LA Podcast

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...

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 thinkfo...

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...

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 b...

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...

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. cou...

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 L...

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 settl...

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 t...

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 ” Cov...

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...

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...

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 ho...

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...

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...

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 N...

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 o...

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 hi...

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...

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 ?" Al...

“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 reque...

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...

Scott and Alissa are joined by former LA Podcast host turned Council District 4 staffer Hayes Davenport to discuss the council’s 12-3 vote to approve huge raises for LAPD and what that means for the city’s non-police services. Plus, a look back on how the city’s approach to addressing homelessness has changed — and what still needs to change.

On the eve of the storm, Scott, Alissa, and Rachel discuss the region's preparations for Hurricane Hilary, the first tropical storm to make landfall in LA since 1939. Plus, more union workers join LA's summer of solidarity, and the oh-so-swift response to a rash of smash grabs-slash-flash robs at local malls. But first, Rachel gets personal, and content warning, a conversation about child sexual a...

Scott, Alissa, and Rachel break down the charges for the latest LA councilmember indictment, including why the case against Curren Price is different. Plus, white supremacist fascists crash LA's Pride month, and final thoughts on the CD 6 election. Scott Frazier on why " the alleged crimes of Curren Price are extremely confusing " Jon Peltz with the full criminal complaint against Price Cat Garcia...