In the News
Sports Politics: Time for an MMA Fighters’ Association?
BUTCHER ON LA-Last week I was honored to sit in with the founder of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA) and two MMA fighters at a meeting with my congressman’s district staff. I won’t use the fighters’ names because at my c…
Ed Boks is Out of a Job … Again
THE GUSS REPORT-Government officials, including Mayors of Los Angeles, hate firing executives who they hired because it shows they exercise…
Alert! LA Planning’s Repeal of Second Dwelling Standards Threatens your Single-Family Neighborhood
ZONING ASSAULT-Anyone concerned about the Los Angeles City Planning Department’s proposed repeal of the City’s current protective second dw…
A First for Latinos: Ortiz to Head California Community Colleges
LATINO PERPSECTIVE--Long Beach Community College District head Eloy Ortiz Oakley will take over as chancellor for California’s 2.1 million-…
The City of Kindness: The Curious Case of Anaheim, CA
Inspired by the Dalai Lama, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait (photo above) created the “City of Kindness” initiative. The goal is as simple as the in…
Slipping CalPERS Returns Could Diminish Your LA City Services
PERSPECTIVE-The Los Angeles Times reported that CALPERS incurred its worst rate of return since 2009.
One year does not make or break the…
On the Brink of Folly: Will City Council Unwittingly Upzone LA’s Single-Family Neighborhoods?
SECOND UNIT ALERT!--The City Council is poised to adopt an ordinance that would instantly double the potential density of every single-fami…
Middleclass Can No Longer Afford Boyle Heights
KPCC SHORT LIST-Boyle Heights artist Lilia Ramirez is looking for a new place to live. The house she's rented for the past 8 years has been…
Lies and Mansionizers: Spinning Some Wild Yarns about LA’s Housing Crisis
PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Sometimes it is necessary to be as frank as possible to communicate a point, and this is such a time. It is hard to fi…
LA Planning’s Secret Destruction Policy: First Marilyn Monroe, Now Walt Disney
THE CITY-The desecration of Los Angeles’ history steps it up a notch. Apparently, it’s now Walt Disney who no longer merits consideration. …
Green State, Golden State: Inside the Fight to Save Cap-and-Trade
CAP & MAIN REPORT--For Sacramento, July is traditionally the calm before the storm — when state lawmakers and lobbyists desert the capi…
Developers, Listen Up! Here are 5 Great Ways to Convince Us We Need More Overdevelopment and Taxes
TRANSPORTATION POLITICS--Silly me! To think that my desire to have more transportation options, create more affordable and family-friendly…
City Hall for Sale: Casden West LA Mega-Project Spent $1.3 Million to Win Favors from LA Politicians
VOX POP … VOICE OF THE PEOPLE--Since 2000, billionaire developer Alan Casden and his representatives have spent a whopping $1,396,660 to cu…
CalPERS … Private Equity … and the Quest to Be Governor
EASTSIDER-My ears always perk up when I hear CalPERS and private equity mentioned in the same breath. Our story starts a couple of years ag…
Build Better LA Takes Some Heat from … Surprise … Unions
HERE’S WHAT I KNOW--Affordable housing is a big issue in LA. November’s jam-packed ballot will include an affordable housing measure, Build…
A Better Way to Fund Homeless Housing: Future City Revenues, Not a New Tax
GUEST WORDS--When looking at the City of Los Angeles’ proposed $1.2 billion bond for homeless housing, residents should look past the obvio…
The Republicans Should Avoid Talking about Global Warming
GELFAND’S WORLD--Think of it as a much bigger, real-life version of the movie Jaws. The town sheriff and the nerdy biologist want to warn t…
The Deterrence Myth: Prop 66 Death Penalty ‘Reform’ is just ‘Fools Gold’ for Californians
DEATH PENALTY POLITICS--When Mike Ramos, the current district attorney for San Bernardino County (and candidate for California Attorney Gen…
Residents On Edge: Will ‘Hollywood Project’ Overwhelm Larchmont?
VOX POP … VOICE OF THE PEOPLE--With a slick website and considerable political clout, Paramount Pictures has been pushing a $700-million pl…
LA Pulse … Vote Now: Should Education at Cal State Universities be Free?
CITYWATCH ACTION POLL--“I think we should be working toward free tuition. That may sound pretty radical, but that was in the original inten…
