Happy New Year!

Video: New Year's Eve 1978, Check out the cheesy computer graphics.

Political Hit Piece of 2007, "HOMER ALVIN", and other dubious honors

Best hit piece to come out of the "BLUE MUD BOWL" between Jose Huizar and Alvin Parra was this mailer.

Some in the political community still debate whether the likeness depicted on the mailer resembles Huizar Chief of Staff Joe Avila or Alvin, you decide.

Some year end awards for CD 14.

SELF PROMOTION AWARD:
"Huizar's Winter Wonderland"

BEST MADRASA IN CD 14:
"Academia Semillas del Pueblo"

HONORARY CD 14 CARPETBAGGER:
"Victor Griego"

BOYLE HEIGHTS RESIDENT CITY STAFFER:
"Ully Sanchez" aka "DONE DUM"

BEST COLLECTIVE COFFEE SHOP:
"Antigua"

EXCLUSIVE SOCIETY OF CD 14:
"Southwest Society"

WANNABEE BILL AND HILLARY AWARD:
"Bill Rumble and Carol Jacques of the Northeast Democrats"

COMMUNITY STEWARDS AWARD:
"Friends of the Southwest Museum"

FACADE OF A VICTORY AWARD:
"Councilman Jose Huizar's Victory Letter on the Southwest Museum"

POLITICAL LEADER OF TOMORROW AWARD:
"Montebello Councilman Robert Urteaga"

BEST AUDIT OF A CD 14 NON-PROFIT:
"Still waiting Councilman Huizar"

LITTLE T.J. AWARD:
"Cesar Chavez and Soto"

****HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!****

Mayor Sam Awards Winners

The votes are in and the results are final. Thanks to everyone who voted in this year's awards and congrats to the winners! Without further ado, here they are!

Local Elected Politician of the Year
Eric Garcetti - 43%

Local Elected Politician's Staffer of the Year
Jennifer Cohen - 30%

Hottest Politician's Wife, Husband, Boyfriend or Girlfriend
Corina Raigosa - 71%

Sexiest City Government Employee - Female
Young-Gi Kim - 46%

Sexiest City Government Employee - Male
Bernard Parks - 33%

Cutest Couple
Janice Hahn and Reggie the Alligator - 48%

Dumbest Politician of the Year
Rocky Delgadillo - 51%

Dumbest Staffer of the Year
Mitch Englander - 34%

Crook of the Year
Mike Carona - 34%

Dumbest Idea, Program or Cause
Jan Perry's Fast Food Ban - 32%

Model of Efficiency Award (someone in City government who actually got something right)
TIE
Bill Robertson, Director of LA's Street Services Bureau - 50%
Brian Humphrey, LAFD - 50%

Biggest Mistake
TIE
Villaraigosa holding a news conference to announce his affair and then complaining that the media was prying into his personal life - 38%
Prop R - 38%

Best Place to Drink After A City Council Meeting
the water fountain on the fourth floor - 60%

Worst Public Official or Government Employee Driving Skills
Michelle Delgadillo - 80%

Most Corrupt Special Interest (organization or individual)
SEIU - 80%

Special Waiver Award (anyone you want to nominate for any reason - state both and why)
Zuma Dogg because I like big balls - 100%

Local Journalist of the Year
David Zahniser - 71%

Media Outlet of the Year (blogs, newspapers, radio or television stations)
Daily News - 71%

Sexiest Local Journalist
Mariel Garza - 40%

Person of the Year (the person who had the biggest impact locally - good or bad)
William Bratton - 38%

Monday Hotsheet at 1:02 a.m.

JM, After the Wind; Palm Fronds on Talmadge, 12.30.07


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Actually 3 a.m., but I didn't want to bottlecap the Sammy awards, so I posted down here. Our readers are wise: I'm happy with the awards, btw, more than I thought I'd be, even if I did get drubbed by David Zahniser, which I am pleased to have been. So next year, let's have a best civic photography award, so I can get drubbed by Gary Leonard too.

It's a good list; check it out again.

° ° ° ° °

Remember about twenty years ago---especially on buildings along Spring and Main where lots of hi-rises had windows you could open---when they used to throw the pages of those desk calendars out of buildings downtown on the last day of the year? Do they still do that? You would find those pages around downtown all through January.

° ° ° ° °

Someone in the Mayor's office keeps riding me about my on-the-cheap, first-yurt-then-build homeless housing concept, but Santa Barbara is already halfway there with their Safe Parking program. Steve Chawkins reports for the former fishwrap of record. About 250 people are "housed" through the low-maintenence program that costs the City, County, and private funds a scant $105,000. Remember, the next affordable housing bond will aspire to spend about $100,000,000---almost thousand times more to affect the lives of only five times more people.

Of course, with the Santa Barbara program, the developers don't make anything. So City of LA pols aren't interested---though people in Venice are.

° ° ° ° °

Nearly everything City Council does with ballot measures is fraudulent to some degree, and it has been now for some time. Orlov runs down the list of tax measures City Council has on tap for you this year. After S, Hahn wants a gang program tax, and LaBonge wants a parcel tax for transportation funding. If S is in the name of "modernization", try to imagine the duplicitious names they will come up with for those.

Declaring an emergency status for Measure S so that it only needs 50%+1 vote to pass (rather than the 66% usually warranted by a City tax) after giving City workers a raise was like calling the fire department after deliberately setting your neighbor's couch on fire.

No, it's not wrong to call the fire department, but you should also call the police department, too, because you don't just have a fire on your hands, you also have arson.

Similarly, S should be challeneged in the courts if it passes.

° ° ° ° °

Tony Castro files a report in the Press-Telegram on the dark side of the Getty, including the family stuff. Yours truly is quoted.

° ° ° ° °

Relax about your teen online, says a CSUDH prof. Worry instead about Captain Jack...

Lloyd Levine Bests Cameron Smyth at Nose Picking

Looks like our Boy Assemblymen Republican Cameron Smyth of Santa Clarita and Democrat Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys can find nothing better to do during important policy debates on the Assembly Floor than pick their noses and send text messages. Still, looks like Lloyd's technique is more developed than Cammy's.

Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Sunset, Hermosa, 9.12.07


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Orlov sets up El Alcalde to be the comeback kid reincarnated with a Daily News leader that's purportedly about Antonio's problems in 2007 but really a front-page commercial for Measure S in 2008.

The scribe sets it up as though Antonio has his work cut out for him. In fact, it's the Measure's opponents who have their work cut out for them: no budget, no big-name Democrats in opposition, a spendy, Bernardi-less City Council that makes $178,000 a year and that always says "Let them eat cake" when it comes to a tax measure.

With the vote coming the day of the primary, Democratic turnout will be immense. And you see the legacy of Parke Skelton's Democrat-pandering fingerprints all over Antonio's civil service memes: "It will affect every city service - police, fire, parks, libraries. We have to make the case to the public about what this means and trust them to come through again," Antonio says.

Skelton likes to turn everything into a bond, and mention all the civil services that get Democrats excited. But what's really being said here is this:

"We're politicians! We always spend too much! Be a pal and bail us out again."

° ° ° ° °

Neglected here earlier: some actual debate was seen in Council earlier this month, as El Alcalde re-appointed Joan Ling to the CRA Board. Prior to her CRA appointment of 2005, Ms. Ling had spent much of her career shilling for affordable housing interests in Santa Monica, and got to be so good at it over the years that she was awarded a $90,000 gift from Fannie Mae in 2003. And of course, you can observe yourself how her 900 units over fourteen years in Santa Monica solved the problems of homelessness and affordability on the west side.

City Council's two biggest boomtowners, Perry and Parks, wanted to block Ling from the board because they thought Ling overreached with various inclusionary zoning projects, requiring developers to stitch low-income housing into residential developments. But Matt Szabo went to bat for her before Council, and she sailed through.

When the CRA gets a media rep who can answer questions about the hundreds of millions it's licensed to spend, please let me know. Until then, I guess I'll just call Matt.

° ° ° ° °

Life and Times, the KCET show that gave us the Orange Curtain abomination known as Hugh Hewitt, as well as Los Illegals' sideman Ruben Martinez, is now off the air after a good run. Last show was Friday. Something far less interesting but frequently as irritating---the Tavis Smiley show---fills the slot.

Here's something: the show's blog asks for online reminiscing. So: blog away, dum dums!

° ° ° ° °

Your adulterous tax-drunk Mayor also wrote a piece for CityWatch on Friday. But there was nothing to take credit for regarding the DWP, so he said that in 2007, he put "an environmentalist" in charge of the DWP. He forgot to mention that H. David Nahai is also an attorney, a lobbyist, a fundraiser, and a wannabe commentator on the middle east.

Reticent Mayors, Then and Now

from Los Angeles's Weekly News, April 23, 1866 - a dig at (French speaking) Mayor Joseph Mascarel; from Pioneers and Entrepeneurs; French Immigrants in the Making of L.A., 1827-1927 (click image to enlarge)

You would think el Alcalde, man of the people, would have something to say about the Letterman show's side-settlement with its writers. The bold logjam-breaker follows what Carson did during the 1988 strike and enables a dozen or so New York scribes to get back to work even while the other Hollywood scribes remain on the dole.

It's in the power of every independent production company to attempt to go this route; which makes it a special shame that the Mayor of Los Angeles isn't publically applauding the move. If the Mayor were to start jawboning the local industry to explore the possibility of following suit, some small but key part of LA's creative-based econony could get rolling again even while the mostly elsewhere-owned studios are taunting, Khrushchev-like, "We will bury you" and shut down tinseltown.

° ° ° ° °

The top excerpt is from the book Pioneers and Entrepeneurs; French Immigrants in the Making of L.A., 1827-1927. The book is an exhibition catalog; the exhibit is at Pico House, 424 North Main Street, through January 13, 2008.

Shady "Dirty Burnell" Project Shut Down After Local Advocacy Alliance

If I were to re-cap the most triumphant victory I have seen against shady corruption this past year as a public advocate, the winner may have just snuck in under the wire in time for year's end.

Mayor Sam readers have been following Zuma Dogg's exclusive coverage of the fraudulent permits issued at "Dirt Burnell" in LA Councilmember Jose Huizar's district.

Previous ZD stories on Dirt Burnell

Got pretty uncomfortable for Big ZD in council chambers during all the time I was blasting away about it on TV 35.

ZD picked up on the story based on the brilliant work of Dan Wright of the Mt. Washington Homeowners Alliance. Some of you may also know Dan from his hard work regarding the Southwest Museum community battle.

So today, I was pleasantly surprised when my Batcomputer sent me this email:

Mt. Wash. Homeowners Alliance Advocacy Results In Developer Stop Work Order

More than one year after City officials unlawfully issued building permits to the developer of 1657 Burnell Drive, the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance announces that the office of
Jose Huizar confirmed today that the developer was issued Stop Work Orders last Friday, December 21, 2007.

On December 24, 2007, the developer's workers secured the building site and shut down construction of the unlawful house.

As previously reported to NELA list, on December 12, 2007, the East Los Angeles Planning
Commission granted the appeal of the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance and revoked all
planning approvals and building permits for the house being constructed at 1657 Burnell Drive.

Dirt Burnell has been the subject of a controversy over how a speculation developer manipulated land titles and six house project applications to conceal or omit key environmental
information from City planners in an effort to obtain planning approvals for the houses without
any environmental review.

Excerpt by Daniel Wright, President
Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance

CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE POST

The community and democratic process owes a debt of gratitude to Daniel Wright for proving that one person can make a difference. Daniel was quick to contact ZD to remind me, "Lots of other people from the community worked on this."

So, ZD would also like to send out kudos to the dedication of the Board of the Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance, neighbors of the project who gathered evidence in the case, and Paul Habib of Councimember Huizar's office, "who strongly reminded the East LA Planning Commission of its power to revoke unlawfully obtained planning approvals", according to Wright.

(So let's just say Dan was the "A" student who helped everyone else in the group with his excellent legalese.)

My guess is that without Dan and these people's work on this, hammers would be pounding as we speak.

