Which Way, L.A.?
Which Way, L.A.?
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Will Democrats Lose the Congress, LA Its Neighborhood Councils?

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As Los Angeles' credit rating gets a downgrade, we look at Mayor Villaraigosa’s plan to save money by cutting the staff for Neighborhood Councils. Unemployment, bank bailouts and government gridlock have created a nightmare scenario for the party in power. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, will the Democrats lose control of either the House or the Senate in this mid-term election year? Is Republican Scott Brown really bipartisan? Is Barbara Boxer in trouble?

Main Topic

Are the Democrats Going to Fall Out of Power? ()

Last month, when the Wall Street Journal and NBC News asked voters which party they liked best, Democrats and Republicans tied with 41% each.  That's a change from the pattern of recent years, when Democrats have come out ahead in so-called "generic" polls. Among voters most intensely interested in this year's midterm elections, Republicans this time around had a 15-point lead.

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Main Topic

Does Villaraigosa Want to Do In DONE? ()

First it was Moody's, which put the City of Los Angeles on its negative watch list. Today, Standard & Poor's downgraded LA's credit rating from AA to AA-minus.  That means it'll cost millions of dollars more to operate on borrowed money. Mayor Villaraigosa is trying to cut costs, and one target has been the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.  DONE provides support for Neighborhood Councils, and some Council leaders are concerned that elected officials are trying to gut the city's experiment in grassroots democracy.

Guests:
  • Al Abrams: Vice President, Board of Neighborhood Commissioners
  • Raphael Sonenshein: former Executive Director, City of Los Angeles Commission on Charter Reform,

Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.

 

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