Whistleblower hotline: (213) 785-6098
mayorsam@mayorsam.org

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

BREAKING NEWS!!!: FOX KTTV 11 to run exclusive detailing working relationship between Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Grape Street Crips

Morning update:

Here is the link to the story which is sure to provoke discussion and renew calls for an full audit of all gang programs.

According to KFI's Eric Leonard, Fox TV will run a exclusive story tonight and tomorrow at 10:00PM regarding Gang Intervention Fraud and Waste involving Councilwoman Janice Hahn and the Grape Street Crips.

Just before City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed his Injunction against the Grape Street Crips, the Office of Councilwomen Janice Hahn hires Crips members including Steven Myrick who during his time as an employee of the City of Los Angeles Gang Interventionist was charged with rape and double dip as an active leading member of the Grape Street Crip Gang.

Once the Injunction was in place Myrick filed complaints against the LAPD who were well verse with his gang activities. But through political pressure??, the LAPD officers who were the subject of the complaint by Myrick were transfer out of the gang suppression unit.

This cause suppression measures efforts to nearly cease due to concerns by LAPD officers about retaliation for their efforts from the council office. In addition, sensitive information on police officers was supplied to Grape Street Gang members that enable them to build complaint cases against LAPD officers.

Two of the LAPD officers involved in this case have file suit against the department over this affair.

This exclusive will run tonight and Thursday on Fox News at Ten.

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Five O'Clock Funnies

A two for one Zuma Dogg video treat for you today; first off Zuma Dogg exploring water waste at City Hall followed by Joe B.'s favorite Zuma Dogg clip, Zuma Dogg Sings Journey.



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Neighborhood Councils Shafted. (first run, repeat)

'Sleeping', 'walking around', and the ever-popular 'texting your honey’ during Public Comment aren’t enough demonstrated apathy for the City Clowncil any longer. The Clowncil has come up with yet another way to shun the unwashed masses in full public view – boilerplate Community Impact Statements.

Impact statements are how the various City advisory bodies give their input to the City Council. When a Council agenda is published, committee recommendations and the various impact statements are included so that the councilmember has a summary of all pertinent communications right in front of them. This includes Community Impact Statements filed by concerned neighborhood councils.

Neighborhood councils are official advisory entities in the City of Los Angeles. Despite this fact, the City Clerk has stopped including the text of the NCs' CISs on agendas. Instead, there is a boilerplate that brings the flow of pertinent information to an abrupt and ugly halt -- “*Please click on the above Council file No. hyperlink to view the whole text of the Community Impact Statement(s). Hard copies are available in the City Clerk's Office.”

Unless a City Clowncilmember is intimately or directly involved in any of the tens of motions that pass through a single Clowncil session, they will not put out any extra effort to get information on a particular item -- especially if it affects a different fiefdom than theirs. Thus the intended voice of the community in official City business is effectively cut off, just-like-that.

This new tactic goes beyond silencing the community to completely misrepresenting them in some cases. Let’s look at yesterday’s April 29th Clowncil agenda for example. In 48 different pieces of legislation up for a hearing or final vote, two of the 48 had a significant enough impact on the public for NCs to have debated them on their time and filed CISs: item 35, a CIS from the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council supporting the motion on a land use issue, and item 44, a CIS from the Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council opposing this particular item – Council File 08-0481 (CD 7 – Alarcon, Cardenas) “Consideration of motion relative to fund authorizations and transfers in connection with the Training Opportunity Program at Lopez Canyon Landfill.”

CF 08-0481 might sound familiar. The “training opportunity” is the new Truck Driver Training Program at Lopez Canyon Landfill and the action is taking $100,000 from the Hansen Dam Environmental Awareness Fund to pay for this program. Zorro Marxist has pitched this one in Clowncil and in the press as a program to benefit unemployed minorities, mainly in CD 7. The agenda shows that the NC is opposed to this motion, but the text of the CIS is not there. To what is the NC opposed? The program itself, directed at unemployed minorities? The location of the program, a program directed at unemployed minorities? The amount of the payment, going to a program directed at unemployed minorities? The source of the payment, going to a program directed at unemployed minorities? Without the CIS text, the FTDNC looks like a group of NIMBY racists here.

In reality, the actual text of the CIS reveals that the NC is opposed to using Hansen Dam Environmental Awareness Center funds for a truck driver training program and makes no comment one way or the other about the program itself. Adding insult to injury, Alarcon has added recommendations that were not in the original motion but are now in the agenda. They not only instruct the BWP and City Attorney to change the Administrative Code that clearly describes the Hansen Dam Environmental Awareness Center Fund use, but they give Alarcon complete discretionary control of the fund. Q.E.D.

Ready NCs? Bend over. Get shafted. Now say “thank you”. Repeat.


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Pre-dawn missives for Wednesday

With less than 48 hours to the annual celebration of the "SANCTUARY WORKERS PARADISE", out going State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez held a "SPIN OP" in front of downtown's American Apparel.

Base upon KFI supplied sound bites, Nunez was his usual illegal immigrant pandering self, calling on ICE to stop the workplace raids and pleading poverty if the raids were to continue.

But the selection of American Apparel as the backdrop for his remarks may come with some unwanted repercussions.

Created and own by the charismatic/bombastic/sexual deviant/visionary Dov Charney, videos of Charney running around the plant in his underwear and allegations of sexual harassment overshadow the progressive tendencies of Charney's workplace management.

Zuma and his "DOGGIE CAM" were and will be all over the antics at the "MONUMENT TO WASTE ON SPRING STREET". Much was written and opine on regarding the "HUIZAR TAPES" but on the issue of Ramona Gardens, watch for the firm of McCormick, Baron, and Salazar. This is the same group that employed Dalila Sotelo as Vice-President when they demolish Aliso Village and developed the Pueblo del Sol housing community and are currently facing community opposition in Highland Park over their latest project. Sotelo is currently a "REDEVELOPMENT ADVISOR" to the proposed LegacyLA Project, makes you go hmmm....

Daily News reporter Beth Barrett will be honor for her 20+ years of breaking stories including her Mirthala exclusive, this courtesy of Ron Kaye.

Former "BLOGGIN MENTOR TO MAYOR SAM" Joe Mailander, renowned for his art of penmanship and prose, is well verse in the art of "Cellphone Photography". See his latest on Rick Caruso's (maybe future candidate for Mayor??) "Americana Project" in Glendale.

