Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Los Angeles elected officials would love to lure major manufacturing plants to the region, especially anything that has the "green" tag attached to it but it's business climate is so hostile to business the big factories may take a look but are going elsewhere.  The latest hit is Coda Motors, an upstart electric car company that is picking the East Bay town of Benicia in Northern California for it's assembly facility.  The Bay Area has succesfully attracted the technology industry to center there, particularly in very business friendly Santa Clara County while LA only attracts taco trucks.

There's more...

Daniel Kroop writing at Los Angeles and First gives a good primer on the upcoming city elections in Los Angeles.  Contrasting that with the last mid-term election in 2007 - if history repeats itself - turnout will be low, few if any incumbents are challenged and none are forced to run-off.  But perhaps, thanks to the efforts of some, history may not repeat itself.  Fun takeaway: Kroop refers to staffers seeking to replace retiring incumbents - such as CD12's Mitch Englander - as "incumbents lite."  Apt reference to Englander some of his opponents might say.

If nothing more speaks to the coming train wreck for the California Democratic Party this fall (besides recent bad news poll results) it's Steve Lopez (not a Republican) chronicling the bizarre circus that was Governor Moonbeam's important event at the LA Cathedral where Jerry promised an announcement that turned out to be a non-announcement.  Lopez says the event started out with a pep rally for Democratic legislators who eagerly took their bows (despite the fact as Lopez mentions any wise candidate for Governor might want to keep arms length from the current legislature).  Following this was San Francisco Mayor and now Lt. Governor candidate Gavin Newsom of whom Lopez says is "now groveling for a job so irrelevant, the last headline out of the office was when Cruz Bustamante went on a diet." And finally,showing that he perhaps now what photo ops NOT to show up, Mayor Villaraigosa may have wisely skipped Brother Jerry's Traveling Salvation Show.

But wait Jerry gets more bizarre.  Last week Brown's opponent, Republican Meg Whitman, aired a spot that features a clip from the 1992 Democratic Presidential campaign in which then Governor Bill Clinton accused Jerry Brown of raising taxes when Governor of California.  Clinton was citing a CNN report that CNN has apparently since retracted.  That being said even though it's a nearly 20 year old clip Brown on Sunday attacked Clinton and accusing of him of lying about Brown's record on behalf of Clinton.  Brown even went as far to refer to the whole Monica Lewinsky debacle.  Later an aide must have reminded Jerry this is 2010 and not 1992 and Governor Moonbeam issued an apology to President Clinton and called his Presidency "excellent." Jerry thanks for reminding us how fun you are!

The Valley Industry and Commerce Association - helmed by Stuart Waldman, the man Jack Humphreville referred to as "rotund" plans to start its own PAC to elect "business friendly candidates." However the VICA PAC probably will not support any candidates in the 2011 election and apparently won't go after any incumbents.  Business leadership in the San Fernando Valley has been horribly lacking for years, despite some very nice people who are involved, and pales by comparison to what we see in other parts of California or even locally such as in the Santa Clarita Valley. VICA may want to press the gas however on their PAC before the Clean Sweep Movement gains further steam, or perhaps, even consider some sort of alliance.  By the way Stuart you should try my diet - it works! (or you can try Cruz Bustamante's, whatever works.)