LOS ANGELES

CLIMATE POLITCS--Over the past 20 years, like clockwork, severe droughts have hit the Amazon every five years with regularity 2005, 2010, 2015. Of course, droughts have hit the Amazon rainforest throughout paleoclimate history, but this time it’s different.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--There may be no better symbol of Sacramento’s failure as California’s capital than the 18-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture outside the city’s downtown sports arena.

GUEST COMMENTARY-Los Angeles does not need so much a defunding of the LAPD as a transition of their mission back to one of civic engagement and public protection. 

DEEGAN ON LA-The lights that have been out in vacant apartments and condos across Los Angeles may start to burn brightly if voters approve a vacancy, or “empty home,” ballot measure if it appears in the November election. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--How did Donald Trump do on his grand comeback tour this weekend?

REAL ESTATE POLITICS-Sam Zell, chairman of Equity Residential and Equity LifeStyle Properties, is worth $4.8 billion.

GUEST WORDS-Southeastern Los Angeles County is a jumble of small cities containing mostly poor and/or immigrant residents who have been clobbered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the deep recession it induced.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Juneteenth just happened. July 4th is coming up.

CLIMATE CHANGE POLITICS--Never before this year 2020 has the world-famous Doomsday Clock registered only “100 seconds-to-midnight.” 

VOICE OF PEACE-My wife and I are both professionals who teach and counsel individuals and couples about how to handle their conflicts better.

PLANNING WATCH-To much of the public “Department of City Planning” brings up images of widespread gentrification, a former Director of Planning paying a $281,000 fine for lobbying his former colleagues on behalf of real estate developers, and hundreds of eyes averted from FBI investigations and indictments of their bosses accepting bribes to approve major projects.

ELECTION POLITICS-Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speak during a press conference following a vote in the U.S. House on ending US military involvement in the war in Yemen, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., April 4, 2019.

GELFAND’S WORLD--We’ve experienced two weeks of protests and marches demanding that American cities and police forces reform the way they treat people.

LA WATCHDOG--The City Council’s fully loaded budget of over $55 million is less than transparent.

@THE GUSS REPORT-On Wednesday morning, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott introduced to a national television audience a proposed plan for police reform.

GUEST WORDS--As we all looked on, in horror over the murder of Mr. Floyd, we, collectively as a nation, thought something must be done; a tipping point was reached.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Some of us go on and on with the questions, while others claim to have all the answers. To most of us who want answers to our questions, but don't see the answers coming any time soon (or who see conflicting answers that drive us crazy), welcome to the Human Condition.

PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES-Recap of the $2.7 Billion Question – Part 1:

PERSPECTIVE–Much has happened since the City of Richmond’s Monument Avenue Commission made its recommendation regarding what to do with the statues of prominent Confederates displayed  along the parklike street.  

DEEGAN ON LA-It’s hard enough dealing with today, let alone worrying about tomorrow, or next month, or November. Or, rent.