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U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa participates in a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on April 01, 2025 in Washington, DC.Issa, a longtime GOP stalwart, said that he was endorsing Desmond in a statement announcing his decision to retire.
“This decision has been on my mind for a while, and I didn’t make it lightly,” he said. “But after a quarter century in Congress — and before that, a quarter century in business — it’s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges.”Issa represented the San Diego area in Congress for more than 20 years. He briefly retired in 2019 when his seat, now represented bybecame more competitive. He returned to Congress in 2021 after winning a seat in the 50th District, which was redrawn after statewide redistricting later that year. He moved to his current seat in the 48th District in 2023.last fall. The redistricting measure was designed to give Democrats up to five additional seats in the U.S. House and counter similar redistricting efforts in other states that favored Republicans.“They drew me into this district, but the truth is, I’ve been serving this community for years,” Desmond said in a statement to CalMatters. Prior to Prop. 50, Desmond lived in the 49th District. He now lives in the 48th. “I’ll fight every single day to make life more affordable, more safe, and more free.”In the 48th District, two Democratic candidates — Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former opponent of Issa, and San Diego city council member Marni von Wilpert — lead a crowded field eager to flip the district blue. No candidate garnered enough support for the party’s endorsement last month.Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, one of the longest-serving members in Congress, is now running in the 40th District against Republican incumbent Young Kim of Orange County. His present district, the neighboring 41st, was moved entirely out of conservative pockets of Riverside County to Los Angeles County.By now, a lot of Angelenos know about Los Angeles’ vibrant parrot population. But one species isn’t as bold of a traveler as their boisterous counterparts. That may be changing.A small, stable group of nandy parakeets has shown up above the 101 Freeway for the first time. It’s not clear how they got to the Fillmore area in Ventura County. The birds have historically stuck to the canyons around Malibu.Nandays are a species of parrot that doesn’t act like others in L.A., which spread around the basin. They also aren’t known to cross freeways.The discovery has sparked the interest of researchers at Occidental College’s Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project. They’re studying parrots’ DNA to see if other changes are happening.You may know the sounds of parrots screeching pretty well. They’re now definitely part of L.A.'s soundscape, even though they're not native to Southern California and only started multiplying a few decades ago, thriving in our urban jungle.About nine species of parrots, native to South and Central America, fly around the region, according to John McCormack, who’s the director and curator of the He says it’s not clear how they got here. Urban legends say these birds are descendants of parrots that escaped the pet trade, or broke free from homes and aviaries. Regardless, they’ve stuck around. One of those species is the nanday parakeet, which are known for their rich green bodies, with blue-tinged tails and wings, and dark heads. They showed up in the 1980s and roost in our native Sycamore trees. McCormack says over the years they’ve acted differently from other species.. They also don’t fly as far as nandays would typically do in their native habitats, which includes Brazil and Argentina, or as far as other parrots do here. “ The nandays had not spread all over the city,” he said. “They’d remained pretty confined to the canyons around Malibu.” McCormack says the conditions here are different than back home, so that left them with a question: If they were able to make that switch to L.A. County, why have they not spread beyond Malibu? Only a small portion of their habitatOne of the ideas the team investigated was whether the nanday parakeets stayed put because there weren’t any suitable habitats around. At the time of their analysis, the team found multiple areas where nandays could potentially thrive but hadn’t been spotted in yet. That included a coastal-facing canyon near Fillmore, next to Thousand Oaks, with sycamores.“Lo and behold, we see on iNaturalist that, in fact, there has been this little persisting block of them in the canyon,” he said. A small group of nanday parakeets have been there for about six months — the first stable population above the 101. Brenda Ramirez, a research technician on the project, says the community science observations “People always get so excited about these birds, and so it’s really wonderful that they get included in our research,” she said. It’s not clear how the nandays got to these canyons. There’s a possibility it could be a repeat of the past — the birds may have escaped or been released from somewhere nearby. Or, it could be a sign of changing behavior. Historically, nandays have been reluctant to cross infrastructure like the 101 Freeway. And if there are now easily accessed British baked beans in L.A., that means there will be beans on toast at my house. I know that Americans generally don’t get it. As someone once said to me,"you can have beans. You can have toast. But why would you put the beans on the toast?" Because, dear American, you did not grow up in a country where you can put pretty muchYou see, we got used to putting things on toast during World War II — rationing and making do and all that. Bread was cheap and available, so why not make it the base of some delicious dishes? Mashed banana on toast? Yummy. Sardines? With a bit of vinegar, lovely. And how about spaghetti hoops? That one really blows American minds."Wait, you put pasta on toast? Carb on carb?" Yes sir, and it tastes heavenly. The tomato sauce slowly seeps into the toast below, making for a wonderfully gooey texture. It is a work of art. .But