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LA Podcast

LA Podcast is a news and politics podcast for people who live in Los Angeles.We cover the news, policies, and major issues facing Los Angeles, a city which is both staggeringly complex and culturally oversimplified.
Regular hosts include Alissa Walker and Mike Bonin, alongside a variety of amazing co-hosts like Scott Frazier, Godfrey Plata, Loraine Lundquist, Marco Santana, Carla Hall, Memo Torres, Olga Lexell, Oscar Zarate, Sammy Roth, and many more.

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26 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr
English

Episodes 26

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#323
Monday · 1 hr 5 min
LAHSA Cause
Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Matthew Reagan of The LA Local dive into accountability, litigation, and federal assistance in Boyle Heights after the Lineage fire. LAHSA as we know it is over. And on the same day as a safe streets rally, five Angelenos are killed when a driver crashes an SUV into a Metro bus, then a news helicopter covering the crash also crashes. Only in LA? LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover ou
#322
September 14 · 59 min
Handle with Childcare
Mike, Memo, and guest co-host Faizah Malik look back on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and its legacies, including the Department of Homeland Security, which recently decided they will not (yet) revoke Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans. Then: childcare in Los Angeles is becoming more difficult and more expensive to find— but maybe a billionaire tax could help? LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by Election Day to cover the show’s
#321
September 7 · 58 min
Don't Hate the Leia, Hate the Game
Scott, Alissa, and Sophie attempt to understand the Lucas Museum’s decade-long arrival in Expo Park and what “narrative art” actually means. Does this mean the La La Land optimism of 2016 LA is back? MacArthur Park hosts a picnic — and potentially a new fence? And more major endorsements in the mayoral race. LA Podcast is only possible thanks to our paid subscribers. Our goal is 100 new subscribers by election day (November 3rd!) to cover our show’s costs and keep producing weekly episodes. Si
#320
August 31 · 1 hr 7 min
Humid Beings
Alissa, Mike, and Olga discover that extreme humidity pairs nicely with our already-crumbling infrastructure. Luckily, social media is the key to fixing potholes! Controller Kenneth Mejia tries to demystify LA28’s finances. And will DSA-LA make an LA mayoral endorsement — and does it matter?
#319
August 24 · 1 hr 4 min
SOHA Me God
Mike, Godfrey, and Olga dissect the heated mayoral debate at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association. Will LA see a Paramount Skydance Warner Brothers lot? Uber and Lyft drivers won the right to organize, making labor history. Then: you can file to run for LA County CEO starting next month, but what does this job actually entail?
#318
August 17 · 57 min
LA(Needs More)USD
Alissa, Godfrey, and Loraine go deep on LAUSD’s many changes and challenges as this new school year begins. LA’s City Council is set to make big shifts on how to address homelessness, but the hardest part might be getting everyone to agree. And what will actually get Angelenos out of their cars?
#317
August 10 · 57 min
Don’t Spray It’s Over
Alissa, Mike, and Marco say a requiem for the Graffiti Towers. Nithya Raman receives endorsements from some big players, including Kenneth Mejia’s corgis. In the wake of the Lineage environmental disaster, which still reeks, LA’s City Council votes for more environmental disasters. And who will be LA County’s first elected CEO?
#316
August 3 · 57 min
Another One Rides the Bus
Scott, Mike, and Olga convene a transportation sickos roundtable to discuss Metro’s State of the Agency, how the system fared during the World Cup, and big changes to the board’s structure. Will the LAX people mover ever open — and will anyone actually call it SkyLink? Then: Karen Bass’s sudden pivot on the Lineage disaster in a mayorship that has been defined by disasters.
#315
July 27 · 58 min
Wet Hot LA Summer
Mike, Godfrey, and guest co-host Carla Hall discuss the Sunset Boulevard sinkhole in West Hollywood. Then, the results of the 2026 homeless count are in. And Mayor Karen Bass’s informal advisor steps back.
#314
July 20 · 1 hr
All's Smell That Ends Smell
