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 ...
Jul 14, 2025•59 min•Ep. 261
Alissa, Hayes, Mike, and Carla recap another week of relentless ICE raids. The Trump administration sues LA over its sanctuary city status, and a coalition of immigrants rights groups sue the federal government right back. A ruling in the Alliance lawsuit raises questions about LA City’s homelessness count numbers. And the biggest-ever rollback of California’s often-abused environmental quality law, CEQA. The Trump administration sues LA for obstructing immigration laws : “Jurisdictions like Los...
Jul 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 260
Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey track a third week of ICE raids that are more violent, more brazen, and raising more questions about how LAPD is assisting with these kidnappings. The Olympic Wage coalition strikes back with a new referendum to raise the minimum wage for *all* LA city workers. Plus, Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary win is huge news for New York City — and maybe for LA? ICE says 1,600 detained in Southern California , with data showing the majority are men with no criminal records , ran...
Jun 30, 2025•48 min•Ep. 259
Alissa, Mike, Rachel, and Oscar give an update on LA under siege as at least 500 people are taken from their families in federal raids. Plus, the massive No Kings rally in Downtown LA ends in police violence, how CHIRLA’s rapid response team is monitoring detention centers, and widespread fear fuels an economic crisis across a city of immigrants. The June 14 No Kings rallies may have been the largest single-day nationwide protest in US history, according to The Guardian , but when all the indivi...
Jun 23, 2025•50 min•Ep. 258
Scott, Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap an astonishing week as Los Angeles is occupied by the federal government. How the city and state are responding to ongoing ICE raids, the federalization of the National Guard, the handcuffing of Senator Alex Padilla at a Homeland Security press conference, and the deployment of the U.S. Marines on the eve of nationwide protests. The Guardian : “ ‘Kidnapped’: families and lawyers desperate to contact LA workers arrested in Ice raids ” LA Times : “ What really...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 257
Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and Rachel discuss charter reform at the city and county, including the powerful new LA County CEO position voters will elect in 2028. Then, a referendum to overturn the Olympic Wage attempts to gather signatures, and homeowners accept buyouts to escape an ancient landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes. Note: This episode was recorded before LA saw ICE raids and detainments, countywide protests, and deployment of the National Guard. We’re watching developments closely and will g...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 256
Mike, Hayes, and Carla discuss the growing desire among LA Councilmembers to rein in mayoral oversight of homelessness as they’re potentially being called into Judge David O. Carter’s federal courtroom. Plus, new city and state efforts to lure the entertainment industry back to LA, and a journalist investigated by former sheriff Alex Villanueva sues him (and LA County) for violating her First Amendment rights. We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week only thanks to your financial suppo...
Jun 02, 2025•51 min•Ep. 255
Alissa, Mike and Godfrey give a full update on how LA City’s budget went from disastrous to just “very bad” — including actions from the council’s budget committee to reduce over 1,600 proposed layoffs to 600. Then, a new minimum wage for tourism workers has hotels threatening to pull their Olympics deals. And LA’s former deputy mayor of public safety pleads guilty to calling in a City Hall bomb threat. We’re producing new LA Podcast episodes every week with your help! Become a paid subscriber a...
May 26, 2025•58 min•Ep. 254
Alissa and Mike are joined by guest co-host Laura Raymond for a whole episode on homelessness and housing. Gavin Newsom orders cities to ban visible homelessness, again. Is Measure ULA’s “mansion tax” stifling housing production in the city of LA? And post-fire Altadena is championing new models of property ownership to combat speculation and displacement. Help us to produce a new LA Pod episode every week – start a paid subscription at thinkforward.la today! "There are no more excuses." Gavin N...
May 19, 2025•53 min•Ep. 253
Mike, Alissa, and Rachel discuss how LA’s budget crisis could lead to an LAPD with fewer officers and more accountability around its helicopter fleet. Metro hires a chief for its new in-house police department. Plus, why LA County approved a $4 billion settlement for thousands of sexual abuse claims, and what this means for survivors. Support LA Podcast -- become a paid subscriber today at thinkforward.la It is almost certain that LAPD will be reduced to its lowest numbers since 1995 , despite L...
May 12, 2025•59 min•Ep. 252
Scott, Hayes, and Alissa dive into LA City budget fallout: how positions were eliminated, which departments are getting funded, and why LA’s liability payouts are so much higher now. 100 days out from the fires, LA hits major recovery milestones. And former LA County sheriff Alex Villanueva is evaluated for emotional distress. The mayor’s budget summary FINALLY DROPPED 12 days later. On page 47, a letter notes that “there has been confusion” over animal services funding, and the budget hearings ...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 251
Alissa and Mike are joined by guest co-host Oscar Zarate, director of external affairs at CHIRLA, to discuss how workers are mobilizing for immigrant rights on May Day. The Real ID deadline is on May 7, creating another barrier to travel in Trump’s America. And the first phase of LAX’s long-awaited rail connection has an opening date, while Inglewood’s pricey people mover gets revamped as a much better transit solution. Join CHIRLA and other immigrant rights advocates at May Day 2025 on Thursday...
Apr 28, 2025•54 min•Ep. 250
Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and Rachel watch LA Mayor Karen Bass’s State of the City address and discuss why a speech that was hyped as a "fundamental overhaul of city government" didn’t deliver on that promise. And a first look at the city’s budget includes major layoffs and department cuts to cover a billion-dollar funding gap. Check out Bass’s proposed budget : cao.lacity.gov/budget Watch the State of the City address: mayor.lacity.gov/SOTC2025 The New York Times : "Los Angeles is rebuilding, but ...
Apr 22, 2025•58 min•Ep. 249
Alissa, Mike, and Rachel talk about how the Trump administration is attempting to stoke fear and uncertainty at the port, schools, and cultural organizations — and how some local institutions are resisting. Plus: LA28 is getting challenged on Olympics venues, and LA’s budget-busting $2.2 billion convention center expansion lives to see another day. LA Times: " As a center of global trade, L.A. could be in for a bumpy ride after Trump tariffs " “Expensive cars, expensive trains, expensive bikes, ...
Apr 14, 2025•56 min•Ep. 248
Hayes, Alissa, and Mike are joined by guest co-host Carla Hall, former Los Angeles Times editorial board member, to discuss LA County’s dramatic decision to pull funding from the LA Homeless Services Authority. Plus County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is making big moves in a role known for anything but. And a discussion about the future of the LA Times. LA County votes to move $300 million out of LAHSA and start new homeless agency "We are making forward movement. We must keep building on this an...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 247
Alissa, Mike, and Rachel discuss proposed changes to LA city’s slur-strewn public comment process. Karen Bass found her deleted text messages sent during the fires, but what conversations are we still missing? And Metro advances an incomplete street for Vermont Avenue. LA Times: " LA City Council seeks crackdown on the N-word and C-word at meetings ” In 2014 Michael Hunt was paid a $215,000 settlement after wearing a KKK hood to a city council meeting Adam Smith’s original songs have elevated pu...
Mar 31, 2025•50 min•Ep. 246
Alissa, Godfrey, and Rachel gather on the first day of spring to try and figure out what the hell Gavin Newsom is doing with his new MAGA-platforming podcast. Plus, new LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman won’t resentence the Menendez brothers until they apologize for "all the lies that they have told.” And some real estate influencers want LA to suspend the Measure ULA transfer tax after the fires — can the City do that? Supporters held a rally for the Menendez brothers after a resentenc...
Mar 24, 2025•43 min•Ep. 245
Scott, Hayes, and Alissa look back on how the pandemic has changed LA, five years later. Then, a scathing audit of homelessness services at the city and LAHSA, a famous content creator’s burglary raises questions about LAPD response rates, and the brazenness of Huntington Park’s corruption scandal, "Operation Dirty Pond." Listen to the March 16, 2020 episode of LA Podcast: “ SoCal Distancing ” Coverage of the court-ordered audit of LA’s homelessness programs in the Daily News , LAist , and LA Ti...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 244
Alissa, Rachel, and Mike recap former LAFD chief Kristin Crowley’s failed attempt to appeal her firing and discuss the political repercussions from the fire union, UFLAC. LA Mayor Karen Bass faces a recall campaign. And revenue shortfalls are forecast for LA, meaning leaders will have to take action to address the city’s park funding crisis. Crowley lost her appeal to overturn her dismissal by LA Mayor Karen Bass; now she’ll take a new job as assistant chief of the Valley Bureau LA Times: “ Bass...
Mar 10, 2025•48 min•Ep. 243
Hayes, Rachel, Mike, and LA Pod producer Sophie Bridges discuss the ongoing political soap opera over the firing of LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley and lament that deeper questions are getting lost amid the drama. Plus, a big victory for LA County tenants, and more evidence of racism in the LAPD. Mayor Karen Bass fired LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley , then Crowley appealed her dismissal Crowley’s appeal vote, originally scheduled for last Friday, has been changed to Tuesday, March 4 Libby Denkmann's deep...
Mar 03, 2025•56 min•Ep. 242
Alissa, Hayes, and David discuss the local impacts of Elon Musk’s federal government takeover and reminisce about how he got his start right here in LA. And how other local billionaires are sucking up to Musk, including the one who owns the Los Angeles Times . Plus, new air and water quality testing results. Please fill out the LA Podcast listener survey to let us know what we're doing well and how we can improve! Join Big City Heat and LA Forward for LA Power Hour , a live comedy show where we ...
Feb 24, 2025•42 min•Ep. 241
Alissa, Mike, and Godfrey discuss yet another new LA rebuilding effort focused on climate — and why this one could be different. Plus, California becomes even more uninsurable, and city leaders are colluding to stop affordable housing in Venice. And remembering Donald Shoup, the UCLA professor who changed the way LA looked at parking. UCLA’s new Blue Ribbon Commission "to promote a safe, resilient recovery” announced by LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath The Science Moms Super Bowl ad that ben...
Feb 17, 2025•42 min•Ep. 240
Alissa, Rachel, and Godfrey talk about the protests that are drawing attention to Trump’s mass deportation policies when California’s elected officials are not. Then: Rick Caruso launches his nonprofit, Steadfast LA, into a field that grows more crowded each day, and how Mayor Karen Bass should be thinking about rebuilding LA City infrastructure. De Los: " Why LA students walked out of school and protested mass deportations " Boyle Heights Beat on how LAUSD is working to protect immigrant famili...
Feb 10, 2025•54 min•Ep. 239
Alissa, Mike, and Hayes ask the big questions: is the fire department underfunded, who is really in charge of LA’s recovery, which electeds are taking all the blame, and why? Plus, emergency tenant protections are once again shelved by LA City Council. Hayes’s Big City Heat story: “ The question no one is going on TV about ” " 24 hours that changed Los Angeles ” by the Los Angeles Times’ Laura Nelson UCLA study: " Altadena’s Black residents disproportionately hit by Eaton fire ” How Steve Soboro...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 238
On January 8, 2025, Angelenos woke up to a city that had been irrevocably transformed overnight. On a special live show recorded on Zoom, Alissa, Mike, and Rachel discuss the fires, the city and county response, and where LA goes next. Also joining: Eater LA reporter Mona Holmes on Altadena, Hayes on housing, and Public Counsel’s Faizah Malik on emergency housing justice initiatives The Guardian on LA’s “ perfect storm ” NPR: What LA did right before the fires — and why it wasn't enough Julia Wi...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 237
It’s the final episode of 2024! Scott, Alissa, Rachel, and Mike discuss the biggest (or most under-reported) stories of the year including the implosion of local media, trust in elected officials, 2028 Olympics leadership, and the breakdown of LA City services. Plus, the co-hosts make some predictions for 2025 and beyond. Take Mike’s local media survey ! Mike will be interviewing journalists on his podcast, What’s Next, Los Angeles? The Guardian: “ LA Times owner asks editorial board to ‘take a ...
Dec 27, 2024•56 min•Ep. 236
Alissa, Rachel, Mike, David, and Hayes discuss last week’s election results, including the déjà vu-inducing national swing to the right, a mixed bag of state props, and many local progressive wins, including the passage of Measure A. And then: where we're finding hope and focusing energy in the weeks ahead. LA County election results California State election results The AP VoteCast data on the Latino vote nationally and @Vanessid’s thread on the disaggregated data LA Times: “ This election show...
Nov 12, 2024•47 min•Ep. 235
Alissa and Rachel are joined by Mike Bonin, Godfrey Plata, and David Levitus to talk about all the tricks and treats on your ballot, including the key local races in next week’s election, a slew of state props, and very consequential county and city measures. Plus, some exciting changes are in store for the podcast! LA Forward Voter Guide " What is LACAHSA and how can it prevent homelessness ?" Alissa’s Report Forward piece on the new housing authority funded by Measure A The "more powerful offs...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 234
“Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it?” LA Times sports writer Bill Shaikin went in search of answers last year “The secret to reducing car trips in LA is often much simpler than what well-connected consultants might want you to believe.” Alissa’s gondola story from 2020 Supervisor Hilda Solis’s motion with 31 requirements for the gondola developer Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez’s motion requesting a Dodger Stadium traffic study NOlympics LA’s 2021 report on community benefit agreements Join...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 233
Revisit our emergency episode from one year ago "I can still hear Nury’s poisonous slurs and cruel laugh, and Kevin’s conspiratorial whisper and malicious tone." Former Councilmember Mike Bonin reflects on what he hears one year later Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo file lawsuits that claim they said nothing wrong on the recording but yet somehow it also ruined their reputations Tavis Smiley hosted an excellent 2-hour special which aired after we recorded ( Part 1 , Part 2 ) The third episode of L...
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 232
