LOS ANGELES

WHAT LA THINKS00 (SHPOA Board Members, SAFE Coalition leaders and other community leaders have had extensive contact with all elected officials in the northeast San Fernando Valley over the past four years related to the high-speed train project. We represent you.

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-The old Urban Renewal. Urban renewal was the grand strategy of the Federal Government in the post-WWII war era to reconstruct large sections of American cities through local agencies, such as California’s Community Redevelopment Agencies.

MONEY IN POLITICS-Despite being urged by a coalition of 52 local, state, and national organizations to amend proposed changes to Los Angeles's small donor matching funds system, the Los Angeles City Council passed without discussion a recommendation by the City Rules Committee to codify the package with only a minor change.

NEW GEOGRAPHY--In launching their now successful protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s gas hike, the French gilets jaunes (yellow jackets) have revived their country’s reputation for rebelling against monarchial rule.

EASTSIDER-When LA City passed term limits in 1991 and the last of the old guard had termed out around 2001, the nature of money and politics changed in Northeast LA forever. 

GUEST WORDS--It’s the phrase “border security” that freezes my soul every time I hear it uttered, every time I see it in print — so simplistically obvious, the equivalent of keeping your door locked. Did you ever have your cellphone swiped? If you’re careless about this, you’ll pay the price.

ENVIRONMENT POLITICS-Insect abundance is plummeting with wild abandon, worldwide. Species evolve and go extinct as part of nature’s normal course over thousands and millions of years, but the current rate of devastation is off the charts and downright scary. 

MY TURN-Since the announcement of the illegitimate election results, there has been an onslaught of misinformation, manbaby antics, outrageous distractions, outright lies, emotional outbursts and the most unprofessional and mismanaged conditions that Washington, D.C. and our government has ever experienced.

AT LENGTH-For some 50 years, I have witnessed the comings and goings of “great” plans for community development here in the Los Angeles Harbor Area and Long Beach. 

CORRUPTION WATCH-METRO, whose Board is dominated by Eric Garcetti and the other density mavens in the LA City Council, wants individual Angelenos who get caught in our horrid traffic to be fined for the privilege of being abused each morning and evening. Really?

POLITICS THAT RHYME--I like my roads fixed through and through, And I think you feel the same way, too!  But call me silly, and such a fool, 'Cuz I hate being used as a stupid tool.

PLANNING EMERGENCY-In this time of recurring climate-induced wildfire disasters, where many have died, and thousands of homes, schools, and businesses have burned to the ground, should we be putting more people in the path of danger by building flammable communities out in the flammable wilds? 

GUEST WORDS--Ms. Berlin and her close ally and friend, Ms. MacKay, have conveniently overlooked some pertinent facts in their inflammatory revisionist rewrite of the 2016 SCNC post-election Grievance Panel capers. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-It says a lot that neither of the two men at the top of the City of Los Angeles political food chain actually wants to be Mayor. 

DEEGAN ON LA-He’s baaack! State Senator Scott Wiener (SD11) has introduced a new density bill in the state legislature called SB-50 Planning and zoning: housing development: equitable communities incentive. 

BCK FILE--When the new legislation session opened last week in Sacramento, legislators introduced bills for the 2019-2020 session. Two of those bills address a California Supreme Court decision that made a strong statement about the “gig economy.” 

FIRST PERSON-Probably the greatest advantage the United States has had over most other countries up until now has been its pragmatic and ever evolving definition of what it means to be an American.

MY TURN-I was born on a military base and raised in a military family. The concept of patriotism was something that was ingrained and yet also very personal.

CORRUPTION WATCH-With the passing of former President George H. W. Bush (Bush 41), the nation pauses. The country unites in remembering 41's decency and humanity.

CAL MATTERS--Six years ago, as California strained to emerge from the Great Recession, Gov. Jerry Brown worked a minor political miracle—a rebalancing of the massive state pension systems for public employees.

WORLD WATCH--To dramatically slow the flow of illegal immigration and even end it does not rest on building walls or sending troops to the border, or by heartlessly snatching children from their mothers’ arms, or by incarceration, deportation, or prosecution.