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Monday, August 27, 2007

Is Villaraigosa's New #2 Policy Advisor Going To Step Down As President of His "Public Counsel" Group?

PUBLIC NOTICE: WATCH ZUMA DOGG ON KCLS/PBS FOR LAUSD BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY MORNING IF I CAN DRAG MY ASS FROM MY SANTA MONICA BEACH CONDO TO DOWNTOWN SKID ROW AREA FOR THE MEETING. It doesn't look good. (Can someone build a subway to the sea by 9am?)

DOES THIS TIE INTO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING/NON-PROFIT BOONDOGGLE ZUMA DOGG FEARS IS BEING PERPETUATED ON PUBLIC COFFERS?

FEATURED COMMENT: MAV appoints the president and chief executive of Public Counsel to be his new deputy chief of staff, so that MAV can have the backing of 3,600 volunteer lawyers to defend the $2,500 toilet in an affordable project?


Is this move by Antonio like taking a shady dandilion and blowing it all over the city when it comes to non-profit/affordable housing scams? Is this his way of setting up the privatization shady factor at a mushroom rate of geometric progression. Man, the Charter school operators must really be jealous.

Based on (with excerpts from) latimes.com article Click here for entire article: Mayor Hires Activist As Policy Advisor

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today he had hired Dan Grunfeld as his No. 2 policy advisor/Deputy Chief of Staff. Grunfeld is president and chief executive of Public Counsel, the largest organization in the United States that provides legal aid to the poor and disenfranchised.

Grunfeld will coordinate Villaraigosa's policy agenda.

Public Counsel has a $7-million budget and provides $66 million in legal representation each year. With 3,600 volunteer lawyers, the group helps low income communities form nonprofits and nonprofit developers who want to build affordable housing.

The Beverlywood resident said he had a background in policy, having teamed up with Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley to fight elder abuse and having sued Kaiser Permanente over the alleged dumping of homeless patients on skid row.

QUESTION #1: Is Mr. Public Counsel going to remain Mr. Public Counsel now that he is Villarigosa Counsel? I'm sure he is and the Times just forgot to mention it, because it sounds like that would be a Conflict Counsel?

It says on Public Counsel's 990 form from 2004 (signed July 2006), that Dan's position is "full time" and since he got paid $184,560 plus $21,509 in benefits (including plenty of public and government grant money) the people want to make sure he isn't losing any of that "full time" spending it with Antionio as his #2 policy advisor.

AND, ZD is interested in contacting Public Counsel for some of those free legal services for people like me. Can I call him at Public Counsel to help me sue the City on a matter that is of interest to me. Anyway, although I did not read in the Times article that he would be stepping down from Public Counsel, I'm sure he is. Cause there seems to be more conflicts than a Glassell Park NC meeting.

AND IF THIS GUY WAS AS TRUE A COMMUNITY ASSET AS PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE IS...ISN'T IT TOO BAD ANTONIO RIPPED HIM AWAY FROM THOSE PEOPLE AND WILL NOW BE PUTTING HIM TO USE ON THE DARK SIDE.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WARN ME ABOUT THE WAY ANTONIO OPERATES. (See "The Godfather") And now it is all kinda coming together, with all these non-profit/affordable housing dots being connected in the mind of Zuma Dogg. Here's some unreleased material that seems to fit now:

The way Villaraigosa camp works is the following. Villaraigosa team hires people away from outside companies, organizations and non-profit organizations that he seeks to destroy and/or takeover.

CLICK READ MORE FOR MORE "INSIDE VILLAGROSA"

For example, the Mayor wants to take over LAUSD, so he infiltrates the school board with his people; and hires away from within the LAUSD administration and puts them to work for him.

Or he’ll hire away legal advisors and consultants to get them on his side, and get their knowledge and contacts and they all get put to work on these gravy train wagons he sets up and sends off into the streets.

He manages to get his friends elected onto neighborhood council boards, and it’s no secret he has moles throughout the council system.

If he needs to squelch/control the media; he hires reporters to work for him as publicists, consultants, PR, etc.

He wants support from an activist group; he hires from the group that he wants to infiltrate/get inside scoop/information from. And people claim he has a few undocumented people on his staff. You won’t find them on the payroll, because they are paid as “consultants” through non profits.

ANYWAY...if ZD is concerned about the affordable housing/non-profit boondoggle, this looks like the master consultant to hire away from the other side to help you set up a bunch of non-profit shady factories to get as much as the affordable housing money that will be rolled out to help "fix the problem" of all these people flooding to this great city over the next decade.

See this story about "fixing the problem": I'm afraid it's related!

zumadogg@gmail.com

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

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.
.

" ... the group helps low income communities form nonprofits and nonprofit developers who want to build affordable housing…. "

Zuma says: “Hey! Maybe I can run through the program and start my own affordable housing ….. “

But maybe you have to start here:

http://www.publiccounsel.org/support.htm
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August 27, 2007 10:12 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

More about Public Counsel:

http://www.publiccounsel.org/board.htm

“Board of Directors

KARLENE GOLLER, Chairperson
Los Angeles Times”

“KARLENE W. GOLLER is vice president and deputy general counsel for the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Company's senior counsel for West Coast media.”

August 27, 2007 10:37 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

If all MAV can get is the Israeli Elmer Fudd, he's a lot more desperate for staffers than we thought.

