LA Podcast

Scott, Mike, and Godfrey go long on Metro’s greenlighting of a major regional transit expansion – the northern extension of the K Line – and the politics that almost derailed the action. Plus, what recent polls say about LA Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection chances, and political attacks that backfired in the race for City Controller and Council District 9. Metro’s approval of the K Line northern extension promises to fill a missing link in the region’s network, connecting Hollywood Bowl, West Hollywood, Cedars-Sinai, and the Grove, different rail lines, as well as major bus lines, by 2040 The project was approved after a dramatic week of negotiations, protests, and public advocacy, with transit advocates warning Bass was trying to delay or kill the project. Bass strongly objected to the characterization but her public statements only exacerbated the fears Bass tried to calm the residents of Lafayette Square, a historically Black neighborhood worried about the impacts of tunneling, comparing the K Line to the history of nearby Sugar Hill, an affluent Black neighborhood that was devastated by the construction of the 10 Freeway Although Bass and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath – one of the project’s biggest champions –  reached a kumbaya moment and jointly claimed credit for progress on the project, it felt like yet another chapter in an ongoing feud between the two public officials LA Material: “Why is everyone so mad about Metro’s K Line extension vote?”  New polls in the mayor’s race show Bass struggling in her bid to win a second term. A poll from LMU’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles put Nithya Raman in first place by nearly two-to-one, with the mayor only .4% ahead of community organizer Rae Huang. The poll’s methodology was controversial, and many decried it as an outlier UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs released its own poll, showing Bass with 25%, ahead of Spencer Pratt with 11%, Raman with 9% and Huang and Adam Miller with 3% each. The Luskin poll showed 40% undecided Jim Newton on the potential Bass-Pratt runoff at CalMatters: “Top-two race in Los Angeles makes strange political bedfellows” When Controller Kenneth Mejia’s campaign qualified for and received public matching funds, challenger Zack Sokoloff said he was exploiting a loophole in the program’s rules and tried to block Mejia’s access to the funds. Liz Chou of LA Reporter talked to Zokoloff’s campaign consultant The LA Times published a story about CD 9 candidate Esturado Mazariegos’s 2009 arrest on a gun charge – a story opponent Jose Ugarte had been hinting about on What’s Next, Los Angeles last fall – but Mazariegos shared an emotional story about how the arrest was a turning point in his life and prompted him to turn to activism and public service As election season heats up, be sure to listen to subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear interviews with candidates all over LA County Support What’s Next, Los Angeles and LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la. We’re already planning our next paid subscribers-only event!  This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Scott Frazier is an original co-host of LA Podcast  Mike Bonin is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram or @mikebonin.bsky.social Godfrey Plata is the Deputy Director of LA Forward and can be found at @godfreyplata on Instagram

Alissa, Mike, and Sammy discuss the resignation of Janisse Quiñones as head of LADWP and what this will mean for LA’s clean energy goals. Then, takeaways from the first LA mayoral debate and how climate is factoring into the governor’s race. And a new baseball season means more complaints about how the Dodgers can be doing more for the community. LADWP CEO Janisse Quiñones stepped down earlier this month to return to Puerto Rico and work on modernizing the grid Sammy’s excellent story about Quiñones leaving describes the role as “one of the most important roles in global climate policy” — and she helped push forward that vision LA Mayor Karen Bass named David Hanson as interim director. He’s worked at DWP two decades, starting as an electrical mechanic The LADWP board has almost completely turned over under Bass, and, in addition, four out of five of her Fire Commissioners have also stepped down If you want to catch up on LA’s clean energy goals and all the various colors of hydrogen, listen to the last episode where Sammy joined us The LA Local: “Bass orders 60,000 streetlights to get solar upgrade in 2-year plan” Meanwhile, LA’s City Council advanced a plan to raise streetlight assessments, with ballots going out April 17 And Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Eunisses Hernandez announced their own “solar surge” A general reminder to read India Mandelkern’s excellent book: Electric Moons: A Social History of Street Lighting in Los Angeles Watch the first LA mayoral debate sponsored by Streets for All and Housing Action Coalition. It was unusually friendly turf for a candidate — one of the moderators used to work for Nithya and the other helped recruit Nithya to rum for mayor So far, only Rae Huang has a climate platform Nithya Raman is talking about parks as a neighborhood-cooling solution — and look at those Griffith Park bike lanes! Raman was also removed from the AQMD board by Bass just before she declared for mayor, and just after this bizarre vote where an AI-powered campaign bot sent 20,000 emails and helped defeat a motion to phase out gas-powered appliances (Raman voted yes, but it failed) Watch Sammy’s climate forum with governor candidates and read his take on the governor’s race Politico: “Tom Steyer’s climate pivot signals new playbook for Dems”LA Material: “Why USC Really Spiked the Gubernatorial Debate” Alissa’s quoted in Bill Shaikin’s LA Times story on walking to Dodger Stadium As election season heats up, be sure to listen to subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear interviews with candidates all over LA County And support What’s Next, Los Angeles and LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la. We’re already planning our next paid subscribers-only event  This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA Sammy Roth writes the newsletter Climate-Colored Goggles The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie discuss the bombshell sexual abuse accusations against the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, including by Chavez’s fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta and two women who were abused as children. A reckoning is underway to erase Chavez’s likeness from public space and rename the March 31 holiday honoring Chavez to Farmworkers Day. Then: LAUSD teachers and staff are set to strike April 14. If you or someone you know is dealing with sexual abuse, please reach out to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Help is available 24/7 by texting HOPE to 64673 The New York Times: “Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years” “I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Dolores Huerta wrote in her statement Before the NY Times story dropped, United Farm Workers issued a statement Tuesday canceling all Cesar Chavez Day related activities: “Far more troubling are allegations involving abuse of young women or minors. Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing” The Los Angeles Times, also published a story before the NY Times story: “’Profoundly shocking' allegations against Cesar Chavez spark soul-searching in movement Change was swift: Supervisor Janice Hahn was the first to call for a renaming of the March 31 holiday celebrating Chavez’s birthday; California House Speaker Robert Rivas introduced the legislation to change the name to Farmworkers Day that day, and LA Mayor Karen Bass held press conference also calling for a change to Farm Workers Day “As the UFW looks to move forward, with an understanding of Chavez’s conduct that contradicts his longtime use as a symbol, perhaps they can look to feminism for guidance. Feminists, after all, have learned how to commit to a principle even as one must discard a cult of personality,” Moira Donegan wrote for The Guardian Meanwhile, UFW held a rally at a federal courthouse in Fresno to protest the Trump administration cutting farmworker pay Many Boyle Heights residents didn’t want Brooklyn Avenue to be named for Chavez in the first place Statues boxed, signs covered, murals defaced or repainted: the erasure of Chavez’s name and likeness from public space was just as swift “Everything should be named for the martyrs of the Farm Workers Movement. Every street should be named after them,” Huerta told Latino USA LAist: “LAUSD's teacher and staff unions will strike if no deal is reached by mid-April” “One undisputed example of contracts that went awry is $6 million allotted to AllHere, a tech startup that was hired to design an all-purpose, artificial intelligence chatbot for L.A. Unified. The district spent about $3 million of that contract for a chatbot that was never fully deployed and quickly withdrawn from service when AllHere collapsed financially,” reports the LA Times  The FBI hasn’t commented on why Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was detained and investigated — and handcuffed outside his home — but sources have said it’s because of the AllHere chatbot contract One reason LAUSD’s budget is in trouble is due to payouts for sexual misconduct and abuse cases This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa, Rachel, and Mike discuss LA city’s six-year journey to end the racist and ineffective practice of pretextual stops by police. For the first time in a decade, the number of homeless people who died in LA County went down, not up; from a high of seven deaths per day to six deaths per day. Then: the Noma pop-up in Silver Lake is protested after allegations of abuse by Danish chef René Redzepi resurface, fueling a reckoning over how restaurants treat workers. Our LA Podcast party for paid Think Forward subscribers is coming up this Saturday, March 21! Subscribe today at ThinkForward.la to join us Alissa, Rachel, and Mike discuss LA city’s six-year journey to end the racist and ineffective practice of pretextual stops by police. For the first time in a decade, the number of homeless people who died in LA County went down, not up; from a high of seven deaths per day to six deaths per day. Then: the Noma pop-up in Silver Lake is protested after allegations of abuse by Danish chef René Redzepi resurface, fueling a reckoning over how restaurants treat workers. Our LA Podcast party for paid subscribers is coming up this Saturday, March 21! Subscribe now to join us. Here’s a personal plea from Alissa LAist: “Black and Latino Angelenos are overrepresented in traffic stops used to investigate serious crimes” The city’s Chief Legislative Analyst office report noted Black people made up one third of all pretextual stops, despite being only 8% of the city’s population. LAPD released its own report, and Catalyst California released a report showing the ineffectiveness of such stops Meanwhile, traffic enforcement of actually dangerous driving has decreased since 2020 Listen to Mike’s interview with Chauncee Smith of Catalyst California and Leslie Cooper Johnson of the Community Coalition NACTO’s 2020 statement: “The harassment and injustice that people of color, particularly Black people, experience at the hands of law enforcement on transit and in streets and public spaces is unacceptable and wrong” During a joint hearing of the transportation and unarmed response committees, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson testified that he had been stopped four times in a city vehicle, including the previous Wednesday A new poll shows LA Mayor Karen Bass is polling very poorly for an incumbent, with just 20% support Read the LA County Department of Public Health report: “Lives Lost : Mortality Trends and Prevention Opportunities For People Experiencing Homelessness in LA County, 2015-2024” The Guardian: ​​”LA county reports first drop in deaths of unhoused people in a decade” But as the LA Times reports, “health officials warn that steep cuts to federal and state homeless services threaten to reverse the progress achieved over the last two years” LA City Council had to overrule City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto to fund $107 million in tenant aid after her office tried to end the Legal Aid Foundation contract Watch Feldstein Soto’s very disingenuous campaign video claiming she supports renters The famous Copenhagen restaurant Noma was just about to start an LA pop-up for $1500 a person when new allegations surfaced about chef René Redzepi Former Noma employee Jason Ignacio White has been collecting allegations of abuse from workers on his Instagram Protests at Noma LA have been organized with One Fair Wage, which has been fair wages for restaurant workers Eater LA: “Noma LA Sponsors Exit Amid Abuse Allegations” Redzepi stepped away from Noma — posting a statement and video — but the protests have continued LA Times food critic Jenn Harris wrote that she would not review Noma LA. “Normally, an event of this scale would warrant coverage. Instead, I found myself making no plans to attend, and even rethinking how I approach my job” As Meghan McCarron and Julia Moskin write at the New York Times, local chefs were promised spillover economic impact by Noma coming to town that never really happened. And some of them have joined the protests This episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Mike, Godfrey and Oscar dive into two big charter reform debates: oversight of the LAPD and the role of LA’s city controller, which current Controller Kenneth Mejia is turning into a public battle. The Trump administration is planning to evict thousands of immigrant families, but community groups are fighting back. Plus, the proposed “Billionaire’s Tax” that’s dividing California Democrats. COME PARTY WITH US! Join all the LA Podcast co-hosts and producers on Saturday, March 21! This gathering is exclusively for paid subscribers so sign up today at thinkforward.la to get the invite Godfrey is quoted in this LAist story by Frank Stoltze: “LA commission recommends expanding City Council power over LAPD” Meanwhile, even some commissioners are expressing confusion about the significance of the recommendation The commission originally punted on the issue entirely before facing pushback from the public, advocacy organizations, and Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez, who wrote letters proposing specific and significant reforms The debate over whether the City Council can set policy for the LAPD gained new energy when Chief Jim McDonnell flatly stated he would not enforce a law against immigration agents wearing masks, and a later executive order from Mayor Karen Bass instructing LAPD to enforce the ban and train their body cameras on immigration operations. A recent Police Commission meeting revealed LAPD’s enforcement of the mayor’s orders has been minimal The subject of police liability — and police immunity — is covered by UCLA’s Joanna Schwartz in her excellent book Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable The commission has also been looking at ways to rein in LAPD liability costs, which have resulted in massive taxpayer-funded settlements, as often highlighted by the City Controller City Controller Kenneth Mejia has been marshaling public support on social media to fight back against efforts to limit his power, including the suggestion to add a CFO Public comment was overwhelmed with over 1,000 pages of written comments supporting Mejia’s agenda after he issued pleas to back his recommendations Mejia has also been pushing for expanded resources and greater oversight of other elected officials at the same time. Here's more on his vision — including a Capital Infrastructure Plan! — on Spectrum's "Inside the Issues," and his history of LA's budget priorities You can watch the full March 7 charter commission meeting hearing here A mixed-status family is a household with members holding different citizenship or immigration statuses, often consisting of U.S. citizen children living with undocumented parents or relatives. A new proposed regulation from the Trump administration to deny these households rent subsidies could have a devastating impact on families living in public housing or using federal housing vouchers. More than one-third of those families are in California Capital & Main: “Community organizers in Los Angeles are rallying in opposition to a Trump administration rule that they say will displace and fracture immigrant families, increase homelessness and potentially throttle rent collections to the point that local housing authorities might be forced to