VOICES

GUEST COMMENTARY--African-Americans continue to bear the brunt of bad policy.  Whether its abortion rights, gentrification, gun control, and/or police brutality, Black lawmakers always ignore the unintended consequences of their voting power. 

VOICES--The question of what happens to people forced from their homes due to politics has a long history, but from where I come from – Los Angeles, a destination for all manner of refugees – the answer usually means new neighborhoods appearing with names like Little Saigon and Little Armenia.

VOICES--If you were watching the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and, for no particular reason, were wondering if it was possible to remove a Supreme Court justice after he was confirmed to his lifetime appointment, the answer is yes. The framers of the U.S. Constitution included a process to do just that. That said, it has never really been done successfully. Yet.

VOICES -- Today, Trump Administration officials visited Los Angeles to learn more about the city’s response to the homelessness crisis.

URBAN PERSPECTIVE-- The site will be the home of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams plus Super Bowl LVI in 2022 and the College Football National Championship in 2023 and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic Games. (Photo by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters)

VOICES - In an effort to improve City efforts to combat the homelessness crisis, Councilmember Mike Bonin today proposed the creation of a new advisory commission, composed entirely of people who are or have been homeless in Los Angeles. (Photo above: Lisa is homeless on Venice streets.)

VOICES-- L.A. Controller Ron Galperin released a report today on the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) City outreach program, calling for a proactive, data-driven strategy to reach the homeless population more effectively and better connect them to housing and services.

VOICES--Association of Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs’ (ALADS) statement in response to the sniper hoax and confession by Angel Reinosa as put forth by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: 

VOICES--As a silver Toyota Prius barreled down Balboa Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley, Karla Hanley aimed a radar gun at the car.

VOICES--The ADDA has long advocated rehabilitation as an alternative to incarceration - so long as that rehabilitation is effective and successful. 

VOICES--The 4th of July holiday is approaching! Although fireworks are fun to look at, we must be mindful that they are very dangerous and illegal.

VOICES--The Supreme Court has turned back President Trump’s unconstitutional attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. This ruling is a victory for an accurate, comprehensive, and complete Census count. 

VOICES--I went to a number of City Hall hearings last year. Either to speak up or to back other people’s play. 

Voices— Mayor Garcetti today outlined a new strategy to overhaul the City’s approach to street cleanups, deliver services to homeless Angelenos living in encampments, and address illegal dumping.  

VOICES--Lucille Saunders protests and challenges the Mid-City West Community Council election held on June 2, 2019 at Pan Pacific Park. 

VOICES--When the Great San Francisco Earthquake struck in 1906, it quickly became the worst disaster in California history. Overnight, more than 200,000 people became homeless.   

VOICES--I have a parking Citation #4333338402, dated 06/07/18, when I attempted to use my Chase Credit card that was previously used when parking at a downtown parking meter.  However, this particular day the meter wasn’t accepting credit cards, and I reached out and notified the City of Los Angeles, which is only interested in making money by any means.

VOICES--On a Tuesday evening in April 2018, a black man who appeared to be suffering from a mental crisis ran through the crowded Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall in Los Angeles armed with a long kitchen knife.

INTEL REPORT--Amazon, doubling its profit in 2018 to $11.2 billion, will pay no 2018 federal income tax. This isn't the first year the e-commerce giant escaped federal income taxes, Amazon didn't pay federal tax in 2017 on $5.6 billion in profit.

VOICES--Donning the mantle of a Green New Deal warrior Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the city-run Department of Water and Power would not repower a controversial trio of natural gas-fueled power plants. DWP had planned to spend $2.2 billion rebuilding the aging Scattergood, Haynes and Harbor facilities, located, respectively, in El Segundo, Long Beach and Wilmington.

VOICES--City of Los Angeles Councilwoman Nury Martinez issued the following statement after introducing a motion calling for a Green New Deal in the City of Los Angeles. This comes just on the heels of a press conference with Mayor Garcetti, Councilmembers Paul Krekorian, Paul Koretz, and Mike Bonin, and President of the LADWP Board of Commissioners Mel Levine, announcing that LADWP will not repower three power plants with natural gas by 2029: