The Morning After ........., Municipal Election Day, 2017 Notes

Its the MORNING AFTER another abysmal voter turnout for LA Municipal Election Day 2017 which saw $10 Million dollars in Special Interest Money defeat Measure S, Mayor Eric "Gar-SOFT-ee" garnering 80% support for a Second Term ..........,,, and CD 1 City Councilman Gil "50.9% Cedillo" awaits a FINAL count of outstanding ballots in seeking to avoid a May Runoff against Joe Bray-Ali. 

 Coming SOON to a SOLD OUT LA Neighborhood. 

** Blogger's Notes: DISCLAI-(YAWN!!)-MER ......... thanks to the LA County Register Record's Election Division SLOOOOOOOW count of the ballots last night, we attempt to multi-task our MORNING AFTER musings, in a SLEEP-DEPRIVED state. That said, its right to keyboard that an abysmal, small (11%) electorate (minus 49.1% of CD 1 voters) did the repeat bidding of the Establishment, in returning the current anointed incumbents to another Term of servicing the Special Interests and deny communal protection in rejecting Measure S. More details below throughout the day----Scott Johnson.

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Councilman (and PLUM Committee Chairperson) Huizar + "enabling Friends" = "Yes on Measure S".

If voters needed just ONE (of many) reason to mark "YES on Measure S" on their ballot, they only have to look at the enabling cabal of CD-14 City Councilman (and PLUM Committee Chairperson) Jose Huizar's "FRIENDS" ..........., and the role they play (and get compensated for) in helping Developers garner Approval for community-altering Projects.

"No on Measure S"= continuing RICHES for "Huizar's Friends".

** Blogger's Notes: On this Hump Day (Wednesday) of the week before Election Day, the "Yes on Measure S Campiagn" is "Going Deep" into the "Pay to Develop Fiefdom of CD-14" to highlight one of the MANY reasons for voting "YES on Measure S".

Los Angeles—Today, March 1, The Yes on Measure (S) campaign will hold a press conference with leaders in Boyle Heights to discuss the negative affects of gentrification. The Miami billionaire developers, the Fifteen Group, swooped into Los Angeles in 1998 to transform the Wyvernwood Garden Apartments in Boyle Heights into thousands of luxury housing units. Residence and leaders in the Latino community have been fighting these billionaire developers and the displacement they are threatening, ever since.   Supporters, joining Yes on Measure S include: Leonardo Vilchis, the Executive Director of Union de Vecinosa, leasders from El Comité de la Esperanza and community supporters.
When: Wednesday, March 1 at 11:00amWhere: Mariachi Plaza, Boyle HeightsWho: Yes on Measure S, Leonardo Vilchis, Executive Director of Union de Vecinosa and leaders from El Comité de la Esperanza.

Despite numerous pronouncements from CD-14 City Councilman Jose Huizar regarding his support for the PRESERVATION of the historic Wyvernwood Complex, the blunt reality for the residents is that the DAY is near (especially if Measure S is defeated) for the Fifteen Group's desire to "upscale" their property ........... and BENEFIT the "FRIENDS of Huizar".


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"The Hustle" No on Measure S Commercial

Walter Moore No On Measure S Commercial

LA Chamber Wimps Out on Measure S

Proving itself yet again to be less of a business advocacy organziation and more of a "we like playing with the big boys and getting free drinks/eats club," the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce has broken ranks with other business minded organizations who are opposing Mayor Villaraigosa's fradulent phone tax measure on the February 5th ballot.

The Chamber - which wants so bad to hobnod with the Mayor, other elected officials and the developers and unions who feed them - probably knew it also could no longer remain to be seen as a legitimate protector of it's members' interests if it were to go all the way with the Mayor on this patently deceptive measure. Therefore, they have declared themselves:

NEUTRAL on Measure S
Measure S is the city of Los Angeles’ proposed 9 percent communications user tax which will apply to landline and cell phones as well as Voice over Internet Protocol communications. The city currently has a 10 percent communications user tax on telephone services, which generates $270 million per year and has been challenged in court because it was enacted administratively rather than through a vote of the people.

