Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Thursday

What will be the reaction from IBEW/DWP Strongman Brian "D'Arcy Rizzo" after both City Attorney Mike Feuer and City Controller Ron Galperin called the reigning City Hall Bully's bluff, in withholding the latest payment to the Joint IBEW/DWP Job Training and Safety Non-Profits?

The Bully that is IBEW/DWP Strongman Brian "D'Arcy Rizzo".



Angelinos need to be made aware of a pending Bully Temper Tantrum.

For those who were unfortunate to be on the receiving end of threats from bullies, know all too well that when a uber thug does not get their requested extortion, it can get ugly, real ugly.

Thus, what should Angelinos expect from reigning City Hall Bully, IBEW/DWP Strongman Brian "D'Arcy Rizzo" after City Attorney Mike Feuer and City Controller Ron Galperin initiated plans to put a new overseer and deny the latest payment to his "Joint IBEW/DWP Job Training and Safety Non-Profits respectively? Blackouts? Cut off in water deliveries? More "Working Californians Independent Expenditures" to City Clowncil Central Committee Members such as Curren Price, Herman "Mini Amin" Wesson, Jose Huizar, Felipe Fuentes and Gil "Broken Deal Cedillo" to do nothing in response to a Bully's latest threats? 

The latter is most likely unless pressure is put on the City Clowncil Central Committee to cut off this annual $4 Million Dollars bailout to sustain "Boss D'Arcy Rizzo's" operating excesses and .........., campaign contribution kickbacks to the majority of those within the Horseshoe who remain silent on this growing scandal.

** Surprise, surprise!! LAPD's computer software program known to the discerning political observer simply as COMPSTAT, is showing an increase in Aggravated Assaults as noted by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti in a recent photo op. Normally, COMPSTAT is program to show decreases in all crimes (especially violent types) by dumbing down what is supposedly a violent act of law breaking. Thus, in the near future, will we see an expose on the truth of COMPSTAT? BTW, lets not forget the impact of now City Attorney Mike Feuer's co-authoring of AB-109 on the rise in crime.

** Mayor Eric Garcetti has a surge of a crisis coming ashore at the Port of LA as a hundred, union-inspired truckers are striking, seeking to become "employees", instead of merely operators. If this job action gain support of unionized Longshoremens via work stoppages, the long-term ramification for the Port of LA and Long Beach could see Shipping Companies bypass the twin ports, in favor of business friendly Ports of Calls by a newly-widened Panama Canal.  

** Former SEIU 347 and 721 Union Leader Julie Butcher is leaving Andy Stern's Fiefdom for a new gig as the Business Representative for Teamsters Local 911. Meanwhile, the Fourth Annual Matt Butcher Memorial Golf Tournament is on July 19 at the Brookside Golf Course, next to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.                 

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

SEIU 721 Regional Director Julie Butcher.

Memo to my former SEIU 347 General Manager Julie Butcher, DNC and Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Blabbermouth-Schultz may find your latest endeavor "borderline offensive" but this blogger says "you go sister"!

As Daily News Rick Orlov notes in this Monday's edition of his Tipoff Column, Butcher and her brother and sisters of the the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, which has been working with the mayor for the past three years, is scheduled to hold a news conference this week calling on President Obama and the Democratic National Committee to remove Villaraigosa as chair of the Democratic Party's summer convention in Charlotte, N.C.

The main message behind the movement is that Villaraigosa has lost touch with his Democratic roots.

Democratic roots? The only root that the former Tony Villar of City Terrace has never lost touch of is the root of self-preservation.

Political Consultant John Shallman's infamous Titanic Mailer.

We are not the only one to catch on to "Green Political Consultant John Shallman's proclivity for recycling campaign material (while charging high end prices).

From Orlov.

In politics, nothing gets old. Or thrown away.Just look at the campaign of Carmen Trutanich, who is looking to move up from city attorney to district attorney at the June 5 primary.Trutanich, who has returned to using Tru as a nickname on his website, has released a "Blueprint for Justice," on how he would manage the $190 million D.A. budget.  In his 2009 city attorney campaign, it was a "blueprint for change." Now, it's a "blueprint for a new direction."

That consulting bill for the "Blueprint" is in the mail from Shallman Communications.

 The Occupying Red Rabble on the South Lawn of City Hall.

The 99% that strives to be wards of the government via edits from the likes of SEIU and Van Jones, will gather at the red light of dawn to march as a collective on the International Day of the Worker.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Son of SEIU 721's Julie Butcher killed in Medical Marijuana Shop Robbery

SEIU 721 Regional Director Julie Butcher

The LA Weekly is reporting that the 27 year old son of SEIU 721 Labor Leader and City Hall regular Julie Butcher, was killed in an apparent robbery.