Alissa, Oscar, and guest co-host Rudy Espinoza discuss accelerating immigration enforcement activity in LA as ICE murders three people in one week nationwide. Then, how an unbearable stench, rats, flies, and extreme heat are impacting the Lineage fire aftermath. And as the 39-day tournament ends, reflections on what LA got wrong and right with the World Cup.
#313
July 13 · 56 min
Town Hall Your Fault
Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Adam Conover take a look at the ongoing repercussions from the Lineage Logistics fire, an explosive town hall in Boyle Heights, and how the thawing cold storage warehouse has snowballed into a political nightmare. Then, what’s changed in Karen Bass’s mayoral campaign. And some bad (and also some good?) LAPD updates.
#312
July 6 · 59 min
Mistrial By Fire
Alissa, Godfrey, and Kate examine why the Palisades arson case ended in a mistrial, and how the feds biffed the prosecution. What you won’t see on the November ballot after LA City Council charter reforms go down in flames. Then, LA finally has a city service agreement with LA28, but human rights advocates are sounding alarms.
#311
June 29 · 1 hr
On Top of Cold Smoky
Alissa, Godfrey, and Loraine examine the public health impacts of the Lineage warehouse fire that burned in Boyle Heights for a week. LA’s council votes to end oil extraction (for the second time). LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho resigns amid a federal investigation into an AI chatbot deal as the board dramatically reduces screen time for students. And yet another ULA backroom deal turns into a win for Howard Jarvis.
#310
June 22 · 56 min
What's Cup With You?
Scott, Alissa, and Mike look back at the first week of the World Cup as LA hosts its first of many major events. SoFi’s stadium workers won an unprecedented labor contract and a huge fire in Boyle Heights continues to burn. Then: what charter reforms are going to the ballot, and what decisions — like council expansion — are being punted back for more “study.”
#309
June 15 · 56 min
Bass Tacks
Mike, Godfrey, and guest co-host Jasmyne Cannick discuss the promise and perils of the LA mayoral runoff between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. Plus, the fake controversy over California’s ballot counting process, and LA’s City Council is poised to ditch years of effort to reform the city’s charter.
#308
June 8 · 1 hr 14 min
Prattfall
Alissa, Mike, and guest co-host Marco Santana recap the election results from a wild primary season. Who are the winners and losers? How did progressive incumbents and challengers fare? And the mayoral race numbers seem to show that Angelenos will never have to think about Spencer Pratt again.
#307
June 1 · 1 hr 1 min
Poll Yourselves Together
Mike, David, and Liz weigh the progressive divide in the last days of the mayor’s race, the latest polls which show a Karen Bass-Nithya Raman-Spencer Pratt dead heat, and the AI-assisted rise of Pratt. Plus, some reforms are on the way for Measure ULA and voters are being asked to tax themselves with Measure ER to stop catastrophic cuts to the County's healthcare system.
#306
May 25 · 1 hr 2 min
Ring of Fires
Alissa, Godfrey, and guest co-host Loraine Lundquist track local wildfires, an oil spill, and a leaking tank of methyl methacrylate in Garden Grove. LA Mayor Karen Bass fires her heat officer and other climate champions flee the administration. Then: LA’s Capital Infrastructure Program has finally been launched! How it would transform the city budget process, which just concluded.
#305
May 18 · 59 min
The Great Debain’t
Scott, Alissa, and Mike recount yet another attempt by LA’s City Council to undermine the Olympic Wage and why a corresponding ballot measure to repeal the city’s business tax is like playing Russian Roulette. Then, new LA mayoral race polls show Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt in a tight race for second place, and what Mike would have asked in the final, now-cancelled debate. And: was the former mayor of Arcadia a spy for the People’s Republic of China?
#304
May 11 · 1 hr 2 min
To D Continued
Metro’s D line extension is finally open! Alissa, Mike, Godfrey, and David discuss the many ways a longer Wilshire subway can be a game-changer for LA. Then: more dark and dirty money is flooding into local races as ballots hit mailboxes. Plus, a recap of recent mayoral debates — and why you won’t see Mayor Karen Bass on the debate stage anymore.

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