The grassy lawns and benches of East Los Angeles College have come back to life with students reading, laughing, and studying in between classes.(Jackie Orchard) New findings from the state's Legislative Analyst's Office show that more than half of California’s community college students have faced housing insecurity over the past 12 months. And about a quarter of those nearly 2 million students have experienced homelessness. Because they’re more affordable than four-year institutions, students from low-income backgrounds often choose to launch their higher ed journeys at community colleges ..read more

FILE - An officer waits at the security desk in the lobby of the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters, the "Beaudry" building, in 2017.(Kyle Stokes) The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education’s website is getting a makeover. The board’s website is “meant for the public to access anything and everything that the board does in the public eye,” says the board’s executive officer Michael McLean. Parents, educators, students, and other members of the public can give feedback for the next several weeks on what works and what doesn’t. “They should fill out this survey a ..read more

Then UC President Janet Napolitano (left) and California Governor Jerry Brown face off over tuition hikes in 2014. In May 2023, the policy-making body of the University of California, the UC Regents, voted unanimously to open campus jobs in the system’s 10 campuses for students who are undocumented. It was a watershed proposal that relied on new — and untested — legal analysis of federal employment law put forward by UCLA faculty. It would have the potential to help tens of thousands of students earn money to pay for school. But in January, regents did an about face and suspended implementatio ..read more

Beachgoers on an unnamed Southern California shore to publicized the charms of the beach and attract tourists, circa 1936.(Security Pacific National Bank Collection/Los Angeles Public Library) Southern California beaches are a big part of life here. We’ve probably all spent at least one hot summer day on the sand, and of course, it’s one of the largest draws for tourists. But did you know that if you name almost any big issue, the coastline has probably been part of it? From privatization to environmental struggles, it’s been the focus of much debate. And how and why we enjoy the beach has ch ..read more

UC Santa Barbara's Henley Gate (Photo by compose-r via the Creative Commons on Flickr) The U.S. Education Department has launched a national campaign to implore students who haven’t submitted their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to do so now. The department is targeting states with the largest high school senior submission gaps, which includes California. U.S. Education Department Under Secretary James Kvaal said on Tuesday that “students who complete a FAFSA today can expect their records to be sent to colleges within one to three days.” Students must complete the FAFSA to a ..read more

ELAC students in class at the Vincent Price Art Museum.(Brian Feinzimer) An LAist reader who is preparing to relaunch their university studies recently wrote in and asked: I attended a CSU decades ago, but I never graduated. I am now a student at a community college hoping to transfer to a different CSU. Do I need to submit my old grades when I submit my application? The answer: Yes. Prospective students "must report all institutions they attended and all grades[,] regardless of how long ago they attended," a CSU spokesperson told LAist via email. But: If you fear that your old grades could ne ..read more

A woman drops of her ballot into a ballot box on March 4, 2024 at the Los Angeles County Registrar in Norwalk, California ahead of the California Primary election on "Super Tuesday," March 5.(Frederic J. Brown ) This fall’s general election could shake up a school board that has largely worked in collaboration with the superintendent and teachers union to try and meet the needs of more than 500,000 students amid an increasingly challenging budget scenario. Three Los Angeles Unified School District seats are on the ballot. Incumbent Los Angeles Unified School Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin w ..read more

UCLA student Jeffry Umaña Muñoz urges U.C. Regents at their March 15, 2023 meeting to adopt plan to open university jobs to students who are undocumented.(Courtesy of UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy) State policymakers and the leaders of the state’s marquee public university system have each expressed support in recent months for opening campus jobs to students who are undocumented. But conflict over how to create such a policy — and not end up in a legal battle with the federal government — has set the stage for a power struggle. It started when the University of California regent ..read more

The capstone course takes place inside the Vincent Price Art Museum at ELAC.(Brian Feinzimer) After earning a bachelor’s degree in art history five years ago, Erin Aguilar struggled to establish a career in the art world — or even secure an internship. “Nothing was happening,” she said. “It was kind of disheartening.” At a community arts center in Boyle Heights about two years ago, she spotted a pamphlet for a museum studies program at East Los Angeles College; she signed up. Now Aguilar is close to completing her coursework at ELAC, and she's an intern at the Getty, one of L.A.'s most promine ..read more

Dead trees line a clearing as a helicopter battling the Ferguson fire passes behind in the Stanislaus National Forest, California, on July 22, 2018. - An abundance of trees killed by drought and bark beetles has allowed forest fires to spread rapidly. A fire that claimed the life of one firefighter and injured two others near California's Yosemite national park has almost doubled in size in three days, authorities said Friday. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the so-called Ferguson fire had spread to an area of 22,892 acres (92.6 square kilometers), and is so far only 7 percent con ..read more