All posts tagged: mayors

L.A. Mayor’s race election guide: Challengers take on incumbent Bass

L.A. Mayor’s race election guide: Challengers take on incumbent Bass

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> Bass made homelessness a top priority the moment she took office, declaring a local state of emergency and launching Inside Safe, which has moved thousands of unhoused people off the street and into hotels, motels and other temporary housing. The mayor has credited Inside Safe with a 17.5% drop in “unsheltered” homelessness — those living on the street or in their vehicles — over a two-year span. However, a steadily growing share of the program’s participants is returning to the street. For now, about one out of four is in permanent housing. Bass wants to address the problem by beefing up social services within the program. Still, she has described Inside Safe as a lifeline for L.A.’s unhoused residents, offering toilet facilities, hot showers and rooms with doors that lock. “I will absolutely not go back to the broken systems of the past,” she told reporters last month. Raman, who has been in charge of the council’s housing and homelessness committee since 2023, voted for the mayor’s emergency declaration and signed off on …

Former Olympic hammer thrower emerges as Italian left’s anti-Meloni – POLITICO

Former Olympic hammer thrower emerges as Italian left’s anti-Meloni – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Salis’ most prominent initiatives as mayor have been progressive. Her first act was to register the births of 11 children born to lesbian couples abroad, blocked by her right-wing predecessor. She has opened a municipal office for LGBTQ+ rights and introduced a minimum wage for city contracts. She also backed pro-Palestinian causes. Winning the center But amid talk of a national role, she has increasingly shifted her politics toward the center, with a focus on mainstream issues surrounding health, labor, security and migration. The left, she argued, must focus on “pragmatic, concrete” issues. In a competitive contest on the left, Salis’ limited political experience could count against her, but she argued that she was adaptable. After all, she has taken control of one of Italy’s most important cities “by assembling a competent team and learning day by day, like anyone in a new job.” Experience, she argued, came in different forms. She pointed to the discipline of elite sport and her work within Italy’s Olympic system, where she dealt with ministries, international partners and major …

The House | Government Promises Devolution Reform But Mayors Say ‘Begging Bowl’ Culture Persists

The House | Government Promises Devolution Reform But Mayors Say ‘Begging Bowl’ Culture Persists

Published by Sam Flores

(Tracy Worrall) 9 min read32 min MHCLG and the Treasury are promising more powers to the devolved regions through a series of reforms. But for all the progress, regional mayors remain frustrated at a ‘begging bowl’ culture forced on them by an untrusting Whitehall. Benedict Cooper reports At times, delivering this year’s Mais Lecture, Rachel Reeves sounded more like a fierce critic of government devolution policy than someone involved in delivering it. The Chancellor spoke of the “stifling Whitehall orthodoxies” that have held back the regions; the “local ambition frustrated by central government control”. She attacked the “fiction that a strong economy could be built on the success of just a few places”, and called for a “genuine break with the past” as the only true solution to all of the above. The language of the lecture must have given some relief to the mayors and officials running England’s devolved authorities. It reflected precisely their frustrations at the slow and limited nature of change. The lack of power to raise revenues locally and …

The House | The New Generation of Mayors Trying To Bring Young People Back Into Politics

The House | The New Generation of Mayors Trying To Bring Young People Back Into Politics

Published by Sam Flores

Credit: Princess Bright 11 min read28 min Young people in Britain are often described as disengaged and distrustful of politics. Zoe Crowther speaks to a new generation of civic leaders who believe they can help close that gap Connor Mulhall and Princess Bright are from opposite corners of the country and come from contrasting backgrounds, but they do have one thing in common: both are the youngest-ever ceremonial mayors chosen to represent their town or borough. They hope that if young people in their areas can see someone like them in positions of civic leadership, they are more likely to believe the system works for them. There are around 300 civic mayors across England, alongside more than a dozen directly elected metro mayors. Mulhall and Bright are both far from the traditional image of a ceremonial mayor: usually an older white man in robes, wearing a heavy chain. The House travelled to Wetherby, West Yorkshire, to meet its 27-year-old mayor, Connor Mulhall, who was named Young Councillor of the Year by …

