Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and we’re reading about the best ice cream spots in Los Angeles. Onto the five USC, LA and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

California community college students who earn associate degrees in select majors will gain priority admission to UCLA starting 2026 under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The program will expand to at least four other University of California schools by 2028, but students won’t be guaranteed admission to their campus of choice. Officials haven’t yet specified which majors will qualify for the program, but have said that at least four of them will be in a science, technology, engineering or math field.

2.

Two conservative board members in the Orange Unified School District will likely face a recall election because of their roles in firing a superintendent and adopting policies that critics say violate the rights of transgender students. The potential recall is one of the first signs that at least some parents are willing to fight back against the recent wave of transgender policies enacted by conservative California school boards that have embraced cultural wedge issues.

3.

A jury awarded $13.5 million to the family of a man who was killed by LA police officers in 2019 after they pinned him to the ground during an arrest. Officers initially approached Jacobo Juarez Cedillo in Van Nuys suspecting he was under the influence of an unknown drug. The confrontation quickly spiraled, and Cedillo lost consciousness; he died five days later in a hospital from what the coroner said was loss of blood flow to the brain, the effects of methamphetamine and cardiac arrest. Police initially reported his death as an overdose.

4.

Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility that serves Northern California, wants to spend $5.9 billion to bury power lines in areas with high fire risk. The utility claims that burying lines reduces the chance that they’ll start a fire by 99%, and that a cheaper protective cover that state regulators have suggested only reduces the risk by 62%. PG&E customers would ultimately shoulder the cost, which could translate to an average of around $40 more on each month’s bill.

5.

Olympic officials approved the addition of flag football, cricket, baseball, softball, lacrosse and squash at the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA. The NFL, which has said it plans to use flag football to promote the sport’s international growth, will no doubt be pleased with the decision. The last time the Olympics included American football was in the 1932 Games hosted by LA as a demonstration sport.

You’re all caught up. Thanks for reading Morning, Trojan, and have a good day. Anna Hsu copy edited this newsletter.

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