The Environmental Hypocrisy of Mayor Villar, Councilman Huizar and the "Blue/Green" Sierra Club

The "Green/Blue Hypocrites" of the Los Angeles Political Machine.

 Current Sierra Club National Board of Directors Member Susana Reyes, speaking as the club's Los Angeles County Political Director in 2005, as the "green/blue environmental organization", announced its endorsement of then mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa. When Reyes is not giving her endorsement bless to enabling "green/blue politicos, she is the Director of Human Resources for the DWP.   

Susana Reyes's former Sierra Club LA County Political Committee co-member and Coalition for Clean Air member Martin Schlageter, who is now on CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar's staff as a "Policy Director.

What a surprise for this former Sierra Club republican conservationist member, to see his former LA County Politicall Committee co-member Susana Reyes asking questions of the candidates, at the environmental-theme mayoral debate, this last Saturday.

It seems like yesterday (when it was 2007) that Reyes, Schlageter, then Councilman Huizar Chief of Staff Joe Avila, along with two other members of the Sierra Club Central Group Political Committee, meet at the defunct El Sereno "Antigua Coffee Shop" (** link here and scroll down to "Capt Jack Sparrow's comment on the get together).. 

Reyes, Schlageter and Avila called the meeting to discuss the "green virtues" of CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar, who was running for his first full term against former staffer Alvin Parra (who made a sneaky appearance at the meeting). The end result was that Councilman Huizar received the endorsement of the Central Group and the Angeles Chapter of John Muir's organisation.

Some five years later, Reyes and Schlageter have parlayed their green background into greener fiscal opportunities, but the environmental cost of their "blue enabling ways", have and will cause serious adverse consequences on a sensitive ecological gem, Henry T. Hazard Park and Wetlands.

.Hazard Park Illegal Storm Drain Blowout.

As another storm system approaches this evening, Hazard Park once again face an adverse illegal discharge of untreated storm runoff on its impacted green space, in the background, untreated runoff from this decades long broken storm drain, will impact the sensitive Hazard Park Wetlands. Maybe Schlageter can ask his new boss why he transferred $750,000 set aside to repair this storm drain breach, to a project at Garvanza Park?

The symbol of Mayor Villar's failed Million Tree Initiative "Esperanza" and monument.

 One of the twenty mature trees targeted for removal to facilitate USC's Health Science Campus Expansion.

All the trees along Soto Street in this photo are targeted for removal to widen Soto Street and benefit USC's expansion plan.

Reyes and Schlageter were right in vouching for the "green virtues" of the Dear Charro, Princeton Graduate City Councilman Jose Huizar, who will benefit in "green monetary contributions" from the University of Scandalous Conduct", for his betrayal of Hazard Park. Maybe if they put "green environmental justice" before "before blue political considerations", the mostly poverty level, working class community could experience quality green space, without the increase pollution levels that USC's proposed expansion will bring.

CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar with his mayoral candidate of choice City Controller Wendy "the Villar Greuel".

The historic Hazard Park Handball Court which faces demolishion to make a street that would benefit USC's Health Science Campus proposed "beautification/expansion plans".

If City Controller and mayoral candidate Wendy "the Villar Greuel", was searching for a meaningful audit, then maybe she should audit how a working class community would be impacted by increasing vehicular traffic, while adversly impacting precious green space, without proper EIR and CEQA reports? But I am not going to hold my polluted breath waiting. 

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14