Government and Politics

Mayor Garcetti to Set Up Shop on an Eastside Sidewalk (Really)

After his first summer in office, it has become clear that Eric Garcetti is a different kind of municipal leader. He actually uses Twitter (and, guys, KPCC is on it). He once tried out Google Glass (and wisely refused to be photographed while wearing the device -- too cool). He established the mayo ... More >>

Sherman Oaks Residents Enraged Over Fire Station Secrecy

Proposition 8 is Dead, 2008 - 2013

Proposition 8 is dead. The California Supreme Court pulled the plug today on any last hopes of anti-gay marriage supporters to resuscitate the law that banned legal same-sex in the Golden State. "Today's decision reaffirms that all loving, committed couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, ... More >>

Mission Creep at the L.A. Fire Department

The LAFD has become a huge mobile health clinic. And that's simply unsustainable

Marijuana: Is Obama Administration Softening Stance on Pot?

It's the Obama administration Department of Justice that has been raiding and shutting down marijuana dispensaries in medical-legal places like, oh, right here in Los Angeles. That alone has produced a love-hate relationship between the cannabis nation and a president who admitted inhaling in his y ... More >>

Can Aja Brown, Compton's Hip, Refreshing Reform Mayor, Turn This Woeful City Around?

Al Sharpton's Trayvon Martin Protest May Wreck Eric Garcetti's Plan to Leave Town

Today, Mayor Eric Garcetti called for Trayvon Martin demonstrators to "practice peace," with LAPD chief Charlie Beck and numerous African American leaders joining Garcetti at a press conference in South Los Angeles. The mayor is hoping that street protests will calm in the coming days, but the Rev ... More >>

Kevin James, Candidate Who Railed Against City Hall Corruption, Takes Plum Post In Garcetti Administration

Kevin James, the conservative talk show host who railed against City Hall corruption during his failed campaign for mayor, has come full circle, taking a plum position on the city's Board of Public Works.The job pays $134,000 annually, which has made it a landing spot for the mayor's friends and all ... More >>

Is L.A. Pensions Chief Hiding Pension Costs for City Hall Politicians?

#See clarification below. During the reporting of the widely read L.A. Weekly cover story, "Antonio Villaraigosa's Quest for Wall Street, Washington and Wealth," Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System (LACERS) chief Thomas Moutes refused* to tell the paper what kind of big bucks taxpayers wi ... More >>

Antonio Villaraigosa's Quest for Wall Street, Washington and Wealth

Carmen Trutanich's Loss Was Historic

Mike Feuer took City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's job with 62 percent of the vote versus the incumbent's less than 38 percent, a more than 24-point spread. Some think Trutanich's failed run for district attorney, which had him breaking a vow to stay put, killed his chances. You might also consider h ... More >>

Why Laura Chick -- Not Wendy Greuel -- Would Have Beaten Eric Garcetti for Mayor

The wrong city controller ran against Eric Garcetti. As current Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel's run for mayor ended in defeat, one can't help but think that Laura Chick, the hard-charging, plainspoken controller between 2001 and 2009, would have mopped the floor with Garcetti. "There is ... More >>

Curren Price Ana Cubas Early Election Results: Price Ahead For L.A. City Council District 9

Updated at bottom First posted at 8:54 pm. The early vote-by-mail ballots are in, and Curren Price is leading Ana Cubas by 14 points. As any school child knows, the only jobs that qualify you to sit on the Los Angeles city council are state legislator, city hall staffer or cop. So it's no surpris ... More >>

Los Angeles Voter Guide May 21, 2013: Mayor, Weed Measures, City Council, City Attorney, LAUSD Board and The Works

Here's a quick guide to the key races and issues on the May 21, 2013 ballot in the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayoral Race: Read this fascinating dissection of the five main behavioral and philosophical differences between 2013 Los Angeles mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, ... More >>

Latino Vote Crucial for L.A. City Hall Candidates

With nearly one in three people in the L.A. electorate claiming Latino heritage, the city election Tuesday could be decided by the brown vote. So says the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), which notes that 29 percent of registered voters in Los Angeles are Lati ... More >>

Why Are Women Practically Nonexistent on L.A. City Council?

Of 15 City Council seats, the Valley's may soon have the sole female

Will California Officials Derail West Hollywood's Plans to Tear Down Great Hall-Long Hall?

It's been ongoing saga for a while now, and West Hollywood City Council's plans to demolish the WPA-era Great Hall-Long Hall buildings in Plummer Park may be derailed -- one way or another. It brings back memories of when the West Hollywood City Council pushed hard to mess with the old Tara mansio ... More >>

Garcetti and Greuel's Worst Days in Power

Setting aside promises, how have they behaved?

Los Angeles Times Nixes Use Of Term 'Illegal Immigrant'

The Los Angeles Times today followed Associated Press and nixed use of the term "illegal immigrant" in its stories. This followed a long campaign by some immigrants' rights activists, including the L.A.-based National Hispanic Media Coalition, which said that a person shouldn't be forever described ... More >>

A Mayor Spying for the Military? Why Eric Garcetti Should Not Reenlist in the Navy

Updated at the bottom: A government ethics expert has tough questions about how Lieutenant Mayor Eric Garcetti could wear two hats. What is Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti thinking? Garcetti says that if elected mayor of the country's second largest city -- which is broke, has crumblin ... More >>

'Illegal Immigrant' Could Be On The Chopping Block At Los Angeles Times Too

This week the Associated Press declared it would no longer use the term "illegal immigrant." It was big news in journalism, because the AP Stylebook's usage guidelines are the ones followed by most of us in news media. A few publications, including the Los Angeles Times, have their own style books ... More >>

Herb Wesson: Will L.A. Council President Turn Over Damning Emails in Redistricting Lawsuit?

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson and other council members better hope they don't have any embarrassing emails or texts on their computers or cell phones. In a hard-charging legal move on Thursday, Beverly Hills civil rights attorney Leo Terrell sent out California Public Records Act ... More >>

Who is Mystery Man John Choi?

To represent Hollywood, Silver Lake and Echo Park, it pays to be chosen by Maria Elena Durazo

Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel Picks Up Critical Support From L.A. County Labor Federation

Update below, 5:15 p.m. Full rundown of Garcetti and Greuel's remarks behind closed doors at the Fed today. Greuel: "I'm gonna stand with labor, not stand up to labor." Controller Wendy Greuel got a major lift this morning, as the political committee of the L.A. County Federation of Labor voted ... More >>

Los Angeles' Historic Election Night for Gay Candidates Underlines 'Gay Okay' Trend in United States

While local media and L.A. political leaders are bemoaning the city's embarrassingly low voter turnout on Election Day, something quite positive, even historic, happened last Tuesday night: Gay candidates across Los Angeles kicked butt. Many gay politicos can't think of an election in Los Angeles h ... More >>

West Hollywood Municipal Election Results: Voters Defy Political Establishment and Approve Term Limits for City Council

In one of those odd twists on election night, West Hollywood voters gave City Council incumbents Jeff Prang and John Duran another four years, but then solidly approved a term limits ballot measure for the City Council by more than 1,000 votes. The passage of Measure C is a major blow to the West H ... More >>

Los Angeles City Council District 9 Primary Results: Curren Price and Ana Cubas Leading in Tight Race

In the Los Angeles City Council District 9 race, Latina candidate Ana Cubas and state legislator Curren Price may grab the top two slots and head to the May runoff. Cubas, the only woman in the field, is facing African American politicos Curren Price, Mike Davis, and David Roberts as well as Asian ... More >>

Los Angeles City Council District 13 Primary Results: Mitch O'Farrell and John Choi Head to May Runoff

In the Los Angeles City Council District 13 race, frontrunners Mitch O'Farrell and John Choi will face each other in a May 21 runoff for one of California's most prized political seats. Past CD 13 council members have made strong runs for mayor and have served in the state legislature. With 100 per ... More >>

Los Angeles City Council District 9 Primary Results: Curren Price and Ana Cubas To Face Each Other in May Runoff

In the Los Angeles City Council District 9 race, Latina candidate Ana Cubas and state legislator Curren Price grabbed the top two slots and will head to a May 21 runoff. Cubas, the only woman in the field, faced African American politicos Curren Price, Mike Davis, and David Roberts as well as Asian ... More >>

West Hollywood City Council and Term Limits Races Turn Political Scene Upside Down But Voters Get Last Word on Election Day

After months of political contention, West Hollywood voters will decide today if term limits for City Council members should be approved and if incumbents Jeff Prang and John Duran should be re-elected. Former Councilman Steve Martin, a front-running challenger, wants to replace either Duran or Pran ... More >>

Los Angeles City Council District 9 Primary: Absentee Ballot Results Show Curren Price and Ana Cubas Leading in Close Contest

In the Los Angeles City Council District 9 race, Latina candidate Ana Cubas is hoping to grab one of the top two slots in a field of mostly men -- and then head to the May runoff. Cuba is facing African American politicos Curren Price, Mike Davis, and David Roberts as well as Asian American and LAP ... More >>

L.A. Sales Tax Hike: Will $211 Million Increase Fix City's Problems?

Do people trust the City Council?

Council District 3 Race: Frontrunner and Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield Officially Flip-Flopped 89 Times in Sacramento

The Los Angeles Times may have glowingly endorsed California State Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield for the southwestern San Fernando Valley's L.A. City Council District 3 race -- he's one of those politicians looking for greener pastures and to turn L.A. into "Sacramento South" -- but he's picked up at ... More >>

LAPD Cops Get $1 Million "DROP" Checks 5 Years Before Retiring but Villaraigosa Claims Poverty and Seeks Sales Tax Proposition A

KCET has a blockbuster report on the bizarre DROP program approved by voters under Mayor Richard Riordan when LAPD morale was so low -- thanks to the Rampart scandal -- that City Hall was at that time desperate to stop a rush of early cop retirements. Now, says a probe by KCET's Judy Muller, the D ... More >>

Can Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel Still Feign Ignorance about 'Gold Card Desk' Parking Ticket Scandal?

It's always interesting, and, of course, a bit suspicious, when seemingly smart politicians are "surprised" or claim ignorance when something peculiar happens on their watch -- as if that's a valid excuse. Los Angeles mayoral candidate and brainy Rhodes Scholar Eric Garcetti pulled such a maneuver ... More >>

L.A. City Council District 13 March Election

Hollywood and Tri-Hipster Area Produces Power Players

Wendy Greuel's Inside Game

The controller's union ties could be her biggest advantage in the race for L.A. mayor — or her biggest liability

Eric Garcetti Makes A Play For Growing Latino Vote, But Turnout Is A Challenge

When Antonio Villaraigosa became the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in modern times, he did it with record-breaking turnout from the Latino community. And since then, Latino voter registration has surged from 22% to about 29% of the city electorate.But without a major Latino candidate on the ball ... More >>

Mayoral Candidate Emanuel Pleitez Gets Aggressive with Rival Eric Garcetti and Hauls Out Immigration Politics

UPDATE: Emanuel Pleitez speaks out at press conference, after the jump. After seeing a bump in his polling numbers among Latino voters, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez is getting aggressive and now looking to beef up that support by bringing the politics of immigration into the fold. ... More >>

L.A. Sidewalk Repair War: Dennis Zine's Own Block got Fixed, Now City Controller Candidates Cary Brazeman, Ron Galperin, Cry Foul

L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine may wish sidewalks had gotten fixed anywhere other than his own street a few years ago -- after all, there are 5,000 miles of broken sidewalks in Los Angeles from which to choose. Instead, Zine yesterday handed his rival City Controller candidates Cary Brazeman and R ... More >>

Happy Birthday, Ronald

Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti Duel Over Celebrity Vote in L.A. Mayoral Race

It's always fun to see who the cool kids -- i.e., celebrities -- line up with come election season, and this year's mayoral race is starting to attract that kind of attention. L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti recently rolled out a video starring a gushing Salma Hayek. Now it's City Controller Wend ... More >>

Mike Feuer And Carmen Trutanich Back New Local Gun Restrictions In City Attorney Race

California already has some of the nation's most stringent gun laws. But in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, L.A. officials are pushing for new restrictions at the local level. The issue has become particularly potent in the campaign for L.A. city attorney. Today, incumbent Carm ... More >>

Are Term Limits Good For West Hollywood? Voters to Decide in Upcoming Election

The Los Angeles Times ran a piece about West Hollywood terms limits today. It's filled with the usual, and very simplified, arguments by City Council members John Heilman and Jeff Prang about why terms limits are bad. "The people in West Hollywood are smart enough to know that if there's a council ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Oral Arguments on Proposition 8 in March

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments for the federal Proposition 8 lawsuit on Tuesday, March 26 -- followed up the next day with arguments on the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). So in a little over two months, the question of legalize ... More >>

Kevin James' Mayoral Dreams Get Legs

Gay Republican moderate attracts big GOP cash in Los Angeles

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, Whose Old Law Firm Worked For The NRA, Comes Out For Gun Control

The school shooting in Newtown, Conn., has put gun control back on the national agenda. Over the last two days it's also become an issue locally, as the candidates for L.A. city attorney jockey to prove how tough they are on guns.It started on Wednesday, when incumbent Carmen Trutanich wrote a lette ... More >>

Mayor's Race: L.A. County Federation Of Labor Can't Decide Between Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel

The L.A. County Federation of Labor, one of the biggest sources of power in L.A. elections, has decided not to endorse in the first round of the L.A. mayor's race, according to multiple sources.Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel are the two candidates with the strongest labor support. But neither could ... More >>

Proposition 8: U.S. Supreme Court Will Rule on California's Gay Marriage Ban

Update: Reactions quotes after the jump. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced today it will rule on the federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California's gay marriage ban. In August 2010, Proposition 8 was found unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. That ruling was appealed and ... More >>