AND CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW GETS A MAJOR CREDIBILITY BOOST ON THIS STORY. I THINK HE JUMPED UP AND DOWN TO CATCH MY ATTENTION MORE THAN ANYONE. (And he didn't jump up and down as much on any other issue this year!)

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, Captain Jack was never more on the money!

zumadogg@gmail.com
zumatimes.com

The Final Mayor Sam Hotsheet for 2007

Mayor Sam Awards - The Cowabunga in Sunland-Tujunga

After today, I'll be headed for a year-end fact finding mission somewhere near Palm Springs and won't return to NoHo until New Year's Day. So let me the first to wish you a very Happy New Year holiday and say "Go Trojans!"

A state appellate court handed a victory to socialism in overturning an appeal against the city's "living wage" ordinance at LAX hotels. You may remember that the city backed down on the law when hotel owners had enough signatures to trigger a referendum. So the city did a switcheroo after the hotel owners figured they won and didn't submit their paperwork and passed a new, nearly identical law. A State Superior Court ruled the city was in the wrong and invalidated the law. Hotel owners may appeal to the State Supreme Court. Whether you support the living wage law or not, the move by the city and the resulting appellate decision could have a chilling effect on the referendum process, handing even more power to special interests - be they unions, developers or NIMBYs.

Don Garza has declared Mayor Villaraigosa the "Most Influential Person" in Central City East for 2007. I like Don. I won't say anything more.

Big concern in Pico-Robertson over the Mayor's plan to eliminate parking and reverse traffic flow on Pico and Olympic. Businesses fear the lack of parking will drive customers away. The observant Jewish community who walk to services, shopping, etc. fear it will change the character of their neighborhood. All this so Zev and observing Westsiders can get to the Disney in time for curtain.

LAVoice is alive! At least long enough to post a picture of some old white guy protesting Cardinal Mahony.

Remember today is your last day to vote in the Mayor Sam Awards! Who will win?

Nanny State Expansion Set for 1/1/08

Many new laws take effect on January 1st. One of them is a law that outlaws smoking in cars if minors are present.

Now I know I am not going to earn many points arguing for people to have the right to smoke around kids - and indeed I completely agree that people should not smoke around others, especially children.

I lost my stepfather to lung cancer and absolutely hate cigarettes. But I think this is something we have to do because its the right thing to do. Not because the government forces us. Sure, its easy and popular to use the Nanny state to beat up on smokers and I'm not going to put much energy into it myself. But at what point do we say no to the Nanny state before it gets too late? When are they coming after what YOU like to do?

By the way, should county press releases contain only one point of view on a controversial issue?

Another Mayor Sam Party: The Cowabunga in Sunland-Tujunga

For months, the old, dead Republican mayor, Michael "Mayor Sam" Higby has tortured the citizenry of Sunland-Tujunga for their opposition to the opening of a Home Depot store in their community. Ever willing to be the lone voice of capitalism and free enterprise, the Mayor has steadfast held to private property rights as the ST residents seek to get the City to block the store's construction and opening.

For all these months, the Mayor has unleashed a written barrage, and the loyal troops in Sunland-Tujunga have said "Mayor Sam! You've got to come and see how these mega-corporation is trying to shoehorn a behemoth of a super hardware store into our tiny, rural community. Then tell us you're in favor of Home Depot!"

So the hammer has been thrown down and Mayor Sam has accepted. Following a personal, private tour by hometown hero and head Home Depot hater Joe Barrett, the No2Home Depot people, Michael, neighbors and bloggy friends alike will gather for libations and fine Mexican repast at Joselitos, the very same cantina where the alleged and legendary "Do-It Center" scheme was hatched.

At that time the old, dead Republican Mayor himself declare - yay or nay on Home Depot. And a good time will be had by all.

Everyone is invited - we hope to see you there!

When:
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
4:00 p.m.

Where:
Joselitos Mexican Restaurant
7308 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042 (click for map)

Add yourself to the Evite and RSVP

You Love a Parade

JM, Christmas: Unpleasant Guy on Stilts on Pleasant Residential Street near Hollywood & Highland, 12.25.07 / click to enlarge

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

If you're wondering about Stephanie Edwards: No.

Two-thousand-six in the rain was her last year working the Rose Parade for KTLA. Dour Bob and Bubbly Michaela will be working the Rose Parade for KTLA next Tuesday. No more Steph on New Year's no more. Life just hasn't been the same for any of us since Lucky's became Albertson's anyway. It's small consolation to be able to watch Cal Poly building its float at the station's website.

And why hasn't the DooDah Parade registered yet? Because this year, it's on January 20. Please recommend to the non-authorities that Zuma Dogg be Grand Marshal. Maybe he's not available or willing, but to me it seems a natural.

BTW, this year the DooDah parade disorganizers promise that all the participants must submit to drug tests, and must test positive.

Speaking of doo dahs on parade, a few of you wondered who this guy Jonathan, who I photographed standing by his trusty Kawasaki in front of Jan's on Beverly, was. It's Jonathan Shaw, counterculture writer / schlock-artist / metaphysician. His myspace page is here. No doubt he's male, but I really doubt he's been 20 for a while.

Into 2008, Weakly

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

The LA Weekly's city desk has been coming up with some backdrafting countertakes on LAUSD matters of late. The latest cover appears to be an instance of payback journalism where an earlier article went too far for the Mayor's office taste.

Remember this article in the Weekly from summer? A fairly responsible article, that. In it, large parts of Monica Garcia's so-called reform package were found to have been drafted by the Mayor's office. The accidental disclosure was a major mistake, a major embarrassment to the Mayor, and Weekly scribe Patrick Range McDonald called them on it. Monica shrugged, McDonald dug deeper and found that the Mayor's reformers had little experience at school reform.

That was then. One can only imagine the subsequent dialog that produced this week's extreme curtseying makeover of a cover story, a 5,000 word hatchet job on the LAUSD's Super Dave Brewer makes it look as though it's the Admiral who has dragged anchor for a year in transforming the District.

Although 50% of the Admiral's distractions, easily, are caused by the Mayor, and the Mayor's office and their crones have spent two years ramping up and cramming through their own agenda for the District, the Mayor's various broadsides are scarcely mentioned. Nor are the daily headaches of managing an inheirited building campaign that's $6 billion dollars more bloated than Boston's Big Dig, nor the original source of the daily conundrum of the enormous payroll problem.

All these problems were contracted during the Romer/Huizar years, when current prez Monica Garcia was Jose's Chief of Staff at the District, and presumably ushered most of these various problem contractors with a big smile into Jose's office, so Jose could make the recommendations to the Board necessary to seal their deals.

Nonetheless, the Weekly makes Monica out to be a whipcracker and Brewer a slacker. But to me, blaming the District's woes on one year of Brewer is a lot like blaming a player for not winning a bad chess position inheirited from a friend of the opponent, in which the ceaselessly bullying opponent keeps knocking pieces off the board all the while.

Brewer may be a little slow to move, but who wouldn't be, given the various scopes of the Herculean problems? Would you move to fix the payroll system if the Board were giving you bids that cost more than the whole damn Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to buy? In blowing the Brewer story out to a 5,000 word cover, the Weekly got pwned by Team Antonio.

Isn’t it ironic?

scribeskidrow, IMGA0142, 7th October, 2007 (via Flickr)

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo today announced his office has secured a jail sentence and fines against the owner of a bus company found illegally transporting children without proper liability insurance and in vehicles not yet inspected for safety by the California Highway Patrol.

Don’t cha think?

Zuma Music Video: "Prop S Punk" (Vote "NO on Prop S" Music Video)

On American Top 40, I'm Casey Kasem, and we're up to our long distance dedication:

It's the song about the "S" is for "shady" phone and internet tax, "Proposition S". The loophole, curve ball that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is trying to blow past voters under the guise of a "reduction"...(Sympathetic Casey Dedication Voice)...even though it's a brand new tax .

Here's Zuma Dogg, kickin' it Sex Pistols-style with his Johnny Rotten delivery of "Prop S Punk"...on American Top 40.



zumatimes.com

Is The Mayor Serious on Public Transit?

Allen Mittelstaedt writing at CityBeat de-constructs Mayor V's press conference (the one where he accused the LA Times' Steve Hymon of raining on his parade) about extending the Purple Line Subway to Santa Monica.

Mittelstaedt takes Villaraigosa to task for not staging the photo op at least at the terminus of the Purple Line at Wilshire and Western, for not working simultaneously with Zev Yarovslasky to end his subway funding ban (while getting Henry Waxman to remove his construction ban) and for not collaborating with the leaders of other cities on the line's route, such as former Santa Monica Mayor Denny Zane (no relation to Dennis Zine).

What was Allen thinking? That the Mayor actually had a plan and wasn't looking to get his picture taken?

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

A rambling screed on some blog I never heard of says NFL Football is coming to LA. Really? Not at the Coliseum since the Mayor declared it dead in an effort to keep USC at the historic stadium, despite them being treated shabbily by Bitter Bernie Parks' Coliseum Commission. Anyway, economics dictate a team will land in LA someday, but at a privately built stadium either Downtown in South Park or at Dodger Stadium (or even more likely somewhere outside LA like Carson).

President Bush delivered a crushing blow to plans to develop the West Los Angeles Veterans' Administration property near the 405 and Wilshire when he signed budget legislation that essentially prohibits the VA from doing any kind of development deal on the property. You know that the old, dead Republican Mayor is pretty strict when it comes private property rights and development. However, when the land is owned by the taxpayers, a little NIMBY/CAVE/BANANA action is warranted considering, well, it's our land.

Government programs and the bureaucrats who run them seem to go on like the Energizer bunny even when the masses the presume to be helping choose not to take advantage of the program. In this case, the Los Angeles Unified School District is set to lose millions of dollars in Federal funding for school lunches because, well, students are not participating in the program. School Board President Monica Garcia - who's never met a free lunch she didn't like - is aghast and is coming with all kinds of explanations as to why the kids and their parents don't take up the free food program. Everything from long lines (wouldn't that be a deterrent to the paying customers as well?) to embarrassment to too short lunch periods are the scapegoat. As we noted yesterday most of these government programs throw billions at a social cause for decades and nothing changes.

And finally, as Tammy Bruce noted, at a recent event, actress Sharon Stone didn't put it in a box, but she had a holiday present for her male fans.

Stu Nahan, 81

A television veteran since the 1950s, Stu Nahan (1926 - December 26, 2007) is best remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in all of the Rocky films as well as being a longtime sportscaster in the Los Angeles market. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 25, 2007. Nahan had battled lymphoma, a form of cancer, since being diagnosed in January 2006.

A Guy in LA

JM, One Less Car: Jonathan at Jan's, Beverly Blvd., 12.24.07

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Note to all the dum dudes: County Sheriffs are setting up more DUI checkpoints real soon. Sheriff checkpoints: that has Rosecrans written all over it. Call a taxi, and not just next Monday night.

Checkpoints aren't a worry for Will Campbell, who dutifully chronicles every bike ride he takes. Total mileage for the year 2007: 3007. Thus far.

Noted: The Big Dig, officially wrapping up this week as the most notoriously bloated construction deal in US history, cost $14.8 billion; the LAUSD capital building campaign, wrapping up maybe in 2012, when there will be far fewer students in LAUSD than there are now, will cost $20 billion.

Further noted...The LA Weekly reported two weeks ago that gangs were "more brutal than ever", but other fishwraps report that homicides are down in 2007, and on track for a forty-year low.

You may have missed it yesterday, but as MayorSam says below, the Feds are giving LA homeless money that they had denied to them earlier. The Mayor's office, of course, spins it as a "watershed moment" in ending homelessness, even though it doesn't pencil out to putting a 1/100th dent in it. I guess he means it the way there's a "watershed moment" in a football game when a quarterback falls on his own fumble.

Party like it's 1985: the 22-3 Celtics are for real, but are the Lakers? Now 18-10, a scant two games off the top spot in their conference, J.A. Andade says yes.

