Open Letter to Joseph

Joseph Mailander, at the Street Hassle blog, has been all over some major issues in Los Angeles, including the meltdown in City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's office and the profanity laced alleged rants of potential CD15 candidate Pat McOsker. This was a good run after Mailander spent a week or two with bizarre screeds about politics in Sunland-Tujunga, in my view, fueled by his personal animosity towards local activist and MayorSam blogger, Joe Barrett.

Mailander must have needed a Sunland-Tujunga "hit," because while all the other blogs are all over Nuch, under his "Mulholland Terrace" pen name, Mailander has a cow about the use of video cameras to ensure transparency at public meetings.

After the jump, I try to reach Joseph.
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Open Thread for Saturday

We're not big fans of Street Hassle's Mulholland Terrace, with his often bigoted screeds against anglos and Protestants combined with some behind the scenes antics focused on we Mayor Sam bloggers, but one of the things the blogger does well is to interview candidates for office, garnering interesting insights and in most cases offering up un-biased analysis.

At the Hassle, a profile of insurgent Mayoral candidate and popular talkradio host, Kevin James.  Terrace is down the line a status quo, left leaning kind of guy more in tune with Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel and the Mayor but he adroitly, honestly and objectively serves up what James' chances may be, with a teeming generosity not seen by bloggers aligned with Terrace, either personally or philosophically.

Definitely check out the piece, a good read, (Terrace promises more with James as the campaign develops), and then blog away dum dums.

Street Hassle, Ron Kaye: CD4 Race Tightening; Desperate LaBonge Goes Uber-Dirty

Street Hassle via Ron Kaye.

After a lot of hustling by challengers Tomas O'Grady and Stephen Box this past weekend, the late smear tactics of Councilman Tom LaBonge indicate that the race in CD 4 has considerably tightened.

Where's my pumpkin loaf?

Saying "Hmmmm" About Englander

When it came to CD12 candidate Brad Smith, the only one who had some money, some name ID (both from his community work and perhaps the ability to benefit from folks who may mistake Smith for current incumbent Greig Smith,  or, perhaps as Smith's son) and some mojo dropping out of the race, we said "Hmmmm."

We may have had good reason.

Street Hassle is reporting that Smith may have based his decision to drop out following alleged pressure from Englander and his campaign consultants against Brad Smith's employer, Parsons Engineering.

Read more at Street Hassle but the bottom line reportedly is that Parsons, who has a significant business in getting government contracts, was told that it would be a "very good idea" for Parsons if Smith dropped out of the race.

Stay tuned.

A Salute to Joseph Mailander

Tuesday night longtime blog-la-sphere fixture Joseph Mailander took down his Street Hassle blog; one that covered the civic discourse simultaneously in an erudite and cranky manner holding not only local politicians and mainstream media accountable but bloggers such as yours truly as well.

I met Joseph Mailander not long after I got into blogging. Before he even knew who I was (though he discovered my identity well before the LA Times and our eventual self-outing) Joseph provided support and chunks of advice that was valuable as Mayor Sam was getting up on two legs. Though some of our bloggers battled with some of his bloggers at his then blog Martini Republic, a quick cammraderie developed and eventually Joseph joined our team and went full down when the cool kids at MR decided they couldn't get along anymore.

Joseph provided significant sunshine and water to Mayor Sam not only contributing great and often provocative content but machinating behind the scenes to expose the blog to the movers and shakers in local government as well as local media.

Mailander provided me with many chuckles whether it was his goading of uptight Westside blogger Kevin Roderick, his creation of catchphrases such describing the LA Times as the Former Fishwrap of Record and coining fun aburdities like 80 FAKE HUIZAR WONDERLANDS (a sly cross-referencing of Councilmember Jose Huizar's trucked in snow holiday events and criticism of alleged fake neighborhood watches claimed by Mayor Villaraigosa when he was a Councilman). Though "bloggers" like Roderick referred to Mailander as living in a parallel universe and the "farting wonder" of LA journalism Marc Cooper called Joe the "village idiot of the local blogosphere," it was Mailander more often than not who called out "nanny poo" bloggers such as Roderick, Cooper and Mickey Kaus (who imagined a gang riot in Brentwood one Halloween evening.)

Indeed Joseph also provided me much costnernation at time and our jammings and disagreements were many and certainly I equally got under Joseph's skin as we blogged away dum dums. Even at the low points Joseph would write me to alert me of nonsense going on somewhere someplace or to take to me to task often when I probably needed it.

There is no doubt that Joseph is responsible for a significant portion of the success of this blog (and others) and often does not get the respect he deserves, even from me. Sometimes Joseph's politics and rhetoric are abhorent to me; he would probably say the same of me. That being said I never questioned Joe's committment to his craft nor the city.

Though Joe is shutting down Street Hassle, he will continue to blog not on politics but on arts and culture at a new blog minor arcana at http://minor-arcana.blogspot.com. I suggest you follow him there. Joe's blogging partner Debbie Lopez will continue her work at her personal blog, Valley of the Doll at http://valleydollshouse.blogspot.com/ and the great mommies/daddies blog Beckford Parents at http://beckfordparents.blogspot.com/.

All of us at Mayor Sam wish Joe the best of luck with his new project!

Outtakes and "Cut and Paste" from CD 14

Nick Pacheco is still a big, fat zero!!!

That is a big, fat zero for no ethics violations

Our former "Bloggin Mentor" Joseph Mailander has commentary at the "HASSEL ON THE STREETS" regarding ethics fines involving contributers to the re-election campaign of the "COUNCILMAN LAST SEEN AS JOSE HUIZAR".

"Rubalcava is a former DWP Board Commission chair, well-known to followers of City politics; Amy Forbes, a Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher mainstay and land use attorney, repped Lilian Disney's interests through the building of the Disney Hall along with GDC nabob Ron Gother. Forbes was also on the board of the Los Angeles Conservancy in the early nineties and advised LA developer Robertson Properties on a co-acquisition with the LAUSD in 2003, when Huizar was still LAUSD prez."

Trivia question, who was hit with 31 counts of ethics violations for his 2003 City Council Race??

From "LA Curb", Oscar De La Hoya has walked away for the second and final time?, from a deal to buy the historic Sears Tower on Soto and Olympic.

El Sereno resident and comadre of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Maria Elena Durazo will tour the "Holy Land" when the latest installment of "Travels with Villar" takes to the air. "WWG" has this take,

"Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary of the County Labor Federation, will join Mayor Villaraigosa and his coterie of city employees and Jewish community leaders on the trip to Israel that begins today. Durazo is neither an elected official nor a Jewish leader, nor will she ever be an expert on airport security or whatever other reason the mayor gives for the trip. But she is the most powerful labor official in town, a national co-chair of the Obama campaign, and a confidante of Villaraigosa's. She also went along on the mayoral junket to Asia in 2006. Today's junketeers as reported by new City Hall reporter Phil Willon in the Times and Rick Orlov in the Daily News, whose lists don't completely agree:"

The "Bloggin Mentor" has his take on the Times coverage of Mayor's trip

Villar's comadre also in the news for supporting a new digital billboard on union property in downtown.

In "Northern Boyle Heights", the "Four year community college on Fig." is moving forward with their plans to develope a "Biotech Park". This could be the seed that grows into the proposed Biotech Corridor along Valley Blvd. What effects this has on the surrounding communities is yet to be seen. but be sure that Mayor Sam award winner, David Galaviz will be front and center.

....and in closing, sad, sad news out of "Pueblo de Sereno". The coffee house for the collective, progressive community and the location of "alleged meetings", is relocating to Cypress Park.

Antigua Coffee House's lease is not being renew, we will dedicated a exclusive thread to the demise of the progressive meeting place in El Sereno.

3:46 AM Missives with Spell Check...maybe.

A certain ex. blogger here at Mayor Sam would of been 46 minutes ahead of this into the future......

That rant aside, here are some bloggin, flippin missives on topics that normal people mull over with the sun...........

DEATH OF A LEGEND:
Academy Award Winning Actor, Civil Rights Marcher, and Conservative Activist Charlton Heston passed away yesterday at 84. Heston will always be remember for his roles in Cinematic Classics such as "Ben Hur", "Planet of the Apes" and most enduring, "The Ten Commandments".

Off screen, Heston real life roles included marching for Civil Rights, espousing Conservative Principles, and defending the rights to bear arms. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Heston Family at this time of profound lost.

