LOS ANGELES

NIMBY ALERT-What the Miracle Mile Residential Association has tried to do is condition the future of our neighborhood on perfection in the present.

MY TURN-It never ceases to amaze that so many American citizens of the conservative persuasion seem to associate the posting and waving of flags as their ultimate expression of love of country.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Just when it looked as if the Dems might pull it together and gain back a majority in Congress in the November 2018 elections, they’ve taken to screaming about the need for Socialism.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Who says that President Wannabe/Mayor Garcetti doesn't have a sense of humor!

PLANNING POLITICS-If you need any more proof that City Hall is ready to give developers whatever they ask for, there’s a block in the heart of Hollywood you should take a good look at. 

DEEGAN ON LA-Take an old bank building, an underserved population, architect Frank Gehry and the LA Philharmonic led by Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, then mix them all together and you have a magnificent cocktail: a new home for “LAYO” – theLos Angeles Youth Orchestra, the youth program of the LA Philharmonic. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-The shame of LA’s worst-in-the-nation homelessness was on full display for all of America during last week’s Dateline NBC entitled “City of Angels.” 

DONE WATCH--Recently, a board member of the West LA NC was removed by unanimous vote.

NON-ENFORCEMENT ECONOMY-We’ve been on “sabbatical.” Alas, we were drawn out of hibernation by those very pesky flocks of birds now nesting in Venice in massive numbers. You know them — they are everywhere! 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Fans of Bird and Lime electric scooters in the Los Angeles are already boosting them as a solution to a major barrier to increased mass transit ridership: the lack of first-last mile public improvements.

EASTSIDER-Personally, I don't care much one way or another about President Donald Trump. He is what he is. 

VOICES-Like a scene out of “Mad Max,”parties rage all night with furniture fueled fires burning directly on the sand at Cabrillo Beach.

DISABILITY PERSPECTIVE-In life, avoidance often seems like the easiest route.

BELL VIEW--My name is David, and I’m an Internet troll. Here’s my story: I started in the Clinton years, picking fights in the comments sections of wingnut websites like townhall.com.You might think this type of thing would get boring after a while – but addiction doesn’t work that way.

ALPERN AT LARGE--I doubt I'm the only fan of mobility, or new transportation options, or the first/last mile to train and bus mass transit.

CAL MATTERS-California Controller Betty Yee, injured last month in an auto collision suspected to have been caused by a 25-year-old driver under the influence of marijuana, used sharp language today to demand that the state’s nascent cannabis industry “step up” and address pot-related traffic accidents. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--I'm not bothered by the fact that Paul Manafort escaped conviction on 10 of the 18 counts he was charged with. To explain that, I'd first like to tell a story. 

CORRUPTION WATCH-Socrates justified fake news by citing the inability of the average person to comprehend reality. Hence, we have Socratic Lies. Jack Nicholson reduced this premise to its briefest form by his exclamation: “The truth? You can’t handle the truth.” 

TENANTS’ RIGHTS-The tenants of a strip of seven apartments along Exposition Boulevard are outraged at their treatment after being forced from their homes to make way for a new block of student housing near USC.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Virtually everything done at the Los Angeles City Council is through a prism of “what-are-you-ism” such as your race, ethnicity, gender and orientation rather than through logic, pragmatism, fairness and the issue at-hand.

GUEST COMMENTARY-We have all seen these words bantered around when talking about Local Government.