COMMUNITY ALERT!! "Son of Fabian (Nunez)" to be Freed from Prison

Thanks to a friendly favor from a disgraced, former "Kennedy Republican Governor", the thug, "Son of Fabian (Nunez)" is to be freed from State Prison ............, while a grieving (Santos) Family endures a Life Sentence of Sorrow and Anger, inflicted upon them via Crony Politics. 

CORRECTION!! Esteban Nunezs soon to be Freed after serving Seven (instead of 16) Years, thanks to Arnold.

Justice commuted ........., and the Family of Luis Santos Life Sentence of Sorrow continues.

From the San Diego Union Tribune.

The son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez whose conviction in the death of a college student was commuted by Arnold Schwarzenegger will soon be a free man. The parents of victim Luis Santos, who was stabbed to death in a 2008 fight on the San Diego State University campus involving Esteban Núñez and others, said this week that they have been notified of his impending release.The pair spoke Thursday at a victim’s rights rally in the state capital where they told CBS Sacramento it would happen within a week. Nunez pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for his part in the brawl and was sentenced in 2010 to 16 years in prison. But the following year, then-Governor Schwarzenegger commuted the sentence to just seven years saying that Nunez, whose father was a political ally, had no prior criminal record and that the sentence was excessive. When asked if his ruling had anything to do with his relationship with Núñez , Schwarzenegger was later quoted as saying “Well, hello! I mean, of course you help a friend.”

Our Prayers to the Santos Family. 

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

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

The City Council has voted to create a five member panel who will be responsible for hiring the new Ratepayer Advocate who will be a watchdog over the DWP. To have any credibility the person hired must be independent of the usual union/developer/LA Chamber/VICA special interests. Why not activist and businessman Jack Humphreville? He doesn't stand to make a dime off anything the DWP does and few know more than Jack, the owner of a publishing company.

Of all the City Councilmembers, 2nd District member Paul Krekorian is the one community activists seem to count on most.  However Krekorian's proposed draft of Neighborhood Council reforms has at least a few bloggers and activists displeased.

Read more »

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Mayor Villaraigosa's State of the City speech was heavy on education policy and light on the 350 million pound gorilla in the room - the city's trouble finances.  The Daily News says the Mayor must not lose his focus.  When did he have one?

After round two as the head of the LAUSD, Superintendent Ramon Cortines is retiring again. Uncomfortable to talk about himself (imagine that in an LA politician!) Cortines sits down the a fishwrap discusses his years and the future of education in LA.

Apparently former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finds questions about his commutation of convicted murderer Esteban Nunez's sentence "boring."  Tell that to the father of the victim.

A major issue for the City at the moment is finding a way to deal with patrons at the Chinatown library looking at internet porn on library computers.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

He's Back! He's Animated! He's the Governator, and he's still useless! Official Trailer.

 
Assemblyman Tom Donnelly (R-Claremont) has introduced an anti-illegal immigration bill (AB26) that is patterned after Arizona's controversial SB1070 (currently in legal limbo). A small crowd of 100 gathered at a rally in Sacramento on Monday to cheer on Donnelly. Donnelly is also a founder of the California Minutemen and a member of the increasingly irrelevant California GOP. Even though AB26 will face a quick and certain death in the Democrat controlled Assembly, the bill will certainly help push the Republican party even further into the abyss.

UPDATE: R.I.P. AB26.


Here at Mayor Sam, we occasionally get an intelligent and thought out comment from a reader. Here is one such comment that caught our attention regarding Kevin James' sputtering meltdown on MSNBC  (Thank You, Anonymous);

"In the Mathews interview, it was Kevin who came out on the attack, and his target was Obama. His argument seems to have been that talking to any group that we see as our enemy, no matter how secret the negotiations, is "appeasement." The implication was obviously that Democrats as a group are soft, cowardly, unable to stand up to bullies, and in general, wimps. This line has been a part of Republican nastiness for decades, and is of course inconsistent with more than a century of modern history. Wilson and FDR stood up to Fascism, Truman and Kennedy and Johnson stood up to Communism, and on the other side, we had Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, and both Bushes cutting secret deals with China, North Korea, Islamic terrorists, and these deals eventually became public.

I don't really care about Kevin's ignorance of the Munich Pact, other than it suggests a certain lack of depth in his education. The fact that he got rolled by Mathews says something about his own toughness under pressure though, and his words suggest that he is prone to excess and right wing extremism. This isn't the Kevin we have seen recently, but it should make us wonder who the real Kevin is."

It's a real nail biter in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Race- at post time incumbent David Prosser is up by only 1600 580 356 votes over challenger Joanne Kloppenburg. Republican Prosser was expected to sail to an easy victory until Gov.Walker's nasty union busting law brought out a last minute effort to replace him with Kloppenburg. Gov. Walker's so called "Budget Reform Bill" will likely be reviewed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, hence the effort to oust Prosser. Recount for sure on this one.

UPDATE : Kloppenburg now ahead with 100% of precincts reporting!

First Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet of 2011

After today, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a private citizen again. He's not really sure what he plans to do, if he will do more films, throw himself into more business ventures, etc. but he does plan to be a green crusader. In the meantime, Jerry Brown returns to the State Capitol for a third term as Governor, planning to do battle with both Democrats and Republicans on the state budget.

Not sure if this is the same as an Ass Clown award but Ron Kaye has named Councilman Dennis Zine as his "man of the year" noting the former motorcycle cop turned union head turned Clowncilman is a "Symbol of City Hall's deceit and dishonor." Kaye is pretty down on his hometown CM for a number of reasons calling Zine "Indefatigable, the two-faced man of a thousand fiancees never passed up a civic event where he couldn't force himself onto the stage or saw an elite party he didn't like." I don't know about Zine but that sounds a lot like this guy and this guy.

Read more »

OUTRAGE! SCHWARZENEGGER COMMUTES SENTENCE OF ESTEBAN NUNEZ

Esteban Nunez in happier times at a wedding with his family
including Michael Trujillo's svengali, Antonio "Uncle
Tony" Villaraigosa who said Esteban is a "Good boy."

As the crap-inator is about to leave office in just a few hours, he used his powers to commute the sentence of convicted murderer Esteban Nunez, the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian "Gucci" Nunez.

According to the LA Times' the elder Nunez and Schwarzenegger "grew closer" over the issue of global warming.

It's nice to see that regardless of race, rank has it's privilege.  How many poor Latino kids sitting in prison in similar circumstances whose fathers are not former Assembly Speakers would get the same kind of consideration? That's not to even mention kids like Jeremy Marks who went to prison for no reason.

Unbelievable.  This actually makes me look forward to Jerry Brown taking over.

ABC News: Gov. Schwarzenegger: DC Politicians Are 'Wimps'

ABC News, October 27th: In an interview to air tonight on “World News with Diane Sawyer” -- Sawyer asked Gov. Schwarzenegger about the clean energy policies that he says will be his legacy -- Schwarzenegger shared his thoughts on how Washington has dealt with this issue as well as what his plans are for when he leaves office.

The Governor tells Sawyer: “We need to go to Washington and say “look what happened. You, because oil companies have spent money against you, they have threatened you, you backed off the energy policy and the environmental policy in Washington. What wimps. No guts. I mean, here, you idolize and always celebrate the great warriors. Our soldiers, our men and women who go to Iraq and Afghanistan, and they’re risking their lives to defend this country and you’re not even willing to stand up against the oil companies. I said, that’s disgusting. You promised the people you’d represent them. You didn’t promise the people you’d represent the oil companies and the special interests.”

Breaking News! Cali May Have a Budget!

"We've reached an agreement and there will be a vote on the budget Thursday". -Gov. Schwarzenegger via twitter at 7pm.

UPDATE:
LA Times has more.

The Promoinator Pushing Cali Wine in Hangzhou

What else would you do in this stage of your governorship?

-Speaking of Republican Governors and those that wanna-be; Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, in her ongoing quest ($104 million so far) to buy the governor's office, has come up with a few, uh, corporate ideas for California:

* Replacement of 40,000 state employees by outsourcing or privatizing state services to for-profit corporations.
* Major reduction or outright elimination of a wide range of business taxes.
* Cutting back funding for California's underfunded public education system, apparently by reducing "50 categorical grants, many of which which are duplicative and far to prescriptive, into simplified grants... "
* Her firm pledge to roll back California's historic clean energy and climate legislation, at least for a year, in her continued effort to help corporations at all costs.

-And lately, every time I hear "Governor, Outsourcing, and Corporations" in a story, my thoughts go immediately to Sunland-Tujunga's former hometown girl gone wrong, Jan Brewer, and her love affair with the corporate prison system. Hey, no SB1070 connection here, right? Just asking.

