The Thorn West

Thorn West: Issue No. 217

State Politics

• AB X2 – 1, which requires oil companies to maintain higher reserves with the goal of preventing gasoline price spikes, was approved by the State Senate today in a special legislative session. All that remains now is for the Assembly to approve the Senate’s amendments. Governor Newsom promoted the legislation and called for the special session.

City Politics

• DSA-LA has released its voter guide for this November! Read and share!

• Across California, ballots are in the mail. Here is how to register to vote.

• A quarter of the way through the current fiscal year, the city has already spent the entire $100 million budgeted to settle liability claims against the city. The Controller’s office had previously broken down which city departments are most responsible, with the LAPD responsible for over half of the city’s liability.

• Following the latest round of settlement payouts, the city’s reserve fund is now below 4% of the total general fund, and is likely to dip further. Per the Controller’s office, dropping below 2.75% triggers an official “fiscal emergency.”

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• Amid a budget crisis, Charter Amendment FF would spend 23 million to give certain police officers and park rangers better pensions. The LA Times (and DSA-LA) endorses a no vote.

• Non-stop fear-mongering from media, politicians, and law enforcement about a non-existent crime wave appears to have made an impact on voters. Nathan Hochman, considered the most right-wing primary challenger of incumbent LA County District Attorney George Gascón, leads him in the general by high double digits, according to a recent poll. Similarly, Prop 36, which rolls back criminal justice reforms voters approved in 2014, also shows broad support in polls.

Labor

• 2,400 Kaiser Permanente behavioral health workers in Southern California, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, have announced that they will go on indefinite strike beginning on October 21 if their demands are not met. At issue are several concessions won by a similar strike of Kaiser workers in Northern California, in 2022.

Transportation

• AB 761, which further enables California municipalities to take advantage of federal loans to fund critical infrastructure projects, has officially passed. The new funding opportunity has been suggested as a way to expedite the planned extension of the Metro K Line from LAX to West Hollywood.
• This Sunday from 9am – 4pm, CicLAvia will hold one of its biggest car-free open streets events of the year, closing a route sprawling from Echo Park to East LA to all auto traffic.

Climate Justice

• The California Air Resource Board will soon consider whether to amend the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to require that gasoline manufactured in California produce less carbon-intense emissions. Meanwhile, the media has focused on the likelihood that this would likely raise the price of gas.

Thorn West: Issue No. 216

State Politics

• The deadline for Governor Newsom to sign or veto state legislation passed on Monday. Prominent legislation vetoed by the governor include SB 1047, an AI safety bill, SB 961, a bill that mandated new cars sold California warn drivers when they’re speeding, and AB 3129, which would have allowed the state to block private equity purchases of health care facilities. Further roundup here. 

• Newsom approved several bills that derived from the work of the California Reparations Task Force, including one that required the state to acknowledge and formally apologize for the its role in American chattel slavery. However, Newsom vetoed SB 1050, which facilitated restitution for those who had property taken through racially motivated eminent domain, because it relied on a separate bill to establish a Freedmen Affairs Agency, which was stalled just before the legislative deadline.

• It’s rarely noted in media coverage of vetoed legislation, but of the 189 bills Newsom vetoed, 170 passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers. However, the legislature has not overridden a governor’s veto since 1979.

City Politics

• Newly appointed City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson sat for an interview with LA Public Press

• Leaked documents revealed that the state attorney general wants Los Angeles to redraw council districts ahead of the 2026 election, after the most recent redistricting process in 2020 was discredited by scandal.

• Mayor Bass has appointed former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell to serve as chief of the LAPD. Next, City Council will vote on the appointment.

• Two candidates from DSA-LA’s 2024 endorsement slate have received endorsements from the LA Times: Karla Griego for School Board District 5 and Ysabel Jurado for CD 14. To help get DSA-LA’s endorsed candidates elected, see our event calendar, or sign up for a working group here.

Housing Rights

• DSA-LA was part of a coalition that organized a tenants and workers solidarity march on Saturday to demand affordable rent and liveable wages. This year, the city will reconsider the formula that determines how much  rent on the city’s rent-stabilized units can be raised each year. DSA-LA is organizing to ensure that the adjustments favor tenants; see here for more.

• The city of Los Angeles must increase its zoning capacity by 250,000 residential units to comply with state housing law. The LA Times notes that almost all of this added capacity is currently being planned for already dense areas. This makes it more likely that building the new units will come at the expense of tenants, and will require demolishing existing rent controlled units.

Thorn West: Issue No. 215

State Politics

• Governor Newson called a special session to pass regulations on the oil industry, with the intention of lowering gas prices. The measure has been further discussed in the State Assembly. While the State Senate has resisted returning for the extra session, Newsom has functionally ignored any legislation on his desk that originated in the Senate.

City Politics

• Today was Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s first day as Council President. Former president Paul Krekorian stepped down, as he will be termed out in November.

• A council motion to create protest “bubble zones” around religious institutions and other buildings (meant to curtail Palestinian solidarity protests) was agendized by the Public Safety Committee, and received unanimous opposition from over 100 public commenters. Hearing for the motion was continued to a later date.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• A University of California regents committee has approved the purchase of “less-lethal” munitions for its campus police forces, following a summer in which they were used against Palestine solidarity protesters. The vote took place in an empty chamber after activists were removed by police.

• The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department unveiled a new policy banning deputy gangs. The policy brings the department into compliance with a 2021 state law and follows sustained activist and media pressure.

Labor

• Across Oregon and Washington, 33,000 machinists represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have gone on strike against Boeing after contract negotiations stalled. Strike demands include higher wages.

Housing Rights

• Earlier this year, city council requested a report on the current formula used to calculate maximum allowable rent increases on the city’s rent-controlled apartments. LAist obtained the unreleased report via a public records request. The report finds that rental increases have favored landlords, and that across Los Angeles an average of only 35% of rental income is needed to cover landlord operating costs. Report here. DSA-LA Twitter has more.

• LA Public Press debuted a podcast series telling the story of the Hillside Villa Tenants Association, who for years have organized to resist attempts by their landlord to price them out of their homes, becoming leaders of the tenant movement in Los Angeles.

Environmental Justice

• In 2022, the city council passed a ban on oil drilling in the city limits. Last week that ban was overturned by a judge, on the ground that it conflicts with state law. However, a bill currently on the Governor’s desk might resolve that conflict.

• Firefighters have begun to gain the upper hand over several large wildfires that have burned across Southern California in the past weeks.

Thorn West: Issue No. 212

State Politics

• The California State Legislature has returned to session; August 31 is the last day that any of the remaining bills can be passed this year.

City Politics

• Days after withdrawing a motion to spend $2 million on private security to quash Palestinian solidarity protests, Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield have introduced a motion to implement 100 foot radius “protest buffer zones” around “sensitive sites.” A parallel motion was introduced at the county level on Monday. Both of these motions, and most of the media coverage of them, avoid mentioning that the incident that directly motivated this legislation was a protest of the illegal sale of Palestinian land in the West Bank.

• LA Public Press analyzes the 35-page document listing the county level government reforms that LA County will vote on as a package this November.

Housing Rights

• The Housing and Homelessness Committee has advanced a motion guaranteeing a right to counsel for Los Angeles tenants facing eviction. The City Attorney’s office, after being directed to draft “right to counsel” legislation, nevertheless returned language that explicitly refused to use the word “right.” That language was restored at Wednesday’s meeting, which was attended by advocates organized by DSA-LA.
  
• A service provider contracted to be a part of the city’s Inside Safe program is now being investigated for fraud after an audit conducted by the City Controller’s office determined that it was providing “unacceptable meals” to residents.

• Last week, Los Angeles officials pushed back against Governor Newsom’s executive order that state agencies prioritize the displacement of encampments. This week, Newsom threatened to strip funding from cities that refuse to ramp up the criminalization of homelessness. On Thursday, he came to Los Angeles to have himself filmed throwing away personal belongings at an encampment sweep on a local Fox news outlet.

Transportation

• Metro will conduct three hearings next week, beginning Saturday, about three proposed routes for the extension of the K Line. The K Line connects several stops in Inglewood and South Los Angeles and will eventually extend north to Hollywood. Though building is not scheduled to begin until 2041, there is some discussion of accelerating the timeline.

Thorn West: Issue No. 211

City Politics

• BIG:LEAP was a guaranteed basic income program that provided $1,000 a month to 3,200 Los Angeles families with incomes below the federal poverty program. One year after the program’s close, a study reports “overwhelmingly positive” results.

• A ballot measure authored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors that would expand the board from five to nine members will also, if passed, establish a county ethics commission. Critics say the ballot measure as written does not establish a truly independent ethics commission.

• A motion to spend $2 million subsidizing private security for faith-based institutions has been withdrawn. The motion, which was originally presented as a means of suppressing protest of the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, drew widespread public opposition.

Health Care

• A sharp increase of COVID infections in Los Angeles, driven by new, rapidly mutating variants, shows no sign of subsiding.

Housing Rights

• In San Francisco, the “very aggressive” sweeps that were promised by Mayor Breed as a result of the Grants Pass Ore ruling have begun. In Los Angeles County, there has been a different reaction from officials; the Board of Supervisors just unanimously passed a motion containing a resolution to “affirm Los Angeles County’s Care First approach to encampment resolution.”

• Per California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019, every August 1 a maximum rent increase for most apartments is calculated, based on inflation. LAist explains this year’s calculations. In Los Angeles, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance limits rent increases on many apartments even further.

• A continuing audit of the city’s Inside Safe program, conducted by the city controller’s office, has revealed that one of the program sites was not providing any fresh food to residents, and was primarily serving instant noodles.

• San Francisco became the first city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning Real Page, the price fixing software that landlords use to maintain higher rent.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• [Content warning: police violence] An LAPD officer was filmed punching a man in the face. Bodycam footage released later in the week revealed that officers had escalated what began as a parking violation. More via @sahrasulaiman on X.

• Mayor Bass’ veto of a police reform measure will stand. Bass, and others, opposed the reform measure for not being comprehensive enough. A motion to challenge the veto this week failed 9–5.

Environmental Justice

• The Park Fire has burned 400,000 acres in Northern California, becoming the fourth largest wildfire in state history.

Thorn West: Issue No. 210

State Politics

• Following President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek a second term, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough verbal commitments from delegates to have essentially locked herself in as his replacement.The California Democratic Party played a crucial role on behalf of the former California Senator.

Housing Justice

• Governor Gavin Newsom issued a \executive order demanding that state agencies immediately begin clearing encampments on state property. The order does not appear to directly impact policy within Los Angeles or other cities. Mayor Karen Bass was among those who criticized it. The order cites the recent 6–3 Supreme Court decision that stripped legal protections from people experiencing homelessness, which Newsom submitted a brief in support of.

Labor

• The California State Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of Prop 22, siding with Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash, and allowing them to continue to classify their workers as independent contractors.

• This week, Metro voted to expand a public restroom pilot program that is currently operated by a contractor that relies on gig-workers. Following the advocacy of DSA-LA and others, the motion was amended to include a feasibility study on bringing the program in-house and staffing it with Metro employees.

• Los Angeles vendors have declared victory after a settlement in their lawsuit against the city over a municipal policy of “no-vending zones,” which were out of compliance with a 2018 state law. The settlement eliminates the last of these zones, after a City Council motion eliminated most of them earlier in the year. It also provides restitution for fines issued against vendors for operating in these zones.

• Members of a coalition of unions representing workers at Disney’s Southern California theme parks voted to authorize a strike, with 99% of members in favor. Later in the week, the union reached a tentative agreement with Disney.

• Effective today, video game performers and voiceover artists represented by SAG-AFTRA are on strike. At stake are worker protections against AI. Statement from SAG-AFTRA here. Petition of support here.

Local Media

• California will consider AB-886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, which would require tech platforms – which siphon money away from media outlets when they link to news items – to pay a fee to support local journalism. The LA Times reports on similar efforts in other countries.

Thorn West: Issue No. 209

State Politics

• CalMatters analyzes how California’s regulatory system might cushion the state from the impact of the Supreme Court decision that drastically curtailed the authority of federal regulatory agencies.

• Democrats running on local ballots face potential downstream effects of concerns about President Biden’s age. Adam Schiff, running to become California’s next Senator, has called for Biden to drop out of the race.

City Politics

• A reform measure that will increase the size of the County Board of Supervisors will advance to the ballot, following a 3–0–2 vote.

Housing Justice

• During a mayoral debate in San Francisco, current mayor London Breed announced plans to pursue “very aggressive” sweeps against unhoused people in August, praising the recent Supreme Court decision that enables further criminalization of homelessness.

• A lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles alleges that City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto and Councilmember Traci Park have deliberately stalled an affordable housing project in Venice.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• Mayor Bass vetoed a ballot measure that would have shifted some authority to fire LAPD officers to the police chief. Bass’ veto letter argued that the proposed reforms are inadequate and would result in “ambiguities” in the disciplinary system. These concerns echo those raised by the council’s progressive bloc. This was the mayor’s first veto. The council can override the veto with 10 votes.

Transportation

• With the support of Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman, new bike lanes have been installed on Hollywood Boulevard, one of the most ambitious transformations of a major traffic artery in the city’s history.

• County Supervisor Janice Hahn became the newest Metro board chair following the expiration of Mayor Karen Bass’ term. Hahn has announced support for an expansion of Metro’s “tap to exit” pilot program, which requires riders to use their fare cards to exit as well as enter stations, as a method of increasing public safety on Metro trains.

Environmental Justice

• Another heat wave is predicted for inland Southern California this week.

