When Community College Becomes A Lifeline (And Other Headlines)

It’s Education Wednesday here at LAist, and today, we’re learning about how community college is a lifeline for people like author Reyna Grande.

When I was part of the gifted/magnet program in high school, I was highly encouraged to apply to the most prestigious universities. Going to a community college or a trade school meant failure or a last resort, claimed the people around me. But for many, they aren’t fallbacks — they’re lifelines.

From community college to published author

Growing up, author Reyna Grande never thought someone like her — an immigrant who endured poverty in Mexico — could become a published author. She had dreams of furthering her education, but after her father stopped her from attending UC Irvine, she ended up enrolling at Pasadena City College. And that’s when her life changed.

After immersing herself in many courses ranging from art to playing saxophone, she found a passion for writing. An English professor at the school convinced her that she had the talent and skills to write professionally.

Today, Grande is an established author who’s published several award-winning books, including novels and memoirs. Read the story here.

More coming: LAist is launching a series on professionals who began their higher education journeys at a local community college.

And for more education-related content, you can click here to read all the stories.

Stay happy and healthy, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading. 

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Wait! One more thing...

An update on Mayor Bass' affordable housing promise

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass stands at a construction site in Boyle Heights to announce her executive order fast-tracking affordable housing approval in the city.

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David Wagner/LAist

)

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass took office last year with a big promise: she would get new affordable housing projects approved much faster across the city. So what’s happened since then?

Let’s go back to her first week in office. In December 2022, Bass signed Executive Directive One (ED1), an order for city staff to approve applications for 100% affordable housing developments within 60 days, and to issue building permits within five days. But six months later, Bass updated the rules to say that projects in single-family neighborhoods would be ineligible.

Fast-forward to now, her administration has stalled nine projects proposing more than 1,400 low-income apartments, creating an uncertain future for 1,443 potential units of low-income housing. This comes at a time when the city of L.A. is experiencing a severe affordable housing shortage.

Learn more about the stalled projects and what happens next.