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. 33 - October 23, 2020

Climate

• Southeast Los Angeles residents marched in downtown LA on Monday evening to protest the bankruptcy court decision that will now allow Exide Technologies to walk away from their lead-contaminated Vernon plant. The decision leaves it up to the state of California and its residents to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up decades of toxic contaminants deposited by Exide into neighborhoods surrounding the facility. The protest, organized by East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, highlighted the primarily Latino working-class communities that continue to be impacted by the toxic emission of lead and arsenic from the now shuttered Exide plant. “Why is it OK for us to live in poison?” asked protester and East LA resident Guadalupe Valdovinos. “To me, that’s an imminent threat. But we just don’t matter. We’re collateral damage.” Protesters left bags of lead-contaminated dirt from the front yards of Southeast Los Angeles homes on the steps of the federal courthouse. State and local officials have since criticized the ruling, while the Department of Toxic Substances Control is appealing the court’s decision.

Transit

• Widespread public outcry has now successfully delayed a plan to demolish hundreds of homes in Downey to widen the 605 freeway.

Housing Justice

• Councilmember Joe Buscaino continues to escalate the criminalization of the unhoused. This week he requested the city attorney draft an ordinance to ban “sitting, sleeping, or lying” within 500 feet of a freeway overpass or within 500 feet of a facility offering supportive services to the unhoused.

Education

• Los Angeles County recently implemented a waiver system that will allow some schools to partially reopen if they clear certain hurdles. Though the program was supposed to prioritize schools that serve low-income students, the first four schools to receive a waiver are private schools.
  

Elections

• Uber and Lyft have threatened to withdraw their services from California if forced to comply with AB5 and treat their workforce as employees instead of independent contractors. A stay was granted as they appealed an injunction forcing them to obey the law. This appeal has been rejected. However, the injunction doesn't take effect for 30 days, and in the meantime Proposition 22, if it passes on election day, will specifically exempt them from compliance.

• DSA-LA made the news this week as Councilmember David Ryu attempted to make the organization’s support of his challenger, Nithya Raman, a political football in the homestretch of the council race in district 4.

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