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. 150 - March 24, 2023

State Politics

• Several recently approved California laws intended to regulate industry have been stalled, and may be overturned, by state ballot measures, financed by the industries the laws were intended to regulate. A new law proposed by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan pushes back, mandating that 10% of the signatures to overturn a recent law be obtained by volunteers, and requiring paid signature gatherers to be more clearly marked.

• Governor Newsom’s recently revised attempt to provide oversight of the oil industry, and potentially regulate profits, is moving rapidly through the state legislature

City Politics

• DSA-LA Electoral Politics Committee has made recommendations in the race to replace Nury Martinez as councilmember in CD6, here. Voting in the primary closes on April 4.

Labor

• LAUSD and SEIU-99, which represents 30,000 workers in Los Angeles schools, have come to a tentative agreement in contract negotiations. The agreement was reached this afternoon, following a week in which 65,000 workers from SEIU and UTLA went on strike for three days, with picket lines all over the city. (Check the hashtag #LAUSDStrike for pictures from the picket line.)

Transportation

• Metro Board officially voted to extend its multi-agency contract with armed law enforcement another three years, spending approximately $300 million. The decision follows a fearmongering media blitz about safety on public transportation and a failed (5 – 6 with 2 abstentions) substitute motion by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to have the Metro CEO negotiate contract modifications. Discussion during the meeting addressed LASD’s refusal to deploy more officers on trains, as well as the possibility of Metro creating its own police force.

• Curbed takes on Metro’s recent practice of blaring classical music in train stations to drive out unhoused people taking shelter from unusually harsh weather in recent months.

Police Violence and Community Resistance

• Knock LA combs through the LAPD’s annual departmental budget request. This year, the department is requesting an additional $118,834,040, representing a 6% increase, and imagines itself hiring 780 new officers. (Last year, the city budget reduced the number of sworn officers in the budget because LAPD could not hire as many as they claimed.) Each city department’s budget requests can be found here.

Housing Rights

• Los Angeles County’s eviction moratorium will expire at the end of March, the last remnant of eviction protections in the city. A partial extension of some protections failed to pass, at a vote of 2 – 2, with Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis supporting the pro-tenants measure and Supervisor Holly Mitchell (by abstaining) the deciding vote in opposition.

• A motion for a report-back in 60 days establishing a tenant’s right to counsel during eviction proceedings passed unanimously. The motion was introduced by Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Bob Blumenfield, and Katy Yaroslavsky.

Environmental Justice

• LAist reports on the latest damage toll from the rainstorms, including the tornadoes that touched down in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.

• Capital and Main cautions against celebrating victory over the drought in California. While the state has experienced record rainfalls over the winter, the groundwater aquifers haven’t restored enough to “end” the drought.