shutter some of their stock” LA officials are fighting the policy, warning it could force 1,700 local families into homelessness Weigh in on the proposed policy by making a public comment or attending one of many virtual teach-ins organized by Keep Families Together, and you can also sign up for email updates California voters may get a chance to impose a one-time 5% tax on the state’s estimated 200 billionaires in November. The proposal is dividing Democrats, and causing concern the uber rich may flee the state LA Forward, CHIRLA and dozens of other groups are planning a mass mobilization, LA Strikes Back: A Call to Action, this Saturday, March 14 at 9 a.m. at LA Trade Tech College. Details and registration here This episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey report back from the California Democratic Party state convention where endorsement battles plague the governor’s race. Will Republicans end up nabbing the top two spots on the November ballot? LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is placed on leave after an FBI raid of his home and office. And Metro wants you to ride the D — with crop tops to match — on May 8. Join all the LA Podcast co-hosts and producers on Saturday, March 21! This gathering is exclusively for paid subscribers so sign up today at thinkforward.la. Here are the full CADEM endorsement results CalMatters: “CA Democrats can’t agree on endorsement for governor. Will Republicans benefit?” Columnists like the Los Angeles Times’ George Skelton are arguing for some Democratic candidates to drop out Watch Mike’s video which provides the critical analysis that the candidates being urged to drop out are almost all people of color Meanwhile, the race for insurance commissioner is interesting, but who would want this job? An early morning FBI raid of LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home and office appears to be tied to an AI chatbot that Carvalho championed The chatbot, named Ed, was made by the company AllHere which collapsed in 2024 when its CEO was indicted for defrauding investors. Carvalho said he’d set up a task force to investigate the company but never did After meeting for a total of seven hours, the LAUSD school board placed Carvalho on paid leave and named Chief of School Operations Andres Chait as interim superintendent SEIU Local 99, which represents educational workers, put out a statement calling for more accountability. SEIU Local 99 and UTLA had previously planned a rally on March 18 to draw attention to proposed layoffs Harbor Peace Patrols first broke the news of Carvalho’s home being raided. The group which had formed to track immigration raids staging on Terminal Island recently celebrated a win when federal agents packed up their operations The Graffiti Ghost Towers are being bought by developer Kali P. Chaudhuri — but he doesn’t want to save the graffiti Artist Sayre Gomez built an astonishing sculpture of the towers Unfortunately for Alissa’s 2025 predictions, but fortunately for everyone else, the D line extension is finally opening on May 8! But the even bigger news was that Metro made ‘Ride the D’ shirts and the internet went wild Alissa wrote about the astonishing demand for ‘Ride the D’ t-shirts Some LA City charter reform recommendations are moving forward, including expanding the council to 25 members and ranked choice voting starting in 2032 Plus, LA City Council votes to make Unarmed Crisis Response a permanent city program. But $40 million a year is needed to make the program citywide This episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Scott, Alissa, and Rachel dry off after yet another flash flooding event and absorb a new report that says LA County could eliminate half of its pavement. Casey Wasserman is leaving his own company but will apparently stay on as LA28 chair (?!?) as more elected officials call for him to step down. And LA’s City Council searches for more ways to not build more housing near transit by delaying implementation of SB79 as many places as possible. Coming up on Saturday, March 21 –a fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers with LA Podcast co-hosts and producers! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to join us and to keep this podcast coming out every week Melrose stores flooded again and business owners are blaming the city’s lack of response. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky is calling for an investigation: "The response was delayed, inadequate, and local businesses were left dealing with flooding and damage” Elsewhere: food delivery bots can’t swim, Santa Monica channel in Rustic Canyon lost all its concrete, Trader Joe’s parking lot floods store in Silver Lake Alissa would like to remind everyone we would have had stormwater gardens to stop the flooding on Melrose if former councilmember Paul Koretz hadn’t killed the Uplift Melrose project The new DepaveLA study from Accelerate Resilience LA shows that LA County contains 488 square miles of pavement — that’s about the size of the city of LA — and nearly half of it may be unnecessary Accelerate Resilience LA’s Devon Provo writes about LA County’s sustainability plan, which calls for “the first explicit depaving target from a major U.S. public agency, signaling an emerging shift in how policymakers are rethinking infrastructure” — but it’s only 1,600 acres by 2045 There are incentives for property owners to reduce impermeable surfaces through Measure W, also known as the Safe Clean Water Program Flooding happens pretty much exactly where we paved over old creeks, which are easy to see thanks to maps from UC Irvine’s Flood Lab that show flood risk. Unsurprisingly, LA’s Black communities would be hit the hardest in a major flood Last Friday, after dozens of the artists he represents fled his agency due to his ties with sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Casey Wasserman announced he was selling his entire company and issued a heartfelt apology to his employees Yet he will stay on as LA28 chair, because the board voted to keep him. Here’s a really good Guardian story that sums it all up, with some very angry quotes from Councilmember Monica Rodriguez Alissa wrote about “LA28's big gamble” over at Torched LA Mayor Karen Bass finally said she thought Wasserman should step down CNN: LA mayor calls for head of 2028 Olympics to step down over Epstein ties  West Hollywood had a rally with survivors and Councilmember John Erickson said he was introducing a resolution to call for Wasserman’s resignation More state representatives have called on Wasserman to resign, including a statement from the LA County delegation (although some said they didn’t know they were signed on) Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg puts the emails in context and argues why Wasserman is a liability NOlympics LA: LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman: A Lifelong Pattern of Abuse  LAist: “How much housing is LA actually building?” LA’s planning department has delivered a plan to delay SB79 effectuation (also in StoryMap form), the new state law requiring cities to build more (as in taller and denser) housing around high-quality transit stops Come learn about SB79 implementation on Thursday evening and why LA Forward, Abundant Housing LA, and others are supporting Option C in the planning department's proposal Meanwhile, Beverly Hills has a thoughtful plan to reluctantly implement SB79 (which the city only has to do for a ¼-mile area around at the three new D line stations)  Although Beverly Hills is also forced to approve multiple “builders remedy” projects because the city didn’t build enough housing This episode was produced by Sophie Bridges (allegedly) The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa, Mike, Rachel, and Olga unpack Nithya Raman’s surprise mayoral run. How the LA city councilmember’s last-minute decision to challenge incumbent Karen Bass has rattled establishment Democrats and angered activists on the left — and why comparisons to progressive officials in other cities don’t really hold up. Then: Trump’s attorney general Pam Bondi is suddenly worried about crime in Culver City.Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep this podcast weekly. A fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers with LA Pod co-hosts and producers is coming up Saturday, March 21!New York Times: “Rising Progressive Star Shakes Up Race for Los Angeles Mayor”Here’s Raman’s campaign video and her first TV interview with NBC LA’s Conan NolanLA Daily News: “Nithya Raman’s entry tests Karen Bass from the left in Los Angeles mayoral race”More reaction stories from the Los Angeles Times and Politico“Now is not the time for distractions from a political opportunist — especially one who backed the Mayor’s re-election campaign just weeks ago,” said Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO told the LA Times“As Raman scrambles to build a campaign apparatus before the June election, Bass’ supporters have rallied around the embattled incumbent with fresh energy and barely-veiled fury,” writes Melanie Mason at Politico (includes a quote from Mike!)LA Times: “The record of Nithya Raman, L.A. mayoral candidate, may surprise you”Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Rev. Rae Huang got her mic cut at a charter reform meeting about LAPD reformOne of Raman’s key platform planks is addressing the city’s streetlight outages. While some councilmembers might prefer dark skies, the truth is that the city needs to raise the streetlight district assessments not increased the 1990s — and Raman has already been messaging this reality to her constituentsRead Alissa’s story at Torched about the new SAJE report looking at the financial risks of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games and how the city could turn a bad deal into a less-bad oneAnd if you need a refresher about who, exactly, is running for mayor, check out Mike’s video about the five front-runnersIn response to questioning about the Epstein files from Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Attorney General Pam Bondi went off on a bizarre tangent: “Her district includes Culver City, and she’s not talking about any crime in her districts”“Kamlager-Dove shrugged off Bondi’s comment, saying Culver City was known for “breakfast burritos — not crime,” reports the LA Times“The first thing I thought was, ‘What is she talking about?’ said Bryan Fish, the vice mayor of Culver City, whom everyone calls Bubba but doesn’t look like someone whom everyone calls Bubba. ‘The only crime here,’ he added, ‘is like the $18 strawberry at Erewhon,” reports the New York TimesYes, Culver City actually bought a gun store and they’re turning it into 67 units of affordable housing with a preference for teachersThis episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa, Mike, and Memo discuss the “No Secret Police Act,” which requires ICE agents to remove face coverings — and why LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell’s refusal to enforce it is such a red flag. Don Lemon’s federal detention highlights the double standards for LA journalists who are arrested during protests. LA Mayor Karen Bass delivers her (first) state of the city. Plus: why elected officials are calling for LA28 chair Casey Wasserman to step down.At a press conference, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell “described two state laws that were passed by the state legislature in response to the ICE raids — one banning face coverings, the other requiring law enforcement officers to identify themselves — as ‘not a good public policy decision,’” LA Taco reportsMike writes about how McDonnell is setting the city back: “In his 15 months as chief, McDonnell has consistently shown contempt for civilian authority, tolerance for police violence, hostility toward the press, and a drive to militarize LAPD under the guise of mega-event security. He is rebuilding the old LAPD that had only recently been partially dismantled.”After deadly shootings, ICE says it will start using body cameras for transparency (where have we heard that before?). Read Copaganda’s Alex Karakatsanis on why body cameras are bad, actuallyAttorneys for Keith Porter, Jr.’s family are calling for an investigation of his murder at the hands of an off-duty ICE agentDon Lemon and Georgia Fort were two of four Black journalists detained after covering a protest in St. Paul. Lemon talked more about his arrest on his YouTube channel. ”We’re having a constitutional crisis,” Fort said on Democracy Now!LA Mayor Karen Bass was publicly defending Lemon but hasn’t defended journalists arrested by LAPD at protests, including LA Taco reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray who was detained by LAPD at a protest in downtown the same weekendAdam Rose, deputy director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, was out sounding the alarm about these arrests and had some very harsh words for BassBass delivered her first of two State of the City addresses: here’s the address as delivered and here’s Alissa’s thread from the eventLA28 chair Casey Wasserman is facing calls to resign due to associations with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell revealed in the latest Department of Justice releaseBass declined to call for Wasserman’s resignation, saying instead: “Ultimately, any decision on the LA28 leadership must be made by the LA28 Board. As you know, they are a separate and independent nonprofit organization."Alissa’s tracking which elected officials, organizations, and clients are calling for Wasserman to step downLindsey Horvath and Monica Rodriguez both went on TV calling for Wasserman to step downAnd yes, after we recorded, Horvath opted not to run for LA mayor, but, in a huge surprise, Councilmember Nithya Raman did. We’ll talk about that more next weekThis episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardBecome a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la  to keep this podcast weekly! A fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers is coming up Saturday, March 21!

Alissa, Godfrey, and Sophie recount another week of accelerating immigration raids and how Angelenos are organizing against them. Why the “national shutdown” isn’t a general strike (yet). If ICE is going to the Winter Olympics, what does that mean for LA in 2028? And what about the World Cup this summer? And RIP to Shirley Raines who brought dignity, agency, and eyelash extensions to Skid Row residents.LA Taco’s Daily Memo for Wednesday, January 28: “There was a time when 25-40 was the total number of incidents I’d report for a whole week; they just did that in one day”“What we’re seeing now are large numbers of officers to grab anywhere from one to five people, not necessarily questioning them, and then moving out as quickly as possible,” Juan Pablo Orjuela-Parra, an organizer with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, told the Los Angeles TimesTPM: ICE not only looks and acts like a paramilitary — it is oneGavin, wyd? “California has cooperated with more ICE transfers probably than any other state in the country,” California’s governor told Ben ShapiroMeanwhile progressive district attorneys — meaning: not LA’s DA — are banding together to prosecute federal agents: “The group launched Wednesday and calls itself Fight Against Federal Overreach, or FAFO”Highland Park is testing out air raid sirens for ICE raidsThere’s another community defense training Saturday, February 7 at 11 a.m.; here’s how to sign upKim Kelly on the difference between a general strike and a national shutdownYes, ICE is going to the Winter Olympics. Yes, it’s also kind of horribly normal for U.S. law enforcement to be involved in the Olympics — does everyone remember when the LAPD got special permission to carry guns in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics? “ICE, NO GRAZIE!”LAist’s Libby Rainey reported on potential plans to clear unhoused people from around sports venues ahead of megaeventsWill LA see a boycott in 2028? Will LA see a boycott this summer?Alissa’s Torched piece focused on “hospitality houses” in what feels like the least hospitable possible environment — and she also reported on the World Cup fan zones announcementSpeaking of cognitive dissonance, how about that Home Depot World Cup sponsorship deal?LA Mayor Karen Bass is giving two State of the City addresses; one is Monday, February 2, watch it hereFinally, remembering the Skid Row outreach legend Shirley Raines who died at 58Tune in Tuesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. for a Measure G teach-in to learn the latest news about LA County’s charter reform initiativeThis episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardBecome a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep this podcast weekly! Subscribers-only event is coming soon!

