Density Bonus

JM, Women Playing Lottery, Kopper Keg Liquor, Atwater, 2.29.08


One sentence leaps out of the Weekly article chronicling the rise of the Avenues in Glassell Park:

Then, starting in the 1960s, the city built apartments on its dead-end streets and avenues — and a bad element moved in, seeing the isolated little neighborhood as the perfect lair.

As Gail Goldberg permits condo after condo that doesn't quite make it to owner-occupied, you have to wonder what's going to happen to all our empty mixed-use developments.

Intern with Senator Larry Craig

Jay Leno has been riffing on this all week but you might note that America's favorite bathroom enthusiast, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, is looking for summer interns.

Applicants should be "hardworking, independent, and resourceful team-players who share my political philosophy." Word of caution: know how wide or narrow your stance is on the issues.

The deadline to apply is March 15th but you may want to apply early to get a leg up on the competition. Word of caution: he has a preference for Idahoans.

Marathon enthusiasm sandbagged by unpopular route

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Even though enrollment is high, the enthusiasm for LA's twenty-second Marathon this Sunday is not quite the same as it has been through its history. Reason: the de-volution of the course.

The course used to dart for long, healthy doses along some of LA's prime boulevards. Now it commences in a big downhill cascade down Cahuenga (good for elite runners, bad for the shinsplint set) and keeps cutting corners until it ends up in the Flower Street DMZ immediately east of the Bonaventure.

Here's why the course has such a silly route: big churches kept complaining. Now the course is routed to cross grand streets rather than along them, and to bypass the churches that worry about Sunday tithes brought about by closures. The course hits more nondescript neighborhoods than ever, and virtually switchbacks through downtown in an effort to add length safely.

This is this particular course's second year. "It's not fun to run," a doctor told me. "We used to get some people who were really enthusiastic at the churches and along the good boulevards; now we don't see those people. I don't know any runners who actually like this course."

If you don't know the course, check this .pdf. Marathon/wheelchair course in blue.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

The Mini Mayor has chosen a superintendent for his mini school district. Once again he turns to San Diego to find a bureaucrat, this one, Angela Bass, an administrator in the San Diego schools has long personal ties to the superintendent of the big school district, Admiral David Brewer.

NBC Universal has big plans for their property - which means they need the support of politicians and the community. So why are they not playing ball and supporting the LA River Bikeway? They don't have to, but they should.

The LA County Republicans once again prove they're expert at eating their own. And continue to further relegate themselves to a permanent minority status.

Some geniuses in City Hall thought it might be a good idea to implement toll roads going into LAX. However, other bureaucrats and even a few Clowncilmen find it to be a really dumb idea.

If you want a Walter Moore for Mayor bumper sticker, you can get one for free if you send him a self addressed stamped envelope. Click here to get the details.

Boyd Screws Another Republican

We've talked before about how ineffective and useless the County Republican Party is, particularly under the leadership of Doug and Linda Boyd. They raise money from Republicans but in my view don't do anything worthwhile to get Republicans elected to office. When a Republican ran for Mayor - Walter Moore - they supported Democrat Jim Hahn. Of course they got some nice chump change from good old ex-Mayor Poopy.

Now that the Republican Party has a real chance to beat Rick Caruso's favorite you know what Maxine Waters, the Boyds and the LA County Dumbass Republicans can't manage to make it happen.

Homeless activist Ted Hayes, an African American, nationally known figure wants to seek the Republican nomination for Congress against Waters. Hayes is no usual dinosaur Republican - he's an effective, articulate, dreadlocked wearing, roller blading dude with real street cred. Hayes is probably the one person - Republican or otherwise - who could beat Waters.

In years past, the Republican Party Leadership in the County and State as well as the Republican National Committee had paid the filing fees for Republican Candidates in races where only one Republican candidate is running to avoid the embarrassment of not even fielding a candidate against a Democrat incumbent.

Because Ted Hayes is the only Republican who pulled papers to run in District 35, a request was made for his $1,600.00 filing fee to be paid by the Republican Party.

After submitting requests for help at the County level, State level and National level, Mr. Hayes contacted Los Angeles County Republican Party Chairman Linda Boyd and asked for help.

“We support you Ted, but there will be no help with the filing fee” was the response.

Typical Linda Boyd bullshit.

I keep saying it - the Boyds have to go. When are you dumbass Republicans at the county party going to get a clue?

In the meantime if you want to help Ted Hayes with his filing fees, click here for more information.

City Tries to Ban Music Video

Rapper Cam-Capone's latest video "Rialto City" is stirring up trouble in the San Bernardino town.

Capone, 30, grew in Rialto and insists his tune just represents "...how I grew up." The video which is laced with profanity and lots of gang imagery.

City officials worried about their image asked YouTube to remove the video, but YouTube sees no reason to do that. Of course, neither do I.

Wonder if Cam would like to record a song about Antonio Villaraigosa next?

Candidate Assails SCV Mayor's Ethics: Is There a Tie to Las Lomas?

From today's San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Activist Asks For Mayoral Investigation

A Santa Clarita Valley watchdog seeks an independent investigation into alleged financial improprieties of Santa Clarita Mayor Robert C. Kellar.

At a city council meeting Feb. 26, Bruce McFarland presented public documents produced between the years of 2002 and 2005 that he believes suggest that Kellar broke financial disclosure laws.

McFarland is organizer of the Santa Clarita Valley Ethics Alliance.

McFarland also told the council that Kellar did not disclose income from the 2005 sale of property along Sierra Highway that was purchased by College of the Canyons.

Thus far, the city council has decided not to investigate McFarland’s allegations.

Mayor Sam snoops have started to investigate campaign contributions to City Council members in order to determine if donations from developers have influenced their respective positions on the controversial and likely doomed Las Lomas development.

Unfortunately, it appears that transparency is not taken as seriously by the City of Santa Clarita as it is by the City of Los Angeles where its very easy to pull up campaign data online.

Stay tuned.

Weekly: Gail Goldberg "can't plan a cup of coffee"

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

I've been on Gail GPS Goldberg's case for a long time, but today Steven Leigh Morris at the Weekly caught the fever. All it took was one meeting with the City's most dependable developer doormat.

Sure, a month ago I found it odd that our Planning chief couldn't get to Los Feliz from downtown without a map. But it gets even worse for Steve:

"Looks like we made a mistake," she concedes. "Sorry ... She's got a 9 a.m. appointment, so you'd only have half an hour."

"That," I say, "would be a good start," pondering how the Planning Department could have so much trouble planning a cup of coffee.

If you missed it in Red Spot's earlier item, the article starts here. San Diegan Gail Goldberg cares about as much for the City of Los Angeles as an organ harvester cares for an anesthetized patient. Give her a couple more years, and she'll turn your City into Sao Paulo (above).

Read our earlier work on Goldberg here.

Governor Announces Cabinet-Level Office for Volunteerism

It may not comes as a news flash for some--as it was reported in a few outlets yesterday--but I was excited to hear about this announcement and the fact that it was done here in town at Cal State Northridge. The Governor's line "help me create a California of the heart" reminded me of the writings of Bill Shore and his volunteer manifesto, Revolution of the Heart.

