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. 53 - April 2, 2021
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- LAUSD schools are gradually reopening throughout April. LAist walks through the calendar, and links to the reopening plans for other school districts in LA County.
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- California is likely to be entering another drought. Politico asks whether Governor Newsom will have the will to impose water usage restrictions while under threat of recall.
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- In an interview on KNOCK at NITE, Ayman Ahmed talked about what was lost with the displacement of the community at Echo Park Lake. Faculty experts from UCLA, USC, UCI and Occidental College wrote a letter thoroughly condemning the mass eviction. KNOCK-LA spoke with former residents of Echo Park to debunk the city’s story that shelter was found for all who were displaced. Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mike Bonin wrote to the LAPD requesting a price tag for the massive police presence in Echo Park over the several days in which the eviction was enforced.
- Meanwhile, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s Trumpification of city government continues. He gave his first interview since orchestrating the displacement — in the Hollywood Reporter, a trade publication primarily known for box office predictions, under the pretext that Echo Park is a popular filming location. The LA City Council avoided screening for critics this week — no council meetings were held, and at Wednesday’s special meeting all public comment related to the Echo Park sweep was not allowed.
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Despite widespread outcry during public comment, the Metro Board approved a funding increase of $36 million for the law enforcement agencies it contracts for policing. Many studies have shown that police on Metro systems disproportionately issue citations to Black riders. The board also approved plans to study alternatives to policing.
- On April 26, the Culver City Council will discuss a report on the Culver City Police Department. The report, drafted by Solidarity Consulting and commissioned in the aftermath of the George Floyd uprising, offers a robust package of policy recommendations on diverting police budgets to alternative forms of public safety. Its proposals include: a police hiring freeze, the decriminalization of several misdemeanors, the creation of an independent public safety commission and more. The Culver City Council contains two advocates for police defundment (including Daniel Lee, whom DSA-LA endorsed in his state senate race), two opponents and one swing vote. Culver City Action Network is asking all supporters of defunding the police to email the council at [email protected] and push them to adopt the recommendations of the report in time for them to be drafted into the 2021-2022 municipal budget.
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