Mike, David, and Carla do a deep-dive on state and local efforts to build and fund — and also stop and kill — housing, while changes are proposed to LA city’s ULA transfer tax, also known as the “mansion tax.” More charter reform proposals advance. Are 23 councilmembers enough? Should 16-year-olds get the right to vote in local elections? Then: California’s mountain lions might finally get endangered species protection.2025 was a pivotal year for housing legislation in California and Los Angeles, with a slew of new laws and rules taking effect this year to spur housing construction — and the coming year might see even more, as KQED reportsPolitico’s Liam Dillon reports on LA’s latest strategy to stop/subvert SB 79, the new state law allowing more density in transit-rich areas. Metro also weighed in against SB 79, expressing concern that transit-oriented housing creates opposition to new transit. Reminder to Metro board members that building housing near transit increases transit ridership, which you think would be their goal? Metro also voted on this as they approved the Sepulveda subway and potentially stall the C line extension to Torrance. Time to dissolve (or seriously reform) the Metro board?Liam also reports on the high-stakes staredown between the state and the city trying to kill affordable housing in VeniceMeanwhile, YIMBY Law has filed a lawsuit to overturn Gavin Newsom’s executive order blocking SB 9, which would allow new duplexes, in Pacific PalisadesThe fight over Measure ULA has been brewing for months. Affordable housing advocates proclaim success with more than $1 billion raised. Opponents of the measure contend it’s killing development of multifamily housing in Los Angeles.  Conflicting reports — even in the same publication — argue new apartment construction is down and that multifamily investment is on the reboundCouncilmember Nithya Raman, a longtime supporter of Measure ULA, is proposing a ballot measure to exempt multifamily and commercial housing from the transfer tax for 15 years after construction. Raman’s proposal is getting a lot of attention. The council has until February 11 to put something on the June ballotState lawmakers are mulling a proposal to put a $10 billion affordable housing bond before voters in NovemberLA’s Charter Reform Commission is weeding through various proposals. If you can’t find anything to binge on Netflix, watch the full 6 hour, 22 minute meeting — the commission is likely to recommend expanding the size of the City Council from 15 to 23 The commission also seems poised to recommend lowering the voting age for Los Angeles city and LAUSD elections to 16.  There is a national movement to lower the voting age and extend the franchise to 1-6 and 17-year-olds. Liz Chou recently looked at the issue in her LA Reporter newsletter. A ballot measure to lower the threshold to 16 in Culver City failed narrowly last year, getting 49.5% of the voteHere’s the Charter Reform Commission website. Stay involved with LA Forward’s governance reform and CIP working groups. Topics coming up: police reform; the removal/replacement of elected officials for misconduct; establishment of a 2-year budget cycle, ethics, and neighborhood councilsCalifornia wildlife officials are considering listing mountain lions as threatened. Advocates of the protected status point to the hazards encountered by LA’s beloved Hollywood Hills mountain lion, P-22In 2022, the wealthy Northern California town of Woodside declared its entire jurisdiction a mountain lion habitat to pause all new housing projects under SB 9 — yep, the same duplex bill that’s being exempted in Palisades — but the decision was later reversedThis week’s episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardBecome a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep LA Pod going. Subscribers-only event coming soon! 

Alissa, Rachel, and Godfrey remember Keith Porter Jr., who was killed by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve in Northridge. A new UCLA report shows how Metro’s unarmed ambassadors are helping Metro’s riders. A subway concept advances for the Sepulveda Corridor and Fred Rosen’s monorail might finally be dead. And LA City’s charter reform commission has begun the purge.“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King, Jr.On New Year’s Eve, Keith Porter Jr. was killed by off-duty ICE agent Brian Palacios in Northridge, and vigils were held across the city this past weekThere’s just so much to protest! An anti-ICE protester was blinded by a DHS agent in Santa AnaMeanwhile a new LA City Council motion that advanced would require LAPD to adopt tactics like a “graded response” modelICE raids seem to be intensifying: 10 people were taken across 8 Echo Park locations in 3 hours. Read Blood in the Machine and 404 Media on how tech companies like Palantir are finding neighborhoods to raidSign up for the Community Self Defense Coalition patrols training and share the information on InstagramRead the Metro ambassador report from UCLA’s Institute of Transportation StudiesStreetsblog LA: “UCLA Study Finds Metro Transit Ambassador Program Is Benefitting Metro Riders”And the monorail option for the Sepulveda Pass project MIGHT ACTUALLY BE DEAD but keep your calls coming — Modified Alternative 5 is up for a full Metro board vote this weekNick Andert’s video shows how they picked a hybrid option that’s pretty cool actuallyLA’s city charter reform process held “the purge” last weekend, where certain reforms are starting to be taken off the table. Here’s the Charter Reform Commission website and a way to join the conversation at Rethink LAHere’s a great policy document with proposed reforms for LA’s Capital Infrastructure Program — a 5 year outlook and 2 year budget, to start!Stay involved with LA Forward’s governance reform and CIP working groupsFinally: we’re out of drought after 25 years! Check our progress with Cal Matters’ 2026 California Water Tracker This week’s episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardOur first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Golden State’s Mariel Garza talk about how local officials commemorated (or didn’t commemorate) the one-year anniversary of the fires, including a shocking statement from Councilmember Traci Park. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is running for LA mayor. Gavin Newsom delivers his final State of the State address. And right-wing tabloid journalism is coming to the West Coast with the launch of the California Post.“It wasn’t an act of nature. It wasn’t some ‘storm of the century.’ And it wasn’t climate change, and don’t let anybody try to tell you otherwise.” Yep, that’s Councilmember Traci Park at the "They Let Us Burn" rally on the anniversary of the fires. Recent LA Podcast guest co-host Sammy Roth wrote a whole story about Park’s climate denialAt the same rally, reality TV star Spencer Pratt announced he was running for LA mayor at what ended up being a very MAGA Palisades rally (but Pratt can’t give interviews until February?)Mike talked to the Los Angeles Times about Pratt: “If you look at the model of who he is as a candidate, it’s similar to Trump: the reality television background; his most visible communication presence is on Twitter, just as Trump’s was. And he’s sort of developing a candidacy around frustration and blowing the system up, just like Trump did.” Mike also said Pratt’s entry into the race could be “perilous” for Bass.LA Mayor Karen Bass did not go out in public the entire day on January 7Read Mariel’s piece: “14 ways fire victims were failed by government at all levels”LAFD Chief Jaime Moore accepted responsibility for the watered-down after-action report but then news broke that Bass’s office might have been trying to make changes? Sorry, refinementsLA Times: “Anger overflows in west Altadena: Where is the accountability for 19 deaths, epic losses?”Supervisor Lindsey Horvath made it sound even more like she’s running for mayor in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson (here’s the transcript)Watch Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address, with coverage from Politico and commentary by CalMatters’ Dan WaltersWhy Mariel is excited about a wide-open governor’s raceThe New York Post officially announced the California Post is launching at the end of the monthBut lots of other new local publications are launching, like Golden State, the LA Local, and LA Reported This week’s episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardOur first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

