Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday
The Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council has endorsed the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign. Which in itself is all warm and fuzzy and of course everyone is for clean air. The problem is however when you bring the DWP into the mix you get all kinds of wasteful Measure B like programs that reward special interests but do little if anything to solve the problem. Hopefully the folks at the Neighborhood Council will monitor and speak out against such boondoggles but in these cases activists are more committed to the cause than the result.
The DREAM Act is proposed Federal legislation that would allow illegal immigrant youth to become legal if they stay out and trouble and go to school or serve in the military. However there appears to be a bit of a rift between immigration reform advocates who are seeking support from religious folks and young Gay immigrant leaders who are becoming increasingly more vocal.
A group of women activists say that the 14th amendment offers them equal protection to go around topless just like men, without getting arrested. So they marched breasts bare in Venice on Sunday. Sounds good to me.
As you get older it can be discomforting to see things change in the world, which after all, whether you like it or not, is the natural order of things. However here's one less change that is at least put off for now: the legendary and universally loved Vin Scully will return to call games for the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 62nd season next year.
Labels: beyond coal, dream act, dwp, greater griffith park neighborhood council, illegal immigration, mayor antonio villaraigosa, pension funds, Sierra Club, topless rights, vin scully
Posted by Michael Higby @ 8/23/2010 02:00:00 AM
8 Comments:
"If the Mayor wants to solve the problem, he will have to grow some major cojones." Are you kidding? The last thing Villaraigosa wants to do is take on the unions - he's counting on them to finance his future. This Mayor considers 'success' to be very simply this - that he manages to stave off bankruptcy. This Mayor is perfectly content to leave the problem to whoever comes next, likely to be Jan Perry. Villaraigosa would like Perry to succeed him as she will be such a disaster that we'll look back fondly on the Villaraigosa years - much like many Americans now look back on George W. Bush.
Maybe they should start with disqualifying convicted serial killers from receiving pensions. But, then, disqualifying convicted felons might be too close to home for some politicians.
Neither the mayor or any member of the city council have the moral backbone to do what is right on the pension Titanic. They all have been a part of it and of course added to it by increasing the amount of time they can serve on the council. Vote for anyone running against an incumbant. It is time to change the sheets.
Higby, when are you going to be open about Rod Spit & Joe B[ully] contributing to another blog?
The Mayor has no balls. He is just a little bully who takes advantage of the weak. He knows first hand from all the ass whopping he took growing up.
The Mayor of Failure will solve the pension gap by taxing bloggers as they do in Philly. As there are so many bloggers in LA and so much to complain about, we could have a balanced budget before the Mayor is indicted.
The way I see it is that we are stuck - no matter what the Mayor grows. State law will restrict any means of pension "reform" for existing pension-holders only because the law requires whatever is taken, something else of equal value be returned in kind. There is no money for trade-offs.
That means the pension deficit will continue to grow and force the city in bankruptcy because there is no way the city can pay about 70% for police and fire from the existing budget, coupled with another 30% for pensions by 2014 or so. That means the 30% the city now has to operate will be gone. Thus bankruptcy.
If there is to be any reform, it will come too late no matter if the Mayor gets it or not.
No matter what, he will pass the buck, never stand up to the unions, and then they will all realize how screwed they will be when the state ends up just like Los Angeles.
Unless the people finally get it! And, take action (like Clean Sweep).
Time for a Chapter 9 filing.
And Jan will never become mayor. It is Eric's race(no pun intended) to lose.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home