Kraut: Calabasas begins soil testing on LA Landfill site
Calabasa Mayor Peter Kraut wrote in his August 15 Letter to the Community that on Monday, the City collected 20 samples from four different truck loads from the L.A. County Landfill on the city’s northwestern border and sent them to a lab for analysis.
The samples followed the ongoing litigation between the County and the City. The County had been accepting Phase 2 fire debris from the Palisades and Eaton fires, and the City has maintained that the soil from this fire debris should be tested for toxins.
In this litigation, the County argued that any soil sampling and testing should be stayed or paused until after the court rules on the demurrer in early October. The City vigorously fought against the County’s request and emphasized the greater need to immediately commence sampling and testing of the soil, if the County’s claims are accurate.
“After extended discussion on the City’s imminent need to sample and test the soils, and after disagreements over how large our sample sizes would be, the Judge [Lawrence Riff ] granted our sampling protocol plan and denied the County’s request for stay,” Kraut wrote.
Thus, Calabasas was able to get the soil samples for testing.
Schiff & Trump continue trading partisan allegations
U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and the Trump Administration continued their partisan allegations against each other this week, with Schiff accusing the president of political influence and the federal agencies under Trump looking into possible mortgage fraud against Schiff.
Yesterday, Schiff demanded information on the events leading up to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) approval of a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, raising the alarm on potential political influence by the President and demanding that the FCC detail the independent agency’s involvement in discussions of external litigation and programming decisions.
In a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, Schiff outlined a series of concerns, including those related to Paramount’s $16 million settlement to President Trump weeks before the merger’s approval and subsequent meetings the FCC had following the settlement.
“The sequence of actions and statements leading up to and following the FCC’s merger approval, including Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Trump just days before the FCC issued its approval, raises significant questions and alarm that the FCC – an independent regulatory agency – has become a vehicle for President Trump to exact personal retribution and undermine the freedom of the press,” Schiff wrote.
The letter demands details on FCC discussions related to editorial decisions and content oversight that took place in the days prior to the merger approval, citing President Trump’s repeated targeting of CBS News’s 60 Minutes programming and the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert shortly after Colbert criticized the settlement of the President’s frivolous lawsuit.
Schiff has been a guest on Colbert’s partisan Late Show several times.
Meanwhile, a Department of Justice (DOJ investigation is probing a federal mortgage-fraud investigation against Schiff, The investigation alleges that Schiff claimed two homes as primary residences for more than a decade – to score lower mortgage rates and property taxes. Schiff is allegedly paying just 3% on both his Maryland and California homes since refinancing his mortgages in 2020.
A grand jury in Maryland is currently weighing a criminal indictment against the former 12-term congressman.
Durazo defends redistricting legislation
State Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-East Hollywood, East Los Angeles, Highland Park, Los Angeles, Pico Union, South Montebello, Vernon) last week defended Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Election Rigging Response Act as a needed response to partisan gerrymandering in Texas.
“California’s independent redistricting commission is a national gold standard—transparent, nonpartisan, and rooted in democratic values. It reflects our commitment to fair representation and good governance, and it’s a model other states should follow,” said Durazo.
“But while we uphold these principles, extremist politicians elsewhere are abandoning them. In states like Texas, Republican lawmakers are redrawing maps mid-decade—not to reflect population changes, but to cling to power and silence voters. This isn’t democracy. It’s manipulation.
“We cannot allow them to steal seats through gerrymandering while we play by rules they’ve already abandoned. That’s why I support the asking the people of California to authorize this response. When democracy itself is under attack, we must give voters the power to defend it. We must meet fire with fire.
“California’s response is measured, temporary, and directly tied to their actions—if they back down, so will we. But make no mistake: we will not allow democracy to be dismantled on our watch.”
Waters decries Trump’s federalization of DC Police
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lomita) last week accused President Donald Trump of racism for his decision to invoke Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC.
“Trump is continuing to advance his racist agenda against Black folks. He is now using his executive privilege to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC, claiming he’s doing this to reduce crime, even though statistics show crime is at a 30-year low,” said Waters.
“He’s invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. This emergency authority allows the president to take control of the MPD for up to 30 days during a declared emergency. There IS no emergency! If it’s not about crime, then what is it about?
“Trump clearly hates Black people. It shows in his constant attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, his racist assaults on the legacy of John Lewis and his district, and his appalling disparagement of the late Elijah Cummings. He even blamed the devastating Potomac plane crash on “DEI.”
“He has repeatedly targeted Black women, including Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, TheGrio journalist April Ryan, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Vice President Kamala Harris, and me.”
