What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin

Proposition 33 is one of the hottest items on the California state ballot. If approved, it would allow cities and counties to establish, increase or expand rent control. Proponents say it is necessary to keep rents affordable and prevent families from falling into homelessness. Opponents say it will hurt small "mom and pop" landlords, and stop development of much-needed multi-family hous...

He was wrongfully convicted and spent 20 years behind bars. Since his his exoneration and release, he has dedicated himself to public service – and now he is a candidate for the California State Assembly. I talk with Franky Carrillo on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles. Campaign Website: https://frankycarrillo.com/ L.A. County to pay $10 million to man whose murder conviction was overt...

Since a critical U.S. Supreme Court ruling last summer, public officials have been rushing to drastically expand criminalization of homelessness. It's a cynical move, spending a fortune on making homelessness less visible while actually making the crisis much worse, and much harder to solve. In this episode, Mike talks with Alex Visotsky of the National Alliance to End Homelessness about the...

There are more than 3 million Democratic voters in Los Angeles County. Who decides which candidate gets the party’s endorsement? Or where the party spends its money? How is the local party negotiating tensions between progressives and moderates? I talk with Mark Ramos, the chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party . A former grocery worker and current head of UFCW 1428 , Ramos is determined...

Did California Governor Gavin Newson kill efforts to save newspapers from Big Tech?  A few weeks ago, Newsom announced a deal with Google that effectively killed legislation to force Google, Meta and other big tech firms to compensate news organizations for making money off their products. He announced the state would enter into a sort of private-partnership with Google and Open AI -- just as a fe...

It was just a year ago that Los Angeles was the focus nationally and internationally of the Hot Labor Summer of 2023. With workers in various industries taking to the streets and demanding better pay and working conditions, and with overwhelming public support, the message was clear: Los Angeles is a labor town. But it wasn't always that way. Los Angeles was once known as one of the most anti...

Marqueece Harris-Dawson becomes Los Angeles City Council President September 20. Who is he, and how does he intend to lead? In this episode, he talks at length with Mike about Los Angeles, Black politics and multiracial coalitions, unarmed crisis response, homelessness, housing, preparing for the Olympics, and a lot more!   Links & Additional Reading Marqueece Harris-Dawson Bio MHD Off the Rec...

A week after polls closed, the results of a lot of elections are becoming and apparent, and there have been some wild developments! There have been blowouts, nail-biters and big surprises, and Alissa Walker and Godfrey Plata join Mike Bonin to review and discuss it all.  The resounding victory of Measure HLA. An edge-of-your-seats finale to the Nithya Raman re-election campaign.  A huge surge for...

One of the most high-profile races on the ballot is the one for Los Angeles County District Attorney, where incumbent George Gascon – a progressive reformer – is being challenged by a large field of candidates. What does a District Attorney really do? How does the position impact criminal justice? How much does it impact crime, and in what ways? And what is a progressive prosecutor? Why is reform...

In Los Angeles, there is a deadly crisis on our streets. People from all walks of life – grandparents, elementary school children, service workers, pastors, artists – are falling victim to a rampant killer. Incredibly, elected officials are doing almost nothing about it, but voters can change that – right now. The killer is traffic violence, and it is on the rise. In 2023, 337 people were killed i...

You've seen the waves of anti-LGBTQ+ hate in Florida and other places, but did you know it is happening right here in Greater Los Angeles? For the past few years, anti-LGBTQ+ hate has been growing, thanks to the influence of Proud Boys, J6 insurrectionists, and right-wing provocateurs with groups like LibsofTikTok and Gays Against Groomers.  And now, two of the leaders of the anti-LGBTQ+ move...

The last in my series of 2024 primary election candidate spotlights: Heather Hutt Since 2020, L.A.'s 10th council district has had a revolving cast of councilmembers, both elected and appointed. The City Council appointed Heather Hutt to fill the post in September 2022. She is now running to represent the district as its elected councilmember. Before serving on the council. Hutt served in sen...

