Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Thursday

The reality of life at California State Universities under Governor Moonbeam II's Administration .....

NO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ALLOW IN GRAD SCHOOL!!

Is this a scare tactic to get Californians to pass Governor Moonbeam II's Prop 30 and raise taxes? You decide. From the Daily News .......

California residents and taxpayers who support California State University are barred from applying for graduate studies this spring because of steep budget cuts.But the door is wide open at Cal State Northridge and other CSU campuses for foreign and out-of-state students - cash in hand."The policy is not one that I embrace," said Harry Hellenbrand, provost of California State University, Northridge. "(But) at the moment, we are" accepting applications."The reason is: These students pay for themselves. But there's still an equity issue. We would love to accept resident students, but CSU says the state is unable to fund them." 

This policy of excluding in state residents was to remain confidential, but thanks to a Northern California CSU Professor of Biology Maria Nieto, this issue has become a liability for Governor Moonbeam II's efforts to pass Prop 30 in November. Nieto states ........

"We either take both kinds of students - or none," declared Maria Nieto, a Cal State East Bay biology professor and coordinator of her department grad studies."It's discriminating," said the professor, a Los Angeles native and teacher of 23 years, of the current university policy. "I'm appalled. It goes against our CSU mission - to educate California residents."Out of state students are welcome. International students are are welcome. Diversity is welcome, is important, but you don't exclude California residents."

For the record, Nieto is the daughter of retire Parole Officer and local law enforcement activist Caroline Aguirre.
** OTHER NEWS:

** On the subject of fiscal reckoning, former Mayor Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce have once again, sounded the alarm for pension reform at 200 Spring Street. In their call for a ballot initiative to let the public decide where to cap pension, the duo has done a public service in broaching this critical issue.

** What is becoming of the now former "Weekly of Record"? When not engage as the "Weedleaf of Record Message Board" for the pot heads, whoops, the infirm in need of Medical Marijuana, its has morphed into the "Daily, Fact Devoid, Hatchet Job of Record". This weeks recipients of journalistic agenda hatchet missives include the "Non-starter Mayoral Candidate Kevin James", "the liar and pledge breaker, former District Attorney Candidate Carmen Trutanich" and a "power-clinging CD 8 City Councilman Bernard Parks". There is a rumor that longtime South LA practitioner of "Yellow Journalism" Betty Pleasant has become a "fact checker" at the "Daily, Fact Devoid, Hatchet Job of Record", but I would not want to be labeled a "tard" in attributing that rumor as fact.

** Speaking of Betty, its time for "ANOTHER SOULVINE THURSDAY"!!

** Please note that Betty and the scribes at the LA Wave Newspaper, now require you to create an account to view the weekly missives from Betty, on current South LA issues (fact check pending).

In this weeks installment, Betty, via transit activist Damien Goodman, have the eagle eye on future transportation dollars ...........

ERROR! ERROR! — Eagle-eye Damien Goodmon, chairman of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, is a keeper. He noted that the informational pamphlet regarding the sales tax extension the county plans to distribute to voters to encourage them to increase their taxes to fund several rail projects had a glaring error in it. The county hopes to raise $90 billion by a tax increase approved by voters in the November election. The public information pamphlet lists the beneficiaries of the additional funds to be seven transit projects, including the Crenshaw Transit Corridor. But this is not true. Almost every project is scheduled to receive funding from the tax increase except the Crenshaw Transit Corridor. Not one red cent of that money will be used for the transit project affecting the county’s largest concentration of African-Americans. The money will be used on projects in the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, the Eastside, the South Bay and even West Santa Ana. But not along Crenshaw. Almost every official in the country has been alerted to this error Damien found and we’re told it’s being fixed so the public information soliciting your vote to increase your taxes will truthfully reflect what you’re paying for.

Your thoughts ..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14