Villaraigosa Fundraisers Raise Eyebrows
Mayor Villaraigosa is gearing up for what could be an expensive re-election campaign holding big bucks fundraisers all over the place. Walter Moore reports on soirees hosted by Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York, former Assembly Speaker and former Mayor Willie Brown in San Francisco and Benny and Juliette Klepach in Florida.Y'all might remember Benny Klepach. He owns Duty Free Air and Ship Supply and has connections with a patchwork of airport concessionaire firms that were involved in a controversy over employee contributions to Villaraigosa when he was challenging then Mayor Jim Hahn in 2005. Villaraigosa eventually returned the donations. Klepach previously owned two concessions at LAX and through a spokesman said he has not decided if he will bid on upcoming airport concessions to be voted on Villaraigosa's Airport Commissioners. According to the LA Times, Klepach's previous LAX contracts will be mentioned in the upcoming public corruption trial of former Airport Commissioner Leland Wong.
In the meantime if you're interested in attending a Villaraigosa fundraiser closer to home, you can attend one hosted by local lobbyist Victor Griego to be held this Saturday Downtown.
Labels: benny klepach, LAX, leland wong, mayor antonio villaraigosa, shady and corrupt politicians, Victor Griego, walter moore
Posted by Michael Higby @ 6/23/2008 04:00:00 AM
27 Comments:
Anybody notice how the Times' article on Klepach and Villa-garosa fundraising was all about innuendo, not about anything sinister actually going on?
Dave Z. can do better than that, but sometimes he apparently prefers not to.
They call that copy editing at the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET".
Well, there might be "raised eyebrows," but does anyone give enough of a poop to get another person elected Mayor?
Our potential candidates so far:
Walter "If I close my eyes hard enough, I can imagine that Los Angeles is Irvine" Moore. Los Angeles is not Irvine. He will never get elected.
Bob "I was speaker and lost the Mayoralty by THAT much" Hertzberg. Since when is 20-something percent of the vote and not making the runoff "losing by that much?" Plus Cruz Bustamante is also an ex-speaker. Next!
Magic "The World Should Love Me Because I am a Businessman Dealing With HIV." Sorry, but you are confusing mediocrity and doing the right thing with success and morality.
Eric "My life partner in my Councilhuman career Amy is my Team 1600" Garcetti. Joining the Navy cannot hide that he is a spineless reed, blowing the way the wind blows.
It's like as always. John and Ken, Mayor Sam, these posters, etcetera all talk about something (this time, AV's fundraisers) that should draw OUTRAGE. But there is no out to the rage. AV will get re-elected. And we will all conclude, like Mayorsam, that we should have moved to Iowa.
This self-serving pronouncment brought to you by Jimmy Blackman and Jennie Carreon de Lacey at jennie@antonioforla.com
Walter “ Walter may not get elected because of money, but Villa won’t because of dirty money….and we all know it”.
“Bob” Bob, it will be fine if you want to get your share of LA and take it to in the Valley. Let’s, get rid of Villa. Break up LAUSD, The Harbor, the Airport and DWP.
“Magic” .. There is nothing mediocre about Magic. He has done more for his community than most of the white and “brown” councilmen who have done anything for the community. Most of you ‘brown” guys do for LA RAZA, themselves and nothing more.
“Eric” At least Garcetti is clean, not on drugs, not “married” so he can “play the field” (not like other councilmen who are married, enjoy adultery, and are drug addicts and convicted felons). Garcetti learned all from the knee of his mother and the U. S. Navy. He is educated, bright, and most of the time does what he is expected to do by his constituents. Not like ‘Huizar, M. I. A., or Villa “Around the world in 80 days” or ‘I didn’t know we had a problem” Reyes. How come the others councilmen don’t go so far, so often?
If Villa is elected (God forbid) he will only be here for one year, when he tries to be Governor. Obama will never give Villa the time of day if he can. Remember, Obama went to Occidental while the Mexicans had open season killing blacks in Highland Park and NO ONE STOPPED THEM!
I HAVE ONE SUGGESTION; ‘Anyone, of any age, who is an “Anchor Baby” and commits a felony loses their right to reside in the united States of America. They, all their parents and children should be deported to the Country of their birthright, as they were never here legally.
And we will all conclude, like Mayor Sam, that we should have moved to South Carolina; they have immigration control!!!
June 23, 2008 8:35 AM
Yeah, this tactic worked real well last time - pointing out the shady contributions from Florida companies kept Villaraigosa from winning the mayor's job in 2005.
Oh, wait . . .
From Mailander:
Zahniser says the fundraising trips are meant to scare away prospective opponents. Good public service to the City of Los Angeles could also do that; but the Mayor's not interested in the obvious route.
So, maybe all the travel days out of town by the mayor and his staff could count as unpaid furloughs? and have the city save this money for something other than his campaigning and fundraising???
All the money in the world will not save Villar! It's like the LAUSD...all the money in the world will not turn a sow's ear into a silk purse! The illegals and anchors are just plain uneducatable...illiterate!