• LA Public Press covers the lack of cooling stations in LA’s Skid Row neighborhood.

• This afternoon in LA County, a rapidly-spreading brush fire erupted in the Angeles Mountains above Glendora.

Thorn West: Issue No. 177

State Politics

• Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed political consultant Laphonza Butler to fill the US Senate vacancy left by the death of Dianne Feinstein. The choice has been criticized because Butler — whose resume includes consulting gigs for AirBnB and Uber, as well as many years as head of an SEIU local — was not a resident of the state at the time of the appointment.

City Politics

• Councilmember John Lee has been formally accused by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission for playing a role in the corrupt conduct of former councilmember Mitch Englander. Lee worked for Englander, who served time in prison for obstruction of justice, and was long suspected of being the unnamed “City Staffer B” in Englander’s written indictment. The commission’s written accusation makes it clear that this was indeed the case.

• At the most recent meeting of LA City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee for Government Reform, the committee finally came to a decision on a proposal for an independent redistricting committee. But a decision on the implementation of council expansion remains out of reach.

Incarceration

• In 2022, voters passed Measure J, which set aside 10% of the Los Angeles County budget for alternatives to prison and police. However, the county has entered into a $9 million contract with Accenture, a consulting firm that has done work for ICE, to design a pretrial jail diversion program using Measure J funds. LA Public Press covers the Accenture contract, which sidelines the work of local activists, who have already done substantial work designing a pretrial system.

• Knock LA is gearing up to launch their Incarceration Reporting Initiative next month, after platforming the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers earlier this year. The platform is doing some online fundraising for the endeavor this weekend, for more information, see here!

Labor

• WGA members vote on their tentative agreement with the AMPTP, while SAG-AFTRA negotiations with the AMPTP continue. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA members have voted to authorize another strike, this one against 10 major video game studios. Issues underlying this dispute include stagnating wages for video game voice and on-camera performers, as well as worker protections against being replaced by AI. Statement from SAG-AFTRA here.

• Starting this past Wednesday and concluding tomorrow morning, 75,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities are conducting the largest healthcare worker strike in US history. The primary demand is that Kaiser address massive worker shortages, which place undue burdens on existing employees. More details available from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

• SB 799, which makes striking workers in California eligible for unemployment benefits, as they already are in New York and New Jersey, was vetoed by Governor Newsom. The bill passed with a two-thirds majority in both houses, meaning that the bill’s supporters technically have the votes to override the veto. However, the California legislature has not overridden a veto in 40 years.

• Workers walked off the job at eight hotels near LAX, the latest in a rolling wave of walkouts as hotel workers negotiate for fair pay and benefits. Unite Here local 11, which represents the striking workers, is also organizing a Saturday-morning protest calling out the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are in town and have habitually disrespected the union’s boycott of hotels that have not worked out a new contract. Meanwhile, in Orange County, a low-turnout special election resulted in the failure of a ballot measure that would raise the minimum wage for hotel workers to $25 an hour.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• LAPD’s plans to test a new weapon, called the BolaWrap, on passengers of Los Angeles public transit have met with opposition from Metro Board and the mayor’s office.

Housing Rights

• This weekend, an Eastside local branch of the Los Angeles Tenants Union organized a tenants rally, in opposition to the coming citywide rent hikes on rent-controlled units. The rally, though peaceful, was assaulted by LAPD officers. Firsthand reporting here.

Environmental Justice

• The Los Angeles City Controller’s Office has released an analysis of the city’s Green New Deal, passed in 2019. Calling it “a promising start for climate action,” the office concludes that it “is in urgent need of a reboot.” The report can be found here.

Thorn West: Issue No. 176

State Politics

• Governor Gavin Newsom continues to progress through the flood of legislation that was passed at the close of this year’s legislative season. This week Newsom vetoed a bill that would have taken into account parental acceptance of trans children’s gender during custody hearings. And he signed a bill that raises the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour. CalMatters tracks more of the legislation on Newsom’s desk.

• California Senator Dianne Feinstein has died after 31 years in office. After being filmed scolding a group of children who confronted her with concerns about climate change, Feinstein came to potently symbolize a class of politicians who were holding on to power past the loss of their ability to empathize. Her replacement will be appointed by Governor Newsom. He had earlier pledged to nominate a Black woman the next time he was in the position of appointing a senator.

• Another two months, another issue of California Red, the newsletter of California DSA!

City Politics

• Wednesday, Alex Johnson’s appointment to the Ethics Commission was confirmed 10–2. Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Tim McOsker voted no, citing conflict-of-interest concerns over Johnson’s status as vice president for a consulting firm that does campaign work.

• On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Unified School Board passed a resolution to create a district policy on charter school “co-locations.” The motion was supported by United Teachers Los Angeles, DSA-LA, LAANE, and LA Students Deserve. LAUSD Board Member Dr. Rocío Rivas elaborates.

Housing Rights

• A 100% affordable housing project in Sherman Oaks will move forward despite objections from nearby homeowners after the LA City Council voted 8–5 against revoking its permits. The project had previously been approved by-right under Mayor Bass’ executive order to streamline affordable housing and shelter, but her order was then amended to exclude single-family-zoned neighborhoods. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield brought forward the motion to revoke permission, despite the project being in his district.

• Meanwhile, an advocacy group for wealthy homeowners has sued the city to overturn some of Mayor Bass’ housing initiatives, as these new rules have made it more difficult for fringe groups to block the development of affordable housing.

• A peaceful protest led by Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment was disrupted when a California Highway Patrol officer assaulted a protester and pulled his gun on the crowd.

• Monday, October 2, is the final day for renters to apply for the Measure ULA–funded “Emergency Renters Assistance Program,” which transfers state funds to landlords to pay off rent debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labor

• After 148 days on strike, the WGA has won a tentative agreement with the AMPTP that the WGA negotiating committee called “exceptional” in an email to members. Guild members will vote on the contract, and in the meantime, will stop picketing. SAG-AFTRA members remain on the picket line, and AMPTP leaders will meet with their negotiating team beginning next week. More details about what’s in the proposed agreement here!

• Another victory for workers! The Millennium Biltmore Hotel has become the second hotel to reach a tentative agreement with hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 11, since the union has been holding a series of rolling strikes.

Thorn West: Issue No. 175

City Politics

• The results are in for DSA-LA’s Phase 1 endorsement cycle! Membership has voted to endorse Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is running for re-election in CD4, and Ysabel Jurado, who is running in CD14. Members in good standing can read more about the election results here.

• Weeks after the Los Angeles City Council drew criticism for its unanimous rejection of the city controller’s nominee to the Ethics Commission, the city council will consider Alex Johnson, the nominee put forth by Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson. The LA Times considers Johnson’s status as a longtime political insider.

• Kevin de León, who has ignored widespread calls to resign since being caught making a variety of racist remarks on the LA Fed tapes, has announced a re-election bid for his city council seat in CD14.

Housing Rights

• Residents of Los Angeles who owe back rent can now apply to an emergency renters assistance program paid for with funds collected by Measure ULA. Applicants must live in Los Angeles and make less than 80% of area median income. The program will cover up to six months of back rent owed to your current landlord. Applications close on October 2. See here for more on eligibility, as well as how to apply.

• Martin v. Boise is a district court ruling that moderately restricts the ability of municipalities to displace unhoused people where there is less than adequate shelter capacity. CalMatters covers the semantic games local government plays with the term “offer of shelter” in order to talk its way past this ruling. The League of California Cities has joined with other entities in petitioning the Supreme Court to narrow the scope of Boise, while, in a mask-off moment, Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his hope that the Supreme Court would act to strip legal protections from unhoused citizens. “And that’s a hell of a statement for a progressive Democrat,” said the governor, unironically.

• LA Public Press gives voice to the frustrations of tenants at Hillside Villa Apartments. Over a year after the city approved a plan to initiate the purchase of their building in order to maintain affordable rents, a series of delays have kept them in limbo, while the building’s current private owner continues to file eviction notices. More from the Tenants’ Association, which held an action at the Mayor’s office today.

Labor

• The WGA and AMPTP issued a joint statement this week that they had begun negotiating again after several weeks apart. Union leaders and advocates have cautioned the public against interpreting this as a sign that a deal is imminent and called for an increased show of attendance at picket lines.
  
• Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Nithya Raman, seconded by Hugo Soto-Martinez, introduced a motion to draft legislation requiring Los Angeles area hotels to inform and offer full refunds to guests whose reservations might be affected by construction or a picket line. This motion comes as UNITE HERE Local 11 nears the end of its third month on strike against dozens of LA-area hotels.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• In the aftermath of a federal investigation being launched into alleged rampant criminal behavior of the LAPD’s Mission District Gang Unit, LAPD Chief Michel Moore insisted that the practice of officers improperly switching off body cams is not widespread, but this is demonstrably false.

Environmental Justice

• Governor Newsom has until October 12 to veto any of the legislation currently before him, but he has already indicated that he will sign two bills that force large corporations to disclose their carbon footprints.

• As climate change increases the frequency of wildfires, insurers have declined to provide insurance to homeowners in California wildfire zones. This week, Governor Newsom issued an executive order that attempts to address that.