LOS ANGELES

@THE GUSS REPORT-An article published by the LA Times on Saturday further exposes its bursting-at-the-seams bias and dishonest reporting on its kryptonite issue, illegal immigration. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--Millions of people claim to believe what Donald Trump and his supporters say. Perhaps they do. Would at least some of them believe otherwise if there were a way to tell them the real truth?

IMMIGRATION PLITICS--The Orange County anti-sanctuary uprising took the national stage, as a coalition of politicians are in Washington to talk Republican political strategy with President Trump.

It’s a big day for these conservative California politicos, who come from a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1 in the Legislature and the GOP voice has been largely muted. About a dozen of them were invited to attend an afternoon meeting in Washington with Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and ICE director Thomas Homan.

They’re gathering to discuss how to attack California’s sanctuary law passed last year that places some limits on cooperation with federal immigration information requests.

Dozens of cities and counties across California havepassed resolutionsor joined a federal lawsuit opposing that law, with the epicenter of that opposition in Orange County. It began with the small city of Los Alamitos, which passed a local ordinance that breaks state law. Other cities haven’t gone that far, but at least 13 of the 34 cities in Orange County have joined the resistance with statements of support. And the county board of supervisors voted to join the federal lawsuit against three California sanctuary laws.

Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel is part of the group meeting with the President, and so is the mayor of Los Alamitos, Troy Edgar. In an email, Edgar outlined what he hopes to discuss with Trump:

“First, I plan to thank him for our mutual interest in upholding the Constitution and I look forward to contributing to this dialogue on sanctuary and immigration law and policies,” Edgar said. He also hopes to get some financial help in fighting a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against Los Alamitos’ ordinance, and any impending lawsuit that might be brought by the state of California.

“There will continue to be a significant price that comes with beginning this revolt in California,” Edgar said. “Any assistance that our city can be provided by direct or indirect funding would be appreciated.”

By early afternoon, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown weighed in:

Opposition to the sanctuary law is one of the few issues where Republicans have found a little political traction in California, and they plan to make immigration one of their cornerstone issues in the upcoming midterm elections.

The GOP faces an uphill battle for voters in California. They actually come in third in percentage of the state’s voters—with just 25.9 percent of registered voters, the Republicans not only trail the Democrats’ 44. percent but also are outnumbered by 29.4 percent of independent voters who choose no-party or other party affiliations.

According toPolitico, the anti-sanctuary contingent includes Steel, Edgar, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, Riverside County Assembly member Melissa Melendez, and Los Alamitos City Council member Warren Kusumoto, along with some municipal and law enforcement officials.

(David Gorn is an editor and reporter for public media, including NPR and its California stations. This piece was posted earlier at Capital and Main.) 

-cw

Tags: Trump, republicans

CONSIDER THIS--Some people get their teeth cleaned like clockwork; others change the oil in their cars religiously; and there are those who, like me, never miss an election. I have been known to show up to vote when the only thing on the ballot is a runoff for community college trustee. No waiting in line at that one. 

RANTZ & RAVEZ-On May 12 at the Skirball Center, I attended -- along with hundredsof Los Angeles residents, business owners and Los Angeles Reserve Police Officers -- the annual “Twice a Citizen” banquet honoring Los Angeles Reserve Police Officers, author Michael Connelly and actor Titus Welliver from the popular hit Bosch.LAPD Chief Charlie Back and his wife Sharon, along with many members of the LAPD command staff, line officers and detectives were also there to celebrate the 70^thanniversary of the Los Angeles Police Reserve Corps and to honor Reserve Officers for their years of service to the people of Los Angeles. All were dressed in their Hollywood best to show appreciation and support for the Reserve Officers. 

EASTSIDER-Personally, I find President Trump uninteresting. I am very interested, on the other hand, in the group of people referred to in the news media as “The Base,” as if they were a new segment of the population which has magically appeared. 

BELL VIEW--Turns out, liberals aren't as smart as we think we are. So says University of Virginia Professor Gerard Alexander in an Op Ed in the New York Times.Like Professor Alexander, I too, have been trying to figure out a way to relate to the 32% of the population that currently governs the country.

POLITICS TO THE END--A Riverside County Superior Court judge Tuesday threw out California’s landmark law allowing physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients, just shy of its two-year anniversary.  

MORALITY POLITICS-Speaking as a male domestic violence counselor I was surprised but not shocked to learn about NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's history of abuse against women and his sudden resignation. 

K’TOWN ON ALERT-Koreatown came out ROARING in PROTEST against City Council President Herb Wesson and Mayor Garcetti’s glib attitude in coming out to Koreatown and announcing that the Temporary Homeless Shelter will be located at 682 S. Vermont -- the northern portion of CD 10 that is represented by Wesson.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Lies, similitudes and myths ruled the ancient world. Plato and Aristotle spoke of Socratic lies, while the Arab political philosopher al-Farabi referred to similitudes, and Maimonides in “The Guide to the Perplexed” warned that Biblical myths were not necessarily true.

CALIFORNIA--There are not as many propositions on the June ballot as usual, but none has fewer supporters than Proposition 70, a constitutional amendment calling for a one-time, two-thirds vote in 2024 to determine how the billions of dollars generated by California’s cap-and-trade program will be spent.

D.C. DISPATCH-(Editor’s Note: Alan Lowenthal is United States Congressman for California’s 47^thDistrict … which is centered in Long Beach and extends through western Orange county. This interview with Mr. Lowenthal is the first of a two-part series.) 

GELFAND’S WORLD--Was this the week that signified the beginning of the decline of the American Century? 

PERSPECTIVE--The only thing as bad as Congress impulsively passing a tax reform bill, is conjuring a half-baked, equally impulsive countermeasure.

MOMENTS IN TIME-(Editor’s Note: This is the first of an ongoing series.) There are moments in time that are transformative. January 3, 2018 was one such moment.

CAL MATTERS-The political whirlwind raging around California’s “sanctuary” laws isn’t doing much damage to the laws themselves, according to many state legal experts. In fact, the brunt of any legal damage may be felt most by the small city that started the rebellion.

ALPERN AT LARGE-Much that is wrong in life cannot be helped. When others in power do stupid things, and promote stupid ideas, there is little that the rest of us can do but protest.  But we don't need to double down on stupid. 

WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU-Eric Garcetti wants to be seen as the greenest Mayor in the nation.

DEEGAN ON LA-Housing anxiety does not discriminate -- from the homeless who have no permanent housing to tenants in rent-controlled apartments who are afraid of losing what they have, to single family residents of homes near transit lines who see zoning variances that could put their neighborhoods into play -- everyone except the upper-middle and upper classes can be hit by the same thought: “Where will I live tomorrow?”  

CORRUPTION WATCH-In January 2015, the federal courts warned Californians that our entire state judicial system was suffering from an “epidemic of misconduct.”