Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Secret deals between LA neighborhood groups and developers

    When developers want to build something in LA, often they have to set aside a slush fund for neighborhood groups. That money is paid out to these groups to buy their support. But where does the money go?

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Apr 5, 2017 • 1 min read

    When developers want to build something in LA, often they have to set aside a slush fund for neighborhood groups. That money is paid out to these groups to buy their support. But where does the money go?

    The full episode

    2 of 5
    Congress could get its first Korean American in 20 years
    1. 0:00LA congressional seat runoff: Jimmy Gomez v. Robert Lee Ahn
    2. 7:39Secret deals between LA neighborhood groups and developersYou’re reading this
    3. 16:26California bill aims to overhaul cash bail system
    4. 26:33'Generation Wealth:' A cautionary tale in photographs
    5. 41:14Pepsi ad pulled after internet uproar
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      David Zahniser

      LA Times reporter covering City Hall

      News

    The full episode

    2 of 5
    Congress could get its first Korean American in 20 years
    1. 0:00LA congressional seat runoff: Jimmy Gomez v. Robert Lee Ahn
    2. 7:39Secret deals between LA neighborhood groups and developersYou’re reading this
    3. 16:26California bill aims to overhaul cash bail system
    4. 26:33'Generation Wealth:' A cautionary tale in photographs
    5. 41:14Pepsi ad pulled after internet uproar
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand