Rocky and his friends
If you're going anywhere surface streetish today, be sure to consider Marathon traffic, which could be even heavier than usual.
~~~
Good reading in the Times this morning on how Rocky Delgadillo, who was in part propelled to his current office by his ties to the billboard industry, has turned his back on those who purportedly have the goods on certain improprieties allegedly conducted by Regency Billboard.
In-kind billboard ads from Regency worth $125,000 serviced Rocky's run against Mike Feuer for City Attorney in 2001.
~~~
The school district the mayor wants to take over for want of accountability continues to shine in the Valley, where Taft, El Camino, and Moorpark are cited as being among the nation's strongest Academic Decathlon teams.
But elsewhere in the Valley, a school battling for autonomy from the LAUSD partners with the UTLA to loosen the District's grip. The UTLA is letting teachers at Parkman Middle School stay in the union while giving the school more autonomy in budget and curriculum decisions.
Parkman is seen by the union as a test case for the union's handling of breakaway efforts.
~~~
Bruins are in the sweet sixteen, which sits pretty well with this alum. Howland's done a great job, hasn't he? And you know he has a good shot against those Jesuits from Gonzaga in the next round.
But also, how about Washington beating Illinois? Maybe the Pac 10 isn't as weak as all the commentators have suggested. Still, I'm not expecting much from Arizona when they go against those tough Augustinians from Villanova today.
~~~
Good reading in the Times this morning on how Rocky Delgadillo, who was in part propelled to his current office by his ties to the billboard industry, has turned his back on those who purportedly have the goods on certain improprieties allegedly conducted by Regency Billboard.
In-kind billboard ads from Regency worth $125,000 serviced Rocky's run against Mike Feuer for City Attorney in 2001.
~~~
The school district the mayor wants to take over for want of accountability continues to shine in the Valley, where Taft, El Camino, and Moorpark are cited as being among the nation's strongest Academic Decathlon teams.
But elsewhere in the Valley, a school battling for autonomy from the LAUSD partners with the UTLA to loosen the District's grip. The UTLA is letting teachers at Parkman Middle School stay in the union while giving the school more autonomy in budget and curriculum decisions.
Parkman is seen by the union as a test case for the union's handling of breakaway efforts.
~~~
Bruins are in the sweet sixteen, which sits pretty well with this alum. Howland's done a great job, hasn't he? And you know he has a good shot against those Jesuits from Gonzaga in the next round.
But also, how about Washington beating Illinois? Maybe the Pac 10 isn't as weak as all the commentators have suggested. Still, I'm not expecting much from Arizona when they go against those tough Augustinians from Villanova today.
Labels: rocky delgadillo
Posted by Joseph Mailander @ 3/19/2006 06:10:00 AM
24 Comments:
Rocky is such an embarassment. I can remember the days of Pines who would never of done things like this.
Isn't time for the City to appoint a City Attorney? Money rules in that office, and the City can no longer rely on getting untainted, disinerested legal advice.
And why do reporters always say that Rocky, and the city attorney who handled the matter, will not make a comment. City attorneys cannot talk to the press without Rocky's permission. Why not just write the truth - that Rocky will not comment, and will not let his attorneys talk to us.
Congratulations to Richard Llewellyn for signing a shoddy report. Attorneys used to sign their own reports so they could take credit - and responsibility - for the report. It's nice of Richard to put his reputation on the line for Rocky. I'm sure Rocky appreciates it.
Let me add my two cents to the legions of others: This is what you get when you elect a City Attorney that has NO LEGAL EXPERIENCE.
Rocky: You are an embarassment to all half-white, half-Latinos like me.
yep - in delgadillo's world money talks and competence walks
FBI investigates Rocky's savior
We all know that Maxine Waters, recently named one of the 13 most corrupt members of congress, saved Rocky's 2001 campaign by screwing do-gooder Mike Feuer and putting Rocky on her slate.
Now Maxine is getting into trouble, finally:
http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
Page 1 of 3 http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
BPI on the case of Maxine Waters and the union vote
By BETTY PLEASANT, Contributing Editor
Turning their attention to this year’s elections, a bunch of union folks got together and invited the potential candidates in the June
primary to come and make their pitch for the privilege of political office. The candidates came, and so did an interloper. The
candidates cried foul, and now the FBI cometh.
This, in a nutshell, is what happened when the State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) held a meeting Jan.
26 in the Beverly Boulevard office
of SEIU Local 434B to interview local
candidates and determine which ones were worthy of union support. The interloper? Rep. Maxine Waters. The foul? She wasn’t
supposed to be there.
Waters’ presence at the meeting caused a furor from the moment she and her husband, Sidney Williams, were seen sitting in the
room, and for weeks afterward. The candidates lodged formal complaints with state union officials, who assert that not only did the
congresswoman sit through the candidates’ interview with the union members, but that she also sat through the actual voting process
for the selection of endorsees.
They said she was the only elected official in the room, was observed talking to union members and was viewed as an intimidating
presence in support of the candidates she prefers.
The complaints were so loud that the FBI heard them and came running, because, as everyone knows, the FBI lives for complaints
involving unions and political elections. I know for a fact that a special agent of the FBI made a startling, unannounced visit to at least
one of the candidates this month and questioned him about everything that happened at the Jan. 26 meeting — specifically, about
everything Waters did and said there. The agent took notes and names and left her card.
I called the agent several times. She, in turn, had Laura Eimiller of the FBI’s press office call me to answer my questions.
I asked her if the FBI is investigating Congresswoman Waters’ presence at the union endorsing meeting. Eimiller said what
investigative bodies always say: “We neither confirm nor deny any investigation the FBI is undertaking.”
I then asked if the FBI had received complaints about the congresswoman’s presence at the meeting. Eimiller said: “We receive
PLEASANT from page A1
allegations routinely — particularly in regard to political figures — but that doesn’t mean they result in a full-blown investigation.”
Me: “So, did you receive allegations in this specific regard?” Eimiller: “We neither confirm nor deny receiving allegations about any
specific regard.”
Me: “Since I can’t get any cooperation from the FBI, I hope you people don’t get in my way while I conduct my own BPI (Betty
Pleasant Investigation) into this matter.” Eimiller: “[chortle].”
I began my BPI by questioning the candidates in the 26th Senate and 48th and 51st Assembly district races, because the candidates
therein complained about Waters and those are the races in which she has and/or had a favorite. (Rod Wright, her perennial
loser/anointed one, has since dropped out of the contest for the 26th.)
Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas of the 26th said Waters was at the meeting and he was mad about it. Anthony Willoughby of the
48th said Waters was at the meeting and he was real mad about it. Bishop Ed Turner, also of the 48th, said Waters was at the meeting
and he was upset and confused about it.
“We [Turner, Waters and her hubby] came into the building together,” Turner said. “[The union people] took her right upstairs and
into the room and made my people stay downstairs. When they called me into the room, I noticed the congresswoman and her
husband sitting there. I thought it was odd. I wondered what the congresswoman was doing in there. It caused me to raise my
eyebrow. There were no other elected officials in there.”
03/18/2006 07:45 AM http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
Page 2 of 3 http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
There was no need to ask Mike Davis, the other candidate in the 48th, about Waters’ presence, since he is the candidate she favors in
that race. But I tried to talk to Curren Price of the 51st, who does not have Waters’ endorsement but who is earnestly striving to curry
it. I couldn’t reach Price but I got Robert Cole, his campaign manager, who said, yes, Waters sat through Price’s interview, causing
him to wonder whether “there was a fair process” in play at the union event.
Steve Bradford just came right out and asked the question of the people in charge. Bradford, also a candidate in the 51st, said there
was considerable grousing among the candidates and their supporters about Waters’ presence and its effect on the process. “So I asked
Ali Cooper, one of the state union coordinators of the meeting, if she was supposed to be in there,” Bradford said. “He told me, ‘Oh
yes, it’s an open meeting. Anyone can come to it.’”
