It's Going To Be A Shady Christmas
This is one of those issues that you can not trust the MSM to get right and where blogs like this perform a valuable service.
This week the City Clowncil voted to step in and take over the financially failing Hollywood Christmas Parade. For years the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has operated this parade but last year has lost over $100,000 and expected to lose twice that this year. This is due to declining interest in the parade by the community and television stations who paid for the rights to air it.
The parade has been produced in recent years by Pageantry Productions, a Lynwood based event planning company that has been involved in many festivals, events, etc. sponsored by the City.
Chamber insiders tell the Sister City that it is their view Pageantry's alleged poor management of the event is responsible for their losses. Individuals involved with events sponsored by other groups also tell this blog that they blame Pageantry for lousing up their events.
Pageantry is owned by Bill Lomas, reportedly a close associate of Councilman Tom LaBonge. It was LaBonge who sought and got the Council to fund the event in his district.
This is what the mainstream media will not tell you; they go for the warm and fuzzy angle that the parade is back on - rather than reporting on the true nature of how business is done in the city and all the behind scenes action that is responsible for the mess we are in. Indeed, they cluelessly call it a "miracle." How hard are these lazy "journalists" actually working?
The honest truth is that the Hollywood Chamber lost their way when they turned the event over to professionals. These types of events need to be organized by the stakeholders in the community, who know the community and have its heart and soul close to them. This is the type of event that both government and private business are ill-suited to produce.
Say hi to Santa Shady!
This week the City Clowncil voted to step in and take over the financially failing Hollywood Christmas Parade. For years the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has operated this parade but last year has lost over $100,000 and expected to lose twice that this year. This is due to declining interest in the parade by the community and television stations who paid for the rights to air it.
The parade has been produced in recent years by Pageantry Productions, a Lynwood based event planning company that has been involved in many festivals, events, etc. sponsored by the City.
Chamber insiders tell the Sister City that it is their view Pageantry's alleged poor management of the event is responsible for their losses. Individuals involved with events sponsored by other groups also tell this blog that they blame Pageantry for lousing up their events.
Pageantry is owned by Bill Lomas, reportedly a close associate of Councilman Tom LaBonge. It was LaBonge who sought and got the Council to fund the event in his district.
This is what the mainstream media will not tell you; they go for the warm and fuzzy angle that the parade is back on - rather than reporting on the true nature of how business is done in the city and all the behind scenes action that is responsible for the mess we are in. Indeed, they cluelessly call it a "miracle." How hard are these lazy "journalists" actually working?
The honest truth is that the Hollywood Chamber lost their way when they turned the event over to professionals. These types of events need to be organized by the stakeholders in the community, who know the community and have its heart and soul close to them. This is the type of event that both government and private business are ill-suited to produce.
Say hi to Santa Shady!
Labels: hollywood christmas parade, mainstream media, tom labonge
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 10/18/2007 09:38:00 AM
12 Comments:
Zuma for "GRAND MARSHALL".
MAYOR SAM,
I have participated in many parades for a number of years. I have worked with Pagentry Productions. Over the years Pagent was selected in many cities, not because they knew the Councilmen or Mayors, but because they were the most educated in running this type of event. They were skilled, safe, communicated well, unlike the "Event Developer" in CD1 who didnt know enough not to put the Chinese Gong Band in front of the Wells Fargo Coach. Ask Allatorre about that one. He went flying off the top of the Coach. His secretary, who was riding inside was injured. Alatorre & wife were shaken up, a little injured, but completed the parade.
I agree that the City should not pay and if the attendance is down, stop the parade, but dont blame Pagentry. I would much prefer them, than a bunch of cowboys running it.
Since we are having a state of emergency with our finances in this city (the city council confirmed it on Wednesday) maybe the city council should revisit this. I don't see how this city can afford to foot the bill for a parade given our dire financial situation. After all, if we have the Hollywood Christmas Parade that means 737 police officers will have to be laid off. Isn't that how it works city council members?
" 737 police officers will have to be laid off. Isn't that how it works city council members?"
Everything the Mayor and the Council want means "737 Police Officers Laid Off" or "737 Firemen Laid Off". I would prefer to see "Councilmen & Mayor reduce staff by 730. Targeted are LA ADMINISTRATORS; including those in DWP, CRA and City Hall"
The Christmas parade becme an old-fogey event, and LaBonge is one, corny like the parade too, so that's all.
As the area has become less middle- class with kids, more ethnics or others like Armenians, Koreans and Thais, there are fewer Christians.
Maybe they should add some Orthodox Christian groups and get them to pay and participate: Greeks, Armenians and Russians are very traditional when they do practice.
Get various churches to participate and I'm sure they will. Some are feeling squeezed out by the Jewish community, and are holding together even more, Protestant and Catholic.
If we have a huge gay rights parade and El Grito, Chinese New Year and other celebrations, there should be at least one thing which is like the rest of the country, but with this local participation, not tax dollars.
Accusing LaBonge of "shadyness" with santa is just pathetic though. Typical zuma.
DUDE,,,
Zuma didn't write this Sam did.
But LaBonge is shady.
He gave the parade to his homeboy.
Did Antonio tell some girl he wanted to come down her chimney?
Gang rivalry grows into race war.
On Tuesday, the U.S. attorney's office announced a sweeping indictment against more than 60 members of Florencia 13, accusing the Latino gang of waging a violent campaign to drive out African American rivals. Once primarily black, the working class community of 60,000 today is mostly Latino.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-firestone18oct18,1,1714434.story
Latino gang tried to force blacks out, indictment says
Federal prosecutors Tuesday accused members of a Latino street gang of a violent campaign to drive African American rivals out of their South Los Angeles area neighborhood, resulting in at least 20 killings in the last three years.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gangs17oct17,1,1478551.story
So how much will this parade really cost the taxpayer, what with expected organizing losses, fee waivers, staff time, etc? If the Chamber of Commerce can't afford it how can LaBonge?
The best thing about the Christmas Parade is watching the has-been TV sitcom actors riding in a convertible hoping someone remembers them and that they might get a job again as a result of demeaning themselves for 4 miles of blank stares as they go by.
And where do they get these word verifications? are they in English?
How about a "has been, politico rock star" ?
Does Tony Villar still make music with his armpits and play "La Cucaracha" like he did when he was 10 years old?
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