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. 142 - January 27, 2023

Housing Rights

• The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to extend COVID-19 eviction protections another two months, through March 31. They had been set to expire next week, timed along with the city of Los Angeles’ protections. The two-month reprieve covers the entire county. RSVP here for an upcoming tenants’ rights town hall hosted by the Renters’ Right to Counsel Coalition.

• The newly seated conservative council majority in Culver City has voted for a citywide ban on the use of tents as ad hoc shelter. The ordinance acknowledges recent case law striking down a similar ban on the use of pillows and sleeping bags, but continues the municipal practice of pushing as flush as legally permissible against the boundaries of “cruel and unusual punishment” against unhoused people, until forced to stop by a lawsuit.

• Capital & Main checks in with the tenants of Hillside Villa, still in limbo after their landlord tripled rents as soon as his housing covenant with the city expired. In May, LA City Council voted to initiate the process of acquiring the building, following a long political battle led by the Hillside Villa Tenants Association.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• On Wednesday the LA City Council Public Safety Committee considered whether to allow the LAPD to use an unsourced donation to purchase a fully kitted robot surveillance dog. Despite overwhelming public comment in opposition, the committee voted 4 – 1 to approve the purchase, with Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez voicing strong opposition. It will move on to the full council for a vote.

• With the horrifying police murder of Tyre Nichols getting nationwide attention, multiple senior lead officers who liaise with Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils have sent out letters to NCs, asking for help surveilling anti-police protests.

• A state law passed as a response to the George Floyd uprising compels the state attorney general to investigate every time a police officer shoots and kills an unarmed person. But many killings aren’t being investigated, often without explanation, CalMatters finds.

Transportation

• Comprehensive coverage in Curbed lays out why a “decarbonization” strategy that focuses on swapping out gas cars for electric ones without rolling back car culture will ultimately fail to meet our emission reduction goals.

• Rail service between San Diego and Orange counties is due to be partially restored starting on February 4, for the first time since the discovery last September that coastal erosion had led to significant track destabilization.

Environmental Justice

• LAist has published a wildfire preparedness checklist.

• An investigation from CalMatters finds that California sends nearly half its toxic waste across its borders, often to states with weaker rules. One of the biggest out-of-state dumpers: the state’s own hazardous-waste watchdog.