Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Saturday
Rick Orlov reports the crowd is lining up of potential candidates to replace Wendy Greuel on the City Council when she assumes the Controller position in July. All the usual suspects include School Board Member Tamar Galatzan (who said she wouldn't run, former Assembly Member Cindy Montanez (who made a deal two years ago not to run for CD7), Jack Weiss field deputy Joan Pelico, Studio City Neighborhood Council President Ben Neumann and former Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council President Ken Gerston. However the fly in the ointment for this would be candidates is that the City Council has the power to opt to appoint a successor to Greuel instead of calling for an election. Insiders tell me that a deal is potentially in the works between the Council and Mayor to appoint Montanez - as payback for her dutiful loyalty - and to cite budget issues and election fatigue as a reason to forgo a special election. Stay tuned.
PoliticalReformBlog.com is right when they say that the process for allowing elected officials to create the name and ballot summary for questions submitted to the people is broken. This is what allows items like Measure B to go to the ballot as "Good Jobs and Green Living" or the Measure S phony cell phone tax increase that was called a tax cut. However their idea of paying random voters $1000 to sit down and work out a description is ridiculous. A better plan would be to create a panel of retired judges, three Democrats, three Republicans and three from all other parties who would hash out and create the titles and ballot summaries.
The City Council got a report from Caltrans that's startling. 75% of all landscaped areas along LA's freeways are in need of rehabilitation, and about 90% of the vegetation is at or near the end of its natural life. Additionally 7,622,234 square feet of graffiti was removed from along freeways in the district last year at a cost of $2.7 million. Let's put the punks who create this graffiti blight - as well as their parents if they're minors - handle doing some of the landscape and clean-up work while we charge them for the damage.
Labels: ballot summaries, cd2, Cindy Montanez, graffiti, providence holy cross medical center, wendy greuel
Posted by Michael Higby @ 3/07/2009 03:00:00 AM
26 Comments:
Talk about corrupt politics the same group who went against Measure B should stand up to this bullshit of the Mayor choosing his person for political payback. Why isn't the media reporting all the political favors Villaraigosa has made to his friends all over town with commission appointments, school boards, assembly etc. One little dictator who scares the shit out of dumb adults who are terrified to go against him. Wasn't Hilter like this?
Cindy Montanez for CD2? Are you kidding me?
Her accomplishments in politics?
Hmm, getting taken "under the wing" of Richard Alarcon when she was younger.
Being a councilmember in ANOTHER CITY, San Fernando, known for its ugly politics and never making progress.
Running for an east valley Senate District and losing.
CUTTING A DEAL with Antonio Villaraigosa, for which they did a BLAGOJEVICH trade (you take action in exchange for official action, i.e., a commission appointment), to drop out of an EAST VALLEY Council district.
Passing one notable bill during her entire time in the legislature, protecting stars from paparazzi.
AND SHE THINKS she can move into our bucolic, semi-rural council district and make a serious claim for the office?
NO WAY.
Graffiti expense?
Mayor Sam, are you asking the government to actually put the responsibility on the actual people costing us those tax bucks to now do the fix, and NOT have just another non-profit created to hire people (maybe even the same groups that cause the damage)for the fix?
"Personal Responsibility" in an outdated concept in most governmental mindsets; the public is too hostile to accept the idea- politicians just want tax dollars to keep rolling in and get re-elected with as little interference as possible from anyone.
Higby edits the truth again - Regarding Holy Cross, the "community" it was supposed to be "great"for IS SANTA CLARITA!!!
"The move will expand medical options for many Santa Clarita residents..."
Which is one of the concerns local residents have.
Cindy - the only person for the job in CD 2!
Her accomplishments are all exceptional. Alarcon's wing? You're mistaken.
What she did for the City of San Fernando, (another city smack dab in the center of LA, by the way) is bring in new business and jobs. Any ugly politics happened after she was elected to the Assembly.
So what, she lost a race. That didn't stop your buddy Walter "I hate aliens" Moore. At least Cindy doesn't hate.
You have NO proof of any kind of underhanded deal cutting taking place with the mayor. Perhaps she just didn't want to lose to Alarcon. Compare her dropping out to the way everyone Orlov named would drop out if Chick were to jump in. Compare it to every single candidate for governor would drop out if Feinstein jumped in. Deal cutting? You made that up.
She already had a commission appointment. That is where ALL termed out politicians go to decide where they're going next.
Learn how it works. Even in your bucolic, semi-rural district.
Or you could get behind Galatzan and watch your semi-rural become totally urban!
Jim Alger at 11:13 -
Do you really think people from Santa Clarita will FLOOD Holy Cross?
It is a bit of a drive, especially through traffic.
Its going to help people in PACOIMA, SAN FERNANDO, MISSION HILLS.
All the poor people you claim to represent.
Someday one of the 5-6 NIMBYs who scream and yell about this hospital will get sick. Let us hope that they are then grateful that there was a hospital to treat them.
It is one thing to be against a Home Depot, a jail or a dump.
Sheer lunacy to be opposed to hospitals.
They need to get some help.
I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT TO SAVE GRANADA COMUNITY HOSPITAL FROM DEMO. I KNEW ABOUT POTENTIAL FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AT HOLY CROSS. I PROPOSED THAT THE OWNERS OF HOLY CROSS SAVE SOME MONEY AND REVAMP GRANADA COMMUNITY WHICH HAD LOTS OF PARKING AND BED SPACE OF COURSE NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OUR COUNCILMEMBERS LIKE "GRIEG SMITH" HAD STRONG TIES WITH DEVELOPERS WHO SUPPORTED HIS CAMPAIGN. HOLY CROSS HAS GONE OUTSIDE THERE AREA TO KEEP ANOTHER HOSPITAL FROM GOING DOWN IN WOODLAND HILLS WHICH SHOWS IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DO THAT. THE REASON THAT THIS HOSPITAL WAS STOPPED WAS BECAUSE THEY NEVER FILED A "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT". WHAT OTHER REQUIRED TESTS HAVE THEY NOT FILED IN ORDER TO RUSH IT'S CONSTRUCTION? ALL PUBLIC BUILDINGS INCLUDING HOSPITALS ARE REQUIRED TO FILE A LIST OF REPORTS TO SHOW THAT THE GROUND AND AREA IS ABLE TO STAND THE LIFE THAT BUILDINGS IN "EARTHQUAKE CENTRAL" WILL BE SUBJECTED TO. I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THIS SITE WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THE "VETERANS HOSPITAL" IN SYLMAR IN 71' THE SAME SITUATION EXSISTS AT THE HOLY CROSS SITE BOTH WERE BACK IN HILLS NEXT TO MOUNTAINS. MOUNTAINS ARE FORMED AS A RESULT OF EARTHQUAKES EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN BE INACTIVE FOR YEARS LIKE VOLCANOS THEY CAN BE SITES WHICH RELEASE DEADLY FORCE. ADDING MORE BEDS COULD MAKE MATTERS WORSE AND THE ADDED BEDS WILL ONLY FIX THE PROBLEM FOR "3-5 YEARS" AT THIS SITE THEN THEY WILL HAVE TO BUILD AGAIN HERE OR SOMEWHERE ELSE. NOT MUCH BANG FOR THE BUCK. I LIKE THIS HOSPITAL BUT DOING THIS WILL SOLVE NOTHING AND CREATE A NIGHTMARE.
"g"
Could you please learn to write unlike a moron?
11:41 Why do you bring up Alger's name? Are you empowered with some type of super anonymous blogger revealing power? Or perhaps you just are trying to start shit?
The article Higby referenced, made the claim of how good Holy Cross was going to be for Santa Clarita.
I am not Alger and I do support Holy Cross, but I also support them doing an EIR. I don't think anybody ever said we don't need Holy Cross.
11:20 am, Didn't Cindy Montanez get apponted to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board by Arnold, with about $120,000 annual salary for a position calling for only a monthly meeting?
And just before last summer, didn't David Nahai boast that she COULD handle the later TONY appointment to DWP's commissioners?
Nahai said MONTANEZ could handle the DWP post since she only has to be at the state job "one day a month." How dismissive. And if that's ALL that the state job requires, the pay is set too high. If the job DOES require some preparation and regular duties that take MORE that a day a month, then you have NAHAI lying like his boss, the mayor.
THE DOUBLE-DIPPING by MONTANEZ was apparently without any shame in taking two political payoffs, or holding a second job that could have gone to someone who might DO WORK on ONE job.
The deal was in the newpapers but the followup seems buried. As far as I know, she's got the two jobs, pulling down about $330,000 a year- is she THAT valuable? Do they owe her THAT much?