Most city unions are in no mood to give back any of the hard earned pay raises. With the exception of the SEIU 721 and their partners, the likes of the PPL and IBEW will not revisit their respective MOU's.

Police Chief Bill Bratton and the Police Commission are at opposite ends over the latest annual report detailing investigations of police misconduct. 320 complaints and all were dismissed. this did not go over well with John Mack who knows something or someone with past criminal behavior.

And still with focus on the LAPD, Bratton's genderfication of SWAT is moving forward with the invite of Officer Jennifer Grasso to SWAT training.

Look out for a certain politico with some extra bounce in his step after the Obama/Wright Breakup today. Politico junkies will remember this day as when the man of "Change" did just that, except 20 years too late for his dreams of the White House. Or not?? This morning the Politico is reporting that Obama has won the Super Delegate battle in both the House and Senate.

.........and in closing, is Hollywood or Mt. Washington located in Fabian Nunez's Assembly District?? One should ask John Perez.

Bedtime Music

50 Cent with Candy Shop

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Five O'Clock Funnies

Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel bitch slap each other and then go off on a rant about Protestants.

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Ass Clown Award nominations for the month of April

Thirty days in a month provides plenty of time for our political community to exhibit the attributes that makes one a candidate for the ASS CLOWN AWARD.

That said here are your nominees for the month of April.

Councilman Ed Reyes
Police Chief Bill Bratton
Mayor P.R. Spokeshole Matt Szabo
Sierra Club
Papa Levine
Councilman Jose Huizar
David Galaviz
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Councilman Known As The "Zorro Marxist"
Councilman Jack Wiess

Winner will be announced tomorrow evening pending any late episodes of "ASS CLOWN" behavior.

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The Missing Huizar Video?

Yesterday we posted a video shot by Zuma Dogg accompanied by his allegations that Council member Jose Huizar was using his apparently city provided BlackBerry to send personal email messages during a Council Meeting. According to Zuma Dogg, there was also an email message with the subject "Ramona Gardens," ostensibly referring to the troubled public housing development in the Councilman's district.

Following our story we received word that the Councilman "would like to talk with you." At press time, he had not yet called our office number. Interesting too that in the time that the Councilman has been in office he's never called to discuss a policy issue or current event in his district, nor ever responded to any of our inquiries.

Today, Mayor Sam readers report that the YouTube video of Huizar with his BlackBerry is no longer available. Indeed, if you click on the YouTube player in the original story, you receive an alert that the video is no longer available.

So the question is who took it down and why?

The point is not what's going on in the Councilman's personal life, if anything is going on at all. The key consideration is here is how our elected officials prioritize their use of time and city resources. And our interest is stepped up a notch with the removal of the video.

No wonder people in every part of the City are, well, uh, pissed. Things are getting worse and worse in the City and the perception is the elected officials frankly just don't care.

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"Hurricane" Jackie Goldberg Uses Kids as Props in Campaign Against Jamiel's Law

When you look up "radical lefty" in the dictionary, Jackie Goldberg's picture is right there. The former 60s Berkeley radical turned schoolteacher, school board member, Clowncil member and then state legislator is about as hard nosed a liberal as they come. Even liberals say, "Wow, she's liberal!"

So that's why it was no surprise this morning when "Hurricane" Jackie showed up to Council Chambers with kids in tow wearing pro Special Order 40 t-shirts. Zuma Dogg on the scene phoned this tip into us; when he asked Hurricane what she was up to she replied "I'm here for the kids!"

Aren't they all?

Zuma promises video later today. Stay tuned.

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Will he, or won't he?

Muskito, Flags2.jpg, 6th May, 2007 (via Flickr)
Last year's May Day escape to El Salvador was a bad look for Mayor Villaraigosa. In the wake of a controversial police containment at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles' first Latino mayor in 133 years was branded a vendido, and heckled at a make-up rally organized two weeks later.

This time around, political and public safety are in fashion. LAPD will operate undercover "extraction units" designed to suppress bottle-throwing subversives, and Villaraigosa will keep a close eye on the situation from his Third Floor chambers. No trade mission. No symposium. No Hillary.

The only remaining question: will he have the huevos to come down to the ground level and speak to the masses?

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Budgetary Circus Acts across the State

Its showtime!! in the various circus rings that double as chambers of policy making across the state.
In Sacramento, the "LAST ACTION HERO" that we here at Mayor Sam know as "GOVERNOR KENNEDY REPUBLICAN", he and his fellow legislative clowns have spend their way to a projected deficit of $20,000,000,000 dollars.
This was done by main ring acts of upping expenditures on an average of 8-10% per budgetary year. Of course the likes of Fabian Nunez will clown you into believing that they been cutting back on main ring acts of spending but then we are dealing with a clown who knows his fine wines.
In Los Angeles, the "Homie the Clown" (Link for great You Tube video) of the City Clowncil Bernard Parks question the latest budgetary performance of "Mayoral Jester" Antonio Villaraigosa. One can give the "Mayoral Jester" credit for juggling last names into a "statement of commitment", but when it comes to juggling one time budgetary gimmicks into a main ring performance of fiscal showmanship, the "BITTER CLOWN" is not impress.
Continuing with Bernard Parks, his protential future fellow "Board of Clownvisors" have been able to balance their budget without cuts and in some cases with budgetary increases.
In the smaller municipalities outside the border of the City of Los Angeles, the main rings of clownmanship are smaller but no less entertaining.
Take the fiefdom that doubles as the City of Vernon. this city is so flush with cash that half the businesses could go bust and the likes of the Malburgs would not notice. So what do you do to create more revenue?? Built a hugh Power Plant and buy off the health of surrounding cities with promises of jobs and cash.
And for the city that disagrees with your plans like the City of Commerce?? There is the recall option. Political clownmanship at its best.

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Grand Avenue Project delayed again

Don't waste your time looking for the Grand Avenue Colony of the "OFFICIAL BIRD OF LOS ANGELES".

The wait to break ground on the Grand Avenue Project just got push back to February of 2009, this according to the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET", who reports on the latest snag to affect Businessman/Billionaire Eli Broad's vision for the top end of Bunker Hill.

Reported and opine on by many and controlled by a elite few, the Grand Avenue Project has become the latest project affected by the real estate downturn in downtown.

