Features
Profile
Kevin Shird: The Long Recovery
Shird once ran a drug ring. Now he writes and speaks — and helps others to recover
Profile
The Candidates for L.A. Mayor
One woman, one man. One Black, one White — two very different people, with one ambition in common
Research
School Shootings: Can They Be Stopped?
From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, shootings bring anguish and a frustrating search for solutions
Research
Police Violence and the Call for Help
Confrontations with traumatized suspects too-often end in shootings. Is there another way?
Table Talk
Eric Garcetti: Reflections from L.A.’s mayor
Crime and COVID, rising homelessness and restive politics — Garcetti looks back on nine years as chief executive of Los Angeles.
Research
Prisons in a Pandemic
An ambitious data project reveals the extent of COVID’s spread inside American prisons
Research
Biden Wins. Now What?
Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. What awaits him and the country?
Research
Focus on Policing: To Abolish or To Reform?
Lorenzo Jones and the deep questions of American policing
Profile
Focus on Policing: Bernard Parks
The former LAPD chief and Los Angeles city councilmember considers American policing and its critics
Table Talk
Adam Schiff: Political Warrior
Congressman Adam Schiff has watched with horror as Donald Trump assaults democratic norms. Schiff speaks with Blueprint.
Research
Working for Safety
Jorja Leap spearheads an effort to examine the LAPD’s work in Nickerson Gardens and beyond
Research
Closing Note: Hope in the Ruins
This year of crisis has upended politics, public health and policing, among many other walks of life. It now moves to an election.
Profile
Police and Trust: Charlie Beck Reflects
The LAPD chief has seen what happens when police fail and what can be achieved when they succeed. His conclusion: Police matter.
Research
The Facts About Immigration
President Trump and his supporters claim illegal immigrants are bringing danger to America. They’re not.
Research
Prison Sentencing: Politics vs. Results
For decades, California fought crime with long, rigid prison sentences. It didn’t work.
Research
Child Criminals: A Legacy of Failure, a Chance for Progress
Locking up children who commit crimes has unintended consequences — for families, communities and society.
Research
Police Racism: A Search for Answers
In Ferguson, Charleston, Baltimore and beyond, the nation confronts charges of police racism. One researcher is breaking new ground.
Profile
Bob Hertzberg on the Big Issues
“What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? What does the research say about how to get there? And then how do you convince people?”
Table Talk
Kamala Harris: California’s “Top Cop”
California’s attorney general discusses the state of the state with Blueprint editor Jim Newton.
Table Talk
David Axelrod: Institutions — and truth — put to test
The political strategist and CNN commentator discusses the state of American politics
Research
Do the Poor Bring Crime with Them?
Michael Lens challenges assumptions about the poor, housing and crime
Table Talk
Antonio Villaraigosa: Reflections on Los Angeles and California
The former mayor and veteran California politico takes stock of his city and state
Research
“Sanctuary” and Safety: a Clash of Values
California leaders welcome and protect immigrants. Washington has had enough.
Research
Will California get its way on weed?
Washington hesitates in response to state efforts to legalize marijuana.
Table Talk
George Gascón: The Fight For Justice
George Gascón, former LAPD officer and now district attorney of San Francisco, discusses sanctuary, policing and public safety.
Research
Homeboy Industries: A History of Violence. A Hope for the Future.
At Homeboy, researchers discover a model that works.
Table Talk
Norman Lear: Culture Warrior
Norman Lear reflects on a career of influence and consequence.
Research
Los Angeles Communities in Flux
As change roils Los Angeles communities, academics and city planners absorb new challenges.
Research
The Movement of People and Things
Margaret Peters looks at the history of trade and immigration, both at the center of today’s Washington.
Sketches
Landscape
Los Scandalous City Hall
As scandals ripple through Los Angeles City Hall, a look back at misdeeds for the ages
Landscape
When Crime Rises and Falls
With violent crime falling but property crime rising, city leaders struggle for answers
Takeaway
Closing Note: Acting on Fear
Not all fear is bad, but it often distorts choices. Learning to manage it is the challenge
Editor's Note
Closing Note: Governing Through Change
California’s problems are monumental, but history gives room for hope
Exclusively Online
“A Lighter Look” — Fox and Kindergarten
Rick Meyer’s regularly appearing column takes a lighter look at politics and public affairs around the world. This month: “The K Channel.”
First Person
The Struggles of Family
Zachary Slobig on the combined effects within his family of COVID-19 and national policing protests
Side Note
Closing Note: Hope in the Ruins
This year of crisis has upended politics, public health and policing, among many other walks of life. It now moves to an election.
Exclusively Online
Of “bad apples” and police culture
Some see policing problems as the work of a few bad officers. Others see cultures of racism and brutality. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Landscape
Tech and marijuana: clearing the record
New technology offers hope for clearing old convictions.
Exclusively Online
What’s a county supervisor to do?
Los Angeles Count Sheriff Alex Villanueva thumbs his nose at reform. Can the county supervisors rein him in?
Exclusively Online
Police Unions Get Welcome Setback
Police unions were delivered a rare setback when Gov. Jerry Brown signed two open-government measures. That’s a good thing.
Exclusively Online
Trump and policing — the consent decree
Donald Trump and former AG Jeff Sessions say consent decrees have increased crime. Are they telling the truth?
Landscape
LAPD Shootings Revive Old Worries
A pair of shootings raises questions about LAPD’s practices. The early answers are encouraging.
Takeaway
Battle lines drawn: Now what?
In the clash over California and national values, the stakes are high and the research compelling.
Landscape
California Faces Its Future
As the race for governor accelerates, the issues become clearer.
Landscape
UCLA Poll Finds Fear for Immigrants
New Luskin poll finds Angelenos concerned for undocumented neighbors.
Exclusively Online
Blueprint goes public
Blueprint hit the ground running Wednesday night with a rousing example of what it can do and what it can be.
Editor's Note
Welcome to Blueprint
Welcome to a new magazine on the issues confronting Los Angeles and California.
Landscape
“Black Lives Matter”
A young Los Angeles organizer helps lead a national debate over police and force.
Landscape
L.A. County Amid Rapid Change
Term limits, scandals and retirements clear the way for a new era in the government of America’s largest county, Los Angeles.
Takeaway
Crime and Safety: A Better Approach
What should we learn from the latest research on crime and public safety? That good policing makes communities safer, and that smart approaches to incarceration save money and lives.
