Morning Briefs and Outtakes on the Eve of "El Grito"
"Not everyone is happy with Summer Night Lights"
We start off our morning with this public plea.
FROM: Community Artist, Apprentices, and Master Artist/SNL 2009
RE: Summer Night Lights (SNL) Contract
DATE: September 2, 2009
To Whom May It Concern,
We the artists of the SNL Gang Reduction Program demand immediate payment for our services. Many of us turned down other work to be a part of this important effort. The SNL programs success is majorly due to the arts component that is present at all 16 parks. We all depend on this - this is our work, we have committed ourselves not only to our craft but to our community to provide the services they all deserve. Likewise we deserve to be treated as professionals in our field of expertise. The Arts community is one of the most effected groups from the current economic downturn and continue to be disregarded by this neglect on the part of the City of Los Angeles.
The experience working hands on with the community has been remarkable. Many of us artist have gone through various lengths and have over exceeded in order to sustain the art, music and dance workshops for Summer Night Lights. For example, asking our colleagues, friends and organizations to donate materials, paying directly from our pockets, swiping our credit cards, borrowed money for equipment and materials. Although we have been partially reimbersed for materials, we have not been paid for our time and professional experience. There has been a significant amount of preparation, time, planning and effort to make SNL a success. Our efforts have over exceeded our expectations and requirements.The latest press release sent out on August 24th regarding White House Conference on Gang Violence and Crime Control states the following: “U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder praised Mayor’s SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS program as an innovative approach to reducing gang violence.” This press release illustrates the success of the program however on the other hand we are outraged that we have been left in the shadows; we have been left to fend and find innovative methods to implement and succeed on our own without proper compensation. We have not been paid for our services or materials and equipment.
The contract clearly states that the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayors office will provide modest budgets for materials and equipment, we were told by, Michelle Berne, DCA of a budget cut from our original proposal for equipment and materials, soon after we received 25% of our materials budget three weeks into the program. SNL is now in the last week and we have not received not a single payment for our services.We need answers today, via email, letter and a follow up phone call. Thank you for your time and effort in bridging our communities thru the arts.
Sincerely,
SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS 2009 MASTER ARTIST, COMMUNITY WORKERS, AND APPRENTICES
Maybe these contract workers/ artists should realize that it was more important to bailout Father Boyle's Homeboy Industry with $200,000 in T-shirt sales and pay $6,000 to the 16 "Summer Night Advocates" to spin the virtues of the program within their respective hoods.
OTHER NEWS:
** The Daily News City Hall Beat Writer Rick Orlov, highlights Antonio's comadre Maria Elena Durazo, Jim Alger's buddy Mitch Englander and the re energize Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in his Monday's "Tipoff Column".
** Former City Controller Candidate and DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras has come out in support of Tamar Galatzan for the vacant CD 2 Council Seat. He joined with Galatzan in a presser to push for an "DWP citizen advocate".
** The "Old Gray Westside Hag On Spring Street" opines on the dire fiscal days ahead at City Hall. The opening sentence gets to the point.
City Controller Wendy Greuel reported last month that Los Angeles, if it stays on its present course of spending and anticipated revenue, will run out of money next May.
But the question here is whether Greuel and her former City Council colleagues will have the fortitude to tell the likes of IBEW, SEIU and AFSCME, that their early retirement scheme will need more concessions??
** Kudos to LA's and Drudge cohort Andrew Breitbart on the roll out of his latest "bloggin endeavor", "Big Government". Maybe Breitbart will find some time to investigate some of the sub contractors getting gang money in this city. Wonder if ACORN can help in facilitating the creation of a brothel, with a large choice of "Telebimbos" for a certain Spring Street Politico??
** Racism is alive and well in the collectivist cranium of one "Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street" Columnist Tim "KIM IL" Rutten, the "Dear Leader of objectively bias Westside Journalism". Paraphrasing Samuel Johnson, "Racism is the last refuge of an mainstream, collectivist columnist with West LAist Liberal tendencies".
** This is dedicated to the Jack Weiss Groupie/ Nuch hater. Patrick R. McDonald questions whether the City Attorney is screwing over some homeless guy in Northridge. The scary part is the name of the "real estate expert" Comment away hater!!, ......... and don't forget to keep tabs on the busted pipes.
Your thoughts.....................
Labels: "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET", andrew breitbart, daily news, Summer Night Lights
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 9/14/2009 10:01:00 AM
20 Comments:
Big Hollywood launched over a year ago.
Stand corrected.
Who: me or you?
Nick came out for Tamar a couple of weeks ago, and as for Orlov, he's just an old gossip who sits around on his fat ass and reads press releases and blogs, thinks politics is a popularity contest and goes with whoever is loudest, has no guts except what's around his middle.
11:50, I stand corrected.
Higby and this blog never reported when Tamar got endorsed by the Daily News, but if it had been Paul or gawd help us Zuma Dogg, he would have trumpeted it in a thread.
