Police responded to a call at the intersection of Marshall Boulevard and D Street at 12:50 a.m. on March 7, where they found a woman lying in the roadway. She was taken to a hospital and reported to be in critical condition Saturday, said Lt. Christopher Gray of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Police also found at the scene the front bumper and license plate of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma pickup that allegedly struck the unnamed victim. Police ran the license plate number and went to the home of the registered owner of the vehicle, who turned out to be the father of the suspect. He informed police it was his son who had been driving his truck, Gray said.

The 21-year-old suspect, whom police did not name, confessed to the alleged crime, was determined to be under the influence when they made contact with him, and was arrested and booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and DUI, Gray said.

The Los Angeles County average price, which rose 11 cents on Friday, is the highest it’s been since May 20, 2024. It is 47.1 cents more than one week ago, 66 cents more than one month ago and 44.6 cents more than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.329 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022.

ALSO SEE: Gas prices in Southern California spike after Iran attack

The Orange County average price also saw its largest increase since a record 19.5-cent spike on Oct. 5, 2012, rising 17.7 cents to $5.153, its highest amount since May 14, 2024. The Orange County average price is 51.7 cents more than one week ago, 72.8 cents more than one month ago and 47.5 cents more than one year ago. It has dropped $1.306 since rising to a record $6.459 on Oct. 5, 2022.

The average price in Riverside County shot up 17.3 cents Saturday to $5.063, its largest one-day increase since Oct. 5, 2012. The average price has risen 37 of the past 38 days, including 11.9 cents Friday, and is the highest it’s been since May 21, 2024. The average price is 51.2 cents more than one week ago, 73.3 cents more than one month ago and 49.6 cents more than one year ago. It has dropped $1.31 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.

Prices were rising slightly in line with seasonal norms before the joint U.S./Israel attack on Iran on Feb. 28 sent oil prices higher and drastically accelerated increases at the gas pump.

“It’s unknown how long these price spikes will last or how high prices will climb ' that will all depend on how long oil supplies remain disrupted,” Kandace Redd, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s senior public affairs specialist, said in a statement released Thursday. “Oil prices have increased by about $10 a barrel since last weekend,” she added.

The national average price rose 9.3 cents to $3.413, its highest amount since Aug. 18, 2024. The national average price is 43.1 cents more than one week ago, 51.5 cents more than one month ago and 30.7 cents more than one year ago. It has dropped $1.603 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.

“The conflict in the Middle East has sent crude oil prices higher to the mid $70/barrel range … Springtime typically sees higher gas prices as gasoline demand rises and summer-blend gasoline production begins. The last time the national average made a similar weekly jump was back in March of 2022 during the start of the Russia/Ukraine conflict,” the AAA said Thursday.

The patent for the telephone turns 150 today, the first call was made three days later on March 10, 1876.

Before the phone: One of the earliest ways to communicate outside of mail was the telegraph, invented by Samuel Morse in 1837. The telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication by transmitting messages in Morse code over wires. It required skilled operators to encode and decode.

1876 ' The very first telephone was developed. Two inventors, Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, both independently designed devices that could transmit speech electronically.Bell reached the patent office mere hours before Gray and won the famous battle over the invention when his patent was passed on March 7, 1876.

Three days later, Bell transmitted the first discernible speech over the telephone to his assistant: 'Mr. Watson, come here; I want to see you.'

The telephone used a diaphragm, a coil and a receiver to convert sound waves into electrical signals and back into sound waves, enabling real-time voice conversations.

On May 10, 1876, Bell presented his paper 'On Telegraphing Musical Sounds,' later published in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences proceedings as 'Researches in Telephony.'

1879 ' The Top Box was one of the first business-focused telephones. This wall-mounted device, crafted from mahogany wood and Viaduct Manufacturing Co. hardware, became a common sight in both businesses and homes.

1880 ' The Gower-Bell Telephone was another early commercial success. This telephone featured a diaphragm and a receiver, offering improved sound quality and reliability over earlier models. It was the main phone used in countries like Spain, Japan and England.

1892 ' Telephone technology rapidly evolved in the early 1900s with the invention of the dial phone in 1892.

Almon B. Strowger invented a telephone that could perform the first automatic telephone exchange and did not require an operator.

Although Strowger filed the first patent for a rotary dial phone in 1891, the rotary phone devices did not make their way into the Bell System until the 1920s.

1947 ' AT&T finished the design for the North American Numbering Plan. There were originally 152 area codes, each one with enough capacity for 540 central offices. However, only 86 area codes were actually assigned ' with New Jersey receiving the first one, 201. The second area code, 202, was assigned to the District of Columbia. Currently there are 317 geographic area codes in the U.S. and an additional 18 non-geographic area codes totaling 335 area codes.

