LA Podcast

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Smoke and Smearers Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Alissa and Mike sit down for a full assessment of recovery efforts six months after the January fires — and discuss why a key rebuilding effort went off the rails. Plus, we check in on the accomplishments of the fire-recovery billionaires, and try to figure out why one of those billionaires, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, announced he’s taking the paper public.

Cleanup was astonishingly fast, but as this LA Times summary of progress notes, only 800 rebuilding permits have been filed so far across both burn zones

One reason: there are a lot of concerns about what people are returning to, both when it comes to the toxicity of their homes and the future of their communities

The UCLA Blue Ribbon Commission Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery that was convened by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath released its six-month fire recovery report with one topline recommendation: create a special Resilient Rebuilding Authority at the state level. Here are some extremely good explainers from UCLA’s Emmett School of Law on what a rebuilding authority could do and how it would have aided Woolsey Fire recovery

That effort, SB 549, has now stalled, in part due to conspiracy theories amplified by reality star Spencer Pratt, and State Senator Ben Allen talked to KCRW’s Madeleine Brand about what’s next

Meanwhile, Altadena’s land is being gobbled up by outside developers and lots are losing value for those who want to sell and efforts to rebuild smarter and to have families collaborate and source materials more sustainably are largely left up to homeowners

And while there haven’t been any significant charges for rent gougers, LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is going after Airbnb for price gouging

Listen to Kate Cagle’s podcast, “Rebuilding LA”

Six months after the fires, the LA Times reached out to nearly a dozen city, county and state agencies involved with evacuation planning. “All either did not respond to requests for comment, could not point to an evacuation analysis in line with the state’s guidelines for AB 747 or indicated the responsibility for doing the work lies with other agencies”

Many big name philanthropists have gone missing but Department of Angels, Evan Spiegel’s partnership with California Community Foundation, seems to be carrying out important work

The block captain model is powerful and Altatogether is coordinating it in Altadena

Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong went on The Daily Show to announce that he’s taking the LA Times public

Status: “Jon Stewart torched media executives for bowing to Trump — then handed Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, one of the worst offenders, an unchallenging interview minutes later”

This week’s episode is produced by Sophie Bridges and Olive Greenspan

Support for LA Podcast is provided by LA Forward and by listeners like you. The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. If you want to help us bring more independent voices to California media, you can subscribe at thinkforward.la

All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Never Admit Retreat Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie come bearing (some) good news as 2000 National Guard troops are withdrawn from LA and a federal court ruling invokes a temporary restraining order that stops ICE agents from racial profiling. Plus: Children’s Hospital LA closes a clinic that’s served trans kids for 30 years, and Trump’s transportation department tries to revoke California’s high-speed rail funding.

Trump orders 2000 National Guard troops to leave LA — but 2000 National Guard troops and about 700 Marines still remain

The New York Times talked to a some Marines and National Guardsmen who said morale is so low that soldiers are shitting in hummers; while the Los Angeles Times reports on the widespread boredom of those deployed to the “Los Angeles mission”

A federal temporary restraining order says ICE needs probable cause to retain someone and cannot rely on other discriminatory factors “including apparent race or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or English with an accent; presence in a particular location like a bus stop, car wash, or agricultural site; or the work the person does.” LA Taco’s Lexis-Olivier Ray reports that a similar temporary restraining order in Kern County is working

Economic analysis on the ICE raids by CalMatters: California saw a 3.1% drop in private-sector employment in June, a decline that the state hasn’t seen since the pandemic or the 2008 recession.

“As a campus we recognize the significant harm that has resulted from these events and reaffirm our commitment to supporting our students, faculty, and staff and prioritizing your safety and well-being”: Cal State LA allows students to switch to online learning

LASD is now handing over prisoners to ICE, claiming sanctuary laws apply but there are “exceptions for cases that involve criminal offenses”

LA Public Press: “LA bus operators vow to shut doors on ICE to keep immigrant riders safe”

Children’s Hospital LA’s Center for Transyouth Health and Development will close on July 22 due to Trump administration threats

The history of CHLA providing gender-affirming care is astonishing — they’ve been doing this for 30 years, serving many low-income families

LA County is trying to scramble money for a 988 hotline for trans youth after Trump ended funding for the national one in July

Politico: “Four hours inside Newsom’s head”

Trump’s Department of Transportation is trying to claw back $4 billion in high-speed rail funding, even though Newsom says revoking the money is illegal. The state is now suing to stop them

Alissa’s thoughts on the fake high-speed rail train from LA to NYC

How Caltrain’s electrification and faster, more frequent service boosted ridership 53 percent year over year

This week’s episode is produced by Sophie Bridges

Support for LA Podcast is provided by LA Forward, and listeners like you. The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week.. If you want to help us bring more independent voices to California media, you can subscribe at thinkforward.la

All opinions expressed on the show are those of co-hosts alone and do not necessarily represent the views of LA Forward.

Bass Pro Shots Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey on the terrifying U.S. military invasion of MacArthur Park that sent LA Mayor Karen Bass racing to the scene. Why homicides in LA have hit a 60-year low (hint: it’s not because of cops). And when LA County voters approved the governmental-reform Measure G in 2024 they inadvertently invalidated the anti-incarceration Measure J, passed in 2020. Whoops!

The Guardian: “The troops were deployed to a mostly empty MacArthur Park in the neighborhood of the same name for about an hour, some on horseback and others in armored military vehicles. Agents were also operating an armored vehicle with a mounted rifle”

Capital and Main: “When ICE came up empty”

Alissa’s story on how traumatizing kids at a rec center summer camp has made LA parents even more uneasy

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez: “What you see happening in MacArthur Park is coming to you”

Ken Klippenstein published alleged leaked documents detailing the goal of “Operation Excalibur”

Vets About Face created an important video explaining why the U.S. military does these “shows of presence” in occupied regions

CalMatters, Bellingcat, and Evident Media analyzed 100 ICE raids in Southern California and highlighted some troubling (and unconstitutional) tactics

The City of LA, LA County, Pasadena, Montebello, Monterey Park, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pico Rivera, and West Hollywood joined the ACLU’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. After we recorded, a ruling siding with ACLU from Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong “temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests.” Read the order here

Day labor advocates were arrested for allegedly planting tire spikes (they’ve been released); an astonishing 12-hour standoff with Ventura County farmworkers ended with over 200 people kidnapped and one farmworker, Jaime Alanis, dead. Here’s how to support the families

Wired: New DHS guidance “urges officers to consider a range of nonviolent behavior and common protest gear — like masks, flashlights, and cameras — as potential precursors to violence”

New Gallup polling shows Trump’s immigration policy is becoming very, very unpopular

Julia Wick’s reporting on how Stephen Miller was radicalized in Santa Monica is a must-read in the Times

LA just recorded its lowest homicide numbers in 60 years; this chart is truly incredible

Homicides are down nationwide post 2020 largely due to an outpouring of funding for social services. Directing more spending towards parks, local nonprofits, community centers, and violence interrupters has been attributed to a historic drop in homicides in cities like Baltimore as well — but what happens in a city that slashes that funding?

LA Times: “LA County’s charter reform accidentally repealed anti-incarceration ballot measure”

LA Daily News: “Two members say the measure, approved by voters, contains a clause that ends a 2020 measure that requires county funds be spent on incarceration alternatives”

Watch last week’s LA County’s Governance Reform Task Force meeting for the reveal of the error. Discussion begins 43 minutes in

On Monday, July 14 at 12:45 p.m., Isaac Bryan and Eunisses Hernandez are hosting a conversation on why J matters and what happens next. LA County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn are proposing a fix on Tuesday

Where are our elected leaders in the resistance to attacks on our communities? LA Forward is hosting its monthly meeting to answer these questions in partnership with Local Progress. Tuesday, July 15 at 7 p.m. on Zoom, RSVP here

Produced by Sophie Bridges

All opinions expressed on the show are those of co-hosts alone and do not necessarily represent the views of LA Forward.

CEQA No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Hayes, Mike, and Carla recap another week of relentless ICE raids. The Trump administration sues LA over its sanctuary city status, and a coalition of immigrants rights groups sue the federal government right back. A ruling in the Alliance lawsuit raises questions about LA City’s homelessness count numbers. And the biggest-ever rollback of California’s often-abused environmental quality law, CEQA.