August 27, 2007 10:40 PM  

Blogger Zuma Dogg said:

Latham and Watkins are all over this public counsel group. along with oshady and meyers.

August 27, 2007 10:59 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

You are such a loser; you know nothing about how government works.

Be happy a good man is coming to work in a key position.

Would you rather have a fool like yourself, or a crook?

Dan is a good man. Those of us who know him are happy for him and happy for LA.

August 27, 2007 11:17 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Zumma Dogg said ....

WATCH ZUMA DOGG ON KCLS/PBS FOR LAUSD BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY MORNING IF I CAN DRAG MY ASS FROM MY SANTA MONICA BEACH CONDO TO DOWNTOWN SKID ROW AREA FOR THE MEETING

********************

Holy shit Batman did Zumma say "Santa Monica Beach Condo"?

The Zumma haters i.e. "cry baby losers" will not be able to say the "homeless loser" any more.

Batman the Santa Monica condos have showers don't they?

Holy Cow Batman, Zumma might even buy some sweet cologne, I wonder if he knows "Jovan Musk" is cheap and smells sweet.

Batman, the batphone is ringing Holy corruption, the Joker Mayor is being paid by Eli Broad again.

Batman, I fired up the batmobile lets go to City Hall and save Los Angeles from the Joker Mayor.

bam!! boom !!! pow!!! ouch!!

August 28, 2007 3:32 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

He has a mobile "condo".

When he says "condo", think "van".

August 28, 2007 6:41 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Zuma where have you been? Antonio is the biggest crook in office this city has seen in decades. Now that the LA Slimes will protect him we depend on you to bring us the info. Antonio we all know is nothing more then a gang banging, low life, cholo, sleazy, corrupt Latino in a suit. BUT he better watch out because his KARMA is coming and hopefully real soon. Too bad we have no leaders on city council or any real leaders in this city who will speak out against this corruption of AV hiring this guy. What happened to the men in this city who use to have BALLS? We have nothing but a bunch of crybaby, whimps, groupies, lapdogs, no talent, no vision idiots running the city.

August 28, 2007 7:02 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

How can you dummies criticize Dan?

You don't even know him.

He's a good lawyer, President of the Parks & Rec Commission, and a member of the Coliseum Commission.

He is a leading lawyer in Los Angeles and respected by his peers.

And who are you?

Well, we know who Zuma is. He's a lowlife bum who has no job, and who scrounges off everyone to beg for coffee, food and gas money. He has no self respect and looks, smells and acts the fool.

This is the critic of Dan Grunfeld?

What's wrong with this picture???

August 28, 2007 8:02 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

"we know who Zuma is. He's a lowlife bum who has no job, and who scrounges off everyone to beg for coffee, food and gas money. He has no self respect and looks, smells and acts the fool."

How do you know that. I find him friendly, understanding, dedicated and willing to do things that he believes in. If you gave up your job, what would you dedicate your life to which would help the community?

Many people, regardless if you like him or not, feel he is informative and an asset to the people of the City of Los Angeles.

August 28, 2007 8:55 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Thanks, Matt for that post.

Was it good for you last night?

August 28, 2007 10:03 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

8:55: Either matt or one of those low-rent hatchett-job people using him to go after some politician they don't like and can't afford to touch.
Figure they'll feed him something and since he doesn't know tree bark from cinnamon, he'll charge off at anyone.

August 28, 2007 11:43 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Who is taking care of Antonio’s divorce?

This Mr. Pro Bono? Or that Mr. Pro Bono? Or that Ms. Pro Bono?

Of course, whoever, it is all legal.

August 28, 2007 12:15 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

11:43AM:
one of those low-rent hatchett-job people using him to go after some politician they don't like and can't afford to touch


Laura Chick was the one who was being used as the hatchet man to go after any politicians other than Antonio. She was looking for every single little thing and blowing it up. Now, you have an administration that is 3 or 4X more corrupt. But she is looking the other way and sees nothing.

August 28, 2007 5:07 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayor28aug28,1,224184.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

“Villaraigosa's hire drew praise from attorney Wayne Barsky, the vice chairman of Public Counsel's board of directors, who said Grunfeld had been passionate about such issues as homelessness, child care, adoption and the operation of health clinics in low-income neighborhoods.”

Why did the Vice Chairman instead of the Chairperson of Public Counsel get the credit for saying the praise of Villaraigosa hiring their President Grunfeld?

The credit would usually go to the Chairperson.

Such is not the case here. Perhaps to avoid the appearance?

There is no big secret that KARLENE GOLLER, the Chairperson of Public Counsel, is also vice president and deputy general counsel for the Los Angeles Times and Tribune Company's senior counsel for West Coast media.

But, whether the reporter interviewed the Chairperson or the Vice Chairman, he should have added a note to his article disclosing that the Chairperson of Public Counsel is also the vice president and deputy general counsel for the Los Angeles Times.

Perhaps he did add the note. But the editor took it out?

August 28, 2007 10:12 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

It does seem that LAT are more comfortable with the Vice Chairman instead of the Chairperson of Public Counsel making the comment on Villaraigosa’s hiring of Public Counsel’s President Grunfeld.

LAT might feel inappropriate to quote Public Counsel‘s Chairperson, who happens to be also vice president and deputy general counsel for the Los Angeles Times.

But that is more reason for LAT to disclose in the article the relationship. At least they would want to show there is nothing to hide.

August 29, 2007 2:38 PM  

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