LOS ANGELES

BELL VIEW-Driving home listening to Trump’s State of the Union speech on the radio, I began to understand – for the first time, really – what his supporters see in him beyond the obvious affirmation and elevation of the filthiest parts of their bitter souls. He sounds like a truth-teller – a bull in a china shop gleefully smashing all the tropes of our moribund political system.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Our city, county and region are filled with individuals who report they want an alternative to their car, but are buying and using cars as much as ever.  And they still predominantly prefer the suburban lifestyle, especially if they want families.

GELFAND’S WORLD-- (This is another article in a continuing campaign to inform, educate and energize  Angelenos on the reformation of city government … explaining the how, the why and the possibilities.) Let's review a list of outrages that might have been prevented by the reform I will discuss here.

The city wants to pick carting companies for businesses, rather than let businesses decide who collects their commercial waste.

CORRUPTION WATCH-While being a psychopath may not be a requirement to become a judge, it seems to be an advantage. But what exactly is a psychopath? 

BCK FILE--On Friday, Donald Trump declassified a memo authored by Devin Nunes (R-CA-22nd) aimed at destabilizing trust in the FBI. The memo cites the FISA warrant issued to pursue surveillance of Carter Page, who acted as a foreign policy advisor to Trump during the 2016 campaign, was an abuse of the FBI’s powers. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-In a statement born of sheer delusion, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell referred to last week’s shooting (of students by a student) at Sal Castro Middle School as a “crisis averted.” 

LABOR WATCH--Just how patriotic is Patriot-wear? Is Eagle gear as American as our national bird?

CORRUPTION WATCH-For decades, women and sometimes men in Hollywood suffered in silence at the grubby hands and other gross appendages of repulsive creatures like Harvey Weinstein.  Perhaps the most telling comment was made by Matt Damon who remarked that within five minutes of being with Harvey Weinstein, one knew he was a “asshole.” 

TRUTHDIG REPORT-- “Am suffering a strange, precise dyslexia. I keep misreading “tronc” instead of “Trump,” tweeted Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times reporter Diana Marcum.

FIRST PERSON--After 40 years of systematically dumbing down critical thinking skills in public education- skills that are a prerequisite for truly understanding Gregory Salcido's actions in context- it is no wonder that today's (1/31/18) KPCC Larry Mantle's Air Talk- as usual- missed the point- since Mantle's usual concern is to be nice, while giving the illusion of not being bias or going into depth on any issue.

GUEST COMMENTARY-In a recent interview, District Attorney George Gascon offered this comment regarding the car break-in epidemic in San Francisco: "What's driving the numbers is understanding the likelihood of consequences is very low." Of course, that obvious conclusion applies to California's rising property crime rate in all categories, not just car break-ins. 

CAL MATTERS-Los Angeles and San Francisco may be economic and cultural rivals, but politics in the state’s two most important cities are similarly harsh. 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-According to California State law, the Los Angeles City Charter, the Los Angeles Municipal Code, professional city planning practice, and common sense, Los Angeles must have a current, comprehensive General Plan. Minimally, the General Plan must contain elements (stand alone chapters) that address housing, land use, noise, transportation, open space, conservation, and public safety. Many cities, like LA, also have added optional elements to address air quality, health, historical preservation, infrastructure, and public services. Other cities are now adding climate change as an optional element, although the State of California may soon make this a mandatory element. 

CAPITAL AND MAIN SPECIAL REPORT--Darrell Issa, like the voters in his district, was a man under pressure. He put his finger in the air to test the political winds and then realized it was the ground beneath his feet that was moving.

ALPERN AT LARGE--One year after the nation's first black President, and one year into the term of a president where racial issues remain as loud as ever, we're still divided as a nation except on one issue:  the need to come together as one nation is as desired as ever (at least by the most ardent supporters of both the past and current presidents). 

BEST IDEA SINCE MICKEY MOUSE--California can be an annoyingly trendy state. Think avocado toast, In-N-Out Burger, Hollywood fashion, even legal pot. (Photo above: Students on UCLA campus.)

PERSPECTIVE-I don’t like surprises that adversely affect personal finances…anyone’s. The recently approved tax bill had a few, particularly the elimination of personal exemptions and capping state and local taxes. 

GUEST COMMENTARY--In his final State of the State address, this is all Jerry Brown had to stay about the state's K-12 public education system, which serves six million children:

‘TEAR DOWN THAT WALL’--Los Angeles is a great many things, but it is not Latin America.

GELFAND’S WORLD—(This is another article in a continuing campaign to inform, educate and energize  Angelenos on the reformation of city government … explaining the how, the why and the possibilities.) We've been arguing about what's wrong with the neighborhood council system for sixteen years. The problems we had at the beginning are, by and large, still with us. They were locked into the city's Charter language by the municipal election of 1999, which approved Article IX:  Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. We've been forced to deal with that section's inadequacies ever since.