Kim got duped
Tomo Chien
October 21, 2025
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
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1.
USC last month invited former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to speak at a panel meant to celebrate World Democracy Day. But Schwarzenegger quickly turned the event into an anti-Prop. 50 rally that’s now been cut into a TV ad, wrote the Daily Trojan’s Alex Gross. Interim President Beong-Soo Kim, Gross wrote, got “duped.”
2.
The recent dominance of women’s basketball programs at USC and UCLA has had a notable side effect: More homegrown talent is opting to stay in LA rather than ship off to far-off colleges. “Everyone talks about the rivalry,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “The reality is we’re getting to grow the sport in this city together.”
3.
USC trustee Marc Benioff landed in hot water last week after he called for Donald Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco. Just flagging: The billionaire Salesforce founder is not only a voting USC board member, but a Marshall alum and … TKE frat brother.
4.
The Dodgers are headed to their fifth World Series since 2017, this time against the Toronto Blue Jays. Shohei Ohtani and crew will look to defend their title in a matchup that starts Friday in Toronto. For your convenience: MLB compiled a “how to sound smart when discussing the World Series” guide.
5.
Long Beach photographer Kevin Lacy has spent years documenting abandoned places in California. He’s photographed a defunct water park in the Mojave; a deserted rail line in a far-flung corner of the desert; and eerie aircraft graveyards in Southern California. See his work at “The Abandoned Project.”