LA Times coverage by Amanda Covarrubias

Speaking in a crowded hall at Cal State Northridge, he said he hoped the change would inspire other states to establish similar offices around the country. He gave his wife, Maria Shriver, credit for pushing the idea to give the commission, called California Volunteers, greater prominence and responsibility. Shriver is honorary chairwoman of California Volunteers. "We should have volunteers in every California county," Schwarzenegger said. "We need to harness the great energy that we have out there, all those volunteers who give their time and resources.

SF Chronicle coverage by Demian Bulwa

Schwarzenegger created a secretary of service and volunteering during a combination news conference and pep rally at Cal State Northridge, where a brass band played and volunteers held signs reading, "We serve."

The position will be filled by Karen Baker, 46, of Sacramento, who will continue to direct the state's California Volunteers program as she has since 2005. ... "I want to move civic engagement to the highest level of our state government, where it belongs," Schwarzenegger said.

Sacramento Bee coverage by Andy Furillo

"By elevating the state's volunteer profile, we will make it easier for people to go and get involved with this whole thing," Schwarzenegger told a raucous crowd at California State University, Northridge.

Bold Incrementalism After the Death of "The Year of Healthcare Reform"

With the death of Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Nunez's sweeping vision for healthcare reform in California, legislators are moving ahead with plans to affect change in more incremental steps. First up? Reining in healthcare costs. Local leaders offer their thoughts.

Bills aim at insurers after health care reform in California collapses
CANCELLATIONS, PROFITS TARGETED

Mike Zapler
Staff Writer - San Jose Mercury News
February 28, 2008

SACRAMENTO - With health care reform dead in California - at least on the grand scale that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger envisioned - lawmakers are stepping in with a series of measures they say would help consumers and ban some egregious practices by insurance companies.

The bills fall far short of the governor's vision of sweeping reform, which collapsed last month under the weight of a nearly $15 billion price tag. And they would do little, if anything, to reduce the ranks of the roughly 6.5 million uninsured.

But short of that, supporters say the state can use its regulatory heft to aid consumers and possibly rein in rising health care costs. The measures, they say, would lay the groundwork for the next major reform push, possibly in 2010.

Lawmakers are "looking for an easy path to do something positive that won't cost money that the state doesn't have," said E. Richard Brown, director of the University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research. The state has a projected budget shortfall of roughly $8 billion.

One bill is meant to help guide anyone trying to make sense of the dizzying combinations of deductibles, co-pays and premiums in choosing a health plan. The measure, SB 1522, sponsored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, would simplify the process. Insurers would have to offer five "benchmark" plans, with easy-to-follow benefits and costs, so a person could make "apples-to-apples" comparisons from one insurance company to the next.

In a similar vein, Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, D-Arleta, has a bill to help people measure what they're getting in return for hefty hospital and doctor bills. The bill, AB 2967, would create a "transparency" committee that would collect medical data to gauge the performance of hospitals and doctors treating certain illnesses, relative to what they charge.

(Emphasis Added)

'Virtual Fence' Along Border To Be Delayed

U.S. Retooling High-Tech Barrier After 28-Mile Pilot Project Fails

Spencer S. Hsu
Staff Writer - The Washington Post
Thursday, February 28, 2008; A01

The Bush administration has scaled back plans to quickly build a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border, delaying completion of the first phase of the project by at least three years and shifting away from a network of tower-mounted sensors and surveillance gear, federal officials said yesterday.

Technical problems discovered in a 28-mile pilot project south of Tucson prompted the change in plans, Department of Homeland Security officials and congressional auditors told a House subcommittee.

Tony Cardenas Blocking Chick Anti-Gang Plan?

Saying that, "We cannot afford delays at this crucial time in our City's history," City Controller Laura Chick has called for expeditious City Council hearings on her Blueprint for a Comprehensive Citywide Anti-Gang Strategy released on February 14th.

Chick sent a letter on February 18th to Councilmember Tony Cardenas, Chair of the City Council's Ad-Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development, and in it voices her concern that the Committee had
not yet scheduled a hearing on her Blueprint.

"A few weeks ago when we spoke I gave you the release date of my report and I respectfully asked you to convene a hearing of your Ad-Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development the week following the release, similarly to how you heard the Advancement Project's report," wrote Chick on the 18th.

"The people of Los Angeles deserve an opportunity to have this important Blueprint heard in public. Once again I ask Councilmember Cardenas to set a date for a public presentation of this report to his Committee," Chick reiterated today.

Chick's continued call for hearings comes at a time when her Blueprint is garnering important widespread support from leaders across California.

"Controller Laura Chick's Blueprint underscores the importance of the multi-faceted and coordinated approach we are employing around the state, with a focus on intervention, suppression and prevention in
reducing gang activity and violence. I applaud her commitment, joined by Mayor Villaraigosa and other city officials, to enact a comprehensive, citywide anti-gang strategy," said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"As Controller Chick, Connie Rice and many others have pointed out, our gang prevention and intervention system is broken. We need more accountability, more transparency and more effectiveness -- to ensure we
are spending the public's money wisely; but even more importantly to save the lives of the at-risk youth in our neighborhoods," said City
Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

"I commend Controller Chick in her effort to help the City and County with their approach to solving the gang problem. This is a good report, and it has my full support," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

"The message from this report is that the City has to consolidate its efforts and document the results of reducing gang membership and gang violence, and increasing child safety in the hot zones. The City now has two reports indicating what needs to be done to get substantial reductions in gang violence and to increase the impact of the Mayor's office, the City Council's Ad Hoc Committee, and other City entities' current efforts to reverse this epidemic," said Connie Rice, Co-Director of the Advancement Project


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Morning quick hits from the "RED SPOT INSTITUTE"

Morning quick links to stories of interest.

Lincoln Heights community showed up in "MASS" to state their opposition to the Las Villas Project". But after hearing from many, a few, in the early hours of this day decided not to overturn the approval of the controversal project. To the people in Lincoln Heights, your version of "PEOPLE POWER" is just the start in returning political decision making to the citizens, not the likes of Ed Reyes and the LHNC.

The "Weekly of Record" dedicate "column feet" to the density debate, ie. "Zev vs. Antonio" Preview of 2009?

They also don't think much about the new "BARKER LAW". Poor Pee Wee loses his "wee wee" due to Big Government. New recruits for ALF?

Pico and Olympic draws the line of congestion at Fairfax. Lawsuits on the way? They sure are.

The "Sniper" takes aim at the Mayor regarding MTA, Puppy Love, and that City Council "number cruncher" who regales in panning the Mayor's budget proposal.

Waste at the "BOARD OF CHILD INDOCTRINATION" ie. LAUSD? Now something about padding timecards for work in the "PEOPLES ENCLAVE OF MT. WASHINGTON".

FREEDOM, FREE SPEECH, AND FREE ENTERPRISE!!!

LA Out of Town

A reader observes:

What the heck is your beef with development and planning lately. Planning is a science, but like Medicine, its not exact. Growth happens, just like continental drift. Suburban growth outwards is no better than urban infill. both increase traffic, both strain civic and physical resources. But the planning department has to offer proactive solutions that to the best of their knowledge will create a healthy balance.

