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explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.centers serve as a “one-stop-shop” for youth ages 12 to 25 to get mental health support and form their own community.
The model sees young people taking part in everything from designing the spaces of the mental health centers to offering support to their peers.UC Irvine psychology professor Stephen Schueller, who provides services at the San Juan Capistrano allcove center, says the model calls for inviting spaces that allow for drop-in visits. “It’s amazing to me that young people can come and get support right when they need it for a variety of different aspects,” he said. “People don’t need to make an appointment to come talk to me... They can just walk in and I see them right then.”, co-authored by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Janice Hahn, directs staffers to report back in two months with funding options to bring more allcove centers to the county. The measure also backs up the existing L.A. County allcove center with $1.5 million a year in funding over the next three years.Rodrigo Marquez founded Queer Latin Dance OC to teach more people how to dance and to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.At Queer Latin Dance OC, salsa, cumbia and bachata are for everyone. The dance studio offers lessons to dancers of all experience levels and has created a new community hub in Orange County.: Rodrigo Marquez founded Queer Latin Dance OC at the beginning of this year to fill a gap in Orange County that he said lacks safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.Before taking lessons at Queer Latin Dance OC, Melba Rivera said she came in with zero dance experience. “You come as you are, no matter what level you're at or how you identify or what your experience is, everybody's here and everybody's learning,” Rivera said. “It's a very encouraging and motivating space.”For many, the dance class is more than educational — it’s a place to get away from it all, to find community and to uplift one another through art. When Rodrigo Marquez founded Queer Latin Dance OC at the beginning of this year, he said he was filling a gap in Orange County that often lacks safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. “I wanted to make creative communities for us to learn in a safe environment,” Marquez said. “Everyone's here to learn, and I want the pressure of whatever's going on in the world, just to forget for the next hour.”When creating his teaching plan, Marquez said he considers the range of experience his students might have. Everybody starts somewhere, he added, and the hardest part is showing up. “It is scary, but if you're already showing up, then just jump in and just forget about the world. It's a great distraction, and dancing makes you feel better,” Marquez said. Philip Lee, an elementary school teacher from Tustin, took his first class with the group Monday night, trying the quick steps of salsa. “I had a stressful day. … All my stress that I had in my neck and upper back just kind of went away,” Lee said, adding that the high energy in the room is infectious. “It was nice just laughing with people in the community and meeting new people.”“The queer community specifically, and just kind of let my guard down and just be free and laugh and enjoy being me and celebrated for a love for the arts,” Lee said. “That's not a space that is always safe.” Before taking lessons at Queer Latin Dance OC, Melba Rivera said she came in with zero dance experience. “You come as you are. No matter what level you're at or how you identify or what your experience is, everybody's here and everybody's learning,” Rivera said. “It's a very encouraging and motivating space.” Salsa and bachata are social dances, Marquez said, but one thing that makes his class unique to many is that regardless of gender identity, anyone can follow or lead. Typically, the lead falls to the male dancer, and women follow. Marquez said it was important that no one feels pressured to be one or the other. “That's why I created this, so people like me can just come and learn, not be expected to be in a gender role based on how they look,” Marquez said. “They want to dance how they feel.”Taryn Heiner said, especially in Orange County, it’s challenging to find spaces that are queer-friendly and queer-open. “That's really what makes this space so kind and warm and welcoming,” Heiner said. “We have all that base understanding of respecting one another, no matter who they are, who they love and what they do.”