New album, new NoHo studio
Ziggy Marley is back with his first solo album in eight years, a project that includes the first song he's written about his father, Bob Marley.
Marley recorded at Rebel Lion Studio, his newly-built facility in North Hollywood. After more than two decades in L.A. , Marley said the city's concentration of creatives has played a major role in his own growth as an artist. Marley says he's already working on his next album, a children's book and a return to film production of some kind, saying he wants to explore his creativity next in a visual medium.
Reggae star Ziggy Marley has spent decades carrying one of music’s most celebrated legacies. But until now, he had never written a song directly about his father, Bob Marley. Marley was just 12 when his father died of cancer in 1981.
Now 57, Marley says the song instinctually emerged after years of life experience and producing the“He went through some things that was really tough on a human being – and just understanding him in that light is to have a little bit more emotional, deeper connection to his experience,” Marley said in an interview at his studio. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave.
, Los AngelesIts lead single, “Racism Is a Killa,” featuring Big Boi, pairs the heavy topic with an upbeat groove that he hopes will make the song more accessible to young people.
“We just wanna come out straightforward, like I never want to come out tiptoeing,” Marley said. “I want to say something that can catch your ears or catch your thoughts. ”. Marley described the album as a reflection on enduring difficult periods – from the pandemic to the Los Angeles wildfires – without losing sight of optimism.
“Sometimes we get lost in that so much that we don't realize that there is always a bright side,” Marley said.using 432 hertz tuning instead of the standard 440 hertz in most mainstream music. Advocates of 432 hertz believe it produces a warmer, more meditative sound better synced to the natural world. , Norah Jones, The Flaming Lips, as well as a cover of"Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads performed by Jay and about 50 other fire-impacted musicians.
A City Council committee voted Friday to shelve a proposed ballot measure aimed at cutting L.A.
's “mansion tax” nearly in half. Ysabel Jurado, chair of the ad hoc committee on Measure ULA, said it's too early to determine the tax's long-term effects on housing and revenue. The proposal by Councilmembers John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson would have asked voters in November to reduce the ULA transfer tax rate for multifamily and mixed-use properties to somewhere between 2% and 3.5%, down from the current rate of up to 5.5%.to fund affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
The measure taxes real estate sales over about $5 million. Since taking effect in April 2023, ULA has raised just over $1.1 billion from 1,633 real estate transactions, according to the city’sIn its final meeting, the committee instead advanced a narrower pilot program that would reduce the property transfer tax only for newly built affordable housing projects.
The ULA committee dissolves this weekend, but the ballot measure proposal was also referred to the City Council's rules committee, which could decide to take it up in the coming months. A City Council committee voted Friday to shelve a proposed ballot measure aimed at cutting L.A.
's “mansion tax” nearly in half. The ad hoc committee on Measure ULA voted 2-1 to set aside a proposal by Councilmembers John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson that would have asked voters in November to reduce the ULA transfer tax rate for multifamily and mixed-use properties to somewhere between 2% and 3.5%, down from the current rate of up to 5.5%.
However, the ballot measure proposal was also referred to the City Council’s rules, elections, and intergovernmental relations committee, which could still choose to move it forward. Instead, the ad hoc committee advanced a narrower pilot program that would reduce the property transfer tax only for newly built affordable housing projects. The pilot program won't need voter approval in the form of a ballot measure.
Committee Chair Ysabel Jurado, who introduced the substitute language, said she believes the city should avoid a ULA ballot measure because it’s still too early to evaluate the measure’s long-term effects. If the L.A. City Council does not approve reforming the measure, the only decision on the ballot in November may be whether to keep the mansion tax in its current form or end it.to fund affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
The measure taxes real estate sales over about $5 million. Since taking effect in April 2023, ULA has raised just over $1.1 billion from 1,633 real estate transactions, according to the city’s The city projects it will generate about $500 million in the coming fiscal year — about half of what proponents initially promised.
It has funded about 800 new affordable units and helped stabilize thousands of renters facing eviction, according to the housing department.the tax to a slowdown in apartment construction in Los Angeles, but ULA supporters say high interest rates and broader economic conditions are to blame. The City Council's ad hoc committee on Measure ULA was formed earlier this year to study how the measure is working and develop potential reforms.
That work took on more urgency inside L.A. city hall after the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers AssociationJoe Donlin, director of the United to House LA coalition, which campaigned for the original measure, said the City Council committee made the right call by rejecting broader exemptions.
“By not taking up the extreme calls for broad, 15-year waivers that could cost the program about a third of its revenue, the committee acknowledged that ULA is working,” Donlin said in a statement. A separate group of housing developers, union workers and advocacy groups calling itself the “Mend It, Don’t End It” coalition has been urging city hall to make changes to ULA. On Friday, the group said it supports the measure, but believes targeted reforms are still needed.
“Independent research shows that Measure ULA has slowed housing production in Los Angeles at a time when we need more housing, not less,” said Melanie Mendoza, a coalition spokesperson.seven independent studies on ULA’s impact. Three of those studies concluded ULA had suppressed housing production and reduced property tax revenues, while four found no meaningful negative impact. Before ULA took effect, Los Angeles collected about $22 million a month in transfer tax. After that, it dropped to about $13 million.
But city legislative analyst Henry Flatt told the committee a similar decline happened in cities without the tax, including Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena and Santa Clarita.
“We are not currently convinced that Measure ULA has had an extremely negative impact on general fund revenues,” Flatt told the committee. The county assessor's office read the same period differently. Scott Thornberry, an assistant assessor with L.A. County, told the committee that commercial and industrial property sales are falling in the city but not elsewhere in the county.
“We are seeing, we believe, a trend line of impact to property tax revenue growth in the city of L.A. specifically," Thornberry said. Instead of the ballot measure, the committee voted to develop a five-year pilot program cutting the ULA tax to 1.5% for newly constructed affordable housing projects that meet specific requirements. Lee, whose ballot measure was replaced with language advancing the pilot program, said he hadn't seen the substitute prior to Friday’s meeting and voted against it.
“This was just placed in front of me,” he said. Lee objected to a provision in the substitute recommendations calling for $30 million in new spending on homelessness support. Lee told LAist he supports stronger oversight and technical improvements to Measure ULA, but believes a ballot measure is the right approach.
“Voters deserve the opportunity to consider targeted changes that would preserve the intent of the measure while addressing its unintended impacts on housing production and real estate activity in Los Angeles,” the councilmember said, in a statement. Friday's meeting was the committee's final scheduled hearing. The committee, which is set to dissolve June 1, also voted to advance a narrower nonprofit tax refund limited to organizations that can prove all sale proceeds went directly to affordable housing.
The committee continued a separate motion on fire exemptions for Palisades fire victims, which will be heard by another council committee. A motion to loosen eligibility rules for the ULA Citizens Oversight Committee was noted and filed. Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who introduced several of the committee's motions, said the process had been guided by a commitment to protect the measure.
"My goal has always been to listen carefully, bring people into the conversation, and protect ULA while honoring the voters' intent," she said at Friday’s meeting. “We released $14 million in rental assistance to the most vulnerable Angelenos and $300 million for affordable housing,” she said. “We did in six or seven meetings what others couldn't do in five years.
”Harris-Dawson and Lee’s ballot measure motion will be considered by the City Council’s rules committee at a later date, officials said. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. The annual movie-monster bash for horror fans returns to the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend.
The event features panel discussions, celebrity photo ops, a monster museum, live makeup demos and over 400 exhibitors. Rub elbows with legendary beastie creators, browse hundreds of vendors who traffic in the weird and unsettling, and marvel at the practical effects that’ll make your flesh creep. Cosplay as your favorite filmic haunts or don a classic tee celebrating genre history. Just come ready to adore all things that gnaw and gash.
, the annual movie-monster bash for horror fans, returns to the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend, starting Friday night and lasting through Sunday. Now in its 18th year, devotees can rub elbows with legendary beastie creators, browse hundreds of vendors who traffic in the weird and unsettling, and marvel at practical effects that’ll make your flesh creep.is about technological or man-made horror," he said.
