What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin

Mike Bonin
  • 3.8 (65)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city -- and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles,  examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future. Produced in partnership with LA Forward.

  1. 17h ago

    Candidate Spotlight: BEN ALLEN - CA Insurance Commissioner

    There may be no statewide race on this year's ballot with more direct impact on your wallet than this one. Make no mistake: the insurance commissioner regulates the nation's biggest insurance market, and the next one takes office in a full-blown crisis. The January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 homes and killed 31 people, and families across the state are being dropped by insurers or priced out. And for the first time since the office became elected, two Democrats will face each other in November.  I sat down separately with both candidates. In this episode, I talk with State Senator Ben Allen about homeowners insurance, auto insurance, and health insurance, and how he would defend consumers against an industry that too often puts profits first. About Ben Allen Allen represents the 24th Senate District, covering the Westside, Hollywood, the South Bay, and the Santa Monica Mountains, and was first elected in 2014. When the Palisades Fire tore through his district in January 2025, he helped thousands of families who lost their homes navigate recovery. He wrote Proposition 4, the climate bond voters approved in 2024, and authored the law behind California's crackdown on single-use plastic straws and utensils. Before the Senate, he was president of the Santa Monica-Malibu school board and a lecturer at UCLA Law School. He holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and UC Berkeley School of Law. He won the largest share of delegate votes at the state Democratic convention in February Ben Allen's campaign: benallenca.comJane Kim's campaign: janekim.orgLAist: California insurance commissioner: Who's running and why it mattersCalMatters Voter Guide: Insurance CommissionerCalMatters: California insurance commissioner race is set: Kim vs. AllenCalMatters: Will California vote 'progressive' in insurance commissioner race?What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  2. 6d ago

    Candidate Spotlight: JANE KIM for Insurance Commissioner

    There may be no statewide race on this year's ballot with more direct impact on your wallet than this one. Make no mistake: the insurance commissioner regulates the nation's biggest insurance market, and the next one takes office in a full-blown crisis. The January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 homes and killed 31 people, and families across the state are being dropped by insurers or priced out. And for the first time since the office became elected, two Democrats will face each other in November. Kim, Allen lead in California insurance watchdog race +2 I sat down separately with both candidates. In this episode, I talk with Jane Kim about homeowners insurance, auto insurance, and health insurance, and how she would defend consumers against an industry that too often puts profits first. About Jane Kim Kim served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011 to 2019, where she helped make San Francisco the only city in the nation offering tuition-free community college to all residents, and passed a tax on high-value commercial real estate to fund universal affordable childcare. Before that, she served on the San Francisco school board, including as its president. After leaving office, she was California Political Director for Bernie 2020, and has spent the last four years as California Director of the Working Families Party. She holds a B.A. from Stanford and a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law. She is endorsed by Bernie Sanders and SEIU California, and she finished first in the June primary. Links Jane Kim's campaign: janekim.orgBen Allen's campaign: benallenca.comLAist: California insurance commissioner: Who's running and why it mattersCalMatters Voter Guide: Insurance CommissionerCalMatters: California insurance commissioner race is set: Kim vs. AllenCalMatters: Will California vote 'progressive' in insurance commissioner race? What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  3. Sep 24

    Bending the Arc: Shane Goldsmith

    Bending the Arc: Liberty Hill at 50 Fifty years ago, Los Angeles was run by an old-school establishment centered downtown, with an LAPD that wielded outsized power and communities of color largely shut out of institutional influence. It was in that city, just three years after Tom Bradley's historic election as LA's first Black mayor, that Liberty Hill Foundation was founded in 1976. In this episode, we use Liberty Hill's 50-year history as a lens on the evolution of Los Angeles itself — who held power, who challenged it, and how organizing reshaped the city. From tenants' rights and labor to immigrant rights, environmental justice, youth justice, and police reform, Liberty Hill has funded and helped build the movements that pushed these issues from the margins into the political mainstream, often decades before they became conventional wisdom. Our guest is Shane Murphy Goldsmith, President and CEO of Liberty Hill Foundation. Shane joined the organization in 2010, became executive director, and has led it as President and CEO since 2013. Under her leadership, Liberty Hill has deepened its investment in grassroots organizing and backed major campaigns in youth justice, environmental justice, and housing. What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  4. Sep 3

    Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson

    Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in California and home to the nation's second-largest port, a booming "Space Beach" aerospace cluster, and more 2028 Olympic events than any city besides LA itself. Mayor Rex Richardson — the city's first Black mayor, just reelected outright in the primary with 57% of the vote — sits down to talk about how he got here: growing up between the Midwest and Long Beach, a first-generation college grad who slept on his family's couch, a labor organizer turned City Council member at 29.  We dig into what makes Long Beach run differently from LA — a governance structure that forces collaboration between mayor, council, and city manager, and a city that runs its own police, fire, port, airport, utilities, and one of only three independent health departments in California. He's candid about the budget cuts coming this year, and why he thinks they set the city up for a surplus down the line. Then we go regional: his two years standing up and chairing LACAHSA, LA County's affordable housing agency, and his new seat on the LA Metro board — where his top priority is fixing what he calls an unfair balance of representation for Long Beach and the Gateway Cities. Plus his real answer on fare-free transit, and whether he's eyeing LA County's new elected CEO seat. What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward and with the support of the staff at the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles. What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  5. Jun 10

    The Winners Are Clear. The Questions Remain

    The votes have been (mostly) counted, and the winners are clear.  What will a Bass-Raman match up look like? And what will it mean for Los Angeles? I share some thoughts. Also: an interview with City Controller Kenneth Mejia and his campaign manager, Jane Nguyen, about his resounding victory; and a conversation with County Registrar Dean Logan about the controversy over the pace of the count in Los Angeles County. What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  6. May 22

    MARISSA ROY: Candidate for L.A. City Attorney

    The office of Los Angeles City Attorney doesn’t always get the same attention as races for mayor or city council, but it plays a major role in how the city functions — overseeing legal advice to city departments, enforcement of city laws, and misdemeanor prosecutions, while also shaping how the city approaches issues like housing, labor standards, consumer protection, and civil rights. Today’s guest is Marissa Roy. Roy currently works as a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, where her work has included consumer protection and tenant rights enforcement. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, handling labor and worker protection matters.  Her campaign has focused heavily on using the office more aggressively to protect renters from illegal evictions, pursue wage theft and worker exploitation cases, crack down on consumer fraud, and take legal action against polluters and corporate misconduct. She has also argued that the City Attorney’s Office should play a larger role in challenging actions by the Trump administration that affect Los Angeles residents.  https://www.marissaroy.com/ What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  7. May 20

    MICHAEL TUBBS - Candidate for Lt. Governor

    Today we turn to the race for lieutenant governor — an office that often gets less attention than governor or senator, but one that can play an important role in shaping state policy, economic development, higher education, and California’s political future. Today’s guest is Michael Tubbs. Tubbs first gained national attention when he was elected mayor of Stockton at age 26, becoming one of the youngest mayors of a major American city. During his time in office, he focused on issues like gun violence prevention, economic mobility, and poverty, and became especially well known for launching one of the country’s first guaranteed income pilot programs. Since leaving office, Tubbs has remained active in public policy, writing and speaking about economic inequality, education, and the challenges facing communities that have often been left out of California’s prosperity. He has also taught at Stanford and worked on statewide and national initiatives focused on opportunity and anti-poverty policy. Now running for lieutenant governor, Tubbs is arguing that California needs a new generation of leadership focused on affordability, economic opportunity, and making state government work more effectively for working people. I sat down with Michael Tubbs recently to talk about his campaign, his time as mayor, and how he sees California’s future. https://michaeltubbsforca.com/ https://mtubbs.com/ What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

  8. May 9

    Wendy Carrillo: Candidate for State Senate

    Today, we continue our focus on the race for the State Senate seat in District 26, currently held by Maria Elena Durazo, who is termed out of office. District 26 is a dense, urban district centered in Los Angeles, including Downtown LA, Boyle Heights, Echo Park, and surrounding neighborhoods. It’s home to largely Latino and immigrant communities, with a mix of working-class families and renters, and it sits at the center of many of the city’s biggest challenges — from housing affordability and homelessness to economic inequality and access to public services. Today’s guest is Wendy Carrillo, a member of the California State Assembly. Carrillo represented the 52nd Assembly District from 2017 to 2024, covering much of Northeast Los Angeles. Before entering elected office, she worked as a journalist and communications professional, and has long been active in immigrant rights and community advocacy. In the legislature, she worked on issues including housing, labor, and immigrant protections, and has been part of broader debates in Sacramento over affordability and the cost of living. She’s now running for State Senate in a competitive race to succeed Durazo. And in this conversation, we also talk about something more personal — her experience with sobriety and recovery, and how that has shaped her life and approach to public service. What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

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3.8
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About

Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city -- and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles,  examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future. Produced in partnership with LA Forward.

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