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Saturday, August 13, 2005

Open Thread

For those of you not enjoying the weather on this beautiful Saturday morning....

Blog Away!

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Antonio has done more then his share of under handed unethical things yet you fail to go after those stories. From what I hear people have e-mailed you stuff.

August 13, 2005 9:20 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

DELGADILLO TO REVIEW ELIGIBILITY OF CONTROVERSIAL AIRPOT NOMINEE
By David Zahniser....
........Delgadillo was asked last month to determine whether Velasco's role as president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, a group suing to stop former Mayor James Hahn's $11 billion airport plan, would disqualify her or her fellow commissioners from voting on the lawsuit.

But Delgadillo described plans for a broader legal review of Velasco, saying her involvement in a lawsuit against LAWA raises "a bunch of red flags" about whether she should be a commissioner.

"We're going to start with whether or not she can be appointed, period," Delgadillo said in remarks made after he spoke to the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum.....But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who nominated Velasco last month, voiced disappointment that Delgadillo is reviewing whether she should serve on the panel....."I'm frankly a little concerned that my lawyer, because that's what he is, would say that," the mayor said. "But I hope that he was misquoted."

Sounds like Rocky pushed a big button in AV.

August 13, 2005 9:39 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Anon 9:20

Easy to say...hard to prove. Put up or shut up. Tell Pacheco I said hello. Aren't you supposed to be campaining now?

August 13, 2005 10:03 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

9:20 AM

That is your opinion. Great. What is important is politicians will now do a better job from all of this exposure. Who benefits? The people, so what is wrong with that? Absolutely nothing.

August 13, 2005 10:52 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Good job Rocky. Question , research, analyze, and then decide.

August 13, 2005 10:54 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Does anybody know if Eliseo is planning to turn in his report to the ethics commission? It was due on August 1st. Maybe he forgot. Or maybe someone was involved that's now running for office and doesn't want his name out....hmmmm....

August 13, 2005 11:58 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

What report are you talking about?

August 13, 2005 12:15 PM  

Blogger Mayor Sam said:

Good posts everyone, nice use of this thread.

I have not received any emails about Antonio, I would be glad to read them.

Remember Mayor Sam's creed:

"Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work."

You give me credible stuff about the Mayor or anyone else, I am likely to post it. I just won't allow slander or other related BS.

August 13, 2005 1:08 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

"Congratulations Mayor, great exposure for Mayor Sam's Sister City."

August 13, 2005 1:24 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I think what 11:58 am is referring to is the fact that Eliseo and his committee of political wannabes pulled out papers to form the committee that we were all told were to recall Villaraigosa from City Council. Because they went to the extent that they did, I believe that they are required by Ethics to file a report like any other campaign, detailing amounts of money raised, expenditures made on behalf of the campaign, and any debts which might be reportable to this committee.

What, did you bozos think that you could mount your attack campaign in the manner that you did and not have to comply with City Ethics Law because you ranked out and didn't file any of the signatures that you state were collected? Wrong!!!

Sounds like another story for out local media to pick up after the Janice Hahn parking issue has blown over. If I was Eliseo or a member of the official committee, I'd be talking to an attorney right now.

August 13, 2005 1:43 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

1:43

I don't think the recall is a big deal for local media to bite. It is a boring topic. On the contrary, our focus has to be on today's so called leaders. If you want to lead the people, then you must be responsible for your actions (good & bad). Do not take credit for ideas and projects initiated by other individuals, instead give credit where credit is due and share the victory of such project. If you want my vote, prove to me you can deliver on what you promised. Democracy should not be taken for granted.

Politicians are humans and can be tempted by money, fame, sex, and power.

Be different and prove to constituents that you will make a difference.

Fabian Nunez which some blogger posts here from time to time is a perfect example. He bashes the governor on side money collected, but Fabian did the same. Stop throwing stones when you are guilty yourself of the same crime (HYPOCRISY).

August 13, 2005 3:09 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

This is for Cyberlady

Steve Maviglio had his hands full this month, disseminating the California Democratic point of view on Secretary of State Kevin Shelley’s resignation. But Maviglio, who serves as deputy chief of staff for Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, also was dealing with a controversy of his own--albeit more privately.

Off the Record, a political tell-all tome by former Dow Jones reporter Jason Leopold, opens with a less-than-flattering portrayal of Maviglio during his time as press secretary for Gray Davis. On January 27, Maviglio’s lawyer sent a letter to Leopold’s publisher, objecting to “defamatory statements” in advance materials promoting the book, a move that now appears to be delaying the book’s launch.

