Do Neighborhood Councils Suck?
Since the Hahn Crew is so fond of pasting letters to the editor from the Daily News onto our blog, I decided to copy and paste one I thought was interesting. And the great thing is it has nothing to do with Tony Villar or Mayor Poopy.I often wonder about Neighborhood Councils myself. Good idea in theory, but a few of them work well, most suck and even more are just, well, tragic.
This reader puts it well:
Re "Finally, the Valley will count" (May 9):
The Valley gains in business prestige as a result of our 2002 cityhood attempt. Great - so that means it's time to update another 2002 win: Neighborhood Councils - our "best kept secret." Now, after three years, what has your Neighborhood Council done for you?
From what I hear, it's more likely bogged down by personal power. A member of the Encino Neighborhood Council told me, "We argue too much to get anything done." No surprise. Many council seats were never contested, and members just stay on - qualified or not. Encino will vote on its Neighborhood Council seats on June 9. Mark your calendar now - and vote. It's time for councils to grow up - and represent everyone.
Dorris Cragg
Encino
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 5/12/2005 03:41:00 PM
51 Comments:
DISSSSSSS-traction...
SPEAKING of neighborhood councils:
ADV HATES his neighborhood councils -- he ignores them unless he can use them to win some points, or overrule someone else (to pay back a campaign contributor, for example, e.g. dog parke debacle). Never visits them (his staff comes for 15 minutes - TOPS, while Reyes' people that cover parts of the same NC stay the whole time and offer procedural advice for working with city departments). ADV takes money from his NCs when his council accounts are flush, flaunts his disregard for their advice, pits them against each other, ON and on.
SO GLAD there was something to post about BESIDES the mayor's race!
Literally, they work as well as the councilperson and staff works with them. Some are stellar - some are bitch sessions, some never did get going.
CM's who believe in them provide training wheels. CM's who don't push them off the cliff.
Neighborhood councils should beware of people like: Jose Huizar
What a disgrace, with over 50% drop out rate! GET JOSE HUIZAR OUT OF OFFICE! What can we do as parents of LAUSD children to get this man out of LAUSD, he is corrupt and does not care about the future of LAUSD
Neighborhood Councils are amateurs interferring with professionals.
Every time they overrule a good planner, my stomach turns over.
They do it a lot, without rhyme or reason...
To the guy who is writing the story on SVREP. Well, in regards to Alvin Parra, all I know is that he has siblings, the one about the property is Belinda, she is a drunk, has a temper, and sleeps around or something like that. I don't know her last name, but she is married. Alvin also had his own scandal back in 2003.
DELETION DELETION<
Mark Googan just blasted Antonio's big lie on the child abuse bill. That's probably the reason Antonio canceled his press conf. Reporters were given documents that showed Antonio's voting record on AB2258 and he's been saying he voted the following week on a better bill. WELL GUESS WHAT???? HE DIDN'T HE LIED AND THE REPORTERS HAD THE DOCUMENTS TO PROVE IT. Shame shame on you. Hahn was telling the truth. Antonio is nothing more than a common criminal off the street wearing a suit.
The NC's are not working at times because politicians have citizens that are connected to them in pay for play in those councils. Meruelo is in NC in downtown. He has Alvin Parr in LA32 just to name a few. If someone knows more, blog on. How can the NC's function healthy if their Presidents are there to push a politicians agenda? This is what AV has, grass roots innundation of vigilante field deputies that are deputized by him.
Who is Mark Googan poster?
The NC does not have the support of Villaraigosa in his own district. He never shows up, how could it effectively work, if councilman is MIA, invisible.
Chief Parker Antonio must have sent you an e-mail pressuring you to post this story. Intersting you failed to post the following...
The letter emerged less than two weeks after Villaraigosa returned $47,000 in donations from employees of two Florida companies and their relatives.
On Sept. 27, 2004, Villaraigosa had dinner with Sean Anderson, the president of Travel Traders, one of the Florida companies, and Art M. Gastelum, a lobbyist who represents Los Angeles International Airport concessionaires. Villaraigosa said they did not talk about the airport.
The day after Anderson dined with Villaraigosa, employees of S.E. Florida Investments, which is affiliated with Anderson's firm, contributed $10,000 to Villaraigosa. Their relatives gave $3,000.
Villaraigosa collected an additional $34,000 for his mayoral campaign from employees of Travel Traders and S.E. Florida Investments and their relatives.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley opened a preliminary inquiry April 29 into whether the $47,000 had been laundered.
