Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Hollywood Prepares for Republican Invasion This Week

republican-woman-2012.jpg
A Mitt Romney supporter shows her patriotic spirit in April 2012. Let's see what kind of spirit the RNC Spring Meeting brings to L.A. April 10-13, 2013. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

The Republicans are coming to Los Angeles in full force, for their four-day annual Spring Meeting, and they're going to be hanging out in what may seem like unlikely turf: Hollywood.

The RNC Spring Meeting is being held April 10 through 13 at Loews Hollywood, and while today the headlines are about what is on the table for discussion that could significantly change the fate of how the party operates, another matter for Angelenos is wondering how the heck this meeting landed in a pretty blue city in a pretty blue state.

Okay, but first, the serious stuff. The RNC will be talking about how they do things in their party, and could institute some radical changes, as explained by the Washington Times:

At issue are several changes to the rules, all of which have the effect of reducing the influence of state parties and grassroots party members as voters and convention delegates in determining party policies and the selection of the presidential candidate.
Support for LAist comes from

Many of these "rules" stemmed from the Romney campaign during the 2012 election season, and now there's a major shift to undo what changed back then.So clearly the GOP has their hands full and will likely spend their days huddled in hotel conference rooms, talking policy (and surely some smack about Dems) over plates of lukewarm chicken breasts, which means they may not be overly concerned about drinking in the cultural offerings of our wonderfully diverse—maybe too diverse?—city.

The GOP "couldn't have picked a more hostile place," to have their Spring Meeting, points out the LA Weekly. Consider that the party's bucks are going to be adding to our local economy that thrives on the liberalism of "Hollywood" the biz and a whole lot of stuff that make many Republicans a little uncomfy. The Weekly continues:

After all this is the medical marijuana capital of the nation, the home of the angry immigrants' rights protester, the American epicenter of powerful City Hall unions, a gay rights beacon and the place where porn is made -- all things Republicans seem to hate.

The Pensito Review riffs on the same story, noting that the location of the meeting ("Behind Enemy Lines") is something worth putting in "the WTF file."

Now, that's not to say Republicans don't know how to party when they're in L.A. Remember that one time the RNC got billed for an outing to WeHo's Voyeur Club, where party-members turned party-goers spent $2K watching near-nude women dangle from the ceiling and simulate oral sex on each other. And RNC's high-ups have been known to really enjoy living it up in L.A., like former Chairman Michael Steele, who racked up some craaaaaazy bills a couple of years back from a trip out to the sinful City of Angels.

So maybe it's a little less WTF and a little more why the eff not that brings the Repubs to Hollywood. But just in case you're going to be in or around Loews from Wednesday through the weekend, you may notice an influx of pale old guys with fat wallets looking for trouble.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist