Working families are the backbone of Los Angeles, yet they are struggling to get by. Our city is the nation’s wage theft capital, with $2.5 billion stolen from workers every year. With the rise of the gig economy, workers are misclassified as independent contractors so that companies can avoid paying them minimum wage and providing benefits. Companies are using increased automation to evade regulations and eliminate jobs. Too many workers suffer unsafe, substandard, or hostile working conditions. All of this is unconscionable. But only 1% of the attorneys in the City Attorney’s Office’s are assigned to protecting workers’ rights. So violators don’t face the consequences, and workers continue to get screwed. These are legal violations. So what can we do about it? As City Attorney, I will increase efforts to protect workers’ rights. The City Attorney’s Office should be vigorously fighting wage theft, misclassification, and unsafe working conditions—particularly in the industries where workers are most vulnerable. I know how to do this work because I’ve done it before: when I was at the City Attorney’s Office, I fought against companies running an illegal business model to get around providing fair wages and benefits to 500 port truck drivers and against car wash companies failing to pay its workers minimum wage. We put thousands of dollars back in workers’ pockets. LA deserves a City Attorney who stands with and fights for working people. Read our full policy paper here.(https://e1b0c23e-d2c3-4d91-a3c9-f0584cee0195.usrfiles.com/ugd/e1b0c2_0918212e0ff24d7f9c7831a36ebd0a07.pdf)

The majority of Angelenos are renters — including me. As rents continue to rise, many tenants face harassment by their landlords or uninhabitable conditions that their landlords refuse to address. Over the past 2 years, tenants have filed 13,000 complaints of tenant harassment with the City, but only 4 fines have been issued. These are legal violations. So what can we do about it? As City Attorney, I will start a Tenants’ Rights Team, dedicated to fighting abusive landlords who are evicting tenants under false premises, scamming people out of their security deposits, refusing to repair uninhabitable conditions, and harassing tenants. I know how to do this work because that’s what I do right now at the California Department of Justice, as part of the award-winning tenants’ rights team that goes after corporate landlords violating state housing laws. Angelenos deserve a City Attorney who understands the challenges renters face and will fight for them. Read our full policy paper here. (https://e1b0c23e-d2c3-4d91-a3c9-f0584cee0195.usrfiles.com/ugd/e1b0c2_ea77dfcf821341fab80c76d313d526d6.pdf) (https://e1b0c23e-d2c3-4d91-a3c9-f0584cee0195.usrfiles.com/ugd/e1b0c2_ea77dfcf821341fab80c76d313d526d6.pdf)

Los Angeles is on the front lines of the climate crisis. Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and toxic air pollution have become features of daily life in our city. Meanwhile, unscrupulous corporations have spent decades lying to the public about their role in fueling climate change, greenwashing their products, and dumping pollutants into our neighborhoods, our water, and our air. Angelenos pay the price for this misconduct with their health, their homes, and even their lives. These are legal violations. So what can we do about it? As City Attorney, I will file lawsuits against the corporate polluters that fuel climate change, dump toxic chemicals, and lie to the public about their products’ environmental impact. Money that the city recovers in restitution payments will go into greening our communities to repair the damage that’s been done and help Angelenos thrive. I know how to do this work because this is what I’ve helped other California cities do. I’ve helped hold big oil companies accountable for misleading the public about fossil fuels’ impact on climate. LA deserves a City Attorney who takes the climate crisis, clean air, and clean water head-on.

We all know what it means to get ripped off. From hidden “junk fees” to predatory lenders to scams that target seniors, immigrants, and low-income communities, these schemes can result in consequences ranging from the frustrating and inconvenient to the devastating, draining savings and wreaking financial ruin. And yet these rip-offs continue unabated, as we see with every fraudulent text message, phone call, and email that crosses our path every day. These are legal violations. So what can we do about it? As City Attorney, I will make consumer protection a core mission of the Office. I will use California’s powerful Unfair Competition Law to go after predatory lenders, junk fee peddlers, exploitative debt collectors, and other scam artists that target vulnerable communities. I will also establish a consumer dispute resolution program that helps residents recover their money quickly and expand proactive consumer education so that people know how to spot scams before it’s too late. I know how to do this work because it’s what I do every day in the Consumer Protection Section of the California Department of Justice. Angelenos deserve a City Attorney who will protect consumers and put fraudsters on notice. Read our full policy paper here.(https://e1b0c23e-d2c3-4d91-a3c9-f0584cee0195.usrfiles.com/ugd/e1b0c2_6889aa50c2d64694a9b32d6fc096efd4.pdf)

The Trump Administration is targeting Angelenos — raiding communities, tearing families apart, kidnapping people off the street, and violating law and due process at every turn. Federalizing the national guard and deploying the military to Los Angeles undermines our democracy. We are witnessing fascism in action, on our own streets. These are constitutional violations. So what can we do about it? As City Attorney, I will be on the front lines of the legal fight against the Trump Administration, bringing our fight directly into court ourselves rather than hiding behind other parties’ lawsuits, like the incumbent. And I will ensure that the City Attorney’s Office is actively providing information and resources to the community so that they know their rights and know how they can defend them. I know how to do this work because this is the work I did as outside counsel for LA County during the Trump’s first term, when we beat Trump as part of more than a dozen legal actions to protect sanctuary cities, defend students and DACA recipients, and fight the inhumane treatment of immigrants seeking asylum. Los Angeles is the heart of the resistance, and we deserve a City Attorney who is leading the fight against Trump in the courts.

Los Angeles is locked in a persistent, ongoing housing and homelessness crisis. Study after study has shown that homelessness is, at its core, a housing problem, driven by skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages, and a severe housing shortage, particularly affordable housing. Thousands of families have been sucked into the eviction-to-homelessness pipeline,forced out of their homes by rising rents, harassment, or wrongful evictions, leaving them nowhere to go but the streets. Once on the streets, our unhoused neighbors are swept from street corner to street corner, becoming further displaced and disconnected from the resources they need to get back into housing and stabilize their lives. Until we keep tenants housed, dramatically increase the supply of affordable homes, and address the root causes of homelessness, the crisis will only deepen. But right now, the incumbent is blocking the construction of approved affordable housing projects — costing the city millions in legal expenses — and trying to derail the City’s Stay Housed LA program, which connects low-income tenants with education on their rights as tenants and pro bono legal assistance. In this crisis, our vulnerable neighbors need the full protection of the law on their side. So how can we do better? As City Attorney, I will focus the Office on solutions, not obstruction. I will start a tenants’ rights team to focus on large-scale litigation while ensuring that Stay Housed LA can continue to provide vital support to individual tenants and their families. For housing projects approved by Council, I will ensure that the City Attorney’s Office devotes its efforts to getting that housing built promptly so that more Angelenos have safe, dignified homes. And I will provide the City with counsel to ensure that we are helping people get the services and housing they need while protecting their constitutional rights. Los Angeles deserves a City Attorney who will join the fight to ensure that every Angeleno is safely housed.

We all want safe communities, where people have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive, where children can learn and grow, and where everyone feels welcome and secure. But too often, our approach to public safety doesn’t actually keep us safe. Most misdemeanor offenses are non-violent and stem from poverty, mental health, or substance addiction. When the City fails to address these root causes and instead cycles offenders in and out of jail or imposes fines they cannot afford, it sets people up for failure, making their problems worse. Instead of preventing harm, this system separates people from their families and community, saddles them with permanent criminal records, and makes it harder for them to find and keep housing or work. In short, the City Attorney’s approach sets people up for failure, which can put them on the path to re-offend. Breaking the cycle of criminalization requires us to offer solutions that can address underlying problems, reduce recidivism, and strengthen community connections. We need to get smart about safety. So how can we do better? As City Attorney, my priority will be working hand-in-hand with communities to address root causes of crime with tailored solutions that reduce recidivism. I will ensure that attorneys work with communities to understand the issues that they face on the ground and problem-solve together. That means leaving behind a one-size-fits-all approach and instead delivering the services and solutions that promote real safety for everyone. In particular, I would grow our diversion programs, where people can be connected to the mental health treatment, addiction services, housing, or vocational training they need to escape a cycle of criminalization. Angelenos deserve a City Attorney who is serious about safety.

The incumbent City Attorney is setting our taxpayer dollars on fire with mismanaged lawsuits. Last year, the City faced a $1 billion budget shortfall—and one-third of that deficit came from liability payouts on cases botched by the current City Attorney. Every large city faces some level of litigation, but our skyrocketing legal costs are not normal. Past City Attorneys exceeded the litigation budget by anywhere from $9 to $38 million. In her first year, the current City Attorney exceeded it by $100 million, in her second by $200 million, and now, in her third year, by nearly $250 million. These runaway costs threaten to force layoffs, furloughs, and cuts to vital city services. If that weren’t bad enough, the incumbent City Attorney is doubling down on waste — not fixing it. That’s because she has outsourced the City’s legal work to expensive private firms that charge outrageously high hourly rates, with worse results. Spending on outside counsel has gone up 450% from past City Attorneys! Just recently, City Council authorized a contract that capped law firm bills at $900,000 for two years, but the incumbent City Attorney ignored that and signed off on spending over four times that amount, $3.9 million, for one month of work. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e1b0c2_b623abf9989145cd95e43e9302fb6f68~mv2.png Angelenos have the right to expect their City Attorney to be a responsible steward for their tax dollars rather than giving out blank checks. So how can we do better? As City Attorney, I will rein in liability costs by ending overreliance on outside counsel and reinvesting in Deputy City Attorneys, who have the expertise to resolve cases at a fraction of the cost. I will implement risk-management and case valuation practices that have proven in other jurisdictions to ensure smarter settlement decisions. And I will ensure that the City Attorney’s Office plays an active role in ensuring compliance to prevent lawsuits before they happen. By acting competently and responsibly, we can pull Los Angeles back from the brink of a fiscal crisis, protect city services, and safeguard the jobs of the workers who keep our city running. Angelenos deserve a City Attorney who protects the City’s finances. -------------------------------------------------------------- 1* From LAist (https://laist.com/news/politics/los-angeles-liability-payments-rise-nearing-fiscal-emergency)