Karen Bass's City Hall Is Already Rigged

@TheGussReport - A column that I wrote last year, "Honest Services Fraud - How City Hall Rigged Its Herb Wesson Vote," detailed how sleazy LA City Hall can get when it wants a certain outcome, but doesn't want the public to participate or know what goes on behind the scenes.  I will have more on what this column is doing about that incident in the coming weeks.

But for now, a change of mayors from Eric Garcetti to Karen Bass hasn't changed City Hall's culture of corruption and backroom communications, which continue to deprive the public of a fair, honest and transparent government.

To see the rest of today's new column, head on over to DanielGuss.Substack.com and sign-up for the free newsletter and share it with your friends.

EXCLUSIVE: Bass Commish Using Hidden Email Accounts, Blocking Access to Public Records

@TheGussReport on Twitter - Larry Gross, a holdover appointee of disgraced former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, has been using covert, private email accounts to conceal city business and to also confirm to city officials scathing criticism of the new mayor, Karen Bass, as well as of animal pound critics and volunteers whose importance she applauded at her recent State of the City address.

Larry Gross - Photo: PBS SoCal

It's just the latest example of rules being ignored at every level of LA City Hall.

Gross, who has served on the Los Angeles Animal Services, LAAS, board of commissioners for nearly a decade, acknowledged exclusively to this column that he does use unknown email addresses to conduct city business.

"I am quite aware that any email address I use to communicate with city officials regarding my position as a Commissioner is subject to the Public Record Act.  I fully support that and have no problem with that.  I have nothing to hide."

Nothing to hide, it appears, other than identifying which private email accounts he uses for city business.

Gross's refusal to identify those email accounts maliciously makes it impossible for the city to comply with additional public records requests by this column.

And that's not all.

Paging my public records legal eagles.

To read this entire column, head on over to DanielGuss.Substack.com, and don't forget to sign up for my free newsletter and share it with friends.

LA's Paranoid, Paralyzed Governments, Part 1

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport on Twitter - With apologies to rockers Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe as I riff on their hit song title, but what's so scary 'bout truth, transparency and integrity in Los Angeles governments?

To some of us here on Mayor Sam, on DanielGuss.Substack.com and in similar outlets around Southern California, civic engagement means more than volunteering to clean up a park, handing out groceries at the food bank or comforting dogs at the animal pound.

It also means exploring politicians' and governments' truthfulness, transparency and integrity by examining public records, asking questions and calling out those who dodge direct accountability.

Shoot us a note if you ever hear a politician encouraging that type of civic engagement.

In the meanwhile, we've got examples of how asking LA politicians fair-but-probing questions has resulted in a costly and time-consuming cloud of paranoia and paralysis hovering over their offices after a slew of our recent stories.

To read the rest of today's column, jump on over to DanielGuss.Substack.com sign-up for my free newsletter and share it with friends.

LA's Chance to Punch Back: Kenneth Mejia for LA City Controller

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - This is your chance, Los Angeles.   

If you're fed up with what you see, experience and expect from LA City Hall, now is your chance to punch-back good and hard, or forever stop complaining about it.

In my new Substack column, I outline the roots of corruption that demand LA's next City Controller be as independent from City Hall as possible.  The only candidate who fits that bill is CPA Kenneth Mejia.

It is a rare instance where this column concurs with the LA Times Editorial Board.

On top of that good news, Mejia is also the only candidate with actual auditing experience and published plans for using data to improve the City.  In fact, he even volunteers at the deeply troubled LA Animal Services.

While you're at my Substack, please sign up for the free newsletter and don't forget to follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

Eric Garcetti - Will He Be Rewarded For Failure, Lies and a Corrupt City Hall?

 By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is the 42nd and indisputably worst chief executive in the city's history, at least according to almost everyone other than the Los Angeles Times, which kept doubling down on him as City Council President and Mayor time and again.

Eric Garcetti

Source: Unknown

Today is your last chance to prevent him from being rewarded for it.

Tomorrow, the United States Senate takes up his nomination to become the next U.S. Ambassador to India, which is ironic, considering the filth, homelessness and corruption that flourished during his tenure in Los Angeles, where he is the only political constant during L.A.'s current two-decade demise.

His nomination is almost certain to be approved, though some in the Senate have said they're keeping an eye on his latest scandal: the sexual harassment allegedly committed right under Garcetti's nose, which he denies knowing about, except that New York Magazine proved that to be as much of a Garcetti lie as anything else.

Rick Jacobs, Eric Garcetti and Friends

Source: LA Times

As Jim Carrey said in "Dumb and Dumber," "so you're telling me there's a chance," to stop Garcetti?

Yes, indeed.

Truth is, Garcetti checked out of his Mayor's job long ago in favor of campaigning with Joe Biden, (which is why he may be rewarded for a job poorly done) and dispensing inaccurate and suffocating COVID guidelines such that he wound up ignoring them and catching it himself.  He can hardly do much further damage to L.A. in his remaining time here.

For this column, a few other issues stand out besides the nation's worst homelessness, crime et al.

1. Garcetti lied about LA becoming a "No Kill" city, at least until this column exposed his appointees for falsifying 8,807 pet "adoptions" by counting as "adopted" the moving of animals from one deadly pound kennel to another.

Loathesome, in this instance, is defined as politicians falsely claiming a political success with one raised fist while figuratively killing those animals with a needle jab in the other.

Garcetti's ruse, aided by Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz and City Controller Ron Galperin, suddenly ended with that column shining a light on their lie.  Garcetti's falsified statistics reverted overnight without explanation or apology.  (Koretz and Galperin now want your vote to be the next LA City Controller and County Supervisor, respectively.  Look for the LA Times to drool over them in the spring primary).

2. Garcetti lied when he said that during the pandemic, Angelenos could walk on the wet sand of a shore, but could not lay on the dry sand of the beach.  When I eventually caught up with him, I asked Garcetti about his basis for that directive, he falsely claimed "that was the science at the time."

It wasn't "the science" then.

It isn't "the science" now.

It will never be "the science."

3. Then there's the LAPD fighting this column tooth and nail to block the release of Computer Aided Dispatch records to this column to dig into allegations of a domestic incident at Garcetti's private residence. Think Garcetti isn't a target for blackmail?  Why would the LAPD and City Attorney Mike Feuer put up such a legal fight?  (And Feuer wants your vote to succeed Garcetti as Mayor, despite his office being raided by the FBI and the State Bar of California investigating him).

My gosh, even Garcetti's disgraced former chief of staff, Ana Guerrero, was suspended and stripped of her title (but not her lucrative salary) for viciously bullying people online, including legendary women of color.

If Garcetti being rewarded for all of this and more leaves a bad taste in your mouth, consider reaching out before Tuesday to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez and Ranking Member Senator James Risch and the other Committee members.  Menendez and Risch can also be reached via Twitter @SenatorMenendez and @SenatorRisch respectively.

Speak up now or forever embrace acceptance.

Namaste, Mayor Yoga Pants.

(Daniel Guss, MBA, was runner-up for the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club journalism award for Best Online Political Commentary and was a runner-up in 2021 too. He has contributed to CityWatch, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star News, Los Angeles Downtown News, and The Los Angeles Times in its Sports, Opinion and Entertainment Sections and Sunday Magazine among other publishers. Tell your friends to follow him on The Twitters @TheGussReport, and DM him there to join his distribution list for early story notifications, tips and more.)

LAAS Slashes Graveyard Shift; Impact on Safety Expected

by Elisha Lockhart

In Brenda Barnette's latest act of blatant indifference to the humane treatment of animals and public safety, she has eliminated staff from all LAAS shelters from midnight to 6 am every night (see announcement below).

The consequence of doing so will impact the life of approximately 1,500 animals residing at LAAS and Los Angeles public safety. During those six hours, there will be two Animal Control Officers on duty for the entire city of Los Angeles. Given that the two Officers will be manning the entire city, they will be out working in the field for a good portion of most nights. Therefore, the 1,500 will be in the shelter with no human supervision. Additionally, any incoming animals will either need to be tied to a pole or otherwise left alone in the front of the shelter, with no food, no water, and no medical attention. The hit-by-car animals will have to be left in a box if they are lucky otherwise lying on cold concrete in front of the shelter in bloody agony with crushed bones until the first LAAS employee arrives at 6 am.

