… one of the five official proponents of the ordinance petition strengthening 41.18 is Melinda Jeannette Ramos, the same name of the new Neighbors First CEO.

Something else I found but left out of this piece: Another Nielsen Merksamer lawyer at the Marin County office where Neighbors First is registered is repping the proponents of an LA ballot initiative to tighten 41.18, the homeless encampment law.

PLUS …

Come for the astroturf explanation, stay for the recap of my effort to actually get an explanation from one of the "neighbors" behind Neighbors First, which is blanketing L.A. City Council District 1 in mailers attacking Eunisses Hernandez.

Made me think of this

Pretty sure this is a tarantula hawk at my son’s Little League game in Alhambra.

Swalwell accused of sexually assaulting female staff member, sending nude photos Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democratic front-runner in the hotly contested California governor's race, was accused of sexual assault by a former staff member in a report published on Friday. A separate report alleges sexual misconduct with three other women.

But but but Katie Porter said the f-word to a staffer ….

I don't fly often, but I have a lifetime of experience gaming Southwest's open-seating boarding; it's one of the things that made the airline special. And now it's gone, killed off by the company's private-equity overlords.

I talk about the "enshitified" Southwest after my LAX-PHL trip last week.

Family, this one's important to me. Happy #LocalNewsDay!

I came back from my spring break slumber to tell you: Read this @goldenstateorg.bsky.social piece by the indefatigable @jonregardie.bsky.social.

Paul Simon - American Tune (1975) YouTube video by DIFyCUL

Artemis. Iran. So many conflicting feelings about my country now.

Paul Simon *nailed it* in 1973: “We come on a ship they call the Mayflower, we come on a ship that sailed the moon, we come in the age’s most uncertain hour, and sing an American tune.”

m.youtube.com/watch?v=AE3k...

Nope.

My kids don't believe me when I tell them there were days in L.A. when it hurt to spend much time outside because of the air. I talk about that decades-long transformation with UCLA law professor Ann Carlson, who served in the Biden administration.

Check out this conversation on CA and LA politics with two of the most knowledgeable opinion journalists in the state, @marielgarza.bsky.social and Josh Gohlke.

It was an absolute privilege to publish this piece by my former LA Times friend Darrell Kunitomi, one of the best humans to walk this planet.

Thanks, Sammy.

Sweltering in your rental this week? You can thank the California Legislature for that California has repeatedly failed to enact cooling standards for rental housing. That's unacceptable in a warming world – but thankfully, L.A. leaders are finally stepping up.

There are heating standards in temperate California, but none for cooling? Crazy. Paul Thornton explains why at @goldenstateorg.bsky.social www.golden-state.org/sweltering-i...

How about getting rental A/C rules enacted ASAP? Kinda nuts that LA, city where ~2/3 of households are renter occupied, doesn't have a cooling standard for these homes yet. Would be nice for future freak March heatwaves!
www.golden-state.org/sweltering-i...

In the interest of not stuffing an essay with too many ideas, I omitted what I think is the best way for CA to adapt to climate change: Put up a lot more housing near the coast, right next to nature's air conditioner.

But yeah, right now, we need cooling standards for rental homes.

My colleague @marielgarza.bsky.social makes an important point: The Cesar Chavez allegations include crimes and possible cover-ups. That should lead to a lot more than strongly worded statements.

I'm writing about this for @goldenstateorg.bsky.social . I'd love to hear from people about how this could effect politics in California. Will people be able to separate the man from his political legacy? Ping me or email mariel@golden-state.org

Nær 300 personer evakuert under skogbrann i Ålesund Brannvesenet har ikke kontroll på brannen. Politiet omtaler situasjonen som veldig skummel, skriver NRK.

Part of coastal Norway is on fire. I thought 97 degrees before spring in L.A. was weird, but I have no words for this.

California v. Citizens United The Supreme Court upended the political landscape in 2010 with a decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited cash to influence elections. One state lawmaker has a plan to set things right.

Could our long, national nightmare finally be ending? A bill in the California Legislature uses a novel legal theory that could nullify the 2010 Citizens United decision.

Welcome to election deception season California voters will be inundated with calls, texts and mailers from political campaigns that aren't always straightforward about their intent. Golden State is here to help.

The billionaire-backed "Transparency Act" tries to pull a fast one on voters. Golden State is here to help Californians handle this and other deceptive campaign ploys.
www.golden-state.org/welcome-to-e...

Welcome to election deception season California voters will be inundated with calls, texts and mailers from political campaigns that aren't always straightforward about their intent. Golden State is here to help.

When @marielgarza.bsky.social's BS detector activates, voters benefit. Read her piece on the so-called Transparency Act, a billionaire-backed poison-pill ploy to kill the proposed California wealth tax.

So it’s “we have never been at war with…”

I didn’t often talk with Congressman Issa but each time I did, he was gratuitously rude. … Veteran Rep. Darrell Issa decides not to seek reelection in new Democratic-leaning district, sources say

California's bullet train isn't a fantasy -- it's actually getting built in the Central Valley. I think it's worth the wait and the cost.

Julie Marquis, as she always does, brings the 🔥🔥🔥

Of course Californians are pissed off. The largest and richest state has been kicked to the political curb But they don't have to take it. Here's how Golden Staters can use their collective influence to push for transformational reforms, some once unthinkable, before another would-be king crowns himself.

Californians don't have to take political marginalization lying down. Here's how they can use their collective influence to push for transformational reforms, some once unthinkable, before another would-be king crowns himself.

We’re in the no-pic, high-number innings of spring training.