Эпизоды
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Alissa, Hayes, Mike, and Carla recap another week of relentless ICE raids. The Trump administration sues LA over its sanctuary city status, and a coalition of immigrants rights groups sue the federal government right back. A ruling in the Alliance lawsuit raises questions about LA City’s homelessness count numbers. And the biggest-ever rollback of California’s often-abused environmental quality law, CEQA.
The Trump administration sues LA for obstructing immigration laws: “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. Here’s the flimsy case
ACLU SoCal, Public Counsel, CHIRLA and other groups sue the Department of Homeland Security alleging that ICE has “unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas set by the Trump administration.” Watch the press conference and read the full complaint
Rep. Laura Friedman held a press conference for the No Masks for ICE Act, and new city motions from Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez are also demanding federal agents show ID and not mask
Alejandro Orellana, a 29-year-old member of the Boyle Heights-based community organization Centro CSO, was indicted for handing out face shields during protests
How the private prison company CoreCivic wants to expand its California City facility for ICE detainees
LA Taco’s Daily Memo featuring Memo Torres is a must-watch. Also check out this Washington Post feature about LA Taco
Cal Matters: “Taken: What happens after an immigration raid”
Judge David O. Carter’s ruling says there is a “glaring lack of accountability for how the city spends money on homeless services and housing.” Here’s all 62 pages of the ruling
LAist keeps reporting on inconsistencies with the homeless count
An ongoing Rand study says homelessness declined in Hollywood and Venice, but not Skid Row
The New York Times on the biggest CEQA rollback we’ve ever seen: “One of the bills signed on Monday will exempt from CEQA high-density projects as long as they are not on environmentally sensitive or hazardous sites. The other bill will create sweeping changes that are aimed at accelerating legal review and that will exempt numerous types of development projects, from farmworker housing to child care centers. The legislation will also make it easier to rezone areas to allow for more housing in some cities”
Many environmental groups are not pleased; here’s a letter signed by 100 groups opposing the reform
Should we give Abundance credit? Ezra Klein was even name-checked by the governor in his speech. Mike asks what books should be on Gavin’s nightstand instead? He recommends Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Speaking of reform: some good housing production legislation proposed by LA Councilmember Nithya Raman
Listen to Mike’s exit interview with Rick Cole as he leaves the LA City Controller’s office
Every day at La Placita: Summer of Resistance activities
On the six-month anniversary of the LA firestorm, revisit Think Forward’s opinion essays on recovery and reconstruction and become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey track a third week of ICE raids that are more violent, more brazen, and raising more questions about how LAPD is assisting with these kidnappings. The Olympic Wage coalition strikes back with a new referendum to raise the minimum wage for *all* LA city workers. Plus, Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary win is huge news for New York City — and maybe for LA?
ICE says 1,600 detained in Southern California, with data showing the majority are men with no criminal records, randomly taken off the street
In an LA Taco video it certainly looked like LAPD was protecting ICE in downtown LA Tuesday
The statement from LAPD only seemed to confirm this: “At one point, a partially handcuffed woman approached and stood near a LAPD officer. After several minutes, a Federal agent approached and assumed control of the woman. LAPD was not involved in her detention or arrest”
As Ron Gochez of Union del Barrio told LA Taco during a ride-along: “They’re not going to call the police to defend them, they’re going to call us”
A motion put forth by LA Councilmembers is asking for more clarity on: “to ensure the safety of City personnel and to prevent unlawful entry by Federal entities”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Huntington Park, Arturo Flores, formally directed the Huntington Park Police Department to enforce rules about federal agents self-identification, including unmarked vehicles: “We cannot allow Wild West-style bounty hunter tactics to unfold unchecked on our streets… Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their neighborhoods and under what authority”
The hotelworkers union filed a state complaint about misleading signature gathering for the anti-Olympic Wage referendum — here’s the complaint letter and the state leaders they’ve gotten to sign onto it
Now the union is trying to gather signatures for its own ballot measure which basically uses the misleading talking points in proposing to raise the minimum wage for all workers
Zohran Mamdani won a convincing victory against the establishment, as a result of an unusual confluence of reasons, writes Josh Marshall
Mamdani masterfully grabbed public attention, as Ezra Klein and Chris Hayes discuss.
Ranked choice voting helped in the context of the partisan primaries, which we don’t have in California
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander’s cross-endorsement with Mamdani was especially powerful
Watch Anand Giridharada’s interview with Brad Lander about the election results and where things go from here (featuring strategist Waleed Shahid and messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio too)
NYC is the most Jewish city in the country and Mamdani’s ability to win many Jewish New Yorkers’ votes despite massive spending by AIPAC-aligned funders has to be understood in the context of extensive, locally-rooted Jewish-Muslim coalition building, as Peter Beinart, Arielle Angel, Mari Cohen, and Alex Kane discuss.
Listen to Mike Bonin speak with Ami Fields-Meyer about “Being a dissident in the United States” on the latest What’s Next, Los Angeles?
