Antonio Fails To Correct Mistake
A report in the LA Times says that two contractors hired to process parking ticket fines did not properly share the City's fair share of revenue, amounting to about $20 million.
The problem is that because the city failed to go after this money, it may be too late to collect.
Antonio Villaraigosa has been chair of the Transportation Committee for two years and failed to do anything about it insiders are telling the Sister City.
And the unions are using this as an example of why we shouldn't outsource. Yea, right.
The problem is that because the city failed to go after this money, it may be too late to collect.
Antonio Villaraigosa has been chair of the Transportation Committee for two years and failed to do anything about it insiders are telling the Sister City.
And the unions are using this as an example of why we shouldn't outsource. Yea, right.
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 2/01/2005 04:21:00 PM
60 Comments:
TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS? (How's that compare in lost city revenue to F-H overbilling, huh?)
Good thing he bailed on that committee, too.
How many new cops on the street would that buy?
How many trauma centers would that keep open?
I'd swap that for Villaraigosa's campaign warchest castoffs any day.
In less than two years, too. . . So, plant him as mayor with that kind fiscal "responsibility" in tow (4 years x 15 districts = $600 million) and you could be talking some REAL money before too long.
I'd say the next indictment and the illegal campaign signs are more newsworthy. We love our scandals in LA. Looks like more of his campaign chest will be diverted toward legal fees.
As far as the story above, we need some bodies in DOT. Maybe even some new leadership that closely monitors its own contracts and employees. Just a thought.
What a total loser! He has the audacity to oppose the sales tax hike to get more officers even though his district voted in the 70% saying YES on Measure A and this little moron doesn't go after revenue at his feet. $20 mil is almost as much as Smith's proposal is borrowing to hire 250 cops. Now with that additional $20 mil we could have had about another 100. He can't blame anyone cause he's been Chair of that committee for 2 years. It's b.s. like this that we're getting sick and tired of.
Anyone interpreting this as Antonio's fault either didn't read the article or is going way outa' their way to twist the truth.
1. This contract was signed in 1998 and was to be properly monitored by DOT, who is overseen by the Mayor's office.
2. It's clear that the Mayor's appointed DOT GM failed. The LAT reports: "The contract required this procedure [approval by the DOT general manager, subject to approval of the council]. This was not done," Tanda wrote in a report to the City Council. "Due to an extraordinary set of circumstances involving the departure of key DOT staff, compliance with the letter of agreement did not occur," Tanda wrote.
Please make an attempt at honesty.
Don't insult our intelligence. Antonio is CHAIR OF TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE FOR 2 YEARS. This goes right under his committee and he misses it for 2 years. Now we won't be able to get nearly as much money as is owed because of his lazy butt. And if he would have been in the city instead of campaigning for Kerry maybe he would have found it. IT'S ANTONIO'S FAULT WE LOST $20 MILLION.
The comments from the above poster (no, not the ones from the WackoFromSaco) were right on target. As nice a guy as Wayne Tanda is, he has not done a great job as GM in reporting back to the Transportation Committee on important issues including contracts. If any of you work in City Hall you know Villaraigosa holds him accountable or else makes him regret it in committee meetings. I am sure Villaraigosa is not a friend of that Dept because he goes after them. So this talk about accountability or lack thereof on the side of Villaraigosa is nonsense. The Mayor of LA also has a duty to ensure his appointees respond to his office including the deputy mayors as well as the city committees and city council members. Back up your comments. Don't continue to give us these false accusations.
Antonio is a grown man not a little grade school boy. Are you saying he needs to be hand held in order for him to do his job? What we need someone checking in on him to make sure he's doing what he's suppose as Chair of the Transportation Committee? Give me a break! HE'S AT FAULT AND SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
This is the same logic that suggests Laura Chick is to blame for the Fleishman scandal. C'mon now.
Your damn right. Laura Chick signed the checks then asked questions later. Antonio missed all this money now has the nerve to try and blame someone else. It's not working
Who knows, maybe a piece of paper was put in front of Antonio and he signed away the $20 million? After all, what did he say after retracting his support for a motion condemning the 9/11 attack? - "They put motions like this in front of you all the time. They put it in front of me, and I signed it." Now that's scary.
WAit a minute. You mean to tell me that Antonio could have found $20 MILLION DOLLARS AND HE DIDN'T? That would have been way more than Greuel's fund of $500,00 that could help hire 5 cops.
There you go again WackoFromSacko...i'll admit you are quite amusing and bring a lot to this debate, but everything you say is baseless.
Explain the logic in this, grasshopper:
"bring a lot to the debate" AND "everything you say is baseless"
Another Harvard Debating Team member chimes in. . .
Can someone not an alum of the same Harvard Debating Team explain the logic of making these two statements side-by-side?
"you...bring a lot to this debate"
"...everything you say is baseless.
FROM MEAT:
Hey Wacko from Sacko -- while you amuse yourself with your comments, just know they have the impact of an Ant falling on your head (none) and i'll explain why.
If we just look at today's print stories let's see what regular Angelinos (that don't work in City Hall) are reading today.
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-port2feb02,1,1211759.story?coll=la-headlines-california --- this story is a fascinating tail about how the Port is slowing or delaying the process to clean it up for nearby residents (Hahn's neighbors). The city is claiming the environmentalists wanted this report delayed, but no one from that committee could be found to back up that claim. Seems like the Mayor's office wants to listen to the major moneyed interest since he'll need a new pot to shakedown when all of his other friends are in jail or being investigated.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-odonnell2feb02,1,7199842.story?coll=la-headlines-california --- Speaking of Mayor Hahn's friends, case in point, Mr O'Donnell a major fundraiser for Hahn. Now whats great about this article isn't that they are proclaiming their innocence (because they aren't) O'Donnell's lawyers are arguing that they are being prosecuted by State law when it should be City law. (Still guilty, no one is disputing that, but trying to get off on a technicality, nice, very nice). The best part about this is Mr Fitzgerald another Hahn friend -- ummmm where is he again?...oh yeah he has fled the country.
Today's Daily News:
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2686649,00.html -- Now this story chronicles the initial funding of the fraud fighters that will be in city hall now. Nice that this mayor initially fought it, but has backed off now, but of course this mayor would fight it - he's an honorary Gotti.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2686557,00.html -- Now this story talks about how City resources are being used for Hahn's reelection campaign (do we remember the LACYD endorsement) SEIU local 347 has a nice history of using city resources illegally. Do we all recall the secession campaign where city trash trucks had ONE LA signs patched all over them illegally -- this article shows a pattern and practice with Hahn using city resources (taxpayer dollars illegally) - nothing new here.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20951~2686367,00.html -- Now this very pleasant editorial hits Hahn right between the eyes about how he has been MIA on the ethic reforms. Again people that don't want to increase the ethics in the city must be corrupt (just my opinion).
So all you wackos can continue to hypothesize on items that will never make the news, never get more than 100 eyeballs to read your quip, i however will live in the real world and continue to monitor Hahn's tracking numbers which at the beginning of this campaign were at 26, now sit at 21. Oh and by the way Antonio started at 24, he's at 28 now, but you guys of course will bash him, which has the net effect of nothing.
blog away dum-dums
AGAIN MEAT IS SOUNDING LIKE GRAY DAVIS PEOPLE RIGHT BEFORE THEY NAILED HIS BUTT. MEAT YOU ARE IN DENIAL. YOUR BOSS IS HEADED FOR THE TOLIET IN DUE TIME. WE'LL JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH THE SHOW.
FROM MEAT:
Then i gladly welcome you to the Villaraigosa camp after the run-off.
blog away
FROM MEAT:
What is scary about the recall folks is all the amazing press they get everyday. Man how do i spin all those hard hitting news stories everyday -- so nervous, so nervous.
Recall folks now have 1,965 signatures as of last night -- i can tell you about 350-400 are fake.
blog away and have fun.
The onle thing fake, MEAT, is YOU. You have no idea what you are talking about on matters of CD14 or the recall. In fact, your ignorant rantings about issues in CD14 are turning former Villaraigosa supporters away from him. And I am one of them.
If only 100 insignificant eyeballs read this stuff, then take a break, MEAT. Why blow a gasket trying so hard to rebut it? Why burn and churn facts and spin endlessly for a handful of nobodies?
Why waste your time, and why call Parke Skelton down from Campaign Central yesterday to attempt a quick fix?
