LA Podcast

LA Podcast

A news and politics podcast for people who live in Los Angeles.

  1. 6D AGO

    Casey Closed

    Alissa, Mike, and Memo discuss the “No Secret Police Act,” which requires ICE agents to remove face coverings — and why LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell’s refusal to enforce it is such a red flag. Don Lemon’s federal detention highlights the double standards for LA journalists who are arrested during protests. LA Mayor Karen Bass delivers her (first) state of the city. Plus: why elected officials are calling for LA28 chair Casey Wasserman to step down. At a press conference, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell “described two state laws that were passed by the state legislature in response to the ICE raids — one banning face coverings, the other requiring law enforcement officers to identify themselves — as ‘not a good public policy decision,’” LA Taco reports Mike writes about how McDonnell is setting the city back: “In his 15 months as chief, McDonnell has consistently shown contempt for civilian authority, tolerance for police violence, hostility toward the press, and a drive to militarize LAPD under the guise of mega-event security. He is rebuilding the old LAPD that had only recently been partially dismantled.” After deadly shootings, ICE says it will start using body cameras for transparency (where have we heard that before?). Read Copaganda’s Alex Karakatsanis on why body cameras are bad, actually Attorneys for Keith Porter, Jr.’s family are calling for an investigation of his murder at the hands of an off-duty ICE agent Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were two of four Black journalists detained after covering a protest in St. Paul. Lemon talked more about his arrest on his YouTube channel. ”We’re having a constitutional crisis,” Fort said on Democracy Now! LA Mayor Karen Bass was publicly defending Lemon but hasn’t defended journalists arrested by LAPD at protests, including LA Taco reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray who was detained by LAPD at a protest in downtown the same weekend Adam Rose, deputy director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, was out sounding the alarm about these arrests and had some very harsh words for Bass Bass delivered her first of two State of the City addresses: here’s the address as delivered and here’s Alissa’s thread from the event LA28 chair Casey Wasserman is facing calls to resign due to associations with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell revealed in the latest Department of Justice release Bass declined to call for Wasserman’s resignation, saying instead: “Ultimately, any decision on the LA28 leadership must be made by the LA28 Board. As you know, they are a separate and independent nonprofit organization." Alissa’s tracking which elected officials, organizations, and clients are calling for Wasserman to step down Lindsey Horvath and Monica Rodriguez both went on TV calling for Wasserman to step down And yes, after we recorded, Horvath opted not to run for LA mayor, but, in a huge surprise, Councilmember Nithya Raman did. We’ll talk about that more next week This episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la  to keep this podcast weekly! A fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers is coming up Saturday, March 21!

    1 hr
  2. FEB 2

    If I Was Your Boycott

    Alissa, Godfrey, and Sophie recount another week of accelerating immigration raids and how Angelenos are organizing against them. Why the “national shutdown” isn’t a general strike (yet). If ICE is going to the Winter Olympics, what does that mean for LA in 2028? And what about the World Cup this summer? And RIP to Shirley Raines who brought dignity, agency, and eyelash extensions to Skid Row residents. LA Taco’s Daily Memo for Wednesday, January 28: “There was a time when 25-40 was the total number of incidents I’d report for a whole week; they just did that in one day” “What we’re seeing now are large numbers of officers to grab anywhere from one to five people, not necessarily questioning them, and then moving out as quickly as possible,” Juan Pablo Orjuela-Parra, an organizer with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, told the Los Angeles Times TPM: ICE not only looks and acts like a paramilitary — it is one Gavin, wyd? “California has cooperated with more ICE transfers probably than any other state in the country,” California’s governor told Ben Shapiro Meanwhile progressive district attorneys — meaning: not LA’s DA — are banding together to prosecute federal agents: “The group launched Wednesday and calls itself Fight Against Federal Overreach, or FAFO” Highland Park is testing out air raid sirens for ICE raids There’s another community defense training Saturday, February 7 at 11 a.m.; here’s how to sign up Kim Kelly on the difference between a general strike and a national shutdown Yes, ICE is going to the Winter Olympics. Yes, it’s also kind of horribly normal for U.S. law enforcement to be involved in the Olympics — does everyone remember when the LAPD got special permission to carry guns in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics?  “ICE, NO GRAZIE!” LAist’s Libby Rainey reported on potential plans to clear unhoused people from around sports venues ahead of megaevents Will LA see a boycott in 2028? Will LA see a boycott this summer? Alissa’s Torched piece focused on “hospitality houses” in what feels like the least hospitable possible environment — and she also reported on the World Cup fan zones announcement Speaking of cognitive dissonance, how about that Home Depot World Cup sponsorship deal? LA Mayor Karen Bass is giving two State of the City addresses; one is Monday, February 2, watch it here Finally, remembering the Skid Row outreach legend Shirley Raines who died at 58 Tune in Tuesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. for a Measure G teach-in to learn the latest news about LA County’s charter reform initiative This episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep this podcast weekly! Subscribers-only event is coming soon!

