Who will represent South Los Angeles in the California State Assembly? That’s a big question facing voters of the 57th Assembly District, which includes South Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles, West Adams, University Park, Florence, Watts, Downtown Los Angeles and Skid Row.
Greg "Baba" Akili is a longtime community, civil rights, and labor organizer and a well-respected leader in Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles. Akili, as he likes to be known, is a senior advisor to the Black Worker Center at UCLA and one of the leaders of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. He has worked for the United Farm Workers, the Obama presidential campaign, and campaigns to protect voting rights and social security. I first met him in 2008 when he was training people –including me – to be organizers for the Obama campaign.
He has the endorsements of:

• Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas
• Assembly Member Buffy Wicks
• LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
• Hon. Herb Wesson, Jr., 65th Speaker of the State Assembly
• Dr. Daniel Lee, Mayor of Culver City, retired
• Dolores Huerta, American Civil Rights leader
• Danny Glover, American Actor, Film Producer and Activist
• Dr. Cornel West, American philosopher and political activist
• Carl Douglas, Civil Rights Attorney
• Dr. Melina Abdullah, Civil Rights leader, BLMLA & BLM Grassroots

You can learn more about him at: https://akili4thepeople.com/

Homelessness is the biggest crisis facing Los Angeles County. Can we continue to make progress and really tackle this problem? Or will we backslide and allow another huge and devastating increase in homelessness? That’s what’s at stake as voters consider Measure A on the LA County ballot. I will get into it with my guests today on WNLA: Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell; Veronica Mitchell of HOPICS; and Laura Raymond of ACT-LA.
LAist Voter Game Plan Briefing on Measure A
LA Times explainer on Measure A
LA Times endorsement of Measure A
LA Forward Voter Guide
YesOnA.la
MeasureAFacts.com
County CEO’s report - Measuring Measure H’s Impact

Lots of big news to kick off 2024. Late last week, LAPD Chief Michel Moore announced a sudden retirement, putting Mayor Karen Bass in the hotseat as she begins to choose a replacement. Meanwhile Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva denies the existence of deputy gangs while under oath. The Supreme Court has decided to take up a draconian anti-homeless law, and people who usually call themselves progressives are hoping the right-wing court will criminalize homelessness. Meanwhile, is LA backing away from affordable housing in wealthy neighborhoods? And what is the fate of local journalism as Kevin Merida leaves the LA Times? Guest co-hosts Alissa Walker and Godfrey Plata return to the podcast and discuss it all with Mike.
Chief Moore Resignation
LA TIMES: LAPD Chief Michel Moore to step down at end of February
ERICKA SMITH: Column: LAPD’s Michel Moore is (finally) leaving. Here’s what L.A. needs in a new chief
LA TIMES: Detectives claim LAPD chief sought investigation of Mayor Bass over USC scholarship

LASD
LATIMES: Villanueva denies existence of deputy gangs as L.A. County officials seek accountability
LAIST: Former Sheriff’s Deputy Convicted In Fatal Shooting of Ryan Twyman; First Such Conviction In Two Decades In LA

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR HOMELESSNESS CASE
LA TIMES: Supreme Court to rule on clearing homeless encampments in California and the West
COURTHOUSE NEWS: Oregon city trying to take blankets, pillows from homeless loses appeal
NEWSOM: Governor Newsom Statement on Court Ruling Obstructing Encampments Clearing

LA Backing Away from Affordable Housing in Wealthy Areas?
LAIST: Housing Advocates Sue City Of LA For Stalling Affordable Housing Near Single-Family Homes:
REAL DEAL: YIMBY challenges LA’s denial of affordable housing in Winnetka:
OP-ED: Housing needs to go into highly resourced wealthy neighborhoods or else none of this matters:

Kevin Merida Ouster
NYT: Editor of The Los Angeles Times Steps Down
POYNTER INSTITUTE:: Major surprise shakeup at the Los Angeles Times
POLITICO: MERIDA OUT

With hundreds of thousands of households in Los Angeles at risk of eviction, local housing justice advocates are pushing a big proposal to cancel rent and mortgages -- relieving renters, homeowners and "mom and pop" landlords from financial obligations they cannot possibly meet. On this week's "What's Next, Los Angeles," Mike Bonin speaks with three of the leaders behind the local #CancelRent and #CancelMortgage movement:
Fanny Ortiz is a renter in Boyle Heights, an organizer with Community Power Collective, and co-president of Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre, the first community land trust on the Eastside. She is on Twitter at @redhothellraise. Community Power Collective is @CPColectivo.
Faizah Malik is senior staff attorney for community development with Public Counsel, a public interest law firm in Los Angeles, and the largest pro bono law firm in the country. You can follow her on Twitter at @faizahmalik. Public Counsel is at @PublicCounsel.

Laura Raymond is the Director of ACT-LA, a coalition of 39 community organizations working on housing and transit justice. She’s also on the coordinating committee of Healthy LA, a social justice coalition of more than 300 local organizations that have been focusing on the issuing of preventing evictions and housing justice. Twitter: @laurajraymond. ACT-LA is @All4Transit.
Healthy LA's website is here, and twitter account is @healthyla_coa.

Healthy LA's "Los Angeles Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Policy Platform" is available in English here, and in Spanish here.
The December #CancelRent #CancelMortgages townhall can be seen here. A cool graphic outlining the proposal can be seen here.
Some coverage of the coming eviction crisis and the #CancelRent movement:
UCLA Study Warns of Looming Eviction Crisis in Los Angeles County
KCRW: An impending eviction crisis threatens struggling tenants. Is rent cancellation the answer?
CityWatch: The US is Facing an Eviction Tsunami. We Must Cancel Rent before it's too Late.
The Nation: It’s Time to Cancel the Rent
The Atlantic: Cancel Rent

The signs of the climate crisis are everywhere – and it is clear we are not doing enough to combat it. That’s why Proposition 4 is on your ballot. We discuss what is in the proposition, and why it is important for the state of California, and the future of neighborhoods. My guest is State Senator Ben Allen, who proposed creating the bond measure and putting it on the ballot this year. Allen represents the 24th DIstrict, including most of the LA County coast and Santa Monica Mountains. He chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and co-chairs the Legislative Environmental Caucus.
Additional Info:
Official Voter Guide
Legislative Analyst report
CalMatters
LA Times endorsement
Ballotpedia entry
Yes on 4 website
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn argument against Prop 4
LA Forward Voter Guide