Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

 City Controller Wendy "The Valley Greuel".

The "Valley Greuel" eyes no problem with Mayor Antonio Villar's $100 Million shell game.

Welcome to the second week of 2012 and as we look onwards to the 2013 Mayoral Elections, there is a small issue of $100 Million dollars in delay payments (ie. the cost of maintaining Mayor Villar's fiscal legacy) that may become an inconvenience for a certain "City Controller". While the likes of former Deputy Mayor  Austin "Mini-Riordan II" Beutner called this budgetary maneuver "Enron", the City Controller Wendy "The Valley Greuel" morphed into the "fiscal ostrich" that blends into the political landscape of denial, said nothing. 

As noted "Valley Greuel" observer Paul Hatfield opines in his blog post on the topic, this void of denial can have dire consequences. Complete disclosure of all material events and obligations is one of the fundamental responsibilities of a controller in private industry or government. Failure to disclose critical information could lead to criminal charges under certain circumstances. $100 million is material in all aspects to the city, especially if it could very well come due much sooner than later (see addendum below for the extent of the disclosure in the city’s financial statements). Thus, "delay and deny", may have a large cost for the mayoral aspirations of the "Valley Greuel".

** Desperate times call for ............ "Reggie the Alligator" as Parke Skelton attempts to garner votes for Assemblyman Warren Furutani, from the gentrified amphibian enclave of Machado Park in CD 15. One wonders if Parke would of gone to the "Chupacabras for Huizzy" if the 2011 CD 14 race had been closer?

** Surprise, surprise another Building and Safety Inspector accuse of misusing his position for personal gain. Ronald Diaz collected $5,500 dollars from Ana Perez to "resolve permit issues" on work for her day-care center but hey, Diaz offered to deduct $2,000 from the balance in exchange for photos of Perez's breast.

** Mayor Villar is ensconce in Sacramento among state legislaturers, attempting to delay the demise of CRA. After all, protecting the outreach proclivities of the likes of CASA 0101 should be of paramount concern.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14    

First briefs on an aging Los Angeles Political Machine in 2012

City of Los Angeles politicos and insider elites bemoaning the demise of CRA LA.

Great New Year to all as we reassemble in the political cyber sphere for another year of blogging the exploits of the City of Los Angeles Political Community. As 2011 ended with the demise of the "Dear Leader Agency" of dispensing fiscal love and cut rate property to those with the elitist community of Los Angeles, what political dramas or events will transpire in 2012?

Foremost must be the evolving quest of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to craft a legacy of accomplishment as he nears his date with "last name reduction" ( ie. return of Villar) in 2013. With the likes of  "One Million Trees", "City-Wide Free Internet", "LAUSD Control" and "10,000 Police Officers" beyond his grasps, Mayor Villar has change tactics and pass on to the next mayor the task of paying the bills as not to taint his "current fiscal legacy". 

The first major political event of 2012 will take place two weeks from today in CD 15 as voters select the replacement to now Congresswoman and former Councilwoman Janice Hahn. If the flow of recent of recent endorsements is any indication, "the machine" led by Mayor Villar and LA County Labor Federation Leader Maria Elena Durazo is going to get its collectivist rear end kick by first-time political aspirant LAPD Senior Lead Officer Joe Buscaino. Buscaino picked up the endorsement of City Controller Wendy "The Valley Greuel". Thus, it looks that Assemblyman Warren Furutani may be the latest Antonio supporter to become a good-size speed bump for the mayor's bus to roll over.

The City Council gets ready to reconvene in the next few minutes, for its first meeting of the new year and right of the bat, the future of the Neighborhood Council system and its election process is on the agenda. CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian is working with NCs to get elections funded and conducted in 2012.

** HOT POLITICAL RUMOR: What could be sealed and causing consternation for a certain politico? We may know soon.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14    

CRA is no more thanks to California Supreme Court

 Will the "Valley Greuel" bail out soon to be defunct CRA LA CEO Chris Essel?

No more need for the community outreach skills of CASA 0101.

The California Supreme Court put the final silver nail into the coffin of California's assorted redevelopment agencies today, upholding Governor Jerry Brown desires to use CRA money to offset budget cuts. In addition, the California High Court also slap down the law that kept alive CRA's that shared a portion of their proceeds with the state. 

As Ron Kaye notes, these are the two key paragraphs from today's court decision.

"Assembly Bill 1X 26, the dissolution measure, is a proper exercise of the legislative power vested in the Legislature by the state Constitution.  That power includes the authority to create entities, such as redevelopment agencies, to carry out the state's ends and the corollary power to dissolve those same entities when the Legislature deems it necessary and proper.  Proposition 22, while it amended the state Constitution to impose new limits on the Legislature's fiscal powers, neither explicitly nor implicitly rescinded the Legislature's power to dissolve redevelopment agencies.  Nor does article XVI, section 16 of the state Constitution, which authorizes the allocation of property tax revenues to redevelopment agencies, impair that power." 

"A different conclusion is required with respect to Assembly Bill 1X 27, the measure conditioning further redevelopment agency operations on additional payments by an agency's community sponsors to state funds benefiting schools and special districts.  Proposition 22 (specifically Cal. Const., art. XIII, § 25.5, subd. (a)(7)) expressly forbids the Legislature from requiring such payments.  Matosantos's argument that the payments are valid because technically voluntary cannot be reconciled with the fact that the payments are a requirement of continued operation.  Because the flawed provisions of Assembly Bill 1X 27 are not severable from other parts of that measure, the measure is invalid in its entirety."

Now for CRA LA, the major speculation is what recourse the State of California will have to repatriate close to a $1 billion that the agency transfer to the City of Los Angeles in anticipation of this ruling? Look forward to a legal slugfest over the control of this money.

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

Is a sequel to Richard Meruelo's Taylor Yard Land Swindle in the works?

A "happy" Los Angeles River between the Two Freeway on the west and the Pasadena Freeway on the east.

While the LA River smiles in the Google Image above, Northeast Los Angeles environmentalists are quickly mobilising to counter a possible replay of the infamous Developer and Mayor Antonio Villar  Mayoral Campaign Financer Richard Meruelo "Taylor Yard LAUSD Land Deal". 

A key 44 acre parcel of the former Southern/Union Pacific Taylor Yard complex that once contain the roundhouse and engine house, is now being pursuit by the Trammell Crow Company for industrial development. Trammell Crow is owned by CB Richard Ellis which possesses vast tracts of property city wide and nationally and just signed a deal with CRA to purchase the controversial Cleantech site downstream from Taylor Yard for $15.4 million. 

With Trammell Crow entering into a "purchase option agreement" with property owner Union Pacific, for the intent of developing the parcel for industrial use, activists are opening speculating whether this is a Meruelo-like attempt to buy sought-after land and sell for a quick profit to the likes of the California State Parks.

The State Parks has already purchase 18 acres in the area and had set aside financial resources to purchase the 44 arces G-2 Parcel and rehabilitate to property for public usage.

The fact that this is taking place within CD 1 City Councilman Ed Reyes domain and that Reyes is the Chairperson of the PLUM Committee at City Hall, is raising eyebrows about nefarious dealings along the banks of Councilman Reyes's "Legacy Project".

** Read email from Northeast Activists after the jump.

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Afternoon Briefs according to Orlov on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

The Daily News Longtime City Hall Beat Writer Rick Orlov (light blue shirt) working County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. Photo via Neon Tommy and ** taken by now LA Weekly Freelance Writer Hillel Aron.

While the Los Angeles Times has gone to 24/7 Occupy L.A. coverage, the Daily News City Hall Beat Writer Rick Orlov continues his decades-long endeavor to uncover the scoops within City Hall. In honor of his due diligence over the decades and the fact that everybody else in media is fixated on the "Occupy L.A. endgame" (coming no time soon) , we bring you Orlov's Briefs on Monday.

** Orlov reports on City Controller Wendy "The Valley" Greuel's latest "Press Release Audit" that highlights some "missing money" ($1.7 Million) at the "welfare agency" to the connected elites and corporations in Los Angeles known as CRA/LA. We took the time to browse through the actual report and found this little CD 14 nugget which highlights how CRA money goes PUFF!

The March 14, 2011 AB 1290 fund status report reported a $15,000 commitment and $15,000 expenditure for the Adelante Eastside RPA for the El Sereno Farmer’s Market.  Both transactions reference the same Council authorization (CF10-1881).  However, the Council only authorized $15,000 to be transferred to the City to help fund the El Sereno Farmer’s Market.  The transfer was made in February 2011 and is appropriately reported  as an expenditure for the RPA.  However, there is no other Council authorization to commit an additional $15,000 for the Farmer’s Market.  While the commitment did not impact the cash transfer from the CRA to the City on March  15, 2011, the additional commitment overstates what the Council approved as a designated use of the AB 1290 funds. 

We should note that both proprietors are close Councilman Huizar supporters for the record.

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LaBonge and Reyes Get Ducky!

Want some banana bread?

With everything going on in the city, ranging from poorly paved sheets to not enough police officers to a lack of jobs and affordable housing, it is so gratifying to see that my Councilman, Tom "LeBong" LaBonge is attacking something much needed for Los Ang-a-leez.

Amphibious"duck" vehicles to tour the Los Angeles River.

On your right, is, uh, Van Nuys!

I've ridden ducks - a vehicle that is essentially a boat that can easily switch from navigating a body of water to driving on dry land - at the beautiful Wisconsin Dells. Tourists in Boston, Seattle and money other cities enjoy the ducks, originally developed during World War II for military use.

Tom and his fellow Clowncilman, Ed "River Rat" Reyes are teaming up to use some of that fancy CRA money for the effort.  Ed and Tom are committed to the fallacy that the LA River is one of the great rivers of the world akin to the Nile, Mississippi, Columbia or even the Consumnes.

The Clowncil is scheduled to vote on a part of the plan at Friday's meeting.

Ed's in pretty deep

Given that the LA river has all of about a mile or so that is actually deep enough for a boat, it makes sense that you would need a duck to traverse the entire course of LA's most storied flood control channel, easily maneuvering around shopping carts, rocks and dead bodies.

When it comes to leadership like Tom LaBonge and Ed Reyes, LA proves municipal government is not all that it's quacked up to be.

Connected Non-Profit Theatrical Group CASA 0101 "Presents" with help of CRA LA?

 CASA 0101 has grown beyond this First Street store front location.

Would the "Valley Greuel" find anything questionable in Chris Essel's CRA $150,000 outreach contract with CASA 0101?

There is no doubt that the connected non-profit theatrical group CASA 0101 has rounded the curve to artistic sustainability at its new and larger Boyle Heights location. The journey has been arduous undertaking for CASA's only employees, founder Josefina Lopez and husband Emmanuel Deleage, who have put their home up as collateral for a loan to bring CASA's latest location on line as noted in a recent Eastern Group Publications story and they still face perilous financial days ahead.

But as today's Los Angeles Times article profiles CASA's latest artistic undertakings, questions remain about the no-bid $150,000 CRA outreach contract awarded to CASA in light of this paragraph in the Times story.

The project entailed more than three years, hundreds of thousands of dollars in makeover costs, and painstaking permit-gathering and endless wrangling over access to the scant local parking supply. The nonprofit theater center is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and has received funding from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency and the California Arts Council along with substantial personal investment by López and Deleage. 

There is nothing factually wrong with any of the content above, but what the CRA contract funded was outreach by CASA employees on CRA projects, not theatrical productions as one could surmise from the Times story.

Reviewing the CRA contract provisions. CASA was to be funded for these "various outreach undertakings".

