Politics and governing

The former Los Angeles County labor leader celebrated her election to the state Senate.

Wednesday night, the downtown central library continued its community involvement with a deep dive into one of the most important aspects of civic life--the courts. It was serious and detailed.

A Change.org petition by Rob Eshman asks Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to make it happen.

Joel Bellman: I've been asking myself that question after attending not one, but two civic conversations this month dealing with the future of cities.

"It's about equity. It's about opportunity," City Councilman David Ryu told the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum.

UCLA report convincingly links rent increases and the housing shortage to the homelessness which afflicts the LA area today.

Joel Bellman: My male students tend to write about their insecurities around a loss of power; Women, the terror of a sexual assault or domestic violence.

City Hall protest of people and groups opposed to Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The San Francisco state senator who wants to build more tall buildings around rail stations and bus stops will have to come up with new legislation that is more politically acceptable to cities and suspicious neighborhood groups, says Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.

Cities again barred from prosecuting the homeless. Hands across the aisle at USC. Much more.

Joel Bellman: As disappointing as "BlacKKKlansman" was, it triggered my curiosity about other films prominently featuring Klan storylines. There I discovered some interesting things.

Disney Hall and many of downtown L.A.'s new restaurants and bars are excellent. But the media shouldn't ignore the dry business done elsewhere.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis agrees with critics of the Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority.

"There are people who shoot up and there are people who are mentally ill," said Koreatown activist and attorney Grace Yoo. "How do we ensure the safety for the homeless and the people nearby?"

Murray Fromson obits, the new police chief, slow-walking the LAT sale, media notes, selected tweets and more.

Joel Bellman: Are Democrats about to torch themselves yet again? It could happen.

The LAT also loses sports reporter Lindsey Thiry to ESPN and previously lost White House correspondent Brian Bennett to Time.

Fox 11 morning anchor Elex Michaelson will host the 10:30 p.m. show.

Deborah Flint and Phil Washington could probably walk through L.A. without being recognized by most people. But this crowd knew who they were.

Christopher Hawthorne, the former Times architecture columnist, attends his first state of the city speech as a member of the Garcetti Administration.

The mayor has now been to the four early nominating states for the 2020 presidential election. But Monday it's a speech in Los Angeles.

An estimated 55,000 people took part in Saturday's Los Angeles march. Photos from Iris Schneider.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, facing one of the toughest decisions of his career, is being urged to consider a Latino to replace Police Chief Charlie Beck, who is retiring.

Under fire from his hometown paper, Mayor Eric Garcetti says he will work on a plan for every Los Angeles community to agree to accept housing for the homeless.

Fernando J. Guerra: The two recent forces that have most altered Los Angeles for the better have been demographic change and real police reform.

Ellen Alperstein: Being a good citizen, my parents taught me, makes America greater.

The LA Times staff voted union but there's a lot more going on. Val Zavala retires from KCET. Remembering Ed Moses and Greg Critser.

A new kind of pop-up was working through Sunday at the northern end of Chinatown.

Many public officials are already enthusiastically counting the tax dollars that legalization of marijuana will bring into their public treasuries, but not Mark Ridley-Thomas of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

LA Times journalists vote on a union this week. Plus the most-clicked story of 2017, Hollywood women organize, notes on media politics and place, and selected tweets.

Pressure will be heavy on Mayor Eric Garcetti and County supervisors board chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas to show much more progress with the so-far insoluble housing-homeless problem.

LA Observed contributor Iris Schneider recently visited Alabama to volunteer for Senate candidate Doug Jones.

Iris Schneider: So many people have asked about my recent expedition into the deep South to work on the Doug Jones campaign, I thought this might be helpful.