And this blog never reports all the big negative stuff being said by that Nooch like the Daily News editorial slamming him just a couple days ago or Doug McIntyre calling him out and siding with Chick and Wendy Greuel. There have been LOTS of articles all over the place about what an egotist, incompetent and bully he is. When it's someone you don't like, you LOOK for negative stuff. HOw many more threads can you post on hating Nahai and Essel, for example? You're barely better than Kevin James.
1209 How many more pipes will burst?
You're evading the central point again, Higby.
When you have a city attorney who's using that massive legal staff AND the DA's to bully and threaten to destroy everyone else not part of their Republican cabal including the Controller, volunteer Board and Commission members, and even wants authority to hire 200 secret police "to police the police" -- which Doug notes is the bottom line above and beyond his lying and deceit to get elected, even bigger than that he's just plain dumb and vulgar, you've got something way bigger than anything else going on in the city.
Mayor Sam, can we get a Water Main Burst counter on MS? I'd like to see how fast the toteboard spins those numbers as the pipes continue to burst and burst and burst and burst.
Keep in mind that Nahai is the fall guy and that not replacing the pipes and other DWP infrastructure has gone on for decades. The amounts needed for everything, including the shabby above-ground electricity wires in the ritzy hills, the sewer pipes all over the city, is enormous.
This problem should have been more vigorously addressed 30 years ago, but as recently as 1-2 years ago, when downed power lines around Coldwater caught fire, Jan Perry got angry that the councilmember wanted to make it a priority to secure them - ideally, they should be below-ground like in newer tracts like in the valley. This is a problem is all the hills even to the Echo Park/Los Feliz areas. Steve Lopez demanded action for his own house when his lines went down in one storm.
And of course, we should have built the subway decades ago too, when numbskulls like Zev actually bowed to reactionary Homeowner pressure and asked the feds NOT to give us money.
Nahai just happens to be here when it's all coming to roost on his head. (not literally)
Does anyone know if Edison's area has been any better maintained over the decades? The argument that a private company just has its executives siphoning off more, may be true too: look at private insurers, the oil co's, etc.
Sure VD, let's have a map of all the burst pipes like for crimes - it IS really all too much.
Thanks Red Spot. Hey, tell the City Attorney to go after those illegal vendors who now have huge restaurant type set ups and not paying a cent on rent, permits, etc. Hey the El Grito event tomorrow in front of city hall is costing the legal tax payers $75,000 in a special event waiver but Greuel is saying we are going bankrupt every day.
Gee Willikers, Red Spoot, make UP your mind.
First, I believe, you bitched about the costs of Lite Summer Nights, and now you appear to be getting all pissy-britches defensive about the artists getting paid.
Dont'cha know . . . if the City doesn't pay the artists, it SAVES lots of taxpayer money.
DUH!
Just tell them artsy types they were actually on "furlough" during the summer months, concurrent with watching remedials eat paste and practice "tagging" on paper.
(P.S. in the current economy, artists who say they "turned down other work" to do this are best trained in the "art" of LYING, which of course qualifies them to be politicians, too).
Nahai's failure is that he should have made clear what DWP's infrastructure needs are so that when things started breaking he could say that he was aware of the possibility but no one wanted to provide the funding.
Can you imagine what it would cost to underground the power lines?
Patrick Swayze just died.
Zuma predicted it first right there on Mayor Sam.
Can you think of a better reason to vote for him for CD2 Councilman?
I can't.
Actually, I can't think of ANY reason.
When it comes to city contractors, it's spelled "El Greed-o"
You talk about a "nuch hater" and "Weiss groupie" when you trashed Weiss night and day on every post, without rhyme or reason, but haven't posted links to any of the numerous people and media waking up to what a liar and fraud and egomaniac nuch is. Do you think anyone takes this blog seriously anymore, except your soulmates like Kevin James? Really?
I tune out to assholes like the commenter at 12:02 who immediately starts bashing somebody's weight as opposed to bashing real substance.
Rick Orlov isn't fat, isn't an old gossip and has guts. Just because he isn't tacky like you...he's a cut above you. Without a doubt.
I have underground power lines in my neighborhood and I don't care how much they cost, they are worth it. It looks gorgeous and I never, ever lose my power. That IS infrastructure. Somebody saw ahead 30 years into the future at something that would cost less for us now, 30 years later. I admire that.
If there had been blogs back then, I'm sure all of you would have bitched about the expense of the underground power lines.
I thought for sure that Nick Patsaouras would endorse Wendy's gal, Chris after Wendy beat him.
As for Summer Nites, I volunteered to face paint a few times, used my own paint's and never got so much as a thank you, so people who expect to get paid, ah, is it possible you just volunteered your services, when I get paid to face paint I make sure I get paid first before I do the job, artists should know better.
As for busted pipes, we have known for years the city infrastructure cant take the high demand due to new housing, I predict the most busted pipes to occur in the Temple-Beaudry area, where the Billion Dollar Royal Learning Center sits, including the streets called Boylston, Court St. As Clowncilman Ed Reyes allowed all these cheap boxes he called apartments to beover built. possiblely also in Angelino Hts. Most definitately the "OLDER" neighborhoods will be most affected. I'm glad it happened in the Valley and not in the inter city first. I don't mean it as a slight, but as a truth. the Dominos are about to start falling.
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