** $67,500 dollars for three employees at $30 per hour for 750 hours of "outreach" work. (Connected voter outreach, whoops theatrical pays under CRA)

** $5,000 dollars for booth at CASA Christmas Event. (Thats one nice and pricey Christmas present for CASA)

** $5,000 dollars for to fund table at CASA Fundraising Event.("Tables" getting expensive in the connected CBO community)

** $10,000 dollars for distribution of CRA material in the community. (in addition to salaries?)

** $15,000 dollars CASA performance programs with "full-page CRA logo and Mission Statement.(waste)

** $12,000 dollars for CASA color fliers with CRA logo. (waste)

** $7,500 dollars for half-page color and glossy ad in CASA's Annual Brochure.(EGP wishes they could charge that much for ads)

** $10,000 dollars for inclusion of CRA logo and Mission Statement on CASA's website. (Hmm. no sign of CRA on Home Page, nothing on Facebook)

** $20,000 dollars for miss. advertising throughout the term of contract for other events. (Maybe that is what pay for the CASA billboard blight on Mission and Cesar Chavez?)

All this adds up to one sweetheart deal for CASA with so much room for graft and a auditor's dream if only the aspiring Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel would put aside her political support for Councilman Jose Huizar and CRA Executive Director Chris Essel, to investigate.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14       

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Thursday

This is the new face of CRA LA that hypes partnerships with community based organizations such as the LA Conservation Corps. Even Eli Broad's Museum Parking Garage could use some greenery around its exterior. One should note that Mayor Villar's buddy Ari Swiller is a LA Conservation Corps Board Member

CRA LA LIVES!!

The rumors of CRA LA's demises has been greatly exaggerated to the tune of $96.5 million dollars.

$96.5million dollars was the cost of the tribute to California Governor Moonbeam II thus, keeping open the City of Los Angeles agency responsible for doughing out the corporate welfare to the likes of Eli Broad, USC, AEG, and a little choo choo on Broadway. After all, once you pay your "initiation fees" (ie. campaign contributions), your corporation, development firm or university is eligible for the services provided by CRA LA fine cast of political appointees/staffers that include the likes of Steve Valenzuela, Dalita Sotelo and former CD 2 City Council Candidate turned CRA LA CEO Chris Essel. ** In typical CRA LA fashion, the governing board of directors have called a "Special Meeting"  for tomorrow at its Garland Building Headquarters at 9:30 AM to formally approve the "tribute payment schedule" to Governor Moonbeam II.

 Former Los Angeles Community College District Trustee and current Assemblyman Warren Furutani with "twin" City Councilman Paul Koretz.

Question for CD 15 City Council Candidate Warren Furutani, care to comment on the audit of the LACCD Campus Construction Program? Some of the numbers, $140 million in questionable spending and $28 million sunk into projects that were later abandon because of poor planning according to the LA Times.Want to bet a private street permit on Oak Hill that the likes of John Shallman and the Svorinich Campaign will make your oversite of the LACCD Construction Program (and LAUSD) a campaign issue in the CD 15 Special election?

These are the current list of potential candidates to replace Janice Hahn via the Ethics Commission.

Justin Brimmer		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Joe Buscaino		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Mervin L. Evans		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Robert Farrell		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Warren T. Furutani		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
David Greene		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
James T. Law		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Pat McOsker		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Kenneth Melendez		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Kambiz Mostofi		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Frank Pereyda		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
DeWayne Stark		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Rudy Jr. Svorinich		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Gordon Teuber		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00
Jayme Wilson		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	NOT FILED	$0.00	$0.00

Your Thoughts..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Los Angeles Politics HotSheet for Tuesday

Carmen's Future?

Oh, Carmen. In a Trutanichesque display of chutzpah and tuna canning bravado our City Attorney packed up a bodyguard and a $2 million check representing the County's share of a city won lawsuit and headed to the County Hall of Administration to personally deliver the check and suggest that it go to political pal, Sheriff Lee Baca, to address the high profile issue of a backlog of rape investigation kits. Trouble is, state law says the County has to spend the dough on consumer protection.  Carmen's former BFF - DA Steve Cooley - called it a cheap political ploy (as Carmen has designs on Cooley's seat) and that the backlog was resolved some time ago.  One wonders if Carmen had the check in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist and offered the County Administrative Officer "an offer you can not refuse.
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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

President Obama will visit, but won't speak at Ground Zero today; He plans to just lay a wreath. White House says "the power of that requires no words". George "I could really care less about finding Osama" Bush was invited to attend today's ceremony, but declined to participate.

