Noah Goldberg

Councilmember Nithya Raman to run for L.A. mayor, challenging onetime ally Karen Bass Raman would immediately pose a formidable challenge to Bass. She was the first council member to be elected with support from the Democratic Socialists of America.

Yet another curveball in the L.A. mayor's race -- and the biggest yet: Councilmember Nithya Raman will challenge longtime ally Karen Bass

w/ @noahmgoldberg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. mayor’s race is in major flux, days before deadline It's unusual for so many major candidates to be on the fence about a mayoral bid so close to the filing deadline, Pomona College politics professor Sara Sadhwani said.

One candidate dropped out. Another candidate jumped in. A third, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, is still deciding.

With Saturday's deadline looming, the lineup of candidates looking to run for L.A. mayor is very much in play.

w/ @noahmgoldberg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Rick Caruso confirms he will not run for mayor Caruso had said he was reconsidering whether to run Wednesday.

Real estate developer Rick Caruso ruled out a run for mayor last month. Then he changed course Wednesday, saying he was taking another look at the idea.

Now, a Caruso spokesperson says he's really and truly not running

More from @noahmgoldberg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. firefighters propose hike in sales tax to pay for new stations, equipment and more “This is the most important thing for the LAFD really ever,” said Doug Coates, acting president of the city firefighter union.

NEW: The LAFD union plans to propose a ballot measure to increase sales tax a half cent — in perpetuity — to fund 30 new fire stations, buy new rigs, and add more than 1,000 firefighters and civilians to the force. It would raise about $10 billion by 2050

www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. city controller's race gets ruff, as a candidate targets Kenneth Mejia's corgis A former state lawmaker questioned whether Mejia's logos, corgi images and other graphics violate a law barring the use of city resources for election campaigns. Mejia's team disputed the claims.

L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia loves his corgis so much that he puts them on his website, his financial reports and his campaign signs.

Now, his 'Sherlock Corgi' images are part of an unusual ethics complaint lodged by one of his rivals.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Huang could complicate Bass’ reelection bid, luring away left-of-center voters at a time when the mayor faces criticism over the Palisades fire, the budget and several other issues.

The larger the pool of candidates, the more work Bass will have to do to avoid an expensive runoff campaign.

She's challenging Bass from the left. Could she become L.A.'s Mamdani? Rae Huang, a 43-year-old community organizer and democratic socialist, is waging a long-shot campaign for L.A. mayor, focusing on free buses, public housing and police abuse.

Could she be LA's Mamdani? Rae Huang, a community organizer, announces her mayoral campaign.

with @davidzahniser.bsky.social

An RV park in this neighborhood? Not without a fight Residents in Harbor City are fighting against a proposed RV park that they believe could bring crime and lower property values.

A developer tried to quietly open an RV park in a single-family neighborhood. The pushback has been fierce

L.A. backs $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion amid major warnings about the cost The Los Angeles City Council on Friday voted 11 to 2 to support the project, despite warnings of the strain it would put on the general fund and city services.

On an 11-2 vote, the City Council approved a $2.6-billion expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center, despite warnings that the project will pull taxpayer funds away from essential city services.

w/ @noahmgoldberg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. won't lay off any city workers this year, mayor says The announcement came on the heels of an agreement with the L.A. City Coalition of Unions, whose tens of thousands of city workers will take up to five unpaid holidays in 2026.

Five months ago, L.A. city leaders announced plans to lay off 1,600 workers to close a $1-billion budget gap. On Tuesday, after months of salary talks with city unions, Mayor Karen Bass said every layoff has been avoided.

@noahmgoldberg.bsky.social has the story

www.latimes.com/california/s...

The fliers say 'Save Our Services.' Airbnb is actually pulling the strings Supporters of the plan say it could generate about $80 million in tax revenue annually, especially as tourists descend on Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and 2028 Olympics.

Have you seen one of the "Save Our Services" campaign fliers around L.A.?

Here's what's going on with those

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Agents detain student at gunpoint near school; safe zones to be expanded around LAUSD campuses Amid immigration enforcement, city and school officials will set up "safe zones" monitored by LAPD and community volunteers to protect undocumented families when school resumes at LAUSD.

Immigration agents reportedly handcuffed, detained and drew their guns on a student outside Arleta High School in a case of mistaken identity, officials said.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. passed a $30 minimum wage for tourism workers. Then came the warring ballot measures Labor leaders and business groups, looking to gain the upper hand, have submitted proposals that, if approved by voters, would disrupt the city in enormous ways.

L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez said the battle between business and labor is raging out of control, and no one has brought the parties together to reach a compromise.

