Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

 City Controller Wendy "The Valley Greuel".

The "Valley Greuel" eyes no problem with Mayor Antonio Villar's $100 Million shell game.

Welcome to the second week of 2012 and as we look onwards to the 2013 Mayoral Elections, there is a small issue of $100 Million dollars in delay payments (ie. the cost of maintaining Mayor Villar's fiscal legacy) that may become an inconvenience for a certain "City Controller". While the likes of former Deputy Mayor  Austin "Mini-Riordan II" Beutner called this budgetary maneuver "Enron", the City Controller Wendy "The Valley Greuel" morphed into the "fiscal ostrich" that blends into the political landscape of denial, said nothing. 

As noted "Valley Greuel" observer Paul Hatfield opines in his blog post on the topic, this void of denial can have dire consequences. Complete disclosure of all material events and obligations is one of the fundamental responsibilities of a controller in private industry or government. Failure to disclose critical information could lead to criminal charges under certain circumstances. $100 million is material in all aspects to the city, especially if it could very well come due much sooner than later (see addendum below for the extent of the disclosure in the city’s financial statements). Thus, "delay and deny", may have a large cost for the mayoral aspirations of the "Valley Greuel".

** Desperate times call for ............ "Reggie the Alligator" as Parke Skelton attempts to garner votes for Assemblyman Warren Furutani, from the gentrified amphibian enclave of Machado Park in CD 15. One wonders if Parke would of gone to the "Chupacabras for Huizzy" if the 2011 CD 14 race had been closer?

** Surprise, surprise another Building and Safety Inspector accuse of misusing his position for personal gain. Ronald Diaz collected $5,500 dollars from Ana Perez to "resolve permit issues" on work for her day-care center but hey, Diaz offered to deduct $2,000 from the balance in exchange for photos of Perez's breast.

** Mayor Villar is ensconce in Sacramento among state legislaturers, attempting to delay the demise of CRA. After all, protecting the outreach proclivities of the likes of CASA 0101 should be of paramount concern.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14