LOS ANGELES

PLANNING WATCH-There is no shortage of wake-up calls that ought to motivate our elected and hired local officials to change their policies, especially regarding the worsening housing and climate crises. 

PERSPECTIVE-If you either read Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, or watched the adaptation and expansion of the story on Hulu, you will know the Latin translates to, don’t let the bastards grind you down. 

VIEW FROM HERE-What do Ms. Spears, the infamous attorney Tom Girardi and Los Angeles’ falling to the nation’s 126^th city have in common?

GELFAND'S WORLD-I called CVS. I wanted to complain about how frustrating it is to contact the CVS pharmacy, but when I asked for the telephone number of the corporate headquarters, I was given the number "One eight hundred shop CVS." My experience in calling that number inspires these comments. 

AT LENGTH-Over the past four decades, I’ve had every kind of person enter my offices, including, paupers, politicians, procrastinators, princes, pickpockets and plutocrats.

GUEST COMMENTARY-Dear Friends and Neighbors: Are we going to stand idly by and let the Big Developers convince the state legislature to destroy our single-family neighborhoods, create parking nightmares, and make it even harder to solve the homelessness crisis than it already is? 

CLIMATE VIEW-In San Francisco, we’re finally starting to put away our masks. With 74% of the city’s residents over 12 fully vaccinated, for the first time in more than a year we’re enjoying walking, shopping, and eating out, our faces naked.

DEEGAN ON LA-(Number 4 in a series about Councilperson Raman (CD4) A mad rush to enact a new city ordinance regulating homeless encampments in public spaces has been delayed until the end of the month by Councilmember Nithya Raman (CD4), who failed to go along with her council colleagues.

THE CITY-Lost in Space? One possibility is Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson -- who are both heading up to space this month, Branson EIGHT days ahead of the richest man in the world, at press time – could establish an $800 a month housing program on a purchase and decree basis.

NEW NORMAL-In many ways, American life is returning to normalcy: Masks are no longer required in many locations, schools and universities are slated to re-open, and the days of social distancing begin to fade as concerts and sporting events bring spectators back.

VOICES - Governing a city as magnificent, complex and diverse as Los Angeles is no easy feat, and Mayor Garcetti has done a remarkable tour of duty. For more than two decades of service, he has led with head and heart.

As a California community organizer in touch with the issues on the ground, my focus has been to educate the community on practical solutions on the issues that affect Californians:

Whether you're freaked out about the Delta Variant of the COVID-19 Virus or not, we're coming out of the pandemic.  

GELFAND’S WORLD-In my previous column, I discussed the legal wrangling going on between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Daily Kos website.

RANTZ & RAVEZ-I will begin with the most recent and amazing statement made by LAPD Chief Michel Moore in supporting and in fact defending LA County District Attorney George Gascón who is facing a Recall after a short time as the elected District Attorney. 

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.

PLANNING WATCH-LA’s draft Housing Element, updated Community Plans, and other up-zoning guidelines and ordinances double-down on LA’s (and other cities) ongoing efforts to solve the housing crisis by promoting the construction of private sector housing.

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.  

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

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.”

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