    54 min
  3. JAN 26

    ULA Confidential

    Mike, David, and Carla do a deep-dive on state and local efforts to build and fund — and also stop and kill — housing, while changes are proposed to LA city’s ULA transfer tax, also known as the “mansion tax.” More charter reform proposals advance. Are 23 councilmembers enough? Should 16-year-olds get the right to vote in local elections? Then: California’s mountain lions might finally get endangered species protection. 2025 was a pivotal year for housing legislation in California and Los Angeles, with a slew of new laws and rules taking effect this year to spur housing construction — and the coming year might see even more, as KQED reports Politico’s Liam Dillon reports on LA’s latest strategy to stop/subvert SB 79, the new state law allowing more density in transit-rich areas. Metro also weighed in against SB 79, expressing concern that transit-oriented housing creates opposition to new transit. Reminder to Metro board members that building housing near transit increases transit ridership, which you think would be their goal?  Metro also voted on this as they approved the Sepulveda subway and potentially stall the C line extension to Torrance. Time to dissolve (or seriously reform) the Metro board? Liam also reports on the high-stakes staredown between the state and the city trying to kill affordable housing in Venice Meanwhile, YIMBY Law has filed a lawsuit to overturn Gavin Newsom’s executive order blocking SB 9, which would allow new duplexes, in Pacific Palisades The fight over Measure ULA has been brewing for months. Affordable housing advocates proclaim success with more than $1 billion raised. Opponents of the measure contend it’s killing development of multifamily housing in Los Angeles.  Conflicting reports — even in the same publication — argue new apartment construction is down and that multifamily investment is on the rebound Councilmember Nithya Raman, a longtime supporter of Measure ULA, is proposing a ballot measure to exempt multifamily and commercial housing from the transfer tax for 15 years after construction. Raman’s proposal is getting a lot of attention. The council has until February 11 to put something on the June ballot State lawmakers are mulling a proposal to put a $10 billion affordable housing bond before voters in November LA’s Charter Reform Commission is weeding through various proposals. If you can’t find anything to binge on Netflix, watch the full 6 hour, 22 minute meeting — the commission is likely to recommend expanding the size of the City Council from 15 to 23  The commission also seems poised to recommend lowering the voting age for Los Angeles city and LAUSD elections to 16.  There is a national movement to lower the voting age and extend the franchise to 1-6 and 17-year-olds. Liz Chou recently looked at the issue in her LA Reporter newsletter. A ballot measure to lower the threshold to 16 in Culver City failed narrowly last year, getting 49.5% of the vote Here’s the Charter Reform Commission website. Stay involved with LA Forward’s governance reform and CIP working groups. Topics coming up: police reform; the removal/replacement of elected officials for misconduct; establishment of a 2-year budget cycle, ethics, and neighborhood councils California wildlife officials are considering listing mountain lions as threatened. Advocates of the protected status point to the hazards encountered by LA’s beloved Hollywood Hills mountain lion, P-22 In 2022, the wealthy Northern California town of Woodside declared its entire jurisdiction a mountain lion habitat to pause all new housing projects under SB 9 — yep, the same duplex bill that’s being exempted in Palisades — but the decision was later reversed This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep LA Pod going. Subscribers-only event coming soon!

    1 hr
  4. JAN 19

    Subway, Someday

    Alissa, Rachel, and Godfrey remember Keith Porter Jr., who was killed by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve in Northridge. A new UCLA report shows how Metro’s unarmed ambassadors are helping Metro’s riders. A subway concept advances for the Sepulveda Corridor and Fred Rosen’s monorail might finally be dead. And LA City’s charter reform commission has begun the purge. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King, Jr. On New Year’s Eve, Keith Porter Jr. was killed by off-duty ICE agent Brian Palacios in Northridge, and vigils were held across the city this past week There’s just so much to protest! An anti-ICE protester was blinded by a DHS agent in Santa Ana Meanwhile a new LA City Council motion that advanced would require LAPD to adopt tactics like a “graded response” model ICE raids seem to be intensifying: 10 people were taken across 8 Echo Park locations in 3 hours. Read Blood in the Machine and 404 Media on how tech companies like Palantir are finding neighborhoods to raid Sign up for the Community Self Defense Coalition patrols training and share the information on Instagram Read the Metro ambassador report from UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies Streetsblog LA: “UCLA Study Finds Metro Transit Ambassador Program Is Benefitting Metro Riders” And the monorail option for the Sepulveda Pass project MIGHT ACTUALLY BE DEAD but keep your calls coming — Modified Alternative 5 is up for a full Metro board vote this week Nick Andert’s video shows how they picked a hybrid option that’s pretty cool actually LA’s city charter reform process held “the purge” last weekend, where certain reforms are starting to be taken off the table. Here’s the Charter Reform Commission website and a way to join the conversation at Rethink LA Here’s a great policy document with proposed reforms for LA’s Capital Infrastructure Program — a 5 year outlook and 2 year budget, to start! Stay involved with LA Forward’s governance reform and CIP working groups Finally: we’re out of drought after 25 years! Check our progress with Cal Matters’ 2026 California Water Tracker  This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Our first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

    52 min
  5. JAN 12

    A Whole Post of Problems

    Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Golden State’s Mariel Garza talk about how local officials commemorated (or didn’t commemorate) the one-year anniversary of the fires, including a shocking statement from Councilmember Traci Park. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is running for LA mayor. Gavin Newsom delivers his final State of the State address. And right-wing tabloid journalism is coming to the West Coast with the launch of the California Post. “It wasn’t an act of nature. It wasn’t some ‘storm of the century.’ And it wasn’t climate change, and don’t let anybody try to tell you otherwise.” Yep, that’s Councilmember Traci Park at the "They Let Us Burn" rally on the anniversary of the fires. Recent LA Podcast guest co-host Sammy Roth wrote a whole story about Park’s climate denial At the same rally, reality TV star Spencer Pratt announced he was running for LA mayor at what ended up being a very MAGA Palisades rally (but Pratt can’t give interviews until February?) Mike talked to the Los Angeles Times about Pratt: “If you look at the model of who he is as a candidate, it’s similar to Trump: the reality television background; his most visible communication presence is on Twitter, just as Trump’s was. And he’s sort of developing a candidacy around frustration and blowing the system up, just like Trump did.” Mike also said Pratt’s entry into the race could be “perilous” for Bass. LA Mayor Karen Bass did not go out in public the entire day on January 7 Read Mariel’s piece: “14 ways fire victims were failed by government at all levels” LAFD Chief Jaime Moore accepted responsibility for the watered-down after-action report but then news broke that Bass’s office might have been trying to make changes? Sorry, refinements LA Times: “Anger overflows in west Altadena: Where is the accountability for 19 deaths, epic losses?” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath made it sound even more like she’s running for mayor in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson (here’s the transcript) Watch Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address, with coverage from Politico and commentary by CalMatters’ Dan Walters Why Mariel is excited about a wide-open governor’s race The New York Post officially announced the California Post is launching at the end of the month But lots of other new local publications are launching, like Golden State, the LA Local, and LA Reported  This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Our first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

