Another Soulvine Thursday: "Race-baiting in the Ninth"

Longtime LA Wave Newspaper Columnist Betty Pleasant takes exception to the racially-tinged campaign antics of former CD 14 Chief of Staff and current CD 9 Carpetbag Candidate Ana Cubas

 Betty not too happy with Sister Ana.

How lower can the Carpetbagging Campaign of Ana Cubas go, when its already in the racial gutter?

** Blogger's note: Its a gloomy Thursday and thus, the appropriate, bloggin time to check back in on the Soulvine Missives of longtime South-Central LA Political Observer Betty Pleasant. Jan Perry and Bernard Parks can rest assure that Betty's keyboard will not direct any frying pan missives in their direction this week as she directs her ire towards a CD 14 carpetbagger, coming in search of her own political riches. As usual, we post Betty's musings with our comments in bold and within the ( )---Scott Johnson.

Despite pre-primary election cries from the community for 9th District City Council candidates to stop their race-baiting campaign tactics to prevail at the ballot box, the pre-runoff election activity in that regard has gotten worse and the voters are hopping mad, as what was once subtle is now in-your-face blatant. (coming from the face of Ana, that is downright scary)

Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi, indefatigable leader of the Ma’at Institute for Community Change — the largest and most effective grassroots organization in South Los Angeles — organized the South Los Angeles Power Coalition and convened a series of candidate forums this year at which aspirants to the 9th District City Council seat were to relate their appraisal of the problems confronting their would-be constituents, the methods they have in mind to solve them and the experience they have in doing so. More than 300 people at a time flocked to these forums in the belief that they would hear candidates speak to the issues that effect their lives, thus enabling them to cast votes that would positively impact the vast 9th District. (only issue for Ana is seizing power in a now, impoverish CD 9 of her enabling creation).

Did the people get this information? A little bit, but nearly as much as seven candidates could have provided. What did they get then and what are they getting now? Ana Cubas, a candidate out of East Los Angeles who is embarked on a race-baiting campaign on steroids which has been hyped up by stupid sex-baiting on her part. (sex-baiting and drinking don't mix) Cubas, who is facing a runoff with state Sen. Curren Price for the 9th District seat, has been and continues to tell residents to “vote for me because I’m from El Salvador and because I am a woman.” (you forgot in the fine Huizar tradition, to state that you went to Princeton damn it!) She is so firm in her feminine qualifications (the smell, at times, reinforces that premise) that she is reported on the USC newsite, thus: “If elected, I’ll establish a women’s caucus within the council even if I’m the only one on that caucus. And when I’m termed out … I will not endorse a man (but remain interested in them, as noted on your Facebook Page). I don’t care how good he is (Jose might get offended)...” Really? (** We can agree with Betty once every CD 9 election cycle)

Cubas stresses her irrelevant El Salvadoran birthplace at every opportunity, but ignores the fact that she grew up in Santa Monica and lives in the tony Solano Canyon village in the Mount Washington area of Northeast L.A.(actually near Dodger Stadium, but we digress) She was chief of staff to 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar (transparency and openness were foreign concepts during her reign), who is pushing her to represent the 9th District, an area she knows nothing about and had never even been in until she decided to put her female El Salvadoran-born self on the City Council simply because she’s an Hispanic woman (this after helping to reshape CD-9 during the litigious Redistricting process).

Not only that, but South L.A. activists tell me Cubas has become so reprehensible in her tactics that she now speaks untranslated Spanish at candidates’ meetings (she is also proficient in long-winded gibberish during NC meetings). I’m told that she delivers lengthy passages in Spanish that go untranslated, thus enraging her overwhelmingly English-speaking audience which feels she is talking only to Hispanics and therefore is telling them something she does not want English speakers to know (Its Ana's time in English damn it!).

Kokayi, who is mortified by Cubas’ tactics, said there are tensions between some African-Americans and Latinos in South L.A., “but we also recognize that African-American and Latino residents in CD 9 are not waging a full-scale war with one another. As the polling suggests, the majority of voters on the eastside of South L.A. are likely to reject that type of divisive campaigning.” Yet, Cubas’ failure to address the issues (like CLARTS misappropiations) and her reliance on untranslated Spanish speeches do give Kokayi pause. (Not to mention her (stinkin) female chauvinism and her constant trumpeting of her birthplace.).

