BATTLES ON MANY FRONTS
Garcetti is reelected. What’s next for him?
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti won a landslide reelection this spring, riding a wave of prosperity and civic rebirth that is marked by a growing skyline, blossoming neighborhoods — and wrenching gentrification. But where Garcetti goes next is a question. He says he simply wants to serve L.A., but has not completely knocked down presidential aspirations. In the meantime, he got locked out of the two most logical stepping stones: California governor and U.S. senator.
Former sheriff is convicted in a retrial
While overseeing the troubled L.A. County Sheriff ’s Department, Lee Baca remained so popular that L.A. Weekly started calling him “the Teflon sheriff.” That was before federal investigators started looking into allegations of abuse in the jail system. In March, in a retrial, the former sheriff was convicted of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators.
Charter school backers are victorious
In May, charter school backers won a majority of seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District board in what was the most expensive school election in U.S. history. L.A. already has more charter schools than any other city, but advocates want to see a dramatic increase. And more challenges lie ahead. Ref Rodriguez, a charter backer and LAUSD board member, is facing three felony charges on allegations of campaign money laundering. He stepped down as board president. Meanwhile, Supt. Michelle King is on an extended medical leave.
Constituents turn up the heat at town halls
Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, many voters turned to local town hall meetings to express their frustration — particularly with Republican members of Congress. The events often were marked by protests, rowdy crowds and a touch of political theater. Facing criticism over votes on the Obamacare repeal and tax reform, some GOP members avoided in-person town halls while others publicized their appearances. Activists rallied at “empty chair” town halls without congressional members present.
But Democrats faced contentious town hall meetings too. Sen. Dianne Feinstein fielded tough questions at events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and several people were arrested after protesters interrupted an immigration-focused town hall held by Santa Ana Rep. Lou Correa.
Key climate change tool gets a big boost
California lawmakers approved an extension of the state’s cap-andtrade program in the summer, making it a more permanent fixture of the state’s climate change agenda. Designed as a financial incentive for companies to release fewer greenhouse gases, cap and trade was set to expire in 2020. The new law, which extends the program until at least 2030, found political acceptance when longtime critics in the manufacturing sector came on board after Gov. Jerry Brown made concessions. Brown also spent time in 2017 crisscrossing the globe — from New York to China to Europe and beyond — making the case that not all U.S. leaders were walking away from the issue.
California Democratic Party faces a civil war
A blistering leadership fight in the California Democratic Party unearthed divisions, mirroring a similar struggle at the national level and threatening to undercut California’s role as the nation’s political counterweight to President Trump. In May, delegates elected Eric Bauman, a bullish union organizer and party insider, as the new party chairman. He won a narrow victory over Kimberly Ellis, a progressive Bay Area Democrat who tapped into a wellspring of disaffected backers of 2016 presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders. Ellis accused party “establishment hacks” of skewing the election in Bauman’s favor, but her challenge was rejected by the party in August after a months-long appeal.
San Diego’s hepatitis outbreak spreads
America’s worst hepatitis outbreak in years hit San Diego in late summer and later spread to other California cities, traveling through the most vulnerable population — the homeless. Experts said filthy street conditions contributed to the outbreak, prompting San Diego to launch a massive public health campaign that included the addition of portable restrooms and steam-cleaning sidewalks.
The L.A. County rail boom continues
Los Angeles County’s rail boom shifted into overdrive — with construction on the long-promised Wilshire Boulevard subway, as well as a light-rail line along Crenshaw Boulevard that will eventually connect to Los Angeles International Airport. Metro’s Expo Line to Santa Monica has proved to be a huge hit with riders, though the numbers for the transit system overall are still sobering. All that construction downtown? That’s for yet another new, connecting subway system snaking its way through the city center.
Free speech on campus
The University of California, where the free-speech movement started and students now argue over how far unrestricted expression should go, announced plans in October to launch a national center to study 1st Amendment issues and step up education about them. Many of this year’s student protests took place at UC Berkeley, but in November, eight people protesting an appearance by conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos were detained at Cal State Fullerton.
Northern California shootings
For 45 minutes, a gunman stormed through the Rancho Tehama Reserve in the northern Sacramento Valley, killing at least four people. Authorities were investigating seven crime scenes, one of them an elementary school where, after hearing gun shots, teachers and staff rushed children into classrooms. When the gunman arrived, officials say, he opened fire, wounding two students, but could not enter the buildings and moved on to other targets. Police would later fatally shoot him.
Gas tax goes up, and GOP vows to fight
One of the most contentious issues in the Legislature this year was the adoption of gas tax and vehicle fee increases to raise more than $52 billion for improvements to the state’s roads, bridges and mass transit over 10 years. The action spawned two petition drives by Republicans to qualify 2018 ballot measures to repeal the measure. It also has fueled an effort to recall a Democratic state lawmaker who voted for the tax increase. The law took effect Nov. 1, when the state gas tax increased by 12 cents per gallon to 41.7 cents. The excise tax on diesel fuel increased by 20 cents, to 36 cents per gallon.
An effort to help ease housing crisis
After years of soaring rents and home prices, Gov. Jerry Brown and California lawmakers agreed in 2017 to pass the most significant package of housing legislation in recent memory. The laws taking effect Jan. 1 could add billions of dollars to subsidize new housing for low-income residents, make it easier for developers to build and, for the first time in 50 years, provide a substantive penalty to cities and counties where home construction fails to meet state planning goals. Nonetheless, estimates show that new construction will still lag by tens of thousands of homes needed just to keep pace with projected population growth.
The state drought is over — for now
California’s five-year drought ended with a bang. The wettest year on record caused flooding, and Sierra snow kept ski resorts in business through the summer. But many of the problems that the drought highlighted remain, prompting debate about the massive delta tunnel plan, groundwater problems in the Central Valley and whether the state can live within its ecological means.
Leaders work to protect people in the U.S. illegally
President Trump’s harsh words and promises of a crackdown on those in the U.S. illegally have sparked fears in L.A.’s large immigrant communities. In Sacramento, Democrats introduced bills specifically to counter the president’s agenda. The centerpiece of the legislation was a sweeping expansion of efforts to limit state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the so-called sanctuary state measure into law on Oct. 5.