join the conversation: Are you involved in the L.A. theater scene? Have you seen anything good lately? What do you think the outlook is for local theater? Email atcomments@laist.com or call us at (866) 893-5722.
Guests:
- Alex Meda, theater director and network director for the Network of Ensemble Theatres
- Danny Feldman, producing artistic director at The Pasadena Playhouse
- Snehal Desai, artistic director at the Center Theatre Group
- Tarell Alvin McCraney, artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse
What would go into a ‘fare-free’ LA Metro system?
Metro riders at the new Little Tokyo/Arts District station which opened on Friday, June 16, 2023.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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The topic:
As it stands, most major metro areas globally haven’t been able to implement a fare-free system — but Los Angeles may be the first to try. With L.A. Mayor Karen Bass looking to better understand how to make that a reality, we look to dig into what current obstacles would need to be addressed.
The background: Back in July, LAist reported that at the annual Metro State of the Agency event, Bass said she plans to “develop a long-term financial strategy” to eventually make the countywide transportation system fare-free.
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What research has there been on fare-free? International Association of Public Transport — a non-profit transit advocacy organization with members that include LA Metro — looked into examples in Belgium and France, which have metro areas that have attempted a full free fare.
Guests:
- Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles
- Kavish Harjai, LAist transportation correspondent
- Flavio Chevis, chair of the Transport Economics & Finance Committee for the International Association of Public Transport, a nonprofit that advocates for mobility solutions
How groups have been combating hate since Post-World War II
Neo-Nazi activists demonstrate against civil rights on June 30, 1963 in Washington D.C.
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AFP
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Getty Images
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The topic:
Following the end of World War II, a major shift came in the idea of tolerance, although bigotry still existed globally. In USC history professor Steve Ross’ latest book, The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy, he digs into the networks that began to grow across the United States to combat hate groups.
Prior works from the author: Ross may be best known for his Pulitzer-finalist book, Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America, which digs into fascism in the United States during the 1930s.
Upcoming event: He’ll be doing a book signing at USC on Aug. 30, from 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. For more details, click here.
Guest:
- Steve Ross, professor of history at USC, and director of its Casden Institute for the Study of Jewish Role in American Life; his latest book is titled The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026)
The Lakers are being sold… again
View of the Los Angeles Lakers logo on the floor of the UCLA Health Training Center.
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Jayne Kamin-Oncea
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Getty Images
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The topic:
The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking $12.5 billion price tag, the second such sale in a year.
The latest: ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA’s most valuable franchise, which was valued last year at $10 billion when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family. The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for next month in New York.
The new owners: The two businessmen had been involved in trying to get an expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, Iger and Kushner simply don’t have to wait for that decision. Expansion, if it happens, could take place in the 2028-29 season.
Background: The $12.5 billion price tag is not only record-setting for U.S. pro sports, but it continues a trend of NBA franchise values skyrocketing. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, and the Boston Celtics were sold last year at a valuation of just over $6 billion, a then-record.
Guests:
- Dan Woike, senior writer at The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Lakers
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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