Posts Tagged: Los Angeles County

Opinion

Mega-merger will push grocery workers over the unemployment cliff

Unemployment cliff, image by Marus Nazzarov

OPINION – The “hot labor summer” gripping Southern California shows no signs of cooling down. Hollywood actors have joined forces with TV and movie writers in walking off the job. Striking hospitality workers made headlines calling on Taylor Swift to postpone her tour. These stories are a stark reminder that corporate profits almost always come at the expense of workers’ livelihood. 

Opinion

Uniform expiration date language can help feed California’s hungry

Image by Feng Yu via Shutterstock

OPINION – At the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which serves the most populous county in the country, we help feed millions of people living in LA County who face food insecurity. Yet up to 40 percent of the food our nation grows never reaches anyone’s table.

Continue Reading »

Opinion

Justice reform: Policymakers must follow the path defined by voters

Illustration of an effort to assure the scales of justice are balanced. (Image: Lightspring, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Two weeks ago, another attempt to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón failed decisively, with proponents unable to muster support from even 10 percent of voters despite spending over $8 million on this latest effort. Like the June primary results, this failure reminds us that L.A. voters, like voters across California, continue to support meaningful justice reforms and candidates who embrace them.

Opinion

Smart land use planning, not courts, key to wildfire safety

The 2018 Woolsey Fire, which ultimately burned nearly 95,000 acres, seen from the Hollywood Hills. (Photo: Jeff Pinette, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Record-setting wildfires, fueled by the climate crisis and uncontrolled sprawl, are burning at all times of the year. Yet local officials continue to greenlight hillside projects as if these land-use decisions aren’t linked to the never-ending fire season.

News

As California lowers its masks, uncertainty remains

A crowd at the Santa Monica pier during the height of the pandemic. Some people wear masks, some don't.(Photo: Hanson L, via Shutterstock)

To mask or not to mask? That is the question — and there are a lot of answers. California on March 1 lifted its rule requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks in most indoor settings, but still strongly recommended that everyone wear masks indoors while in public. After fully two years of self-imposed isolation and masking, many people were delighted with the move.

Opinion

Now is the time for the Health Equity Fund

A scene along Anaheim Street, a main artery in Wilmington. (Photo: Matt Gush)

OPINION: There’s no question that communities of color — like the areas where I grew up and represent today, Watts, Wilmington, Compton, for example — have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s past due for us to right this injustice.
This is why I’m championing a proposal to create the California Health Equity Fund.

News

Poll: Death penalty repeal gaining, but many undecided

A correctional officer in Death Row at San Quentin Prison. ((Photo: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

In its latest statewide survey, the Berkeley IGS Poll asked registered voters how they would vote such an amendment if the election were held today.  The results indicate that 44% of voters say they would vote Yes to repeal the state’s death penalty law, 35% would vote No to keep the law in force, while a relatively large proportion, 21%, are undecided.

News

Pandemic: Some leaders’ behavior sends mixed messages

Beachgoers in April at Huntington Beach, despite stay-at-home orders. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)

California, like the rest of the nation, is seeing a dramatic rise in COVID infections and deaths — and Los Angeles County has some of the most dire statistics. Health officials reported more than 7,500 new cases in the county on Tuesday, shattering the old record, set last week.

Support for Capitol Weekly is Provided by: