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Brian Doherty

Brian Doherty is a senior editor at Reason magazine and Reason.com. He is author of three books This is Burning Man (2004, Little, Brown; paperback BenBella, 2006) and Radicals for Capitalism: A History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement (PublicAffairs, 2007), and Gun Control on Trial (Cato Institute, 2008).

Doherty's reporting and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, Spin, National Review, The Weekly Standard, San Francisco Chronicle and dozens of other publications, and he has been a commentator on hundreds of radio and TV shows, including Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor and CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck Show.

He ran a small indie record label, Cherry Smash Records, from 1993-2001, and has lived in Los Angeles since July 1994.

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Special Order 40 Survives in Court
The local ordinance known as "Special Order 40" that bars police officers in L.A. from checking immigrant status in typical crime investigations is upheld in a state appellate court.
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L.A. Economic Recovery Not Near
Southern California is being battered by two distinct economy downturns, and has not yet fully recovered from its early 1990s doldrums.
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L.A. City Council Slams Medical Pot Dispensaries
The Los Angeles City Council is taking steps to crack down on businesses selling legal-in-California medical marijuana, after a previous attempt to ban new ones failed due to a "hardship exemption."
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Labor vs. Democrats
Unions are unwilling to see the state balance its budgets on their backs.
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Schools Feel Fiscal Crunch
Budget woes mean school's out for the summer for the L.A. Unified School District, and more cuts loom for education statewide.
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L.A. Neighborhood Councils Evade the Ax
Los Angeles's system of Neighborhood Councils, often severe critics of our highly-paid City Council, managed to evade having their budgets cut by nearly 80 percent through loud citizen activism and complaints this month.
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State Looks to Cities for Billions
Schwarzenegger announces plans for easing CA's troubled fiscal situation--but Villaraigosa doesn't want the state balancing its budget on the backs of cities.
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Prop. 8 Upheld by California Supreme Court
California, often thought of as a leading indicator of social trends, falls behind on gay marriage as the Supreme Court upholds Prop 8, banning the practice moving forward in the state--while ensuring that same-sex marriages that happened during the pe...
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Is Villaraigosa Over?
Local political watchers seem to agree: L.A.'s Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may have won his second term mere months ago, but it's probable that his political future is over.
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Initiatives Fail, Media Blame Voters
Measures meant to cope with CA's fiscal crisis failed at the polls. Citizens who bothered to vote seem mad at politicians, but local media is mad at the citizens.
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Governor Pushes Initiatives
There's an important election on Tuesday. Fiscal-related ballot initiatives are in trouble, and the Governor is desperate for them to pass.
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City Attorney Race: Is it Really About the Mayor?
Next week is the runoff election for Los Angeles City Attorney, between former city councilman Jack Weiss and former prosecutor Carmen Trutanich. But hanging in the balance might be more than just their fates--it might be Mayor Villaraigosa's political...
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