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USC among 4 Southland colleges warned of need to protect Jewish students
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Newsom, LA County seek $39 billion from feds for wildfire recovery By Joe Taglieri
By Steven Herbert, City News Service
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SC pledged Tuesday to share “everything we have done to create a welcoming and non-discriminatory campus environment for all members of our community,” in a university statement responding to a letter from the Department of Education. USC, Pomona College, Santa Monica College and Chapman University were among 60 colleges and universities nationwide receiving letters Monday informing them of their need to fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits any institution receiving federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color, and national origin, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities, the Department of Education announced Monday. National origin includes shared Jewish ancestry. “The university has publicly and unequivocally denounced antisemitism in all its forms, and has taken strong actions to protect all of our students — including members of our Jewish community — from illegal discrimination of any kind,” the USC statement said. “USC is proud to enroll one of the largest Jewish student bodies in the country.” An 11-day pro-Palestinian campus occupation occurred at USC from April
| Image courtesy of Akiersch/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
24-May 5, 2024, with the Los Angeles Police Department arresting 93 people on the first night of the protest and USC closing off campus to the general public. USC was among 10 universities notified Feb. 28 by the Department of Justice that it will be visited by the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism following allegations “that the schools may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law.” Pomona College “will cooperate fully” the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ investigation into whether it violated Jewish students’ civil rights, a spokeswoman told City News Service Tuesday. “The college is firmly committed to assuring the right of all our students to a Pomona education, including taking every appropriate step to prevent antisemitism and all forms of shared ancestry discrimination and harassment,” Patricia Vest, Pomona College’s interim chief communications officer, said in an email to City News Service. “Furthermore, we will
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continue to work on concrete steps and will implement additional actions to support our Jewish students and ensure their uninterrupted access to higher education on our campus.” Santa Monica College issued a statement to City News Service Monday night saying “the U.S. Department of Education opened three investigations concerning allegations of antisemitism at Santa Monica College. The college responded to Case No. 09-24-2053, on Jan. 8, 2024 with a supplemental response on March 11, 2024; to Case No. 09-24-2248 on July 8, 2024; and to Case No. 09- 24-2438 on Nov. 18, 2024. “In the college’s responses, we outlined in a great detail the college’s full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. We have not as yet received any determination from the Office of Civil Rights on any of these investigations. “Santa Monica College remains committed to upholding a culture of inclusivity, where open dialog and respectful exchange of ideas can take place. Through professional development, mental and emotional health support for the college community, and other measures, the college has sought to build bridges See Antisemitism Page 31
Before and after photos show debris clearance at Marquez Elementary School in Pacific Palisades. | Photo courtesy of the USACE HQ/X
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he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday formally supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $39.68 billion request to the federal government to pay for recovery work related to the January wildfires. Newsom sent a letter Feb. 21 to the House of Representatives that identified the city, county and state’s financial needs to support the immediate and long-term recovery of impacted communities. The funding would support business and workforce recovery, tax incentives, community and private property recovery and disaster resilience, according to a motion by Board Chair Kathryn Barger, whose 5th District includes San Gabriel Valley foothill communities devastated in the Eaton Fire. On Jan. 23, county supervisors sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for financial and legislative support, and the county has also submitted a Supplemental State Budget Request for fiscal year 2025-2026 seeking $900 million. “This supplemental funding is critical to sustaining vital public services, including child and family services, healthcare, libraries, public works, solid waste management, and parks and recreation,” according to Barger’s motion. ... “Significant repairs and modernizations to water, sewer, gas and electrical infrastructure are necessary to get residents back into their communities. Creative financing See Wildfire recovery Page 31
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