Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Mayor Villaraigosa broached the issue of privatizing the Los Angeles Zoo and the idea is gaining traction.  The Daily News agrees it's something that should be looked at.  Ultimately a zoo is a theme park or at best an educational instutition.  Neither is the job of municipal government.  Therefore the zoo should be turned over to Disney or perhaps the World Wildlife Fun to run. The next step would be to send large animals to preserves and replace those exihibits with virtual ones that can just as easily educate as penning up animals where they don't belong and don't prosper.  Los Angeles could actually set the pace for the 21st century zoo.

Ron Kaye marks the one year anniversary of his termination as editor of the Los Angeles Daily News.  "I got no regrets," Kaye says as after 365 days in his new role of blogger and agent provacateur.

So much for President Barack Obama's claims to be a man of the people.  Like most Democrats and Republicans he's all about the connected.  His recent town hall meeting in Los Angeles was supposed to be open to the people, instead, as the Daily News reports, most of the tickets went to Democratic elected officials, their staffs and major party fat cats.  Spin that one Jim Alger!

Blogger Cindy Lu at Loteria Chicana made her first ever batch of frijoles olla. Response from her mother: “Wow. Ya te puedes casar.” Of course that means that Cindy's mom is satisfied Cindy is now ready to get married.  Moms are the same in any culture; can't we all just get along?

LA Weekly notes that L.A. Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman has ordered a Catholic religious order to make hundreds of personnel files public. The judge's order is part of a $28 million settlement between alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse and the Franciscans. The lawsuit stems from allegations against Franciscan priests who are accused of sexually abusing dozens of boys and girls going back to the 1950s.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is actualy doing a photo op that doesn't have to do with nightclubs, turning off the lights or dancing with cartoon characters.  The Mayor will speak about the city budget at an appearance before several neighborhood councils and other community organizations Monday evening in West Los Angeles.

By the way does this conflict with this?

The City of Los Angeles spent nearly 40 years trying to make an airport work in Palmdale and could not do it.  So it makes sense to let a smaller, more efficient city take a shot at it. The City of Palmdale has voted to create an airport commission and department to manage and get Palmdale Regional Airport finally up and running.

Would someone actually run against Council Member Benard Parks as he perhaps seeks his third and final term in 2011? Possibly Assembly Speaker Karen Bass according to one blogger.

In the meantime Parks is pushing a city law, similar to a Los Angeles County measure, that would place civil penalties on the parents of under age graffiti criminals.  Good idea.

Blogger Flap, the ultra-right wing dentist, posted up an item that featured a Twitter tweet supposedly posted by Meghan McCain calling Rush Limbaugh fat.  I was about to call Ms. McCain to task for being a hypocrite as I had defended her when blowtard "commentator" Laura Ingraham could only challenge McCain's calls for a more big tent Republican party by referring to her weight.  However, the leading Republican sadist has now come out and admitted that the tweet is a hoax, under the guise of parody.  Good going Flap.  Anyone who has this man's fingers in their mouth needs to question their sanity.

Franklin Avenue reports bad news for both Walter Moore and Rick Dees.  Movin 93.9, which flipped from country to adult contemporary and brought Dees on board three years ago, is going Spanish language.  Oops.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Mayor Villaraigosa calls accused murderer Esteban Nunez, son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, "A good boy." In the meantime, a blog has posted now deleted photos from what is alleged to be Esteban's MySpace page that do not appear too flattering.

Can't Eli Broad just go away? He wants to donate $30 million to the beleagured Museum of Contemporary Art, all part of what some say is his master plan to convert Downtown LA into one big memorial to himself.  There's nothing wrong with Broad making the donation to MOCA but would it be better served helping the homeless or others struggling in this recession, particularly those who bought one of the homes he's built and couldn't afford it.

