LA Podcast

Mike, Rachel, and Laura reveal the troubling story of the Neighbors First dark money network that’s mucking up LA City Council elections, including previously unreported details. Then: the latest in the ongoing Measure ULA saga, and a potential new progressive revenue stream for housing and basic services in the city of Long Beach

Details about the dark money network in Los Angeles were first shared by Rob Quan, including images of the mailers and billboards 

Mike followed up and dives much deeper for a piece in Think Forward

CalMatters wrote about the eme...

Scott, Mike, and Godfrey go long on Metro’s greenlighting of a major regional transit expansion – the northern extension of the K Line – and the politics that almost derailed the action. Plus, what recent polls say about LA Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection chances, and political attacks that backfired in the race for City Controller and Council District 9.

Metro’s approval of the K Line northern extension promises to fill a missing link in the region’s network, connecting Hollywood Bowl, West Hollywood, Cedars-Sinai, and the Grove, different rail lines, as well as major bus lines, by 2040

The pr...

Alissa, Mike, and Sammy discuss the resignation of Janisse Quiñones as head of LADWP and what this will mean for LA’s clean energy goals. Then, takeaways from the first LA mayoral debate and how climate is factoring into the governor’s race. And a new baseball season means more complaints about how the Dodgers can be doing more for the community.

LADWP CEO Janisse Quiñones stepped down earlier this month to return to Puerto Rico and work on modernizing the grid

Sammy’s excellent story about Quiñones leaving describes the role as “one o...

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie discuss the bombshell sexual abuse accusations against the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, including by Chavez’s fellow labor leader Dolores Huerta and two women who were abused as children. A reckoning is underway to erase Chavez’s likeness from public space and rename the March 31 holiday honoring Chavez to Farmworkers Day. Then: LAUSD teachers and staff are set to strike April 14.

If you or someone you know is dealing with sexual abuse, please reach out to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Help is available 24/7 by texting HOPE to 64673

The New Yo...

Alissa, Rachel, and Mike discuss LA city’s six-year journey to end the racist and ineffective practice of pretextual stops by police. For the first time in a decade, the number of homeless people who died in LA County went down, not up; from a high of seven deaths per day to six deaths per day. Then: the Noma pop-up in Silver Lake is protested after allegations of abuse by Danish chef René Redzepi resurface, fueling a reckoning over how restaurants treat workers.

Our LA Podcast party for paid Think Forward subscribers is coming up this Saturday, Mar...

Mike, Godfrey and Oscar dive into two big charter reform debates: oversight of the LAPD and the role of LA’s city controller, which current Controller Kenneth Mejia is turning into a public battle. The Trump administration is planning to evict thousands of immigrant families, but community groups are fighting back. Plus, the proposed “Billionaire’s Tax” that’s dividing California Democrats.

COME PARTY WITH US! Join all the LA Podcast co-hosts and producers on Saturday, March 21! This gathering is exclusively for paid subscribers so sign up today at thinkforward.la to get the invite

Godfrey is...

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey report back from the California Democratic Party state convention where endorsement battles plague the governor’s race. Will Republicans end up nabbing the top two spots on the November ballot? LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is placed on leave after an FBI raid of his home and office. And Metro wants you to ride the D — with crop tops to match — on May 8.

Join all the LA Podcast co-hosts and producers on Saturday, March 21! This gathering is exclusively for paid subscribers so sign up today at thinkforward.la.

Here are the full CADEM...

Scott, Alissa, and Rachel dry off after yet another flash flooding event and absorb a new report that says LA County could eliminate half of its pavement. Casey Wasserman is leaving his own company but will apparently stay on as LA28 chair (?!?) as more elected officials call for him to step down. And LA’s City Council searches for more ways to not build more housing near transit by delaying implementation of SB79 as many places as possible.

Coming up on Saturday, March 21 –a fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers with LA Podcast co-hosts and producers! Become a pa...

Alissa, Mike, Rachel, and Olga unpack Nithya Raman’s surprise mayoral run. How the LA city councilmember’s last-minute decision to challenge incumbent Karen Bass has rattled establishment Democrats and angered activists on the left — and why comparisons to progressive officials in other cities don’t really hold up. Then: Trump’s attorney general Pam Bondi is suddenly worried about crime in Culver City.

