Latest news with #Crenshaw
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City Section football coaches unite in challenging times as practice begins
As City Section 11-man football coaches prepare for the official start of practices on Monday, there's a noticeable change under way. They're not fighting one another. Rather, they are uniting as a group, understanding and embracing their similar challenges while trying to create environments to keep the players and their parents invested in the future. They still gripe and complain, but it's part of working in the Los Angeles Unified School District. They are sacrificing, many as walk-on coaches, for "little" victories that inspire them to keep coaching. Whether they realize it or not, this is the only way forward — helping kids develop as players and students first. Worry about on-field wins and losses later. All they want is a fair and equitable playing field, though sometimes even that can't be achieved. Coaches have had to put themselves out on a limb. There was courage displayed last season when the head coaches at San Pedro, Gardena, Carson and Banning decided to forfeit games against Narbonne while demanding an investigation by LAUSD into alleged rule violations. Families were not happy at losing the opportunity to play games. Purists who believe forfeiting is never acceptable were aghast. Coaches involved received strong criticism by some. It forced an investigation, resulting in players being declared ineligible and Narbonne vacating its City title and being declared ineligible for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 playoffs. Every coach who signed on to the protest ended up resigning except for San Pedro's Corey Walsh. They helped clean up a mess that shouldn't had been allowed to fester. When City Section coaches gathered for their annual meeting last month to discuss the season ahead, there were many hugs, handshakes and discussions of identical challenges (academic eligibility, increasing roster numbers, finding assistant coaches, concerns about federal immigration raids). The warmth was real because many of the older coaches have been mentors. Hamilton's Elijah Asante used to coach L.A. Jordan first-year coach James Boyd. So many families have left. The days when Carson, Banning, Dorsey and Crenshaw could compete against and beat the best of the Southern Section teams are gone. Remember when Crenshaw played De La Salle in the CIF Open Division state championship game in 2009? Coach Robert Garrett is still around with 290 career victories, but the Cougars' roster hovers around 25 players with no JV team. It doesn't mean the former powers can't rise again as champions within the City Section. Those who have stayed, from coaches to players, deserve praise for taking on an adventure that can be daunting. There are good, loyal people determined to help along the way. New facilities have opened. All-weather fields and new grass fields are multiplying. Garfield, Roosevelt and Hamilton debut new stadiums this fall. A strong collection of City Section quarterbacks are ready to let the ball fly, from Eagle Rock's Liam Pasten to Carson's Chris Fields. There is no certain dominant team, though the usual contenders — Birmingham, Carson, San Pedro — are teams to watch. So far, 71 schools are playing 11-man football. There's a story line certain to provide inspiration — Palisades High trying to rise again after its campus was damaged during the Palisades fire. Even though its football field was largely untouched, the team is starting the season not allowed to play on the field and will be playing at Santa Monica College. Students have yet to return to the campus. TV cameras will be out en force to capture the drama if the Dolphins can put together a dream season. Southern Section teams also begin practices on Monday. If you think you're watching the movie "Groundhog Day," you are correct. Every Division 1 title since 2016 has been won by Mater Dei or St. John Bosco. It's almost certain to happen again in 2025. It doesn't mean there shouldn't be some outstanding games in the Southern Section, starting with the Aug. 22 matchup of Santa Margarita and new coach Carson Palmer taking on Mission Viejo at Trabuco Hills. There's always excitement and intrigue when the pads first come on next week. Teaching kids who have never worn shoulder pads is both comedy and memorable. It will be just one more responsibility for City Section coaches who receive a $5,622 stipend over four months and are expected to be Superman every day. To all coaches, thank you for your sacrifice and for providing teenagers the guidance, discipline and structure that will be needed when their playing careers are finished. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
