Issue No. 94 – January 28, 2022
State Politics
- Article 34 of the California Constitution prevents any public housing from being built in the state without first being approved by a citywide referendum. Senate Constitutional Amendment 2 would strike that, removing a major obstacle to the creation of public housing. This week, SCA 2 passed through the Senate. It will also need to be approved by statewide referendum.
- On Monday the state Assembly will vote on AB 1400, the proposed plan to create a universal healthcare within California. Capital & Main covers some of the political terrain. Toolkit for supporters here.
City Politics
- Councilmember Mike Bonin has announced that he is dropping out of his reelection campaign, citing mental health concerns. Bonin, currently serving his second term, had become a reliably humane voice on the council; he and Councilmember Nithya Raman were consistently the only two votes against 41.18 anti-unhoused enforcement zones. There is still a small window for someone with similar commitments (or better) to take his place in the CD11 race. Upsetting news.
Transportation
- Los Angeles’ elected leaders once embraced Vision Zero, a plan to redesign city streets to eliminate traffic fatalities. These promises have not been followed through on, and deaths have only been going up. Biking in LA parses the failure.
Housing Rights
- On-the-ground reporting from Knock LA covers the displacement of unhoused encampments that’s been happening around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, in the weeks leading up to the city’s hosting of the Super Bowl.
Police Violence and Community Resistance
- Several whistleblowers spoke to LAist about the absolute disregard for COVID safety protocols from the sheriff’s deputies who oversee Twin Towers correctional facility. “It’s chaos in there.”
- Cerise Castle live-tweeted the candidate forum for Los Angeles County sheriff.
Climate Justice
- While some have argued that the proposal to remove incentives for installing home solar panels are a retrograde cash grab for utilities, an editorial in Grist counters that the current subsidy rewards high-income households, and that the proposed changes would better socialize the benefits.
- On Wednesday, Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to ban new oil and gas drilling within city limits and phase out existing oil and gas production over the next 20 years. A huge victory!