LOS ANGELES

AT LENGTH-It seems almost incomprehensible that after having shuttered the government for 35 days President Donald Trump could stand before Congress and ask for bipartisanship and compromise. Perhaps it’s just that America has grown accustomed to this particular occupant of the Oval Office lying so frequently that it no longer seems to matter. 

BACK TALK--In a recent CityWatch article on congestion pricing, Jack Humphreville railed against our city leader's proposed "money grab" in the guise of addressing our ever-worsening traffic woes. 

ANIMAL WATCH-LA Dog Bite Law Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips released his first Super Bowl video in a series, "Do Not Adopt a Pit Bull" in 2018.  

CHEAP AND THIRD RATE IS NOT OKAY-This is a tale of two transit concepts and what it could be like if the Valley gets its unfair share again.

REAL ESTATE PREDATORS-Malcolm X famously said, “You show me a capitalist, I’ll show you a bloodsucker.” But Steven Taylor is truly something special. 

TO VACCINATE OR NOT--Three years after California stopped allowing families to easily opt out of childhood vaccines, the number of kids getting medical waivers has tripled—the result, critics say, of some doctors loosely issuing exemptions to help families get around the law.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Need we ask why an attorney may not advise the judge that the opposing counsel is a light-skinned Black by saying, “This boy is a N-word?” Wouldn’t we expect the judge to instantaneously stop the proceedings and strongly admonish the attorney? 

@THE GUSS REPORT-There are many ways that the Los Angeles Times misleads the public. As this column has shown over the past few years, the paper does this with misleading reporting, lying by omission and, as I will show today, featuring non-stories while burying the most important ones of the day. 

DEEGAN ON LA-His 2020 presidential dream is over. Now it’s time to rededicate his skills and imagination to Los Angeles. Mayor Garcetti, having dropped out of the guessing game of “will he or won’t he” run for president, is now able to return to focusing his brain power on doing the most for our city in the few years left in his term.

GELFAND’S WORLD--The Green New Deal is starting to attract a following. It is a serious attack on global warming, but its importance also includes the fact that it provides a concise definition of American progressivism.

BCK FILE--Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has pointed an angry finger at the National Enquirer’s David J. Pecker, accusing the American Media Inc. chairman and CEO of  blackmail and extortion. 

LAUSD OVERPAYMENT DEBACLE--One would think the Los Angeles Unified School District would want to keep a low profile regarding illegal acts that might draw media attention, but apparently corruption is addictive. As one former drug dealer admitted, “The only thing more addictive than taking drugs is selling them.” Plus, LAUSD has the added hubris of having LA County “judges” on their side providing the District with the comfort of being able to do as it will. 

ONE MAN’S OPINION-When extremism is tearing apart the nation, the time is ripe for us to coalesce around our founding principles.

RANTZ & RAVEZ-As we leave January and enter February, we are blessed with lots of water in our lakes and reservoirs and huge amounts of snow in the mountains throughout California. Unlike the many dry years we have experienced for long periods of time in the past, the heavy rains and snow that have caused numerous winter storm alerts and warnings will provide us with plenty of water for the upcoming summer months. We are reminded that our fragile natural resources are not constant and that we must not waste what God has sent from above for us to enjoy throughout the year. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--As stated before in my previous CityWatch articles (but this is NOT my idea, just state and federal standards for infrastructure projects), major New Starts for infrastructure is something Americans will pay for regardless of where you live. But big projects require Consensus, Planning and Funding...in that order.  

VOICES--City Hall is supposed to play by the rules.  Our elected officials, City employees and City commissioners have a legal duty to uphold the law.  When they knowingly fail to execute that duty, they need to be held accountable. 

EASTSIDER-Even as we debate whether Charter Schools at LAUSD are public schools or not, the Trump appointed NLRB is deciding whether or not to exempt them from unionization altogether. No kidding. 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING, STUDENT VIEW--The Agora (rendering above), a proposed private 16-story apartment complex, came to town in November, claiming to offer affordable student housing in Westwood.

URBAN PERSPECTIVE--How many times have we seen this act? A woman claims that a prominent African-American celebrity or politician has engaged in sexual misconduct with her. I mean the names of the men who have been hit with the charge can fill up a small telephone book. Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin E. Fairfax is just the latest in the long list of these men. 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Curbed LA reported this week that METRO’s transit ridership has continued to decline. METRO not only has long-term declining bus ridership, but also declining rail ridership. These trends are not good, but METRO’s assessment of this situation makes partial sense, even if it continues to ignore its own policies, while promoting LA City land use policies that further undermine ridership.  

SOLUTIONS--Last week, Pacific Gas & Electric, the beleaguered gas and electric provider for some 16 million residents across the state of California, formally filed for bankruptcy protection. It's a move that's long been anticipated: