Is a sequel to Richard Meruelo's Taylor Yard Land Swindle in the works?

A "happy" Los Angeles River between the Two Freeway on the west and the Pasadena Freeway on the east.

While the LA River smiles in the Google Image above, Northeast Los Angeles environmentalists are quickly mobilising to counter a possible replay of the infamous Developer and Mayor Antonio Villar  Mayoral Campaign Financer Richard Meruelo "Taylor Yard LAUSD Land Deal". 

A key 44 acre parcel of the former Southern/Union Pacific Taylor Yard complex that once contain the roundhouse and engine house, is now being pursuit by the Trammell Crow Company for industrial development. Trammell Crow is owned by CB Richard Ellis which possesses vast tracts of property city wide and nationally and just signed a deal with CRA to purchase the controversial Cleantech site downstream from Taylor Yard for $15.4 million. 

With Trammell Crow entering into a "purchase option agreement" with property owner Union Pacific, for the intent of developing the parcel for industrial use, activists are opening speculating whether this is a Meruelo-like attempt to buy sought-after land and sell for a quick profit to the likes of the California State Parks.

The State Parks has already purchase 18 acres in the area and had set aside financial resources to purchase the 44 arces G-2 Parcel and rehabilitate to property for public usage.

The fact that this is taking place within CD 1 City Councilman Ed Reyes domain and that Reyes is the Chairperson of the PLUM Committee at City Hall, is raising eyebrows about nefarious dealings along the banks of Councilman Reyes's "Legacy Project".

** Read email from Northeast Activists after the jump.

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No Joke: Ed Reyes' Vegan Bake Sale to Benefit the LA "River"

If you live in CD1 and wonder why you have awful represenation and crappy City services, here is one of the things that keeps your Clowncilman pre-occupuied. 

Councilmember Ed P. Reyes is hosting the City’s First Vegan Bake Sale Thursday, June 25, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Los Angeles City Hall Farmers Market, 200 N. Spring Street, to help raise awareness and funds for the Los Angeles River.

Los Angeles is one of more than 80 cities in eight days internationally holding a vegan bake sale as part of Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, a fun global event to help people, the animals and the environment.

“The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale helps brings attention to our planet, especially the L.A. River, because of its environmental implications for the City of Los Angeles,” said Reyes, who chairs the City's Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee. “Thursday’s event is also about making educated and compassionate choices about the food we eat. The vegan bake sale will feature favorites like chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes and brownies, as well as diabetic-friendly and gluten-free goods.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Los Angeles River Keepers, a Los Angeles Conservation Corps team of students who help clean and green the L.A. River.

"Delicious vegan sweets and the L.A. River Keepers: two things working hard to preserve our environment,” said Hop Hopkins, Los Angeles Conservation Corps Program Manager, a vegan who has been active in food justice programs to aid urban communities.

The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is being organized by the Washington D.C.-based, Compassion for Animals.

“When people bite into a mouth-watering vegan cheesecake, cherry cobbler or chocolate chip cookie for their first time, their misperceptions about vegan food may immediately begin to melt away,” said Gary Loewenthal, Director, Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. “And the positive experience often leads them to learn more about the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of a vegan lifestyle.”

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Strange time for politicians and urine lately.  Mayor Villaraigosa has debuted toilets without water, a City Councilmember from New Jersey has eliminated the toilet altogether.  Steve Lipiski, a 44 year old Democratic Councilman from Jersey City allegedly urinated from a nightclub balcony on a group of churchgoers and was arrested Friday evening.  Lipiski has not admitted to the act though Sunday he declared he was swearing off alcohol.

This is one of the reasons we usually oppose big government spending bond issues.  On election day voters approved Proposition J which adds another $3.5 billion in taxpayer funded debtfor construction projects by the Los Angeles Community College District despite the fact that the District mis-managed the funds raised under it's last bond.  Now that J has passed, Ron Kaye reports that Community College trutees Kelly Candaele and Nancy Pearlman are holding seperate fundraisers at the posh LA City Club with a minimum contribution of $1000.  Who will be showing up for breakfast? The contractors who want to get a chunk of that $3.5 billion of course.

The fantasy that the LA River is actually a river continues.  The big issue is whether or not the river is "navigable." I am sure the "Michael Higby hates rivers" haters will come out in force but folks, it's a flood control channel.  Before that it was a little creek that overflowed and flooded horribly during the occasional rain storms Southern California gets.  In prior years, devastating floods destroyed many LA communities until the Army Corps of Engineers built Southern California's amazing flood control system.  Beyond just indulging silly fantasies, the bigger concern is that potential for massive fraud, waste, abuse when it comes to taxpayer dollars being sought for "river" development and the impact on private property near the river.

The LA River Can Be Navigated!

We mentioned yesterday that the LA River goofballs want to turn the storm channel into one of the world's great rivers and to do so they must prove to the Army Corps of Engineers that it can be navigated.  One of our readers has found the proof that you can pilot the LA!



Ironically as I type an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies is airing on TV Land.  The Hillbillies took a visit to the Los Angeles River to go fishing.  Jed and Granny found the river "just awful" and "pitiful." Granny said that Los Angeles was so ashamed of it's river they "went and poured concrete all around it!"

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Department of Water and Power General Manager H. David Nahai was booed and heckled at a recent community meeting.  No, this wasn't in Koreatown where the lights went out this weekend but in a Riverside County community where the DWP wants to build power plants near the Salton Sea. The Riverside Press Enterprise said E. Wastewater Pluribus was at the mercy of a "boisterous and sometimes angry crowd." 





Goofy Council Member Jan Perry's fast food ban made the pages of the Wall Street Journal.  Perry who believes that low-income Blacks and Hispanics in her District are incapable of making healthy food choices and therefore wants the City to make those choices for them.  As political consultant Alan Hoffenblum told the Journal, "It's very much the example of a nanny state."



Zuma Dogg runs a long screed provided him that accuses City Council Member and City Attorney hopeful Jack Weiss of everything from kidnapping the Lindbergh baby to being the third shot on the grassy knoll.  Most likely the odd piece which also calls on Zuma to appear before the City Council claiming to be the grandson of Jake Gittes, Jack Nicholson's character from the film Chinatown was composed by supporters of Weiss opponent Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich.  I haven't decided whom I'm supporting for this post but do we want someone named Nuch as City Attorney?  Bob Hertzberg you going to run?





The fantasy that the LA River is a waterway like the Danube, Mississippi or even Cosumnes continues.  River activists think that by paddling canoes down the storm drain they can convince the Federal Government the LA is a real river.  This is a combination of idealist hogwash and developer greed - if taxpayers can pay to clean and green the "river" it opens up the land surrounding it to development, much of which with government subsidy.  I'm all for cleaning up the storm drains and where appropriate building public parks or other open space around them but lets stop kidding ourselves.  We aren't going to see steamboats paddling along Riverside Drive anytime soon.





 Los Angeles Fifth District Council Candidate Robin Ritter Simon has set up a Facebook page for her campaign.  According to the candidate her 17 year old son encouraged Ritter Simon to do so and created the page for her.



Big doins in the sleepy little town of San Fernando.  The postage stamp sized municipality completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles - one whose largest employer is the LAUSD - is the scene of a political brawl to end all brawls.  A group of residents are seeking to recall Councilmembers Jose Hernandez and Julie Ruelas for among other reasons because they voted to approve a controversial development headed by a developer who allegedly bounced a $50,000 check to the city.



Rising gas prices and other factors are driving an increase in bicycling across the city.  Most drivers don't know how or refuse to share the road with cyclists and the problems are piling up.  Here's an interesting look at the situation and what the City is doing about the bike issue.