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. 122 - August 26, 2022

State Politics

• Governor Newsom vetoed a pilot program for safe-injection sites to prevent drug overdoses. The veto is being covered nationally, widely interpreted as an attempt to cater to moderates and Republicans in advance of a presidential run. The pretext for the veto was that the program as designed had a dangerously broad scope, even though it was only slated to run for five years in three cities.

• Newsom did sign a law giving more latitude to legislative bodies to remove members of the public from meetings for being “disruptive.”

• And, with the state legislative session ending on August 31, CalMatters looks at which bills will have their fate come down to the wire, and which have already been placed in the suspense file.

City Politics

• Herb Wesson has officially resigned as interim councilmember in CD 10. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez quickly drafted (and scheduled) a motion to appoint Heather Hutt, Wesson’s appointed district caretaker. Though there had been some local support for appointing Hutt, simply to fill the seat, this Our Weekly editorial argues that giving the seat to “the appointee of an appointee” is undemocratic. A competing motion earlier today from Councilmembers Bonin, Harris-Dawson, and Rodriguez calls for a more transparent process.

Labor

• After a years-long battle with ownership, workers at Chateau Marmont have voted to unionize with Unite Here Local 11!

• The Observer takes a deeper look at the organizing that led to the strippers at Star Garden voting to unionize with Actors Equity, contextualizing it within the history of sex worker organization.

Transportation

• Thanks to the hard work of signature gatherers, Healthy Streets LA, a measure which compels the city to comply with its own frequently ignored street safety guidelines, will be on the ballot in 2024. City Council had a window to directly approve the measure, making it effective immediately, but though councilmembers spoke extensively in support of the measure’s goals, they voted unanimously against approval, in favor of a competing measure that has yet to be drafted. Streetsblog LA has the details.

Police Violence

• A jury awarded $31 million to Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester in their lawsuit against Los Angeles County. The suit was for damages caused by employees of the county sheriff and fire department sharing photos of the deceased victims of the helicopter crash that killed family members of Bryant and Chester. The court found that sheriff’s deputies habitually share the photos of deceased people.

Environmental Justice

• On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board adopted the world’s most stringent rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles –– all new cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs must be electric or hydrogen by 2035.

• A proposal circulated Friday by California Democratic legislators would reject Governor Newsom’s plan to extend the lifespan of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant — and instead spend over $1 billion to speed up the development of renewable energy.

• In 2023, residents of Imperial County are projected to experience 102 “dangerous” days with a heat index exceeding 100, according to nonprofit First Street Foundation’s peer-reviewed model.