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14                                  

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Thursday

2013 Mayoral Candidate CD 13 City Councilman Eric Garcetti finds happiness in the sewer of campaign fundraising.

Its almost campaign fundraising report time again at the Ethics Commission (July 31) and "Team Garcetti" has called for the tote ................ $2,2 Million Dollars!! (dancing breaks out on the Jewish branch of the Garcetti Family Tree).

As the "Weekly of Record's" Gene Maddaus notes this early cash haul from Hollywood types, lawyers, developers and others will enable Team Garcetti to buy T.V. time to connect with his "Citywide Family".

Regarding the fundraising progress of the other candidates, Wendy "The Valley Greuel's" Campaign states that they will be "competitive" with Team Garcetti (but then you must equate in Consultant John Shallman's proclivity in spending monetary resources which means that the Valley Greuel's campaign is at a disadvantage). Meanwhile City Councilperson Jan Perry will come in at $1.2 Million followed by Team Kevin James further behind (with matching funds yet to be tap).

One side bar of interest is this from Maddaus regarding the fictional "President Paul Garcetti".

Scanning through the list contributors, it appears that Hollywood likes Garcetti, especially the TV folks. Contributors include one James Kimmel, listed as a "TV Show Host"; Adam Carolla, "TV Personality"; producer Steven Bochco, and David Nevins, the CEO of Showtime. On that subject, is it just a coincidence that the USA Network has a series on which the fictional president is named Paul Garcetti? 

Flashback, former City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's "Team 1600" was not fiction.

** The "Weed Leaf of Record's" Dennis "the Bong Comandante" Romero reports that the Medical Marijuana cravers are mounting a signature drive to place "Measure Ganga" on the March, 2013 Ballot. Consider this, they need only to find 27,425 register, pot lovin voters to place "Measure Ganga" on the March Ballot.

** An "Oh Mario y Maribel" Update: City of San Fernando City Councilwoman Maribel "Sancha" De La Torre will be arraigned today for her "Act of Rage" against former fling and Councilman Mario "Tonto" Hernandez. Since "Sancha's" incident at "Tonto's" home the former political twosome have dropped their respective restraining orders against one another. A political making up in progress?

ANOTHER SOULVINE THURSDAY

 Longtime South L.A. Newspaper Columnist Betty Pleasant.

In this week's edition of the Soulvine, Betty highlights the next generation of "Ridley-Thomas" cutting their political teeth. HERE’S ANOTHER ONE — Comes now another Ridley-Thomas. No, it’s not Mark and it’s not Avis — it’s Sebastian, one of the couple’s 24-year-old twin sons. Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is in San Bernardino directing the campaign of Cheryl Brown, publisher of the Black Voice News, who is running for the new 47th Assembly District seat over there. Brown is a native of Los Angeles who has spent much of her adult life in San Bernardino. 

** Another Soulvine Special Report: "Betty praises former Chief Parks"

 South LA Newspaper Columnist Betty Pleasant

CD 8 City Councilman Bernard Parks

Can we equate the political dueling of Betty Pleasant and Councilman Parks to Aunt Esther and Fred Sanford?

** Bloggin Disclaimer!! This next blog post may bring on shortness of breath and multiple episodes of denial that what was reported, actually took place. Rest assure, this may be the new spring that ushers in "Peace with our Time" or just a lull in the dog vs, cat political battle of Parks vs. Betty --- Scott Johnson.

Without further ado and with an economy of words, let it be stated that on April 25, 2912, the following on former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks were stated in this opinion piece by LA Wave Newspaper Columnist Betty Pleasant regarding a "new LAPD.

Green and Smith went a step further and said the LAPD really began turning over a new leaf when Bernard Parks became chief in 1997 and ordered the members of the force to investigate and respond to every single complaint made by every single resident against every single police officer, no matter how trivial or off-the-wall it may seem. Cmdrs. Green and Smith said that before Parks laid down that edict, the LAPD never, ever responded to a complaint about themselves.

“We always threw them away and/or told the complainant to ‘get outta here,’ and we didn’t want to change that,” the commanders said. “But that one order from Parks forced us to begin listening to people and talking to people and looking at each other and looking at ourselves,” they said. 

....... Thus, with two paragraphs on the positive and true contributions of former LAPD Chief Bernard Park, will South LA bare witness to a new spring devoid of muckraking from the opinion pages of the LA Wave Newspaper, directed at now Councilman Parks? Or maybe Fred Sanford will find the beauty in the Aunt Esther? Stay tune!! 

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

Scott Johnson iin CD 14