Frank Stoltze
I came to L.A. as a very young reporter on New Year’s Day, 1991. Two months later, four LAPD officers were caught on videotape beating Rodney King. A year later, the night before the riots/rebellion broke out, I was in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts at an extraordinary rally of rival gangs that had brokered a truce.
Today, I cover Civics and Democracy in L.A. As we face perhaps the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War, I seek to engage with communities and examine the hurdles to becoming involved in the political process. I cover the various social and political movements seeking to improve the lives of Angelenos. I also cover anti-democratic forces.
And after all these years, I still need to figure out the best donut shop in L.A. The best torta. The best (not fanciest) coffee. Best of all I get to meet the smartest, most interesting people and bring their voices to you.
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The two candidates in the special election for the Los Angeles City Council District 6 seat differ little on policy but offer distinctly different resumés in their quest to replace former Councilmember Nury Martinez. -
We spoke with about two dozen Democrats at the convention; many agonized over the question of whether Feinstein should step down.
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Judge Lawrence Riff seemed to agree that requiring cash bail from jailed people who have not been arraigned discriminates against poor people.
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Edward Bronstein died in March 2020 while officers were forcibly taking a blood sample after his detention.
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The death comes amid a crisis inside L.A. County's two juvenile halls, which the state has threatened to shut down amid problems including overdoses and violence.
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The departure of the interim chief comes less than two months after the Board of Supervisors fired Chief Probation Officer Adolfo Gonzalez amid mounting problems, including violence inside juvenile halls.
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Riordan died earlier this month at the age of 92. A memorial Mass started at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. and is being live-streamed.
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The mayor wants to significantly increase the number of cadets at the LAPD academy. The police chief says that would be a challenge.
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Bass says she wants to improve how the councils operate. Council members want more details.
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The LAPD assigned as many as 95 officers to handle protests over the release of a secret audio recording of councilmembers making racist remarks.