What is SHE supposed to do to reciprocate? I would not like to see another VILLARAIGOSA puppet in the city council to help him to continue his self-serving plans.
Los Angeles doubter
We do not want anyone interfering with our right to elect our own Council District 2 Representative. To do so will be very regrettable for anyone who intends to deny us our right! NO to Montanez and NO to Gatzlan. We are already at work to select our own representative who will not be beholding to the Mayor or other special interest, thank you.
CD 2 is pretty crappy in comparison to the City of SF in terms of urban planning/design and projects "shovel-ready." North Hollywood/Van Nuys/Sun valley ain't semi-rural. Aside from those 5 or 6 precincts in Shadow Hills/Tujunga, the place aint semi-rural. They've got more than enough EMPTY boxes/buildings from North Hollywood to Tujunga. Be happy you would get somebody who understands the planning and community development process (Montañez). Isn't Mayorsam's boy Dave Hernandez the Prez of San Fernando Chamber of Commerce. So please, refute from alluding to SF with the word 'ugly.' Commerce Street is more akin to Maclay Ave.
"Running for an east valley Senate District and losing."
FYI, there was about 30-35 precincts from CD2 in Senate 20...and Montañez actually beat took AP. If anything, it raised her name ID or profile for whatever seat she chooses to take a shot at.
FYI, she's been living in your district for a while now dumb dumb. btw,Way too many tweekers at the Wired Cafe.
How 'bout we tell Zuma Dogg to park his van over here in CD2 for a coupla weeks and nominate HIM to fill the void? Why not? He doesn't have a corrupt political past, he DOES listen to the people, he'd expose all the shadiness, he'd curb the stupid fee-waivers and just imagine the LOOK on Eric Garcetti's face when he realizes he'll have to treat Zuma as an equal around the horseshoe!!
Word is Antonio will simply appoint Cindy Montanez for the council seat. Everyone should be very alarmed at if he does cause he's the corrupt way Antonio has made all his appointments he's wanted on LAUSD, Commissions etc. Cindy has proven she doesn't have any ethics, class or morals and his a dumb kiss ass to Antonio. THere should be an election and everyone should fight to keep Cindy out of city hall. Anyone associated with Antonio the people should fight against and that includes Jack Weiss
As for Cindy Montanez, didn't you forget "dropped out of school" on that list? Yeah, she's a great role model.
Dear doubter in LA,
I'm really sorry that you don't like the way the commissions work. I don't either. They do only have to go up to Sacramento once a month, but they do a TREMENDOUS amount of paperwork at home before they attend the meetings. That part doesn't bother me. The part that bothers me is that there are hundreds of those kinds of commissions (yes appointed by the governor) and ALL of them are for termed out politicians waiting for their next job.
So don't blame Cindy. She is just earning a living and doing nothing that other politicians don't do.
YOU just don't know the way things work. Not in the city, not in the state and not in the political world.
So keep blogging away but at least get Cindy's mentors right.
12:37 is Trujillo again.
12:37 midnight on a Saturday night should you not be out on a date with a girl Mike?
Or do you not date girls?
CD2 community members are getting organized. AV will have a fight on his hands if he is thinking of appointing anyone. When Joel Wachs left, Field Deputies and assistants stayed in place and our District was run by Arlene DeSantis, his Chief of Staff, with help from the City Attorney's office and other departments as needed, until the election of WG. We should have an election in November for our representative. We have the right to have our voices heard and to make our own choice. Our selection will do the bidding of our communities, not the Mayor or the City Council.
Drop out? Get with that..that was news at one point. Get with the program. A lot has changed since then.
GO bruins (and matadors) in March.
1:42
Actually, after Wachs left, the Council office was run as it usually is, by someone in the Chief Legislative Analyst's Office. Wachs's staff stayed on, but final decisions were made by the CLA or the full City Council.
I am a San Fernando resident. Cindy Montanez was a great councilmember and mayor of our city. you are right, she has received the endorsement of the likes of Alarcon and Villaraigosa but she was never beholden to them in San Fernando or in the Assembly. Everyone in San Fernando knows that when she ran her sister for office all the northeast valley politicians were angry and thought she was committing political suicide. on the contrary she got her sister elected into office and then she followed it up by getting Steve Veres elected. Both her sister and Steve are still on the council and they just brought in a whole new fresh energy to San Fernando.
