Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday
Zuma Dogg catches an LAPD cop being abusive to a group of teens at Venice Beach.
Franklin Avenue reports that Union 76 has begun to reclaim it's big orange ball heritage via an advertising campaign.
With most of California's Democratic leadership in their 70s, observers are looking at fortysomething top pols Lt Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Kamala Harris as the future of the party. Interesting that Mayor Villaraigosa and other Southern California Democrats aren't even on the radar.
Here in Van Nuys blogger Andy Hurvitz has a new book out - Los Angeles Faces and Facades has pages of the blogger's photos about the local scene.
Labels: andy hurvitz, gavin newsom, Kamala Harris, lapd, lausd, union 76, Westchester Parents, zuma dogg
Posted by Michael Higby @ 5/09/2011 12:01:00 AM
22 Comments:
Amen, Higby.
How come no mention of what SCUMBAG THUGS the Los Angeles Lakers have become?
The NBA should give 20 game suspensions at the beginning of next year to Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.
By handcuffing the Lakers next season for their thuggish behavior at the end of this season, it will ensure that the time fits the crime.
You're complaining about the dumbing down of education, while you're the #1 enabler of Scott "Red Spot" Johnson, who is not only illiterate, but who (along with you) relishes that point?
Explain that, please.
FYI PW President/Commissioner Cynthia Ruiz is leaving to become Director of External Affairs at Harbor Dept. Sounds like another plush job so she can get her vesting in to take retirement benefits. SICK
Excellent point, 9:37am.
Higby practically celebrates, and certainly defends, Red Spot's illiteracy. I was one of those who forewarned Higby that doing so erodes his own credibility, which has been waning for years now. This subject, the watering down of education, is proof of that. If you enable illiteracy in a public way, you lose the right to pontificate about it in another forum.
You guys have it all wrong. Red Spot proves Higby's point about public education. You see, it's not that Scott is incapable, he just has a vastly different learning style; one that involves cease and desist letters.
As AV nears the end of his term you'll see more and more of his favorites moving into cushy, do nothing jobs.
Tom Bradley created a position of Director of External Affairs at the Airport so longtime aide and friend Phil Depoian could be taken care of. Zev, a councilman at the time, saw the position for what it was, and joked (?) that he'd be interested in the job: get paid a lot to have no staff and do nothing.
No one ever knew what Phil did.
I don't know if the Harbor has one of these positions or if this is another spot that has been created out of thin air.
Look for more of this wasteful spending in the near future.
Yeaaaah, um, you "said" it (or wrote it, anyway), but what exactly does "it" mean -- placed, as it was next to a "dumbing down" picture.
Maybe someone who "amen-ed" you can explain something. What the h*ll does this 54-word, rambling, run-on sentence actually "say" to the English-speaking world?
"We see more games as played by the LAUSD and the teachers' unions as Westchester's local high school is going from the traditional model to that of being a magnet school, more like a university beckoning those how have means to get to what is perceived as a beacon in an educational swamp.
(I especially like the part about "those how have means to got to what...")
I see where you are headed with this -- and you are just as bad as the LA Times for yet another smear on Janice Hahn. There was no deal between the Mayor and Janice on this. In fact, the Mayor supports her because she has come around and supports mayoral control of our schools. And for the Times to write that more than half of Janice's contributions are related to lobbyists and other businesses who do business with City Hall is libelous. And now Gene Merrel is rolling out the bull about Janice raising $55,000 from airport concession contract seekers. Another smear. She has supported ALL the contractors, not just the ones that contributed to her campaign. Get over yourselves.
12:17 P.M. Anon may have been right about Phil Depoin (although he was quite helpful in several projects in which I was involved) but certainly Mike Molina, who has that same title and does way more than his share of the work at LAWA, is proof positive that such a position is needed in one of our proprietaries, so why not at the harbor as well?
As usual, it is easy for the trolls to criticize, especially the non-achievers.
When the position is filled by a talented person, there is plenty to do; the position adds value.
So you're saying the position at Harbor is being filled by the talented Cynthis Ruiz? Tell me about some of her accomplishments within pubic works besides her outside work as ambassador related to the fashion industry? What a farce and a complete waste, again, of city money.
No one has yet told me what the Dir of External Affairs does for any of these departments.
If the job is important why isn't there competition for the job? Why aren't resumes asked for and interviews held?
Why do they always tend to be given to political insiders without anyone knowing about it?
Phil and Mike Molina may have helped someone, some time, but how many others could have done it better?
I've willing to bet a ton that these people weren't picked by the department GM, but rather they got a phone call from the mayor's office.
No one has yet told me what the Dir of External Affairs does for any of these departments.
If the job is important why isn't there competition for the job? Why aren't resumes asked for and interviews held?
Why do they always tend to be given to political insiders without anyone knowing about it?
Phil and Mike Molina may have helped someone, some time, but how many others could have done it better?
I've willing to bet a ton that these people weren't picked by the department GM, but rather they got a phone call from the mayor's office.
Thank you for this post, Higby. Public education failed you, and you have proved it with this unreadable post.
Willing to bet a ton? Guess what, you lose!!!
Mike Molina was hand selected by Gina Marie Lindsey, who runs the airport (LAWA) with an iron fist.
She has replaced almost everyone of her Deputy Directors since she got there, and all selected by her.
There is no way that the Mayor told her to hire Mike, especially since he was Chief of Staff to Janice Hahn,not exactly a good friend of The Mayor, who booted her beloved brother from office.
I cannot believe the lack of knowledge the trolls on this blog exhibit.
Mike is an excellent Deputy Director; it would not be a surprise to anyone who knows about LAWA to see him replace Gina Marie when she decides to leave, probably near the end of 2012 or surely by June 2013 when AV starts looking for his next job.
@4:44 am, or maybe Gina Marie will leave sooner after her arrogant interview with CBS news regarding the excessive and over abundant flights that cost city taxpayers of $10K per round trip. Her and Mike Molina took these trips at taxpayers cost. Again, abuse of power and authority.
@4:58 pm, Cynthia Ruiz did nothing for the board but decimate it. Bureau heads are happy she's leaving and say good riddance. It is a long time coming for the do nothing president. She's leaving before it gets reduced to part time status by budget committee. Last I heard she got reamed by council so she's not a favorite of anyone downtown. She'll sit pretty in her position, get over $200K and won't have to do anything to earn her retirement vesting.
Again, these things are sick and out of control. Maybe CBS should do an expose on this.
And by the way, with the BPW President leaving that leaves room for the councilmember's daughter Andrea Alarcon to assume the role of president. Is it because she's trying to establish her own leadership roles so that she gains name recognition to run for her daddy's office once he's termed out?
Her daddy's not gonna be termed out; he's gonna get booted out and into horizontal stripes.
Re: Gina Marie: She is traveling because she is Chair of the prestigious and very necessary FAA Advisory Council. The meetings are back East.
Her Board at LAWA reviews and approves (or disapproves) every trip. Every trip is on the agenda for public discussion. Anyone is free to question or comment. If you are so knowledgable, why not attend a LAWA meeting and question her?
Troll.
We get a bonafide real live executive and jerks like you all start criticizing without knowing anything.
No wonder all we had is mediocrity; no one wants the bullshit abuse dished out in Los Angeles. We are fortunate that AV has selcted Gina Marie, Geraldine Knatz and now Ron Nichols.
I rest my case.
We need to make it illegal to discriminate against non-High School graduates in entry level employment.
That'd change things.
I can check the commission's agendas, but I'll bet they didn't say anything about the cost or traveling business class. Also, the news report didn't say anything about the two out of country trips having anything to do with her FAA position. And she didn't either. If the trips required board approval, then the board was wrong too.
You either hold positions like this to serve the public, or to get the perks.
Remember the outrage from Congress when the auto execs flew to D.C. to beg for money?
I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING. LAUSD DOESN'T CARE WHAT THEY FEED SCHOOL KIDS. KIND OF OUTLINES WHY THEY DON'T CARE WHETHER THEY LEARN OR NOT OR THAT THEIR PARENTS HAVE A SAY IN THE PROCESS. TALK TO JAMIE OLIVER FOR ONE OR VISIT HIS SITE LEARN WHAT YOUR KIDS EAT AT SCHOOL THEN WONDER WHY YOU ARE LEFT WITH DOCTOR BILLS.
Compulsary schooling MUST end. Allow any kid that does not want to go to school to be home schooled or make home schooling mandatory for any kid that does not want to go to school.
The school district does not want that because they would loose money. But it would be better for the kids that really want to be in school and better for the kids that stay at home and learn.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home