L.A. County Federation of Labor

Mayoral Contenders Keep The Gloves On At L.A. Political Roast

Councilman Tom LaBonge was the honoree at last night's 16th Annual Los Angeles Political Roast at the Beverly Hilton. And while there were plenty of jokes about his fondness for pumpkin bread, all eyes were on mayoral rivals Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti to see if they would get in any nasty digs a ... 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 >>

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 >>

Rusty Hicks, L.A. Labor Official, Trades Political Battles For War In Afghanistan

The L.A. County Federation of Labor has some major election battles coming up. There's the mayor's race in March, but even more important is the November campaign against Prop. 32, the "paycheck protection" initiative that threatens labor's ability to fund elections.But the Fed will be fighting thos ... More >>

The 5 Biggest Losers From Carmen Trutanich's D.A. Debacle (Other Than Trutanich)

The county updated its vote tally this afternoon, and it confirmed what we already knew: Carmen Trutanich crashed and burned on Tuesday night. With 59,000 extra ballots counted, Trutanich's margin of defeat is unchanged. He's still in third by 8,000 votes, and only 117,000 votes remain to be counted ... More >>

Joe Buscaino or Warren Furutani for L.A. City Council District 15? Vote Now in Historic Race Between Underdog Cop, Career Pol

Can a humble police officer from San Pedro become a historic wrench in the well-oiled Los Angeles political machine? That's up to you, residents of City Council District 15. You can go with candidate Joe Buscaino, the former LAPD officer who's netted endorsements from local police unions and the Lo ... More >>

Joe Buscaino vs. Warren Furutani for L.A. City Council: Police Union's New 'Public Safety First' Yard Signs Could Sway Election

lapd.comNow on 6,500 lawns across L.A.​Like in national elections, it takes a democracy-numbing amount of time and money to win a political post in Los Angeles. Just ask Ron Kaye, LA Daily News editor turned City Hall watchdog. (If you ever feel like witnessing a city official burned at the ... More >>

Joe Buscaino Has Momentum In City Council Race, But Could Unions Give Warren Furutani A Chance?

​Tuesday update: The L.A. County Federation of Labor endorsed Furutani on Monday night, sharpening the biz-vs-labor narrative. More below.Joe Buscaino came from nowhere to win the most votes in last week's primary in the 15th Council District. Since then, the San Pedro cop been racking up endorsem ... More >>

Gas Company Workers Enlist Occupy L.A. For Demonstration Downtown Today

Ed CarrascoOccupying L.A.​Updated at the bottom with a statement from the Gas Company. First posted at 12:18 p.m. The rightblogosphere has been alight with conspiracy theories about who's behind the Occupy movement that has swept the nation. And there have been some accusations here that if ... More >>

L.A. County Federation Of Labor To Require Democratic Politicians to Clean Toilets And Change Bedpans

​The L.A. County Federation of Labor can make or break a politician's career. The Fed's endorsement brings an army of precinct walkers and door knockers, which can turn the tide in a local race. But now that endorsement is becoming harder to get. Under new requirements rolled out at Fed headquarte ... More >>

[Updated:] Deal Reached in Grocery Store Labor Feud

L.A. County Federation of Labor​ Update:9/26, 10 a.m. On Sunday night, workers voted and approved a new contract, ending an eight-month dispute with Ralphs, Vons, Pavilions and Albertsons. According to insiders, workers will pay $7 a week for health insurance, or $15 per week for a family. The ... More >>

Councilwoman Janice Hahn Leads Fundraising In 36th Congressional Race

Janice Hahn​L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn has taken a fundraising lead in her race for Congress, with the primary election a month away. In reports out this evening, Hahn raised $274,000 for the May 17 election. Her nearest competitor, Secretary of State Debra Bowen, brought in $195,000.Hahn is al ... More >>

Supervisor Don Knabe Resists Union Deal For MTA Contracts

Don Knabe​Supervisor Don Knabe is resisting union efforts to require a labor agreement for a broad range of construction projects at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.The brewing MTA labor battle has yet to spill into public view. But behind the scenes, Knabe has refused to take action on ... More >>

Councilwoman Janice Hahn Gets Labor Fed Endorsement In Congressional Race

Janice Hahn​As predicted, L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn picked up the endorsement today of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, a big boost for her congressional campaign.Hahn is running against Secretary of State Debra Bowen, anti-war activist Marcy Winograd, and three Republicans in the May 17 s ... More >>

Business Groups Rally To Save Bernard Parks

Bernard Parks​Bernard Parks, the former L.A. police chief and two-term councilman, is fighting for his political life against a labor-backed independent campaign. Union groups have spent more than $450,000 to support Parks' challenger, Forescee Hogan-Rowles, in the March 8 election.But now a busin ... More >>

Debra Bowen Will Run For Congress

Debra Bowen​Updated at 3 p.m. with interview of Bowen.Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced today that she is running for Congress to fill the seat held by retiring Rep. Jane Harman.Bowen will face off against L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who launched her campaign last week. In an interview t ... More >>

L.A. County Federation of Labor Launches Campaign Against Bernard Parks

Labor is targeting Bernard Parks​The L.A. County Federation of Labor has started its much-anticipated campaign against Councilman Bernard Parks, dropping $20,000 into a committee to support challenger Forescee Hogan-Rowles.That's more money than Hogan-Rowles raised all last year, but probably only ... More >>

Welcome Home, Jerry Brown

But really, what were you thinking? This state is a mess

Parts Of Arizona Immigration SB 1070 Law Blocked; L.A. City Council Won't Remove Boycott Yet

Steve La​ Updated with reaction from labor leaders and the mayor. Local labor leader Maria Elena Durazo declared victory in response to today's decision by a federal judge to stay the more controversial aspects of Arizona's SB 1070 immigration measure. Durazo, head of the county labor fede ... More >>

L.A. Weekly Story Used in Attack Mailer Against Ricardo Lara

Photo by Ted SoquiRicardo Lara​It didn't take long for EdVoice, the deep-pocketed Sacramento advocacy group, to pull a couple of quotes from last week's L.A. Weekly story on the 50th Assembly District race and slap them on an attack mailer.The story was about how Ricardo Lara got to be the favorit ... More >>

Massive Cave-in -- Workers Abandoned

Well, EFCA got the rug pulled out from under it last week. That's when key Senate Democrats caved in and announced they couldn't support the Employee Free Choice Act in its current incarnation.  EFCA is -- or was -- a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions and the looming fig ... More >>

Two Local Strikes on the Horizon

A pair of labor disputes that could have far-reaching effects on the L.A. economy are edging into the spotlight. Tomorrow morning Local 675 of the United Steelworkers of America will seek a strike sanction from the L.A. County Federation of Labor. The union, whose local and national negotiating comm ... More >>

Know This, America: Watching Obama With a Plate of Grits

The L.A. County Federation of Labor, to which I belong as a union delegate, threw an Inauguration Day viewing breakfast this morning. Like the Fed's annual Labor Day breakfast and other early morning rallies, this one showed some health-consciousness in the chicken sausage cakes and turkey bacon off ... More >>

The Night the World Began: The View From L.A. Union Rooms

Phone bankers in East L.A., bus drivers in Echo Park celebrate Obama's victory

Election '08 Voting Guide: Endorsements From a Freethinker — No on 8, Yes on 11. And a Nod to Mark Ridley-Thomas

Why siding with Arnold on redistricting makes sense, and other ballot notes

The Deja Vu of Bernard Parks vs. Mark Ridley-Thomas

Stubborn black leaders stage a replay of '92, as the black community fades

Arrest This Woman . . . Pretty Please

Immigration Rites

Requiem for a movement. The real aliens are in Congress

Will the Real Pat Brown Please Stand Up?

It’s the master rebuilder vs. the progressive taxer in November

Journey From the Center of the World

All About Breaking Up

Antonio plays the bully in this school-board race

The Defeat Expands

The governor’s mounting losses

Terminatable

Beaten by unions and beset by Angelides, Arnold looks shaky for 2006

Element of Suspense

Unions are shaken — and that may affect the vote

Kicking the Buckets

Aerospace janitors strike

In Miguel’s Shoes

Ludlow leaves the council to run L.A. labor

What the Janitors Taught Los Angeles

How a citywide strike brought the city together

Sí, Se Puede!

L.A.’s new Freedom Riders take their quest for immigrant equality on the road

The Godfather

Miguel Contreras and the New Los Angeles

Which Black L.A.?

Tuesday’s election gives the African-American community the chance to reclaim its roots

City in Doldrums

Gray in His Groove

Primary matters: The false spring of the Republican right, the real spring of the Democratic left

Brave New City

At the end of the evening, it’s Antonio alone

MTA Game Plan

The poor walk, so that the middle class can shrink

Amnesty!

Labor leads the battle to grant legal status to millions of America’s — and L.A.’s — undocumented immigrants

Primary Concerns

Race, class and gumption in the March local elections

The New Unionism Finds a Home

Once the nation’s most anti-union big city, L.A. has now become America’s most dynamic labor town

Who Is This Padilla Guy, Anyway?

Fresh face wins powerful friends, influence in Valley district

Remember Him?

No Justice, No Growth

A new labor-left alliance scrambles L.A.'s growth politics - and creates middle-income jobs in a city where they're vanishing