Council

Denmark and Mexico, also threatened by US President Donald Trump, warn that the US violated international law.

Members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including key US allies, have warned that the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by US special forces could be a precedent-setting event for international law.

The 15-member bloc met for an emergency meeting on Monday in New York City, where the Venezuelan pair were also due to face drug trafficking charges in a US federal court.

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Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, condemned the US operation as “an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification”, in remarks echoed by Cuba, Colombia and permanent UNSC members Russia and China.

“[The US] imposes the application of its laws outside its own territory and far from its coasts, where it has no jurisdiction, using assaults and the appropriation of assets,” Cuba’s ambassador, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, said, adding that such measures negatively affected Cuba.

Russia’s ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said the US cannot “proclaim itself as some kind of a supreme judge, which alone bears the right to invade any country, to label culprits, to hand down and to enforce punishments irrespective of notions of international law, sovereignty and non-intervention”.

Notable critics at the emergency session included traditional US allies, Mexico and Denmark, both of whom Trump has separately threatened with military action over the past year.

Mexico’s ambassador, Hector Vasconcelos, said that the council had an “obligation to act decisively and without double standards” towards the US, and it was for “sovereign peoples to decide their destinies,” according to a UN readout.

His remarks come just days after Trump told reporters that “something will have to be done about Mexico” and its drug cartels, following Maduro’s abduction.

Denmark, a longstanding US security ally, said that “no state should seek to influence political outcomes in Venezuela through the use of threat of force or through other means inconsistent with international law.”

“The inviolability of borders is not up for negotiation,” Denmark’s ambassador, Christina Markus Lassen, told the council in an oblique reference to Trump’s threat that the US would annex Greenland, a self-governed Danish territory.

France, another permanent member of the UNSC, also criticised the US, marking a shift in tone from French President Emmanuel Macron’s initial remarks that Venezuelans “can only rejoice” following Maduro’s abduction.

“The military operation that has led to the capture of Maduro runs counter to the principle of peaceful dispute resolution and runs counter to the principle of non-use of force,” said the French deputy ambassador, Jay Dharmadhikari.

Representatives from Latvia and the United Kingdom, another permanent UNSC member, focused on the conditions in Venezuela created by Maduro’s government.

Latvia’s ambassador, Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, said that Maduro’s conditions in Venezuela posed “a grave threat to the security of the region and the world”, citing mass repression, corruption, organised crime and drug trafficking.

The UK ambassador, James Kariuki, said that “Maduro’s claim to power was fraudulent”.

The US ambassador, Mike Waltz, characterised the abduction of Maduro and his wife as a “surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice”.

The White House defended its wave of air strikes on Venezuela, and in the waters near it, and Maduro’s abduction as necessary to protect US national security, amid unproven claims that Maduro backed “narcoterrorist” drug cartels.

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, dishing up the latest on city and county government.

It’s not hyperbole to say that 2025 was a terrible year for Los Angeles.

Wildfires ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Malibu and other communities. Federal immigration raids tore families apart and disrupted the economy, prompting furious protests in downtown and elsewhere. L.A.’s political leaders, facing a brutal budget year, signed off on cuts while working to stave off layoffs of public employees.

Now, we’re heading into a year of uncertainty — one with the potential to bring fresh faces both to City Hall and the county’s Hall of Administration, while also ushering in bigger, structural changes.

Here are a few of the political issues we’ll be tracking over the next twelve months, in this newsletter and elsewhere:

1) WILL HE OR WON’T HE? It’s January, and we still don’t know if real estate developer Rick Caruso will seek a rematch against Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2 primary election. A second Caruso run would deliver a jolt to the campaign, complicating Bass’ attempt to win a second four-year term in a single shot. He’s got to decide soon!

Per Mike Murphy, a political strategist and longtime Caruso friend: “He is close to a decision.”

Caruso, a fierce critic of the city’s handling of the Palisades fire, lost to Bass by 10 percentage points in 2022. If he jumps in, he would join a long list of challengers that includes former L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner, community organizer Rae Huang and an assortment of unknowns.

The larger the field, the tougher the road Bass will have in trying to avoid a November runoff — and winning her election overall.

2) WILL THE COUNCIL GET BIGGER? The Charter Reform Commission, which is made up of a dozen or so citizen volunteers, is heading into the home stretch as it works on a plan to update the City Charter, the governing document for L.A.

The commission’s report, due in April, is expected to say whether voters should expand the number of City Council members, scale back the duties of the elected city attorney and grant the city controller additional authority. There are also some smaller proposals, including a move to a two-year budget process.

The council will then decide which of those proposals will go on the November ballot. Raymond Meza, who chairs the commission, sounded optimistic about the prospects.

“There’s been a lot of serious public input and energy behind this process, and we think the council is going to thoroughly consider our recommendations,” Meza said.

3) WILL CITY HALL KEEP MOVING LEFT? Eight council seats are up for grabs this year, with bruising campaigns looming on the Eastside, on the Westside, in the west San Fernando Valley and in South L.A.

Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Traci Park are among those battling for a second term. Voters also must find replacements for Curren Price and Bob Blumenfield, each of whom is facing term limits after a dozen years on the council.

Ground Game LA, Democratic Socialists of America and other groups inspired by the victory of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are looking to keep pulling the Overton window in their direction on public safety, tenant protections and other issues.

The ballot will also feature two other citywide contests, with City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto and City Controller Kenneth Mejia both seeking reelection.

4) CAN L.A. AFFORD MORE COPS? Bass has been pressuring the council to free up the money to hire more officers in the new year. She’s not likely to let up, even as she begins preparing her newest citywide budget.

Still, a fight over LAPD hiring could spur the council to take a fresh look at Bass’ other major policy initiative — Inside Safe, which has been moving homeless people indoors since she took office.

Amid growing concerns about the city’s financial stability, some council members have begun exploring the idea of paying the county to deliver homeless services — an idea that Bass panned in a Daily News opinion piece last month.

That op-ed drew some icy rebuttals from County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who called the city’s track record on homelessness “indefensible.”

5) WHITHER THE COUNTY? Speaking of the county, officials inside the Hall of Administration will likely spend the coming year trying to figure out how to prevent Measure J — which requires public spending on alternatives to incarceration — from being struck down by Measure G, the reform measure approved by voters in 2024.

(Measure G, which was largely about expanding the number of county supervisors and establishing an elected CEO, inadvertently set the stage for a pending repeal of Measure J, in what has been billed as an enormous bureaucratic snafu.)

We’ll also be watching as the county’s new homelessness department gets up and running. And we’ll monitor Sheriff Robert Luna’s bid for reelection, as well as the campaign for two supervisorial seats.

6) COULD WE SEE A BUILDING FRENZY? L.A. County’s fire-scarred communities are hoping to see a ramp up in the pace of rebuilding in 2026. But will fire victims stay put? Or will they sell their burned-out sites to developers? The stakes are high, not just for those communities but for the elected officials who represent them.

Of course, there are plenty of other issues to track in the new year beyond the big six. For example, there’s the proposed sales tax hike to fund Fire Department operations; the push for higher taxes to pay for park facilities; the gambit to slow down wage hikes for hotel and airport workers; and the movement to hike the city or county minimum wage.

Then there are the preparations, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, over the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which have huge cost implications for the city.

Are you exhausted yet? If not, we’ll see you next week.

State of play

— ‘HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL’: The author of the Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse it because of changes that altered his findings, according to an email obtained by The Times. “Having reviewed the revised version submitted by your office, I must respectfully decline to endorse it in its current form,” wrote Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, about an hour after the report was made public. Cook also called the final version of the report “highly unprofessional.”

— PLAYING WITH FIRE: Two groups have sued the city of L.A., alleging that agencies ignored state wildfire safety regulations while signing off on development in areas with severe fire hazards. The State Alliance for Firesafe Road Regulations and the Federation of Hillside and Canyon Assns. offered what they described as 75 examples of building permits and other plans that violate the state’s “minimum firesafe regulations.”