I made a late-night call to Cooper, getting him out of bed, and he said he did not recall speaking with Bradford. “I’ve had a lot of
conversations with a lot of candidates. I can’t remember what I said,” Cooper said. “The only thing I recall about that meeting was
that a lot of folks were concerned about the presence of Congresswoman Waters.”
(I see no need to include comments from the Rev. Norman Johnson Jr., an erstwhile candidate in the 51st. Johnson told me Tuesday
night he is withdrawing from the race.)
Then I tried several times to reach Javier Gonzalez, SEIU’s state political director, and Gregory Akili, the SEIU official who
moderated the discussion that evening, but to no avail. But I did get hold of Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU Local 434B, in whose
house the meeting was held.
Freeman said he was out of town on Jan. 26 but several of his staff members were present to host the meeting. He said there has been
considerable discussion among union members about Waters’ presence at the meeting. “And yes, she was at the meeting, and yes, she
was present for the vote,” Freeman said.
Freeman explained that the union staff that ran the meeting was not the most experienced nor the most senior of the union leadership.
He said he believed they felt intimidated by her presence and didn’t know how to react, noting that they were not accustomed to
telling a member of Congress to leave the room.
Me: “Regardless of how intimidating it might have been, her presence obviously didn’t mean anything since her candidates didn’t
fare well.” Freeman: “Her presence always means something. We all knew she backed Mike Davis, but his candidacy just was not
strong enough for us to support him — whether she’s present in the room or not.”
I learned this week that the fallout from Waters’ presence was so heavy that state SEIU officials redrafted the section of their bylaws
pertaining to endorsements. I was told they “tightened” the section and reminded all of their chapters that no one except union
members and candidates are allowed in a room when endorsement matters are being discussed.
After talking to Freeman, I talked to Waters. She admitted attending the meeting, which she described as “a big meeting in which all
the candidates were there and they introduced themselves to the different unions present.” She said she was not there when any voting
took place. “I didn’t see any voting,” she said.
Me: “Did anyone ask you to leave?” Waters: “No, they didn’t ask me to leave. In fact, at the end, Akili asked to me say a few words
but I declined.”
Waters: “What did they say I was doing?” Me: “They said you were there supporting your candidates and whispering to the union
members.” Waters: “I’ve not endorsed anybody in any race as of today. I did not speak to anyone on anyone’s behalf. I have not
lobbied for Mike or anybody.”
She went on to say: “This was a grassroots meeting. That’s not a violation of any law. That’s not an issue for law enforcement. They
don’t care how unions make their endorsements.”
Aghast, Emmet Cash III, Turner’s campaign manager, said: “I can’t imagine the union would allow her to be in the room. I can’t
imagine that could be legal.”
The more verbose Ridley-Thomas said of the situation: “It’s very important that the endorsement process be as fair as possible, free of
manipulation or intimidation. Our community already suffers from too much discouragement in terms of the political process, so that
anything that makes voters or union members feel uncomfortable, no matter who is responsible, has to be corrected.”
03/18/2006 07:45 AM http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
Page 3 of 3 http://www.wavenewspapers.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=71&sdetail=4676
Willoughby said: “I totally object and disagree with Maxine Waters using her position as a member of Congress to intimidate and try
to influence the political process. If she truly believes her candidate, Mike Davis, is the best candidate, then she should be
comfortable in letting people decide for themselves. But obviously she has no faith in her candidate.”
I confess to one major oversight in my BPI, and I can kick myself for it: I failed to ask Waters — if she favored no candidate, spoke
to no one in support of any candidate and declined to even say a few words to the union members — why she was there. If it was a
grassroots, candidates’ introductory meeting, why was she the only elected official present? Why weren’t Diane Watson, Juanita
Millender-McDonald, Karen Bass, Kerman Maddox and all the other usual suspects there? Hell, why wasn’t I there?
That special FBI agent who’s sleuthing around out there taking names and asking questions can ask her, because the BPI is done.
Rocky + Billboards = Scandal
do i hear an echo of the pay to play scandals of jim hahn here?
Rocky needs to be hauled before the City Council to explain why he deliberately riggedt this "investigation." Anything less would be a complete whitewash of a serious matter.
