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. 141 - January 20, 2023
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- In a surprise announcement, former Councilmember José Huizar pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and tax evasion, related to his time as councilmember for CD 14 and a member of the Planning and Land Use Committee.
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- Following robust discussion at the LA City Council Housing Committee meeting this week and in the larger City Council meeting on Friday, the package of tenant protections proposed by a coalition of councilmembers and tenant rights activists passed unanimously! These include eviction protections for tenants who owe less than one month’s rent, the right to relocation assistance for tenants whose landlords have just jacked up prices more than 10%, and, most importantly, the extension of just-cause eviction protections to tenants of all units, not just those protected by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. This last one was subject to some back-and-forth negotiation across the week; an amendment to have these protections kick in only after one year of tenancy was introduced in committee, and then knocked back to six months on the council floor. Statement from DSA-LA.
- KCRW spoke to former residents of the Venice encampment that was displaced as part of the Inside Safe initiative, as a copy of the onerous rules one must agree to in order to receive shelter in Los Angeles leaked online.
- Los Angeles County has accelerated plans to implement CARE Court, the California program that gives the state massive new power to force unhoused people into receiving mental health treatment. The program requires significant investments in mental health resources; Los Angeles County has now joined the tier of counties that will try to be implementation-ready on December 1, 2023. Read Disability Rights California’s statement in opposition to CARE Courts here.
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Police Violence and Community Resistance
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- In the first week of 2023, three Angelenos experiencing mental health crises were killed by LAPD officers. Knock LA covered these killings (but please be aware of the content warning recommending “extreme caution”). This week, Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced a city council motion to create and fund an Office of Unarmed Response and Safety, taking a step forward on one (of several) long-delayed goals that were set during the George Floyd uprising.
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- CalMatters covers the pushback from state legislators against Governor Newsom’s proposed $2 billion in budget cuts to intercity rail transit programs.
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