Mendoza

MEMORANDUM ***

Samuel Mendoza appeals from the district court’s two judgments in his Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state law action against Placentia-Yorba Linda School District (PYL) and Orange Unified School District (Orange). In denying Mendoza’s claims, the district court accepted in full the findings of fact and conclusions of law made by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 .

We must first decide how much deference to award the ALJ’s decision. See Ash v. Lake Oswego Sch. Dist., 980 F.2d 585 , 587-88 (9th Cir.1992). The record reveals that the ALJ was an active participant during the five-day hearing, and her decision contains a lengthy discussion of the facts and a detailed analysis of the law. We therefore find that the ALJ’s decision was “thorough and careful,” and we afford it deference. See Hood v. Encinitas Union Sch. Dist., 486 F.3d 1099, 1104 (9th Cir.2007); Park v. Anaheim Union High Sch. Dist., 464 F.3d 1025, 1031 (9th Cir.2006).

Mendoza is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that provides supportive services for his learning disabilities. See 20 U.S.C. § 1401 (9); Cal.…