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VIDEO | 01:31
Why a $34-million LAUSD campus sits vacant and vandalized
California

Why a $34-million LAUSD campus sits vacant and vandalized

Los Angeles Times reporter Howard Blume
Kate Sequeira. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
By Howard Blume and Kate Sequeira
A vacant and vandalized public school sits next to LAUSD headquarters. The school site — paid for with $34 million in taxpayer money — is so burdened with debt and damage that it’s not clear whether anyone can afford to move in.

The empty Miramar campus — informally named for its address of 1215 Miramar St. — stands as a parable for looming challenges as the district deals with a financial crisis and steep enrollment decline. Pressures are mounting for the district to close schools.
CaliforniaEducation
Howard Blume

Howard Blume covers education for the Los Angeles Times. He’s won the top investigative reporting prize from the L.A. Press Club and print Journalist of the Year from the L.A. Society of Professional Journalists chapter. He recently retired “Deadline L.A.,” a past honoree for best public-affairs radio program, which he produced and co-hosted on KPFK-FM (90.7) for 15 years. He teaches tap dancing and has two superior daughters.

Kate Sequeira

Kate Sequeira is the audience editor for the Los Angeles Times early childhood education initiative. She worked previously as a production specialist for The Times’ Reading by 9 literacy program.

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