On July 1, Reclaim the Streets marches against ICE are taking place all over the city: Eastside, SELA, Crenshaw, South LA
Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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Alissa, Mike, Rachel, and Oscar give an update on LA under siege as at least 500 people are taken from their families in federal raids. Plus, the massive No Kings rally in Downtown LA ends in police violence, how CHIRLA’s rapid response team is monitoring detention centers, and widespread fear fuels an economic crisis across a city of immigrants.
The June 14 No Kings rallies may have been the largest single-day nationwide protest in US history, according to The Guardian, but when all the individual actions are counted up since Trump has taken office the second time, there is “dramatically more protest activity” in the U.S. now than his first term
Los Angeles Times: “How the LAPD’s protest response once again triggered outrage, injuries and lawsuits”
“I saw no evidence of violence on the part of protestors (the many thousands of them) before that moment.” Watch Matt Gutman and Jacob Soboroff reporting live on national TV when local law enforcement began to escalate their attacks on protesters (with a special shout out to Gutman for keeping his cool)
Three different lawsuits — LAPD, LASD, DHS — have been filed on behalf of journalists and legal observers who have been injured in protests. A slideshow of injuries has been compiled by Press Rights Chair at Los Angeles Press Club Adam Rose: “In 2021, I made a slideshow based on 50+ incidents of police misconduct toward journalists. It covered all California over a 12 month period. The legislature responded with new laws to protect press. I just made a new one. It's bigger. It's worse. And it's just one week in Los Angeles”
Brittny Mejia and Rachel Uranga put together an incredible account at the LA Times of the Hollywood Home Depot raid and what happened when a U.S. citizen was detained, including ICE agents bragging about the number of “bodies” apprehended — his phone recorded the whole thing
De Los columnist Fidel Martinez: “What the Dodgers can learn from Angel City about community”
“The population of the Adelanto Processing Center went from 350 to 1,200 in a matter of 10 days in June”: Members of Congress went to Adelanto with CHIRLA to see “inhumane” detention facilities
So many representatives have tried to get access that DHS has now changed the rules -- in violation of federal law
How the Home Depot in Westlake has become a resistance center
On Friday, LA’s City Council introduced a series of motions related to the raids, including laying the groundwork for suing the Trump administration — we’ll get into these in more depth next week
CalMatters: “Trump can keep troops in LA for now, appeals court rules”
CHIRLA’s know-your-rights resources
A group of faith leaders are holding a weekly prayer vigil on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. starting at La Placita, follow LA Voice for details
Donate to the street vendor fundraiser organized by Community Power Collective, East LA Community Corporation, Inclusive Action for the City, and Public Counsel
Join the Summer of Resistance: 30 days of actions at La Placita
Ensure we can keep releasing new LA Podcast episodes every week -- become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la.
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Scott, Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap an astonishing week as Los Angeles is occupied by the federal government. How the city and state are responding to ongoing ICE raids, the federalization of the National Guard, the handcuffing of Senator Alex Padilla at a Homeland Security press conference, and the deployment of the U.S. Marines on the eve of nationwide protests.
The Guardian: “‘Kidnapped’: families and lawyers desperate to contact LA workers arrested in Ice raids”
LA Times: “What really happened outside the Paramount Home Depot?”
"What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger.” SEIU California president David Huerta was freed from federal detainment after thousands rallied for his release in Grand Park
This is a must-watch: In her remarks to LA’s City Council, Angelica Salas, CHIRLA’s executive director, provides more details of the raids, describes how the rapid response network is activated, and explains how difficult it has been to track detainees
“You’re asking me to warn you about an enforcement action being taken by another agency before it happens? We can’t do that,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell as he disagreed with councilmembers on LAPD’s role in cooperating with federal agents
“If we know someone is coming here to do warrantless abductions of the residents of this city, those people are not our partners.” Watch this statement from LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson
Tech reporter Brian Merchant on the weaponization of Waymo at his newsletter Blood in the Machine
Watch California Governor Gavin Newsom address the ICE raids: “Democracy is under assault”
Senator Alex Padilla explains how he was tackled and removed from a press conference in the Westwood federal building
Watch an angry LA Mayor Karen Bass and dozens of local leaders proclaim “This is Los Angeles”
The Dodgers and many other sports institutions remained silent about the raids
Alissa wrote about how the raids are impacting upcoming megaevents, including a Club World Cup tournament happening at the Rose Bowl right now
Even former chief Michel Moore agreed that the feds should not bring in the troops
How outrage about Glendale holding ICE detainees in its jail led to the termination of the contract by the city
State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez on how direct actions are forcing ICE out of hotels in smaller LA County cities
Read LA Taco’s on-the-ground reporting
After we recorded, the No Kings rallies that took place on Saturday drew tens of thousands of protesters to dozens of LA-area locations and may have been be the biggest protests in U.S. history (yet)
Save CHIRLA’s rapid response line to your phone contacts (1-888-624-4752), donate to Ktown for All’s vendor buyouts, volunteer for Polo’s Pantry food distributions, join the LA Tenants Union’s defense centers at Home Depots, get resources and information for your workplace from Day Laborer Network
Coming up this week: Mike’s interview with Ami Fields-Meyer on What’s Next, Los Angeles?