City Hall declared a “state of fiscal emergency” to lower the voter approval threshold
from two-thirds to 55 percent. The tax rate was reduced from 10 percent to 9
percent but the new tax would apply to a broader range of communications than
the current tax.

City Hall is correct to be concerned about the potential loss of $270 million. And taxpayers are correct to be concerned about the lack of public discussion about the current state of fiscal affairs and options moving forward.

The Chamber would also be correct if they were concerned about the tremendous waste of public funds and that - as noted by Daily News Editor Ron Kaye - "Every year, LA's general fund revenues grow at an average rate of 5.7%. The problem is that since 2000 Los Angeles' employee costs have risen 7.5% a year, a 53% increase."

Therefore there is no need to be concerned about taxpayers keeping an extra $270 million in their pocket, that is unless you're an elected official who needs to keep feeding the beast.

No On Measure S

PTA Moms Against Measure S

Today, parents of Beckford Ave. Elementary school will be receiving their monthly newsletter. Inside, they'll find the following editorial by a PTA parent urging ALL PTA members to vote No on Measure S.

Rock the Vote Beckford!
By Debbie Lopez

It's another campaign year and another chance for Beckford parents to get involved in the future of not only our country, but locally as well. On February 5th, the Beckford Auditorium will once again be a polling place for the upcoming Presidential Primary election.

Are you registered to vote yet?

The last day to register for the Feb. 5th election is January 22nd. Registering is easy! Just visit: http://www.sos.ca.gov/

"NO on Measure S"
PTAs may be asked to help secure the passage of a school bond or local parcel tax election or to participate in campaigns to pass or defeat other election ballot measures.

One of the Purposes of the PTA is "to secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth." It is by educating its members — and through them, the general public — on the impact of issues affecting children and youth, that PTAs can best influence the course of action of those who make policy decisions, thereby achieving the Purposes of the PTA. Measure S (the "Cell Phone Tax 'Reduction'"), as written, applies an unfair tax to voters, as we will be charged 9%, while telemarketers (grrr… who call you as you sit down to dinner) will only be charged 5%.

This places an unfair burden on families who rely on cell phones to keep in touch with (and keep tabs on!) their children. The Northridge West Neighborhood Council voted to take a position AGAINST Measure S. The Neighborhood Council agreed with the COURT OF APPEAL OF CALIFORNIA, SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT, DIVISION TWO, who ruled that the current cell phone tax the city is collecting is a violation of Prop. 218, passed by California voters in 1996. By voting NO, the current tax goes away. A YES vote enables City Hall to tax you for using the internet, wireless networks, text messaging, instant messaging, VoIP and similar services.

As a high-performing school, Beckford is not eligible to receive funding (such as Title 1 funds) that we so desperately need. Our Valley neighborhoods contribute a substantial amount in tax revenue each year to the City's General Fund. That is where the money from Prop S. will be going. There is nothing in the wording of Measure S. that specifically binds these funds to things like additional police and fire units. Voters can't ever really be sure exactly where and HOW those General Fund dollars are going to be spent. Unfortunately, we don't see too much of it coming back into the Valley in the way of help for our schools.

If it were not for the generosity, the hard work, the endless hours of volunteering, the commitment, the love and support of our Beckford families, we would not have the funding for many of the wonderful educational programs here at Beckford. Perhaps it's time to take a stand, Valley Families.

How about we just vote NO on Measure S, and instead make a donation to the Bell Fund, or take your sweetie on a date to our "Ace of Hearts" fundraising gala? Money wisely spent, and guaranteed to be used for the betterment of our school and our children's education. PLEASE COME TO OUR PTA ASSOCIATION MEETING ON JAN. 22 AND LEARN MORE!!

Beckford PTA will be encouraging ALL Valley PTAs to join us in voting NO on S. Additionally, in lieu of dumping tea into the L.A. River, we are also asking that at the same time members are voting NO, to send a donation to their PTAs instead of Measure S taxes to the City's General Fund. This way, members can be assured that their hard-earned dollars are going directly to schools instead of lining the coffers of the "Bermuda Triangle" that is the General Fund.

We wil be speaking at the montly PTA President's Meeting later this month, and asking our PTA Council to please circulate the above editorial to each of the schools in the area, and to send it home in their newsletters.

NO ON S AND SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS! PLEASE VOTE NO AND SEND A DONATION TO YOUR LOCAL PTA. OUR SCHOOLS NEED THE MONEY MORE THAN THE CITY, AND WE'LL SPEND IT MORE WISELY, TOO!

---

Debbie Lopez is a community activist, PTA leader and mom in the North Valley.

Measure S Phone Tax Scam Update

Lots of phone tax stuff here - and the battle to kill Measure S (for Shady!) is well underway.

First off can you kill a phone tax? Yes, the Federal Government did. And they found that the income lost from the phone tax was more than made up for by revenue increases as a result of the tax going back into the economy.

How about this - a liberal is opposed to the phone tax!

When is a Mayoral aide not campaigning for the phone tax on the City dime? When he's campaigning for the tax.

Pasadena also has a phony phone tax on the ballot, it's called Measure D. The good folks fighting that battle have a web site here.

The Daily News agrees - the phone tax "sucks!"

Make sure you email, fax or snail mail all the Mayor Sam blog reports about the phone tax to your friends. They need to know and they need to know to not be deceived by the "reduction" title.

A Liberal Opposes the Phone Tax AKA "Measure Shady"

Dear Los Angeles Voters,

You have another treat waiting for you on the Feb 5th ballot...

Proposition S--"Reduction of Tax Rate and Modernization of Communications Users Tax."

Wow!!! Great!!! A tax REDUCTION to vote on!!!

What's that you say? Politicians have actually put something on the ballot to reduce our taxes??? Sounds too good to be true??? IT IS!!!!

The following article gives a rather in-depth backgrounder on what's up with our LA City Council and the Mayor. Both of them want this badly to keep the phone tax you now pay streaming into the general fund. The reason it's on the ballot NOW, is because there are court cases that could invalidate the tax COMPLETELY. Our illustrious City Council, including my guy, Dennis Zine, voted to put this on the ballot BEFORE the court case is decided. By doing this, they get the city voters to VOTE IN THE TAX so that any subsequent court decisions are moot and will not apply since the voters have APPROVED the tax. Sleazy, eh??

Now it well may be that the city needs these funds for various services. But, aren't you a little tired of being lied to? I know I am. Wouldn't it be nice if they could just present their case clearly? Have enough respect for the voters to actually tell the full story? TRANSPARENCY would go a long ways to restoring some level of believability. As it is, most people are assuming that most politicians are lying all of the time, and they're not far from wrong. This proposition re-enforces the rampant distrust of our electeds.

Listen to these sales points from the ballot: "reduction of tax rate," "10% to 9%," exempt low-income senior-citizen and disabled households," fund general municipal services, such as 911, police, fire protection." On and on, and NO WHERE ON THE BALLOT is there a full disclosure that court decisions are pending that could ELIMINATE the tax entirely, UNLESS voters are fooled into voting in this tax permanently. The best part is the "treat taxpayers equally regardless of technology used." This obfuscation really means that you get to pay MORE by adding the tax onto internet services. Wow, great tax reduction! Oh, and you'll be happy to know that telemarketers are treated MORE equally than you with a tax break...they get to pay 5% instead of your 9%.

So there you have it. PDLA's endorsement committee has NOT taken a formal position on this measure...mainly because we were dealing with all of the other state props last time around. But, the absentee ballots are coming out now, and several people have been asking about this one. So, check this over.

The Voter Information Pamphlet sent from the city gives the complete legal language as well as analysis from the City Legislative Analyst and the City Administrative Officer. Both of these are beholden to the City Council and tailor their writing accordingly. As usual, there are the usual suspects listed supporting this and a single opposing person....funny how they never seem to have many opposition voices included.

Just be sure that you do NOT ever vote for ANY of these propositions without doing a thorough study. This should include who is behind the measure as well as who has paid for the signatures if it's one put on by an interest group. ALL of them recently seem to have a hidden agenda concealed by seemingly innocuous language written for voter consumption. The casual voter will be fooled every time.///

Linda Sutton
Truth Now Productions
41st AD Delegate
PDLA, Endorsement and Education Committees
PDA-SFV
Progressive Caucus CDP, Media Reform
Valley Democrats United
West Los Angeles Democratic Club
LANIC
UTLA, Human Rights Committee, House of Reps
NEA, Peace & Justice

LA Weekly-- "Better Than Phone Tax"

Police Protective League to Taxpayers: Screw You

The Police Protective League has decided to join with and not fight the Mayor in efforts to stick it to the taxpayers and support the phone tax increase. A whopping $250,000 donation is coming to the Mayor's Yes on S campaign from the union. Wonder what kind of backslapping secured this support?

There was a time when the League was one of the no-nonsense public employee unions in Los Angeles back in the day when our favorite former motorcycle cop turned Clowncilman ran the show. But hey - he's descended into liberalism himself so why bother. Maybe Mayor Sam isn't going to be so likely to support the PPL in their fight against the Police Commissions mandate for certain officers to turn over financial records or their battle with Bitter Bernie on work schedules.

Monday Hotsheet at 1:02 a.m.

JM, After the Wind; Palm Fronds on Talmadge, 12.30.07


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Actually 3 a.m., but I didn't want to bottlecap the Sammy awards, so I posted down here. Our readers are wise: I'm happy with the awards, btw, more than I thought I'd be, even if I did get drubbed by David Zahniser, which I am pleased to have been. So next year, let's have a best civic photography award, so I can get drubbed by Gary Leonard too.

It's a good list; check it out again.

° ° ° ° °

Remember about twenty years ago---especially on buildings along Spring and Main where lots of hi-rises had windows you could open---when they used to throw the pages of those desk calendars out of buildings downtown on the last day of the year? Do they still do that? You would find those pages around downtown all through January.

° ° ° ° °

Someone in the Mayor's office keeps riding me about my on-the-cheap, first-yurt-then-build homeless housing concept, but Santa Barbara is already halfway there with their Safe Parking program. Steve Chawkins reports for the former fishwrap of record. About 250 people are "housed" through the low-maintenence program that costs the City, County, and private funds a scant $105,000. Remember, the next affordable housing bond will aspire to spend about $100,000,000---almost thousand times more to affect the lives of only five times more people.

Of course, with the Santa Barbara program, the developers don't make anything. So City of LA pols aren't interested---though people in Venice are.

° ° ° ° °

Nearly everything City Council does with ballot measures is fraudulent to some degree, and it has been now for some time. Orlov runs down the list of tax measures City Council has on tap for you this year. After S, Hahn wants a gang program tax, and LaBonge wants a parcel tax for transportation funding. If S is in the name of "modernization", try to imagine the duplicitious names they will come up with for those.

Declaring an emergency status for Measure S so that it only needs 50%+1 vote to pass (rather than the 66% usually warranted by a City tax) after giving City workers a raise was like calling the fire department after deliberately setting your neighbor's couch on fire.

No, it's not wrong to call the fire department, but you should also call the police department, too, because you don't just have a fire on your hands, you also have arson.

Similarly, S should be challeneged in the courts if it passes.

° ° ° ° °

Tony Castro files a report in the Press-Telegram on the dark side of the Getty, including the family stuff. Yours truly is quoted.

