In the News
The Disgraceful President and The Contemptible Prime Minister
Netanyahu, like a poodle, simply obeys his master’s command without as much as giving it a second thought, while ignoring the far-reaching implications of his egregious act. For whatever it’s worth, let me add my voice.
Here we have a pr…
Protests Erupt: DNC Committee Votes Against Holding 2020 #ClimateDebate
ELECTION POLITICS--Members of the youth-led Sunrise Movement protested at the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting after the Reso…
Solving an LA Housing Mystery … One Clue at a Time
PLATKIN ON PLANNING-For Angelenos who are true believers in the supposed “law of supply and demand,” LA’s worsening housing crisis remains…
Looming Disaster: The Downsides of LA’s Exploding Property Tax Revenue
ONE MAN’S OPINION-After mass murders occur, a lull is to be expected. Wall Street’s swings and the blathering about tariffs on China permit…
Why It’s Not the LA it Used to Be
@THE GUSS REPORT-A friend in the health field wrote last week to advise of a gnarly encounter on the way to work:
Race Is a Social Construct, But It Still Matters
OTHER WORDS-When I teach about race in sociology classes, I often begin by asking students how and when the idea of race came about.
Billboards: Lack of Leadership at City Hall
DIGITIZED NEIGHBORHOODS--The most recent meeting of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee of the City Council did not move the bal…
Growing and Preserving the Los Angeles Urban Forest
DEEGAN ON LA-Several days ago, an iconic figure in American life and lore turned 75: Happy Birthday, Smokey the Bear!
China’s Hong Kong Nightmare, and the US Response
PERSPECTIVE--Donald Trump has kept his promise, reportedly made to Xi Jinping in June, that Washington would “tone down” its comments on th…
Bill Nye Slams Trump’s Climate Failures: ‘The U.S. Has Become A Pariah’
CLIMATE POLITICS-Environmentalist and famed TV science educator Bill Nye is speaking out against President Donald Trump’s repeated dismissa…
Trump and Greenland: Stupid Until One Realizes that China and Russia Want It, Too
ALPERN AT LARGE--Suddenly, Greenland is in the news. Trump raised the idea of buying Greenland but wasn't too serious.
14 Ways to Protect SoCal Neighborhoods While Providing Meaningful Housing Solutions
GUEST WORDS--The debate on solving California’s housing affordability crisis has reached a fever pitch, and the level of noise is drowning…
What We Aren’t Talking About
GELFAND’S WORLD--It's easy to find comments by the dozens about who is leading in the polls or nitpicks by the hundreds about small differe…
Metro and I have a Problem
METRO’S FOLLIES--Metro and I have a problem. Maybe it is because Metro has dropped the word Transportation from its name as well as Authori…
It’s Time for Truth in State and Local Government Finances
PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTABILITY-Imagine your business could treat borrowings as revenues, avoid cost recognition by not paying expenses and re…
Cedars Sinai: Disingenuous Lip Service Instead of Real Service
MY TURN-What has become endemic to large dysfunctional organizations like the non-profit Cedars Sinai Medical Center, is that they don't ha…
Are We in the ‘Prodromal Phase’ of a Civil War?
ONE MAN’S OPINION-Duh. What’s prodromal? As we all recall from our high school Greek class, prodrome is derived from the Greek word prodrom…
The Dems and GOP and the "Cult of 45"
CHATMATES-As we move toward Election 2020 (in about 444 days), much has been made about this current president.
Decarbonization in Homes and Businesses at What Cost?
ENERGY POLICY-The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) plans to make all homes and businesses use electricity only means electri…
Racism Is a Threat to Public Health
PERSPECTIVE--How can racism be a threat to the public health of an all-white small town?
