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.
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Issue No. 26 - September 4, 2020
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- The California State Legislature adjourned for the year leaving many people hanging. A resumption of the $600-a-week unemployment benefits was one among many relief proposals that never materialized. Calmatters asks, what’s next?
- A day before the expiration of the state’s eviction moratorium, the California legislature passed compromised legislation that extends bare-bones protections through January 31. Under AB 3088, signed on into law on Monday, tenants cannot be evicted for any rent missed between March 1 and September 1, and are protected through February 2021 provided they pay 25% of their rent and file a statement that they were financially impacted by COVID-19. Per Governor Newsom, AB 3088 still offers stronger protections than the surprising federal eviction moratorium issued by the CDC on Tuesday, so the CDC order would have no effect in the state.
- Despite majority approval in polls, millions in the streets and a Democratic supermajority, the California State Legislature only passed incremental police reform while shooting down more ambitious legislation. Using the Sept. 1 deadline and aggressive lobbying to control legislators overwhelmed by multiple crises, police unions were successful in preventing SB 731, a bill that would have created a process to decertify violent cops, from ever reaching a vote. A bill that would require officers to intervene when their colleagues used excessive force, and one that would open up more police records to the public, were also beaten back.
- In the middle of a housing crisis, SB 1120 would allow most single-family homes to be converted into duplexes. It was likely to have passed, but inexplicably was introduced to the Assembly too late by Speaker Anthony Rendon and its vote will be delayed until the next legislative session.
- AB 3121, which will establish a task force to make recommendations for what form reparations should take in the state of California, was passed, and now heads to the governor to sign.
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- Furloughs for over 15,000 city workers are coming after the Los Angeles city council voted to declare a fiscal emergency. The furloughs will require city workers to take 18 unpaid days off, amounting to a 7% pay cut. Councilmember Mike Bonin proposed an amendment that would have city negotiators first meet with the L.A. Police Protective League, to try and negotiate a delay in their scheduled raises and bonuses, potentially allowing the city to stave off the furloughs. His motion failed 9-3, with Nithya Raman’s opponent, David Ryu, not even showing up for the vote.
- Los Angeles schools will now be able to reopen for a limited number of special ed and ESL students, though it will still be up to local districts whether or not they want to take advantage of this new policy.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- A gang of Sheriff's Deputies called The Executioners has long been reported as operating within the Compton Sheriff's station. Now, a whistleblower within the department has testified that Miguel Vega, the Compton deputy who shot and killed Andres Guardado, was an Executioners prospect.
- Protesters involved in three demonstrations over the past month have filed a federal civil rights suit against Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villenueva and the County of Los Angeles for the use of “indiscriminate and unreasonable force” in the treatment of protesters, withholding access to water, keeping protesters detained in unventilated spaces without masks, and other tactics “designed to punish protesters.” Complaint here.
- A photo-essay in L.A. Taco documents the “all hands on deck” demonstration demanding justice for Dijon Kizzee, who was killed by sheriff’s deputies this week in South Los Angeles.
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- The Los Angeles Times reviews the findings of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education’s recently-released 636-page report on policies the state might employ in order to integrate economic and workforce development into major climate policies and programs and help achieve California’s major climate goals. “But don’t call it a “green jobs” report.”
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- In response to public outrage many curtailments of the postal service planned by the Trump administration have since been abandoned. California’s attorney general will now seek the immediate reversal of all changes the administration had already put in place.
- The labor-backed, statewide campaign to win passage of Proposition 15 in November stepped-up on Wednesday with the launch of the official campaign. The Schools and Communities First coalition dropped two TV ads ('Collar' and 'What Matters Most') to mark the beginning of a campaign that is expected to be bitterly opposed by some of the most reactionary sections of capital in California. To overcome these forces and galvanize a broader, anti-austerity movement in California, DSA's 'Yes on 15' campaign also announced their next steps in the fight to win the $12 billion a year for public schools and local services that Prop. 15 would generate. On Labor Day at 11:00 am DSA-LA and unionists will be meeting at Burbank USD and then driving onto Walt Disney Company HQ to demand the passage of Prop. 15 and a just recovery for workers - join here!
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