LOS ANGELES

ALPERN AT LARGE--Fortunately, being stubborn or fixated on the past isn't outlawed.

CLIMATE POLITICS-A new study in Nature (April 2020) casts a disturbing light on the prospects of abrupt ecosystem collapse.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Impeachment and the 25h Amendment share the same informal procedure.

GELFAND’S WORLD--We have reached the point at which public evaluation of Donald Trump’s behavior vis a vis the Corona virus is now appropriate.

VOICES-Did we really need more proof that developers are calling the shots at City Hall? Of course not. But we got it anyway. 

(PART OF AN ON-GOING SERIES) On July 6, 2017, I sent Mayor Eric Garcetti a memo that stated, in part, “While it is difficult to predict, I would not be surprised to see a 10-12% increase in the City’s contribution rate (to LACERS) between now and 2021. 

VOICES-The leader of the World Health Organization should resign immediately.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-People are all atwitter about former LA City Councilmember Mitch Englander’s indictment -- oh dearie, dearie, what’s next?

PERSPECTIVE--The demolition of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art - LACMA - has started, and one of the first casualties to disappear from the cultural history of Los Angeles is the Bing Theater.

ALPERN AT LARGE-If you read the title and expected either a pro-transit or anti-transit screed, you will probably be disappointed.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Shortly after LA City Councilmember Nury Martinez was chosen to be that body’s president, she was widely accused of not embracing the day-to-day function, tedium and responsibility of the gig. 

NEWS FLASH-Just as I finished this article, Bernie Sanders announced early Wednesday, April 8 that he is suspending his campaign. While I have changed the Takeaway, I stand by the analysis. 

TRUMP’S VIRUS-What is racism? Ultimately, it is fear. A personal fear of a threat a person feels powerless to control. 

PLANNING WATCH:  Even before the Covid-19 Pandemic, our gentrification statistics were grim, such as widespread evictions from demolished affordable apartments.

GUESTWORDS--For Donald Trump’s GOP followers, the real issue in the 2020 election is democracy itself. They want it abolished. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--It's not a shock to many of us in the health care profession, but warm weather alone isn't going to magically make the COVID-19 virus go away.

RANTZ & RAVEZ-Our conversations have changed dramatically in recent weeks.

PUBLIC HEATH-The CDC is now telling us to wear “Do it yourself” aka: DIY masks when we are out in public.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLITICS-Last year, I visited housing activists all over California, asking them about the street-level impacts of gentrification and unfair, sky-high rents in their cities.

VOICES--I understand the need to continue construction during the pandemic.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-America in 2020 has become a Kool-Aid generation, believing the myth that, “we are all in this together.”