for us beans on toast is the most loved option. We all grow up on it, an affordable go-to for weary mums. In many ways, beans on toast is our mac and cheese. Bland yet tasty, the perfect comfort food. For years as an adult, when I went back home for a visit from America, I’d ask my mum to have beans on toast waiting for me when I walked in. I’m happy to say I’ve got my daughter into baked beans on toast. She resisted at first but now loves it. My American husband has never really developed a taste but understands its centrality in my life. Early on when we were dating, I asked him for egg, beans and toast. As in scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast, a classic breakfast combo. When he’d made it he walked in and asked if it should be toast, egg and then the beans on top, or toast, beans and then the egg. I almost sputtered. Of course the beans have to go on top of the egg! What are we, peasants? The heavy egg would squash the beans and unbalance the whole precarious structure! He’s never made that mistake again. And has become an expert in making a lovely cup of tea. So if you see me, feel free to join me in celebrating this major baked bean news. I may have baked beans on toast every night for dinner this week. Just because! It brings a little bit of Britain to my home. There is a New Yorker cartoon which has a man asking a waiter for baked beans on toast. “I’m not British,” he says. “I’m just crazy.” That cartoon is now on my wall.California community college districts are spending millions of dollars on artificial intelligence-powered chatbots intended to help students navigate admissions, financial aid and campus services. However, they struggle to consistently provide clear and accurate answers, leaving students frustrated and seeking help from others on unofficial social media channels.Three community college districts that responded to a CalMatters survey reported annual costs ranging from about $151,000 to nearly half a million dollars. At the Los Angeles Community College District, the state's largest community college system, contracts and amendments approved since 2021 total about $3.8 million through 2029, according toSome of these chatbot platforms rely on manually maintained libraries of frequently asked questions and campus websites to answer questions, which can lead to errors when information is outdated or questions fall outside the system's database. In testing by CalMatters, they often answered general questions correctly but struggled with more specific ones. East Los Angeles College's bot couldn't even correctly name its own president.for more on chatbot issues at East Los Angeles College, Santa Monica College, and the Los Angeles Community College District.However, they struggle to consistently provide clear and accurate answers, leaving students frustrated and seeking help from others on unofficial social media channels. In testing by CalMatters, they often answered general questions correctly but struggled with more specific ones. East Los Angeles College's bot couldn't even correctly name its own president. Contracts for these chatbots can be pricey and last for years. Three community college districts that responded to a CalMatters survey reported annual costs ranging from about $151,000 to nearly half a million dollars. At the Los Angeles Community College District, the state's largest community college system, contracts and amendments approved since 2021 total about $3.8 million through 2029, according to Community college districts that responded to CalMatters have contracted with chatbot platforms such as Gravyty and Gecko, which district officials say handle thousands of conversations each month, many outside regular office hours, helping to reduce calls and save students unnecessary trips to campus. Some of these chatbot platforms rely on manually maintained libraries of frequently asked questions and campus websites to answer questions, which can lead to errors when information is outdated or questions fall outside the system's database. However, officials are working to improve them. Districts like the Santa Monica Community College District have moved to ChatGPT-integrated AI systems that scrape the college's website to generate answers, which officials say seem more reliable. In the Los Angeles district, officials say they plan to transition to a new AI chatbot platform as early as late spring.Improvements to the chatbot couldn't come soon enough for students like Pablo Aguirre, a computer science major at East Los Angeles College and an information technology intern at the Los Angeles college district office. Aguirre mostly avoids the chatbot himself because, he said, it might provide unreliable or outdated information. He recalled using the bot to find financial aid information, but said he gave up after it kept asking him questions instead of giving him a clear answer. "I just didn't find it as useful," Aguirre said. He usually turns to Google, social media platforms like Reddit and the college's website when looking for answers. "Online, some pages don't work," Aguirre said, recalling a 404 error message on the college's website. Even when pages load, he said, it can be difficult to find the right one, such as when he was trying to figure out where to sign up for Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, a state-funded program that supports disadvantaged students."That's where I just jump on Reddit," he said.Aguirre's experience isn't unique. Reanna Carlson, a commercial music major at Fresno City College and student government vice president, said her college's chatbot, dubbed Sam the Ram after its mascot, repeatedly gave her unclear or incorrect answers to basic questions about campus services. Her district, the State Center Community College District, has a nearly $870,000, three-year contract for Gravyty, formerly Ocelot, through June 20, 2026, according to. Officials pointed out that the contract comes with other services, including tools that let staff engage in live chats or send text messages to students. "I think the chatbot is outdated and can't navigate the services we provide on campus effectively," Carlson said."I don't think it's the most