About a year ago, unincorporated East Los Angeles was a hot topic in the Legislature. Then Assemblymember Wendy Carillo's AB2986 had proposed a study to explore the feasibility of East L.A. becoming a city or special district. Hilda Solis, the County Supervisor with oversight of the community, stood in agreement with the bill's fundamental concepts of accountability and transparency, but opposed the bill as being in conflict with a study the County had intended to pursue. Ultimately, the County got its way and the bill was defeated.

One might ask whatever happened to the County's analysis. According to a recent article in the Boyle Heights Beat, one might continue to ask that question.  The County's study was supposed to evaluate whether some form of local control was right for East Los Angeles. The point was to provide clarity about financial information, services and equitable representation. The information was to be transparent, open to public scrutiny. The study was due to be finished around Labor Day, 2024. Well, that was last year. The article says that residents and businesses are still waiting for the information. Noting that the Office of the County Chief Executive attributed the tardiness of the study to the complexity of the information involved, the article also indicated that East L.A. residents are feeling uneasy with the long delay.

The article said Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, who currently represents East L.A., wants the report to be released without further delay. She told the Boyle Heights Beat that the study is crucial for local people to learn what cityhood could mean for critical services, quality of life, and community representation. Still, it remains unclear whether the people and businesses of East L.A. will ever get their answers. Ms. Caloza, being new to the Legislature, has yet to introduce a bill about East L.A.'s future.  And there is a significant bit of musical chairs going on in the political arena: State Senator Durazo will be running for retiring Supervisor Solis' seat and Ms. Caloza's predecessor will be running to replace Ms. Durazo in the State Senate. Late in the day, after the Boyle Heights Beat article was published, Supervisor Solis posted on her Instagram page that the report is expected to be released by late April. That was then.  This is now. It's May, with Mother's Day weekend upon us, and the report still has not been issued.

Until the County's report comes out, and perhaps afterwards, the 120,000 citizens of unincorporated East Los Angeles - who seem to be stuck with the same old, same old - are left to wonder if they will continue to be denied the transparency they have been seeking.