6 skiers rescued, 9 still missing after avalanche near Lake Tahoe
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI/GREGORY THOMAS: "Search-and-rescue teams reached six survivors Tuesday evening after a large avalanche struck a guided group of skiers near Lake Tahoe in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada, leaving nine people unaccounted for, authorities said.
The slide occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Perry Peak in the Castle Peak area of Truckee, north of Interstate 80, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office."
READ MORE -- After avalanche near Donner Pass, survivors face frigid, windy night at 8,200 feet -- CHRONICLE, ANTHONY EDWARDS/GREG PORTER; As search for Tahoe skiers continues, some wonder why they were in the backcountry in a blizzard -- LAT, JACK DOLAN/ANDREA FLORES
LAUSD board approves up to 657 layoffs. Budget at ‘breaking point,’ Supt. Carvalho says
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "The Los Angeles school board — confronted with deficit spending and an internal forecast of insolvency in three years — narrowly voted to send out 3,200 notices of possible layoff, launching a process that is expected to result in as many as 650 layoffs, moves strongly opposed by labor groups as unnecessary and harmful to students.
Even at the lower number, the job losses would be significant in a school system that has largely avoided job cuts in recent years — and that began the current school year with a $5-billion reserve as part of an $18.8-billion budget. The board vote was 4-3."
How an aging California is turning to senior centers for romance, community and health
CALMATTERS, JOE GARCIA: "Almeter Carroll sits alone on a couch inside the Watts Senior Citizen Community Center. It’s almost noon, but the place is nearly empty. Fitness mats and other workout gear lay stacked in a distant corner. No one shows up for a morning gym class except her.
She points across the room to a wall covered with photos of smiling, well-dressed Black men and women gathered at events throughout the years.“They’re all gone. Everyone on that wall. Passed away.”"
READ MORE -- ‘We wanted to find new friends’: See how older Californians are proving that senior isolation isn’t inevitable -- CALMATTERS, ISADORA KOSOFSKY
5 things we learned by spending time in Los Angeles senior centers
CALMATTERS, JOE GARCIA: "With Californians leading longer, healthier and more productive lives, the desire for thriving hubs of older adult activity seems more pressing than ever before.
The role and function of a senior center will need to evolve and expand to address growing demand. With 29 centers in the greater Los Angeles area, we visited a few of them to see what today’s older adult community hopes to find."
Are people at immigration court criminals? Six things you should know
SACBEE, SHARON BERNSTEIN: "A year after the Trump administration began its aggressive program of detaining and deporting people accused of being in the country illegally, misunderstandings about the structure and purpose of immigration court abound. Some people mistakenly believe that criminal cases are handled at immigration courts, or that the hearing rooms are located in federal courthouses. We put together this primer to answer your questions.
Immigration court is a civil, administrative proceeding that does not take place in a regular courthouse. Instead, immigration hearings are held in office buildings that are leased or owned by the federal government."
Working together to get more people to vote (OP-ED)
CW, JACK MAHONEY/JESSICA HUBBARD/RAUL MACIAS: "Local election officials across the U.S. are facing a range of challenges as they look ahead to this year’s elections – and 2028 as well. Among the biggest: how to serve a rapidly diversifying electorate, and how to combat distrust fueled by an avalanche of misinformation.
Fortunately, a program piloted in the past two years by charitable foundations in two California counties delivered some answers. As representatives of the foundations that supported this work, we’re sharing what we learned in the hope that more counties and foundations will launch similar efforts in 2026 and beyond."
Meet Darshana Patel, the scientist shaping education in the California Legislature
EDSOURCE, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "A first-term Assembly member with a scientist’s temperament and a veteran school board member’s blend of pragmatism and empathy will lead the Assembly Education Committee.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas appointed Darshana Patel, a Democrat from northern San Diego County, to the position, effective March 2. She will also serve on the Budget Committee’s key Subcommittee on Education Finance."
Merced County saves dual-language program for another year
EDSOURCE: "The Merced County Office of Education reversed its decision to shutter a dual-language program, saving it for another year, the Merced Focus reported.
The Merced Scholars Dual Immersion Academy was set to close due to low enrollment and a $1 million deficit. Upon reversing the decision, county officials said they will increase outreach to parents to boost enrollment, which will determine whether the program remains open for subsequent years. Enrollment for the program is open from Feb. 17 through March 6."
UCLA fires top finance officer, saying he made inaccurate claims about campus budget
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "In a rare action against a top administrator, UCLA on Tuesday fired its chief financial officer after officials said he inaccurately described the campus deficit, which has come under scrutiny by faculty leaders amid growing operation costs, attacks by the Trump administration and weaker-than-promised state funding.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Agostini, who had overseen UCLA’s $11-billion budget since May 2024, “will no longer serve in his role, effective immediately,” Chancellor Julio Frenk wrote in a brief campuswide message, announcing an interim appointment and a national search for a replacement."
After a night of fierce winds and rain, another storm heads for Southern California
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "This week’s latest round of stormy weather hit Southern California with fearsome winds that downed trees and heavy precipitation that flooded roadways and dumped even more snow in the mountains.
As the storm system heads north, most of the Southland will remain cool and dry throughout Wednesday, with light to moderate winds, according to the National Weather Service. But residents should not be too fast to pack up their umbrellas — another round of rain is forecast to arrive Thursday."
Bay Area gets brief break before next storm. Here’s how long — and what may be coming this weekend
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "After a wet start to the week, the Bay Area will trend cooler and quieter through Friday, with scattered showers midweek and a better dry window Friday and Saturday. The next question is late Sunday into early next week, when models diverge on whether the next storm arrives early and weak or later and stronger.
You’ll feel the colder air mass Wednesday morning. Inland valleys in the North and East bays will drop into the 30s and low 40s, and the wet ground will only make it feel colder."
Citing fire risk, L.A. city may get more power to remove hillside homeless encampments
LAT, NOAH GOLDBERG: "Los Angeles city officials may be empowered to remove homeless encampments from hillside areas at severe risk of fire, even without the property owner’s permission, under a proposal that the City Council moved forward on Tuesday.
The proposal would allow the city to remove hazardous materials, including homeless encampments, from private property in hillside areas in “Very High Fire Severity Zones,” including in the Santa Monica and Verdugo Mountains."
‘Close to zero punishment’ or ‘humane’ justice? How experts see the outcome of West Portal crash
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAINSHTEIN: "A torrent of outrage and confusion has followed in the wake of a hearing last week in which a San Francisco judge signaled he was unlikely to impose prison time, home detention or community service on a woman accused of killing a family of four while speeding down a residential street in 2024.
Backlash erupted on social media against San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce E. Chan as users across the country expressed indignation at what they perceived to be inexplicable leniency after the driver, Mary Fong Lau, changed her plea to no contest Friday. She had previously pleaded not guilty to four counts of vehicular manslaughter."
Tommy Lee Jones’ daughter died of toxic effects of cocaine, San Francisco officials say
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Victoria Kafka Jones, the daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones, died of the “toxic effects of cocaine,” and her death has been ruled an accident, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced Tuesday in a statement provided to People.
Jones, 34, was found dead early on New Year’s Day at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel."