Claudia Koerner's Avatar

Claudia Koerner

@claudiakoerner.bsky.social

Managing Editor, Neighborhoods at LA Local News Initiative. Previously: HuffPost, BuzzFeed News, OC Register. She/her.

3,784 Followers  |  468 Following  |  102 Posts  |  Joined: 05.06.2023  |  2.349

Latest posts by claudiakoerner.bsky.social on Bluesky

Preview
SATANIC CULTS GROWING IN PRESERVES This is going to be an ugly little story about how some people use our forest preserve woods outside Chicago. It is not about goofy picnickers or drunken hijinks or the wanton, inexcusable slaughte…

In honor of Spooky Szn, as a reminder to always fact check the official police narrative, & ESPECIALLY to never use a cop as your sole source for a story,

may I present to you this 1989 Chicago Tribune story about baby sacrifice in Chicago Forest Preserves:

www.chicagotribune.com/1989/02/26/s...

02.10.2025 19:13 β€” πŸ‘ 34    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4
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Jobs | Los Angeles Local News Initiative We’re hiring! The L.A. Local News Initiative is looking for leaders who are passionate about the future of L.A. and local journalism.

We're moving fast to launch our new site that will combine news from these neighborhoods as well as regional LA coverage. If you love LA and our mission to do better local news for people living in these neighborhoods, I hope you'll take a look at our job openings: www.localnewsforla.org/jobs

01.10.2025 16:48 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Exciting personal news! I've joined the LA Local News Initiative to work with Boyle Heights Beat and build new neighborhood newsrooms in Koreatown/Pico-Union/Westlake and South LA/Inglewood.

01.10.2025 16:47 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
The controversy started with a post Tuesday from Jacqueline Garretson, who, according to her X bio, is the Illinois state director for The Conservative Caucus and previously worked as a staffer for failed Republican attorney_general candidate Thomas DeVore.
Garretson wrote that a relative, whom she later identified as her mother-in-law, ordered the Mint Majesty tea with two honeys β€” an order known to be Kirk's favorite drink - from the
Starbucks. When the order was completed, the cup had "Loser" written on it, Garretson said.

The controversy started with a post Tuesday from Jacqueline Garretson, who, according to her X bio, is the Illinois state director for The Conservative Caucus and previously worked as a staffer for failed Republican attorney_general candidate Thomas DeVore. Garretson wrote that a relative, whom she later identified as her mother-in-law, ordered the Mint Majesty tea with two honeys β€” an order known to be Kirk's favorite drink - from the Starbucks. When the order was completed, the cup had "Loser" written on it, Garretson said.

Starbucks says surveillance clears an employee who’d been accused of writing β€œLoser” on a cup when someone ordered Charlie Kirk’s β€œfavorite drink.”

The accusation was originally posted by a Republican party official. It forced the store to shut down for safety.

blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/19/v...

19.09.2025 22:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2277    πŸ” 603    πŸ’¬ 186    πŸ“Œ 254
This document details extraordinary steps taken to protect Deanne Criswell, the head of FEMA during hurricanes Helene and Milton. Criswell was a subject of a swatting incident 

The document says: Secretary Mayorkas determined that there was a clear and present danger to Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and that home-to-work transportation was essential for the performance of the duties of the FEMA Administrator. Because of recent serious threats to Administrator Criswell, he authorized her use of a government vehicle for home-to-work transportation ineluding use of an appropriate security detail provided FEMA and the Transportation Security Administration at FEMA's request."

This document details extraordinary steps taken to protect Deanne Criswell, the head of FEMA during hurricanes Helene and Milton. Criswell was a subject of a swatting incident The document says: Secretary Mayorkas determined that there was a clear and present danger to Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and that home-to-work transportation was essential for the performance of the duties of the FEMA Administrator. Because of recent serious threats to Administrator Criswell, he authorized her use of a government vehicle for home-to-work transportation ineluding use of an appropriate security detail provided FEMA and the Transportation Security Administration at FEMA's request."

