LOS ANGELES

BELL VIEW--“People, they ain’t no good.” -- Nick Cave. I once tried a case to a Santa Monica jury where I proved – mathematically – that the defendant lied about meetings and conversations that never actually happened, and manufactured documents after the fact to support those lies.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Come November, YOU decide.  

PERSPECTIVE--Less than 12 hours after praising himself for being on his best behavior as bombs were found in the mail of several targets of his incendiary and conspiratorial ravings—

CORRUPTION WATCH-The Dems are certain that all Trump supporters are vile White racists and the GOP is convinced that all Dems are snowflakes who would turn the country into a Socialist nightmare.

EDUCATION POLITICS-Business banker Marshall Tuck is running for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction again. He’s backed by the same ideologically charged billionaires as the last time — several of whom supported reactionary measures like Proposition 8. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-Should Justin Wesson, (photo above, left) the son of LA City Council president Herb Wesson, ever run for his dad’s elected office (a rumor floated solely by the LA Times), the first question any opponent should publicly pose to him is this: Is it true that you lived with your parents between the ages of 26 and 36, despite having a six-figure salary as Floor Director of the LA City Council? 

MY TURN--The destruction of a power never happens all at once. Rome wasn’t conquering other cultures one day and then the next day finding themselves falling apart.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Come November, YOU decide. As for me, I'm just so very conflicted about Proposition 6 that I cannot recommend either a "pro" or "con" position.

URBAN FORREST POLITICS--Our trees are disappearing.  For a number of reasons our urban forest is declining, at the time we need it most.

PRISON POLITICS--In a reversal of a controversial rule that disproportionately sentenced mentally ill and African-American inmates to life in prison for petty crimes, California will allow all non-violent prisoners under the Three Strikes Act to seek parole.

ELECTION WATCH-According to a WalletHub survey on 2018’s Most and Least Politically Engaged States, California ranked #50 in percentage of registered voters in the 2016 presidential election. Using ten key metrics, the state ranked #24 in political engagement.

PERSPECTIVE--The unfriendly skies over the Southeast Valley got a little unfriendlier on October 18^th.

DEEGAN ON LA-Here’s an unfortunate example of “indirect democracy” coming up on California’s November 6 ballot: Proposition 7, which asks voters to approve permanent daylight saving time.

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-LA’s Council District 5 requested that a large group of its constituents – representing the neighborhood councils, resident associations, HPOZ boards, homeowner associations, and neighborhood associations impacted by and opposed to the proposed Purple Line Extension “transit neighborhood plan” -- write up their concerns and offer an alternative proposal. The following is this collective work in draft form. Comments are appreciated.

EASTSIDER-All the mainstream media seems to agree that President Trump tweets and talks to give us new bright and shiny objects to obsess about, mostly as a method of taking attention away from what he is really doing.

BELL VIEW--The other day, walking through my residential neighborhood with my wife and two kids on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I forced down a rage eruption at the driver of a car who mistook our quiet street for a stretch of the 101 Freeway.

CORRUPTION WATCH--Prop 10 represents that weird situation where “You cannot get there from here.” 

EDUCATION POLITICS--Since my July 12 CityWatchLA article entitled LAUSD’s Malfunctioning Payroll Debacle: Still targeting Former Teachers with Bogus Lawsuits, yet more disturbing information has emerged. (Photo above: LAUSD headquarters.)

DISABILITY PERSPECTIVE-People with disabilities and their family members are often too busy managing their disability to give much thought to future care needs.

CAL MATTERS--What’s the sound of one man debating? California voters got an idea today at the first and only scheduled candidate forum in the 2018 U.S. Senate race.

DONE WATCH-The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) administratively and illegally has removed a board member from the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council (VNNC).