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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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- 3 days ago1h 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
- 1 weeks ago59 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
- 2 weeks ago1h 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
- 3 weeks ago59 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
- Aug 31, 20261h 7m
Humid Beings
Alissa, Mike, and Olga discover that extreme humidity pairs nicely with our already-crumbling infrastructure. Luckily, social media is the key to fixing potholes! Controller Kenneth Mejia tries to demystify LA28’s finances. And will DSA-LA make an LA mayoral endorsement — and does it matter? Southern California is used to being the best at many things, but unfortunately this week we took the prize for highest humidity in the country Did you want to run your air conditioning in this extreme heat? Sorry! Power’s out In cooler news: an LAUSD school in Westlake more than quadrupled their green space on campus, creating a shady oasis for their students, and there are plans for more district campuses to do the same Streetsblog LA’s Joe Anthony and Joe Linton covered advocates commemorating 10 years of LA’s landmark sidewalk settlement and why it hasn’t succeeded LA is (still) a film town, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that you have to make a viral video to get any infrastructure fixed Alissa’s pothole campaign was successful! But others have not been as lucky Are you tired of potholes in your neighborhood? Join LA Forward Monday night as we discuss what a Capital Infrastructure Program (CIP) could and should include to fix our streets As 2028 draws closer, City Controller Kenneth Mejia is requesting their financial documents so taxpayers aren’t left paying for the Olympics and our city instead has money for projects like fixing sidewalks Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30) held a panel to advocate for Metro funding with other less knowledgeable elected officials because the federal government has yet to pledge money for Olympics transportation (But hey, it’s one Olympics. What could it cost, $10?) Whatever happened to those $28 Olympics tickets anyway? City Council President Marquee Harris-Dawson introduced a motion to guarantee local businesses be included in Olympic contracts and therefore revenue Geese magazine has the arguments for why DSA should or should not endorse “pothole populist” Nithya Raman for mayor. Voting ends Tuesday Mayor Karen Bass walked bac
- Aug 24, 20261h 4m
SOHA Me God
Mike, Godfrey, and Olga dissect the heated mayoral debate at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association. Will LA see a Paramount Skydance Warner Brothers lot? Uber and Lyft drivers won the right to organize, making labor history. Then: you can file to run for LA County CEO starting next month, but what does this job actually entail? Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman debated in an auditorium in Sherman Oaks last Wednesday night L.A. Material’s Julia Wick dared to bravely ask and answer the question: but why do the mayoral candidates of our nation’s second-largest city trade jabs behind a duct-taped banner in the Valley? (Not everyone was able to see that beautiful banner though: SOHA’s Zoom account maxed out on capacity) The LA Times, L.A. Taco, and LAist analyze the debate (and Bass’s anti-street vendor comments) A poll showing Bass trouncing Raman by double digits was actually fake. Oops! Raman plans to hire Fight Agency for some television ads: their other clients include Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Senate candidate Graham Platner (who withdrew after being accused of sexual assault) Bass is calling for “all parties to come to the table” to settle the anti-trust lawsuit blocking a proposed Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers merger, though a LA County Board of Supervisors report says it would cost thousands of jobs and about $2.78 billion in lost economic value Raman stands by her opposition to the merger and support for the lawsuit The WGA is not pleased with Bass’s approach nor the proposed merger — but DGA and IATSE just want a decision, one way or another, to prevent members from losing wages Paramount and the State of California are scheduled to meet today to discuss a path forward In other union news, Uber and Lyft drivers have won union recognition in the state of California thanks to the passing of AB 1340 and lots of organizing (Gig drivers are still classified as independent contractors, but can now bargain for protections) The filing window for LA County CEO opens next month. But what will the County CEO do, exactly? Is this election governed by campaign finance rules? What’s the structure of its future o
- Aug 17, 202657 min
LA(Needs More)USD
Alissa, Godfrey, and Loraine go deep on LAUSD’s many changes and challenges as this new school year begins. LA’s City Council is set to make big shifts on how to address homelessness, but the hardest part might be getting everyone to agree. And what will actually get Angelenos out of their cars? Andres Chait has been officially appointed LAUSD superintendent and has some plans to address the slew of issues ahead Declining enrollment is creating a big financial challenge for LAUSD. One new income supplement: using vacant classrooms as childcare centers If the budget deficit isn’t resolved, the county will step in Some good student transportation news: speed cameras are being installed around schools More students are taking the bus to school, which is helpful amid continuing ICE raids Newly approved screen time reforms are in place, eliminating digital devices for first graders and younger, setting age-specific time limits on older students, blocking YouTube access, and more Unfortunately, Boyle Heights kids have more grounds than most to say going back to school stinks — the odor of rotting food is not going away anytime soon (Relatedly, Lineage will fail to meet Mayor Karen Bass’s 45-day clean up deadline, so she is directing city lawyers to pursue civil litigation — but Lineage claims the city has the deadline date wrong) LAUSD says schools near the Lineage fire are safe from contaminants, though two tested positive for above-average levels of lead Councilmember Nithya Raman has been removed as chair of the Homelessness and Housing committee, which was then split into two separate committees Raman and Bass will surely discuss housing among other issues during their debate hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association on Wednesday evening Many councilmembers made rather, er, harsh comments about this, which happened to coincide with news of Bass and Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s tiny home village opening Speaking of scathing remarks, Judge David Carter didn’t mince words as he blocked Trump’s attempt to take over LAHSA, criticizing both HUD and LAHSA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Ma
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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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