The Trump administration sues LA for obstructing immigration laws: “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. Here’s the flimsy case

ACLU SoCal, Public Counsel, CHIRLA and other groups sue the Department of Homeland Security alleging that ICE has “unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas set by the Trump administration.” Watch the press conference and read the full complaint

Rep. Laura Friedman held a press conference for the No Masks for ICE Act, and new city motions from Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez are also demanding federal agents show ID and not mask

Alejandro Orellana, a 29-year-old member of the Boyle Heights-based community organization Centro CSO, was indicted for handing out face shields during protests

How the private prison company CoreCivic wants to expand its California City facility for ICE detainees

LA Taco’s Daily Memo featuring Memo Torres is a must-watch. Also check out this Washington Post feature about LA Taco

Cal Matters: “Taken: What happens after an immigration raid”

Judge David O. Carter’s ruling says there is a “glaring lack of accountability for how the city spends money on homeless services and housing.” Here’s all 62 pages of the ruling

LAist keeps reporting on inconsistencies with the homeless count

An ongoing Rand study says homelessness declined in Hollywood and Venice, but not Skid Row

The New York Times on the biggest CEQA rollback we’ve ever seen: “One of the bills signed on Monday will exempt from CEQA high-density projects as long as they are not on environmentally sensitive or hazardous sites. The other bill will create sweeping changes that are aimed at accelerating legal review and that will exempt numerous types of development projects, from farmworker housing to child care centers. The legislation will also make it easier to rezone areas to allow for more housing in some cities”

Many environmental groups are not pleased; here’s a letter signed by 100 groups opposing the reform

Should we give Abundance credit? Ezra Klein was even name-checked by the governor in his speech. Mike asks what books should be on Gavin’s nightstand instead? He recommends Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Speaking of reform: some good housing production legislation proposed by LA Councilmember Nithya Raman

Listen to Mike’s exit interview with Rick Cole as he leaves the LA City Controller’s office

Every day at La Placita: Summer of Resistance activities

On the six-month anniversary of the LA firestorm, revisit Think Forward’s opinion essays on recovery and reconstruction and become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la

Produced by Sophie Bridges

LA Podcast is a production of LA Podcast LLC, which is owned by LA Forward. LA Forward provides support and editorial guidance for the podcast, but all opinions expressed on the show are those of co-hosts alone. The opinions expressed on LA Podcast by the co-hosts do not represent the organizational position of LA Forward.

For Mayor Consideration Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey track a third week of ICE raids that are more violent, more brazen, and raising more questions about how LAPD is assisting with these kidnappings. The Olympic Wage coalition strikes back with a new referendum to raise the minimum wage for *all* LA city workers. Plus, Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary win is huge news for New York City — and maybe for LA?

ICE says 1,600 detained in Southern California, with data showing the majority are men with no criminal records, randomly taken off the street

In an LA Taco video it certainly looked like LAPD was protecting ICE in downtown LA Tuesday

The statement from LAPD only seemed to confirm this: “At one point, a partially handcuffed woman approached and stood near a LAPD officer. After several minutes, a Federal agent approached and assumed control of the woman. LAPD was not involved in her detention or arrest”

As Ron Gochez of Union del Barrio told LA Taco during a ride-along: “They’re not going to call the police to defend them, they’re going to call us”

A motion put forth by LA Councilmembers is asking for more clarity on: “to ensure the safety of City personnel and to prevent unlawful entry by Federal entities”

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Huntington Park, Arturo Flores, formally directed the Huntington Park Police Department to enforce rules about federal agents self-identification, including unmarked vehicles: “We cannot allow Wild West-style bounty hunter tactics to unfold unchecked on our streets… Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their neighborhoods and under what authority”

The hotelworkers union filed a state complaint about misleading signature gathering for the anti-Olympic Wage referendum — here’s the complaint letter and the state leaders they’ve gotten to sign onto it

Now the union is trying to gather signatures for its own ballot measure which basically uses the misleading talking points in proposing to raise the minimum wage for all workers

Zohran Mamdani won a convincing victory against the establishment, as a result of an unusual confluence of reasons, writes Josh Marshall

Mamdani masterfully grabbed public attention, as Ezra Klein and Chris Hayes discuss.

Ranked choice voting helped in the context of the partisan primaries, which we don’t have in California

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander’s cross-endorsement with Mamdani was especially powerful

Watch Anand Giridharada’s interview with Brad Lander about the election results and where things go from here (featuring strategist Waleed Shahid and messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio too)

NYC is the most Jewish city in the country and Mamdani’s ability to win many Jewish New Yorkers’ votes despite massive spending by AIPAC-aligned funders has to be understood in the context of extensive, locally-rooted Jewish-Muslim coalition building, as Peter Beinart, Arielle Angel, Mari Cohen, and Alex Kane discuss.