DENSITY WARS, "LUKE YAROSLAVSKY" vs. "DARTH REYES":
The "GUY WHO IS NOT RUNNING FOR MAYOR" is the subject of scribe Mark Haefele's Op-Ed on all things Density. This comes with contrary comments from the "MASTER PLANNER IN CD 1".

CHIEF BRATTON ON RACE:
The "MOST POWERFUL POLITICAL LEADER IN L.A." is facing the music in the African-American Community over his thoughts on Brown on Black violence. Withstanding the counter spin from the "OLD POLE DANCING HAG ON SPRING STREET", the African-American Community is wary of the trend of violence against blacks. Are you listening Tony V. ??

HUIZAR IN DUBAI????:
First thought upon reading this was to think that the "COUNCILMAN LAST SEEN AS JOSE HUIZAR" was attending an "MIDNIGHT EXPRESS FILM FESTIVAL".

With respects to the "FORMER BLOGGIN MENTOR OF MAYOR SAM" who broke this story, lets "HASSLE" deeper and play "CONNECT THE DOTS".

*Who just bought in as a minority partner for the "GRAND AVENUE PROJECT"??

**Who does Billionaire Ron Burkle do business with??

***Who paid the "IMPEACHED PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON" $15.4 million dollars??

****Who is a "CO-CHAIR" of the "MRS. BILL CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN"??

*****Who was partying with Burkle and Clinton in New York and attempted to "COCK BLOCK" Rush Limbaugh??

******......and who replace the "COCK BLOCKER" in CD 14??, Burkle's new little buddy??

GREAT SUNRISE TO ALL.................

"Outtakes from the Red Spot Institute" Saturday Pre-Game Shorts

With just over two hours to "Jump Ball", here are some quick shots for your info.

File under "old habits die hard".

The "MOLDY GREEN SHEET" soldiers on after the "RESIGNATION" of Editor Ron Kaye. Kerry Cavanaugh scribes on the hesitation of the "CLOWNCIL OF FIFTEEN" to cut their own internal budgets. Cut there, cut around this, consolidate these and that, but cut me?? I think not.

Here are what each "CLOWNCIL OF FIFTEEN" member has currently for giving to the connected, err, for constituent services,

Ed Reyes: $647,493 Wendy Greuel: $898,922 Dennis Zine: $1,037,196
Tom LaBonge: $317,806 Jack Weiss: $1,221,768 Tony Cardenas: $727,373
Richard Alarc n: $410,991 Bernard Parks: $815,489 Jan Perry: $321,012
Herb Wesson: $1,784,504 Bill Rosendahl: $864,389 Greig Smith: $800,470
Eric Garcetti: $458,876 Jose Huizar: $476,274 Janice Hahn: $1,159,895.

File under "Lemons for Rec. and Parks".

Downtown business owners trekked to the Biltmore for a "Breakfast of Roses and Lemons". Being one to highlight "follies of ineptness", we like the give credit to Recreation and Parks for their "LEMON AWARD", Like if Jon K. Mukri wasn't bitter enough. When contacted about his department's latest honor he commented,

"I don't care about the award. Personally, when you're a
general manager, you're going to take the good with the bad, and people want to
make an issue out of having money. I've never heard this in the 33 years I've
been in both the federal government and the city government as a negative," he
said."There's nothing wrong with having money in the Quimby accounts.

We're going to hold this until we have a plan to
expend it," he continued. "These are one-time funds."

Can one say "SHORT TIMER??"

File this under "OLDIE, BUT STILL YUMMY".

The "FRENCH DIP ON ALAMEDA" reaches the century mark. Whether it is a pre-game meal or a location for networking, Philippe has been a downtown constant through the ups and downs in Los Angeles history. One needs to give props for their model railroad collection that ties in with their location next to Union Station.

File this under "WISHING NOTHING BUT THE BEST"

Hard to say, but our ex. bloggin mate Joseph Mailander has hit the ground running with his new blog "STREET HASSLE". With Joe now on his own, I hope that we can grow as a bloggin community and stay focus on the "dysfunctional tower of waste on Spring Street"

Great weekend to all, GO BRUINS!!!

FREEDOM AND FREE ENTERPRISE!