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. 188 - January 19, 2024

In solidarity with the direct requests of the Los Angeles Times Guild, and in honor of the guild’s one-day walkout, there will be no links to LA Times articles in today’s issue.

State Politics

• As Governor Newsom completes his final term, today outgoing state Senate leader Toni Atkins became the fourth high-level Democrat to announce their candidacy to replace him — even though the gubernatorial primary election is not until June 2026. Atkins joins Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Controller Betty Yee, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Housing Justice

• The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count will occur on the evenings of January 23, 24, and 25. You can register to volunteer for the count here. The Roofless in LA blog places the count in the historical context of previous efforts to count the number of unhoused people, dating back to the Depression.

Labor

• This week, the LA Metro Board was due to discuss a motion to award its Bike Share contract to Lyft, taking it away from the recently unionized Bike Transit. Citing public pushback, including from labor unions, the board has delayed consideration for one month.

• The Los Angeles Times Guild is holding a one-day walkout today, in opposition to layoff proposals from Los Angeles Times management that include asking the guild restructuring their contracts to give up seniority protections. In a statement, the guild demanded alternative cost-cutting measures that would be less anti-worker. The guild is asking for supporters to engage in a one-day boycott of all Los AngelesTimes web content until January 19 at 11:59 PM.

• Following last month’s walkout, California Faculty Association (CFA) members in the California State University system plan to walk out next week, which would be one of the largest higher-education strikes in history. DSA-LA members will be supporting the striking workers at CSU Northridge on Monday and CSU Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• After ignoring subpoenas for months, former LASD Sheriff Alex Villanueva has finally appeared before the Civilian Oversight Commission to testify about deputy gangs that the commission has reported “exalt the use of excessive force against civilians.”