Listen to Mike Bonin speak with Ami Fields-Meyer about “Being a dissident in the United States” on the latest What’s Next, Los Angeles?

On July 1, Reclaim the Streets marches against ICE are taking place all over the city: Eastside, SELA, Crenshaw, South LA

Become a paid subscriber to LA Podcast at thinkforward.la

Produced by Sophie Bridges

ICE Guys Finish Last Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Mike, Rachel, and Oscar give an update on LA under siege as at least 500 people are taken from their families in federal raids. Plus, the massive No Kings rally in Downtown LA ends in police violence, how CHIRLA’s rapid response team is monitoring detention centers, and widespread fear fuels an economic crisis across a city of immigrants.

The June 14 No Kings rallies may have been the largest single-day nationwide protest in US history, according to The Guardian, but when all the individual actions are counted up since Trump has taken office the second time, there is “dramatically more protest activity” in the U.S. now than his first term

Los Angeles Times: “How the LAPD’s protest response once again triggered outrage, injuries and lawsuits”

“I saw no evidence of violence on the part of protestors (the many thousands of them) before that moment.” Watch Matt Gutman and Jacob Soboroff reporting live on national TV when local law enforcement began to escalate their attacks on protesters (with a special shout out to Gutman for keeping his cool)

Three different lawsuits — LAPD, LASD, DHS — have been filed on behalf of journalists and legal observers who have been injured in protests. A slideshow of injuries has been compiled by Press Rights Chair at Los Angeles Press Club Adam Rose: “In 2021, I made a slideshow based on 50+ incidents of police misconduct toward journalists. It covered all California over a 12 month period. The legislature responded with new laws to protect press. I just made a new one. It's bigger. It's worse. And it's just one week in Los Angeles”

Brittny Mejia and Rachel Uranga put together an incredible account at the LA Times of the Hollywood Home Depot raid and what happened when a U.S. citizen was detained, including ICE agents bragging about the number of “bodies” apprehended — his phone recorded the whole thing

De Los columnist Fidel Martinez: “What the Dodgers can learn from Angel City about community”

“The population of the Adelanto Processing Center went from 350 to 1,200 in a matter of 10 days in June”: Members of Congress went to Adelanto with CHIRLA to see “inhumane” detention facilities

So many representatives have tried to get access that DHS has now changed the rules -- in violation of federal law

How the Home Depot in Westlake has become a resistance center

On Friday, LA’s City Council introduced a series of motions related to the raids, including laying the groundwork for suing the Trump administration — we’ll get into these in more depth next week

CalMatters: “Trump can keep troops in LA for now, appeals court rules”

CHIRLA’s know-your-rights resources

A group of faith leaders are holding a weekly prayer vigil on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. starting at La Placita, follow LA Voice for details

Donate to the street vendor fundraiser organized by Community Power Collective, East LA Community Corporation, Inclusive Action for the City, and Public Counsel

Join the Summer of Resistance: 30 days of actions at La Placita

Ensure we can keep releasing new LA Podcast episodes every week -- become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la.

Produced by Sophie Bridges

LA Misérables Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

Scott, Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap an astonishing week as Los Angeles is occupied by the federal government. How the city and state are responding to ongoing ICE raids, the federalization of the National Guard, the handcuffing of Senator Alex Padilla at a Homeland Security press conference, and the deployment of the U.S. Marines on the eve of nationwide protests.

The Guardian: “‘Kidnapped’: families and lawyers desperate to contact LA workers arrested in Ice raids”

LA Times: “What really happened outside the Paramount Home Depot?”