-It's September and what's with the butt cold nights? Why not do what Abby Diamond is doing this weekend and visit the amazing Guadalupe Oasis Hot Springs, located just an hour or so east of Tijuana. This isolated and primitive resort is one of northern Baja's best kept secrets. Don't try to drive in yourself unless you're sporting a 4x4. See their website for alternative means of access.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

Why is Dennis Zine
here? Click the link below

Despite a Federal court ruling overturning most of Arizona's controversial immigration reform law the City of LA is not going to let up on it's boycott of the state. Councilman Ed Reyes told the Daily News "I think it's premature to get a knee-jerk reaction now." That's funny? How often does the Clowncil NOT knee-jerk?

In light of the scandal revolving around the outrageous public employee salaries in the City of Bell Governor Schwarzenegger is calling for these salaries to be posted on line. Many cities are balking at this however.

Read more »

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Poor Matt Szabo! The Deputy Mayor and former Mayoral spokeshole has been doing the bidding of the Mayor for a very long time. In fact we've been told that Szabo doesn't break wind without first checking with the Mayor and then getting an all clear from Mike Trujillo.  But we digress.  We've been worried about Szabo's condition having worked for Villaraigosa for several years.  Now poor Matt got upbraided by Jan Perry in Clowncil Tuesday when he was all tongue tied over his presence at a DWP meeting.  More from Mulholland Terrace.

Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes is known for carrying the water for lobbyists and special interests in Sacramento having passed some 11 lobbyist written bills. He's also received tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from these interests.  Now the Daily News asks nicely "Please stop."  If anyone is actually working over there, maybe the Daily News might want to look at the independent expenditures some other Assembly members (including a recently elected one) have benefited from and watch what bills they pass.

If you thought Jan Perry giving Matt Szabo a "what for" in chambers Tuesday was fun, our very favorite spokes-hole, Jeremy Oberstein of Paul Krekorian's office tweeted Council Member Dennis Zine and former DWP GM David "The Green Cowboy" Freeman's dialogue from a comical tragedy known "Freeman and the Zine."

The comedy continues on Spring Street.  CMs Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz have introduced legislation allowing the number of cats one household may own to be increased from three to five cats.  Though I don't believe in such laws to begin with, who the hell needs five cats? I am glad however these esteemed legislators are on top of this pressing issue of such concern to all of Los Angeles.

We all know how the Mayor has managed to solve so many problems in Los Angeles that he has the bandwidth to add one more duty to his job description, that is the ability to perform weddings.  Currently California law only allows Mayors to perform weddings if temporarily deputized by the County Clerk.  A bill brought by San Francisco Assemblymember Fiona Ma would have given Villaraiogsa such power but alas it was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.  His reasoning? The law only extended to charter city mayors and not all of California's mayors and gosh darn it we want any mayor in California to have the right to goof off right?

Morning Briefs and Outtakes on SEIU "Friend" Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, LAPD shakeup, Councilwoman Perry "Shakedown" (LOL!) of AEG and other News

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and County Labor Federation Head Maria Elena Durazo

County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas ex. "SEIU Brother" Tyrone Freeman

What does County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas have to hide, especially from Federal Investigators and the Los Angeles Times?

But first, a flashback moment.

Controversy surrounding a powerful Los Angeles labor leader threatened Thursday to alter the landscape beneath the county's hottest political race, which has been fueled by record amounts of union spending.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors candidate Bernard C. Parks, who trailed in the June primary, challenged opponent Mark Ridley-Thomas to return more than $4.5 million raised on his behalf by a labor alliance that included beleaguered union leader Tyrone Freeman.

Parks, a Los Angeles city councilman, also noted that county officials have accused Freeman's local of raising more than $5 million in illegitimate union dues from low-wage home healthcare workers, a charge that union attorneys have flatly denied.

That was then, this is today from LA Times Investigative Reporter Paul Pringle.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has declined to release any records of communications between his office and a longtime associate who has been employed by corporations that do millions of dollars of business with the county and a rail project that Ridley-Thomas helps oversee.

Ridley-Thomas similarly rejected Times requests for any e-mails, memos and letters involving the companies that hired the associate, Cynthia McClain-Hill, earlier this year.

The Times has reported that federal authorities have questioned people about Ridley-Thomas' ties to McClain-Hill and her employment with a joint venture managed by Flatiron Construction, which is building the $862-million, taxpayer-funded Expo Line light rail train. McClain-Hill, a lawyer who owns a lobbyist firm and has contributed thousands of dollars to Ridley-Thomas' campaigns, also works for Unisys Corp., which provides computer services to the county. Under the California Public Records Act, The Times sought more than nine months of records, including copies of the supervisor's appointment calendar and telephone bills.

The Feds are looking at Supervisor Ridley-Thomas? Wonder why?

The federal queries grew out of a U.S. Labor Department and FBI investigation into alleged corruption within the Service Employees International Union, a key financial backer of Ridley-Thomas' election campaign last year, people familiar with the probe say.

Could it be that someone with former SEIU ties is "singing" to the Feds? Plus, it is no secret that Supervisor Ridley-Thomas has close ties to SEIU and their "associates" as noted by veteran practitioner of "outcome-based, agenda journalism", former LA Times scribe and current LA Observed contributer Bill Boyarsky.

The Project Acorn event was at the headquarters of Local 721 of the Service Employees Union. It hadn�t started so I walked around the Virgil Avenue neighborhood, a few miles west of downtown. It�s a neighborhood of apartments, probably affordable for working families (if they double up) but they will be out of range if building ever resumes. At the union hall, I ran into Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, and interviewed him on the closed Martin Luther King Jr. hospital for a story I plan to do for LA Observed on his race with Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks. Then I introduced both Mama Hill and a short video about her and about how she faced foreclosure.

Too bad that Boyarsky was fixated on the outcome of his agenda missive, thus missing the chance to get to the bottom of now Supervisor Ridley-Thomas dubious ties to SEIU, but then this is from the noted denier of "Raineygate".

OTHER NEWS:

** Less than one week from being sworn in as former Chief Bill Bratton's "designated heir" in the role of City of Los Angeles "Top Cop", Chief Charlie Beck announces a shake up of his command staff.

From the Los Angeles Times.

Beck, who was confirmed as chief by the City Council last Tuesday, promoted Deputy Chief Michel Moore to become one of the LAPD's three assistant chiefs and assigned him to a newly created post in charge of Special Services, according to an announcement released Monday.

In his new post, Moore will oversee an array of specialized operations that, until now, have been run separately, including the agency's Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, the elite Metropolitan Division and the Detective Bureau.

To make room for Moore, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, who for several years has been the second-highest-ranking person in the department, dropped one rank to deputy chief and will take on a new position as chief of detectives.

Link to the takes on Chief Beck's shakeup from Ron Kaye and the Daily News.

** With apologies to the Bob "Big Hug" Hertzberg, Governor Arnold "Kennedy Republican" Schwartzenegger has chosen fellow moderate/RINO republican State Senator Abel Maldonado, to replace now Congressman John Garamendi as Lt. Governor, Maldonado must be confirm by both the Assembly and State Senate.

** Hold your laughs please, Councilwoman Jan Perry said Monday she is talking to officials at Anschutz Entertainment Group about reimbursing at least some of the $3.2 million in taxpayer money spent on the "non- permitted" AEG/ Michael Jackson memorial. Now LOL!!

** Talk about stimulating your political appetite. The City Council will resume talks Tuesday on a proposed medical marijuana ordinance that would let dispensaries sell pot to qualified patients -- even though the city attorney and district attorney insist such transactions would be illegal.

The City Council will consider amending the fifth draft (in how many flippin years!?) of the proposed ordinance submitted by the city attorney. Among the three dozen amendments proposed to the measure are:

-- only 70 collectives would be allowed citywide, or one medical marijuana facility per 57,000 residents, each chosen via a blind random drawing; link here for the rest.

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

Comprehensive Water Reform in California?

I have always loved Dune and the strong ecological themes embedded throughout the science fiction series. We are not as bad off as Arrakis in our semi arid Los Angeles region but touring the Bay Area Delta last April opened my eyes to the need for comprehensive water reform in the Golden State.

Coro has its Water Conservation Luncheon tomorrow and is attempting to surface some solutions with a number of top water experts and officials. I also put together a special Coro CrossTalk on Water a couple of weeks ago that provided some insights into water politics--perhaps serving to remind all present of that famous phrase from another water-themed movie: "Either you bring the water to L.A. or you bring L.A. to the water."