Matthew Butcher, the oldest son of Julie and Don Butcher, was fatally shot inside the Higher Path Holistic dispensary on June 24 around 4:10 p.m. in the 1300 block of Sunset Blvd. A co-worker at the Higher Path Holistic shop was also shot and was in critical condition at a nearby hospital.

Julie Butcher posted these comments on her Facebook Page.

Matt Butcher was shot & killed yesterday, when armed robbers brokeinto the Echo Park medical marijuana shop in which he was working.

Matt was a kind, decent, quiet young man, who was extraordinarily loved by his parents Don & Julie Butcher & his younger brother Steven.

All abhor the senseless violence. RIP

Our Prayers go out to the Butcher Family.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Afternoon Briefs and Outtakes before "El Grito" Festivities

"LA Times photo of "guess who" during today's City Council Public Comment session"

It is 4:15 PM and with tonight's "El Grito Celebration" getting ready to begin, 13 well-paid politicians (minus Dennis Zine) sit behind close doors in search of the collective wisdom to draft some sort of resolution to the dire financial state of affairs on Spring Street.

For Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, he has fallen back on his well-worn practice of abandoning others for the sake of political self-preservation by announcing his withdrawal of support for the "Early Retirement Agreement" crafted with the "Coalition of Unions" minus EAA. Villaraigosa has even mention that four letter word "V-E-T-O" as a threat, if the City Council goes ahead with the passage of the "Early Retirement Agreement".

For the likes of SEIU's Julie Butcher and AFSCME's Cheryl Parisi, the Mayor's act of "going back on his word" should not be met with shock or surprise. Many who have "join hands" with Villaraigosa over the span of his political and personal life will all agree that when times get tough or when something comes along that will benefit Antonio, he will act with "self-advancement" as his paramount thought, just ask Jack Weiss, Gil Cedillo, Tamar Galatzan, Martin Ludlow, Corina and his dad.

But in this saga, the bigger issue here is the financial welfare of the city. The likes of LACERS General Manager Sally Choi were the first to assert some needed truthful leadership, in butting heads with the "Coalition of Unions" with her steadfast stance that the fifteen year time period for paying back contributions to LACER, would be fiscally detrimental to the city's financial well-being.

Choi's reward for speaking the fiscal truth was having SEIU's Julie Butcher unleash a verbal tirade and release Choi's personal contact information to her "union brothers and sisters". But Choi held firm even when the City Council's budget committee overrode her recommendation of a five year repayment plan and sided with the unions on the fifteen year option.

Now the council sits behind close doors and mulls over whether to face a mayoral veto, the wrath of the unions. or maybe think of a solution that will place the taxpayers as the paramount interest?

PM UPDATE: Ron Kaye and Chelsea Cody report at "OurLA" that Council President Eric Garcetti has "(He) told members to stay on call and be available to resume the recessed session sometime between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday for a vote on an early retirement package being worked out in talks among unions, the mayor's office, Council members and top bureaucrats.

PM UPDATE # 2 at 9:05 PM: Councilman Bernard Parks is currently on air with KRLA's Kevin James discussing today's developments regarding the budget. He has just stated that the pension fund is 3 to 4 billion dollars in the hole!! Further, The CAO, CLA and the Council President are working through the night with union leadership, on a solution to present to the full council by tomorrow afternoon. Parks just stated that there was never the ten votes needed to pass the refinements to the pension plan/ Early Retirement Plan as dictated by State Law.

OTHER NEWS:

** KFI's Eric Leonard reports that Department of Building and Safety General Manager Andrew Adelman has resign this afternoon. Adelman had been placed on paid leave pending the resolution of his sexual assualt case. The LA Times catches up at 6:02 PM and the LA Weekly chimes in at 6:20 PM.

** Former President Bill Clinton is endorsing San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsome in the 2010 race for Governor. No doubt in this blogger's mind that the former impeached President has not forgiven Attorney General Jerry Brown for introducing the Whitewater Land Deal in Arkansas into the 1992 Presidential Campaign. Will Mayor Villaraigosa join his "social friend" in supporting Newsome?

** Continuing on the subject of questionable land deals, Los Angeles Times Reporter David Zahniser provide the details of what you get when the DWP, Mayor Villaraigosa friend Ari Swiller, Deputy Mayor S. David Freeman and the City of Vernon, all go land banking in Kern County for the same piece of property to build some windmills.

