The Mob, El Pueblo, and Jose Huizar
The title sounds like the intro to a bad joke. Unfortunately, it is other bad jokes that have a potential appointee to El Pueblo in hot water.According to Steve Hymon in the LA Times:
The president of a Los Angeles city commission called for one of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's nominees to be rejected because he wrote an e-mail that mocks Italian Americans and makes fun of contributors to a City Council candidate.Guess what? We play hardball in the big leagues, and you just struck out. Not only does his quotes bring trouble to the appointee and all of those who were supporting him , but it also casts negative light on Jose Huizar.
Michael Gatto, president of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Authority, said in a letter Tuesday to Councilman Tom LaBonge that nominee Tony Scudellari was not fit to serve because of the group e-mail Scudellari sent earlier in the day.
The letter from Gatto, who says he does not know Scudellari, asks that the nomination be rejected.
Scudellari, 44, apologized Tuesday night. "I apologize for what I said. I didn't mean it to come out the way that it did," he said in a telephone interview. "Some of the jokes were in-jokes that were among friends, and it wasn't meant for public consumption."
Scudellari is a Huizar booster who has been engaged in a whisper campaign against Pacheco from the get go. Now he is blasting away much more publicly. Again from the Times:
The e-mail, a copy of which was forwarded to The Times, lists 19 people who gave money to council candidate Nick Pacheco and offers some comments about them. One of the donors is Gatto.I'd like to say I eagerly await Huizar's response, but he is probably to busy updating his website...and his loony followers are getting ready to continue there crap here in our comments section. Word of advice: Remember the rules of engagement, as they will be enforced. You'll actually have to come up with a credible point to somehow pin this on Pacheco in your sick and twisted minds.
The e-mail notes that Gatto gave Pacheco $250. "Plus $750 from the Gatto mob " I mean family (I'm Italian - I can joke)."
The e-mail also calls one person a "notorious political dirty trickster," comments on another person's sexual orientation, and mentions that a "wacky Republican" gave money to Pacheco.
Posted by Anonymous @ 8/24/2005 06:43:00 AM
33 Comments:
When will people learn to be careful what and who they send e-mails to? Just look at what Mayor Frank posted above this story.
This confirmation hearing at city council should raise some great questions.
Tony knows Michael is a loyal supporter of Nick so as a Villaraigosa nominee (and presumed supporter of Huizar) he would say something that stupid. I mean I am no Pacheco fan by any means but shit this blog will catch what you say dumb asses. Tony might as well bury a hole in the desert for himself. Hey Tony may be you can understand this: Va fa napole
I think any reasonable and disinterested person would say it is at least questionable to try to pin this on Huizar in any way; most would even say it is hypocritical (especially given the headline and sanctimonious caveat at the end).
And I'm sure not a few political observers would say that only bias or political naivete would keep somebody from thinking that Pacheco hasn't been involved in talks leading to Gatto's letter. The whole thing involves his contributors! Get real.
Frank: What a hypocrite to whine about the "Rules of Engagement" while simultaneously posting that irrelevant and tasteless stuff about the juvenile daughter of some obscure city councilmember.
And do you really think the trashings of Pacheco's staff is coming from Huizar people? I happen to know that most of it reflects a vicious internal power struggle within the Pacheco camp, as a gallimaufry of Mesmers, Rasputins and Svengalis compete for what is left of the mind and soul of Nick.
Scudellari posts frequently to the yahoo group, nealist, and makes no secret of the fact that he supports Huizar (primarily because AV told him to). His post show, as to others who support Huizar, that this email is not an anomally. Indeed, the constant refrain I hear from loose cannons like Scudellari and others involved in community issues, is that they are supporting Huizar because AV told them to. The point of all this is to say that Jose's base of support is non-existent. He has not distinguished himself in any way on the Board. He does not deserve to be rewarded with a seat on the City Council.
