Introducing: Crime dashboard
Tomo Chien
November 06, 2025
Good morning. It’s Thursday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
It’s hard to get a pulse on crime at USC. The Department of Public Safety’s logs are notoriously difficult to parse, and most students only hear about crime through sporadic media reports. So we built a solution. At the link below, see our new crime dashboard that scrapes data from DPS logs and presents it in an easy-to-read format.
2.
USC is cutting a little-known perk for its highest-paid executives. The benefit, which the school alluded to in a Monday email, allowed top earners to receive retirement contributions in cash once they exceeded IRS limits. It’s one of the first reported instances of high earners taking pay cuts amid the school’s budget crisis.
3.
A USC study found that fewer U.S. teenagers are vaping than before the pandemic — but that remaining users are increasingly addicted. Teenagers who are women, Black, and residents of rural areas reported vaping more. “What we found is highly concerning,” said professor Abbey Masonbrink.
4.
Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful women in U.S. political history, said she won’t seek reelection after nearly four decades in Congress. The California representative’s retirement has long been expected, but nonetheless signals a changing of the guard for the Democratic Party.
5.
A group of USC students are using their off-campus apartments to foster homeless dogs and cats. "Anything you can give a dog or cat is better than what they’re getting in the shelter,” said senior Andie Morelli. The “USC Foster Girls” network posts adorable photos to Instagram.