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. 102 - March 25, 2022
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- Another mayoral debate was interrupted by protests from a coalition of activists. The action took a similar form as the protest two weeks ago at Loyola Marymount University, with each candidate being heckled in turn, to express that none of the candidates on stage offer humane platforms on homelessness or policing. There are mayoral candidates with more progressive platforms, but they have yet to be invited to any of these debates due to the importance of meeting preconceived thresholds of support.
- A court had issued a restraining order barring former council president Herb Wesson from serving as interim councilmember in CD10 while Mark Ridley-Thomas faces federal corruption charges, as Wesson has already termed out. Last week that ruling was set aside.
- On March 30, Knock LA is co-hosting a forum for the candidates for Los Angeles city attorney.
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- On the anniversary of the police displacement of the encampment at Echo Park Lake, the Echo Park Research Collective has released a report that tells the story of the encampment, the eviction, and its aftermath, relying on first-person accounts from the people who lived there. Most prominently, the report drives a final stake through the heart of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s repeated claims that the displaced residents of the encampment were provided “housing” by the city. For this and much more, read the report here. Coverage here.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- L.A. Taco covers: The city has used half of the funding received under the American Rescue Plan Act on LAPD payroll — $317 million. The city did not disclose this in its public-facing records on how ARPA funds were being spent, and this information was only revealed by a records request from candidate for comptroller Kenneth Mejia.
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission is launching a seemingly large-scale investigation into deputy gangs in the Sheriff’s Department. Earlier this week, a letter sent to the sheriff by Inspector General Max Huntsman indicated that there are 41 known gang members in the department.
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- Governor Gavin Newsom has finally unveiled the details of his plan to respond to high gas prices. Included is a $400 payment for car owners ($800 if you own two cars), a pause on increasing the gas tax, and $750 million in grants toward suspending fares for public transportation. Streetsblog LA critiques: “It’s a mess.”
- Investing in Place tries to figure out how Metro fell so far short of ambitious goals, stated in 2020, to expand LA-area bus service.
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- The State Water Resources Control Board announced it was sending letters to farms and cities that draw water from California's rivers, warning them to prepare for mandatory cutbacks. Similar curtailments were also put in place in 2021, but not until late August.
- This week, California proposed lowering the standard for hexavalent chromium, the “Erin Brockovich chemical,” to ten parts per billion in drinking water. While even lower would be better, the costs of cleanup in cities where the water routinely tests at three times that rate are onerous.
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