The Thorn West is a state and local news roundup compiled by volunteer 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. 246 - January 9, 2026

State Politics

• The 2026 California state legislative session has reconvened, the final session under Governor Gavin Newsom. CalMatters covers his final State of the State address. Capital & Main examines his record on health care, including his abandonment of his advocacy for single-payer health care.

• Governor Newsom’s draft of the upcoming budget, released this afternoon, projects a $3 billion deficit–more optimistic than the prior $18 billion deficit projected by the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

City Politics

• One year after the Los Angeles fires, LAist covers the inadequate and delayed insurance payments that have kept many fire-displaced Angelenos from returning to their homes. The LA Times diagnoses the policy decisions and regulatory failures that led to the breakdown of California’s property insurance system.

• The LA Times reviewed several drafts of the LAFD After Action Report on the Lachman and Palisades Fires, noting that it was watered down to deflect criticism of the department’s response.

• Representative Julia Brownley announced Thursday that she would not seek reelection. Brownley represented swathes of the Ventura and Los Angeles counties for over a decade as a Democrat.

• Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star who lost his home in the Palisades fire, has entered the Los Angeles mayoral race. Pratt, a registered Republican, gained prominence as a right-wing critic of the city’s fire response.

ICE in LA

• [Content warning] Angelenos rallied in solidarity with Minneapolis to protest the killing, by Department of Homeland Security agents, of a legal observer who was documenting anti-immigration activities. LA Public Press spoke with Los Angeles-based legal observers for their reaction.

• DSA-LA is participating in a national day of action in DTLA tomorrow, January 10, at 2pm, in protest of ICE occupation of American cities and of the Trump administration’s threatened war in Venezuela. RSVP here! The organization is also canvassing businesses to make sure they know their legal rights, and those of their workers, in the case of ICE raids, and continues to hold volunteer training for the Adopt a Home Depot program on Mondays.

Labor

• Among the 2026 citywide ballot measures covered by LA Reporter is the Olympic Wage Initiative, which expands the $30 minimum wage to all city workers. It also would make the current Olympic wage, passed by city council, impervious to any council attempts to water it down.

Transportation

• Transit advocates call greater attention to the city’s surreptitious pause of all street resurfacing, possibly to avoid implementing mandatory pedestrian safety improvements. Meanwhile, a week of heavy rain has exacerbated the city’s pothole problem.

• A UCLA study of Metro’s recent Transit Ambassador program finds many benefits to riders. The current program workforce is transitioning from contractors to in-house staff.

Climate Justice

• New York Times reporting suggests that outdated insurance company policies are clearing (and financially compelling) families to return to smoke-damaged homes, even though independent assessments show dangerous levels of toxins.

• With one growth cycle recorded, the burn scars of the Palisades and Eaton fires are recovering, though in some cases intervention will be required to protect native plant life.