“In the absence of that, everyone is taking matters into their own hands," she said.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

The year is 2001 and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is talking about why it's more important to focus on the practical business of mailing out three DVDs at a time to consumers (who then mail them back) than it is to make something "cool" like streaming movies of the Internet

Inside the L.A. Zoo's messy $50-million breakup The city’s contract with GLAZA, which governs fundraising, special events and more, ends Tuesday, leaving the zoo in a precarious place, with no firm plan for how to proceed.

I wrote about the no-good, very messy divorce between the city-run L.A. Zoo and its non-profit partner of more than 60 years, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

At stake is a $50 million endowment both sides claim is theirs

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump administration sues Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. City Council over sanctuary policy The lawsuit, filed in California’s Central District federal court, accuses sanctuary cities such as L.A. of hindering efforts to address a 'crisis of illegal immigration.'

The DOJ said Trump won the 2024 election on a platform of deporting "millions of illegal immigrants." By passing a sanctuary city law, L.A. politicians sought to “thwart the will of the American people," the lawsuit said.

w/Brittny Mejia & @noahmgoldberg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Most nabbed in L.A. raids were men with no criminal conviction, picked up off the street The Trump administration claimed the sweeps were aimed at criminals, but data shows otherwise.

The numbers don't lie: Data shows most nabbed in L.A. raids were men with no criminal conviction, picked up off the street. Great work by @racheluranga.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...

As Los Angeles faces budget crisis, legal payouts skyrocket City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto has blamed a backlog of cases following the COVID-19 pandemic, juries she says are increasingly antagonistic to municipalities and structured settlements set up by the ...

This past year legal payouts reached their highest levels ever in the history of Los Angeles — $289 million. The year before was also a record.

We looked into what is driving the record payouts and how it is contributing to LA's fiscal crisis.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

How did a rumor about an ICE raid on a homeless shelter escalate to Mayor Bass? At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass made a startling claim. U.S.

With federal officials keeping the city in the dark on immigration enforcement actions, City Council members and the mayor sometimes rely on the rumor mill.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

BREAKING: Mayor Bass has declared a local emergency and issued a curfew in downtown Los Angeles "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting" as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown enter their fifth night.

The curfew is from 8pm to 6am tomorrow, then could be extended.

L.A. City Council members spar with police chief over immigration protests LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell appeared before the council to discuss the LAPD’s attempts to control protests that have erupted mostly in downtown Los Angeles every day since Friday, sometimes descending into chaos.

L.A. City Council members spar with police chief over immigration protests

L.A. council panel votes to save 1,000 city jobs, reducing layoffs to 650 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said the move would allow the city to preserve core city services. The plan heads to the full council next week.

The L.A. City Council's budget committee took steps this week to save the jobs of more than 1,000 workers, cutting in half the number of city employees targeted for layoffs in Mayor Karen Bass' budget

www.latimes.com/california/s...

If you look closely at this home under construction you may be able to see the dog at the bottom right that is sort of transparent or camouflaging into the background.

What is gathering under this tree? and what is the tractor up to exactly? Is the tractor an appendage of the tree? Growing out of a branch? And hello Severance numbers tracking along the side.

Why are there three office workers standing in a grassy field by a forest next to an electric vehicle that is charging with too many cords?

Why does the Golden Gate Bridge look like it's been hit by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake? Some serious infrastructure issues here...

Some of you may not have noticed that the cover art for Gov. Newsom's May Revision to the California state budget was generated with AI... But when you look a little closer, it starts to make sense.

To stave off layoffs, L.A. council members seek to cut police officer hiring The City Council voiced support for a slowdown in hiring that would leave the LAPD with about 8,400 officers by mid-2026, down from more than 8,700 this year.

Los Angeles' political leaders are looking to cut the size of the LAPD by another 300 officers, in hopes of avoiding layoffs of other city workers.

The move would leave the agency with 8,400 officers by mid-2026, down from 8,700 this year and about 10,000 in 2020.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could close due to city budget cuts The house in East Hollywood, commissioned by oil heiress Aline Barnsdall in 1918, could close to the public and lose its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site if its staffing is cut to one full-...

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House could soon be closed to the public -- and lose its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- if budget cuts proposed by Mayor Karen Bass are approved.

@noahmgoldberg.bsky.social has the details

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Mayor Bass said her office's budget will be cut. The numbers tell a different story The mayor said that she will reduce her office's operating budget. But the budget actually went up.

The mayor's office's budget went up by $600,000 in the proposed budget, yet she said she reduced funding to her office. I tried to square the math in our politics newsletter

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