Last Friday, Mayor Villaraigosa, Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Bass and a number of others assembled at the Tujunga well field of the San Fernando Valley aquifer, part of Los Angeles' water supply, to sign two bills of a five piece water accord. The remaining parts of the $11.1 billion bond (which is part of a larger $40 billion financial commitment) was signed this past Monday and will go before voters a year from now. It looks promising but there are critics as well as political observers like Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee:

Debt service, now nearly 7 percent of the state budget, could hit 10 percent by the middle of the next decade, Lockyer said, calling for a multiyear master plan for financing infrastructure rather than the current election-by-election game. Repaying water bonds will cost as much as $800 million a year.

The second big question: Will voters go along with it? Asking visibly angry voters to authorize more borrowing in this very bleak economy is dicey, especially since there's considerable opposition, including some environmental groups and perhaps public employee unions that see less program money available if more is spent on bond service.

The question remains, however, is what is the cost of doing nothing or to paraphrase our illustrious former Vice President, to continue dithering. Below is footage from the signing here in the 818 as well as a photo slideshow. I guess we will just have to wait and see if Schwarzenegger will truly be California's Paul Muad'Dib of Water.

List of speakers in order of appearance:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; Assembly Speaker Karen Bass; Assemblymember Kevin De Leon; San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders; Paul Rodriguez, California Latino Water Coalition; Jeffrey Kightlinger, MWD of Southern California; Gary Toebben, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; Pankaj Parekh, Los Angelees D.W.P.; and Danny Curtin, Director, California Conference of Carpenters

Video



Rest of the footage: II, III, IV, V

Slideshow

Saturday Morning Shorts......

"Is this what awaits Tony Villar when he returns from Iceland"

Shhhhh, don't tell any body, especially anyone from United Teachers of Los Angeles or Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez, but Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has added a new campus to his "Partnership for Los Angeles Schools".

From today's "Old Gray Hag on Spring Street" aka LA Times,

The city's mayor is quietly taking control of a newly built high school in Boyle Heights, but the teachers union may challenge that conquest, part of a growing war between Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and United Teachers Los Angeles.

The school at issue is the $106-million Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, which is to open this fall. Nearly all students will come from the attendance area for Roosevelt High School, which already belongs to the mayor's Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

The transfer of the new school, Villaraigosa's 11th campus, was approved by L.A. schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, according to the mayor's team, and the office of school board President Monica Garcia, a close ally of the mayor.

The way this takeover was done, or should we say attempted ??, make you wonder if political "Black Ops" specialist Eric Hacopian was consulting on this "behind the scenes" raid on LAUSD ??

Then there are the cast of characters, School Board President Monica Garcia, her Chief of Staff Luis Sanchez (co-founder of the "connected non-profit" and Community Partners administrated "Inner City Struggles"), Education Partnership CEO Marshall Tuck and of course Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

This bunch's education reforms or lack of, have meet with derision from teachers and community members and have been scornfully penned by Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times.

And now that this latest example of "openness and transparency" in the Mayor's education reform efforts has been exposed in today's Times article, look forward to another contentious convocation on the Mayor's education plans in Boyle Heights.

Rumors were rampant that Councilman Jose Huizar had to move his "Huevos with Huizzy" get together to Salesian High School from Roosevelt High School because of the community backlash over the Mayor's lack of results at Boyle Heights largest high school.

Other News:

** Wonder how new Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustee Member and "political hot commodity" Tina Parks voted in giving outgoing Chancellor Marshall E. Drummond a $428,750+ severance package ?

** "So a Mayor Decides to Run for Governor", and it wasn't Tony Villar. Downtown News Editor and "Scribe of Wit" Jon Regardie, has the details on Frisco's Mayor Gavin Newsome's Downtown LA visit with his Latino friend and former Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla in tow.

** Wonder how the likes of Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilman Ed "Density for All" Reyes, Planner Mike Woo and other affordable housing advocates, really feel about Downtown Developer Geoff Palmer ?? Especially, after taking the city to court and winning a potentially, precedent ruling against the City of Los Angeles "Low Income Housing Mandates".

** Nobody on the City Council wants to be front and center on the potential "brownouts" of fire services that can go into effect on Thursday. But as the Obama Recession continues, preventing cuts in services in "all" city departments may become a forlorn hope.

** Lastly, former body builder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who portrays "Governor Kennedy Republican" in Sacramento, wants to take on the task of defusing the "Cobalt Bomb" that is public employees pension obligations. Time to dig out those 1950's backyard bomb shelters for this brewing battle between the "Kennedy Republican" and the State Employee Unions.

