LOS ANGELES

THE DOCTOR IS IN-As mentioned in my last CityWatch article, let's make something clear: the biggest problem with COVID-19 are the competing messages and conflicting narratives that confuse virtually everyone. 

GELFAND’S WORLD-We've got the governor's recall election coming up in barely two months, and the clowns are parading into the ring. Here are three questions that ought to be asked of every candidate: 

RECALL 411-By 5 p.m. Friday, would-be candidates to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom were asked to put up — in the form of filing fees or signatures and five years worth of tax returns that were posted Sunday — or shut up. 

CAPITAL & MAIN-John Anton’s first job, sweeping floors and packaging merchandise, wasn’t much different from many first jobs. The problem was it was a dead end. 

CALIFORNIA SHRINKING-Some longtime Californians view the continued net outmigration from their state as a worrisome sign, but most others in the Golden State’s media, academic, and political establishment dismiss this demographic decline as a “myth.” 

THE CITY-First, a request for a Mayoral Special Election:

VOICES-Every 10 years following the U.S. Census -- the Los Angeles City Administrative Code, adhering to the California State Constitution -- requires that city council district boundaries be redrawn to substantially equal each other in population for fair constituent representation. 

THE DOCTOR IS IN-Let's make something clear: the biggest problem with COVID-19 are the competing messages and conflicting narratives that confuse virtually everyone. 

VOICES-On June 30, Los Angeles Police Newton Division received information that there was a large cache of illegal fireworks located at a residence on East 27^th Street at San Pedro Street.

CAL WATCH-Money talks — and Gov. Gavin Newsom knows it.

TRANSIT WATCH-Why is there not one bus route for all of Sepulveda Boulevard? Why must I waste my time transferring buses to travel Sepulveda?

CORONA WATCH-The news out of Los Angeles County is both chilling and instructive. For the first time since early March, the county has recorded more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for four days in a row.

LA STREETS-Street vending isn’t just ubiquitous in Los Angeles. It’s a half-billion-dollar industry, according to a 2015 report by nonprofit research organization Economic Roundtable.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING-Maybe you’ve read an article about YIMBYs or heard a friend mention the term. Or maybe you saw something on Twitter, but still don’t understand what YIMBYs are. No problem. Here’s the lowdown. 

OTHER WORDS-In my research, I repeatedly hear the same refrain: “If people knew what I knew, they would believe what I believe.” Followed by: “We need more education.” 

PERSPECTIVE-Yesterday, I was interviewed on local Fox 11 on the recent Stephen A. Smith controversy regarding his comments on Shohei Ohtani’s use of a translator.

THE CITY-How is this possible? It's all about real estate prices and engagement.

PLANNING WATCH-There is no shortage of wake-up calls that ought to motivate our elected and hired local officials to change their policies, especially regarding the worsening housing and climate crises. 

PERSPECTIVE-If you either read Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, or watched the adaptation and expansion of the story on Hulu, you will know the Latin translates to, don’t let the bastards grind you down. 

VIEW FROM HERE-What do Ms. Spears, the infamous attorney Tom Girardi and Los Angeles’ falling to the nation’s 126^th city have in common?

GELFAND'S WORLD-I called CVS. I wanted to complain about how frustrating it is to contact the CVS pharmacy, but when I asked for the telephone number of the corporate headquarters, I was given the number "One eight hundred shop CVS." My experience in calling that number inspires these comments.