LA Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Joe B. The Money Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

COVID cases are way down: is it okay to wonder if the pandemic over? Unrest over the Hollywood Community Plan. Five people shot by LAPD in four days, and an unsettling criminal charge against a journalist. Joe Buscaino enters the race to be Mayor, and a candidate files to replace him on City Council. And ISAAC BRYAN, co-chair of the Measure J campaign and candidate for Assembly District 54, joins to talk about the ongoing struggle to reallocate resources to alternatives to policing.

Recall Me by Your Name Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

COVID numbers keep dropping and vaccine eligibility expands. A report documents LAPD's response to the May and June protests against police brutality. And Alissa and Scott debate whether or not they should be freaking out about Gavin Newsom's recall election.

You Concrete Me Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

LA is about to enter the red tier — what does it mean for dining, movies, and especially schools? The City Council overrides a veto in a contentious meeting. The stimulus package dumps billions of dollars on local budgets. And the concrete industry is trying to sneak a really bad motion onto the city books.

Show Notes

Quick Hits

Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager declares victory in state Senate race (Jaclyn Cosgrove, LAT; 3/3/21)

Covid

https://twitter.com/lapublichealth/status/1367295467197972482?s=20 (LA Public Health, LAT; 3/2/21)

Here’s what can reopen when L.A. County moves into the less restrictive red tier (Sareen Habeshian, KTLA; 3/3/21)

91% YES: UTLA members overwhelmingly unite behind a safe return (UTLA; 3/5/21)

March 2021 (LAANE; March 21)

Mayoral Veto Override

Letter to Council President Nury Martinez – People's Budget LA (People’s Budget LA; 2/28/21)

Council overrides Garcetti veto, then they agree on funds to aid communities of color (Dakota Smith, LAT; 3/2/21)

New Federal Stimulus Package

LA slow to submit FEMA aid paperwork for homeless hotels (Benjamin Oreskes, Dakota Smith, LAT; 3/3/21)

L.A. County won't expand program to shelter homeless people in hotels (Benjamin Oreskes, Dakota Smith, LAT; 3/5/21)

LASD/LAPD

Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies say gangs targeting "young Latinos" operate within department (CBS News; 2/25)

https://twitter.com/DotKohlhaas/status/1368369611167604739 (Michael Kohlhaas, Twitter; 3/6/21)

Rodney King: 30 years after brutal beating, activists say LAPD 'still corrupt and violent' (Sam Levin, The Guardian, 3/3/21)

Concrete Wars

https://twitter.com/ShaneDPhillips/status/1367910797796540417 (Shane Phillips, Twitter; 3/5/21)

How I Metro Mother Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Housekeeping

Guest host JT the LA Storyteller and this week's The Ten guest Samanta Helou-Hernandez have a community series about redlining, gentrification and displacement in East Hollywood. First session Thursday at 6PM! Ask them questions at Hope.xyz/MakingOurNeighborhood!
Check out the Ten here https://www.patreon.com/posts/ten-episode-48145292

Quick Hits

1 year of covid! Check out our predictions for March at 6 months: https://thelapod.com/episode/the-hot-against-america/
Tiger Woods injured in serious car accident in LA (Hayley Smith, Richard Winton, Faith E. Pinho, Sam Farmer, Christina Schoellkopf, LAT; 2/23/21)
Tiger Woods accident road known for high speeds, danger (Faith E. Pinho, Christina Schoellkopf, Haley Smith, LAT; 2/23/21)
Lady Gaga's dogs recovered safely after theft, shooting (Stefanie Dazio, AP; 2/27/21)
New Video of Lady Gaga Dog Abduction Shows Shooting and Getaway (TMZ; 2/25/21)
Compton fire roars through industrial area, burning buses (Hayley Smith, LAT; 2/26/21)
Los Angeles to Settle Federal Abuse Complaint at LAPD Summer Camp (Scott Frazier, LA Pod; 2/27/21)