We need a solid and respected councilmemember (no, I'm not saying Pacheco). We need to find someone that can be independent of the mayor; someone that can think on their feet and not constantly look to others for marching orders. I wish I knew who that person was, but I don't. Cedillo bowed out as did Romero. The good ones opted out and now we are left with horrible choices.
on the be careful what you do in public theme: a friend of mine who works at gatto's firm (they have 500+ lawyers in l.a. alone - talk about yikes!) says that lawyers there have discussed a way to obtain the identities of various posters to usegroups and blogs under some loophole in the law. amazing and scary.
To Anon: 8:58
I think I know the theory / Body of Law you are referring to. Since it stems from the actual TEXT of the Constitution (and not an Amendment), courts across the country have ruled that this body of law trumps amendments, like, well, the First Amendment.
Certain things are like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. They are just not protected. Libel is one of them - but under this theory (to which Anon. 8:58 refers), all a lawyer need do is file a certain paper with a Federal judge. The judge MUST order the disclosure of IP addresses.
I work at one of the three Council offices that received Gatto's letter. It did not mention Pacheco by name in any way.
It did not allude to Huizar at all. It specifically mentioned that the Mayor is not to blame since the comments happened AFTER this yahoo was nominated.
The staff here actually thought the letter was a real class act.
He mentioned how Pacheco (the letter said "the candidate in question") gave him one of his first jobs way back in 1998, and how his folks sat next to that candidate at his wedding.
That's all. Most of the letter focused on El Pueblo and the good of the City, the dignity of Commissioners.
What is surprising to me is the quote from Scudellari "Some of the jokes were in-jokes that were among FRIENDS..." Who are the friends Mr. Scudellari feels so comfortable with sharing ethnic slurs and outing a gay who was intent on keeping his sexual preference secret? I know Scudelllari is a prominent leader of the Northeast Progressive Alliance - surely they are not the bigots Scudellari appears to be.
Well said, Mayor Frank!
"We play hardball in the big leagues, and [Tony Scudellari] just struck out."
The *WORST* thing to me - and the Times was very cool not to emphasize it too much - was how this a-hole Scudelari tried to "out" ANOTHER City Commissioner (who I will not name lest I repeat the allegations).
Scudelari basically called his wife a "front" wife, despite the fact that this other Commissioner has been married for 20+ years and has several kids.
Tony Scudelari also insults Paul "the King of Big Screens" Goldenberg, who is a really powerful guy around town, a personal friend of the Clintons, and a really nice, classy guy. (I met him at a Gore fundraiser in Y2K).
What a strange outburst! People awaiting confirmation just should't say stuff like that.
Let's all home John Roberts does soon!
Who is the "notorious political dirty trickster" referred to? If it's Torres III, it certainly is no slur, Mr. Mayor.
Anonymous 9:14 AM, I think you mean "let's all HOPE" that Sup. Ct. nominee Roberts does something like this.
True dat!
The author of a group email "outing" a straight guy would very much put Scudellari in the ranks of "political dirty tricker" Let's hope Villaraigos and Huizar will disown Scudellari's remarks and distance themselves from him.
What is wrong with spreading the news. Donut anyone?
Is the last post a breach of the Rules of Engagement? Is the last poster, a Scudellari supporter? now suggesting that Mike Gatto really is involved with the mob?
Is Scudellari really serious about his apology or is this all a joke to him and his friends?
Tony Scudillari is on the NE Progressive Alliance Board and projects a progressive public persona but privately he is as bigoted & racist as Pat Robertson.
He's outed himself here with his email to his "friends".
The Huizar website had Tony's name on it as a supporter but its been taken down.
why would av appoint such a bigot to the el pueblo commission or any other commission . this scuddilari
is and always will be trouble, but i guess he must have supported av and guizer heavily with the Mt washington homeowners alliance clare martha kenyon and mark kenyon . these are the same guys who are political correct in public but in private are the bigots and racist. He is one of the main supporter of the ICO to stop and control private land use in hillsides . A bill presented by
Ed reyes and supported by antonio villaragoosa. Maybe now they can understand how racist these people really are . Imagine how they speak about latinos in thier private meetings . these bigots have infiltrated our nieborhood councils , glassel park and have the ear of concil 1 and 14 . Reyes and villaragosa have stop taking these bigots seriously.
