DWP's Newest Board Members?
Did the Mayor's office leak like the Titanic again?First it was the Airport and Harbor commissions leaked to the Daily Breeze.
Today is Rick Orlov's turn at the Daily News:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to announce within the next week a team of environmentalists and political allies to serve on the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
Villaraigosa is said to be nominating longtime political associates Nick Patsaouras and Bill Burke, as well as well-known environmentalists Mary Nichols and David Nahai. The fifth member is believed to be trial lawyer Edith Ramirez.
I think the need more fingers to plug all of the holes.
Posted by Anonymous @ 8/04/2005 05:15:00 AM
30 Comments:
If that is the same David Nahai from the Regional Water Quality Control Board then the Mayor made a horrible pick. You can be assured with Mr. Nahai that meeting will be long (he likes to talk) and nothing will get done.
Whoever wrote that trash about Nahai doesn't know him.
He is an educated, knowledgeable, hard working lawyer who knows water and is sensitive to both business and the environment.
He was the most solid chair on the Water Quality Board for the last ten years, while other members, not sensitive to the needs of business to survive tried to run people out of business.
Likewise, Nick Patsouras is a practical, can-do guy, and Burke is a long time member and chair of the SCAQMD.
Antonio is selecting adults, not people from the kiddie corps who no one ever heard of, just because they fit some percieved ethnic or gender need.
Bravo to the Mayor and Robin Kramer, who's hand is clearly in the mix.
Bill Burke, who founded the Los Angeles Marathon, is the husband of Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke who provided a key mayoral election endorsement for Villaraigosa this year.
Right Antonio, "cleaning up city hall"!!!!!!!
Mayor Returns $45,000 in Questionable Contributions
Some donations topped the limit for a single source. Others went back after the campaign exceeded the cap for businesses and groups.
By Patrick McGreevy
Times Staff Writer
"These names have been floating around City Hall for some time. Having watched the Rubber Stamp Board of the DWP in the past and even this week, the choices can only be a major improvement for our city.
This looks like a Board that will challenge the DWP Bureaucrats and give the DWP some honest direction."
Right Transit Nerd, where a couple of these Bureaucrats gave nice healthy donations to AV's Mayoral run and one of them is married to an inept County Supervisor.
(Laughs) Some challenge! It looks like things will be more of the same but in a nice Armani suit and using the media to bulls*** the masses.
"No, no, sentence first, verdict afterwards."
The Queen of Hearts - from "Alice in Wonderland"
Lewis Carroll
Why don't you guys give Antonio a chance to get his commissioners confirmed and see what they do, or don't do?
Isn't it a little early to be passing judgment on people and issues?
Go back to the Pacheco blogging; at least we knew what that was...
Excuse me anon 9:08am. We're not the ones who said they would clean up city hall. Antonio was blasting Hahn on the Fleishman-Hillard mess and then HE TURNS AROUND AND TAKES MONEY FROM ONE OF THEM? Many of these commission appointees either gave Antonio money for his campaign or they gave him an endorsement.
Bill Burke is the husband of LA County Supervisor Yvonne Burke. Bill Burke has been getting all kinds of financial breaks from city hall for years for the LA Marathon. He is masterful at keeping his hands clean while he does sleazy manuvers with elected officials. Meanwhile his wife has presided over the biggest mess in LA County in years: King Drew Hospital. But, this doesn't seem to trouble the Burkes. They live like the millionairs they are on the westside, untouched by what ails the masses.
Although AV picks are sound, I think a few of the picks are more of the same. Burke....please. Neahai...I agree with previous poster that the meeting will grind to a halt. Nick Patsaouras is a re-tread and good at, of course, raising money.
Edith is a solid real estate attorney and I think Nichols is a good choice.
Hey Transit Nerd AKA Bart Reed, this is nothing more than pay to play with different players.
"Honest Direction"? There will be no such thing in City Hall with AV who is all show no substance.
Nick Patsaurous is the new Ted Stein...
Speaking of Stein, is he in jail yet?
So can Nicko be a city commissioner and still lobby AV to support all his big money making projects that come before MTA?
AV's appointments reflect paybacks for campaign contributions. Nothing new! I heard IRS problems and inquiries for Parke Skelton, journo...look into this.
Atleast the Titanic had class.
It't the nominees themselves doing the leaking. These starry-eyed ADV supporters are all just SO honored to be picked by the BMOC to go the dance, they just can't STOP themselves from telling ALL their little girlfriends that night on the party-line.
HE PICKED ME, HE PICKED ME, WHAT SHALL I WEAR, HOW FAR SHOULD I GO ON THE FIRST DATE!
YAK, YAK, YAK
"So can Nicko be a city commissioner and still lobby AV to support all his big money making projects that come before MTA?"
Technically No, Because of MTA Ethics, but it didn't stop Slick Dick Riordan fromcalling on Nick P.
