Alissa, Marco, and guest co-host Jess Craven discuss the likelihood of a blue wave at the national level and which local progressive districts are moving even more left. At the final mayoral debate, Nithya Raman invokes a troubling chapter of LAPD history. And while the Burbank airport quietly delivered a brand-new terminal, the LAX people mover suffered… “blast incidents”?

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New polls show Angela Gonzales-Torres pulling ahead of current representative Jimmy Gomez (beleaguered by sexual misconduct allegations) in the CA-34 race

Mayor Karen Bass and Nithya Raman met for their final debate this week. Who won? Depends on who you ask

During the debate, Raman said Los Angeles used to be “the gold standard in terms of noncooperation with immigration enforcement years ago, under the era of Daryl Gates,” referring to Special Order 40 mandating the city’s noncooperation with immigration enforcement

(Former Council President Paul Krekorian explained the merit of Gates enacting Special Order 40 at a 2024 City Council meeting)

Bass called a press conference with Black community leaders to demand an apology. There, actress Yvette Nicole Brown called Bass "a daughter of this city — not a tourist"

Raman responded by pressing Bass about her lack of answers regarding LAPD’s relationship with ICE and Bass

(You might ask: is this our gold standard LAPD?)

Chevron just donated $50,000 to Bass’s campaign: in a statement, Bass said she was surprised as to why they would support her and that they should use the money to lower the “astronomical prices Angelenos pay at the pump”

Since every local environmental organization has endorsed Raman, Chevron probably felt like they didn’t have many options. Nobody puts baby (oil corporations) in a corner!

Councilmember Traci Park is “not endorsing Karen Bass” but is voting for Karen Bass. City Controller Kenneth Mejia is endorsing Raman, voting for Raman, and perhaps Raman’s “#1 fan”

Do you want your elected officials to change your mind when they learn new information? David Zahniser of the LA Times says no. For other campaign editorials, try Jim Newton for CalMatters and Gustavo Arellano for LA Times

You should just read this L.A. Material story about how the treasurer of one of LA’s public-sector unions has been signing their political documents, including campaign contributions, for the last two years — even though he is, um, dead

Just in time! Proving that projects can be completed in this town, in a real testament to the human spirit, the Hollywood Burbank Airport opened a whole new terminal this week

(The pros are many, but be warned: it is being described as “sleek,” is a little harder to get to without a car, and only has one Guy Fieri restaurant)

Elevate BUR cost $1.3 billion and took 33 months and we are sorry but obligated to tell you that the LAX people mover far exceeds both of those numbers with no end in sight

“Blast incidents” damaged its power rail and guide beam in September and no one knows how that happened. Is that bad?

L.A. World explains the ongoing airport vs. contractor litigation that has been delaying the opening date (now scheduled for January 6)

Though this October 8 progress report warns believing in a January opening is extremely optimistic and if the train isn’t ready by December 8 (or the deadline not extended for a sixth time), they will default on their loans

Looking on the bright side, the longer the people mover isn’t open, the longer 247 parking lot workers keep their current jobs (though most will be rehired to work within SkyLink anyway. We’re trying, okay?)

It is so important to canvass and volunteer in these last weeks before the election and there are so many ways to get involved. Some options: pledge to vote early today at voteearly.la, sign up to monitor polls near you (you’ll get trained first), host your own ballot party, and/or join an election protection mobilization network

Stay in the loop with all things LA Podcast on YouTube! Bluesky! LinkedIn! Threads! And Instagram, of course.

Thank you to Charlotte Landes for producing this episode and to our digital producer Bianca Cockrell

The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

Alissa Walker writes the newsletter Torched, tracking LA’s megaevent progress. Find her at @awalkerinla on Instagram and @awalkerinla.bsky.social on Bluesky

Marco Santana brings over a decade of leadership to the LA homelessness services sector and is a former candidate and active leader within local Democratic party politics. He’s at @Marco4LA on Instagram

Jess Craven is an activist, organizer, and political content creator who writes a daily action newsletter “Chop Wood, Carry Water” on Substack. Find her @jesscraven101 on all socials

Way Too Early 5/22/25

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