Zuma Dogg's "Deep Thoughts" Regarding LAANE, CRA, LA Times, Mayor Villagrossa & How To Make Big Money In The Affordable Housing Game (Racket Included)

It's kinda complicated. Hope I explain it good. It's about LAANE, the CRA, LA Times friendliness with LAANE executives who also sit on the CRA as maybe being a reason they are soft on Antonio at the LA Times. (And maybe why people are feeding me the stuff they used to feed to the Times editorial department. LOL!) So let's try and tie some of these old tidbits together for my new infomercial seminar called, "How to Make Lots of Profit in the Affordable Housing Game." (And how to play it like a game, because that's what it is to them. And it involves a racket!)

WHAT IS “LAANE”?

LAANE is the “think tank” created by County Fed AFL-CIO. That is also our city's “official affordable housing advocates" as referred to previously. They are extremely close to LA City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. They are actually Villaraigosa’s think tank. LAANE people idolize Antonio the way an American Idol auditoner idolizes Ryan Seacrest.

LAANE can often mobilize 20 to 30 young volunteer lawyers, religious leaders, students, low-income workers, new immigrants, etc to show up at a city meeting and help kill a project completely -- or help push it through. (ZD NOTE TO ALL “ZAP” ACTIVISTS: That is the trick. You need to be able to mobilize 20 to 30 people to show up at public comment in order to influence the hearing.)

LAANE can definitely dictate affordable housing issues; and control which projects get the green light or the red light (and under what conditions).

LAANE is also a non-profit that does indeed takes donations. Yes in-diddie do they take donations. Did I happen to mention that they are a non-profit and take donations?

I think it’s public knowledge that they have taken donations from developers, law firms and consultants. (The “front-end loaded management” contract-trifecta, y’all!!!)

LAANE SUPPORTERS/DONATIONS LIST: http://www.laane.org/supporters.html : See the first one: California Community Foundation Grand Ave Committee has operated out of this Foundation! (Where can ZD see their COMPLETE Supporter/Donor list?)

HOW TO BE A SMART "LAANE-FREINDLY"/"SUCCESSFUL" (CRA-APPROVED) DEVELOPER

If I wanted to be a smart developer, I would donate to LAANE directly, right off the bat. (Tax deductible, y’all!!! Yeah, yeah!). Or, donate to the mayor (not tax deductible); and/or pay a consultant/consultants. (The more, the merrier!) In any event, if you wanna make a nice profit off of some non-profit housing, just give LAANE a call. (First!)

(And if you need good tickets to a concert, or sporting event -- call a ticket broker!)

CATCHING UP ON RELATED MATTERS: (Litterally, and figuratively.) Remember the LA Times article about Related Co.’s Bill Witte of ZD Grand Ave coverage fame?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez12aug12,1,6585765.column?coll=la-util-news-local&ctrack=1&cset=true

LANNE's paid executive director was quoted in the same article; just a few lines above Bill Witte's paragraph.

But for some reason, the article didn't mention the forementioned (paid) executive director's other position. (Maybe they ran out of space!?!?)...

THE CRA CONNECTON:

http://www.crala.org/internet-site/About/Commissioners/Madeline_Janis_Aparicio.cfm

LA Times said...”(Janis) helped lead a successful campaign to legalize and regulate the activities of the mostly Latino immigrant sidewalk vendors.”

" …. she also headed efforts to combat civil rights abuses of Central American immigrants by the L.A. Police Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and helped tens of thousands of Central American immigrants achieve legal immigrant status. … "

BUT EXCUSE ME:

…. She also worked for two years at the law firm of Latham & Watkins on commercial litigation and land use matters, representing many large companies throughout Los Angeles. …"


LA TIMES CONNECTION?:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-newtonjanis17jun17,0,3114973.story

LA Times Editorial Page Editor, Jim Newton, wrote the smoothcy article about Janis. ZD’s Batcomputer says they have been close and friendly with each other (along with Antonio’s Chief of Staff and fomer Alatorre-mentored, Robin Kramer).

SO TO EVERYONE WHO FEELS THE LA TIMES IS SOFT ON ANTONIO AND CITY HALL, MAYBE THAT IS WHY? (Cheesy Infomercial Announcer Voice): But wait...there’s more!!!

Jim Newton's Times article did mention her CRA position. But sent ZD another message, as well:

LA Times said...”As a member of the CRA board, she has lobbied for affordable housing set-asides in return for development rights,…"

Lobbied? A lobbying commissioner?
(How can you be a neutral decision maker (which is what a commissioner supposed to be), when you are lobbying for one side, or the other?!?!?

" … In the heated L.A. real estate environment of recent years, many developers and others have swallowed hard and accepted those conditions. But some protest bitterly in private and warn that as the market softens, they may opt to take their building projects elsewhere rather than knuckle under to what they see as extortion from Janis and like-minded colleagues…."

Extortion? Like-minded colleagues?

And remember: Oh no...one CRA board member, a union person, is Antonio’s cousin. (Price is Right “constituent loser” sounder): “Whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp...(deflated), whooooooomp.

All these thing must be legal according to our ethics law. If so, it only shows how sad our ethics law is. And the excercise and practice of such methods may also be showing us how corrupt the whole Villaraigosa system is.

(Good evening City Hall political operatives. Make sure you NEVER sing “We Are The Champions” at Karaoke.)

So the LA Times may be good for scratching the surface on some issues. But thanks to all in the community, throughout the City...from the third and fourth floor, to my diverse range of friends in the diverse areas of CD 14, to everyone I encounter at the public meetings, the people who tell me their stories on the bus (spent a half hour listening to a former union teacher from LASUD AND Private schools). All of whom make your political operative ass on the losing end of the perception game. You have no business being paid for what you do. Check the statistics. Your “strategy” isn’t working. Even if you DO have the Times under your thumb.

So what do you think? Insightful tea leaf reading, or Prop 215-induced paranoia? I hope it's the second one!

zumadogg@gmail.com