Become a paid subscriber at thinkforward.la to keep this podcast weekly. A fun gathering exclusively for paid subscribers with LA Pod co-hosts and producers is coming up Saturday, March 21!

New York Times...

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 r...

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...

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 yea...

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...

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 ot...

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 wes...

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

Councilmemb...

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 m...

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie dig into an investigation that shows the City of Los Angeles stopped repaving its streets instead of implementing multimodal safety improvements. Remembering Robert Silverstein, the lawyer who tried to halt nearly every major Hollywood development. Plus: an appreciation of LA’s own hometown starchitect, the legendary Frank Gehry, who died at the age of 96.

The Future Is LA: “LA has stopped repaving our streets”

LA has 28 pothole trucks, currently only 12 run daily due to budget cuts

Here are all the HLA appeals and a follow up on “large asphalt repair”...

Mike, Rachel, and Oscar check in on six months of still-escalating ICE raids terrorizing Los Angeles County. House Dems held a special Congressional hearing to collect powerful testimony about the state-sponsored kidnappings — and immigration advocates, mutual aid groups, and neighbors continue to fight back. Plus, LA’s City Council gives LAPD permission to use tear gas on protesters and journalists. And welcome to the silly season of our local election cycle.

Angelenos spoke publicly about the trauma and due process violations of the immigration raids at a special hearing November 24 hearing in downtown Los Angeles convened by the...

As the LA Podcast team takes off for the Thanksgiving long weekend, we’re featuring Mike’s recent one-on-one interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss Bass’s leadership style — she says she prefers to govern from the center — and how it has been tested by wildfires, ICE raids, and the ongoing homelessness crisis.

The conversation, which took place on October 16, is part of a new series of fireside chats focused on public leadership hosted by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, which Mike runs as his day job

Bass fac...

Alissa and Mike are joined by journalist Sammy Roth to answer all your questions about LA’s climate and environment goals. Why are green bins clustered on every corner? How can we save even more water? When are we weaning ourselves off coal? And is California slowly losing its status as a global environmental leader? Plus: a new way to think about getting to Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles Times: “Green bins clog L.A. curbs as city’s organic waste program goes into overdrive”

Thanks to The Los Feliz Neighborhood Council for the best video on the G...

Mike, Rachel, Godfrey, and Olga analyze the significance of last week’s vote by LA’s City Council to limit annual rent increases for 1.5 million tenants — and somehow explain it all using Dodgers metaphors. The LAPD and city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto are bucking civilian oversight in a variety of shocking (or maybe not-so-shocking) ways. Then, how labor power is brewing at your local Starbucks.

LA’s City Council voted to limit rent increases in rent-controlled units to 1 to 4%, based on an annual formula published by the Los Angeles Housing Department — a big change from the current 3 to 10% cap...

Alissa, Mike, and Rachel break down last week’s election results and some major progressive victories. Zohran Mamdani is the new democratic socialist mayor of New York City! Prop 50 passes, temporarily redrawing California’s districts! And a blue wave produces downballot wins nationwide! What does it all mean for LA politics as our 2026 election cycle kicks into gear? Plus, surveying the state’s gerontocracy as 85-year-old Nancy Pelosi announces her retirement.

Zohran Mamdani wins New York City’s mayoral election: watch his victory speech

New York City saw turnout that was the highest since the 1969 mayoral...

Alissa, Godfrey, and Mike review a new city controller assessment of LAPD’s “armed-first, police-first, patrol-first” response to mental health crisis calls. Plus, what in the world is going on at LAX? The people mover is delayed to June 2026 at least, while billions in public transit investments are about to be undermined by new elevated roadways that are certain to make airport traffic worse.

If you’re hearing this on Monday — get your ballot in today or Tuesday!

The LA City Controller’s office published a comprehensive assessment of LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit and Systemwide Men...

Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Liz Chou discuss a secretive $2 million payout to LA County’s CEO, who claims she suffered “reputational harm” from Measure G. An LA City charter reform proposal would bring dramatic changes to the Board of Public Works. Yet another fire investigation, this time from Republican senators who are trying to blame the flames on DEI. And remembering river advocate Melanie Winter.

LA County CEO Fesia Davenport was “quietly paid a $2 million settlement,” as LAist reported first, “over claims she was harmed” by the passage of Measure G one year ago, the ballot measure that e...

Mike, Godfrey and Carla welcome former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner to the LA mayoral race as the first serious challenger to incumbent Karen Bass. The state’s housing department sends a blistering letter to the City of Los Angeles about its obstruction of affordable housing in Venice. Plus, Governor Gavin Newsom signs (and vetoes) major pieces of legislation, including the highly anticipated passage of transit-density bill SB 79.

Warning that Los Angeles is “adrift,” Austin Beutner throws his hat in the ring for mayor with a four-minute launch video and coverage from major media outlets like the New York T...

Alissa, Mike, and Kate recount a dramatic week as an arson suspect is taken into custody for allegedly starting a fire which smoldered underground for a week, then rekindled in high winds to become the deadly Palisades Fire. Analysis of LAFD’s after-action report reveals more communications breakdowns. Plus, ballots for Prop 50 hit mailboxes.

Former Palisades resident Jonathan Rinderknecht, also known as Jon Rinder, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint for starting what federal prosecutors allege eventually became the Palisades Fire

Los Angeles Times: “Florida man ‘maliciously’ started Palisades fire, then tried to cover his tracks...

Alissa, Mike and Rachel recap Trump’s declared war on cities run by the “radical left” (we wish!) and fresh threats to Cal State campuses. LA County’s long-awaited after-action report on the failure to issue alerts and evacuations during the Eaton Fire raises more questions than answers. And will a $32.35 minimum wage for construction workers help LA build more homes?

“California State University faculty members say they are worried about employee privacy protections and academic free speech after learning that the Trump administration is investigating alleged antisemitism across the 22-campus system,” reports EdSource

AP: “Progressive no...

Mike, Rachel, and guest co-host TV writer Olga Lexell discuss censorship in Hollywood and how unions rallied to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel Live. How ICE is using Palantir’s data to track you, and how rapid response groups are fighting back. Plus a recap of LA’s divisive convention center vote and how Mayor Karen Bass saved city worker jobs, but not city services.

We’re hosting a party for all paid subscribers soon! Become a paid subscriber today at thinkforward.la and you’ll get the invite as soon as it comes out. Your support is critical to enabl...

Alissa, Mike, and David discuss a contentious vote about expanding LA’s neglected convention center. The ULA transfer tax is making $387 million available for affordable housing right as a backroom deal to undermine ULA implodes in the state legislature. Plus, how LA’s tourism unions rallied with an epic signature revocation campaign to save the Olympic Wage.

Weekly actions from #BoycottDisneyABC after the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live, because comedy isn’t the only thing under attack

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has changed guidelines for federal funds for permanent supportive housing: not only c...

Alissa, Scott, Hayes, and Mike try to decipher the electoral intentions of LA City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and preview other key city and county races as local candidates launch their campaigns for the June primary. Plus, a devastating Supreme Court decision upholds ICE’s discriminatory roving patrols. And remembering legendary California legislator John Burton: “I yell because I care.”

The Supreme Court reversal of a previous federal ruling means half the population of Southern California now meets ICE’s criteria for reasonable suspicion

There’s not much California leaders can do, especially when ICE no longer req...

Alissa, Mike, and LA Taco’s Memo Torres break down three months of ICE raids and explain why a Labor Day lull doesn’t mean the feds are letting up. LA County passes a law that says your landlord must keep your apartment below 82 degrees, and LA City may follow suit. California sets up its own CDC amid a major COVID spike. And yet another major setback for Frank McCourt’s gondola — will this project ever get off the ground?

Memo’s Daily Memo has become a must-watch to keep up with LA’s ongoing siege. Read it at LA Tac...