The Ten Dumbest Moves of 2007

We made this list last year; so its time once again to list the Dumbest Moves of the Year. Here, in not necessarily any particular order is the top ten:

1. Home Depot's lame, half assed astro-turfing in Sunland-Tujunga.
2. Jan Perry trying to ban fast food in South Central.
3. Rocky Delgadillo and his wife's reported inability to register and insure their cars, show up on warrants and use staffers for personal errands.
4. Politicians wasting water.
5. The Tennie Pierce settlement.
6. Antonio banging Mithala.
7. Mayor Sam falling for trick by AV spinners on story of Antonio, Jr. drinking on the beach.
8. Pomona City Attorney Arnold Alavarez-Glassman sending a cease and desist letter to The Foothill Cities Blog.
9. Jamie Lynn Spears getting herself knocked up at the age of 16.
10. Dennis Zine showing up the Gay Parade in full leather attire.

Christmas Brings More of the Same for the Homeless

What do Mayor Villaraigosa, Dennis Zine, Janice Hahn, Eric Garcetti and Jennifer Love Hewitt have in common? They showed up to get their pictures taken serving the homeless on Christmas. As the old, dead Republican Mayor has said before, one day photo op projects do little to address social problems. The key is joining and lifting up community based organizations and doing development projects all year round.

Mayor Villaraigosa took the occasion of the Christmas Skid Row photo op to announce the receipt of $72 million in Federal funds to address homelessness. Despite the major cash infusion, it will serve the purpose of providing just 200 additional units of housing for the homeless. That comes to about $36o,000 a unit. That won't even make a dent in the tens of thousands of homeless in Los Angeles.

These programs are very well intentioned and most of those who come out to get their picture taken are good people. The problem is the programs are so wasteful and inefficient they do little to address the real need.

You could take the same amount of money - as Joe Mailander has suggested - and build nearly 10,000 yurts while reserving a portion of the fund as a permanent endowment to fund - without any further tax outlays - ongoing maintenance, security and services for the residents.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Don't forget to Vote for Your Choices in the Mayor Sam Awards

Why is it so important for Mayor Villaraigosa and other elected officials to pass the Mayor's shady phone tax increase, Measure S? In order to pay for a 23% pay increase for non-emergency city workers. Pass the word, when was the last time you got a 23% pay raise? By the way in case you missed it, you absolutely have to catch Zuma Dogg's Measure S themed holiday parody.

When Steve Hymon asked where the funds to build a "subway to the sea," Mayor Villaraigosa accused the LA Times Columnist of "raining on his parade." That's a great way to avoid a simple yet serious question on a taxpayer funded project. Of course the Mayor loves nothing more than riding in parades and having his photo taken.

Daily News columnist Sandy Sand gets it half right when she finds foolish Goofy Jan Perry's plan to ban fast food in South Los Angeles. Decrying the nanny state, Sandy says its education and capitalism that will address the issue of obesity. So far so good - but then she heads right over to government sponsored universal "Arnold-Care" as the other answer. Sigh.

The Daily News supports the move by the City Clerk's office to take over the elections for Neighborhood Councils. Though it's going to cost a little more, it may lead to further participation and at least cleaner elections. With foolishness like this going on, the Councils need all the help they can get.

A new monorail is about to be pressed into service - at Disneyland.

The City Council is going to cut back cablecasting of it's meetings to one per month - that's the Santa Ana City Council. This is the same Clowncil that bans City Commissioners from blogging. Sounds like they have some issues with openness and transparency down there in Orange County.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Mayor Sam

Mayor Sam Awards Nominations

The nominations are in! To vote for the 2007 Mayor Sam Awards, "The Sammies," please click here.

You have until midnight on the 30th to vote, we'll announce the winners on the 31st.

Local Elected Politician of the Year
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian
Eric Garcetti
Janice Hahn
Michael Ten of South Pasadena
Sheriff Lee Baca

Local Elected Politician's Staffer of the Year
Stuart Waldman
Michael Tou
Young Gi Kim
Josh Kamensky
Jennifer Cohen

Hottest Politician's Wife, Husband, Boyfriend or Girlfriend
Corina Raigosa
Long Beach City Councilmember Suja Lowenthal's husband Daniel
Tony Cardenas' wife

Sexiest City Government Employee - Female
Kellie Hawkins, Exec. Dir, Comm on Status of Women
Young-Gi Kim
Janelle Erickson
Kieren in Perry's office

Sexiest City Government Employee - Male
Antonio Villaraigosa
Jimmy Blackman
Matt Szabo
Bernard Parks

Cutest Couple
Janice Hahn and Reggie the Alligator
Mirthala and Antonio
Mr. and Mrs. Kefflebaum
Janice Hahn and Noel Weiss

Dumbest Politician of the Year
Lloyd Levine
Rocky Delgadillo
Tom LaBonge
Ed Reyes
Fabian Nunez

Dumbest Staffer of the Year
Manny Figueras
Lisa Sarno
Mitch Englander
Uli Sanchez
Bob Blumenfeld

Crook of the Year
Mike Carona
Richard Alatorre
Governor Schwarzeneger
Fabian Nunez
Rocky Delgadillo

Dumbest Idea, Program or Cause
Jan Perry's Fast Food Ban
mayoral school "takeover"
AB1381
Mansionization
Alatorre and Roos becoming lobbyists for developers

Model of Efficiency Award (someone in City government who actually got something right)
Bill Robertson, Director of LA's Street Services Bureau
Michele Siqueiros
Brian Humphrey, LAFD

Biggest Mistake
Lloyd Levine dumping Stuart Waldman
Rocky not registering his car
Villaraigosa holding a news conference to announce his affair and then complaining that the media was prying into his personal life
Prop R
Funding Gang Prevention programs.

Best Place to Drink After A City Council Meeting
The water fountain on the fourth floor
Pete's
The Redwood
Little Tokyo

Worst Public Official or Government Employee Driving Skills
Michelle Delgadillo
Lance from Tom LaBonge’s office

Most Corrupt Special Interest (organization or individual)
SEIU
Eli Broad
Richard Muerelo
California Correctional Peace Officers Association
Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

Special Waiver Award (anyone you want to nominate for any reason - state both and why)
Zuma Dogg because I like big balls
Red Spot for his brilliant social commentary, grammatical errors notwithstanding.
Ted Hayes bitch slapping Maxine Waters
Michael Hunt for dressing like a Klansman

Local Journalist of the Year
Kevin Roderick
Jon Regardie
Joseph Mailander
David Zahniser
Joseph Chapman

Media Outlet of the Year (blogs, newspapers, radio or television stations)
LAist
CityWatch
Daily News
BBC
Channel 4 News

Sexiest Local Journalist
Sharon Tay
David Zahniser
Mariel Garza
Sioux-Z Jessup
Lisa Hernandez

Person of the Year (the person who had the biggest impact locally - good or bad)
William Bratton
Laura Chick
David Hernandez
Antonio Villaraigosa
Zuma Dogg

Zuma Dogg Sings "Proposition S Is Going Down" To The Tune of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (Holiday Family Carol)

Holiday Greetings from Zuma Dogg! Everything's chill for the holidays, but although it's Christmas Eve, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be thinking about "Voting 'No' on Proposition S".

So here's a little ZD Christmas Carol, "Proposition S Is Going Down", sung to the tune of "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town".



Send this as a YouTube Holiday Greeting Card

NEW 12/25: Streaming Audio or download "Prop S Going Down" to your iPod.

Zuma's Community Carol

Mayor Sam's Christmas Eve Open Thread

The old, dead Republican Mayor will spend most of the afternoon and evening this Christmas Eve helping the Jaycees answer low income kids' letters to Santa and deliver toys directly to their homes. Information if you want to help, click here.

All the photos and stories from our first ever Reader Holiday Party can be found here.


And the reason for the season - as explained by that great philosopher, Linus vanPelt.




Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas holiday. And for you those of who choose not to celebrate Christmas, hope you have a great day off!

Mayor Sam Awards Voting

To vote in the Mayor Sam Awards, click on the following links:

Part One

Part Two

Have fun voting!

More Party Pics

Mayor Sam and the Valley Doll

She's not what you guys thought huh?

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Another Party Pic

Mayor Sam and Ms Hannah, another one of those "Valley moms."

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Images from the Party

Mayor Sam with Abby and Nina of No 2 Home Depot.

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Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Blame the homeless: Splattering Hyperion Bridge, Atwater, 12.21.07 (see earlier items)

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

I love this term from this Downtown News headliner on yet another to-be-shelved CRA report on what to do with industrial downtown: "Employment Protection Districts." You want to make all of LA an "employment protection district"? Just stop filling the ballots with fraudulent tax measures like S!

Maybe coming from Estolano-Goldberg in the future: "Employment Preservation Overlay Zones"...

° ° ° ° °

The median price of a home sale in southern Cal has fallen over ten percent from November 2006---and in LA County it's fallen 12 percent, the Daily News says. What that means: more leasing of recently-built spec condos meant to be sold. More rentals in a town that badly needs more homeowners. What else it means: the homeowner-to-renter ratio, already the worst in the nation among big cities, will get even worse.

° ° ° ° °

Steve Lopez takes the opportunity of the new Zellian climate as an open platform for his personal-vendetta hostility towards the Catholic Church. It's bad enough when former fishwrap of record scribes don't do any investigative journalism around the City; it's twice as bad when you blow a bunch of space doing so tongue-in-cheek. He should apologize to his editors, if he won't to the Church or the readers who expect good-faith content.

° ° ° ° °

Rumor has it that the Sam Zell Times' subscriber base average age skews into the fiftysomethings, even as it has likely dropped into the 600,000s, but it might be getting even older, if stories like this become the norm. Maybe the former fishwrap of record is more for people who remember what a newspaper actually used to be?

° ° ° ° °

Only the City of Gardena could turn a skate park into a long, drawn-out community crisis. Funds were encumbered from the County in 2002, and still no skate park, five years later. But now it looks like one is finally coming at last.

° ° ° ° °

Your Venti Java Chip Frappe, or else...In a scene that must have seemed straight out of Pulp Fiction, three men from my dear old home town of Hawthorne robbed 13 people at a South Bay Starbucks Wednesday night. They sped away at speeds of up to 100 per but were caught the same night. At least when Starbucks robs you, they don't do it at gunpoint.

Closin' Down the Bar

Mayor Sam, Kim Thompson, Valley Doll, friend Hannah and Jim from Old Granada Hills managed to make it to last call and shut down NoBar. Thanks to all the folks who came, it was a great party. If you weren't there you're a bloggin' dum dum.

Most asked about blogger who wasn't there of the night: Joseph Mailander.

No Shows of the Night: Rep Spot and Video Louis. Bad boys!
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Party Update

We've discovered SS Sam Taylor is a Tom Leykis fan.

In the house: School Board Candidate Louis Pugliese.

Moment of Detente: Old, dead Republican Mayor shares a cocktail with Joe B and the No 2 Home Depot People.
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Bloggy Party News

Stone Fox Kim Thompson and the babealicious Valley Doll are here. Edward Headington regals us with stories of Gil Cedillo and Tom LeBong campaigning for Mayor Hahn.
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Bloggy Party Topics

Now how the hell did we wind up talking about Kevin Roderick and The LA Times?
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Here we are

First blogger to show up: Edward from the LA Pressman's Blog.
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Test Twitter

This is a test micro blog. How are you?
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Saturday Open Thread Conspiracy Edition

Are we being hacked? Is the FBI watching? I guess we will find out!

Under Hyperion

JM, Under Hyperion, 12.21.07 / click image to enlarge

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

While some shills for affordable housing developers (and the City Councilpeople they own) claim that constructing yurts would strip the homeless of dignity, the fact is that many homeless already live in makeshift yurts---by choice. Here's one, a glorified tent, under the Hyperion Bridge on Riverside in Atwater.

Note the ironic juxtaposition against the SUVs parked on the street. Note the shopping cart---the homeless' storage facility and transportation vehicle.

Right up the street, Tom LaBonge (this is his District) leaned on the DWP to provide round the clock security for---an ugly fountain.