KCRW

Roomkey of the Year | Episodes (LA Podcast; 2/22/21)
https://twitter.com/BisHilarious/status/1364088147705954310?s=20 (Brittani Nichols, Twitter; 2/22/21)
https://twitter.com/thelapod/status/1364304104298741760?s=20 (LA Pod, Twitter; 2/23/21)
https://twitter.com/kcrw/status/1364315916985507840?s=20 (KCRW, Twitter; 2/23/21)
https://twitter.com/cerisecastle/status/1364697646179381250?s=20 (Cerise Castle, Twitter; 2/24/21)
https://twitter.com/JeromeRCampbell/status/1364689356343021569?s=20 (Jerome Campbell, Twitter; 2/24/21)
https://twitter.com/JarrettHill/status/1364695591704424453?s=20 (Jarrett Hill, Twitter; 2/24/21)
KCRW accused of 'blatant racism' by former producer (Randall Roberts, Daniel Hernandez, LAT; 2/25/21)
https://twitter.com/calexity/status/1365363905795485696 (Lex Roman, Twitter; 2/26/21)
https://twitter.com/TamikaButler/status/1267586572242702336 (Takima Butler, Twitter; 6/1/20)

Metro

Metro Rejects Board Directive to Urgently Restore Bus Service For Essential Workers (Scott Frazier, Investing in Place; 2/18/21)
Metro Overspent Its Policing Budget By How Much?! (Scott Frazier, Investing in Place; 2/19/21)
Priorities All Wrong: Metro Proposes Delaying Service Restoration While Increasing Money for Policing (Joe Linton, Streetsblog; 2/22/21)
https://twitter.com/StreetsblogLA/status/1365034411570307073?s=20 (Streetsblog, Twitter; 2/25/21)
L.A. Metro Releases its recommendation to contract with two private sector teams for pre-development work on the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project (Dave Sotero, Metro’s The Source Blog; 2/12/21)
Editorial: Forget the monorail. L.A. needs a real transit line through the Sepulveda Pass (Times Ed Board, LAT; 2/21 )

Roomkey of the Year Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Schools can now reopen... but will they? Some confusing and clarifying words from the Mayor on Project Roomkey. DA George Gascon seeks information on officer misconduct. Is Patrick Soon-Shiong selling the LA Times? Councilmember Nithya Raman changes course. And freelance reporter CERISE CASTLE joins the show to speak up about her experiences working at KCRW and their new #MyBlackLA project.

We didn’t reach out for comment from KCRW before the episode aired, but after it was released, Cerise Castle corrected or clarified a few moments: Paul Bennun is KCRW’s Chief Content Officer, not Chief Operating Officer. Also, a previous version of this episode contained a statement from Cerise Castle about a meeting she'd had with a KCRW staff member. Later, Cerise and another former KCRW employee clarified on social media that she had misremembered and that her recollection wasn’t accurate. We've removed that section from the episode.

Vaccine Age Dream Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

More controversy over vaccine prioritization! A little (but not enough) momentum for expanding Project Roomkey! What's the deal with the LAPD union's new deal? And the major crisis at the Employment Development Department.

The Wheels on the Buscaino Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

What kind of issues is LA experiencing with vaccine distribution? What's up with this debate on building preservation right now? Why did the police union finally decide to make a deal to delay their raises? Who's raising the most money in city races, and from where? And LAUSD Board President KELLY GONEZ joins the show to talk about the recent threat by a Councilmember to sue the district to reopen, and what it's going to take to make schools safe for kids and teachers.

Do You Have to Let Englander Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

With deaths still at record highs, are we looking at the other side of the surge? Newsom's new rules on vaccinations, outdoor dining, evictions, and rent relief. Non-non-violent protest at Dodger Stadium. A former City Councilmember is sentenced to prison. And a big win at the Metro board meeting.

November Strain Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

It rained! COVID hospitalizations and tests are falling, but CA's vaccine rollout is now the worst in the country. What are the ethics of vaccine chasing? And is there actually a new strain? New FEMA guidelines open a path for Project Twomkey. Mitch Englander is about to be sentenced, and the developments Huizar greased get approved in PLUM. Finally, Culver City Vice Mayor and State Senate candidate DANIEL WAYNE LEE joins to talk about Culver City's unique role as a laboratory for equitable housing policy in the 2020 election.

Articles referenced in this episode:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-23/controversial-el-monte-church-rocked-by-ied-attack-fbi-says

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-23/standby-lines-backdoor-vaccine-access

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-01-23/councilman-mitchell-englander-corruption-prison

Stadium of Emergency Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Rain maybe! Dodger Stadium becomes the biggest vaccination site in the country. When can you get one? Are there more restrictions coming? LAPD and LASD participate in an attempted coup. More information on the deputy who killed Andres Guardado. And looking ahead to Wednesday's inauguration, Mitch Englander's sentencing, and whether John Lee will ever be held accountable.