LOS ANGELES

@The GUSS REPORT-It isn’t the crime, but the cover-up. Last week, CityWatch published my latest column showing how LA Times’ City Hall reporters allow corrupt-o-crat politicians like LA City Council president Herb Wesson to dodge and screen questions even though they had good reason to explore – but didn’t – the bigger issue of whether the perpetually cash-strapped lawmaker used current and former staffers to pressure businesses for freebies and discounts for the wedding of his son, Justin Wesson, to Alexis Marin, both of whom are LA City Council aides.  

OTHER WORDS-Earlier this month, famed astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson appeared on The Late Show, where host Stephen Colbert asked Tyson about the allegations of sexual misconduct four women had brought against him. 

BCK FILE--Last week 18 pounds of fentanyl were seized in Orange County, enough of the synthetic opioid to create 4 million lethal doses.

ALPERN AT LARGE-The fires are now ablaze in the mountains near the Getty Center, and local schools and highways are now closed.

CAL MATTERS--In the months until a new law takes effect, tenants rights advocates are scrambling to combat what they say is a wave of landlords exploiting a temporary loophole. Could it have been avoided?  

GELFAND’S WORLD--Counting on my fingers, I come up with a total of 6 general managers of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) over its brief lifetime.

GUEST WORDS--“You know why people don't like liberals? … Because they lose.  If liberals are so f*@king smart, how come they lose so goddamn always?” 

    - Jeff Daniels as ‘Will McAvoy’ (HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’ 2012).

DEEGAN ON LA-“California Dreaming,” the 1960s Mamas and Papas hit that added an evocative phrase to our vocabulary, could become elevator music for a collection of rock and roll themed hotels on the Sunset Strip – if it ever comes to that. 

BCK FILE--Rep. Katie Hill had so much promise. Representing the 25th District, Hill had defeated Rep. Steve Knight in what had been a conservative stronghold.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Trump’s mental illness -- narcissistic histrionic personality disorder -- is not a defense to treason. If we allow personality disorders to become legal defenses, then psychopaths who commit war crimes will go free. 

HEALTHCARE ECONOMICS-What if purchasing medical products and services were like buying peanut butter? Grocery stores have several brands and varieties: smooth, chunky, old-fashioned, natural, organic, no added sugar, reduced fat, no-stir, and pre-mixed with jelly with clearly marked prices ranging from $1.75 for the store’s generic brand to $7 for the over-priced Yuppie brand.

WORLD WATCH-A few week ago, I had an opportunity to meet with six members of the Yazidi community, including journalists and activists.

CLIMATE POLITICS-Extinction Rebellion (“XR”) has hit the world stage like a flash of light with participants in more than 70 countries -- all within one year’s time.

WEALTH POLITICS--Americans are more aware than ever that America has a race problem — and, more specifically, a racial wealth divide problem.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Trump did not invent the new American value of betrayal. He is merely the most publicly acknowledged example.

GUEST COMMENTARY-The New York City Bar Association on Wednesday publicly called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr to immediately recuse himself from any further Department of Justice processes related to the ongoing investigation into the Trump administration's controversial dealings with Ukraine.

VIEW FROM HERE-The world certainly does not need one more psychoanalysis of Donald J. Trump. There have been plenty of those already and everyone already has their mind made up about who he is and what he stands for. 

POT POLITICS-Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) during the event dubbed "Bernie's Back Rally" comes as Sanders returns to campaigning after suffering a heart attack earlier this month. An estimated 26,000 people attended.

RANTZ & RAVEZ-Shouldn’t we change the way our city is run? Or do we continue to let the City of Los Angeles fall farther into a hole of decay and darkness where we have increasing numbers of homeless people living in tents, on city sidewalks, and in cars in our neighborhoods?

ALPERN AT LARGE--It's no secret that our Mayor is a habitual liar...and more so than most politicians. It's also no secret that LeBron James may be more into LeBron James than he is for the rest of humanity.

EASTSIDER-It is no joke that climate change is with us for real, and it is equally true that Los Angeles is a leader in clean energy with Mayor Garcetti’s Green New Deal Plan. Unfortunately, the details of the Plan are complicated, and the Mayor is not noted for his math skills.