Same with Villar....he is just plain unelectable...he has FAILED so miserably that even the national and international press is talking about how LA has gone to the dogs.
It's time to go for the jugular...we need to shine the light on the incestuous nepotism that permeates City Hall...Villar's association with corrupt scumbags like Alarcon, Nunez, Reyes, and ALL the Mexican mafia throughout the city. These sleazy Reconquistas have been "friends" for decades!!!
Villar makes Obama look like Mother Teresa; but Obama is going to implode because of his intimate relationships with Rev. Wright; Rezko; Ayers; and memebers of the communist party!
Wait and see! Obama is going to implode...he's going down in flames!
Let's start connecting the dots for the entire world...show them what a fraud Villar is! It's not rocket science...he is not only incompetent, he's anti-American!
Watch Obama go down this Nov., and it will be clear sailing to knock Villar out on his ass. It's NOT about money! It's about votes! It's about the PEOPLE...and we are mad as hell and won't take him anymore!
Why is this is surprise. A whore will go anywhere and do anything for a few extra bucks. And it has long been proven that Antonio is a whore through and through.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait and see what Tony th e Whore's pimp Parke Skelton has lined up. "Bitch Tony better have my money!"
The only fundraising you can count on the mayor is to raise taxes..
Inspector Steve Lopez examines Villaraigosa's trip to Israel and discovers on the truth:
"Not that I'm cynical, but it's hard to rule out the possibility that the whole thing was an attempt to win the hearts, and campaign donations, of L.A.'s Jewish community."
Villaraigosa no longer enjoys his sweetheart status in the local media.
6:48: True, but if you read Alan Mittelstaedt, the temp writer/ sniper at Witness L A, David Z wimped out on this story when he should be on some vendetta to tear into every official in the city -- Alan says the reporters should emulate Opinion writer Steve Lopez, who throws any pretext of objectivity to the winds, because "objectivity" is a dirty word to him. The Times' mission should be about steering poltitical change, HIS type of biased change.
If that doesn't sound like the Marxist Manifesto, with an "Intellectual Proletariat" telling the dumb masses what to do and how to think, as their "duty," I don't know what does.
Poor Alan's really showing why they had to fire him at CityBeat.
8:35: Irvine is the safest city in America.
Despite its diversity -- UC Irvine has more Asians, Indian/ South Asian and otherwise, than whites. Many are immigrants. Just not L A's kind of immigrants. We could do a lot worse than being like Irvine. If only.
Meanwhile, L A is the "Gang Capitol of America," and has more illegals than any other city, has more than half its population illegals and their anchor babies; hence, has the worst public schools of any big city in America (not a very high barre), with 3/4 Latinos poor enough for poverty assistance; has the most broken public healthcare system, due to the same demographic; has at least 20% of our jail population made up of illegals, many vicious gangbangers (this from yesterday's pro-Antonio Times); has the worst traffic and mass transit system, due to this explosion of poor people.
If dissing Irvine -- the safest city in America, where buying a house for a price that can't get you a starter home on the westside gets you a great school with immaculate streets and sidewalks and police who actually have resources to respond to Average Citizen -- is the best you can do to spin FOR he Mayor, QUIT WHILE YOU'RE BEHIND.
HOWEVER I do not support Walter Moore. NOT because any sane person can oppose deporting illegal gang members and criminals, and in a way they never return -- but because Walter is just not sophisticated or articulate enough to lead a city.
NOT that Antonio is either of those things, but he's got a skeleton staff doing the work for him, and people putting up enough money to keep him from reverting to his MEChista ways with homies Marxist Alarcon, Special Ed Reyes, Cardenas, Padilla and the rest. The BIG MONEY is watching Antonio and the MEChAs now. I HOPE.
Understand that you can't compare the work of a columnist, such as Steve Lopez, with that of a reporter. The reporters are guided by a different code of fairness and ethics. Their job is to report. The columnists offer opinions, which can often be tough, biting, and even unfair.
Walter Moore's inability to be a credible candidate has nothing to do with with his inability to raise money. The simple fact of the matter is that he has little to offer the voters.
Some posters, driven by their insane dislike for AV, fool themselves into believing that the voters know about the Mayor's faults and will vote against him because of them. The reality is that voters pick who to vote for or against based on one, two, or three factors at the most.
Too many charges, especially those that can be refuted, fall into the category of information overload for the voters who don't have the time or energy to sort it all out.
"The reality is that voters pick who to vote for or against based on one, two, or three factors at the most."
I was introduced to him, I felt and instinctively knew that he was dishonest. He left CD 14 after saying he would not run for Mayor. He lied. That's #1.He is an adulterer, that #2. He lies saying that his intention are for all the citizens of the city. That's a lie, the thing he wants are for LA Raza; thats #3. He has set up his "cadre" of "political appointees; South West Musuem, #4, LAUSD, #5.....and it goes on and on..Guess you understand why I never can, nor ever will, vote for him for anything; unless its to send the most notorious "Anchor Baby" in the State, back to Mexico. And have him take Huizar and Reyes and Alacon and De Leon with him.
Guess thats more than three!
11:00
Look I'm not fan of Mayor Midget, by any means, but you just got to get a grip on reality or you're going to end up hurting yourself.
Mayor V. doesn't need "all the money in the world" - because he's not in any trouble with the voters of L.A., and there are no viable opponents even close to stepping up.
He'll win, handily, in the primary, and the few wannabes that wasted time and money running against him and tried to paint him as vulnerable and "beyond help" will go back to blogging to their last five friends in the world about how "corrupt" it all is. The incumbency, even in a city election, is worth twice the scratch anyone else could raise, on top of what he raises himself. You have to really shoot yourself in the foot, like Hahn, to blow that benefit.
This race is over before it begins, damn it. He'd have to kill someone in cold blood on national TV to change that (and then he'd just be forced into a runoff, and would probably still scrape by).
Look at the (only) silver lining. Prop. R didn't include the mayor. After the primary next year, just breathe deep and chant:
"ONLY 4 more years!"
"ONLY 4 more years!"
"ONLY 4 more years!"
"incestuous nepotism"
Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm sure some nebbish will, but isn't that mostly redundant, not to mention it says pretty much the same thing, plus its repetitive?
Utah has a couple power players of its own. According to local blog, Elected Hotties, you can cast your vote for two of the hottest female mayors in Utah, Kaysville Mayor Neka Roundy or Brigham City Mayor Lou Ann Christensen. Elected Hotties is now doing for mayors what it did for stated legislators. Rock on!
I overheard a conversation how someone was wishing the midget's ex-wife would run for Mayor. Damn, I'd like to see a contest like that!
No, incest and nepotism are not the same. Sleeping with your sister or daughter is incestuous. Promoting your sister or daughter to a better job than someone unrelated to you is nepotism....
Too many white liberals want to prove how liberal they are by helping the first national-profile Latino gain higher office. And too many people have their stars hitched to him to let him drop now.
Best bet: Expose the Marxists like Alarcon the double-crossing hypcrite, Special Ed "Density on the Westside and Hillsides" Reyes, Failure Fuentes the Developers' Best Bought Boy, as the most blatant of the Reconquistas and pro-illegal gangbangers, so that Villar will HAVE to dump them.
He's trying to look more mainstream and these guys are albatrosses. They're not important except as too- obviously MEChA cogs in the Reconquista Machine, and he's got to dump them. Then, having opened their eyes, the people of Lincoln and Boyle Hts. can try to elect someone NOT part of the Reconquista Mexican Mafia, but someone who will work for THEM.
2:54
You would never make a good candidate or a campaign consultant. You need to do better than that to unseat an incumbent Mayor. That's why a credible candidate hasn't surfaced yet.
"He left CD 14 after saying he would not run for Mayor. He lied."
Big deal! The landscape is littered with politicos who have gone back on that promise. The public just doesn't care.
"He is an adulterer." That's a club with lots of members. Be honest, you're not opposed to him because of this. You never liked him and you're using this as one of the reasons.
"He lies saying that his intention are for all the citizens of the city."
That's so vague as to be totally meaningless. I think that every elected official is guilty of this. Name me one elected official who consistently places his/her constituents ahead of themselves.
"He has set up his 'cadre' of political appointees."
Every mayor has done this. It's not an issue that turns political races.
"South West Musuem."
99% of the people in Los Angeles have no idea what this about, or that you spelled "Southwest" incorrectly.
"LAUSD." There are many who think it's good that he has taken some control over some schools and tried for more power. The LAUSD is so bad, and no one have ever accomplished a bold change. Hard to turn this into a negative.
I don't understand why some you think Villar is a shoo-in next year! I have not heard one person over the last 3 years who has a good word to say about him...in fact, everyone says they can hardly wait until he's gone next year!
None of his out of town donors and fund raisers can vote for him...and money won't help him. He needs votes!
You can bet that history won't repeat itself next year...we will have no more voter apathy...everyone will be out there voting for the opposition.
Villar is only here because of something like 275,000 votes! That's humiliating. He may get a few more next year, but not enough to beat Rick Caruso, or whoever steps up to the plate.
Maybe even Walter could beat him...stranger things have happened.
I think we have a good chance of beating AV if we can find a good candidate that everyone likes. Tall order, I know.
Liberals hate him for some reasons, conservatives for others. Each group will have their person and the votes will be spread too thin and AV will win. If we could pull those votes into one person, instead of two or three, we might stand a chance.
Would we be better off honing in on a moderate candidate that everyone will like?
The Southwest Museum issue is a barometer of the absolute corruption of Antonio. That Villaraigosa would promise before hundreds of people that the Autry must be held to its promises to preserve the Southwest Museum, and then, almost immediately after the election betray his own next door neighbors and long-time friends. That reveals a more fundamental character flaw to which voters DO pay attention: He lacks personal integrity and character. He may be willing to fuck over his wife, family, old friends and neighbors, but in the end, after fucking over enough of the people who made him who he is -- they will turn and fuck him.
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