Hello to everyone sharing this — I have a newsletter called Torched, it's all about LA and megaevents and Casey Wasserman, and you should *really* subscribe

Tonight I am in the semifinals of Celebrity Jeopardy on ABC at 9 pm ET Once again I am competing on behalf of the incredible SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition here in LA: www.selahnhc.org

Going to get L.A. on everyone because this is gutting. One of my favorite spots in the whole city is closing down. If you need me I'll be there every day until May 4. laist.com/brief/news/f...

Hosting a show about LA and how it works at the Elysian this Saturday. Please don't make me tell you again www.elysiantheater.com/shows/lapowe...

NEW: They Call Him "Brave Hayes": Local Intellectual Watches All Three Hours of Rick Caruso's Appearances on Both Joe Rogan and Sam Harris bigcityheat.substack.com/p/rogancarus...

@awalkerinla.bsky.social @mikebonin.bsky.social & @hayesdavenport.bsky.social ask the big questions: is the fire department underfunded, who is really in charge of LA's recovery, which electeds are taking all the blame, and why. Listen wherever you get your podcasts thelapod.com/episode/fed-...

LA leaders have said the fires could have been prevented if LAFD hadn't been defunded. But also: new reports say LAFD kept dozens of trucks and 1,000 firefighters off duty during the high winds. What really happened? You might never find out. Sorry! bigcityheat.substack.com/p/the-questi...

Wrote about the guy who went around setting all the fires bigcityheat.substack.com/p/the-arsoni...

Since I'm seeing it everywhere: I worked in LA City Hall when the budget passed. Our office voted No. But the idea that LAFD was "defunded" to increase the LAPD budget is not accurate. Both got increases due to salary hikes. LAFD's deal just happened after the budget process -- LAPD's was before.

Took a shot at recapping THE YEAR IN LA. That's me in the picture right after I finished. bigcityheat.substack.com/p/a-nervous-...

Traci Park's entry into LA politics was suing to stop a shelter in her neighborhood. In her campaign she said she would "squash" this 100% affordable development "on day one." Now she claims she "respectfully remained on the sidelines" while city departments decided on their own to kill it.

Paradigmatic example of aldermanic privilege in L.A. on affordable housing. Councilmember wants 120-unit project on city-owned parking lot in Venice. It gets approved. Newly elected councilmember opposes project. Mayor defers to her. Project stalls and might be dead www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

No Los Angeles affordable housing development has had more twists in the last decade than Venice Dell. This week: * The Coastal Commission approved it * The Councilmember representing Venice declared it dead * An ex-mayoral staffer said the mayor's office stalled it www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

After one of the WILDEST council exchanges in recent memory, with councilmembers accusing each other of making backroom deals (!!!), LA's Olympic wage passes 12-3, guaranteeing LA's tourism workers a minimum wage increase to $30/hour by 2028 My previous story: www.torched.la/the-olympic-...

More optimistic take if you're pro-housing: LA electeds have traditionally defended single-family zoning no matter their political alignment. Yesterday 5 out of 15 councilmembers supported upzoning. A gigantic break from history. And all 5 came from the progressive wing. SFZ is right-adjacent now.

And don't miss this exchange in the comments section: www.latimes.com/california/s...

do you think that fear of crime and disorder in Dem-run big cities fueled Trump's win? @hayesdavenport.bsky.social looks at the numbers and the numbers do not agree. Bonus pro-housing form letter for Los Angeles readers.

"We need a point person. And I feel like we're running a little bit behind," Mayor Karen Bass said yesterday. Outgoing LA councilmember Paul Krekorian has been named the "primary liaison between the mayor's office and LA28" in a newly created Office of Major Events www.torched.la/pauls-boutiq...

Some of my famous recs from this week bigcityheat.substack.com/p/two-good-a...

I went by one of the former Skid Row Housing Trust buildings that was sold to a developer. Two tenants were locked out because their keycards failed, one with a dog in his room. There would be no staff on site for two days. They were all being evicted due to black mold. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Wrote about LA's housing plan, and the quiet agreement between anti-housing groups and city leaders to pretend that it's going to work. Homeowner associations would never call themselves "organizers" but they invented the game and live it every single day. bigcityheat.substack.com/p/how-one-co...

been drinking my chocolate electrolyte drink mixes hot instead of iced lately. also kind of like what switching to this app feels like

This article and its many insane details got me thinking about law enforcement working second jobs, and how the normal work schedule for most LAPD officers is three days a week. Wrote about how and why the three-day schedule came about here: bigcityheat.substack.com/p/do-people-...

George Gascon lost the LA DA race because he was blamed for crime going up, whether or not it actually was. I assumed that was a longtime strategy against incumbent DAs when crime rises. So I looked at an old race. And I was wrong! The strategy is new. bigcityheat.substack.com/p/the-last-l...

If you, like me, are feeling depressed about national politics or just want a little break, I'll share a few stories I've written for @bolts.bsky.social about the dynamics of four local races in California with big implications for the politics of crime and punishment: (1/8)

Bring kids, bring snacks, bring questions! Fill out your ballot with people who have been researching the issues (including me!) or just run in circles to burn off nervous pre-election energy. We’ll be meeting by the playground. RSVP at laforward.org/events/ballot-party-dtla or just show up!

Hello my Bluesky family. The glowing tides of Santa Monica have taken hold of me and forced me to write something very long about their City Council race -- a petri dish for looking at connections between crime rates, crime anxiety, and anger at incumbents. bigcityheat.substack.com/p/sects-on-t...