Lobbyist Steve Sugerman to Host Fundraiser for Jack Weiss tonight
With the fate of the Southwest Museum and Griffith Park Open Space in limbo, Autry National Center Lobbyist and former Fleschman Hillard employee Steve Sugerman will host a fundraiser for City Councilman Jack Weiss in Santa Monica.This evening's event was brought to the attention of the political bloggersphere by both Ron Kaye,
And the man who would be the people's lawyer, lackluster Councilman Jack Weiss, has taken a noblesse oblige attitude about consorting with felons as long as he can raise a lot of money for his campaign for City Attorney next year.
Weiss shows no shame about well-connected public relations operative Steve Sugerman holding a $500 a person fundraising event June 10 in Santa Monica even though Sugerman admitted to felony misconduct in the DWP/Fleishman-Hillard billing case. Of course, Weiss isn't alone in seeing nothing wrong with the involvement of Sugerman who operates freely in City Hall despite having confessed to bilking the city.
and the "WWG",
Steve Sugerman, who pleaded guilty in the Fleishman-Hillard scandal a few years back, is co-hosting a $500 per person fundraiser for Weiss on June 10 in Santa Monica.
Below are the payments from the Autry National Center to Steve Sugerman for espousing the "Autry's Lies" regarding the proposed move of the Southwest artifacts to a expanded Museum in Griffith Park.
Q2 2007 Sugerman Communications Group Autry National Center Los Angeles, CA 90027 Autry National Center Improvement Project $10,000.00
Q3 2007 Sugerman Communications Group Autry National Center Los Angeles, CA 90027 Autry National Center Improvement Project $18,061.80
Q4 2007 Sugerman Communications Group Autry National Center Los Angeles, CA 90027 Autry National Center Improvement Project $18,000.00
Q1 2008 Sugerman Communications Group Autry National Center Los Angeles, CA 90027 Autry National Center Improvement Project $25,531.82
Total Payments Received from Clients : $71,593.62
For groups like the Friends of the Southwest Museum, Sierra Club, Col. Griffith family members and the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council, the irony is not lost how in 2005 Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, stake his campaign for Mayor on cleaning up the corruption of Fleschman Hillard.
But now in 2008, the likes of Jackie Autry, Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilman Jose Huizar and Councilman Tom LaBonge, are collaborating with Latham and Watkins and the same F.H. Steve Sugerman to pull off the heist of the Southwest Museum collection to Griffith Park.
Just wondering if any of the Southwest Society will be in attendance this evening.
Labels: Fleschman Hillard, Friends of the Southwest Museum, jack weiss, mayor antonio villaraigosa, Southwest Museum, Southwest Society, Steve Sugerman
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 6/10/2008 05:00:00 AM
20 Comments:
Let's see, isn't Doug Cowie, who blogs for Ron Kaye, contesting a case from Fleischman-Hillard -- which he claims is a plain old billing error?
He has to say this every time he runs a byline. Apparently as part of some plea bargain -- otherwise, I'd never have heard of Cowie or his connection to this PR firm.
And what's all this crap about the Southwest Museum every other thread? Do you guys assume the rest of us in the Valley or westside even care? From where we sit, the Southwest Museum was a collapsing wreck condemned for earthquake safety violations, and too old to be fixed. A nice wreck, given a place to put its collection. Who ARE you people?
I'm just a constituent without connections, but Jack Weiss may be the worst city councilman in Los Angeles.
I pray to God that an ACTUAL deputy city attorney challenges him for this gig.
How precious and wonderful it would be if Weiss lost to an anonymous public servant who has been in the job, doing the real work, while born-with-a-silver-spoon Jack Weiss lost.
How precious that would be!
Doug Dowie was Sugerman's boss at Fleishman-Hillard. Sugerman participated in what became the "overbilling scandal", then left the firm. And ultimately decided to "make a deal" with the feds....
I'm glad Jack Weiss had the guts to challenge those NUMBYs who preferred that Century City go dark and have no tenants, which was literally the case with the Shubert, theatres, one sole restaurant and bank, rather than be developed as the prime real estate it is. What's there now is not only beautiful and functional, like the home of CAA -- which he lured from Beverly Hills -- but a model for the country.
