LOS ANGELES

CAL BUZZ-Win or lose in November, Steve Poizner already has made history. Poizner, a 61-year old Silicon Valley zillionaire, finished first in the June 5 balloting for Insurance Commissioner — the first political independent ever to qualify for election to state office in California. 

EASTSIDER-Most of us go about our business assuming that our “democratic” system of voting is basically OK, except for the Russians (and who knows else) meddling with social media to influence us. But a look at our statutes reveals another story in which Democrats and Republicans get to freeze anyone else out. 

BCK FILE--Honoring fathers this past Sunday, it was difficult not to reflect on the status of thousands of children who have been torn from their parents as a display of the strong-armed immigration policy that has been a centerpiece of the Trump campaign and now, administration. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-Kudos to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong for his stated purpose in buying the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Spanish language Hoyand several small community newspapers: to not only save local journalism but allow it to thrive.

VOICES-Three separate juries have now confirmed what we in the VyBe chapter of the Los Angeles Tenants Union have long known: Lisa Ehrlich has allowed her properties to deteriorate to slum-like conditions.

DEEGAN ON LA-Just like Angelenos who whiz around the city in their vehicles, our hillside-dwelling wildlife also have transportation needs.

ALL ABOUT RACE--Trump critics argued on Monday that the debate over President Donald Trump's policy of prosecuting asylum seekers and separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border should be centered on the driving force behind the practice—the racism and xenophobia of top Trump officials and those who constitute his political base. (Photo above right: ‘proud racist’ Stephen Miller.) 

CORRUPTION WATCH-The Hebrew phrase, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof" (Deut. 16:20), is usually translated as "Justice, Justice you shall pursue.”

EXPLAINING THE DENSITY PROGRAM-In 2005 the California State Legislature passed SB 1818 which requires local governments to offer density bonuses for developers in exchange for their setting aside a percentage of the units they construct for very low, low or moderate-income housing.

GELFAND’S WORLD--The publication of The Big Ones by Dr. Lucy Jones provides a chance for Californians to consider where we are in terms of preparedness against a really big and violent act of nature such as a flood or an earthquake.

EDUCATION POLITICS--Since the 1990s, California’s leaders have promised to make preschool universal for every child.

FIRST PERSON-Might there be a glimmer of hope for the environment and our species’ long-term survival on this planet, now that MacDonald’s has finally acknowledged a plastic-in-the-environment crisis of epic proportions?

EIGHT MOST READ - PERSPECTIVE-In April of this year, the Los Angeles City Council declared an emergency shelter crisis, and Mayor Eric Garcetti followed up by announcing “A Bridge Home,” a new initiative intended to fast-track the construction of temporary homeless shelters.

CAL MATTERS--Ballots are still being counted, but last week’s election is already offering good news for Democrats hoping to take back the House of Representatives in November.

PERSPECTIVE--There once was a time in America when people of means weren’t keen on the idea of living right next to a rail station. Real estate developers, as a general matter, didn’t throw lots of capital into these communities, many of which quite literally defined the proverbial “other side of the tracks.” 

EDUCATION POLITICS-With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. It’s a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if you’re a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes.

CORRUPTION WATCH-The Commission on Judicial Performance finds nothing amiss with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Wilson Alarcon. Looking at his ratings from The Robing Room, we see why the Federal Court blames California for having an epidemic of misconduct. Alarcon may be bad, but he is not the worst. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--There is an undeniable affordable housing crisis in the state of California, and it is NOT merely supply and demand forces that have caused it. 

SPORTS POLITICS--It’s become almost a summer tradition in the California Capitol.

BELL VIEW--Remember when George W. Bush said that establishing democracy in Iraq would cause a domino effect in the Middle East – like pushing a giant re-set button?

EASTSIDER-It should come as no surprise that both political parties are total control freaks over their declining percentage of voters. I argue that real, small ‘d’ democracy works just fine, and the Dems should let it be.