LA Podcast - Dissembling in the Dark
Mike, Rachel, and Laura reveal the troubling story of the Neighbors First dark money network that’s mucking up LA
What's Next, Los Angeles? With Mike Bonin
Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city – and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles, examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, on Mike's own site, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What's Next, Los Angeles is a production of LA Podcast LLC, which is owned by LA Forward. LA Forward provides editorial guidance for the podcast, but all opinions expressed on the show are those of hosts and guests alone. The opinions expressed do not represent the organizational position of LA Forward or any of its employees, officers, or board members.
Recent episodes:
NITHYA RAMAN: Mayoral Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
She is a sitting City Councilmember who has focused on homelessness. housing and government reform -- and now she’s running for mayor of Los Angeles. Nithya Raman joins me for a conversation about her campaign and the direction of the City o…
ADAM MILLER: Candidate for LA Mayor - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
We’re bringing you conversations with candidates running for mayor of Los Angeles — recorded live in front of an audience in a series of fireside chats. These conversations are conducted in my capacity as executive director of the Pat Brown Instit…
REV. RAE HUANG: Candidate for LA Mayor - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
A community organizer and faith leader focused on housing and affordability is running for mayor. Reverend Rae Huang joins me to talk about her campaign. That’s on this episode of WNLA.Huang has spent two decades bringing people together across fa…
MIKE NEWHOUSE: State Senate Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Today we continue our look at the race for the State Senate seat held by Ben Allen, who is termed out of office after 12 years representing a sprawling district that includes the South Bay the coastal Westside, and neighborhoods like Fairfax and H…
SION ROY: State Senate Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Our in-depth conversations with candidates seeking your vote continues . . In this episode, more on the race for the State Senate seat held by Ben Allen, who is termed out of office after 12 years representing a sprawling district that includes th…
Candidate Spotlight: John Erickson - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
It is election season again, and that means more candidate spotlights so you can get to know the people who are asking for your vote. Today, in the debut episode of a new season of What’s Next, Los Angeles: John Erickson, candidate for State Senat…
JOSE UGARTE: CD9 Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
He has served the 9th City Council District in Los Angeles for years as a council deputy. He has managed political campaigns. And he racked up a ton of endorsements from elected officials. Today I talk with candidate Jose Ugarte.In this third inst…
ESTUARDO MAZARIEGOS: CD9 Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
He is a housing justice advocate who has been a community organizer since he was a kid – and now he is running for Los Angeles City Council. I talk with Estuardo Mazariegos, candidate for Council District 9 in the City of Los Angeles, on this epis…
ELMER ROLDAN: CD9 Candidate Spotlight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
The 9th City Council District in Los Angeles stretches from the southern edge of Downtown Los Angeles, through South Central, all the way toward Watts. The communities of Central-Alameda, Vernon-Central, South Park, Green Meadows, and Vermont Squa…
MAYOR KAREN BASS: On the Record - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
In a special episode of What’s Next, Los Angeles, we present a 45 minute one-on-one interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, recorded last week.In May, Mike became the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for public affairs at Cal Sta…
Labor Strife at LMU - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
A respected local University shocked its faculty and its students recently by abruptly ending labor negotiations and invoking a religious exemption to shut down a campus union. In this episode, we hear from professors fighting for fair pay, job se…
Is California Moving Forward or Backward on the Environment? - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Has California – once a leader in fighting climate change – begun to retrench, moving backward after years of progress? That’s what we discuss on this episode of What’s Next, Los Angeles, with special guest Mike Young, executive director of Califo…
What’s the fuss about ULA? - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
What is the fuss about ULA, the measure Los Angeles city voters approved in 2022? The debate over its impact may be more hotly contested today than it was when it was on the ballot.Measure ULA, dubbed “the mansion tax” by supporters, imposes a tra…
Union Town: LA’s Labor History - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Los Angeles may be home to a powerful labor movement today, but it was not always that way. Los Angeles was once known as one of the most anti-union cities in the country. On this Labor Day weekend, we re-air Mike’s 2024 interview with Kent Wong o…
The Queer Erasure of Wallis Annenberg (with Karen Ocamb) - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Wallis Annenberg was a titan in the world of philanthropy. An heir to the Anneneberg family fortune, she served as chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation since 2009, giving away more than $3 billion in charitable grants to a variety of…
Can We Fix a Broken Los Angeles (with Rick Cole) - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Is Los Angeles broken? And what will it take to fix it? We discuss that with Rick Cole on this episode of WNLA.Cole knows local government. He was elected to the Pasadena City Council in 1983, and served for 12 years, including two as Mayor. He se…
Being a Dissident in the United States - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
In this new age of repression, are you a dissident? What does that mean? What does it require? And how dangerous is it? In this episode, we talk with Ami Fields-Meyer, co-author of “So You Want to Be A Dissident?” in the New Yorker.Ami also recent…
Pride Month Hero: Lu Lipmen - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
June is LGBTQ Pride Month. It is time when those of us in the queer community celebrate who we are. It is a time of joy and empowerment. And a time for reflection – of thinking about how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve gone back again,It i…
Targeting the Vulnerable: the CA Budget - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Vulnerable Californians are in the crosshairs. That’s one of the big takeaways from Governor Newsom’s latest budget proposal -- the May Revise.Last week on this podcast, we focused on the proposal’s impact on transportation, housing and climate. T…
Can Transit Survive Gavin’s Budget? - with Eli Lipmen - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled his latest budget proposal. What does it mean for mass transit, for housing, and for the fight to save the climate? We will get into with Eli Lipmen, executive director of MOVE LA.Transit Advocates Warn of Fiscal…
Rudy Espinoza: Finding the Courage to Fight - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
In the face of an onslaught of attacks on civil rights and civil liberties and social justice programs, are you feeling demoralized, or helpless, or isolated?If so, you are not alone. In this episode, we talk with Rudy Espinoza, executive di…
Fighting Oligarchy: The Significance of the L.A. Rally - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Last weekend, a crowd 36,000 strong flocked to downtown Los Angeles, filling Gloria Molina Grand Park, surrounding Los Angeles City Hall, and stretching a half mile down Spring Street. From all around Southern California they came to hear and…
Breaking Up is Hard to Do - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Los Angeles County is creating its own Department of Homeless Services – and pulling hundreds of people and hundreds of millions of dollars out of LAHSA – the joint city-county homelessness services agency.Is it a big and long overdue step to maxi…
Marissa Roy: Candidate for LA City Attorney - What’s Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Did you know that as a resident of Los Angeles, you have an attorney? The City Attorney is elected to represent and fight for the people of Los Angeles and to serve as the City’s lawyer. Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy recently announced her c…
