LOS ANGELES

GUEST COMMENTARY - A year after Los Angeles adopted an ordinance to protect renters from harassment by taking their landlords to court, the law has largely failed its purpose.

PLANNING WATCH - There are still some fence sitters when it comes to figuring out who City Hall’s puppet masters are. 

GUEST COMMENTARY - In just over a month every voter in the State of California will be having their ballot mailed to them.

RANTZ and RAVEZ - Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office fails to act and replace a worn and frayed American Flag at a park in her district after being notified by a Valley resident on September 19, 2022.

UNHOUSED - The homelessness crisis in Los Angeles just didn’t happen out of nowhere.

THE VIEW FROM HERE - They say everyone has a special talent and TrickyRicky’s specialty seems to be being a calumniator par excellence. (Since Caruso has elevated falsehoods to an artful form, it is only proper that we select fancy names for his malady.)

THE EASTSIDER - Last month, I wrote a couple of articles on how LA City and LA County are handling the homeless crisis.

PLANNING WATCH - Distraction is widely used by magicians, card cheats, and local government officials to legalize otherwise illegal real estate projects.  

UNHOUSED IN LA - The figures on homeless youth in Los Angeles County are bleak. Statistics released Thursday estimate that more than 9,100 youth in the region lack a safe place to live.

LA TRANSPO - The City and its transit riders deserve another chance at shade and shelter. Here's how: 

ACCORDING TO LIZ - Sacramento and its Department of Education have been blamed for the failing literacy of California children, money has been poured into studies but there has been little observable improvement. 

THE VIEW FROM HERE - This rule of politics explains why most voters end up voting for the lesser of two evils.

PLANNING WATCH - The Planning Report’s 30 year old article by Richard Platkin on the Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevard Specific Plan is still mostly current and correct.   

RantZ and RaveZ - When is Enough Patience and Understanding by law abiding citizens Enough?

THE VIEW FROM HERE - While Yoda did not say the above, he could have.  People confuse the fact that they get to vote with living in a democracy. 

PLANNING WATCH - The new 2022 LA City and LA County homeless census is now available from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority  (LAHSA).  

LA TRANSPO - At first glance the Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP) program would appear to be the answer to years-long neglect of the needs of LA’s transit riders. 

GUEST COMMENTARY - For much of the 20th century, Los Angeles symbolized the future. Over the course of the century, the population grew 40-fold to nearly four million people.

COLLEGE EDUCATION - Los Angeles has an image that everyone loves to relate to. The beaches of Malibu and Santa Monica and the lights of Hollywood make the place prestigious. Not forgetting the spectacular San Gabriel Mountains and the rich culture.

LA FOOD VENDOR - “I was shot right over there,” says Jose Luis Millán, pointing north toward Alameda Street.

GUEST COMMENTARY - Los Angeles' current homeless policies hurt everyone. The County's and the City's politicians' vision of harm reduction and their acceptance of criminal behavior have failed the people they are trying to help and the citizens of this City.