LOS ANGELES

EASTSIDER-It’s not much of a secret that I have never been a fan of Councilmember Jose Huizar.

OTHER WORDS--As I reflect on the controversies that plagued the Trump administration throughout 2018, the unforeseen political power plays that shocked our nation, and the party stalemates that unfolded like a suspense thriller between Democrats and Republicans, I must admit that I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the finale. 

CORRUPTION WATCH--The Black Plague wiped out 25% of people in Europe in the mid-14^th Century. That would be the same as 81 million Americans’ dying.  Since people did not understand how the plague spread from rats to humans via fleas, they had no idea how to protect themselves. 

MY TURN--When a country’s major philosophy is the encouragement of capitalism, it opens the doors for both the good and bad.

GELFAND’S WORLD--Dare we hope that the moment of realization is upon us -- that Americans who have been in denial are beginning to accept the fact that global warming is here, that it is caused by human actions, and that something big needs to be done.

GUEST WORDS--The government of the greatest country the world has ever known, the wealthiest, most powerful nation on the planet: closed until further notice.

FIRST PERSON--As much as artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved in the last few years to theoretically make communication easier, a rather opposite and counter intuitive reality of how this technology is actually being applied to not communicate has become a yet unaddressed reality.

URBAN DISPARITIES-State Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced a new version of his housing bill that went down in flames last year, and while the current version, Senate Bill (SB) 50, includes more protection for renters, is still has the same basic flaws. 

COMMUNITY VOICES-Councilmember Monica Rodriguez makes Felipe Fuentes look like a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

NEW GEOGRAPHY--Little over a decade ago, the housing sector almost brought down not only the American but the world economy. Today the reprise of the housing decline will be playing a very different tune.

GUEST COMMENTARY-If you’re looking for the quintessential Christmas experience, there’s only one place you should go: the Southern California desert. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--For as long as I can remember, as far back in childhood that I can remember, I both cherished my Judaism and had a profound respect for Christianity.

OTHER WORDS--This holiday season — a time so often associated with bringing family together — my thoughts keep turning to the families in the migrant caravans making their way to the U.S. southern border.

EASTSIDER-While trying to take care of my mother-in-law during her last months, I discovered a seriously dysfunctional side to the Department of Water and Power. 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-I never cease to be amazed how the lure of super-profits blinds the eyes of short-term real estate investors, elected officials and city staffers who enable them, and cheerleaders who lobby for them.   

GUEST WORDS--Socially sanctioned killing is called war. The word “war” may be the most powerful word in human history, because it creates a mask of respectability for — that is, it conceals — the dehumanization and mass slaughter of a designated enemy, along with limitless environmental contamination.

FIRST PERSON-In the past few years, artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved for the purpose of making communication easier.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Corruption means the system itself is more or less okay, but that certain people cheat.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti keeps a scorecard of the race and gender of everyone he appoints to dozens of City commissions, as well as in which City Council District the appointee resides. It is intended -- to be said in your best Garcetti monotone -- to ensure that everyone is represented fairly and evenly. 

ANIMAL WATCH-Mark Janda is overjoyed to have his beloved cats, Buzz and Jazz, safely back at home after the harrowing experience of losing them recently.

CAL BUZZ--We’ve barely recovered from the 2018 mid-terms, but the air is already thick with speculation about whether a candidate from California will enter the 2020 race for president. And some potential candidates are making moves that encourage that speculation.