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. 139 - January 6, 2022

City Politics

• Los Angeles City Council committee assignments have been posted, and the new session begins on January 10. Public Safety, which oversees the police, is still in the grip of a right-wing majority. Meanwhile, Biking in LA sees “reason for hope” in the appointees to Transportation. Subscribe here to receive meeting notices and agendas for any committee!

Housing

• In San Francisco, a judge has ordered the temporary halt of all encampment sweeps pending the resolution of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of unhoused plaintiffs, the Coalition on Homelessness, and the ACLU. 

• In Los Angeles, landlord organizations are mounting legal challenges to Measure ULA, which taxes large real estate sales to fund housing programs. In Pasadena, a similar landlord-backed attempt to overturn Measure H in the courts has already taken a loss.

Labor

• The historic University of California academic workers’ strike came to a close on December 23, when a tentative agreement was ratified with support from roughly 62% of teaching assistants and 68% of graduate student researchers. The strike wins were highlighted by wage increases that will go into effect over the next two years. Union members who advocated voting against ratifying the tentative agreement noted that the wins were significantly short of initial salary demands and will leave many workers still struggling to meet basic needs. (The original ask was pegged to the minimum liveable wage.) CalMatters covered the contours of that disagreement as it was playing out, and further today.

• A court ruling has temporarily delayed the implementation of AB 257, landmark labor legislation establishing a fast-food workers’ council that would be able to regulate wages and working conditions within the industry. The industry is attempting to overturn AB 257 with a referendum. If they qualify for the 2024 ballot, implementation will be delayed until that time.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• LAPD officers have shot and killed two people in the first week of 2023. In Westlake, officers killed a man experiencing a mental health emergency. The next fatal LAPD shooting occurred the following day in South Los Angeles.

• The Freedom to Walk Act went into effect on January 1, meaning pedestrians can no longer be ticketed for safely crossing the street outside of intersections.

Environmental Justice

• LAist rounds up the good and bad of how the winter storm is affecting LA, from aquifers being replenished to the impact on unhoused people.