BCK FILE--During the first few months of Eric Garcetti’s second term last year, the mayor had spent an average of one in three days outside the state and the country.

NEW YORKER--Sitting in a stuffy, overpacked hall at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, watching Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump give a joint press conference after their meeting today, I was shocked but not surprised.

LA WATCHDOG--Beginning on Friday, July 5, many Angelenos were without power for 72 hours because of the record demand for power during the unprecedented “heat storm” that overwhelmed the Power System’s outdated infrastructure. 

CAL MATTERS-Asked this spring to identify the most important issue facing California lawmakers, the leader of the state Senate didn’t hesitate: wildfires. 

AT LENGTH-When I heard the news that Councilman Joe Buscaino had gotten a large portion of downtown San Pedro designated as “Little Italy” it was like — “Say what?”

GUEST COMMENTARY--Many residents in the 13th Council District were affected by a loss of power in last week’s extreme heatwave coupled with inadequate communication from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).

@THE GUSS REPORT-The devil is in the details at the new era Los Angeles / El Segundo Times, as it stumbles to prove it has a journalistic pulse.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Aside from the fact that The Donald is upset with virtually everyone in the world except Vlady, why is he so mad at the courts?  

NEW YORKER--The latest indictment produced by the special counsel Robert Mueller is a brisk read.

ANIMAL WATCH-On July 10, the Los Angeles Animal Services Commission heard an appeal by Frank and Laurel Pavone, who adopted a Pit Bull from Best Friends Animal Society and four months later it killed a neighbor’s 9-year-old Chihuahua.

HUFF POST--Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday did not deny that the Russian government may have “compromising material” about President Donald Trump and his family.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--This should be the summer when the population of California finally surpasses 40 million. 

EXCLUSIVE TO CITYWATCH—-DEEGAN ON LA--A very controversial development project that would have sent housing units twenty-six stories into the sky in the Fairfax neighborhood was grounded today

YOUR EXCELLENCY--As an American, I believe I can speak for a great many of us who were appalled, embarrassed, and humiliated by the recent behavior exhibited by our so-called leader. 

TALKING THE TALK-Guys sometimes ask me for relationship advice.