LA WEEKLY Article on Prop. R (The true intent of Proposition R)
Thanks to LA Weekly's David Z. for this very informative article: It's About Term Limits, Stupid (A fight over a Home Depot exposes the true intent of Proposition R)
By DAVID ZAHNISER
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - 9:00 pm
“Special interests and their paid lobbyists have too much power and influence in city government,” declares one recent Prop. R campaign mailer, which shows a nightclub bouncer, alongside a velvet rope, trying to keep unsavory elements from reaching City Hall. “Prop. R will change all that.”
Such arguments would be more convincing if lobbyists and their clients weren’t amassing such big checks on behalf of the ballot measure. But then, Prop. R is marginally about clean government and much more about term limits — that is, giving each council member a shot at a third four-year term. That might just explain why so many special interests — from real estate developers to labor unions — are lining up behind a measure that purports to crack down on, um, special interests.
“Clearly the purpose of Measure R is term limits, not to clean up City Hall,” said Robert Stern, who heads the nonprofit Center for Governmental Studies, a campaign-finance watchdog. “And it’s definitely a superficial cleaning — once over lightly.”
And wouldn’t you know it: One of the big contributors that ponied up $25,000 on behalf of Prop. R this week is Home Depot, a company waging development fights not just in the Sunland-Tujunga area, but also in Glassell Park, where Council President Eric Garcetti is fighting another Home Depot project.
Read the entire article here:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/z-files/its-about-term-limits-stupid/14931/
By DAVID ZAHNISER
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - 9:00 pm
“Special interests and their paid lobbyists have too much power and influence in city government,” declares one recent Prop. R campaign mailer, which shows a nightclub bouncer, alongside a velvet rope, trying to keep unsavory elements from reaching City Hall. “Prop. R will change all that.”
Such arguments would be more convincing if lobbyists and their clients weren’t amassing such big checks on behalf of the ballot measure. But then, Prop. R is marginally about clean government and much more about term limits — that is, giving each council member a shot at a third four-year term. That might just explain why so many special interests — from real estate developers to labor unions — are lining up behind a measure that purports to crack down on, um, special interests.
“Clearly the purpose of Measure R is term limits, not to clean up City Hall,” said Robert Stern, who heads the nonprofit Center for Governmental Studies, a campaign-finance watchdog. “And it’s definitely a superficial cleaning — once over lightly.”
And wouldn’t you know it: One of the big contributors that ponied up $25,000 on behalf of Prop. R this week is Home Depot, a company waging development fights not just in the Sunland-Tujunga area, but also in Glassell Park, where Council President Eric Garcetti is fighting another Home Depot project.
Read the entire article here:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/z-files/its-about-term-limits-stupid/14931/
Labels: proposition r
Posted by Zuma Dogg @ 11/04/2006 01:58:00 PM
2 Comments:
Now the question becomes "What will speak to power in Sunland-Tujunga and Glassell Park, money or votes?"
Without opponents incumbents cannot be removed. Who is running against Greuel? Garrcetti?
Let's hope the little people without the special interest money prevail come Tuesday.
Wouldn't that really be something to celebrate? Hell Yes
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