Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

Marshall Tuck, CEO, Mayor Antonio Villar's Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS).

Memo to LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, School Board President Monica Garcia and PLAS CEO Marshall Tuck, judging from your Friday afternoon choreograph parent meeting in response to the latest sexual misconduct allegations involving a LAUSD educator, this time at Boyle Height's Roosevelt High School, district officials need to "truly embrace" openness and transparency.

But for Mayor Villar's PLAS CEO Marshall Tuck, openness and transparency does not allow for video taping of certain public meetings on PLAS campuses. During Friday's meeting at Roosevelt High School, Tuck walked up to Boyle Heights Activist Jose Aguilar who was video-taping the proceedings and requested that Aguilar stop filming. When Aguilar stood his ground and continue filming, Tuck stated that he could have Aguilar arrested if he continue to film. Aguilar again reminded Tuck that this was a public meeting open to everyone and that filming was allowed. At this point Tuck backed down and return to the front of the auditorium.

When asked after the meeting why he attempted to cease filming of the meeting, Tuck's reply was that parents were not given advance notice that filming would be allowed. But in this new media age, most would expect that some sort of video documentation of the meeting would have taken place, whether it came from the camera of a noted community activist or a cellphone of an undocumented parent of a Roosevelt student.

Thus, as LAUSD races from scandal to scandal in recent weeks, district officials should ponder making use of new media to communicate to its district parents how it is responding to situations such as Miramonte and Roosevelt. Plus, LAUSD should make use of its Channel 58 resources to convey its response to these situations. 

Remember Mr. Tuck to embrace the camera like the Mayor taking on an Photo Op.

** OTHER NEWS: 

** City Councilperson's Jan Perry and Bernard Parks are not backing off after the Redistricting Committee "beat down" of their respected council districts. Park and Perry are calling for fair, objective hearings on the redistricting process during the city council deliberations on the committee's proposed final map. As  side note, expect lawsuits to be filed in the near future. 

** We should note that our earlier request for public documents from HACLA has been fruitful fanilly. In the weeks ahead as we examine hundreds of pages of bank statements, emails and other records, The results will be publish here at Mayor Sam.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14.                                                                                              

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Friday

Can anybody find LAPD in this chase?

We start this beautiful Friday morning with a Tuesday night flashback to a televised car chase that snaked it way through the streets of Silverlake and surrounding areas. At least one perceptive viewer had this comment about the law enforcement response, or lack of. 

Yesterday (Tuesday) thousands of Southern California residents watched yet another police pursuit as aired on 3 different  local Los Angeles television stations. As the suspect vehicle exited from the Southbound 2 freeway at Glendale Blvd  with California Highway Patrol close by, The suspect driver was observed driving through the streets of Silverlake  back and forth sometimes over the same streets that he previously traveled on. But where were the police officers from the Northeast Division to assist the California Highway Patrol officers ? None were observed.  Not too long ago, Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies were the law enforcement agency which assisted the California Highway Patrol with a  pursuit suspect in the El Sereno area of Los Angeles.  Can Chief Beck please tell the residents of Northeast Los Angeles , What the hell is going on ?  Is he still sending Northeast Patrol vehicles to other police divisions through out the city?

.... just how thin are LAPD resources being spread throughout Los Angeles? You may not want to know.

** We want to commend out-going Los Angeles City Council Energy & Environment Committee Chairperson Councilwoman Jan Perry for her leadership in creating two wetlands parks within her council district. Meanwhile her replacement as committee chairperson CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar has dropped the ball on restoring the Hazard Park Wetlands and repairing a storm drain that feeds into the Wetlands watershed. Environmental Activists will remember that Mayor Antonio Villar promised at the Million Trees Groundbreaking that a restore wetlands would be in place within three years........... and now Councilman Huizar calls a restore wetlands "a long term project".

** We almost forgot that Councilman Jose Huizar was too pre-occupied with Clifton's Cafeteria festivities to act as a leader and vote to increase water rates on his constituents.

** Lastly, as the likes of Ron Kaye and the LA Times Editorial Board debate whether District Attorney Candidate Carmen Trutanich is a liar, maybe the same pillars of local journalism should answer why "these truths" via Mayor Antonio Villar, never garnered the same level of discussion (** especially during the "LA Antonio Times Era" of the former daily of record). An excerpt as posted on Mayor Sam in 2006 .......

