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. 206 - June 21, 2024

State Politics

• A statewide ballot measure that would have made it even more difficult for municipalities to create new taxes, and would have retroactively overturned Measure ULA in Los Angeles, will not appear on the November 5 ballot, after the California Supreme Court ruled that it was overreaching.

City Politics

• The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to establish a Charter Reform Commission, which will consider charter amendments for the 2026 ballot, including expanding the number of seats on the council. Commission members will be appointed by the Mayor and the City Council President and President Pro Tem. The same ordinance requires this process to occur every ten years.

• The council also voted unanimously in favor of advancing a ballot measure to strengthen the city’s Ethics Commission in a variety of ways, including establishing a minimum budget for the commission and allowing them to retain outside counsel. The measure will appear on the November ballot.

• A former prosecutor in the City Attorney’s Office has filed a legal claim against City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, claiming that she was retaliated against for reporting ethics violations and that cases were being selectively prosecuted based on “perceived political gain.” This is the third employee in Soto’s office to make claims of impropriety.

• Last year, Feldstein Soto initiated a lawsuit against several journalists who had published a database of LAPD headshots that had been obtained through a public records request. That lawsuit was widely criticized as an illegitimate attack on press freedom. Now the city will pay $300,000 to cover the journalists’ legal fees.

Housing Justice

• A county-wide ballot measure to increase the sales tax by .5 cents and use the money to fund housing programs has attained enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot.

• Over 100 tenants of Barrington Plaza have prevailed in their suit against their landlord Douglas Emmett, Inc., which was attempting to evict them from rent stabilized units.

Labor

• Student workers at Occidental College have voted to unionize with SEIU Local 721. Capital & Main puts this in the context of a rapid increase in student worker organization, as well as youth support for unions.

• New statewide regulations requiring more protections for indoor workers against extreme heat have been approved and may go into effect as soon as August. However, they will not apply to incarcerated workers.

Environmental Justice

• In northern Los Angeles County, the Post Fire burned over 14,000 acres this week and forced the closing of Pyramid Lake, beginning a wildfire season that the California Fire and Forestry Service has predicted will be active.