Posts Tagged: Los Angeles

Opinion

Clippers arena: A great opportunity for Inglewood

A roadside sign for the city of Inglewood near Los Angeles. The picture was taken in April. (Photo: Albert Campbell)

The California economy is booming at a record pace.  The State’s unemployment rate is at a historic low of 4.2 percent, with investments in technology, health care, transportation and construction projects helping lead the way. But the Golden State’s success has been uneven.The economic wave of prosperity missed some of California’s most vulnerable populations, leaving some of the most diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged communities behind. The City of Inglewood is one of those communities. 

News

Amid crisis, voters will confront housing options

Housing construction at a new California neighborhood.(Photo: Marilyn Volan)

As California rents and property values continue to rise, it should come as no surprise that three housing-related measures will face voters on the November ballot, targeting veterans’ home loans, local rent control and housing construction for the homeless. Statewide, the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment is about $1,400, and a home costs $440,000 — far more than double the national average of $180,000.

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Steve Swatt

Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 at a platform committee meeting of the Democratic National Committee.

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster  are joined by Steve Swatt, a veteran political analyst and former news reporter who at the age of 24 covered RFK’s murder and the trial of the assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, for United Press International.

News

Eric Garcetti’s long, uphill climb

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and friend at the Rose Parade on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. (Photo: Karl_Sonnenberg)

He runs an entity that boasts more population than 21 states plus Puerto Rico.  He is good-looking, well-spoken, and he’s thinking about running for president. He is, of course, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Analysis

CA120: North versus South in 2018 primary

Balancing the political power between L.A. and the San Francisco Bay Area. (Illustration: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)

ANALYSIS: With five months to the 2018 gubernatorial primary election, there is a natural tendency to try and find the single major factor that will determine the outcome. Will it be Donald Trump, absentee voters, young people, the gas tax, racially polarized voting, the open primary, North versus South, the growing number of independent voters, the new registrants since President Trump was elected, or 25% of the electorate who registered to vote in 2016? The fact is, it will be all of these things.

News

Secrecy looms over sexual misconduct claims

Lobbyist Pamela Lopez testifies before an Assembly committee about sexual harassment in the Capitol. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Leaders in the California Senate and Assembly have promised transparency as they combat sexual harassment in the Capitol, but so far most information from misconduct investigations remains hidden from public view. The Senate announced a contract with lawyers from two independent firms to investigate sexual harassment complaints, but attorney-client privilege could shield the investigations from public disclosure.

News

De León’s uphill journey toward a U.S. Senate seat

State Senate Leader Kevin de León at a conference last year in Mexico City. (Photo: Fernando Ramirez, El Universal, via AP)

The contrast between Kevin de León and his political opponent Dianne Feinstein is stark. De León, the leader of the state Senate, grew up in the San Diego barrio of Logan Heights.  His mother cleaned houses and did odd jobs to support the family. Feinstein grew up in a wealthy family in a posh section of San Francisco, the daughter of a prominent surgeon and a beautiful mother.

News

Rent control may roil 2018 ballot

A house goes up for rent. (Photo: Andy Dean Photography)

So far, most of the sound and fury in California politics has revolved around candidates.  But there are increasing signs that ballot initiatives may trigger additional uproar in 2018. The latest November filing is an effort to remove a 20-year barrier to local rent control, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

Opinion

Don’t reverse Internet privacy safeguards

A woman using wireless broadband launches an app on her tablet. (Photo: Daniel Krason, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California has a responsibility to get Internet policy right. The state’s ranking as the sixth largest economy understates its influence on the world’s innovation economy. One-third of global venture capital is invested in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego. California is the test bed, launch pad and sand box for thousands of apps and Internet services which, if successful, are launched on the world.

News

No kill: LA’s tale of cats and dogs

Out for a spin in L.A. with the family dog. (Photo: Oneinpunch, Shutterstock)

Los Angeles is close to becoming the largest U.S. city to achieve a “no kill” policy for healthy animals placed in municipal shelters. When the trial program launched in 2012, the “save rate” — a measurement that reflects the percentage of cats and dogs not euthanized — at L.A. city shelters was 57.7 percent. Through the first quarter of 2017, the save rate rose to 89.4 percent.

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