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Monday, February 21, 2011

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Public Employee Unions Need to go
on a Diet Just Like Mayor Sam has
One of the smartest bloggers in town when it comes to public finance, Paul Hatfield, dices up the Wisconsin labor reform law and details how similar changes should come to California.  It's apparent that politicians like Governor Brown and former State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (no relation) understand that public employee unions have been given a sweeter than sweet deal for decades and with most governments near bankruptcy it's time to pay the piper.

Governor Brown also gets it when it comes to the Community Redevelopment Agency. It's time to shut these inefficient, wasteful and fraudulent distributors of corporate welfare down but Mayor Villaraigosa doesn't think so.  He cites examples of YMCAs and shopping centers the CRA built, yet shopping centers and YMCAs have been built for decades without YMCA - and the attendant multi-million dollar payouts to politically connected non-profits around these projects that don't see one cent go into building anything on the ground.



The LAWeekly details the ground game to get out the vote in the race for City Council District 14.  Challenger Rudy Martinez has massive troops in the field while apparently the Jose Huizar camp must be too embarrassed to show off theirs.  In the meantime, Martinez picks up more momentum as Huizar has one embarrassing moment after another.

AEG wants to take over and tear down a portion of the Los Angeles Convention Center and build a football arena, expecting all kind of concessions from the City.  That being said, LA Deputy Mayor and Wannabe Mayor Austin Beutner doesn't even think it's necessary to check AEG's finances on the deal, to ensure it's a viable enterprise that doesn't leave the City holding the bag as other municipalities across America have found themselves.

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7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

http://www.laweekly.com/2011-02-17/news/fight-for-council-district-12/2/

February 21, 2011 12:31 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

http://phinvv.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/cd12-cd2-lite-one-year-later/

February 21, 2011 12:32 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

http://encino.patch.com/articles/englander-a-no-show-as-candidates-face-off-at-forum

February 21, 2011 12:35 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Antonio Villaraigosa defending the CRA is like John Gatti defending the mob as "beneficial" to the community. The CRA is nothing more than an ever growing slush fund of tax increment money that robs our children of their education, robs the City of adequate fire and police protection (witness the current fire department "brown-outs'), and robs the people of Los Angeles of general fund monies to rebuild our crumbling streets and infrastructure.

Instead, millions and millions of CRA dollars are wasted on projects that could have been built without public subsidy. Ask yourself whether billionaire Eli Broad needs to be given $53 million of your tax dollars for his tacky "art" museum, or why does billionaire Phil Anschultz of AEG fame need $350 million of City taxpayer loan guarantees to build an NFL stadium in the wrong place, or why millions and millions of dollars are given away by the CRA to developers who simply become richer and richer while the City looks like a code enforcement nightmare from Dante's Inferno?

It is time to end welfare for the rich because it is killing California. Write to the governor and legislature today. We need to give more people a form letter to send to the legislature to put the fear in them.

February 21, 2011 6:48 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Is that you in the photo, Higby?

Man, you really DID lose weight! Congrats.

February 21, 2011 9:32 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Hey Higby!

Get your camera!

Street Hustle Blogger Man is blogging that LA's bad joo-joo is due to shady Latino politicans!

He still makes fun of white people.

What do you think will happen next?

February 21, 2011 10:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

We all LOVE Zuma Dogg.

He really is a delight. And an asset to the community!

February 21, 2011 10:01 AM  

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