— DIGGING INTO DTLA: It’s been a tumultuous year for DTLA Law Group, which grew from a small firm focused on car crash victims into a litigation powerhouse with thousands of sexual abuse claims against government agencies. The firm’s activities are now the subject of an investigation by the DA’s office, amid lingering questions about how DTLA amassed so many plaintiffs so quickly. The Times spoke with dozens of former clients and employees who described aggressive tactics to bring in new clients.

— RADIO SILENCE: L.A.’s parking enforcement officers were removed from the field last weekend after copper wire thieves damaged a key communications tower in Elysian Park, leaving some workers with inoperable radios.

— LUCKY NUMBER 13: The Charter Reform Commission might finally get its 13th member, just a few months before it wraps up its work. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently nominated Jason Levin, a onetime spokesperson for his office, to fill the seat after his previous pick, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, flamed out. Levin is an executive vice president at the firm Edelman, focusing on crisis and risk.

— NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez flew to New York City this week for Mamdani’s inauguration. Hernandez, on Instagram, called the event “a reminder that the movement for dignity, justice, and humanity is bigger than any one city.”

— READY FOR SIGNATURES: The City Clerk’s office recently cleared the way for the firefighters’ union to begin gathering signatures for a sales tax hike to pay for fire stations, fire equipment and other emergency resources. The proposal comes amid complaints that department brass sought to cover up findings about the Palisades fire.

— YET ANOTHER WAGE HIKE: The fire tax proposal comes a few weeks after the city clerk cleared the way for another ballot petition — this one hiking the city’s minimum wage to $25 per hour. The proposal includes provisions to ensure that hotel employees are “paid fairly for burdensome workloads” and prohibit “the exploitative practice of subcontracting housekeeping work.”

— BIG DAY FOR THE VA: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court order requiring the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to build more than 2,500 units of housing on its West L.A. campus. “Rather than use the West Los Angeles VA Grounds as President Lincoln intended, the VA has leased the land to third party commercial interests that do little to benefit the veterans,” wrote Circuit Judge Ana de Alba.

— CHANGING CHAIRS: One of Harris-Dawson’s top aides, senior advisor Rachel Brashier, is switching offices at City Hall. Brashier, who frequently sits next to the council president as he presides over meetings, has taken a job with the mayor, according to Harris-Dawson spokesperson Cerrina Tayag-Rivera. Brashier will serve as a deputy chief of staff, per Bass’ team.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to combat homelessness did not launch any new operations over the holiday.
• On the docket next week: L.A. marks the one-year anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires with a number of events. Among them is “They Let Us Burn,” a demonstration in Pacific Palisades where community leaders plan to highlight their demands to city, county and state leaders.

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

President of the Republic of Korea Jae Myung Lee speaks on the first day of the 80th session of the General Debate in UN General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Peter Foley/UPI. | License Photo

Dec. 31 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s two-year term as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council ended Wednesday, with the Foreign Ministry saying Seoul led discussions on international peace and security and raised its profile as a responsible global power.

The ministry said South Korea served as Security Council president in September and used the role to steer talks during the high-level segment of the 80th U.N. General Assembly.

It was South Korea’s third stint as an elected Security Council member after terms in 1996-1997 and 2013-2014, the ministry said.

During the 2024-2025 term, South Korea pushed Council discussions on security threats linked to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, the ministry said. It said President Lee Jae-myung became the first South Korean president to preside over a Security Council meeting, leading a session on AI and international peace and security.

The ministry said South Korea also contributed to talks on peacekeeping and peacebuilding, taking part in decisions related to U.N. peacekeeping operations and serving as a coordinator between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.

It said Seoul urged greater Council attention to nontraditional security issues including women, peace and security and climate change.

The ministry said the period of South Korea’s membership coincided with conflicts in multiple regions, including the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, underscoring the Council’s role. It said geopolitical rivalry and eroding trust in multilateralism limited Council action, but Seoul consistently emphasized respect for international law, including the U.N. Charter, and protection of civilians.

The ministry said South Korea worked to strengthen solidarity among elected members and promote dialogue between permanent and nonpermanent members.

It said the government plans to expand contributions to international peace and security based on the experience gained during the term, including efforts tied to what it described as a national policy task of building a “G7+ diplomatic powerhouse” through participation in the international community.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

All UAE forces must leave Yemen within 24 hours, the presidential council says.

Most United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members have slammed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland at a meeting convened in response to the move, which several countries said may also have serious implications for Palestinians in Gaza.

The United States was the only member of the 15-member body not to condemn Israel’s formal recognition of the breakaway region of Somalia at the emergency meeting in New York City on Monday, although it said its own position on Somaliland had not changed.

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Addressing the UNSC, Somalia’s UN ambassador, Abu Bakr Dahir Osman, implored members to firmly reject Israel’s “act of aggression”, which he said not only threatened to fragment Somalia but also to destabilise the wider Horn of Africa and the Red Sea regions.

In particular, Osman said that Somalia was concerned the move could be aimed at advancing Israel’s plans to forcibly “relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia”.

“This utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now,” he said.

The emergency meeting was called after Israel last week became the first and only country to recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.

Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from UN headquarters in New York, said that “14 of the 15 council members condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland”, while the US “defended Israel’s action but stopped short of following Israel’s lead”.

Tammy Bruce, the US deputy representative to the UN, told the council that “Israel has the same right to establish diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state”.

However, Bruce added, the US had “no announcement to make regarding US recognition of Somaliland, and there has been no change in American policy”.

Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Jonathan Miller, told the council that Israel’s decision was “not a hostile step toward Somalia, nor does it preclude future dialogue between the parties”.

“Recognition is not an act of defiance. It is an opportunity,” Miller claimed.

Many other countries expressed concerns about Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, including the implications for Palestinians, in statements presented to the UNSC.

Speaking on behalf of the 22-member Arab League, its UN envoy, Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz, said the group rejected “any measures arising from this illegitimate recognition aimed at facilitating forced displacement of the Palestinian people, or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases”.

Pakistan’s deputy UN ambassador, Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, said at the meeting that Israel’s “unlawful recognition of [the] Somaliland region of Somalia is deeply troubling”, considering it was made “against the backdrop of Israel’s previous references to Somaliland of the Federal Republic of Somalia as a destination for the deportation of Palestinian people, especially from Gaza”.

China and the United Kingdom were among the permanent UNSC members to reject the move, with China’s UN envoy, Sun Lei, saying his country “opposes any act to split” Somalia’s territory.

“No country should aid and abet separatist forces in other countries to further their own geopolitical interests,” Sun Lei said.

Some non-members of the UNSC also requested to speak, including South Africa, whose UN envoy, Mathu Joyini, said that her country “reaffirmed” Somalia’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity” in line with international law, the UN Charter and the constitutive act of the African Union.

Comparison with Palestinian recognition

In addition to defending Israel’s decision, US envoy Bruce compared the move to recognise Somaliland with Palestine, which has been recognised by more than 150 of the UN’s member states.

“Several countries, including members of this council, have unilaterally recognised a non-existent Palestinian state, yet no emergency meeting has been convened,” Bruce said, criticising what she described as the UNSC’s “double standards”.

However, Slovenia’s UN ambassador, Samuel Zbogar, rejected the comparison, saying, “Palestine is not part of any state. It is illegally occupied territory… Palestine is also an observer state in this organisation [the UN].”

“Somaliland, on the other hand, is a part of a UN member state, and recognising it goes against… the UN Charter,” Zbogar added.

The self-declared Republic of Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991, after a civil war under military leader Siad Barre.

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Noah Goldberg giving you the latest on city and county government.

At her official campaign launch Dec. 13, Mayor Karen Bass told Angelenos that they face a simple decision.

After speaking about the Palisades fire, federal immigration raids and the homelessness and affordability crises, she turned to the primary election next June.

“This election will be a choice between working people and the billionaire class who treat public office as their next vanity project,” Bass told a crowd of a few hundred people at Los Angeles Trade Technical-College.

In one sentence, without uttering a single name, the mayor appeared to be taking a shot at three different men. Was she talking about President Trump? Mayoral hopeful Austin Beutner? Her previous opponent, the billionaire developer Rick Caruso?

Or how about all of the above, suggested Bass’ campaign spokesperson, Doug Herman.

The billionaire class certainly includes Caruso, who self-funded his 2022 campaign to the tune of more than $100 million. It also includes Trump, who the New York Times estimated could be worth more than $10 billion. Though the mayor is not running against Trump, she likes to cast herself in opposition him. And Beutner, a former Los Angeles schools superintendent, was once an investment banker, Herman pointed out.

Beutner confirmed to The Times that he is not a billionaire. To the contrary, Beutner said, he drives a 10-year-old Volkswagen Golf.

Herman said Angelenos don’t care if Beutner has billions or just a lot of millions.

“Whether you’re a billionaire or multimillionaire is not really important to someone having trouble getting by and playing by the rules,” Herman told The Times.

“I’m trying to find the polite words,” Beutner said when asked about Bass’ comments. “Frankly, I think it’s an attempt to distract people from her record or lack thereof.”

Caruso declined to comment.

In a speech at Bass’ campaign launch, City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez hammered the same point as the mayor.

“We’re always going to have rich old white men, the millionaires and billionaires — they think they can do it better,” he said. “They didn’t get it last time, and they’re not going to get it this time.”

Then, Soto-Martínez seemed to reference Beutner.

“Do you want a healthcare worker over a hedge fund manager?” he asked the crowd, to roaring applause (Bass used to work as a physician’s assistant, while Beutner founded the investment banking advisory group Evercore Partners).

With Bass’ reelection campaign underway, Beutner challenging her as a moderate and community organizer Rae Huang running to her left, Caruso could be the last major domino left to fall.

The Grove and Americana at Brand developer, who has been mulling a run for either governor or mayor (or neither), still has not revealed his plans for 2026.

Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn., was among the diverse array of Bass supporters gathered on stage at Trade-Tech to voice their endorsements.

Waldman told The Times that he is supporting the mayor in his personal capacity, though VICA has not yet endorsed.

In 2022, Waldman and VICA supported Caruso, and Waldman spoke at some Caruso events.

He said he switched to Bass this time partly because of his unhappiness with the $30-minimum wage for airport and hotel workers passed by the City Council earlier this year. Businesses cannot move quickly enough to raise worker wages without laying off other workers, he said.

Waldman said that Bass arranged for him to meet with Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who then introduced a motion that would phase in the minimum wage increase over a longer period. The current law brings the wage up to $30 by 2028, while Harris-Dawson wants the $30 minimum to start in 2030.

“Bass was instrumental in making that happen, and we appreciate that,” Waldman said.

Harris-Dawson, a Bass ally, was at the campaign kickoff but did not make a speech.

Some were not pleased with his minimum wage proposal. Yvonne Wheeler, who is president of the Los Angeles County Federal of Labor and was at the Bass event, called it “shameful.” Soto-Martínez, who co-sponsored the minimum wage ordinance, also opposes Harris-Dawson’s proposal.

Waldman said that Soto-Martínez refused to take a meeting with him during the minimum wage fight.

“Hugo and I come from two different worlds and see the world differently,” Waldman said. “Unfortunately, I am willing to talk to everybody, and he is not.”

But at the Bass campaign launch, the two men delivered speeches one right after the other. Waldman said the diversity of opinion among the mayor’s supporters is a good sign for her.

“It’s a broad coalition,” he said.

State of play

— AFTER THE FIRES: The Times posted a project called “After the Fires” online Wednesday, nearly a year after the Palisades and Eaton fires. The stories, which document mayoral missteps, changes at the LAFD, failed emergency alerts and more, will be published as a special section in Sunday’s print edition.

— VEGAS, BABY: Councilmember John Lee is facing a steep fine for his notorious 2017 trip to Las Vegas, with the city’s Ethics Commission saying he must pay $138,424 in a case involving pricey meals, casino chips and expensive nightclub “bottle service.” The commission doled out a punishment much harsher than that recommended by an administrative law judge. Lee vowed to keep fighting, calling the case “wasteful and political.”

— EX-MAYOR FOR GOVERNOR: Four Los Angeles City Council members — Harris-Dawson, Heather Hutt, Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price — threw their support behind former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to be the next California governor.