    57 min
  6. JAN 5

    Another Year Smolder

    One year ago this week Los Angeles was forever changed by the most destructive natural disaster in the county’s history. Alissa, Mike, and Kate survey the impact of the firestorms, and discuss what year two of recovery looks like for the thousands of Angelenos who are still displaced. Plus LAFD’s after-action report is deemed a “cover up,” and the real story behind the collapse of the state’s insurance system. Listen to Kate’s Rebuilding LA podcast Although the death toll for the firestorms is officially 31 — revised up in July when additional remains were found west of Lake Avenue in Altadena — a recent study estimated that up to 440 people died due to the dangers of wildfire smoke One (1) house has been rebuilt in each burn area, although the completed Palisades home is actually a spec house that was built by a developer with demolition permits that had been approved on the morning of the fires. Additionally, an ADU was completed in November that received the first certificate of occupancy in Altadena As of mid-December, permits have been issued for 16 percent of the homes destroyed in Altadena and 14 percent of the homes in Pacific Palisades. Even though permitting is starting to pick up survivors are facing challenges like city rebuilding fees  LAist: “Investors are buying close to half the empty lots in LA burn zones, report says” Listen to Kate’s conversation with Greenline’s Jasmin Shupper, who is trying to help Black homeowners and business owners hold onto their Altadena properties through land banking and other alternative financing models Washington Post: “A year later, Altadena fire survivors confront hard choices about housing” Meanwhile, the Palisades mobile home community is just now getting its debris cleared The big after-action LAFD report that we talked about last time was described as “watered down,” “highly unprofessional,” and, finally, deemed a “cover up” by fire experts in a bombshell LA Times investigation. And LAFD is also impugned in new text messages that showed questions about the presence of native plants might have impeded the mop up of the Lachman Fire Listen to Kate’s conversation with Councilmember Traci Park, who told Kate councilmembers are not briefed on deployment: “I certainly don't get a briefing anytime the fire department or LAPD are called into action” There are allegations that FEMA has been clearing lots sloppily and dumping debris illegally, without enough soil testing. And an absolutely devastating report from the New York Times shows families going back into smoke-damaged homes insurance companies said were fine and finding lead levels 27 times the federal limit  The LA Times also has an investigation into California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s campaign finance and ethical violations and why the state’s insurance system failed so spectacularly Kate also looked into where the FireAid concert money ended up Alissa wrote about the failure to create a Resilient Rebuilding Authority for the Los Angeles Review of Architecture Kate’s spoke with Cal Poly Pomona professor Nicole Lambrou about social infrastructure. Read Lambrou’s Zocalo piece: “How do you rebuild community after wildfire?” The annual relighting of Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane and how the majestic deodar cedars may have saved the houses below This week’s episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Our first subscriber-only event will be held in 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

    59 min
  7. 12/29/2025

    Fires and ICE

    It’s the end-of-the-year episode! And what a horrible year it has been! Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap the biggest stories, the stories that didn’t get nearly enough attention, and what to look forward to next year. (Yes, there are some things to look forward to!) Plus: predictions for 2026 and what will be a very big election year for LA. Check out last year’s end-of-the-year show to see what we got right (and wrong) LA Mayor Karen Bass started 2025 seemingly invincible and after missteps, reversals, and delays now seems politically vulnerable Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky had an incredible year challenging the status quo of LA’s fiscal woes. Here’s her final speech of 2025, captured by Unrig LA: “Public safety is about more than police... it's about having enough money to paint our own damn crosswalks and not having rogue volunteers doing it for us” Local journalism flourished in the face of adversity: LA Taco, The LA Local, Boyle Heights Beat, The LA Reporter, Mar Vista Voice, Golden State, Streetsblog LA, and Alissa’s mega-event newsletter Torched — with more new publications still to come Six local publications banded together to cover ICE: LA Public Press, Caló News, Capital & Main, Capital B, LA Taco, and Q Voice Revisiting Emily Baumgaertner Nunn’s New York Times investigationabout the Blade, the 50-block sex-trafficking corridor on LA’s Figueroa Street City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is facing a new alleged ethical breach after a declaration in CA superior court accuses her of contacting an expert witness in a case against the city and asking him for a campaign contribution. The lawsuit spurred a major LA Times investigation about reckless LAPD driving. The case was settled for $18 million, “thought to be the most city taxpayers have ever paid to resolve a police collision case” Feldstein Soto also put another major campaign donor, Mark Adams, in charge of the Skid Row Housing Trust as it was dissolving, only to remove him later Last year, a city attorney who works for Feldstein Soto filed a declaration saying she prosecuted people based on “personal relationships” or “perceived political gain” After a judge concluded that Councilmember John Lee violated laws on receiving and reporting gifts, LA’s City Ethics Commission fined Lee a staggering $138,000 Re-live the 2020 Department of Justice filing after the surrender of Mitch Englander, Lee’s former boss, and read Scott’s 2021 assessment of Lee’s role: “A Co-Conspirator on City Council” There has been at least one call for him to resign, by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo who represents a big part of CD 12 Councilmember Curren Price pled not guilty to corruption charges filed by the LA District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors filed an amended complaint in September alleging two additional counts of conflict of interest relating to development and land use. Price was arraigned and the DA’s office rejected a motion to dismiss the public corruption charges Scott called the local charges faced by Price “outlandish and flimsy" but Price was one of three sitting councilmembers being investigated by the FBI in the original search warrant that took down Englander and former councilmember Jose Huizar, along with other Garcetti administration officials including former deputy mayor Ray Chan, who was sentenced to jail last year  Anyway, this all makes reforming the city’s land-use decisions even more important! You can join a public assembly or become an ambassador for Rewrite LA, the new effort to bring more Angelenos inside the charter reform process. Sign up for updates at rewritela.org/deliberate Will Rick Caruso announce his (second) campaign for LA mayor on January 7, the anniversary of the fires? Will the announcement happen at his unscathed Palisades mall, which is supposed to reopen in 2026? He’s got a Christmas tree up and ready to go Will LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also run for LA mayor? After Bass published an op-ed in the LA Daily News touting her progress on homelessness, Horvath called her track record “indefensible,"  Bass dunk-tweeted Horvath, then Horvath posted a highlight reel of bad headlines. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado offered her own commentary: “I fear the girls are fighting” Will Bass’s “working people not billionaire class” message actually resonate with voters — especially as she undermines this message by playing an “instrumental” role in delaying the Olympic wage? Will any gubernatorial ad top Tom Steyer’s Love Actually parody? Will the D line open on time? And will the LAX people mover *ever* open? Watch Nick Andert’s excellent end-of-the-year Metro recap Speaking of end-of-the-year recaps, read LA Forward's annual impact report and call-to-action for the new year for all sorts of ways to get organized This week's episode was produced by Sophie Bridges The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la

