LOS ANGELES

HUFF POST--Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday did not deny that the Russian government may have “compromising material” about President Donald Trump and his family.

GUEST COMMENTARY--Many residents in the 13th Council District were affected by a loss of power in last week’s extreme heatwave coupled with inadequate communication from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).

BCK FILE--During the first few months of Eric Garcetti’s second term last year, the mayor had spent an average of one in three days outside the state and the country.

AT LENGTH-When I heard the news that Councilman Joe Buscaino had gotten a large portion of downtown San Pedro designated as “Little Italy” it was like — “Say what?”

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--This should be the summer when the population of California finally surpasses 40 million. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--Here we are, approaching one of the most important elections in this country's history, and the California Democratic Party just did everything but moon the state's voters.

CAL MATTERS-Asked this spring to identify the most important issue facing California lawmakers, the leader of the state Senate didn’t hesitate: wildfires. 

CORRUPTION WATCH-Society’s passions are like submerged currents of molten lava.

CAL MATTERS-Far more millionaires move into California than leave, despite the state’s highest-in-the-nation income-tax rate, a new study shows.  

RANTZ & RAVEZ-Taxes and more taxes are in the immediate future for residents and business owners in Los Angeles and most regions of California.

EASTSIDER-No sooner was my recent article, “The City Ponders Neighborhood Council Reform…” 

PERSPECTIVE-Let’s be clear, the separation of families at the border did not begin with the Trump Administration.

THE CITY--According to DWP estimates, more than 80,000 people were affected by power outages during last weekend’s record-breaking high temperatures. 

EDUCATION POLITICS--“The appearance of law must be upheld, especiallywhile it's being broken.” – Boss Tweed from the film, “Gangs of New York.” 

ALPERN AT  LARGE--From red, white, and blue to orange and green, the colors still are associated with independence ... independence from cars, or at least providing another option.

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-As an officer in a neighborhood association, USC adjunct who taught courses of sustainable city planning, and a CityWatchLA columnist, I remain skeptical about market-driven transit oriented development (TOD).

EXCLUSIVE TO CITYWATCH—-DEEGAN ON LA--A very controversial development project that would have sent housing units twenty-six stories into the sky in the Fairfax neighborhood was grounded today

PARIS AGREEMENT AT RISK--On Thursday, over two dozen climate scientists sent a letter to California Governor Jerry Brown, urging him to phase out oil and gas production in the state before the start of the Global Climate Action Summit,

GUEST WORDS--Snatching immigrant babies may have scored some points for President Trump with his base, but it was never going to light up the scoreboard like tackling black jocks.

CAL MATTERS-A federal judge’s decision Thursday upholding California’s so-called sanctuary policy is a significant victory for the state’s authority to govern its own affairs. 

Remind me:U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions came to Sacramento in March to announce the Trump administration was suing to invalidate three state laws approved last year to limit cooperation with federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. 

U.S. District Judge John Mendez struck down one law that restricted business owners from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But he upheld two others, including the centerpiece, Senate Bill 54 by Sen. Kevin de León, a Los Angeles Democrat. 

Mendez ruled that the 10th Amendment bars Uncle Sam from commandeering state and local authorities to do the feds’ job: 

Without state and local law enforcement assistance, feds may have a tougher time enforcing immigration law. But “standing aside does not equate to standing in the way.” 

Mendez briefly:The San Leandro native went to Stanford and Harvard law school. President George H.W. Bush appointed him U.S. attorney in San Francisco in 1992. President George W. Bush appointed him to the federal bench in Sacramento in 2008. 

In his 60-page opinion dated July 4, Mendez said he was expressing no view on the soundness of the state policy but did urge President Trump and Congress to set aside “polarizing politics” and solve the immigration issue. 

P.S.Eric Holder, President Barack Obama’s first attorney general, helped write the main sanctuary law and filed a brief urging Mendez to uphold it. 

(Dan Morain, former editorial page editor and political affairs columnist at The Sacramento Bee, is bringing his decades of experience and institutional knowledge to CALmatters where this was first posted.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Most Americans do not know that the U.S. is a republic, and most Americans do not care if the Republic lives or dies.