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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. 83 - October 29, 2021
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- Applications are open for BIG:LEAP, the city’s pilot guaranteed income program. Angelenos are eligible if they are living at or below the poverty level, can claim at least one dependent or are pregnant, and can demonstrate that their income was affected by COVID-19. Randomly selected applicants will receive $1,000 a month for 12 months.
- The LA Podcast newsletter goes into detail about how recently suspended Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas’ seat could be filled, and how constituent services in Ridley-Thomas’ district will be met while the seat remains open.
- City Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion to form an Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee, citing disappointment in the work of the Redistricting Commission. The LA Times editorial board also attacked the redistricting process, pointing out that the commission is made up of political appointees. The commission’s final report recommended that the process be made fully independent from City Council, and that the council itself be expanded.
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- A comprehensive report from the ACLU finds legalized discrimination against unhoused people spreading across California.
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- A consortium of business interests wrote a letter to Governor Newsom asking for a suspension of labor and environmental regulations as a cure for the backlog at the Long Beach and San Pedro ports.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- The city of Pasadena’s Police Oversight Commission held its first meeting.
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- An “atmospheric river” (i.e. a corridor of rain traveling through the sky) caused historic amounts of rainfall across parts of drought-stricken California and the Pacific Northwest. The long-term drought forecasts remain unchanged. The storm will decrease the risk of wildfires for the rest of the season, though areas that have experienced recent wildfires are now at greater risk of mudslides.
- Carcinogenic chemicals have been detected in the groundwater near Lost Hills, a fossil fuel wastewater containment facility in Central California. Grist explains how lax regulations allowed this to happen.
- With the issue facing sustained public scrutiny, the Newsom administration took the first step toward banning new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, and healthcare facilities.
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