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Here's your daily audio briefing (updated weekdays):8:31L.A. County renters see no further eviction protections; Montebello tornado rakes roofs; LAUSD workers’ walkout continues – The A.M. Edition
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Vanessa, Gigi, Jude and Leonard Gonzales at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. The family lives in the west San Fernando Valley and is navigating the Los Angeles Unified shutdown this week. "They deserve to be treated with dignity, and that needs to show up in their pay," Leonard said of the striking school staff.(Courtesy Leonard Gonzales)Today in How To LA:
Students with special needs struggle without their support system during the LAUSD strike; tornadoes touch down in Southern California; plus, exploring K-town eateries after dark.
Top story: My colleague Mariana Dale spoke with some of the families who have kids with special needs and are heavily impacted by the Los Angeles Unified School District workers strike. She also talked to some of the workers on strike about their roles and the hardships they face with their current conditions. There are also resources for parents who need guidance with child care during the strike.
More news you need to know:
- I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say I never thought I would see the day that Southern California would have tornadoes. My colleague Jacob Margolis reported that Ventura County, Carpinteria and Montebello all had tornadoes this past week. The National Weather Service is still investigating the damage done to buildings.
- The California State University system will soon have a dual admissions program. My colleague Jackie Orchard has more details on the “Transfer Success Pathway” program.
- Huntington Beach officials' request to block California from enforcing housing laws was denied in federal court. Here’s more on the backstory on this development.
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A rare tornado — one of two this week in Southern California — touched down in Montebello Wednesday damaging businesses.(Mario Tama)
Topline:
This latest atmospheric river brought heavy rain, snow and tornadoes to Southern California.
Wrapping things up: Heavy showers started early on Tuesday, followed by strong winds. Downtown L.A. saw an inch of rain, while some mountain areas saw as much as two feet of snow.
This weekend: We'll experience cooler than average temperatures going into the weekend, and another storm could shape up on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
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Cosplayers attend WonderCon 2018 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The sister 'con' of Comic-Con returns this weekend to Anaheim.(Angela Papuga/Getty Images)
This weekend
Immerse yourself in comic book culture at WonderCon. Screen QTBIPOC films at the 2023 Outfest Fusion Festival. Listen to a night of FEMcore.
Our picks:
- WonderCon, Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim-If you love comic books, movies, TV, and/or animation, and didn’t score badges to Comic-Con in San Diego this summer, WonderCon offers similar programming on a smaller scale.
- 2023 Outfest Fusion: QTBIPOC Film Festival, Several Venues in Los Angeles / Online-The festival celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a program that includes Sundance favorites Little Richard: I Am Everything and The Stroll (West Coast premiere) and the U.S. premiere of Soft, Joseph Amenta’s tender coming-of-age feature debut.
- FEMcore, Corbin Bowl, 19616 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, Hear tunes from six female-fronted bands — Doll Riot, Sidechicks, Tough Front, Powder Pink and Sweet, Tempermental and Black Rock Candy — at this all-ages show.
- WonderCon, Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim-If you love comic books, movies, TV, and/or animation, and didn’t score badges to Comic-Con in San Diego this summer, WonderCon offers similar programming on a smaller scale.
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L to R: Two Hands Dog, Spicy Dog, and Potato Dog along with kimchi fries at Two Hands in Koreatown.(Brian Feinzimer)
Topline:
Koreatown is a neighborhood known for its city-never-sleeps vibes. Come along with us to get your fill of some of our favorite Cheap Fast Eats in the area.
Hungry night owls rejoice: For those of us who love the nightlife, K-town offers a variety of different bites to satisfy all of your post-show/dive bar cravings that the neighborhood has to offer.
What's on the menu: From yummy kimchi margherita pizzas prepared out of a ghost kitchen to crunchy grasshoppers roasted with chile, lime, and salt that come from the premier Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles, K-town has it all. Cheeto encrusted corn dog, anyone?
Hungry for more? Check out all of our previous coverage at www.laist.com/cheapfasteats
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Students with backpacks walk in front of the LACC Student Center.(Jackie Orchard)
Topline:
Starting this summer, the entire 23-campus California State University system is participating in a dual admissions program. The “Transfer Success Pathway” program will help students get another chance if they either didn’t get into a CSU campus or couldn't afford to go.
How it works: Students would agree to complete their general education requirements at a community college within three years, before finishing their degree at their chosen CSU school.
