Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday
Whether you like it or not! | SF Weekly
The LA Times opines that with the former LAPD Chief William Bratton, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and City Controller Laura Chick all gone now the real "Villaraigosa Era" begins now at City Hall. With term limits rendering the Mayor a lame duck and nowhere to go but up Villaraigosa may find its now or never to accomplish something and leave a legacy. Hence his push to speed up rail construction. With a controversial City Attorney and a continually dysfunctional City Council the Mayor might just be able to seize an opportunity to lead. Indeed, the Mayor's first big opportunity to have an imprint on City Hall will come Monday when he announces HIS choice for Police Chief.
In the wake of Gavin Newsom's crash and burn, the Times asks if Mayor Villaraigosa should get back into the Governor's race. In an unscientific poll about 70% of Times readers responding say no. Its not going to happen folks. Villaraiogsa is now in full legacy mode; as well too much of the Villaraigosa machine is embedded into Team Moonbeam that a jumping back in would be logistically and politcally tough for the Mayor.
CityWatch is not sure if City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is a clown or a bully or a wolf or their bully or wolf (or their clown or bully or wolf) but its really the SLAP-happy Citybeat readership AKA the AARP that eggs Nuch on to go after stupid crap like pot and billboards. With gang crime and violence (a solemn reminder that its still out there when two men were shot a North Hollywood synagogue last week) plaguing the City its clear that these type of distractions simply must be removed from Nuch's plate. One shot at that comes in the State Legislature actually moving towards legalizing pot. In the meantime City resources are being expended on non-issues like mobile billboards.
Here's something you need to put on your radar. The City Council is considering a plan by Council Member Richard Alarcon to create "banking districts" in Los Angeles. As is usually the case, the plan has a well meaning objective - to get low-income people to use banks. However this plan is a huge invitation to fraud, waste and abuse. Consider five words that are part of the plan: "council district discretionary fund deposits." Uh, yea. We say no to banking districts. There are other less shady ways to reach this goal without giving banks corporate welfare and letting Council Members play with bank funds.
Efforts to implement instant run-off voting in Los Angeles are getting a boost from the candidates running for then open seat in CD2. Both Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian have endorsed the plan.
Yet another water main burst in LA, and one in Orange. Who is keeping track?
And finally remember that Mayor Sam's Sister City - the home of Los Angeles Politics - is indeed the place to get the news before it happens. In case you might have missed it, this blog was the first to break the story that Gavin Newsom would drop out of the Governor's race. Quickly following our post others in the mediasphere ran with it and shortly thereafter we knew it was true. We've developed a great network of insider sources throughout Los Angeles and California without whom we could not bring you the items you read here first often (and it is because of them not me you get this info). There is simply not enough digital ink available to express our gratitude to them but we are so grateful to them. Like I always say, stay tuned, you'll never know what will happen here next.
Labels: carmen trutanich, fraud waste and abuse, gavin newsom, mayor antonio villaraigosa, Richard Alarcon
Posted by Michael Higby @ 11/02/2009 02:00:00 AM
19 Comments:
Great post Michael. Shocking the LA Slimes would really blast the Failure of a Mayor Antonio. It sucks he's proloning his dog and pony show to get more photo ops from the selection of chief and disrespecting the position. No other dept. head not even that crook David Freeman DWP had to go through the bullshit the nominees are. Where is the outrage???? I'm getting emails saying that everyone should start booing Antonio where ever he goes to send the message Angelenos are tired of his bullshit. BOO BOO BOO BOO him like they do at big events Antonio is getting booed. Thanks for pointing out the Opinion Negative Blast of low life Mayor
But Villaraigosa's first term largely failed to deliver real change. The mayor's plan to improve schools sputtered; his housing initiatives ran aground in court; his (remarkable) achievement in securing funding for a "subway to the sea" has yet to result in new track; his anti-gang program never demonstrated much success. His achievements came primarily in the areas where he followed in Hahn's footsteps.
How different, really, would the last few years have been with Hahn still at the helm? Campaign rhetoric notwithstanding, the new mayor embraced the previous administration's policies. Environmental responsibility, labor peace, progressive politics, forward-looking transit, affordable housing -- all were hallmarks of the Hahn era. And as for Hahn's most lasting legacy -- his selection of Bratton -- the chief remained the dominant force in Los Angeles civic life during Villaraigosa's first term. The craftiest politician, the best communicator, the defining presence was not the mayor who landed on the cover of Newsweek and, later, in the nationwide gossip columns, but the chief handed down to him by his predecessor. Hahn was a mayor in the Los Angeles tradition, steady and calming rather than dynamic
Hahn was calm, he was honest, but he was asleep at the switch.
While he slept, his comissioners were engaging in practices like "pay to play" and lots of other shady stuff that gave off a stench so bad that Villaraigosa was able to capitalize upon it and ride it to victory.
There were no cranes during Jimmy's reign; no construction, no jobs. He essentially did nothing.
Villaraigosa has brought all of the construction to Los Angeles and deserves credit. Not just buildings, but transportation, public transportation.
And, no, I am not Mike Trujillo or a paid staffer. I just am an interested observer who calls a spade a spade.
Mayor Sam,
What is the reason for your prohibiting or editing comments about Phil?
Based on his obnoxious behavior, and absolutely ridiculous predictions, he should be no more of a protected personality on this blog than anyone else.
I know one other person on the blog who has complained of the very same thing. There was no vulgarity or anything out of the norm.
It's like you're using him as a foil, like a Larry "Bud" Melman, to stoke your clickety clicks (damn you Haikula for coining that!) but you dont allow him to have to face the music the way others, including you, have to.
7:44am Hey Szabo go schedule those dog & pony shows to at least give the appearance the FAILURE of a mayor is actually doing something. NOT!!! Hahn at least had class and wasn't as insecure and narcissistic as the asshole Antonio is. Read the opinion piece again loser. Antonio has done nothing but CAPITALIZE on Hahn's beginings. its only a matter of time before the FEDS get Antonio. His dealings still with the likes of Vignali and all the real estate in downtown LA, and other crooks like Alatorre he plays with to get deals will eventually catch up to him. Antonio has the lowest job performance numbers in the history of this city.
Phil isn't protected he can handle himself fine.
Where is it being held? I would like to go and I think others would too.
If that's what you want to believe, you're entitled to do that but I think you are dead wrong.
7:44AM, you are an uneducated moron. It takes 5-6 yrs for cranes to rise once the project is conceived. Where are the cranes now, when we desperately need them? Figure that out....
OMG!!!! The chief candidate Michael Moore is saying HE IS LATINO. Hell no its not Latino one bit. He's as Latino as Cesar Chavez is Asian. Who does he think he and the Mayor are kidding? There's rumor Zine, Smith are pusing for their valley guy Moore to get chief. Its beyond insulting for Moore to even say he's even part Latino cause Daily News said he's not.
This particular Editorial is signed as an OpEd piece by Editorial Writer Robert Greene - the one who, along with the now-departed Jim Newton who was head of editorials, dislikes the mayor and supports Nooch largely to put a cog in his wheels. Even as he eggs him on in this back-handed way. Greene honed his pen working for Republican party activist Roger Grace on his wholly owned Met-News Enterprise, another one that recently went all out for Nooch vs. the Times. (One of the very few that still supports that angry mob of mean old SLAPPers in THEIR support of Nooch's illegal, bullying thug tactics.)
It's really unusual that an editorial writer would sign his name to an OpEd instead - this means it's a personal opinion not reflecting "the paper" as such. "The paper" seems to veer all over the place in its editorials now, but maybe there was a discussion and Greene was asked to take the unusual step of signing this as a personal opinion for a reason. (FAct that SLAPPER Bible CityWatch has even featured so many negative article first written elsewhere about Nooch is more typical of the general opinion out there.)
Trying to claim everything he's done so far is to continue Hahn's pattern is patently false, if you look at schools, mass transit - Hahn got nowhere with that, having let Zev and Waxman actually BAN giving L A money - didn't do much to attract jobs and revitalizing L A or focusing on affordable housing (something that would appeal to the SLAPpers who want NO traffic or "those people" but we need a balance). He also allowed to thrive the likes of Doug Dowie, BFF of sourpuss SLAPPER in Chief Ron kaye. It is true Antonio has not delivered on some of these yet because he's been stymied by the courts and the SLAPPERS, but that's not to say he's been complacently following Hahn's footsteps. That's just plain sourgrapes from someone who can't get over the fact Hahn lost.
Realtime results for #GettyHouse
You heard it here first:! #MayorVillaraigosa will announce new #LAPDChief outside #GettyHouse Tues. at 11am. Live Coverage NBC4.
what an asshole! Mayor Hahn showed way more class and was secure in his decision unlike this clown Antonio. He has to have everyone give an input because he doesn't trust his own decision making capabilities. He's nothing more then an ass wipe to everyone now. He'll get an earful when he goes on his stupid city tour with the nominees. Yes, e-mails flying telling people to give him a hard time. Everyone should exercise their 1st ammendment rights and tell off this clown for making this selection of chief a travesty
Did someone say GAVIN NEWSOM SEXY BLINGEE?
Pervs.
xoxo
LA should name geyser resulting from yet another watermain break in the valley after the mayor--"Old Unfaithful"
8:55 am Szabo stop trying to spin on here. Who cares about whether its an op ed or Opinion it shows what a FAILURE YOUR BOSS is. Antonio hired that new guy Jay Carson as a Deputy Mayor to try and get that Italian rail way but now that's it failed does he keep his job. You have Szabo being quoted as the Mayor's spokehole, but then what happened to the Village Idiot Jeff Carr?
Yes, there were projects just sitting waiting to get going that had been conceived prior to Antonio taking office, but the Hahn mechanisms were holding them back. His pals were making the developers pony up to their favorite causes and holding them in suspense. Never quite could get the approvals.
Antonio cut throgh the red tape and made the projects happen and he deserves the credit, not Hahn and his gang of fund raisers.
If you know anything about this city, yuou know exactly to whom I refer.
Hahn was a do-nothing Mayor and is now happily esconsced where he belongs, in a courtroom reading advance sheets.
Excuse me but it wasn't Mayor Hahn who had his photo on the cover of a National magazine with the appropriate words FAILURE Mayor Villaraigosa. Take a poll idiot and read the news web sites and blogs and maybe educate your sorry ass the Mayor is the most disliked and respected in this city. You must be a 3rd or 4th floor kiss butt. Let's see Antonio LIED about the Solar B Measure to the voters and even though he had $3 Million and the little people NOTHING they made sure he didn't pass. Antonio has 17 Deputy Mayors all making over $125,000 and you have the nerve to talk about Hahn? Antonio spent over $20,000 on a vacation for himself and friends and charged the taxpayers. Antonio pays over $450,000 for his personal security detail, has endless attorneys, assistants and is the most narcissistic clown in city hall.
Dum Dums,
If you have complaints about what other bloggers are writing on their blogs or Twitter accounts about this blog or any of it's readers I suggest you GO TO THEIR BLOGS and complain there.
I don't really see the point of my posting your comments complaining about other bloggers critiques of this blog. I appreciate the support but there is no need to give them any more airtime than they warrant.
Interested Observer:
It's really not cool for you to "call a spade a spade".
Asians aren't "Oriental" either.
Wow. You from Tennessee or something?
LA Girl
10:03 AM -
You always give your hateful self away because when you go on an anti-Villaraigosa rant, you always use the word amendment and spell it "ammendment".
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