Wait a minute we have a city attorney who doesn't go after the slum lords and wasn't there a story how he didn't make them pay an entire amount of a court hearing? Now we have Rocky not seeing anything wrong with taking money from a billboard company that obviously has broken some laws.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ROCKY????? Someone should go after his ass and reprimand him for this crap.
The Hahn investigations have never produced anything. But the continuing appearance of outside
$$influence with Rocky may prove to be much more insidious than all of the "noise" than came about with Hahn...
How can those idiot city council members make a joke at Antonio's roast about the ameriquest jet and Antonio using it?? Can they be this ignornant? Then they wonder why they are the laughing stock of this city and the nation. Never ever before have I seen a city council getting sued for not paying attention then seeing it on CNN.
Rocky's gonna need more than free billboards to beat Jerry Brown for Attorney General. Sad part is that Rocky doesn't know it and thinks he's on the way to the White House. Well Team 1600 members - time to jump off the train - it's not even leaving the station.
Jerry, don't you have anything better to do than post comments against Rocky?
3:22
Gee, no one from the Hahn side has been convicted of a felony. Antonio can't say that. I believe it is more reminiscent of the Antonio pay for access scandals.
Mayor Sam,
How about following the case against Jerry Brown in Oakland? He's accused of vandalism at a bar, and of making racist comments.
From today's times:
Another connection between South Gate and San Fernando:
"Elected Official Admits He Lied"
Didn't Cindy lie about her college degree also?
DWP OT FLOWS LIKE WATER...DWP'S OVERTIME SPIGOT FLOODING CITY COFFERS
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power workers racked up more than $51 million in overtime in the last six months of 2005, accounting for more than 30 percent of some divisions' payroll, the Daily News has learned.
And they want to raise our rates again and Antonio gave them a 17% pay hike.
7:38:
Didn't Padilla lie about being endorsed by the mayor?
4:14
Doesn't Padilla have a degree from M.I.T.?
The Downtown Los Angeles NEighborhood Council is not democracy In Action.
MAny of the board members have not been elected but have been appointed by the person who was elected.
On the Arts Committee. A sexual predator has been appointed and is now representing the artists of downtown.
He lives in the same building I do here in skid row.
I have mentioned him to the LAPD and they do nothing.
It has been my observatiion that the policy of the LAPD in Central City East(skid row) is that Sexual predators are ok to prey on the homeless.
I will not keep my mouth shut on this issue.
You can read about it on my blog at
www.centralcitye.blogspot.com
7:55:
Why would 4:15 care? I sure don't.
- Design student
dgarzilla LAPD can't do anything about sexual predators unless a crime has been committed. Just look at the website where they all live in various neighborhoods. Some right across the street from schools. Sadly, unless we change the laws that state sexual predators can't live in certain parts of the city there's nothing anyone can do.
There has been created such a culture in Skid Row that this place is full of sexual predators who are not even registered sex offenders. They have carte blanche to prey on the homeless , the children , the weak , the sick and the addicted.
I amnow going to start brining this up.
It is so pervasive here and ""normal"" that many of my neighbors question my sanity because I don't by crack whores- excuse the terminology-.
this Person who now represents the Artists of Downtown On the Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood Council has the audacity to do so because he has gotten away with this sort of behavior so long -over 18 years is what was told to me by him when he tried to make me one of his victims- I beleive he thinks that he can have the audacity to accept the appointment and take the oath to represent the Artists of Downtown Los Angeles.
I will be speaking up today at City HAll.
I have changed my mind on families being allowed to live in skid row , because of the entrenched culture of sexual predators allowed to do as they please , that they - the predators have no shame - they see themselves as just this being a privacy issue.
Preying on the weak in society is not a privacy issue it should be exposed and this should no longer be allowed to flourish.
This City provides fresh meat here in Central City east for these predators due to teh policy of not creating housing outside of Downtown and skid row for these families.
I don't think this culture of do as you please , even harm the children , will end any time soon.
THus we must protect the children by geting them out of skid row and taking charges of sexual abuse seriously form the people living in skid row.
It is time to speak up.
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