Another LAFD Scandal and City Hall Still Lacks Proactive Transparency

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Back in October, The Guss Report broke the story about a sexual harassment investigation at the LAFD in which its likely next chief, Armando Hogan, was accused by at least one high-profile civilian colleague of misconduct.

City Hall politicians and their media flacks stonewalled my questions, to the detriment of their ever-eroding credibility.

In January, both The Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine credited my accuracy and timeliness.

Now, it appears that since January 29th, the same City Hall power players have stayed mum on another scandal at the troubled agency - a cheating scandal on a Captain I electronic test.  

And that's not all that insiders are telling me.

To read the rest of my column, jump on over to danielguss.substack.com and sign up for the free newsletter while you're there.  And don't forget to follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

How LA Should Vote When It Doesn't Know Who To Trust

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Los Angeles-area elections in recent decades usually go down in a very predictable way.

First, the Los Angeles Times endorses incumbents regardless of their job performance or, if they are termed out, their chief of staff or a member of their or a prior incumbent's broader family.  Second, instead of making recommendations of their own, other local media parrot the Times' recommendations.  Finally, Angelenos follow the Times' lead or don't vote at all, which is what the politicians and the Times want anyway.

What LA has in 2022 is the consequence of, or more precisely, the punishment for, going along with them like lemmings.

If that works for you, stick with it.

If it doesn't, keep reading at my Substack.  While you're there, sign up for my free newsletter and follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

(Daniel Guss, MBA, is nominated for three 2022 LA Press Club awards and was runner-up in 2021 and 2020. He has contributed to Mayor Sam, CityWatchLA, 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, entertainment and Sunday Magazine sections among other publishers.)

Rejecting Paul Koretz and Ron Galperin, LA Times Regains Some Of Its Marbles

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Like a rare hybrid eclipse, this column finally aligns with at least the essence of the Los Angeles Times' first two endorsements for the upcoming June primary, which are best summarized as:

• Paul Koretz should not be the next LA City Controller
• Ron Galperin should not be the next California Controller

Considering that the Times repeatedly endorsed locals like convicted felon Mitch Englander; indicted Jose Huizar and Mark Ridley-Thomas; Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis; Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa; Nury Martinez and Herb Wesson; Kamala Harris, George Gascon, Mike Bonin, bigamist Curren Price (despite his denials), other fakers and takers, and yes, Koretz and Galperin, it may now see the consequences of those disastrous recommendations.

I don't entirely buy that the Times gets it, yet, and neither should you.  But rejecting Koretz and Galperin in 2022 is a good start.

To read the rest of this column and see earlier ones, go to: https://danielguss.substack.com/ and sign up for the free subscription.

You may also follow me on the Twitters @TheGussReport.

Sigan adelante gente increibles.....

(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 in the Activist Journalism category.  He has contributed to Mayor Sam, CityWatchLA, 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.)

Eric Garcetti, Falsus In Omnibus

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - The Latin phrase falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus is one that you'll only hear in legal circles or from the keyboard of a raconteur.  It means that if a person lies about one thing, you can reasonably conclude that they're lying about everything.

Five years ago tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times gave an unwarranted 46th birthday gift to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; an endorsement for a second term as the city's chief executive, despite 16 years of astonishing failure, lies and a corrupt City Hall (and its typhus outbreak) as a Councilmember, City Council President and Mayor.

But today, Garcetti has once again proven to the nation that he is willing to lie about anything, for any reason or no reason at all.  And thanks to us trusting the Times, he has once again shown the entire nation what disengaged rubes are are for following its advice.

I explain further in my new Substack.

LA Must Protect Itself From Itself

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - It's 2022 and Los Angeles has a narrow, approaching window to start fixing its copious political challenges and corruption.

Having watched a few decades of local elections, here is what LA needs to do to save itself from itself.

1. Stop electing candidates based on their last name, skin tone and if they sound like an echo chamber of each other and the media.

2. Take everything the Los Angeles Times says or endorses with a grain of salt…and tequila. Stop relying on its endorsements since it almost entirely serves as a protective public relations unit for liberal and left politicians and their ideas to the total lack of balance of other sides, opinions and candidates. It is worth noting that the Times has endorsed, or even repeatedly endorsed, virtually every candidate currently or recently facing recall.

3. Start electing people from outside of the local political ecosystem. Encourage and elect those who have built something significant in the private sector. People who know what it’s like to make payroll in the face of illogical, oppressive and un-scientific government mandates. Think engineers, teachers (not school board members), healthcare professionals, private sector attorneys and the like. Elect reluctant politicians, not career ones.

Let’s repeat that: elect reluctant politicians, not career ones.

***

All the commotion so far about who is running for Mayor of LA and other offices is just that: chatter. It means nothing until February 7, 2022, when the candidate filing window opens to file a Declaration Of Intention to Become a Candidate. That narrow window closes less than a week later, on February 12. That’ll be the entirety of our options. People who fail to file will not make it onto the primary ballot.

Then there’s the race to gather 500 valid signatures by March 9, a rigged process designed to favor monied candidates. Those who submit at least a thousand votes for verification do not have to pay the $300 fee.

To continue reading this column, please join me on my Substack and sign-up to become a free subscriber.  Also, follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport. Thanks as always to our friend Scott Johnson for this platform.

Testing Positive, Eric Garcetti Was Always The Wrong Messenger On COVID Safety

 By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - The news just broke that LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has tested positive for COVID causing lots of I told you so messages given the Mayor's hypocrisy and utterly unscientific claims about his following the science.

Garcetti told one particularly big, bold COVID lie on May 11, 2020, declaring that "the science" said we could walk on the wet sand of a shore, but not lay on the dry sand of its beach.

His quote from the LA Times was "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday that he supports reopening the city's beaches for active recreation, with some restrictions. Sitting or tanning in the 'dry areas of sand' would not be a good idea right now, Garcetti said.  'But the wet sand area - if you need to get in there to swim, to surf...that is something I hope we can earn again.'"

The LA Times didn't bother to report, or apparently even ask, what was the source for that "science."

It wasn't the truth.  

It wasn't science then.  

It isn't science now.

Recently, I did ask Garcetti that question and he untruthfully responded "that was the science at the time," though he would still not identify his source.

A neurotic megalomaniac, as Tucker Carlson pegged him, Garcetti forced upon much of Southern California his ill-considered and restrictive daily mandates with televised lectures reflecting only his personal neuroses rather than actual science.

Most LA media didn't bother to question his veracity despite his long public track record of dishonesty.

Further, Garcetti's hypocrisy was evident early on as he ignored his own mandated mask-wearing, including in highly dense crowds, because his life-long goal is to be seen as Kennedy-esque and deep in thought, which are born solely of his fanciful imagination and delusions of grandeur.   

It eventually caught up with him.

Eric Garcetti 

Masking Rules For Thee, But Not For Me

Photo Credits: Unknown

Garcetti felt it was safe for him to go maskless, but his aides must not.

A Mask For Thee, But Not Eric G.

Then there's the irony of Garcetti testing positive while with Joe Biden at the global warming conference in Glasgow, Scotland.  Having restricted the movement of millions of people with his brand of "science," it is Garcetti who is now restricted from returning to the U.S. until he is deemed by both governments as safe for travel and re-entry.  Now that is ironic.

Eric Garcetti

COVID is serious and has the ability to cause severe and long-lasting illness and death.  While we do hope for Garcetti's recovery, his testing positive after not following his own rules that he inflicted on millions of people proves that he was all along the wrong messenger for all of the above, and most of everything else.  

Garcetti's office will not disclose whether he got a COVID vax booster, for which he has long been eligible.

(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.)

BREAKING NEWS: Times Says Beutner Out

LA Times reports that former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has said Austin Beutner is ending his candidacy for Mayor of Los Angeles to "spend more time with his family."

While there are some who are not thrilled with the idea of a Jan Perry, Eric Garcetti or Wendy "Valley Greuel" Greuel pining for an entry into the race by County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, this is actually excellent news for former Federal prosecutor and broadcaster, Kevin James, who in early polling was showing some strength as non-insider candidate.

UPDATE: KEVIN JAMES REACTS TO AUSTIN BEUTNER'S RESIGNATION FROM MAYORS RACE

"I commend Austin Beutner for his work in being part of the solution at City Hall while others are merely contributing to the problems. Austin's focus on job creation has been important to the City. We shared a mutual disgust for business as usual in City Hall and I will work as hard as I can to carry on our similar sentiments to make Los Angeles great again. I also want to wish Austin the best in his future endeavors and a speedy recovery to his father," stated Kevin James.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

In the last election the LA Times finally (kind of?) woke up to the fact that the status quo in LA they have long promulgated - whether it was the whites only Committee of 25 cabal of the real Mayor Sam's day or the current Latino-left-labor-developer unholy alliance of today - might not be good for the City.  Now they call on the status quo incumbents (and incumbent lite in the form of CD12 Clowncilman-Elect, Mitch Englander) to lead.  Ha.





Read more »

LA Times: Assemblyman Mike Gatto's residency under investigation by District Attorney

"Remember this young Assemblyman?"

Not long ago in the recent political past, there was a young, up and coming politician from the working-class community of Silver Lake. But due to legal considerations, we bring you this from today's Los Angeles Times website.

David Demerjian, who heads the district attorney's public integrity division, said he is checking into allegations that freshman Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) did not live in his district last year at the address where he was registered to vote. Gatto's 43rd Assembly District includes Glendale and the northeast Los Angeles area. Gatto called the allegations, filed by a local Republican Party official shortly before the Nov. 2 election, groundless and politically motivated.

** DISCLAIMER: Please note that the words above were courtesey of Los Angeles Times Scribe Jean Merl. The Mayor Sam blog in no way, is responsible for this reporting.

From "The 818 Now Blog".

Gatto’s residency also now under investigation

** DISCLAIMER: Please note that the headline above is solely the creation of The 818 Blog. The Mayor Sam Blog in no way, is responsible for this headline.

From the "Westside White Guy" Kevin Roderick of "Observing West LA Life and his Times Blog".

The DA's office is looking into whether freshman Assemblyman Mike Gatto lives as required in his Burbank to Northeast LA district. He's another of those officeholders who claims not to live in the house outside the district that he owns himself, but in the house his mother owns inside the district. LAT

** DISCLAIMER: Please note that the words above are those of the "Westside White Guy". The Mayor Sam Blog in no way, is responsible for the word selection of the "WWG".

From The Jennerjahn Report.

Barnett to Cooley: Investigate Gatto

Dear Mr. Cooley:
My name is Jane Barnett, and I am a resident of Los Angeles County. I am writing to you with regard to my concern about the residency and voting history of California State Assemblyman Mike Gatto. (you can read the rest by linking above).

** DISCLAIMER: The headline and posting of Jane Barnett's letter to District Attorney Steve Cooley, were solely the actions of The Jennerjahn Report. The Mayor Sam Blog in no way, was responsible for the information posted at The Jennerjahn Report

From the podcast archives of KRLA Talk Show Host Kevin James.

Scott from CD 14 talks about the D.A. looking into Assemblyman Mike Gatto.

** DISCLAIMER: The early-morning utterances of Scott Johnson are solely his. The Mayor Sam Blog in no was, was responsible for spoll-checking his diction.

Your thoughts.............., with the disclaimer that the Mayor Sam Blog is no way, responsible for the content of the comments. After all, "disclaimers", mixed with "cease and desist threats", are a bloggin part of a Assemblyman Mike Gatto world.

Scott Johnson in CD 14

WTF? Pink Pig Lands on LA Times

Update: Part of a Verizon commercial shoot.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

Remember when the LA City Council refused to raise DWP rates and then General Manager sat there in front of them, wearing his cowboy hat and telling the Council if they didn't get the rate increase they could not make a $73 million transfer to the City.  Turns out that wasn't true according to an audit conducted by City Controller Wendy Greuel.  Current General Manager, DWP hatchet man and possible Mayoral candidate Austin Beutner is poo pooing Greuel's report saying  it contains "several errors of fact."

The City of LA may be boycotting Arizona but Nevada is asking California businesses to consider a boycott of their own of the Golden State.  The Silver State is running an ad campaign that is encouraging enterprises to take advantage of their friendlier business climate including a lack of corporate and business taxes.

He's back! Fresh off yet another last place win perennial candidate Phil Jennerjahn has announced his next run for office.  Phil plans to move into the 4th Council District and challenge current member Tom LaBonge.  The erstwhile blogger and goofy recall leader calls LaBonge the "Al Bundy" of LA politics and has to be stopped. No doubt about it, Jennerjahn vs LaBonge will indeed be the battle of the half-wits.

As a kid I used to love reading the TV Times in my Dad's Sunday LA Times.  Particularly the column in the back where viewers wrote in to get their questions about television shows and TV in general.  Sometime back, the TV Times was cancelled.  Now it's back, but quite sadly as a way for the Former Fishwrap of Record to earn some much needed shekels: if you want the listings it will set you back $2.99 a month.

Mayor Villarparker at Peace, City falling into Financial Abyss

Mayor Antonio Villar with Lu Parker

"Mayor Villar before meatless Mondays"

If you really needed any more column inches of newsprint to reinforce the premise that the Los Angeles Times aka "Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street", is sinking fast into the depths of irrelevancy, then this latest puff piece/profile of Mayor Antonio Villar will surely provide the final "newsprint of evidence" that the "Old Gray Hag" is nearing the "journalistic flat-line" of death.

My first reaction to this PR piece, was to check the byline. For a fleeting moment, I thought that West LA blogger Kevin Roderick had return to his old place of employment. Many of you long time bloggin political observers will remember his infamous "Pop Star Mayor" puff piece that he authored for "West Los Angeles Magazine", some time in the recent political past. But upon further scrutiny, it was City Hall reporter Phil Willon , who was channeling Roderick when reprinting the "talking points" provided by the likes of maybe, Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo, who knows.

Then there are the interesting tidbits about our now, "at a great place Mayor" (maybe he is channeling back on all those great international places he visited on the public dime?). First is his new "meatless Mondays" pledge. Does "meatless Mondays" have an double meaning? Maybe this means in addition to avoiding the "carne y carnitas y pollo", he is also avoiding the "MEAT" of Mike Trujillo? In hindsight, the City of Los Angeles should take an oath of going "MEATless" after Trujillo's consulting of Measure B. I would be the first to sign that pledge.

But what strikes me the most about this supposed piece of informational journalism, is the absence of reality at Getty House and the miss opportunities to ask some probing questions of Mayor Villar.

One can perceive from reading this PR missive, that an virtual moat has been built around the confines of Getty House. While the Villars lavish themselves in acts of narcissism, a city is falling deeper into an financial mess that has dire repercussions for its citizens. The Daily News in yesterday's edition, had an ominous story on $175 million dollar plus deficit that is growing by the day. So while the Villar's celebrate Antonio's new found "greater place of being" many city workers and residents are confronting an lesser state of reality, that includes pay cuts, layoffs and less services.

Reporter Phil Willon also missed an opportunity to ask questions such as these examples. Why is your divorce from Corina Raigosa not been finalize? Why have you asked for delays in the divorces proceeding due to an lack of both, available time and of legal counsel? How is your current relationship helping to improve your public image? What steps are you taking to correct the economic problems at City Hall? Miss opportunities galore indeed in this story.

Thus, as Los Angeles heads towards the edge of falling into an financial abyss that bottoms out in bankruptcy, we can rest assured that the former Antonio Ramon Villar/Tony Villar, now "Mayor Antonio Villarparker" is in a "greater place" while the rest of us Angelinos perpare for an "worst place of reality" at 200 South Spring Street.

Scott Johnson in CD 14.

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

Times Reportedly Investigating Controversial Galatzan Mailer

Following our scoop over the weekend that City Council candidate and School Board Member Tamar Galatzan may have spent LAUSD taxpayer funds on a mailer designed to raise her profile among CD2 voters just as absentee ballots were hitting mailboxes, we hear the LA Times is looking into the matter at the request of an opponent.

Much remains to be known about Tamar's mailer such as did LAUSD pay for it, did it only go to addresses in the CD2 portion of Galatzan's board member district and did the mailer comply with state law as to the use of public official postage requirements around the time of an election.

Sources are telling the Sister City that representatives of Galatzan opponent Chris Essel have allegedly shopped this weekend's revelation here at Mayor Sam to the LA Times and that the paper is currently investigating.  It will be interesting to see what the former fishwrap of record comes up with.  Stay tuned.

Mayor Sam Ends Silence on "New" LA Times Website

For some reason my views on the recent redesign of the Los Angeles Times website seem to be hotly sought.

This type of issue is really the beat of Pulitizer Prize claiming uberjournalist Kevin Roderick, best known to Mayor Sam readers as Westside White Guy, former denizen of America's suburb and the Westside's most prominent suburban Anglo crank. Indeed, Old Kev was all over the breaking news like a 13 year old blogger jumping on the latest Hannah Montana CD release.

So what's my opinion? I could care less. The Times has thrown up something looks like a free Wordpress theme and that's supposed to make a diference?

The bottom line is that template be damned, THE OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET's best days are behind it. Changing the website layout does nothing if the content continues to stink and that the Times continues to cede actual coverage of City politics to the Jill Stewart era LA Weekly which continues to shine and continues to serve.

All of that being it is what it is, it certainly is appropos that the cosmetic change to a newspaper website is a trending topic in vapid and vacuous LA.

Mayor Villaraigosa not to run for Governor, or is Villar in ??

Consider this today from the San Fransisco Chronicles political scribes Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross in today's Chronicle, or is it "Wrongicles" ??

No go Antonio: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn't going to run for governor - at least not in 2010.

Our sources in L.A. say Villaraigosa has come to the conclusion that the time is just not right for him to make a state run - given that he hasn't even been sworn in yet to a second term, and that he's facing bloody political fights at home.

With Villaraigosa out, it's going to be an all-out brawl between San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Jerry Brown for the Democratic nomination.

Then someone from "Team Villar" gave this response to the Los Angeles Times City Hall beat writer Phil Willon.

Is Villaraigosa in or out?

People close to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this morning dismissed a report in the San Francisco Chronicle that he had decided not to run for governor in 2010.

Villaraigosa insiders said the mayor has still not made a decision.

Chronicle political columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross today reported that their sources had told them Villaraigosa had decided not to run, in part because he was facing “bloody political fights” at home.

.....and those political fights will commence soon.

Your thoughts......

USC = "University of Scandalous Conduct" in Sports and City Politics ??

"PAID TO PLAY AT USC ?? NO DUH!!"

BUT WHAT ABOUT INFLUENCE PEDDLING IN CITY HALL ??

For us in Los Angeles who cheer for the great "Institute of Higher Learning in Westwood" (while wanting to forget that a certain Mecha activist who graduated as "Tony Villar"), whenever they meet the "spoil, pompous children" from the "Four Year Community College on Fig.", on the field of play, today's expose in the Los Angeles Times, "USC, SILENCE IS THE CARDINAL RULE" is an exercise in "better late than never".

And for many who look to sports as a useful and needed diversion from the realities of life. Jokes (will USC be able to play under the salary cap ??) and more jokes (O.J. slash and cuts across the field and into Brentwood!!), mixed in with possible NCAA Sanctions and a possible revocation of a National Championship, will be the by product of the on-going investigation into USC athletics.