1960s ' Touch-tone dialing replaced the rotary dial. This advancement made dialing faster and more efficient, enhancing user experience.

1973 ' The first mobile phone was created in 1973 by engineer Martin Cooper. In 1983, Motorola released the first commercially available handheld mobile phone ' the DynaTAC 8000x.

Nicknamed 'The Brick,' the Motorola DynaTAC was valued at $3,995 ($10,300 today).

Mobile phones began to gain popularity in the 1980s. By the 2000s they had largely replaced landlines.

1979 ' Launched by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone , 1G was first introduced to the citizens of Tokyo. By 1984, the first generational network covered all of Japan, making it the first country to have 1G service nationwide.

It wasnt until 1983, that Ameritech introduced 1G to the U.S. Soon after, Canada got coverage in the mid-1980s.

2007 ' The iPhone was released in 2007 and revolutionized the mobile phone industry. Released in 2008, the iPhone 3G or (iPhone 2) paved the way for smartphones today. Apples cellphone demand was so high that 1 million iPhone 3Gs sold over the opening weekend.

As smartphones became popular, the demand for faster data and increased network capabilities was only a few years away.

More phones than people ' According to the International Telecommunication Union, there were more than 8.58 billion mobile subscriptions in use worldwide in 2022, compared to a global population of 7.95 billion halfway through the year.

Will the numbers run out?An analysis of the North American Numbering Plan estimates that the current structure is good until around 2049. After that, some changes are going to be needed.One plan would add either a 0 or 1 to the beginning or end of an area code or the seven-digit number. Another option is to add 9 as the second digit of existing area codes. So the 213 area code for Los Angeles County, would become 2913.

Some numbersDid you know each year there are over 173 million 911 calls in the U.S.? Many of these are life threatening and some not, it is important that you are prepared for any emergency that comes your way.2-2-1: In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order reserving the 2‑1‑1 dialing code for providing non-emergency community information and referral services.2‑1‑1 is available in multiple languages, allowing those in need to access information and obtain referrals to physical and mental health resources; housing, utility, food, and employment assistance; and suicide and crisis interventions.

A little more about BellAlexander Graham Bell was 29 when he received the patent for the telephone.The Scottish-born Bell worked in London with his father, Melville Bell, who developed Visible Speech, a written system used to teach speaking to the deaf. Bells mother was deaf. In the 1870s, the Bells moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where Bell worked as a teacher at the Pemberton Avenue School for the Deaf. He later married one of his students, Mabel Hubbard. While in Boston, Bell became very interested in the possibility of transmitting speech over wires.Western Union was offered to buy the telephone patent but scoffed and called it a toy. Two years later they said if they paid $25 million now ($800 million today) it would be a bargain.The Bell Telephone Company was created in 1877, and by 1886, more than 150,000 people in the U.S. owned telephones.Bell had 18 patents granted in his name alone and 12 more he shared with his collaborators. Mostly for the telephone and telegraph, but his other inventions spanned interests and included a metal jacket to assist in breathing, the audiometer to detect minor hearing problems and a device to locate icebergs,In January 1915, Bell made the first ceremonial transcontinental telephone call. Calling from New York City, Bell was heard by Thomas Watson in San Francisco. Bell died in 1922 at age 75.

You can learn more about Bell here.

Sources: Smithsonian, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, History.com, Ooma.com, Nextivia.com, CBS News, Federal Reserve Economic Data, The Pew Research Center

Their love for their neighborhood and town has kept them committed to staying put.

Standing in front of what used to be their home Thursday, March 5, they reflected on the loss of traditions like Rita and their grandkids walking around the neighborhood around Christmas time with a wagon full of goody bags for their neighbors as a way to stay connected and wish them a happy holiday.

For more than a year, they’ve been faced with a wrenching decision that will signifigantly impact their lives, and their family’s: Should they settle their case against Southern California Edison by taking the utility giant’s compensation money, or should they hold out to fight out there lawsuit against Edison?

In the first case, they’d be able to return home soon, become part of the area again that the Eaton fire so furiously displaced thousands from in January 2025.  But the payout is a fraction of what it could be if they were to win the massive litigation against utility filed after the fire – it’s equipment suspected of igniting the giant firestorm that killed 19 people and destroying more than 9,000 homes. Plus, they waive their right to sue the company.

In the latter case, they could they could end up waiting a year or more to receive a negotiated settlement.

• Also see: Scrutiny intensifies on Edison as DA investigation, pay cuts, earnings announced

Like more than 200 claimants so far, they took Option 1. But it wasn’t easy to get there. On Thursday, alongside their attorneys, including Ben Crump, the Pyburns announced they had accepted a settlement offer from SCE’s wildfire recovery compensation program.

