LOS ANGELES

BRINGING DOWN DICTATORS-In the eyes of the law there are differences in lies. While it is wrong to deceive, deception with the intent to cause injury or damage is especially bad.

PLANNING WATCH-In 2016-17, Measure S, the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, scared the bejeezus out of Big Real Estate and its cronies.

BUSINESS POLITICS--In 2015, Waheed Etimad immigrated with his wife and their children to the United States from Afghanistan, where he’d been a translator for the U.S. Army. 

TAXATION INEQUALITY-Presidential candidates should take a pledge: The middle class should not pay one dollar more in new taxes until the super-rich pay their fair share. 

THE CITY--“Thirty women experiencing homelessness have filled the spots,” said CD 4 Communications Deputy Mark Pampanin enthusiastically.

OTHER WORDS--Donald Trump discusses immigration as if the benefits of residence in the U.S. are a pie. When immigrants get more, the people who were already here get less.

EMISSION IMPOSSIBLE-Hovering above the iconic Hollywood sign is Southern California’s other icon: smog.

CLIMATE POLITICS-The climate crisis is turning average law-abiding people into raging law-breaking eco rebels, by boatloads. Extinction Rebellion (ER) is at the forefront, demanding that governments declare climate emergencies and take urgent action. 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING-California desperately needs to build more homes to ease its housing shortage, yet residential construction remains sluggish across the state. One exception is Los Angeles, the rare city that is having a building boom.

ALPERN AT LARGE--If ever there was a reason for humanity to be mortal, it would be to eliminate the worst among us.

@THE GUSS REPORT-A few weeks back I reported that a Los Angeles judge whose courtroom is situated across from LA City Hall awarded me $2,000 for ongoing abuses of my 1^st Amendment rights by the LAPD as I expose corruption, failure and nepotism in local government. 

DEEGAN ON LA-In an exclusive interview with CityWatch, candidate Sarah Kate Levy shared some of her reasons for attempting to unseat incumbent City Councilmember David Ryu (CD4).

NEW GEOGRAPHY--Throughout most of history, starting a family was a task that most people either aspired to or dutifully performed.

PERSPECTIVE--Another voice was added to the ongoing controversy concerning jet noise from Burbank Airport departures – Dan Feger former Burbank Airport Executive Director, who retired from the post in 2016. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--There is an old saying by Gideon J. Tucker (and often erroneously attributed to Mark Twain), that “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”

BCK FILE--In 2000, the number of measles cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was 86.

Richard Lee AbramsONE MAN’S OPINION-Angry men with guns reflect the rage of suppression.

EDUCATION POLITICS-A compromise brokered by Governor Newsom will allow unelected county officials to continue overturning decisions by local school boards. 

LABOR WAR-United Teachers Los Angeles Members (UTLA)—including Adult Education, K-12, Teachers on Reduced Workload Status, Health and Human Services Professionals, and Substitute Teachers—went on strike from Monday, January 14, 2019 through Tuesday, January 22, 2019—when a deal was announced and overwhelmingly approved by members. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--I have always been in awe of those who give so much of their time to their community.

ENERGY POLICY-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti should rethink his short-sighted decisions to cut three much-needed natural gas power plants generating electricity.