Here are a few of my problems:

Gail Goldberg's Planning Department does not address growth and density, it creates them. Look at the condos being built in Koreatown; they're for people who don't currently live here. Look at the eighty-unit "smart growth" job on the corner of your nearest bus-stop; that's the one for people who are already here, and the people who move in will leave behind an empty apartment to be filled by someone from out of town who formerly would have simply moved to Hollywood, a community that has been absorbing transitional residents of every point of origin for years. Making every community the out-of-town gateway, rather than a handful of communities, is working to congest LA everywhere, as ever-higher percentages of renters pour in from elsewhere into many neighborhoods rather than a few.

Look at all the projects downtown that were obliged to flip from owner-occupied to leased; they're now contributing to the worst planning problem LA has, which is too few home-owners. Our homeowner-renter ratio is completely out-of-whack compared to other cities, and the top priority should be in addressing that.

Look at the Planning Department's Preservation office's latest idea: protected status for the City's bridges. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time a bridge was demolished by the City. Public Works and Street Lighting were already doing a great job with the bridges, and were proud of the job they did; the measure is merely a costly slap to rank and file in these departments who were already doing a great job. The status may land a few more dollars from elsewhere, but that's just laziness and fluff: maintaining bridges adequately is already very popular with voters in quakey California, who are only anxious to give State and Municipality alike all the money for bridges they need.

A news conference for protection for bridges? You know, they really don't issue too many demo permits for bridges that thousands of people drive across every day. It took an office of six to come up with that proposal, even though the City only has two planners working on Master Plans. For the past decade, Ken Bernstein, first at the Conservancy and now in Planning, has misallocated resources on quixotic, failed projects like the Ambassador and HPOZs, and that's the kind of person Gail Goldberg rewards with a big new department, even though the City already has a Cultural Heritage Commission.

Look at all the projects at the CRA now stalled because the developers know to hold out for more money.

And look at this article this morning in the former fishwrap of record on the way growth is straining the City everywhere. The Master Plans are supposed to integrate the will of the community; but the will of the community is being thwarted everywhere. (Amazingly, it's Yaroslavski, sounding more like a mayoral candidate every day, who touts himself as a slow-growth guy from the eighties, and the Times scribe bought it; I guess none of the Times scribes or eds were around when the Westside Pavilion was developed).

San Diegan Gail Goldberg is here not because she's strong, but because, like Gloria Jeffs was, she's weak, a pushover for developers and for Council alike. She's beholden to the developer-dependent Mayor, and Antonio's narrow and further narrowing political ambitions have sold out this City to out-of-town interests at the expense of the people who have lived here for decades. Out-of-town Department heads like Ed Boks, Goldberg, and Jeffs were calculatedly weak appointments who guaranteed giving the Mayor's office and Council, rather than the experts, the strongest hand in Planning, Animal Reg, and Traffic.

Second Multiple Shooting in Week Contradicts Crime Progress Claims

In January, City officials were claiming Los Angeles that violent crime was edging downwards.

But one enormous SWAT tragedy in Winnetka that left an officer and a family dead, followed by a massive, multiple-party shootout at the base of Glassel Park, a part of town not known for shootouts, followed today by the second broad-daylight, multiple-victim street shooting in a week as well as a Suicide by Cop car theft in Van Nuys also today seem to belie the notion that much has improved. Worse, the perpetrator of the latest crime is still at large.

Councilman Tony Cardenas, chair of the City's ad hoc gang committee, stands in the way of putting gang intervention and management under the direction of the Mayor---he wants Council to decide what to do. But the Mayor wants the money himself for gang management, and Connie Rice and Laura Chick want him to have it. In short, the turf wars aren't just on the streets, they extend to City Hall.

More money, more control is always this Mayor's and this Council's solution to everything; slowing growth never is considered. One thing is certain: ever-burgeoning population growth during times of economic duress isn't going to make law enforcement, with its stagnant budgets and tepid personnel increases, any easier. As the economy falters even while the City continues to permit new homes for people who don't currently live here, and while developers continue to fail to supply affordable housing in sufficient numbers even after two decades of government manipulation, our City's most disenfranchised are at increasingly higher risk in 2008.

Karen Bass to be the new Speaker

The Sacramento Bee and the Capital Weekly are reporting that SoCal Assemblywoman Karen Bass has the votes needed to become the next Assembly Speaker.

This will maintain the No Cal, So Cal split of the leadership positions of the Senate and Assembly respectively.

Bass replaces Fabian Nunez who leaves under a dark cloud of questionable spending practices.

****Morning link to LA Times story****

Waiting for Valley Doll

Beckett was Waiting for Godot; I'm at an undisclosed San Fernando Valley watering hole waiting for Valley Doll and Jack Hoff. Stay tuned.
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Rats on a Sinking Ship: Lewis switches from Clinton to Obama

Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who backed Hillary Clinton in his state's Democratic presidential primary, announced Wednesday that he is switching his support to Barack Obama to reflect the will of his constituents.


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"LA ANTONIA TIMES", R. I. P.

To Steve Lopez,

We at Mayor Sam can empathize with your plight.

After all, with the "ZELL MAN" at the helm of the "MOBILE TRAILER TRIBUNE", the pressure to produce quality news print is on the level with the quality of pole dancers on the roof(Roderick can be your "DOORMAN" to the roof, just a thought).

So you are in a funk over the fact that our esteem Mayor does not have the mental fortitude to focus on a "ONE ON ONE" with you.

You offer to walk with him around Skid Row to discuss the current state of affairs in the bowels of "EASTERN DOWNTOWN", nada?

Want to critique Mirthala on her new show at " MIGHTY RADIOBIMBO 690 AM"?, no go?

You want to ask the Mayor to respond to the Council's numbers cruncher who panned his budget proposals, no way??

Steve, I and the others who are in the decreasing ranks of daily readers of actual newsprint, love your style. Whether it is the "Esteem Cardinal" or "C.A. Rocktard", you "T.J." and Steve Harvey's "The Bottom Ten" are the only reasons I continue this daily ritual of reading the newsprint in hand.

But as a point of reference, when you piss off the "POLITICO FORMERLY KNOWN AS MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, tony villar, with what Tim Rutten wrote,

Perhaps the mayor simply hoped to demonstrate that he really is a "friend
to the department." After all, the ongoing reduction in crime in L.A. is one of
the few unambiguous achievements of a mayoral administration that seems to
generate more unfinished initiatives than an ADD clinic.

......and the Mayor (ADV®) responds with this,

"a cheap shot at people who have ADD" and added, "I think he knows my son
has attention deficit disorder."(M.O. of Mayor to hide behind family member when the "s..." gets deep).

...then rest assure, you (great find on Mirthala's radio show quote), Rutten and your "FISHWRAP OF RECORD" are in the "CASA DE PERRO". Maybe Helfand can plead your case, he is the Mayor's favorite P.R. writer.

In closing, with the endorsement of Obama, Rutten's missive on Mayor, and with the dishing of scribe Lopez, we announce the retirement of the moniker "LA ANTONIA TIMES"...........that is until the next mayoral election in 2009.

R.I.P. William F. Buckley Jr.

William F. Buckley Jr. dies at 82

Hillel Italie
National Writer - Associated Press
February 27, 2008

William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82.

His assistant Linda Bridges said Buckley was found dead by his cook at his home in Stamford, Conn. The cause of death was unknown, but he had been ill with emphysema, she said.
Editor, columnist, novelist, debater, TV talk show star of "Firing Line," harpsichordist, trans-oceanic sailor and even a good-natured loser in a New York mayor's race, Buckley worked at a daunting pace, taking as little as 20 minutes to write a column for his magazine, the National Review.

Yet on the platform he was all handsome, reptilian languor, flexing his imposing vocabulary ever so slowly, accenting each point with an arched brow or rolling tongue and savoring an opponent's discomfort with wide-eyed glee.

"I am, I fully grant, a phenomenon, but not because of any speed in composition," he wrote in The New York Times Book Review in 1986. "I asked myself the other day, `Who else, on so many issues, has been so right so much of the time?' I couldn't think of anyone."

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"MEAT'S" err, Mike Trujillo's outreach to Texas voters

This we do for archive value, as posted.

This from Texas,

Texas is going to play a key role in picking the Democratic nominee for president, and you don't have to wait to vote.

Although Texas' primary and caucus are on March 4, you can vote for Hillary starting tomorrow. Early voting in Texas begins Tuesday, February 19 and ends on Friday, February 29. Registered voters can show up, walk in, and cast a ballot for Hillary. No lines, no waiting.

Visit our website to find the early vote location in your county, or call our voter information hotline at 1-866-939-VOTE. We're expecting record turnout in Texas this year, so early voting is an easy and convenient way to avoid the long lines on Election Day.

You can vote on your own schedule. We want to make sure every Texan has an opportunity to vote early and make their voice heard. So find your early vote location by clicking here or calling 1-866-939-VOTE, and tell your friend, family, and neighbors to vote early.

I hope you can get out and vote early. And don't forget that if you're voting absentee, now is the time to send in your ballot! Thank you for all you're doing to help Hillary win.

Michael Trujillo Texas Field Director

P.S. After you've voted, we still need your help.

Only those who have cast a ballot can caucus for Hillary on March 4. We can only win Texas if supporters like you join us across the state. Please sign up at our website!

REPOST, REPOST, REPOST, REPOST, REPOST
February 26, 2008 9:42 PM

Downtown Late

JM, Seven Grand, Seventh Street, 2.26.08

The Final Clinton-Obama Debate

Tonight marks the 20th time that Clinton and Obama will have engaged in a debate or forum, ranging from the moderately civilized to no-you-didn't confrontational. With slumping poll numbers and an 0-11 showing for the last several contests, it's make-or-break time for Senator Clinton. A decision victory will not be enough for the New York Senator to stop her opponent in this exhibition and she will need to throw stiff jabs and combinations for a knockout. There is also the hope by some that she will finish on her stool with a simple "No mas" so the political prizefighter out of Chicago can focus on the heavyweight bout in November. Truth be told, however, that matchup may be more MMA than the Sweet Science.

Democratic Debate

Live from Cleveland State University on MSNBC

Moderated by Brian Williams & Tim Russert
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PST

Clinton chances to slow Obama at debate

David Espo
Special Correspondent - Associated Press
February 26, 2008 (2:58 p.m.)

Hillary Rodham Clinton will get her last, best chance Tuesday night to slow Barack Obama before the March 4 primaries in the latest debate of an increasingly contentious Democratic presidential race.

Obama has won 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and even some of Clinton's supporters concede she must win in both Ohio and Texas next week to keep her candidacy alive.
"I think things have gotten a little hotter in the last couple of days," Obama said at a news conference where he collected an endorsement from a former campaign rival, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

There was unlikely to be any debate about that, after a four-day span in which Clinton accused Obama of distorting her record on trade and health care in mass mailings, then criticized him as ill-prepared to take charge of the nation's foreign policy.

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How to Kill Downtown

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Or, Gail Goldberg and Jan Perry are completely helpless, part 496.

One sentence in a Times editorial says it all:

Owners of the condos, which sell for $400,000 to $1.2 million, were stunned to learn a few weeks ago that a treatment center was moving into the ground floor of their building.

Go ahead. Trade "up." Move downtown. It can happen to you too.

Continuing from the ed:

City and county officials should give service providers more help in finding spaces that work best for everyone, but those who migrate downtown need to accept that new condos and coffee shops aren't the only tools for cleaning up the neighborhood.

Yo, downtown "migrants." Homeowners, for whom private property rights apply, get to say what goes on in their backyards, even their communities; but you don't get to say what goes down in your own building. It may have a facelift, but containment continues apace.

Will Bill Rumble be the latest to benefit from his membership in the Southwest Society??

Bill Rumble and his wife Carol Jacques can be describe as the "BILL and MRS. BILL CLINTON" of Northeast Los Angeles.

Jacques was once the Chairperson of the El Pueblo Commission which oversees Olvera Street. But some have speculated that her "MRS. BILL CLINTON" like persona cause her demotion to Vice-Chairperson.

Rumble is the President of the Northeast Democrats. Now he seeks to expand his political base by taking out papers for the 46th Assembly District Central Committee Chairperson position.

Some are speculation that this run for the position currently held by Robert Nakahiro is Rumble's reward for his stance on the Southwest Museum. In his time on the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council, it was Rumble aided by the likes of Eliot Sekular and his wife who sought to remove the neighborhood council from the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition.

Now as a charter member of the Southwest Society, some are observing who helps with financing Rumble's campaign for the Central Group Chairperson position.

Hmmmm, wonder who that would be.

****Nicole Possert on Southwest Society's first 100 days****

****Autry Museum PDF on Southwest Society****

Late Morning Addenda

JM, Riverside, 2.25.08


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Every day, every night, a few dozen RVs, campers, and vans call Riverside Drive between Glendale and the 2 home. Homeless? In need of help? In need of ticketing? No. In need of nada. Displacing these would cost the City more than the effort is worth. But they do make for a sorry case, and speak to the need for market-driven, rather than government-driven, affordable housing in the City.

The government has already had over a decade to install a missing rung or two on the housing ladder, and it has failed, even despite two precipitous home price drops. Find a planning chief with the talent to give the market a chance to supply the missing rungs, rather than one who throws up her hands and says she's powerless to do anything but issues permits for anything that comes along.

He remains our friend, and he remains a beacon: Zuma comes up big with a story that sounds eerily like another Prop S in the incubator. The kleptomanic City has tried to clip its own Department, the DWP, for an extra $63 million. An adjudicant (not sure what kind---Zuma says "a Court") has said, Let's have a real trial about this. If the past is prelude, this ongoing battle won't see much print, so stay tuned here and there.

And bookmark Zuma while you're there, especially because...

Russ Stanton's new regime's decision to put the Times' content-free blogs above news on pages like this one is awful. It's just plain awful. The Times is apparently so scared of local news-aggregator and publicity-driven blogs that they're now apparently going to do their own aggregating, using bloggers to lead in to their own stories---which of course does nothing but create an extra layer between you and content, one of the biggest of Internet no-nos. Has Russ ever been sold a bag of goods!