° ° ° ° °

Relax about your teen online, says a CSUDH prof. Worry instead about Captain Jack...

Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Sunset, Hermosa, 9.12.07


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Orlov sets up El Alcalde to be the comeback kid reincarnated with a Daily News leader that's purportedly about Antonio's problems in 2007 but really a front-page commercial for Measure S in 2008.

The scribe sets it up as though Antonio has his work cut out for him. In fact, it's the Measure's opponents who have their work cut out for them: no budget, no big-name Democrats in opposition, a spendy, Bernardi-less City Council that makes $178,000 a year and that always says "Let them eat cake" when it comes to a tax measure.

With the vote coming the day of the primary, Democratic turnout will be immense. And you see the legacy of Parke Skelton's Democrat-pandering fingerprints all over Antonio's civil service memes: "It will affect every city service - police, fire, parks, libraries. We have to make the case to the public about what this means and trust them to come through again," Antonio says.

Skelton likes to turn everything into a bond, and mention all the civil services that get Democrats excited. But what's really being said here is this:

"We're politicians! We always spend too much! Be a pal and bail us out again."

° ° ° ° °

Neglected here earlier: some actual debate was seen in Council earlier this month, as El Alcalde re-appointed Joan Ling to the CRA Board. Prior to her CRA appointment of 2005, Ms. Ling had spent much of her career shilling for affordable housing interests in Santa Monica, and got to be so good at it over the years that she was awarded a $90,000 gift from Fannie Mae in 2003. And of course, you can observe yourself how her 900 units over fourteen years in Santa Monica solved the problems of homelessness and affordability on the west side.

City Council's two biggest boomtowners, Perry and Parks, wanted to block Ling from the board because they thought Ling overreached with various inclusionary zoning projects, requiring developers to stitch low-income housing into residential developments. But Matt Szabo went to bat for her before Council, and she sailed through.

When the CRA gets a media rep who can answer questions about the hundreds of millions it's licensed to spend, please let me know. Until then, I guess I'll just call Matt.

° ° ° ° °

Life and Times, the KCET show that gave us the Orange Curtain abomination known as Hugh Hewitt, as well as Los Illegals' sideman Ruben Martinez, is now off the air after a good run. Last show was Friday. Something far less interesting but frequently as irritating---the Tavis Smiley show---fills the slot.

Here's something: the show's blog asks for online reminiscing. So: blog away, dum dums!

° ° ° ° °

Your adulterous tax-drunk Mayor also wrote a piece for CityWatch on Friday. But there was nothing to take credit for regarding the DWP, so he said that in 2007, he put "an environmentalist" in charge of the DWP. He forgot to mention that H. David Nahai is also an attorney, a lobbyist, a fundraiser, and a wannabe commentator on the middle east.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Don't forget to Vote for Your Choices in the Mayor Sam Awards

Why is it so important for Mayor Villaraigosa and other elected officials to pass the Mayor's shady phone tax increase, Measure S? In order to pay for a 23% pay increase for non-emergency city workers. Pass the word, when was the last time you got a 23% pay raise? By the way in case you missed it, you absolutely have to catch Zuma Dogg's Measure S themed holiday parody.

When Steve Hymon asked where the funds to build a "subway to the sea," Mayor Villaraigosa accused the LA Times Columnist of "raining on his parade." That's a great way to avoid a simple yet serious question on a taxpayer funded project. Of course the Mayor loves nothing more than riding in parades and having his photo taken.

Daily News columnist Sandy Sand gets it half right when she finds foolish Goofy Jan Perry's plan to ban fast food in South Los Angeles. Decrying the nanny state, Sandy says its education and capitalism that will address the issue of obesity. So far so good - but then she heads right over to government sponsored universal "Arnold-Care" as the other answer. Sigh.

The Daily News supports the move by the City Clerk's office to take over the elections for Neighborhood Councils. Though it's going to cost a little more, it may lead to further participation and at least cleaner elections. With foolishness like this going on, the Councils need all the help they can get.

