Corruption: Then and Now

Back in my day, when a pimp or a bookie or a casino operator wanted to proceed unfettered from LAPD interference, a simple honorarium to....uh, well me was all that was required.

When that nosy John Anson Ford sent Clifford Clinton to investigatge my food service deals I had to have the police spy on him, charge him with code violations at his cafeteria or even dynamite his car.

Of course there were all allegations and I continue to deny them. Sure I was recalled from office but it was because of all Ford's and that gloryseeker Fletcher Bowron's grandstanding.

But now, your politicians are far more slick. Here is a list of questionable practices that fly way under the public's radar

• Los Angeles County Supervisors have millions of taxpayers' dollars squirreled away in slush funds called "discretionary accounts." Zev used a million of his slushies to get his name on the Disney Hall, but they can also be used as donations to community supporters who might be quietly called upon for assistance when election time comes. The LA Times recently did a great story on this, mirrored here at California Clean Money Campaign.
  
  
• Big money political contributors curry favor with elected pols by allegedly circumventing contribution caps by funneling further donations through other entitites. The Daily News reported on some folks facing fines for such here.
  
  
• A city contractor is allegedly told that if they don't donate to the anti San Fernando Valley Secession campaign, they can expect a big zero on future contracts. Of course, Mayor Poopy denies this, but LA Observed recapped a LA Times report on it here. (By the way I would be opposed to San Fernando Valley Secession myself - we stole it fair and square, we're keeping it.)
  
  
• Former Police Chief, Current Councilman and Mayoral candidate Bernie Parks accuses the Hahn administraton of the worst corruption since - ahem - Mayor Frank Shaw's administration! Indeed! With the Feds investigating alleged pay to play scandals and more, Bernie highlighted it all in an interview with Leslie Dutton on the local cable show Full Disclosure. You can watch the streaming video here (what is streaming video by the way Yorty, never heard of it, what will they think of next!).

This only scratches the surface. There is more. No, you don't have to stuff bills into your local pol's pocket anymore, because its done far more slick.

We'll talk about more in the future. If you have tips, please send them our way and we'll be glad to report them for you.

Respectfully,
Frank Shaw