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Jan Perry and Friends stand up for CD 9 as is

Councilwoman Jan Perry and friends stand in support of the current CD 9 District. Photo by Hayley Fox of Blog Downtown.

CD City Councilwoman Jan Perry is marshaling her supporters for a fight to preserve the current incarnation of the council district. Perry and about forty of her constituents gathered for a mid-afternoon testimonial on the bleak future awaiting CD 9, if the the proposed city redistricting maps are made permanent.

Downtown Developer Tom Gilmore noted “You cannot fix or help any district by cutting it in half,” Gilmore said. “Our ability to work under one council district, our ability to work through the entitlement process, through the development process, work through the affordable housing issues that we have, work with our partners in Skid Row, Little Tokyo, the Arts District and South L.A. make the mighty Ninth mighty, indeed.” As reported in the City Maven.

Another bit of concern for for CD 9 Downtown boosters may be found in this brief passage by Ron Kaye in a post regarding the brewing blowback on the proposed redistricting maps. In the following paragraph, Kaye notes this about CD 14 Councilman Jose Huizar. "Bill Rosendahl called the maps an "outrageous case of gerrymandering," which was always the intent but not if it cost him Westchester or inflicted Tom LaBonge on Sherman Oaks and Encino or robbed Jan Perry of the big bucks from downtown developers to provide Jose Huizar with that plum even as rumors of his legal problems with the feds are heating up.


This should concern those in Downtown, especially in light of the recent Historic Downtown BID controversy involving the "black balling" of Executive Director candidate Roberto Saldana by Councilman Huizar, for merely speaking out against him during last springs CD 14 Elections. Those facts alone should give pause to those contemplating a future Downtown LA controlled by CD 14.


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

Evening Musings on the Los Angeles Political Scene for Tuesday

"Art Walk LA".

** The fallout from the tragic death of a two year old Montebello infant during last Thursday's Downtown LA Art Walk festivities, is spawning calls for increase safety measures. Yet, in an interview with Streetblog LA, Mayor Villar insists that its too early to talk changes and blame in regards to last week's accident.

**  City Councilwoman Jan Perry's issues with legal opinions crafted by the Office of the City Attorney flared up today. Perry and others want a study on the use of outside legal counsel for issues such as crafting  billboards zones and other special interest concerns. BTW, Nuch is not happy.

** The Daily News rightfully gives credit to Angelinos who once again saw through the fear-mongering of its political leaders and practice common sense during the "Carmageddon" non-event.

** Ron Kaye's "Carmageddon Non-Event Formula" equates to "Leadership, Planning, Civility Ease Congestion and Who Knew"?

** James Preston Allen in City Watch see's no heir apparent to former CD 15 City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and community divisions ahead.. But below we showcase "Congresswoman Janice Babs Hahn goes to Washington". Enjoy!

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Mid-Day Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Scene for Tuesday: DA Steve Cooley being investigated by Callifornia FPPC

"Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley addressing the media"

Is San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris Campaign Consultant Ace Smith "going the Parke Skelton route", when it come to filing frivolous complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), against their respective challengers for state office?

Witness when Parke Skelton's previous client Assemblyman Mike Gatto's supporters filed a FPPC complaint against challenger Sunder Ramani, the mere appearance of financial malfeasance, was enough to garner attention from willing allies within the newsprint community and in the bloggersphere. This regardless of the truth behind the accusation of the complaint.

Now Ace Smith is borrowing the FPPC tactic from his consulting soul mate Parke as the San Francisco Chronicle's Megan Lagosi reports,

As the vote counting in the attorney general race continues -- as well as bickering among the campaigns -- we have some real news to report: The state's campaign finance watchdog confirmed today that it has launched an investigation into Steve Cooley's gift-taking in recent years -- a practice detailed in The Chronicle.Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=77108#ixzz15TjUkmnL

Tactic looks familiar here?

Meanwhile, back here in Los Angeles County, both sides are "calling out the goons", in the LA Weekly's words, to observe the vote counting at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office in Norwalk.

As of 12:30PM, the California Secretary of State Office shows Harris leading by 30,997 votes.

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