WHO’S PULLING THE STRINGS?-As founder and executive director of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, Damien Goodmon spent years organizing his community in support of adding a Leimert Park stop along the planned Crenshaw-LAX light rail line in Los Angeles, scheduled to open in 2019.

WORKING TOGETHER WORKS-“I love when people that have been through hell walk out of the flames carrying buckets of water for those still consumed by the fire.” ~ Stephanie Sparkle 

EASTSIDER-It should come as no surprise that both political parties are total control freaks over their declining percentage of voters. I argue that real, small ‘d’ democracy works just fine, and the Dems should let it be. 

BCK FILE--On Wednesday of last week, we learned fashion designer Kate Spade had hanged herself in her New York apartment. Just two days later, celebrity chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain (photo above) had ended his life in a Strasbourg hotel. 

PERSPECTIVE--There once was a time in America when people of means weren’t keen on the idea of living right next to a rail station. Real estate developers, as a general matter, didn’t throw lots of capital into these communities, many of which quite literally defined the proverbial “other side of the tracks.” 

ALPERN AT LARGE--There is an undeniable affordable housing crisis in the state of California, and it is NOT merely supply and demand forces that have caused it. 

CAL MATTERS--Ballots are still being counted, but last week’s election is already offering good news for Democrats hoping to take back the House of Representatives in November.

EDUCATION POLITICS-With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. It’s a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if you’re a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes.

CORRUPTION WATCH-The Commission on Judicial Performance finds nothing amiss with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Wilson Alarcon. Looking at his ratings from The Robing Room, we see why the Federal Court blames California for having an epidemic of misconduct. Alarcon may be bad, but he is not the worst. 

DTLA SKID ROW-The culmination of recent presentations and reports have led to an eye-opening glimpse into the collective mindset of the City of Los Angeles and how it plans to “attack” the widespread, out-of-control existence of homelessness across the city. 

OTHERWORDS--The U.S. postal system has 30,000 outlets serving every part of America. It employs 630,000 people in good middle-class jobs. And it proudly delivers letters and packages clear across the country for a pittance.

HYPOCRITE IN CHIEF-Were it not for the source, it would hardly be news to learn that the United States can’t take care of its most needy -- that it may be the richest country, but it is also increasingly, appallingly, unequal in how its wealth and opportunities are shared.