good morning. Welcome to LA on the Record, our City Hall newsletter. This is Dakota Smith. I'm joined by my colleagues David Zahniser, Rachel Uranga, and Rebecca Ellis to bring you up to speed on what happened last week.

Los Angeles is going off track. The city council is unpopular. The mayor is doing a great job. And most Angelenos aren't very clear about what kind of city they are. heidi feldstein soto Are doing.

These were some of the results citywide vote It was commissioned by a new advocacy group seeking to become more involved in local politics.

Thrive LA, which has received support from business and community leaders, plans to support candidates in the March primary, the board president said. Sam Every. The group has not yet announced formal support.

Yebri told the Times that Thrive leaders are seeing “a huge disparity between what Angelenos want to see happen and what's actually happening in city and county leadership.” He said he was concerned.

In other words, “Thrive is essentially a group of Angelenos who feel the city is heading in the wrong direction and want to work to turn things around.” said Mr. Yebri, a lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for city council in the city.

Other Thrive readers include: brad conroyfounder and president of Conroy Commercial, serves as chief financial officer and member of the board of directors and secretary of the board. noel hyung minorran a property investment and advisory services firm and worked as a planning agent. Eric Garcetti When he was a city councilman.

Mr. Every said the group's major donors include Mr. Conroy and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce PAC. The nonprofit Thrive is a 501(c)(4), meaning it doesn't have to report donations. However, the group says political spending must be made public.

This poll is meant to give Thrive a little buzz.The group also held an event with developers last year rick caruso.

Bass received high praise in the survey, with 59% of respondents appreciating her performance, while 35% said they did not.

Respondents had low satisfaction with Dist. Atty. Georges Gascon. A total of 54% of respondents disapproved of his work, while 26% had a favorable opinion.

Meanwhile, only 29% of people had a favorable view of the Los Angeles City Council. More than half are against it.

The poll of 771 likely voters in the March 5 primary was conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maurin, Metz & Associates. More than 55% of respondents completed the survey online. The rest answered by phone.

According to the survey, 95% of respondents view homelessness as a serious problem, and 89% view housing costs as a serious problem.

Consistent with findings from other polls, 55% said Los Angeles is heading in the wrong direction, while 28% said Los Angeles is heading in the right direction.

It may seem strange that voters would support Bass and her performance while dissatisfied with the current state of the city.pollster Rick Sklarzwho worked on the Thrive investigation, offered his thoughts on amputation.

“They don't see her as the person who put the city in the situation it is in today,” he said.

Respondents were also asked about voting strategies Healthy Street LAThe measure would require city officials to make improvements, such as installing protected bike lanes, when major repairs are made to certain roads and thoroughfares.

After reading the bill's official title and summary, 66% of respondents supported it and 23% opposed it. But support softened after the pollster asked additional questions about the measure.

When asked about City Attorney Feldstein Soto, 60% said they did not know enough to approve or disapprove of her performance, while 18% approved and 23% disapproved.

Thrive, which focuses on homelessness, policing, and quality of life issues, appears to be modeled after political groups that have sprung up in the Bay Area. In some cases, these groups are calling for more housing and increased police enforcement on city streets.

Ebri said he and others are actually studying the San Francisco group. But he rejected suggestions that Thrive is made up of “centrist Democrats.”

State of play

— Unlucky 13: Former Los Angeles City Council member Jose Huizar He was sentenced to 13 years in prison for leading a massive pay-to-play scheme involving downtown developers. The judge's decision came nearly nine years after FBI agents began investigating Huizar's activities at upscale Las Vegas casinos.

– No vacancies: Los Angeles has been suffering from a severe labor shortage for more than a year, with at least one in six positions in the city unfilled. City councils may solve the problem in a counterintuitive way. That means getting rid of many of the vacant seats. why? The impending budget shortfall, fueled largely by new pay increases for LAPD officers and other public employees, is forcing the city to rein in spending.

— The police raise the following: board members Hugo Soto Martinez is blaming the Los Angeles Police Department for its financial woes and calling it fiscally reckless. He said the city needs to seriously consider eliminating the hundreds of vacant officer positions in the Los Angeles Police Department. On Friday, in a move he spearheaded, the City Council asked for a report next week on how many officers the LAPD “realistically” expects to hire by June 30.

— Fighting crime: When you think of the Los Angeles Police Department, you think of buses and the police chief. Michelle Moore announced this week that homicides and shootings in 2023 are down 17% and 10%, respectively, compared to the previous year. Moore noted that these two crime categories are still increasing compared to 2019, the last full year before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

— And now the bad news: Moore said traffic fatalities last year were at an all-time high, with more fatal crashes than homicides. In 2023, a total of 336 people died in crashes, more than half of whom were pedestrians. This is the highest since the city began keeping statistics more than 20 years ago.

— Go, go, gondola?: board members Eunice Hernandez This week, Dodger took a step toward canceling its controversial gondola project. motion He directed city officials to halt all work on the project until a traffic study of Dodger Stadium is completed. Hernandez, whose district includes the ballpark, is an opponent of the project, which is being evaluated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

— Pet protection: The City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants who adopted dogs, cats or other animals during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, even if it violates the terms of their lease. was approved. The 13-0 vote makes tenant protections enacted during the lockdown permanent that were set to expire.

—safety first: Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn He faces a re-election challenge from a former county sheriff. alex villanueva.So it's not surprising her first campaign ad It focuses on first responders such as firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and related topics. Mr. Villanueva, who has portrayed Mr. Hahn as a man soft on crime, said he plans to begin running his own ads next month.

— Thompson at the gig: Former Chief of Staff Bass chris thompson Participating in a lobbying firm Ernie Berghoff and associates. Thompson, who ran the mayor's office during his first 11 months at City Hall, said he will “expand the customer service the company can provide.” Recruitment announcement. The Berghoff firm represents city hall clients such as waste hauler Athens Services and Hotel Assen. of Los Angeles. Ethics rules prohibit Mr. Thompson from lobbying until 12 months after he leaves City Hall.

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor's program to combat homelessness did not begin any activities this week. Instead, Bass focused on the latest homelessness numbers, which span three days starting Tuesday.

• On next week's calendar: City council meeting is held Tuesday The move is aimed at advancing strategies to address issues with the city's troubled new payroll system.