Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

Get ready for a return of the Politics of Weather as rain arrives mid-week.

From along the Santa Ana River above Redlands.

Good bloggin morning to everyone as we return from a quick weekend getaway from "Disempowerment LA-occupied LA-32", to the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.

As you can tell from the photo above, there are still places in our surrounding mountains that have flowing water. But come Wednesday, Mother Nature will bring something called R-A-I-N back to Southern California for an extended stay. If the upper-level Jet Stream is redirected over Central California, or further south, with a west to east flow, then we may experience an "Atmospheric River Event", which would go far in alleviating our severe drought but not without health and safety ramifications..

In Southern California, it always seems that major rain events are predicated with major brush fires that leave hills and mountain slopes striped bare and primed for debris flows. Thus, when Mother Nature reminds everyone of her supreme authority over us, as she will, come especially Friday, then brace yourself for a return of "Politics of Weather", with your local politico donning yellow rain gear, with plastic wrap cameras, recording it all. ** BTW, climate models are hinting at strong El Nino for next winter, can't imagine any politico wanted to exploit that news for a photo op. 

 LA County Board of Supervisor (and possible CD 14 Candidate) Gloria Molina drop kicks Op-Ed supporting 710 Freeway Tunnel. 

** Memo to the likes of the "No on 710 Coalition" and "Concerns Neighbors of El Sereno", your LA County Board of Supervisor (and possible CD 14 City Council Candidate), Gloria Molina, along with Assemblyman Ed Chau, co-keyboard an Op-ed in the San Gabriel Tribune that details their joint support of a 710 Freeway Tunnel to close the six mile gap to connect the 710 to the I-210 Freeway in Pasadena. Local activists might want to consider the following .............

These residents were promised decades ago that this fix was a stop-gap measure. Opponents need to quit trying to stop the gap from being closed.
These same naysayers also erroneously claim that a tunnel will worsen air quality. They conveniently ignore how air quality is already horrendous in Southeast L.A. — especially for its children, where 12 out of every 100 children develop asthma.
There is a direct connection between asthma in Southeast L.A. and the pollution caused by cars and trucks forced to stand idle along an incomplete 710 Freeway. It’s all the more true since commuters must use the streets as de facto “streetways.”
The pollution that 710 tunnel opponents don’t want is already in the air, being breathed by Southeast L.A. families — who don’t have the extra time and resources to devote to NIMBYism.
These comments should put an end to the "Molina Boo Boo for CD 14" rumors.

** Memo to Mayor Eric Garcetti's Chief of Staff (and possible CD 14 Candidate) Ana Guerrero, please inform your East Area Director Patricia Alarcon that "Disempowerment LA-occupied LA-32 Stakeholders are awaiting a response to this email sent to Ms. Alarcon on February 14, cut and pasted below.

Mayor Garcetti's East Area Director Patricia Alarcon.

Good morning Ms. Alarcon,

Hope this email finds you well on this Valentine's Day.

In lieu of the recent punitive actions taken by Empower LA against the LA 32 Neighborhood Council and your email confirming the Mayor's Office receiving the documentation, I respectfully ask if Mayor Eric Garcetti will be taking a formal position on the current standing of the LA 32 NC Elective Body.

Further, if the Office of Mayor Garcetti is to take a formal position, then the office should consider the following before drafting a formal reply.

First, with Empower LA taking punitive actions against LA 32 which includes controlling the drafting of its agenda. What assurances can stakeholders have that their respective issues will be given objective due diligence by an elective body free of pre-conceived political bias? At the time of Empower LA's Memo, the LA-32 NC were working on important time sensitive issues, involving the USC Health Science Campus Master Plan and Zoning concerns involving a Charter School, among others (** including funding request for parade with past IRS issues). Will the Office of Mayor Garcetti ensure that the community comments heard by the LA 32 NC on these issues, get an objective resolution? 

Second, will the Office of Mayor Garcetti's staff grant access and accord all LA-32 NC Board Members the right to speak freely regarding the "personal dynamics" (including Empower LA's collusion with board members in targeting certain individuals) that were the foundation for Empower LA's punitive actions?

Third, will the Office of Mayor Garcetti's staff investigate internal Empower LA work place issues that have cause employees of the department to file a work place grievance over the role of the "Council for Council Mentors" to act as "NC First Responders" in intervening as Crisis Mentors for NCs, at no cost to the taxpayers?

Fourth, will the Office of Mayor Garcetti work with Empower LA and the City Attorney Office to address the issues of "Procedural Bullys" ( the husband and wife duo of the El Sereno Historical Society come to mind), who's are wasting taxpayers money by filing frivolous complaints, denigrating upstanding community members who don't agree with their "El Sereno-centric vision" and creating the hostile meeting environment noted in the Empower LA Memo? 

Fifth, will the Office of Mayor Garcetti take a stand against the repugnant, incendiary racial comments made sadly by board members and those in the community against some serving on this elected body? Would the Office of Mayor Garcetti consider using the resources of the Human Relations Department to set up a series of workshops within NCs to combat racial bigotry?

In closing Ms. Alarcon, its my sincere hope that the Office of Mayor Garcetti will help the LA 32 NC move forward in bring all resources to the table in achieving objective remedies that grows a strong, independent community-centric elective body, while holding those responsible for the "repugnant, personal conduct" that was unfortunately, the basis for the punitive actions taken by Empower LA.

With respects,

Scott Johnson 

LA 32 NC Recording Secretary

A potential CD-14 City Council Candidate should not smoke away an opportunity to listen to very real voters.

** Please note that the comments above are solely my own and not reflective of any formal LA 32 NC approved position.

** Also note that I will make this comments public in the spirit of openness and transparency. 

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14