Who's eligible? Students who left or graduated high school in 2023 or later are eligible if they also fill one of three conditions:
- First-time freshmen who were not CSU eligible at the time of high school graduation; or
- First-time freshmen who did not attend a CSU due to personal or financial reasons; or
- CSU redirected freshmen who opted not to enroll at a CSU campus.
Why now: The Cal State System says it’s striving to accomplish five things:
- Increasing access to the university for prospective underrepresented students experiencing limitations in high school curriculum offered, geographical constraints or financial challenges.
- Increasing graduation rates among underrepresented students.
- Reducing student costs and time to degree completion
- Improving transfer pathways between California Community Colleges, the University of California and the California State University
- Increasing predictability for the purposes of student and institutional planning.
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Farmworkers wear face masks while harvesting curly mustard in a field on Feb. 10, 2021 in Ventura County.(Patrick T. Fallon)
Topline:
March is typically one of the busiest months for farmworkers in Southern California. But this year, historic storms have flooded fields and destroyed crops, leaving farmworkers across Ventura County without work.
Why it matters: Persistent storms have flooded farmland across Southern California, leaving many farmworkers with reduced hours and lost income. In Ventura County, farmworker Carmen Obeso says the whole farmworking community is working only two or three days a week in four or six-hour shifts. One representative with the United Farm Workers estimated workers have lost up to two months of income.
Why now: Southern California is experiencing a historic series of rainstorms. On Tuesday, forecasters warned of small tornados called "landspouts" across the region. For California's farmworkers, the weather means loss of work and harvesting crops in more dangerous conditions.
The backstory: Roman Pinal with the United Farm Workers says this should be farmworkers' busiest season, and therefore most profitable. Instead, he said workers will struggle to pay bills and make rent due to lost wages.
Go deeper: 'We Have Nothing': Pajaro Farmworkers Face the Prospect of No Income at Start of Harvesting Season
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Huntington Beach has been fighting state laws regarding new housing.(trekandshoot/Getty Images)
Topline:
Huntington Beach's temporary restraining order against the state — an attempt to pause the enforcement of state housing laws — was denied Tuesday in federal court.
The backstory: The ruling comes after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed opposition Tuesday to the city's request for the temporary block, arguing that the city doesn't have the standing to sue in federal court.
What now? This is the latest move in a legal duel between Huntington Beach and the state.
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An artist's vision of the first interstellar object discovered in the solar system, 'Oumuamua.
Topline:
Scientists have come up with a simple explanation for the strange movements of our solar system's first known visitor from another star. Now, in the journal Nature, two researchers say the answer might be the release of hydrogen from trapped reserves inside water-rich ice.
The backstory: In October of 2017, astronomers in Hawaii spotted an object they called 'Oumuamua, which means "a messenger from afar arriving first," according to NASA. The reddish object was shaped like a cigar or a pancake, and was over 300 feet long.
Why it matters: "I think what's important about this is to get all these creative ideas out there," says Karen Meech, with the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, who leads the team that initially found and observed 'Oumuamua.. "If we ever get to have a mission to one of these objects, we now have a wealth of testable ideas."
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An aerial view of roof damage after a rare tornado touched down in Montebello Wednesday.(Mario Tama)
Topline:
Videos posted online showed what were later confirmed to be tornadoes damaging homes and commercial buildings in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.
What we know so far: The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado hit Carpinteria, with wind speeds up to 75 mph. A separate tornado was confirmed and caused damage in an industrial area of Montebello.
Is this unusual? Yes, highly unusual here in Southern California, adding to what has been a wild year of weather so far.
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Vanessa, Gigi, Jude and Leonard Gonzales at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. The family lives in the west San Fernando Valley and is navigating the Los Angeles Unified shutdown this week. "They deserve to be treated with dignity, and that needs to show up in their pay," Leonard said of the striking school staff.(Courtesy Leonard Gonzales)
Topline:
A three-day labor strike in the Los Angeles Unified School District includes staff who helps students with disabilities eat, use the bathroom and learn. Parents say while they support the union’s push for higher wages, there is little they can do to replicate the support their kids receive at school.
Who’s impacted: There were about 68,000 students that receive special education services in the district as of April 2022. “I feel like my daughter and students like her are consistently forgotten when the district plans for this kind of situation,” said San Fernando Valley mom Kathy L. LAist agreed not to publish her last name to protect the family’s privacy.
The backstory: SEIU Local 99 is made up of 30,000 cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers and classroom assistants. They’ve been negotiating with the district over wages and other benefits for the last year. The basis for the strike is more than a dozen allegations of harassment and threats during almost a year of bargaining.
