LOS ANGELES

TRUTHOUT--President Trump signed an executive order on police reform this June that was more a defense of policing than an indictment.

GUEST COMMENTARY-The LAPD Budget has been slashed by $150 million. Police officers are now trying to figure out their role in protecting and serving the people of LA.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Welcome to the final few hours of the pre-felony existence of Mitch Englander, formerly of the Los Angeles City Council. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--Again...Eric Garcetti, meet Donald Trump--and the above two photos say it all.

RANTZ & RAVEZ-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (who called police officers “killers”) and City Councilmembers responded to the demands of protestors and rioters by slashing $150 million from the 2020-2021 LAPD budget.

MY TURN-In the past, we were a nation bound and regulated by enforceable laws because a super majority of our people respected and abided by them without being compelled by legal process.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Prior to the advent of Donald Trump, the choice of Sarah Palin to be Sen. John McCain’s running mate in 2008 was the GOP’s most egregious misstep. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--In a few more weeks, the presidential nominations will become official: Joe Biden for the Democrats and Donald Trump for the Republicans.

VOICES-For the past several years, staff members who left their employment with Jose Huizar’s CD 14 office have found lucrative jobs working for other city and state elected officials or have obtained employment working for various Los Angeles City Departments.

INSIDE LOS ANGELES-A few years ago, billionaire Geoffrey Palmer was crowned with an ignominious title: “Downtown LA’s worst developer.” 

@THE GUSS REPORT-Welcome to the final few hours of the pre-felony existence of Mitch Englander, formerly of the Los Angeles City Council. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--Eric Garcetti, meet Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom--you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't try to reduce the COVID-19 virus, keep the economy alive, and provide people with hope during the current ongoing series of crises.

NEW GEOGRAPHY-A new class of overlords are making their bid for world domination.

PUZZLING--In a period of increased attention to police violence and the deaths of unarmed young men at the hands of officers, the nomination of Phlunte Riddle (photo above) to a state board in California is puzzling.

WOKE 2.0--Truth matters.  Facts matter.  Context matters.  A complete narrative matters.  And nuance matters. 

ONE MAN’S OPINION--People behave in their own characteristic fashion when they confront new situations; that’s how our neurology is constructed. 

GUEST WORDS-The most glaring but possibly least surprising fact that arose as I read the 120-page federal criminal complaint against City Councilman Jose Huizar was this:

GUEST COMMENTARY-Jackie Lacey has doubled down on tough on crime at a time when there is a surge in demand that the District Attorney (DA) take the lead on rehabilitation, not incarceration. 

OTHERWORDS-When those of us who are white are asked to engage with anti-racism, we are being asked to do something emotionally difficult:

MY TURN-There are several fundamental problems with proposing traditional monetary reparations to former Black slaves and their ancestors.

EASTSIDER-So one day I’m checking my LA Times, and what do I find? An article with the title: Column: Amid multiple crises, CalPERS board turns on one of its own members.