What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city -- and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles, examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future.
Produced in partnership with LA Forward.
What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
The Fed Tapes: How the LA Times Won the Pulitzer
Last October, one the biggest news stories in Los Angeles and around the nation was the release of the Fed Tapes -- revealing an ugly, racist conversation between some of my council colleagues and the head of the labor federation. For me and my family, it was brutal and personally wrenching. For Los Angeles, it was a scandal of epic proportions. It was a window into the ugly souls of of some of the most powerful people in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times assigned dozens of reporters, editors and columnists to cover the story. The staff of the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News for its coverage of the story. In this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles, I talk about the story and how the paper covered it with two members of that award-winning team: Ben Oreskes, one of the reporters who covered the story - in fact the reporter who called me about the tapes and; Steve Clow, one of the editors who directed the coverage.
L.A. council members made racist comments in leaked audio. LAT full coverage
LA Times/Fox 11 Town Hall on the Fed Tapes
Ben Oreskes now covers state and national politics for the Times. You can find out more about him, and how to contact him here.
Steve Clow is assistant managing editor for California projects and innovation at the Los Angeles Times. You can find out more about him, and how to contact him here.