Buried deep within a blog post about one of the most annoying members of Congress, Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the speculation that Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti will seek the US House seat of Xavier Becerra who has been tapped to be President-Elect Obama's Trade Rep.  Garcetti says he is "considering it." While some would like to see Garcetti move up and perhaps other would just like to see him leave town I dread who might replace him.  Please no Jackie Goldberg rerun.

Laura Chick's latest audit blasts the management of the City's animal facilities bond program. The City Controller says that "estimates for building costs were not reality based and were exceedingly low." Chick says that design changes, cost escalation and budgetary constraints all contributed to each of the projects being delayed an average of about two years.

The City of Los Angeles has given up on it's idea to run an airport in Palmdale but it still owns 17,000 acres of land in the Antelope Valley location.  Quick! Let's sell the land and use the money to cover the budget deficit before Tom LeBong turns it into a theme park.

It's time to celebrate the holidays! Zuma Dogg teams up with Mayor Sam for this year's holiday party, Friday, at 7:00 p.m., December 12th, at Casa Princesa in Highland Park.  Come by for karaoke, live performances by local artists, Zuma Dogg's Holiday Gift Store, Casa Princesa's Toys for Tots drive, visits by local politicial candidates and a delicious $10 holiday buffet.  Everyone is welcome.

Palmdale To Take Over Airport

After nearly 40 years of trying to launch a succesful regional airport in Palmdale, the City of Los Angeles has given up on the LA/Palmdale Airport.

Next month the City of Palmdale will take over the airport with the intent of drawing a major airline and finally making it succesful.  It was just two months ago that I urged that the City turn the airport over to the County or the local cities

Palmdale Mayor James Ledford said "Palmdale will now control its own destiny, and we will not be subservient to LAWA any longer."

It was just a year ago that Mayor Villaraigosa and others celebrated yet another carrier, United, coming to the airport and this was the thing that was going to make it happen.  However it was only due to taxpayer funded subsidies that United came to Palmdale and when the City turned off the subsidy United left.

There is no doubt that there is a significant market for an airport in the 661.  It's the largest region in the country without an airport.  Travelers from Palmdale, Lancaster, even Santa Clarita have a horrific drive to LAX or Burbank; Palmdale could be a definite alternative.

There's no doubt that an incompetent and nearly corrupt Los Angeles Department of World Airports could not properly run Palmdale from over 80 miles away.  I am confident the locals in Palmdale have a far better idea how to run their own airport.  Expect Palmdale Airport - to thrive.

Another prediction: The City of Palmdale will name the airport William J. "Pete" McKnight Field after the late legendary test pilot, first Mayor of Palmdale and California Assemblyman (Knight's son Steve is currently the Mayor Pro-Tem of Palmdale and was elected to the State Assembly). I predict in the current climate this will engender much protest as the late Knight was the author of Proposition 22, which was the original anti-gay marriage bill on the California ballot.

Mayor Sam's Memory Lane

With our fourth birthday coming up and our celebration this Friday night at Casa Princesa in Highland Park, I thought it might be fun this week to share with you some of our history.

Yes, the blog is four years old. Our very first post, at 4:57 p.m. on Thursday, October 21st, 2004 was a one line article and link about historic Los Angeles. The first time we took a City Council member to task was twenty minutes later when we had some fun with Eric Garcetti's then TV restaurant show on Channel 35. We actually didn't officially announce ourselves later that evening and managed to get one comment which was the first appearance of MEAT on the blog.

The very first comment ever on Mayor Sam came from "Insider" who later wrote for the blog for a period commenting on Palmdale Airport. Another poster quoted a very insightful quote from Council Member Dennis Zine about the LA owned air terminal in the Antelope Valley, "We have Palmdale. And I've never been to Palmdale Airport, wherever it is, I'm sure it's out there."

To show how bleak it was in the day before we had over a thousand readers a day and posts get 20-30 comments on a Sunday, we had to go as far as to comment on reader comments on other blogs (because we had none of our own to retort to). Here former Sister City Blogger Chief Parker responds to comments on the now defunct Fourth Floor Blog.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Here's an example why government subsidies don't work.  Thursday United Airlines said it will cancel air service from LA Palmdale Airport, owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles, just a year after it started daily service from the Antelope Valley to San Francisco.  The service, which Mayor Villaraigosa called one of the "top accomplishments" of his administration was failing miserably with planes taking off only a third full.  United had received a nearly million dollar government grant to fly out of Palmdale and when that grant ended, the airline really had no further incentive to continue service.  The City has been trying to jump start an airport in Palmdale since the days of the real Mayor Sam.  For whatever reason, folks don't want to fly out of Palmdale.  If they ever do, the airlines will come calling.  That's the great thing about the market, it works.  Now, how about the City sell Palmdale airport to the County or the cities in the 661 and invest the money here locally where it's needed.

Federal investigators are reporting that Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez did send text messages on the day of last Friday's horrific train wreck, however they do not know yet if Sanchez was sending messages at the time of the crash. In typical closing the barn door when the horse is out fashion, California Thursday banned text messaging by train operators.

Senator Hillary Clinton pulled out of a planned protest event against Iran at the United Nations next week when she learned that Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be participating in the event. Some Jewish leaders are calling this a mistake and question how Clinton not joining in protest of nuclear weapons on Iraq will affect Jewish votes for Barack Obama. Syndicated columnist Micah Halperin told Fox News  “It changes my view of (Clinton’s) wisdom, of her ability to take a situation, analyze it and come out on the right side, and that is deeply troubling to almost every voter in America, not just Jewish voters.”

Political philsopher Lindsay Lohan has offered to campaign for Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama but the Illinois Senator has reportedly said thanks but no thanks.  Campaign spokesholes said "'Lindsay is not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us."  The snub caused Lohan's father Michael to accuse the Democrats of hypocrisy, "For Barack Obama to condemn my daughter for past indiscretions when he admitted to the exact same himself is indicative of what kind of president he would be."

Former Britney Spears husband Kevin Federline reportedly wants to get back with the pop diva and the baby mama to two of his children.  Spears and Federline divorced in 2006 however a source allegedly close to Federline says "He confessed she’s the love of his life, his soul-mate and was sorry things went so wrong with them."

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

We haven't heard from our Marxist friends at Academia Semillas del Pueblo lately but Zuma Dogg has. Supporters of the controversial charter school are calling for parents to not enroll their students in any LAUSD school. Why you may ask? Well the folks behind Academia want to branch out and bring their nonsense to their own high school. However the LAUSD has yet to approve the charter for Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory Academy of North America and lets hope they don't.

Things could be looking up for LA/Palmdale Airport. United Airlines says its will double its flights from two to four a day from the Antelope Valley based facility owned by Los Angeles World Airports. Civic leaders - starting with the old, dead Republican Mayor himself - have been working to develop Palmdale as a regional alternative to Bob Hope and LAX Airports.

A conservative Catholic blogger takes Mayor Villaraigosa, also a Catholic, to task for volunteering to officiate at gay weddings and for being pro-choice, in opposition to church teachings. Somehow I don't anticipate the Mayor will be excommunicated.

There's a water shortage and the City is sending out inspectors to fine you for wasting water. Still one contributing writer to the LA Times expects that most people won't take action to save water.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Zuma Dogg reports that the LA City Council was bamboozled by an Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes authored law that would remove much of the Council's control over planning decisions. Speculation is that Fuentes was inspired to write the law at the behest of his mentors, City Clowncilmen Richard Alarcon and Tony Cardenas in order to facilitate development at the controversial site of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. I would imagine if the Clowncil spent less time on public proclamations for Mickey Mouse and cheerleaders and passing nonsense resolutions against the war they'd have more bandwidth to recognize shadiness right under their noses.

The Daily News endorses Assembly Candidate Stuart Waldman and State Senate Candidate Fran Pavley in this morning's paper.

Mayor Villaraigosa gets behind the wheel in the Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade Monday. One blogger forgave the mayor's "ineffectiveness" in handling the City's finances.

KNX reports that City Controller Laura Chick says the city is doing a horrible job in promoting it's tourist attractions. Chick is pushing for the city to have multi-lingual greeters at LAX, neighborhood tours and more publicizing of the various festivals held around the City.

Los Angeles World Airports is working to grow service at it's LA/Palmdale Regional Airport but its finding tough going. Currently United Airlines has two daily flights to San Francisco. The City hopes to expand the number of flights by encouraging the use of more fuel efficient turbo prop airlines, yet some passengers are leary of the planes and prefer jets. At the same time airlines are reluctant to expand into Palmdale until there's more demand; yet demand is driven by availability.

LAist repots that the state's ban on talking on your cell phone while driving finally goes into effect on July 1st. However a loophole in the law technically allows you to still send text messages while driving.

Zev Yaroslavsky has put the wheels in motion for the County to meet the State Supreme Court declared date of June 16 to allow gays to marry and get marriage licenses. To facilitate the crush, the County will open up a special branch license office in WeHo. In the meantime, the Court's ruling will mean a cash bonanza for political consultants on both sides of a coming ballot measure seeking to overturn the Court's decision on the November ballot - donations are pouring in from all over to the yes and no campaigns.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

Red Spot had it here yesterday - USC sick of the crap they're getting from the Coliseum Commission in negotiations for a new lease to play football in the stadium may bolt for the Rose Bowl. The Trojans are proposing a 10 year $100 million deal to repair the Coliseum themselves and take over its management. The Commission is holding to some pipe dream that NFL football is coming and only want to rent to USC for home games only. The idiots on the Commission need to wake up and realize what a major loss it would be for USC to leave LA and reward them for their decades long loyalty. Fight on!

Ten years later and Bernie is still bitter about the LAPD's "3-12" schedule that allows officers to work three days a week if they work 12 hour shifts. The plan is popular with officers. Many officers can not afford to live within city limits and live far from where they work. Fighting traffic three times a week instead of five is less stressful. Giving them four days to rest extends their usefulness. This time though Bitter Bernie managed to drag Jan Perry away from banning fast food long enough to mess with the cops.

Most readers know the old, dead Republican Mayor is the first to pounce on Clowncil members when they do or say anything remotely stupid. However writing about Wendy Greuel's "transportation mission statement" Boi From Troy was a bit over the top in comparing her comments to "something the pointy-haired boss would think up in a Dilbert cartoon." Actually in calling for the outline of plan with measurable goals and metrics Greuel is actually quite businesslike. Still busted up about Lloyd Levine getting hitched Scott?

Saturday is the 52nd anniversary of Rosa Parks' bold stand for civil rights when she fought segregation in the South. The County of Los Angeles has declared it 'Rosa Parks Day" but so far the Los Angeles City Council has not yet done the same. With only one more Council meeting left before the day they better get around to it soon. They can fine time to condemn our country and vote against the war but seem to have a hard time honoring a real American hero.

Roy Disney has a major share in the family business, The Walt Disney Company who counts among it's many subsidiaries ABC. No wonder he's opposed to NBC Universal's plan to build a new facility at the Universal City Metro station. How old is this guy anyway? Why does he care about traffic that's 5-10 years away?

What's this? Mayor V - National Chairman of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential Campaign - showing up in a Barack Obama press release?

Ann Cottrell - congratulations you've just become the 10,000th passenger to fly out of LA/Palmdale Regional Airport - what are you going to do now? Shake Mayor Villaraigosa's hand!

A Green Party blogger finds Mayor Villaraigosa's Million Trees program a "bone headed idea."

And finally - no jokes please; Gloria Molina is spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to build designated County "fitness zones."