Social Policy

L.A. County Meningitis Stats Raise More Questions -- County Only Recently Began Tracking Sexual Orientation

Updated at the bottom: Health experts say only some types of bacterial meningitis are spread person-to-person, these types are not as contagious as flu and are not sexually transmitted. The CDC says there is no increased risk among gays and no rationale for county officials to alter their approach. ... 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 >>

Fact-Checking The Sherman-Berman Brawl: Howard Berman Deserves Credit For Early Sponsorship Of Dream Act

It seems almost beside the point to fact-check the altercation between Brad Sherman and Howard Berman yesterday. They could have been arguing about their favorite Valley hotdog stand -- the point is that Berman got in Sherman's face and Sherman lost his cool, grabbing the elder statesman around the ... More >>

TRUST Act Passes California Senate: Bill Would Override 'Secure Communities,' Protect Illegal Immigrants From Deportation

The most liberal immigration legislation since California's DREAM Act just passed the state Senate 21-13 -- and it has a good chance of making its way through the Assembly and the governor's office, as well. The TRUST Act, otherwise known as the Anti-Arizona Act, would more or less override the fed ... More >>

Eric Bauman v. Gloria Romero in Assembly District 46

ICE Deportation Sweep Includes Over 200 Illegal Immigrants in L.A. Area -- Only Half of Whom Are Serious Criminals

In a plea for the Latino vote, President Obama keeps promising that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will ease up on the deportations. In a direct contradiction to that promise, ICE officers across the country just conducted a week-long deportation sweep called "Cross Check" --

LAUSD Might Eliminate Adult Ed Today

Rich district, poor district: LAUSD spent wildly on the plush Robert. F. Kennedy Community Schools.​When it came time to make cuts for the 2012-13 LAUSD budget, Superintendent John Deasy passed on the scalpel, opting for a chainsaw to hack away at a $557 million deficit. LAUSD's youngest and ... More >>

VIDEO: L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Debates Romney Republican on 'Which Party Better Suits Latino Voters,' Loses

Despite the increasing, oft-hilarious attempts of Republican candidates to convince the crucial Latino voter base that its interests are best served by the red party (including a fugly new outreach website), Latinos still swing Democrat more often than not. Because name-dropping Sen. Mario Rubio (R ... More >>

L.A. County Halts Section 8 Crackdown In Antelope Valley

Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris​Update below: Rex Parris pulls no punches in response. Lancaster and Palmdale have been at war with the Section 8 housing program for the last several years, fighting off what they see as an "inundation" of the urban poor into the Antelope Valley.But today they've lost t ... More >>

Illegal Immigrant Deportations to Slow Way Down as Presidential Election Approches: L.A. Immigrants' Rights Group Cheers

Kenn Wilson​This has the smell of a presidential campaign move if you ask us. President Obama hasn't really thrown too many bones to Latino voters during his first term as America's CEO, but he certainly needs a reprise of their support if has a shot at keeping the gig in 2012. A key issue fo ... More >>

Deportations Halted for DREAM Act Students, Moms With Babies, Crime Victims, Longtime Residents (and Pretty Much Everyone Else)

OK, fine. You can stay.​Coming out of the closet party, anyone? After three years of insisting he had no power to do so, Obama (or, more specifically, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano) has ordered the courts to sift through over 300,000 pending deportation cases and ... More >>

L.A. Latinos Sue Sheriff Lee Baca for Failing to Reveal Internal 'Secure Communities' Correspondance With ICE

Sheriff Baca just got sued.​Updated after the jump: The Sheriff's Department says this is ICE's problem, not theirs. This should be an interesting lawsuit -- not only for the future of immigration reform, but for frustrated journalists who repeatedly get their California Public Records Act re ... More >>

Public Counsel Sues Lancaster And Palmdale Over "War" On Section 8 Housing

​Update: Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris calls the lawsuit "inflammatory bullshit." More below. Update 2: Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford gives his own defense. A public interest law firm filed a racial discrimination suit today against Lancaster and Palmdale, charging that the cities have declared "war" on ... More >>

President Obama to Be Met in L.A. by Angry Latinos, Armenian Protesters (Including 'System of a Down' Frontman Serj Tankian)

Asbarez.comL.A. Armenians to Obama: Just say it.​Updated after the jump: Obama arrives -- and the riot gear comes out. Update: Obama is prepared for the worst after being sung to by a group of San Franciscans this morning. Apparently they paid $5,000 each to air their outrage that a WikiLeake ... More >>

Marcy Winograd Has A List of Questions For Janice Hahn And Debra Bowen, Such As "Will You Visit Wikileaks Suspect Bradley Manning In Jail?"

Marcy Winograd​Marcy Winograd, the progressive teacher who twice challenged Jane Harman in the Democratic primary, has not decided whether to run again now that the seat is open. But in an e-mail to supporters, she said she wants a candidate who will be unafraid to criticize Israel and who would b ... More >>

Return to Sender

What would comprehensive immigration reform look like if the Feds got off their duffs?

