What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin

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.

Episodes

August 6, 2025 39 mins

Wallis Annenberg was a titan in the world of philanthropy. An heir to the Anneneberg family fortune, she served as chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation since 2009, giving away more than $3 billion in charitable grants to a variety of causes, including the arts, wildlife, seniors, and inner-city youth. But the obituaries celebrating her life and lauding her achievements failed to mention that she was well-known in LA’s...

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Is Los Angeles broken? And what will it take to fix it? We discuss that with Rick Cole on this episode of WNLA.

Cole knows local government. He was elected to the Pasadena City Council in 1983, and served for 12 years, including two as Mayor. He served as City Manager of Azusa, Ventura and Santa Monica. He has served several times for the City of Los Angeles, as senior deputy to Councilmember Richard Alatorre, as deputy mayor for Bu...

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In this new age of repression, are you a dissident? What does that mean? What does it require? And how dangerous is it? In this episode, we talk with Ami Fields-Meyer, co-author of “So You Want to Be A Dissident?” in the New Yorker.

Ami also recently hosted a conversation titled “Concentration Camps and the Machinery of Repression: Lessons for Saving Democracy” with Julia Pitzer and Erica Chenoweth. You can watch it here: https://ww...

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June 10, 2025 39 mins

June is LGBTQ Pride Month.  It is time when those of us in the queer community celebrate who we are. It is a time of joy and empowerment. And a time for reflection – of thinking about how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve gone back again,

It is also a time to celebrate our heroes. That is why, in this episode, I speak with Lu Lipmen, a non-binary 13 year-old who is fighting back against the wave of anti-trans hate. They discuss how ...

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Vulnerable Californians are in the crosshairs. That’s one of the big takeaways from Governor Newsom’s latest budget proposal -- the May Revise.Last week on this podcast, we focused on the proposal’s impact on transportation, housing and climate. Today we’re looking at its impact on vulnerable and low income Californians, and the news is pretty ugly.

Among those likely to suffer if the Legislature doesn’t make changes are low income ...

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Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled his latest budget proposal. What does it mean for mass transit, for housing, and for the fight to save the climate? We will get into with Eli Lipmen, executive director of MOVE LA.

Transit Advocates Warn of Fiscal Crisis After Newsom Passes on Emergency Funding: https://www.kqed.org/news/12040042/transit-advocates-warn-fiscal-crisis-after-newsom-passes-on-emergency-funding#:~:text=Newsom%20include%...

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In the face of an onslaught of attacks on civil rights and civil liberties and social justice programs, are you feeling demoralized, or helpless, or isolated?

If so, you are not alone.  In this episode, we talk with Rudy Espinoza, executive director of Inclusive Action for the City, about his personal and political search for the courage to stand up, and about the strength he finds in solidarity.

LINKS

Inclusive Action for the City

Rud...

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Last weekend, a crowd 36,000 strong flocked to downtown Los Angeles, filling Gloria Molina Grand Park, surrounding Los Angeles City Hall, and stretching a half mile down Spring Street. 

From all around Southern California they came to hear and to cheer Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and to amplify the message that America needs a government that fights for its people, and not its billionaires.

This stop on the Fighting ...

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April 8, 2025 60 mins

Los Angeles County is creating its own Department of Homeless Services – and pulling hundreds of people and hundreds of millions of dollars out of LAHSA – the joint city-county homelessness services agency.

Is it a big and long overdue step to maximize taxpayer investments in solving homelessness? Or is it a rushed and divisive move that threatens recent progress in bringing our unhoused neighbors indoors?

We’ll discuss that with Los...

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Did you know that as a resident of Los Angeles, you have an attorney? The City Attorney is elected to represent and fight for the people of Los Angeles and to serve as the City’s lawyer. Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy recently announced her campaign for Los Angeles City Attorney, campaigning to protect workers from wage theft, renters from illegal evictions, and consumers from fraud. 

Marissa is running against our current City...

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Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez has been at the forefront of some of the biggest political battles of the past two years. From winning an Olympic wage for tourism workers, fighting for the rights of street vendors, and championing renter protections, he has been a warrior for the working class.  I talk with him on this episode of WNLA.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partners...

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On the eve of her retirement after six decades of public service, Jackie Goldberg reflects on the history she made as an organizer and an elected official, and offers insights an advice to a new generation of activists. 

Goldberg is ending a career that stints on the Los Angeles school board, the Los Angeles City Council and the California State Assembly. She has been a trailblazing LGBT official and a key progressive lead...

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In this powerful episode, we dive deep into the critical issue of racially biased traffic enforcement in Los Angeles, often referred to as "Driving While Black." Our discussion focuses on the systemic challenges faced by drivers of color, who are disproportionately targeted and affected by traffic stops in the city.

Joining us are two esteemed experts in the field: Chauncee Smith of Catalyst California, and Leslie Cooper J...

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November 13, 2024 31 mins

In this episode of "What's Next Los Angeles," Mike talks with Assemblymember Isaac Bryan about recent election results and their impact on the progressive movement. Despite progressives facing some big defeats, Assemblymember Bryan sees signs of hope and expresses his unwavering determination to organize and continue the fight for change.

Join us as Assemblymember Bryan reflects on the challenges and opportunities ahe...

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November 3, 2024 60 mins

You’ve heard about a new wave of progressives who have won office in the City of Los Angeles, but do you know about the incredible leaders in cities all around LA County? You will after listening to this episode of WNLA. I talk with Santa Monica Councilmember Caroline Torosis and Cudahy Vice Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar about progressive elected officials and candidates in Baldwin Park, Bell Gardens, Burbank, Culver City, Cudahy, Long ...

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November 1, 2024 17 mins

Should California raise its minimum wage? That's the question posed by Proposition 32 on the state ballot. I speak with Saru Jayaraman of One Fair Wage on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

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October 31, 2024 26 mins

For California voters, gay marriage is on the line in this election. 

How is that possible? I will discuss why you should vote YES on Proposition 3, with my guest, Assemblymember Rick Zbur, former head of Equality California, the largest statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the country.

00:12





this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles.

What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, i...

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October 29, 2024 63 mins

District Attorney George Gascon is one of the most controversial candidates on your ballot. I talk with him about his record, his thoughts on crime and punishment, what it means to be a progressive prosecutor, and about the Menendez Brothers case, on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles.


Netflix episodes about Franky Carrillo: https://www.netflix.com/title/80214563 (episodes 4 and 5)


LA FORWARD ...

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October 28, 2024 61 mins

Ysabel Jurado is shaking up Los Angeles politics.  A progressive candidate rooted in service to her community, she is taking on an establishment that is fighting back hard and ugly. But she remains joyful and optimistic. Today I talk  – and play a game of "Name That Tune" – with Ysabel Jurado – on What's Next, Los Angeles.

Mike’s CD14 Soundtrack
What About US - Pink
The Rent is Too Damn High - Jimmy McMillan ...

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October 27, 2024 25 mins

One hundred sixty years after the abolition of slavery, California voters will decide whether to ban forced labor in the Golden State. That's what Proposition 6 on the state ballot is all about. And that's the topic on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles.

https://voteyesprop6.com/

https://voteyesoncaprop6.com/

CalMatters on Prop 6 

Ballotpedia on Prop 6

CA Legislative...

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