Los Angeles Is Not as High-Minded as Adam Nagourney Thinks

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Adam Nagourney writes a truly remarkable piece today about how Southern California’s strong economy is visible in the construction boom taking place in Los Angeles:

But it can also be seen in a battle that has broken out about the fundamental nature of this distinctively low-lying and spread-out city. The conflict has pitted developers and some government officials against neighborhood organizations and preservationists. It is a debate about height and neighborhood character; the influence of big-money developers on City Hall; and, most of all, what Los Angeles should look like a generation from now.

No it’s not. It’s about traffic. It’s always about traffic. And about brown people moving into places where they aren’t welcome. But traffic is mentioned precisely once, in a throwaway line in the 14th paragraph. Racism isn’t mentioned at all. How can you write an entire article taking all the hand-wringing about “character” at face value without ever digging an inch below the surface to understand some of the less salubrious concerns at work here?

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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