But with the Los Angeles Times decision to assign investigated reporter Paul Pringle (who's investigated reporting exposed the corruption by Tyrone Freeman at SEIU 6434), to the growing controversy in Heritage Hall, the "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" may want to expand their investigated coverage beyond the "field of play" and into the "halls of local government".

With USC expansion plans underway near its main campus, mixed in with their ambitious plans for the area around the Health Science Campus in Lincoln Heights, this is the right moment to thoroughly investigate how the "USC WAY" is forced upon the surrounding communities.

Recently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed USC Vice President of government and community relations Thomas S. Sayles to the Department of Water and Power Commission.

And who would be the front person for USC in the 'halls of government" ?? None other than USC's registered lobbyist at City Hall, David Galaviz (pictured above with cake).

This is the same David Galaviz who is well known to the populace in Lincoln Heights, where he recently served USC and other Special Interests well, as President of the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council.

Whether it was getting the "youth vote", shilling for the "Las Villas Project", steering gang contracts to USC affiliated groups such as V.I.P., giving away public property to bogus non-profits such as Legacy LA, and now fronting USC attempt to subsidizes their Capital Building Program with CRA money, Galaviz is the mouth piece and shill that speaks over community concerns.

These were some of Galaviz past actions as LHNC President.

Earlier in the year, this body voted to support the controversial "Las Villas Project" on the corner of Broadway and Thomas (old Rose Eye Center location). Later on the same night that Councilman Ed Reyes announced the end of the "Las Villas Project", NC members proposed giving money to support a community event for Jenny Krusoe's "Legacy LA Project". Yet at no time did any of the USC employees or Violence Intervention Program staff member Eileen Sanchez recuse themselves from voting, and not cite that their respective employers have a vested interest in the successful completion of the "Legacy LA Project".

Rumor has Galaviz comtemplating some future run for political office (CD-14 ??) with his recent move from Lincoln Heights into El Sereno.

But while Galaviz's political aspirations may take years or never play out, the desires of his employer and ramifications on local communities are playing out now on the "field of play", in the catacombs of the NCAA, and most important, the "halls of governments".

Conquest at any cost ??

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

Would this get you terminated from LAUSD??

In light of the Los Angeles Times series of articles on termination of teachers, or should we say lack of ??

We wonder if this past episode of questionable ethical behavior would cause the person in question, "home confinement"

Some background from a series of past Mayor Sam posts.

We here at Mayor Sam were e-mail a copy of this "alleged" memo written by Lincoln High School Career Advisor Vera Padilla, who also is a current member of the LHNC and is running for re-election with the so-call "Action Slate". (For the record, the e-mail stated that the "Action Team" slate was attached to this memo.)

If this document is true, then there are questions galore about the ethical behavior of Ms. Padiila.

First, the usage of school letterhead would present a serious "Conflict of Interest" involving Lincoln High School and LAUSD.

Second, if this was done on district time, then questions of sanctions and discipline need to be brought to the table for discussion on why Ms. Padilla is campaigning for re-election and soliciting votes from her fellow staff members, when she is getting paid to create "road maps" that guide students to colleges and careers?

......and the rationale of the teacher involved.

This response from Lincoln High School's Vera Padilla.

Vera Padilla, counselor at Lincoln, is the neighborhood council treasurer. She said that the stakeholder definition in Lincoln Heights includes children as young as 14 who attend school in the area, as well as people who shop or have bank accounts there.“You can shop in Lincoln Heights, you can bank in Lincoln Heights, and there are your voters,” she said.

Padilla, who authored and distributed the memo named in the complaint, claimed that her distribution of the memo concerning the election to school faculty was within her job duties, which include distributing memos to faculty about various neighborhood and school-related functions.

Eastern Group Publications obtained a copy of the memo, dated June 10, along with the complaint. (Padilla offered to submit a copy of the memo to EGP, but it was not received by deadline).