City Section football coaches unite in challenging times as practice begins
As City Section 11-man football coaches prepare for the official start of practices on Monday, there's a noticeable change under way. They're not fighting one another. Rather, they are uniting as a group, understanding and embracing their similar challenges while trying to create environments to keep the players and their parents invested in the future. They still gripe and complain, but it's part of working in the Los Angeles Unified School District. They are sacrificing, many as walk-on coaches, for 'little' victories that inspire them to keep coaching. Whether they realize it or not, this is the only way forward — helping kids develop as players and students first. Worry about on-field wins and losses later. All they want is a fair and equitable playing field, though sometimes even that can't be achieved. Coaches have had to put themselves out on a limb. There was courage displayed last season when the head coaches at San Pedro, Gardena, Carson and Banning decided to forfeit games against Narbonne while demanding an investigation by LAUSD into alleged rule violations. Families were not happy at losing the opportunity to play games. Purists who believe forfeiting is never acceptable were aghast. Coaches involved received strong criticism by some. It forced an investigation, resulting in players being declared ineligible and Narbonne vacating its City title and being declared ineligible for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 playoffs. Every coach who signed on to the protest ended up resigning except for San Pedro's Corey Walsh. They helped clean up a mess that shouldn't had been allowed to fester. When City Section coaches gathered for their annual meeting last month to discuss the season ahead, there were many hugs, handshakes and discussions of identical challenges (academic eligibility, increasing roster numbers, finding assistant coaches, concerns about federal immigration raids). The warmth was real because many of the older coaches have been mentors. Hamilton's Elijah Asante used to coach L.A. Jordan first-year coach James Boyd. So many families have left. The days when Carson, Banning, Dorsey and Crenshaw could compete against and beat the best of the Southern Section teams are gone. Remember when Crenshaw played De La Salle in the CIF Open Division state championship game in 2009? Coach Robert Garrett is still around with 290 career victories, but the Cougars' roster hovers around 25 players with no JV team. It doesn't mean the former powers can't rise again as champions within the City Section. Those who have stayed, from coaches to players, deserve praise for taking on an adventure that can be daunting. There are good, loyal people determined to help along the way. New facilities have opened. All-weather fields and new grass fields are multiplying. Garfield, Roosevelt and Hamilton debut new stadiums this fall. A strong collection of City Section quarterbacks are ready to let the ball fly, from Eagle Rock's Liam Pasten to Carson's Chris Fields. There is no certain dominant team, though the usual contenders — Birmingham, Carson, San Pedro — are teams to watch. So far, 71 schools are playing 11-man football. There's a story line certain to provide inspiration — Palisades High trying to rise again after its campus was damaged during the Palisades fire. Even though its football field was largely untouched, the team is starting the season not allowed to play on the field and will be playing at Santa Monica College. Students have yet to return to the campus. TV cameras will be out en force to capture the drama if the Dolphins can put together a dream season. Southern Section teams also begin practices on Monday. If you think you're watching the movie 'Groundhog Day,' you are correct. Every Division 1 title since 2016 has been won by Mater Dei or St. John Bosco. It's almost certain to happen again in 2025. It doesn't mean there shouldn't be some outstanding games in the Southern Section, starting with the Aug. 22 matchup of Santa Margarita and new coach Carson Palmer taking on Mission Viejo at Trabuco Hills. There's always excitement and intrigue when the pads first come on next week. Teaching kids who have never worn shoulder pads is both comedy and memorable. It will be just one more responsibility for City Section coaches who receive a $5,622 stipend over four months and are expected to be Superman every day. To all coaches, thank you for your sacrifice and for providing teenagers the guidance, discipline and structure that will be needed when their playing careers are finished.
