#25: The L.A. City Council has a LOT of power... But how do their decisions actually affect the lives of Angelenos? And how is it determined what areas of L.A. they control? HTLA host Brian De Los Santos is looking for answers. He speaks with Caitlin Hernández, a reporter for LAist who's been been following the City Council and the fallout from the leaked tape scandal.

Also, don't forget -- there's an election happening. If you live in L.A. city, there are four council seats on the ballot. 

Guests:

Caitlin Hernández, LA explained reporter for LAist
José Del Rio, political consultant active in the 2021 redistricting process.

In this bonus episode of HTLA we hang out in Boyle Heights in Council District 14, repped by embattled councilperson Kevin de León. We talk to community activist and Órale Boyle Heights podcast host Erick Huerta, about the community's reactions to this leaked taped scandal and the fact that de León says he will not resign his post. 

Guest: Erick Huerta, media organizer for East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, & host of the podcast Órale Boyle Heights

#24: As humans, we produce a LOT of trash and only recycle about a third of it. Some new changes to California's recycling laws could help boost recycling rates, which, you know, could be good for the planet. HTLA host Brian De Los Santos gets the 411 on those changes and gets a first hand look at how L.A. County recycles its garbage.

Guests: Susan Collins, president of the Container Recycling Institute

Habib Kharrat, solid waste operations manager, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts

#23: The largest wildlife crossing in the WORLD is being built right here in Los Angeles. It'll cross over 10 lanes of the 101 freeway - the deadliest road for mountain lions - to connect the Santa Monica Mountains with the Simi Hills. Today, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos meets up with Miguel Ordenaña, the guy who discovered one of LA's most famous mountain lions. They talk about what this crossing will mean for this city, and what it takes for projects like these to break ground.

Guest: Miguel Ordenaña, community science manager at the Natural History Museum.

Want to know more about the crossing? This article from LAist has got you covered:
The Earth Is Moving For The World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing

#22: LA is voting on a new mayor for the first time since 2013. Congresswoman Karen Bass is running against real-estate developer Rick Caruso. Each have different plans they argue would help improve things around this city, like homelessness. But mayors in LA don't have the power that other big city mayors do. It begs the question, what can the next mayor of Los Angeles really do? 

Guest: Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. 

#21: HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and LAist food editor Gab Chabrán are back at it, searching for delicious (and affordable) grub. This time, they're featuring Cheap Fast Eats in Long Beach. 

Locations: A&J Seafood Shack, Appu’s Cafe, Hamburgers Nice

Guest: Gab Chabrán, food editor at LAist.

#20: I’m not a Dodger fan… at least, not yet. But I know so many of you are! So today on HTLA, we’re learning all about what makes these games so fun to watch… Plus, their incredible season this year, which is leading them into the playoffs.

Guests: A Martínez, host of NPR's Morning Edition & Up First; Bianca Ramirez, operations director for KPCC & LAist; and Donald Paz, engineer for KPCC & LAist and HTLA music composer

#19: Leaked audio tapes from a Los Angeles City Council meeting contain racist remarks from the former council president, Nury Martinez. Many prominent L.A. politicians, including Sen. Alex Padilla, have called for everyone involved in the discussion to resign and take full responsibility for their actions. Today, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos talks with community leaders and experts about the larger impact of this scandal and where this stems from.

Guests: Amir Whittaker, Senior Policy Counsel at the Southern California ACLU; Ange-Marie Hancock, gender studies professor at University of Southern California 

#18: Climbing is a great way to connect with nature, or even just let off steam with friends. But the sport has a reputation of being somewhat exclusive. Today, HTLA newsletter writer Aaricka Washington is back in the studio with Brian De Los Santos. They're talking about Brown Girls Climb, a group that aims to increase representation of women of color in climbing communities. Aaricka learns to climb with them at one of their monthly meet ups in L.A. 

Guests: Aaricka Washington, HTLA newsletter writer; Jaya Kang, Indira Orozco, & Shalaka Gole, local chapter leaders for Brown Girls Climb

#17: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did something unusual last month. It launched a criminal investigation into L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, and others, and got a warrant to search her house. It was unusual because the LASD does not typically investigate other county agencies. California's Attorney General has since taken that investigation over but the actions by the LASD raised some alarms, especially since Sheriff Alex Villanueva is running for re-election in November. It's all sorts of complicated but HTLA host Brian De Los Santos gets into it with this explainer on law enforcement in L.A. 

Guest: LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze