Whistleblower hotline: (213) 785-6098
mayorsam@mayorsam.org

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Thomas L. Barrett  12/10/62- 12/14/10


In case you didn't realize it yet, the end is very near.

And while we're waiting, San Jose steps up righteously, and becomes the largest US city to ban the environmental devastating plastic bag. Now it is time for the City of LA to do the same!

J. Michael Hagopian, a filmmaker that spent his life gathering the testimonies of over 400 Armenian Genocide survivors has passed away at the age of 97;

-The filmmaker was a survivor of the genocide, which historians estimate resulted in the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman-ruled Turkey beginning in 1915. The Turkish government acknowledges a smaller number of deaths and attributes them to war, famine and disease, not genocide. It also contends that both Turks and Armenians lost their lives.
Hagopian's determination to refute the Turkish claims led him to his life's work: compiling 400 interviews with Armenian genocide survivors and witnesses. He used their accounts in several films on the World War I-era disaster that historians consider the first major genocide of the 20th century.
"My main aim during all these 40 or 50 years was to catch our history for the future," Hagopian said in a video tribute to him in April arranged by Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian.
"It's an extraordinarily special thing to have a survivor of the genocide be the world's leading chronicler" of the event, Krekorian, whose ancestors came from the same Armenian village as Hagopian's family, said in an interview Tuesday. "There are a relative handful of survivors left throughout the world, which is precisely why his life's work is so critically important. Without that work, the memories that all of these witnesses carried with them would have been lost to history."

In the Oh No You Didn't Take Away My Parking Pass department; nothing will piss off volunteer NC members and activists faster than not being able to park for free at City Hall. CD2 spokesman Jeremy Oberstein is working overtime to smooth the ruffled feathers.

Paul Hatfield sees an encouraging sign in Governor-Elect Jerry Brown's willingness to go after a sacred cow.

Finally, a sweet goodnight wish for my dear brother, Thomas Barrett, who passed away yesterday at the tender age of 48. You are in my heart and I will miss you so much.


Labels: , , ,

43 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Michael Hagopian was a great man, he will be missed.

December 15, 2010 1:10 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I will go to City Hall screaming about the parking passes. They are one of the few perks NCs get and that freaking mayor can't let his looney-tune, NC-hating advisors to do this. They will do anything to keep us away. There is plenty of room.

December 15, 2010 2:17 AM  

Anonymous trojan2002 said:

Joe, sorry to hear about your brother.

December 15, 2010 6:44 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I'm sorry about the loss of your brother Joe B, my thoughts are with you today. Is that photo of him with his daughter?

December 15, 2010 7:46 AM  

Blogger Unknown said:

Yes, that is his daughter, Liz, at her recent wedding. Thank you for your kind words.

December 15, 2010 8:12 AM  

Blogger Petra Fried in the City said:

Oh Joe. I'm so sorry.

December 15, 2010 9:34 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Joe, may your brother be resting in the Kingdom of God. From Stranger in the Dark.

December 15, 2010 10:03 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Joe,

My deepest condolences on your loss. We may feud politically, but know I will say a prayer for your brother, and family. I stand with you during your bereavement.

December 15, 2010 10:28 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

re: your brother's graduation,

rest eternal grant him, forever light shine on him

December 15, 2010 10:28 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Joe -

Very sorry to hear of your loss. We lost my mother this past year; words are never adequate, but Ecclesiastes has always resonated for me, and it certainly did in our time of grief.

With sincere condolences,

Brad Smith

December 15, 2010 11:15 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

How can the Lost Angeles Council do anything right when council constantly violates their Council Rules by arriving late to chambers for the peoples business as “Council Is Awaiting A Quorum.”

An example of the Lost Angeles Council at work as council fails to execise checks and balances in over riding the mayor's DWP veto.

It's time for a public outcry to amend COUNCIL'S LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SALARIES that are attached to the JUDICIAL BRANCH, “judges of the Municipal Court.” It is obvious their OVER INFLATED LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SALARIES need to be place before the voters in a special election, which will allow their LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SALARIES of over $170,000 a year to be adjusted and consistent with other legislative branch salaries of $95, 291 or less.

There are three branches of government for checks and balances, Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

The current Los Angeles Charter needs to be changed because council's duties and salaries belong in the Legislative Branch, not in the Judicial Branch.

Los Angeles Charter - Article II
Sec. 218. Compensation of Elected Officers

(1) Salaries. Members of the City Council shall be paid a salary equal to that prescribed by law for judges of the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District or its successor in the event that court is dissolved or reconstituted.

The Controller shall be paid a salary that is 10% more than that of a Council member. The City Attorney shall be paid a salary that is 20% more than that of a Council member. The Mayor shall be paid a salary that is 30% more than that of a Council member.

The Controller shall be responsible for ascertaining the salary of Municipal Court judges and for setting and adjusting the salaries of elected officers in accordance with this section. Salaries shall be paid in bi-weekly increments unless the Council, by ordinance, prescribes otherwise.

(3) Operative Date of Changes in Salaries. The
salaries of elected officers shall be adjusted in the manner provided in this section upon the effective date of any change in the salaries of Municipal Court judges.


A Shoutout to L.A. Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-legis-pay-20101208,0,5043826.story

December 15, 2010 11:28 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Joe, how terrible to have a loss especially near the holidays. My prayers are with you and your family.

December 15, 2010 12:01 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Does anyone know why Joe Mailander is accusing Red Spot, again, of plagiarism?

What is his link?

Without knowing the specifics, would anyone be surprised if Scott IS plagiarising?

December 15, 2010 12:09 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The city of LA will not ban plastic bags because some those 20 watt bulbs think it is racist. Somehow, plastic bags clogging up the LA River bed, getting into the marine food chain and everywhere else is racist. CD14 and 1 are led by idiots.

December 15, 2010 12:44 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

What world do these Neighborhood Council members live in anyway? Do What part of "broke" don't they get (as in LA is that)? While no one likes to lose perks, the Councils still get $45,000 of our money to do whatever they do in their communities. Surely, some of that money can be used to pay for parking. Who is going to object anyway?

I object more to the fact that NC's sound like they don't want to share the pain all of us will have to experience if we want LA to fiscally survive.

Just remember, Joe, the love always remains. It's our relationship that changes when we lose someone.

December 15, 2010 12:52 PM  

Anonymous g said:

NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS SUCK! THEY TAKE YOUR TAXES AND WASTE IT ON THEIR FRIENDS PET PROJECTS WHEN WILL PEOPLE WISE UP. THEY WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR THEIR PERSONAL AGENDA AND AGAINST YOU. THE CITY AND THEIR BASTARD CHILD ARE ONE IN THE SAME. WE ALL NEED A REAL VOICE IF WE ARE TO REPAIR THIS CITY.

December 15, 2010 1:20 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Awesome street-hassle today! Mulholland Terrace a.k.a. Joseph Mailander nails Red Spot a.k.a. Scott Johnson. Oooops! Red Spot is busted!

December 15, 2010 2:11 PM  

Blogger mulholland terrace said:

For the record, Michael/12:09, I didn't accuse Scott of plagiarism at all. It's not plagiarism when someone willfully hands you text and you publish it as your own. This isn't college. But sure, as a fan of Scott's maginificently garbled English, I found one of his recent paragraphs to be very far out of line with his usual prose.

If your readers don't care, nobody else should either. My only concern is: why the hell would anyone ask Scott Johnson to be their stooge? It simply seems mean-spirited. It nearly makes me weep with sadness that someone would do that, in fact.

December 15, 2010 2:20 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

So sorry to hear of your loss, Joe. Condolences to you and your family. May peace and solace be on the horizon for you all.

December 15, 2010 2:22 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Joe, I don't know you but I know I have a deep disdain for brand of politics. However, all that aside, please accept my deep condolences on the loss of your brother. All such losses are great, but the lives lived and the memories are greater.

Remember...

•The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God. ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

•Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

•A human life is a story told by God. ~Hans Christian Andersen

•While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. ~John Taylor

•Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know that they are happy. -Author Unknown


Sorry for your loss Joe.

December 15, 2010 3:44 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Mailander said:

"maginificently"

Who's the illiterate now? And don't try to say that you MEANT to mistype.

And you sure DID accuse him of plagiarism, dopey!

December 15, 2010 3:46 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

P-l-a-g-i-a-r-i-s-m?

Starnge, this coming from the same person who insinuated that City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's past health episodes were self-indused via oral-ingestion of triple-digit proof liquids.

Considering that Mulholland has much idle times these days as a "stay-at-home-blogger", we can forgive this Modelo-induced episodes of speculation.

December 15, 2010 4:25 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

Meant S-t-r-a-n-g-e.

December 15, 2010 4:27 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Ouch, 48. Way too young. Thoughts are with the family tonight.

December 15, 2010 5:03 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Sorry, Scott, but "strange" shouldn't be capitalized.

Idiot.

And don't make fun of Malehandler for being at home. HE says he was a bank executive. YOU live in public housing. HE has a wife and a life, and a home they paid for. YOU are someone who needs HIM and the rest of US to pay for your abode. (Look it up).

December 15, 2010 5:46 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

You are too caught up in the "stay-at-home-blogger's past and need to live in the moment.

BTW, mailander refers to his current domesticated status as a partnership.

December 15, 2010 6:30 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

BTW, have you ever been "male-handled" by Mailander?

December 15, 2010 6:35 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Scott, your immaturity and "your mama" type of comebacks are something that normal people would be ashamed of.

You're too stupid to realize that everyone here knows that you are essentially a failure at life. Unless you think a worker comp claim and public housing (and you're not a first generation immigrant)is the American Dream.

The fact that you're a genuine illiterate doesn't register with you. That's because you're stupid, too. But the rest of the people here look down at you. Only YOU rely on public assistance and don't feel shame about it. And your claim that you "studied journalism in community college" isn't exactly impressive, since you write like a pre-schooler. It's no wonder you mow lawns for a living. You haven't the brain to work in an office or to be someone's supervisor.

December 15, 2010 6:54 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Way to keep it classy on a post featuring the sad news of Joe B's brothers passing, Red Spot you idiot. Sure, go 6th grader on Mailander; it won't make you any less an idiot, any less illiterate or any less moronic. It just makes you look sad, pathetic and immature.

Condolences to you and your family, Joe B

December 15, 2010 7:59 PM  

Blogger mulholland terrace said:

Scott, you can insult me all you like, but I hope you'll eventually answer the simple question. Did you write the following sentence without help or input from others?

On the eve of a possible City Council override of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's veto of a proposed city ballot measure that would give the council 2/3 powers to remove DWP commissioners and executives, Mayor Villaraigosa nominated a long-time energy consultant as the next General Manager of the embattled public utility.

Again, I'm not accusing you of plagiarism. Plagiarism involves presenting text written by someone else as your own without permission. I'm fully confident that that isn't an issue here. I'm wondering if you used somebody's text other than your own, perhaps somebody who is hoping to slant the news a certain way.

You presented this text as yours. As I've said, constructions like "2/3 powers" and "embattled public utility" just don't sound like phrases you'd use. Nor, for that matter, does the formal "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa"--don't you usually call him Parkervillar, or Pollovillar, or something like that?

Here are some recent other first sentences of yours:

"Who will be the latest political incarnation of the child born Antonio Ramon Villar Jr. in 2013?"

"Hola from a undisclosed location within CD 14 where the prying eyes of Team Huizzy/Villar, cannot see our efforts in bring you the latest on the dirty chisme that suffices for campaign news."

"Four months, probably less with good behavior."

"Disclaimer: This post on the plight of Victimcrat Gil Cedillo is likely to cause the following among Cedillonistas."


To be honest, I prefer these more imaginative constructions to straight dry news. In their context, however, a carefully-constructed paragraph on "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa" and "a longtime energy consultant" seems wildly out of character and even out of cadence too.

This issue is important to me and a few other readers. As a reader myself, when content isn't original, I expect it to acknowledge its source. Were this blog to receive text to publish from a political consultant or media rep, it should identify it as such; when it doesn't, the blog is fronting other political or administrative interests, and the readers deserve to know who those interests are.

Again I'll ask the simple question:

Did you write the above bolded and italicized sentence all by yourself, or did someone either help you with it or provide you with it?

If you need to insult me (and the gay community &c.) in answering, keep going, but I hope you'll take a moment of time to clear up the question. It's a sincere inquiry. Here's a chance to clear credibility questions up if you can. Not even your insults will stick without credibility.

December 15, 2010 8:04 PM  

Blogger mulholland terrace said:

Scott, you can insult me all you like, but I hope you'll eventually answer the simple question. Did you write the following sentence without help or input from others?

On the eve of a possible City Council override of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's veto of a proposed city ballot measure that would give the council 2/3 powers to remove DWP commissioners and executives, Mayor Villaraigosa nominated a long-time energy consultant as the next General Manager of the embattled public utility.

Again, I'm not accusing you of plagiarism. Plagiarism involves presenting text written by someone else as your own without permission. I'm fully confident that that isn't an issue here. I'm wondering if you used somebody's text other than your own, perhaps somebody who is hoping to slant the news a certain way.

You presented this text as yours. As I've said, constructions like "2/3 powers" and "embattled public utility" just don't sound like phrases you'd use. Nor, for that matter, does the formal "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa"--don't you usually call him Parkervillar, or Pollovillar, or something like that?

Here are some recent other first sentences of yours:

"Who will be the latest political incarnation of the child born Antonio Ramon Villar Jr. in 2013?"

"Hola from a undisclosed location within CD 14 where the prying eyes of Team Huizzy/Villar, cannot see our efforts in bring you the latest on the dirty chisme that suffices for campaign news."

"Four months, probably less with good behavior."

"Disclaimer: This post on the plight of Victimcrat Gil Cedillo is likely to cause the following among Cedillonistas."


To be honest, I prefer these more imaginative constructions to straight dry news. In their context, however, a carefully-constructed paragraph on "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa" and "a longtime energy consultant" seems wildly out of character and even out of cadence too.