NEW: More than 500 pages of #FOIA docs @zhirji.bsky.social @davey.bsky.social & I obtained from FEMA detail previously unreported threats against personnel in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene & Milton, including the swatting of then-FEMA Director Deanne Criswell
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

18.09.2025 15:36 β€” πŸ‘ 205    πŸ” 96    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 7
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Want to stop political violence? Start by addressing hostile sexism In her new book, an expert on violent extremism lays out evidence that gender-based bigotry fuels hate β€” so national security officials need to do something about it.

β€œViolence that is rooted in gendered issues is a huge predictor of β€” and possibly the biggest predictor, in some studies β€” of trajectories that lead to mass violence,” Miller-Idriss told The 19th. β€œOver half of mass shooters are targeting a partner.”

17.09.2025 17:48 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 3
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After claiming Gabby Giffords, the retired American politician turned gun-control advocate, also attended the event at Damian with Tucker Carlson, a staffer confirmed that she wasn't even in Los Angeles at the time.

Full story: lataco.com/rick-caruso-...

By @shoton35mm.bsky.social

16.09.2025 02:02 β€” πŸ‘ 251    πŸ” 82    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 15

thinking about all the incredibly talented internet culture reporters who've been laid off and/or gone independent and how much big media orgs could really use them right now

12.09.2025 18:42 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Charlie Kirk Brought Hard-Right Politics To A New Generation Kirk, who was fatally shot while on stage at a speaking event, lit a path for the future of Trumpism.

Kirk, who was fatally shot while on stage at a speaking event, lit a path for the future of Trumpism.

11.09.2025 01:47 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 0
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ALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES CITY OF LOS ANGELES
) SS
CERTIFICATION OF INSUFFICIENCY
REFERENDUM PETITION TO REPEAL ORDINANCE NO. 188610
I, PETTY F. SANTOS, Interim City Clerk of the City of Los Angeles, hereby certify to the Los
Angeles City Council: that the signatures submitted with the Referendum Petition referenced above have been examined by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (County Registrar); that based on the County Registrar's examination, the Referendum Petition does not contain the number of valid signatures of registered voters of the City required under City Charter Section 461(a) and therefore the Referendum Petition is INSUFFICIENT; and that the attached summary from the County Registrar represents a true, correct, and complete summary of the County Registrar's examination of the Referendum Petition.
Ordinance No. 188610 shall take effect upon the date of this Certification pursuant to City
Charter Section 461(c).
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of the City of Los Angeles
this 8th day of September, 2025.
lettlitk
PETTY F. SANTOS
INTERIM CITY CLERK
for,

1 of 3 ALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES CITY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS CERTIFICATION OF INSUFFICIENCY REFERENDUM PETITION TO REPEAL ORDINANCE NO. 188610 I, PETTY F. SANTOS, Interim City Clerk of the City of Los Angeles, hereby certify to the Los Angeles City Council: that the signatures submitted with the Referendum Petition referenced above have been examined by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (County Registrar); that based on the County Registrar's examination, the Referendum Petition does not contain the number of valid signatures of registered voters of the City required under City Charter Section 461(a) and therefore the Referendum Petition is INSUFFICIENT; and that the attached summary from the County Registrar represents a true, correct, and complete summary of the County Registrar's examination of the Referendum Petition. Ordinance No. 188610 shall take effect upon the date of this Certification pursuant to City Charter Section 461(c). IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of the City of Los Angeles this 8th day of September, 2025. lettlitk PETTY F. SANTOS INTERIM CITY CLERK for,

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
September 5, 2025
Jinny Pak, Division Manager
City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk, Election and BIDS Division
555 Ramirez Street, Space 300
Los Angeles, California 90012
Dear Jinny Pak:
We have completed the signature verification submitted on July 9, 2025, for A Referendum Petition Seeking to Overturn Ordinance 188610 Increasing Wages and Healthcare Benefits for Hotel and Airport Workers and Hotel Worker Training.

140,774

140,774

84,007
56,767

2,339
117,607

17,082
The results of the signature verification are as follows:
Number of signatures filed
Number of signatures verified
Number of signatures found sufficient
Number of signatures found not sufficient
Not sufficient because duplicate
Number of signature withdrawal requests
Number of signatures withdrawn
Please call Tiffany Olsen, Head, Data Entry and Signature Verification at
(562) 462-2376 if you have any questions regarding the signature verification of this petition.
Jerome Jordan to
EAN C. LOGAN
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
County of Los Angeles
Digitally Signed using ClerkSign (Document: 0231ca68-45cd-4287-b48a-3c7128bf5cbd

Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk September 5, 2025 Jinny Pak, Division Manager City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk, Election and BIDS Division 555 Ramirez Street, Space 300 Los Angeles, California 90012 Dear Jinny Pak: We have completed the signature verification submitted on July 9, 2025, for A Referendum Petition Seeking to Overturn Ordinance 188610 Increasing Wages and Healthcare Benefits for Hotel and Airport Workers and Hotel Worker Training. 140,774 140,774 84,007 56,767 2,339 117,607 17,082 The results of the signature verification are as follows: Number of signatures filed Number of signatures verified Number of signatures found sufficient Number of signatures found not sufficient Not sufficient because duplicate Number of signature withdrawal requests Number of signatures withdrawn Please call Tiffany Olsen, Head, Data Entry and Signature Verification at (562) 462-2376 if you have any questions regarding the signature verification of this petition. Jerome Jordan to EAN C. LOGAN Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk County of Los Angeles Digitally Signed using ClerkSign (Document: 0231ca68-45cd-4287-b48a-3c7128bf5cbd

Petition Statistics
9/3/2025 4:03:49PM
LA CITY REF SEEKING TO OVERTURN ORD INCREASING WAGES ORD 188610
Petition ID: 19639
Total Sigs Required
Total Sigs Submitted
Total Sample Size
Total Sigs Verified
140,774
140,774
140,774
OCADD
ADD
AEV
AGE
CAN
FP
MADD
MAX
MS
MS2
MSPET
NADD
NR
OD
RD
SIG
WD
TOTAL
TOTAL VALID:
OUT OF COUNTY ADDRESS
Total
DIFFERENT ADDRESS
Total
INFO ENTERED BY CIRCULATOR
Total
UNDERAGE AT SIGNING
Total
CANCELED
Total
FATAL PENDING
Total
PO BOX/MAILING ADDRESS
Total
MAX NUMBER OF TIMES SIGNED
Total
MISCELLANEOUS
Total
PRINTED SIGNATURE
Total
MISSING SIG ON PETITION
Total
NO ADDRESS
Total
NOT REGISTERED
Total
OUT OF DISTRICT
Total
INVALID REGISTRATION DATE
Total
MISMATCH SIGNATURE
Total
WITHDRAWN SIGNATURES
Total
TOTAL CHALLENGED
249
6,898
5
18
1,933
695
164
2,339
76
211
135
28
18,054
4,342
1,625
2,913
17,082
56,767
84.007
ESSVR. LLC β€”2025
9/3/2025 4:03-49PM
R802.01
Page 1 of 1

Petition Statistics 9/3/2025 4:03:49PM LA CITY REF SEEKING TO OVERTURN ORD INCREASING WAGES ORD 188610 Petition ID: 19639 Total Sigs Required Total Sigs Submitted Total Sample Size Total Sigs Verified 140,774 140,774 140,774 OCADD ADD AEV AGE CAN FP MADD MAX MS MS2 MSPET NADD NR OD RD SIG WD TOTAL TOTAL VALID: OUT OF COUNTY ADDRESS Total DIFFERENT ADDRESS Total INFO ENTERED BY CIRCULATOR Total UNDERAGE AT SIGNING Total CANCELED Total FATAL PENDING Total PO BOX/MAILING ADDRESS Total MAX NUMBER OF TIMES SIGNED Total MISCELLANEOUS Total PRINTED SIGNATURE Total MISSING SIG ON PETITION Total NO ADDRESS Total NOT REGISTERED Total OUT OF DISTRICT Total INVALID REGISTRATION DATE Total MISMATCH SIGNATURE Total WITHDRAWN SIGNATURES Total TOTAL CHALLENGED 249 6,898 5 18 1,933 695 164 2,339 76 211 135 28 18,054 4,342 1,625 2,913 17,082 56,767 84.007 ESSVR. LLC β€”2025 9/3/2025 4:03-49PM R802.01 Page 1 of 1

The hotel and airline bankrolled challenge to the Olympic wage *did not qualify* for the ballot according to the LA County Registrar.

This means the city’s Olympic wage ordinance , $25/hour beginning this year and $30/hour by 2028, goes into effect for tourism workers immediately

08.09.2025 18:28 β€” πŸ‘ 330    πŸ” 97    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 12

Another campaign finance scandal emerging while we wait for the mayor to emerge is peak Adams administration

05.09.2025 20:44 β€” πŸ‘ 48    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump is making thousands of rule-abiding immigrants undocumented Inside the largest delegalization campaign in modern US history.

In another loss in the courts for Trump, a federal judge just blocked the administration from revoking legal status from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States. Judge Chen ruled that the termination of TPS exceeded the DHS Secretary’s authority and violated the law.

05.09.2025 20:00 β€” πŸ‘ 190    πŸ” 50    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Hello! I'm conducting research on BIPOC communities throughout Central Illinois on their media intake and their trust/distrust of mainstream (predom white) news sources. if you are or know someone who'd be good to talk to please get in touch

(could be a neighbor, parent, auntie, old school teacher)

04.09.2025 16:16 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Texas Man Accused of Putting Abortion Pills in Partner’s Drink Claims She Made It Up, Countersues for $100 Million The 34-year-old Marine alleges that the woman who sued him for wrongful death lied about a coerced abortion, and that there were political motives behind her lawsuit.

NEW: A Texas mother recently became the first woman to sue for wrongful death of an embryo from abortion pills; past cases had aggrieved male partners suing.

But in a wild counterclaim, the Marine she accused of β€œdrugging” her hot chocolate says she made it all up and there was no coercion

04.09.2025 00:53 β€” πŸ‘ 80    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 5
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Firefighters question leaders’ role in ICE raid near Bear Gulch Fire - High Country News Firefighting veterans believe the management team overseeing fire crews played a key role in handing team members over to immigration authorities.

Firefighting veterans believe the management team overseeing fire crews played a key role in handing team members over to immigration authorities, shares Stateline.

buff.ly/CicG9BT

03.09.2025 14:01 β€” πŸ‘ 420    πŸ” 195    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 49
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Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.

things you don't ever expect to see in print "It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area."

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

28.08.2025 02:52 β€” πŸ‘ 281    πŸ” 139    πŸ’¬ 24    πŸ“Œ 27

Especially nausea-inducing to hear updates on a school shooting on the car radio as you drop your own kids off at school

27.08.2025 16:10 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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ok i did not think i'd actually get an answer to this

26.08.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

do you think the officials in the cabinet meeting know that taylor swift is engaged

26.08.2025 18:42 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

meghan and i have been saying this

22.08.2025 01:03 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜Women Have Always Been on the Front Lines.’ How Five Women at the Texas Capitol Stood Up to β€˜Fascism.’ Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat, spent the night held hostage in the Texas House. Four enraged women refused to leave her side.

New from @iamleslierangel.bsky.social and me:

Rep. Nicole Collier spent the night held hostage in the Texas House. Then four enraged women β€” many of them mothers β€” refused to leave her side overnight. The slept in jail; are banned from Capitol grounds for a year.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/19/h...

19.08.2025 17:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1019    πŸ” 416    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 26
Jonah Prill - Fire It Up (From β€œAmerican Song Contest”) (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Atlantic Records Jonah Prill - Fire It Up (From β€œAmerican Song Contest”) (Official Audio)

thank god we've got Fire It Up www.youtube.com/watch?v=-172...

