The Capitalist exists because of you, and we want to hear from you!
Become a paid subscriber today, receive the Capitalist Insider and access the Live Capitalist chat
The Los Angeles nonprofit backing DSA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman “Streets For All” recently unveiled its newest campaign: “Palm Trees Are A Scam.”
In a recently released video, they criticized the city’s tens of thousands of palm trees, saying they use too much water and don’t provide enough shade. They also go out of their way to mention that they are highly flammable, a touchy subject for L.A. residents who saw the Palisades fires destroy 37 square miles and kill 12 individuals in January 2025. Criticizing the palm trees seems like an attempt to shift the blame for the fires from negligent Democrat policies onto palm trees, but it tracks with the group’s insistence that “climate change threatens our very existence.”
“Streets For All” sounds friendly, but the policies behind its mission to start a “transportation revolution in Los Angeles” reveal why it’s tied to DSA candidates like Raman.
One of the organization’s primary concerns is speed enforcement, which they claim is “costly,” “inefficient,” and “especially detrimental to Black and Brown members of our community, who are often targeted by police.” The group believes that police officers should be removed from traffic stops entirely, while the city relies on cameras that automatically issue tickets. Speeding tickets would be adjusted according to income, giving “heavily reduced” speeding tickets to those making minimum wage.
Socialist Nithya Raman now leads Karen Bass in LA Mayor’s race
DSA candidate Nithya Raman has pulled ahead of incumbent Karen Bass on Kalshi markets with a 57% chance of winning her race.
Do you think she will actually win?
Get $25 in credit to trade on Kalshi after you sign up using our code “brawl” or by using our link.
In 2024, the group’s founder and CEO, Michael Schneider, co-sponsored Senate Bill 961, introduced by Senator Scott Weiner. The bill would have required all new cars in California to install speed governors equipped with GPS trackers and cameras to limit their vehicles’ maximum speed. Schneider argued that the speed limiters would help alleviate the city’s twenty-year high of pedestrian deaths in L.A., although many critics claimed the rising number of incidents was a long-term consequence of defunding the LAPD. The bill was too radical for liberal Governor Gavin Newsom, who vetoed it, much to the dismay of “Streets For All.”
The nonprofit has taken issue with Gov. Newsom several times, including in early August, 2026, when they labelled him a ‘hypocrite.’ When he supported measures cutting $2 billion from one of California’s public transit programs, the nonprofit lashed out at him for investing into “Big Oil and other polluters.” The state of California currently has a transportation budget of about $30.9 billion, with the L.A. metro alone costing over $9 billion, meaning that Newsom’s cuts accounted for just a fraction of the state’s investment into transportation.
The Capitalist is a reader-supported publication, we exist for you, because of you!
“Streets For All” has taken radical positions on other issues, such as congestion pricing. This would force drivers to pay tolls to use busy roads and freeways, especially in downtown areas. However, these tolls wouldn’t apply to those making minimum wage. The explicit goal of congestion pricing is to take people off of roads and force them to use public transit. The group has asked that a majority of major streets are rebuilt with full 24x7 bus lanes by removing public traffic lanes. Further, congestion pricing would eliminate all ‘free’ parking on city streets. The group has called for the end of parking minimums, labelling them a “pseudoscience” and an easy way to “combat high rents.”
Additionally, they have advocated for reinforcing bus lanes with concrete curbs so that they can’t be used by vehicles.
“Streets For All” is trying to do everything it can to convince people to give up their cars and rely on public transportation, similar to how the Soviet Union under Khrushchev argued against private car ownership. It comes as no surprise that the group has tied itself to DSA candidates like Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto Martinez, and Eunisses Hernandez. Despite their reverence for socialist candidates, “Streets For All” still sells merchandise, including a $40 sweatshirt that says “BDSM” in large print, with “Buses Do So Much” in small print beneath it.
Everyday they find something new to whine about. These people are absolutely clueless. California faces a multitude of problems and Palm Trees are not the cause.
"Streets for All"... sounds eerily like "Sanctuary for all" as stated repeatedly on The Walking Dead.