LA Podcast - Austin's Powers

Mike, Godfrey, and Carla welcome former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner to the LA mayoral race as the first serious challenger to incumbent Karen Bass. The state’s housing department sends a blistering letter to the City of Los Angeles about its obstruction of affordable housing in Venice. Plus, Governor Gavin Newsom signs (and vetoes) major pieces of legislation, including the highly anticipated passage of transit-density bill SB 79.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, via Spotify, or below.

SHOW NOTES

Warning that Los Angeles is “adrift,” Austin Beutner throws his hat in the ring for mayor with a four-minute launch video and coverage from major media outlets like the New York Times and Politico

Beutner was superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District during a turbulent time. The historic six-day 2019 teachers strike happened on his watch, and he oversaw the district's pandemic shift to online learning and food-relief efforts that served over 100 million free meals

Beutner also served as publisher of the Los Angeles Times for a year, pushing the paper to do a series of editorials giving letter grades to elected officials

Mike talked about Beutner’s entry — and a lot more — with Bass during a fireside chat for the Pat Brown Institute. You can listen to the interview in its entirety on this week’s episode of What’s Next, Los Angelees?

The state’s Department of Housing & Community Development sent a stern letter to city officials for road-blocking already-approved homeless and affordable housing on a public parking lot in Venice. The letter says LA is now in danger of losing its “pro-housing” designation

The letter came just days after the City Council voted to support a “mobility hub” study on the same parking lot put forth by Councilmember Traci Park, who is trying to kill the housing project

Governor Newsom issued a flurry of bill signings and veto statements last week, weighing in on the hundreds of bills sent to him by the legislature this session. To the delight of housing production advocates, Newsom signed SB 79, which will limit the ability of cities to say no to some additional housing in certain areas near transit hubs

Will SB 79 have any impact in your neighborhood? While people are still debating precisely where it will apply, LAist did its best to understand the impacts

Newsom also signed a bill to raise wages for prisoners who fight wildfires, and a bill making it easier for Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize.The governor vetoed a bill that would make it easier for transgender patients to get a long-term supply to hormone-therapy drugs.

CalMatters has extensive coverage of what Newsom signed and what he vetoed

LA Forward has a full schedule of Prop 50 events leading up to November 4

Next week, Hollywood FWD will host “ULA: 3 Years In” at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre. The October 29 panel will feature: Joe Donlin from United to House LA; Greg Good formerly with the LA Housing Department; Nella McOsker with Central City Association of Los Angeles; Shane Phillips from UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies; and Zerita Jones with ULA Citizens Oversight Committee. Register here

This week’s show is produced by Olive Greenspan

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

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