A new monorail is about to be pressed into service - at Disneyland.

The City Council is going to cut back cablecasting of it's meetings to one per month - that's the Santa Ana City Council. This is the same Clowncil that bans City Commissioners from blogging. Sounds like they have some issues with openness and transparency down there in Orange County.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

As we predicted Tuesday, the City Clowncil for now passed on a plan to raise electric and water rates in Los Angeles. Council members Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks introduced a motion to send the hikes back to the DWP to be taken back up by the Council on February 20th, a good two weeks after the Measure S Phone Tax scam will have been voted up or down.

You better cut back on your water usage or big bad Mayor V is going to impose mandatory cuts in water usage on you. Of course, he's one to talk right?

In New York you can hail a cab when you need one. In Los Angeles the law requires you to go to a designated cab stand, wherever that may be. Jan Perry is behind a move to change that law. Now that's a good thing Jan, focus on that instead of nanny state activities.

The Smart Car is a good way to commute and get around in a town like Los Angeles. The market is responding with a car that gets incredible gas mileage and can itself twice in the average parking place. Also, the car is affordable. If you want to buy one, dealerships are coming to Los Angeles, including North Hollywood.

Writer Matthew DeBord agrees with the MTA's plan to install turnstiles at subway and rail car stations.

Previously Andrew at Here In Van Nuys posted the terrifically blighted intersection at Vanowen and Sepulveda in Van Nuys. In contrast, Wellesley Island, New York where property owners know how to build and maintain attractive buildings.

If you wondering if there are some perks to being homeless, Godzilla Don has posted the day's menu at The Los Angeles Mission.

Be sure to vote for North Hollywood over at The Curbed Cup..

"MEASURE S(am)" will tax you for reading this

"Big Tobacco", "Big Oil", "Big Hardware", now "Big Blog"? Demonetization leads to....taxation.

When "LEFT, LIBERAL, NANNY, NIMBYS" run low or crave more of your hard earn cash. They will stop at no level of deceit to create more "L.A. Aqueducts" of revenue streams to steal your "Liquid Assets". Thus being able to feed the thirsts of the likes of "DWP BOSS D'ARCY" and the wastelands of "LA Bridges".

All need to read the language of what I will christen, "Measure S(am). This in dedication to the "PEOPLE'S CLOWNCIL OF 15",("SPRING STREET RINOS"included), who are attempting to extend their "sticky fingers of taxation" to the "TAX FREE REFUGE" of Internet and wireless.

The Daily News reports that the authors of "MEASURE S(am)" at City Hall, have their broad eyes on the Federal Sunset Clause ending in 2014, that will open the Internet and wireless frontier to the taxation speculators.

City Administrative Officer Karen Sisson said the Communications Users Tax was
purposely written as broadly as possible.
"We don't know what form telephony is going to take moving forward. You can't foresee what that includes in the future," Sisson said

Assets preservationists should be rallying to protect one of our last "tax-free environments" from the ravages of "BIG TAXATION". Our own "ASSETS PRESERVATIONIST", Walter Moore is drafting the "official opposition response" that will appear in your "sample ballots brochures".

"How do you say you're not taxing the Internet when the statute specifically
says it's covering DSL, Voice-Over-Internet protocol, text messaging, instant
messaging and PCS?" said Walter Moore, who is writing the opposition to the
measure for the Feb. 5 ballot.

Yet in some twisted thought, I can think of a way to increase revenues to the cities coffers. Why don't we tax the likes of "DONE DUM" who is alleged to spend his work time shilling for the "VILLARNISTAS"?. Mulling this further, we would just be offsetting the cost of his Internet time defending and huffing for the "POLITICO FORMERLY KNOWN AS MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, tony villar".

Twisted mullings past, this is one environmental battle to perserve "TAX FREE ELECTRONIC SPACE" that assets preservationists from the "LEFT" and "RIGHT" can unite to win.