LA Podcast

Alissa, Godfrey, and guest co-host Robert Greene dig into the minutiae of ongoing county governance reform and our upcoming ballot measure alphabet soup. A new poll turns the mayoral race on its head: Councilmember Nithya Raman is now leading Karen Bass by double digits. And does Los Angeles have a weak mayor… or is it just a weak city?LA Podcast can only publish on a weekly basis thanks to the support of our paid subscribers — thank you to the 10 folks who have recently joined us! Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover our costs and keep this show on the metaphorical road. Sign up today at lapodcast.org (more on our rebrand below!)The County Governance Reform Task Force — aka the executors of Measure G — has had a busy summer and so has Robert as he follows their efforts. As the editor of the aptly-named Los Angeles Rules, he explains the process of the new Ethics Commission nominations, the “why” for the new county legislative analyst position, and organizers’ concerns about potentially losing access to the Board of Supervisors, among many other developmentsJoin us tonight, Monday, September 28, to review LA Forward’s survey examining what Angelenos think and prioritize about the new county executive roleAfter that, later tonight, Godfrey and LAF’s Jason Enright will be teaching “How to Host a Ballot Party!”You’ll just need the official LA Forward voter guide — arriving the week of October 5 — to complete your shindig. It will explain city measures PRK (parks!) and LA (two-year budget cycles! CIP!!!), county measures A (arbitration!) and E (ethics, but also the former Measure J, it’s a whole thing), and so many more. Trust us, these measures are the life of any partyCouncilmember Nithya Raman and Mayor Karen Bass are about tied in campaign fundraising, but not in support: in a new poll, Raman now leads Bass by double digits (Bass crashed out and called the poll an “outlier” but her allies are a little nervous) Replying to the Bass campaign’s indignation, Berkeley IGS poll director Mark DiCamillo said: "What would you expect from a campaign down by double digits? They attack the poll”Adding fuel to the fire, the EAA (who recently welcomed city council aides to the union) and the WGA recently endorsed Raman On the other hand, Bass can take comfort that the LAPD union enthusiastically did not do that. (They had their own totally normal crash out over Raman’s plans to “embed a socialist regime in Los Angeles” with DSA, “the party of free sh**”)Is anyone thinking about the forlorn, abandoned Spencer Pratt voters? Whomever will they cast their ballot for this November?In the end, how much does this even matter? No LA mayor can cut through red tape like  Mayor “200,000 Potholes Filled” Mamdani because we’re a weak-mayor city, right? Not quite: Jim Newton refutes this popular-with-pundits take for L.A. MaterialOr as Robert put it earlier this year: even a strong mayor can't overcome a weak city We’ve rebranded! You’ll now find us at lapodcast.org (where, once again, you can become a paid subscriber to help us keep helping you digest all that’s happening around our city)And the stars have aligned under this beautiful harvest full moon to usher in a social media bonanza. We’re now on YouTube! Bluesky! LinkedIn! Threads! So many platforms and so many exclamation points.Subscribe and follow and stay tuned for fun content and other general LA Podcast excitement. There’s lots in store. (And of course, we remain on Instagram) Thanks to Kristen Torres for producing and Bianca Cockrell for digital producingThe 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 ForwardAlissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched, tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on BlueskyGodfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on InstagramRobert Greene is an independent Los Angeles-based reporter and 2026-27 John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation fellow. He is the editor of Los Angeles Rules, a publication about city and county government reform

Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Matthew Reagan of The LA Local dive into accountability, litigation, and federal assistance in Boyle Heights after the Lineage fire. LAHSA as we know it is over. And on the same day as a safe streets rally, five Angelenos are killed when a driver crashes an SUV into a Metro bus, then a news helicopter covering the crash also crashes. Only in LA?LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover our show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.la We celebrate local independent news outlets! The LA Local is training citizens to attend public meetings and report back to their journalists and the community at large. And the Boyle Heights Beat has led the charge in Lineage fire reporting. So important and neededLA City Council voted to block any Lineage rebuilding efforts until LAFD has completed its investigation (though Lineage CEO Greg Lehmkuhl says they aren’t sure they’ll rebuild anyway)Lineage has sued their solar power provider, blaming them for the fireA Garden Grove neighborhood was preemptively evacuated over a chemical leak last year, fearing their own Lineage story, which posed the question: why weren’t Boyle Heights residents evacuated? Boyle Heights residents were frustrated by Mayor Karen Bass’s virtual attendance (or no attendance at all) at meetingsFederal disaster loans are available to affected businesses (but, meeting this administration’s politics, only if you are a citizen or green-card holder) The Lineage fire’s sweet smelly legacy is emanating from Simi Valley landfills and as you can imagine, no one is thrilled about it After LAist reported on Mayor Karen Bass skipping more than half of LAHSA’s meetings, she officially stepped down from the boardLAHSA is also stepping down from LAHSA, forfeiting the federal roles it has been performing for years like the annual homelessness countLAHSA had already been on thin ice fighting a lawsuit from the Trump administration this summer City, county, and private agencies are placing bids to take over LAHSA’s workCongress summoned Mayor Bass to a hearing in DC about LA’s homelessness spending but she declined, calling it “politically motivated.” Committee Republicans vow to “use every tool” to make her testifyEarlier this summer, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a $4.4 billion Notice of Funding Opportunity — a NOFO, if you will — directing aid money away from a “housing first” approachThe feds were in LA that week anyway, arresting two people for misusing millions of taxpayer dollars. You know that situation where you’re supposed to provide housing but you accidentally buy a nightclub and go to Tahiti? Haven’t we all been there?As usual, this begs the question: but what will this look like during the Olympics?Continuing our city and society’s addictions to cars and the crime news cycle, after an impaired driver crashed her SUV into a Metro bus, the news helicopter covering the situation also crashedIn a rare move, the driver was arrested and charged with second-degree murderThe New York Times analyzed the dangers of flying news helicopters in big cities like Los AngelesPoignantly and ironically, there was a rally to declare a state of emergency over our dangerous streets the morning before the crashes(Advocates cited facts like the city had to return $100 million of state grants for street safety projects and removed 5 miles of bike lanes despite the fact traffic fatalities are up 8% from last year)Plans to slow cars on Forest Lawn Drive had been in the works for years. However, California lawmakers swooped in at the last minute ** Since recording the podcast, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 194 into law, stopping traffic safety improvements on Forest Lawn DriveForest Lawn and Mount Sinai cemeteries spent $500,000 to lobby against these plans, wanting to generate future customersStreetsblog LA’s Joe Linton has explained why the city is only doing “large asphalt repairs” to avoid having to upgrade street safetyPostively: it will eventually feel safer to walk on Spring and Alameda streets in Chinatown. And speed cameras! Many speed cameras! And speed governors, someday, maybe!Thank you to Charlotte Landes for producing this episode and to our production assistant Bianca CockrellThe 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 ForwardAlissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched, tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on BlueskyMike Bonin is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on BlueskyMatthew Reagan is the assignment editor of LA Documenters, a program that trains and pays LA residents to put public meetings on the record. Documenter notes are published online and inform the community journalism produced by The LA Local

Mike, Memo, and guest co-host Faizah Malik look back on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and its legacies, including the Department of Homeland Security, which recently decided they will not (yet) revoke Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans. Then: childcare in Los Angeles is becoming more difficult and more expensive to find— but maybe a billionaire tax could help?LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover the show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.laLast week marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and Alex Padilla’s remarks about the tragedy as acting mayor of Los AngelesJulia Wick profiled the moment in a piece for L.A. MaterialThis week also granted some relief to thousands of Salvadorans after a month of threats that their TPS (Temporary Protected Status) would be taken awayMemo and L.A. Taco reporter Izzy Ramirez chronicled this saga (and other ICE malfeasance)Journalist Cerise Castle goes deep on LAPD’s relationship with ICE with Dominique DiPrima of KBLACHIRLA, CARCEN-LA, and other advocates gathered to demand protections for TPS holders and their families In other worrying news for families, UCLA is closing their childcare facilitiesSimilarly, the city of Los Angeles used COVID funds to build a network of city preschools — but now say they don’t have enough funding to run them(How expensive is childcare in this town anyway?)As the mayoral race draws nearer, make sure to educate yourself on your preferred candidate’s stance on street vendingLAist’s Gab Chabrán reports on the basics of legal street vending practicesThe L.A. Times editorial board breaks its publishing drought, writing an opinion for the first time in a year and a half to oppose Prop 40, the proposed billionaire taxSurely this isn’t because L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is a billionaire? That would be too obvious?Some guides and controversy to help you form your own opinion on whether or not Mark Zuckerberg should have to give the state $11 billion in a one-time taxCheck out LA Forward’s teach-in about the most dangerous measures on the ballot this Tuesday on zoomSome of the best editorial writing in LA is still coming from former LAT editorial board member, Robert Greene, who now writes at regular newsletter at Los Angeles RulesThanks to Charlotte Landes for producing and Bianca Cockrell for production assistanceThe 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 ForwardMike Bonin is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on BlueskyMemo Torres is an award-winning journalist with L.A. Taco, where he covers ICE and immigration raids as host of the Daily Memo. He’s on Instagram at @el_tragon_de_los_angelesFaizah Malik is a housing and civil right attorney, who ran as a progressive for LA City Council in District 11. She can be found at @faizahforla on Instagram