Cindy was key in getting our city to changing the way the city did business. in the end she displaced Cardenas and James Acevedo who were trying to steal from us like they did from your city.
Whatever you say about Cindy, she is independent and as a legislature she made sure that her priorities were the working class, the consumer, the children and students and the environment. You people so easily forget what she did. The Car Buyers Bill of Rights or the Lemon Law as it's known in the DMV, remember that? That was all Cindy. She fought the biggest lobbyist in Sacramento the dealers and beat them.
and yes she also did the papparazzi bill but she also wrote the bill to keep pesticides from being tested on our children in the public schools...or did you forget that or maybe you didn't know that for years they experimented on our kids with pesticides? She put a stop to it.
Aah, and how about when she fought the State universities from raising their fees and the community colleges from doing the same. Oh wait, this is politics and you all expect us voter to forget. Well, some of us don't.
I was also mad when she did not run for the seat in Pacoima because we all believed that she was finally going to clean up the crap that surrounds our beautiful little city. It was dissappointing but this city has a great respect for her and what she did for us and our city. She was young and wise. She is now mature and even wiser with all her experience.
About her positions, you people just want to slam someone but she is not doing anything different than what we white folk have done in government forever. Look around and tell me we weren't doing this before. The only difference is she is latino and a woman.
I wish her success if she decides to run. I will be there to help her.
Tamar has no ground operation. Do your research on who ran her field in 2007. She's in for a ride.
ANYONE WHO GETS AN ENDORSEMENT FROM ANTONIO SHOULD LOSE STRAIGHT OUT. That's the grass root movement "motto." There already are too many Antonio morons in city hall. Stop the corruption NOW. Vote against Cindy
That is such an asinine statement that you at 7:33 AM don't even deserve to be listened to. ANYone who is endorsed by the Mayor of Los Angeles should be outright ignored. You have got to be kidding me.
Stupid is as stupid does.
You don't deserve someone as competent (spelled right by the way) as Cindy. Who knows what will happen in CD 2? More than likely, it will be a special election although that is a terrible waste of money right now in my humble opinion.
The candidate that is going to run for CD 12 will come as a great shock to the current administration and their wannabe.
I live in the part of the valley where all the Latino politicians have showed up to ask for our vote. My neighborhood is kinda the same. If we had some improvement it's because we had help from a very generous woman by the name of Gina Felix Goldman. Anyone can drive near the Glenoaks street, or Sheldon street, or Hollywood way street, or San Fernando Street and you will see that many of the streets are now slurry sealed thanks to this woman. We have now stop lights, streets lights, street signs, speed bumps, and most importantly, we know that we have her to help when ever we have a community concern. She picks up the phone and things get done. Because when we call any Latino representative we get the run around. The same re-action we have gotten with Wendy Gruel's field deputies. But with this woman, it seems to me that the people in City Council listen to her. Maybe because she has money or maybe because she is a celebrity, or maybe because these corrupt politicians think they will be able to get money from her for their political career. Whatever it is, I know one thing for sure that out of all the Latino politicians who are as of now ripping us off, the only one that would be able to fill Wendy Gruel's seat would be this woman, Gina Felix Goldman. Simply because she doesn't need the money and simply because she has class, and simply because you can see for yoursleves what she has done in our community. Drive by these streets and you will see...
I have always said... you can put a nice suit or dress on these Latino politicians and they will look spiffy... but you can not give them class.
Hello everyone, I live in the Hollywood area near Santa Monica and Western. I'm living there because I can afford where I live. I know that this area is very high in crime, and the area is very dirty. This area definately doesn't look like Sherman Oaks. If I had the money I would live there.I moved to L.A from London to make a drastic career change. Being British, I had to make a lot of changes and had to get to know the area/neighborhood. I don't know if this is important to anyone but, being the nosy person that I am....I have to tell everyone that this individual (Gina Felix Goldman) who was mentioned in a comment, happens to own property in the Hollywood area. After we had a lot of drug activity and constant street dumping, and people drinking in the streets, and increase in gang activity in that area.. this woman came to a meeting in the neighborhood and had harsh words with the Hollywood field deputies. Needless to say she put the fear of God into them.
The next day we had frequent police patroll, a cleaning crew came to pick up the bulky items, and thanks to her we now have a street light near the apartment complex. I can safely say that I feel safe in that part of town knowing that she can help. It is good to know that she is doing the same thing in the valley.
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