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After an unprecedented three-year shutdown of California’s commercial salmon fishery, Chinook salmon runs are beginning to rebound, particularly in the Klamath Basin.

On Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) hosted its Annual Salmon Information Meeting where fisheries scientists and industry stakeholders shared the latest ocean salmon abundance forecast and offered a basin-by-basin breakdown last year’s salmon returns and a first look at what’s to come in 2026.

The annual meeting marks the beginning of a two-month public process to develop management criteria for the upcoming sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing seasons, both of which are tentatively scheduled to open on May 16. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will determine whether any in-season actions are required before the start of the season. The council will issue its final recommendations in mid-April.

California’s salmon stocks have declined dramatically in recent years due to decades of drought, habit loss and deteriorating conditions in the waterways where the fish spawn each year, including the Klamath and Sacramento rivers. The three-year closure of the commercial fishery was intended to give struggling Chinook salmon populations an opportunity to rebound. The preliminary numbers are encouraging, said CDFW environmental scientist Emma Keller.

“[The commercial fishery was closed] for three straight years, and the recreational fishery got a taste of a season last year, but people are anxious to get back on the water in a meaningful way,” Keller said. “There are potentially some bright spots for California stocks this year, and any good news is welcome news.”

“[There are] lots of exciting things happening in the Klamath Basin,” she added.

In the 18 months since the last of four dams came down on the lower Klamath River, scientists have seen remarkable improvement in fall-run Chinook salmon populations. 

“For those of you who maybe just tangentially followed this dam removal thing … it is a completely different world [for these fish],” said Dan Troxel, an environmental scientist at the CDFW. “Adult Chinook returns to the basin were approximately 180% of what was previously forecasted. The preseason adult projection for 2025 was approximately 28,600 fish, and we definitely achieved that with 51,400 [returning adults].”

“The escapement objective for last year was 19,417,” he added. “Needless to say, that was met to the tune of double, so certainly good news there.”

Troxel acknowledged that the basin still “has a ways to go in terms of rebuilding the stock to full capacity,” but was optimistic about upcoming runs. 

“The future is bright for the Klamath, but it might be a while until we get there because we still have some broods that are going to be affected by the dam-removal process that we have yet to see return and/or contribute to ocean fisheries,” he continued. “We’ve been in an ‘overfished’ designation since 2018 — not specifically to say that fishing is the issue; it’s just this stock has not been meeting conservation objectives for a while now. What was needed was approximately 67,400 adults to achieve ‘rebuilt’ status for the stock. We didn’t get there, but this 40,000 does get us out of the ‘overfished’ status and puts us into what is rebuilding status.”

During Q&A, a fisherman named Rob asked if scientists were able to identify any similarities in “high years” when Chinook salmon abundance exceeded 300,000 returning fish, as seen in the graph below. “Is there any data or research being done to see what the commonalities are in these high years to possibly have answers for future years, to make it better?” he asked.

Keller noted that 2012 was “a good ocean condition year,” which surely contributed to overall fish health and species abundance. 

“I think there’s more conclusions that could be drawn in the low years, particularly relating to drought in 2016 and 2017,” she said. “Klamath stocks [have been designated as] ‘overfished’ since 2018, and that was following the 2017 return year. We had some pretty serious drought in 2014, 2015 and 2016, so the broods experienced some low-survival conditions.” 

Lifelong salmon trawler Chris Iverson noted that conditions in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon are drastically different from those in Northern California. He asked if the CDFW had any concerns about the ongoing drought and what would happen if fish became trapped in tributaries.

“I believe Oregon is doing some out-migration studies to try and assess whether or not juveniles that spawn in those upper reaches will start to out-migrate,” Keller responded. “They’re looking out for it, but they don’t have that data yet [because] those fish have yet to come down. The water conditions are drastically different in that section of river, and we’ll see how fish populate the basin as the years go on.”

There’s still a long road ahead for California’s salmon, and there’s still a couple of weeks to go before the Pacific Fishery Management Council issues its preliminary guidance for the upcoming commercial and recreational fishing seasons. 

The council is scheduled to adopt regulatory guidelines for public review on March 9 — those guidelines will be posted here once they’ve been approved — and make its final decision by April 15. There are a few meetings between now and then. A complete schedule can be found at this link.

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UPDATE, 3:13 p.m.:

In Rebholtz’s letter of resignation, she says, “As I will be moving out of the area in the spring, I need to dedicate this time to focusing on my family and preparing for this transition. While this was not an easy decision, I believe it is the right one for my family at this time.”

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Press release from Eureka City Schools:

On February 12, 2026, the Trustee for Area 5 for Eureka City Schools, Jessica Rebholtz, submitted a letter of resignation, effective February 13, 2026. Ms. Rebholtz was most recently elected to a term ending in November 2026. Ms. Rebholtz’s replacement will serve the remainder of her term, and the Board is hopeful the successful candidate will run for re-election in November 2026.

NOTICE is hereby given that all qualified persons who would like to apply for the open position on the Board of Trustees for Eureka City Schools, Trustee Area 5, may contact Eureka City Schools, c/o Gary Storts, Superintendent (stortsg@eurekacityschools.org), for a candidate information sheet. All candidate information sheets (original copies) must be submitted on or before Friday, March 20, 2026, no later than 4:00 p.m., to the Superintendent’s Office of Eureka City Schools (2100 J Street, Eureka, CA 95501 – Room 108).

Qualifications for Office: The applicant shall be a registered voter residing in Trustee Area 5 for Eureka City Schools. The boundaries for Trustee Area 5 can be reviewed by visiting the Eureka City Schools’ website (https://www.eurekacityschools.org/governance/school-board-trusteeareas) or through the Humboldt County Office of Education – District Locator (https://hcoe.org/district-locator/).

NOTICE is further given that appointment to the office will be made in the event there are no nominees or no qualified nominees. (Appointments will be made pursuant to 10515 of the Elections Code or 5326, 5328, and 5328.5 of the Education Code.)

PREVIOUSLY

• Burdened With Repairing Low-Income Housing and Worried About a Future Funding Shortfall, the Arcata House Partnership Hopes that Arcata Will Try and Defray Costs
• Arcata City Council Debates Priorities: Fix Up a Homeless Shelter, or Replace Water Meters?
• Arcata Mulls Grant Options for Its Low-Income Residents

The Outpost reported Tuesday that the Arcata House Partnership is leaning on Arcata’s city council to apply for almost $3 million of state funding on its behalf. AHP wants to use the money to fix 12 unusable units at its low-income housing project the Grove, as well as to add solar panels, an ADA-compliant sidewalk, and replace the roof. AHP broke down what it would spend the money on, if it gets it, and shared it with the city council and the Outpost.

• $708,000 for solar panel replacement with battery backups
• $844,000 to repair 16 units (only 12 are currently poor-enough shape that they’re unlivable, but AHP executive director Darlene Spoor told the Outpost she believes they’ll need to rehab an additional four units by the time AHP receives the CDGB money in the distant future)
• $55,138 for planning and engineering serves, mostly to ensure building code compliance and correct, safe installation of the new infrastructure
• $501,500 for the installation of ADA-compliant sidewalks. AHP claims that all of its residents have a disability, and over half of them are 55 years old or older. AHP called the sidewalks “critical.” 
• $289,100 to replace the roof 
• $53,100 for gutter replacement 
• $50,000 for fence replacement
• $295,000 to replace every door and lock for all 60 units
• $49,560 for PTAC heating units
• $4,602 for relocation costs during sidewalk replacement

The list is part of a slideshow sent to the council, a pitch asking them to choose attempting to fund AHP’s projects instead of replacing Arcata’s failing water meters. Both projects are budgeted for the same amount. AHP points out that unhoused people end up costing the public more than if governments spent the money to house them; that most (if not all) of the tenants, who have an average monthly income of $750, couldn’t afford to pay rent anywhere else; and that living in the Grove has been a stabilizing force on their lives. Investing in it would multiply those benefits, AHP says. 

Much of the cost comes from paying the skilled laborers’ “prevailing wage,” which Spoor estimates will raise expenses by 50%.

AHP defends its decision to open the Grove before fixing the infrastructure; it was more beneficial to their tenants and the community, AHP argues, to start housing people immediately rather than waiting. 

“It was more important for us to get people housed sooner than later,” Spoor told the Outpost last week. “[Although we] knew that there were still other things that had to happen there to make it just be the best that it can be.”

The request includes quotes from anonymous Grove tenants — one of them attributed to the point of view of a woman who died in the Grove in December:

“I was a 69 year old woman. I had serious mental health and physical health challenges. I had lived on the streets for many years, after being a teacher all my life. My mental health challenges caused me to lose everything I had, my career, my home and ultimately my health. I obtained housing through the hard work of the outreach team at the Annex, and was housed at the Grove. I passed away in December of 2025 in my cute and cozy home, with my friends, in a community I came to love.”

The Arcata City Council will decide tonight between applying for funding for the water meter project or the Grove. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall.

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It may look fun in movies, but fleeing from police didn’t provide much of an action sequence for the driver of a back-bumperless Kia in Eureka this morning. 

KSLG Program Director Sabina Gallier, our coworker here at Lost Coast Communications, Inc., was outside Redwood Capital Bank on G Street when she saw a Eureka Police Department patrol vehicle pull over the driver, who initially complied before opting to floor it.

“All of a sudden, the white car takes off like a bullet with the cop [following] right after it,” Gallier reports. “It didn’t get far.”

Three additional EPD units were located just a couple of blocks away on I Street, across from the Zwerdling Law Firm. The driver, finding herself suddenly outnumbered and outflanked, thought better of her fugitive routine and pulled over again.

We reached out to EPD Public Information Officer Laura Montagna, who said the driver, Yarah Chomicki-Tolan, was arrested and booked for flight from a traffic officer. A passenger in the vehicle, Hakim Porter, was also arrested for a probation violation.

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Ed. note: “Community Energy Insights” is a monthly column from the people at the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Humboldt County’s intergovernmental joint-powers authority on all things electrical. Look for it on the last Thursday of the month.

This week’s column is by RCEA Senior Programs Manager Mike Avcollie.

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Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common on Humboldt County roads — but questions and misconceptions still come up all the time.

Are they really better for the environment?

Are they too expensive?

What about range anxiety?

At Redwood Coast Energy Authority, we work with local residents, businesses, and public agencies on transportation programs across the county. Here’s what the data — and real-world experience — actually show.

Let’s break down a few common myths.

Myth #1: EVs Don’t Really Save Energy

Part of this myth may come from the fact that during the manufacturing phase, electric vehicles produce more emissions than internal combustion vehicles, largely due to the materials used in batteries. However, because the operational emissions from EVs are much lower than those of internal combustion vehicles, a new electric car will produce only 110 grams of CO2e per mile, while a new gasoline vehicle will produce 410 grams of CO2 per mile. (Source.)

Why? Electric vehicles are significantly more efficient to operate than gas-powered cars.

According to research highlighted by Yale Climate Connections, EVs convert about 77% of the electrical energy from the grid into power at the wheels. By comparison, conventional gasoline vehicles convert only about 12%–30% of the energy stored in gasoline into movement.

Because electric motors are so much more efficient, replacing a gasoline-powered vehicle with an EV saves energy, no matter what type of energy source is used to charge it.

The same research shows:

• Replacing gasoline with coal-based electricity reduces energy use by about 31%
• Replacing gasoline with natural gas reduces energy use by about 48%
• Replacing gasoline with hydropower reduces energy use by about 75%

In other words, EVs use less energy to move the same distance. And as California’s grid continues to incorporate more renewable resources, the benefits increase.

Myth #2: EVs Cost Too Much

It’s true that some EVs have a higher purchase price up front. But what many people don’t realize is that they often cost less to own and operate over time.

According to research from Consumer Reports, a typical EV driver can save $800 to $1,000 per year on fueling costs by charging at home instead of buying gasoline. Over the life of the vehicle, that can add up to thousands of dollars in savings.