— POOLS OUT FOR WINTER: City swimming pools will be closed on Fridays “until further notice,” the Department of Recreation and Parks announced Monday. “These adjustments were necessary to continue operating within our available resources,” the department said on Instagram.

— HOT MIC: Bass was caught on a hot mic ripping into the city and county responses to the January wildfires. “Both sides botched it,” she said on “The Fifth Column” podcast, after she shook hands with the host and they continued chatting. The final minutes of the podcast were later deleted from YouTube, with Bass’ team confirming that her office had asked for the segment to be removed.

— HOMELESSNESS FUNDING: The Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency on Wednesday approved nearly $11.5 million in homeless prevention funds, the largest single allocation yet for the new agency.

— A YEAR OF JIM: After more than a year as the LAPD’s top cop, Chief Jim McDonnell is receiving mixed reviews. While violent crime is at historic lows, some say the LAPD is sliding back into its defiant culture of years past.

— “CALM AMIDST CHAOS”: LAFD spokesperson Erik Scott announced this week that he has written a “frontline memoir” about the January wildfires. The book is set to be released on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire.

— “THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING”: Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath got into a tiff on X over homelessness. After Bass published an op-ed in the Daily News saying that the county’s new Department of Homelessness is a bad idea, the supervisor shot back, calling the mayor’s track record on homelessness “indefensible.” Following the spat, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado posted on X, “I fear the girls are fighting.” And Austin Beutner, who is running against Bass, responded with a nearly six-minute video criticizing the mayor’s record on homelessness.

— OVERSIGHT OVER?: Experts worry that effective civilian oversight of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department could be in jeopardy following a recent leadership exodus. A succession of legal challenges and funding cuts, coupled with what some say is resistance from county officials, raised concerns that long-fought gains in transparency are slipping away.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program did not conduct any new operations this week. The team “returned to previous Inside Safe operation locations, building relationships with unhoused Angelenos in the area to offer resources when available,” the mayor’s office said.
• On the docket next week: Mayoral candidate Rae Huang will host a text bank and volunteer meetup at Lawless Brewing on Monday, Dec. 22. The City Council remains in recess until Jan. 7.

Stay in touch

That’s it for now! We’ll be dark next week for the holidays. Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Welsh rugby’s governing body has said it proposes to grant three licences for men’s professional clubs.

There will be one in Cardiff, one in the east and one in the west, which is expected to result in a straight survival fight between Swansea-based Ospreys and Scarlets in Llanelli.

Buchanan does not agree with the reduction in the number of sides after he pointed to the initial previous change in 2003 from clubs to regions.

“We came from our clubs to our regions and those were big steps,” said Buchanan.

“We had success on the field with Triple Crown, Grand Slams and Six Nations Championships in that era.

“The Scarlets, Cardiff, Ospreys, were all successful stories. So what brings me to this is what’s happened and how have we arrived here?”

The 70-year-old went on:

“What are we going to do to bring ourselves back into being a top tier one country?

“The next step made will be crucial. And I cannot support that next step in taking one of our top regions out.”

Buchanan believes losing Ospreys or Scarlets will be detrimental to the Welsh game.

“Whichever one goes, it’s going to be devastating,” he said.

“The Ospreys stretch from Bridgend, or Cardiff, down to Swansea and the Scarlets are down to the west with a new stadium and everything.

“I don’t see the decision being a step forward. It could be we could lose a lot of support on and off the field.”

The former Wales forward said he had also been against the WRU’s previous plan of two professional sides that was shelved following a public consultation.

“I was horrified with that thought,” he added.

“We are tribal in Wales. We like our local derbies and we like rugby in our areas. Those are important things to me.”

Buchanan also raised the prospect of the professional sides losing some control of the playing side of the organisation to the WRU.

“We have people that have been supportive of Welsh rugby, benefactors that have given their money,” said Buchanan.

“I can’t go into the detail of what is being offered to them, but it isn’t something they’re keen on signing.

“So we’re at loggerheads. It’s crucial we mend those fences and understand it’s a partnership. That’s what is missing at the moment, an agreement with a partnership.

“People have put their hands in their own pockets to put into the professional game and we need to respect that.”