Mexican Macro-economics

Do undocumented migrants steal jobs from American workers?

FAIRY-y Tales

Tim Donnelly's Revolution

Tea Party newcomer wants Legislature to adopt Arizona immigration law

Californians Spending Their Welfare $$$ In Vegas Is Great Tea Party Fodder. But It's Less Than 1 Percent Of Total.

​A lead story in today's L.A. Times reports that Californians on welfare spent more than $69 million out-of-state in recent years. Get ready John and Ken and all you other shock jock talkers: Included in the spending were "millions in Las Vegas, hundreds of thousands in Hawaii and thousands ... More >>

Rage Against The Machine To Headline Concert Fighting Arizona Immigration Law [Updated]

By Steve La Steve La(From left) Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine​ Some rockers are taking on the Arizona immigration law that has stirred a lot of passionate opposition here in L.A., including boycotts of Arizona by several cities. "This is not a Latino or immig ... More >>

California Welfare Cards Can Withdraw Cash From Casino ATMs

​A Los Angeles Times review of records found that California welfare recipients are able to withdraw cash using their welfare cards on gaming floors in more than half of the casinos in the state. The Times crosschecked ATM addresses on the Department of Social Services website with addresses ... More >>

Arizona Congresswoman Urges L.A., Other Cities To Back Off Boycotts Of Her State

​An Arizona congresswoman has asked the city of Los Angeles and other governments and organizations to back off their boycotts of Arizona, arguing that the actions only "punish the wrong people," including hotel workers (translation: "Latino immigrants") in an already bad economy. In a letter ... More >>

Worlds Apart

Federal law gives gay citizens with foreign partners tough choices: Leave the U.S.A. Lose your love. Break the law

California's Illegal-Immigration Enforcement Law Is Tougher Than Arizona's

​The conservative Washington Times newspaper recently pointed out that California law actually mirror's Arizona's controversial new immigration legislation that encourages police to verify the immigration status of suspects they believe are in the country illegally. The paper quotes Californ ... More >>

Phil Jackson Wants To Be Seen As Neutral On Arizona

​Following tons of press Monday about his statements earlier this month expressing some understanding of Arizona's controversial immigration law, Lakers coach Phil Jackson stated that he wants to remain neutral on the topic. " ... It is my wish that this statement not be used by either side t ... More >>

Me Llamo Steve Poizner Y Quiero Su Apoyo

Steve Poizner has a message for that sliver of the electorate that speaks Spanish, votes Republican, opposes Pete Wilson and Prop. 187, but supports the Arizona immigration law:This is the political equivalent of a reverse triple backflip into a half somersault with no splash. English translation af ... More >>

L.A. Black Group Criticizes Mayor, Council Members Over Anti-Arizona Stance (Updated)

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson.​A Los Angeles-based African-American "cultural action" organization is criticizing L.A. City Council members who support a boycott of Arizona over its controversial immigration law. (Updated after the jump with background on the group's leader). Council members Janice ... More >>

Costa Mesa Mayor Proposes Arizona-Like Immigration Checks

​Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor on Wednesday proposed the city impose Arizona-like immigration checks as part of a crackdown on illegal workers in the Orange County city. Mansoor, a sometime sheriff's deputy who proposed training the city's police department to enforce federal immigration law ... More >>

Lawsuit To Force County To Control Porn Industry Health Rejected

Vivid​A lawsuit that aimed in part to get the county of Los Angeles health department to force the local porn industry to require condom use on-set was rejected by a judge. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the plaintiff in the case, stated it would appeal. The county Department of Health Servi ... More >>

New Slant on Italics

And could Cesar Chavez be an icon of the Minutemen?

Remember the Immigrant-Rights Movement?

The case of Elvira Arellano inspires L.A. organizers

Antonio's Theory of Relativity

Can the mayor really claim victory with his compromise school plan?

Marching Orders

The president speaks, and the immigration fight is far from over

Snap!

No More Coat Hangers

Letters

Aborting Abortion Rights — Then and Now

New details from Blackmun’s papers show how 1992 begets 2004

Aping Democrats

Bush and his immigration chatter

He’s Back

This time, it’s the Riordan-ator

Beyond Belief

Screen-door Jesus and a zero dropout rate

Ghosts in the Machine

When you're lost in El Centro's immigrant detention center you may be lost for good

From Hussein to the Hoosegow

Nation’s security complex is likely to extend time in jail for refugees like Ali Abbod, an Iraqi torture survivor

Disorder in the Court

The Patronage Game

Bush’s end run around Roe

Inn Trouble

Unions shape new immigrant strategy

Amnesty!

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

Playing the Numbers

Welfare's Phantom workers

Coalition challenges unfair workfare