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. 210 - July 26, 2024

State Politics

• Following President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek a second term, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough verbal commitments from delegates to have essentially locked herself in as his replacement.The California Democratic Party played a crucial role on behalf of the former California Senator.

Housing Justice

• Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order demanding that state agencies immediately begin clearing encampments on state property. The order does not appear to directly impact policy within Los Angeles or other cities. Mayor Karen Bass was among those who criticized it. The order cites the recent 6–3 Supreme Court decision that stripped legal protections from people experiencing homelessness, which Newsom submitted a brief in support of.

Labor

• The California State Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of Prop 22, siding with Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash, and allowing them to continue to classify their workers as independent contractors.

• This week, Metro voted to expand a public restroom pilot program that is currently operated by a contractor that relies on gig-workers. Following the advocacy of DSA-LA and others, the motion was amended to include a feasibility study on bringing the program in-house.

• Los Angeles vendors have declared victory after a settlement in their lawsuit against the city over a municipal policy of “no-vending zones,” which were out of compliance with a 2018 state law. The settlement eliminates the last of these zones, after a City Council motion eliminated most of them earlier in the year. It also provides restitution for fines issued against vendors for operating in these zones.

• Effective today, video game performers and voiceover artists represented by SAG-AFTRA are on strike. At stake are worker protections against AI. Statement from SAG-AFTRA here. Petition of support here.

Local Media

• California will consider AB-886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, which could require tech platforms – which siphon money away from media outlets when they link to news items – to pay a fee to support local journalism. The LA Times reports on similar efforts in other countries.