We all love The Beatles but...
If you wonder why your Los Angeles City Council doesn't get much done, here's yet but one part of the problem: excessively long "presentations" at Council Meetings.
Here Tom LeBong gets six minutes to bloviate about a radio show that plays old Beatles records. I love the Beatles and always have. I remember when they were actually around. I have listened to Breakfast with the Beatles many times over the years on Sunday mornings.
But riddle me this Ringo, why do we spend all this time on a weekly radio show, when DWP ratepayers only get one minute to address their elected officials about incurring $3 billion in debt. (And by the way Tom LeBong is the number one complainer about public comment and consistently seeks to limit it despite Council President Eric Garcetti having to school LeBong in the law.)
I understand the emotional importance of these proclamations. Especially when a bunch of kids who have done something good get to be recognized. However our Council meetings should not take up this time. Have an event once a month on a Saturday or Sunday, everyone come down to City Council and bloviate.
Let's stop using the public time for non-business issues.
Here Tom LeBong gets six minutes to bloviate about a radio show that plays old Beatles records. I love the Beatles and always have. I remember when they were actually around. I have listened to Breakfast with the Beatles many times over the years on Sunday mornings.
But riddle me this Ringo, why do we spend all this time on a weekly radio show, when DWP ratepayers only get one minute to address their elected officials about incurring $3 billion in debt. (And by the way Tom LeBong is the number one complainer about public comment and consistently seeks to limit it despite Council President Eric Garcetti having to school LeBong in the law.)
I understand the emotional importance of these proclamations. Especially when a bunch of kids who have done something good get to be recognized. However our Council meetings should not take up this time. Have an event once a month on a Saturday or Sunday, everyone come down to City Council and bloviate.
Let's stop using the public time for non-business issues.
Labels: council presentations, public comment, tom labonge
Posted by Michael Higby @ 11/10/2008 06:25:00 PM
12 Comments:
Would you mind answering the question Mayor Sam?
Do you post "Anonymous" comments on your own blog?
A simple yes or no will do.
I love the Zuma Dogg cameo at 4:12 just as LaBonge turns and says, "Here comes the sun."
Deming -
Tell us who you are and we'll consider your question.
AW - I didn't catch that, that's brilliant.
So you can figure out if it can be proven? Naw, jus' go ahead.
Where'd you go Higby?
Who I am is irrelevant to the question of if you post "Anonymous" comments here.
It is tough to imagine why you won't answer the question. If you didn't do this, why not say so?
For the record...City Council already held public comment on the item in a previous meeting, and after making people wait FOUR HOURS, Council was ready to "open the roll, close the roll, tabulate the vote."
There were some folks there from Zine's Woodland Hills area, so ZD had to get involved and put pressure on Council OFF CAMERA (including the involvement of the Sergeant at Arms who was running messages to the City Attorney and Councilmembers from ZUMA DOGG.
SURE ENOUGH...public comment was OPENED, although for only one minute, per person.
But to the lady who had tears in her eyes, because she just found out she couldn't speak at all...
SHE WAS THRILLED WITH THE ONE MINUTE!
So there's a little bit of ZD "Behind The Scenes" in which Zuma Dogg was a WATCH DOGG, not a LAP DOGG and pushed to get public comment open for those who were about to be bamboozled.
But HEY, those are the kinds of things you do when you are running for MAYOR.
(I also spent time one on one with David Nahai expressing my concerns with some of this.)
AND Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE HEARD KEVIN JAMES TURN ON ZUMA DOGG TONIGHT BY STARTING THE SEGMENT WITH, "I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF I PUT YOU ON THE DEFENSE ZUMA DOGG."
He was trying to pull a "Chris Matthews" on me. Should be fun listening to his show. Cause he's trying to trip me up for Walter...and I like the challenge. So looks like Kevin will be the ZD media vetter.
Antonio,
At 4:00 into the video, you can see me quickly walking around the left side of the screen, in order to casually stroll down the aisle. It's called, "workin' it!" Why even BE there, if people don't KNOW you are there?
If Zuma Dog was so effective, how come the speakers only got one minute?
Seems to me that if you had any influence, you'd have gotten the people the time they're entitled to.
Maybe everyone was going to get their two minutes until you opened your mutt mouth and the time was slashed down to one minute?
There's the correlation. Your "involvement" didn't get these people jack.
Do the city a favor, and either stay out of the election or talk with Walter on the side and see how you can help advance his campaign. He's got about $200,000 for his campaign and you can't even manage to get money for gas.
That doesn't speak well for your economic skills. Maybe after you buy some soap, you can start a campaign fund.
Why even BE there, if people don't KNOW you are there?
Is it me or is our own Zuma beginning to sound more like a politician every day? He'll be getting fitted for a coupla tailored suits soon enough. Then the pezzonovante will begin to worry.
Tom LaBong: loved the Beatles quippage, appreciate my piloticians hip. U da Bong!
barf in the hat,
that was a tongue in cheek comment making fun of politicians. i'm not gonna start being all serious...no politician would ever say it...to me it was comedy to say that.
Tom LaBonge is a (choose one).
A. Windbag
B. Gasbag
C. Plastic bag
D. Moneybag
E. Trashbag
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