On the last day of January, hundreds of people filled the pews of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Koreatown to hear not the word of God but the gospel of the Democratic Socialists of America. It was the local chapter's bimonthly meeting and also a kickoff event for a year during which they planned to build on an already impressive foothold in L.A. politics.
"You stood in the cold, knocked on doors, talked to our community, and believed in this campaign even when people said it couldn't be done," Abdelhamid said in a post on Instagram.
The Democratic Socialists of America - empowered and gaining mainstream influence after Mamdani's win in the mayoral election this month - held a "Tax the Rich" rally in Union Square Sunday as Democratic state lawmakers warm to the tax increases over worries they could face primaries and the wrath of liberals in next year's elections. DSA member and Brooklyn state Sen. Jibari Brisport told those gathered that he twice tried to work with Hochul on passing universal childcare legislation, only to get rebuffed.