Bloggin Happy Hour Musings on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

Another Happy Hour Drink via Tony

Great Happy Hour Musings on the LA Political Machine for Monday. Join us as we tip the glass and enlighten you on these political items that may find their way into someone's decaff morning coffee in the A.M. ; ) --- Scott Johnson.

Former Sierra Club Conservation Coordinator and Coalition for Clean Air Campaign Director, now Senior Policy Advisor for CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar Martin Schlageter.

For those who wonder what is the value of a Los Angeles County Sierra Club Endorsement (for democrats only of course), maybe would should rephrase the question this way. What is the value to me for being part of the Los Angeles County Sierra Club Endorsement Committee (** some background on one CD 14 endorsement via "Jack Sparrow") and supporting (with LA County Political Committee Co-Chair Susana Reyes) most of Mayor Antonio Villar's "Green Initiatives" (Unionize Green Trucks at LA Ports, Measure B)?

For Eagle Rock resident and reliable "green ally" Martin Schlageter, this means that you can cash in on years of endorsing Blue/Greeen Labor Democrats and get appointed to a high paid staff position with CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar.

As the City Council continues its summer sabbatical, Councilman Huizar is quietly gaining, losing and moving staff as the latest revisions to its staff directory notes. For example ......

** Former Chief of Staff Ana Cubas is now merely an Advisor.

** Paul Habib is the Interim Chief of Staff. 

** Cecilia Alatorre has moved from the El Sereno to Eagle Rock office
** Sara Hernandez is the Downtown Director.

** Tanner Blackman is the new Planning Director.

** Some long hair guy name Kai is no longer a Huizar staffer

** Two Julios, Julio Esperias and Julio "Perfect Loyalty Score" Torres join the El Sereno Office.

** ....... and Francine Godoy is still the Deputy Chief of Staff.

The revolving door in CD 14 continues ......

OTHER NEWS BRIEFS:

** Great read today via Downtown News Editor and Scribe of Wit Jon Regardie as he sits down with out going Downtown and CD 9 Councilwoman Jan Perry. The focus of their Q and A chat centered on her now past tenure as the Downtown rep for areas such as Little Tokyo Skid Row and South Park. BTW, that battle over signage in South Park with Councilman Jose Huizar has quietly played out. More on Perry via LA Times Columnist Jim Newton who finds many positives on "Jan the Mayoral Candidate".

** Public Health Notice for residents of the 46th Assembly District, you can rest assure knowing that any future cases of Brian Johnson Myopia will go the way of Small Pox as he concedes that ED Voice could only buy him third place in his first bid for public office.

Daily News Journalist Tony Castro was the first to deconstruct the political mythology of Mayor Antonio Villar and chronicled the legal problems of the former City Councilman turned convicted LA County Labor Federation Leader Martin Ludlow.

With the days falling away as July 1, 2013 gets ever closer, Journalist Tony Castro returns with another missive on Mayor Antonio Villar that chronicles the political survival of a former City Terrace kid name Tony ...... and a sampling.

It reminded me of the first time I saw Antonio. It was 1978 on the UCLA campus, and he was a speaker at a Chicano protest rally at the university. His look was appropriate for the time: Long, wavy hair and mustache that made him look a lot like Geraldo Rivera.“Who’s he?” I remember a striking blonde student asking.“That’s Tony Villar,” someone told her. She smiled and kept looking at him. She didn’t care about Chicano rights, the movement or the cause. She was focused on the messenger.And that’s been Villaraigosa — he added his ex-wife’s name to his when they married — his entire public life. He’s been a messenger and when the message hasn’t registered, he’s been smart enough to change it, the way populists have long done it, regardless of whether it’s the personal biographical narrative or a position on policy.This is the politics Antonio has always understood and practiced — and which few like to talk about. We like to envelop our politics in professional discourse about policy, polls, opinion and it’s-the-economy-stupid-BS. But the politics of charisma that has always defined Villaraigosa and that now so heavily sways America is more visceral. It’s about feel and touch. It’s about how a candidate looks and talks, dresses and walks.

The message and name will change again come July 1, 2013.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14