“So walking into a room like this, where everybody's friendly, everybody's learning, everybody's just here for the same purpose to get better, to support each other, is really important,” Rivera said. “Not just in the class, but the friendships we make outside of the classroom.” Outside of dance class, Marquez’s students meet up for monthly hikes and other get-togethers. Marquez said it is a privilege and an honor to bring people together through his love for dance. “I've seen people become friends since January, and I see them practice outside of practice,” Marquez said. “I've always had a dream to do my own dance classes, but to do it in a way where people can connect and just be themselves. It's far greater than that.” Queer Latin Dance OC offers lessons to dancers of all experience levels and has created a new community hub in Orange County.Salsa, cumbia and bachata classes are held three nights a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Classes are $20 per session, but Marquez also offers a free beginner salsa class every Monday.A collaboration between CalMatters, Evident Media and Bellingcat has tracked immigration agents over the last 15 months, documenting their tactics on the ground and through mountains of video footage, since their first proof-of-concept raid in Bakersfield in January 2025.Immigration agents engaged in a pattern of force and questionable detention, aggressive tactics that courts have said likely violated the constitution, as they moved from Bakersfield to Los Angeles, and then Chicago and Minneapolis.to view a film documenting those findings and to read more about the video evidence that suggests agents’ tactics became more brazen with each stop.Border Patrol agents have been roving from city to city over the last 15 months, far from their home bases in California and elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border, engaged in an unprecedented mass deportation campaign.has tracked these agents, documenting their tactics on the ground and through mountains of video footage, since their first proof-of-concept raid in Bakersfield in January 2025. Exactly one year later, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renée Good in Minneapolis, followed weeks later by the killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent. Our investigation shows that beyond those two shootings, immigration agents engaged in a pattern of force and questionable detention, aggressive tactics that courts have said likely violated the Constitution, as they moved from Bakersfield to Los Angeles, and then Chicago and Minneapolis. In each city, federal courts stepped in to restrain them from violating civil liberties in that jurisdiction. Agents later deployed to another city. The video evidence suggests agents’ tactics became more brazen with each stop. Under President Donald Trump, immigration agents have operated without typical public accountability. Many agents wear masks. Incident reports are largely hidden from the public. “We are in a completely uncharted world now with these masked agents,” said John Roth, who served as inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security under Presidents Barack Obama and Trump. “The first thing that you do when you give an agent a gun and a badge and the authority over American people is to make sure that they follow the Constitution, period,” he said. In this new film, we focus on the activity of five agents from the US-Mexico border whose identities we’ve been able to confirm.We are not aware of any disciplinary action taken against these agents. DHS did not respond to requests for comment; the individual agents either declined to comment or didn’t respond to calls or emails. We showed the incidents to Roth and Steve Bunnell, former DHS general counsel. Both have testified before Congress, raising the alarm about what they see as a dismantling of the department’s accountability and credibility. Roth called the incidents “difficult to watch.” “There are sort of two essential components of DHS and law enforcement generally being effective, and that’s trust and credibility,” Bunnell said. “And they have lost those things to the extent they had them.”If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Registering enters you into a drawing for a slot in April to buy tickets. You will be notified between March 31 and April 7 if you’ve been selected for one of those slots.The ticket pre-sale for L.A. locals in certain ZIP codes takes place April 2 - 6. Everyone else selected for a slot will be able to buy tickets April 9 – 19.People are limited to 12 tickets, but there are group rates for 50 or more. Babies and kids will love the Olympics, but each one needs a ticket.it won’t be participating in any César Chávez Day activities on March 31 after it learned of “troubling” allegations against Chávez, who co-founded the labor organization in 1962., the organization said it learned of allegations that Chávez acted in ways that are “incompatible” with the union’s values. UFW also said it does not have any direct reports or firsthand knowledge of the allegations, but that they include claims about abuse — possibly of young women or minors."These allegations have been profoundly shocking," the union said."We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it."The announcement is a blow to one of the most revered legacies in the fight for farm workers’ rights. However, Chávez wasn’t without controversy. He was known for efforts to stop undocumented immigrants from coming into the U.S., often referring to the group withThe union said it’s working with experts to set up an “external, confidential, independent channel” for people Chávez may have harmed to come forward with their stories and seek accountability. In lieu of César Chávez Day, on Tuesday, March 31, UFW is also calling on allies to instead show up to immigration justice events and support farm workers in their communities.
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