In 2008, the City will offer voters another "Affordable Housing Bond"---a Bond for developers, which will perpetuate homelessness, and make sure that the money from the City's Affordable Housing Trust goes mostly to developers and contractors, even while turning affordable housing into a very hard-to-win lottery for homeless such as these.

EARLIER: Second Street Tunnel.

Estolano Grinches CRA's Xmas

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

After the City Council voted City rank-and-file workers a pay raise earlier this week, CRA CEO Cecilia Estolano invalidated the pay raises for CRA employees, MayorSam has learned.

CEO Estolano also took the extra measure of sending CRA employees a union-rustling memo yesterday reminding union workers not to add any hours devoted to union activities to their time cards.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday: One Sentence Edition

Young-Gi Kim is one nominee so far for sexiest City Hall staffer in the Sammie Awards - is she single?

The Coliseum Commission just can't stop hatin' on USC.

Bitter Bernie says the Minnesota Vikings are coming to LA.

Reyes wants bike paths but no one is using them.

An old, crabby white guy is upset that someone has the money to build the home of their dreams.

After 20 years blowhard Congressman Henry Waxman gets out of the way of a subway.

We have lots of hot air in City government so wind power might work.

The City has no money and wants to raise taxes but they can boost salaries.

Antonio Villaraigosa your shot at love has ended.

In the meantime, Tila Tequila picked the boy over the girl.

The City of LA thinks poor people are too stupid to make proper food choices.

Is Eric Garcetti dating Britney Spears?

Ed Edelman is actually still alive.

Republicans are going for Barack Obama in Nevada.

LAUSD facilities should be available to the public - after all we paid for them.

Some in the Santa Clarita Valley want to be their own City - take a lesson from the Valley do it!

Former Laura Chick aide Ruben Gonzalez has become a partner in Harvey Englander's powerful lobbying firm.

Dick Riordan is opening a version of The Pantry in Pacific Palisades.

Some Predictions for 2008

The historic San Pedro Red Car line will be extended to downtown Los Angeles.

The City of La Canada-Flintridge will find that Los Angeles County is holding a $255,088 check for them.

Former California GOP Chairman Shawn Steel will fall flat on his face in his election bid for the Republican National Committee.

For the third election cycle in a row, LA County GOP Chairman Linda Boyd will fail to keep her promise to field a Republican candidate in every Legislative and Congressional district in Los Angeles County.

Alan Rothenberg will get his wish fulfilled of being appointed to the Coliseum Commission.

Bernard Parks will be elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Parks' strong opposition to LAX expansion will be a key component to his victory.

Businesswoman Noel Irwin Hentschel will run for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2009.

Due to the state budget crisis, the California High Speed Rail Bond Act will be deferred from the ballot for the third consecutive election cycle.

Voters will overwhelmingly reject the universal health care plan.

Opposition to Indian gaming Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97 will come from an unlikely source- Indians who have been disenrolled from gaming tribes. Opposition funding will come from out-of-state casinos.

Burbank, Anyone?

Nice upbeat story just in time for your holiday travel. Money quote from the San Jose Mercury News:

National Air Traffic Contollers Association local president Michael Foote says tired LAX tower controllers could miss close calls on runways.

Foote told the City Council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee that "the biggest safety concern at the airport is the lack of experienced controllers working at LAX tower."

Traffic controller error is a big risk at LAX, the small but critical union says. There are lots of trainees there, too.

Thursday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Bicycle Bridge, Los Feliz, 12.19.07

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

The year is, mercifully, almost done. And it turns out that we're not growing as fast as the politicians keep telling us we are, the Daily News says.

All through 2005 and 2006, and for most of 2007, City Councilpeople and the Mayor validated any new project, from affordable housing to forty-unit spec condos, by telling us that "growth was a fact of life." But the truth is, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, that it's getting so crowded that nobody lives here anymore.

This is perfectly consistent with the LAUSD overbuilding at a time the District was losing pupils. And in some cases, the perps are one in the same.

° ° ° ° °

The Daily News has another great stocking-stuffer: two schools don't have sufficient majorities to join the Mayor's mini-District. So the Mayor's office backpedals: "'And although an overwhelming majority of the Jordan High School community demonstrated clear support for the partnership, without a broader desire from teachers for change, reforms would have been unlikely to succeed,' said Janelle Erickson, a spokeswoman for the mayor."

° ° ° ° °

But who is the Mayor of Los Angeles anyway? H. David Nahai or Tom LaBonge?

The DWP is paying for its own security at the Mulholland Fountain. Even though they can't keep the lights on in Los Feliz in adverse weather -- and for the DWP, any weather is adverse weather -- they're staffing security guards at the Mulholland Fountain round the clock, to protect it from taggers. Word is, LaBonge called the DWP and told them to do it, as he considers the fountain worthy of protection.

Couldn't they just park an empty cop car in front of it?

In LaBonge's district, Atwater Bridge and the Shakespeare Bridge, both of which are far more beautiful (and far more useful) than the monument to Fuzzy Bill get tagged all the time.

In that same precinct: so bicyclists yammered for a decade about building a bridge over Los Feliz Boulevard (top photo), and it got done. How often do you see someone actually using it?

° ° ° ° °

Finally, the Former Fishwrap of Record struts its new stuff: in the first official day of the Sam Zell Times, a coupla scribes attack Fabian Nuñez for legislating while Democrat and call it news.

2007 Predictions Recap

Last year we all made predictions for 2007. Suffice it to say most of us have even less psychic ability than Miss Cleo (who by the way came out as gay last year) but hey, we can have fun trying.

1. Additional prosecutions in the "Pay to Play" cases.

Not quite. But Mayor Villaraigosa instituted a sort of new "pay to play" program in his efforts to take over the LAUSD. In the end, it was a bad bargain as instead of the whole school District, Mayor V got control of three schools, a new washer and dryer, a case of Z Brick and a gift certificate for the Spiegel Catalog, Chicago 60609

2. Neighborhood Council board members to face Ethics Commission charges on conflict of interest violations.

There certainly was a lot of fun this year around Neighborhood Councils, and certainly one in particular, so who knows maybe this prediction will come true in 2008.

3. Major shake up in top management at Los Angeles World Airports.

This one we nailed. And a reader teased the name of the new Executive Director here a good month before she was named.

4. Linda Boyd to be drummed out as Chairperson of LA Republican Party over her $5,000 per month salary.

This didn't quite happen but Boyd is allegedly no longer getting that salary and she and her husband Doug Boyd were bitch slapped by the State Republican Party.

5. LA County Supervisor Yvonne Burke to re-consider running for one final term in 2008.

Nope, Burke is retiring. But we were right that the two leading contenders to replace her would be Assemblyman Mark Ridley Thomas and Bitter Bernie.

And the predictions from readers (and some bloggers):

1. Zuma Dogg: City Council "Special Election" when one or more Counclimembers are forced to step down from their seat.

Nope, didn't happen.

2. Anonymous: Another (longshot) prediction: Richard Alarcon gets bitch slapped by Monica Rodriguez

Unfortunately this did not come true.

3. CD 14 folks will continue complaining about Huizar, but still vote for him.

Yes, and yes.

Recapping Captain Jack's predictions woud be a whole other post of it's own. But as far as I can recall, none of them came true.

Red Spot was almost Norstradamus-esque with the following, "'BLUE BLOOD' of political dirt will turn CD 14 into a 'SUPERFUND SITE' of negative politics." I'm not really sure how to parse that. Next.

And finally it was really more a dream than a prediction: "Big Surprise in 2007. Get champagne & celebrate new Republican office in CD14. Catfights from democrats give Republicans an opportunity to spread and recruit."

Feel free to post your predictions for 2008.

LA, Shanghaied

Republicans, Libertarians, Planning-Report-types, policy wonks, homeowners, and even some plain ol' City folk are probably not going to like many of the things that USC School of Architecture's Dean Quinyun Ma recently told the excellent architecture website archinect in a multi-part interview.

Ma on American v. Chinese economics:

But I think it’s hardly free-market here. It’s market driven, but driven by only a few. That almost has no difference from a top down political system, whatever you call it. It could be Communism, Socialism, It’s not too much different. Of course the top down, authoritarian or totalitarian, political system is not perfect for the market economy either, but, what I am saying is, not perfect or not good for free-market, but it’s still a market. So the problems are similar and the difficulties are similar as well. But China still has, I hope, a chance to modify it, to improve it, where the U.S. is more difficult to improve.

Ma on American mobility:

Here you just have an open horizon, if you don’t like it you can just move away and find a new spot.

Sure. Ma on Angeleno mobility:

But, I will live in Pasadena, I love to be able to go to the Westside all the time. But I don’t think that freedom is healthy.

Ma on different kinds of urban solutions:

The other thing that I have been constantly thinking about is what I call ‘urban swap’, where we borrow a problem from Paris and inject it into Los Angeles based on the hypothesis that a bacteria in one biological body could be a vaccine in the other body. Which means that cities start to trade problems, not treasures. Because poison can be extremely good.

Ma on immigration as solution:

So I would do experiments. Los Angeles has a lot of areas that are really unoccupied. If you would just introduce Asians, have them come in, give them a limited time permit, have them live there, you would enliven it. I’m sure.

Ma on revitalization through immigration:

We can start to create reversed colonies in areas here that are not so desirable and start to invite immigrants, in an organized way, not illegal, but a temporary concession. I would introduce the concession ideas of Shanghai to L.A.

This is the Dean of USC, not of Sci-Arc. As they say at the political blogs, read the whole thing.

Second Street Tunnel

JM, Second Street Tunnel, 12.18.07 • click image to enlarge

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Try to tell me these folks camping in shelter of the Second Street Tunnel wouldn't benefit from yurts NOW, rather than an affordable housing lottery that may (or may not) get ONE of them into a home sometime in the next four years, whilst developers and contractors make off with the Affordable Housing Trust cash all through that time.

Ten yurts a day for a hundred days, along the river just south of downtown, where there are already enormous homeless encampments the media do not photograph. Then, after they're built, you start replacing them with cinder-block homes, so that the developers and contractors can make their money. What's wrong with that, Department of Housing?

Free Speech is not Pretty

There's probably nothing more offensive than the idea of an African-American man or anyone else showing up to a City Council meeting dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan as perennial gadfly Mike Hunt did recently. Well there is one thing more offensive - trying to ban an African-American man or anyone else coming to a City Council meeting dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Free speech is not pretty - and neither are most gadflies and Council members - but its sacrosanct.

That's what the ACLU had to stand up for - as distasteful as it was to them and the Jewish attorney who led the case - when they supported the rights of racist, anti-Semitic Nazis to march in Skokie, Illiniois.

"Free speech is not pretty - and neither are most gadflies and Council members."

You can see how many City Clowncil members, City Attorneys and police officers it takes to figure out if they can kick Mike out of the meeting by clicking here.

Blogging dum-dums and City Hall spinners are aghast when Zuma Dogg and other protesters wear masks to LA City Council Meetings. However Daily News readers are more appalled at the thought of the City Clowncil wasting time on the issue and limiting free speech, no matter how annoying or offensive one may find it.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Joseph Mailander has what could be the photo of the year, certainly the best photo of a government vehicle since this one, that is an LAPD patrol car reportedly parked in front of Mayor Villaraigosa's Mount Washington home for several days. Amazingly, the members of the spin zone have managed to convince themselves its not a police car, its not there and it never happened. Keep repeating that mantra kids!

-ms-

Tuesday the Los Angeles City Council voted to have the Los Angeles City Clerk take over running the elections for Neighborhood Councils. Generally in favor of the idea but wanting to delay it a bit was Councilman Bill "Open Shirt" Rosendahl who told reporters "You don't need to make a decision today and shove it down the throats of my neighborhood councils.'' Wow. Really?

-ms-

The Coliseum Commission meets Wednesday to try and come up with a relatively acceptable plan that will convince USC to stay in the historic stadium and not move to the Rose Bowl. So far the Commission's counter-offers have yet to satisfy USC's concerns as to whether or not needed renovations to the facility will be made.

-ms-

Thursday is the long anticipated "Day Without A Bag." Proving he's ready to celebrate, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will appear Wednesday on KCRW Radio at 1:00 p.m. to kick off the big day.

-ms-

David Hernandez reports that Ted Hayes - convicted of trespassing in the Mayor's Office - was refused by the Judge in the case to allow him to serve time in jail. Hernandez is behind a campaign to draft the longtime homeless activist Hayes to run against controversial Congresswoman Maxine Waters for her 35th District seat.

-ms-

The Downtown News agrees that Angelenos should be allowed to hail cabs just like in New York, San Francisco, Chicago or any other real city in America. And it needs to be done to provide the cabbies market incentive to pick up short hop fares by removing the stupid fare zones where folks can currently grab a taxi.

-ms-

Some are accusing Carson City Clowncilman turned Assembly candidate Mike Gipson of trying to bribe voters with a chance to win free gift cards at Target if they presented a ballot stub to his campaign office (thank God it wasn't Home Depot) but Gipson claims it was just an effort to turn out the vote. State officials say the move is legal; though probably skirts the spirit of the law. Didn't matter, Gipson lost the special election for the Democratic nomination to LA Community College Trustee Warren Furutani (get ready - open College board seat - line up candidates!)

-ms-

Is this any surprise? Her older sister drives around with her infant child on her lap; now 16 year old actress Jamie Lynn Spears will disclose to Ok! Magazine that she is 12 weeks pregnant.

-ms-

And finally, don't forget to RSVP for our Holiday Party on Saturday and to vote in the 2007 Mayor Sam Awards.

The Mayor Sam Awards 2007

Forget the Oscars. Lose the Grammys. Give up on the American Music Awards. Its time for the First Annual "Sammies," handed out to those Angelenos who distinguish themselves in dubious categories.

The first round is for you to make nominations under the categories listed below. You have until Sunday, December 23rd. I'll sift through the nominations to find 3-5 nominees per category.

Following your nominations, every reader will have the opportunity to vote for the winner in each category. Whoever gets the most votes wins, pure democracy, that is unless we find you somehow gamed the system.

On Monday, December 31st, we'll announce the winners. Then you can celebrate your victory all New Year's Eve long.

Vote early and often!

CATEGORIES

1. Local Elected Politician of the Year
2. Local Elected Politician's Staffer of the Year
3. Hottest Politician's Wife, Husband, Boyfriend or Girlfriend
4. Sexiest Los Angeles City Hall Employee
   
5. Sexiest City Government Employee (all other departments, cities, agencies, etc.)
6. Cutest Couple
   
7. Dumbest Politician of the Year
8. Dumbest Staffer of the Year
9. Crook of the Year
10. Dumbest Idea, Program or Cause
11. Model of Efficiency Award (someone in City government who actually got something right)
12. Biggest Mistake
13. Best Place to Drink After A City Council Meeting
14. Worst Public Official or Government Employee Driving Skills
    
15. Most Corrupt Special Interest (organization or individual)
16. Special Waiver Award (anyone you want to nominate for any reason - state both and why)
17. Local Journalist of the Year (including bloggers, reporters or talkradio hosts)
    
18. Media Outlet of the Year (blogs, newspapers, radio or television statements)
    
19. Sexiest Local Journalist
20. Person of the Year (the person who had the biggest impact locally - good or bad)
    

Open Thread outta Echo Park

JM, Downbeat Blue, 12.18.07

You guys are way too bored in the rain. Talk to us.

Ominbus bill includes clearing path for Subway to Sea

There is likely to be a small victory for the Mayor's office, and a larger one for commuters in the City of Los Angeles, when the current omnibus spending bill clears Congress. The bill includes repealing of the prohibition that Waxman sponsored in 1986 that prevented the Red Line spur (now known as the Purple Line) from extending to the Westside. Sign On San Diego has the details.

The federal prohibition was originally pushed in 1986 by Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of Los Angeles. Waxman said at that time he feared construction could cause explosions of naturally occurring methane gas, something that had happened the year before. New research has convinced him and others that it can be done safely.

Right. Anyway, the Bill has cleared the House.

Car 940, Where are You?

JM, Car 940, Where are You? 12.18.07

Note to LAPD: if you are looking for a squad car that has gone missing for a few days, we may have located it on a pleasant, quiet hilltop public rue in Mt. Washington, across the street from a charming pomegranate tree that has good fruit. Readers tell us it's car number 940 and it's been there for six days...you may like to check your inventory. Hope all is well on that street with all the construction and whatnot.

Tuesday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Ray distingué, 12.17.07

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Francophone LA was out en masse last night as Ray Bradbury was honored by the Government of France as Commandeur des Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at Résidence de France in Beverly Hills. In a quiet moment, I had a chance to tell the honoree of my special admiration for his story, The Picasso Summer, which I originally read thirty-three years ago (and many times since) as a senior at Hawthorne High. He assured me I had bon goût and asked me to write a new screenplay to it, which I took more as charm than commission.

A cultural delegation from Laguna Beach, which had feted le Commandeur just last Friday, including recent Mayor Toni Iseman, Arts Commision chair Nancy Beverage, and Jennifer Karam provided most of the charm on the American side. The Résidence featured Gallic fare that you do not taste at other diplomatic maisons: saumon en croûte, huîtres, and haricot vert, for instance, as well as champagne flutes alongside sturdy rouges et blancs.

Nota bene: Commandeur is the top honor of the Order; there are also officiers and chevaliers.

° ° ° ° °

Political consultants know that voters almost never say no to propositions with the words "library," or "prison" in them. But some smart watchdog group should condition voters to say no to the word "emergency" which almost always gives the legislature powers to override an otherwise high hurdle.

The City's Internet/Phone Tax Measure S is one such instance: as an "emergency" item, it only needs a simple majority to pass, rather than the typical two-thirds for taxes. And now, Republicans, your man in Sacto who promised to "clean up" Sacramento four years ago, is declaring an "emergency" that puts the State legislature in a phoney vise. Schwarzenegger is a man who keeps signing budgets that don't make sense; after four years and a massive drubbing by unions, he's now like a guy perpetually calling his credit card company for a larger line even while claiming things will be in control next month.

° ° ° ° °

Zahniser at the former fishwrap-of-record has noted how el Alcalde uses his office to pump special friends for special favors. "When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arranged a reception celebrating trade with Mexico, two real estate developers stepped in to pay the $25,000 catering bill. One wants city approval for the 5,553-home subdivision known as Las Lomas." If only there were 15 Zahnisers, one for each Councilperson. It's hard and tedious work, tracing donations to favors.

Meanwhile, Orlov and Art Marroquin note how the Airport has just scrapped $25 million worth of design work on baggage claim. The good news, however, is that Barrio Planners wasn't the beneficiary---for a change.

° ° ° ° °

The scribbling never ends: as Ed Headington said in a thread here yesterday, tonight at the Redwood is the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) Los Angeles Holiday Mixer. "It's free and open to everyone and there's supposed to be a celebrity mystery guest (not yet revealed)." The Redwood is the new incarnation of the storied watering hole catty-corner to the Times where editors drank themselves towards their current senseless state, and Eddie the bartender (who was also Monday night bartender at Milano's) distinguished between "eastern Sierras" and "western Sierras" kinda guys.

Mayor Sam Reader Holiday Party

Don't forget the First Annual Mayor Sam Holiday Party on Saturday, December 22nd, starting at 8:30 p.m. at NoBar in NoHo. For more information, please click here.

Bloggers, readers, friends and even elected officials are invited. Please email mayorsamyorty@aol.com and we'll add you to the Evite. Feel free to bring a friend.

Monday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, A Hole is to Dig, 12.14.07

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

If the former fishwrap-of-record wants to get in the business of critiquing ten year old buildings, as it did yesterday, why doesn't it go full colonic and and review fifteen, twenty, seventy-five year old buildings? Noble Central Library's rehabbing came at an awful public artsy price---could you imagine a quote stuck onto any other library in America less literacy-inspiring than the one above (text: "A hole is to dig/a bookis to look at") ?

For that matter, "Books alone are liberal and free..." which has been carved into the north entrance for rather longer, is more than a bit hyberbolic for a quote that appears on a library, n'est-ce pas?

° ° ° ° °

Maybe the library folks should talk to the bankers across the street about how to make changes to quotes etched in stone. The way banks have been taken over by other banks over the years, it's too bad that some of those bank names on buildings from other decades weren't hung with velcro rather than etched in stone.

And how about a first-ever honest review of the Disney Hall? The Times' 2003 pr-gasm made it out to be a bridge-and-tunnel dream, but...Within three weeks, actual concertgoers discovered that the hardwood floors made it impossible to move in one's tightly-crammed seat (four inches less legroom than the Dorothy Chandler in most spots), there was no place to meet friends as there were no real rooms other than the Hall itself, and the sound was so uneven throughout the hall that Keith Jarrett exclaimed mid-concert "I'm never coming back."

Last season was a special travesty. With no place to situate a hot kitchen other than a bad one, the Hall's fire alarms disrupted three concerts. And when I say "disrupt," picture epilepsy-inducing flashing lights and all the attendant noise of a fire station in the middle of a three-alarm rush. Give me the Dorothy Chandler any time.

° ° ° ° °

Yes, it could be a slow local news day. It could be a slow local news day. It could also be a slow local news day. BTW, it seems like it's a slow local news day, and the incidence of OCD is increasing, the Daily News says.

° ° ° ° °

Both Daily News and Times are covering the Pellicano trial this morning, but this is one about which readers simply don't care. It keeps threatening to fetch some kind of star-power quality but keeps slumping into more pedestrian proceedings.

° ° ° ° °

And...


HW, Tres Borrachos, 12.16.07

A couplethree MayorSam bloggers got together yesterday morning at an undisclosed inner city location to celebrate Beethoven's Birthday, anticipate the winter solstice, and sip a few Sunday Morning Mimosas even into the mid-afternoon. Bloggers yours truly, MayorSam, and Antonio Watch also broke Brooklyn Bagels with a few of LA's most generous and friendly people, whom we'd like to honor but we know they're far too classy to want their name in the local fishwraps, or even the social paradise that is the LA blogosphere.

Alas, Zuma wasn't around---he was busy heeding that old sixties bit of advice: "If you don't like the news, make some of your own." It may be good advice for all scribes this holiday week.

Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Philippe's 10 a.m., 12.14.07

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

You could have read this one coming coming in braille, as Chick Hearn used to say. LAUSD payroll system price tag balloons. The estimate for how much the problem is going to fix: $210 million. To put that into some kind of context---God knows the District won't---that's about how much the Cathedral cost downtown.

That's right. For the same amount of money, you can either build a complex that will be the spiritual locus of a region's faithful for 500+ years...or you can fix the LAUSD's screwed up payroll system.

° ° ° ° °

Another stunner issue from the Downtown News. Any one of these stories is intriguing: owning up to a softening loft market, the fashion district v. taxi dance halls, and an editorial on the failures of the cab system. And this headliner on the 80's club scene downtown seems to move in a bit on the Weekly's turf: you know, fiftysomethings in denial about being fiftysomething.

There have been a few stories about the Getty turning ten---Christopher Hawthorne's is the latest---but none of them have been hard hitting so far. And that's a shame, because there's a lot that deserves to be hit hard. Barry Munitz, anyone? Getty Trust moves? Curatorial disgruntlement? Etc.

Reviewing a building ten years after it opens seems a bit indulgent and a bit off. It seems like all the fishwraps want to say something more caustic, but can't quite find a way to say it..

° ° ° ° °

Today is Huizar's Winter Wonderland day in El Sereno. Santa will be there, so be nice.

Daily News Coverage of Council's 1st Amendment Debate Over Wearing Masks During Council Meetings

Daily News covers City Council debate over wearing of masks -- and mentions Michael Hunt, Matt Dowd -- and somehow Orlov (who I am a fan of) dragged the name "Zuma Dogg" into the article, even though I had nothing to do with any of this.

(Although I think Hunt is protected, and council is powerless to prevent it -- I don't want people to think ZD would be using that choice of wording and that kind of mask to prove the point. But Mike is Mike -- and at the end of the day -- it's turning into serious stuff -- and I bet Council starts working overtime to fix the Venice Beach issue that brought the three of us to the Council meetings in the first place. (Pandora's box, y'all!!!) How come CBS 2 website said, "Zuma Dogg's posse prompts Council to (beep speech)" -- when I was not even at the meeting that day.

And now, for all the things I've fought for at City Hall -- again, I get mentioned over THIS -- and I was no where to be seen! (see article)

And how about Jack Weiss. WOW! He's pretty smart, if he doesn't say so himself:

"I understand First Amendment issues better than anyone." - Jack Weiss

(Good for you Jackass! Maybe we should just let you call all the shots for the rest of us idiots, since you understand these issues better than anyone -- YOU JACKASS!)

Anyway...I hope City Council is happy with their decision to decide to play hardball over shea butter, incense and Zuma Dogg T-shirts at Venice Beach. They let illegal vendors sell unsafe food and all kinds of counterfeit merchandise all over the streets of Los Angeles 24/7...but some douchebags decided no more ZD shirts or incense at Venice Beach -- after the dumb-ass Mayor sold us permits! NOW ALL OF THIS. MUCH MORE TO COME! KEEP BEING COMBATIVE ERIC AND DOUCHAROSA!

---

---

EXCERPT from:
City Council debates wearing of masks
By Rick Orlov

On Friday, (a debate escalated) over whether people should be allowed to wear masks while testifying before the council.

In both instances, the debates were prompted by City Hall gadflies who scrutinize the council and testify about everything from their protest rights to special permit waivers awarded by the council.

This time, however, instead of moving to adopt an outright ban, the council decided to seek a legal opinion on whether the city can ban masks during council meetings.

Since then, Hunt and several others, including Matt Dowd - who wore a bandanna at one meeting last week and demanded to be called "Joe Public" - and Zuma Dogg have become City Hall regulars testifying on a number of items.

Full Daily News article

Previous ZD coverage of Mask issue on Mayor Sam 1

Previous ZD coverage of Mask issue on Mayor Sam 2 (follow up)

zumatimes.com

NEW BONUS AUDIO: Zuma Dogg calls Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" show and even manages to set off Cramer!!! Listen till the end.

Carbon Offsets

I am fortunate that my home and office are in the same neighborhood and I am able to walk the three blocks from my home to work and back, including some days walking to a local store to pick up groceries or restaurant to have dinner. I do this about four days a week, depending on if I need my car to visit a client on a given day.

So I may be able to completely skip driving as much as four days out of the week.

I'd like to know what my carbon offsets are by doing that and I'd like to sell them to one of you polluters.

Answers?

Friday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Alley, Echo Park, 12.13.07


Joseph Mailander • recent • email

Send in the Feds: The Writers go to the NLRB. The post-Valenti studios call the move "baseless, desperate." Hello, this is our town calling---things are getting ugly---where is the Mayor?

° ° ° ° °

It's about time the folks at Blue Shield took a little heat, and maybe they will, the Daily News says. "Blue Shield committed serious violations that completely undermine the public trust in our healthcare delivery system," [Callifornia Insurance Commissioner Steve] Poizner said. "Let this be a message to all health insurers that we will not tolerate irresponsible rescissions and shoddy claims handling. We will target this behavior on an industry-wide basis and continue to take appropriate action as needed, " he said.

It sounds like a lot, but it's not much of a message: a $12.6 million fine is a payout equivalent to about 120 patients on chemo. Across the whole state. Wrist. Slap.

And hey: won't they just turn around, plug that fine into some actuarial table, and bill us for it? When an insurance company gets fined, don't the policy holders pay? What they should do is make them restructure in a way that gets rid of $12.6 million worth of managers.

How much do they get out of you each month? Hah. Wait 'til you turn 50. You'll pay that fine yourself.

° ° ° ° °

The Dodgers: juiced from stem to stern, and the Times has a great special report on the Big Blue Wrecked Crew. The South Bay produces a lot of good baseball players, and the Daily Breeze has the local angle and concludes that steroid abuse does not start in high school. Palos Verdes High coach Evan Fuginaga is sensible: "It's better to look forward rather than backward," Fuginaga said. "The focus needs to be on the way we test, not on who needs to be punished. These are guys that a lot of people look up to. In some ways, it makes you ask where we are as a society."

° ° ° ° °

Last night, the LA Press Club bid Matt Welch and Emmanuelle Richard adieu as they prepare for an even tighter real estate market. Spotted: new Times blog go-to guru Tony Pierce, Steve Smith, Luke Ford, Amy Alkon, Brady Westwater, some of the thorny Reason types, and the world's most dangerous fishwrap band. And even with the big crowd on hand, it seemed like about a dozen people were missing, but in truth there was only one.

CITY BEAT, "DECONSTRUCTING ANTONIO" A MUST READ!!

Alternative weekly City Beat takes on all things Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
In a four part cover story on the aspiring candidate for any higher office. City Beat assumes the role as "civic overseer" on the mid-term performance of the nation's second largest city leader.

From "Deconstructing Antonio" by Alan Mittelstaedt,

On this November day, the mayor did not say Yaroslavsky’s name one time. When
asked after the news conference if he was stealing credit for the idea, the
mayor still did not mention the county supervisor. Instead, he said others have
suggested similar ideas for Olympic and Pico in the past, including Richard
Riordan

From "Antonio's Report Card" by Alan Mittelstaedt,

Twelve of 15 members of the L.A. City Council shared their views with CityBeat’s
Greg Katz about the mayor’s priorities, subway dreams, and his personal
style.
Three declined our repeated offers, and we speculate on their
reasons: Janice
Hahn still fumes over her brother’s losing re-election bid;
Bernard Parks heeds
his mother’s advice to be silent if you have nothing
good to say; and Greig
Smith, a Republican, is just being ornery.

From "Schooling Antonio",

Despite the campaign bluster, Villaraigosa’s first mayoral forays into
education
were relatively benign – he even balked at supporting an early
version of
legislation (introduced by state Senate ally Gloria Romero) that
would have
opened the door to mayoral control of L.A. Unified. The new mayor
instead chose
to focus on social issues closely related to student success,
such as school
safety and health care.

From "Antonio's to do List",

Call a news conference and promise that you will serve out your second
term,
if re-elected in 2009. And, so we know you’re telling the truth this time,
endorse Jerry Brown. All your good deeds are tainted by your
hyper-ambitiousness
and even many of your supporters think you’re
resume-building. Look at it
another way: Solving L.A.’s problems of traffic,
poor schools, pollution and
crime is enough for one lifetime.

Thursday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Grand Central Bike Rack, 12.11.07


He tried to take over the District; he padded the board with dittohead candidates; he went to the State for permission; a million or so was spent; nothing really worked. Now, a day after both quotidien fishwraps called the Mayor's money-without-a-plan microdistrict a "victory," the UTLA may challenge some results at two of the three affected high schools. It never ends.

° ° ° ° °

Trojans are promised a longterm offer sometime today. Proximity is not entitlement; the Commission should not give the Coliseum away just because the alum network is upping the pressure and leaning on everyone and her mother to do so. USC no more wants Pasadena than the Coliseum wants to lose USC; don't throw that chip away.

° ° ° ° °

The national fishwrap of record follows the Times on the LACMA gift. The gift is a staggering 130 pieces, but you know all those Giacommettis and Klees look the same. Yawn.

° ° ° ° °

Don't get too worked up over the prospect of People v. Dogg or even Garcetti et al. v. Dogg as prospective First Amendment cases should Council institute and enforce a mask law. As recently as 2004 a Circuit Court (the Second) ruled (in KKK v. Kerik) that the First Amendment does not protect wearing masks especially if wearing a mask is not an essential element of the message being delivered. This Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal.

E'en so---when was the last time you saw a City Hall beat print guy toeing First Amendment waters?

Outtakes from CD 14 "The Cut and Paste Capital of Los Angeles"

Hola!!

Been a while since we focus on CD 14 issues. Now with issues aplenty it is time to return the spot light to our unique "CANTON", barring any copper wire theft.

COPPER WIRE THEFT HITS LIGHTS IN BOYLE HEIGHTS:
The world's market for copper has spark numerous acts of theft in Boyle Heights and other areas in the city. Some have posted on Mayor Sam that Public Works Commissioner Cynthia Ruiz has been tardy in dealing with these acts of thievery.

FRIENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST MUSEUM RAISE MONEY:
If anyone thought that Councilman Jose Huizar's"Self-proclaim victory" would be the end to the controversy in retaining the "full museum" on the slopes of Mt. Washington. Then you believe in facades, or are an "exclusive" member of the Southwest Society.
Friends of the Southwest announced that they have raised over $20,000 for their righteous fight to preserve a CD 14 cultural icon.

COUNCILMAN HUIZAR LEADS MARCH AGAINST VERNON POWER PLANT:
Councilman Huizar led a march with members of the Boyle Heights community to protest the "MALBURG POWER PLANT" in the City of Vernon.
It should be notice with interest that former CD 14 "COUNCIL DON" Richard Alatorre and South Pasadena resident Victor Griego have lobbied on the behalf of the City of Vernon for the proposed project.

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA, COUNCILMAN HUIZAR, SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT = VICTORY FOR MAYOR'S EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP:
Mayor's Villaraigosa "Education Partnership" has proclaim victory in yesterday's election at Roosevelt High School, and its two middle schools, Stevenson and Hollenback. **But losing at Jordan and Santee High Schools.**
The Los Angeles Times stated that stakeholders could vote in this special election regardless of citizenship. One can theorize that "Team Villar" in addition to providing buses and vans for transportation to the polling place, could of hired "COYOTES" to provide additional voters to guarantee victory.
There is one rumor that at the CD 14 Turkey giveaway, recipients of free turkeys were ask to sign "support cards" for the Mayor's Education Partnership. Sounds like a "PRI Tactic" if true.

ELECTION RESULTS FOR ARROYO SECO AND HISTORIC HIGHLAND PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS:
Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council
Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council
How will these elections affect the on-going Southwest Museum saga?

HUIZAR'S WINTER WONDERLAND:
This is no joke. This event will take place on Sunday, December 16 on the corner of Huntington Dr. and Van Horne, from 3:00-8:00 PM.

WHO SAID THIS??:
Is Pollo Loco a "fast food restaurant"?

Please send any CD 14 issues to redspotincd14@yahoo.com "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!"

Eric Garcetti Just F'd Up BIG TIME By Violating Matt Dowd's Civil Rights

(Pictured: LA City Council Prez Eric Garshady)
Where's a strong gust of wind when you need it?

I thought Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti was supposed to be so smart. But he sure just handed Matt Dowd a civil lawsuit during public comment this morning.

Matt turned in a speaker card, "Joe Public" and had his face covered up because he wanted to discuss some sensitive issues -- and the Brown Act allows people to protect their identity for this reason. (In case you want to speak out, without fear of repercussion.)

Well Mr. Smart Guy (Eric Garcetti) likes to live in his own little perfect world -- pretending these protections do not exist, and Eric is a powerful guy from a powerful family...and if he wants to make the decision to ignore the "Joe Public" moniker and call "Matt Dowd", then Eric Garcetti will do just that. And he did just that. Instead of calling the name on the card (Joe Public), Eric decided that it must be Matt Dowd (maybe he recognized the handwritting or saw Matt hand in the card) -- and he called "Matt Dowd" instead of the name written down on the card. And then the crybaby Council President asked Matt to remove the scarf covering his face "so people could see who was speaking". SORRY YOU DUMB RHODES SCHOLAR!

WHERE IS IT WRITTEN ON ANY U.S. DOCUMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO SHOW YOUR FACE DURING FIRST AMENDMENT SPEECH? (Please show us!)

You must be the dumbest Rhodes Scholar ever! (Or else you are fully aware of all of this and you simply don't care, because Eric Garcetti always gets what he wants. Ethically, or not! YOU COWARD!)

Thanks to Dennis Zine for replacing Garshady after this debacle. Eric is probably crying to someone about what just happened and figuring out how to avoid a lawsuit. (YOU WILL BE NAMED, ERIC!)