This latest snag centers on getting approval for a loan to start construction. The casual observer with any knowledge of the evolution of this project would had assume that any financial questions had been put to rest with the buy in of $100 Million Petrol Dollars from Dubai.
Yet the Dubai money gets earmarked as equity and does not help with the problem of start up capital which is in short supply with a depressed real estate market.
The best case scenario for obtaining the start up capital and ground breaking is early 2009 with completion of phase one in 2012.

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Bedtime Music

The Brian Setzer Orchestra with one of the most beautiful rock songs ever, Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk.



And as a bonus, Stray Cat Strut.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Five O'Clock Funnies

Teenage Mutant Ninja Lebowski

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Deal, No Deal, or Outright $teal?

The Budget and Finance Committee's hearing on the Mayor's 2008-09 version of his rape of LA's quality of life has lifted off. As Joe M points out at Street-Hassle, department supervisors and GMs are playing 'Deal or No Deal' with Bernard P and his gaggle of geese all week long. Deal or No Deal has got to be one of the stupidest game shows ever. It takes zero skill to pick a suitcase. If there is just 1, $1 million case in the 26 you pick from, then the odds of having selected the $1 million case are 1 in 26 -- the odds on that never change no matter how many other cases remain. The audience for Deal or No Deal, much like the City Clowncil, is mainly composed of males attracted to shiny objects (and cleavage.) No harm, no fowl, I suppose.

I've recently pointed out how a major cut in Recreation and Parks could endanger millions by removing the parks' first responders to brush fires, the Park Rangers. After the Griffith Fire, LaBonge, the Mayor, and every other City official who had a forum to do so told us all that they would make sure Park Rangers were fully staffed and funded from now on. What a difference a year makes, eh? With a wave of his quill, Villaraigosa cuts more than 20 full peace officers from the City payroll. (Yes, I actually said "...cuts... peace officers...from the City payroll"). Isn't it fascinating that although Antonio treats some peace officers as sacrosanct, he doesn't mind endangering the public when those officers are not of a specific breed?

Park-going Angelenos have a great deal to lose if they don't wake up and get in the Budget game right now, not the least of which is 50% of the LA City Park Rangers. Our quality of life is being stolen out from under our very large bills. So shake a tail feather -- go downtown and speak in Public Comment. Email your City officials right away. Call LaBonge and let him know what high school you went to. As Sunland-Tujunga is proving, sometimes activism is not just a wild goose chase.

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Does Zuma Dogg Video Capture Huizar's "BlackBerry Love?"

UPDATE: I've been informed through "channels" that Councilman Huizar wants to "talk" to me. I've also been told by reliable sources that Councilman Huizar is claiming that the messages were, as I speculated as likely, from his wife. Fair enough. That was not the focus of this piece.

The bottom line remains why a Council Member feels compelled to send personal emails or make phone calls during a Council meeting. Inquiring minds want to know. We've repeatedly discussed this before. This is the people's time and it should be respected. This is exactly the kind of attitude that has led to the citizenry being steamed.

By the way, we'd also like to know what the Ramona Gardens emails were about.

Councilman Huizar or any other elected official including the Mayor are welcome to call us at the Mayor Sam office at any time. Our phone number is (213) 785-6098 (local call from City Hall!).

* * *

The resolution isn't sharp enough to tell; but blogger Zuma Dogg alleges that video of Councilman Jose Huizar at a recent Los Angeles City Council meeting shows the Councilman purportedly sending "love letters" and other emails to an unknown individual on his BlackBerry mobile device.

Zuma Dogg told the Sister City from his vantage point and via a freeze frame of his original footage, messages on the mobile device appeared to contain subjects such as "Ramona Gardens" and others such as "'I Luv U' and 'Hi Beautiful'". Zuma Dogg remarked "He's getting 'Ladies Man' emails on his BlackBerry!"

We don't know if the emails were "booty calls" nor do we do not know that they weren't from his wife, innocently enough. Nor do I really care (unless of course they are not from his wife and he's playing the family values card when running a la Larry Craig, Bill Clinton, et al). More importantly however, when the people's business is being conducted our elected officials should be engaged, paying attention and not playing with cell phones nor glad handing around Chambers.

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Blumenfeld's "Stacking the Room" Comes to Head Tonight

40th AD Democratic candidate Bob Blumenfeld got caught with his pants down around his knees trying to "stack the room" (his words) to gain the endorsement from two different Democratic organizations. In both instances the candidate failed and no endorsement was given.

Linda Sutton writing at Calitics captures the next site in the circus tour, the endorsement of the Stonewall Democratic Club. According to Sutton, the father of our favorite backstabbing nanny bachelor (you know who) bought at least 80 memberships (and hence votes) putting them on his credit card just before the deadline hit. The fun starts tonight.

In the meantime, Blumenfeld's opponent Stuart Waldman announced an endorsement that didn't require a credit card, that of Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

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Supreme Court upholds Indiana Voter I.D. Law

Breaking legal news from the Supreme Court.

In a 6-3 vote, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Indiana Voter I.D. Law in a decision that may have a major impact on the upcoming 2008 Election.

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion which reaffirms the state rights to insure that elections are fair and conducted with the utmost integrity.

Civil libertarians argued that asking for I.D. is an infringement on the rights of citizens to cast votes in elections.

Close to 20 states have some sort of voter I.D. laws.

Speculation is that one of the ramifications of this decision, will be more states requiring I.D. to cast ballots in the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election.

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Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

The Daily News reports that LAUSD only began to track the amount of lead in the water of it's campus drinking fountains six months ago. A group of parents at one local school undertook their own test and found water to have lead nearly eight times the United States Environmental Protection Agency's recommended levels.

Walter Moore has made the big time
. A Communist newspaper has said his support for Jamiel's Law is part of a right wing racist conspiracy to keep the working man down. In the same article they call for amnesty for all illegal aliens and claim the Los Angeles Police Protective League is "false union." Speaking of Walter Moore he reports that though the Mayor says we're in a budget crunch; Villaraigosa is spending 32% more in the City Budget than when he first took office.

NIMBYs won't like this but the LA City Council has voted to approve a billboard district along the 10 Freeway near the Coliseum and Staples Center. This plan will generate much needed revenue for services in the area; still "build absolutely nothing anywhere near anywhere" over 50 year old Anglo suburban Westside cranks will likely be against it, though it does not affect their neighborhood.

