LA Podcast - Steaming, Crying, Throwing Up

Mike, Hayes, and Carla discuss the growing desire among LA Councilmembers to rein in mayoral oversight of homelessness as they’re potentially being called into Judge David O. Carter’s federal courtroom. Plus, new city and state efforts to lure the entertainment industry back to LA, and a journalist investigated by former sheriff Alex Villanueva sues him (and LA County) for violating her First Amendment rights.

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For the past several years, the City and the County of Los Angeles have been embroiled in a federal lawsuit over their handling of homelessness. Here’s a great backgrounder by LAist on the case and its unpredictable judge, David O. Carter

Now Councilmembers and other city officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, may end up being subpoenaed to testify

Meanwhile at City Hall, councilmembers are growing frustrated with Bass’s handling of homelessness and are discussing curbing her emergency powers so they can have more oversight of programs and spending 

Listen to the LA Podcast episode 247, All Is Not LAHSA, for our previous discussion about Judge Carter’s courtroom, including his threat to put the City of Los Angeles into receivership

One area where Bass has *not* been using her emergency powers is advancing previously approved homelessness housing in Venice. LA Forward Institute's Housing Justice Working Group has a special meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the City’s efforts to block the Venice Dell project. RSVP here

With concern deepening over a loss of entertainment jobs in California, both Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom are taking steps to revive an industry that is central to the LA economy and public identity

Even game shows like “The Floor” are fleeing: “Fox flies the show’s host, Rob Lowe, and 100 American contestants thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to answer trivia questions about dogs, divas and Disney characters at a studio in Dublin. It makes more financial sense than filming in California”

Bass issued an executive directive to make filming easier in LA

Newsom is offering a series of state tax incentives which he called Make America Film Again (and got ratioed on Bluesky for calling it that)

Wired: “Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Make Hollywood Great Again, but There’s a Plan That Can”

The industry might be struggling, but the development of new soundstages in LA is booming, as Hayes wrote earlier this year on Big City Heat

Former LA Times reporter Maya Lau filed a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County and former sheriff Alex Villanueva, alleging that a criminal investigation into her activities as a journalist violated her First Amendment rights

A reminder that Villanueva’s tenure was marked by aggressive efforts targeting the press, including the arrest of LAist journalist Josie Huang and threatened investigation of LA Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian

Produced by Sophie Bridges