It took a lot of prayer, the Pyburns said. It took plenty of soul searching in a town where thousands have yet to return, and many are still holding out to return.

“We stepped out on faith and we just went ahead and started anyway, because we love Altadena, we love our home, we love our community, we love our neighbors and we wanted to come back,” Terry Pyburn said.

The Pyburns are not alone, though they are among a fraction of survivors who are returning now, and who have made a similar decision.

To date, more than 2,500 claims representing about 7,000 individuals have been submitted to SCE’s compensation program. About 600 settlement offers have been extended totaling more than $185 million.

SCE has so far paid out $31 million to 212 claimants.

Last year, Edison CEO Pedro Pizarro acknowledged that his company’s equipment could have caused the spark that ignited the Eaton fire, in lieu of evidence to the contrary.

While Pizarro has consistently signaled the defense that the utility acted as a “reasonable operator” of the electrical system, many plaintiffs in the consolidated case against Edison continue to stay in the lawsuit. A year ago, numerous cases were consolidated into one main case. Plaintiffs include individuals, public entities and insurance companies.

Gerald Singleton, a liaison counsel for individual plaintiffs in hundreds of lawsuits still pending against the public utility, said about 6% of the people represented in the lawsuits have applied to the compensation program.

The problem, Singleton said, is the compensation program is based on a formula and not able to be negotiated.

'The goal of Edison, and Im not being critical, this is their job as a company, but their goal is to pay the least amount they can to settle the cases,' Singleton said.

Those that take a compensation offer, he said, typically get 30 to 50 cents on the dollar of what they could get through a negotiated settlement.

'For most people, theyre not going to be able to rebuild and replace what they lost if they only get 50% of what theyre legally entitled to,' Singleton said.

However, in a handful of situations, a compensation program offer is right around or even more than a person needs. Out of the more than 1,000 clients Singleton’s firm represented in the 2021 Dixie fire in Northern California, it only made financial sense for two of them to take the Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s compensation program offer.

In the SCE case, trial has been set for January 2027 and Singleton said he expects cases will begin to be resolved this year and into 2027.

Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, said many families have opted for the compensation program because they feel they have no other choice, given their desperate financial situation.

“By accepting that, they’re able to keep a roof overhead in the coming months. But they are trading away their future ability to recover,” Chen said.

Chen and the Eaton Fire Survivors Network have proposed that Edison should front up to $200,000 per displaced household in verified urgent housing relief, reimbursable through the California Wildfire Fund, which would immediately stop displacement and prevent homelessness.

Chen cited Edison’s 2025 full-year earnings that reported a net income of $4.4 billion.

She said there has not been any public pressure among fire survivors encouraging people to reject compensation program offers, if they need them.

“If you feel like you want to keep a roof overhead for your kids, and your savings are drained — which many people are in that situation — no one’s going to criticize them,” Chen said. “They’re making the best choices that they can under horrible, horrible circumstances.”

Rita and Terry have started the rebuilding process and received permit approval.

The couple said when they received the offer from Edison, they went through it step-by-step with their attorneys and prayed about it before making a final decision.

'The settlement from Edison is just going to be something that will help us in case anything else comes up. Now we know we have the resources to take care of it,' Rita Pyburn said.

Terry said the couple had begun the rebuild process before receiving the offer, but it gives them more peace of mind.

'This helps out so much, because we had so much doubt and youre stressed because you dont know how far you can go along with your rebuild,” Terry Pyburn said. “But this here puts us to a more comfortable situation and feel better about starting the rebuild.”

Crump, a nationally known civil rights attorney who has filed lawsuits on behalf of other survivors, said Thursday that at first he had some skepticism about the Edison program, but said he believes everyone has the same goal of rebuilding Altadena.

He said some of his clients want to continue with litigation, and others feel the program presents an offer that is right for them.

Clients call his office on weekly for updates on the lawsuits, and he said his office spends hours at a time on the phone with fire survivors grappling with which path to take.

'What we dont want to happen is this to become Californias Katrina, and Black people lose generational wealth,' Crump said.

The Assembly Select Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games held its first informational hearing in L.A. on Friday, a meeting focused on lessons learned from the 1984 Olympics and the lasting impacts of those Games.

“The question is often raised: ‘How can Los Angeles top the widely successful 1984 Games?’ If you know anything about L.A., you know that we love a sequel,” Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, who chairs the committee, said to laughs as she gave a nod to L.A.’s filmmaking industry.

The 1984 Games produced iconic moments, like the gold-medal winning performances of track and field’s Carl Lewis, gymnast Mary Lou Retton and basketball great Michael Jordan.