Become a paid subscriber and keep LA Podcast publishing weekly at thinkforward.la
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and Rachel discuss charter reform at the city and county, including the powerful new LA County CEO position voters will elect in 2028. Then, a referendum to overturn the Olympic Wage attempts to gather signatures, and homeowners accept buyouts to escape an ancient landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Note: This episode was recorded before LA saw ICE raids and detainments, countywide protests, and deployment of the National Guard. We’re watching developments closely and will get into all of that next week
Mayor Karen Bass finally made her charter commission appointments for the city
At the county, the Measure G task force meetings are underway
“That person will absolutely become the most powerful person”: Politico on the new County CEO role, featuring quotes from Mike
Los Angeles Times: “Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election”
What the story doesn’t mention: Delta Airlines, which is bankrolling the referendum, is an LA28 partner!
If you see this referendum trying to gather signatures, don’t sign it!
Report signature gatherers and get more information at defendthewage.la
Meanwhile, a new Living Wage for All movement launched last week
Ground movement in Palos Verdes started moving again after two wet winters — this was a KNOWN problem and the city was warned not to build there. LAist has a great backgrounder
In late 2024, homeowners were offered buyouts from the state and the feds; now 23 homeowners are taking the buyouts
The architectural treasure Wayfarers Chapel was rapidly disassembled as it was about to slide off the cliff, and may have found a new home
Meanwhile the city of Rancho Palos Verdes is going bankrupt trying to slow the ground movement
Take action to save city worker jobs and build affordable housing in Venice
Listen to the Bitchuation Room’s live show podcast featuring Rachel
Be sure to catch upcoming episodes of Mike’s show What’s Next, Los Angeles?
Become a paid subscriber to support LA Podcast at thinkforward.la
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Mike, Hayes, and Carla discuss the growing desire among LA Councilmembers to rein in mayoral oversight of homelessness as they’re potentially being called into Judge David O. Carter’s federal courtroom. Plus, new city and state efforts to lure the entertainment industry back to LA, and a journalist investigated by former sheriff Alex Villanueva sues him (and LA County) for violating her First Amendment rights.
We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week only thanks to your financial support! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la
For the past several years, the City and the County of Los Angeles have been embroiled in a federal lawsuit over their handling of homelessness. Here’s a great backgrounder by LAist on the case and its unpredictable judge, David O. Carter
Now Councilmembers and other city officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, may end up being subpoenaed to testify
Meanwhile at City Hall, councilmembers are growing frustrated with Bass’s handling of homelessness and are discussing curbing her emergency powers so they can have more oversight of programs and spending
Listen to the LA Podcast episode 247, All Is Not LAHSA, for our previous discussion about Judge Carter’s courtroom, including his threat to put the City of Los Angeles into receivership
One area where Bass has *not* been using her emergency powers is advancing previously approved homelessness housing in Venice. LA Forward Institute's Housing Justice Working Group has a special meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the City’s efforts to block the Venice Dell project. RSVP here
With concern deepening over a loss of entertainment jobs in California, both Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom are taking steps to revive an industry that is central to the LA economy and public identity
Even game shows like “The Floor” are fleeing: “Fox flies the show’s host, Rob Lowe, and 100 American contestants thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to answer trivia questions about dogs, divas and Disney characters at a studio in Dublin. It makes more financial sense than filming in California”
Bass issued an executive directive to make filming easier in LA
Newsom is offering a series of state tax incentives which he called Make America Film Again (and got ratioed on Bluesky for calling it that)
Wired: “Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Make Hollywood Great Again, but There’s a Plan That Can”
The industry might be struggling, but the development of new soundstages in LA is booming, as Hayes wrote earlier this year on Big City Heat
Former LA Times reporter Maya Lau filed a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County and former sheriff Alex Villanueva, alleging that a criminal investigation into her activities as a journalist violated her First Amendment rights
A reminder that Villanueva’s tenure was marked by aggressive efforts targeting the press, including the arrest of LAist journalist Josie Huang and threatened investigation of LA Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Mike and Godfrey give a full update on how LA City’s budget went from disastrous to just “very bad” — including actions from the council’s budget committee to reduce over 1,600 proposed layoffs to 600. Then, a new minimum wage for tourism workers has hotels threatening to pull their Olympics deals. And LA’s former deputy mayor of public safety pleads guilty to calling in a City Hall bomb threat.
We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week with your help! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la
Los Angeles Times: “LA City Council approves $14-billion budget, scaling back Bass’ public safety plans”
LAist’s Frank Stolze on the ongoing union discussions to prevent even more layoffs
Madeleine Brand interviews LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell about helicopters on KCRW’s Press Play
Sammy Roth’s LA Times column: “Climate change is cooking Los Angeles. Does Karen Bass care?”