Maintenance costs are also lower. EVs:

• Don’t require oil changes

• Have fewer moving parts

• Experience less brake wear due to regenerative braking

One study found that reduced maintenance costs can total around $4,600 in savings over the life of the vehicle. For many drivers, especially those with predictable daily commutes, the long-term math is worth considering.

Myth #3: I’ll Run Out of Charge

“Range anxiety” is one of the most common concerns we hear. Let’s consider what the numbers say locally.

The average daily vehicle miles traveled in Humboldt County is about 30 miles per day.

Meanwhile, most new EVs in 2026 offer a range of 250–300 miles on a full charge. For most daily driving — commuting, errands, school drop-offs — an EV can cover several days of driving before needing to recharge. And when you do need to recharge, options are expanding.

RCEA’s REVNet program supports public EV charging across Humboldt County, with 72 charging ports at 22 locations, plus there are many DC fast chargers along major travel corridors. DC fast charging can bring many modern EVs up to 80% charge in about 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the vehicle and charger. Plus, apps like PlugShare make it easy to locate public chargers wherever you travel.

A Few Practical Tips for Driving Electric

If you’re considering an EV — or already drive one — here are a few helpful tips:

• Consider switching your electric account to an EV billing rate (aka “EV-A”, “EV-B”, or “EV-2A”). EV rates offer deep discounts during Off-Peak hours to help reduce the cost of EV charging at home.

• Use DC fast charging when you need it but rely on home charging for day-to-day use. Frequent fast charging can contribute to battery wear over time.

• If your vehicle charges fastest up to 80%, it’s often quicker on long trips to charge up to 80% more often, rather than waiting for 100%.

• Expect a slightly lower range in very cold weather. Like any battery-powered device, EV range can dip when temperatures drop.

Save Even More with Discounted EV Charging

RCEA is partnering with GRID Alternatives to offer discounted public electric vehicle (EV) charging for income-qualified customers. Through this limited-time pilot program, eligible customers can receive 40% off charging at RCEA-owned REVNet charging stations across Humboldt County. This pilot is designed to make public EV charging more affordable and accessible for households already receiving CARE, FERA or other public assistance program benefits.

You may qualify if you:

• Have an active residential RCEA electric account in good standing

• Are enrolled in CARE, FERA, or another qualifying public assistance program

• Own an electric vehicle registered at your RCEA service address, or that is registered in the RCEA account holder’s name.

To learn more and apply, visit this link.

The application process is straightforward, and our team can help if you have questions about eligibility.

The Bottom Line

Driving electric in Humboldt County is not a future idea — it’s already happening.

As Humboldt County’s local electricity provider, Redwood Coast Energy Authority works to expand charging infrastructure, provide incentives, and support programs that make cleaner transportation more accessible.

Whether you’re EV-curious or ready to make the switch, we’re here to help you understand your options and what makes sense for your household.

Have Questions? Talk to Our Transportation Team

Electric vehicles aren’t one-size-fits-all. Every household’s driving needs, budget, and home setup are different. RCEA’s Transportation Team works with residents, businesses and public agencies across Humboldt County to answer questions about EV ownership, charging options, rebates and local programs.

If you’re EV-curious or ready to make the switch, we’re here to help you make an informed decision. Reach out to Redwood Coast Energy Authority via phone, (707) 269-1700, email info@redwoodenergy.org or stop by our office in Eureka at 633 3rd St., Eureka.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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On a cracked two-lane road on the eastern edge of San Diego County, James Cordero eased his Jeep onto the shoulder after something caught his eye. It looked like an abandoned trailer. Inside he found a hidden camera feeding a vast surveillance network that logs the license plate of every driver passing through this stretch of remote backcountry between San Diego and the Arizona state line.

Cordero, 44, has found dozens of these cameras hidden in trailers and construction barrels on border roads around San Diego and Imperial counties: one on Old Highway 80 near Jacumba Hot Springs; another outside the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo; another along Interstate 8 toward In-Ko-Pah Gorge.

They started showing up after California granted permits to the Border Patrol and other federal agencies to place license plate readers on state highways in the last months of the Biden administration. Now as many as 40 are feeding information into Trump administration databases as the Democratic-led state chafes over the federal government’s massive deportation program.

