elections – Page 3 – J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

You are invited to our first-ever Vote by Mail Party in East Hollywood

February 24, 2024April 24, 2024 J.T.2 Comments

With so much going on in the world, this year’s elections can be quite a slog, specially since following work, bills and groceries to catch up on, few working-class constituents out there can actually manage to research every last candidate and measure asking for our vote. This is where a bit of culture and cuisine can make quite the difference, so come on by to El Pajonal in East Hollywood with your ballot in hand, and bring some friends or family if you can swing it.

We can take a closer look at our ballots then alongside a handful of “Cheat Sheets” on elections for L.A. City, LAUSD, and L.A. County races from Making a Neighborhood, which I’ll also be encouraging folks to subscribe to. I’m not yet sure which voter guides I’ll be referring folks to for state assembly, state senate and congressional races, but I got a feeling we’ll get it taken care of just in time! However, if you’ve got any recommendations, be sure to send them my way.

The team and I will also have 411 info on where voters can find their polling place regardless of where you live in L.A. County. Parking is limited, so either plan to get to the event early or to take L.A. Metro to and fro. The first-of -its-kind gathering is brought to you by yours truly and Quien Es Tu Vecindario, your local 501(c)(3) in Los Angeles.

J.T.

THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYOR OF BURBANK

February 23, 2024April 28, 2024 J.T.Leave a comment

On this installment of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast we speak with Konstantine Anthony, the former mayor of Burbank and a current representative at the Burbank City Council who is now running to replace Kathryn Barger for Los Angeles County District 5. Keep up with Council Member Anthony’s campaign through his IG, and find your Voting Center or Drop Box for Election Day here.

(0:30) Introductions, welcome Council Member Anthony to the podcast!
(1:20) Konstantine Anthony is the former mayor of Burbank who is now running for L.A. County Board of Supervisors Seat 5
(1:48) Among other things, the Supervisors run the County Department of Public Health and the L.A. County Jails, and also act as the governing body for unincorporated parts of Los Angeles
(3:56) L.A. County District 5 is also home to at least 83 unincorporated communities. What’s Burbank’s relation to this structure, for example?
(5:14) Burbank did a lot of work without too much support from the County, actually
(8:06) Let’s hear some more about Council Member Anthony’s time as a mayor for the city of Burbank, especially as the city’s first-ever Democratic Socialist Mayor
(10:53) Governance as a matter of pushing back in both directions
(12:29) Council Member Anthony’s rescinding of his endorsement of Adam Schiff as California’s next Senator
(13:48) The popularity contest
(15:06) Council Member Anthony’s persistent presence on the picket lines
(17:22) To be sure, re: the issue of homelessness and rent insecurity in Burbank…
(20:42) L.A. City Council’s governing power on homelessness
(22:36) How did decriminalizing homelessness in Burbank sit with the Burbank Police Department?
(24:34) The importance of fiscal responsibility on the job, actually
(26:32) Taking on the L.A. County Sheriffs at the Board of Supervisors
(29:02) On L.A. District Attorney George Gascon.
(33:49) On the question of rent burden in Burbank, as well as the housing plan over the next ten years
(37:03) Stronger rental protections in Burbank, as well as the right to counsel for tenants
(38:32) What affordable housing needs to look like going forward, especially for immigrant families
(40:38) On housing versus jobs in County District 5
(44:10) Mixed-use housing with commercial space for jobs
(46:42) Speaking with residents in L.A.’s more expensive and unincorporated cities and getting their buy-in on more housing in their neighborhoods
(48:36) The importance of water conservation for County District 5, or the high desert region(53:07) To be sure, for the voters out there who just learned that there is such a thing as County District 5
(56:20) Thanks a ton again for your time, Council Member Anthony

To make a one-time donation to JIMBO TIMES, please do so through jmbtms.com. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, check out my PATREON.

J.T.

STRAIGHT OUTTA SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

February 9, 2024April 25, 2024 J.T.Leave a comment

On this installment of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast we speak with Jillian Burgos, the treasurer of the North Hollywood Neighborhood Council, which is known to issue more Community Impact Reports than any other Neighborhood Council! Burgos has called Los Angeles home since 2009 and is now running a people-powered campaign to replace Paul Krekorian for L.A. City Council District 2 this March. Learn more about the campaign through her website, and check back soon to find the time-stamps for our convo.

(0:30) Welcome Jillian Burgos! Would you tell us about yourself, and when you first declared your campaign?
(6:27) Let’s talk about Council District 2, and which neighborhoods it includes
(9:16) Let’s also talk about the Neighborhood Council system
(15:38) The NC’s can actually make statements about living conditions, including Renter’s Issues
(17:25) A lot of renters in CD-2 are also actors and writers who were on strike recently 17:32
(23:11) What would Jillian Burgos do regarding illegal Airbnbs in the district?
(26:01) Among other things, coalition-building at L.A. City Hall
(29:30) What would Transit Justice in CD-2 actually look like in 5 – 10 years?
(32:04) With all this said, what really sets Jillian’s campaign apart from the rest of the pack?
(37:42) How folks can volunteer for or otherwise support Jillian’s campaign
(38:43) Volunteering and the importance of matching funds
(40:18) Is Jillian’s campaign the real grassroots campaign in CD-2 to support?
(42:16) Yes, indeed. Now on to canvassing!

