LOS ANGELES

COUNTER PUNCH-The United States has become the new center of the global coronavirus pandemic, with over 80,000 cases, more than China or Italy. 

CALBUZZ--Thoughtful people who have witnessed President Trump’s ignorant, incompetent, idiotic news conferences on the Coronavirus find themselves ready to slit their wrists when they see that the president’s approval rating has gone up to 49% in the latest Gallup Poll.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLITICS-For years, activists and experts have been saying, repeatedly, that housing is not only a human right, but also a serious public health issue.

PLANNING WATCH-Last week I wrote about the dubious exemption of construction projects from the State of California’s and City of LA’s shelter-in-place orders.

@TheGussReport – Last year, I reported in this column that the LAPD was ordered by a Los Angeles judge to pay me roughly $2,000 (about $100 of which was for my expenses) due to its ongoing abuses of my 1^st Amendment and Civil Rights for continually threatening me as I reported on corruption and failure in Los Angeles government.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--Not one day.

ELECTION VOICES-Herb Wesson knew his 13-year reign as Councilmember for District 10 and City Council President (eight years) was coming to an end but he was not ready to give up the reins of power yet.

OTHER WORDS-The second highest office-holder of the great state of Texas, Republican Lieutenant General Dan Patrick, recently proclaimed on Fox News that lots of senior citizens would be willing — or should be, anyway — to sacrifice their lives to coronavirus in order to save the economy for their grandchildren. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--One good thing about this terrible COVID-19 pandemic is that we're all evolving and (hopefully!) getting smarter and more aware of what good science and business practices should be for our nation (and always were), while becoming less tolerant of sensationalism.

EASTSIDER-As we shall see later, I think that the Coronavirus just may do what citizens have not been able to do -- kill off the odious Casitas Lofts Project which seeks to destroy the old Bow Tie Yard over by the LA River, and give special “access” to the river for the wealthy who buy. 

GUEST WORDS--What if the vaccine that’s eventually developed is so large in scope it includes the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Pope Francis?

THE TRUTH ABOUT LACERS-We didn’t know if it would happen in 2020.