Britney Spears has apparently been working out and decided to show off her new body to paparazzi and beachgoers. Connection to politics? In the photos in this story what former City Hall staffer does the singer/actress bear a resemblance to?

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Open Thread for Monday

Here's your topic:

The LA Times reports that State Senator Mark Ridley Thomas has more endorsements from clergymembers than City Councilman Bernard Parks.

Do you think that will make the difference in the race, or not. Discuss.

Or talk about anything else.

Blog away dum dums.

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Bedtime Music

Back from her days as the girlfriend of then Governor Moonbeam, here is Linda Ronstadt with Blue Bayou.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Five O'Clock Funnies

One of the funniest scenes ever on Sanford and Son. Fred (Redd Foxx), Lamont (Desmond Wilson) and Julio (Gregory Sierra) go to a Mexican restaurant.

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Russ Stanton Photos and Footage Update

Russ Stanton

The Los Angeles Press Club hosted "An Evening with Russ Stanton" this past Thursday. Here is the Slide Show and below is the first Video (of 11).

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Zuma Dogg Captures Jack Weiss' Bad Side

Here's Councilman Jack Weiss glad handing and working the crowd when he really should be listening to the speaker who's reporting on an important issue. I guess he figured that out when he realized that Zuma Dogg was capturing it all on tape.

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Bedtime Music

Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams with Something Stupid.

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Saturday, April 26, 2008

Five O'Clock Funnies

The "Merv Griffin" episode from Seinfeld.

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The Diversity of No Home Depot

Whites, Blacks, Latinos, Asians.

Old. Families. Teens. Young professionals. Wealthy. Middle class. Poor.

Democrats. Republicans. Second Amendment advocates. Anti-war activists.

Realtors. Unemployed. Entertainment industry. Police officers. Nurses. Plumbers. Executives.

Rednecks. Yuppies. Granola hippies. Classic car collectors. Lesbians.

They all want the same thing. Some say so about their community.

They all say the same thing. No to Home Depot.

The unanimity of one community to this magnitude is unlike that which I have ever seen.

The storm is coming. Are the City's leaders ready?


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Duel at the Dialogue Day

The Vice President of Do-It Center is randomly assigned to a table with an executive of Home Depot.

Credulity is prevailing for now.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

No First Amendment at Mt. Gleason

The volunteer mediators don't understand the law.

They tried to chase off Mayor Sam as well as KNBC.

They said Joe Barrett couldn't be here to monitor.

They're not letting folks take photos but Zuma is anyway.

By the way, it appears Home Depot hasn't bused in any extras.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Question from the Mediator

"Do you admit that some people would benefit from Home Depot?"

The money and taxes earned is not dependent upon Home Depot specifically; any store is going to provide that.

That means revenue is Home Depot neutral. .
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Live in Sun land-Tujunga

We're here with Joe B, Joe M, Zuma Dogg and Petrafried talking to Daniel Weisman. First snafu; a city official almost barred me from the building!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

One Hour Til Showtime

Michael with the No 2 Home Depot Crew

The big Sunland-Tujunga Circus will begin soon and Mayor Sam will be on the scene, the rumor I hear Zuma Dogg and Joe Mailander will be there too.

Since the fradulent theft of the Mayor Sam mobile unit, we won't have a live video feed but I'll twitter away with updates as they come in via the good old BlackBerry.

And who knows what other surprises await us?

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The John and Ken Effect

John and Ken show

Love 'em or hate 'em, the John and Ken Show on KFI is a tour de force on talk radio in the afternoons. Albeit bombastic, steady offerings of barbed language and an in-your-face-style, they are anything but boring and never seem to violate the 1st Rule of Radio: Be Entertaining.

Today, the Los Angeles Times opines on the famous shock jocks in the context of the trial of Orange County's ex-sheriff Mike Carona. I suppose it is a badge of honor for them and I'll have to tune in Monday to see what they have to say about it.

At issue: a series of readings by the hosts, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, from transcripts of Carona conversations that were secretly recorded by federal investigators. When Carona's legal team objected to the pretrial publicity, Kobylt and Chiampou rose to the challenge, dubbing this segment of the show "Taint the Carona Jury Pool" and advising fans called for jury duty to lie if asked about their radio listening habits. Daring stuff -- and stupid too -- but the purpose of a venue change is to ensure that the accused gets a fair trial, not to address media buzz.

Considering the size of the Burbank-based show's listenership (about 1 million a month), the widely dispersed audience in L.A. and Orange counties and the vagaries of listeners' habits, the probability that a substantial number of jury pool members have even tuned into "John & Ken's" Carona coverage seems vanishingly small.

Read the full editorial.

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Open Thread for Saturday

Today is the day of the big Circus in Sunland-Tujunga. Joseph Mailander wraps the whole sordid tale of Home Depot and our friends to the north in a nice big box with smart and pretty bow around it. This afternoon, Mrs. Ridley-Thomas brings her army of happy mediators to Mt. Gleason Junior High for the biggest Charlie Foxtrot since NBC brought us Supertrain.

Your guesses as to what will happen?

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Bedtime Music

Carlos Santana and Buddy Guy at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

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Friday, April 25, 2008

What About A Party For The Rest Of Us?




Council District Fourteen has received a request that the City provide certain services and declare this function a Special Event. Approval of this request
will mean that the City will absorb an estimated $162,977 in fees and salary
costs.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the "L.A. Fiesta Broadway 2008" be declared a Special Event, and City departments be requested to waive all fees and costs,except insurance and application requirements.


Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I love more than a good party; but it seems to me that if the City will be helping to cover the costs of one of the biggest events occurring in the heart of its Civic Center, it should be more culturally inclusive than it is right now.

I know I’m dating myself with this little walk I’m about to take down memory lane, but the history of one of L.A.’s greatest street festivals needs to be told to some of the younger folk (or the new in this town and/or country).

Back in October of 1978, the City of Los Angeles, (with the generous help of the Schlitz Brewing Co., which contributed $100,000 and the National Endowment for the Arts, which gave $40,000) held its first ever “Street Scene” at the L.A. Civic Center. The festival was bordered by Aliso St. on the north, 1st St. on the south, Los Angeles St. on the east and Broadway on the west. Angelenos were able to enjoy a diverse selection of cultural life which included: dance, drama, arts, crafts, music and food.