Maviglio’s primary concerns involve the book’s opening chapter, in which Leopold brags about using their friendship to obtain “off the record” information and then going to press with it. In Leopold’s version of the events, he tricked the press secretary into admitting his investment in energy stocks at a time when the Davis administration was negotiating long-term contracts to solve California’s energy crisis.

A news article, headlined “Maviglio says he won’t quit post,” reported that the Davis spokesman “acknowledged this week that he bought 300 shares of Calpine Corp. stock in June” and pointed out how, just a week earlier, the governor had fired five state power purchasers for owning the same stock. Elsewhere in the same edition, Maviglio was cited as the latest apparent transgression in both a Dan Walters column and a separate editorial called “Davis’ ethical mess.” Other publications pointed out that Maviglio also owned stock in Enron, a company whose role in gaming the California energy market was only beginning to emerge. (Note: A subsequent article by Leopold about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s meeting with Enron chief Ken Lay, along with a follow-up, were published in SN&R.)

August 13, 2005 3:24 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

“I was concerned about the perception, but he [Leopold] says I was concerned about breaking the law,” Maviglio told SN&R recently, in regard to the “confidential” conversation recounted in Off the Record. “My Enron investment was made five years before I started working for Gray Davis. So, I obviously wasn’t concerned about breaking the law. It’s all publicly reported. I bought that in ’96.” (As for his Calpine stock, Maviglio apparently was considered too far removed from the negotiating process for it to be an impropriety.)

Although Maviglio was reluctant to discuss Off the Record on the record, he did confirm the veracity and contents of a letter from his attorney, Tyler M. Paetkau, to the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, demanding they “cease and desist” from publishing statements the lawyer considers defamatory. “The true facts,” writes Paetkau, “are that Mr. Maviglio never discussed with Mr. Leopold any alleged use of alleged 'inside information,’ and/or that he 'might have broken’ any law or regulation whatsoever.” The attorney goes on to argue that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigated the charges and found no violations of law.

BREAKING THE LAW THE GRAY NUNEZ MAVIGLIO WAY

August 13, 2005 3:25 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

High court revives Proposition 77
Schwarzenegger's political redistricting measure reinstated to Nov. 8 special election ballot

August 13, 2005 3:36 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Downtown News.
Huizar's elected experience is limited to a part-time gig (school board members have fulltime jobs, and Huizar works as a land-use attorney). Yet he is selling himself as the man whose Blackberry has the cell numbers of everyone worth knowing in City Hall, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Last week his status as Rising Young Politician was trumpeted, again, when he showed up on the steps of City Hall to have seven Council members endorse and gush over him.

August 13, 2005 5:31 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

....."I'm frankly a little concerned that my lawyer, because that's what he is, would say that," the mayor said. "But I hope that he was misquoted."

Man, what an ego. Hate to tell you this MAV, but he's the CITY's lawyer, not your personal attorney and that means more than just being accountable to you!

Looks like MAV's skin is getting thinner real quick as he breaks campaign promises right and left and faces the real prospect that his picks for the commission appointments so far are as bad as or worse than Poopy's. So much for higher standard he would have in making appointments avoiding even the appearance of conflicts. Uh, when the City Attorney and the Chair of CENR both have serious issues with your appointment, do you really lash out rather than ask the appointee to graciously withdraw and appoint someone else. Well, probably not if you believe you're the second coming and can do no wrong. Hate to tell you this too MAV, but getting elected by a miniscule fraction of the City's population doesn't give you a mandate that lasts very long.

August 14, 2005 9:15 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

This issue of whether or not Val Velasco can serve on BOAC because her organization sued the city is bull.

Does anyone remember that Heal the Bay sued the city of LA to get Hyperion done? The attorney in that lawsuit, Felicia Marcus, went on to be a kickass BPW commissioner. The founder of Heal the Bay, Dorothy Green, served on the DWP board. And no one batted an eyelash last week when the council confirmed current Heal the Bay president Paula Daniels to the Board of Public Works.

People making an issue over Velasco either want to make trouble for the mayor, or are afraid of having a genuine community voive on the airport commission.

August 14, 2005 11:21 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Last I checked, I was not aware that either City Attorney Delgadillo or Councilman Cardenas had issues with some local activist. However, they do have a legitimate issue with a lawyer in the middle of a lawsuit suing the very agency she now wants to sit on and with no disclsure of the financial contributions made to the organization by people that may have a finacial incentive on issues to come before that commission.

Your bleeding heart conspiracy behind every door approach ignores these cold hard truths.

August 14, 2005 12:08 PM  

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