In the News
California: No Such Thing as Non-Partisan Redistricting … Including LA County
REDISTRICTING POLITICS--Among California’s great strengths is that our local government offices are nonpartisan, unlike many states where partisan politics dominates at the local level. But once in a while aspects of our Progressive Era re…
Los Angeles is Doomed Unless Angelenos Act to Stop Densification
KISSING THE LA WE LOVE GOOBYE--I have had the pleasure of living in Los Angeles for thirty-five years and have loved it, warts and all. I’v…
The California System: Education by Lottery
CONNECTING CALIFORNIA-Californians may think we have a system of public education. But what we really have is a state system for rationing…
Taxing the Overtaxed … Paying in Dollars and Stress
ALPERN AT LARGE--The doctor is IN, folks! Yes, I very much DO care about your sanity, and about your health. I care about your mental hea…
President Wesson: LA’s Fabricator-in-Chief
@THEGUSSREPORT-Herb Wesson, the current LA City Council president (and former Speaker of the California State Assembly), forgot the adage a…
Los Angeles: Homeless’ Field of Dreams
PERSPECTIVE-Through the efforts of Valley Village Homeowners Association and Neighborhood Council Valley Village, a homeless encampment alo…
LA City Council’s Secret Deal to Buy 4,400 Tasers – Do They Really Work?
SEEKING SOLUTIONS-The facts surrounding the fatal police shooting of thirteen-year old Tyre King seem to be changing by the hour. The polic…
Is the California Coastline in Danger? Does it Matter?
DEEGAN ON CALIFORNIA-There’s a romance to the phrase “Pacific Coast Highway” that is for many a burned-into-the-brain vision of wide open…
Is Los Angeles Prepared for Disaster? The Answer is NO!
GELAND’S WORLD--We have to thank mayor Garcetti for taking disaster preparedness seriously. He brought Dr Lucy Jones into city government…
Chase Knolls: A Popular Post-War Apartment Complex Faces the Battle of Its Life
HERE’S WHAT I KNOW--In the years following World War II, Los Angeles was a fast-growing metropolis, an automobile-centric sprawling modern…
Working-Class Struggles in SoCal Symbolize Blue-Collar Blues Across America
TRUTHDIG-It should be named “the exploitation highway.” The path begins at the Los Angeles Harbor and extends about 100 miles east to the w…
Welcome to LA, Where Real Estate Speculation meets Squeaky Wheel Planning
PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Planning a large city like Los Angeles might be complicated, but it is not rocket science. In fact, the State of Califo…
We’ve Forgotten What Made Los Angeles a Great City
RICHARD’S LA ALMANAC-In writing for the CityWatch Corruption Watch, a lot of focus has been on the harm which the crimogenic nature of the…
Thoughts on the Pot Prop. 64: California Could be Whistling ‘Happy Days are Here Again’
PROPS FOR THE PROP-If Proposition 64 on the November 8 ballot passes, California joins the ranks of states where the prohibition against ma…
The Sixth Street Safety War: “People are Dying While We Argue”
RIDING WITH RICHARD--Last night I sat through a four and a half hour meeting of the Mid-City West Community Council. Sitting for an hour, l…
Shame on Joe Buscaino … Now Trying to Hide the Homeless from the Neighbors
AT LENGTH--At the Sept. 13 Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council stakeholder meeting, we were reminded once again of Councilman Joe Buscai…
Rethinking LA’s Yearly Neighborhood Council Congress
GELFAND’S WORLD--Once a year, City Hall opens its doors to the public for the annual Neighborhood Council Congress. This year, the gatherin…
‘Nextdoor’ - Effective Social Media or Just another Annoying, Unnecessary Intrusion?
MY WAY--I like to think I am an equal opportunity critic and cheerleader but, of late, I’ve been more of a critic. So, I am happy to play c…
New Advanced Roadway Architecture for LA and Why Prop. M won’t Work!
TRANSPORTATION BREAKTHROUGHS-With all the technological improvements coming along with vehicles it is fitting that an advanced roadway arch…
Hey, Hey We Won’t Pay … ITT Tech Students Launch Debt Strike …7 Schools in LA Area
VOICES--Former students of the recently shuttered, for-profit ITT Technical Institutes announced Wednesday they have no choice other than t…
