Before and after the votes were tallied for the BREXIT a cacophony of voices sounded lamentation after lamentation as to the consequences of staying in or leaving the European Union (EU). I believe that had Britain stayed, we could have counted on more of the same;  A kind of blind leading the blind into the future. ...

Both the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are considering measures to “deal with homelessness”.  However, none of these measures take into account any of the STRUCTURAL causes of expensive housing or homelessness, and most of these structural causes are the direct result of GOVERNMENTAL POLICY. If you go down and hand ...

Not all Irish minds turn immediately to thoughts of green beer, celtic music, and limericks as March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day nears.  I have always loved the Roman Catholic prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate.  Although religious scholars cast doubt on the prayer being written by St. Patrick, one could certainly be forgiven for believing,  given ...

Immigration and the economy are two of the top three “most important problems” facing the United States, according to a recent Gallup poll. Fortunately, solving them doesn’t require two separate plans. To fix the economy, political leaders must first slow the rate of immigration. Changing economic trends have disadvantaged working class Americans. Automation and offshoring have eliminated ...

I drove by a gasoline station the other day in Pasadena, California, and noticed for the first time in a long time, the price of a gallon of gasoline was under $3.00.  Brent crude is under $50.00.  This brief video portrays why I think this one thing more than anything else will rid us of the ...

On this Labor Day I was trying to put together a blog would encapsulate two things for our readers.  On would be the importance of each person’s labor in America.  And second,  the dire straits many workers find themselves in today.  During my many failed attempts, a scene from Lewis Lapham’s documentary/mocumentary The Ruling Class kept ...

Two weeks ago I discussed in a blog that we here at IFSPP will be focusing a lot of attention on the cyclical nature of the circumstances we find ourselves in as a country.  We can’t peer into the future with a crystal ball.  But, we may find valuable insights by looking into the past. As ...

I had the pleasure of sitting down earlier this week and speaking with Culver City Council Member, Meghan Shahli-Wells.  As Culver City’s immediate past Mayor, Meghan is entering her fourth year as a member of the City Council in Culver City. She has championed initiatives to improve the lives of children in her community, and ...

On Saturday, May 23, 2015 hundreds of Angelenos gathered to stage a rally and march to protest genetically modified foods (GMOs) and inform the public as to how they can harm their health and wellness.   Steve and Kevin visited the rally in order to listen, learn and share what they saw and heard with you. They ...

Steve and Kevin are at it again bringing their thoughts, opinions and reactions to last week’s international, national, state and local headlines. Acts of corruption, malfeasance, ineptitude, skullduggery and arrogance screamed from the headlines the past week. But hey, it’s all grist for the mill here at the Center for Populist Urban Politics as we churn ...

Welcome to another edition of the CFPUP’s Weekly News Wrap Up! Once again we’re providing you our take on issues that  impact you on an international, national, state, and local level. It’s been a busy week newswise and we found ourselves culling and conflating a lot of topics so as to keep it interesting. Our perspectives ...

Welcome to another edition of the Center For Progressive Urban Politics Weekly News Wrap Up (WNWU) for the week ending Friday, April 24, 2015.  This weekend we discuss: The Armenian genocide, More misconduct on the part of the Los Angeles Police Department, and what a local city election tells us about the political environment today. Thanks for watching and don’t forget ...

Here is another installment of our Weekly News Wrap Up (WNWU) for the week ending 04/11/15. We are bringing you the international, national, state and local stories that stood out in our minds. And this week there were some doozies!! Below are some of the topics we will be discussing: – California’s drought – The Iran nuclear treaty – ...

  On February 24th, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, along with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl sponsored a motion to create a task force to help with the implementation of President Obama’s executive order (EO) granting amnesty to illegal immigrants on the county level. Supervisor Solis pulled out all the stops to get her motion approved to ...

  The Center for Populist Urban Politics had the pleasure recently to sit down with actor, Ian Ruskin who is preparing to begin film production of his one-man play entitled “To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine”. In his pursuit to create the most authentic depiction of Thomas Paine possible, Ian has ...

                I The man bent over his guitar, A shearsman of sorts.  The day was green.   They said, “You have a blue guitar, You do not play things as they are.”   The man replied, “Things as they are Are changed upon the blue guitar.”   And they said then.  “But play, you must, A tune beyond us, yet ourselves,   A tune upon the blue guitar Of things ...

https://youtu.be/k6-kues3qGQ Last week the Center for Populist Urban Politics had the good fortune to sit down with Ellen Brown, Author, activist, and luminary on the nation’s banking system and discuss with her the reforms needed to bring our financial system back into the service of not just the 1% but all of the country’s citizens.  There ...

In its continuing search to find citizens who are doing things to improve themselves, their families, communities, cities, states and country, the folks at IFSPP conducted a lengthy interview with Jules Dervaes, the patriarch of the Urban Homestead in Pasadena, California. Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a freeway, the Urban Homestead ...