In 2017, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore was found dead of a meth overdose in the West Hollywood home of Democratic donor Ed Buck. Buck, was 63 and White, a longtime political donor, a one-time West Hollywood City Council candidate and a well-known figure in LGBTQ political circles. Moore was Black and gay and had worked as an escort.
A bill that would expand CEQA exemptions for certain supportive housing projects crossed a significant hurdle in the California Senate this week, earning unanimous support in the Environmental Quality Committee. AB 1197, authored by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), would ensure that state and local funding to build temporary and supportive housing projects can be spent more quickly and efficiently in the city of LA.
Election Jan. 12 in Boyle Heights
Assembly Bill 1862, jointly authored by Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago, David Chiu, and Kevin McCarty, was introduced last week to take an important step towards guaranteeing a completely free community college experience for California students. The measure comes directly on the heels of the implementation of 2017’s Assembly Bill 19 (jointly authored by the same legislators) which made the first year of community college free for all first-time, full-time students. That first round of students will begin classes at schools across California in the coming weeks.