Is the Home Depot Deal Really A Surprise?
Joe Barrett reported here the backroom deal between Home Depot and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to place an outlet of the national hardware retailer in Sunland-Tujunga despite significant community opposition.Lip service to the community's concerns is about all citizens got from their local politicians. It appears that Home Depot has given our elected officials at least 10,000 reasons ($2000 to Rocktard alone) to put the store in Sunland-Tujunga. Attorneys from Home Depot's law firm, Latham and Watkins, have given Delgadillo nearly $23,000, according to City records.
City Council Member Wendy Greuel, who represents the area, has made noise that she's opposed (well maybe) to the store in Sunland-Tujunga. Yet like Delgadillo Greuel too has taken thousands of dollars from attorneys at Latham and Watkins.
By the way if you want to ask Home Depot any questions, you can call their Chief Spokeshole Kathryn Gallagher at (714) 940-3696 or kathryn_gallagher@homedepot.com.
Labels: home depot, rocky delgadillo, sunland-tujunga, wendy greuel
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 3/09/2008 01:00:00 PM
9 Comments:
I believe the whole system sucks and everyone's hands are dirty.
Ethics, my foot, is there any such thing. Everyone in L.A. should get madder than hell and insist on the city putting an end to special interest influence by anyone. The city wants to appear that they are working on it, but, that's B.S. because it takes away the advantages to the politicians!
Get rid of Gail Goldberg, Mike Woo, and all the idiots who tell us that putting in huge developments without parking, in residential neighborhoods is "smart" even before there's any mass transit to justify it. Bus routes are even being cut, and if you've been on them, you know they're mostly the illegals taking them. Better than driving without a license and uninsured, I guess, but not as good as getting rid of every illegal.
HD deal was not a surprise of course -- everyone but the naive ST crowd knew Wendy never expected to kill the deal, just delay it long enough so an opposition wouldn't rise to her. With development an issue all over town in NCs and HOAs she was afraid they'd rally to the cause and unite to take her down.
I sympathize with HD in principle, but HD should have been stopped before they put millions into the renovations. Now, the rest of us can't be expected to foot the bill for the massive lawsuit they'd certainly win, for stopping them now.
Wendy knew all along how this would play out. So did Rocky, who's an idiot and has no ethics of any kind anyway. Look at how he sold out the city to the Billboard companies letting them put up more, bigger and garishly lighted billboards, when he'd been told to negotiate the opposite. Oh, they gave him $500K for his campaign and threw a lavish Beverly Hills bash for him a couple of nights ago.
Maybe he'll represent them and HD at Lstham. He knows his career is dead in office, he's got to capitalize on it now while he can.
Wendy Gruel was just grandstanding when she opposed this project. The fix is ALWAYS in with corporations vs. neighborhoods. She just did the dance, and now, "voila" HD gets what it wants in a roundabout way. Wake up peeples.
Why the surprise after making LA we love illegal immigrants town
And where is the fence and remember 187 the will of the people
Never prevails its big business as always prevails I wonder which end
Of the Home Depot will have the illegal worker spa?
Don't even think of feeling sorry for Home Depot. They didn't even begin to do extensive work on their "Project" until the after the Appeal against them was filed.
HD was told by City Officials that if they did proceed with their possible "Project" while it was being appealed, it would be at their own risk!
However, HD was so sure of themselves and aware of the possibility that the City would sell S-T out and they would prevail, they went ahead with their plans and expenditures even though they knew what they were doing was most likely illegal. But, they did get caught and the Appeal was granted to the STA community organization! To say that they were 90% when they lost the appeal is absolutely B.S!
Too bad, they were warned. They gambled and lost to the people. So why the sympathy? Save it for Sunland-Tujunga who deserves it since the City sold them out instead of representing them fairly as is the City's reponsibility!
Who knows if HD was encouraged by the City to pull out of the Atwater facility and promised the store in S-T as a reward? It appears to be government for Home Depot, instead of gorvernment for the people, as is our right.
Its a shame they can't use the land to encourage new revenues for ST. A Harley Davidson motorcycle shop, maybe. With weekend lectures by motorcycle legends that are easy enough to find like Keith Ball.
Good work!
The best way to explain and predict the behavior of City Hall's career politicians is ignore the reasons they give for their actions (e.g., "creating affordable housing") and look instead at:
i) who is receiving subsidies, tax breaks, or a competitive advantage (e.g., by having competitors subjected to a higher minimum wage law); and
ii) who is contributing to their campaigns.
The status quo is all about money. The rest is a pretext for the gullible.
An antiques mart would be good too, for attracting new business to Sunland Tujunga. I don't blame the local hardware and garden stores for their fear of competition from HD.
Since Rocky isn't running for reelection, I'll be interested to see who Rocky's next employer is.
Anyone taking odds on Latham & Watkins?
I can smell the stink from that last deal all the way up here in ST.
And who is looking to run for Wendy's seat? Wanna bet it's some VICA stooge?
HMmmmm?
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