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Introducing The Thorn West, 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. 

Want to join The Thorn West team? Have an idea for what we should be covering? Please get in touch at [email protected]. 

Issue No. 2, March 20, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

• Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all Californians to stay at home, marking the first statewide mandatory restrictions on life in California since the outbreak of COVID-19 as 20 people have died in the state and more than 1000 tested positive. The restrictions still allow for people to travel to "gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, takeout and delivery restaurants, banks and laundromats" and to "leave their homes to care for a relative or a friend or seek healthcare services." The order also does not apply to workers in what are considered to be critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare, transportation, energy, and others. No time limit has been placed on the stay at home order and failure to abide by the order could result in being charged with a misdemeanor.
  
  
• The state legislature has also been shut down. Prior to departing, lawmakers approved a plan for $500 million to help hospitals in the state prepare for an onslaught of infected coronavirus patients with another $500 million ready if needed. The money will be used to purchase additional ventilators and medical equipment as well as aid for nursing homes, seniors and child care facilities. 
  
  
• Los Angeles County and city officials also issued sets of restrictive orders. The city order requires all non-essential businesses to close and bans public and private gatherings of any size outside of a single home, with Mayor Eric Garcetti advising city residents to stay at home except for essential needs. Link above includes further details on what Angelenos are allowed to do and what is considered to be an essential service. The city order will stay in effect until at least April 19. 
  
  
• Despite the spread of coronavirus, ICE remains active in Southern California, continuing to make arrests. This is part of a national sweep that the Latinx and Chicanx activist group Mijente has denounced as "reckless." While ICE indicated on Wednesday that it would "exercise discretion to delay enforcement actions until after the crisis," ICE activity in the midst of the crisis is not ceasing, and ICE detention facilities remain deeply unsanitary, facilitating the spread of disease. 
  
  
• The US and Mexico have reached an agreement to restrict all non-essential travel across the border. This comes after the US State Department advised US citizens to avoid all international travel yesterday.
  
  
• Updated COVID-19 statistics can be found here for LA County and here for nationwide & global data. 
  
  
• Mayor Garcetti and the L.A. City Council are rolling out some protections against evictions and foreclosures, with City Hall issuing an executive order banning late fees and evictions during the lockdown. A citywide rental assistance fund will also be created while landlords and mortgage-holders will have to work out a payment plan. Gov. Newsom, meanwhile, is being criticized for not providing clearer guidelines from the state government on evictions, leaving it to cities and counties to enforce eviction protection. 
  
  
• Following the lead of the the Moms 4 Housing action in which unhoused mothers occupied a vacant house in Oakland to fight for housing as a human right, a group of unhoused and housing-insecure mothers, families, and activists have formed Reclaiming Our Homes and have occupied 12 vacant publicly owned houses in El Sereno, with the support of the Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment and DSA-LA. Under increased threat from COVID-19, Reclaiming our Homes activists “are calling on state and local governments to use all publicly owned vacant homes, libraries, recreation centers and other properties to house people immediately.”
  
  
• A second charge has been filed in the ongoing corruption probe into the Los Angeles City Hall and real estate development, with a political fundraiser pleading guilty to federal bribery charges. The Councilmember in question has remained anonymous in the court filings, however based on details provided, the recipient of the bribe is likely Councilman Jose Huizar. A search warrant filed in 2018 indicates agents are seeking “evidence of potential crimes including bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering involving more than a dozen people, including Huizar, Councilman Curren Price and a handful of council aides and political appointees.” 

ELECTIONS

• As of the most recent update on Tuesday, Jackie Lacey has less than 49% of the vote and challenger George Gascon has climbed to slightly above 28%, with 64,000 votes remaining to be counted in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s race. For Lacey to avoid the runoff she would need 53,000 votes from the remaining ballots, meaning that the runoff is almost certain at this stage in the vote count. 
  
  
• There are votes still being counted in the narrow District 12 City Council race, with challenger Lorraine Lundquist now just 803 votes behind incumbent John Lee, who is now ensnared in the FBI investigation into his former boss and City Council predecessor, Mitchell Englander. Lee confirmed that he was on a trip with Englander to Las Vegas where a businessman allegedly offered Englander cash and other gifts. 

The Thorn West sends a huge thank you to DSA-LA member Jessae Brown for designing our beautiful logo, and to NYC-DSA for inspiring us with The NYC Thorn.

DSA-LA
http://www.dsa-la.org/