California Redevelopment Agencies are trying to re-brand themselves in a desperate attempt to stay alive after Gov Brown has called for their termination. First order of business, the heartstrings maneuver; promise more money for school kids!

I had the privilege of spending a good portion of yesterday working with several City & County agencies to clean out numerous homeless camps in the Tujunga Wash. Thanks to the efforts of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and Los Angeles Family Housing (LAFH) we were able to secure alternative housing for 6 individuals. My personal thanks to LAPD Senior Lead Officer Larry Martinez for overseeing and coordinating this effort, with assistance from Senior Lead Officer Rich Wall, and to Councilman Paul Krekorian and his, as always, amazing staff. In this case, CD2 staffers Jackie Keene and Heather O'Conner, for their instrumental efforts in making this project happen. Big thanks to DWP Police, General Services Police, Dept of Mental Health Services, People in Progress, Street Services, and Dept of Sanitation. Wow, great work everyone, thank you so much!
You can read my take on this huge undertaking (so huge, we have to come back in 2 weeks to finish it) and check out some photos from today, over at The Foothills Forum.

KCET has released a comprehensive and fascinating Field Guide to the Los Angeles River. A must read for all LA River aficionados.

It just gets weirder by the day: Tour guide, birthday party clown, homophobe, eternal last place candidate, and a guy that doesn't have a clue about oil supplies or pricing, Phil Jennerjahn, has a new passion; STALKING Paris Hilton.

We salute and say goodbye to Claude Stanley Choules, the last known combat veteran of WW1, who passed away today in Perth, Australia at the age of 110. He was quite a guy!

This just in; France legalizes absinthe. Don't tell you know who!

Jerry Brown, Dragonslayer

More on Jerry and the CRA, Trojan says: 

The CRA repeal pays off more in the long term than the short term, and is like pouring a little bleach on city hall. A lot of people I speak to who know about CRA think this is just over $1.5B and a not a huge deal. But the long term debt and interest expense reductions is a big deal. With that said, I don't know how much more fight Brown has in him on this.

The wealthy special interest groups (developers, unions, rich kids looking to build a stadium etc.) with a lot on the line will continue to go at him hard. And with deep pockets, who knows what stink they can raise.

In the end, the only way this gets done is through a compromise with unions. CA will get shafted by the unions or continue to get shafted by the CRA system. As our last governor learned, a fight with unions is a fight to the political death. Unless Brown's ready, and has the stomach, to slay the dragon he will lose.

Is Jerry a dragonslayer? Time will tell.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Politicians are scared out of their gourd that Jerry Brown is going to shut down the CRA and all their shady projects.  Problem is, a lot of the money local pols need to run come out of those projects.  Jerry Brown's people at least are honest and saying they don't buy the crap from Jose Huizar or Antonio Villaraigosa that CRA projects create any real jobs.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Public Employee Unions Need to go
on a Diet Just Like Mayor Sam has

One of the smartest bloggers in town when it comes to public finance, Paul Hatfield, dices up the Wisconsin labor reform law and details how similar changes should come to California.  It's apparent that politicians like Governor Brown and former State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (no relation) understand that public employee unions have been given a sweeter than sweet deal for decades and with most governments near bankruptcy it's time to pay the piper.

Governor Brown also gets it when it comes to the Community Redevelopment Agency. It's time to shut these inefficient, wasteful and fraudulent distributors of corporate welfare down but Mayor Villaraigosa doesn't think so.  He cites examples of YMCAs and shopping centers the CRA built, yet shopping centers and YMCAs have been built for decades without YMCA - and the attendant multi-million dollar payouts to politically connected non-profits around these projects that don't see one cent go into building anything on the ground.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Former world champion Muay Thai boxer Nokweed Lookpranboon might have been a bit surprised last week when Councilmember Tom LaBonge showed up to the second anniversary of Lookpranboon's NoHo gym, At One Fitness. Lookpranboon, a Thai national, who, according to a few folks at the event, was allegedly feted by LaBonge with numerous sayings in Korean. Better luck next time!

Governor Jerry Brown wants to shut down the Community Redevelopment Agency. CRA officials and developers aren't so happy about this. The Governor made his pitch to a meeting of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. Though why Brown thinks the leaders of the Chamber are Republicans. Some are in the GOP fold but most, similar to politicians such as Mike Gatto and Lloyd Levine, made the business decision to be Democrats some time ago.

Not sure what PETA would think of this but the City of Los Angeles is looking to hire a few good beaver trappers. No, not in Los Feliz or Woodland Hills, but at DWP facilities in the Owens Valley. I thought the City already had a beaver trapper?

City Council punts again on CRA while waste continues under Chris Essel



Would CRA/LA file legal challenge to pervent this type of Billboard blight?



CRA/LA Executive Director Chris Essel (in center)

Blogger note: The City Council punted again today the issue of protecting nearly $1 Billion dollars of Community Redevelopement Agency/ Los Angeles's local property tax money from California Governor Jerry Brown. Brown, who is seeking to close the state's dire budget deficit by reclaiming jurisdiction over property tax money set aside for CRA-like projects statewide, would benefit from reading the following on a forlorn twelve year legal battle by the CRA against Regency Outdoor Advertising.

More after the bloggin leap.
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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet For Wednesday

We do Big Things with Smoked Salmon

The SOTU can be declared a great, forward thinking, and inspirational speech if only because the oil industry was so quick to pan it. In truth, Obama was doing Kennedy-lite, even invoking Sputnik at one point. The speech was very good, but not great. In a post-Tucson America, maybe it was exactly what was needed. The seating arrangements made for a refreshingly subdued, if not sporadically partisan audience that only managed to interrupt the speech about 20 times. My favorite was watching House Speaker John Boehner jonesing for a scotch and soda and a cigarette throughout the entire speech.

The official Republican response was given by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. The extreme Republican response was given by the American history challenged Representative from Minn., Michelle "The Camera's Over Here" Bachman.

UPDATE: Teabaggers throw Michele Bachman under the bus, "She has no right to speak for us".

The Mayors of 9 California cities, including Los Angeles, will meet with Gov. Brown this afternoon to weep,  moan, thrash about, and beg for him to abandon his proposal to disband CRAs across the state. I'm looking forward to his response.
Related; Our good friend, Ron Kaye, has had excellent coverage this week on LA's CRA scandal, and our very own Red Spot has reported on Huizar's absence from Council yesterday, that could be CRA related, no matter how hard his staffers deny it.


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Afternoon Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Scene for Monday

"Recipient of $150,000 CRA No-Bid Contract for Outreach. What do Councilman Huizar and the Treasurer of CASA 0101's Board of Directors have in common?

A quick bloggin tutorial for CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar regarding CRA/LA.

Tomorrow is looking to be a crowded day at City Hall as scores of city activists will flock to the pews in front of the Horseshoe. This to remind the city council of their civic duty to do the right thing on the future of CRA/LA.

As a public service to CRA challenged City Councilman Jose Huizar (at least in his Glassell Park Candidate Forum mind set) and readers, we provide links to pertinent posts on the evolution of the scheme to spirit away $1 billion dollars of state CRA tax money and create a City of Los Angeles Non-Profit slush fund.

For our councilman, Ron Kaye's reporting on CRA/LA "Special Meeting" that features links to the actual Action Items, mixed with YouTubes videos of the proceedings, would prep him well for tomorrow's meeting.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday: JERRY!