Inside the shelter, according to Barnette's claims, we do not need to worry about dog fights with, as she calls them, "dangerous dogs like pit bulls" (see http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22793409/los-angeles-animal-shelters-lose-nighttime-staff) because they will be housed separately. What she fails to mention is that many of the fights that end up with severe injuries are in the overcrowded dog kennels housing the cute little small to medium size dogs (those Brenda would put in the non-dangerous category). So when Snoopy and Poochie get in a fight, and there is no staff to separate them most probably at least one of them will sustains severe injuries, the injured dog will end up lying in their own pool of blood until the 6 am staff members arrive to clean the shelter, and will probably go unnoticed until the full staff arrives for the 8 am opening and find Snoopy and Poochie dying or dead in their cage. And with lucky, no other dogs in the same run will jump into the ring with them.

And should you be coming out of a party or out of a movie one night and an aggressive dog tries to bite or does bite you or your child, good luck getting help. If you call the shelter for help, you will most likely get no answer because the total of two ACOs on staff will most likely be out in the field with no one to answer the phone to summon them to your emergency. In other words, your public safety and the public safety of others are jeopardized by Barnette's decision as well. Even though public safety is a core mission of LAAS.

For those people turning in animals they do not want, if they do not tie them up outside the shelter when they discover "no one is home" at LAAS, they will likely dump the animals at the side of a road or elsewhere. Now these animals can cause traffic accidents, be picked up for dangerous use, procreate and add to the pet overpopulation, get struck by a car as they try to find their way home, or get sick, injured or starve to death.

What is Barnette's excuse for this?

Barnette blames the new South LA shelter opening, claiming she now has so many cages that she does not have enough staff to man the graveyard shift. Yet even though Barnette already moved staff from East Valley and West LA shelters to man the expanded South LA shelter, all of the shelters, although somewhat understaffed, are still completing their work.

Remember, if the staff is not working during the graveyard shift, then the paperwork and animal care work they did not do will need to be done by staff in the morning -- for a net staff savings of none.

What is Barnette's real reason for doing this?

It is telling that Barnette is lying and claiming that she told and got the approval of New Hope Partners to this change. Yet the majority of New Hope Partners, if not all of them, were never told about this change. Now you know and if you are as outraged as I am about the lives of the voiceless souls of our city shelters and the safety of our city then I urge you to speak up and make as much noise as possible.

Kevin James Makes Clear His Animal Policy

Animal welfare issues are key for many Los Angeles residents. Candidate for Mayor, Kevin James, has issued an extensive position paper on his plans for no-kill shelters, cutting back on unwanted animals and reducing the cost of managing Los Angeles animal issues. James has an extensive background in these issues, including his work with the AIDS Project Los Angeles PAWS/LA program and his work to assist equestrian owners in the Los Angeles Foothills during 2009's Station Fire.

Read the entire piece at LA Citywatch.

Los Angeles Animal Services Important Pet Alert

Over-eating during Thanksgiving can be serious for pets too!

Thanksgiving is the time of year when family and friends get together to enjoy each other’s company and a myriad of delicious foods. We have a tendency to include our four-legged family members in this feast, which often results in overindulgence. Even when we don’t purposely include them, the agile and creative dog or cat can capture a special treat from the kitchen counter, trash or even the dining room table!

Thanksgiving weekend is also a busy time for emergency veterinary clinics. Dogs and cats suffer very serious and sometimes fatal consequences from turkey bones, too much rich and fatty foods and just plain overeating. If your pet is not acting like himself or herself, consult your veterinarian. Your best friend could be seriously ill.

It is difficult to comprehend, but when giving pets treats you must consider the relative size of their body compared to yours. If you weigh 150 pounds and your dog weighs 25 pounds, he or she is only 1/6th of your total weight. If you visualize yourself as a whole pie, comparatively your dog is only one slice of pie. Consequently, sharing an unfinished plate that still holds a generous serving of mashed potatoes with gravy, a side of very rich dressing, a few bites of turkey and a small slice of pumpkin pie with your best friend can make him or her feel miserable.

You do want your pets to enjoy the holiday. Stop by a pet food store and purchase some new dog biscuits or cat treats; then reduce the amount of their regular meal to accommodate the treats they will be getting throughout the day. Remember, biscuits and treats are usually much higher in calories than regular pet food so having them skip dinner may be a prudent choice if they have been snacking all day.

If you are planning a quiet holiday at home without a lot of company and confusion, and you don’t already have a dog or cat to share your life with, this could be the perfect time to visit one of our six Los Angeles City Centers and fall in love with your new best friend. You can get him or her settled in while you have a couple of days off work. What better way to give thanks than to give an orphaned shelter pet a home? You will be repaid with unconditional love and laughs for years to come.