One year ago this week Los Angeles was forever changed by the most destructive natural disaster in the county’s history. Alissa, Mike, and Kate survey the impact of the firestorms, and discuss what year two of recovery looks like for the thousands of Angelenos who are still displaced. Plus LAFD’s after-action report is deemed a “cover up,” and the real story behind the collapse of the state’s insurance system.Listen to Kate’s Rebuilding LA podcastAlthough the death toll for the firestorms is officially 31 — revised up in July when additional remains were found west of Lake Avenue in Altadena — a recent study estimated that up to 440 people died due to the dangers of wildfire smokeOne (1) house has been rebuilt in each burn area, although the completed Palisades home is actually a spec house that was built by a developer with demolition permits that had been approved on the morning of the fires. Additionally, an ADU was completed in November that received the first certificate of occupancy in AltadenaAs of mid-December, permits have been issued for 16 percent of the homes destroyed in Altadena and 14 percent of the homes in Pacific Palisades. Even though permitting is starting to pick up survivors are facing challenges like city rebuilding fees LAist: “Investors are buying close to half the empty lots in LA burn zones, report says”Listen to Kate’s conversation with Greenline’s Jasmin Shupper, who is trying to help Black homeowners and business owners hold onto their Altadena properties through land banking and other alternative financing modelsWashington Post: “A year later, Altadena fire survivors confront hard choices about housing”Meanwhile, the Palisades mobile home community is just now getting its debris clearedThe big after-action LAFD report that we talked about last time was described as “watered down,” “highly unprofessional,” and, finally, deemed a “cover up” by fire experts in a bombshell LA Times investigation. And LAFD is also impugned in new text messages that showed questions about the presence of native plants might have impeded the mop up of the Lachman FireListen to Kate’s conversation with Councilmember Traci Park, who told Kate councilmembers are not briefed on deployment: “I certainly don't get a briefing anytime the fire department or LAPD are called into action”There are allegations that FEMA has been clearing lots sloppily and dumping debris illegally, without enough soil testing. And an absolutely devastating report from the New York Times shows families going back into smoke-damaged homes insurance companies said were fine and finding lead levels 27 times the federal limit The LA Times also has an investigation into California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s campaign finance and ethical violations and why the state’s insurance system failed so spectacularlyKate also looked into where the FireAid concert money ended upAlissa wrote about the failure to create a Resilient Rebuilding Authority for the Los Angeles Review of ArchitectureKate’s spoke with Cal Poly Pomona professor Nicole Lambrou about social infrastructure. Read Lambrou’s Zocalo piece: “How do you rebuild community after wildfire?”The annual relighting of Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane and how the majestic deodar cedars may have saved the houses belowThis week’s episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardOur first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

It’s the end-of-the-year episode! And what a horrible year it has been! Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap the biggest stories, the stories that didn’t get nearly enough attention, and what to look forward to next year. (Yes, there are some things to look forward to!) Plus: predictions for 2026 and what will be a very big election year for LA.Check out last year’s end-of-the-year show to see what we got right (and wrong)LA Mayor Karen Bass started 2025 seemingly invincible and after missteps, reversals, and delays now seems politically vulnerableCouncilmember Katy Yaroslavsky had an incredible year challenging the status quo of LA’s fiscal woes. Here’s her final speech of 2025, captured by Unrig LA: “Public safety is about more than police... it's about having enough money to paint our own damn crosswalks and not having rogue volunteers doing it for us”Local journalism flourished in the face of adversity: LA Taco, The LA Local, Boyle Heights Beat, The LA Reporter, Mar Vista Voice, Golden State, Streetsblog LA, and Alissa’s mega-event newsletter Torched — with more new publications still to comeSix local publications banded together to cover ICE: LA Public Press, Caló News, Capital & Main, Capital B, LA Taco, and Q VoiceRevisiting Emily Baumgaertner Nunn’s New York Times investigationabout the Blade, the 50-block sex-trafficking corridor on LA’s Figueroa StreetCity Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is facing a new alleged ethical breach after a declaration in CA superior court accuses her of contacting an expert witness in a case against the city and asking him for a campaign contribution. The lawsuit spurred a major LA Times investigation about reckless LAPD driving. The case was settled for $18 million, “thought to be the most city taxpayers have ever paid to resolve a police collision case”Feldstein Soto also put another major campaign donor, Mark Adams, in charge of the Skid Row Housing Trust as it was dissolving, only to remove him laterLast year, a city attorney who works for Feldstein Soto filed a declaration saying she prosecuted people based on “personal relationships” or “perceived political gain”After a judge concluded that Councilmember John Lee violated laws on receiving and reporting gifts, LA’s City Ethics Commission fined Lee a staggering $138,000Re-live the 2020 Department of Justice filing after the surrender of Mitch Englander, Lee’s former boss, and read Scott’s 2021 assessment of Lee’s role: “A Co-Conspirator on City Council”There has been at least one call for him to resign, by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo who represents a big part of CD 12Councilmember Curren Price pled not guilty to corruption charges filed by the LA District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors filed an amended complaint in September alleging two additional counts of conflict of interest relating to development and land use. Price was arraigned and the DA’s office rejected a motion to dismiss the public corruption chargesScott called the local charges faced by Price “outlandish and flimsy" but Price was one of three sitting councilmembers being investigated by the FBI in the original search warrant that took down Englander and former councilmember Jose Huizar, along with other Garcetti administration officials including former deputy mayor Ray Chan, who was sentenced to jail last year Anyway, this all makes reforming the city’s land-use decisions even more important! You can join a public assembly or become an ambassador for Rewrite LA, the new effort to bring more Angelenos inside the charter reform process. Sign up for updates at rewritela.org/deliberateWill Rick Caruso announce his (second) campaign for LA mayor on January 7, the anniversary of the fires? Will the announcement happen at his unscathed Palisades mall, which is supposed to reopen in 2026? He’s got a Christmas tree up and ready to goWill LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also run for LA mayor? After Bass published an op-ed in the LA Daily News touting her progress on homelessness, Horvath called her track record “indefensible,"  Bass dunk-tweeted Horvath, then Horvath posted a highlight reel of bad headlines. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado offered her own commentary: “I fear the girls are fighting”Will Bass’s “working people not billionaire class” message actually resonate with voters — especially as she undermines this message by playing an “instrumental” role in delaying the Olympic wage?Will any gubernatorial ad top Tom Steyer’s Love Actually parody?Will the D line open on time? And will the LAX people mover *ever* open? Watch Nick Andert’s excellent end-of-the-year Metro recapSpeaking of end-of-the-year recaps, read LA Forward's annual impact report and call-to-action for the new year for all sorts of ways to get organizedThis week's episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardBecome a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la

Mike, David, and Godfrey go deep on one of the wildest LA City Council votes in recent memory as councilmembers quarrel over Karen Bass’s manufactured deadline to increase police hiring. LAPD reform finally makes it onto the charter commission radar, plus all the different ways that council expansion could happen (27 districts…. or 9 three-member districts?). Then: two important races for open seats in the California State Senate.In its final session of the calendar year, LA’s City Council sharply rebuked Bass’s demand that they immediately authorize money to allow LAPD to hire 410 new officers While most councilmembers said they support hiring more police officers, they warned that the mayor was ignoring the fiscal crisis and the potential impact on other city services. Council approved an additional LAPD Academy class for January, and promised to revisit the issue in JanuaryOpposition to Bass was led not by the council’s progressive bloc, but by many of its more mainstream liberal bloc, such as Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield. Yaroslavsky was a particularly sharp critic of Bass and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson: watch her comments hereBass’s approach was backed by an odd coalition of the council’s conservative members (Traci Park and John Lee), her closest personal allies (Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt), and two moderates (Adrin Nazarian and Imelda Padilla)The council vote was the culmination of months of tension over police hiring, stemming from the mayor’s budget proposal last spring that called for potentially laying off 1000 city workers to finance a big increase in LAPD hiring. The council balked at that, cutting the mayor’s LAPD hiring request in half, and sparing layoffs that would have led to cuts in other city services. Despite that council direction, however, LAPD had been hiring and spending more than the council had authorizedThe timing of this debate — and the sudden deadline — had left a lot of people, including Alissa, wondering if this has something to do with the city’s stalled negotiations with LA28 over who will foot the bill for Olympic related security expenses. (Speaking of the Olympics, LA28 chair Casey Wasserman continues to cozy up to the Trump administration)As Jim McDonnell prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of his appointment, Los Angeles Times reporter Libor Jany asks “Who’s running the LAPD? Chief’s style draws mixed reviews in first year”LA’s Charter Reform Commission is rushing to meet a tight deadline to submit potential ballot proposals to the City Council. The body has launched an interesting experiment — engaging with citizen assemblies to get public input; find out more at Rewrite LAThe LA Reporter: “LAPD is finally getting taken up by the LA Charter Reform panel. What took so long?”The commission will be discussing the size and composition of the City Council at its January 7 meeting. You can track what the commission is doing on its website (subscribe to the newsletter!), and join LA Forward’s Governance Reform working group. You can also watch some great LA Forward teach-ins on the issues, including police reform and council expansionTwo state senate races we’re closely following: SD26 and SD24SD26 candidates discussed: Wendy Carrillo, Sara Hernandez, Sarah Rascón, Maebe Pudlo, Juan CamachoWatch the Santa Monica Dem Club debate for SD24; Assemblymember Rick Zbur endorsed four (?) candidatesSD24 candidates discussed: Dr. Sion Roy, John Erickson, Mike Newhouse, Ellen Evans, Brian Goldsmith, Eric Alegria, Nico Ruderman, Republican candidate Kristina IrwinListen to our overview of city races from SeptemberThis week’s episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardWe’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie dig into an investigation that shows the City of Los Angeles stopped repaving its streets instead of implementing multimodal safety improvements. Remembering Robert Silverstein, the lawyer who tried to halt nearly every major Hollywood development. Plus: an appreciation of LA’s own hometown starchitect, the legendary Frank Gehry, who died at the age of 96.The Future Is LA: “LA has stopped repaving our streets”LA has 28 pothole trucks, currently only 12 run daily due to budget cutsHere are all the HLA appeals and a follow up on “large asphalt repair” by Streetsblog’s Joe LintonThe City is also trying to be ADA compliant (but with this federal administration, who knows)This was the year traffic fatalities were supposed to be reduced to zero — except people keep dying! For contrast: Vision Zero in London: “Across all 157 schemes on borough roads, there was a 34% decrease in fatal or serious casualties.” Even crosswalks advocates are getting arrestedWhat will make LA safer when cars kill more people than homicides? Alissa wrote about “Dying to host the Olympics” last yearTraffic fatalities are also a problem at the state level, and advocates recently held a vigil at at Caltrans HQLA Times: “Robert Silverstein, who fought City Hall over Hollywood development and won, dies at 57"Stop the Gondola recently celebrated Silverstein for slowing Metro approvals Bernard Luggage was preserved — but is still empty! — and Silverstein also tried to stop a residential tower by preserving a Spaghetti Factory (which is also still empty)The classic Curbed (RIP) piece about “greenmailing” from 2013 LA Times: “Frank Gehry dead: Disney Hall architect transformed LA's landscape”“To look only at the overwrought megaprojects, however, is to miss one of Gehry’s crucial achievements: his ability to turn an existing building, no matter how ordinary, into something humane and delightful,” writes Carolina Miranda in The AtlanticThe Guardian on the “Bilbao effect,” where the Guggenheim “transformed Bilbao’s wider civic fortunes, attracting 1.3 million visitors in its first year and… became shorthand for uplift through cultural tourism predicated on “iconic” architecture”LA Times: “To a handful of condo owners whose units face the Disney Hall on Hope Street, the view of the Frank Gehry landmark is glorious -- until around noon on a sunny day. Then, the sun hits the stainless steel arches on the hall’s Founders Room and bright light is reflected into their condominiums” (2004)This week’s episode was produced by Sophie BridgesThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardWe’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

