Suggestions on stories, topics, or outlets you would like to see covered in The Thorn West? Let us know at [email protected]!
|
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. 64 - June 18, 2021
|
- California “reopened” on June 15. CalMatters discusses what that officially entails.
- In an interview with Univision last week, Governor Newsom made clear that he is in favor of extending the statewide eviction moratorium before it expires on June 30.
|
- Wildfires have become a permanent existential threat to Californians; LAist provides a guide for preparing your household in case of a wildfire emergency.
|
Housing and Gentrification
|
- The LAnd talks with Echo Park’s vendors, who have been unable to return to the park since it reopened, due to new strict enforcement of permitting rules. On July 1, the cost of a permit is scheduled to jump from $291 to $540. Despite the near impossibility of navigating the county’s permitting system, vendors are constantly criminalized, as this video of last week’s LAPD-accompanied raid of the Guatemalan Night Market shows. A Support Street Vendors toolkit can be found here.
|
Police Violence and Community Resistance
|
- District Attorney George Gascón has announced the formation of an outside panel to reexamine police killings that were initially deemed lawful by the DA’s office.
- Measure J, a landmark Los Angeles County charter amendment that forces the county to allocate 10% of the budget to alternatives to police and prisons, was voted into law last November with 57% of the vote. A ruling from a judge has now declared Measure J unconstitutional. Re-Imagine L.A. County, the activist group that was instrumental in pushing for Measure J, is here on Twitter with first thoughts on next steps.
- A coalition of activist groups have written a letter to the County Board of Supervisors demanding an end to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s out-of-jurisdiction incursion into Venice Beach, targeted at displacing the unhoused encampment on the boardwalk. See the #Villanuevaoutofvenice toolkit here.
|
|