If this is Tony's idea, well, it's the first time I've known him to falter badly on an Internet matter.

The reason people read aggregator blogs is not because they like having a filter. It's because they cotton to a particular narrative voice. They may like or hate the voice, but it's the voice that's really what's getting read. The voice makes its own narrative interesting by stitching in the stories of others; and the voice gets easier and easier to tune out when it is obliged to hype. A good aggregator's voice is typically a writer's, not a publicist's---and that's why it's sad to see a writer like Veronique de Turenne subordinated to a publicist's role at the Times.

Speaking of subordinate publicist voices: the paper also wants to get more bloggy about books, so, rather than find an actual literary voice, it hired someone who sometimes links to people who sometimes read them.

Quieting the Nattering Nabobs of Nativism

With apologies to Spiro Agnew and the Buchanan-Safire alliteration army, be sure to check out Dan Walter's provocative column on immigration in today's Sacramento Bee. Below are a few excerpts. Can we, to borrow a phrase from a certain Bravo show, "make it work" without all the "sturm und drang?"



Immigrant facts rebut alarmists

To hear some folks describe it – including some folks who have daily access to a radio microphone – California is under attack by crazed, rapacious and thieving hordes that are pouring across the southern border, bent on occupying the state.

These illegal immigrants – or "aliens" or "invaders" in the vernacular of those who complain incessantly about them – are described as consuming vast sums of welfare and health care funds, committing countless crimes, clogging the prisons and in other ways ruining what would otherwise be an idyllic paradise. And during an election year, of course, the anti-immigrant rhetoric escalates to an even higher level.

...

Those who are coming to California illegally are, overwhelmingly, coming to work and better themselves and their families. We should make public policy based on their emerging factual portrait, not the horrible fantasies being peddled by self-serving, self-appointed patriots.

More

Citizen's Alert! Starbucks is Closing!

Well at least for a few hours.

Many a Mayor Sam post has been written at a local Starbucks either by Zuma Dogg or myself. But all Starbucks stores will close for a few hours this evening for special training.

Starbucks is closing its company-owned stores across the country for several hours today so it can bring its employees back up to speed on creating a perfect shot and steaming milk and pulling it all together for a great drink. The barista re-education is a "renewed focus on espresso standards," say Starbucks honchos.

I have to say it seems as if the usually perky, usually with it baristas have been somewhat lacking lately. Hopefully this program will get them on course.

I do have to commend however the singing baristas at the Starbucks at Camarillo and Tujunga in North Hollywood. But the rest of them don't seem to know how to get your order right. And have you ever ordered an ice tea at Starbucks? Though the tea is prepared and in pitchers, the baristas like to put them in shaker tumblers like they're making a martini.

DON QUIXOTE'S" salient observations about the "LAS VILLAS PROJECT"

Much has been posted here regarding the controversal "Las Villas Project" in Lincoln Heights. But if one is to form a opinion on this project, then lets base our opinion on local voices.

"DON QUIXOTE" is a local who post these thoughts,

"As a former student of Lincoln High and from the old neighborhood, family goes back to the 30's in LH's I am disgusted with this project and the people who are shoving it up the ass of the community.

Every school day thousands of students will walk right by the bar and video arcade, there will be unsavory characters hanging around the bar drinking beer waiting for school to get out.Little Flower convent and orphanage, which has been a part of the community for decades is located right above on Thomas St. and will be impacted by the noise and swearing and fighting and car noise of all the drunks coming and going.

Speaking of parking, where's this going to happen? You know where, all over the surrounding streets!Another poster was correct when stating that if a meeting place is needed for community affairs then go to the San Antonio Winery, or why not spend some money to fix up the Boys and Girls Club? It once was the pride of Lincoln Heights and salvaged many young lives but now it's been mismanaged by politicians and crony's and has turned into a welfare cheese distribution location and is falling apart at the seams.

No bar and video at the old Dupont/Rose Eye care location!Think of the kids and the neighborhood, are you people nuts!?dq"

And as a "Jim Healy Fan" I'm sure he would tell the likes of Councilman Ed Reyes and the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council to go "AH, BLOW IT OUT" in regards to this CRA financed scam.

Letters to the Editor regarding Las Lomas

Usually I glance at the "PEOPLE'S RANTS OP-ED PAGES" of the "LA OBAMA TIMES" as I prep it for "LITTER BOX LINING". Today was no exception, but as I was moving my attention towards Jonah Goldberg's latest missive on Liberal lunacies, two letters to the "PEOPLE"S EDITORIAL BOARD"caught my attention.

A small amount of you may know that the "LA OBAMA TIMES" has editorialize against the lunacy that is the Las Lomas Project.

Yet the likes of the "ZORRO MARXIST" and Las Lomas Developer Dan S. Palmer felt compelled to engage the editorial board in an attempt to change their opinions.

From the "ZORRO MARXIST",

Re "Dumb growth," editorial, Feb. 21The Times is correct that there are lots of questions regarding the Las Lomas development. However, the city attorney opined on two occasions that Los Angeles is legally required to process the Las Lomas permits. To not process the application, as recommended by The Times, could put taxpayers on the hook if there were a lawsuit.

Currently before the City Council is not a question of approving the project but whether the developer should pay for the processing. My motion ensures that taxpayers are not saddled with this cost -- but does not force "the city to reopen proceedings to annex the land and to approve the development."

Las Lomas is a long way from approval. Only after an environmental impact report and public vetting will a decision be made. But to stop processing the application now, after the city accepted the fees in 2002, could cost the taxpayers millions.

Richard Alarcon

Los Angeles City Council District 7


Tag teaming is Dan S. Palmer,
As the developer of the Las Lomas community, I believe that The Times missed the boat with its editorial. The Times may dismiss the city's legal obligation to process Las Lomas, but the city attorney's office has not. Two opinions from the city attorney indicate that the city is obligated to process the project.

While the editorial mentions concerns such as traffic congestion and smart growth, it ignores other project benefits such as the creation of 9,000 permanent jobs and $22 million in annual tax revenues to the city, among many others. All of these concerns and benefits are what the city's environmental review process is designed to comprehensively analyze. Only when this review is complete will decision-makers have the facts needed to evaluate Las Lomas.

Dan S. Palmer Jr.
Santa Monica

Taking liberties with Palmer's last sentence, the same way he takes toward property ownership issues, when the review of this project is completed, no dirt will be turned on your reckless plans for Las Lomas.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Edward Headington joined the blog as a contributor Monday. Check out his inaugural post about yet another Ralph Nader presidential campaign. Ed is a veteran political observer, media consultant and occasional pundit. We expect him to bring quite a bit to the blog. Welcome, Edward!

San Diego City Clowncil members only make $75,386 per year. However, Los Angeles City Clowncil members make near executive level salaries of $178,789 annually. The San Diego folks must be crying foul; they're looking at creating salary increases based on the same formula used by LA. How about getting a real job?

A new service here at the Blog - the Mayor Sam Event Calendar. We'll try to keep this as updated as much as possible and add to it regularly. Its linked in the Mayor Sam Network section. Feel free to send us additions to the calendar.

Boi from Troy reports that the knuckle draggers - uh I mean conservatives - took over the California Republican party from the KENNEDY REPUBLICANS.

I'm all for legalized gambling but I bet the folks at the Fran Pavley for Senate Campaign might want to know that - untrue to his usual Nanny State leanings - Lloyd "The Bachelor" Levine is working to re-legalize widespread internet poker in California. I am sure the tight-assed, old fart, nanny-poo, do-gooder liberals in the 23rd Senate District might not like this. Or the Indian casinos. Or horsetracks.

Franklin Avenue reports that legendary LA hot dog eatery Pinks will be giving out free dogs on Friday and Saturday.

Atwater Village Newbie isn't sure but it looks like the City is still allowing drivers of the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and the Ford Escape Hybrid to park free at City parking meters. If anyone knows, please let us know.

And finally, a new blog here in LA - Stuff White People Like. Do they include recipes for tater tot casserole?

The Nader Effect ...

Below is an editorial piece by Eleanor Randolph running in tomorrow's New York Times. I wonder what effect Ralph Nader might have on the presidential race. Tim Russert chided him on his perceived adverse role for Democrats in the 2000 presidential contest but Nader came back stridently that the outcome would not have been in question if Gore had carried his home state of Tennessee. Any thoughts on '08?



Ralph Nader: Going, Going, Not Gone

The real question about Ralph Nader’s political nadir is this: are we there yet? Once he was the hero of Americans who wanted safer automobiles, drugs, toys and food. Since then, Mr. Nader has been known for running and running and running — and now running again for president.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when the 73-year-old announced his candidacy for the fourth time, Mr. Nader tossed himself into the historical oddities bin with Harold Stassen (nine tries for the Republican nomination), Eugene Debs (five attempts with the Socialist Party) and Lyndon LaRouche (several tries with several parties).

Also-runners can make noise for a political cause or have a spoiling effect on one of the major party candidates that is greater than their impact on national policy. When Ross Perot ran in 1992, he spent a lot of his own money and ate into the Republican vote, helping President Bill Clinton get elected. His signature issues: curbing the national deficit and stopping jobs from leaving America. Seems almost quaint.

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The Westside Traffic Battle

The issue of turning Pico and Olympic Boulevards into traffic superhighways is heating up; perhaps creating one of many issues that Zev Yaroslavsky could pin a Mayoral run on. Steve Hymon disects whether streets are for moving traffic like pipes are for moving water or if they're part of the community and part of creating a healthy local neighborhood.

As Mayor Villaraigosa plans to implement his program of one way alternating traffic on the two thoroughfares, Councilmen Herb Wesson and Bill Rosendahl have removed their Districts from the plan as well as the City of Beverly Hills. Some wonder if this is yet another example of the Mayor getting a partial victory in yet another battle; as he did with his LAUSD takeover attempt; one that won't produce any results. At the same time, the Greater West LA Chamber of Commerce and various community groups are gearing up to fight the plan.

Dead Heat in Texas

According to CNN Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are in a statistical dead heat in Texas, according to a poll released eight days before the state's presidential primary.


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

A blog on all cylinders

Andrea Mohn, NYTimes



Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Readers of the nation's fishwrap of record were treated this morning to an inside look at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall's award-winning blog from the left. "I think of us as journalists; the medium we work in is blogging," he tells the Times.

But what caught my eye was the photo on the jump page of the blog's NY office. That's a room with damn few amenities other than cool flatscreens; crammed, dormitorial, trivial windows, with what looks to be both a swamp cooler and a thermostat that's always left unhinged, it looks a lot like a boilerroom operation.

Marshall says he "makes in the neighborhood of what successful political journalists make" without disclosing figures. And the rest?

The article, btw, is in the paper's business section, but doesn't get too much into the business end of the blog.

Zev for Mayor?

On Friday, I predicted that County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky may be considering a run for Mayor of Los Angeles, challenging Antonio Villaraigosa for a second term.

To be sure, Zev is doing the things one who would challenged an incumbent who is viewed as vulnerable would do. He's getting out in public. He's scrapping with the incumbent on bread and butter issues. And he's speaking to concerns that a significant portion of the community - especially those active folks who vote - feel that the current Mayor has abandoned them on.

Zev had a ruckus a while back with Mayor Villaraigosa over plans to mitigate Westside traffic and create one way rows on Pico and Olympic. Though the Mayor seemed to initially overtake Zev on the issue, ultimately the Mayor acted without input from the City Council creating further division and leaving an opening for Zev. The Mayor and Zev also battled it out at an MTA meeting where both sit on the board.



The Mayor has shown near universal support for the significant development activity in Los Angeles. So much so that Villaraigosa has declared the building crane as the "official bird of Los Angeles." Yaroslavsky has spoke to community groups all over the City on the topic. Many of these community groups are up in arms over development.

At a recent meeting of Valley VOTE, Zev told those assembled. "There's a new regime in LAs planning department that believes densification is the answer to all our ills." He referred to the Mayor, planning director Gail Goldberg and Council Members Eric Garcetti, Herb Wesson, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks as "development hawks" who want to approve everything developers request.

That kind of rhetoric is classic Zev but it could gain traction amongst the NIMBY factions in Los Angeles. Yaroslavsky in questioning the Mayor's planning policies could be quietly and slowly amassing the support of anti-development minded community leaders who could shift large chunks of votes his way.



Zev is no stranger to politics. He was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1975, a race he was not expected to win, and stayed there for nearly 20 years. Since 1994, he's served as the Third District Supervisor for Los Angeles County. Indeed, Zev has considered running for Mayor before and many insiders say that its a post he's coveted for decades.

Besides his tour of anti-Villaraigosa speechifying, another sign of a potential run is Zev's girth. As one who's had a frequent battle of the bulge, insiders say that when Zev is ready to run for something, he trims down. In this recent video clip Zev is looking a bit more svelte than usual.



The video clip too is another sign. Zev has taken to using You Tube to post flattering videos of himself. Just in time for blogs like us to embed them and to create an archive for a future campaign site.

Zev isn't saying anything just yet, but if he does run, you read it here first.

Announcement

Please note that effective immediately, Zuma Dogg will no longer be a part of the team here at Mayor Sam. Zuma has made a significant contribution in his time here and I have enjoyed reading his posts and having him as part of the team. However, I have decided to make some changes here at the blog. More changes will be announced later.

This decision was not lightly but was done in the best interest of the blog. This issue is not open to debate; comments will not be allowed in this post. If you have a relevant comment, question or concern you may send it to mayorsamyorty@aol.com.

This decision is made only relative to this blog. It has no bearing on my own view of Zuma Dogg as a blogger, artist and activist. He has made a significant difference in Los Angeles and his work must continue. I wish the very best to Zuma Dogg in his other endeavors and hope that he continues to have a positive effect on Los Angeles.

Thank you.

HELLO MR. MAYOR WESSON, such gall or not??

Some may not remember but he was once a Speaker in Sacramento.

With his gregarious demeanor and his lo-profile since being elected to City Council, Herb Wesson has kick ambition into overdrive thinking about his "view" at City Hall in the years ahead.

Zuma Dogg and the scribes at the "OBAMA TIMES" are formulating whether the political tea leaves give any credence to an Herb Wesson for Mayor Campaign.

One can draw comparisons to the "Chicklet" expressions that "Tony" has grace this city with in his teneer as an "SPEEDBUMP COUNCILMAN" and as the Mayor of the nation's second largest city.

Yet those "CHICKLETS" have done nothing to counter negative thoughts about the direction that the "City of Angels" is proceeding with.

Plus Councilman Wesson can relate to a demographic that has become the "speed bump" in the way of expanding the growth of the Latino political base.

Your opinions......

Opposition to "Las Villas" mounts

Maybe CD 1 Councilman Ed Reyes should just read the sign in the picture.

Regardless of his denial and the efforts of an "Ad Hoc Body" that calls themselves a "Neighborhood Council", the coalition against the "Las Villas" project continues to grow.

The following is a letter to Councilman Ed Reyes,
Dear Councilman Reyes,

Tonight I attended the HHPNC meeting at Franklin High School. A coalition of parents and community members from Lincoln Heights informed us that you are in support of Las Villas project. Furthermore, it was stated that you previously did not support similar proposals near this same area based on obvious reasons of negative impact to the Lincoln Heights community that is already struggling with gangs, graffiti, under performing schools, crime etc.....

My question? Why do you support this project? As an educator, I know that this particular project will in no way help the students and community directly effected by its close proximity to Lincoln High School, Gates St. School, Little Flower Missionary School, Kwan Ying Buddhist Temple and Carmelite Convent.

It is with my sincerest hope that you reconsider your position to this and vote against this particular project.

Respectfully,

Gemma Marquez

And this regarding the actions of the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council

As a Los Angeles citizen, I do believe I have thew right to comment on the agenda of a public entity. Any NC is a public entity, not a private club.My question is : What is the difference between a high sounding agenda talking about financial accountability and similar good things, and "NONC board meeting agenda at all",if, in both instances, there is no way to know (To read ) the minutes ofthe meetings of the NC's board and no public disclosure of accounting to show exacting what are spent, and whether any third person that is no related to the transaction has "verified" the expense item?If in both case, where there is agenda posting no agenda posting,stakeholders or members of the public cannot see the minutes and the verified accounting, then what good does the Posting of Agenda do?I think, the answer is that neither is of any good to the public.

Sincerely,Lewis Wong B.Sc CAAFormer NC director and officer 03-04

Las Villas is in trouble and rightfully so. More alarming is the role of government in not protecting the interest of community members in this process.

Link to nolasvillas.com

Ed Reyes You Tube Link

Las Villas Web site

Zuma Dogg Weekend Update ("The Shady Report") For Week of 2/24/08

2/24/08 5:21 PM: "We will win Ohio!" - Barack Obama at Toledo Rally

The river of shadiness and corruption never seems to stops flowing downstream. So as I am always preparing the next round of stories, I want people to keep in mind previous stories from the past week. I know people don't have a lot of time to click on a bunch of stories all over the net, so here is one link to all of these stories that made it on the ZD radar this week:

PLUS, cast your vote on the poll question, "Do You Want Mayor Villaraigosa To Be Re-Elected? "Yes, re-elect", or, "No, change the batter".

CLICK HERE for all of these story updates and the Mayor Viagraosa Yes/No poll.

Los Angeles To Subsidize Royal Family of Dubai with Grand Avenue Project

Grand Avenue Project Shocker: CalPERS, MacFarlane Partners Replaced in $3 Billion Project by Dubai Royal Family

Transcript and Video of Hillary Clinton Lashing Out With, "Shame on You Barack!"

Greuel, Brewer & Moore Invite You To Public Safety Meeting: ASK THEM ABOUT MT. GLEASON MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Villar's Goal: 100,00 new jobs...Call him Martin Luther Villaraigosa Because, HE HAS A DREAM!

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wants To Sell Of The City's Most Sought After Westside Property

City Council Signs Off On Density Bonus Bonanza For Developers

"Herb Wesson For Mayor" Rumors in LA Times

Shady Mayor's Cousin, John Perez, Is Running For Knucklehead Nunez's Assembly Seat

Blogger Comments About CM Ed Reyes' Las Villas Project (Liquor Arcade Across From Schools And Churches)

Laura Chick Audit of "Quimby Fee Collection and Uses" Finds $129 Million Dollars In Park Fund (30 Year Program Lacks Adequate Planning & Oversight)

IS LA COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES INTENTIONALLY OVERCHARGING PATIENTS?:

CM Ed Reyes on The Wrong Side of The Issue Again Over Las VIllas "Liquor Arcade" Across The Street From Schools and Churches!

Zuma Dogg "Shady Report" for 2/21/08 (Previous Week's Archives)

DWP Rate Hike On LA City Council Agenda for 2/20/08...Sorry VillarNahai...It's Going Back to Committee

LAS VILLAS LINCOLN HEIGHTS

Zuma Dogg Speaks on Global Economy For Next Year and Next Decade (Bring an Umbrella!)

Are L.A.'s Taxpayers Paying Villaraigosa To Campaign For Hillary?

Public Comment: SLICK, UNDERHANDED and DECEPTION, TO RID RENT CONTROL IN LOS ANGELES CITY/COUNTY?

YouTube: DWP Whistleblower Attorney Speaks on Fraud, Waste and Abuse (But DWP Wants You To Give Them A Rate Hike!)

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa URGENTLY REQUESTS Your Opinions And Feedback (Better Write It Down On Toilet Paper If You Want Him To Use It!)

DWP Wants To Scare You Into A New Rate Hike: Don't Buy It Until You Read About Their "Fraud, Waste and Abuse" Blueprint For Money Wasting

HUGE PAYOUT ALERT: City of LA & Department of Water and Power (DWP) Being Sued For Wrongful Termination Over No-Bid Contract Shadiness (THIS IS BIG!)

LAUSD Can't Find $400 Million In Computers and Software -- Classrooms remain outdated

MUNICIPAL BONDS FAILING TO SELL ON WALL STREET!!! TAXPAYERS TO LOSE BIG ON CRA ISSUED BONDS!

CM Janice Hahn Speaks Out Against LA City Council's New "Denstiy Bonus" Incentive Bonanza

CITIZENS' ALERT: BOYLE HEIGHTS COMMUNITY PLAN PROJECT -- Environmental Impact Meeting

LA DAILY BLOG "Mega-Master Shady Report" by Zuma Dogg for 2/13/08

Is Villaraigosa Trying To Create A New Citywide Personal Income Tax?

City Council Approves New Density Incentive That Is A Virtual Zoning Change (And There Ain't Enough Water, Infrastructure or City Services For It All)

More Community Outrage at LAUSD's Mt. Gleason (Is the Principal In Cahoots With the Teacher's Union Rep?)

The World According To Zev

What Has D.O.N.E. Done?

POST ALL COMMENTS ON THESE STORIES HERE ON THIS MAYOR SAM THREAD


Click Here For These Stories

zumadogg@gmail.com

CRA's John Perez joins race for Nunez seat

The first cousin of Tony and Mary Lou Villar, John Perez has join the race to replace Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez in AD 46.

Perez who was appointed to the CRA board by the Mayor, will join Auturo Chavez, Ricardo Lara,and political newcomer Michael Aldapa in the race to replace the termed out Assembly Speaker.

Perez has an extensive union background that he is counting on to get him the Los Angeles County Labor Federation endorsement. That endorsement will give a major leg up to any of the candidates in this race.

The Primary Election schedule for June 3 will decide the winner in this democratic dominated district.

Is Los Angeles Going To Offer Tax Breaks and Subsidies With CRA Money For Royal Family of Dubai Investment? (Grand Avenue Project)

Since Grand Ave Project is a City, County & CRA (State) project on City, County and State public land, and the Royal Family of Dubai just invested in the project, does that mean the City and County of L.A. is doing business on public land with an overseas limited monarchy that is part of the United Arab Emirates? Maybe this is all hunky-dory, but I wonder what voters would have said about this business deal on public land and public trust? There is a lot of real estate investment of private projects across the U.S., but this is a City and County project, not just private. (Does that make a difference?)

And keep in mind, the City, County and CRA bent over backwards to offer all kinds of corporate welfare tax breaks/subsidies, only to now benefit one of the richest oil producing families in the world!!! ONLY IN L.A.!!!

There is a lot of talk about stimulating the U.S. economy. But The City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and LA CRA are also helping to stimulate the economy of Dubai. First bend all the rules and give away the farm to the rich developers...THEN, have profits sent over to Dubai. (So the profit isn't staying in the country.) Maybe for a private deal this ain't a problem, but this is our local government sending the profits out of the country in some experimental, concocted public/private partnership. (Anything for The Broadfather!)

Click here for more coverage including article by Walter Moore on LA City subsidizing an investment of the Royal Family of Dubai.

zumadogg@gmail.com

Video: Hillary Clinton "Lashes Out" At Barack In Cincinnati & CalPERS Pulls Money Out Of Grand Ave Project -- Replaced by Dubai Royal Family!!!

UPDATE: GRAND AVE PROJECT SHOCKER!!! CalPERS retirement pulls money out of project...replaced by Dubai Royal Family!!! (Global economy, y'all!!!) Maybe I scared CalPERS out of the project with my recent questioning. Click here

IS LA CITY, COUNTY & CRA IN A BUSINESS DEAL WITH ARAB EMIRATES NOW THAT ROYAL DUBAI FAMILY IS MAJOR GRAND AVE PROJECT INVESTOR?: Dubai may invest in private real estate deals across the U.S., but Grand Ave Project is a City deal on City and County property, not private property. I'm sure it must all be O.K. and this is much ado about nothing, but someone DID bring it to my attention, so people are thinking this: How about a PUBLIC VETTING? Click here

Now she's reduced to sounding like an angry school teacher scolding a trouble-making student, "Shame on you Obama, let's meet in Ohio and run a real campaign". Wow, it is really, really officially over for her, and she must know it. Her campaign strategists never read Sun-Tzu "Art of War" and just made a fatal strategy flaw. (See Ries & Trout "Marketing Warfare") You cannot change the mind of a prospect. She is not going to turn Barack fans against him with her nutty 3rd Floor Spring Street Style spin. It doesn't work. Turn on the news channels for screaming nut case Presidential candidate. She's like the lone nut Patriots fan at a New York Giants Superbowl Victory Party, shouting that the Giants suck and the Patriots are really better. (Nice try, but do you think you are going to turn any Giants fans into Patriot fans under those conditions? It's called "sour grapes loseritis".)

"You hear one thing in speeches then you hear and then you see a campaign that has the worst kind of tactics. Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's play book. This is wrong. So shame on you Barack Obama. Meet me in Ohio. Let's have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign." - Loser Presidential Candidate Hillary "I attached my loser-cart to Antonio Villagrosa" Clinton

Click here for video and transcript of crybaby Presidential Candidate Shrillary Clinton

New "MIJO" for the Huizar Family

Say all you want about CD 14 and its Councilman Jose Huizar.

But we try not to make it personal. In that vain we like to extends best wishes to Jose and his lovely wife on their latest edition to the familia.

From the Daily News.

Los Angeles City Council member Jose Huizar and his wife Rochelle welcomed a baby boy to their family early Saturday morning.

Simon Huizar was born at Arcadia Methodist Hospital at 3:10 a.m., and both mother and son are doing well, said Huizar's spokesman, Peter Hidalgo.

Huizar represents Council District 14, which includes the areas generally north and east of downtown Los Angeles. The Huizars also are parents of two daughters: Emilia, 6, and Isabella, 3.

LA City Council Approves New "Green" Building Ordinance For New "Big" Projects

SAT 11 AM UPDATE: Clinton on Obama mailer about Clinton: "Everything in the flyer is completely inaccurate."

LOL! "Completely inaccurate?" Thanks for telling us that there is something to the allegations however, because otherwise, why wouldn't you say, "Completely false?"

She compared Obama's campaign tactics to Karl Rove. Wow! She's really taking the high road and doing everything to not divide the Democratic party with comments like those. When is she going to step down. She should have stepped down already. Look at all the money she is costing with her desperate and stubborn pursuit of her (already over) dream. She's the Mike Huckabee of the Democratic party.

Two committees in Los Angeles' City Council voted late last week to approve a new ordinance that would require all new private building projects over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards, and would give projects intending to achieve LEED silver-level certification an expedited permitting process.

The ordinance would go into effect six months after it has been approved by the full City Council, something that City Council President Eric Garcetti expects to happen within a month. "When you do something this big, it can be quite scary," Garcetti told the L.A. Times. "But this has been an inclusive process. It will lead to a healthier city and a healthier planet." full article

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ZEV: Click here

Plus these new threads:

* Ed Reyes on L.A. economy: "It is an economic tsunami out there waiting to hit us."

* The mayor has a dream: Announces goal of 100,000 new L.A. jobs!!! Will spend $500 million in training programs. (Hurry set up some new non-profits so you can pilfer the funds!]

* Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wants To Sell Of The City's Most Sought After Westside Property

* City Council Signs Off On Density Bonus Bonanza For Developers

* Herb Wesson For Mayor Rumors in LA Times

* Shady Mayor's Cousin Is Running For Knucklehead Nunez's Assembly Seat

* More Comments About CM Reyes' Las Villas "Liquor Arcade" Community Hazard

* The "S" Sure Hits The Fan At LAUSD/Mt. Gleason Middle with post by STNC Ed Rep!

Click here

LACER: And, oh no...someone just sent ZD the recent LACER audit with all those answers to ZD's questions about risky stock investments. And, oh no...it lists that info. It's 344 pages, and I don't have that much blaze...but I'll try and sniff out the shadiness and report back. Meanwhile, if any of my "legalese-busters/ZD helpers" think they can sift out any important insights from this report, send me an email, and I'll send you a link.

zumadogg@gmail.com