Councilman Parks to appear on Live LA Saturday Night Internet Talk Radio

 The hosts of LA Live Saturday Night, Frank Sheftel, Michael "Mayor Sam" Higby and David Hernandez.

CD 8 City Councilman Bernard Parks.

CD 8 City Councilman Bernard Parks takes his crusade against unjust redistricting to the internet talk radio airways this evening when he joins Frank Sheftel, David Hernandez and our own Michael "Mayor Sam" Higby for their weekly Live LA Saturday Night broadcast on the home of LA (internet)Talk Radio.

Tune in, whoops, link here at 8:00 P.M. this evening for the best 50 minutes of talk on LA politics from three upstanding members of the San Fernando Valley Community.

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

Hey ese who is this pendejo Carmen Trutanich?

Ah man that dude is bad news man.  Gives me a headrush!

A City Clerk's report finds that if Los Angeles switched to a vote-by-mail program voter participation could increase but so would costs and the chances for voter fraud.  Still the Clerk feels that vote-by-mail might be an effective method to conduct special elections such as next Tuesday's race in CD2.  However vote by mail gives an advantage to candidates funded by special interests such as unions and developers as a vote by mail effort is highly expensive for candidates. 

If you want to buy some medical marijuana as a Christmas gift you still have time.  The City Council has again postponed a vote on the dispensaries. Clowncilman Ed Reyes expects no action until some time in the new year.  No truth to the rumor that Reyes will make a cameo appearance in the next Cheech and Chong movie.

Yet another photo opp for the Mayor and Hamburger Jan Perry.  This time is the annual holiday kick-off at LA Live.  You may remember the Mayor headlined last year's less than spectacular tree lighting with Britney Spears and Adam Carrolla at the venue, then brand new. 

Sunland-Tujunga activists produce a fabulous TV commercial supporting Paul Krekorian for CD2.

I recap my predictions for 2009 and gear up to prognosticate into 2010.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council member Doug Epperhart has a great idea - cut the salaries of the Los Angeles City Council, Controller, Attorney and Mayor in half. Currently, with perks and salary local electeds pull down Fortune 500 salaries and are the highest paid elected officials in the US. Currently the electeds' salaries are tied to that of judges. Epperhart's amendment to the City Charter would insert the word "half." Villaraigosa might have to give up having foie gras for dinner and head back to King Taco where he dined with Hillary Clinton.

If you think being an elected in LA is the way to cash in; you're better off however serving as a former department head. Rich Connell writing in the LA Times catalogs the former LA city general managers who are earning lifetime six figure pensions. Former DWP General Manager Ron Deaton, for example, pulls in over $325,000 a year. However you're even better off if you're a former Chief of Police AND a City Councilmember, Bernard Parks is paid $265,000 a year on top of his $180,000 Clowncil salary. That means Bitter Bernie is pulling in more per year than President Obama. Wow! No wonder these people work so hard to get elected!

Ginny Here and There reports that two LAPD Central Division officers roughed up a board member of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council who is a homeless activist who works with the LAPD on homeless issues. General Jeff was holding court and lecturing to stakeholders on the street when the officers jumped out of their vehicle, threw Jeff against the wall and handcuffed him. Apparently this flies in the face of Jeff's efforts to gain trust amongst the local community for the police and ensure them that the days of harrassment were over. Maybe we need to hold back on some of the praise for Bill Bratton.

Some folks are thinking that LA Live, our version of Times Square, is looking pretty ugly. CurbedLA describes the multi-million dollar government funded tourist attraction's design scheme as "1983 Tuscon, Arizona mall." Ouch!

Atwater Village Newbie has discovered an establishment that is serving up a hemp enhanced taste treat. This time however it's not a medical marijuana dispensary but The Yoga Lab, a Glendale Blvd. yoga studio, health store and smoothie bar. Yoga Lab is now dispensing "iced hemapcinos" made with purified water, herbal organic coffee, vanilla hemp milk and agave. Drink up!

According to Franklin Avenue long time all newser KFWB is changing its format since abandoning "color radio" and rock & roll for the news. Starting this fall the station will build a talk offering anchored around longtime radio shrinker Dr. Laura Schlesinger who is bolting from KFI after a couple decades. One promising point is that KFWB will offer local talk programs both in the morning and afternoon drive slots; something that will hopefully prompt KABC to drop New York based talker Mark Levin and opt for local programming.

Zuma Dogg reports that a documentary filmmaker is interested in lensing the legendary local activist's life. According to LA Daily Blog the project is not a reality show as some had expected but a theatrical release documentary film. Principal photography may start this week.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Delicious political circus at a meeting of the MTA Board last week.  Following a discussion of the shady transit tax Measure R and rail safety issues board member and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky declared that fellow board member and Supervisor Gloria Molina's comments were "selfish nonsense."  Molina wanted the board to consider crossing gates for the Gold Line extension through her district as well as barring the MTA from sending out campaign material on Measure R.  Following that, Zev walked out of the meeting as he had threatened earlier.

Mayor V will fill his one millionth pothole Monday in Toluca Lake. You may remember back in March the Mayor filled the 800,000th pothole.  The Mayor may be criticized for his lack of time spent actually running the city but it sure looks like Antonio Villaraigosa has made a priority of filling holes in LA.

