LOS ANGELES

RANTZ & RAVEZ-Taxes and more taxes are in the immediate future for residents and business owners in Los Angeles and most regions of California.

EASTSIDER-No sooner was my recent article, “The City Ponders Neighborhood Council Reform…” 

PERSPECTIVE-Let’s be clear, the separation of families at the border did not begin with the Trump Administration.

THE CITY--According to DWP estimates, more than 80,000 people were affected by power outages during last weekend’s record-breaking high temperatures. 

EDUCATION POLITICS--“The appearance of law must be upheld, especiallywhile it's being broken.” – Boss Tweed from the film, “Gangs of New York.” 

ALPERN AT  LARGE--From red, white, and blue to orange and green, the colors still are associated with independence ... independence from cars, or at least providing another option.

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-As an officer in a neighborhood association, USC adjunct who taught courses of sustainable city planning, and a CityWatchLA columnist, I remain skeptical about market-driven transit oriented development (TOD).

EXCLUSIVE TO CITYWATCH—-DEEGAN ON LA--A very controversial development project that would have sent housing units twenty-six stories into the sky in the Fairfax neighborhood was grounded today

PARIS AGREEMENT AT RISK--On Thursday, over two dozen climate scientists sent a letter to California Governor Jerry Brown, urging him to phase out oil and gas production in the state before the start of the Global Climate Action Summit,

GUEST WORDS--Snatching immigrant babies may have scored some points for President Trump with his base, but it was never going to light up the scoreboard like tackling black jocks.

CAL MATTERS-A federal judge’s decision Thursday upholding California’s so-called sanctuary policy is a significant victory for the state’s authority to govern its own affairs. 

Remind me:U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions came to Sacramento in March to announce the Trump administration was suing to invalidate three state laws approved last year to limit cooperation with federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. 

U.S. District Judge John Mendez struck down one law that restricted business owners from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But he upheld two others, including the centerpiece, Senate Bill 54 by Sen. Kevin de León, a Los Angeles Democrat. 

Mendez ruled that the 10th Amendment bars Uncle Sam from commandeering state and local authorities to do the feds’ job: 

Without state and local law enforcement assistance, feds may have a tougher time enforcing immigration law. But “standing aside does not equate to standing in the way.” 

Mendez briefly:The San Leandro native went to Stanford and Harvard law school. President George H.W. Bush appointed him U.S. attorney in San Francisco in 1992. President George W. Bush appointed him to the federal bench in Sacramento in 2008. 

In his 60-page opinion dated July 4, Mendez said he was expressing no view on the soundness of the state policy but did urge President Trump and Congress to set aside “polarizing politics” and solve the immigration issue. 

P.S.Eric Holder, President Barack Obama’s first attorney general, helped write the main sanctuary law and filed a brief urging Mendez to uphold it. 

(Dan Morain, former editorial page editor and political affairs columnist at The Sacramento Bee, is bringing his decades of experience and institutional knowledge to CALmatters where this was first posted.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Most Americans do not know that the U.S. is a republic, and most Americans do not care if the Republic lives or dies.

GELFAND’S WORLD--Being appointed to chair the committee that oversees neighborhood councils is a rite of passage for newly elected City Council representatives.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Happy Belated Independence Day!  

EDUCATION POLITICS-Facing a $468 million budget shortfall by 2021-22, LAUSD officials are now seeking a flat $610 property parcel tax to raise approximately $500 million annually.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Alone at last. Despite his continual denials of bigamy, Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr., now appears, for the first time in many years, to be married to just one woman, his second wife Delbra Richardson Price, a successful LA real estate professional with deep ties to local governments. 

TRANSIT TALK-The sidewalks are my refuge, my safe passage, the paths that let me walk to and from bus stops, train and subway stations.

NEW GEOGRAPHY--With his decision to move to Los Angeles, LeBron James has given our metropolis another reason to feel good about itself.

EASTSIDER--Writing decisions over matters they know nothing about is simply part of the job description of a Supreme Court Justice. 

GUEST COMMENTARY--This past week, Los Angeles City Council Member Mike Bonin (photo above)of the 11th District, was arrested for protesting. 

PERSPECTIVE--On April 14, 2006, the decision in the case, Jones v. City of Los Angeles, marked the first time in a decade that a court has struck down an ordinance that criminalizes the lack of shelter. Here are the facts and updates on the Jones v. Los Angeles lawsuit.