The memo reads “Abraham Lincoln High School” and “Inter-Office Memorandum” in bold letters at the top. It was to Lincoln staff, from Vera Padilla, Career Advisor. The subject is Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council Elections. It is not on letterhead stationery.

The memo begins by giving the time and place of the election. It urges voting, and reminds readers that all teachers, faculty, staff and students in grades nine thru twelve can vote. It then lists various donations from the Neighborhood Council to the school and the community, totaling over $168, 000 in value.“This was my way, a reminder, to get out and vote, “ Padilla said. “To me, I did no wrong.”

.....and reaps the fruits of success.

VICE-PRESIDENT:
William Morrison 17
Vera Padilla 378
Manny Z. Rodriguez 176

Since then Vera Padilla has resign her position as Vice-President of the LHNC and the school no longer host meetings of the NC.

Your thoughts......

"OLD GRAY HAG" endorses Trutanich, Vahedi, and Pearlman

The "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" has bestowed its editorial blessings on Carmen Trutanich, David Vehadi and Nancy Pearlman for the elective offices of City Attorney, City Council District 5 and Los Angeles Community College District Office 6 respectively.

Excerpts below and links to full editorials.

Carmen Trutanich for City Attorney

Trutanich has represented alleged polluters, and that's a good thing: The city of Los Angeles is one of the nation's biggest polluters, and taxpayers need someone who knows his way through the regulatory process to ensure that cleanups can move forward while penalties remain manageable. But he also was a groundbreaking environmental prosecutor, building up experience and know-how that would serve the city well in its aspirations to become cleaner and greener.

David Vehadi for City Council

Vahedi is often portrayed, for good and for ill, as the outsider candidate. He makes much of the fact that he hasn't held elective office before, although he did run four years ago in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Councilman Jack Weiss. But for an outsider, Vahedi impresses with his encyclopedic knowledge of even the most obscure zoning regulations, Environmental Quality Act provisions and parking policies. He is among the breed of homeowner activists who can match wits and quote Municipal Code passages with any elected official or bureaucrat.

Nancy Pearlman for LACCD Board of Trustees

Yet Pearlman is the stronger candidate of the two. Nakahiro, a lawyer who grew up in Boyle Heights, is an energetic and likable community activist, but he has yet to develop a deep understanding of the community colleges and a well-honed agenda for improving them. Pressed in a meeting with The Times' editorial board for details on what the district needed most, Nakahiro responded that students should understand the governing board's role at the colleges. In truth, most college students care little about such matters; they rightly want to know whether they can land a spot in an over-enrolled class, how to get academic help when they're floundering and why the prices of textbooks are so high.

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

Agenda journalism still reigns at the "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET"??

If one were to judge from recent Los Angeles Times stories, or lack of, on outrages, protests,and demonstrations, what should of garnered the most in coverage in the strinking column inches of our local fish wrap??

A. The April 15 Tea Parties??

B. KFI's Radio "John and Ken Anti-Tax Rally in Fullerton??

C. May Day Rally in Downtown Los Angeles??

If you are one of the graying scribes, still typing away in the remaining cubicles within the combined Editorial/Newsroom (or was it always that way when judging news and editorial content in the same given time period??), then you probably implore your editor to give maximum story budget to "C".

No wonder why your fishwrap is losing readership because you devote your remaining millimeters of newsprint to stories most readers have discarded as "P.R. Statements" that a majority could find highlighted on blogs, web sites, and debunk as bias journalism.

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

Ace Smith Screws the Pooch

Jack Weiss' campaign is once again not being very honest. According to The Times:

Los Angeles city attorney candidate Jack Weiss’ campaign placed its own flattering headline Tuesday over a Los Angeles Times story posted on the campaign website, making it appear that the paper had declared Weiss the winner of the debate.

Weiss said the headline was a summary based on other news reports and blog postings.

Question for you Ace - and please no phone calls from you know who - what bloggers said Jack Weiss won the debate? Huh? I'm hearing crickets