Elly Yuhttps://ellyyu.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Elly YuenWed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100Detained and facing deportation: A father leaves his 4-year-old son back in LAhttps://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/parent-detention-foster-youth-advocate-family-separationAxel Pecero, who's been in the U.S. since he was 3 years old, was detained amid the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. After months of detention, he felt as if he had little choice but to voluntarily depart, leaving his 4-year-old son behind.Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/parent-detention-foster-youth-advocate-family-separationCalifornia invested billions into a new grade for 4-year-olds — without a plan to evaluate ithttps://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/california-legislature-newsom-transitional-kindergarten-budget-researchCalifornia spent billions implementing a new grade for 4-year-olds in public schools called transitional kindergarten — but the state hasn’t set aside money to evaluate how it’s going.Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/california-legislature-newsom-transitional-kindergarten-budget-researchHow an overloaded homelessness system left this LA family living in their carhttps://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/family-housing-homelessness-shelter-occupancy-leavingFollowing up on my story revealing how homelessness among children and families was rising, I spoke to one local family who had to live in their car. After the story published, readers were able to help the family secure housing.Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/family-housing-homelessness-shelter-occupancy-leavingToxic soil lingers at Pasadena Unified schools — and removal hasn't started at manyhttps://laist.com/news/education/pasadena-unified-school-campuses-lead-toxic-new-school-yearSeven months after the Eaton Fire, Pasadena Unified School District still hasn't removed toxic soil as school begins in a week.Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/education/pasadena-unified-school-campuses-lead-toxic-new-school-yearHomelessness is down in the LA region — but not for children and familieshttps://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/homelessness-los-angeles-county-families-unsheltered-2025LA County and city officials touted the 2025 homeless count as a win -- that it showed homelessness was down two years in a row. But an LAist review found homelessness among children and families was rising.Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/homelessness-los-angeles-county-families-unsheltered-2025California Nursing Homes Are Becoming ‘De Facto Mental Health Centers’https://laist.com/news/specials/mental-illness-nursing-homes-california-what-we-foundAll over California, people with serious mental illness are living in nursing homes that experts say weren’t meant to care for them — an investigation by LAist reveals. Some call it "warehousing" and say the practice might violate federal laws. The consequences have been deadly.Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/specials/mental-illness-nursing-homes-california-what-we-foundMedical Parole Got Them Out Of State Prison. Now They're In A Decertified Nursing Homehttps://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/medical-parole-state-prison-decertified-nursing-homeMedical parole patients are among the most vulnerable in the California's corrections system -- paraplegics, quadriplegics and stroke patients. The state quietly moved them all to a nursing home that the federal government stripped of certification due to its troubled track record of care.Tue, 03 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/medical-parole-state-prison-decertified-nursing-homeImmediate jeopardy: Death and neglect inside a troubled California nursing home chainhttps://laist.com/news/health/death-and-neglect-troubled-california-nursing-home-chainThis investigation revealed how California allowed a nursing home company to operate facilities even after the state denied the company a license. It spurred the passage of a new law aimed to close the loophole.Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/health/death-and-neglect-troubled-california-nursing-home-chainImmigrant Detainees At Adelanto Say Officers Pepper-Sprayed Them For Peacefully Protestinghttps://laist.com/news/adelanto-detention-facility-immigrant-detainee-protestImmigrant detainees at Adelanto Detention Center say they were injured or left struggling to breathe after officers in riot gear shot pepper bullets and discharged pepper spray at them earlier this month in an incident that until now has gone unreported.Mon, 22 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://laist.com/news/adelanto-detention-facility-immigrant-detainee-protest