Some of my closest friends were die hard Antonio supporters. They walked the streets and worked hard to get him elected. They have now moved on to the Alarcon camp. WHY? Because Antonio has disappointed them, didn't keep his promises and totally ignores them at community meetings and doesn't want to hear what they have to say. His staff are the rudest citywide and have treated my friends with so much disdain they should be reprimanded. It all stems from the top.
FROM MEAT:
Look you guys have some merit about me not knowing whats going on everyday in CD 14. I feel like i am the only one who ever admits when they make a mistake -- but whatever, if folks are rude to you - i am sorry. Well i don't work for mr villaraigosa, i do think he is the best solution for this city.
This campaign is Hahn's reelection campaign, which means its a referendum on him (just like this last presidential campaign was a referendum on Bush) and as we can see in today's newspapers Hahn isn't making a case for another 4 years. If anything all arrows point to a spectacular defeat, that said, if someone wants to support another canidate like Hertzberg or Alarcon - great. I am fond of both men and know them each very well which is why you will notice i never bash them.
In fact i've said nice things about all of them (even walter moore) for a very simple reason, they are all better than Hahn. If you don't believe me, look at the archives where i have said these things about these men, each one of them would be 1000 times better than Hahn, my personal belief on Antonio is that he will be 1,001 times better than Hahn.
Its not new but the ABH (anyone but Hahn) label sticks a lot better than the others.
So if my postings have somehow turned off folks to Antonio -- i apologize -- the fact is i am a volunteer, just a brash unsensitive volunteer that does these activities without the sanction of the campaign. While folks believe i am somehow a villaraigosa surrogate i am not. So anything i say -- well based on facts, shouldn't be viewed as the mouthpiece for the villaraigosa campaign.
blog away
I can say the same about other council staff, but then again I see the people they have to deal with on a regular basis. Opps...did i offend anyone out there? Oh well.
The point MEAT seems to miss here is that, just like Hahn's being beat up on all sides for what his staff and appointees do or don't do right, CD14 people are coming out of the woodwork big time saying that Villaraigosa's staff are useless at best.
Why take the city out of the frying pan and throw them in the fire?
Unless you're going to handle every minute detail yourself, you are who you hire in this town -- and who you keep on, and who you make excuses for when they underwhelm. Winston Churchill would have been a footnote in history with bad staff. And in the home district, this has not been the case in the past two administrations. Villaraigosa had a chance to retain some stars from the last go-round, and swapped them all out for mostly Sacramento second-stringers. His choice; his destiny.
MEAT? I am not a Hahn supporter but I believe your propoganda many times hurts Villaraigosa, especially when you mouth off about things of which you are clearly uninformed. Of course, you're partisan, and nothing wrong with that, but don't ask us to believe you are factual in your content. You just aren't. You said earlier, in posts long gone, that you got your information from the nespapers and from "well placed telephone calls" Tell us, from which newspaper or telephone call did you get the fact that Antonio set up over 70 neighborhood watches, from which newspaper or telephone call did you hear that "sleazy bar owners" were financing the recall, from where did you hear the insulting remarks you made about CD14 voters and the naming of a dog park? Answer these things, MEAT. Because you have turned me against Antonio (and I put my support of him in writing not so long ago) and I know a lot more people are now feeling as I do. Maybe you are unaware that MayorSam is now referenced on many listserves in the northeast?
I found the comments from the above poster to be quite diplomatic despite the fact that there could be other underlying feelings. This is the kind of dialogue we need regardless if one agrees or disagrees. Personally, I don't entirely agree with the comments about the staff, but can understand how some of the staff in particular can be abrasive and seem rude at times. For some on this blog, the debate will not stop with the Mayoral Election. I imagine the debate will continue well after.
Even if true -- aren't bar owners (sleazy or otherwise) also taxpayers, voters, residents, and stakeholders entitled to free speech and representation.
One ex-president's daddy was supposedly a bootlegger, and some of the founding fathers were just money-grubbing merchants.