Your thoughts and great weekend to all!!

A Night Against The Status Quo

Governor Schwarzenegger crashes and burns. Jack Weiss loses. An amazing night. But wait there's more.

Earlier Tuesday evening (on Twitter) I called the race in the LA Community College Seat 2 contest for Tina Park over incumbent Angela Reddock, it is now certain that Park will win, current returns with 86% of precincts reporting show Park with 54% of the vote over Reddock with 46%. Reddock had the LA Times but looks Park, who was backed by the LA Republican Party, had the voters in an unexpected win.

It had also looked like insider favorite Paul Koretz was handily defeating Neighborhood Council candidate David Vahedi but very recent returns with 82% of the precints show that Vahedi has closed the nearly 6 point gap he had all night and now the race is extremely tight, way too close to call at this point. If Koretz still wins, it won't be a strong victory if this trend holds.

Other than LA Community College Seat 6 candidate Robert Nakahiro losing to incumbent Nancy Pearlman nearly 62% to 38% it looks like overall a smashing defeat for the status quo and political insiders. That just may be the mood of the voters overall these days. Perhaps elected officials may start taking the people seriously now. Or not.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Monday is both Cesar Chavez Day as well as the LA County Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.  With no disrespect to Mr. Chavez (who would actually be rolling over in his grave over some of today's politics) you can imagine where all the politicians will be and where the parades are.  Still a small but dedicated group of volunteers held a picnic in honor of Vietnam Veterans in North Hollywood Sunday.

Video Louis recaps parking meters in NoHo over at Downtown NoHo Times .  Politicians who have raised parking fees in Los Angeles might want to note that when the same thing was done in Chicago residents smashed the meters (not that we suggest this at all in Los Angeles).  Also, if you park at anMTA parking lot to patronize local businesses, you better buy a bus or train ticket.

Saturday I opined about the folly of "Earth Hour" yet another emotional sans reason effort to perpetuate environmental based malarkey.  Though the lights were out at my house (as they usually are while I am blogging) it appears that even though the media declared a major success , it was actually a failure across LA (despite Mayor V showing up for a photo op at LA Live) according to both the LA Times and Daily News .  Even the lights stayed on at Al Gore's house.  Maybe the media will learn this type of propagandizing is why no one buys newspapers any longer.

Richard Riordan is a RINO Republican who endorsed Barack Obama and has been a big booster of the Kennedy Republican.  Despite that, the former Mayor is opposing the shady state budget ballot measures going to voters in May.

As the race for Governor heats up next year, Republican candidates plan to run away from and not to Governor Schwarzenegger according to the LA Times. Media strategist Don Sipple tells the paper "People think the Schwarzenegger experience didn't work out so well, and they're going to be looking for something very different."

This would never happen in LA but in New York a group of hawt women have dressed up in vintage costumes to travel the subways and offer transit information.  However, the New York Transit Authority wants to put the kibosh on the girls' service claiming "copyright infringement."

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Scientists are concerned that a swarm of small quakes near the Salton Sea on lesser faults leading to the San Andreas could potentially be transfering the energy that could fuel "the big one." Graham Kent, a research geophysicist at UC San Diego told the LA Times that the recent quakes are "a flashing yellow light that tells you to be prepared and to spend some time trying to understand the significance."

A battle underway by some residents in Van Nuys that want to rebrand as Sherman Oaks.  Read more about it here.

Despite orders from the Mayor to stop it and condemnations from City Controller Laura Chick over City deparments including the DWP ordering bottled water on the City's dime Police Chief William Bratton is defending his purchases of bottled water.  If the water is solely for emergencies and for officers in the field that's one thing.  We at the Sister City would like to know if the LAPD is using bottled water for management meetings or other purposes not directly benefitting the officers.  You can email us or call the hotline above if you have evidence of such.

Is Governor Schwarzenegger considering a run for the Republican nomination for US Senate next year? CBS says the signs are out there.  I would assume however the Republican nominee should actually be a Republican however.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

The San Francisco Sentinel has a pretty lame puff piece on Mayor Villaraigosa. The Sentinel says the Mayor is sitting pretty with no opposition, plenty of cash and a City Hall in sync with his agenda.  In a second term, the Sentinel says, the Mayor can accomplish more of his goals.  Perhaps he will work for the people 22% of the time.  A piece in the Contra Costa Times, Villaraigosa campaign manager Ace Smith lays out the Mayor's re-election strategy.