USA Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be released from jail, put under ICE supervision in Baltimore
NASHVILLE − A federal judge in Nashville has ruled Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be released from jail before trial on criminal charges in Tennessee, a decision his attorneys had argued for since he was brought back to the U.S. in June after his illegal deportation in March. Abrego Garcia will not be immediately let out of jail due to a pending motion by his attorneys to delay his release. Meanwhile, a judge in Maryland has ordered Abrego Garcia must be transferred to the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore. If ICE wants to deport Abrego Garcia, it must give him 72 hours notice so he can assert claims of credible fear or seek any other relief, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, in Maryland, wrote. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw issued the Tennessee ruling, which came down July 23. "The Government has failed to show on appeal that this case is one of the 'carefully limited exception[s]' where detention pending trial is justified, entitling Abrego to his liberty in the meantime," Crenshaw wrote. Abrego Garcia's attorneys in Tennessee had recently asked that any order to release him from jail be delayed for 30 days. While they had argued Abego Garcia has a right to be let out of jail, they said government officials planned to apprehend Abrego Garcia and begin deportation proceedings if he was released. Crenshaw opted to leave that decision for Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, who will take over the case and rule on the request for a 30-day delayed release from jail in the future. Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. without authorization around 2011. Immigration authorities issued a final order of removal for Abrego Garcia in 2019, but they said he could not be released to his home country of El Salvador due to credible fears of persecution by gangs in that country. The U.S. deported him to a Salvadoran mega prison in March, prompting a unanimous rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court to bring him back. He was brought back June 6 to face charges of alien smuggling, centering around a 2022 traffic stop in Cookeville, Tennessee. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ruben Montoya contributed. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A tech billionaire vows to make homeless housing affordable and profitable
A call for proposals to develop a surplus Metro property on the corner of Wilshire and Crenshaw boulevards drew bids from seven heavyweights in the world of homeless housing. Along with big non-profits like Abode, PATH and Bridge Housing, an eighth bidder — one that has yet to produce a single apartment — presented a bold plan to do what none of the others could. Better Angels, a nonprofit founded by a billionaire tech entrepreneur who has turned his attention to homelessness, said it will build 212 affordable units on the property, plus a medical office building, without needing a dime of taxpayer money. Unlike the other bidders, whose proposals rely on tax credits and other government grants, Better Angeles says it will supply 30% of the capital as equity and finance the rest with conventional loans, allowing it to build faster and at much less cost than typical affordable projects. Among several homelessness initiatives launched by its founder, Adam Miller, Better Angels has set out on an ambitious mission to debunk the conventional wisdom that affordable housing can't be produced without taxpayer subsidies. "The goal is to show the way to make money doing affordable housing because we believe that ... the only way you are going to solve the affordable housing crisis is by letting capitalism work," Miller said. With a $300-million investment fund, Miller is trying to lure for-profit developers away from the luxury market and create an opportunity for small-scale developers to think beyond duplexes and ADUs. Concurrently with its Metro proposal, Better Angels is bidding on a project to redevelop a former Kaiser Permanente facility in Pasadena. It proposes a housing and mental health hub with a mix of 300 market rate, affordable and supportive units for formerly homeless people. It also has entered a bid in a Los Angeles Community College District competition for proposals to produce student housing. If selected, it would build a 54-unit apartment near Sunset Junction in Silver Lake for Los Angeles City College students with preference for those in or exiting foster care. Metro and LACCD have announced that winners will be named this summer. Bidding on the Pasadena project closed in May, and a decision is expected sometime this year. Win or lose on those bids, Better Angels is backing two smaller projects that are well on their way to completion. A groundbreaking will be held in later this summer for a 51-unit apartment that will replace an abandoned single-family home in South Los Angeles. Later in the year, permits are expected to be issued for an eight-story, 72-unit building a block from Manchester Avenue in Westchester. Miller promotes his housing model as an alternative to the decades-old system of double subsidies that use tax credits supplemented by other government grants to finance construction and rental subsidies to support ongoing operation. Tax-credit development is slow and costly because the rental subsidies have to be secured before capital can be raised, and the financing can be a years-long process involving competitive applications to multiple agencies. All the while the developer, in most cases a nonprofit homeless services provider, accrues carrying costs for the land. By providing capital up front with the stroke of a pen, Better Angels potentially cuts years off the process. "It's a very uncomplicated structure," said Anthony Gude, lead developer of the Westchester project. "You don't have to use public subsidies. That makes the capital stack simpler and more reliable." Gude said the 72-unit project will cost $15.5 million. At $215,000 per unit, that's roughly a third of the current cost of construction financed with tax credits. But there is a trade-off for the savings in time and cost. Though classified as affordable, the project will not become part of the homeless housing system. To be profitable, its rents will exceed the very low level needed to get people directly off the streets. As part of the approval process, Gude committed to limit rent of 55 units at low income (for people making 80% of area median income) and 15 units at moderate income levels. On average, that would be about $2,000 for the low-income units, he said. While that would