“This budget is far from ideal, but this is the beginning of a longer process to set our city on a path to long term fiscal solvency and economic sustainability. There are still investments I want to see restored, and we’ll keep pushing for them, especially if our labor partners are willing to negotiate.” A message from Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who served as budget chair
LA’s Olympic and Paralympic Wage means that tourism workers in the city will make $22.50/hour by July with an escalator to $30/hour by 2028, plus a healthcare credit starting next year
“As LA pushes a $30 minimum wage for hotel workers, eight hotels are withdrawing from the LA28 Olympic room block, citing financial strain,” according to the Daily Breeze. Although, as the story notes, some of the hotels threatening to withdraw made deals with the city to receive a share of room tax revenue as an incentive to build hotels in LA… for the Olympics
Mark Beccaria of Hotel Angeleno told KTLA: “Common sense says you cannot raise wages over 30% in less than a year when revenue is flat. If this increase in labor costs passes, we will be forced by the City to consider converting this hotel in the heart of residential Brentwood into a homeless shelter”
In 2024, Long Beach passed Measure RW, which raised its tourism minimum wage to the highest in the country at $23/hour
Interestingly, Long Beach isn’t seeing a tourism slump and has been outpacing the rest of LA County: Visit Long Beach CEO Steve Goodling told SFGATE that 33,000 hotel rooms were booked in March for conventions alone: “We’re up 9.6% in revenue per available room over last year”
Alissa’s story on the Olympic and Paralympic Wage from over a year ago
U.S. Attorney’s Office: “Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Agrees to Plead Guilty to Threatening to Bomb LA City Hall Last Year”
Brian Williams pleaded guilty to calling in the bomb threat himself. As The New York Times reports: “According to the plea agreement, Mr. Williams, while participating in a virtual morning meeting, used a voice application on his personal cellphone to call his city phone. He then called the Los Angeles Police Department to say that an unknown man had just threatened to bomb City Hall.”
Watch Alissa talk transit on the May 21 episode of Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney over at Netflix
Rachel will be a guest at The Bitchuation Room live show this Friday, May 30 at the Elysian Theater
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa and Mike are joined by guest co-host Laura Raymond for a whole episode on homelessness and housing. Gavin Newsom orders cities to ban visible homelessness, again. Is Measure ULA’s “mansion tax” stifling housing production in the city of LA? And post-fire Altadena is championing new models of property ownership to combat speculation and displacement. Help us to produce a new LA Pod episode every week – start a paid subscription at thinkforward.la today!
"There are no more excuses." Gavin Newsom wants homeless people to go away but isn’t necessarily offering permanent housing
"Tough Talk, Bad Policy": Mike’s story on Newsom’s ongoing attempts to criminalize encampments
Under Karen Bass’s leadership, the Mayor’s Fund pivoted to homelessness prevention, and, according to a new LMU study of 30,000 program participants, is keeping people housed: "Nearly 75% of survey participants reported improved housing stability after seeking help from We Are LA"
LAist reported that auditors in Judge David Carter’s court couldn’t verify 1,400 new shelter beds. LAHSA issued a statement claiming the funding data about the shelter beds has been shared
Whistleblowers at LAHSA claimed that outgoing director Va Lecia Adams Kellum "withheld accurate data about Mayor Karen Bass’ signature homelessness program, Inside Safe, 'because [Adams] Kellum did not want Mayor Bass to look bad'"
LACAHSA, the LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, is LA’s regional housing agency that’s funded by one-third of Measure A dollars. You can find upcoming meeting information here
"We are setting up the infrastructure where we can actually create more affordable housing." Read Alissa’s Report Forward interview with LA County Supervisor and inaugural LACAHSA board chair Holly Mitchell: "What is LACAHSA and how can it prevent homelessness?"
The United to House LA city dashboard includes all sorts of information about what Measure ULA dollars are doing
UCLA Lewis Center’s report: "The Unintended Consequences of Measure ULA"
See the United to House LA coalition’s letter of opposition to state legislation AB 698
"Compounding Disaster: A Spatial Analysis of Housing Risk and Speculation in Post-Fire Altadena": a new report by SAJE
"As developers swoop in post LA fires, one nonprofit offers an alternative to Altadena sellers," writes Josie Huang in LAist
State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez introduced SB 658, which would create a Community Opportunity to Purchase Program
Alissa’s Report Forward on social housing models in Vienna
Community ownership and land banking are the topline recommendations of a preliminary report from the UCLA Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery. A LA Times story about the preliminary report includes commentary from Mike
"In Altadena, the fire’s embers have been extinguished, but a new threat is spreading. In order to stave off an impending land grab and community displacement, state and local leaders must act quickly to establish a community land banking strategy." Doug Smith’s essay for Think Forward
"The right kind of government action can peel back layers of inequality and redirect our region towards a more just, environmentally resilient future." Alfonso Directo’s essay for Think Forward
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Mike, Alissa, and Rachel discuss how LA’s budget crisis could lead to an LAPD with fewer officers and more accountability around its helicopter fleet. Metro hires a chief for its new in-house police department. Plus, why LA County approved a $4 billion settlement for thousands of sexual abuse claims, and what this means for survivors.
Support LA Podcast -- become a paid subscriber today at thinkforward.la
It is almost certain that LAPD will be reduced to its lowest numbers since 1995, despite LA Mayor Karen Bass’s goal to hire more officers
A JPL study on the "effectiveness" of LAPD helicopter patrols was conducted in the 1960s. The authors later said the study was flawed and the study findings — which include statements like: "The citizens of Los Angeles accept helicopter patrols as a necessary part of the City’s police system and strongly favor their continuation" — are still presented as facts on the LAPD website
UCLA researchers at the Carceral Ecologies Lab have determined that police helicopter surveillance disturbs physical and mental health
City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s 2023 helicopter report showed that LAPD’s program costs nearly $50 million annually while most of the flight time is not devoted to high-priority events
LA City fire union leaders including Freddy Escobar were suspended after an International Association of Fire Fighters audit showed over $800,000 expenditures without receipts
Bill Scott is Metro’s new police chief and he wants to hire 700 officers
Meanwhile Metro is testing new fare gates and weapons screening at some stations now
"Instead of privatizing good union jobs, those dollars should be staying in-house:" Striking LA County workers list of demands
LA County approves $4 billion sexual abuse settlement, the largest in history, and now survivors are being blamed for costly settlements
"I cannot forget that for weeks survivors were told that seeking justice for our abuse will bankrupt the state. How is that our problem? Why do survivors need to be reigned in?" Rachel’s piece about efforts to roll back AB 218
On Friday, May 30, Rachel will join Francesca Fiorentini for The Bitchuation Room Live in Los Angeles at the Elysian Theater — get tickets here
Congratulations to LA Podcast producer Sophie Bridges for being named a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist in audio reporting!
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Scott, Hayes, and Alissa dive into LA City budget fallout: how positions were eliminated, which departments are getting funded, and why LA’s liability payouts are so much higher now. 100 days out from the fires, LA hits major recovery milestones. And former LA County sheriff Alex Villanueva is evaluated for emotional distress.
The mayor’s budget summary FINALLY DROPPED 12 days later. On page 47, a letter notes that “there has been confusion” over animal services funding, and the budget hearings confirmed that $5 million had been restored to keep shelters open
Alissa’s story about 24 percent of positions in the transportation department being eliminated, with city staffers describing “DOGE-like” cuts
Meanwhile Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto went to Sacramento to ask for a budget bailout (but didn’t manage to meet with Governor Newsom)
“Clearly the request — which must have originated in City Hall — uses the fires as a smokescreen to rationalize a bailout for a deficit that is fundamentally the result of years-long fiscal malpractice,” writes Dan Walters at CalMatters:
A big Los Angeles Times investigation found that Freddy Escobar, president of the fire union UFLAC, made over $424,000 in overtime benefits as he claimed LAFD was underfunded
Karen Bass and Rick Caruso made nice to announce the rebuilding plan for the Palisades Recreation Center. Caruso also announced his mall would reopen in 2026
“They haven’t asked me to do anything in a month and a half, nothing, zero,” said LA’s recovery officer Steve Soboroff in his exit interview with Julia Wick at the LA Times
The city and state are claiming the fire recovery is the fastest in U.S. history
New York Times: “How do you rebuild a place like the Palisades?”
Former LA County sheriff Alex Villanueva sued the county last year because he was placed on “do not hire” list after publicly harassing several county supervisors
As part of that suit, the LA Times’ Keri Blakinger reported a psychiatric evaluation that concludes Villanueva has "many attributes of a 'white collar' psychopath"
Become a paid subscriber and help us continue to make LA Podcast episodes weekly at thinkforward.la
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa and Mike are joined by guest co-host Oscar Zarate, director of external affairs at CHIRLA, to discuss how workers are mobilizing for immigrant rights on May Day. The Real ID deadline is on May 7, creating another barrier to travel in Trump’s America. And the first phase of LAX’s long-awaited rail connection has an opening date, while Inglewood’s pricey people mover gets revamped as a much better transit solution.
Join CHIRLA and other immigrant rights advocates at May Day 2025 on Thursday, May 1, International Workers Day, starting at 9 a.m. at Olympic Blvd and Figueroa Street downtown: Instagram, Facebook
"Humanity flows in the streets on May Day within us and among us. We embrace it to create a deep sense of solidarity and interconnectedness with one another.” Victor Narro, CHIRLA’s former workers rights project director, reflects on the history of May Day in LA
If you see immigration enforcement, call CHIRLA's rapid response number: 1-888-624-4752
Mike’s episode of "What’s Next, Los Angeles" on the Fighting Oligarchy rally which includes Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez speaking about the city’s budget priorities (AHEM)
Los Angeles Times: "What is stopping Trump from exiling you to a foreign prison?”
There’s been efforts at the federal level to create a registry to track immigrants and share immigrant taxpayer data with the IRS. Local nonprofits are fighting back. CHIRLA joined a lawsuit to protect LA’s sanctuary city status and Inclusive Action for the City joined a lawsuit to stop the IRS from disclosing information
"Under Real ID, an international criminal with a valid passport can automatically travel around our country as he or she wishes. But your neighbor who can’t find her certified birth certificate can’t fly Southwest to Phoenix to watch spring training baseball,” writes Joe Mathews at Zocalo
If you learn one thing from this show: YOU CAN STILL USE A PASSPORT TO BOARD A PLANE
Trump is threatening to require Real ID for voting and the Republican House passed the SAVE Act which would require a passport or other proof of citizenship to vote. Meanwhile, Huntington Beach is trying to require voter ID right here in LA County
The LAX/Metro Transit Center opens June 6, although as Metro’s video points out, the people mover into the airport won’t open until 2026
The new website for the bus-focused Inglewood Transit Connector, which formerly included a people mover, and Alissa’s thread breaking all the changes down
The Inglewood people mover began to lose steam after Rep. Maxine Waters pulled her support last summer, citing Eno Transit analysis showing costs of $470,000 per rider by 2040
Mike will introduce author Alec Karakatsanis before he reads from his new book “Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News” at Occidental College on Thursday May 1 from 7 to 9 p.m.,details here
Get your tickets to LA Forward's Spring Into Action garden party fundraiser on Saturday, May 3 and hang out with your favorite LA Podcast co-hosts!