Forty three Democratic members of the State Legislature filed a brief Monday urging that the State Supreme Court invalidate Proposition 8 which banned same-sex marriage in California.  No Republican members of the Senate or Assembly joined on board but Governor Schwarzenegger expressed support for the effort.  Though State Attorney General Jerry Brown would be obligated to defend Proposition 8 in court, supporters of the measure say they would seek to have their attorneys intervene to oppose and represent their interests in the case.

A number of LA's top chefs joined to compete in the 22nd annual "Great Chefs of LA: Go Green, Go Organic" at CBS Studios Sunday to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California.  Among the celebrities on hand were comedian George Lopez and Los Angeles City Council Member Dennis Zine.

Eric Garcetti has led the City Council in designating the site of a historic gay bar in Silverlake as a cultural landmark.  The Black Cat was the site of a horrific incident early on New Years Day 1967 when gay celebrants were savagely beaten by LAPD officers for the crime of kissing.  The bar today is now known as Le Barcito however it is still said to serve a gay clientele.

What happens when your dad gets elected President of the United States? You get asked to appear on the hottest kids TV series on today, The Disney Channel's Hannah Montana.  Billy Ray Cyrus, series co-star and father of star Miley Cyrus said the show has asked Sasha and Malia Obama to visit and appear in an episode. No word on if the Obama family has accepted the offer.

Prop 8: What Would Reagan Do?

Most likely Ronald Reagan would recognize the unfairness in Proposition 8 and would oppose it.

In 1978, Governor Reagan opposed the Briggs Initiative, which would have eliminated the right of gay and lesbian Californians to teach in public schools. He called the measure "costly," and said that it had the potential to cause "undue harm." Voters listened, and Proposition 6 was defeated.

In April 2008, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told the National Convention of Log Cabin Republicans that he was against a constitutional amendment to eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples. Video of Governor Schwarzenegger declaring, "I will always be there to fight against that," is featured in the sixty-second video.

"Ronald Reagan is a conservative icon because of his efforts to spread freedom around the globe," said Republicans Against 8 Campaign Manager Scott Schmidt. "Conservatives need to remember that Ronald Reagan was opposed to taking away people's rights. Were he still with us today, Ronald Reagan would be in good company with another Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger."

By the way it's not too late to contribute to oppose Prop 8.  Click the Republicans Against 8 button above.

Disgraceful Journalism on Spring Street?? It would not be the first time.........

Somewhere in the darken catacombs of the Los Angeles Times aka "THE OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" is a video that could change the outcome of American History.

The Times is embroil in a controversy over journalistic ethics regarding their decision to embargo the release of a video of a 2003 banquet where then-state Sen. Barack Obama spoke of his friendship with Rashid Khalidi, a leading Palestinian scholar and activist.

Now if one just got hit with a "flashback moment" then you are among the thousands of current or ex. Times readers who know all too well the proclivity of the "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" in trying to influence elections, municipal, state, and nation.

For us objective observers of the "OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET" we know all too well that the Times has over time has gone through various incarnations in their advocation, errr, objective reporting on the "political rock star" of the moment.

For us in CD 14, who cannot forget the flirtation that was the early relationship between the "OLD GREY HAG" and that "Dreamin Latino Rock Star" Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa which was known as the "LA ANTONIA TIMES ERA".

The "OLD GRAY HAG" knew no shame nor let journalistic ethics (mixed in with Parke Skelton's Talking Points) get in the way of promoting their "Savior of Los Angeles".

Nick Pacheco, Mothers of East LA, and James Hahn were mere "speed bumps of hatchet job journalism" in the Times quest to install their "political flavor of the moment" within his current office on the third floor in City Hall.

The Times even had the audacity to try making the formerly rotund Cruz Bustamante into Governor Bustamante by crafting news mixed with faulting polling, and holding, then dumping damaging information on Arnold Schwartzenegger on the Thursday before the Recall Election for Governor.

Geez what could of been the "BUDDHA BUSTAMANTE TIMES ERA" came to not.

Now with the ire of talk radio and the conservative bloggersphere focus on the Times latest attempt to advance their news room/editorial board agenda. The question will be how the Times will survive their latest incarnation as the "LA OBAMA TIMES".

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