Walter Moore has this salient observation on Ron Kaye's LA post regarding this story.

By Walter Moore on September 15, 2009 2:13 PM
The L.A. Times's headline is misleading.

The DWP was not "outmanuevered" at all.

Rather, the evidence indicates that all the entities are being maneuvered according to a single plan: cronies buy land at low price, then have their career politician lackeys buy the land from them at a high price, using taxpayer money.

This is the same story that happens every day downtown. It's a variant on the multi-million-dollar subsidies for the downtown developers and "anti gang" programs, and the dollar-a-year leases.

They get away with it because the local media -- with a few remarkable exceptions like David Z -- are too lazy to hammer home to oblivious voters how badly they're being ripped off.

Meanwhile, those of us stupid enough to have stayed here this long better start heading towards the exits. There is no scenario where this town pulls out of the nose-dive.

** One should note that among the performers tonight in celebrating "El Grito" at City Hall, is the band "Quetzal". You may remember them for dropping out of the "Festival Shalom" festivities in CD 14 due to the involvement of the Israeli Consulate. Plus they had some kind comments about a certain City Councilman.

** Downtown News Editor Jon Regardie has the latest from City Attorney Carmen Trutanich regarding the continuing legal standoff between the City Attorney and City Controller Office.

Trutanich provided these comments,

At Monday’s event, Trutanich addressed the matter, stating that only the City Council can settle the case, and that the opinion he offered before the election became moot once the judge issued a ruling.

However, after meeting in closed session last week with City Attorney officials, the Council did not settle the case.

The decision could be made final next month Trutanich said that the Controller’s office will conduct an audit of the city attorney’s workers’ compensation program starting Wednesday.

“But does that mean that when Wendy files a request to audit a city councilperson that they’re not going to object to it?

Absolutely not,” Trutanich stated. “If we dismissed our lawsuit we’d have Rocky II, and Rocky III, and Rocky IV. If the lawsuit stands you’re going to have Rocky II, and Rocky III and Rocky IV.

The only way to address the matter now, he said, is to put a ballot measure before the public giving the controller’s office the right to audit elected officials.

“I have already drafted it,” he said of the proposed measure, which has not yet gone to the Council. “I am going to make that available.”

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

Butcher Headed to Norway, No, It Isn't Permanently

SEIU 721 head and public employee union big cheese Julie Butcher is headed off to an international conference in Oslo, Norway focused on " fighting the privatization of municipal services by improving quality."

When you consider it takes the City sometimes as much as two weeks (or more) to clean-up trash dumped on the street (UNLESS it happens while the Mayor is out of the country) it looks like LA's municipal services could really use some quality improvement.

With the current economic mess, rising City budget deficit and the lack of quality services, outsourcing a lot of non-public safety related functions to private industry (which could be contractually obligated to provide quality service and rewarded for doing so) would save a ton of money and likely improve services.

It will never happen in LA.  Our Mayor, City Attorney, City Controller and all fifteen City Council members are paid for lock, stock and barrell by the public employee unions.  Not only would they not outsource but they continue to offer these workers increases in wages that they would not receive in the private sector.  That's what's breaking the bank.

At a labor contract meeting over the weekend, Butcher had the following epiphany "Every city worker faces the same issues: dwindling resources against real increasing need; demand for services smack up against real pride in the delivery of good, reliable, fair municipal services, at best coupled with a unique connection to the public we serve."

 Maybe while she's there Julie can organize the Vikings.

Assorted Unionize Ass Clowns for the months of August and September

Memo to SEIU International Leader Andy Stern, can we get sponsorship for our prestigious award??

After all for the last couple of months the exploits of your union leadership and the resulting exploitation of members dues, have rekindle the investigated journalistic creed at the "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" and up our hits here at Mayor Sam.

But most important for a city in need of democratic reforms, your leaders follies may help release organize labor's "strangle hold" on City Hall and County Government.

"Brother Andy", your principle that "bigger is better", that being in your restructuring of SEIU locals into "super locals" has brought you these returns locally.

*Tyrone Freeman of SEIU 6434 diverted dues money to non-profits run by family members.

**Arnelle Grajeda, Leader of "Super Local 721" is placed on admin. leave due to questions about money given to "sancho".

***Julie Butcher, former General Manager of SEIU 347 and now in charge of LA and Orange County Cities under 721, renews attempt to take over EAA membership, which could have national implications in the area of inter-union relations.

But there is one person not pictured here who's political aspirations in the short term could be the first to suffer in this growing scandal. Wonder who Mark???