You can also catch the latest from yours truly on L.A. County Districts 2, 4, 5 and the District Attorney’s office via Making a Neighborhood; and yes, Los Cuentos has wrapped up with Elections in El Salvador and I’ll have a report back soon! For now, to make a one-time donation to JIMBO TIMES, please do so through jmbtms.com. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, check out my PATREON.

J.T.

JIMBO TIMES returns to El Salvador this January

January 11, 2024January 15, 2024 J.T.Leave a comment

The land where my papá was born was for the longest time a maligned place in the stories told through the land I called home. In fact, exactly six years ago in a discussion regarding the U.S.’s immigration quotas Trump referred to El Salvador, as well as Haiti and other African nations, as “shit-hole countries.”

That same year I visited El Salvador for the first time. I was 27 then, and nothing would stop me from breaking through to this world I’d heard enough about but which I hadn’t seen for myself yet; instead of “The Violent Animals of MS-13,” I saw the volcanic highlands that enclosed the first pupusas ever known to a people and their pueblos, to say nothing of an entirely new family tree. It was also in San Salvador where I tried pupusas de masa de arroz for the first time, which to this day are still my favorite kind to ask of pupuseras in Los Angeles.

I also learned that the hometown had prepared me over a lifetime to find my way “back.” According to the 2022 Census, just under 1.7 million Central-Americans call L.A. home,* but that’s surely an under-count since the community grows daily in L.A. County while also doing its part to make Southern California one of the richest havens of culture in all of North America.

This January, I return to El Salvador for just the second time ever as an Election Observer for presidential elections taking place there. I’ll be part of a small delegation to show enduring commitment to a free and just El Salvador.

I’m now fundraising to pay for the trip! My fundraising goal covers the costs of the airfare, as well as in-country costs including lodging and transportation, and about $100 for miscellaneous expenses (like a few delicious queso duros). In addition to my role as an Observer, I’ll also be documenting the efforts of my delegation leading up to presidential elections on February 4th, including interviews with my fellow delegates and the Salvadoran people to uplift only more of this pueblo for Los Angeles.

As usual, you’ll be able to find all of these cuentos via jimbotimes.com, J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, and on Instagram: @jimbotimes. For any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Trust that I’m going to do my best to make you proud, Los Angeles, and thanks so much on behalf of Los Cuentos!

*An earlier version of this article mistakenly noted the Central-American population in L.A. as being at 836,000 people, when in fact the number is significantly higher.*

J.T.

RENT IS DUE. WHERE IS MY MONEY??

December 29, 2023May 24, 2024 J.T.Leave a comment

In the final episode of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast for 2023, yours truly breaks down the upcoming L.A. City Council and LAUSD Elections. Mail in ballots across California should reach voters as soon as February 5th, 2024, or just thirty-eight days away from the publication date of this recording! To learn more about the candidates, see jmbtms.com.

(1:07) Shout out to the Social Primate Podcast! Where yours truly chatted with Eddie as the final guest of the year
(2:37) The $50,000,000,000,000 gift. From workers in the U.S. to the top 1%, “free of charge”
(7:09) Speaking of numbers, the amount of homelessness in the U.S. broke records this year
(10:04) 7 of the Victorville 8, better known as the Justice 8, are still being held without bail in San Bernardino County!!
(13:10) Call the Victorville D.A.’s office to demand their IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (760) 243-8600
(14:37) Now, let’s talk about the Public Policy Institute of California and some findings recently
(16:12) In California, if all were even-Steven, 6 out of 10 ballots cast in elections would be from communities of color
(18:10) In terms of age within CA, turnout from voters 18 – 54 years old should be 65%. Instead, it’s at 40%.
(22:13) L.A. City Council District 2: Adrian Nazarian vs Sam Kbushyan vs Manuel Gonez
(26:20) L.A. City Council District 4: Nithya Raman vs Ethan Weaver
(30:13) L.A. City Council District 6: Imelda Padilla
(33:11) L.A. City Council District 8: Marqueece Harris-Dawson
(36:14) L.A. City Council District 10: Gracee Yoo vs Heather Hutt vs Reginald Jones-Sawyer
(41:27) L.A. City Council District 12: John Lee
(43:52) L.A. City Council District 14: Miguel Santiago vs Wendy Carrillo vs Kevin De Leon vs Ysabel Jurado
(51:07) LAUSD Board District 1: Dewayne Davis vs Didi Watts
(52:23) LAUSD Board District 3: Dan Chang vs Janie Dam vs Scott Schemerelson
(53:43) LAUSD Board District 5: Fidencio Joel Gallardo vs Graciela Ortiz
(55:57) LAUSD Board District 7: Tanya Ortiz Franklin
(57:14) Stay tuned for numbers on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors Race as well as the District Attorney’s Office!

To make a one-time donation to my fundraiser for the 9th anniversary of JIMBO TIMES, please do so through jmbtms.com. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, please check out my PATREON.

J.T.