"Another Soulvine Thursday:" "Betty Pleasant occupies Herb Wesson's Inner Persona"

 Welcome to the first installment of "Another Soulvine Thursday" via the keyboard of longtime African-American Journalist/Columnist Betty Pleasant for 2012. The LA Wave Newspaper veteran starts the New Year by seeking to occupy the inner persona of new City Council President Herb Wesson.

 If Betty could somehow occupy the inner persona of the first African-American President of the City Council (Betty might want to check with Wesson staffer Andrew Westall on the "going rate" for this). Then I would bet you a bowl of Gumbo from Betty's favorite Ghetto Girls restaurant that "Betty Wesson" would have new plans for their favorite council tandem below. 

A preview what awaits Councilman Bernard Parks and Councilwoman Jan Perry via "Betty Wesson".

As council president, Wesson’s most powerful function is the fact that he — and he alone — will assign his fellow council members to the various and sundry city and joint powers committees, whose work is the lifeblood of all our politicians. Given that, I’ve spent more than a year pondering the point of the overt niggling, malicious contempt Councilman Bernard Parks and his handmaiden, Councilwoman Jan Perry, displayed toward Wesson, given the universal recognition that he would become the next council president. It’s been a real mystery to me. Now, Wesson is in a position to get even. And if I were he, I would hurry up and gleefully put this vicious odd couple in its place, way beyond the areas of significant governance.

More from "Betty Wesson" after the jump.

How "Betty Wesson" would put the hammer on Parks and Perry:

If I were Herb Wesson, I would remove Parks from his precious Budget and Finance Committee, giving him no further impact upon the distribution of the city’s money; remove him from the Exposition Transportation Authority Board so that agency can do its work on behalf of the people, rather than the players, and remove him from the Coliseum Commission so that impotent body can go forth and turn the Coliseum over to USC without Parks spewing nonsense in the background.

Perry currently chairs the council’s Energy and Environment and Ad Hoc Stadium committees, and is a member of the Housing, Community and Economic Development, Public Safety and Transportation committees. I don’t have a particular beef about Perry’s work on those committees, but given her nastiness toward the new president, if I were Herb Wesson, I’d remove her from all of them, just in case she likes them and is comfortable there. Payback can be, and often is, a b----.

Betty on "former Congressional Candidate Isadore Hall":

WELL, WELL, WELL — Assemblyman Isadore Hall announced last week that he is bowing out of the race against Rep. Janice Hahn for the new 44th Congressional District. He said he is going to seek re-election to the Assembly from the new 64th District, which includes the cities and communities of Compton, Carson, Watts, Wilmington, Willowbrook and portions of Long Beach and Los Angeles. I am not going to be mean about this because I like it when people come to their senses. Hall made a gracious statement about his change of plans and I will not call him names nor denigrate him in any way. I can be civil sometimes. (** Betty forgets that her favorite CD 15 City Council Candidate Assemblyman Warren Furutani will also be in the running when "the Cop" beats him on January 17.)

..... and lastly, Betty critiques KTLA's Rose Parade coverage:

Did you notice that KTLA did not show the Occupy protest “float” in its stupid Rose Parade telecast? It just goes to remind us where America’s mainstream media’s head, heart and soul are. Obviously, with the one percent. But we shall overcome anyhow; we always do — despite being ignored, jeered, arrested, beaten, even murdered — as long as we stay united and committed to the cause for justice — be it racial, social, gender and this time, economic — history has shown that we will always overcome. So forget KTLA and the Rose Parade horse it rode in on.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14