Alissa, Rachel, Mike, and Godfrey discuss how LA’s Unarmed Model of Crisis Response had a very successful first year of diverting 911 calls away from LAPD. What is the Save Our Services campaign claiming to prevent budget cuts and why is Airbnb behind it? And a debate about housing between Scott Wiener and Imelda Padilla highlights all the ways LA’s leaders weaponize land-use decisions.

LA City’s Unarmed Model of Crisis Response program is assessed in a year in review report which shows that 6,700 calls were diverted from 911 dispatch and fewer than 4.1% of calls required police backup...

Alissa, David, and Carla sweat it out during LA’s first major heat wave of the summer and wonder if the city is any better prepared for catastrophic fires. Former LAFD chief Kristin Crowley files a defamation claim against LA Mayor Karen Bass. The Trump administration is trying to extort $1 billion dollars from UCLA. Plus, the latest state transit-upzoning bill, SB 79, makes its way through the California legislature.

“Kristin Crowley and her lawyers accuse Bass of ousting her, and repeatedly defaming Crowley as Bass sought to shift blame for the way the city handled the catastrophic Palisades fire...

Alissa, Mike, and Rachel talk about how LAUSD plans to protect students from their federal government. ICE crashes Gavin Newsom’s redistricting press conference. DC is invaded by Trump, just like LA leaders warned would happen. Then: DIY crosswalk battles and why you should support a subway beneath the Sepulveda Pass. (Just say no to Fred Rosen’s monorail!)

The first day of school included training teachers and volunteers on how to patrol campuses 

A 15-year-old disabled LAUSD student was detained outside Arleta High School by ICE at gunpoint and, thanks to the intervention of the p...

Mike and Godfrey are joined by Spectrum 1 News’ Kate Cagle to talk about new “Trojan Horse” immigration raids, Trump launching a new LA28 White House task force while continuing to bash LA, and the escalating war over the potential redistricting of congressional seats in Texas and California. Plus, Kate discusses her recent interview with LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.

Federal agents continued their reign of terror, using a Penske rental truck as a “Trojan Horse” to target day laborers and raid a Home Depot near MacArthur Park. An embedded Fox News reporter accompanied the agents. Acting U.S. Attorne...

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey discuss the next era for LA’s homeless services with a newly named interim CEO for LAHSA and a terrifying executive order from the Trump administration. Then LA’s charter reform commission is finally underway, starting with tackling much-needed infrastructure reforms. And Kamala Harris won’t run for governor — so what (and who) defines the race now?

LA Councilmember Traci Park has filed a motion to assess evacuation routes after last week’s tsunami advisory that seems to take aim at denser housing (no one tell her that scientists now recommend “vertical evacuation” where you go t...

Alissa and Mike sit down for a full assessment of recovery efforts six months after the January fires — and discuss why a key rebuilding effort went off the rails. Plus, we check in on the accomplishments of the fire-recovery billionaires, and try to figure out why one of those billionaires, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, announced he’s taking the paper public.

Cleanup was astonishingly fast, but as this LA Times summary of progress notes, only 800 rebuilding permits have been filed so far across both burn zones 

One reason: there are a lot of conce...

Alissa, Rachel, and Sophie come bearing (some) good news as 2000 National Guard troops are withdrawn from LA and a federal court ruling invokes a temporary restraining order that stops ICE agents from racial profiling. Plus: Children’s Hospital LA closes a clinic that’s served trans kids for 30 years, and Trump’s transportation department tries to revoke California’s high-speed rail funding.

Trump orders 2000 National Guard troops to leave LA — but 2000 National Guard troops and about 700 Marines still remain

The New York Times talked to a some Marines and National Guardsmen who said morale is so low tha...

Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey on the terrifying U.S. military invasion of MacArthur Park that sent LA Mayor Karen Bass racing to the scene. Why homicides in LA have hit a 60-year low (hint: it’s not because of cops). And when LA County voters approved the governmental-reform Measure G in 2024 they inadvertently invalidated the anti-incarceration Measure J, passed in 2020. Whoops!

The Guardian: “The troops were deployed to a mostly empty MacArthur Park in the neighborhood of the same name for about an hour, some on horseback and others in armored military vehicles. Agents were also operating an a...