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LEARN THESE MEETINGS AREN'T ABOUT YOU ERIC!

JUST CALL THE F*CKIN' NAME AS IT'S WRITTEN ON THE CARD AND KEEP YOUR SISSY-ASS OPINIONS TO YOURSELF.

DON'T OPEN YOUR CORRUPT MOUTH UNLESS SOMEONE IS IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW.

NO ONE CARES WHAT YOUR SNOBBY-ASS HAS TO SAY! FOLLOW THE LAW AND KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT! THIS ISN'T LIKE DECIDING WHAT KIND OF WALLPAPER YOU PREFER IN YOUR OFFICE. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL TASTE. FOLLOW THE LAW AND KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT. NOW A JUDGE IS GOING TO HAVE TO SLAM IT SHUT FOR YOU! (HA!)

Tony Agonistes

Note: "Samson Agonistes is the conversation of a manforced to labor in pain while in captivity as the result of his own foolishness."


After two years of union-busting, State lobbying, candidate-stuffing, and the expense of a small fortune of political capital, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a few schools in pocket at last. Just a few. Not a District, not even a fragment of a District, and not even a specific plan, just a promise to tinker.

What could have been accomplished in the Villaraigosa Mayoralty---steps towards traffic abatement, planning control, checking of growth, reduction of homelessness, healing of race, of labor relations---has all been pushed to the side for the sake of this: an affair that led to a broken marriage, and a quixotic tilt towards taking over the schools that has ended in the ceding of the smallest of fragments of a District to the Mayor.

The second half of the Mayor's term will boil the Office of the Mayor down to something unseemly for a Mayor to be: the de facto superintendent of a small school district---call it the MAVSD---while the greater District itself continues to stand far more for bloated budgets and public relations farce than excellence, and while the City continues to overbuild, price, tax, and wound itself towards dystopia.

It seems an enormous waste of effort for a man who promised (and continues to promise) so much while delivery so very, very little. But we should have known that a man who is very good at promising is not likely to be good at much else.

Antonio Villaraigosa: Keep Your Hands Off The Internet!

We knew that Tony Villar's Measure S phone tax was a big scam.

The Mayor has been selling the tax as a tax reduction when in reality it's a tax increase. Why? Because a court struck down the tax hence cutting the tax to zero for you. The philandering Tony Villar is trying to revive all but 1% of the tax. He says the City needs the money but Walter Moore details how this is a crock of BS.

However the latest news is that Measure S has the potential to tax the Internet. The Villaraigosa Administration will be able to tax text messages, instant messaging, MySpace, blogs, whatever. And they're salivating at the opportunity to do so.

Currently, US law protects the Internet from being taxed by the Federal government, state or local governments. However, we're probably one Hillary away from losing that protection.

But we can do something about it. Vote no on Measure S. And while you're at it, make a donation to Walter Moore's campaign if you want to put an end to this type of nonsense.

I Want My McMansion

The sickness known as anti-mansionization, reported on by both our own Joe Mailander and the folks at CurbedLA, has spread deep to the City Clowncil.

Here's a word to the NIMBY, CAVE and BANANA crowd: you might figure out ways to shut down Home Depots or hospitals but you have no right to tell people what kinds of homes they can live in.

Amazingly, in an LA Times article about a City Council plan that will surely be overturned by a court, Jack Weiss sounds positively libertarian.

Interesting too that the "anti-mansionization" movement contains anti-Semitic, anti-Persian and anti-Asian overtones. You could read more about it at Wikipedia.

By the way, the home in the photo above is that of KFI's Bill Handel, who certainly worked his way up to the place in life to afford such a home. Good for him. That is what it's all about right?

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

As we predicted Tuesday, the City Clowncil for now passed on a plan to raise electric and water rates in Los Angeles. Council members Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks introduced a motion to send the hikes back to the DWP to be taken back up by the Council on February 20th, a good two weeks after the Measure S Phone Tax scam will have been voted up or down.

You better cut back on your water usage or big bad Mayor V is going to impose mandatory cuts in water usage on you. Of course, he's one to talk right?

In New York you can hail a cab when you need one. In Los Angeles the law requires you to go to a designated cab stand, wherever that may be. Jan Perry is behind a move to change that law. Now that's a good thing Jan, focus on that instead of nanny state activities.

The Smart Car is a good way to commute and get around in a town like Los Angeles. The market is responding with a car that gets incredible gas mileage and can itself twice in the average parking place. Also, the car is affordable. If you want to buy one, dealerships are coming to Los Angeles, including North Hollywood.

Writer Matthew DeBord agrees with the MTA's plan to install turnstiles at subway and rail car stations.

Previously Andrew at Here In Van Nuys posted the terrifically blighted intersection at Vanowen and Sepulveda in Van Nuys. In contrast, Wellesley Island, New York where property owners know how to build and maintain attractive buildings.

If you wondering if there are some perks to being homeless, Godzilla Don has posted the day's menu at The Los Angeles Mission.

Be sure to vote for North Hollywood over at The Curbed Cup..

SANTA CLAUSE & MICKEY MOUSE BANNED FROM COUNCIL MEETINGS ACCORDING TO NEW "NO MASK" LAW (I think they should focus on other more important issues!)

LOS ANGELES SHITTY CLOWNCIL IS WORRIED ABOUT THIS:

(10 Votes Required for Consideration)
ITEM NO. (40)
06-1514

MOTION (WEISS - GARCETTI - GREUEL) relative to amending the City Council Rules to prohibit the wearing of masks during meetings of the City Council or one of its committees.

(Hey Santa...that better be a REAL beard, if you are inside Council Chambers!)

Since this seems like a slight first amendment violation (Garcettti and Council being no stranger to that), I urge all Mayor Sam readers to contact the ACLU over this: http://www.aclu-sc.org/

THEY SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT SOME OF THIS:

* Non-Documented/Illegal construction workers replacing L.A. citizens on City construction sites. (Fly off a plane from any terrorist country, and be working on a LA City construction site the next day. And the good new is, you are taking jobs away from the legal, taxpaying construction workers. (Then you raise their fees and taxes, while you deny them jobs for your illegal pals.) I HOPE CITY COUNCIL AND THEIR FAMILIES MOVE INTO SOME OF THESE BUILDINGS! (What are the safety standards for these non-documented workers.)

Prop S for "Shitty-Shady-Scam": Mayor Doucharosa's phone modernization tax. Why don't you modernize the illegal vending and non-documented construction workers you support -- and collect taxes from them and the non-documneted construction workers you are letting build all this "Smart Growth", you loser mayor.

Illegal vending all over the streets, undermining city's retail tax base to cause owners to shut down, and leave town. (And that's when the crime and blight move Mayor Mexirosa.)

City Councils' guilty little (cash cow) pleasure: non-profit organizations. (Do they think the money is for them and their family, cronies and associates? (I hope the D.A.'s office reminds them, it isn't!)

Affordable Housing Scam: How to make HUGE profit off affordable housing if you make a pre-arranged deal with a few of the right people. (See LAANE/CRA and people who sit on both agencies.)

Illegal Grand Avenue Project: Hey Council, did you know you are making County and State decisions outside of your local authority ? (Among other things.)

Only representing special interests who donate to their coffers, rather than constituents. (Right, Wendy? After all, I heard you were pretty upset that Rosendahl stood up for more money for displaced tenants -- even though you already struck your pre-arranged deal. (LOL!)

They want to f*ck with the first amendment over wearing a mask at a council meeting. (Which means no Santa at City Hall...and no Hollywood Parade mascot that appeared this year...

AND NO MORE MICKEY MOUSE INSIDE COUNCIL CHAMBERS...SORRY WENDY!


PSA (Public Service Announcement from Zuma Dogg): NOTICE TO ALL COUNCILMEMBERS:

PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN HANDICAP ZONES ANYMORE. THEY ARE NOT YOUR PERSONAL VALET ZONES. SOMEONE CONTACTED ZD AND TOLD HIM THEY SENT A PHOTOG TO TAKE PICTURES...I TOLD THEM THAT IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA. BUT WITH AN ATTACK ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT AT CITY HALL...

I'M GETTING THIRSTY FOR A CUP OF TEA. So you better watch the handicap parking you lazy fucks!

zumadogg@gmail.com
zumatimes.com

Late Night Snack

JM, Bomb Pop, 2nd & Beaudry, 12.11.07

Just out of curiosity: do you remember a time in LA when the ice cream trucks didn't look like terrorist transport vans? When you could feel safe buying a Push-Up off of one without contracting hepatitis?

° ° ° ° °

The former fishwrap of record picks up the story on McMansionization. Jack Weiss sounds like he's not for restraint. "But should government take a very long pause before impacting the nest egg of hundreds of thousands of residents? Absolutely." A delightful non-sequitur, which apparently succeeded in baffling the scribes into not pursuing the logical followup: Why, Councilman, do you equate the "nest" with the "egg"? Ask any banker: only a too-dangerously speculative mind thinks that a home is a nest-egg rather than a nest.

° ° ° ° °

"MEASURE S(am)" will tax you for reading this

"Big Tobacco", "Big Oil", "Big Hardware", now "Big Blog"? Demonetization leads to....taxation.

When "LEFT, LIBERAL, NANNY, NIMBYS" run low or crave more of your hard earn cash. They will stop at no level of deceit to create more "L.A. Aqueducts" of revenue streams to steal your "Liquid Assets". Thus being able to feed the thirsts of the likes of "DWP BOSS D'ARCY" and the wastelands of "LA Bridges".

All need to read the language of what I will christen, "Measure S(am). This in dedication to the "PEOPLE'S CLOWNCIL OF 15",("SPRING STREET RINOS"included), who are attempting to extend their "sticky fingers of taxation" to the "TAX FREE REFUGE" of Internet and wireless.

The Daily News reports that the authors of "MEASURE S(am)" at City Hall, have their broad eyes on the Federal Sunset Clause ending in 2014, that will open the Internet and wireless frontier to the taxation speculators.

City Administrative Officer Karen Sisson said the Communications Users Tax was
purposely written as broadly as possible.
"We don't know what form telephony is going to take moving forward. You can't foresee what that includes in the future," Sisson said

Assets preservationists should be rallying to protect one of our last "tax-free environments" from the ravages of "BIG TAXATION". Our own "ASSETS PRESERVATIONIST", Walter Moore is drafting the "official opposition response" that will appear in your "sample ballots brochures".

"How do you say you're not taxing the Internet when the statute specifically
says it's covering DSL, Voice-Over-Internet protocol, text messaging, instant
messaging and PCS?" said Walter Moore, who is writing the opposition to the
measure for the Feb. 5 ballot.

Yet in some twisted thought, I can think of a way to increase revenues to the cities coffers. Why don't we tax the likes of "DONE DUM" who is alleged to spend his work time shilling for the "VILLARNISTAS"?. Mulling this further, we would just be offsetting the cost of his Internet time defending and huffing for the "POLITICO FORMERLY KNOWN AS MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, tony villar".

Twisted mullings past, this is one environmental battle to perserve "TAX FREE ELECTRONIC SPACE" that assets preservationists from the "LEFT" and "RIGHT" can unite to win.

The Other Alcalde

JM, El Alcalde Veridad, 12.11.07

The Mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, is in town, and he popped in on Council this morning, addressing the Chamber as a celebrated guest. Introduced by Zacatecas-native Jose Huizar and presented pumpkin bread by Tom LaBonge, el Alcalde Ebrard, spoke in English of tourism and the strong relationship between the two pueblos. Huizar felt it necessary to mention that the City of Los Angeles was the world's largest Mexican city outside of Mexico City, and also that more Americans live in Mexico City than in any other City abroad. The word "immigration" was not used by any speaker all through the morning visit.

Maybe Ebrard, a great hope for lefty Mexican politics, will give some of his transit tips to our own Alcalde?

In conclusion of the visit to Chamber, Ebrard was presented by Huizar and LaBonge with a road sign that indicated the mileage between Mexico City and Los Angeles. Huizar noted that the sign pointed out "how far---how close---the two cities are" to each other. The sign will join other such signs at Olvera Street.

Election Day in CD 14 (Boyle Heights)

"SI SE PUEDE!!, SI SE PUEDE!!"

From the "Barrios" surrounding Roosevelt High School and nearby "feeder" schools. Parents and neighborhood stakeholders are going to the polls.

Today is "JUDGEMENT DAY" for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his takeover, errr, "Partnership Program" with LAUSD. Besides Roosevelt, elections to join the Mayor's partnership are taking place at the cluster of schools surrounding Jordan and Santee High School. No word if "Zoner the Tagger" has endorse either side in this election.

For Roosevelt High School, this election holds special significance for the Mayor. After all, this is where the "FORMER TONY VILLAR" graduated after his "FORCE DEPARTURE" from Chinatown's Cathedral High School.

Now some umpteen years later, the "NOW ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA" and his "allies of the willing" put their political capital(plus vans and buses) on the line. local press are full of stories of organizations such as "Inner City Struggle" walking the streets for the mayor's plan.

One Roosevelt teacher wrote a "letter to the editor" advocating for the Mayor's plan.

Even LAUSD has sent out a flyer that advocates for the Mayor's plan. this has raise eyebrows over taxpayers money being use to support the Mayor's attempt to gain oversight at the expense of the school district.

You Can Make The Choice Not To Waste Plastic Shopping Bags!

I've battled the Nanny State over this issue before but I still feel the free market and not legislation by bachelor nannies is the right way to solve the problem of plastic shopping bags not being recycled. You can add Walgreen's to the list of stores that offer shopping bag options for customers. Way to go! And the County of LA joins Heal the Bay in the voluntary Day Without A Bag next Thursday.

Extra:
Free market alternatives to mandatory bag recycling.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Hoping to not doom chances for passage of Mayor Vs phone tax by pissing off the voters even more, the City Clowncil will probably hold off on DWP rate increases that have been tossed around for a while now.

A green blog derides Mayor Villaraigosa for failing to get Angelenos to conserve water and says that the Mayor seems to "epitomize everything the rest of us think about Los Angeles; all surface, a suit and smiling face with no more real substance than a Saturday AM cartoon rerun." Ouch!

Walking from the Metro to work, Steve Lopez runs into a press conference on thieves stealing copper wire from LA's street lights.

Our post on new KNBC weathercaster Elita Loresca stirred up some readers with some of finding the "sexiest newscaster in America" to look like a "tranny" and others finding her unattractive because the Phillipine born and Southern California reared Loresca "looked too Mexican." If you want more on Loresca you can check out a fan created blog that reviews her wardrobe or check out video and more pictures at the Backyard.

Now that he's ended it with Mirthala, Mayor V may want to post some personal ads on Craig's List or Match.com. Our friend Jon Regardie has drafted some up for the Mayor. Or the Mayor could take the advice of Speed Seduction creator Ross Jeffries to get some good mileage going for the holidays.

Here in Van Nuys has a great post about what a horribly ugly corner Sepulveda and Vanowen in Van Nuys (or is it Valley Glen or West Lake Balboa or Lake Balboa or Encino or Sherman Oaks? Someone please advise.) is. Who is the Clowncil Member over there?

Starting January 1st, you will no longer be able to transfer for free from the Metro to an LADOT or DASH bus.

Redondo Beach levied fines on cable operator Time Warner. When Time Warner asked to appeal to the the local Clowncil, they were turned down. Now, they're suing.

Kudos to Joseph Mailander for getting linkage from LAist for his post advising Mayor Villaraigosa on how he should use his bully pulpit to bring recalcitrant movie studios to the bargaining table in the writers' strike. Just wish they would have given the byline to Joe and not me (cause you know good old reactionary Republican me would come down on the side of the studios).

Even though they use "bio-fuels" with a minimal carbon footprint, City Clowncil liberals in New York City want to ban the horse and carriages that are a city icon.

State Senator Alan Lowenthal, writing at Capitol Weekly, says that if the Governor and members of the Legislature really want re-districting reform, they could pass SCA 10, rather than getting ready for a costly signature gathering drive and ballot fight.

Gossip mongers are parsing a recent speech by Jodie Foster that the actress is coming out as a lesbian. Who knew?

Late Night Snack

I know what you're thinking. But Zuma was nowhere near Studio City last night.

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If you want to know how the former fishwrap of record became just that, consider this story, covering the coverage of the adopting of a golden retriever.

Compare that to the Daily News's hard-hitting editorial yesterday on the impact of "no-kill" shelters.

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Vapor HS: Tuesday night is decision night in South and East Los Angeles at a few badly-performing high schools, including Roosevelt and Jordan. Will they vote for no existing plan at all or vote the status quo? It's complete theater of the absurd: the Mayor has been stumping at schools with problems to vote for a plan that doesn't yet exist, promising nothing more than more money.

The "plan"---nothing more than a pledge to shake down donors to the Mayor's not-for-profit school management org for more money---sounds more like promoting extortion than promoting excellence. Yet even that may be enough compared to staying the current path with the District in the eyes of some voters. Some cash-strapped Union stewards are supporting the Mayor.

Hopefully one of the many feeder nations to LAUSD will fly in observers to this insane and easy-to-game election.

Let's Hope Mayor V Stays Away From This News Hottie

Yes, like the Westside White Guy, I've posted some girly pictures. There's a new anchor-babe in town, in fact she was voted the "sexiest newscaster of 2006" in an FHM Magazine reader poll.

Elita Loresca is the new weather anchor for KNBC's "Today in LA" and the "Midday Report."

Loresca previously worked at Fox affiliate WSVN in Miami, where she was the weather anchor on the top-rated morning and noon newscasts since August 2004. Loresca has covered two of the most devastating hurricane seasons in recent history. Starting on her first day at WSVN, Loresca began forecasting the 2004 hurricane season with Hurricane Frances. In 2005, Loresca contributed reports for her station from the National Hurricane Center during hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

The 30 year old Loresca is a Southern California native and once wrote obituaries for the Orange County Register.

Let's hope the Mayor stays away from her.

Mayor Sam Holiday Party

All readers, friends and more are invited to our first ever reader party to celebrate the coming season. You are invited to join in for a little holiday cheer, fun, networking and the spirits of the season. Join us at NoHo's trendiest neighborhood bar for no-host bar, some snacks, pool, music and fun. Meet some of your favorite bloggers, posters and who knows, maybe some electeds will show up? See you there!

If you're interested in attending, please email me at mayorsamyorty@aol.com.

Details:

When: Saturday, December 22, 8:30PM
Where: NoBar (in the back), 10622 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Broken Fence, Leaning Pole, Playa del Rey, Dec. 2003


Grand Avenue got in the ground last week, and as the project has already doubled in cost, keep an eye out for more public handout, says the Daily News.

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Now that the sides aren't talking to each other, your former fishwrap of record has not one but two stories about the Writer's strike. Amazing timing from Spring Street again. Scott Collins marvels at his own genius in one. Three less myopic scribes cobble together another story on economic impact, going with the LA County Economic Development Corp. estimate of $1 billion, rather than the UCLA Management School shill/Variety guess of $300 million.

As readers debated grammar yesterday, the jawboning speech I'd like the Mayor to give the studios is this: "For decades, the City has provided you with generous easements to your enormous lots, built great studio spaces for you, virtually gave you a venue to host your Academy Awards, lent to you dependable location and streamlined permits, and offered up all the talent you've needed, and you've rewarded us with runaway production, and disrupting the local economy by walking away from various collective bargaining sessions. The City is not your personal trough---so get back to the table."

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Speaking of generous easements, the Planning Department often complains about how beleaguered it is, and Gail Goldberg swears that she's all for "smart growth"---which as far as we can determine is any growth that takes place within half a mile of a commercial street or busstop---which is, of course, any growth at all.

How smart is this: the City since Hahn has been peppering the City's Council offices with a document called "How to Request a Zone Change." It's mostly a blueprint for what might be the most effective way for one of your sellout neighbors to ruin the sanctity your neighborhood with a Zone or Height change.

"It's easier than you think!" is the message of this Los Angeles City Planning Department Guide. Love that "step" at the bottom: Mayor signs...



Click that image to enlarge it, if you dare. It's so easy, just like playing Monopoly!

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Alternative Holiday Fare: Today only, the famed Jazz Bakery presents Howlett Smith's The Carpenter, a telling of the life of Christ in an eclectic mix of jazz, spiritual, and classical. It's 3:00 p.m. at The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Avenue, Culver City, admission $25.

Saturday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Boy Setting Bicycle on Roof, York Avenue, 12.05.07

Conduct unbecoming: hangman nooses are popping up dangling from rearview mirrors at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Daily Breeze reports.

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Sam Hall Kaplan describes in the DowntownNews how the planning, even the pre-planning stages for north Chinatown and the Cornfield are shaping up. "'Just think of it, 400 mostly underdeveloped acres, a few miles from the Civic Center and Downtown,' exclaimed [Planning Department admin Claire] Bowin, who deftly ran the workshop with thehelp of, among others, the Western Justice Center and the nonprofit Livable Places."

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As nearly everyone everywhere has predicted, there will be no immanent settlement to the Writers' strike. Why couldn't the Mayor use some jawboning power on this one? [answer: What, and risk offending studios?]

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It's not just their relentless seven-year coverage of priest molestation. If the Catholic Church made an error in the eightteenth century, the Times will be there to cover that, too.

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Uh-oh, looks like MayorSam isn't the only place where comment wars rage.

CityWatch Goes Suburban on McMansions

Coming out of CityWatch is a uniquely undercivilized article by one Charles Tarlow, which professes to speak the "truth" about Mansionization.

As prime evidence that McMansionization is good for a neighborhood (yes, there are still some of those in the City who believe this), Mr. Tarlow cites a Dunkirk-level atrocity: the conversion of the quietly marvellously proportioned, human-scale, enchanting modern garden-walkup on the left to the Kaufman & Broad-y, openfaced-garage-hoping-to-swallow-an-SUV, walls-built-to-four-feet-of-the-property-line, trapped-behind-Orange-Curtain, Wango Tango Tract special on the right.


Mr. Turlow opines:

"The only homesbeing replaced are small run down eyesores built back in the 1920's with no closet space, inadequate electricity, woefully little living space, and many of them are more boxy than the new homesthat replaced them. A picture is worth 1000 words. Which house looks more like a box? Which house would you want to live in? Which house is better for the neighborhood?

My guess is that if you along with Mr. Turlow prefer the monstrosity on the right to the serenely dignified beauty on the left you also buy American only, haven't read a novel in twenty-five years (if ever), and hate the idea of women attending college.

Mr. Turlow also, of course, believes that building a Spanish Colonial knockoffs in California in 2007 is a good thing.

Friday morning outtakes from the "RED SPOT INSTITUTE"

Wet morning to all from the "RED SPOT INSTITUTE". Storm whimper out but streets are still slick. Think safety as you make your way to "SPRING STREET". Topics to ponder.

CHIEF SHILL SPINSTER" FOR THE EXCLUSIVE "SOUTHWEST SOCIETY":

Former Mayor Sam award winner, Universal P.R. flack, Mt. Washington resident, Eliot Sekular(picture above), spins the latest in the contentious Southwest Museum saga.

This blatant attempt to remove the contents of a CD 14 icon and give them over to "BIG AUTRY" has split the Northeast communities into pro and anti Autry factions.

But one needs to probe what "PERKS" members of the "POLITICAL INSIDERS EXCLUSIVE, SOUTHWEST SOCIETY" are receiving for their duplicitous role in the "GIVEAWAY ON MARMION WAY"

**Response from the "Friends of the Southwest Museum"** on the Arroyo Seco Journal web page. Scholl down below "High School story". Thanks to Zuma and Dan Wright for the heads up.

Also, on NELA list yesterday, the Coalition announced that the community's response to the betrayal of the Mayor and Huizar was to raise $21,000 in one night last week. These funds will be used to legally enforce against Autry. Raising so much money in one night, I think, speaks to how pissed people are at the Mayor and Huizar.

DEATHS UP AT ANIMAL SHELTERS:

Daily