Newsletter: A surprising pick for LAPD chief

Good morning. It is Saturday, Oct. 5. Here’s what’s happening in Opinion.

Los Angeles has a new police chief! Well, almost. The City Council still must confirm him. And I’m somewhat surprised by the choice of Jim McDonnell.

Not because he isn’t qualified (he may even be overqualified). He’s a Los Angeles Police Department veteran of nearly three decades, reaching the position of second-in-command. He later served as chief of the Long Beach Police Department. And in 2014 he was elected L.A. County sheriff, overseeing a larger operation than the LAPD.

And it is not because he lost reelection in 2018 to Alex Villanueva, a leader who turned out to be so problematic that voters passed a measure in 2022 allowing the county sheriff to be removed by the Board of Supervisors.

But I expected, like others, that Bass would make a symbolic choice with one of the other two finalists — former LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Arcos and current Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides — giving the department either its first Latino or first female chief.

Firsts do matter, but it seems Bass is more concerned with stability during a tumultuous time in the city’s recent history.

As The Times’ editorial board notes, McDonnell represents a cautious choice that is “likely to play well with the department establishment and L.A. residents who are weary of property crime and a general sense of social disorder. “

JD Vance won the debate with Tim Walz, hands down. Republican commentator Scott Jennings thought his side’s vice presidential candidate easily managed to “stick it to the incumbent party” with his “smooth, well-constructed arguments.”

Maybe, but if Vance won it was probably because of all his gaslighting. Columnist Robin Abcarian was surprised by the Ohio senator’s disingenuous change of rhetorical tone as he faced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday. “My head almost popped off when Vance spoke approvingly of the many young women he knew growing up who had abortions ‘because they feel like they didn’t have any other options.’”

Why President Biden hasn’t been able to end Israel’s nearly year-old war in Gaza. America often has less influence over its allies than one might think, says Raphael S. Cohen, and a series of American administrations have tried and failed to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “Even if U.S. pressure were effective enough to motivate the Netanyahu government to try to end the war, it still might not succeed. Ending the war, after all, would require the cooperation of both Israel and Hamas — and more specifically Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who shows no signs of budging.”

Endorsements from the editorial board for the Nov. 5 election continue. Among the new recommendations this week is an endorsement of Proposition 32, which would hike the minimum wage in California to $18. It is currently $16, but is set to increase to $16.50 in January. “This is a reasonable and narrow measure focused on the workers who are most in need of a boost, and California voters should support it,” the editorial board writes.

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