FROM MEAT:
Here's the problem, i never know who i am talking too while everyone here can easily direct their comments to me. I raise the energy on this blog for one simple reason, someone raised it before me. If you guys look at the stuff i've been called and the names associated to me it gets a little frustrating. So usually my rants are aimed at one person although you guys are all anonymous. So if you somehow read my political rantings as something that turns you off to Antonio -- i don't know how to stop that. There were about 9,000 voters that voted for Pacheco -- so if all 9,000 were on this blog bashing Antonio that doesn't really bother me, because no one ID's themselves i never can put a string together of anyone's thoughts. Meateater and Sacramento Nighties, i can argue with primarily because they ID themselves. As for the rudeness out of me -- folks here bash the hell out of me on a daily basis, i only give as good as i get and will continue to do that. If folks don't like my PERSONAL OPINIONS on why Antonio or his staff do certain things, they need to remember its an opinion. I do make calls -- mostly to other political consultants, thats how i get the polling numbers i get.
As for the bar owners being people too - they are and they have every right to exercise their freedom of speech (through political donations) and i have the freedom to say what they do.
Every time i post a new number of sigs -- no one ever posts another number to rebutt my posting. I post about the bar owners doing what they do, but the recall folks miss the filing deadline for the whole world to see the facts. I don't think i can believe anyone that says they were with Antonio but because of one blogger (who should mean nothing to you by the way) you are now no longer and Antonio supporter -- how can i believe you? Who are you? Have i debated you before?
All these questions -- and not a lot of facts to see the truth with.
blog away.
You give it to the reacll people MEAT. Thay campaign on integrity and don't ven bother to file.
Meat when you dismissed the people's issues on the dog park and other issues that YOU didnt think too importat you lost my vote. It seems to us that you're speaking on behalf of Antonio. IF you can't understand how horrible is staff has treated the community then I challenge you to go to ONE community meeting and hear it for yourself. You be the judge. There's no reason for people to lie about that. We're talking poor senior citizens who try to convey a message and these moronic losers are rude, disrespectful and make these poor seniors feels as if they simply don't care. How dare they!
Wow you people must be really freaked out that Antonio is going to make the runoff. How else to explain all this bile?
Right. . . couldn't be all the other reasons given, lies, bad constituent service, more lies, arrogance, grandstanding, taking credit for others' work, more lies, bad staff management, more lies, back-door dealing for political favors and contributions, loss of $20 million, more lies.
You must be right, all the bile is because he might make the runoff -- not possible that people who've got a poorly performing councilmember don't want to turn him into a even more poorly performing mayor.
But do you have the freedom to say something that is not true, or that you do not know to be true, MEAT? If you are saying that nobody knows who is contributing to the recall because that group hasn't filed, surely your criticism weeks ago should have been about their missed filing and not that "sleazy bar owners" were financing the recall? Also, now that you have given proof to every Mayor Sam reader that you didn't know that "sleazy bar owners" were financing the recall, a) Why did you lie in the first place? and b) why should we believe anything you say now?
M: "Recall folks now have 1,965 signatures as of last night -- i can tell you about 350-400 are fake."
Why would anyone associated with the recall tell the real numbers and HOW in the Sam P. Hill would anyone short of the authorities that eventually certify them know how many are fake?
FROM MEAT:
"Meat when you dismissed the people's issues on the dog park and other issues that YOU didnt think too importat you lost my vote".
Here's the problem -- i am not running for office, i also do no work for mr villaraigosa,his campaign or his city staff. How in the world can anything i say sway your vote either way -- my goal on this blog isn't to sway your voters for or against Antonio -- its to try to clear up the conspiracy theory tone this blog goes into. Some folks like conspiracies, because they don't think things are as simple as they appear.
My other goal it to bash Hahn 24/7. But that is more dessert than anything else.
blog away
AV's supporters must think the recall is going to succeed -- otherwise why all this "bile" against it's organizers.
MEAT must think Hahn's going to avoid a runoff, otherwise why all this "bile" against a popular mayor (dessert notwithstanding).
MEAT didn't answer my questions but he says this: "my goal........is to try to clear up the conspiracy theory tone that this blog goes into" DOES ANYBODY TAKE THIS MORON SERIOUSLY? MEAT is the guy pushing the 'conspiracy theory" that "sleazy bar owners" are ganging up on Antonio Villaraigosa! I am beginning to believe MEAT on one thing, however - that he's not on Antonio's staff. Antonio surely doesn't want MEAT anywhere near his official campaign or office.
