Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday
More excellent reporting from the Latino Politics Blog. A recent post notes that the state legislators who drive the three most expensive government provided vehicles are Senator Ron Calderon, Senator Gil "Two Bill Gill" Cedillo and Senator Dean Florez, who according to the LA Times drive a Cadillac STS, a Lexus 400H and a Lexus LX 400 respectively, all on your dime. The blog couldn't have put it any better when they said "I think that in a climate where so many of us are penny pinching, asking students to make sacrifices or go without summer school, Cal Grants, and face fee increases at public colleges and universities, it certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Californians to have to foot the bill for luxury cars for the state’s already well compensated elected leaders."
Neighborhood Councils are among those invited to a "volunteer appreciation picnic" organized by the Mayor on June 27th. No word on how much this costs or who is paying for it but a memo sent by Villaraigosa staffer Antonio Sanchez includes the real reason why the event is being organized: "We hope to organize a picture with neighborhood council members and the newly elected City officials." There you go. One giant photo op.
Once again William Bratton proves he doesn't get the LAPD or Los Angeles tradition and screws over the men in uniform. This time he's going against the wish of the both the LAPD union and the film industry by banning retired LAPD officers who work film shoots from wearing LAPD uniforms. Instead Bratton wants the officers to wear something resembling some local business improvement "safety ambassadors" wear. The film industry is right to concern than when dealing with issues on a film location the officers wearing the new uniforms won't command the same respect.
So the Mayor has supposedly found private funds to pay the parade to mark the LA Lakers World Championship yet he says even if he hadn't located the donor cash he would have spent City funds anyway. The Mayor also claims the parade will earn $15 million for the City. Questions: 1) Who is funding this parade and what do they get for it, 2) Where does the Mayor get off saying he'd spend the funds anyway and, 3) Who really believes this parade will generate $15 million in taxes for the City?
The DWP implemented a "cash for grass" program and no its not related to this photo. Homeowners who replace their lawn with water saving plants, rocks or cement will get $1 for every square foot of thirsty lawn they remove. Of course, the DWP is playing a bit smart here; if you haven't been watering your lawn and its already dead they won't pay you to remove it.
Labels: dean florze, fraud waste and abuse, Gil Cedillo, lakers, lapd, latino politics blog, mayor antonio villaraigosa, photo ops, ron calderon, william bratton
Posted by Michael Higby @ 6/17/2009 04:00:00 AM
38 Comments:
Uhhhhh......I THINK you're co-mingling "ONE-bill Gil" with "Two Buck Chuck."
Let's see after the parade if anyone actually pays. People can promise to pay, but I won't believe it until the cash is in hand.
Will anyone in the media follow-up and make sure that the City is not left holding the bag? I doubt it. Let's hope that Mayor Sam's does.
Michael, the story does not mention at all whether the police union is for or against this issue. Those old timers retired LAPD officers are just that RETIRED. They get no updated LAPD training, they don't take direction from LAPD, they don't have any police powers and are considered regular citizens just like you and I yet are able to wear their LAPD uniform. Sorry but I agree they need to STOP.
Already a bunch of gang banger losers at the coliseum and downtown streets. They look like Antonio's homies. Why doesn't a reporter ask the Mayor why he didnt' attend ONE PLAYOFF GAME? Antonio likes the Tijuana Chivas team. Not one city council member went to a playoff game and like the hypocrites they are they will be on the buses with the Lakers. I hope that gang banger Mayor gets booed so loudly
I think the parade is wonderful, but from a different angle.
All of these blue collar idiots are spending money that they probably can't afford to spend on stupid things like hats, jerseys and t-shirts.
Given that this is a midday, mid-week event, it's safe to assume that most of them don't have a job to go to, in the same way that phil genderjane and zuma dogg don't have jobs to go to.
So I say go ahead and enjoy the day at the coliseum and paying taxes on everything you buy. That inflated tax rate. Take money out of your pocket for something that will fade with the first wash.
As for the politicians hanging out for photo ops, who can blame them? YOU put them in office, or you didn't vote, and didn't do enough to get new people in the positions, so their canceling city council today comes as no surprise. If you don't like it, too bad; you didn't get enough people out to the polls to make a change. You deserve these idiots.
I'm sorry but those retired cops at movie sets are assholes. They think they own the damn place.
I wonder how the Neighborhood Council members will react to the Mayors recent attempt to slash 80% of their budgets?
I would be surprised if he shows up at all.
Agreed. Retired cops on movie sets SHOULD NOT command the same respect as real cops. And they should not have the power to stop traffic on real streets when entertainment industry filming intrudes into real neighborhoods. Chief Bratton did the right thing.
IT IS PROBABLY JUST A RUMOR, BUT....
IS ZUMA DOGG AT THE LAKER EVENT AT THE COLISEUM DEMANDING THAT HE GETS TWO MINUTES TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT?
"YEA, YEA, CHANNEL 35! FUCK ERIK GARSETTI! FUCK JACK WEISS! NO TRACT MAPS! I'M GOING TO SUE YOU FOR VIOLATING THE BROWN ACT! WHAT UP, HARBOR?"
I'm sorry, but retired cops should not be hired on movie shoots to begin with, as movies are our most precious commodity in Los Angeles. I would prefer to see real officers be in charge rather than shills. Retired officers should be reviving the D.A.R.E. program and helping the community in other ways.
We need real response capable L.A.P.D. officers to keep the film industry safe from crime, vandalism and perhaps even itself! Retired officer seem to be preferred because they "look the other way." So Bratton's "uniform" would make L.A.P.D. look worse, not better.
If he's going to touch on the subject of L.A.P.D. uniforms, what about reserve officers? They wear the same uniform as paid officers. They don't get the same training and are not risking their lives every day like real L.A.P.D. officers.
Bratton just loves the whole uniform thing. If he can add a new gadget or a new uniform, that makes his day. I think it's time for a reality check.
Rita, that's your most clever comment I've seen. As Arnold would say, "That's a good one!"
If you go to Rita's profile, it says Occupation "Undefinable."
At least Rita can make fun of herself, silicone boobs with the traffic they AND her brownie badges generate to her bedroom, and more. She's a professional commenter on Kevin James and even McIntyre so that's her avocation.
"Occupation undefinable" goes for Phil Gendergone too as well as virtually all the professional public commenters at city hall.
And these are the people we need to pay close attention to? sorry but although they're idiots on the whole I can't blame council for not being glued to them with rapt attention. I can't imagine any of them even passing a remedial class at community college. And unlike Rita they're too dumb to realize how dumb they are so they can't take any jokes about themselves.
Newsome just hired GEorge Gascon as San Francisco Police Chief. He's been Chief in Mesa, AZ, and is a strong advocate of sanctuary policies which are near and dear to San Francisco's and Newsome's hearts.
Gascon is a Cuban whose girlfriend is another telebimbo for Spanish language tv here in L A, and this is considered a move to be closer to her and eventually return to L A to take over here when Bratton moves on.
So those of you who think Bratton's too liberal with illegals and friendly with Latinos (not true in my opinion, if you see how tough he's been on the rioters downtown -- even as he's fighting a challenge from ACLU over lifting the consent decree that he's NOT color-blind enough) will love that.
I can already see Kevin James going crazy about the mention of his name, just that he's in San Francisco where there was that other high-profile murder by illegal Latino gangmembers that James and McIntyre tried to also lay at the feet of Bratton/LA officials.
When even the Jamiel Shaw murder had to do with County/ DA Cooley/Sheriff Lee Baca. But never mind logic in this issue: just stoke up those two and watch the airwaves steam up. Any bets on Gascon making it to L A?
For now this should actually give Antonio a leg up on Newsome with that crowd. But nah, like I said logic has no place with them.
Sad news to me. ZD shut down his blog due to lack of funds. JM shut off comments. Maybe got more threats? Anyway I'm sad to see them stressed out by haters and nutsacks.
Rita of Sundland - WOW!! You look like Carol Channing. WTF
Rita of Sunland - You look like a wally. You are one ugly bird!!
Keep that mug in Sunland, and stay out of the Sun.
Its official, his bags are unpacked and he filed his Notice of Intent with the City Ethics Commission. Welcome to the Party Paul K. Oh by the way just what part did you play in Bankrupting the State of California?
Zuma Dogg should check in to a sober living and learn how to live right. The people in L.A. will be able to keep it together without ZD.
Though capable of saying intelligent things and observant, Zuma Dogg goes too far and could really use some better internal guidance.
Hope ZD mellows out and gets his act together, otherwise, next stop...51/50
Good luck Zuma Dogg! Hope you find the answers you need.
2:31: How much did it cost ZD to run his blog? Is this an expensive thing?
6:20: Can we trust the new City Controller to tell us if anyone who promised to pay for the parade, actually pays?
I too wish ZD luck Foxy LA Lady. But I do not enjoy his blog posts that fight with Phil nor his begging for money from people he thinks have more than he does. What does he know? We have children, old parents, home mortgages and bills. With all respect for the work he's done, he's following his dream and he wants us to pay for it. I have a dream, but I have bills. He needs to get a job now.
the City made a fortune out of parking tickets. its how they generate goodwill in the community : "oh yeah come out to the parade" then they hustle out every parking officer to write citations to wreck people's day.
yeah yeah, theres rules and stuff, but there's no appropriate parking and on a special occasion like that, they should waive parking time limit between 9 and 2.
its called goodwill. people feel like they're 'getting' something, instead of always being taken from.
in fact, the City should provide an 'incentive' on all parking tickets, a discount if you pay quickly. many times that 'incentive' can be the difference between getting cash, and a drawn out litigation.
because even if the motorist is in the right, sometimes its just easier and lesss painful to pay.
making it even less painful in the pocket will help gfet the money quicker.