Sol Marcus, the chairman of the first Street Scene and then vice-president of the city’s Board of Public Works said at the time: “This is the time for Angelenos to gather, have fun, be proud of their beautiful city and see things they never knew existed in the downtown area while enjoying performances by top artists and artisans. We want them to come early, stay late and enjoy”.

Back then, parking for the day at any of the public lots was only $2.50, or you could park for free at Dodger Stadium and take a shuttle bus to the Civic Center.

Some of the acts booked for the inaugural Street Scene: Red Hot Marimba Band, Gypsy International Folk Dancers, California Boy’s Choir, Classical Ragtime Company, Dance A La Carte, Judy Garrett – mime, Korean Ethnic Heritage, Nared the Magician, Living History Theater, California Arts African Ensemble, Ramanlahi Dance Troupe, East-West Players, New American Jazz Ensemble, Dixie Belles, Oscar Nieto Flamenco, Visual Theater Workshop, Arroyo Singers of Pasadena, Ballet Mexicapan, Freddy Fender, R’Wanda Lewis Afro Dancing, Megaw Theater Puppets, Nancy Wilson, the Frankie Valli Revue, Make Believe Unlimited, Spanky Wilson, California Festival Ballet, Chuck Jones Magic, Tierra, Mormon Samoan Choir, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Benny Howell Septet, “Skins” Afro-Cuban percussion, New Artef Players, Danny Rees – Juggler, Watts Prophets Poets, Samoan Fire Dancers, David “Fathead” Newman and the rock group Chicago, just to name a few. Some of downtown’s government buildings such as the U.S. Courthouse and the Criminal Courts Building became stage backdrops for many of the performers. A crowd estimated at somewhere between “over 10,000” (a police estimate) to an unofficial count of 30,000 all gathered in the parking lot of CCB for a light and music show.

By the close of the two-day event on Sunday night, police reported that five persons had been arrested for minor infractions. One person was taken to Queen of Angels Hospital for emergency treatment.

Other stats: There were 10 stages where more than 60 performers displayed their talents; 100 exhibitors featured arts and crafts of many nationalities and 40 booths offered foods from around the world.

Mayor Tom Bradley opened the Street Scene at a ceremony on the steps of City Hall. He told the crowd gathered there that the purpose of the festival was to try to “focus attention on the beauty and vitality of this Civic Center. We are proud of Los Angeles. We think it is one of the premier cities in the world. The people who work in the Civic Center know it intimately but there are people out there who rarely come downtown to see what’s happening.”

Lois Hale, the publicity director for the festival, said the festival was going to stay within its $140,000 budget and that the city was contributing only “in-kind services” to the event through use of municipal employees.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and in September of 1986, after a violent weekend at that year’s Street Scene during which one person was fatally shot, 40 others injured and 35 more arrested, Mayor Tom Bradley recommended that the festival, which began as a tribute to the city’s cultural diversity – should be stopped.

Police Chief Daryl F. Gates called a news conference at the same time urging that the city-sponsored Street Scene be scrapped unless its organizers were willing to shut down the weekend event before nightfall and to stop booking “problematic” rock acts (Run DMC?).

Zev Yaroslavsky, who was then chairman of the council’s Finance and Revenue Committee proposed that the city first consider banning alcohol from its street fairs as an alternative to discontinuing the Street Scene. But seeing as how the major sponsors were beer and wine-cooler companies who were putting up the by then $700,000 annual budget, that recommendation didn’t go over so well.

Having visited the first Street Scene as a very, very, very, very young ‘tweener and being able to experience Hispanic, African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and many other ethnic influences was so exciting and inspiring to me. The sounds, the sights, the smells of all the different ethnic music, art and foods added to the mystique of Los Angeles as being one big melting pot of all types of people.

What I’d like to know is why the city is spending so much on celebrating just one aspect of our ethnic diversity when there is nothing that I know of (that compares to the vastness of Fiesta Broadway) which celebrates ALL of our ethnic diversities. I want my kids to be able to enjoy a “downtown” festival and be able to eat different types of foods, talk to and see vendors, performers and artisans from all over the world who have settled here in Southern California and specifically in the Los Angeles area, and who have so much to share culturally with all our children. Another learning experience flushed down the toilet by the politicians in charge. Why?

Why can’t we have that back – a festival for all Angelenos of every nationality to celebrate our differences as well as celebrate the (once) great city we live in and the diversity that makes us and our city unlike any other.

I’m just askin’ ….

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Five O'Clock Funnies

R0bin Williams uncensored from No Good TV.

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Will it be Senator or Mayor Schwarzenegger?

Arnold Schwarzenegger State Seal

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on the Tonight Show for a 7th time this week and left open his political future (after he wraps things up in Sacramento). Some believe he will run for the U.S. Senate next while others suggest a campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles is far more likely.

The conventional wisdom--if there is such a thing--is that he would prefer to be back in Los Angeles with executive powers and closer to his family than an even longer commute and being one of a hundred senators--albeit an incandescent one. Perhaps recent Schwarzenegger biographers Daniel Weintraub and Joe Mathews will shed some light. Below is his quote from the show:

I see myself as a public servant, not as a politician. I want to finish my term, and I'm absolutely convinced that if I do a good job, and a great job ... we always will get a job after that.

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Let The Games Begin



Tomorrow is the "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue", the controversial attempt by the City Attorney and Home Depot to avoid further litigation and try to reach some sort of compromise with the community over Home Depot's proposed store.

If a compromise can be reached, and Home Depot's new application to open their store is rapidly approved, per the stipulation agreement, then Home Depot will drop their $10,000,000.00 lawsuit against the City.

Anything less and Home Depot will resume their lawsuit.

The City Attorney's office has said that they are well prepared to vigorously defend the City against Home Depot if this whole process collapses.

Whether or not this "Dialogue" collapses depends on Home Depot.
-The "Dialogue" will not collapse if Home Depot leaves the paid supporters/shills at home this time.
-The "Dialogue" will not collapse if Home Depot is willing to finally understand that their store is not appropriate for this community.
-The "Dialogue" will not collapse if Home Depot makes a sincere apology for the way they have treated this community for the past four years, including the labeling of residents as racists, the bussed in supporters, the army of lobbyists, and saying in their press releases and website that they have "been working with the community, engaging in dialogue". They have not.

Anything less, and the "Dialogue" will likely collapse rapidly if not immediately.

The "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue"
Saturday, April 26. 1pm till 4pm
Mount Gleason Middle School
10965 Mt Gleason Ave., Sunland

This event is open to the entire planet, arrive early for seating.

Pre-dawn Missives for a Friday

Pre-dawn greetings to all on this Friday morning.........

There is a city by a big body of water that gets it, that being on the issue of runaway growth. The "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET" chronicles the on going efforts of the City of San Clemente in the O.C. to just say NO to growth. Memo to the former host of the "Western White House", beware of a certain CD 1 resident looking for a weekend home who would disapprove of your stance on growth.

LAUSD math equation for the morning, {(Bitter Bernie) + (Manic Maxine)} + Latino support = positive victory in June???, you opine on the final formula.

From the "Metro, East, by Northeast", elections are coming to Neighborhood Councils in Boyle Heights and surprise, surprise, Lincoln Heights (school buses on stand by for student voters). In Eagle Rock, students at Eagle Rock High School are hitting back at the principal for alleged retaliation over the on-going protest concerning the removal of the popular Football Coach. And as the sun rises over Assembly District 46, where will the future Assemblyman for the area be rolling out of bed this morning??

The Valley is going "JUMBO" over its new area code "747". Shall we take the time to bestow a fitting name to go with new area code?

Nominations for the April "ASS CLOWN AWARD" are now open. Please take the time to give your thoughts.

Survey for the staffers, how many of you young, hip, trendy gofers are heading east to Coachella for weekend fest of music??

Lastly we leave you with this thought to ponder.

How much mediation and intervention exercises will it take before the City Attorney realizes that a "BIG BOX HARDWARE STORE" is not wanted in the "GREAT S.T."???

See you tomorrow friends in the S.T. and lets take our city back!!!

Russ Stanton at the LA Press Club

Russ Stanton,Chris Woodyard

The Los Angeles Press Club hosted "An Evening with Russ Stanton" last night to a 100+ crowd that included the likes of Jill Stewart, Mariel Garza, Chris Woodyard, Michael Goldstein, Luke Ford, Joseph Mailander and several other members of the 4th Estate. Video footage of the event will be made available in an update and you can also catch the new L.A. Times Editor at a Zócalo LA event next month.

Some tidbits from the evening:

  • In a surprise to many, the Editor admitted that there have been a few internal memos that didn't end up on LA Observed
  • He gave a shoutout to the Top of the Ticket blog
  • He said the Times needs more diversity both in terms of age and ethnicity
  • He talked about the recent "doozy"
We are human beings pulling off a daily miracle and that is not a perfect process by any stretch of the imagination. - Russ Stanton

(Full Disclosure - I am the Publicist for the Press Club)

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Open Thread for Friday

No topic. Blog away dum dums.

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Bedtime Music

The Pretenders with The Middle of the Road way back in the day.

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Down By Law

Joseph Mailander reports in Street-Hassle that actor/tax evader Wesley Snipes is being sent to the pokey for 3 years for tax evasion. Apparently, he also preached what he practiced – advising his employees to stop paying their own taxes as well.

Wesley, dude – two words for you and your lawyer, babe: Sheridan, Oregon. The federal pen there has consistently been in the Top 5 of all White Collar Crime Federal Prisons. Alan Ellis, co-author of the book The Federal Prison Handbook 2005, names other prisons noted for their lovely surroundings and quaint amenities:

Yankton, South Dakota. “A stand alone federal prison camp,” Ellis says. “A vanishing breed. These are camps that are not satellites to larger more secure institutions. It happens to be a converted college that went defunct. It’s in the middle of the town, not on the outskirts. There is a lot of community programming. People leave during the day and come back at night.”

Englewood, Colorado. “That’s outside of Denver,” Ellis says. “It’s a satellite camp to the federal correction institution there. I’m told by my clients that it is a pretty laid back place.”

Texarkana, Texas. “The federal prison camp there has a drug and alcohol treatment program,” he says. “It has a pond stocked with fish. And one of my clients said he liked to spend his day fishing.”

Pensacola Naval Base. “You get out during the day, you work on the Naval base, you intermingle with Navy personnel,” Ellis says. “The food is better. You are outside. I’ve had people who were taking care of the grounds at the admiral’s house. The admiral’s wife would bring out lemonade, invite the inmate in for lunch. Things of that sort.”

“If you are Jewish, I would say the federal prison camp at Otisville, New York, about 70 miles from New York City,” Ellis adds. “It has programs for orthodox and religious Jews. It has religious furloughs where people leave the prison for religious holidays.”

And if you, too, find yourself heading for a stay in a federal slammer, don't freak: the Sister City highly recommends, “The Ultimate Guide to Life Inside (and after) Federal Prison” by Mark Hrutkay. A self-proclaimed “Federal Prison for Idiots”-type book, you’ll find everything you need to know about life on the inside. The table of contents includes chapters such as: Before You Get In; Getting In; First Few Days; Procedure in Federal Prison; Communication With the Outside World; Your Life Here; Things You Shouldn’t Do; Spending Time on the Inside; and of course, Back to the Street. For more info, please visit fedsgotme dot com (no, really --that's the web address).

Hard luck, indeed.

People... pay your taxes!

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Five O'Clock Funnies

A Zuma Dogg classic: Zuma Dogg vs. The City Clowncil, featuring the classic "Lights on a Statue"

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City Parks Suffer Dangerous Budget Cut

The Daily News today reported that a result of the Mayor’s all-out assault on Los Angelenos in the form of budget cuts and fee increases will result in serious losses of vital services in City parks. The paper points to two Rec and Parks losses in particular – less clean restrooms and a 50% cut in Park Rangers.

Most people jump right on the mental image of an unclean restroom, but the reality of this Citywide cut is that the far greater loss of the two is actually the Park Rangers.

Park Rangers are perhaps the most recognizable image of any parks service in the United States. However, LA City Park Rangers are far more than an icon. With the increased gang violence and general unrest throughout the City, more specialized park security is a must. L.A. City Park Rangers are fully qualified, POST-certified peace officers. Perhaps even more importantly, Park Rangers are also firefighters, search and rescue professionals, emergency management specialists, paramedics, wildlife specialists, educators, mediators, and community policing specialists. For those who are unhappy with the generous salaries some City employees pull down, Park Rangers are also underpaid relative to other City jobs requiring full peace officer standing. This, plus the fact that there are tons of open peace officer positions in this City, just about guarantees that being a Park Ranger in Los Angeles isn't just a job, but it must be a vocation.