The cameras are raising concerns with privacy experts, civil liberties advocates and humanitarian aid workers who say California should not be supporting the surveillance and data-collection program, which they view as an unwarranted government intrusion into the lives of Americans who’ve committed no crime. Moreover, they say the program conflicts with state law.

Supporters say the devices allow law enforcement to quickly identify and locate people they suspect of serious crimes. They also argue the cameras help agencies spot patterns in drug and human trafficking, and could be used to help locate missing persons, such as children or other vulnerable people.

“If you’re not doing anything illegal, why worry about it?” said long-time Jacumba resident Allen Stanks, 70.

“Everyone is talking about privacy, OK. Stop putting everything on Facebook. ‘Here’s a picture of my food.’ Who cares?” said Stanks.

Some locals, however, suspect the cameras are behind some unusual encounters they’ve had in recent months with officers from Border Patrol and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection. In one case agents questioned a grandmother – a lawful permanent resident – about why she went to a casino, according to her grandson.

Cordero has a different concern. On his days off, he leads volunteers into the far reaches of the county, leaving water, food and clothing for migrants. He fears his colleagues could be detained by agents.

“I’m not so much worried about myself, but I’m worried about a lot of our volunteers that come out,” said Cordero. “I don’t want them to have to deal with any of the nonsense of being tracked or being pulled over and questioned.”

James Cordero, water drop coordinator for Al Otro Lado, in the Jacumba Hot Springs area of San Diego on Feb. 7, 2026. Cordero is concerned about the use of new automated license plate readers along the U.S.-Mexico border in California. Photo by Zoë Meyers for CalMatters

He has good reason to be nervous. During the first Trump administration, federal officials prosecuted volunteers from the humanitarian group “No More Deaths” for leaving water and supplies for migrants in the Arizona desert. The volunteers faced charges, including “abandonment of property” and felony harboring, though the convictions for some were later overturned.

Border Patrol provides little information about its use of license plate readers on its website. In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report that describes the technology in general, but doesn’t specify where it’s being used. CalMatters reached out to Border Patrol and Homeland Security officials for comment, but did not receive a response.

“There’s no transparency, that’s the worst part,” Cordero said.

The Homeland Security report says some readers are capturing license plate numbers, as well as the make and model of the vehicle, the state the vehicle is registered in, the camera owner and type, the GPS coordinates for where the image was taken, and the date and time of the capture.

The “technology may also capture (within the image) the environment surrounding a vehicle, which may include drivers and passengers,” the report states. It also says feds can access license plate readers operated by commercial vendors.

Mapping hidden cameras

Earlier this month, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of 30 organizations sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Transportation urging them to revoke state permits and remove the covert readers operated by federal agencies like Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Agency along California border highways.

The San Francisco-based privacy and civil rights advocacy organization, also known as EFF, mapped out more than 40 hidden license plate readers in Southern California, most of them along border roadways. It contends the devices bypass a 2016 state law that spells out how law enforcement agencies can use automated license plate readers, which are often referred to as ALPRs.

“By allowing Border Patrol and the DEA to put license plate readers along the border, they’re essentially bypassing the protections under (California law),” said Dave Maass, the director of investigations for EFF. “That is a backdoor around it.”

Maass said he believes Cordero’s concerns about the agency surveilling humanitarian volunteers may be valid.

“They claim they might be looking for smugglers or they might be looking for cartel members, but that’s not who they’re collecting data on,” said Maass. “(The program) is primarily collecting data on people who live in the region.

Maass said there’s no way to be certain which agency is installing each camera, but his organization checked with all other agencies operating in the area, such as the San Diego and Imperial sheriff’s departments, the California Highway Patrol, and Cal Fire, among others.

First: An automated license plate reader sits along Old Highway 80 outside the Jacumba Hot Springs area of San Diego on Feb. 7, 2026. Last: An automated license plate reader sits along Interstate 8 in the southeastern area of San Diego County on Feb. 7, 2026. Photos by Zoë Meyers for CalMatters

Automated license plate readers have been placed along Old Highway 80 in the Campo community of San Diego County, on Feb. 7, 2026. Photo by Zoë Meyers for CalMatters

The camera models currently installed on state highways in the border region are the same as ones the Border Patrol purchased in large amounts, according to Maass. Records obtained from Caltrans by EFF from 2016 appear to show Drug and Enforcement Administration and Border Patrol requesting permits to install the same devices in other parts of San Diego County, according to Maass.

Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. The governor’s office did not comment. The Drug Enforcement Agency also did not respond to a request for comment.

Caltrans approves ALPR requests

By day, Cordero works in water-damage restoration, the crews residents call after floods and burst pipes. Comfortable with emergencies, he’s the type of guy you’d hope to run into if your car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

“People are literally dying out here,” Cordero says of his volunteer work, done through the nonprofit Al Otro Lado, a legal services organization that also provides humanitarian support to refugees, migrants and deportees on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. “All we’re trying to do is prevent people from dying.”

In response to questions from CalMatters, a spokesperson for Caltrans provided a written statement that the state agency has approved eight permits for license plate readers from federal agencies, like Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration, to be stationed in state highway rights-of-way.

“Caltrans does not operate, manage, or determine the specific use of technology or equipment installed by permit holders, nor does it have access to any of the collected data,” the statement read in part.

Caltrans said federal immigration agencies haven’t requested permits for the cameras since June 2024. They did not say how long a permit lasts. Between 2015 and 2024, their records indicate Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration requested 14 permit applications for “law enforcement surveillance devices.” Of the 14, eight were approved, four were cancelled by the applicants and two did not result in projects in state right-of-way, the agency said.

In California, license plates are tracked not only by the federal government and law enforcement, but also by schools and businesses, including some Home Depots and malls. While schools and businesses may not agree to pass that information on to the federal government, local police with access to those cameras may do so.

California law prevents state and local agencies from sharing license plate data with out-of-state entities, including federal agencies involved in immigration enforcement. A CalMatters investigation in June 2025 revealed that southern California law enforcement agencies, including sheriff’s departments in San Diego and Orange counties, have shared automated license plate reader data with federal agencies in violation of state law.

James Cordero, a water drop coordinator for Al Otro Lado, photographs the camera on an automated license plate reader outside the Jacumba Hot Springs area of San Diego on Feb. 7, 2026. Photo by Zoë Meyers for CalMatters

Newsom vetoed a bill to strengthen California license plate reader law last fall. Two days later, Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the city of El Cajon for multiple violations ofthe license plate sharing prohibition. Since 2024, the attorney general’s office has sent letters to 18 law enforcement agencies, including the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, the San Diego Police Department, and the El Centro Police Department.

Local agencies continue to share license plate data with federal immigration authorities, and not just along the border. The San Pablo Police Department in Northern California, one of the law enforcement agencies that received letters from the attorney general’s office, shared license plate data with the Border Patrol as recently as last month, according to records obtained by Oakland Privacy head of research Mike Katz-Lacabe. Some cameras are easy to spot, but Katz-Lacabe said that local police have concealed cameras that scan license plates for more than a decade, sometimes behind the grill of police cruisers or inside speed limit trailers or in a fake saguaro cactus.

“This has been the practice for years,” he said.

On a recent Saturday, Cordero was dressed for the remote border terrain – flannel, hiking boots, a San Diego Padres cap pulled low against the sun. His dirt-caked Jeep is built for places roads don’t go. On this particular weekend, supplies at one of the drop sites had already been used, indicating people may be crossing in the area.

Cordero has gotten good at finding stuff out here. In the remote Ocotillo washes, where the scrubs claw at people’s shins, he recently found what he believes to be the remains of a human finger.

A year earlier, Cordero found a phone contact list next to human remains. He and his wife, Jacqueline Arellano, were able to use the phone list to notify the person’s family in Arizona about where their missing loved one fell.

That’s why when, months ago, he first saw the abandoned trailer along the side of the road on Old Highway 80, he had to stop to take a closer look.

“It took me passing by a few times before I realized what it was,” said Cordero.