SVREP sole purpose is to gain latino candidates in office. Regardless of what they say in the media. This poll is a sham and they have manipulated those numbers, go to their website, it promotes latino only, it does not promote African American, Asian, Indian, European, Anglosaxon ethnicites. It only serves as a catalyst to promote Latino public officials and future public officials regardless of their criminal background.
WARNING - THIS IS NOT POSTED BY A "HAHNISTA"
ADV has a core contingent of groupies in several CD14 councils that try to use the (tiny) powers of NCs for his benefit - not to help what are relatively poor communities by citywide standards of the community.
One paid for expensive "treats" to make ADV look good when city council came to the Eastside for one of their offsite sessions ($1,000+ bucks for food for CMs who have their own $millions$ budgeted).
One nearly got it's butt kicked for using the NC communications network to pump an ADV fundraiser a few weeks back.
The FIRST two NCs threatened with decertification IN THE WHOLE CITY -for breaking their own bylaws to try and mess with elections and their results - are completely or partially in ADV's district.
WARNING - THIS WAS NOT POSTED BY A "HAHNISTA"
Isn't that Alvin Perra president of the El Sereno NC, he is at CHARO, SWVREP, worked directly with Gloria Molina, launders money in San Bernardino real estate, and tried to make a back room deal in 2003 wife's election? He has paper in LA32 and AV's buddy? What else don't we know about this crook? Anyone in direct connection with Gloria Molina and her businesses-smell rotten to me.
Anonymous : 4:30 PM
Who was the one that almost got into trouble?
JOSE HUIZAR+LAUSD UNION= OVER 50% DROPOUT RATE FOR H.S. STUDENTS.
4:35 PM Anon... Close, but Parra was the "wannabe" NC president there -- just like he was going to run against Pacheco in '03 until ADV's goons told him to sit down and shut up. "Tony V. needs somewhere to park his expensive $150,000-annual-salaried carcas while he waited to 'spring' back and get his revenge against Hahn," they pressured Parra, so he slid away with his tail between his legs.
Parra tried a "coup" against the real elected NC president in El Sereno, backed by the fake blond ex-commissioner and the gun-toting wounded puppy with the TRO on her tail for "community violence. THEN tried to stage a recall vote -- all outside the NC's own bylaws.
DONE threatened to have BONC strip the NC of it's charter for violations of it bylaws, take away all its money, make the community start over from scratch with new organizers, etc. ADV was pissed at the whole process anyway, because NONE of the NC presidents in his district would openly endorse him... most endorsed Hertzberg pre-primary, and most of those have switched to Hahn, too.
But NO NC presidents for ADV. (There's one, partially in his district, but you won't find the name anywhere on ADV's stuff -- WAY too embarrassing to only have ONE of the 7-8 that could be on there... leads to questions, again, of WHY the people in the FRONT ROWS for ADV's performances always BOO, and he has to run to OTHER districts... Valley, Westside, South L.A. for names of community leaders who endorse him. Those people in the UPPER BALCONIES for his conman shows, who can't see the flim-flam up close enough to know it's ALL bogus!
Those are the "community leaders" supporting him openly -- they JUST don't know him.
I figured we would get 1) those distracton complaints
2) more cutting and pasting
Poster Mark Googan does reports for Channel 2 & 9. Boyle Heights NC is the largest citywide with 51 reps. It has one of the best reputations amongst NC's. Sadly, Antonio hasn't been to one of their meetings and doesn't believe in working with the community. His field staffer Dora Garcia showed up to a meeting last year and pleaded they give Antonio $1,000. Mind you Antonio was already sitting on $700,000.
Mayor Sam someone is re-posting tons of stuff on this blog.
ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA+JOSE HUIZAR+ LAUSD UNION= OVER 50 % DROP OUT RATE.
THIS MUST HAVE BEEN THEIR LONG TERM GOAL
Anon 4:54
Why would the staff representing AV request $1,000 from his own districts NC? Is this common? Just asking since I am not learned in NC's.
Mayor Sam,
Some poster must be upset, they keep pasting the same stuff from the other blogs.
If you want some juicy information on Alvin Parra have a look at his 1995 campaign for city council. In 1995 Alvin ran against Richard Alatorre for city council in District 14. He put forth an admirable effort keeping Richard under 60%. Funny thing though, it was Steve Espinoza, one of the founders of La Colectiva who ran his campaign.
In this campaign Alvin didn't raise enough money to qualify for matching funds. The limit at the time was $25K. So what did Alvin do, he calls his big brothers who pull together around $12K for him, he reports it as campaign donations, he qualifies for matching funds which comes in the form of a $25K city check, then he reimburses his brothers. All this is verified by bank statements.
Is it any wonder this guy works for Molina, SVREP and Tony. Birds of a feather stick together.
When Antonio came into office all he kept telling the community was "I don't have a budget or money." A health fair was held at Hollenbeck Park. Antonio sent Dora begging for money to Boyle Heights NC because they said the food that was going to be donated backed out. So BHNC gave him $1,000. The El Sereno NC also gave him $4,500 for a city council meeting they had in their community. INstead of the money being used for a worthy cause it was to feed all city council with nice deserts.
If you look at this website you will see Antonio had more than enough money and in fact donated to other organizations out of his district. He lied to the NC's and took their money.
http://www.cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1245233&view=expenditures
25k in funds for Alvin Parra from his family? So how big is his family? Just joking there...is that property that is said in San Bernardino part of that reimbursement?
Just saw Tony on Channel 7 trying to justify his vote against the Jaeger child abuse bill. He was caught on another lie when it was revealed by John North that the bill he voted for the following week never even made it the governor's desk. Tony's response," I-I-I-I-I- think that the v-v-v-v-v-v-oters of El Lay will, uhhhhhhh, see this as a last minute smear uhhhhhhhh campaign."
They're are going to recognize this as much more than a smear campaign, they are going to recgonize it as the ad that did Tony in. And keep it up with those, "James Hahn is at it again ads", Parke, they're are just adding fuel to the fire. How ironic, Tony's money is now being used to spread confirmation of his lies. Ow we know why Hahn has been so confident.
4:54 ANON, BH may have the most board members, but they're not the largest NC in terms of number of stakeholders...
What assholes! Antonio has come out with a tv ad saying "My vote was taken out of context." DOES HE KNOW HOW STUPID THAT SOUNDS. INTELLIGENT PEOPLE KNOW YOU EITHER VOTED FOR OR AGAINST. ANTONIO VOTED AGAINST. I just got a call and a MOM said he's making that poor woman who lost her baby look like a LIAR WHEN IN FACT HE'S THE LIAR. What a crybaby!!! He doesn't know how to respond. The news are reporting what John North and Mark Googan are reporting and it making Antonio look like a liar.
At the bottom of his ad it say "law enforcement supports Villaraigosa.' ANOTHER LIE. lESS THEN 50 law enforcement support him and HAHN HAS THE WHOLE DAMN LAPD POLICE FORCE CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT A GANGSTER MAYOR, ONE WHO GOT A DRUG DEALER OFF, ONE WHO SUPPORTS CHILD ABUSERS. CRYBABY ADV
Dumbshits - its Mark Coogan.
http://cbs2.com/bios/local_bio_324085911/
Man, I guess Jim doesn't pay you enough to blog correctly.
5:19 P.M. DON'T tell me little Tony V. is doing his Ronald Reagan impersonation again? I mean I know this guy is a chameleon "what do you want me to be today, Ace" - but that was one of THE saddest episodes on the mayoral debates, when ACLU-chugging hyperlib ADV was pretending to channel the "gipper" (ecept Tony V. should be "the ZIPPER" instead).
"There you go again, James H-hahn, misrepresenting my rrr-ecord." He must have said it 10 times, NO response from the audience. (Is he autistic, too? Can't tell when he's "bombing.")
No one NEEDS to misrepresent ADV's record EXCEPT ADV who's been avoiding direct Q&A about it all season.
SO, there you go ADV groupies -- keep at it. Go out there and LOSE one for "the Zzzzzipper" -- ADV, the Great Procrastinator.
"I'll finish a project in my district... Manana!"
(No charge for that last one, James Hahn -- spend it on more "attack" ads... we in CD14 REALLY want to see Tony V. dump a load in his designer suits some day this week - on camera - when he has to defend being the MOST LIBERAL legislator in state history!)
Do NC's suck? Not all... some BLOW!
Ah, hell, Jimmy. I'm feeling generous. Just make sure you win on Tuesday, and I'll shred the invoice for ALL my blogging.
ALL I want is to see lying, conman, ripoff artist Antonio Villaraigosa go down for a second time, and end up a BAD footnote in L.A. history for abusing his council office just to payback a mayor who outed him as a felon-loving scumbag.
I want someone else (almost ANYONE else) to go down as the first Latino mayor, once again. Someone the kiddies can look up to and say, I want to be mayor some day, and not have it mean, "I want to screw constituents for a living - just like ADV."