Boks Resigns After NY Ruling Surfaces

Zach B at LAist.com called it first. (well, maybe second. Or third.) Poor Ed Boks has finally given up the ghost. The General Manager of the Department of Animal Services resigned today, effective July 1.


Boks has been under fire almost the entire time he was GM of LA's Animal Services department, and not without good reason. Remember "Hooters for Neuters"? Or the ever-popular pit-bull academy run by gang bangers and ex-cons? How about his questionable Match.Com entries?

Besides these gems, Boks dodged another bullet in February. The City Council had a vote of "no confidence" in front of them that they didn't act on when word got out that it was SEIU who was really after Boks. (Still wondering what exactly set this feeding frenzy off.)

However, Boks couldn't dodge all the shots. According to an article yesterday on Indy Bay, (moved - here's the new link) last month Boks was formally found guilty of racial discrimination at his job with New York City Animal Care and Control prior to being hired by Villaraigosa as LA Animal Services GM.

Adios, Ed.



-----------
Additional: one commenter said this:

"The councilmembers and employees saw the article yesterday and demanded that Boks be gone immediately. Boks was trying to get a golden handshake. He ended up getting $30,000 to leave. That is two months of salary plus vacations and medical leave.

Boks resignation letter to councilmembers and the Mayor stated he had a "medical condition." His letter to employees stated he was leaving because he'd done "such a great job!" It's all bullshit. It was either resign or be fired and get nothing."

-----------
Additional: here's the pertinent portion of the text from yesterday's Indy Bay article which seems to have conveniently disappeared in the last few hours:

In an opinion and order dated March 27, 2009 Judge Wood stated that "Viewing the available evidence as a whole, the Court finds that a reasonable jury could conclude that Defendants terminated Plaintiff because of his race." Since the judge's ruling, the City of New York has decided to settle with the plaintiff Wesley Artope. The exact amount is unknown at this time.

November 1, 2005 Wesley Artope filed a lawsuit against Ed Boks and New York City Animal Care and Control for racial discrimination and unlawful termination. African American Artope claimed that he was fired so that Boks could hire a personal friend, Richard Gentles who was white and had no experience. On top of this Gentles had recently been fired from the Parks and Recreation Department after being arrested and charged with a felony work-related crime.

To make things even more awkward Gentles was a friend of the woman Boks was "seeing" who sat on the board that over saw his Department. As per the lawsuit Artope had been with the Department for many years and was better qualified than his replacement. "Plaintiff was promoted regularly to positions of increasing responsibility. Plaintiff has an Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology and a Bachelors Degree in Psychology. Plaintiff also has licenses and certifications as a veterinary technician, animal handler, and animal rehabilitator, and work experience in animal training, handling, and treatment." Gentles who replaced him on the other hand had no animal-related experience at all. In deposition Gentles admits that his “only experience with veterinary personnel was when he took his pets to the veterinarian.”

Boks initially told Artope that he was fired for "budgetary and restructuring reasons." After Artope filed suit Boks changed his story and stated he was fired because of "poor performance." Oddly enough Artope had never been told his performance was lacking. In fact he was told his performance was "great." The Judge did not believe Boks' claim that he fired him because of poor performance. Boks tried to make the case that he did not discriminate based on race because he also fired two white people and demoted another. The records show that he only demoted one white person. Boks also failed to state that the white person was offered to be demoted instead of fired, and they accepted. Boks did not make this same offer to Artope. The Judge did not believe Boks' argument. Artope claimed that when he was fired he was not given the chance to apply for the new position which replaced his. In fact Boks gave the job to his friend Gentles without making it available to anyone which is against City policy.

Boks had no explanation for this action at all. A source close to Boks said Boks gave them this explanation for why he fired Artope and hired his friend Gentles. Boks stated that Artope was "just a lazy black employee." He wanted to fire him but couldn't because of the union. He decided to get rid of his position, then recreate his position with a new title. He wanted his personal friend to have the job because he was "like-minded" and needed a job.

UPDATED "No Balls" has "No Teeth"

This morning's post is from a Mayor Sam reader and animal
shelter volunteer who is frustrated that the city has a neuter-spay ordinance going in to effect today, but who says that there is no tangible, clear plan to make its intended benefits a reality.

