Los Angeles Politics and Urbanism Daily
LA Reform Hits the Hard Part: Cops, Streets, Housing, Rail
Thursday, May 7, 2026 · 8 min
City Hall is pushing reform on policing, pavement, housing taxes and transit, but almost every fix runs into the same wall: symbolic votes are easier than changing policy, funding maintenance, or undoing decades of delay.
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Show notes
City Hall is pushing reform on policing, pavement, housing taxes and transit, but almost every fix runs into the same wall: symbolic votes are easier than changing policy, funding maintenance, or undoing decades of delay.
In this episode
- Push to limit traffic stops passes City Council — but LAPD policy not changing yet — Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted in favor of new restrictions on so-called “pretextual” traffic stops, signaling a growing impatience with the Police Commission’s failure to rein in a controversial LAPD tactic that critics say enables racial discrimination. The vote was largely symbolic. It requests that the department’s all-civilian watchdog adopt new guidelines similar to San…
- Mayor Bass aims to keep LAPD from shrinking. As for growth: 'We are not there now' - Los Angeles Times — Los Angeles Times
# Mayor Bass aims to keep LAPD from shrinking. As for growth: ‘We are not there now’ ![Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass flanked by Chief Jim…
- LA streets face ‘dire future,’ according to a new report, and the long-term solution will be costly — LAist
LA streets face ‘dire future,’ according to a new report, and the long-term solution will be costly | LAist Sponsored message Audience-funded nonprofit news Listen Next Up: 0:00 0:00 — See All Episodes Subscribe LAist Daily Radio Schedule ### Hey, LA listener! Download our app for the optimal streaming experience Listen Now Playing Listen Listen Now Playing Listen # LA streets face ‘dire future,’…
- CAA presses L.A. for Measure ULA changes as city gathers input • California Apartment Association — California Apartment Association
CAA presses L.A. for Measure ULA changes as city gathers input • California Apartment Association The California Apartment Association is urging Los Angeles officials to exempt multifamily housing from Measure ULA and shift money away from tenant right-to-counsel programs and into direct rental assistance as city hearings continue and officials take feedback on possible changes to the tax. In a…
- Why it took 65 years for L.A. to build its most important rail line — Los Angeles Times
If a subway would work anywhere in modern Los Angeles, conventional wisdom said, it was along Wilshire Boulevard. In 1962, California’s then-governor, Edmund G. Brown, stood in downtown L.A. in the shadow of a rotary drilling rig to support local officials’ plans for a new “Backbone Route” that would stretch west along L.A.’s most bustling thoroughfare to the sea. “Let’s start drilling!” Brown…