YOU KEEP DELETING I WILL POST AGAIN
Antonio Villraigoasa physically abused his daughter Priscilla when she was 7 years old. Priscilla's mother filed a complaint on this abuse. Antonio told the judge Priscilla snapped back at him and he pinched her arm but he did not intend to leave a bruise. Priscilla Villar is his daughter's name.
Tony Villar (his real name) stole cigarettes and tequila regularly from a liquor store owned by a black man on Brooklyn Ave.
i. Sheriff Baca's Relationship with the Vignalis Sheriff Baca met Horacio Vignali in 1991 through ``Latinos for Riordan,'' a group which supported the election of Richard Riordan as Mayor of Los Angeles.\150\ Beginning in 1993, Baca and Horacio Vignali began having one-on-one contacts, including lunches and other social meetings.\151\ Over the course of the years that followed, Baca became friends with Horacio Vignali and his wife, Luz, and even visited the Vignali home on five or six occasions.\152\ Vignali became a major supporter of Baca. Vignali contributed $11,000 to Baca's campaigns for Sheriff between 1994 and 2001.\153\ Vignali also hosted three
fundraisers for Baca at the C&H Body Shop, each of which
raised, according to Baca, between $60,000 and $70,000 for his
campaign.\154\
Work with me on this, Anti-Antonios - because the Tony Groupies just can get it into their one collective star-struck brain that there are REAL people who want payback against ADV screwing his district, as MUCH or more than little Tony wants payback for Hahn embarrasing him LAST time.
End your ADV-revealing, bashing, truth-telling posts with something like this:
NO CHARGE, Mayor Hahn -- just kick Tony's butt.
or NO CHARGE, Jimmy, keep up the good work...
or NO CHARGE, James Hahn, a pleasure to get the truth out about your do-nothing opponent...
There you GO again, Mayor Sam, misrepresenting the Anti-ADV wave as just mercenary Hahnistas.
The reason the Neighborhood Councils do not work is because of these people:
THE VIGNALI PROTECTION PROGRAM GANG
Vignali's supporters provided letters of support that were
false and misleading.
A key element of the campaign by Carlos Vignali and
his father Horacio, was a series of letters on Carlos' behalf
from prominent Los Angeles politicians. A number of these
letters contained misleading statements calculated to create
the impression that Carlos Vignali was innocent. The officials
who submitted letters included Representative Xavier Becerra,
Representative Esteban Torres, State Assembly Speaker Robert
Hertzberg, State Assembly Member Antonio Villaraigosa, State
Senator Richard Polanco, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria
Molina, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Hernandez, and
Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca provided critical support
for the Vignali commutation that was inappropriate, given his
position.
That's easy to do, because...
Antonio Villaraigosa is a pathological liar who can't be trusted to do anything he says he'll do.
Someone prove me wrong, running out of time, only 5 days remaining in this opportunity.
(No charge Jimmy, kick the pathology out of him!)
Do they SUCK?
What a coincidence -- that's what Antonio asks his chief of staff whenever they hire another piece of eye-candy for a field office!
Judging from the comments here about his field staff, "suck" could be taken at least two ways -- and it sounds like both may apply.
Hahn 52 Villaraigosa 48
So what's going on with Antonio Villaraigosa today?
Did any of you get fundraising emails this week?
It's me Antonio Villaraigosa, I want to confess that I have a split personality, and I am running the other blog site too. You see, I am a man of many faces. I am so confused I am even against myself. Don't vote for me, I sleep with the staff, steal from kids, cheat on my wife constantly, sleep around and do nothing all day. Vote for the other guy instead.
Yours truly,
Mr. Antonio Hypocrite Villaraigosa
Hahn + Carrick = Loss
End of Story
Antonio + mayor's position = municipal bankruptcy
End of CITY!
Yes, got an e-mail from John Kerry begging to vote for Antonio and his invisble neighborhood watches. Antonio is making an ass out of Kerry.
4:07 PM
Can you name one instance where a neighborhood council overruled a "good planner" and it made your stomach churn?
And you say it happens often without rhyme or reason?
If you want to find out about ADV's affair, you can call
Hi! I’m Jennie Carreon-Lacey, one of the Field Coordinators for the Villaraigosa for Mayor campaign. I just wanted to share with you a brief report on our exciting grassroots mobilization summit from this past weekend.
Eastside Campaign Headquarters 1868 East 1st Street
corner of 1st and State
Call (323) 262-1724
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