Pulling over grandma

An Associated Press investigation published in November revealed that Border Patrol had hidden license plate readers in ordinary traffic safety equipment. The data collected by the agency’s plate readers was fed into a predictive intelligence program monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide to identify and detain people whose travel patterns the algorithm deemed suspicious, according to the AP’s investigation.

Sergio Ojeda, a community organizer with the mutual aid group Imperial Valley Equity and Justice said CBP apparently believed his grandmother’s driving patterns were suspicious because they interrogated her about the amount of time she spends at local casinos in the area.

“She was outraged about it,” said Ojeda. His grandmother, a resident of Imperial Valley with legal status, was crossing the border when agents asked her about her trips to casinos.

“She asked them back, ‘Is something wrong with that? Am I not supposed to be doing that or why are you questioning me about this?’ and they were like “Oh, no, it just seems suspicious,” Ojeda recounted.

Ojeda said he was equally concerned, and he doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being watched just because he lives near the border. “It’s how I feel every day,” he said. “Driving around, I joke with my co-workers: ‘Which chapter of 1984 is this?’”

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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In December, fourth graders in a class at Delevan Drive Elementary School in Los Angeles were given a homework assignment: Write a book report about Pippi Longstocking, then draw or use artificial intelligence to make a book cover.

When Jody Hughes’ daughter asked Adobe Express for Education, graphic design software provided by her teacher, to generate an image of “long stockings a red headed girl with braids sticking straight out,” it produced nothing resembling the Swedish children’s book character she had accurately described. Instead, using recently-added artificial intelligence, it generated sexualized imagery of women in lingerie and bikinis. Hughes quickly contacted other parents, who said they were able to reproduce similar results on their own school-issued Chromebook computers. Days later, the parent group Schools Beyond Screens told the LA school board they were opposed to further use of the Adobe software.

The incident raised questions not only about the LA school district’s use of a particular AI product but also about guidelines state administrators provide to schools throughout California on how to safely adopt the technology. A few weeks after the incident, the state Department of Education published a new edition of the guidelines, which it had been working on for several months with help from a group of 50 teachers, administrators, and experts. The revision came in response to instructions from the Legislature, which passed two laws in 2024 telling the department, essentially, to get a handle on AI’s rapid spread among students, teachers and administrators.

Critics wonder if the guidelines would have helped avoid what parents referred to as Pippigate; the controversy, they say, provides evidence that districts, schools, and parents, who often lack the time or resources to ensure that software tools don’t produce harmful output, need more support from the state. The guidelines, they add, are also too vague in places and don’t do enough to define guardrails for how teachers use AI in the classroom.

The issues with the guidelines call into question whether the department can effectively respond to instructions from elected officials on how to safeguard a technology that, according to the guidelines themselves, can leave children isolated and with narrowed perspectives.

With AI rapidly becoming more prevalent in society, effectively managing the technology has become an urgent issue. Though OpenAI’s ChatGPT popularized generative AI just three years ago, polls show that a majority of teachers and students nationwide now use the technology in some capacity.

While AI can help save teachers time, personalize learning, and support students who do not speak English or who have disabilities, it can also inaccurately grade their papers and generate images that perpetuate or intensify stereotypes or sexualized imagery of women, particularly women of color. The majority of California K-12 students are people of color. Since the rapid expansion of generative AI adoption started, teachers who spoke with CalMatters have felt both a need to prepare their students for a future where AI is ubiquitous and a fear that AI tools can enable cheating on tests and lead to deficiencies in reasoning, logic, and critical thinking.

“Educators have a narrow window to set norms before they harden,” said LaShawn Chatmon, CEO of the National Equity Project, an Oakland group that helps teachers produce more equitable outcomes. “Local education agencies that take advantage of this opportunity to co-design learning and policy with students and families can help shift who gets to decide AI’s role in our learning and lives.”

A district spokesperson told CalMatters that images generated by the AI model don’t align with district standards and “we are collaborating with Adobe to address the issue.” Adobe VP of Education Charlie Miller said the company rolled out changes to address the issue within 24 hours of hearing about the incident. Miller did not respond to questions about how the tool was vetted before deployment.

As a result of what his child experienced, Hughes thinks students shouldn’t be told to use text-to-image generators for homework assignments. But he sees no attempt to place such limits on use of the technology in the Department of Education guidance.

“These tech companies are making things marketed to kids that are not fully tested,” he said. “I don’t know where to draw the line but elementary school is too young because it can get real nasty real fast as we’ve seen with the Grok stuff,” he added, referring to recent abuse of the Grok AI system to nonconsensually remove clothing in images of women and children.

Issues with AI guidance

The guidance supplies a list of unacceptable uses of AI by students, such as plagiarism, and urges educators to integrate real-world scenarios and case studies into discussions to help students apply ethical principles to practical situations. It also says students should be taught to “think critically and creatively” about AI tools’ “benefits and challenges.”

Julie Flapan, director of the Computer Science Equity Project at UCLA’s Center X, said that the Pippi Longstocking incident called to mind a 2024 study that found young Black and Latino people are more likely to use generative AI than young white people. That data, in tandem with the historical disparity in access to computer science education, means, she said, that some parents and students will need help to think critically about AI.

“These tech companies are making things marketed to kids that are not fully tested.”
— Jody Hughes, parent of student at Delevan Drive Elementary School, Los Angeles

“We often think about technological advances as ways to level the playing field,” she said. “But the reality is we know that they exacerbate inequalities.”

Flapan said it makes sense that the guidelines urge critical thinking and vetting of AI tools before use and encourage education leaders to engage communities in decisionmaking. But, she added, the guidance doesn’t detail how to do that.

Charles Logan, a former teacher now at a responsible tech laboratory at Northwestern University, said that the guidelines fall short by not offering teachers and parents clear guidance on how they can opt out of using the technology. A Brookings Institution study released in January, based on interviews with students, teachers and administrators in 50 countries, concluded that the risks of AI in classrooms currently outweigh the benefits and can “undermine children’s foundational development.”

Mark Johnson, head of government affairs at Code.org, praised the guidelines, but said the state should offer more AI education support to educators and make proficiency in AI and computer science requirements for graduation. A recent report by Johnson found four states adopted such graduation requirements after releasing AI guidance.

Katherine Goyette, who served as computer science coordinator for the Department of Education until January, when asked about the Longstocking incident, pointed to parts of the guidance emphasizing the importance of engaging families, communities and school board members when evaluating AI tools. She also said critical thinking is important in preventing such outcomes, pointing to guidance that pushes administrators to consider potential harms before use.

Additional direction is on the way for how to put the recently released guidance into practice: the department’s AI working group will introduce specific policy recommendations based on the guidance by July.

The pressure of the AI inevitability narrative

The latest version of California Department of Education AI guidelines come as local educational agencies move away from blanket AI bans considered after the 2022 release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Instead, districts are moving toward deciding when and how students and teachers can use the technology. Those local decisions will be critical to how the technology is actually used in schools, since the state cannot require school districts adopt its guidance.

Even the largest school districts in California can encounter serious issues when deploying AI. In June 2024, Los Angeles Unified’s superintendent promised the best AI tutor in the world but had to pull it from use weeks later. A week later, news emerged that a majority of members on the San Diego Unified School District board, the second-largest district in the state, signed a contract for curriculum that they didn’t know included an AI grading tool.

The move toward state and district AI guidance, rather than bans, reflects a broader sense of inevitability in the state around adoption of the technology. In his October veto of a bill that would have prevented use of some chatbots by minors, Gov. Gavin Newsom said AI is already shaping the world and that “We cannot prepare our youth for a future where AI is ubiquitous by preventing their use of these tools altogether.”

Logan, who recently advised San Diego parents about how to resist and refuse AI use in classrooms, pushes back against this idea. He says the California Department of Education guidance should address situations in which parents might want to avoid having their children use AI at all.

“It’s surprising that the guidance wants to make proficient AI users of kindergartners and there wasn’t space to say no or opt out,” he said in a phone call.

The statewide AI guidance joins a series of efforts to protect kids from AI, including bills now before the Legislature that seeks to place a moratorium on toys with companion chatbots and protect student privacy in the age of AI. Common Sense Media and OpenAI are working on getting a kids online safety initiative on the ballot for the election in November.