The Jerry Brown 70s: Medflies, Birds, Taxes and Racism

"People want a dictator these days, a man on a white horse."

- Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown finally gets around to campaigning, releasing an ad that is lame, shows him doddering, reminds us of his past (let us not be doomed to repeat it) and, like Jerry, is slow to load.

Governor Moonbeam actually goes back to the 70s hoping that his then quirks of sleeping on the floor, driving an old beat up car and not using the Governor's jet will motivate you to hand him back the keys to the kingdom. However even though Jerry may have been frugal in his youth he has, in his sunset years, learned to appreciate the perks of office.

"The black kids can teach the white kids how to fight and the white kids can teach the black kids how to read."

- Jerry Brown, speaking of a teen work camp in the 1970s

We really don't want to go back to the 70s when Jerry passed the the Dills Act which even fellow Democrat Willie Brown says got us into the mess we have today with public employee pensions. Jerry also took a $6 billion surplus and turned it into a $1 billion deficit and enacted $7 billion in new taxes. We also remember medflies, Rose Bird, Adriana Gianturco, B.T. Collins (the former Brown Chief of Staff who drank a cup of the pesticide malathion at a press conference), Gray Davis (the other former Brown Chief of Staff who eventually became Governor Lowbeam), the "era of limits," Joanie Loves Chachi and all kinds of other Brown era failures there's no need to turn back to.

And finally, it seems as if Brown has his own type of racism he practiced back then too.

Jerry I think MSNBC will have a nice spot for you.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

I guess it's one thing for City employees to buy bottled water on the City's dime when the DWP supposedly has perfectly good tap water; it's the height of hubris for the Los Angeles County Supervisors to pay someone to peel the brand name labels off water the County purchases and affix a County label to them.  Who's boneheaded idea was this? Zev's?

Mayor Villaraigosa wants to plant a million trees in Los Angeles.  He just planted another 55.  According to the LA Weekly, at the current rate, Villaraigosa will have planted his million trees sometime by the 2020s, well past his time as Mayor.  In the meantime, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is well ahead of schedule in his tree plantings.

Westside White Guy didn't get his invite.  Mayor Villaraigosa held a birthday party bash for former California Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (to get Willie's endorsment for Governor?) at Getty House recently. WWG assumes the Times didn't get an invitation either or forgot about because (GASP!) America's Favorite Suburban Crank had to read about the party in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Kevin, the question to ask is not what did the Los Angeles Times know and when did they know it but were any public resources expended on this non-City business event?

What was loaded on the iPod that President Obama gave Britain's Queen Elizabeth? Besides some photos of past visits to the US by Her Majesty, a greatest hits of oratory by The One, himself.

Efforts to rebrand a portion of Van Nuys as Sherman Oaks do not appear to be picking up much support outside the group behind the campaign.  Besides opposition from both the Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys Neighborhood Councils, Van Nuys based Councilmember Tony Cardenas is against it.  The area's other Council Member, Wendy Greuel is remaining neutral.  At a recent community event, I heard whispers that rebranding effort leader, LA's solution in search of a problem, Laurette Healey, is rumored to be using the effort to jump into the race to replace Greuel who will become City Controller in July.

LA Times archictecture critic Christopher Hawthorne is the first person to frame the billboard issue in a rational light.  While Hawthorne views that the city's policy is broken and that much signage is often schlock he does not see billboards as the latest scourge since Al Quaeda or Rock of Love Bus with Brett Michaels as do a small but very vocal band of billboard wackos.  Hawthorne also makes a point that I've made to local activitsts that crime and other issues in our city far outweigh the singage hysteria, which is refreshing.

Franklin Avenue picks up on Mickey Kaus' bizarre plea for someone to bankroll a Westside newspaper. I thought we had that, it's called the LA Times? And if you want a myopic Westside view that is more immediate than fishwrap, you can always find it here.  The Westside wants a newspaper? Yea, people in Hell want ice water.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

The LAPD unveiled it's 21st and latest police station on Friday in Canoga Park with the new Topanga Division which will provide some relief to the West Valley and Devonshire Divisions in policing the gang ridden community.  The Contra Costa Times reports that Mayor Villaraigosa was late to the ceremony; the Mayor "said he was delayed because he was making breakfast for his kids."

Posts you may have missed over the weekend:

• The Old Gray Hag She Ain't What She Used to Be
• Emperor Villaraigosa's New Clothes 
• Sportsmen's Lodge Closes. Well Sort Of.
• Zuma Dogg to Appear on Network News

Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown writing at SFGate calls Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama  the political play of the season.  Willie also predicts Senator Dianne Feinstein will not seek the Governor's seat, that Jerry Brown is "too far down the tracks" to turn back from his entry into the race and that current San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom probably doesn't have a chance. Oh yea, and there's Antonio Villaraigosa too.

Ex-Olympian turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner and his wife Kris - the former wife of the late Robert Kardashian, a member of the OJ Simpson legal team during his 1994 murder trial - have listed their Hidden Hills manse for nearly $3.4 million in order to trade-up for something bigger.  The Jenners are part of the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" E! reality show that focuses on celebrity non-celebrity daughter Kim Kardashian and the rest of their combined 10 children.


A former high priced New York madam recently released from jail says that she could get thousands of dollars an hour pimping out celebrities such as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Katie Holmes. On the other hand Kristin Davis she wouldn't even take on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who would likely earn a few hundred dollars an hour from a more downscale agency. Nor would Davis find much merchantability in most Playboy playmates as their appearance is too "fake."

"TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON", Day Four, "A Rest Day"

The "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" is observing a rest day. The act of raising money and documentation of future favors is a task that wears at the strongest politico.

But reporting on these "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" events is a task that brings out the best in hard-nose reporters such as L.A. Times David Zahniser. Here are his observations on last nights "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" event in San Fransisco as posted at L.A. Now.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa does not, in fact, have an event Thursday night where he is raising money for his 2009 reelection. Or at least, he has no invitation filed for today with the city’s Ethics Commission, which would make sense since the mayor will spend the morning pushing for a transit-tax hike and the evening at a gala for the Getty House Foundation, the nonprofit group that maintains the mayor’s mansion in Windsor Square.

So instead, let's take a look at the Villaraigosa fund-raiser held last night in San Francisco, a champagne reception headed by three S.F. politicos, who served as co-chairs. Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris, Supervisor Fiona Ma and former mayor and state Assembly speaker Willie Brown, a mentor of Villaraigosa, each promised to raise at least $10,000, according to the invitation filed with the city’s Ethics Commission.

The fourth and final co-chair on the invitation is Darius Anderson, president of the lobbying and government relations firm Platinum Advisers. Although Platinum is not a registered lobbyist in the city of Los Angeles, it has 61 clients in Sacramento, according to the secretary of state’s website. Those clients include AT&T, Lennar Homes, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the city of Upland, whose motto just happens to be “The City of Gracious Living,” by the way.

Those clients might not need any help from Mayor Villaraigosa in 2009. But Gov. Villaraigosa in 2010? You never know.

The "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" resumes tomorrow leading up to "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON DAY" on Sunday.

"TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" Day Three "TROLLING ON A RIVAL'S TURF"

The "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" believes in open borders.

Florida, Chicago, New York, no state border is a barrier for the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON".

One can enter the Sanctuary City of Los Angeles, give a monetary tribute, and the doors open wide. Likewise one can leave the "Sanctuary City, South" for the "Sanctuary City, North" by a "bay of water" and ask for tributes from thoses seeking future favors.

The "TROLL FOR DOUGH A- THON" enters the domain of one Gavin Newsome this evening where former State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown host a fundraiser for his former Assembly Colleague.

Powerhouse fundraiser Darius Anderson and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, also are listed as event co-chairs and have committed to raising at least $10,000 for Villaraigosa. Guests are asked to contribute $1,000 each to the cause - a race in which Villaraigosa currently has no major opponents, despite a rocky last year in which he admitted to having an affair with a television news reporter.

Some other obsevations from the San Fran. Chronicle.

With Newsom considering a run for governor in 2010 and Villaraigosa also seen as a possible contender, observers say tonight's fundraiser could be an indication of the powerful political alliances that will form if the two mayors face off against each other, with some big Northern California names supporting someone other than the hometown candidate.

"Whether they want to admit it or not, it's saying these are people who are declaring their support for him (Villaraigosa) over Newsom," said Barbara O'Connor, professor of political communication at Cal State Sacramento.

Newsom's name isn't mentioned on the invitation, which has added fuel to long-standing rumors about a rivalry between the two camps. Though Newsom was invited, it's not certain he will attend.

Back in the "Sanctuary City, South", if you blink you have may miss a "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" event that should get the attention of Sunland-Tujunga's Joe B. . David Zahniser has the details at L.A. Now.

Villaraigosa had a noon re-election event in downtown Los Angeles, then flew up to San Francisco for a 6 p.m. appearance with former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown and Darius Anderson, president of the lobbying firm Platinum Advisors. (A bit more on that tomorrow.)

The noon fundraiser was co-hosted by developer David Chang and Kerman Maddox, a consultant whose firm earned some cash when it worked on Villaraigosa’s grand plan to gain more control over Los Angeles Unified School District.

Dakota Communications, Maddox's lobbying and consulting firm, has such clients as Los Angeles World Airports and Westfield, the shopping mall owner. Last year, the firm entered the spotlight when it represented Home Depot as the hardware giant waged a bitter fight to open in Sunland-Tujunga.

Home Depot gave Dakota nearly $308,000 last year to lobby City Hall, according to reports filed with the city’s Ethics Commission. During that campaign, a Dakota memo surfaced showing that the firm planned to charge Home Depot roughly $24,000 to transport 150 supporters in orange T-shirts to City Hall to speak on behalf of the project.

In the memo, Dakota also promised to submit an op-ed piece to various newspapers that told a "wonderfully sincere and compelling story" about the Home Depot’s commitment to Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 riots.

Although Home Depot is still working to get building permits in Sunland-Tujunga, Dakota no longer represents the company.

Coming soon, "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON DAY" in the City of Los Angeles......as proclaim here on Mayor Sam.