Scudillari and his friends are known for their intimidating smear tactics in prior political battles in the Northeast. They've gone unchecked under the cover of Villaraigosa. Now they are working on Huizar's campaign. There's no hiding under a rock this time.
For the record, the Mt. Washington Homeowners Alliance has never endorsed a candidate and does not support racist or bigoted viewpoints. Their membership & Board is comprised of people from all different religious, ethnic, cultural & economic backgrounds. Its absord to target them as racists or bigots.
Its a cheap shot & a baseless claim.
i agree, prev. poster. tony and his friends are bad news for everyone. their divisive politics has kept people from coming together on important issues many times. let's see if the Northeast Progressive Alliance disavows Tony's statement...
Is this an example of people on "Antonio's Team"? Way to go Huizar, let's see how far you get in your political career with this team.
10:32
You should hear how Tony the Liar talks about Latinos in private.
Good, bad or ugly, the Mt Washington Homeowners Alliance has no connection with Scudellari and therefore should not be the subject of debate.
Scudellari, who inexcusably "outs" a campaign contributor to Nick Pacheco, is a major supporter of Mayor Villaraigosa and School Board Member Jose Huizar and sits on the board of the Northeast Progressive Alliance and the Northeast Open Space Coalition.
Their silence in not condemning Scudellari for "outing" a man who was exercizing his democratic right to contribute to a political campaign is outrageous.
Will we see some leadership from the mayor on this issue? Or is his ethics pledge window dressing? I just read that the Huizar campaign quickly took off Scudellari's name from their website but without comment. What leadership from the man who wants to represent the northeast!
Any news of Huizar ridding himself of his inept staff?
This Day Three calling on him to rid himself of the 4 stooges so that he can bring in folks who will help him, because he is the best candidate, but might have the crappiest staff.
11:32 what does he say about Latinos in private?
He says that the women don't wash their pussies and that guys are lazy and stupid.
Oh I'm sorry, I forgot his mentor Dick Riordan said that.
I suppose it's time to acknowledge that members of the Northeast Progressive Alliance and other Huizar supporters are the bloggers who keep Mayor Sam alive and well. The lack of posts on this topic sure gives us a clue on who is responsible for all the negative stuff in CD14.
Day Three and No Inept Huizar staffers fired.
I hear that last night at the private club,aka Mt. Washington homeowners alliance meeting Mark kenyon and clare kenyon fully supported this bigot tony scudillari. this does not surprise me because they think like him ,that is the problem with the local folks who claim to represent our community but in private are racist and bigots. Birds of a feather flock together. How can you support a guy who outed a married gay man and used racist remarks against Italian Americans . Tony is not fit to represent anyone , well maybe he can represent the kkk. I call on mayor villaragosa to do the right thing and get rid of this trash from his administration ,no matter how much money he helped raise or influence he might have had. this guy needs to resign from the glassel park nieborhood council position . we cannot tolererate folks like tony having any power to influence and affect good hardworking people in our community.
Wow this is serious stuff...
When racist-bigot from PROH-LA said: "I hear that last night at the private club,aka Mt. Washington homeowners alliance meeting Mark kenyon and clare kenyon fully supported this bigot tony scudillari." They were wrong on all counts.
I was at the meeting and the subject of Tony did not come up and clare was not there. She is not on the MWHA board. Shows how much the PROH-LA really knows. Oh, also clare's name is Clare Marter Kenyon NOT martha. Shows how much you know about her provate life; you can't even get her name right.
All of us in the Mt. Washington community appreciate the hard work that Mark, Clare, and the MWHA do for us. And they deserve our hearfelt thanks for their taking the arrows from the paid lobbists of PROH-LA for the rest of us.
Anyone doubting this POV just has to go look at the PROH-LA website and/or their letters to the city concerning the ICO.
Proh- la has not hired a someone to lobby on thier behalf. they are a group of concerned citizens who are afraid that the nieborhood councils are out of control. keep your paws off our properties. just leave us alone and go do something usefull for the city. Mark kenyon and clare kenyon do support Tony scud , and shame on them .
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home