Better yet, become a paid subscriber to support the podcast at thinkforward.la! All "Patron" level subscribers will get two free tickets to the Spring Into Action event on May 3.
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and Rachel watch LA Mayor Karen Bass’s State of the City address and discuss why a speech that was hyped as a "fundamental overhaul of city government" didn’t deliver on that promise. And a first look at the city’s budget includes major layoffs and department cuts to cover a billion-dollar funding gap.
Check out Bass’s proposed budget :cao.lacity.gov/budget
Watch the State of the City address: mayor.lacity.gov/SOTC2025
The New York Times: "Los Angeles is rebuilding, but new crises are mounting and Mayor Karen Bass has been haunted by her absence when the fires started. This week, she is trying to reset"
Shine LA is Bass’s new volunteer effort for "cleaning, greening, and preparing our city for the world stage," starting this weekend
The city’s unarmed response pilot programs are funded in the budget (so far). Join LA Forward’s Unarmed Crisis Response working group to protect them
LAist’s look at how liability payments have tripled in recent years
A scathing audit of Vision Zero, the city’s plan to end traffic deaths by 2025 (which obviously did not happen) points to major failures in leadership and funding priorities
Alissa’s story about the city’s capital infrastructure plan, or CIP, and how the first one will be focused around making improvements for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games
"Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday proposed laying off 1,647 workers and closing some city departments in the fiscal year that starts July 1. It's the most austere budget since the city was wracked by the 2008 recession," writes LAist
Meanwhile LA residents are likely facing higher trash fees and an increase in streetlight fees
A new UCLA survey shows Bass's unfavorability ratings soaring after years of being the most favorably ranked local elected official, leading many to question her political future as she faces a recall effort
Give public comment at upcoming Budget & Finance Committee meetings on April 25 at 1 pm at Van Nuys City Hall and on April 28, 4 - 8 pm, at City Hall
CD5 (Yaroslavsky) is hosting a series of budget conversations, so is CD14 (Jurado), and CD1 (Hernandez) is asking for videos from constituents about their priorities
Join your LA Podcast co-hosts at LA Forward's Spring Into Action garden party fundraiser on Saturday, May 3
And support the podcast directly by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la, the new home on the web for LA Podcast episodes! All "Patron" level subscribers will get two free tickets to the Spring Into Action event on May 3.
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Alissa, Mike, and Rachel talk about how the Trump administration is attempting to stoke fear and uncertainty at the port, schools, and cultural organizations — and how some local institutions are resisting. Plus: LA28 is getting challenged on Olympics venues, and LA’s budget-busting $2.2 billion convention center expansion lives to see another day.
LA Times: "As a center of global trade, L.A. could be in for a bumpy ride after Trump tariffs"
“Expensive cars, expensive trains, expensive bikes, expensive everything,” writes Streetsblog
Rebuilding after the fires is also going to get more expensive
At least 600 student visas have been revoked, with at least 83 California campuses, and the federal government seems to be targeting Muslim students
The Guardian: "Gaza protesters sue UCLA for civil rights violations after ‘brutal attack’ in 2024"
A House investigation requested information on USC’s 5,993 Chinese national students, saying the students posed a "direct threat to our national security”
USC also removed DEI from its list of values and replaced the phrase with “community”
But some institutions refuse to back down: “Our community is based on diversity, equity is guaranteed to us in the Constitution, and inclusion is what we believe in,” said Japanese American National Museum board chairman Bill Fujioka
More on the JANM’s program that lost its funding and how you can support the museum
LA Times: "Federal agents sought access to students at two Los Angeles elementary schools this week and were denied access”
Spectrum’s Kate Cagle reported that Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the federal agents claimed they had permission to question the students -- which was a lie
Alissa’s coverage of LA28 venue battles including beach volleyball in Santa Monica and sailing in Long Beach (and since we recorded, Galway Downs in Temecula suddenly learned it was no longer the equestrian venue)
LA Daily News: "$2.2 billion LA Convention Center expansion moves forward as council votes to keep project alive”
Listen to Mike’s most recent episode of "What’s Next Los Angeles” on LAHSA funding with guests LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield
And join LA Forward for a city/state budget-focused zoom with Kenneth Mejia on April 15 and a community happy hour on Monday, April 21 for a first look at the Mayor's budget proposal
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Hayes, Alissa, and Mike are joined by guest co-host Carla Hall, former Los Angeles Times editorial board member, to discuss LA County’s dramatic decision to pull funding from the LA Homeless Services Authority. Plus County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is making big moves in a role known for anything but. And a discussion about the future of the LA Times.