Who would have thunk it? When liberal leaning Democratic pols in Los Angeles and all over California went all out for JERRY! little did they imagine Governor Brown would propose killing their fabled golden calf - Community Redevelopment Agencies. If you don't know what CRAs are they are basically welfare for rich developers, who contribute to local electeds, and who can create (often failed) major real estate projects in "blighted" communities the politicians point to as "progress."  Jerry rightly feels that this tax money is better used for jails, schools, roads, police, higher education, health care for the poor, etc. than going to otherwise failed developers.  This has sent a shiver up the spine of City Fathers/Mothers throughout the Golden State who are now spending money faster than a drunken sailor before JERRY! comes and gets it.  Case in point, our own lovely berg, who has found amazing efficiency to get dollars fast to building Eli Broad's mausoleum in Downtown LA.

More after the jump...

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Mid-Day Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Scene for Tuesday

Will Governor Moonbeam II take out CRA's in California?

Will Chris Essel's CRA/LA survive the wrath of Bitter Jerry?

If Governor Moonbeam II needs any help in finding the office of CRA/LA in his quest to liquidate the functions of CRA's statewide, many in the local political bloggersphere are waiting and willing to point the way.

"WWG 2", known to the thinning ranks of graying readers of the Old Gray Hag on Spring Street as Bill Boyarsky, pens "right on Jerry"! Ron Kaye, formerly the editor of the Daily Valley Moldy Green Sheet, says "Abolish the CRA" Cary Brazeman, penning his thoughts at the "blogging cyber commune of neighborhood council activists" City Watch, calls it "Time for a New Way". Can we call this a bloggin consensus?

For this blogger, CRA's Adelante Eastside and its Biotech Corridor Project area, has provided a education on the brute force of mis-guided government. In 1999, without any notice to community members and park activists, Hazard Park was place within the Adelante Biotech Corridor Project Area. The CRA employee who I discussed this finding with, stated that the park was included due to "criminal blight". But the likes of longtime Hazard Park Activist Alex Man have stated for decades that Hazard Park, has been targeted by USC and LA County for hospital expansion. Thus, it was no surprise that the likes of USC's City Hall Lobbyist David Galaviz was a member of the CRA Adelante Advisory Board

With the powers granted CRA's across America by the repugnant Kelo Decision of the United States Supreme Court in 2005, the likes of CRA/LA had a new way of taking decades long homes of many and giving them to the connected developers like USC (one should see the former home sites on Playground St next to Hazard Park) . Thus, if Governor Moonbeam II can put a stop to this egregious practice of taking private property and selling it in return for campaign contributions (the LA way). Then lets point Jerry in the direction of CRA/LA.

OTHER NEWS:

** The latest batch of financial reports for the March 2011 LA Municipal Elections, are online at the City Ethics Commission Website.

** Assemblyman Gil Cedillo crusades on the behalf of the undocumented, continues with his California version of the Dream Act.

** Will Governor Moonbeam II get any republican support for his plans to raise taxes for the next five years?

** Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez can't break those bad political habits regarding gifts. This time to prison officials.

** Shout out to Michael Trujillo, guess who finally took the Lt. Governor's "Oath of Office"?

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

HACLA Rudy Montiel's "get rich scheme" garners unwanted attention

Mayor Antonio Villar (right) with his $400,000+ Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles Rudy Montiel (left).

To say that corruption does not exist within the dysfunctional agency known as the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), is to say that Mayor Antonio Villar has been a "transparent and ethical beacon" at 200 Spring Street.

Simply, the state of public housing under the control of HACLA is a legal and dysfunctional trainwreck, with its corrupt toxic fumes polluting the political air at City Hall. But lets make no mistake here, this stench has been around for years.

Now with Ron Kaye's latest missive on HACLA Executive Director Rudy Montiel's scheme for self-enrichment and his actions against tenants who protested outside his Rancho Cucamonga "mansion",the "big shining light of investigation" is pointed again at HACLA and what will be the end result? Maybe much-needed reforms.

The HACLA's Public Housing Projects are gang-infested fiefdoms that breed future generations of gang members and foster dependency on the largess of government (ie. WIC, Food Stamps, Welfare, mixed with subsidize, sub-standard housing).

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