All of Century City is, including Santa Monica Blvd. -- where he's been waging a battle against Clear Channel/CBS Outdoors' billboard blight and other companies, while some Councilmembers have been lobbying FOR that crook company.
This kind of project can be found across his district, benefiting the city as well as district. It takes a person with a vision to know you can't just cave to every NIMBY group. Same with Pico - Olympic, which is being fought by the same reactionaries who've fought the Red Line through the westside, Expo Line II and everything else.
These NIMBYs in CD5 are now trying to find a patsy who'll do what they want upfront, but have no clue how the city runs, and he or she will get slapped down like Feuer was.
Weiss isn't by any means a poor CM, he just has the most narrow-minded groups in the city to deal with, as ALL his predecessors have. Making it hard for the rest of us to achieve real progress in the district, and fight real foes, while these people battle him instead of working with the Council office. This won't change with any future CM: the choice is a patsy of these NIMBYs who gets nothing done and is afraid of his shadow, or someone who tries to do their will and gets slapped down every step for lack of quorum, as before.
He does a great deal behind scenes, nuts and bolts work -- isn't one of those who gas on with endless presentations to waste time, and beat their chests and make speeches to pretend they're effective.
These people even admit they're not against HIM per se, but against all development and traffic in the city -- even as they battle every good solution and adds millions and billions (as with Expo II) to every good solution. When they say they want to be "consulted," they really mean they'll nit-pick everything to death until they kill it. What an awful bunch to be associated with, against our better interests. None of the rest of us even go to their HOA and NC meetings. But because the ignorant control freaks make the most noise, we have those like 8:06 who don't know what they're talking about and listen to the loudest fool, make the most noise and give more ignorant "opinions."
When you "overbill" in error to the tune of $600,000 out of a flack office that only did about $4-5 million in annual billings total before they started work for the city, um, sorry, no one sane is buying that.
GMs of national agency offices know what they can produce in billings. They have to answer to HQ every month for every employee and they know within a few thousand bucks just how much billing the whole team can produce at maximum. No, F-H under Dowie was a cesspool of unethical behavior, that the billing was only one symptom of.
You know the joke now.
An F-H account manager gets to heaven and St. Peter says "well, I see here you're 147 years old. Congratulations on the long life."
And the flack say, "No, I'm only 56."
"Oh, sorry, someone must have added up all your billable hours instead!"
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
Let me repeat that:
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
8:54 = Mrs. Jack Weiss
10:02 = One of the professional naysayers who've tried to turn their area into an island that time passes by. I'm afraid it's your turn that's passed. What I'm concerned about, is you'll scare off any contenders worth their salt -- and sadly, you already largely have. I don't see a lot of strength in Koretz and saw what he did on West Hollywood City Council -- you don't like traffic and development? Under his watch, WeHo became the densest city in the West. He says he's learned from his mistakes, but I've heard that one. And can he work with the others on Council, a tricky place to navigate? The other contenders are totally inexperienced.
Yes, there really was a scandal at Fleishman-Hillard. With Dowie heading up the effort and with the help of Sugerman and John Stodder, etc....
Sorry, Red Spot, "lobbyist" is just to kind a term for the likes of Sugerman. There needs to be a more descriptive term to follow the "convicted felon" -- maybe the Mayor Sam's folks can think of something.
Professional Liar?
Hired Truth Assassin?
Cosmetic Surgeon for Flawed Character?
Anyone???
Weiss is an arrogant elitist who came "this close" to being recalled last year.
If he's voted in to any more elected positions, it's our fault.
Have I got this right? Sugerman, who made a deal with the govt to plead guilty to a felony and get probation if he testified that he "thought" Dowie wanted him to overbill, is now a lobbyist hosting fundraisers for the guy running for City Attorney?
And by the way, I loved working there before I moved. I can't find another company that has a "Fun Committee."
What goes through a future candidate's mind when they cozy up to someone with this kind of unethical track record as a campaign resource?
Are they convinced that their opponents have so much dirty laundry and questionable associations of their own that they won't even try to use this info. Or, are they just certain we're all sleepwalking out here and won't find out, or even give a sh*t if we do end up knowing?
I know this is a soviet-style one-party town, but, geez, the arrogance.
So Ethics is starting the slap the wrists of lobbyists under newer Prop. R restrictions. Doesn that mean if the gadflies get it overturned, the lobbyists get their fines back - with interest?
______
L.A. council members Alarcon, Wesson fined for breaking campaign rules
Richard Alarcon and Herb Wesson received a total of $5,650 in fines for accepting contributions that exceeded limits, among other violations.
By David Zahniser
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:14 AM PDT, June 10, 2008
The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission voted today to impose $5,650 in fines on two elected officials -- Councilmen Herb Wesson and Richard Alarcon -- for violating rules that regulate the size and type of campaign contributions given during last year's election.
Wesson, who represents parts of Koreatown and South Los Angeles, received $3,000 in fines after he accepted six contributions that exceed the city's $500 maximum during his re-election campaign.
Alarcon, who represents the San Fernando Valley, was hit with $2,650 in fines for failing to turn in the script from an automated telephone call, taking a contribution from a lobbyist and for violating two counts of receiving contributions of more than $500 from certain donors.
Proposition R, which passed in 2006, bars lobbyists from contributing to city election campaigns. Alarcon's case was complicated by the fact that a lobbyist wrote a check to Alarcon before Proposition R passed. The check was accepted by Alarcon after the measure went into effect.
The commission also issued a $1,000 fine to lobbyist Dominick Rubalcava, a former city commissioner at the Department of Water and Power, for contributing to the re-election campaign of Councilman Jose Huizar. Lobbyist Amy Forbes was also fined $1,000 for donating to Huizar.
david.zahniser@latimes.com
5:23, where I sit, the Southwest Museum is NOT collapsing, NOT condemned, and NOT too old to be fixed! There are some who want to turn it into another community center... within a 3-block distance of ANOTHER COMMUNITY CENTER!
BTW 5:23, what kind of museum do you have in the valley... the L.A. River Flood Plain Museum of Poor Drainage?
I wonder if they're watching the Lakers. Thanks to Kobe finding his aim, up by 3 in the 4th with six minutes to go. GO Lakers!
8:06
That would be great. An actual public servant, instead of a dishonest politician like Rocktard or Jack Weiss.
To 9:06 today and 8:06 yesterday (same person talking to herself), a "true public servant" would mean, someone who'll do whatever I want. If you want that kind of servant, you'll have to call a domestic employment agency and treat them a lot more respectfully and civilly than you have your CouncilMember. When are you and zuma dogg, matt and their imitators going to learn? The level of rudeness and self-important arrogance you all show and demonstrate in Council is disgraceful to say the least.
City Attorney
2009 Municipal Elections
Reported contributions through 12/31/07
Candidate Carmen A. Trutanich
Contributions: $219,254.00
Expenses: $31,744.91
Cash on hand: $212,323.07
Candidate Jack Weiss
Contributions: $488,973.31
Expenses: $90,756.88
Cash on hand: $398,811.81
Let’s not forget that a candidate who raises the most money is NOT always the best candidate for the job.
Not to mention that Weiss is a very unimpressive speaker and public presence.
Some campaign hack is going to have to work overtime, and get paid a bundle, to keep him from looking like everybody's wide-eyed tattletale little brother who just caught older sister making out with her boyfriend in the living room, every time he makes a campaign speech or does a press conference.
AND THEN I'M GONNA, GONNA, GONNA!!!
The City Ethics Commission is currently investigating Steve Sugerman for his knowing and wilful violations of the City's Lobbying Ordinance. Sugerman was on the Autry's press release in March 2005 when Autry claimed it was going to move the entire Southwest Museum over to Griffith Park. He has been spinning the lies and deceit of the Autry for the last three years but he only started reporting Autry as a lobbying client last year.
He has failed to report two year's of compensation he has taken from Autry while trying to grease the skids at City Hall for the offensive rape of the Southwest Museum by Jackie Autry.
Sugerman's connections at the Los Angeles Times seem to be why the Fishwrap of Record literally is sitting on stories about Autry's numerous financial and ethical scandals.
If Jack Weiss is allowing his name to appear on the same invitation with Steve Sugerman, it says alot about how low this City has sunk. And the Fishwrap has sunk just as low by not publishing any of the stories Sugerman is pressing them not to publish.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home