"Another Soulvine Thursday" via Columnist Betty Pleasant, 12-8-11

Its time for the 12-8-11 incarnation of "Another Soulvine Thursday" via the keyboard of longtime African-American Columnist/Journalist Betty Pleasant with the latest from the hood with a decisively South LA outlook. This week excerpts include Assemblyman/CD 15 City Council Candidate Warren Furutani, Congresswoman Janice Hahn and Betty's favorite topic Councilman Bernard Parks

Betty envisions a "CD 15 City Councilman Warren Furutani":

ON THE JOB(???) — Assemblyman Warren Furutani, who faces a runoff election to fill the vacant 15th District Council seat, is already acting like the councilman. He effectively lobbied the City Council to pass a measure to allow free parking meters in downtown San Pedro and Wilmington through the rest of the year. Before Rep. Janice Hahn left her council office, she introduced an ordinance calling for the permanent removal of the parking meters, which was stalled in the Transportation Committee. Furutani met with the committee chairman and pressed for a hearing on the measure right away. Furutani was amazed by the council’s swift and overwhelming response to his request and stated, “clearly, everyone will benefit from free parking during the holidays. Now we just have to make it permanent.”

It might also be noted that Furutani is the first candidate in the special election to report raising $50,000, thus triggering matching funds of $150,000. In the primary last month, Furutani raised more than any other candidate and raised over $80,000 more than is opponent, the cop (ie. the next CD 15 City Councilman).. 

Betty on Congresswoman Janice Hahn endorsements:

Rep. Hahn picked up a load (Noel Weiss likes her as is) of endorsements last week, when she added state Sen. Alex Padilla, Assemblyman Mike Feuer, the National Associaition of Letter Carriers, Branch 1100, City CouncilmanTony Cardenas, Patricia Bellasalma, president of the California Chapter of the National Organization for Women, to her long list of people in government and in the community who support her June 2012 primary election to the newly created 44th Congressional District.

Betty on City Councilman Bernard Park"s "recent illness":

AND FINALLY — When reporters questioned Councilman Bernard Parks’chief of staff son, Bernard Jr., about his father’s absence from the City Council meeting at which Councilman Herb Wesson was elected president, he told them his dad was out sick.

“It’s only his second sick day in 46 years, so I think he’s due,” Parks Jr. told the reporters. I can understand that and I’m sure he was sick, after all Parks was in a sickening situation. I can easily see how the very thought of being in the room when the person he despises is elected president would make Parks seriously ill (and sicken are many at the backroom arm-twisting that enable Wesson to become City Council President).

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14