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LA Podcast is a news and politics podcast for people who live in Los Angeles. We cover the news, policies, and major issues facing Los Angeles, a city which is both staggeringly complex and culturally oversimplified. Regular hosts include Alissa Walker and Mike Bonin, alongside a variety of amazing co-hosts like Scott Frazier, Godfrey Plata, Loraine Lundquist, Marco Santana, Carla Hall, Memo Torres, Olga Lexell, Oscar Zarate, Sammy Roth, and many more.
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- 1 weeks ago56 min
Poll-tergeist
Mike, Kate, and Loraine unpack the long-awaited state report detailing the failures (and some successes) of the Eaton and Palisades fire responses. As Election Day rapidly approaches, a few last-minute endorsements (and some not-endorsements) shake up local races. And under First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Trump’s DOJ is supposedly increasing election security by… arresting old men in their pajamas?Tell your friends, your acquaintances, and your frenemies — we are so close to reaching our goal of 100 new paid subscribers by Election Day! Now’s the time: lapodcast.orgIf you’re looking for reading material to get cozy with as the weather starts changing, try this 724-page report commissioned by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office investigating what went right and what went wrong during the Eaton and Palisades firesHere are the County reports if you just can't get enough, including the LAFD report that confirmed Southern California Edison equipment started the Eaton FireAlternatively, you could read the L.A. Times summary if you’re trying to be informed but still make it to the pumpkin patch (The report confirmed many things we already knew, such as Black neighborhoods in Altadena received delayed evacuation alerts that resulted in more deaths)In the wake of this report, LAFD also changed its position, acknowledging the role the still-smoldering Lachman fire played in igniting the Palisades fire Former LA mayoral candidate and former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner is suing his insurance broker, forcing a legal look into a regulatory void: when smoke imbues a house with invisible, unregulated toxins, who pays for it?(This is less for the sake of his $20 million lead-filled mansion and more on the behalf of other fire victims who wish their houses burned down instead)Especially as climate change makes everything worse?And especially as disaster survivors are still waiting for at least $10 billion in federal aid? The Trump administration’s partisan divides and government shutdowns have forced California residents to wait the longest with no real end in sightNew laws were passed this legislative session to address this issue, establishing first-in-the-nation standards, but won’t go into effect for three more yearsAltadena residents held a <a href="https://pasadenanow.com/main/eaton-fire-survivors-to-press-l
- 2 weeks ago1h 5m
Laughing All the Way to the Burbank
Alissa, Marco, and guest co-host Jess Craven discuss the likelihood of a blue wave at the national level and which local progressive districts are moving even more left. At the final mayoral debate, Nithya Raman invokes a troubling chapter of LAPD history. And while the Burbank airport quietly delivered a brand-new terminal, the LAX people mover suffered… “blast incidents”?We’re so close to reaching our 100 new paid subscriber goal! Help us cross the finish line at lapodcast.orgNew polls show Angela Gonzales-Torres pulling ahead of current representative Jimmy Gomez (beleaguered by sexual misconduct allegations) in the CA-34 raceMayor Karen Bass and Nithya Raman met for their final debate this week. Who won? Depends on who you ask During the debate, Raman said Los Angeles used to be “the gold standard in terms of noncooperation with immigration enforcement years ago, under the era of Daryl Gates,” referring to Special Order 40 mandating the city’s noncooperation with immigration enforcement(Former Council President Paul Krekorian explained the merit of Gates enacting Special Order 40 at a 2024 City Council meeting) Bass called a press conference with Black community leaders to demand an apology. There, actress Yvette Nicole Brown called Bass "a daughter of this city — not a tourist" Raman responded by pressing Bass about her lack of answers regarding LAPD’s relationship with ICE and Bass(You might ask: is this our gold standard LAPD?)Chevron just donated $50,000 to support Bass; in a statement, Bass said she was surprised they would support her and that they should use the money to lower the “astronomical prices Angelenos pay at the pump”Since every local environmental organization has endorsed Raman, Chevron probably felt like they didn’t have many options. Nobody puts baby (oil corporations) in a corner!Councilmember Traci Park is “not endorsing Karen Bass” but is voting for Karen Bass. City Controller Kenneth Mejia is endorsing Raman, voting for Raman, and perhaps Raman’s “#1 fan”Do you want your elected officials to change your mind when they learn new information? David Zahniser of the LA Times</
- 3 weeks ago1h 5m
McDonnell's Not Lovin' It
Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Yaqui Perez track LA’s latest mayoral race drama, including the question of whether LAPD chief Jim McDonnell should be replaced. Why is the LA police union opposing Measure FD, which would fund the fire department? And how long should someone be the mayor of Inglewood?We’re halfway to our subscriber goal — 52 of you have joined us since September 1. Help us keep delivering episodes to you every week by starting a paid subscription at lapodcast.org Despite this being the hottest summer on record, our country is covered in ICE: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement to “abolish ICE” after agents shot into a man’s car, injuring him and presumably traumatizing his five-year-old child On our side of the country, a 45-day “Operation Safe California” siege has tasked agents to “go after anyone,” including people dropping off their ballotsOver 300 law enforcement officials — an ensemble of federal and LAPD agents documented by camera crews — arrested 28 people on drug-related offenses as part of “Operation Save Skid Row”New data show the city of Los Angeles has paid out almost a half-billion dollars in police lawsuits since 2019You might be wondering if community nonprofit LA CAN agrees with acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli’s perspective on this “investigation”? Certainly notAn influencer deleted an interview he posted with Nithya Raman where she called for the removal of “fascist liar” LAPD chief Jim McDonnell. Then, Bass’s campaign commissioned a political cartoon of Raman drinking a margarita from cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. Thanks for the updates, California PostMike Trujillo tied these events together by spreading a rumor that former LA County District Attorney George Gascón would become chief of police should Raman win. Raman refuted this, calling it a “bizarre lie”The New York Times convened Mike and other experts to compare the two mayoral candidatesMore mayoral campaign content: Raman’s first 100 days vision speech. Bass’s convention center speech and Raman’s convention center website. Raman’s video advocating for shade and Bass’s speech preparing for El Niño</
- Oct 5, 20261h 4m
Who Wants to Tax a Billionaire?
Mike, Godfrey, and Mariel analyze the deep-pocketed players funding LA’s expensive mayoral race, and their motivations (spoiler alert: one wants new bike lanes). California billionaires are responding as one might expect to the possibility of a one-time wealth tax. And with ballots arriving now — voting early is so important! — a look at efforts to protect the polls.All of us at LA Podcast love making episodes for you every week and we want to keep delivering them to you every Monday. Please become a paid subscriber to keep us hard at work — thank you so much to the 23(!) who joined us over the past week. We’re more than a third of the way to our goal of 100 new subscribers by Election Day. Sign up today at lapodcast.org A new LAist report reveals the actual contestants of the mayoral race: police union LAPPL and Airbnb versus the Carpenters Union and bike lane enthusiast and hedge fund manager Aaron Sosnick. The battle between the police department and street safety is a tale as old as timeGovernor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation adding stricter penalties to influencers who don’t disclose political funding on posts — a week-ish later, a lawsuit (filed with help from the Bass campaign’s legal firm) alleged Nithya Raman’s campaign paid influencers without proper disclosureAnother new poll shows Latinos heavily favoring Raman — and yet another says 25% of the city is still undecided with only a month until the election(It’s never too early to plan for the potential future. This week, L.A. Material’s Julia Wick dared to ask: if Raman were to win, who would take her seat?)Here are some numbers to make your head explode: California’s billionaires’ wealth increased to $2.117 trillion in the past year (a 25.6% raise). They spend 0.26% of their wealth annually in state income taxes. And they’ve spent $227 million (and counting) to oppose state Proposition 40Then, as Mariel explains in Golden State Report, these same billionaires sponsored state Propositions 41 and 42, which would repeal any wealth tax (as added insurance, should Proposition 40 pass)(And remember, Proposition 40 was written in part to address budget holes after Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill slashed Medi-Cal funding: state officials estimate the Medi-Cal program could lose more than $30 billion annually)(And, and, and: 41% of LA County residents are enrolled on Medi-Cal. Is your head still intact or is it just us?)You’ll also find a potential end to California’s tortured relationship with CEQA (Prop 45) and a voter ID proposal (<a href="https://goldenstatereport.substack.com/p/proposition-39-isnt-just-about-voter" rel="no
- Sep 28, 202659 min
Make Every Vote County
Alissa, Godfrey, and guest co-host Robert Greene dig into the minutiae of ongoing county governance reform and our upcoming ballot measure alphabet soup. A new poll turns the mayoral race on its head: Councilmember Nithya Raman is now leading Karen Bass by double digits. And does Los Angeles have a weak mayor… or is it just a weak city?LA Podcast can only publish on a weekly basis thanks to the support of our paid subscribers — thank you to the 10 folks who have recently joined us! Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover our costs and keep this show on the metaphorical road. Sign up today at lapodcast.org (more on our rebrand below!)The County Governance Reform Task Force — aka the executors of Measure G — has had a busy summer and so has Robert as he follows their efforts. As the editor of the aptly-named Los Angeles Rules, he explains the process of the new Ethics Commission nominations, the “why” for the new county legislative analyst position, and organizers’ concerns about potentially losing access to the Board of Supervisors, among many other developmentsJoin us tonight, Monday, September 28, to review LA Forward’s survey examining what Angelenos think and prioritize about the new county executive roleAfter that, later tonight, Godfrey and LAF’s Jason Enright will be teaching “How to Host a Ballot Party!”You’ll just need the official LA Forward voter guide — arriving the week of October 5 — to complete your shindig. It will explain city measures PRK (parks!) and LA (two-year budget cycles! CIP!!!), county measures A (arbitration!) and E (ethics, but also the former Measure J, it’s a whole thing), and so many more. Trust us, these measures are the life of any partyCouncilmember Nithya Raman and Mayor Karen Bass are about tied in campaign fundraising, but not in support: in a new poll, Raman now leads Bass by double digits (Bass crashed out and called the poll an “outlier” but her allies are a little nervous) Replying to the Bass campaign’s indignation, Berkeley IGS poll director Mark DiCamillo said: "What would you expect from a campaign down by double digits? They attack the poll”Adding fuel to the fire, the EAA (who recently welcomed city council aides to the union) and <a href="https://www.wga.org/news-events/news/press/2026
- Sep 21, 20261h 5m
LAHSA Cause
Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Matthew Reagan of The LA Local dive into accountability, litigation, and federal assistance in Boyle Heights after the Lineage fire. LAHSA as we know it is over. And on the same day as a safe streets rally, five Angelenos are killed when a driver crashes an SUV into a Metro bus, then a news helicopter covering the crash also crashes. Only in LA?LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover our show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.la We celebrate local independent news outlets! The LA Local is training citizens to attend public meetings and report back to their journalists and the community at large. And the Boyle Heights Beat has led the charge in Lineage fire reporting. So important and neededLA City Council voted to block any Lineage rebuilding efforts until LAFD has completed its investigation (though Lineage CEO Greg Lehmkuhl says they aren’t sure they’ll rebuild anyway)Lineage has sued their solar power provider, blaming them for the fireA Garden Grove neighborhood was preemptively evacuated over a chemical leak last year, fearing their own Lineage story, which posed the question: why weren’t Boyle Heights residents evacuated? Boyle Heights residents were frustrated by Mayor Karen Bass’s virtual attendance (or no attendance at all) at meetingsFederal disaster loans are available to affected businesses (but, meeting this administration’s politics, only if you are a citizen or green-card holder) The Lineage fire’s sweet smelly legacy is emanating from Simi Valley landfills and as you can imagine, no one is thrilled about it After LAist reported on Mayor Karen Bass skipping more than half of LAHSA’s meetings, she officially stepped down from the boardLAHSA is also stepping down from LAHSA, forfeiting the federal roles it has been performing for years like the annual homelessness countLAHSA had already been on thin ice fighting a lawsuit from the Trump administration this summer City, county, and private agencies are placing bids to take over LAHSA’s workCongress summoned Mayor Bass to a hearing in DC about LA’s homelessness spending but <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2026-09-15/bass-skips-hearing-on-la-homeless-spending-calling-probe-politically-motivated" rel="noopener norefer
- Sep 14, 202659 min
Handle with Childcare
Mike, Memo, and guest co-host Faizah Malik look back on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and its legacies, including the Department of Homeland Security, which recently decided they will not (yet) revoke Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans. Then: childcare in Los Angeles is becoming more difficult and more expensive to find— but maybe a billionaire tax could help?LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover the show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.laLast week marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and Alex Padilla’s remarks about the tragedy as acting mayor of Los AngelesJulia Wick profiled the moment in a piece for L.A. MaterialThis week also granted some relief to thousands of Salvadorans after a month of threats that their TPS (Temporary Protected Status) would be taken awayMemo and L.A. Taco reporter Izzy Ramirez chronicled this saga (and other ICE malfeasance)Journalist Cerise Castle goes deep on LAPD’s relationship with ICE with Dominique DiPrima of KBLACHIRLA, CARCEN-LA, and other advocates gathered to demand protections for TPS holders and their families In other worrying news for families, UCLA is closing their childcare facilitiesSimilarly, the city of Los Angeles used COVID funds to build a network of city preschools — but now say they don’t have enough funding to run them(How expensive is childcare in this town anyway?)As the mayoral race draws nearer, make sure to educate yourself on your preferred candidate’s stance on street vendingLAist’s Gab Chabrán reports on the basics of legal street vending practicesThe L.A. Times editorial board breaks its publishing drought, writing an opinion for the first time in a year and a half to oppose Prop 40, the proposed billionaire taxSurely this isn’t because L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is a billionaire? That would be too obvious?Some <a href=
- Sep 7, 202658 min
Don't Hate the Leia, Hate the Game
Scott, Alissa, and Sophie attempt to understand the Lucas Museum’s decade-long arrival in Expo Park and what “narrative art” actually means. Does this mean the La La Land optimism of 2016 LA is back? MacArthur Park hosts a picnic — and potentially a new fence? And more major endorsements in the mayoral race.LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 300 new subscribers by election day (November 3rd!) to cover our show’s costs so we can keep producing weekly episodes. Sign up today at thinkforward.laHaven’t you ever wanted to picnic with your district attorney? Your dreams could have come true this weekend(Despite his throwing of the gauntlet, DA Nathan Hochman had enjoyed himself at a World Cup event in MacArthur Park earlier this summer)Picnics might become harder in a fenced MacArthur Park, but it is unclear when or if that is actually happeningThe Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will officially open on September 22 and everyone has thoughts about it (you might like to revisit Christopher Knight’s 2017 remarks where he describes this project as the “Treacle Museum — a sentimental vanity gallery pumped up on soppy emotional steroids”)What is “narrative art” anyway? George Lucas explains. Kinda? Is it just horny statues?It’s the 10th anniversary of La La Land’s premiere and Eric Garcetti is with us in spirit UNITE HERE Local 11 and DSA-LA both endorsed Nithya Raman for mayor (positioning Airbnb as a top issue in the race)Meanwhile, Mayor Karen Bass shared videos about encampments near schools and “No-Show Nithya” (while, it must be said, missing a third of LAHSA meetings and two thirds of Metro votes)“I’ll take Raman’s “wonderful ideas and plans” — Bass’ words, not mine! — over the mayor’s record. For climate voters, this is an easy choice.” Sometime LA Podcast host Sammy Roth also endorses Raman
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About LA Podcast
LA Podcast is a news and politics podcast for people who live in Los Angeles. We cover the news, policies, and major issues facing Los Angeles, a city which is both staggeringly complex and culturally oversimplified. Regular hosts include Alissa Walker and Mike Bonin, alongside a variety of amazing co-hosts like Scott Frazier, Godfrey Plata, Loraine Lundquist, Marco Santana, Carla Hall, Memo Torres, Olga Lexell, Oscar Zarate, Sammy Roth, and many more.
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