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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. 70 - July 30, 2021
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- Ordinance 41.18, which criminalizes sitting, sleeping, and lying down in many public spaces throughout Los Angeles (estimated maps of affected areas here and here), was passed 13–2 by City Council and has been signed into law by Mayor Garcetti. Nithya Raman and Mike Bonin were the two opposing votes. Activists gathered outside of the mayor’s house Thursday night to protest the new law.
- Is 41.18 unconstitutional? At a recent teach-in, Shayla Myers of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles explained how this newest ordinance represents the city’s latest attempt to “operate within the margins of the Constitution.” 41.18 would maximize the city’s ability to criminalize homelessness within the context of cases such as Martin v. Boise and, more directly, Jones v. Los Angeles, in which similar “sit, lie, sleep” bans were held to be in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. (@6:55, though the whole video is fantastic.)
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- As drought conditions enter crisis mode, regulators are expected to impose unprecedented restrictions barring farmers from pumping water from the Sacramento San-Joaquin Delta watershed. CalMatters surveys the brewing legal dispute.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- The County Board of Supervisors has followed through on drafting legislation to compel the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to comply with investigations into killings by its deputies. Witness LA explains how this legislation is designed to go around Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has predictably refused to cooperate.
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- The sale of Crenshaw Mall to Harridge Development Group is expected to close today, despite outrage from Black clergy and community leaders. DWS, the current owner of the mall, has been unwilling or unable to explain why they chose Harridge, an outside developer, over Downtown Crenshaw, a community group widely reported to have put in the highest bid.
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- Knock-LA offers an overview of twelve workers’ rights bills that are currently progressing through the California Legislature.
- In These Times sat down with rideshare driver Ahmad Ibrahim Moss to discuss how working conditions for drivers have changed since CA Prop 22 was passed.
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