But it wasn’t just those athletic moments that have lived on in the minds of fans who witnessed history in the making.

Those responsible for putting on those Games pulled off something unthinkable: The 1984 L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee, led by Peter Ueberroth, made an estimated profit of $232.5 million.

Part of that surplus went toward the creation of the LA84 Foundation, which promotes youth sports by removing barriers and aiming to give all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background or ability, opportunities to participate in sports.

Since its inception, the foundation has invested more than $230 million in youth sports programs and served 4 million young people, according to its website.

“The Olympic Games weren’t just a successful event. It was a civic decision, a decision that proved Los Angeles could do something big. And then to make sure something good lasted after the Games went home,” said Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation.

Fittingly, Friday’s hearing was held at the LA84 Foundation headquarters in midcity.

Former elected official Zev Yaroslavsky, who served on the L.A. City Council during the 1984 Games, told committee members one of his fondest memories of those Olympics was a weeks-long arts festival that preceded the Games.

He offered, as another example of the legacies of the ’84 Games, the L.A. Opera company, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. When Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo came for the Olympics in 1984 and saw there was no opera company in L.A., he set out to open one. L.A. Opera opened two years later.

“Maybe the biggest legacy of the Games had nothing to do with the athletics. It had to do with the arts and culture,” Yaroslavsky said.

After a couple of speakers Friday told the committee they were sad that there would be no arts festival in 2028 like there was in 1984, McKinnor said she wanted to know why one isn’t being planned for the upcoming Games.

Other issues raised by committee members or speakers Friday included questions such as what is being done to ensure the economic benefits of hosting the Games will be equitable amongst communities; whether local small businesses have the support and resources to compete as vendors; how to deal with traffic and security and if L.A. or state officials are checking to make sure the LA28 organizing committee is on track to pull off the Games without going into debt.

The Assembly committee’s next meeting will be at the state Capitol on April 6. That meeting will focus on work that’s taking place to prepare for the 2028 Olympics.

Tamar Abrams had a lousy couple of years in 2022 and 23. Both her parents died; a relationship ended; she retired from communications consulting. She moved from Arlington, Virginia, to Warren, Rhode Island, where she knew all of two people.

'I was kind of a mess,' recalled Abrams, 69. Trying to cope, 'I was eating myself into oblivion.' As her weight hit 270 pounds and her blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels climbed, 'I knew I was in trouble health-wise.'

What came to mind? 'Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic!' ' the tuneful ditty from television commercials that promoted the GLP-1 medication for diabetes. The ads also pointed out that patients who took it lost weight.

Abrams remembered the commercials as 'joyful' and sometimes found herself humming the jingle. They depicted Ozempic-takers cooking omelets, repairing bikes, playing pickleball ' 'doing everyday activities, but with verve,' she said. 'These people were enjoying the hell out of life.'

So, just as such ads often urge, even though she had never been diagnosed with diabetes, she asked her doctor if Ozempic was right for her.

Small wonder Abrams recalled those ads. Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic, spent an estimated $180 million in direct-to-consumer advertising in 2022 and $189 million in 2023, according to MediaRadar, which monitors advertising.

By last year, the sum ' including radio and TV commercials, billboards, and print and digital ads ' had reached an estimated $201 million, and total spending on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs topped $9 billion, by MediaRadars calculations.

Novo Nordisk declined to address those numbers.

Should it be legal to market drugs directly to potential patients? This controversy, which has simmered for decades, has begun receiving renewed attention from both the Trump administration and legislators.

The question has particular relevance for older adults, who contend with more medical problems than younger people and are more apt to take prescription drugs. 'Part of aging is developing health conditions and becoming a target of drug advertising,' said Steven Woloshin, who studies health communication and decision-making at the Dartmouth Institute.

The debate over direct-to-consumer ads dates to 1997, when the FDA loosened restrictions and allowed prescription drug ads on television as long as they included a rapid-fire summary of major risks and provided a source for further information.

'That really opened the door,' said Abby Alpert, a health economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The introduction of Medicare Part D, in 2006, brought 'a huge expansion in prescription drug coverage and, as a result, a big increase in pharmaceutical advertising,' Alpert added. A study she co-wrote in 2023 found that pharmaceutical ads were much more prevalent in areas with a high proportion of residents 65 and older.

Industry and academic research have shown that ads influence prescription rates. Patients are more apt to make appointments and request drugs, either by brand name or by category, and doctors often comply. Multiple follow-up visits may ensue.

But does that benefit consumers? Most developed countries take a hard pass. Only New Zealand and, despite the decadelong opposition of the American Medical Association, the United States allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

Public health advocates argue that such ads encourage the use and overuse of expensive new medications, even when existing, cheaper drugs work as effectively. (Drug companies dont bother advertising once patents expire and generic drugs become available.)