This issue is important to me and a few other readers. As a reader myself, when content isn't original, I expect it to acknowledge its source. Were this blog to receive text to publish from a political consultant or media rep, it should identify it as such; when it doesn't, the blog is fronting other political or administrative interests, and the readers deserve to know who those interests are.

Again I'll ask the simple question:

Did you write the above bolded and italicized sentence all by yourself, or did someone either help you with it or provide you with it?

If you need to insult me (and the gay community &c.) in answering, feel free to keep going, but I hope you'll take a moment of time to clear up the question. It's a sincere inquiry. Here's a chance to clear credibility questions up if you can. Not even your insults will stick without credibility.

December 15, 2010 8:06 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

6:54,

Anything else thst merits deconstructing?

December 15, 2010 8:15 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

Yes, and while you are out and about, would you still compare Jane Barnett to Miss Piggy if I told you that she is a cancer survivor like Lynn?

December 15, 2010 8:27 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

Joseph, i think this is the person who insulted you. all I did was ask a follow-up question.

Sorry, Scott, but "strange" shouldn't be capitalized.

Idiot.

And don't make fun of Malehandler for being at home. HE says he was a bank executive. YOU live in public housing. HE has a wife and a life, and a home they paid for. YOU are someone who needs HIM and the rest of US to pay for your abode. (Look it up).

December 15, 2010 5:46 PM

December 15, 2010 8:38 PM  

Blogger mulholland terrace said:

That's all fine Scott. You can still keep insulting me all you like, dragging Lynn into it all you like, making it personal all you like, running away from your insults all you like, &c. But in between your moments of dodgy surliness, why don't you help out your own credibility and answer the question? It's a very simple question. I've asked it four times now.

Did you write the following sentence all by yourself, or did someone either help you with it or provide you with it?

On the eve of a possible City Council override of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's veto of a proposed city ballot measure that would give the council 2/3 powers to remove DWP commissioners and executives, Mayor Villaraigosa nominated a long-time energy consultant as the next General Manager of the embattled public utility.

That's what you wrote. Did you write it yourself or not?

December 15, 2010 9:00 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

Refer to the "first word" in this previous retort.

"Yes", and while you are out and about, would you still compare Jane Barnett to Miss Piggy if I told you that she is a cancer survivor like Lynn?

December 15, 2010

December 15, 2010 9:40 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Rut-Roh, Poor MT, there must have been a sale on rotgut vodka at Mailenders liquor store tonight!
Parents please hide your kids, the drunk is on the loose!

December 15, 2010 9:48 PM  

Anonymous Retired LAUSD said:

Scott,

"NOONE" who has EVER been on this blog believes that this paragraph, or the other examples Joe provided, are yours.

You can't really recognize, as the rest of us LITERATE people do, just how transparently horrid your writing is.

I am one of the people who practically BEGGED you a hundred times to simply run spellcheck and grammarcheck, but you practically took pride in the NUMBER OF COMMENTS you got rather than focusing on the fact that these were COMPLAINTS about your laziness.

And anytime someone caught you with your hand in the cookie jar, whether on writing style or your slanderous LIES about subjects like Mike Gatto and countless others, you respond like a fucking CHILD.

Mailander put it beautifully. You can insult all you want, because that's where your mental limitations are challenged the most. Bringing someone's cancer-surviving spouse, girlfriend, partner or whatever, into it further shows that you're not only illiterate, but you're a true boob.

And only a true boob, or a first generation immigrant, lives in public housing by the time they're your age.

Phil Jennerjahn may be a fool and a jester, but at least his rent is paid by some entity other than the government. That puts you and Zuma Dogg on an even plain, and at least he isn't a lazy slug.

Have a good night, lazy slug. (I presume you only understand namecalling).

December 15, 2010 9:49 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

Thank you for your thoughts.

December 15, 2010 9:58 PM  

Blogger mulholland terrace said:

Scott, for an either/or question, "yes" is not an answer. You know that.

December 15, 2010 10:06 PM  

Anonymous Retired LAUSD said:

I guess Scott didn't catch my typing "plain" instead of "plane."

Point proven. He's someone who is proud of the # of comments, even though they're complaints.

Sad, Scott. You have the capacity to be entertaining, if only you'd grow up. You're how old now and still saying "Oh yeah, your mama!" Note, you're NOT entertaining. I'm just saying that you have the potential. If you could figure out a topic other than CD14 about which to write.

December 15, 2010 10:58 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

That was Joseph and Debbie's night out in the cybersphere.

December 16, 2010 7:54 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

What is the correlation between city hall parking passes that are used for the parking lot under city hall and neighborhood councils not understanding that the city is in a budget crisis? You make no sense whatsoever with that lame whining. Neighborhood councils are more aware of the budget crisis than any other group of people out there.

December 16, 2010 12:53 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home

Advertisement

Advertisement