At least 5 killed by gunman in Kyiv shooting

At least 5 killed by gunman in Kyiv shooting

Published by Sam Flores

A gunman opened fire on people in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on Saturday, killing five and wounding several others, Ukrainian authorities said. The gunman was killed by police, the authorities said. “Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko has just reported that the attacker in Kyiv who opened fire on civilians has been eliminated. All the circumstances are being established,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “At present, five people have been confirmed killed,” he said. “Ten people are currently hospitalized with injuries and trauma. All are receiving the necessary assistance.” Zelenskyy said the gunman had taken people hostage in the assault in the Holosiivskyi district of the Ukrainian capital. Four of the hostages were successfully rescued, he said. “We expect a swift investigation. Investigators of the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine are working,” Zelenskyy added. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said municipal authorities had launched a “special operation” to apprehend the assailant, who he said entered a supermarket after the shooting. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the attacker as a 58-year-old native …

In L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent

In L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent

Published by Sam Flores

Mayor Karen Bass has had a lengthy political career, spending six years in the state Legislature, 12 years in Congress and the last three in the top elected office at Los Angeles City Hall. Now, facing the toughest reelection battle of her career, Bass is marketing herself in a way that might surprise some Angelenos: She’s running as a champion of change. And she’s not alone. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who has represented a Hollywood Hills district since 2020, says her last-minute decision to enter the race was fueled by “a sense of urgency that things needed to change.” Three other major candidates, all political newcomers, argue that an outsider is needed to shake up the status quo. “We can no longer keep our city together with duct tape and slurry,” said Rae Huang, a leftist community organizer, at a recent candidate forum on housing and transportation. The race to embrace the mantle of change in the June 2 primary election comes at a moment of political peril for Bass, a veteran Democrat who has …

Under L.A. mayor’s 0-million homeless program, 40% have returned to the street

Under L.A. mayor’s $300-million homeless program, 40% have returned to the street

Published by Sam Flores

It was a risky move and Jonathan Torres knew it, but he did it anyway. He let an out-of-town guest stay with him in his room. Torres, 40, had been living at the Highland Park Motel as part of Inside Safe, Mayor Karen Bass’ flagship program to combat homelessness. He and his neighbors, many of them from a downtown encampment, were told that visitors were not allowed. Jonathan Torres spent about two years in a city-leased motel in Highland Park. He told The Times he was kicked out of the facility in December. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Still, Torres kept having people over. After the third violation, he said, the facility kicked him out. “It’s nobody’s fault but my own, but I just feel it’s unfair,” said Torres, who now lives in a tent in Chinatown. “In the real world, you’re allowed to have people come over. You have visitors. That’s part of keeping your sanity, you know?” About This Story The Times’ reporting on Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program was …

Italian art museum hit by cyberattack – POLITICO

Italian art museum hit by cyberattack – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The museum insisted no passwords or security maps were stolen and that the systems involved were closed-circuit and not accessible from outside, with “no information lost.” The transfer of items to the vaults, including Medici-era treasures, was unrelated to the cyberattack but due to ongoing renovations. The episode quickly turned political. Former Prime Minister and ex-Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi tore into Giorgia Meloni’s government, accusing Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli of failing to protect one of Italy’s most iconic cultural institutions in his home city. “Hackers attack the Uffizi and threaten our cultural heritage. What is Minister Giuli doing?” Renzi wrote on X on Friday. “Has he even noticed, or is he too busy playing the flute … or stirring up controversies?” he added, also questioning the role of Italy’s cybersecurity agency and vowing to demand answers. The attack comes just weeks after three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse were stolen from a museum on the outskirts of the northern region of Parma — a reminder that not even the greats of art are safe. …

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

How Viktor Orbán laid traps to stop his successor from running Hungary – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The constitutional court is a prime example of how Orbán can make life difficult for Magyar, as Fidesz has appointed all of its 15 justices, including a former Fidesz defense minister. The Curia, Hungary’s supreme court, is headed by András Varga, who was appointed by the Fidesz-controlled parliament. Any laws a Magyar government attempts to pass could fall foul of the top courts. “Because of the partiality of the Supreme Court or at least its president, and the constitutional court, this will be a very difficult battle for Tisza,” said Adrienn Laczó, a former judge who resigned in November 2024 in protest over the lack of judicial independence. Additionally, Orbán’s lawmakers in December strengthened the veto power of President Sulyok, who was appointed in 2024 for a five-year term. Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok (center) inspects a military honour guard during a flag-hoisting ceremony in front of the parliament in Budapest, on March 15, 2026. | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images “Orbán has been worst-scenario planning in case he’s defeated,” said Kim Lane Scheppele, a constitutional …