Scott, Alissa, and Sophie attempt to understand the Lucas Museum’s decade-long arrival in Expo Park and what “narrative art” actually means. Does this mean the La La Land optimism of 2016 LA is back? MacArthur Park hosts a picnic — and potentially a new fence? And more major endorsements in the mayoral race.LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 300 new subscribers by election day (November 3rd!) to cover our show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.laHaven’t you ever wanted to picnic with your district attorney? Your dreams could have come true this weekend(Despite his throwing of the gauntlet, DA Nathan Hochman had enjoyed himself at a World Cup event in MacArthur Park earlier this summer)Picnics might become harder in a fenced MacArthur Park, but it is unclear when or if that is actually happeningThe Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will officially open on September 22 and everyone has thoughts about it (you might like to revisit Christopher Knight’s 2017 remarks where he describes this project as the “Treacle Museum — a sentimental vanity gallery pumped up on soppy emotional steroids”)What is “narrative art” anyway? George Lucas explains. Kinda? Is it just horny statues?It’s the 10th anniversary of La La Land’s premiere and Eric Garcetti is with us in spirit UNITE HERE Local 11 and DSA-LA both endorsed Nithya Raman for mayor (positioning Airbnb as a top issue in the race)Meanwhile, Mayor Karen Bass shared videos about encampments near schools and “No-Show Nithya” (while, it must be said, missing a third of LAHSA meetings and two thirds of Metro votes)“I’ll take Raman’s “wonderful ideas and plans” — Bass’ words, not mine! — over the mayor’s record. For climate voters, this is an easy choice.” Sometime LA Podcast host Sammy Roth also endorses RamanAnd a happy Labor Day to all — City Council aides have unionized with EAA!Thanks to Sophie Bridges for producing and Bianca Cockrell for production assistanceThe 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 ForwardScott Frazier is an original co-host of LA PodcastAlissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched, tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on BlueskySophie Bridges is a writer and audio producer whose work has appeared on This American Life, Radiolab, and Reveal. She’s a proud graduate of LAUSD and the Writers Guild of America

Alissa, Mike, and Olga discover that extreme humidity pairs nicely with our already-crumbling infrastructure. Luckily, social media is the key to fixing potholes! Controller Kenneth Mejia tries to demystify LA28’s finances. And will DSA-LA make an LA mayoral endorsement — and does it matter? Southern California is used to being the best at many things, but unfortunately this week we took the prize for highest humidity in the country Did you want to run your air conditioning in this extreme heat? Sorry! Power’s out In cooler news: an LAUSD school in Westlake more than quadrupled their green space on campus, creating a shady oasis for their students, and there are plans for more district campuses to do the same Streetsblog LA’s Joe Anthony and Joe Linton covered advocates commemorating 10 years of LA’s landmark sidewalk  settlement and why it hasn’t succeeded LA is (still) a film town, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that you have to make a viral video to get any infrastructure fixed  Alissa’s pothole campaign was successful! But others have not been as lucky Are you tired of potholes in your neighborhood? Join LA Forward Monday night as we discuss what a Capital Infrastructure Program (CIP) could and should include to fix our streets As 2028 draws closer, City Controller Kenneth Mejia is requesting their financial documents so taxpayers aren’t left paying for the Olympics and our city instead has money for projects like fixing sidewalks Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30) held a panel to advocate for Metro funding with other less knowledgeable elected officials because the federal government has yet to pledge money for Olympics transportation (But hey, it’s one Olympics. What could it cost, $10?) Whatever happened to those $28 Olympics tickets anyway? City Council President Marquee Harris-Dawson introduced a motion to guarantee local businesses be included in Olympic contracts and therefore revenue Geese magazine has the arguments for why DSA should or should not endorse “pothole populist” Nithya Raman for mayor. Voting ends Tuesday Mayor Karen Bass walked back her remarks about street vendors made during the SOHA debate while Raman updated her street vendor platform Los Angeles Public Press reported on LAPD using infamous ordinance 41.18 to warn, cite, and displace vendors in MacArthur Park for at least the past year Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la Thank you to Charlotte Landes for producing this episode and to our production assistant Bianca Cockrell 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 Walker writes the newsletter Torched, tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky 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 and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Olga Lexell is a TV writer and local political organizer