Issue No. 97 – February 18, 2022
STATE POLITICS
- California’s mask mandate for vaccinated people was lifted on Wednesday, though it remains in effect for the time being in LA County. On Thursday Governor Newsom announced S.M.A.R.T.E.R, the “next phase” of California’s COVID response strategy. His repeated reference to an “endemic” era suggests that the plan is to raise the threshold that would trigger any state action while accepting some level of infection and death as inevitable. The state of emergency does remain in effect.
- The first of many attempts at billionaire-funded recall petitions has succeeded in San Francisco, where three members of the school board were just recalled. A ballot measure this June will allow that city to vote to restrict the window of recalls, prohibiting them in the first 12 months of a term or when there are less than 12 months until the next election.
CITY POLITICS
- Early polls in the mayoral race show a lot of undecided voters, but Representative Karen Bass nevertheless has a commanding lead.
- The filing deadline for the 2022 elections has closed. Activist Gina Viola announced her candidacy at the wire, and with Karen Bass promising to increase police budgets as mayor, Viola is one of few candidates committed to decreasing the role of armed police in public safety.
- CD 10 has been without representation on the city council since Mark Ridley-Thomas was suspended in October of last year. This week, Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion to appoint former councilmember Herb Wesson, aand political ally, to fill the seat on an interim basis.
HOUSING
- The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is scheduled for next week. Care+ sweeps will be suspended for three days but are still being conducted this week, potentially skewing the data.
TRANSPORTATION
- Metro service cuts, forced by staffing shortages, go into effect starting Sunday. Details on which lines will be affected here.
CLIMATE
- After record-setting storms in October and then December, the past six weeks — usually among the wettest months in California — have seen precipitation totals plateau.
- California’s emissions reduction targets are slipping out of reach, due to over reliance on marketplace solutions that allow companies to pay to emit greenhouse gases. A recent report notes the unsustainable amount of carbon credits that have already been banked.