"You can just trace those two themes all the way forward to this past year with Stone first attended the convention in 2008, returning over the years as a fan, spectator and presenter. “It’s just a terrific convention that celebrates all things horror,” Stone said. “There’s a lot of celebrities you can meet who were in these horror films and you can get pictures with them.
" He added that he’ll never forget when he met Carla Laemmle in 2010 — the last living cast member of the original 1931Mike Mekash and Chris Nelson re-created Twisty the Clown on Dan Gilbert at the PPI Booth at a past Monsterpalooza. If you’re jonesing to be photographed with high-profile entertainers , this year's event has a line-up that includes musician Alice Cooper, actress Lin Shaye from theCosplay and crazy costumes are encouraged, although a T-shirt celebrating a classic horror movie will also do.
Just come ready to adore all things that gnaw and gash. Judge Robert Draper was appointed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. He's running to keep his seat in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Judge Robert Draper is running to keep his seat in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He’s running under Office No. 2 while facing a challenge from a deputy district attorney — and charges from the California Commission on Judicial Performance alleging that he violated several ethical rules for judges. Here’s what you should know. Draper with seven counts of violating judicial ethics.
His hearing wrapped up earlier this month, but a decision won’t come down until after voters cast their ballots for the primary. The allegations include willful misconduct in office, failure to perform his duties and actions that affect the judicial office’s reputation.
For example, during a hearing, he admitted to saying irrelevant comments about race during a case and calling women in the courthouse “cute” and “attractive. ”Draper spoke to LAist and denied many of the allegations, and for ones he doesn’t, he said they didn’t violate ethical rules. We spoke to a legal expert to unpack how voters can make sense of the issues.
California’s primary election is Tuesday — and one race poses a challenging question to voters: Should a judge who’s accused of ethics violations by the state watchdog of judges get re-elected?in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. With about 15 years on the bench, Draper, 84, told LAist he hasn’t had disciplinary issues until now. The California Commission on Judicial Performance, the state body that oversees judicial complaints, conducted an investigation into complaints and charged Draper with misconduct in office.
The commission’s members, who are also theDraper was appointed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. Superior Court judges have to run for reelection after they’ve been appointed. Draper is running for a third full term and isThe commission has charged him with seven counts of violating judicial ethics.
The commission is anDraper is currently assigned to “chambers work only. ” He and his attorney told LAist Draper's court-issued email account is restricted and his room does not have a computer or staff.
He hasn’t heard a case since he returned inMaking irrelevant comments about race, including using the term “coal black,” during a case, and calling women in the courthouse “attractive” and “cute,” according to” oversaw a six-day hearing earlier this month on the charges. The special masters are expected to issue a report on their findings within the next several weeks — but a decision on possible disciplinary action still rests with the commission.
, the allegations against Draper center on willful misconduct in office, failure to perform his duties and actions that affect the judicial office’s reputation. Draper hasDraper told LAist he is navigating health issues. Over the last few years, he’s been prescribed medication that made his Parkinson’s disease worse, he said, and had a detached retina and a rotator cuff injury. He added that he’s also coping with grief — his son died this year shortly before the hearing.
The seven counts Draper faces from the judicial ethics commission cover accusations dated 2022 and 2023. We’ll explore the main ones. We reviewed hundreds of pages so you don’t have to. If you do want to look them over, here’s where you can find the documents we included in this story:from the judicial performance commission, Draper admitted to making statements that have been called “irrelevant” and “inappropriate” by other judges who reviewed his decisions on a 2023 case.
Draper presided over was seeking a new trial. A jury had reached a verdict earlier, putting them on the hook for $10 million. During a hearing, Draper brought up his personal views on interracial mixing and Black history, according to excerpts of theAccording to the transcripts, Draper used the terms “coal black” and “light brown” to describe Black skin tones. Draper defended his statements, telling LAist he viewed the comments as “almost like describing what color dress you’re wearing today.
” “Now, why did I say it? Race was not involved in the case, except that almost everybody was Black,” he said.to the charges said the dialogue had been taken “wholly out of context. ” He told LAist he “ wasn’t talking about a bias for or against” and added he “probably won’t use the word ‘black’ ever” again if re-elected.