19.08.2025 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
City officials want to fund immigration defense. The budget crisis makes it hard

City officials want to fund immigration defense. The budget crisis makes it hard

"Why is it that we can't find the money for this?" asked Councilmember Hugo Soto-MartΓ­nez during a Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee meeting on Aug. 1. "It appears that level of urgency is not being transmitted through this report, because when we're in other situations, we find the money."
Jurado piggybacked off her colleague.
"This is an immigration legal crisis," she said, adding that she felt
"disappointment, frustration and, frankly, anger with the outcome here that we can't find a single dollar to support immigrant communities and this legal defense fund."
"I find it really hard to believe that the CAO couldn't find any money for it," she said in an interview.

"Why is it that we can't find the money for this?" asked Councilmember Hugo Soto-MartΓ­nez during a Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee meeting on Aug. 1. "It appears that level of urgency is not being transmitted through this report, because when we're in other situations, we find the money." Jurado piggybacked off her colleague. "This is an immigration legal crisis," she said, adding that she felt "disappointment, frustration and, frankly, anger with the outcome here that we can't find a single dollar to support immigrant communities and this legal defense fund." "I find it really hard to believe that the CAO couldn't find any money for it," she said in an interview.

RepresentLA, which has served nearly 10,000 people, provides free legal representation for undocumented immigrants facing removal proceedings, as well as other services such as help with asylum applications. Some attorneys are on staff, while others are outside counsel.
In April, Bass said in her State of the City speech that the city would "protect every Angeleno, no matter where you are from, no matter when you arrived in L.A... because we know how much immigrants contribute to our city in so many ways. We will always stand strong with you."
But behind the scenes, the city's financial struggles put even the initial $1 million for RepresentLA in jeopardy, with the mayor proposing to slash it to zero for this fiscal year.

RepresentLA, which has served nearly 10,000 people, provides free legal representation for undocumented immigrants facing removal proceedings, as well as other services such as help with asylum applications. Some attorneys are on staff, while others are outside counsel. In April, Bass said in her State of the City speech that the city would "protect every Angeleno, no matter where you are from, no matter when you arrived in L.A... because we know how much immigrants contribute to our city in so many ways. We will always stand strong with you." But behind the scenes, the city's financial struggles put even the initial $1 million for RepresentLA in jeopardy, with the mayor proposing to slash it to zero for this fiscal year.

LAPD’s liability settlements are defunding the budget to the point that the city can’t find $1 million to cover legal services for immigrants.

www.latimes.com/california/n...

18.08.2025 19:46 β€” πŸ‘ 24    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

feeling validated that i wasn't the only one struggling to find it at first

15.08.2025 03:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Stephen Miller: The Breitbart Emails Before the 2016 election, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller regularly emailed Breitbart News editors. Hatewatch evaluated more than 900 of those correspondences. This series includes Hatewatch...

The White House Twitter feed is now basically the old β€œblack crime” tab from mid-2010s Breitbart. The editor of Breitbart back then was Steve Bannon, and a young senate staffer named Steven Miller was feeding him content from white nationalist sites. www.splcenter.org/resources/gu...

15.08.2025 01:13 β€” πŸ‘ 2495    πŸ” 823    πŸ’¬ 39    πŸ“Œ 20

What Hangs In The Balance?

"The federal government wants a display of military force so great that any lawful opposition to their agenda is effectively silenced"

www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

14.08.2025 23:07 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 4

Military "showing force" at the very same site where Japanese Americans were rounded up for incarceration during WWII.

14.08.2025 23:37 β€” πŸ‘ 111    πŸ” 43    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0
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All police gone now. Everyone out here claps.

"See y'all tomorrow!" shouts one guy to a few weak laughs.

14.08.2025 02:14 β€” πŸ‘ 3029    πŸ” 354    πŸ’¬ 40    πŸ“Œ 19
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E.J. Antoni, Trump's BLS Nominee, Spotted At Capitol In Jan. 6 Images

back to asking ppl where they were on Jan. 6 www.huffpost.com/entry/donald...

14.08.2025 02:03 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

are all the backlot Oval Offices going to have to add the gold knicknacks and wall appliques now too

12.08.2025 03:22 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@claudiakoerner is following 20 prominent accounts