Articles tagged with lausd

Dealing with defiance. The L.A. Board of Education is due to vote tomorrow on a landmark resolution that would ban suspensions for what’s called “willful defiance.” The move comes amid a growing belief in some quarters that suspending students for disruptive behavior is counterproductive.
“Willful defiance” can involve anything from cursing at a teacher to incessant talking or failing to wear a school uniform. The …

Prison problems. California is going to need to find a place to put more than 3,000 inmates currently serving time at the Pleasant Valley and Avenal prisons. The federal official responsible for overseeing healthcare in state lockups says prisoners who are at high-risk for contracting valley fever will have to be housed elsewhere. That includes inmates with chronic illnesses, such as HIV infection, but …

Conversion therapy. In San Francisco today, a federal appeals panel will hear arguments on a new state law that outlaws so-called “conversion therapy.” The treatment, which is aimed at making gay and lesbian teenager straight, has been dismissed as ineffective and dangerous by many mental health professionals. But critics say the ban violates the civil rights of practitioners and parents. Governor Jerry Brown signed …

Opening salvos. Mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti took a mostly upbeat tone in their first one-on-one debate. The two liberal Democrats spent much of their time attempting to distinguish themselves from one another. As expected, City Councilman Garcetti tried to make an issue of Greuel’s union support, insisting that he would be the more independent mayor. The City Controller pointed out that …

Mayoral debate. There have been more than 40 debates in the L.A. mayoral race, but none since the March 5th primary that left Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel as the last man and woman standing. That will change tonight when City Councilman Garcetti and City Controller Greuel go face-to-face at American Jewish University in the Sepulveda Pass. The candidates have been trading barbs this …

Fillmore fire. Firefighters are getting a break from the wind as they work to contain a wildfire that’s destroyed two homes and threatened 160 others in Ventura County. They’re trying to take advantage of the lull to surround the flames, because the wind is expected to pick up again tomorrow. The wind storm that swept through yesterday knocked out power to more than 10,000 …

Stockton may be showing other cities how to battle their way through bankruptcy. San Bernardino, Compton, San Jose and Watsonville are among those watching closely as Stockton residents cope with massive cuts in police and fire services with crime on the rise and resources on the decline. Will CalPERS, the state pension system, have to wait in line with other creditors? Also, the Los …

Missing hikers. Another night has come and gone and there’s still no sign of two teenaged hikers missing in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County since Easter Sunday. A major search effort is underway involving dozens of family members, friends and volunteers as well sheriff’s deputies and personnel from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Emergency Management Agency. Authorities believe one or …

MOCA moves. Washington D.C’s National Gallery of Art is the latest institution to make a pitch for a partnership with the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art. The National Gallery’s proposed five-year deal follows a bid by the L.A. County of Museum of Art to take over the critically acclaimed but financially strapped downtown museum. The talks with the National Gallery were initiated by L.A. …

Sequester cuts. School districts across the state will lose more than $250 million for early education and other programs under sweeping federal budget cuts scheduled to take effect Friday. L.A. Unified – California’s largest school district – stands to lose the most. In addition to funding for eight-thousand students in the Head Start early education program, California would lose more than $70 million dollars …

Manhunt continues. The search for suspected murderer Christopher Dorner is now going full bore on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities raided a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico yesterday where they thought the fugitive ex-cop might be hiding. But it turned out to be just another dead end. Multiple police agencies are investigating more than 800 tips about Dorner. Officers in Big Bear have …

School security. In the wake of the deadly school shootings in Connecticut, America’s second largest school district plans to hire one-thousand “security aides” to be deployed on its campuses. Under the $4 million program, a minimum of two people – unarmed, but equipped with radios – will be assigned to patrol more than 400 LAUSD schools. The security aides will be trained to respond …

Obama and MLK. An accident of the calendar means a double celebration for many civic groups and organizations around the Southland today: they’re marking the second inauguration of the country’s first African-American president while honoring the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The African American Museum in Exposition Park is holding events throughout the day, including a screening of the documentary “King: …

Political pledge. “Thanks, but no.” That’s the response City Councilman Eric Garcetti is getting to his proposal for the major candidates in the March 5th mayoral election to forgo money they get from outside funding sources. Garcetti says he wants to lessen the influence of political action committees and other outside organizations in the contest. He’s asking the candidates to sign a pledge – …

Healthy meals. When you add it all up, school districts in L.A., New York, Chicago, Miami, Orlando and Dallas serve 2.5 million meals each day. And they collectively spend more than $500 million a year on food. The offerings traditionally haven’t been all that healthy. But that could be about to change. LAUSD and the other districts will announce a plan today to use …

Clipped. Councilman Paul Krekorian wants to make it illegal to own ammo for high-capacity magazines in the city of L.A. Krekorian timed his motion to precede President Obama’s announcement this morning of his national gun control measures. Krekorian is asking for a staff report on what the city can do to restrict the availability of such ammo. State law bans the manufacture and sale …

It’s back to school for many students throughout the LAUSD, and that means back to schools that are seeing increased security in response to last month’s school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. LA police officers, LA County sheriff’s deputies, and members of other local law enforcement agencies will be visiting the district campuses at least once a day, in addition to regular patrols by LA school …

School safety. Winter break is over and it’s back to school for LAUSD students, with officials promising tighter security in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck says an officer will stop each day for up to half an hour at each of the city’s 600 public elementary and middle schools. The district’s own …

Bullet barriers. Lawmakers are looking at ways to tighten California’s gun laws in the wake of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Democratic state Senator Kevin de Leon says he’ll introduce a bill that would require anyone purchasing ammunition to get a $50 permit and pass a background check. A similar law, passed by the Legislature in 2009, has been challenged in court by the …

At a joint news conference Monday, the Superintendent of LA Unified appeared with Mayor Villaraigosa and the Chief of Police to tell parents about efforts to increase security at LA schools. Chief Charlie Beck announced a combined joint effort with LAUSD Police, promising that officers will be present at least daily at every elementary and middle school. John Deasey, superintendent of the nation’s second largest school …