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Monday, November 26, 2007

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

City Planner Jack Chiang - following a bonehead call to an opponent of a development project in Valley Village - has been taken off the project, pending the development of a "code of conduct" by the City Planning Department. In the meantime, writing at LAist Zach Behrens picks up on spin on the matter from the City Attorney's office.

Writer Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes the City Council to task for the current budget mess. Hutchinson says the city has been on a "runaway train" when it comes to spending, one "jampacked with big salary increases for city officials and managers, out-of-control spending on construction projects, and ballooning workers' comp and pension payouts."

Zuma Dogg and friends offer Sister City readers a new service, stock picks and investment strategy. Chat it up here.

Capitol Weekly calls into question the tribal legitimacy of the Santa Ynez Chumash Indians, owners of the Chumash Casino near Solvang. As well, they make the claim that Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta has a minimal amount of Native American blood and can't even trace his roots back to the tribe.

Yet another dream transit map over at LAist.

The Long Beach Press Telegram editorializes in favor of the Long Beach City Council cutting back on public comment. Among the moves taken by the Council; removing the ability of citizen comments to take items separately much like the filing of public comment cards call an item "special" in Los Angeles.

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8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The L A ist piece also says, speaking of Rocky's mishaps, that this issue of L A Mag has a whole page devoted to the "mishaps of Rocky," funny link if you can manage it.

November 25, 2007 11:51 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The amount of money for council raises is total chicken shit when you compare it to the billions in wasted building funds ($2.2 billion in Bonds for community colleges that got totally wasted on plans and bickering while costs soared out of sight, so they're coming back to YOU for more of same -- is that too big a number for them to figure?).

Yes there are other problems -- another D N opinion blacks CAO Karen Sisson for not hammering it into the Council sooner, that there is a budget crisis looming. She also seemed very dumb and gullible in how she allowed Bernie to lead her to say it's not only okay to raid the trash tax promised for cops, but "illegal" as the proposal was written, to designate it just for cops. But where was Bernie himself during all this -- why no alarms over the other salary raises just weeks earlier, the waste on other buildings?

What about the Supes, with their billions to spend on hospitals, prisons, mountain conservancy funds and transportation? Why do they have drivers as well as cars?

Why are there so many overlapping PC depts: "Director and Dept. of Dirversity," of "Women and Children," for Aging, for Kids -- fold them into one megadept. and trim the fat and staff. (What DO these people do, anyway?)

Go after the Republicans who stole our billion-plus in "surplus" gas taxes voters approved for transportation, swept it towards balancing the state's equally overspent budget: maybe that's where Bernie got his idea? That's not the only transportation funds we're owed: hammer at the state assemblypeople who couldn't cope.

Problem is, the reporters like Rick Orlov just sit at City Council meetings all day, pick the low lying fruit there, can't get their behinds out to look for the millions and billions that can be pared back. While there are some CM's I wouldn't wish on Bell Gardens, the measly salary issue is just symbolic.

November 26, 2007 12:01 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Brilliant idea, cutting back public general comment to 3 mins. max a day.
While it would mostly serve to limit the annoying regulars like matt and mutt, there are some half-dozen who take up a half hour a day feeling the need to put in there 2 cents on everything that pops into their heads, making people with legitimate issues bothering them wait and wait.

November 26, 2007 12:23 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Few of the "Native American" gaming tribes are really so.

First, many are majority Mexican descent, as there was no border before. It's only a matter of time before someone advocates casinos for Aztecs.

On the east coast, many are of African-Amrican descent, as runaway slaves went to live with the tribes.

Most "tribes" in CA have 1-100 "members." They license their casinos to Vegas vendors and Donald Trump. Despite the image of Indians working hard at casino jobs.

FInally, the latest DNS science shows that America was settled in 5-6 waves. Each wave displaced the last in wars, etc. The Navajo, for example, are quite different from the Sioux.

The first wave was more related to Caucasians (modern Russians) than to Siberians / Indians. And the next few waves were just as brutal as the last, killing their predecessors.

So, who was here first? Should the Aztecs pay reparations to the Sioux? The Navajo to the Maya? The white man was just the sixth wave of people to come along, and they had guns.

November 26, 2007 8:14 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The pay raises for city officials may not be a lot of money in the overall scheme of budget and fiscal problems, but it sure makes one hell of a statement as for where their priorities are: self-service, rather than public service....

Yes, there should be an initiative to address this situation.

November 26, 2007 9:27 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The assholes left the valley off their map. I sure wish they would leave us off their list of dumbshits to tax.

November 26, 2007 1:29 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Damn Rick, you've gotten someone angry. They've attacked you twice so far. Ignore them. Same advice I give Zuma. I think you're a pro.

November 26, 2007 3:22 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Putting Orlov and z dogg in the same category, by the same mutual fan, is all anyone needs to be suspicious of Orlov's credibility and motives. Not to mention training, objectivity, and did anyone mention sanity and sanitation?

November 26, 2007 3:52 PM  

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