Amazing that in this day and age we have lame LA reporters who go soft on Antonio with all these appointees. LA Times placement of "Mayor Returns $45,000" is on the bottom of inner page. Where are the hardball credible journalists because they're certainly not in Los Angeles media. TV news is without a doubt worst than print.
Ok, OK, I give up.
You guys are all right and we are wrong.
Antonio should be appointing people who did not support him or give him money.
Let's start with appointing Eliseo Villanueva to some important position, then followed by Ricardo Torres, III. How's that?
If that's not enough, since he is basically unemployed, how about giving Nick Pacheco a job on Public Works?
None of them gave any money to Antonio; so, is that what you guys are looking for?
If so, keep looking...
To begin with, they are looking for adults; that lets the three of them out.
Then, they look for someone the Mayor can trust to do the right thing; ditto.
So, give this some thought; just exactly who should he be appointing?
Little kids just out of school like Jimmy Boy Hahn found?
People who didn't have any idea about what to do on a commission?
Get real, children, that why you are mired in CD 14 and the middle ages.
Go back to the minors; this is the Bigs.
"So, give this some thought; just exactly who should he be appointing?"
If that's the case then they should have never contributed ANY money to his campaign to add additional credibility. I mean if I was running for Mayor and I already have this planned out in my mind during the campaign.
You're missing our point 3:35pm. IF Antonio wouldn't have opened his big mouth stating that he was not going to appoint any special interest, any campaign donors, going to clean up city hall we wouldn't be ranting. The fact of the matter is he pretended to be all high and mighty and then does the same thing he accused Hahn of doing. It was all bullshit to get him elected. Just like taking control of the LAUSD then backing down on the issue.
LA Weekly.....(Antonio spokesperson) Ramallo also referred to a meeting on July 4 between Villaraigosa and DWP General Manager Ron Deaton and Los Angeles Chief Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka, in which the veteran officials advised the mayor that reworking the IBEW deal could lead to legal trouble or a strike. No lawyers for the city were present during the meeting, Ramallo said. Nor was Villaraigosa’s private counsel. In any event, the DWP board’s decision on Tuesday not to vote on the salary increase called into question that rationale.
After declining to vote, Commissioner Annie Cho said she thought Villaraigosa’s commissioners, soon to be appointed, should vote on the proposed salary hike. Commissioner Silvia Saucedo said no one wants a strike, and DWP workers do a great job, but still, she has questions. Saucedo’s term expired on July 30, but Villaraigosa asked her to continue serving until he picks a new board. She told the Weekly she didn’t punt the decision so much as heed her duty to the public. She said she wants to know more about the financial well-being of the nation’s largest utility, pointing to concerns such as an Inyo County judge’s order that whacked the DWP with fines of $5,000 per day for violating a 30-year water agreement. “We’re going to spend at least $7 million on a water settlement in Owens Valley, we have security concerns, we have the transfer to the city’s general fund, we have unfunded liability, we’re exploring an investment in natural gas — how is this salary increase going to affect the DWP globally?” she asked.
Sleazy Huizy couldn't stand Antonio not that long ago. He bad mouthed Antonio to everyone in CD14 when Pacheco ran against him in 2003. Sleazy endorsed Pacheco and was every campaign event for Nick. Now Weazel has changed his tune. Who can trust him now??
We have a new mayor who is providing the energy we need,” Huizar said, adding that his close relationship with Villaraigosa would benefit the people of the northeast Los Angeles district.
LOS ANGELES CITY ETHICS COMMISSION
Review of and action on Statements of Economic Interests for Commission nominees.
Statements of appointees receiving CAUTIONARY LETTERS that highlight areas in which potential
conflicts of interest could arise:
Board of Police Commissioners – John W. Mack, Anthony Pacheco
Board of Public Works – David Sickler, Paula A. Daniels
When did AV state, "that he was not going to appoint any special interest, any campaign donors,[and that he was] going to clean up city hall"
Haven't you heard that can't please everybody! If you were elected, who would be on your team?
Talk about jokes. How about the new Port Commissioner Radisich, who loves the City so much that he has lived in Manhattan Beach for the past 10 years. Disgusting!
Commissioners must live in Los Angeles according to the law.
If Radisich lives in Manhattan Beach, we will not be eligible and cannnot be confirmed, or, if confirmed, would be subject to removal by a suit, if that fact can be proven.
You guys would rather on your dead grandmothers if you could. I hate cynics!
More important than the Commissioners is what the Mayor tells the Commissioners to do. If he tells his DWP Commissioners to make DWP the greenest public utility in the nation, or if he tells his Harbor Commissioners to make the Port reduce air pollution to 2001 levels, then that's what they should do - or lose their jobs. The Mayor has no political future if his Commissions don't get busy on environmental issues.
Some may feel squeamish about eating it, but rabbit has a fan base that grows as cooks discover how easy they are to raise — and how good the meat tastes.
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