Since 2020, L.A.'s 10th council district has had a revolving cast of councilmembers, both elected and appointed. Now, voters finally get to choose a permanent, voting representative on the council. There is a big and impressive field of candidates   – and on this episode I talk with Reggie Jones-Sawyer. An Assemblymember representing South Los Angeles since 2012, Jones-Sawyer revived the cham...

The elections are here -- and in the City of Los Angeles, seven of the 15 council seats are on the ballot, and five of them are pretty spirited. Mike is joined by journalist and political strategist Jasmyne Cannick and Democratic Party activist and former council candidate Marco Santana to discuss what's at stake, break down each of the races, and dish a bit. Some context on the elections: Co...

Jillian Burgos is an essential healthcare worker, and a small business owner. She graduated from Emily’s List Ignite Change Fellowship and Los Angeles Democrats inaugural TAP Academy and now a 2023 New Leaders Council fellow. Jillian ran for office and was elected to the NoHo Neighborhood Council as the Arts Organization Representative. Shortly after she was appointed as Treasurer, Chair of the Ou...

Councilmember Raman has fought for renters, solutions to homelessness, strategies  to combat climate change, and smart, effective programs to promote public safety. She has made significant progress — and now she is being punished for it. Special interests are spending a fortune to defeat her, reverse progress, and kneecap the progressive movement. She joins Mike and Peter Dreier to  discuss their...

Since 2020, L.A.'s 10th council district has had a revolving cast of councilmembers, both elected and appointed. Now, voters finally get to choose a permanent, voting representative on the council. There is a big and impressive field of candidates   – and on this episode I talk with Aura Vasquez. Aura Vasquez is an Afro-Latina Colombian immigrant , community leader, fearless environmental jus...

NOTE: This interview first aired last summer, before the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. Maebe A Girl is currently serving as Treasurer and At-Large Representative for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles. Upon her election in 2019, she became the first drag queen elected to public office in the United States. Maebe is responsible for forming the Silver Lake LGBTQIA Advocates...

NOTE: This interview first aired last summer, before the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. Sepi Shyne is an Iranian-born American attorney, civil rights advocate, and member of the West Hollywood City Council who has been serving as West Hollywood's mayor until last month. Shyne is the first LGBTQ+ Iranian-American to be elected to office as well as the first woman of color elected to the...

NOTE: This interview first aired last summer, before the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. With Adam Schiff running for U.S. Senate, his Los Angeles area 30th district congressional seat – which stretches from Burbank and Glendale and Sunland Tujunga down to Hancock Park and West Hollywood – is up for grabs for the first time in twenty years. There is a wide field of candidates running for the...

NOTE: This interview first aired last summer, before the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. With Adam Schiff running for U.S. Senate, his Los Angeles area 30th district congressional seat – which stretches from Burbank and Glendale and Sunland Tujunga down to Hancock Park and West Hollywood – is up for grabs for the first time in twenty years. There is a wide field of candidates running for the...

NOTE: This interview first aired last summer, before the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. With Adam Schiff running for U.S. Senate, his Los Angeles area 30th district congressional seat – which stretches from Burbank and Glendale and Sunland Tujunga down to Hancock Park and West Hollywood – is up for grabs for the first time in twenty years. There is a wide field of candidates running for the...

Since 2020, L.A.'s 10th council district has had a revolving cast of councilmembers, both elected and appointed. Now, voters finally get to choose a permanent, voting representative on the council. There is a big and impressive field of candidates   – and on this episode I talk with Rev. Eddie Anderson. Pastor Eddie is a civil rights activist and ordained minister with degrees from Morehouse...

For fourteen years, Paul Krekorian has represented the 2nd council district on the Los Angeles City Council. He has been a powerful leader, chairing the Budget & Finance Committee for several years, and serving as City Council President since October 2022. But in less than year, he will be termed out of office, and it is time for voters to choose a new representative for the neighborhoods of N...

Who will unseat disgraced Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León? That’s the question a lot of people are asking as we head into the March primary. There is a big and impressive field of candidates   – and on this episode I talk with Lalo Vargas. Vargas is science teacher at Franklin High School in Highland Park. He is the son of immigrants, a community organizer, and a gay man. A former firefi...