How to Jumpstart the L.A. Economy

The Country's Second Largest Metropolis Could Start by Improving Its Schools

When it comes to its economic vitality over the last quarter-century, Los Angeles is in the same league as Cleveland and Detroit, lagging far behind the nation as a whole, and other major metro areas.

Recent figures can obscure this harsh reality, given that the Los Angeles metro area has seen brisk job growth of 2.5 percent each of the last two years. With this boost, L.A.’s employment has finally surpassed its pre-Great Recession level of more than seven years ago. But this is a modest bounce from a deplorable state …

Is My Gentrifying L.A. Hood Getting Worse or Better?

A Resident on the Frontline of Urban Change Weighs the Pros and Cons

If you want to know what it’s like on the front lines of gentrification, you only have to look at the corner of Avoca Street and Yosemite Drive in Eagle …

A City that Doesn’t Leave Politics to the Politicians

In Long Beach, Residents Get a Chance to Deliver Their Own ‘State of the City’

The president of the United States gives a State of the Union address. Governors offer speeches on the states of the state. Even mayors often deliver a state of the …

An Outsider’s Guide to Running—and Losing—a California Election

Pete Peterson, a Republican from Santa Monica, Learned How Much the Deck Is Stacked in Favor of Career Politicians

Though Ted White’s classic, The Making of the President, is far better known, the best book I’ve read about what it’s like to run for political office is To Be …

Let’s Play the Drought Blame Game

There Are Plenty of Guilty Parties During This Dry Spell—Even the Cows are Moo-ches

I hate to play the blame game, but let’s face facts: This drought is all your fault.

You are watering outdoors too much. You kept your lawn when you should have …

How the 2016 Senate Race Will Divide California

Choosing Kamala Harris or Loretta Sanchez Comes Down to North Versus South

Are you a Kamala or a Loretta?

Attorney General Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez—the two leading candidates for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat next year—confront Californians with a choice. …