Starting next month the LA Live project will begin to rollout the various phases that have completed construction. Set to open first is nightclub Club Nokia, and restaurants, the Lucky Strike bowling alley, the Conga Room and Trader Vic's.  Million dollar condos will be available in 2010.  Among the future residents: Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor Schwarzenegger.

Yet another Republican has come out against Proposition 8 which would outlaw same-sex marriage in California.  Former Reagan Administration member and five term Congressman Tom Campbell.  Campbell says "Republicans also care about jobs; and as a business proposition, it makes no sense to support Prop. 8. Discrimination at any level is bad for business."

I just ran across a great post by feminist and stay-at-home mom blogger Jessica Gottlieb at the LA Moms Blog. Gottlieb deconstructs the cult of Obama that many of us have been subjected to for the last few months.  Think about it, how many of your friends have replaced their photo on Facebook or MySpace with that of Obama. Gottlieb nails the whole objection to the Obama singing, posters and more with "We're Americans, we don't have Kings and Queens, we don't have presidents we Revere. We have presidents that we hold accountable through checks and balances. We have Presidents and Vice Presidents that we employ and reserve the right to fire."

One of the big issues in LA is how to get folks to the Music Center downtown and where to park.  The DWP has raised hackles by declaring their parking lot off limits to patrons.  They tried shuttle buses from the Westside but usage was lacking.  Even adding free bottle water and on-board arts talks didn't raise interest. Perhaps this is one reason why it's not wise to center all these facilities downtown and we should adopt a regional approach.

"TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON, Day Two", Even "Welfare Recipients" will donate

This is the "Great Ole United States" and thus you can "contribute" to the political discourse through the spoken word, printed prose, or through the protected act of giving, even those on the "corporate welfare rolls" can give, witness "LA LIVE".

On Day Two of the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON", Mayor Villaraigosa last night attended a fundraiser host by "Anshultz Entertainment Group" bigwig Tim Leiweke,

Excerpts from David Zahniser's report on the L.A. Now Blog at the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET".

The fundraiser at L.A. Live was (corrected to current
tense) co-hosted by Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Anschutz
Entertainment Group, according to an invitation filed with the city’s Ethics
Commission. Three years ago, Villaraigosa supported AEG’s plan for
building L.A. with roughly $270 million in city subsidies(ie. corporate
welfareism that former Councilman Joel Wachs fought against for the
AEG's Staples Center and won).

Since Villaraigosa took office, AEG has given $485,000 in contributions to
various mayoral initiatives, from a telephone tax measure on February’s ballot
to Villaraigosa’s ill-fated effort to gain control of the Los Angeles Unified
School District.

Yet there’s another interesting name on the invitation: lawyer and lobbyist
Tim McOsker. A resident of San Pedro, McOsker spent four years as chief of staff
to former Mayor James Hahn -- the man Villaraigosa defeated in 2005.

Since City Hall is all about forgiveness (Villar will only forgive
for money??), he’s now a co-host of a Villaraigosa campaign event -–
and someone with clients ranging from AT&T to real estate developer Bob
Bisno, the man behind a proposal for 1,950 new homes on an undeveloped stretch
of San Pedro.

So for McOsker, one must "kiss the ring", in this case anty up the cash to open the door for his client.

Later as the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" continues, what did those wedding vows and smooch really cost???

Preview of Day 3 of the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" from the San Fran. Chronicle

Measure S Good Investment for AEG

** UPDATE ** ATTENTION: JOHN and KEN SHOW producer(s) and/or AL RANTEL SHOW producer(s): Great topic for your show. Tell your listeners everytime they go to Staples Center or Home Depot Center or the Nokia Theatre THEY WILL BE PAYING those places' taxes on their SPRINT, VERIZON, T-MOBILE, BOOST, etc. CELL PHONE BILL (INSTEAD OF THE BUSINESS/PROPERTY OWNERS)!

ADDITIONALLY normally businesses oppose additional taxes placed on them because it hurts their business. BUT THE PHONE AND CABLE COMPANIES ARE NOT FIGHTING THIS because they have big plans that need the APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL and don't want to make them mad! HOWEVER - A SIMILAR MEASURE in Pasadena IS being fought by the phone companies because the same pressure does not exist there. LASTLY the Mayor's proposal has a PROVISION TO TAX YOUR USAGE OF THE INTERNET.

DON'T BE FRIGHTENED BY THE MAYOR'S THREATS - THE CITY HAS THE MONEY IT NEEDS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY WITHOUT THIS TAX.


Along with the usual suspects such as the unions and old rich biddies like Edith Wasserman, another six figure donation has come in to support Mayor Villaraigosa's phone tax scam, Measure S.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Staples Center, Home Depot Center and the soon to be built Do-It Center Fieldhouse in Sunland-Tujunga (okay just kidding on that one).

Here's the numbers:

AEG Donation - $100,000

Amount Mayor Villaraigosa says the Phone Tax needs to collect in order to save the city from buzzards, locusts, riots and financial ruin - $243 million

Amount AEG could get in tax breaks from the City on it's LA Live complex - $270 million

Return on Investment for AEG - $269,900,000

Loss to the City - $27 million, which will require the Mayor to ask for another tax.

Here's some financial advice to the City - cut LA Live's tax to $243 million, don't stick Angelenos with another tax and then cut more of the bullshit out of the budget.