LOS ANGELES

AN ONGOING SERIES-Immediately after my appointment as General Manager was confirmed by the City Council, several of the Councilmembers kindly congratulated me.

CLIMATE POLITICS-Celebrating 50 years of Earth Day, Michael Moore, executive producer and the director Jeff Gibbs re-released their daunting and alarming documentary about the heart and soul of America’s Green Movement in a compelling film: “Planet of the Humans” (2019).

ONE MAN’S OPINION-I am not a medical doctor, nor do I play one on television, but I do watch a lot of TV. My favorites shows are Cuomo Live from New York, the Garcetti-Barger-Ferrer News Hour plus Dateline Newsom. 

TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID-A month ago, I was enjoying one of my “bucket list” trips – visiting Antarctica – when Mayor Garcetti shut down Los Angeles.

GELFAND’S WORLD--We keep waiting for that moment when even the right wing decides it’s had enough of Trump’s mentality.

FIRST PERSON--This is the first time in my blessedly long life that I have been asked to sacrifice for the greater good of my fellow compatriots. This sacrifice entails staying at home.

CAPITAL AND MAIN-By February 26, when a woman in Northern California’s Solano County was identified as the first known U.S. coronavirus case contracted from community transmission — that is, through an unknown source — the virus was already spreading quickly throughout the Bay Area.

GUEST COMMENTARY-For all the die-hard Trump supporters, you have to be a little skeptical when he comes out and says ingest disinfectant to cure Coronavirus. 

CRUDE POLITICS--The smell of crude oil pervaded the air. “Sandbags, and a cleanup crew actively power-washed the oil off Court Street for over 24 hours,” said a resident. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--It is doubtful that the "density warriors" and the "YIMBY's" and all those who confuse development with overdevelopment will reconsider their thinking during or after the Coronavirus pandemic, because...why confuse facts with rightful indignation? Why confuse logical debate with screaming activism.

PERSPECTIVE--The prompt: “you have been muted” said it all.

PUBLIC HEALTH-Los Angeles needs to be self-sufficient by stockpiling everything that is necessary for any disaster.

GELFAND’S WORLD--As many of you have heard, the city of Los Angeles is trying to make its government function in this era of empty sidewalks and closed meeting halls.

PLANNING WATCH-Like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, for whom there was, “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” today’s homeless and over-crowded find themselves awash in a sea of vacant residential units – continuously expanding -- that they cannot afford.

TENANTS RIGHTS-The CARES Act is supposed to freeze evictions for tens of millions of renters. But nobody’s enforcing the law. 

LOS ANGELES-- With media-saturation coverage of COVID-19, three New York billionaires will try to take advantage, moving quietly and swiftly through approvals to build two skyscrapers on the active Hollywood Earthquake Fault in Los Angeles.

EASTSIDER-At the Monday Investment Committee Meeting, CalPERS staff quietly pulled its Consent Calendar Proposal for further “delegated authority” to staff.

AN ONGOING SERIES-“You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.” -- from FRAM oil filter advertisements. 

RANTZ & RAVEZ-All our lives have drastically changed in the past month.

ALPERN AT LARGE--As stated in my last CityWatch piece, we did NOT start this crisis.

GUEST WORDS-The COVID-19 pandemic is different from anything most communities and the business community have ever faced—and yet, in many ways, it’s also a more extreme version of the same challenges we confront every day, the need to reach the more vulnerable communities across Los Angeles County.