During the conversation, he told them a story about how male attorneys used to tell female secretaries “you better be able to f*** better than you can type. ” Draper told LAist his comments have been misconstrued to sound like he was bragging about behavior at his last law firm. In fact, he said, he was referring to how other firms had “that attitude towards secretaries” when he started practicing law.
His comments and other issues ultimately led to the California Court of Appeal to overturn the verdict and order a new trial. Draper is also alleged to have touched a lawyer’s hair during proceedings in that case without reason, whichOther allegations cited by the commission involve multiple comments Draper has admitted to making about women in the courthouse in 2022 and 2023,I’m not going to walk around with my handkerchief in my mouth.
I can just say, ‘Hey, you’re looking cute today’ and people understand that. Draper told LAist the language he used was “not a come-on” and that he was “trying to make them feel good about themselves. ” “ I’m not going to walk around with my handkerchief in my mouth. I can just say, ‘Hey, you’re looking cute today,’ and people understand that,” he said.
“But I’m not going to be walking around the court picking out the cute ones and telling them they’re cute. ”Draper has also been charged with allegedly not following his courthouse leadership’s directives. , Draper continued to do administrative work on cases despite receiving verbal and written directives to not access the courthouse and its resources.
Draper told LAist his supervisors were aware that his work was continuing because he was emailing them about it.that he wasn’t immediately told not to work while on leave. The commission said Draper wasn’t “candid” when he testified to that. Judge Robert Draper on the first day of his hearing at the California Court of Appeal building in downtown Los Angeles on April 27..
This included allegations that Draper sent files including nude photos from a confidential court case to people not authorized to receive themThe case involved child sexual abuse allegations with a public figure. Draper emailed nude photos from the case files of children bathing, according to One of the recipients of the email with nude photo attachments was retired Judge Lance Ito — best known for presiding over the O.J Simpson murder case in 1995.that the email blast was intended to show his legal contributions and that he is authorized under statute to consult with other judges.
He said he copied Ito on the thread because of his leadership role in teaching judges.with its ethics inquiry that started in 2022 — such as repeatedly missing deadlines — and has been disrespectful to commission staff. Draper told LAist the commission’s investigation was more like an inquisition because they didn’t interview him before the hearing.
“ That is a big problem with the way the CJP operates,” he said. “They’re not there to help judges. They’re kinda trying to catch judges. ”who have endorsed Draper for re-election.
She’s a prior public defender who’s known Draper for about 10 years and testified in his hearing last month. She told LAist people have latched on to ageist narratives and that his character is being misrepresented. According to Repecka, it’s common for older judges to share “war stories.
”“I think most of us most of the time view it exactly how Judge Draper said he intended it: an attempt to connect on a more human level and remind ourselves that there’s a world bigger than the courtroom and case we’re in,” she said. Repecka told LAist she wouldn’t use the same words he used to talk about skin color in the courtroom. She would be concerned it could cause discomfort.
“ As a white person, I would be pretty careful about how I address that if it seems relevant to the case itself,” she said. Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School well-versed in judicial ethics, described it as a “real stretch” to view Draper’s comments on race and appearance as appropriate under any circumstances. Levenson said she can’t imagine other judges talking like this.
“There’s a lot of training for judges that has happened in the last decade about how you don’t talk about race unless it is a relevant issue,” she said, “and you especially don’t use some of the terms that Judge Draper was using in these hearings. ” Judges need to watch what they say in a courtroom because they need to not only be fair, but appear to be fair, Levenson said.
“He has the ethical obligation to be impartial and how he demonstrates that he’s being impartial is going to be evaluated by how he acts and what he says in the courtroom,” she said. “If you take his words at face value, there certainly would be reason to question how he’s treating people in that courtroom. ” Levenson has reviewed the hearing’s rough transcripts, the charges and Draper’s filed answer to them.
She said it appears the commission “bent over backwards” to give him a fair chance during their “robust” process. The next step is for the special masters to put together a report of their conclusions for the commission members, which Draper will have a chance to respond to. The special masters That choice rests with the commission members. Remember, they brought these charges against Draper and will decide the outcome, likely in a couple of months.
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