Whistleblower hotline: (213) 785-6098
mayorsam@mayorsam.org

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

The Top Ten Watch Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for 2014

With the 2014 Los Angeles Political Year under way, we provide a Top Ten Watch List of issues affecting the LA Political Machine (topped of course, by who will become out-going Sheriff Lee Baca's replacement).
With Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca set to announce this A.M , his decision not to seek re-election, will former Under-sheriff Paul Tanaka's path to replacing his former boss become easier, or will he too, choose to join Baca in retirement (via his role in the LA County Jailhouse Scandals)?
** Blogger's Note: Its Day 7 of 2014 and the first political earthquake has already shaken the Los Angeles Political Machine, with the expected announcement this morning that embattled Sheriff Lee Baca will cease his bid for re-election as LA County Top Cop and retire at the end of the month. As we were mulling over last evening, a Top Ten Watch List of issues affecting the local political machine in the coming year, the disclosure via the "Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street" (aka LA Times), provided us with our Numero Uno ( and of course, the respective consultants for Baca's potential replacements are emailing us for blogging exposure). That said, the LA County Political Machine's dysfunctional proclivities is, and will always be a political breeder of bloggin fodder. Thus below, we provide our Top Ten Watch Briefs (for now) of 2014---Scott Johnson in CD 14. 
 
1. Who will be the New Sheriff in Town?:
With Sheriff Lee Baca riding off into the LA County Jailhouse Scandal ( and others) Forced Retirement Sunset, the battle over who will were the badge as LA County's Top Cop narrows down to former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka and former Commander Bob Olmsted (unless CD 15 City Councilman Joe Buscaino is interested, well, maybe not). But the announcement by Baca can be seen as a strategic opening for the Olmsted Campaign to now fixate their attention on Tanaka's role in the various scandals, with Tanaka not have Baca around to deflect any negative attacks.

2. Election or Selection to replace the Late LAUSD School Board Member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte:
We may know as early as the waning minutes of January 7, 2014 whether the process of replacing the much-respected Late Educator and LAUSD School Board Member Margurite Poindexter LaMotte will take place at the Ballot Box or within a Beaudry Street Meeting Room. Its clear from news reports that there are two factions within the African-American Community, that are split respectively into the "Pro Selection Faction" (Lead by Congresswoman Maxine Waters) and the "Pro Election Faction" (Lead by LA County Board Of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Assemblyman Son). ** BTW, there will be no limits on the amount of allowed speakers on the subject at tonight's LAUSD School Board Meeting.

3. Will the LA County Board of Supervisors become Labor's New Friend in 2014?:
2014 is shaping up to be the year that the LA County Board of Supervisors (aka "The Five Kings and Queens") could embrace a more labor-friendly environment with the departures of Zev Yaroslavsky and Gloria Molina. Both Molina and Yaroslavsky should be commended for staring down into the "Bankruptcy Abyss" in the 1990's and helping to keep LA County fiscally-solvent. With the likes of former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and former State Senator Sheila "Zelda" Kuehl, the respective frontrunners to replace both, the likes of LA County Labor Federation Leader Maria Elena Durazo and SEIU 721, may get an early 2014 Christmas Present at the Ballot Box come November.

4. Finding Faults in Los Angeles (and within the Building and Safety Department):
One of the major tasks of new Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 will be restoring the public faith in the Building and Safety Department. From the ongoing FBI Investigation into bribery among corrupt Building Inspectors (with possible ties to some within the City Clowncil Central Committee), to issuing permits for the likes of the Hollywood Fault-straddling Millennum Project (with troubling ethical allegations), its hard to trust the integrity of such an important city department, when an arm-chair Geologist such as myself, can find more faults in a local geologic field guide, than the highly-paid professionals.

5. Who will replace CD 4 City Clowncil Central Committee Member Tom LaBonge?:
We know that the reigning Clowncil Central Committee Historian La Bonge would like his longtime Staffer Carolyn Ramsey to carry on his work within CD 4 (and appoint him as the Uber Ranger of Griffith Park), the likes of State Senator Kevin De Leon Staffer Steve Veres (and maybe a certain local Assemblyman?),and others will make this a runoff race for sure.

6. Is there a Ana in CD 14's Future?:
As 2014 gets underway in CD 14, a certain embattled "Dear Charro/ Princeton Graduate", is working the cellphone in ascertaining the amount of waning support for his re-election bid remains. Make no doubt that the buzz about a possible, maybe likely challenge by Mayor Eric Garcetti's Chief of Staff Ana Guerrero (especially among disenchanted females voters), reinforce by her recent role in a large Boyle Heights Toy Giveaway, is surely added to the incumbent Clowncil Central Committee Member's tension level.

7. The continuing Ramifications of a Failure Ex Mayor and City Clowncil Central Committee:
Supporting the high-maintenance policies of a Ex Failure Mayor and fiscally-dysfunctional City Clowncil Central Committee will put a lock-jaw, clap down on your wallet in 2014, as noted by Jack Humphreville. That blunt truth should remind discerning Angelinos of the need to petition their 18 elected officials, of the collective responsibility to think long term about down-sizing future fiscal obligations (pension reform would be a good start).

8. Resolving the Internal Turmoil within Empower LA:
If you are a Neighborhood Council Member reading this, who's board is under the arbitrary scrutiny of some well-paid Empower LA employee, you need to share with your board colleagues, the series of reports by Tarzana NC's Denyse Selesnick, regarding the on-going turf battle between a few disgruntled Empower LA employees ( who have filed a Workplace Grievance) and the "Council4Council". The arbitrary actions (without objective Due Process Checks and Balances) of  Empower LA staff ( who motives may be compromise by workplace issues) when overseeing the operations of NC's, should be fully vetted and a last resort, in lieu of peer mentoring.

9. Reforming the DWP:
We surely hope that 2014 will be the year that a true public accounting of the $40 Million Dollars plus of supposed "Non-profit Safety Funding" becomes a reality. If there is one issue that can become an early Political Achilles Heal for new Mayor Eric Garcetti, it would be his lost of focus on the one major reform issue that was responsible for him becoming the "Back to Basics Mayor".

10. The Crusade to reopen the Southwest Museum:
Of paramount importance to history and culture of the City of Los Angeles in 2014, is the need to bring about a positive resolution to the decade-long debacle of Jackie Autry's attempt to rob Los Angeles of the cultural riches of this city's first museum. In recent weeks, the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition have unveiled a bold and ambitious plan for not only reopening the museum, but goes further in revitalizing the ecological and cultural heritage of the surrounding Arroyo Seco area.

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

Labels:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home

Advertisement

Advertisement