Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Donate
Podcasts Take Two
State Of Affairs: Obama in LA, Alarcon verdict and more
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Take Two Logo
Jul 24, 2014
Listen • 14:47
State Of Affairs: Obama in LA, Alarcon verdict and more
It's time now for State of Affairs, our weekly look at California politics with Southern California Public Radio political reporters Frank Stoltze and Alice Walton.
US President Barack Obama walks off the Marine One helicopter at Los Altos Hills, California, on July 23, 2014. Obama is in California to attend fundraiser events.
US President Barack Obama walks off the Marine One helicopter at Los Altos Hills, California, on July 23, 2014. Obama is in California to attend fundraiser events.
(
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
)

It's time now for State of Affairs, our weekly look at California politics with Southern California Public Radio political reporters Frank Stoltze and Alice Walton.

It's time now for State of Affairs, our weekly look at California politics with Southern California Public Radio political reporters Frank Stoltze and Alice Walton.

We start with President Obama, who is in Los Angeles raising money. Later today, he travels to L.A. Trade Tech College south of downtown. Why Trade Tech and what is he expected to talk about?

We should note this is the president 19th trip to Southern California — his third in the last three months. As long as we are "doing the numbers," Obama's held 398 fundraisers since taking office, according to CBS News. In contrast, his predecessor President Bush had conducted 218. Why so many fundraisers?  

While we are talking about fundraising, we should talk about the battle over the Citizens United court ruling. The California legislature placed on the November ballot a measure supporting a constitutional convention designed to overturn citizens united. Now there's backlash by a group trying to keep it off the ballot. 

We can't really talk about presidential politics these days without talking about Hillary Clinton, who's also in California this week. The possible 2016 candidate was on KPCC this week sidestepping questions about presidential ambitions and jabbing back at possible Republican presidential hopeful Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who suggested she was a "20th Century candidate."

Clinton has her allies working hard on her behalf in California. What's the extent of the Hillary machine in California?

A longtime figure on L.A.'s political scene was convicted yesterday of living outside the city council district he was supposed to be representing. A jury convicted former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon on four counts. Why is this significant?

There is a battle brewing between Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents nearly ten thousand rank and file cops. The union rejected a contract offer, and now cops are suing for overtime. What's the latest?

Mayor Garcetti takes over as chair of the powerful Metropolitan Transportation Board today. He's chairing his first meeting as we speak. What can we expect out of Garcetti?