LOS ANGELES

ONE MAN’S OPINION-The phrase often attributed to Edmund Burke that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to remain silent rests on the questionable premise that people who remain silent in the face of evil are good people. The more apt word is “coward.” 

ENVIRONMENT POLITICS--There has been a lot of alarm in the areas impacted by the Woolsey Fire about the risk of exposure to radiation.

ALPERN AT LARGE—Only in California could something as awful as SB 50 have had a chance of becoming reality. 

LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS-Direct democracy works like a charm. Check out Venezuela’s Communes. They are ubiquitous proof that direct democracy works.

SURVIVAL FOR THE WORLD OF TOMORROW-Over the last year, the country has been shocked by reports of the inhumane treatment of children and families in immigrant detention. Now, the Trump administration appears to be increasing the scope and severity of its immigrant detention scheme by potentially detaining immigrants at Guantanamo Bay. 

CLIMATE POLITICS--Years ago, tobacco companies discovered the link between their products and lung cancer. Did they warn their customers? No — they denied the link entirely, misleading the public for decades while killing their customers.

PLATKIN ON PLANNING:  The intense debate over Senate Bill 50 really turns on a more important, but poorly articulated debate about California’s real housing crisis. 

YOUNG LEARNERS IN JEOPARDY-In California, three percent of the state’s enrolled K-12 students or over 200,000 -- as well as a couple hundred thousand college students -- are living in cars, motels, shelters, on the street, or in crowded homes shared with other families. This is the largest number of homeless students in any state. Other states also have thousands of homeless high school and college students. 

EDUCATION POLITICS--It has been 296 days since Ref Rodriguez pleaded guilty to felony charges and was forced from the  Board District 5 seat.

EASTSIDER-You’ve heard the headlines time and again: “The Economy Is Doing Great, Unemployment is at Its Lowest Ever, and Wages are Rising.”  

DRIVE THRU PRIVACY--The great thing about corporate giants is that they’re such amazing business innovators. For example, in the category of “wheel-spinning” innovation — i.e., trying to change a corporation’s course without actually changing anything — it’s hard to top McDonald’s.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Thursday, the Appropriations Committee killed SB 50. Together we did it!  Killing the worst law proposed in 25 years, a land grab that would have put a ban on single-family housing, razed affordable housing, threatened historic neighborhoods, and attacked homeownership.

POLITICS--It seems absurd to believe that America could make the same mistake again, to elect an ignorant and vulgar narcissist to the most powerful position in the world.

ONE MAN’S OPINION-According to Former FBI Director James Comey, “Proximity to an amoral leader reveals something depressing… Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive… Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.”  

STRIKE SCHOOL--Educators in Los Angeles, the second-largest school district in the country, went on strike in January 2019. By deciding to walk out for smaller class sizes, more support staff, fewer standardized tests and charter school regulation, LA’s teachers became part of a strike wave that shows no signs of ebbing anytime soon. 

NEW GEOGRAPHY--For decades California’s regulatory and tax policies have undermined our middle class, driving millions out of this most favored state.

ALPERN AT LARGE--In theory, education is meant to teach children, among other things, the power of critical thinking. In theory, throwing more money at a problem isn't necessarily going to make things better. In practice, however, our hearts are the right motivators while our brains are the right executors of how we operate. 

VOICES-Several years ago, I found thick colorful balloons and metal objects similar to fat bullet casings in my home. I soon learned that those items were evidence of recreational nitrous oxide abuse and my high schooler had developed a life-threatening addiction. He fed this addiction by easily purchasing staggering amounts of “Whippits” in neighborhood smoke shops. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-Corruption takes many forms in LA City Hall. There’s the figurative satchel of quiet cash traded for land development approvals, which may be at the root of the recent FBI raid of LA City Councilmember Jose Huizar’s home and office, and a lower profile FBI raid which took place a few weeks later and a few blocks away from City Hall. 

FROM CATASTROPHIC TO APOCALYPTIC-America’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, (photo below) speaking at the prestigious Arctic Council biannual meeting in Finland, christened the Arctic meltdown: “A wonderful economic opportunity for international trade.”

DEEGAN ON LA-Many more drinks “for the road” may be served if SB-58 Alcoholic beverages: hours of sale, passes in the State Legislature, where it is slowly moving through committees.