Jennerjahn... stick to what you know -- losing elections (badly).
It wasn't Mayor V., lying little scumbag that he is, that tried to cut NC budgets by 80 percent, it was the City Council.
Villaraigosa only suggested a 10 percent cut.
DONE is pounded the pavement trying to get NC people to attend the Volunteers Appreication Day, and not having a lot of luck. Antonios people are doubling up DONE's efforts, and that's even more useless.
They had to combine last year's mayor's budget day with the Congress of Neighborhoods just to get enough bodies on site to make the mayor not look like a huge failure BEFORE the L.A. Magazine came out with that "award" for him.
Yes, they'll spend a lot of money, but in the end most of the volunteers won't be the elected neighborhood council people that are increasingly ANTI-tonio.
FUCK LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE!
THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE FUCKING BAWLS TO COME OUT WITH ITS DECLARATION OF ANTONIO AS A FAILURE JUST A FEW MONTHS EARLIER WHEN IT MATTER.
IT DOESN'T MEAN SHIT NOW. I'M NOT A BIT SORRY THAT I LET MY SUBSCRIPTION LAPSE. SAME OLD LISTS, SAME OLD BULLSHIT.
Lincoln Heights
http://lincolnquicknotes.blogspot.com/2009/06/lakers-parade-and-rally-private-money.html
We have children, old parents, home mortgages and bills.
Don't you ever see when I say, "who can easily afford it." No one has to help me, and I've pushed as much as I can, but can't anymore. Sorry.
Should I keep it going because you are having hard times?
1119pm, he's running for governor. the cover hurts.
You had a subscription to Los Angeles magazine? A subscription? LOOSER!!!
Huizar loses yet another staffer, bringing the grand total to nearly 60 staffers and 5 chief of staffs in 3 years. This is unheard of, just crazy. well maybe he shouldnt count because he was more like a personal assistant, handy man, driver, dog walker, bar tender amd baby sitter. I smell a law suit.
So stop talking about it! Stop blogging about it! Stop doing public comment which I should add has been very ho-hum lately. No excitement the way you used to do.
I bet Huizar's wife hasn't meet his new lunch server because if she had she would put a stop to that.
I've been to council twice and this very hot blond with fun bags the size of mellons has been bringing him is lunch to council. Richelle, you should see how he lights up when she shows up.
In his defense it could be the food that gets him so excited since he is not lacking in the weight department.
I hope when i grow and become a councilmember i too can have a my cake and eat her too, oops i mean eat it too.
If anybody knows her name please let me know because she is hot and makes me trusty when i see those sweater puppies asking to be petted.
Who's this that has left Huizar now?! It's too hard to keep track of who leaves his office.
Ok, this needs to be done:
Can somebody compile a list of ALL Huizar staffers how have abandoned ship and gone on to better places?
This, without a doubt, will be fun to do.
1:48 Compiling a list of all those that have left CD-14
Im going to need a lot of paper but i will jump right on it as soon as i finish my list of ethic violations CD-14 has commited.
Has anybody seen the 4th July firework banners hanging all over CD-14? They have Jose Huizar name all over them. That is a violation and a major missuse of public funds. I wonder if the city clerk has told them anything about this? if they have and still refuse to take them down or change them out i think Nuch's team should get right one this.
Oh, did someone leave, I thought it was Henry the wife beater who left
5:58 pm -
How is having Huizar's name on banners a violation? Please, don't take this as some comment from a Huizar Lover. Frankly, I'm not very impressed with him up until now and don't think that he can do anything of substance in the next few years with the way he has been.
But as much as I might just gag for seeing the banners with his name on them, I don't see how it's a violation of anything. I see it more as just another elected using city funds to promote themselves, which is part of the game at any level of government with term limits being around.
Come guys cant we all get along and leave Sleazzy Huizzy alone.
P.S. 11:28 it wasn’t wife beater Henry Casas, because she wasn’t his wife and actually according to City Clerk he is still on payroll.
2:03
How is it a violation you ask, well its a violation beacuse the City Clerk says so. He says so because its against the law for city councilmembers to
use city funds to promote themselves. It's a form of illegal campaigning. Got it?
heard KOBE had a fit cause he had to be on the same bus as Mayor Villar. oh well, if you noticed the where on opposite sides of the bus. the BOO's where LOUD. does it matter to ya tony??? Told ya to not think with your little head. Bet you don't remember do ya. I told ya so.
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