    1h 2m
  8. 12/22/2025

    Cadets, I’ve Had a Few

    Mike, David, and Godfrey go deep on one of the wildest LA City Council votes in recent memory as councilmembers quarrel over Karen Bass’s manufactured deadline to increase police hiring. LAPD reform finally makes it onto the charter commission radar, plus all the different ways that council expansion could happen (27 districts…. or 9 three-member districts?). Then: two important races for open seats in the California State Senate. In its final session of the calendar year, LA’s City Council sharply rebuked Bass’s demand that they immediately authorize money to allow LAPD to hire 410 new officers  While most councilmembers said they support hiring more police officers, they warned that the mayor was ignoring the fiscal crisis and the potential impact on other city services. Council approved an additional LAPD Academy class for January, and promised to revisit the issue in January Opposition to Bass was led not by the council’s progressive bloc, but by many of its more mainstream liberal bloc, such as Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield. Yaroslavsky was a particularly sharp critic of Bass and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson: watch her comments here Bass’s approach was backed by an odd coalition of the council’s conservative members (Traci Park and John Lee), her closest personal allies (Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt), and two moderates (Adrin Nazarian and Imelda Padilla) The council vote was the culmination of months of tension over police hiring, stemming from the mayor’s budget proposal last spring that called for potentially laying off 1000 city workers to finance a big increase in LAPD hiring. The council balked at that, cutting the mayor’s LAPD hiring request in half, and sparing layoffs that would have led to cuts in other city services. Despite that council direction, however, LAPD had been hiring and spending more than the council had authorized The timing of this debate — and the sudden deadline — had left a lot of people, including Alissa, wondering if this has something to do with the city’s stalled negotiations with LA28 over who will foot the bill for Olympic related security expenses. (Speaking of the Olympics, LA28 chair Casey Wasserman continues to cozy up to the Trump administration) As Jim McDonnell prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of his appointment, Los Angeles Times reporter Libor Jany asks “Who’s running the LAPD? Chief’s style draws mixed reviews in first year” LA’s Charter Reform Commission is rushing to meet a tight deadline to submit potential ballot proposals to the City Council. The body has launched an interesting experiment — engaging with citizen assemblies to get public input; find out more at Rewrite LA The LA Reporter: “LAPD is finally getting taken up by the LA Charter Reform panel. What took so long?” The commission will be discussing the size and composition of the City Council at its January 7 meeting. You can track what the commission is doing on its website (subscribe to the newsletter!), and join LA Forward’s Governance Reform working group. You can also watch some great LA Forward teach-ins on the issues, including police reform and council expansion Two state senate races we’re closely following: SD26 and SD24 SD26 candidates discussed: Wendy Carrillo, Sara Hernandez, Sarah Rascón, Maebe Pudlo, Juan Camacho Watch the Santa Monica Dem Club debate for SD24; Assemblymember Rick Zbur endorsed four (?) candidates SD24 candidates discussed: Dr. Sion Roy, John Erickson, Mike Newhouse, Ellen Evans, Brian Goldsmith, Eric Alegria, Nico Ruderman, Republican candidate Kristina Irwin Listen to our overview of city races from September This week’s episode was produced by Kristen Torres The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward We’re moving our first subscriber-only event to 2026! Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la and you’ll be the first to know the details

    1h 14m
4.8
out of 5
426 Ratings

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A news and politics podcast for people who live in Los Angeles.

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