Happening in California 31.25
Welcome to Happening in California, a brief look at political news, insights, and analysis of the world’s fifth-largest economy.
There is no doubt that Los Angeles is a progressive city … but could it be the most progressive city in California?
A recent column in the LA Times makes that case and an opinion piece by our friend Matt Klink in the LA Daily News outlines a similar argument that Los Angeles is swinging further to the left.
Here is what’s happening and what it might mean for businesses and public policy …
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Tom Ross | President and CEO | Swing Strategies
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The Big Picture: Progressives Won the Primary in Los Angeles
Rick Caruso’s 5-point election night lead over Congresswoman Karen Bass flipped as vote-by-mail ballots were slowly counted during the past three weeks. Now, Bass leads Caruso 43% to 36%.
What’s more, two incumbent city council members, both liberal Democrats, were bested in the primary by more progressive opponents — one is a community organizer, the other a Unite Here Local 11 organizer, and both want to defund the police.
Progressives in Los Angeles scored big victories in June and are now looking toward November with hopes of shifting the ideological balance of the 15-member city council to the far left.
Banning Gas Stations
The Los Angeles City Council is developing an ordinance that would permanently ban new gas stations by the end of this year and could impact existing gas stations that need to update infrastructure. The goal is to reduce fossil fuel, but with gas prices already at record highs — nearing $7 per gallon in California — limiting supply could increase the cost of gas even more within Los Angeles.
Increasing Costs for Hotels
Unite Here Local 11 who represents hotel workers, submitted signatures for a ballot measure to cap the amount of square footage housekeepers are allowed to clean per day and to require daily room cleaning, among other provisions for non-union hotels. The measure is estimated to triple the cost of housekeeping and will have a huge impact on an industry that was among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Without even a fiscal analysis of the measure, the Los Angeles City Council voted 10 to 2 to adopt the union-backed measure — denying Angelenos the right to vote on the issue in the November election.
The Bottom Line: Any talk of a progressive retreat in California is premature, especially in the City of Los Angeles where voters and elected officials are moving further to the left.
As a result, the business community is likely to see more progressive policy proposals in the future. Give us a ring or shoot us an email if you’d like to chat about what’s happening in California.