Madre Fire, California's largest, expands to nearly 80,000 acres
But writing about higher education also means getting a look at the brainy creations of students and faculty: Robotic suits that help paralyzed people walk. Online collections of folk songs going back hundreds of years. And innovations touching on everything from virtual reality to baseball.
Nanette is also covering the COVID-19 pandemic and served as health editor during the first six months of the crisis, which quickly ended her brief tenure as interim investigations editor.
Previously, Nanette covered K-12 education. Her stories led to changes in charter school laws, prompted a ban on Scientology in California public schools, and exposed cheating and censorship in testing.
A past president of the Society of Professional Journalists' Northern California chapter, Nanette has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a B.A. in sociology from Queens College. She speaks English and Spanish.
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Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Gringo go home.' Mexico City protests target Americans, gentrification
MEXICO CITY — Since the early days of the pandemic, foreigners have flooded Mexico City, particularly Americans and Europeans drawn by the cost of living and possibilities of remote work. During that time, several neighborhoods in the city center have transformed, with tortillerías, corner stores and barber shops replaced by wine bars, cafes and Pilates studios, many of which advertise in English. Rents have soared, and some locals have been priced out of their homes. Some blame the city's housing crunch and rising costs on the new arrivals — and the more than 35,000 Airbnbs operating here. In recent days, that anger spilled into the streets. A march against gentrification drew hundreds of people, with protesters holding signs that said 'gringo go home,' and demanding that Mexican leaders curb short-term rentals and tax foreigners. It was held on July 4 — U.S. Independence Day — and was advertised as a protest against 'American imperialism.' The march, which passed the U.S. Embassy, was mostly peaceful. But later, some marchers turned to vandalism, smashing windows of more than a dozen storefronts, including a bank, a popular taco chain and a Starbucks. Videos showed protesters harassing tourists seated at an upscale taquería until they got up and left. Some patrons sitting at street-side cafes targeted by the demonstrators protested that they were Mexicans, not foreigners, in some cases flashing their identification cards. In parts of the city, walls remain scrawled with graffiti: 'My culture is not your trend' and 'Kill a gringo.' The protests, which echoed demonstrations against mass tourism and high housing costs in other places, including Barcelona and Berlin, have challenged the long-held notion of Mexico City as a place that welcomes outsiders. And they add fuel to rising binational tensions, as President Trump threatens tariffs on Mexican imports and seeks to deport immigrants living without authorization in the United States. Trump's attacks on Mexico have sparked a wave of nationalism, with some people pushing a boycott of American products and companies embracing the red, green and white of the Mexican flag in ad campaigns. On social media, where commentators both applauded and assailed the protests, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security joined in the fray, publishing a post on X Sunday encouraging undocumented immigrants to self-deport via a Customs and Border Protection application: 'If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.' Mexican leaders condemned the vandalism and the nativist tone adopted by many protesters. 'Xenophobic displays of this kind must be condemned,' President Claudia Sheinbaum said at her daily news conference on Monday. 'Mexico is a country open to the world.' But she stressed that protesters had legitimate complaints, and that 'gentrification is a phenomenon that needs to be addressed.' Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, who, like Sheinbaum, belongs to the leftist political party that controls much of the country, said the city must focus on building more affordable housing. 'We must continue implementing measures and public policies to combat these phenomena,' she said Monday. 'The demand for housing and rents are increasing overnight, and residents are being evicted because they no longer have the economic means to live there.' Sheinbaum, who was mayor of Mexico City before being elected president, was criticized during her term for not taking stronger action against the dispossession of long-time residents as landlords rented out properties to digital nomads, tourists and other foreigners. Demonstrators say the government is still not doing enough. 'We're not against migration, which is a human right,' one of the collectives that organized the march wrote in a statement. 'But we have to recognize that the state, institutions and both local and foreign businesses offer different treatment to those with greater purchasing power.' Analysts have pushed back on the claims that an influx in foreigners is largely blame for rising costs in Mexico City. 'The reality is that, with or without gringos, housing in Mexico has become enormously more expensive,' Viri Ríos, a political scientist, wrote in El País newspaper. From 2005 to 2021, home prices throughout Mexico increased by 247%, she said. That includes states with low tourist flows, such as Morelos, where prices increased 193%. She said increases in Mexico City have actually decelerated since the pandemic. 'The rise in Mexico City precedes the gringos, is happening throughout the country and has causes that go beyond the arrival of tourists or digital nomads,' she wrote. More to blame, she said: High construction costs and public policies that mean building is not keeping up with demand. She said Mexico City officials had embraced Airbnb in large part because it is much easier to collect taxes from the company compared to long-term rentals, many of which are paid for with cash. Some of the neighborhoods currently at the center of debate were first gentrified by Mexicans. Mexico has long been the top foreign travel destination for Americans, its beaches and pueblos luring tens of millions of U.S. visitors annually. But Americans began flooding Mexico City in earnest around 2016, when the New York Times named it the world's top travel destination, and magazine writers wondered whether it was the 'new Berlin.' International artists, chefs and designers arrived, scooping up inexpensive studio spaces, opening restaurants and integrating themselves into the city's imaginative nightlife. The pandemic pushed it into overdrive. As much of Europe and Asia shut their doors to Americans in 2020, Mexico, which adopted few COVID-19 restrictions, was one of the few places where gringos were welcome. Making it easier: Americans have long been able to stay here up to six months without a visa. For remote workers earning in dollars, the appeal is clear: For the cost of a $2,500 one-bedroom in Los Angeles or New York, a person can rent a penthouse here. The phenomenon is transforming some of the city's most beloved neighborhoods into expat rings out everywhere in the leafy, walkable neighborhoods of Roma, Condesa, Centro and Juárez. For years, most people in this metropolis were unwaveringly kind and patient with international visitors. But some chilangos, as locals are known, have become fed up. A few years ago, expletive-laced posters appeared around town. 'New to the city? Working remotely?' they read in English. 'You're a f—ing plague and the locals f—ing hate you. Leave.' That sentiment echoed the hundreds of responses that poured in after a young American posted a seemingly innocuous tweet: 'Do yourself a favor and remote work in Mexico City — it is truly magical.' 'Please don't,' read one of the nicer replies. 'This city is becoming more and more expensive every day in part because of people like you, and you don't even realize or care about it.' Genoveva Ramírez, 35, who works in marketing and advertising, commutes two hours each day to the Juárez neighborhood because rent in the city is 'impossible for me.' So, too, is picking up the tab at restaurants. 'When you see those places, they're full of foreigners, and you understand why prices have risen so much, because foreigners do pay.' Still, she said she didn't blame them. 'Ultimately, it's not their fault.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Troops and federal agents briefly descend on LA's MacArthur Park in largely immigrant neighborhood
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dozens of federal officers in tactical gear and about 90 members of the California National Guard were deployed for about an hour Monday to a mostly empty park in a Los Angeles neighborhood with a large immigrant population. It wasn't immediately known if any arrests were made. Defense officials had said the troops and over a dozen military vehicles would help protect immigration officers as they carried out a raid in MacArthur Park. 'What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,' said Mayor Karen Bass, who called it a 'political stunt.' She said there were children attending a day camp in the park who were quickly ushered inside to avoid seeing the troops. Still, Bass said an 8-year-old boy told her that 'he was fearful of ICE.' Bass showed video of officers on horseback sweeping across an empty soccer field. The operation occurred at a park in a neighborhood with large Mexican, Central American and other immigrant populations and is lined by businesses with signs in Spanish and other languages that has been dubbed by local officials as the 'Ellis Island of the West Coast.' Among those who spoke with Bass were health care outreach workers who were working with homeless residents Monday when troops pointed guns at them and told them to get out of the park. Jeannette Zanipatin with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights went to see the brief but prominent presence of troops and federal officers at the park. 'I definitely think it's a source of intimidation,' she said. 'We know that the Trump administration is trying to make an example of Los Angeles.' The operation in the large park about 2 miles west of downtown LA included 17 Humvees, four tactical vehicles, two ambulances and the armed soldiers, defense officials said. It came after President Donald Trump deployed thousands of Guard members and active duty Marines to the city last month following protests over previous immigration raids. Trump has stepped up efforts to realize his campaign pledge of deporting millions of immigrants in the United States illegally and shown a willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. Betsy Bolte, who lives nearby, came to the park after seeing a military-style helicopter circling overhead. She said it was 'gut-wrenching' to witness what appeared to be a federal show of force on the streets of a U.S. city. 'It's terror and, you know, it's ripping the heart and soul out of Los Angeles,' she said. 'I am still in shock, disbelief, and so angry and terrified and heartbroken.' The defense officials told reporters that it was not a military operation but acknowledged that the size and scope of the Guard's participation could make it look like one to the public. That is why the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the raid that were not announced publicly. 'It's just going to be more overt and larger than we usually participate in,' one of the officials said before the raid ended abruptly with no explanation. The primary role of the service members would be to protect the immigration enforcement officers in case a hostile crowd gathered, that official said. They are not participating in any law enforcement activities such as arrests, but service members can temporarily detain citizens if necessary before handing them over to law enforcement, the official said. 'This morning looked like a staging for a TikTok video,' said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of the Los Angeles City Council, adding if Border Patrol wants to film in LA, 'you should apply for a film permit like everybody else. And stop trying to scare the bejesus out of everybody who lives in this great city and disrupt our economy every day.' Sprawling MacArthur Park has a murky lake ringed by palm trees, an amphitheater that hosts summer concerts and sports fields where immigrant families line up to play soccer in the evenings and on weekends. A thoroughfare on the east side is often crammed with unlicensed food stands selling tacos and other delicacies, along with vendors speaking multiple languages and hawking cheap T-shirts, toys, knickknacks and household items. Authorities routinely clear encampments and medical outreach teams tend to homeless residents. Chris Newman, legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said he received a credible tip about the operation Monday. 'It was a demonstration of escalation,' Newman said. 'This was a reality TV spectacle much more so than an actual enforcement operation.' Since federal agents have been making arrests at Home Depot parking lots and elsewhere in Los Angeles, Newman said fewer people have been going to the park and immigrant neighborhoods near the city's downtown. 'The ghost town-ification of LA is haunting, to say the very least,' he said. More than 4,000 California National Guard and hundreds of U.S. Marines have been deployed in Los Angeles since June — against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Last week, the military announced about 200 of those troops would be returned to their units to fight wildfires. ___
Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
Trump's K-12 federal funding hold has Miami-Dade County schools out millions
Miami-Dade County Public Schools reportedly could be out more than $45 million in the coming school year following a last-minute halt of federal funding by the Trump administration. Why it matters: The funds, which were expected to be accessible on July 1, were earmarked for programs that support English-language learners and instruction, migrant education, teacher development and after-school programs, among others. Florida school districts were already bracing for steep budget cuts for the 2025-26 school year amid declining enrollment driven by the state's growing voucher program. Catch up quick: On June 30, the administration announced it was withholding billions in federal education funding while a handful of programs were under review. The funding delay has exacerbated the uncertainty for after-school, summer and other programs, leaving schools in limbo, advocates and policy experts say. The big picture: An estimated $6.2 billion in K-12 funds across five programs remains unavailable, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies. By the numbers: In Florida, the administration is withholding about 15% of the state's federal funding, totaling more than $347 million, per the institute. Plus: More than $17 million in funding for migrant education, $124.5 million for instruction support, $56.5 million for English language acquisition programs, Nearly $76 million for academic enrichment programs, And nearly $73 million for after-school or summer programs. What they're saying: The possible cuts impact fragile student populations, Miami-Dade School Board member Steve Gallon told NBC6. "When you talk about ESOL, you're talking about 83,000 students," he said. "If [funding is] cut, they will be left behind." The other side: A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told Axios that no decisions have been made amid "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding."