In a 2023 study in JAMA Network Open, for instance, researchers analyzed the ' therapeutic value' of the drugs most advertised on television, based on the assessments of independent European and Canadian organizations that negotiate prices for approved drugs.

Nearly three-quarters of the top-advertised medications didnt perform markedly better than older ones, the analysis found.

'Often, really good drugs sell themselves,' said Aaron Kesselheim, senior author of the study and director of the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law at Harvard University.

'Drugs without added therapeutic value need to be pushed, and thats what direct-to-consumer advertising does,' he said.

Opponents of a ban on such advertising say it benefits consumers. 'It provides information and education to patients, makes them aware of available treatments and leads them to seek care,' Alpert said. That is 'especially important for underdiagnosed conditions,' like depression.

Moreover, she wrote in a recent JAMA Health Forum commentary, direct-to-consumer ads lead to increased use not only of brand-name drugs but also of non-advertised substitutes, including generics.

The Trump administration entered this debate last September, with a presidential memorandum calling for a return to the pre-1997 policy severely restricting direct-to-consumer drug advertising.

That position has repeatedly been urged by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has charged that 'pharmaceutical ads hooked this country on prescription drugs.'

At the same time, the FDA said it was issuing 100 cease-and-desist orders about deceptive drug ads and sending 'thousands' of warnings to pharmaceutical companies to remove misleading ads. Marty Makary, the FDA commissioner, blasted drug ads in an essay in The New York Times.

'Theres a lot of chatter,' Woloshin said of those actions. 'I dont know that well see anything concrete.'

This month, however, the FDA notified Novo Nordisk that the agency had found its TV spot for a new oral version of Wegovy false and misleading. Novo Nordisk said in an email that it was 'in the process of responding to the FDA' to address the concerns.

Meanwhile, Democratic and independent senators who rarely align with the Trump administration also have introduced legislation to ban or limit direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads.

Last February, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine and two other sponsors introduced a bill prohibiting direct-to-consumer ads for the first three years after a drug gains FDA approval.

King said in an email that the act would better inform consumers 'by making sure newly approved drugs arent allowed to immediately flood the market with ads before we fully understand their impact on the general public.'

Then, in June, he and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont proposed legislation to ban such ads entirely. That might prove difficult, Woloshin said, given the Supreme Courts Citizens United ruling protecting corporate speech.

Moreover, direct-to-consumer ads represent only part of the industrys promotional efforts. Pharmaceutical firms actually spend more money advertising to doctors than to consumers.

Although television still accounts for most consumer spending, because its expensive, Kesselheim pointed to 'the mostly unregulated expansion of direct-to-consumer ads onto the web' as a particular concern. Drug sales themselves are bypassing doctors practices by moving online.

Woloshin said that 'disease awareness campaigns' ' for everything from shingles to restless legs ' dont mention any particular drug but are 'often marketing dressed up as education.'

He advocates more effective educational campaigns, he said, 'to help consumers become more savvy and skeptical and able to recognize reliable versus unreliable information.'

For example, Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz, a late colleague, designed and tested a simple ' drug facts box,' similar to the nutritional labeling on packaged foods, that summarizes and quantifies the benefits and harms of medications.

For now, consumers have to try to educate themselves about the drugs they see ballyhooed on TV.

Abrams read a lot about Ozempic. Her doctor agreed that trying it made sense.

Abrams was referred to an endocrinologist, who decided that her blood glucose was high enough to warrant treatment. Three years later and 90 pounds lighter, she feels able to scramble after her 2-year-old grandson, enjoys Zumba classes, and no longer needs blood pressure or cholesterol drugs.

So Abrams is unsure, she said, how to feel about a possible ban on direct-to-consumer drug ads.

'If I hadnt asked my new doctor about it, would she have suggested Ozempic?' Abrams wondered. 'Or would I still weigh 270 pounds?'

The New Old Age is produced through a partnership with The New York Times.

©2026 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

When that happens, they often blame the fee, the competition or the market. In reality, the reasons are usually much simpler and far more controllable.

In my experience, brokers fail to secure agency assignments for four primary reasons.

The first mistake is making the presentation about themselves rather than about the owner and the property.

Experience matters. Production matters. Reputation matters. However, owners are not hiring a résumé. They are hiring someone to solve a problem. When brokers spend most of the meeting reciting awards, years in the business and transaction volume, they unintentionally shift the focus away from the very person they are trying to serve.

Owners are sitting across the table wondering whether the broker understands their property, their timing, their financial objectives and any pressures they may be facing. They want to feel heard. They want to feel understood.