An email just received from the same party clarifies that the person supports the law, but without some "teeth" and a strategy for licensing, feels it is nothing more than a feelgood measure. Haikula agrees, and reiterates that if people have information on such services in SoCal, post it here and we will organize and share it. Mr. Ed Boks, the shelter general manager, has not responded to numerous requests for information.

From a reader:

Vanity. That is what the city's new spay-neuter ordinance is, as it comes into effect today. It is a law made for show only.

"We have no plan to go door to door to enforce the spay-neuter law." Those are the defeatist words from Edwin M. Boks, the general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services shelter.

There is also no plan to get licensing under control, and provide massive on-demand spay-neuter and the shelters are packed with animals with no vigorous city plan to find homes for them.

The boardwalk at Venice Beach, South Los Angeles and Tujunga would be great places to start licensing and spay-neuter enforcement, but Mr. Boks has no formal plan per usual.

Could you let people know that next week's Personnel Committee meeting has a special evening starting time so that shelter employees and rescuers can take the next step in their request to get the general manager that Mayor Villaraigosa promised us, but failed to deliver.

Please do not post my name because I am a shelter volunteer, and Mr. Boks has already made an effort to intimidate us.

~~~~~

You said it well enough! The Personnel Committee meeting is going to take place some time next week in Van Nuys City Hall. If anyone knows the time, please post the link to the agenda here and we will re-post it in advance of the meeting.

If any readers can provide links to spay-neuter resources from the city or elsewhere in SoCal, please post them here and we will gather and re-post on a regular basis.

Here is some Van Nuys trivia that will bore everyone except Tom LaBonge.

1. 1872 Isaac Van Nuys builds first wood-frame house in Valley.
   
2. 1914 — Universal City opens as a studio-cum-town. Floods inundate Van Nuys and cut off Valley from Los Angeles.


3. 1966 — Busch Gardens amusement park opens in Van Nuys.


4. 1970 —Women join assembly line at Van Nuys GM plant. Bethlehem Star Parade ends due to waning interest.

A parade ending due to waning interest?

Can anyone say Hollywood Christmas Parade?

Sizzling Tuesday Hotsheet

Mayor Sam gave Haikula a $5 raise and the keys to the morning Hotsheet. It’s my world. It’s a good world. Come join me.

On this day in 1952, Richard M. Nixon delivered his “Checkers” speech. It reads a lot like modern day Los Angeles City Council.

Speaking of dogs with the same middle initial, Edward M. Boks, the curious $181,000 per year general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, had to turn-tail and go away empty-handed after showing up at the Van Nuys shelter and demanding a meeting with shelter employees just 48 hours after City Council warned him about retaliation for their demanding his termination. The matter was referred to union officials and certain City Hall suites. But when a general manager isn't able to get a meeting with Department employees, it's over. Look for the City Council's Personnel Committee to come up with a termination recommendation for Mr. Boks and his assistant gm, Linda Barth, who has seen more than her fair share of legal & ethics trouble in other departments. (More information on that as it comes in)

Speaking of retaliation lawsuits, the LAPD ain’t got nothing on the LAFD and Tennie Pierce. A former cop was just awarded millions in this recent verdict. Maybe the Department of Water & Power rates will go up again in order to pay the award and legal fees.

Fortunately, the DWP is still on the L.A. Daily News' editorial radar. It has a knockout editorial on the never-ending fat at DWP. “A very real dark comedy being played out in Los Angeles City Hall, where elected officials are more interested in fleecing residents for more money than adapting their own spending to reflect the true state of the local and national economy.”

No matter where you stand on the presidential candidates, you will enjoy reading Republican commentator Andrea Tantaros' provocative article about how celebrities can best help Barack Obama: shutting up.

Renowned writer Dominick Dunne fell ill yesterday at O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial in Las Vegas. He says he is fine. However, that brings to mind the infamous Celebrity Death Pool.

KNBC channel 4 pre-empted "The Conan O'Brien Show" last night because of a scene in which they were smashing items together. News anchor Colleen Williams came on TV and said that they were interrupting the show's reference due to LA's recent Metrolink/Union Pacific accident. Come on, really?

If you are still having difficulty figuring out who to vote for, consider this:

Finally, a thought for the day: If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be Congress?