Wallis Annenberg was a titan in the world of philanthropy. An heir to the Anneneberg family fortune, she served as chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation since 2009, giving away more than $3 billion in charitable grants to a variety of causes, including the arts, wildlife, seniors, and inner-city youth. But the obituaries celebrating her life and lauding her achievements failed to mention that she was well-known in LA’s LGBTQ+ community as a lesbian, and she had given significant and critical support for LGBTQ+ causes. It was a noteworthy example of queer erasure – the tendency to remove LGBTQ groups or identity from the historical record. 

 The queer erasure so bothered her former partner Karen Ocamb – a noted chronicler of the LGBT civil rights movement and the HIV/AIDS crisis that she took to Substack to write about – in a column titled “When Lesbian Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg Helped Save The Gays.” The article drew immediate praise from members of LA’s queer community, who were shocked that news outlets failed to mention Annenberg was a lesbian. I interviewed Karen Ocamb about the Wallis she and so many others knew, and about the work Wallis Annenberg did for the LGTBQ+ community.

When Lesbian Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg Helped Save The Gays by Karen Ocamb

LA Times Obituary: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-07-28/wallis-annenberg-dead-philanthropist-obituary

New York Times Obit: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/us/wallis-annenberg-dead.html

LA Times follow-up story: "Inside Wallis Annenberg’s final days: Opioid stupor, abuse claims and a bitter family feud"

The Suppression of Lesbian ^ Gay History by Rictor Norton: https://rictornorton.co.uk/suppress.htm

Hollywood Turns Out for AIDS Benefit (New York Times, 1985): https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/20/us/hollywood-turns-out-for-aids-benefit.html

Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing: https://www.gleh.org/

Project Angel Food: https://www.angelfood.org/

LGBT History: The Briggs Initiative - a Scary Proposition: https://www.glbthistory.org/briggs

LGBT History: Lesbian Solidarity During the AIDS Epidemic: https://www.youthco.org/lesbian_solidarity_during_the_aids_epidemic

LGBT History: The Blood Sisters - the Unsung Heroes of the AIDS Crisis: https://diva-magazine.com/2024/02/08/the-blood-sisters/

LGBT History: Meet Pioneer of Gay Rights Harry Hay: https://progressive.org/magazine/meet-pioneer-gay-rights-harry-hay/

LGBT History: The Lavender Effect: Ivy Bottini: https://thelavendereffect.org/projects/ohp/ivy-bottini/

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Is Los Angeles broken? And what will it take to fix it? We discuss that with Rick Cole on this episode of WNLA.

Cole knows local government. He was elected to the Pasadena City Council in 1983, and served for 12 years, including two as Mayor. He served as City Manager of Azusa, Ventura and Santa Monica. He has served several times for the City of Los Angeles, as senior deputy to Councilmember Richard Alatorre, as deputy mayor for Budget & Innovation under Mayor Eric Garcetti, and as as deputy for City Controller Kenneth Mejia.  He left his position with Mejia last week, to focus on his role on the Pasadena City Council, a post he returned to in December after 30 years.

In his farewell ceremony at City Council last week, he spoke about what ills the city and what it will take to fix it. We follow up, in an in-depth discussion.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

In this new age of repression, are you a dissident? What does that mean? What does it require? And how dangerous is it? In this episode, we talk with Ami Fields-Meyer, co-author of “So You Want to Be A Dissident?” in the New Yorker.

Ami also recently hosted a conversation titled “Concentration Camps and the Machinery of Repression: Lessons for Saving Democracy” with Julia Pitzer and Erica Chenoweth. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/ESiZOQBZUYA?si=W5n9iC0HXAgCkSO9

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

June is LGBTQ Pride Month.  It is time when those of us in the queer community celebrate who we are. It is a time of joy and empowerment. And a time for reflection – of thinking about how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve gone back again,

It is also a time to celebrate our heroes. That is why, in this episode, I speak with Lu Lipmen, a non-binary 13 year-old who is fighting back against the wave of anti-trans hate. They discuss how they face the hate and vitriol -- and how they respond with such courage, poise and determination.

Lu is an inspiring person, and this is a very special episode. I hope you enjoy it.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Vulnerable Californians are in the crosshairs. That’s one of the big takeaways from Governor Newsom’s latest budget proposal -- the May Revise.Last week on this podcast, we focused on the proposal’s impact on transportation, housing and climate. Today we’re looking at its impact on vulnerable and low income Californians, and the news is pretty ugly.