On any given day in at least one of this City’s 400+ parks, Rangers put their unique combination of specialized skills to use on the public’s behalf. During the Griffith Park fire, every Park Ranger in the City demonstrated extreme dedication to their vocation by working more than 95 hours straight. The Rangers’ intimate knowledge of the park was absolutely vital to controlling the May 8, 2007 inferno. It isn’t discussed much in the wake of the usual, well-deserved accolades given to the LAFD, but those closest to the situation know that it was a heroic stand at Bee Rock by Park Ranger firefighters that halted the northeastward advance of that fire. Park Ranger firefighters used their intimate knowledge of the park to determine that this physical location was absolutely key to stopping the fire, and they made the stand that did it.

So here we are with a summer fire season widely predicted to be one of the worst on record nearly upon us. Cutting almost 50% of a single division that is as important to this City as the Park Rangers are not only makes no sense, but it may seriously endanger the lives of the 20 million people who visit Los Angeles parks annually.

The recent mauling of patrons by a Siberian Tiger at the San Francisco Zoo brings up another point. The Los Angeles Zoo is inside of Griffith Park, and the Zoo is far from impervious to animal escapes. The combination of emergency management and wildlife expertise that Park Rangers possess would make them invaluable if such a thing ever happened here. As an aside, it is interesting to note that current SF Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo, under whose watch the horrific maulings occurred, was a past General Manager of Recreation and Parks in Los Angeles as well as a Director of the Los Angeles Zoo during a time that many of the exhibit enclosures were upgraded, ostensibly to code. Hmmm...


Since they have all the money and resources, I guess the Mayor is assuming the Office of Public Safety will take care of us all. But as was pointed out in an earlier article detailing the creation and performance to-date of OPS, their promise was enticing but their carry-through has been far from optimum, or even adequate for that matter. And Rec and Parks, who is legally mandated to provide security in City parks, has little to no control over OPS which is organized within an entirely different City department.

On May 1st, there will be massive immigration demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles. If they repeat what they did in 2005, 2006, and 2007, the Office of Public Safety will pull every single officer to a man from City parks, libraries, and the Zoo and deploy them all downtown. This means that on May Day, a traditional day to celebrate the coming of Spring, the only peace officers protecting the public in 400+ City parks will be Park Rangers. 50% less Park Rangers, that is, if no one challenges the Mayor’s budget.

It's ironic that also on May 1st, the City's Budget and Finance Committee will hold the hearing on the Mayor's Budget for the Department of Recreation and Parks. So y'all come on downtown May 1 -- skip work, see the protesters and OPS in action firsthand, and give the committee your input on the $cut$ to Rec and Parks while surrounded by a hundred thousand or so of your fellow Angelenos. ...Democracy in action! WooHoo!

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"Binge Taxation" continues on Spring Street

Feed the Beast!!! Feed the Beast!!!

Was that the unspoken chant of yesterday "Taxation, err, Revenue Day" at City Hall?

What new "recipes of taxation" did our City Council come up with to feed the appetite of the "Fiscal Monster on Spring Street"?

The Daily News has some for your review (and resulting revulsion) in today's edition of the "Moldy Green Sheet".

Have a "Dacha" that measures out to over 5,000 square feet of proletariat pleasure? Leave it to the "Zorro Marxist" to express his disdain for your lifestyle by proposing an "rich tax" on your electrical usage.

Need urgent help from Police or Fire?? That 911 phone call is going to cost you a few pesos if some on the Council have their way, that cost may include lawsuit fees if this goes forward.

But for one moment lets channel the thoughts of our various Council members and create our own "Revenue Recipes" to feed the "Fiscal Beast on Spring Street".

"Flash Bulb Exposure Fee":
$5.00 "fee" for every flash from a city-owned camera use to record useless, symbolic photo-ops that take away tax payers salary time from true objective problem solving. $2.50 "fee" for all media who waste column inches in posting these ego-inflating images of self-importance.

"Spollcheck Fee for Bloggers"
Red Spot's "self-imposed fee" dedicated to the continuation of "bloggin discourse".

"Los Angeles Times Insider Fee"
$10.00 "fee" levee on the "WWG" for each posting on the inside happenings at the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET". Potential "BIG" source of revenue.

"Fee for Fee Waivers"
$5,000 "fee" charged to the operation fund of the Councilperson who uses taxpayers dollars to offset costs for community events organized by "fiscal friends" of the respective council members.

"Spin fee for P.R. Spoke holes"
$100 "fee" for each "press release of spin" from the likes of Alatorre, Sugerman, Watkins, Home Depot, and any lobbyist who spin against the public interest.

"Fee for posting Bloggin retorts"
Just kidding........for now.

Open Thread for Thursday

Patt Morrison wonders why the Mayor and City Council won't hold hearings on the new City Budget until the middle of next month - long after it's picked apart by every faction of dum dum out there. Patt's view is the folks who pay the bills and don't get the services should be able to give their view on Los Angeles' budget priorities well before the document is drafted. Patt either didn't know or didn't mention that the Mayor did meet with a few select Neighborhood Council leaders for coffee, so give him a break!

Discuss.

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Bedtime Music

Aaron Neville peforms The Grand Tour, first made famous by George Jones.

"The song is widely hailed as one of the finest performances in country music history. Genre historian Bill Malone, in his liner notes for Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection, called it a 'perfect matching of lyrics and performance' and 'one of the great modern songs of divorce.'"
Wikipedia




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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Five O'Clock Funnies

A hottie decides to have fun with folks walking down the street.

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Mayor Sam's Afternoon Hotsheet

One of the arguments for allowing illegal immigration is that those who sneak over the border for a better life do "the jobs Americans will not do." But a major problem that illegal aliens can not help with and in fact may make worse is the growing shortage of skilled labor in California. As baby boomers retire, there are fewer doctors, nurses, computer progammers, etc. while at the same time the rise in population caused by illegal immigration creates more demand for these services. Ernesto Cortes Jr., Southwest regional director of the Industrial Areas Foundation, told the Temple Daily Telegram, “Right now we’re headed toward becoming a Third World city."

