Guest Commentary
The Racist Tapes: What I Heard
On October 9, 2022, the LA Times and Knock LA reported on a secretly recorded conversation between three of my City Council colleagues and a powerful labor leader. They made appalling, racist remarks about various groups and people, especially about Blacks and including about my young son. A year later, as people look back, they keep asking me for my thoughts. I’ve written about what I heard, what I felt, and what I think was missing from the discussions sparked by the scandal.
Consumers Beware: Luther Burbank Savings is Engaging in Deceptive Lending Practices
Beware of predatory mortgage lenders…small landowners are being bullied by mid-size banks, like Luther Burbank Savings, which has a Westside branch in Beverly Hills, with reported assets of $7.9 Billion, by assessing unlawful penalties and employing tactics intended to confuse and take advantage of vulnerable borrowers. Compounding matters, LBS is being acquired by Washington Federal, Inc. (Nasdaq: WAFD), and its almost $21 Billion in assets according to recent reports.
Gun Safety Advocates in Culver City Have Strong Message for Councilmembers, Staff
Dear Mayor Vera, Vice Mayor McMorrin, Council Members Eriksson, O’Brien, and Puza, and City Staff: Since June of 2022, community members and parents from all over Culver City have organized around the issue of gun safety in our city, under the name Culver 878.
Mike Bonin on Barrington Plaza: Los Angeles Must Act to Halt Mass Eviction
As rising eviction rates cause fear of yet another spike in homelessness and housing insecurity, hundreds of renters in West L.A. are about to be thrown out of their homes in the largest mass eviction in Los Angeles in decades. It would set a dangerous precedent – and it is based on lies and fraud. Corporate real estate giant Douglas Emmett Inc. is pushing to evict every tenant from the 712 rent-regulated units of Barrington Plaza. These are middle- and working-class families, seniors, and young professionals getting a start in life. They include rideshare drivers, retail employees, nurses, social workers, and school teachers. Some have lived there for decades.
The Racist Tapes: What I Heard
On October 9, 2022, the LA Times and Knock LA reported on a secretly recorded conversation between three of my City Council colleagues and a powerful labor leader. They made appalling, racist remarks about various groups and people, especially about Blacks and including about my young son. A year later, as people look back, they keep asking me for my thoughts. I’ve written about what I heard, what I felt, and what I think was missing from the discussions sparked by the scandal.
Consumers Beware: Luther Burbank Savings is Engaging in Deceptive Lending Practices
Beware of predatory mortgage lenders…small landowners are being bullied by mid-size banks, like Luther Burbank Savings, which has a Westside branch in Beverly Hills, with reported assets of $7.9 Billion, by assessing unlawful penalties and employing tactics intended to confuse and take advantage of vulnerable borrowers. Compounding matters, LBS is being acquired by Washington Federal, Inc. (Nasdaq: WAFD), and its almost $21 Billion in assets according to recent reports.
Gun Safety Advocates in Culver City Have Strong Message for Councilmembers, Staff
Dear Mayor Vera, Vice Mayor McMorrin, Council Members Eriksson, O’Brien, and Puza, and City Staff: Since June of 2022, community members and parents from all over Culver City have organized around the issue of gun safety in our city, under the name Culver 878.
Mike Bonin on Barrington Plaza: Los Angeles Must Act to Halt Mass Eviction
As rising eviction rates cause fear of yet another spike in homelessness and housing insecurity, hundreds of renters in West L.A. are about to be thrown out of their homes in the largest mass eviction in Los Angeles in decades. It would set a dangerous precedent – and it is based on lies and fraud. Corporate real estate giant Douglas Emmett Inc. is pushing to evict every tenant from the 712 rent-regulated units of Barrington Plaza. These are middle- and working-class families, seniors, and young professionals getting a start in life. They include rideshare drivers, retail employees, nurses, social workers, and school teachers. Some have lived there for decades.
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