The official title for Measure G is “LOS ANGELES COUNTY GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE, ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER AMENDMENT.”

That sure makes it sound dry, boring and wonky. It is anything but. It is about power. Incredible power. Who will wield it? And who will they represent?

We discuss Measure G on this episode of WNLA with County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, author of the proposal, and Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who opposes it.

More Info:

Unpacking the impact of Los Angeles County's ballot measures

Why proposal to expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is such a big deal

Measure to expand the LA County Board of Supervisors heads to the ballot. Here's what you should know

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

Proposition 33 is one of the hottest items on the California state ballot. If approved, it would allow cities and counties to establish, increase or expand rent control. Proponents say it is necessary to keep rents affordable and prevent families from falling into homelessness. Opponents say it will hurt small "mom and pop" landlords, and stop development of much-needed multi-family housing.

In this episode, Mike talks with Susie Shannon, campaign manager of Yes on 33, and with Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, a landlord group.

Yes on 33: https://yeson33.org/

No on Prop 33: https://noonprop33.com/

Ballotpedia on Prop 33: https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_33,_Prohibit_State_Limitations_on_Local_Rent_Control_Initiative_(2024)

CalMatters on Prop 33: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/propositions/prop-33-rent-control/

Prop 33 - Official Ballot Arguments: https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/33/

Legislative Analyst report on Prop 33: https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=33&year=2024

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

He was wrongfully convicted and spent 20 years behind bars. Since his his exoneration and release, he has dedicated himself to public service – and now he is a candidate for the California State Assembly. I talk with Franky Carrillo on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles.

Campaign Website: https://frankycarrillo.com/

L.A. County to pay $10 million to man whose murder conviction was overturned: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-francisco-carrillo-settlement-20160719-snap-story.html

Netflix episodes about Franky Carrillo: https://www.netflix.com/title/80214563 (episodes 4 and 5)

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

Since a critical U.S. Supreme Court ruling last summer, public officials have been rushing to drastically expand criminalization of homelessness. It's a cynical move, spending a fortune on making homelessness less visible while actually making the crisis much worse, and much harder to solve.

In this episode, Mike talks with Alex Visotsky of the National Alliance to End Homelessness about the growing push to criminalize homelessness in California, and with John Raphling, author of a blistering Human Rights Watch report on how bad criminalization was in Los Angeles, even prior to the court decision.

Important links and further reading:

National Alliance to End Homelessness: https://endhomelessness.org/
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/

NAEH - The Supreme Court Rules on Homelessness: https://endhomelessness.org/blog/the-supreme-court-rules-on-homelessness-what-it-all-means/

"You Have to Move" - HRW report - https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/08/14/you-have-move/cruel-and-ineffective-criminalization-unhoused-people-los-angeles

Mike Bonin - Tough Talk, Bad Policy: https://mikebonin.substack.com/p/tough-talk-bad-policy

Planetizen: California Cities Intensify Criminalization of Unhoused Residents: https://www.planetizen.com/news/2024/09/131753-california-cities-intensify-criminalization-unhoused-residents

Alex Visotsky - @alexvisotzky on Twitter

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

There are more than 3 million Democratic voters in Los Angeles County. Who decides which candidate gets the party’s endorsement? Or where the party spends its money? How is the local party negotiating tensions between progressives and moderates? I talk with Mark Ramos, the chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. A former grocery worker and current head of UFCW 1428, Ramos is determined to bring people into the party, and find common ground with fellow union members who have voted for Trump.

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

Did California Governor Gavin Newson kill efforts to save newspapers from Big Tech?  A few weeks ago, Newsom announced a deal with Google that effectively killed legislation to force Google, Meta and other big tech firms to compensate news organizations for making money off their products. He announced the state would enter into a sort of private-partnership with Google and Open AI -- just as a federal court was declaring Google an illegal monopoly.

What the hell happened? Mike Bonin talks with Matt Pearce of the Media Guild of the West, on the latest episode of What’s Next, Los Angeles?

LINKS
California's Deal With Big Tech on Newsroom Funding Kills Revenue-Sharing Legislation (KQED)

The News Business Really Is Cratering (Politico)

Notes on a Dying Form (Annenberg)

Matt Pearce @mattdpearce
https://mattdpearce.substack.com/

Media Guild of the West

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

It was just a year ago that Los Angeles was the focus nationally and internationally of the Hot Labor Summer of 2023. With workers in various industries taking to the streets and demanding better pay and working conditions, and with overwhelming public support, the message was clear: Los Angeles is a labor town.

But it wasn't always that way. Los Angeles was once known as one of the most anti-union cities in the country. On this Labor Day weekend, Kent Wong of the UCLA Labor Center walks us through the ups and downs of the history of organized labor in Los Angeles -- and reveals how victories and losses here shaped the labor movement nationally.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

UCLA Labor Center

Memory Work Los Angeles

Cal Federation of Labor - Labor History

LA Stories: Labor Movements in Los Angeles

Miguel Contreras: Legacy of a Labor Leader

Mike Garcia and the Justice for Janitors Movement

From Coors to California: David Sickler and the New Working Class

Voices from the Front Lines: Organizing Immigrant Workers in Los Angeles

From Mission to Microchip: A History of California Labor by Fred Glass (book)

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

Marqueece Harris-Dawson becomes Los Angeles City Council President September 20. Who is he, and how does he intend to lead? In this episode, he talks at length with Mike about Los Angeles, Black politics and multiracial coalitions, unarmed crisis response, homelessness, housing, preparing for the Olympics, and a lot more!
 

Links & Additional Reading

Marqueece Harris-Dawson Bio

MHD Off the Record Podcast

L.A. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson wins the council presidency, will replace Krekorian

Destination Crenshaw:

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

A week after polls closed, the results of a lot of elections are becoming and apparent, and there have been some wild developments! There have been blowouts, nail-biters and big surprises, and Alissa Walker and Godfrey Plata join Mike Bonin to review and discuss it all.  The resounding victory of Measure HLA. An edge-of-your-seats finale to the Nithya Raman re-election campaign.  A huge surge for progressives in multiple races. A closely watched anti-gay campaign in Glendale. And a helluva lot more.

Check the chapter markers to find the segments of the show you're most interested in.

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

One of the most high-profile races on the ballot is the one for Los Angeles County District Attorney, where incumbent George Gascon – a progressive reformer – is being challenged by a large field of candidates.

What does a District Attorney really do? How does the position impact criminal justice? How much does it impact crime, and in what ways? And what is a progressive prosecutor? Why is reform needed and what does it look like? In this episode, we talk about that and more, including why it important – crucial even – to re-elect George Gascon. 

Mike talks with Marissa Roy, the podcast’s resident legal analyst, as well as Tracee Porter, who has been through the criminal justice system, and talks about what harms it caused her, and the rest of society. 

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