Southwest
'Libs of TikTok' creator appointed to Oklahoma library advisory committee
The creator of social media account Libs of TikTok was appointed to a position in the Oklahoma State Department of Education on Tuesday.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that Chaya Raichik was appointed to the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s (OSDE) Library Media Advisory Committee (LMAC).
Walters posted a press statement on his X account, adding that he appointed Raichik because she was on “the front lines showing the world exactly what the radical left is all about – lowering standards, porn in schools, and pushing woke indoctrination on kids.”
Walters sent Fox News Digital a statement about the appointment.
“Chaya Raichik and I have developed a strong working relationship to rid schools of liberal, woke indoctrinators, union smut peddlers, and Epstein Island advocates. Oklahoma is ground zero to take back our schools from the radical leftists. I am proud to have her as a fierce defender of conservative values,” he said.
Chaya Raichik, creator of the TikTok account LibsOfTiktok, speaks during a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Photographer: Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
‘LIBS OF TIKTOK’ CREATOR, CHAYA RAICHIK, NOW HELPING FAMILIES TO ‘SPOT PREDATORY BEHAVIOR’
Walters’ office explained to Fox News Digital that the LMAC is a “volunteer advisory board” hand-picked by the superintendent himself. It consists of parents, librarians, and English literature teachers.
The committee was established to guide the Oklahoma State Board of Education in their curation of books and materials within K-12 schools and is “aimed at removing pornographic or sexualized content from public schools in the State of Oklahoma.”
Raichik is the woman behind the “Libs of TikTok” social media account, which gained popularity for exposing controversial elements in the education system, such as sexually explicit material in books.
“Libs of TikTok” often reposts TikTok videos of left-wing users espousing their thoughts on cultural and racial issues.
“We will get porn out of schools,” Raichik said in reaction to the announcement.
Raichik formerly worked as a real estate agent in Brooklyn. She launched @LibsofTikTok on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2021.
“Libs of TikTok” has garnered over 2.8 million followers since its creation.
LIBS OF TIKTOK FOUNDER SAID SHE’S DONE HIDING BEHIND ACCOUNT: ‘I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE FIGHT THIS AGENDA’
The book ban issue has been prevalent in red states such as Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina, where local school boards took up the issue. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Walters’ decision came after he called for eliminating “woke” library standards from Oklahoma schools, guidelines developed by the American Library Association.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted in March last year to require schools to notify parents about their child’s gender identity or pronouns and to ban “pornographic material” and “sexualized content” from school libraries.
Both policies were proposed by Walters.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters called for eliminating “woke” library standards from Oklahoma schools, guidelines developed by the American Library Association. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
The appointment of Raichik was met with push back from some lawmakers, with one questioning Raichik’s qualifications.
Democratic state Rep. Mickey Dollens questioned Walters’ decision to appoint someone who he claimed lacked an educational background to the advisory committee.
“Why did Superintendent Walters appoint a social media influencer to the state’s Library Media Advisory Committee? What are her qualifications? Is she a librarian? No. Education background? No. Does she even live in Oklahoma?” Dollens said. “No. Is she a right-wing extremist social media influencer responsible for perpetuating repeated bomb threats on Oklahoma public schools? Yes. We cannot overlook why Superintendent Walters made this controversial appointment,” he said.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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