LA County votes to move $300 million out of LAHSA and start new homeless agency
"We are making forward movement. We must keep building on this and confronting our challenges, together.” Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman urged the Board of Supervisors not to defund LAHSA
Preliminary reports from LAHSA show unsheltered homelessness went down 5-10% again
After we recorded, Va Lecia Adams Kellum resigned as LAHSA director
Judge Carter discusses naming a receiver as LA’s “homelessness czar"
LA Public Press: "Unhoused LA residents react to LAHSA’s unraveling"
Patt Morrison asks why LA can’t accomplish big things
Carla's last opinion piece: "To understand homelessness, listen to homeless people. Here’s what I learned"
And Carla’s last piece as editorial board member: "Stop finding ways to kill the Venice Dell homeless housing project and get it built instead"
Nieman Lab: "The LA Times adds AI counterpoints to its opinion pieces and guess what, there are problems”
48 more journalists take buyouts at the LA Times: “Tremendous amount of institutional knowledge lost”
"Notably, these buyouts will further hollow out the Times’ Editorial Board, which, starting in April, will have no writers left,” writes Laura Nelson at the Guild Eagle, the publication of the LA Times union
And yes, LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong went on Tucker Carlson
Produced by Sophie Bridges
Check out this episode and all future ones on our new website, www.thinkforward.la
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Alissa, Mike, and Rachel discuss proposed changes to LA city’s slur-strewn public comment process. Karen Bass found her deleted text messages sent during the fires, but what conversations are we still missing? And Metro advances an incomplete street for Vermont Avenue.
LA Times: "LA City Council seeks crackdown on the N-word and C-word at meetings”
In 2014 Michael Hunt was paid a $215,000 settlement after wearing a KKK hood to a city council meeting
Adam Smith’s original songs have elevated public comment to an art form
The LA Times asked Mayor Karen Bass for her text messages during the fire, then two months later the city said she had deleted them, then a few weeks later she found the messages after all, but the LA Times is still suing the city for unlawfully withholding the messages and other public records
Coverage of Vermont Avenue’s bus rapid transit project from LAist and Streetsblog LA
Metro’s letter to LA City saying it won’t include HLA improvements for Metro projects on city streets
Data from Metro shows that new bike lanes increase bus ridership
Alissa’s story on how the city’s first capital improvement plan will be focused on Olympics infrastructure
The Dodgers are going to Trump’s White House to celebrate their world championship
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Godfrey, and Rachel gather on the first day of spring to try and figure out what the hell Gavin Newsom is doing with his new MAGA-platforming podcast. Plus, new LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman won’t resentence the Menendez brothers until they apologize for "all the lies that they have told.” And some real estate influencers want LA to suspend the Measure ULA transfer tax after the fires — can the City do that?
Supporters held a rally for the Menendez brothers after a resentencing hearing was delayed by LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman
ABC: "DA says he would reconsider resentencing only if Menendez brothers admit to 'lies'"
Mike’s interview with former LA County DA George Gasçon on why he reopened the case
Separately, Gavin Newsom ordered a risk assessment as part of a clemency review, something he talked about on his new podcast
Yes, Gavin Newsom has a new podcast: This is Gavin Newsom
CalMatters: "Gavin Newsom’s MAGA-curious podcast mystifies listeners — and sets Democratic lawmakers on edge”
Politico: "Gavin Newsom is getting in Republicans’ heads”
Paul Mitchell’s polling on how much Newsom is tanking his approval ratings
Former Republican strategist Dan Schnur told Spectrum’s Kate Cagle that says Newsom is trying to position himself as a moderate — and get in with young men — ahead of a potential presidential run
Brokers have been calling for a suspension of ULA ever since the fires happened, with realtor-influencers like Ben Belack making the case on Instagram
Breitbart directed the question to LA Mayor Karen Bass, who said she was looking into suspending ULA “maybe temporarily.” But can she? (No)
The city’s ULA dashboard shows nearly $600 million in revenue, with the majority coming from single-family home transactions
LA is looking for new revenue streams to fill its $1 billion budget shortfall
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Scott, Hayes, and Alissa look back on how the pandemic has changed LA, five years later. Then, a scathing audit of homelessness services at the city and LAHSA, a famous content creator’s burglary raises questions about LAPD response rates, and the brazenness of Huntington Park’s corruption scandal, "Operation Dirty Pond."
