LA Podcast

Alissa, Mike, and Olga discover that extreme humidity pairs nicely with our already-crumbling infrastructure. Luckily, social media is the key to fixing potholes! Controller Kenneth Mejia tries to demystify LA28’s finances. And will DSA-LA make an LA mayoral endorsement — and does it matter? Southern California is used to being the best at many things, but unfortunately this week we took the prize for highest humidity in the country Did you want to run your air conditioning in this extreme heat? Sorry! Power’s out In cooler news: an LAUSD school in Westlake more than quadrupled their green space on campus , creating a shady oasis for their students, and there are plans for more district campuses to do the same Streetsblog LA ’s Joe Anthony and Joe Linton covered advocates commemorating 10 years of LA’s landmark sidewalk settlement and why it hasn’t succeeded LA is (still) a film town, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that you have to make a viral video to get any infrastructure fixed Alissa’s pothole campaign was successful! But others have not been as lucky Are you tired of potholes in your neighborhood? Join LA Forward Monday night as we discuss what a Capital Infrastructure Program (CIP) could and should include to fix our streets As 2028 draws closer, City Controller Kenneth Mejia is requesting their financial documents so taxpayers aren’t left paying for the Olympics and our city instead has money for projects like fixing sidewalks Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30) held a panel to advocate for Metro funding with other less knowledgeable elected officials because the federal government has yet to pledge money for Olympics transportation (But hey, it’s one Olympics. What could it cost, $10?) Whatever happened to those $28 Olympics tickets anyway? City Council President Marquee Harris-Dawson introduced a motion to guarantee local businesses be included in Olympic contracts and therefore revenue Geese magazine has the arguments for why DSA should or should not endorse “pothole populist” Nithya Raman for mayor. Voting ends Tuesday Mayor Karen Bass walked back her remarks about street vendors made during the SOHA debate while Raman updated her street vendor platform Los Angeles Public Press reported on LAPD using infamous ordinance 41.18 to warn, cite, and displace vendors in MacArthur Park for at least the past year Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la Thank you to Charlotte Landes for producing this episode and to our production assistant Bianca Cockrell The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Olga Lexell is a TV writer and local political organizer

Mike, Godfrey, and Olga dissect the heated mayoral debate at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association. Will LA see a Paramount Skydance Warner Brothers lot? Uber and Lyft drivers won the right to organize, making labor history. Then: you can file to run for LA County CEO starting next month, but what does this job actually entail? Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman debated in an auditorium in Sherman Oaks last Wednesday night L.A. Material ’s Julia Wick dared to bravely ask and answer the question: but why do the mayoral candidates of our nation’s second-largest city trade jabs behind a duct-taped banner in the Valley? (Not everyone was able to see that beautiful banner though: SOHA’s Zoom account maxed out on capacity ) The LA Times , L.A. Taco , and LAist analyze the debate ( and Bass’s anti-street vendor comments ) A poll showing Bass trouncing Raman by double digits was actually fake. Oops! Raman plans to hire Fight Agency for some television ads: their other clients include Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Senate candidate Graham Platner (who withdrew after being accused of sexual assault) Bass is calling for “ all parties to come to the table ” to settle the anti-trust lawsuit blocking a proposed Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers merger, though a LA County Board of Supervisors report says it would cost thousands of jobs and about $2.78 billion in lost economic value Raman stands by her opposition to the merger and support for the lawsuit The WGA is not pleased with Bass’s approach nor the proposed merger — but DGA and IATSE just want a decision , one way or another, to prevent members from losing wages Paramount and the State of California are scheduled to meet today to discuss a path forward In other union news, Uber and Lyft drivers have won union recognition in the state of California thanks to the passing of AB 1340 and lots of organizing (Gig drivers are still classified as independent contractors , but can now bargain for protections) The filing window for LA County CEO opens next month . But what will the County CEO do, exactly? Is this election governed by campaign finance rules? What’s the structure of its future office? These questions and more are… still being decided Whatever its scope, this change may be most helpful for unincorporated communities , who without local governments, rely on the Board of Supervisors for municipal services The Governance Reform Task Force will review a final draft of these recommendations at its August 28 meeting : you can give public comment and lobby for your priorities Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la Thank you to Charlotte Landes for producing this episode and to our production assistant Bianca Cockrell The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at Substack , or @mikebonin on IG, and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @ godfreyplata on Instagram Olga Lexell is a TV writer and local political organizer

Alissa, Godfrey, and Loraine go deep on LAUSD’s many changes and challenges as this new school year begins. LA’s City Council is set to make big shifts on how to address homelessness, but the hardest part might be getting everyone to agree. And what will actually get Angelenos out of their cars? Andres Chait has been officially appointed LAUSD superintendent and has some plans to address the slew of issues ahead Declining enrollment is creating a big financial challenge for LAUSD. One new income supplement: using vacant classrooms as childcare centers If the budget deficit isn’t resolved, the county will step in Some good student transportation news: speed cameras are being installed around schools More students are taking the bus to school , which is helpful amid continuing ICE raids Newly approved screen time reforms are in place, eliminating digital devices for first graders and younger, setting age-specific time limits on older students, blocking YouTube access, and more Unfortunately, Boyle Heights kids have more grounds than most to say going back to school stinks — the odor of rotting food is not going away anytime soon (Relatedly, Lineage will fail to meet Mayor Karen Bass’s 45-day clean up deadline, so she is directing city lawyers to pursue civil litigation — but Lineage claims the city has the deadline date wrong ) LAUSD says schools near the Lineage fire are safe from contaminants , though two tested positive for above-average levels of lead Councilmember Nithya Raman has been removed as chair of the Homelessness and Housing committee , which was then split into two separate committees Raman and Bass will surely discuss housing among other issues during their debate hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association on Wednesday evening Many councilmembers made rather, er, harsh comments about this, which happened to coincide with news of Bass and Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s tiny home village opening Speaking of scathing remarks, Judge David Carter didn’t mince words as he blocked Trump’s attempt to take over LAHSA , criticizing both HUD and LAHSA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced an interestingly timed motion to get rid of all of the 41.18 zones in his district Turns out an accounting glitch skewed numbers from this year’s homelessness count, inflating the rise in the unhoused population by almost 1.5% Newsom announces a new EV tax credit for first-time buyers but what about that e-bike credit ? Metro is piloting a program that will pay you not to drive for 5 weeks and DOT is piloting mobility wallets to reimburse all types of modes in low-income communities More on homelessness and visits from the Trump administration on the new L.A. World podcast , a project of L.A. Material , hosted by Hayes Davenport, Antonia Cereijido, and Julia Turner Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la Thank you to Sophie Bridges for producing this episode and to our production assistant Bianca Cockrell The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Loraine Lundquist is chair of LA Forward’s board, an astrophysicist, and a sustainability policy expert who earned 49.4% of the vote as a candidate for LA City Council Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @ godfreyplata on Instagram

Alissa, Mike, and Marco say a requiem for the Graffiti Towers. Nithya Raman receives endorsements from some big players, including Kenneth Mejia’s corgis. In the wake of the Lineage environmental disaster, which still reeks, LA’s City Council votes for more environmental disasters. And who will be LA County’s first elected CEO? The Graffiti Towers have been sold and cleaning efforts have begun Aren’t the Graffiti Towers the Watts Towers of their generation? (Both are being refurbished for the 2028 Olympics ) Keep Honking! I’m admiring the Oceanwide Plaza Graffiti Towers! See them up close with Alissa and the Rent Brigade on a tour next week Nearby, a new park under the Sixth Street Bridge, also resplendent with graffiti, continues gentrification conversations LA Material ’s Degen Pener reports on families of coyotes living in residential towers in West Hollywood The Western States Carpenters union endorsed Nithya Raman , reversing their 2022 support for Bass Raman was also recently endorsed by Kenneth Mejia, who is encouraging the public to add a Nithya sticker to their yard signs City Council will vote on splitting Housing and Homelessness and Health into two separate committees this week The Lineage fire still smells and it’s still bad news so Karen Bass wrote an open letter to the Lineage shareholders and supports an order of abatement from AQMD Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a seven-motion package for Boyle Heights fire recovery . Hilda Solis is in charge of small business recovery The EPA has asked Lineage for documents to assess Clean Air Act compliance: aka, was there an ammonia leak ? Lineage warehouses have had 63 fires over the last ten years, by the way Hungry for more environmental disasters, Council approved a retrofitting of the Scattergood gas plant Eric Garcetti has a new job and it is (or isn’t) what you’d expect Garcetti recently declined Julia Wick’s request for comment as she explored who might throw their hat in the ring for the powerful LA County CEO election in 2028 for LA Material . Mike profiled Long Beach mayor Rex Richardson, another rumored candidate, on What’s Next, LA? , look for it in the upcoming weeks Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges Thanks to our digital producer Bianca Cockrell The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward. Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky. Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Marco Santana brings over a decade of leadership to the LA homelessness services sector and is a former candidate and active leader within local Democratic party politics. He’s at @Marco4LA on Instagram

Scott, Mike, and Olga convene a transportation sickos roundtable to discuss Metro’s State of the Agency, how the system fared during the World Cup, and big changes to the board’s structure. Will the LAX people mover ever open — and will anyone actually call it SkyLink? Then: Karen Bass’s sudden pivot on the Lineage disaster in a mayorship that has been defined by disasters. Watch Metro’s State of the Agency featuring Metro’s magnetic CEO Stephanie Wiggins Metro ridership numbers in June increased by over two million year over year during the World Cup Alissa was on Spectrum talking about how well it all went and wrote more about the lessons learned on Torched More than 560,000 fans attended the eight matches altogether, according to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. There were approximately 212,000 boardings to and from SoFi. This means about 1 in 5 fans going to the matches took Metro’s shuttle service Los Angeles Times : “ The World Cup was an L.A. public transit success. The Olympics will be a much bigger test ” Bass, now in her second go as Metro board chair , suddenly started caring about transit , and is promising fare-free transit that advocates have been demanding for years As advocates — including a direct plea from CicLAvia — begged Metro to find $1 million for open streets events while pouring over $100 million into freeway expansions Metro’s board is changing — and is about to undergo more significant changes. Two small city reps are no longer elected councilmembers, so they’re out: Whittier’s Fernando Dutra who lost his council race and Glendale’s Ara Najarian who didn’t run again. Long Beach mayor Rex Richardson is replacing Dutra, but the obscure L.A. County City Selection Committee rejected Santa Clarita councilmember Jason Gibbs Due to Measure G, which expands the LA County Board of Supervisors to nine members, Metro’s board composition has to change. The board approved a motion — a combination of a staff recommendation, and motions from Bass, Janice Hahn, and Lindsey Horvath — that will recommend including two rider representatives . There are still a few final wrinkles to iron out, but soon these proposals will proceed as Metro’s recommendations to the state legislature, which may have its own ideas about changes to Metro governance The LAX people mover contractor has now sued the city , raising even more concern over when/if the three-years-late, $1 billion over budget, 2.25-mile connection from the airport to the LAX Metro station will actually open Nick Andert has the only video about the people mover you need After L.A. Material’s Julia Wick broke the news that Lineage Logistics had filed for permits to rebuild their burned and putrid cold storage warehouse , Bass quickly announced that she would stop Lineage from rebuilding, issuing an emergency executive order to deny the permits, weeks after saying that she didn’t know if she could do that LAist has a great explainer on what Bass and the city could actually do Meanwhile Lineage is getting hit by fines from both AQMD and the LA County Public Health Department for odors, vermin, flies, and more “Bass’ summer has been beset by a string of negative news. Staff members on both her campaign and administration teams have left . She was away from the city — just as she was at the start of the devastating 2025 firestorms — when a blaze ignited at the Lineage cold-storage food warehouse in Boyle Heights, inundating the heavily Latino surrounding neighborhoods with noxious fumes,” writes Noah Goldberg at the LA Times Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Scott Frazier is an original co-host of LA Podcast Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at Substack , or @mikebonin on IG, and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Olga Lexell is a TV writer and local political organizer

Mike, Godfrey, and guest co-host Carla Hall discuss the Sunset Boulevard sinkhole in West Hollywood. Then, the results of the 2026 homeless count are in. And Mayor Karen Bass’s informal advisor steps back. On July 16th, an LADWP pipe burst on the corner of Sunset and Holloway in West Hollywood. It was about 110 years old, and created a giant sinkhole in the middle of the night This pipe was on track to be refurbished in 2031 - about 30%,of the city's pipes are over 80 years old LADWP experiences a leak rate that is 36% below the national average More small leaks on Sunset For the LA Times , Hannah Fry reports that “there are about 547 miles of trunk line underground across the city. In 2019, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said roughly 29% of the city’s pipes were over 80 years old, approaching their typical lifespan of 100 years.” The LA Times has a map of locations where water main leaks have happened since 2010 West Hollywood mayor John Heilman was there, and so was Mayor Karen Bass Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman was on the scene with Councilmember Chelsea Byers Officials said anyone with property or vehicle damage can file a claim through LADWP at ladwp.com/claims After two years of modest but promising decreases in homelessness, numbers are up in both the city of LA and the larger overall county of LA, LAHSA officially announces The overall homeless population in the city is up 3.5%, and the unsheltered population, which Mayor Bass focuses on through Inside Safe , is up 7.9% State funding for homelessness, which had been very healthy and robust, got cut in 2025 - a lot of that money was going to limited rental subsidies, which were hugely successful. This past year, there were 5,000 fewer people that the county was not able to put into housing because they didn't have enough subsidies The Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, shorthanded as LACAHSA, is investing over $228 million this fiscal year to help communities build and preserve affordable homes and to help prevent homelessness Funding for support services and homelessness prevention is currently funded by Measure A dollars , and for LA city specific residents, some of this funding comes from Measure ULA Mayor Bass is running for reelection against Council Member Raman - the numbers in Council District 4 are very different from the citywide numbers. The unsheltered population citywide was up 7.8%, and in Council District 4 it's down 49% Yusef Robb, a close but informal advisor to the mayor , took on crisis comms work for Lineage after the warehouse fire in Boyle Heights through a group called M Strategic Communications - whose clients also include both Airbnb and the California Community Foundation Mayor Bass publicly promoted Airbnb's housing assistance after the fire, and asked Lineage to contribute a significant amount of money to the California Community Foundation. Robb’s work for Mayor Bass was unpaid For L.A. Material, Julia Wick reports that Robb stepped back from working with the mayor, saying “I'm not going to let unnecessary distractions get in the way of the important things that need to be done, so I'm not extending my volunteer advisory work for the Mayor,” via text message Robb remained in three WhatsApp groups used by the mayor’s comms team for at least a week after stepping back Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Charlotte Landes Our digital producer is Victoria Alejandro The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at Substack , or @mikebonin on IG, and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram Carla Hall is a former editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, where she covered and wrote extensively about homelessness

Alissa, Oscar, and guest co-host Rudy Espinoza discuss accelerating immigration enforcement activity in LA as ICE murders three people in one week nationwide. Then, how an unbearable stench, rats, flies, and extreme heat are impacting the Lineage fire aftermath. And as the 39-day tournament ends, reflections on what LA got wrong and right with the World Cup. Three ICE murders in one week across the country: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston , Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine , and an unidentified man in Miami . The Maine murder, where a man ran into traffic to escape ICE, is similar to the killing of Roberto Carlos Montoya in Monrovia last year 14 ICE detainees have died so far in 2026. In 2025, ICE reported that 33 detainees died LA Taco reports that the San Fernando Valley has become a hotbed of ICE activity, with raids escalating. The DTLA ICE detainment facility is now being moved to Santa Ana , although perhaps temporarily As reported by LAist’s Libby Rainey, advocates are receiving upticks in calls for help with ICE raids . Attorney Sarah Houston, who oversees calls, says: "I'm so happy that ICE hasn't ruined the World Cup by doing these mass raids, but they are still doing them piecemeal and one by one...In the background, the administration is still there, and these things are still happening. They're just not happening at SoFi Stadium." ICE patrols shifted to fan zones and the areas surrounding SoFi Stadium Jets used to deport ICE detainees were also used to transport World Cup teams Sweeping changes are coming to the ICE detention center in Adelanto due to a federal ruling demanding the humane treatment of prisoners ICE promised to halt vehicle stops and increase the use of body cameras . Hmmm, where have we heard that before? CHIRLA, pro-immigrant leaders, and clergy members held a press conference to honor the people killed by ICE, and organize a day of action on July 25 85 million pounds of rotting food from the Lineage fire is now causing an overpowering smell that’s traveling far outside the neighborhood, contains odor-related toxins , and is creating a fly infestation. Extreme heat is also becoming an issue. AQMD has issued an odor violation for the smell from the Lineage fire, but residents continue to demand that the warehouse is shut down Businesses in the area are empty and some haven’t gotten air purifiers Ruben Vives reports for the LA Times that Manuel Orozco, owner of Jim’s Burgers, and his workers wore face masks inside the mostly empty diner. Not far from the Lineage warehouse, Orozco said “No one is coming and it’s because of the smoke…It’s been a difficult time.” For L.A. Material , Julia Wick tried to find out where the waste is going LA Mayor Karen Bass had a quick response to the sinkhole and water main break in WeHo Alissa wrote about how FIFA fan zones are privatizing public spaces. In Venice, the f an zone didn’t include a promised free component . Vendors were also kicked off the Venice boardwalk Metro ridership numbers in June increased by two million year over year during the World Cup Alissa will be speaking about what LA has learned from the World Cup at LA Forward's next meeting on July 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. RSVP for the Zoom Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges Our digital producer is Victoria Alejandro The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Oscar Zarate is director of external affairs at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). He is @straight_outta_papeles on Instagram Rudy Espinosa is executive director of Inclusive Action for the City, a nonprofit, Community Development Financial Institution based in Los Angeles. Follow him at @rudyespi

Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Adam Conover take a look at the ongoing repercussions from the Lineage Logistics fire, an explosive town hall in Boyle Heights, and how the thawing cold storage warehouse has snowballed into a political nightmare. Then, what’s changed in Karen Bass’s mayoral campaign. And some bad (and also some good?) LAPD updates. At a town hall in Boyle Heights for the community impacted by the Lineage fire, Mayor Karen Bass and other officials were booed by the crowd. Watch the entire thing here Both Bass and Lineage official Jeff Rivera issued multiple apologies, including admitting major communication issues around air quality Meanwhile, ER visits spiked during the fire , and Boyle Heights residents were exposed to air pollution that was worse than the Eaton Fire The Boyle Heights disaster once again raises jurisdictional issues about how residents of the adjacent unincorporated areas of LA County access services Bass recommended Airbnb to displaced residents looking for temporary housing, despite the ongoing lawsuits against Airbnb from the city of LA for price gouging after the 2025 fires. Plus Airbnb is heavily funding her campaign As reported by Julia Wick at L.A. Material Bass’ unpaid advisor Yusef Robb is also helping with crisis communications for Lineage , although he later said he would no longer advise Bass Boyle Heights residents staged a protest along with LAUSD board member Rocio Rivas to demand the removal of Lineage from the neighborhood Bass’ campaign is shifting leadership : Doug Herman is out and Julie Chavez Rodriguez , who worked on both Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaigns, is in The LAPD officer who shot and killed a dog named Jameson during the Knicks victory last month will not be publicly named despite the fact that body cam footage and transcripts have been released, and the dog’s owner Marie Marseille has filed a lawsuit against the city LAPD has agreed to end their deal with Flock surveillance cameras Journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel has the LAPD-Flock MOU Become a paid subscriber to thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges Our digital producer is Victoria Alejandro The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at Substack , or @mikebonin on IG, and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Adam Conover is a comedian, writer, and podcaster who hosts the weekly series Factually and created the television programs Adam Ruins Everything and The G Word with Adam Conover

Alissa, Godfrey, and Kate examine why the Palisades arson case ended in a mistrial, and how the feds biffed the prosecution. What you won’t see on the November ballot after LA City Council charter reforms go down in flames. Then, LA finally has a city service agreement with LA28, but human rights advocates are sounding alarms. A mistrial has been declared against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of arson in the 2025 Palisades Fire after a deadlocked jury Juror #4 on the case spoke publicly about deliberations, and the potential confusion surrounding convictions for a holdover fire The jury voted 10-2 in favor of acquitting Rinderknecht, and some Palisades residents would rather the effort of a retrial go into the effort of rebuilding . Longtime resident and journalist Lisa Sweetingham says, “They really don’t have the evidence to bring it home” Unlike the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire in Altadena has confirmed evidence that a century-old idle transmission line that Southern California Edison failed to remove was the cause of the blaze. Affected residents have to do the calculus between a compensation fund and a lawsuit, though rebuilds from both fires have a long journey ahead Fireworks are still banned in the city of Los Angeles South LA families remain displaced by the LAPD’s 2021 botched fireworks detonation Seven workers were killed in Northern California last year due to an explosion at a ranch storing huge amounts of fireworks owned by the aptly named company Devastating Pyrotechnics LA Material’s Jessica Garrison reports on the massive black-market fireworks operation in Los Angeles, and how the illegal explosives are entering the city We talked about charter reform a few weeks ago , but there’s an update: the ballot proposals for noncitizen voting and LAPD measures have been pulled Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez suggests in a comment that punting the LAPD measure may have been intended to support Mayor Bass’ reelection. And Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez says that protecting the status quo means the “ city will remain broken A charter allocation for parks did make it through and will be on the ballot in November: Listen to Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Monica Rodriguez discuss the allocation here Is LA’s mayor actually weak? Kate thinks the charter amendment process shows that might not be true! Read Robert Greene’s piece on power in LA for LA Reported LA28 presented its human rights plan and answered questions about a city service agreement at the city’s ad hoc Olympic and Paralympic committee meeting this week Libby Rainey’s reporting for LAist notes how this city service agreement is nine months overdue and it has not yet been determined where the federal funds will go (or if LA will even get them) Read Alissa’s thread on Bluesky from the meeting Councilmember Soto-Martinez grilled LA28 CEO Raymond Hoover over ICE enforcement; listen here And what do security perimeters mean for densely populated areas and recently added venues like Griffith Park? Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la Thanks to Sophie Bridges for producing The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram Kate Cagle is an anchor at Spectrum News and the host of the LA Times Studios podcast “ Rebuilding Los Angeles .” Find her at @katecagle at Instagram

Alissa, Godfrey, and Loraine examine the public health impacts of the Lineage warehouse fire that burned in Boyle Heights for a week. LA’s council votes to end oil extraction (for the second time). LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho resigns amid a federal investigation into an AI chatbot deal as the board dramatically reduces screen time for students. And yet another ULA backroom deal turns into a win for Howard Jarvis. After one week of burning in Boyle Heights and decimating air quality throughout the region, the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire was finally out But the impact to the neighborhood won’t be known for some time, reports Capital and Main : “Short-term consequences for those nearest to the warehouse could be asthma and even heart attacks, but other effects will take time to surface. Much of it has to do with what’s in the smoke, which is hard to trace retroactively.” The smoke has dissipated but the neighborhood faces new challenges: “‘ Like a dead body’: after warehouse fire, LA residents say air thick with smell of rotting food ” LA Podcast founder Hayes Davenport reports for L.A. Material on a similar fire from the same company that burned for 63 days in Washington Karen Bass’s response has been heavily criticized. She was out of town (again), didn’t hold a press conference until Friday, and didn’t declare an emergency response until Saturday. Then she said the air was “ not dangerous ” and “ There is not anything you need to do to protect yourself. You do not even need to wear a mask ” but later walked back those comments Boyle Heights residents are reporting dizziness, eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and chest pain , the Boyle Heights Beat reports. “Smoke has seeped into their homes. It’s all over their clothes and couches. Air purifiers are in high demand. Meanwhile, a particle pollution advisory continues to be extended day after day.” Watch the AQI change throughout the region as winds shift Calls for accountability came from City Controller Kenneth Mejia and candidate for city attorney Marissa Roy Meanwhile the East LA oil spill last month a few miles away was actually 25,000 not 2,400 gallons ? What?!? What better time to end oil extraction in LA City? The Stand LA coalition celebrates the first step towards victory after a similar 2022 ordinance was challenged by oil companies. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky made a great video showing how pervasive oil drilling still is in LA LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho resigned after being put on paid leave during a federal investigation related to the company AllHere, which made an AI chatbot product LAUSD used. Further reporting by the LA Times revealed potential ethics violations related to gifts and trips paid for by AllHere that Carvalho failed to disclose on his Form 700 LA Podcast listeners remember a previous Form 700 discussion due to a Vegas trip attended by Councilmember John “City Staffer B” Lee who failed to disclose gifts and was fined by the ethics commission — and is now suing the city and taxpayers are paying for it! Meanwhile sweeping screen time reforms are passed by the LAUSD board which would dramatically limit how much younger students in particular spend on computers, prioritizing teacher-led instruction, and blocking some platforms like YouTube This is a huge victory for the Schools Beyond Screens advocates , who also advocated for the dismissal of Carvalho Longtime administrator Andres Chait is now LAUSD superintendent and promises to bring stability to the district Bass commented to Conan Nolan that a deal was being made in Sacramento that would stop a threatened attack on all transfer taxes if legislative reforms were made to cap them. As it turns, the anti-transfer tax measure coalition collapsed due to the intransigence of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association The final deal made by the legislature removes the anti-transfer tax measure from the ballot, so ULA won’t be affected. The entire process ended up reaffirming Prop 13 and became a huge win for Jarvis There are going to be so many state ballot measures and the ULA measure on the city ballot is still to come And due to Prop 218, also passed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, LA property owners need to vote to raise their streetlight assessments that hadn’t been raised since 1996 — and 80% of the weighted vote said no way , creating yet another huge infrastructural crisis for the city Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram Loraine Lundquist is chair of LA Forward’s board, an astrophysicist, and a sustainability policy expert who earned 49.4% of the vote as a candidate for LA City Council

Scott, Alissa, and Mike look back at the first week of the World Cup as LA hosts its first of many major events. SoFi’s stadium workers won an unprecedented labor contract and a huge fire in Boyle Heights continues to burn. Then: what charter reforms are going to the ballot, and what decisions — like council expansion — are being punted back for more “study.” Alissa wrote about the opening weekend of the World Cup and how the city is doing one week later . She also has a daily guide to activities happening around LA So far the World Cup seems to be going pretty well in LA One watch party at Seoul International Park in Koreatown with a huge turnout became very overcrowded and families had to leave because it felt unsafe Metro shuttles to the games — only $1.75! — are seeing surging ridership, with CEO Stephanie Wiggins writing regular updates Unite Here’s SoFi workers voted to authorize a strike a week before the first game, then negotiated for an unprecedented contract — allowing them to strike whenever they feel they are threatened by ICE. As Mike notes, this strategy of using deadline leverage instead of normal bargaining paid off and this now becomes the template for negotiating with LA28 By the way, many local labor contracts are set to expire May 1, 2028 There hasn’t been any ICE spotted around the stadium but ICE raids regionally have not stopped We also don’t know how much this is costing us. The deal LA made with FIFA has not been made public — here’s an explanation for why — but other host city contracts don’t look great Meanwhile DEA agents are conducting sweeps in MacArthur Park , which is also hosting watch parties, and Karen Bass says she’s directing LAPD to support them LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman made a video saying MacArthur Park would be ready for picnics by Labor Day while Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez made her own video saying don’t wait until Labor Day A huge Boyle Heights cold storage warehouse fire forced local residents to shelter in place and is making air quality terrible as it continues to flare up . Since we recorded, Bass finally held a press conference and declared an emergency . Boyle Heights Bea t has the best updates Listen to Mike summarize the conclusion of the charter reform process on KCRW ’s Press Play LAist ’s Frank Stolze explains what’s going to the ballot in November , including noncitizen voting and police reform Big changes to the way LA builds things are coming with a Capital Infrastructure Program and ability to budget 5 years in advance, which would prevent us from having to give back money to Caltrans because we can’t build bike lanes A huge win for parks, which will double their charter allocation to 0.06%. Alissa wrote about why that’s good but still nearly not enough money for what our parks actually need And altering a tiny clause , 104(g), would change how LA does public-private partnerships, which could help save LA’s beleaguered zoo Council has instructed the City Attorney to draft a ballot measure to amend ULA, most notably an exemption from the transfer tax for multifamily buildings sold within 10 years of construction . The Yaroslavsky/McOsker proposal is more narrowly tailored than what CM Raman pitched in January but broader than the legislative tweaks pushed by CM Jurado’s ad hoc committee. Council will make a final decision on whether to put it on the ballot in the coming weeks. Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman says we’re not getting more reform because Bass slow-walked the process — and she’s not wrong! Veteran journalist Robert Greene offers an incredibly thoughtful explanation of why LA doesn’t have a weak mayor system but doesn’t really have a strong mayor system either Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Scott Frazier is an original co-host of LA Podcast Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky

Mike, Godfrey, and guest co-host Jasmyne Cannick discuss the promise and perils of the LA mayoral runoff between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. Plus, the fake controversy over California’s ballot counting process, and LA’s City Council is poised to ditch years of effort to reform the city’s charter. How bad will the mayoral runoff be? The LA Times reports on a likely “knife fight ” between now and November 3. Jasmyne writes that the “ Democratic group chat is about to get messy ” Bass kicked off her general election campaign with a broadside at Raman , indicating she intends to hit Raman on police hiring and homeless encampments . Raman, meanwhile, held a press conference , outlining her vision and appealing to the frustrations of supporters of Spencer Pratt Pratt, who promised to leave LA if he lost the mayor’s race, has apparently changed his mind. Friday afternoon he dropped a 3-minute video attacking Bass and Raman in his typical over-the-top fashion, and claiming he has a private recording of one of them making remarks that will force them to resign in disgrace Mike, on his most recent episode of What’s Next, Los Angeles , talked about the way the candidates are framing the race , and what that could mean for their governing coalitions and their agenda in office The data analysts have been crunching numbers and creating all sorts of reports on how subsections of the electorate broke in the June primary. Raman carried renters , according to Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc. Bass dominated in Latino neighborhoods , according to the Los Angeles Times. The New York Times published an updated map of the city, showing which candidates prevailed in which neighborhoods If you want to go deep on the data, Mitchell has launched a fascinating experimental website that combines LA County 2026 primary election results with voter-file data to provide detailed analysis of nearly every race, including precinct maps, demographic correlations, ecological inference modeling, and candidate-to-candidate voting pattern comparisons. Mitchell also offers a quick look at which mayoral and gubernatorial candidates came in first and second in each LA City Council district Nationally, the pace of the vote count in California has spawned a bevy of conspiracies, voiced by Donald Trump and other administration figures — although disputed by GOP gubernatorial finalist Steve Hilton . The Atlantic has a good deep dive on the substance of the issue The conservative attacks have spawned sadly predictable hand-wringing in places like the New York Times editorial board. Yousef Baig, the CalMatters opinion editor, responded to the editorial on Bluesky : “Red states are aggressively disenfranchising Black and brown voters for the third consecutive century, but sure let’s call for federal reforms because California is too slow” This is the week the LA City Council must decide which charter reform proposals to put before the voters in November. At the moment, the body seems poised to defer most items, saying recommendations from the Charter Reform Commission need more study. Liz Chou in her daily Squawk Box newsletter, gets into it here and here Happy LGBTQ+ Pride! The two documentaries Mike mentions in this week’s show are The Life & Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2003) LA Forward is hosting an election debrief on Zoom 7 p.m. Tuesday, with special guests Marissa Roy and Estuardo Mazariegos. RSVP here If you plan on watching or celebrating the World Cup events in Los Angeles, the best resource available is Alissa’s guide to the World Cup , who also wrote about how this is LA’s chance to live out in public This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at Substack , or @mikebonin on IG, and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram Jasmyne Cannick is a political consultant and journalist. You can find her on on Substack at or Instagram at @hellojasmyne

Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Marco Santana recap the election results from a wild primary season. Who are the winners and losers? How did progressive incumbents and challengers fare? And the mayoral race numbers seem to show that Angelenos will never have to think about Spencer Pratt again. After we recorded, Nithya Raman surged ahead of Spencer Pratt and appears set to hold her #2 spot to make the runoff with LA Mayor Karen Bass. Decision Desk has already called the race Mike rejects the framing that mainstream Democrats “survived” the election When MAGA loses they say everyone else is “ cheating ,” but that’s not the case. California makes it very easy to vote and counts every ballot — and that takes time You can view LA County’s election results , new ballot drops are added every day from 4 to 5 p.m., but the absolute best way to track what’s happening in the mayoral race is to use Scott’s spreadsheet The biggest winner of this election cycle was Kenneth Mejia, dancing on election night “ feeling like 10 million bucks ,” a reference to his opponent’s mom spending $10 million — 10! MILLION! — dollars in a failed attempt to defeat him Hydee Feldstein Soto is also out, the first incumbent LA city attorney to lose in 100 years . Marissa Roy and John McKinney will advance The New York Times election tracker is the best place to track state elections with more coverage at CalMatters In the governor race , Xavier Becerra moved to first and will advance to the runoff . Tom Steyer has a very small and dwindling chance of bumping Republican Steve Hilton out of the second spot For insurance commissioner , progressive Jane Kim has a decisive lead over Ben Allen who is still wrestling for a runoff spot with Republican Stacy Korsgaden U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez’s re-election campaign received an election day bombshell as the House ethics committee opened an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He’s headed to the runoff with Justice Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres Pratt told CNN’s Elex Michaelson he would win outright with 50 percent (HAHAHA) And MS Now’s Jacob Soboroff offered a very clear-eyed assessment of Pratt’s poisonous populism and connection to Trump Alissa is honestly very mad that Pratt was boosted so much by elected officials who took him and his conspiracies so seriously Bass gave a triumphant speech on election night where she rallied supporters Raman was moved to tears when talking about building a city for her kids (which right-wingers claimed was a teary concession speech) Monica Rodriguez gave an absolutely brutal interview where she called Raman’s run “disgusting” (remember we told you Rodriguez was toying with a mayoral run ) Monterey Park voted overwhelmingly to ban data centers , the first U.S. city to pass an outright ban Last month, Rachel came in second in the D Line Dash , the subway/car/bike race from Beverly Hills to Pershing Square. Here’s Rachel’s journey as the driver. The transit rider came in first, of course, and the cyclist came in a very close third Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Charlotte Landes The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Marco Santana brings over a decade of leadership to the LA homelessness services sector and is a former candidate and active leader within local Democratic party politics. He’s at @Marco4LA on Instagram

Mike, David, and Liz weigh the progressive divide in the last days of the mayor’s race, the latest polls which show a Karen Bass-Nithya Raman-Spencer Pratt dead heat, and the AI-assisted rise of Pratt. Plus, some reforms are on the way for Measure ULA and voters are being asked to tax themselves with Measure ER to stop catastrophic cuts to the County's healthcare system. In the final days of the mayoral primary, a new LA Times poll shows a tight three-way race between Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman, and Spencer Pratt. Meanwhile, the CA Post poll shows Pratt in the lead Many lefty voters are wrestling up to the last minute with a decision over voting for Raman or Haung. Huang has been sharply critical of Raman and publicly rebuffed overtures from the Raman camp Meanwhile, Liz’s reporting shows that Huang’s claims to have qualified for public matching funds were not accurate , leading some voters to feel they were misled about her viability Just days ago, Knock LA revised its lefty voter guide , going from a Huang-only rec to a dual rec for Raman and Huang Mike wrote about how Pratt’s mastery of public storytelling is resonating beyond Republicans. Pratt’s candidacy has also drawn sharp commentary from Jimmy Kimmel , and has some wondering if TMZ is now becoming a force in political journalism The weekend featured a bevy of stories analyzing the race. The LA Times looks at the fraying of the establishment Democratic coalition Tom Bradley forged. The Guardian meanwhile, framed the state’s races as the “ most turbulent election in years ” CalMatters reports that big money is pouring into the governor’s race . One of the biggest issues recently has been Chevron’s spending on behalf of frontrunner Xavier Becerra After months of Democrats worrying they might get shut out of the gubernatorial runoff, there is a slim chance it could be a Democrat vs Democrat race after all On Friday, an ad hoc council committee chaired by CM Jurado recommended that the City directly enact legislative reforms to Measure ULA and refrain from placing a major overhaul on the November ballot. The rec drew cheers from ULA supporters and jeers from groups who want sweeping changes to ULA This comes as California voters will be asked this fall to repeal ULA entirely, as part of a Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association prop that would sharply curtail the ability of cities to raise revenue and roll back local taxes across the state. Voters will also have a chance to thwart the Jarvis measure thanks to ACA 13, which would require any ballot measure that raises the voter threshold to also meet that threshold itself. So the Jarvis measure would need to garner two-thirds of the vote statewide in order to impose a new two-thirds vote requirement for local tax increases For months, the ULA debate has been shaped by the April 2025 Ward-Phillips report, “Taxing Tomorrow,” which warned that ULA was suppressing production of multifamily housing. ULA supporters say that report has been debunked by a re-analysis of the exact data underlying the April 2025 report, demonstrating that Ward’s quantitative analysis merely showed a decrease in the average size of LA City multifamily housing projects, not a decrease in total units. RAND’s Jason Ward hit back with a new study last week A really important issue on the ballot for LA County voters is whether to temporarily increase the sales tax to raise money for healthcare programs, backfilling federal cuts. LAist has the most thorough explainer , covering how the measure is structured, the political dynamics, and what the revenue would fund Are you doing some last-minute cramming to decide how to vote? LA Forward has got you covered. At 6 p.m. Monday, June 1, Election Eve, there’s an cram session on zoom . (BYOB: bring your own ballot.) And of course you can check out the LA Forward’s Voter Guide , which covers nearly everything on the ballot This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on IG and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky David Levitus is the founder and executive director of LA Forward. He’s doing his best to stay off social media Liz Chou reports, writes and edits The LA Reporter , which now has a weekday email newsletter called the Squawk Box . You can follow her on X , Bluesky , or IG

Alissa, Godfrey, and guest co-host Loraine Lundquist track local wildfires, an oil spill, and a leaking tank of methyl methacrylate in Garden Grove. LA Mayor Karen Bass fires her heat officer and other climate champions flee the administration. Then: LA’s Capital Infrastructure Program has finally been launched! How it would transform the city budget process, which just concluded. LA Podcast is seeking a part-time Digital Producer! Work with our small but mighty team on show notes, social media, and other digital assets for our weekly local news roundup. Go here for the full description and interest form Several fires continue to burn in Southern California, wreaking havoc on air quality The Sandy Fire may have been caused by a tractor doing brush clearance ; the Santa Rosa Island Fire was started when a shipwrecked sailor set off an emergency flare Although the Sandy Fire is close to the Santa Susana Nation Laboratory, the site does not pose a threat . In fact, the Woolsey Fire, which literally started on the campus, burned about 80 percent of the site already, and out of 360 samples taken three weeks after the fire, only 3% showed high activities of radioactive isotopes Meanwhile, about 40,000 people were evacuated in Garden Grove due to a leak in a 7,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate, the chemical used to make plexiglass, that could potentially explode at the GKN Aerospace facility. The evacuation zone is so large because they don’t know which way the wind will blow the gas And a crude oil pipeline was severed in East LA by utility crews, spewing 2,500 gallons of oil into the LA River Sammy Roth broke the news that LA Mayor Karen Bass fired her heat officer , Marta Segura. This — and the departure of other environmental leaders — is calling this administration’s climate commitment into question, as the mayor releases an unambitious climate plan LA’s rankings in the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore report has dropped to 93 out of 100 , much to Alissa’s dismay Different ballots are also due June 2 — for property owners to raise the streetlight assessments that haven’t been increased since the 1990s Both these problems would be addressed if LA had a Capital Infrastructure Program (CIP) allowing the city to budget for improvements, service, and maintenance five years at a time, instead of just one — and the CIP was finally released ! Alissa writes about the CIP , why it’s just focused on Olympics related projects for now, and how these basic changes could help restore infrastructural trust in the city There are ten proposed recommendations for the CIP, many of which would need to be made through charter reform. The CIP would also help resolve a lot of the issues with LA’s budget, which was just approved this week One of those reforms is naming a public works director, Investing in Place’s Jessica Meaney tells Steve Lopez at the Los Angeles Times : “If the city gets this right, she said, implementation of the infrastructure plan “could finally show Angelenos the true scale of deferred maintenance, make trade-offs visible, and create a road map for better sidewalks, streets, parks, and accessibility’” The ballot measure to repeal the business tax was also abandoned after the council approved a shameful deal to delay the Olympic wage for up to 18 months , which Bass said at a Politico event Wednesday she personally stepped in to help negotiate If you’re listening to this Monday, join LA Forward Institute in Grand Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for food, music, and cheering on the Amazing Vote Center Race. Tuesday there’s a ballot party in Highland Park and Thursday there’s a ballot party in the West Valley (hosted by Loraine!). And here’s LA Forward’s voter guide Subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear interviews with candidates all over LA County Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram Loraine Lundquist is chair of LA Forward’s board, an astrophysicist, and a sustainability policy expert who earned 49.4% of the vote as a candidate for LA City Council

Scott, Alissa, and Mike recount yet another attempt by LA’s City Council to undermine the Olympic Wage and why a corresponding ballot measure to repeal the city’s business tax is like playing Russian Roulette. Then, new LA mayoral race polls show Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt in a tight race for second place, and what Mike would have asked in the final, now-cancelled debate. And: was the former mayor of Arcadia a spy for the People’s Republic of China? LA Podcast is seeking a part-time Digital Producer to work with our small but mighty team on show notes, social media, and other digital assets for our weekly local news roundup podcast. We’re looking for someone with about 5 hours a week to spare, and we estimate that most of the work will fall on Fridays, but some weekend availability is key. Go here for the full description and interest form Los Angeles Times : “In a 9-6 vote, the council gave initial approval of an ordinance to postpone implementation of the $30 hourly minimum until 2030, instead of 2028. But L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who introduced the motion, called it “a placeholder” that allows negotiations among city officials, hotel and airport businesses and labor unions to continue in the coming days. Another vote would be needed to formally delay implementation” LAist : " I would expect my councilmember to stand up for working Angelenos, not help giant companies take money out of our pockets," said Jordan Long, a bartender at LAX who said he lives in Harris-Dawson's district. " Do not be fooled by corporate threats against the city budget” The proposal was paired on the agenda with a ballot measure to repeal the city’s Business Gross Receipts Tax , which workers are calling a “shakedown” from the hotel and airline industry — as of now, this would go to the November ballot The city would see a “sudden, permanent loss of $860 million on average in annual revenue starting in 2027-28 would coincide exactly with the final, most intensive preparation phase for the 2028 Games,” according to this fiscal report from the City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo What Mike would have asked in the mayoral debate that was canceled after Bass and Raman backed out New Emerson College polling in the mayoral race: “30% support incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, 22% support television personality Spencer Pratt, 19% support City Councilmember Nithya Raman, 7% support tech entrepreneur Adam Miller, and 4% support Rae Huang” LA Forward’s mayoral entry for its voter guide was revised after the newest polls to recommend Raman Candidates are paying influencers to post content for them, including gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer Pratt has reportedly inked a reality show if he wins . Are we already living in a reality show? Arcadia residents wonder if former mayor Elieen Wang was a foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China LA Times : “The scandal had mostly quieted — until Monday, on the eve of President Trump’s planned trip to Beijing, when a plea deal was unsealed revealing Wang’s own murky role as an agent for China” Here’s the unsealed plea deal from the U.S. Attorney’s Office The situation was pretty clear back in December 2024 when Mike Sun, her former fiance who seemed to be orchestrating this deal, was also indicted. He was sentenced in February Have you ever wanted to compete in a big scavenger hunt, kind of like the Amazing Race, but with a get out the vote twist? Register by Wednesday, May 22 to enter a team of 3 to 5 people in LA Forward Institute’s Amazing Vote Center Race for a chance to win a $500 Hollywood Bowl package. This week’s episode was produced by Charlotte Landis The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Scott Frazier is an original co-host of LA Podcast Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky

Metro’s D line extension is finally open! Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and David discuss the many ways a longer Wilshire subway can be a game-changer for LA. Then: more dark and dirty money is flooding into local races as ballots hit mailboxes. Plus, a recap of recent mayoral debates — and why you won’t see Mayor Karen Bass on the debate stage anymore. “ Why it took 65 years for LA to build its most important rail line ” The Guardian : “Riding the D in Los Angeles: city famous for traffic hopes new subway stations will be a ‘game changer’” Even the New Yorker wrote a story about LA’s new subway Read Alissa’s story about the opening of the D line extension and also read her story about the release of LA’s Capital Infrastructure Program , another highlight from the week (more on that soon) Unrig LA highlights a new dark money network named American Middle Ground that’s sending out mailers in CD 1 and CD 11 LA Times : “Neighbors First has sent mail pieces boosting more moderate City Council candidates and criticizing those backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, which pursues leftist policies. Because it is a 501(c)(4) charitable organization, Neighbors First doesn’t have to say who paid for those messages” Listen to our previous episode where we discussed dark money and read Mike’s piece that lays out the strategies from these groups Incumbent City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto is quickly losing support Airbnb just gave $1.5 million to an IE backing John McKinney for LA City Attorney and the Los Angeles Police Protective League gave $20,000 to the same IE a couple days ago, sponsored by Central City Association Controller candidate Zach Sokoloff’s mother, who we talked about previously , has now put $4 million in an IE to defeat his opponent Kenneth Mejia Watch the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association debate , which was really just Bass and Raman talking policy The vibes were very different at the NBC LA debate featuring Bass, Raman, and Spencer Pratt “In fairness to Raman, the moderators’ uneven application of the rules gave the impression everyone was against her,” writes Orange County Registe r reporter Rafael Perez in his analysis “moderators flail as Pratt bullies and Bass deflects” The LA Times ’ Gustavo Arellano said both Pratt and Bass won the debate After signing an agreement with the Pat Brown Institute, Bass is pulling out of this week’s debate organized by the Pat Brown Institute, the League of Women Voters, and Fox 11, claiming she has to go to Sacramento Did the California Post write the best story about Bass refusing further debates? Voter guides discussed included Thrive (don’t use this one), DSA LA , Knock LA , and of course, the one just out from LA Forward Subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear even more interviews with candidates all over LA County This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the Deputy Director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram David Levitus is the Executive Director of LA Forward and is trying hard to stay off social media

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie talk about yet another new ICE detention center that’s opened in a former private prison in the Central Valley. How a new citywide adaptive reuse ordinance could convert vacant buildings into housing. Then, UCLA’s Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index dips to an all-time low. How bad are the vibes? CalMatters : “ ICE quietly opens another detention center in a former California prison ” The opening is part of a larger push by the regime and ICE to acquire more than 20 warehouses to be converted to concentration camps, according to a new ACLU report , which also notes that at least 17 people have died in ICE custody this year In March, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez honored Alberto Gutierrez Reyes, “a Westlake resident, husband, and father,” who died in ICE custody after being denied medical care at a facility in Adelanto Rachel would like to remind everyone that California’s new concentration camp is about a three-hour, 200-mile drive from Manzanar, one of ten camps that were used to incarcerate our Japanese-American neighbors not even 100 years ago LA Times : “ Thousands of apartments set to take over empty office buildings with new L.A. ordinance ” “Changes to the original 1999 ordinance — which was created to incentivize the conversion of underutilized buildings into multifamily housing — include a substantial expansion of eligibility both in a building’s age and location as well as the removal of minimum unit size requirements for these projects,” reports the Los Angeles Business Journal Mayor Karen Bass visited downtown’s World Trade Center building , which is set to be converted into 500 housing units Bass also instituted Executive Directive 19 which streamlines some development On AirTalk this week, Bass told Larry Mantle : “If you want me to describe the culture of the city, I would describe it as 'slow' and 'no'" “Misery and malaise cloud LA Why it feels so hopeless this time,” is the title of Shelby Grad’s piece at the LA Times The vibes were also noted in a recent LA Material newsletter quoting No Bad Days responding to Blackbird Spyplane The Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index is measured every year by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy, and this year, the index was the lowest ever measured Subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear interviews with candidates all over LA County Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Rachel Reyes is an LA native and community organizer. Follow her advocacy and antics at @rchrys on Instagram Sophie Bridges is a writer and audio producer , who produces LA Podcast. Her work has appeared on This American Life , Radiolab , and Reveal

Alissa joins Mike and Godfrey to decipher LA’s new budget, Karen Bass’s second (or third?) State of the City, and which departments are getting more money this year. Then, how a plan to help Airbnb snuck into the budget, and fundraising updates for candidates as ballots for the June 2 election arrive later this week. Here are all LA’s budget documents and the press conference where Mayor Karen Bass presented her budget to the people, not to be confused with her 7-minute State of the City shared only on video We highly recommend using Controller Kenneth Mejia’s awesome budget app to understand it all. And he also has a new campaign billboard highlighting the city’s problem with liabilities (guess which department’s mistakes are costing you the most!) A new climate budget was included, as part of the mayor’s new climate action plan , released earlier this month “ A Passage Buried in L.A.’s Budget Hints at an Unusual Airbnb Gambit ,” writes LA Material ’s Julia Wick And Aaron Schrank also reports at LAist : “ Airbnb claims proposal included in mayor’s budget will bring tax revenue to LA ahead of Olympics ” Remember the “ Save Our Services ” campaign that Airbnb was trying to roll out last year? Yep, now it’s basically part of the mayor’s budget recommendations “Los Angeles doesn’t need new loopholes for the STR industry. It needs enforcement of the laws already on the books,” says Better Neighbors LA, which estimates that enforcing just 5% of illegal short-term rentals would add add $42 million to this year’s budget Featured in the LA Times On The Record newsletter, City Attorney’s Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s presence at the anti-LGBT “HopeFest” festival was originally reported by LA Ten Four and Left Coast Right Watch . Feldstein-Soto has yet to denounce the event LAist : “ $19M and counting in LA races. Campaigns for LA mayor and city attorney lead the fundraising ” Here’s the dashboard for all the campaign finance information for LA City candidates If you’re listening on Monday, LA Forward’s Charter Reform Advocacy Launch is happening Monday night, 4/27, at 7 p.m. on Zoom Subscribe to Mike’s podcast What’s Next, Los Angeles to hear interviews with candidates all over LA County Support LA Podcast by becoming a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la . This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Godfrey Plata is the deputy director of LA Forward and is @godfreyplata on Instagram

Alissa, Mike, and Rachel on the 2 a.m. union deal that prevented an LAUSD strike. A major hack of sensitive LAPD information causes City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto to lose her police endorsement. Mad about pricey LA28 tickets? So are LA’s councilmembers. Then: how a whisper network of accusers ousted Eric Swalwell from the governor’s race — and Congress. LAist : “ A late-night labor deal averts LAUSD strike and keeps schools open. Here are the details ” “The mayor’s role was a mixture of shuttle diplomacy, jumping from room to room, and convening senior leaders together into the wee hours”: LA Material reports on how Mayor Karen Bass helped close the deal during negotiations Some LAUSD board members apologized to parents for waiting so long to share information about the school day How will the district pay for it? Especially with declining enrollment ? LAUSD doesn’t actually know A trove of “337,000 files, including some of the LAPD’s most closely guarded records” were leaked in a major data hack of a third-party file system used to store documents regarding LAPD litigation Reporter Liz Chou was the first to get a statement about the hack from the city attorney’s office, which initially tried to downplay the magnitude The Los Angeles Police Protective League then rescinded its endorsement of City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a motion to get more answers about the hack and what city systems were affected Alissa covered a similar Metro hack and how it impacted riders last month Ten photos of City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson listening to the City Clerk read a list of lawsuit settlement payouts into the record for council approval, totaling $5,735,650.72 LA28 has an estimated $4 billion in contracts that it’s trying to award to local businesses. But what “local” means is riling up councilmembers, who want the definition to include more city of LA businesses Are expensive LA28 tickets the only way the city can break even? Good analysis from California state budget advisor Jason Sisney LA28’s human rights strategy is finally public but anti-trafficking advocates say it just pays “lip service” to prevention Alissa has more details about all the recent LA28 encounters with city officials in her Torched news roundup San Francisco Chronicle : “ Ex-staffer says Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, sexually assaulted her Politico : “ The whisper network that caught up to Eric Swalwell ” Mike’s interviews at What’s Next, Los Angeles include gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, Raymond Meza, chair of the LA City Charter Reform Commission, and LA mayoral candidates Nithya Raman, Rae Huang, and Adam Miller Alissa and Rachel will be appearing at Torched LA Live at frank.radio on Thursday night — all details here , plus a week’s worth of events celebrating Torched’s 2nd birthday, including a screening of the documentary Changing Lanes on April 20 in Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis LA Forward’s Spring Into Action fundraiser is April 25, honoring Dr. Loraine Lundquist, EAA Union, and Cofax This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched , tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky Mike Bonin is the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CalState LA, and can be found at @mikebonin on Instagram and @mikebonin.bsky.social on Bluesky Rachel Reyes is an LA native and community organizer. Follow her advocacy and antics at @rchrys on Instagram