LOS ANGELES

THE CITY-For nearly a decade, Heather Holt (photo above) had been in charge of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, which serves as a watchdog over LA’s politicians, lobbyists, and others.

VIEW FROM HERE-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote in 1913, “If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”

RECALL ELECTION-California voters will decide on Sept. 14 whether to throw Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office, making him the second governor in state history — and just the fourth nationwide — to face a recall.  

VIEW FROM HERE-The California judiciary has become a criminal enterprise and has caused grievous harm to individuals and to society.

CAPITAL & MAIN-The last two decades have seen the downsizing or demise of countless American print media outlets, leaving many of us resigned at reports of the latest corporate consolidation or private equity takeover of a beloved publication.  

LOCAL GOVERNMENT-Above is a map of Los Angeles County with the dates of the Los Angeles County Redistricting Committee meetings by area.

THE CITY-The most interesting and provocative conversations happen around a shared table. On June 29, 2021, YouTube premiered a video entitled, A Star-Studded Dinner | Recipe For Change. 

GELFAND'S WORLD-I find myself disagreeing with the strongly liberal website Daily Kos over its right to avoid obeying a subpoena.

EASTSIDER-The more I try to look into the insides of the NoHo to Pasadena BRT Project, the weirder things get. 

ALPERN AT LARGE-We just had another Independence Day -- and yet the definition of "independence" is as nebulous as ever. Perhaps the greatest form of "independence" is the freedom to safety discuss and debate the past, present, and ongoing issues surrounding "independence" or "dependence," so let's go: 

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA - Why do Californians celebrate Independence Day when we’ve given up on our independence? 

COMMENTARY-In the weeks leading up to Independence Day, independence has been much on my mind.