Listen to the March 16, 2020 episode of LA Podcast: “SoCal Distancing”
Coverage of the court-ordered audit of LA’s homelessness programs in the Daily News, LAist, and LA Times, plus the audit report ordered by Judge David O. Carter
Leaders at the county and city are calling for new oversight, with LA County leaders voting on whether to pull funding from LAHSA
Statement from LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and statement from LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman
Meanwhile, the number of homeless people who die in LA County has reached seven deaths per day
On "LA In a Minute” Evan Lovett said 911 didn’t pick up for an hour, then followed up with a correction, then talked about what happened next. The day before he asked what’s happening to the spirit of LA
The LA Times updated its story on Lovett clarifying 911 picked up after 78 seconds, but most local news outlets did not
One way to improve emergency response rates is by dispatching unarmed responders. LA’s pilot program is at risk of being zeroed out in the new budget. LA Forward is holding a teach-in on unarmed crisis response on March 25 at 7 p.m. RSVP here
Operation Dirty Pond: 11 Huntington Park locations were searched in an LA County District Attorney corruption probe
Huntington Park is reeling from the fallout with four former city employees suing for retaliation and constituents screaming at officials at a recent city council meeting
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap former LAFD chief Kristin Crowley’s failed attempt to appeal her firing and discuss the political repercussions from the fire union, UFLAC. LA Mayor Karen Bass faces a recall campaign. And revenue shortfalls are forecast for LA, meaning leaders will have to take action to address the city’s park funding crisis.
Crowley lost her appeal to overturn her dismissal by LA Mayor Karen Bass; now she’ll take a new job as assistant chief of the Valley Bureau
LA Times: “Bass aides were warned of growing fire danger before she flew to Ghana”
And a follow up by the LA Times, published after we recorded: “Why is Mayor Karen Bass deleting her text messages?”
Meanwhile, as a reminder of where to place blame, LA County sued SoCal Edison for allegedly starting the Eaton Fire
Now Bass faces a right-wing recall with a bonkers campaign ad
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia writes a dire revenue forecast: “Eight months into the current fiscal year, our best estimate is that revenue will fall approximately $140 million short of the adopted budget.” Also of note: “Our short-term focus on year-to-year balance neglects the need for a multi-year transition to service models that allow the City to live within its means”
LA is 88th out of 100 U.S. cities in the Trust for Public Land’s annual rankings for park equity and access
An LA City parks needs assessment is currently being conducted, you can join meetings at parks and online
Alissa’s story on LA’s park funding crisis for Torched
LA County’s Measure A, which voters approved in 2016, just secured 623 new acres of green space
The council is also considering CEQA exemptions for temporary and permanent projects related to the Olympics (which was supposed to be a “no-build” Olympics)
Compare LA’s lack of plans to the city of Long Beach’s Elevate ’28, a capital infrastructure plan timed to make citywide improvements by 2028
And as an update to a previous discussion, Bass now says she’s committed to getting charter reform on the November 2026 ballot and is looking for people to join the charter reform commission, you can apply here
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Hayes, Rachel, Mike, and LA Pod producer Sophie Bridges discuss the ongoing political soap opera over the firing of LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley and lament that deeper questions are getting lost amid the drama. Plus, a big victory for LA County tenants, and more evidence of racism in the LAPD.
Mayor Karen Bass fired LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, then Crowley appealed her dismissal
Crowley’s appeal vote, originally scheduled for last Friday, has been changed to Tuesday, March 4
Libby Denkmann's deep dive into sexism, harassment and retaliation in LAFD in 2021 is important context for the events that led to the appointment of Crowley in 2022
Listen to the LA Podcast episode from 2021 detailing the allegations
The Keep LA Housed coalition organized to win tenant protections in LA County and is gearing up to change the formula landlords use to hike rents
Community Coalition’s Alberto Retana shared his thoughts about the attacks on Bass, and called on Angelenos to focus on the real villains who are exploiting the crisis: billionaires.
Four LAPD officers are being investigated for "allegedly making racist and sexist remarks while working with new officer recruits,” according to the LA Times
Putting on his professor hat, Mike recommends commentaries and op-eds about racism in the LAPD by civil rights lawyer Connie Rice, and abolitionist essays in the New York Times and The Atlantic
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Produced by Sophie Bridges
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Alissa, Hayes, and David discuss the local impacts of Elon Musk’s federal government takeover and reminisce about how he got his start right here in LA. And how other local billionaires are sucking up to Musk, including the one who owns the Los Angeles Times. Plus, new air and water quality testing results.
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Join Big City Heat and LA Forward for LA Power Hour, a live comedy show where we fix all of LA’s problems forever. Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m at the Elysian Theater in Echo Park. Tickets are $15, buy them here before they sell out.
South Coast AQMD’s air toxics testing results: “When levels of air toxic metals were above typical levels, the AQI was “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” or worse 98% of the time.”
LA County Public Health’s most recent town hall and all local public health testing results for air, water, soil, and beach sand
How to get your soil tested as part of research by the Community Action Project LA
Alissa’s air quality story for Torched back in January
Protests against Elon Musk’s takeover are being organized locally by the Federal Unionists Network and at Tesla stores, including the Americana at Brand
Musk’s business partner Rick Caruso has brought on Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia to donate modular homes to his rebuilding nonprofit. And Gebbia is also taking a role in Elon Musk’s White House
“It’s no secret that the owner of The Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, has been voicing his political opinions and, at times, misrepresenting our journalism — a stark change from when he saved the paper in 2018.” Read more from the Los Angeles Times Guild
The Wrap: ”LA Times Owner’s Comments About Reporter on Dr. Drew Show Could Stoke Further Harassment, Guild Says”
Produced by Sophie Bridges
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