beneficial option when it comes to asking questions." Oddly, Carlson got accurate information on the availability of free food at her campus' Ram Pantry only when accidentally adding a typo to her query. Repeated CalMatters testing confirmed the same outcome, though the bot sometimes lists links that include the food pantry after clicking an adjacent"sources" button. "If it weren't for the amazing staff on campus that constantly remind students of our services, I'd be lost," Carlson said.When CalMatters tested community college chatbots, they generally returned quick, accurate responses to common questions but were less consistent with more specific ones. For example, when asked,"Who is the current president of ELAC?" East Los Angeles College's chatbot incorrectly named Alberto Román, who left the position last year toEast Los Angeles College in Monterey Park on March 14, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters East Los Angeles College's chatbot claims to support several languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. But CalMatters found inconsistencies when asking it in Spanish,"Do I need a Social Security number to enroll?" Instead of answering the question, the system directed users to visit the registrar's office to update their Social Security number. When asked the same question in English, the bot pivoted to discussing financial aid. Fresno City College's chatbot, powered by the same AI provider as East Los Angeles College's system, Gravyty, showed similar problems when asked whether a Social Security number is required to enroll. It also often failed to direct students to the correct offices and, in some cases, listed incorrect locations and hours.found that a city-run AI chatbot provided guidance that could lead to illegal behavior, prompting Mayor Zohran Mamdani to terminate it in February.Santa Monica College's chatbot, powered by Gecko, was more successful in answering most questions. The single-college district uses a ChatGPT-integrated chatbot that scans the college's website, which staff regularly update and monitor. The district has contracted with Gecko since 2019 and renewed its annual contract for the tool late last year for $57,000, according to. It initially showed a major hiccup: when asked about mental health counseling, the bot did not mention the campus' Center for Wellness and Wellbeing. It does now.District officials say chatbots' problems stem from how the tools are configured and the information they draw from, rather than the technology itself. The Los Angeles district originally adopted its chatbot through Ocelot, which later merged with Gravyty The same chatbot platform is also used on the California Student Aid Commission website. Betsy Regalado, one of the district's associate vice chancellors, said the current system relies on a manually maintained library of frequently asked questions that staff at each of the district's nine colleges help maintain and review at least once or twice a year for accuracy. She added that chatbots are primarily geared for the public rather than enrolled students, who can access more detailed personal information through their campus portal. "The current chatbot that we have uses a library of questions. If you don't have that question in that library, then those poor people don't get an answer or they won't get an accurate answer," Regalado said. She said the district plans to transition all nine colleges to Gravyty's platform as early as late spring at no additional cost under its existing contract, which runs through 2029. The new system will use AI to scrape college and external websites to generate responses. "We're ready for the modernization of and the change to generative AI. That is the new world out there," Regalado said.Santa Monica College's chatbot similarly initially relied on a manually loaded library of common questions and answers before transitioning to its fully AI system, according to Esau Tovar, the college's dean of enrollment services. In an email, he said the bot"was never designed to address all aspects of the student journey," but to answer general questions from students. Tovar said the bot draws responses from the college's website, meaning accuracy depends on how current and complete that information is. As a result, the college prioritizes keeping its website up to date so the bot provides"good answers with fewer errors" rather than"great answers with potentially more errors."Acknowledging limitations, community college districts justify the costs by pointing to heavy student use, which would cost significantly more if performed by call center staff around the clock. Regalado said the Los Angeles district colleges average 5,000 to 7,000 interactions per month. Other districts reported similar monthly use, including 5,000 interactions at the State Center Community College District, which includes campuses in Fresno and nearby counties, and 4,000 conversations at Santa Monica College. Regalado said that as long as the chatbot remains heavily used, her district would continue to support it. Tovar said the chatbot provides 24-hour support regardless of time zone or location, which he said is helpful for international students when they are out of the country. He said that answering the tens of thousands of questions the chatbots receive around the clock would cost significantly more if handled by staff. "Every technology has a cost. We would simply not be able to assist all students if they could only reach us using traditional methods," Tovar said. But high usage and expanded access do not always translate into trust, especially when students need precise answers to delicate topics. Bryan Hartanto, a civil engineering major at Santa Monica College from Indonesia, said the college's newer chatbot system is smoother and can be a useful starting point, especially for students more comfortable communicating in languages other than English. But as an"Maintaining status as an international student right now is very, very sensitive," Hartanto said."I would still rely on human or email communication." Martin Romero is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.
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