"What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger.” SEIU California president David Huerta was freed from federal detainment after thousands rallied for his release in Grand Park

This is a must-watch: In her remarks to LA’s City Council, Angelica Salas, CHIRLA’s executive director, provides more details of the raids, describes how the rapid response network is activated, and explains how difficult it has been to track detainees

“You’re asking me to warn you about an enforcement action being taken by another agency before it happens? We can’t do that,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell as he disagreed with councilmembers on LAPD’s role in cooperating with federal agents

“If we know someone is coming here to do warrantless abductions of the residents of this city, those people are not our partners.” Watch this statement from LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Tech reporter Brian Merchant on the weaponization of Waymo at his newsletter Blood in the Machine

Watch California Governor Gavin Newsom address the ICE raids: “Democracy is under assault”

Senator Alex Padilla explains how he was tackled and removed from a press conference in the Westwood federal building

Watch an angry LA Mayor Karen Bass and dozens of local leaders proclaim “This is Los Angeles”

The Dodgers and many other sports institutions remained silent about the raids

Alissa wrote about how the raids are impacting upcoming megaevents, including a Club World Cup tournament happening at the Rose Bowl right now

Even former chief Michel Moore agreed that the feds should not bring in the troops

How outrage about Glendale holding ICE detainees in its jail led to the termination of the contract by the city

State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez on how direct actions are forcing ICE out of hotels in smaller LA County cities

Read LA Taco’s on-the-ground reporting

After we recorded, the No Kings rallies that took place on Saturday drew tens of thousands of protesters to dozens of LA-area locations and may have been be the biggest protests in U.S. history (yet)

Save CHIRLA’s rapid response line to your phone contacts (1-888-624-4752), donate to Ktown for All’s vendor buyouts, volunteer for Polo’s Pantry food distributions, join the LA Tenants Union’s defense centers at Home Depots, get resources and information for your workplace from Day Laborer Network

Coming up this week: Mike’s interview with Ami Fields-Meyer on What’s Next, Los Angeles?

Become a paid subscriber and keep LA Podcast publishing weekly at thinkforward.la

Produced by Sophie Bridges

Let’s Get It Chartered In Here Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and Rachel discuss charter reform at the city and county, including the powerful new LA County CEO position voters will elect in 2028. Then, a referendum to overturn the Olympic Wage attempts to gather signatures, and homeowners accept buyouts to escape an ancient landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Note: This episode was recorded before LA saw ICE raids and detainments, countywide protests, and deployment of the National Guard. We’re watching developments closely and will get into all of that next week

Mayor Karen Bass finally made her charter commission appointments for the city

At the county, the Measure G task force meetings are underway

“That person will absolutely become the most powerful person”: Politico on the new County CEO role, featuring quotes from Mike

Los Angeles Times: “Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election”

What the story doesn’t mention: Delta Airlines, which is bankrolling the referendum, is an LA28 partner!

If you see this referendum trying to gather signatures, don’t sign it!

Report signature gatherers and get more information at defendthewage.la

Meanwhile, a new Living Wage for All movement launched last week

Ground movement in Palos Verdes started moving again after two wet winters — this was a KNOWN problem and the city was warned not to build there. LAist has a great backgrounder

In late 2024, homeowners were offered buyouts from the state and the feds; now 23 homeowners are taking the buyouts

The architectural treasure Wayfarers Chapel was rapidly disassembled as it was about to slide off the cliff, and may have found a new home

Meanwhile the city of Rancho Palos Verdes is going bankrupt trying to slow the ground movement

Take action to save city worker jobs and build affordable housing in Venice

Listen to the Bitchuation Room’s live show podcast featuring Rachel

Be sure to catch upcoming episodes of Mike’s show What’s Next, Los Angeles?

Become a paid subscriber to support LA Podcast at thinkforward.la

Produced by Sophie Bridges

Streaming, Crying, Throwing Up Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Mike, Hayes, and Carla discuss the growing desire among LA Councilmembers to rein in mayoral oversight of homelessness as they’re potentially being called into Judge David O. Carter’s federal courtroom. Plus, new city and state efforts to lure the entertainment industry back to LA, and a journalist investigated by former sheriff Alex Villanueva sues him (and LA County) for violating her First Amendment rights.