be roughly 40% lower than rents in other new high-rise buildings going up in the bustling area just north of LAX, it's well above the very-low income levels required of tax-credit projects. That differential is evident in the applications for Metro's Wilshire/Crenshaw project. Better Angels' Metro proposal would provide 170 units at 80% of the area median income and 42 units at 110% of median, the latter a level commonly known as workforce housing. The seven competing proposals, all using tax-credit financing, would have some units available for people with incomes of only 30% of the median, considered acutely low-income, and most below 60% of the median. André F. Bueno, Better Angels' director of housing and chief investment officer, said the goal is to create new housing with guaranteed affordability that would serve homeless people directly through master leases to nonprofit agencies or, if not master leased, indirectly by renting to people who have federal Section 8 vouchers but can't use them in the competitive rental market. Miller described it as a homeless housing with "downside protection." "We have flexibility to ensure our limited partners get their return," he said. "We're trying to prove out that there is a different better way to do this that is less costly to the government and more effective at creating housing." Miller, who built Cornerstone OnDemand into a global training and development company, turned his focus on philanthropy after its 2021 sale. After forming an organization that supports research seeking solutions on gun control, Miller and his wife Staci Miller turned their attention to homelessness as their primary local mission, creating the STEP Fund, a no-interest, forgivable micro-loan program to help people facing evictions. It has given out 700 loans with a return rate of 65%. In 2023, the Millers incorporated Better Angels United Inc. as the umbrella for several initiatives. It conducts Resource Days around the county to help homeless people connect with services. It also employs a technical team working to create a mobile phone app for outreach workers and a centralized shelter database. After the Los Angeles fires, Better Angels built a resource navigator app and set up a relief fund. Its Affordable Housing Fund is a for-profit subsidiary of Better Angels created to attract capital to develop affordable housing. "We expect the returns on these projects are going to be market rate — double-digit internal rate of return — and we think that is going to encourage a lot of other people to get in this space and build net new affordable housing," Miller said. Miller is planning to promote three types of housing. About 45% of the fund will go to standard new housing construction. Another 20% will be invested with Good River Partners, whose founder Daniel Heimpel aspires to build housing for youths transitioning out of foster care. With the remainder, Miller hopes to partner with housing developer and modular manufacturer SoLa Impact to help longtime South Los Angeles homeowners convert their properties into multi-family apartments. "The idea is not only to create new affordable housing but to provide an opportunity for intergenerational wealth with people in the neighborhoods," Miller said. Gude and Andrew Slocum, who is leading the project in South Los Angeles, said their plans were possible only because of state and local incentives for affordable housing, including Mayor Karen Bass' Executive Order 1 that streamlined approvals. Among the other bonuses, the five-story building in South Los Angeles and the eight-story building in Westchester require only minimal setbacks from the street and no parking. "We needed every lever that was pulled," said Gude. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Judge will consider releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail, possibly leading to his deportation
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Trump administration claimed Abrego Garcia was in the MS-13 gang, although he wasn't charged and has repeatedly denied the allegation. Facing mounting pressure and a US Supreme Court order, the administration returned Abrego Garcia to the US last month to face the smuggling charges, which his attorneys have called 'preposterous.' Advertisement US District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. scheduled a hearing in Nashville to consider the matter of releasing Abrego Garcia from jail to await his trial. Crenshaw will review last month's ruling by US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville that Abrego Garcia is eligible for release. Holmes determined that Abrego Garcia was not a flight risk or a danger to the community and set various conditions for his release, including wearing an ankle bracelet and living with his brother in Maryland. Advertisement Crenshaw scheduled Wednesday's hearing following a motion by federal prosecutors to revoke Holmes' release order. The prosecutors argue Abrego Garcia is a flight risk and a danger to the community. Holmes has kept Abrego Garcia in jail at the request of his lawyers over concerns the Trump administration will try to deport him upon release. The attorneys asked Holmes to keep him in jail until Wednesday's hearing before Crenshaw to review her release order. The smuggling case stems from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding, during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. Police in Tennessee suspected human smuggling, but he was allowed to drive on. Abrego Garcia lived and worked in Maryland for more than a decade, doing construction and raising a family. Abrego Garcia's American wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, is suing the Trump administration in federal court in Maryland over his wrongful deportation in March, while trying to prevent any attempts to expel him again. Abrego Garcia's attorneys have asked US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland to order the government to send him to Maryland if he's released in Tennessee, a request that aims to prevent his expulsion before trial. In court on Friday, Abrego Garcia's attorneys also asked for at least a 72-hour hold that would prevent his immediate deportation. Attorney Andrew Rossman called it the 'critical bottom-line protection' needed to prevent a potentially egregious violation of due process rights. Xinis didn't rule from the bench Friday but said she'd issue an order before Crenshaw's hearing on Wednesday. If Abrego Garcia is released into ICE custody, his lawyers have vowed to fight expulsion efforts within the US immigration court system, which is part of the Justice Department. Advertisement —— Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia.