When the conversation centers on the brokers accomplishments instead of the owners needs, confidence erodes. The most effective listing presentations are built around thoughtful questions, careful listening and a clear demonstration that the broker truly understands the assignment.

The second reason brokers lose listings is that they fail to clearly articulate what makes the property unique in the marketplace. Every building has distinguishing characteristics. Location, access, parking, configuration, tenant mix, zoning, expansion potential, functional limitations and redevelopment possibilities all play a role in how the property should be positioned. Yet too many presentations rely on generic marketing plans that could apply to almost any asset.

Owners deserve more than a promise to place the property into the brokerage community and send out email announcements. They want to know why a buyer or tenant would choose their property over the competing options down the street. They want to understand the likely target audience and how the property will be positioned to that audience.

A broker who cannot clearly explain the propertys competitive advantages, while also acknowledging and planning around its weaknesses, will struggle to inspire confidence. Strong brokers position properties strategically. Average brokers simply expose them to the market and hope for the best.

The third mistake involves process. Owners are not merely seeking a number; they are seeking an outcome. Ideally, they want the highest price the market will bear, achieved within a reasonable period and with minimal disruption to their operations or tenants. What many brokers fail to do is clearly explain how they intend to deliver that outcome.

A thoughtful presentation should outline how the property will be prepared for the market, how pricing will be evaluated and refined, how prospective buyers or tenants will be identified and approached, how negotiations will be handled and how the transaction will be managed from contract through closing.

When this road map is missing, the broker may sound enthusiastic but not organized. Owners are placing a valuable asset into someones hands. They want to see structure, discipline, and a clear path forward.

The fourth and often most damaging mistake is locking into a single price as though it were absolute. Markets are fluid. Interest rates shift. Capital markets tighten or expand. Competing properties enter the market. Owner circumstances change. A pricing recommendation should be part of a broader strategy, not a rigid declaration.

Sophisticated owners understand that value is dynamic. A strong broker prepares them for multiple scenarios, discussing what might happen if activity is brisk, if it is slower than anticipated or if market conditions change during the marketing period.

By framing pricing as a strategy that can adapt to real-time feedback, the broker demonstrates awareness and flexibility. When a broker becomes emotionally attached to one number and defends it without regard to changing conditions, credibility suffers.

At its core, securing a listing is not about impressing an owner with accolades or confidence alone. It is about demonstrating understanding, clarity, strategy and adaptability. Owners are entrusting brokers with significant financial decisions. They want someone who sees the property clearly, understands the market honestly and can guide them through a defined process with steady hands.

The brokers who consistently secure agency assignments are not necessarily the loudest or the most decorated. They are the ones who make the conversation about the owner, position the property intelligently, outline a clear plan of execution and remain flexible as circumstances evolve. In the end, clarity wins listings.

Allen C. Buchanan is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at abuchanan@lee-associates.com or 714-564-7104.

The board turned to Andres Chait, a longtime district insider who began his career as a kindergarten teacher and rose through the system to oversee its daily operations.

Now serving as acting superintendent, Chait inherits a district navigating contract negotiations, potential budget cuts and concerns among families about student safety amid federal immigration enforcement.

The leadership change comes at a turbulent moment for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves more than 540,000 students. Carvalho, who took the helm in 2022, was placed on paid administrative leave Feb. 27 after federal agents executed search warrants at his home and district office as part of an ongoing investigation. Federal authorities have not publicly detailed the nature of the investigation, though media reports have linked the searches to AllHere, an education technology company behind an artificial intelligence chatbot project for LAUSD. Carvalho has not been charged with wrongdoing.

The development has left the district under the leadership of its acting superintendent while the investigation unfolds.

Speaking during a school board meeting on Monday, the first since he stepped into the role, Chait sought to reassure educators and families that the district would continue operating normally.

'As acting superintendent, my top priority is to keep Los Angeles Unified steady and focused on our core mission: educating, supporting and caring for the students of Los Angeles,' Chait said. 'Our schools will remain places of safety, consistency and opportunity. Teaching and learning will continue uninterrupted, and our plans and priorities will move forward.'

He said the district remains 'committed to academic excellence and student wellbeing,' adding that 'our core values remain unchanged.'

Acknowledging uncertainty surrounding the leadership transition, Chait said the district would focus on maintaining continuity.

'I know transitions can create uncertainty, but our district is strong,' he said. 'We have dedicated leaders at every level, and together we will ensure stability and continuity. During this time, Ill focus on supporting our schools and keeping students at the center of every decision.”

For many educators and parents who have worked with Chait over the years, the appointment represents a stabilizing choice: a pragmatic administrator with nearly three decades inside LAUSD known for steady management and communication.