FROM MEAT:
Here is another great thing about this blog --- I am suppose to devulge all my resources and contacts, i am suppose to expose how i got the inforamtion i got - -while no one can even ID themselves in some way shape or form.
I love this blog!
blog away
MEAT is wrong again. Time and again people are listing links to prove their points. MEAT does no such thing. Where is the proof about the bar owners MEAT?
MEAT: "...while no one can even ID themselves in some way shape or form."
Unlike you, of course? So, is MEAT your given first name, last name, or both. (You're really stage and screen star Meat Loaf, right?) A fake screenname that you yourself suggested might be shared by an army of contributors is proper ID -- much more forthcoming that "anonymous."
Just call me AnonyMeat, then.
Just when I thought the debate was getting civil. Instead of talking about the issues relevant to the the Transportation Committee, you wonderful people rant about other things. There are only a few people that come to mind that would have the time to contiously post comments: political consultant/operative or political hack. I fall into the earlier category, but I sure as hell don't work for any of the mayoral candidates. Your rants at MEAT are laughable. You give him and Villraigosa the center stage. Don't get me wrong, I like Villaraigosa. I think he has a real plan for the City of Los Angeles. The five or so people who post on this site will deter the voters of Los Angeles from voting for a good candidate. Oh uh let's see you amateurs go after that comment.
As MEAT says, "Blog away dum dums." Apparently all of you have taken this to heart and are blogging away. I say you all come up with catchy names like MEAT's. Hey how about we try something new. Let's actually talk about an issue without mentioning any of the mayoral candidates. How about we actually talk about a problem and the solution? You people are just a bunch of political hacks. Do you ever separate from you computer besides blogging away on one screen and checking out your porno on the other? Sure there is a mayoral election, but how about getting away from the campaign and getting to the problems in LA we can work on as citizens. Too much to ask for I guess.
Blog away
FROM MEAT:
Who are you? at least give youself a name so i can thread together your thoughts.
blog away.
I am Spartacus, MEAT
No, I am Spartacus.
Call me Ishmael, MEAT!
(Posters are generally more concerned with the identity of the messenger than with the message itself when they plan on trying to shoot the former rather than rebut the latter).
Hey WackoFromSacko...Your the one with all the spin. Good try though
See that's why you are so clever. I wish I had half your cleverness. Your able to respond so quickly to comments. It's amazing! (you might or might not hint a bit of sarcasm)
I need to get a hold of that playbook WackoFromSacko. You are too good. Where do I get? Maybe I can come over your place and pick it up? Does that sound like a plan. Where do you work?
Why isn't Laura Chick endorsing Antonio this time around?
Halogirlfromthecity, Chick endorsed Villaraigosa last time: Why not this time? She endorsed Hahn earlier on (before Villaraigosa got into the race) so it can't be a matter of principal that she doesn't want to endorse anybody while she is controller? Now, Antonio is running, why doesn't she endorse him again? Something doesn't add up, halogirl. What do you think?
FROM MEAT:
I think maybe because she endorsed hertzberg last time, i think maybe her senior staff contain former hertzberg staffers, i think maybe you are trying to pull together two musical notes that don't exist.
I think maybe you should blog away.
A previous blogger asked" "Hey how about we try something new. Let's actually talk about an issue without mentioning any of the mayoral candidates."
Well, since nearly every recent post on Mayor Sam's has been about the mayoral race, that would be off-topic, wouldn't it!
Chick should be ashamed of herself. There is no doubt she used her city staff and city time to put that 12 page memo together. She had a private meeting behind closed doors to only give to mayoral candidates against Hahn. To me that is sleazy, dirty and ugly. She took campaign money from FH, signed $4.2 million in checks without even asking questions why she was paying them, and now has the nerve to do all this work on a memo she should have given either Rocky or city council. Instead, she gives it to a bunch of losers who can't think for themselves so she does their homework most likly on my tax dollar to help them out. She is a SNAKE in the biggest way.
Why is MEAT answering questions put to Halogirl? I think we all know who Halogirl is and that she is very close to AV.
Tell us more about Halogirl! The buzz is she's one of AVs personal best.
"Well, since nearly every recent post on Mayor Sam's has been about the mayoral race, that would be off-topic, wouldn't it!"
Whoa there buddy! Loosen up. Geez
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