We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week only thanks to your financial support! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la

For the past several years, the City and the County of Los Angeles have been embroiled in a federal lawsuit over their handling of homelessness. Here’s a great backgrounder by LAist on the case and its unpredictable judge, David O. Carter

Now Councilmembers and other city officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, may end up being subpoenaed to testify

Meanwhile at City Hall, councilmembers are growing frustrated with Bass’s handling of homelessness and are discussing curbing her emergency powers so they can have more oversight of programs and spending

Listen to the LA Podcast episode 247, All Is Not LAHSA, for our previous discussion about Judge Carter’s courtroom, including his threat to put the City of Los Angeles into receivership

One area where Bass has *not* been using her emergency powers is advancing previously approved homelessness housing in Venice. LA Forward Institute's Housing Justice Working Group has a special meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the City’s efforts to block the Venice Dell project. RSVP here

With concern deepening over a loss of entertainment jobs in California, both Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom are taking steps to revive an industry that is central to the LA economy and public identity

Even game shows like “The Floor” are fleeing: “Fox flies the show’s host, Rob Lowe, and 100 American contestants thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to answer trivia questions about dogs, divas and Disney characters at a studio in Dublin. It makes more financial sense than filming in California”

Bass issued an executive directive to make filming easier in LA

Newsom is offering a series of state tax incentives which he called Make America Film Again (and got ratioed on Bluesky for calling it that)

Wired: “Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Make Hollywood Great Again, but There’s a Plan That Can”

The industry might be struggling, but the development of new soundstages in LA is booming, as Hayes wrote earlier this year on Big City Heat

Former LA Times reporter Maya Lau filed a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County and former sheriff Alex Villanueva, alleging that a criminal investigation into her activities as a journalist violated her First Amendment rights

A reminder that Villanueva’s tenure was marked by aggressive efforts targeting the press, including the arrest of LAist journalist Josie Huang and threatened investigation of LA Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian

Produced by Sophie Bridges

Wage Against the Machine May 26, 2025

Show notes

Alissa, Mike and Godfrey give a full update on how LA City’s budget went from disastrous to just “very bad” — including actions from the council’s budget committee to reduce over 1,600 proposed layoffs to 600. Then, a new minimum wage for tourism workers has hotels threatening to pull their Olympics deals. And LA’s former deputy mayor of public safety pleads guilty to calling in a City Hall bomb threat.

We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week with your help! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la

Los Angeles Times: “LA City Council approves $14-billion budget, scaling back Bass’ public safety plans”

LAist’s Frank Stolze on the ongoing union discussions to prevent even more layoffs

Madeleine Brand interviews LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell about helicopters on KCRW’s Press Play

Sammy Roth’s LA Times column: “Climate change is cooking Los Angeles. Does Karen Bass care?”

“This budget is far from ideal, but this is the beginning of a longer process to set our city on a path to long term fiscal solvency and economic sustainability. There are still investments I want to see restored, and we’ll keep pushing for them, especially if our labor partners are willing to negotiate.” A message from Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who served as budget chair

LA’s Olympic and Paralympic Wage means that tourism workers in the city will make $22.50/hour by July with an escalator to $30/hour by 2028, plus a healthcare credit starting next year

“As LA pushes a $30 minimum wage for hotel workers, eight hotels are withdrawing from the LA28 Olympic room block, citing financial strain,” according to the Daily Breeze. Although, as the story notes, some of the hotels threatening to withdraw made deals with the city to receive a share of room tax revenue as an incentive to build hotels in LA… for the Olympics

Mark Beccaria of Hotel Angeleno told KTLA: “Common sense says you cannot raise wages over 30% in less than a year when revenue is flat. If this increase in labor costs passes, we will be forced by the City to consider converting this hotel in the heart of residential Brentwood into a homeless shelter”

In 2024, Long Beach passed Measure RW, which raised its tourism minimum wage to the highest in the country at $23/hour

Interestingly, Long Beach isn’t seeing a tourism slump and has been outpacing the rest of LA County: Visit Long Beach CEO Steve Goodling told SFGATE that 33,000 hotel rooms were booked in March for conventions alone: “We’re up 9.6% in revenue per available room over last year”

Alissa’s story on the Olympic and Paralympic Wage from over a year ago

U.S. Attorney’s Office: “Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Agrees to Plead Guilty to Threatening to Bomb LA City Hall Last Year”

Brian Williams pleaded guilty to calling in the bomb threat himself. As The New York Times reports: “According to the plea agreement, Mr. Williams, while participating in a virtual morning meeting, used a voice application on his personal cellphone to call his city phone. He then called the Los Angeles Police Department to say that an unknown man had just threatened to bomb City Hall.”

Watch Alissa talk transit on the May 21 episode of Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney over at Netflix

Rachel will be a guest at The Bitchuation Room live show this Friday, May 30 at the Elysian Theater

Produced by Sophie Bridges