LOS ANGELES

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.

GELFAND’S WORLD--Over the past year, Kaiser Health News and National Public Radio (NPR) have been exposing the scourge of surprise billing by emergency rooms and other medical providers.

ENVIRONMENT POLITICS--Why is the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) so important to the community of West Hills? According to the map above, most of West Hills is within the five-mile radius of the SSFL site. The numbers on the map above are the census tract numbers included in studies by Dr. Thomas Mack and other epidemiologists. 

ONE MAN’S OPINION-Perhaps, we should start calling Jefferson “Tommy.” He was only 33 years old when he started on his first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Because one does not start at the top, Tommy already had gained the respect of other thinkers of his day. The use of the name Tommy could serve to highlight that hard work, youth and intelligence may coincide, albeit not always.

WORLD WATCH--Prime Minister Netanyahu has served as prime minister for the past 11 years, coinciding with Hamas’ rule over Gaza ever since it usurped power in 2007 from the Palestinian Authority after a brief violent confrontation between the two sides. During this period, Netanyahu has deliberately perpetuated the conflict with Hamas as a means by which to promote his sinister political agenda. 

THE QUESTION WILL COST CA-If all goes according to the Trump administration’s plan, the U.S. Census form in 2020 will ask people to state whether they’re citizens of the United States.