Mike, Rachel, and Oscar check in on six months of still-escalating ICE raids terrorizing Los Angeles County. House Dems held a special Congressional hearing to collect powerful testimony about the state-sponsored kidnappings — and immigration advocates, mutual aid groups, and neighbors continue to fight back. Plus, LA’s City Council gives LAPD permission to use tear gas on protesters and journalists. And welcome to the silly season of our local election cycle.Angelenos spoke publicly about the trauma and due process violations of the immigration raids at a special hearing November 24 hearing in downtown Los Angeles convened by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. The event was requested by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and led by Long Beach area Rep. Robert Garcia, who announced the creation of a new oversight dashboard documenting “verified incidents of possible misconduct and abuse” during federal immigration enforcement operationsRep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, who attended the hearing, referred to it as “living an American nightmare.” The most talked-about testimony of the hearing was that of Andrea Velez, a U.S. citizen who was detained on her way to work and held under harrowing conditionsSix LA newsrooms are collaborating to cover the ICE Raids: LA Public Press, Capital B, CALÓ News, L.A. TACO, Capital & Main, and Q Voice News.L.A. TACO continues to provide standout coverage, documenting the raids on a daily basis. They recently catalogued every person kidnapped by ICE and Border Patrol in LA since AugustLeaders of the local trans community helped lead the recent push to get the County of Los Angeles to declare a state of emergency over the immigration raids.Residents in LA and Chicago are building multiracial solidarity against ICE. Bystanders are beginning to disrupt immigration raids with nothing more than a whistle or a honking car hornFamily members, immigration advocates, and members of Congress are all demanding answers to the question: Where is Vicente Aguilar? Aguilar was taken into custody October 7, suffered a medical emergency, and has not been heard from sinceWith immigration raids making some people afraid to leave their homes, LAUSD enrollment is droppingThe LA County Board of Supervisors is gearing up for a legal fight with the Trump administration, passing a law — which the feds have said they ignore — to ban face coverings for law enforcementInternational Migrants Day is on Wednesday, December 18, and CHIRLA, DSA and other groups are organizing a big event in downtown Los AngelesIn an 8-4 vote, the Los Angeles City Council reauthorized LAPD’s authority to use tear gas and other military grade equipment on protesters. They did so at the vigorous insistence of LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, who claimed that using tear gas on a crowd is a “de-escalation” tacticPrior to June 8, the LAPD had not used tear gas in crowd-control settings in almost 50 years, an LAPD spokesperson told L.A. TACOLos Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia is famous for his prominent use of his adorable corgis in communications. Former State Senator Isadore, who is challenging Mejia, is trying to use that as the basis of a laughable ethics complaintMeanwhile, Raul Claros, a challenger to Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, held a self-described “publicity stunt” claiming that he would move into MacArthur Park if electedSilly season is underway in Santa Monica as well, where councilmembers Caroline Torosis and Jesse Zwick are being attacked for, well, having full-time jobs in public service and public policy. Torosis and Zwick are set to rotate into the posts of mayor and mayor pro tem this weekThis week’s episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardWe’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la  and you’ll be the first to know the details

As the LA Podcast team takes off for the Thanksgiving long weekend, we’re featuring Mike’s recent one-on-one interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss Bass’s leadership style — she says she prefers to govern from the center — and how it has been tested by wildfires, ICE raids, and the ongoing homelessness crisis.The conversation, which took place on October 16, is part of a new series of fireside chats focused on public leadership hosted by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, which Mike runs as his day jobBass faces reelection in just six months — the primary is June 2! The interview with Bass was recorded a few days before former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner officially announced his campaign to unseat her, and a few weeks before progressive organizer Rev. Rae Huang announced a challenge from the leftAt CalMatters, Jim Newton of UCLA (and an esteemed former LA Times political reporter) writes that Bass is vulnerable, but still tough to beatMike asks about some of the mayor’s controversial moves to undercut the voter-approved Measure ULA. It is a stance that angered many progressives. In recent weeks, Bass has taken another swipe at the voter-approved measureBass’s second term could look dramatically different as the Los Angeles City Charter Commission discusses expanding the 15-member City Council. The panel is preparing to discuss three different models of council expansion, each with unique benefits and challenges for Angelenos. This Wednesday, December 3 at 7 p.m. join LA Forward Institute, AAPI Equity Alliance, and LA Voice to explore the three models and consider pros and cons of each model. Organizers will also share how community members can make sure that commissioners hear their voices! RSVP hereThis episode was produced by Daniel Huecias and Olive Greenspan. The interview previously aired as part of Mike’s podcast, What’s Next, Los Angeles? (Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts)We’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

Alissa and Mike are joined by journalist Sammy Roth to answer all your questions about LA’s climate and environment goals. Why are green bins clustered on every corner? How can we save even more water? When are we weaning ourselves off coal? And is California slowly losing its status as a global environmental leader? Plus: a new way to think about getting to Dodger Stadium.Los Angeles Times: “Green bins clog L.A. curbs as city’s organic waste program goes into overdrive”Thanks to The Los Feliz Neighborhood Council for the best video on the Great Green Bin Apocalypse of 2025One LA resident estimates the botched bin rollout cost $4 million that Sanitation Department doesn’t haveWhat can you compost in your green bin? Here’s a good guideMeanwhile, many LA residents are about to pay more for less trash pickup while Sanitation general manager Barbara Romero is departing at the end of the year. Some advocates, like Bruce Reznik of LA Waterkeeper are saying she was pushed outLA’s stormwater capture for this water year (since October 1) is equivalent to 10 Rose BowlsNow LADWP is going to double the amount of water it plans to recycle at the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant amidst state orders to take less water from Mono LakeOver at the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), advocates argue another leader was forced out: Adel Hagekhalil, who the board voted to remove after “an investigation into claims of harassment and a toxic workplace"Once again, LA Waterkeeper’s Bruce Reznik has strong feelings about who should lead MWDYes, LA and California are actually getting off coal: this month!LADWP plans to also convert one natural gas plant to hydrogen — although those plans are a bit more controversialBillionaire hedge-fund founder turned environmentalist Tom Steyer announces campaign for governor — what are his climate credentials? He doesn’t mention environmental issues in his launch videoNew York Times: “California’s Environmental Past Confronts Economic Worries of the Present”One way California is starting to backslide: Gavin Newsom seems to be giving up on his 2035 EV mandateSammy has been following the calls for the Dodgers to cut ties with fossil fuel companiesAfter LA’s City Council voted 12-1 to oppose Metro’s environmental review of the gondola, LA Mayor Karen Bass voted to approve the EIR in her Metro board role. She also had a chance to say something — anything! — about the project, and she didn’tSubscribe to Sammy’s newsletter, Climate-Colored GogglesThis week’s episode was produced by Kristen TorresThe reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA ForwardWe’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details