The Thorn West is a state and local news roundup compiled by members of DSA-LA. Our goal is to provide a weekly update on the latest developments in state and local politics, and to track the issues that are most important to our membership.

Issue No. 186 - January 5, 2024

State Politics

• The 2024 state legislative session began this week. The first session of the state Assembly was disrupted by protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, where the ongoing Israeli military assault has now claimed 30,000 lives. The Assembly was forced to adjourn for the day.

• Although California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis had earlier called for exploring the legality of removing Donald Trump from primary ballots over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the state declined to join Colorado and Maine in disqualifying the former president. Today, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear Trump’s appeal to the Colorado ruling in early February.

City Politics

• Former Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar will be sentenced for the corruption and tax evasion charges that he pled guilty to last January. With his sixth request for a continuance denied, his sentencing date is set for this January.

• The Los Angeles municipal budgeting cycle has gotten underway, as most city departments have released their budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Many expect the the city to face a significant budget deficit, a problem exacerbated by the raises given to LAPD officers last year

Health Care

• Los Angeles, along with the rest of the world, is experiencing a significant spike in COVID infections related to the new Omicron variant JN.1. Mask mandates have been reinstated at Los Angeles County licensed healthcare facilities, while mask usage is recommended for the general public.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• As reported in LA Public Press, the LAPD’s departmental budget request (linked here) for the upcoming year includes funding for a new program called “LAPD Live” that will expand the LAPD’s surveillance capability. The program aims to centralize police access to a network of camera feeds, including livestreams from police helicopters, body-worn cameras, and both retail and homeowner-owned security cameras. “This is the expansion of the stalker state,” said Hamid Khan with Stop LAPD Spying.

• The preliminary hearing of the ‘Justice 8’ began this week, in neighboring San Bernardino County. The Justice 8 are a group of eight activists primarily focused on their advocacy for street vendors, and for confronting police brutality, who were arrested in their homes over the holiday on what are widely believed to be trumped up charges. L.A. Taco has steady ongoing coverage.

Labor

• The California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 academic workers in the California State University system, has called for a strike later this month if current contract talks do not advance. Workers are demanding better pay and better working conditions, among other needs.

Housing Rights

• Los Angeles saw a predictable increase in eviction filings in 2023, putting it on pace to be the worst year in that regard since 2016 (even though the eviction moratorium was in place through March). Yet there were not as many evictions as some had feared. The Los Angeles Times suggests that this is due to the batch of new tenant protections put in place earlier this year.