We need more police officers! There's compelling reasons for police officers to join other departments than LAPD. So the City has offered $5000 signing bonuses to new officers and $10,000 bonuses to officers who transfer from other departments. Mercury Insurance kicked in $1 million to help with it. But now the Clowncil wants to end the program (and spend the money elsewhere I guess).

You might think I'm shilling for the billboard companies, but I have no issue with the signs, especially if they're electronic ones put up along the freeway or in entertainment districts like Hollywood, NoHo, Downtown, etc. They might be too ugly for the Anglo Westside but if folks downtown want them or in other areas, let them do it. We don't need suburban blue-hair cranks telling us what to do in other parts of the City.

Mayor Gavin Newsom's fiance sounds like a bright chick. Jennifer Siebel planned to change her voter registration from Republican to decline to state. However, she instead registered with the right wing American Independent Party. Maybe he should have stayed with the 19 year old.

Just like the City, British bankers are seeing their expense accounts sliced. Most notably cut is reimbursement for trips to strip clubs and brothels (note to American readers: those are generally more accepted in Europe than in the US.)

Stuart Waldman picks up an endorsement from a teacher's union.

We don't hear much about NIMBYs in Beverly Hills but of course they have them in spades. They're against a new hotel on the site of the Beverly Hilton; though probably you'd have to live there to afford it. Swimmin' pools, movie stars.

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The Mayor's Arts, Gossip and Culture Report

The blogger at Art's Place - Art - took his first trip to the Renee and Henry Segerstron Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, the new venue for classical music behind the Orange Curtain. Though he finds the acoustics roughly equivalent to the Walt Disney Concert Hall but Art says "the view up top is spectacularly more grand and democratic at Disney Hall, with the hall's elegant bowl shape and the crazy organ at the back of the stage. And the chairs at Disney don't squeak." No, but they probably have more legroom at the Segerstron, right Joe?

Britney Spears' 17 year old sister Jamie Lynn is five months pregnant and getting married soon, so what did her fiance Casey Aldridge do? He asked his future sister-in-law's previous husband for financial advice. What did Kevin Federline tell Casey? Watch out for the mother-in-law. Well, duh!

Having received the blessing from Neil Patrick "Doogie Howser, MD" Harris for another guest shot on his CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, Britney Spears wants script approval on the show. Yea, she'll be asked back.

The Daily Trojan picks the four best sushi places in LA, but they left one off the list - Miyako in the NoHo Arts District (yea in the Valley). Miyako has the best value, with tasty sushi and some of the most amazing service. The usual chefs, Keho and Sam, along with server Nita have managed to mix awesome sushi (and once in a while they surprise you with some awesome secret roll, none of which I can tell you about) in an environment somewhat like Cheers.

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Reiner's First 5 Funds San Francisco Yuppies

You may remember that Rob "Meathead" Reiner was the big proponent behind the "First 5" ballot measure which placed a big tax on tobacco in order to raise money for "early childhood education." Like most liberal plans gone wrong (aren't they all?) the First 5 program is turning out to be a big fraud.

I am sure most people who voted for the measure thought the money would go to low income children. But according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Whether rich or poor, applicants can get up to $11,000 over three years for all kinds of activities from First 5 San Francisco, a local agency charged with distributing tobacco tax revenue to promote early childhood development."

The Chronicle reported a few of the items that were part of a $200,000 grant of the taxpayer money:

-- "Multi-Family First Time Camping Experience" included a camping lesson and overnight trip to Big Sur for six families.

-- "Couples Travel and Learn Together" included an overnight stay at the Four Points Sheraton in Pleasanton, where couples from Chinatown took marriage workshops. It also included $250 in Target gift cards.

-- "Families of La Piccola Scuola Italiana" included holiday party space rental and the purchase of a Babbo Natale (Italian version of Santa Claus) costume.

Even a liberal Berkley professor, Bruce Fuller finds issue with this, telling the paper that "Rob Reiner sold this as a way to help kids from low-income (families) - zero to 5 - have better futures," said Fuller.

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Open Thread for Wednesday

Here is your Open Thread for Hump Day, is Los Angeles becoming a third world city? You may not read this in the Los Angeles Times, we have to go to England to find out the following (hat tip to Joe B. for pointing me to the story):

"Los Angeles is becoming a "Third World city" with immigrants making up half its workforce, says a new study.

A third of immigrants have not graduated from high school and 60 per cent do not speak English fluently, the Migration Policy Institute found."

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Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Tamar Galatzan's Visual Blight, Sherman Oaks - Photo by Mayor Sam

Is anyone in Los Angeles more arrogant than William Bratton? Rick Orlov reports that Bratton "has made clear during his tenure it's that he doesn't like anyone telling him how to run the LAPD." His latest target is Dennis Zine who is attempting a change to Special Order 40 albeit a highly watered down version of Jamiel's Law. Apparently the New York fool with the Culver City spin thinks he knows more about the LAPD than the former motorcycle cop turned Clowncilman who's been LAPD for like what nearly 50 years? Go to hell Bratton!

Mayor Villaraigosa is telling you that his next annual trash tax hike will pay for more cops. But city records say the money raised won't even come close. So, after a few months of that, what's next? November's City Income Tax measure on the ballot (called something else of course).

Blogger Robert in Monterey reports that rising gas and transportation costs have made living in the suburbs more expensive and causing home prices to fall. Living in the city center in dense concentrations will meet some of the housing needs for many; hence Zev Yaroslavsky's support for suburban sprawl probably doesn't make sense.

Speaking of Zev, I spoke to one of the bigger developer types in LA today; he's convinced Zev will run for Mayor. And this piece here represents more of the "coming city superstorm" that is going to cause a massive anti-development political earthquake in Los Angeles.

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Bedtime Music

Merv Griffin and Jack Sheldon voice How About You for a couple of puppets. About as weird as could be but somehow it works.

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Is Chris Matthews a Racist?

MSNBC's Chris Matthews made the following comment a few moments ago on MSNBC's continuing coverage of the Senator's win in the Pennsylvania primary:

"Blacks were joined by some White liberals in Pennsylvania who voted for Barack Obama but regular people throughout the state voted for Hillary Clinton."

What the hell did he mean by that? Chris Matthews is an idiot, by the way.

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