Among those likely to suffer if the Legislature doesn’t make changes are low income families, senior citizens, people with disabilities, people who are unhoused, survivors of domestic violence, and foster youth, and immigrants.

Our guest on this episode is Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget & Policy Center – a well-respected organization that does research and analysis of state policies, with an eye toward equity and impacts policies have on people who are vulnerable.

Read the California Budget & Policy Center latest report here: https://calbudgetcenter.org/issues/california-budget/

For more on the Los Angeles City Budget, check out this week's episode of LA Podcast, with Mike, Alissa Walker and Godfrey Plata. 

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled his latest budget proposal. What does it mean for mass transit, for housing, and for the fight to save the climate? We will get into with Eli Lipmen, executive director of MOVE LA.

Transit Advocates Warn of Fiscal Crisis After Newsom Passes on Emergency Funding: https://www.kqed.org/news/12040042/transit-advocates-warn-fiscal-crisis-after-newsom-passes-on-emergency-funding#:~:text=Newsom%20include%20%242%20billion%20in,of%20Fund%20California%20Public%20Transit.)

First Reviews of the Governor’s Revised Budget Are In: https://cal.streetsblog.org/2025/05/15/first-reviews-of-the-governors-revised-budget-are-in

Governor Newsom unveils proposal to cut red tape and fast-track housing and development: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/14/governor-newsom-unveils-proposal-to-cut-red-tape-and-fast-track-housing-and-development/

Gavin Newsom lays down the law on housing construction: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/15/housing-dividing-california-democrats-newsom-00350811

Newsom’s budget cuts anger allies and leave the state’s chronic deficit unresolved: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/05/newsom-budget-chronic-deficit-unresolved/

Newsom says bailing L.A. out of budget crisis is ‘nonstarter.’ Bass remains hopeful: https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2025-05-17/newsom-no-money-for-la-budget

Move LA: https://www.movela.org/

Festival Trail: https://festivaltrail.org/

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

In the face of an onslaught of attacks on civil rights and civil liberties and social justice programs, are you feeling demoralized, or helpless, or isolated?

If so, you are not alone.  In this episode, we talk with Rudy Espinoza, executive director of Inclusive Action for the City, about his personal and political search for the courage to stand up, and about the strength he finds in solidarity.

LINKS

Inclusive Action for the City

Rudy's essay in Nonprofit Quarterly

Info on the May Day events across the country

LA Forward Spring Into Action Event - May 3

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Last weekend, a crowd 36,000 strong flocked to downtown Los Angeles, filling Gloria Molina Grand Park, surrounding Los Angeles City Hall, and stretching a half mile down Spring Street. 

From all around Southern California they came to hear and to cheer Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and to amplify the message that America needs a government that fights for its people, and not its billionaires.

This stop on the Fighting Oligarchy tour was the largest Sanders or AOC rally, ever, anywhere. 

We’ll recap, play some highlights, and contextualize the momentous event on this episode of WNLA.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Los Angeles County is creating its own Department of Homeless Services – and pulling hundreds of people and hundreds of millions of dollars out of LAHSA – the joint city-county homelessness services agency.

Is it a big and long overdue step to maximize taxpayer investments in solving homelessness? Or is it a rushed and divisive move that threatens recent progress in bringing our unhoused neighbors indoors?

We’ll discuss that with Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and with Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield – on this episode of What’s Next, Los Angeles?

Some Great Links

This week's LA Podcast with me, Alissa Walker, Hayes Davenport and special guest co-host . . . Carla Hall, who just left her gig as the last member of the editorial board at the LA Times.

LA Times: County supervisors create new homeless agency, despite warnings from L.A. mayor

LAist: Head of LA homeless services resigns days after county votes to pull $350M from troubled agency

LA Public Press: Unhoused LA residents react to LAHSA’s unraveling

LA Times: Feds to look into potential fraud and corruption in Southern California homeless funds

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Did you know that as a resident of Los Angeles, you have an attorney? The City Attorney is elected to represent and fight for the people of Los Angeles and to serve as the City’s lawyer. Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy recently announced her campaign for Los Angeles City Attorney, campaigning to protect workers from wage theft, renters from illegal evictions, and consumers from fraud. 

Marissa is running against our current City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. In stark contrast, Hydee has opposed affordable housing for Los Angelenos, sued journalists, prosecuted protesters, and surveilled the emails of her employees.

Find out more about Marissa and her campaign here. You can also follow along on social media on Instagram and X. 

Links and Additional Reading

What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin, The Trouble with Hydee

Capital & Main, The Landlord Behind Massive Los Angeles Eviction Has Spent More Than $1 Million on City Elections

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.