Chait began his career in LAUSD classrooms teaching kindergarten before becoming a principal and later superintendent of the districts then-Local District Northeast, one of the regional divisions that oversaw school communities across Northeast Los Angeles and parts of the San Fernando Valley.

Most recently, he served as chief of school operations, overseeing the operational systems that keep the districts campuses running, including transportation, facilities, safety and nutrition programs. In that role, he also helped coordinate district responses during crises ranging from the Palisades and Eaton fires to heightened immigration enforcement that affected school communities.

Colleagues say that background in classrooms and school leadership has shaped Chaits approach to running the district.

'He came from the perspective of a kindergarten teacher,' said Jose Velasquez, principal of Osceola Street Elementary School in Sylmar who worked with Chait in several leadership roles over more than a decade.

Velasquez said Chait frequently framed his role around serving students and supporting school sites, noting that, 'he positioned himself as a learner by listening for understanding.'

He said Chaits long career inside LAUSD made him a familiar and steady presence during periods of leadership change.

'He was LAUSD developed,' Velasquez said. 'He has that background of being in the culture and he provided a sense of comfort.'

Velasquez said Chait was comfortable leaning on the expertise of the instructional team and often approached problems with practical, common-sense style.

'He was very comfortable in letting other people lead,' he said. 'Common sense drove a lot of his interactions.'

Velasquez also described Chait as accessible to school leaders.

'Not frequently, but on those occasions that I felt the need to ask a question regarding operations, he would directly respond to me or he would directly guide me,' he said. 'He was never standoffish.'

Velasquez said Chait placed a strong emphasis on communication, recalling that district leaders recently sent administrators guidance on reassuring families that schools would remain safe and functioning.

'Thats typical (of Chait) ' communicate, communicate, communicate,' he said.

Parents who interacted with Chait when he oversaw schools in earlier roles described a similar style.

'Mr. Chait has proven to be very reasonable. Hes proven to be interested in having real conversation, real listening and engagement with LAUSD families,' said Nicolle Fefferman, co-founder of Parents Supporting Teachers, a parent advocacy group with more than 30,000 members.

She interacted with Chait when he served as regional superintendent before becoming chief of school operations.

'He was very approachable and very professional,' Fefferman added.

She said Chaits experience as both a district leader and the parent of two LAUSD students could help him navigate a turbulent moment for the district.

'​​Speaking as a parent, sometimes the things we hear about in board meetings aren’t the whole picture,' Fefferman said. 'Its nice to know that he is as a parent experiencing LAUSD in another capacity.'

The district is facing several major challenges in the months ahead, including looming budget cuts, tense contract negotiations with unions and ongoing concerns among families about immigration enforcement in some communities.

Fefferman said many families are worried about what potential cuts could mean for their schools.

'We’ve got budget development happening right now with lots of alarming conversation and lots of cuts,' she said. 'People are really concerned about what their schools are going to look like next year, what services are no longer going to exist, who is going to be gone from campus.'

She said Chaits long experience inside the district could help guide the district through the uncertainty ahead.

'I appreciate the fact that his unique experiences as an administrator, as a parent, put him in an interesting position, in a different position, to help folks in the district make the right choices as we move forward,' Fefferman said.

For some educators, that helps explain why the board turned to Chait now.

'To me it was a smart move to put someone who is comfortable sitting at a table to collectively get the work done,' Velasquez said.  'It’s not making a statement about his authority, but about building sustainable stability for our children and the community.”

Even after decades in administration, Velasquez said he still thinks of Chait in terms of his earliest role in the district.

'I always think of him as a kindergarten teacher. I taught first grade, so I know kindergarten,' he said. 'When I heard somebody talk straight up being a kindergarten teacher, that’s a humbling role. Instead of speaking of it, he speaks from the heart as someone who lived it versus someone who performed the role.'

The recently released security footage shows a woman walking in the parking lot at the 6600 block of Fallbrook Avenue, in front of a Michaels craft store just after 8:30 p.m., when she is approached by a white sedan. The car, which had been parked, drives towards the woman and a man jumps out and attempts to rob her, armed with a handgun. The woman attempts to run away but is chased by the man, who appears to be wearing a light colored hoodie and dark pants.

The suspect later was identified by the sheriffs department as Brandon Goytia, 18.

He demanded that the woman give him her jewelry and grabbed her purse, according to the sheriffs department. When he grabbed the womans purse, she fell to the ground. Goytia held his gun to the womans head as she screamed for help, the sheriffs department said.

Sheriffs detectives were conducting a surveillance operation in connection with a series of armed robberies in the area, the department said.

While the woman is on the ground of the parking lot in front of Goytia, still trying to get away, detectives get out of their unmarked car and try to detain him. Goytia turns and points his gun at the detectives and a detective shoots him.

As he fell, he fired his gun at a detective, according to the department. Footage shows the muzzle of his gun flashing. The car Goytia got out of leaves the scene and two more detectives’ cars approach Goytia and the detectives that confronted him, driving over from other areas in the parking lot.

The attempted robbery victim crawls away onto the sidewalk in front of the store.

Goytia was given medical aid by detectives and fire department personnel but he died at the scene.

The sheriffs department also released a photo of the gun recovered at the scene, which is a 9mm semiautomatic 'ghost gun,' with a loaded extended magazine, according to the department.

The driver of the car that Goytia got out of, a woman, was later arrested in nearby Agoura Hills, following a brief pursuit.

The victim of the attempted robbery had minor injuries and was treated at the scene. No sheriffs deputies were injured. The shooting was the second deputy-involved shooting the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department reported in 2026.

The long-empty buildings, part of a 110-year-old state mental hospital complex, will not be demolished but instead are being remodeled as new housing that combines stable living with wrap-around services for treatment of residents with drug addiction and mental health illnesses, authorities announced at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday.

“This project is going to save lives. We are going to help people that need help. Instead of sitting empty, these buildings will be a place for recovery, care and stability. This campus here in Norwalk is making history,” State Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Norwalk, said Friday.

It is a $107 million project being built by Los Angeles County and various state agencies, with full support of the city of Norwalk. About $65 million comes from Proposition 1, approved by voters two years ago to provide funds for behavioral health facilities with an emphasis on helping those suffering from mental illness and living on the street. The rest comes from various state and county grants.

The Los Angeles County Care Community is the first such project to be funded by 2024’s Proposition 1, which allows the state to fund mental health beds and treatment centers throughout the state.

Archuleta’s Senate Bill 1336 from two years ago, after being signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, paved the way for the state to lease the buildings to L.A. County on 13 acres of the hospital property. The law allowed a lease for 55 years with a nonprofit or a local government to create housing and psychiatric treatment facilities.

There are 72,308 people living without a permanent shelter in Los Angeles County, according to the most recent homeless count numbers.

But its not enough just to find housing for about 72,000 homeless people in the county. Thats because surveys indicated at least 25% of people living on the streets have a serious mental illness, such as psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. Thus, housing without behavioral treatment wont be successful, experts say.

A county report said the biggest barrier to providing mental health services to homeless people is finding beds. Developing new facilities is difficult because of a lack of available land, the report concluded.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in Los Angeles County is that we simply do not have enough places where people can get the compassionate, competent mental health care they need,” Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn said in opening remarks Friday. “Our hospitals are overwhelmed. Too often people end up cycling from the streets to our emergency rooms and our jails. That is exactly why today is so important.”

The project does not requiring tearing down the old buildings.

“The public always says we should be using vacant buildings to create mental health facilities. And remodeling instead of building from the ground up is faster and cheaper,” said Hahn, who introduced the idea to Archuleta and the state.

The state-county partnership is innovative and was first seen as not doable, said Archuleta. But that changed when his bill was approved and signed by the governor and state agencies caught the vision and a county blueprint for their use.

“We are excited to partner with L.A. County by making this portion of our campus available. It begins a new chapter in the long history of this hospital,” said Stephanie Clendenin, director of the Department of State Hospitals.

Remodeling already has begun on two buildings, which will be completed by December 2027, said Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County Public Works. More buildings will be finished in early 2028.

“There is healing built into every detail,” he said.

The county is working with architects to remodel each building to turn them into modern interim and permanent living quarters with treatment services. He said the buildings are of concrete construction, which is a good thing. Some of the roadblocks include removal of asbestos, he said.

While touring one old building that once treated patients with mental health problems, Pestrella said the rehab job is one the county can do but it will not be easy.

“It is a heavy duty lift,” he said.

Hahn’s office reported that the project offers three levels of care:

' Two locked mental health rehab centers for young adults ages 18 to 25. These will provide 32 beds within a secure, treatment-based setting for those patients with the highest level of mental health needs.

' One interim housing facility with 70 beds serving young adults. These are patients who are stable but require short-term housing along with wrap-around mental health treatment services.

' Two permanent housing facilities totaling 60 apartments for adults living with mental illness who previously were homeless. This population needs long-term housing and access to ongoing care.

' One building will provide a communal space for the residents of the two permanent apartments. Inside there will be a kitchen, a computer lounge and offices for case managers. The outside areas are for recreational activities that support healing and well-being.

The state-county partnership is seen as a model for more beds for mental health treatment for homeless Californians in other parts of the state, Hahn said.

“It is a model for counties across the state to follow,” she said. “Its success will spur the state to look at other vacant properties.”