LOS ANGELES

BILLBOARD WATCH--The news that LA’s street furniture program is bringing less than $4 million a year to the city treasury will hopefully stimulate debate over the question of whether an ad-supported program like this is in the best interests of the city and its citizens.  In fact, a case can be made that subtracting hundreds of bus shelters and kiosks with their large signs hawking such things as fast food, sugary drinks, and violent movies and TV shows could turn the city’s streets and sidewalks into healthier places. 

DEEGAN ON LA-With a skyline dotted by cranes, and waves of paperwork for permits flooding City Planning and Council offices, Koreatown is becoming “boom-town,” and Councilmember Herb Wesson, whose CD10 map includes K’town, is well positioned to ride this concrete and steel tsunami right into the Mayor’s office -- a goal that may be held by this ambitious City Council President and former State Assembly Speaker. 

EIGHT MOST READ - ANIMAL WATCH-Judge Shellie Samuels is a tough lady with obvious empathy for animals and a staunch lack of tolerance for defendants’ failure to obey court orders.

ALPERN AT LARGE--In a video that has attracted national attention, a young woman was reportedly arrested for having her shoes on the seat of a Los Angeles Metro subway train.  Except she was NOT arrested for that violation, but for something much more serious: violating civil authority when asked to comply with the law, and for disrespecting reasonable police authority. 

@TheGussReport – According to numerous sources, there is a paranoid atmosphere at the LA Times these days.  It is mostly due to the fact that, as its content creators (read: reporters and editors) overwhelmingly unionized with the LAT Guild a few weeks ago, its owner, TRONC, appears to be forming a shadow entity that may wind up being staffed by non-union content creators who – let’s be honest – probably won’t serve the public any worse than the Times has for the past several decades. 

PERSPECTIVE--California's recent push to bar employers from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to identify undocumented workers may soon backfire, some legal experts say. Indeed, a court challenge may further the federal government's footprint in local governments struggling to counter the Trump administration's immigration policies.

EASTSIDER-Back in the “bad old days” at the turn of the century (1900, not 2000) America was in the throes of crooked corporations and banks, employers who treated workers badly, and, oh yes, crooked politicians. Sound familiar? Like 2018? Time to check out a group of journalists referred to as the Muckrakers.  

CORRUPTION WATCH-At one time they were all the rage. They were going to transform America from a horrid land with suburbs and SUVs into the modern world of 100 story sky scrapers amidst flying cars and cubicle size apartments. 

BELL VIEW--It should feel good to be right all the time, but it doesn’t. It feels terrible. Arguing with people on “the other side” – whatever that is – of virtually every issue of importance to the survival of our species and the continuation of democracy can be a tiring exercise. Being right all the time doesn’t make it any less of a slog. I have friends – whatever that means – who have deleted everyone from their world who disagrees with them. They tell me that feels good. But I doubt it.

VIEW FROM HERE--Federal economic policy started with Alexander Hamilton. As the first secretary of the treasury, he insisted that the U.S. government assume the debt incurred by states during the American Revolution. Taking responsibility for the states’ war debt enabled the fledgling U.S. government to, in essence, establish credit with other nations. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--Last night, the Mar Vista Community Council (NVCC) Transportation/Infrastructure Committee spent a considerable amount of time and debate on a problem (in this case, the inability to remove unsightly and sometimes-dangerous tree stumps) facing Angelenos, and which is emblematic about other problems facing the citizenry in the City of the Angels: 

EDUCATION IDEAS-What to make of an online community college enabling working adults to upskill and keep up with technology, as well as to enable low wage workers to advance in career ladders? 

OSCAR POLITICS-Late in “Girls Trip,” when the central Flossy Posse is squabbling at a New Orleans hotel, the impulsive merrymaker Dina hurls a slew of expletives at her friends ― about “raggedy fake-asses” and the clap. 

EDUCATION POLITICS--Every single year since Proposition 39 was passed, facilitating infrastructure spending at schools by lowering the supermajority vote requirement for funding measures to 55% – ever since that passed in 2000 there have been collateral effects to infrastructure beyond mere fiscal impacts. 

RANTZ AND RAVEZ-People need to cooperate with the directions of law enforcement officers and not resist or fail to follow their directions. That way, everyone can be on their way and the law enforcement officers can go EOW (End of Watch) and return the next day to continue to “Protect and Serve” you, your family and the community-at-large. 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-According to legend, Mark Twain coined the expression, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics," to describe statistics that researchers use to support weak arguments.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?--In December, I was on a panel organized around the question of whether coming out is "like it used to be." All but one panelist declared that coming out today is much easier. I was the outlier.

CAL MATTERS--Gov. Jerry Brown wants to add millions in new spending on programs to help former inmates stay out of jail—a proposal generating bipartisan praise because of concern they are returning to prison in large numbers. But some say it still isn’t enough.

NEW GEOGRAPHY--For generations, California has offered its people an opportunity to own a home, start a business, and move up, whether someone came from Brooklyn, east Texas, Morelos or Taipei. That deal is still desired by most, but in a state that increasingly sees such activities as socially regressive and environmentally disastrous.

ALPERN AT LARGE--In a nutshell, we are all being overwhelmed by apathy, a tougher cost of living, traffic, homelessness, a lack of coherent affordable housing and transit-oriented development, and a lack of taxpayer-paid services in the City of the Angels.  No one has all the answers, but certainly raising the right questions is a step in the right direction.  But first and foremost, our greatest threat lies in the following three groups: 

CORRUPTION WATCH-Human beings prefer myths over facts, so why do myths have advantages over facts?