TGIF Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine

Saturday Evening KRLA 870 AM Talk Show Host and Investigative Reporter Randy Economy will have the Attorney for the Wife of murdered City of Bell Garden Mayor Daniel Crespo Eber Bayona in studio tomorrow between 8-9 PM.

KRLA Saturday Evening Talk Show Host Randy Economy.

** Blogger's Note: With a beautiful President's Day Holiday Weekend upon us, please pardon the bloggin break to recommend that you spent a quality hour tomorrow night listen to a must-hear hour on the Randy Economy Show on KRLA 870 AM from 8-9 PM. In studio will be the Attorney Eber Bayona represent wife, turned alleged trigger women Lyvette Crespo, who allegedly gunned down her late husband, City of Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo. As the parties involve await whether the District Attorney will file charges, some interest surprises and relaxations, may be disclosed for the first time---Scott Johnson. 

** Memo to City Controller Ron Galperin, what are your office's issues in executing promised audits? First, IBEW Strongman Brian "D"Arcy Rizzo" stops cooperating with the agreed-upon review of the books for the DWP-IBEW Joint Safety/Job Training Non Profits, why? Supposedly because someone was taking "too much notes". But you also have seem to forget that promise you made at a LANCC Meeting to audit the CD 14 CLARTS Fund. Meanwhile, a California Public Records Act request on CLARTS received the following response via the staff.

2.) A line item expenditure on all recipients of CLARTS Fund allocations for the 2013-2014 Fiscal Year.

ttached please find a document from the Office of the Controller pertinent to item Number One of your request. 

Regarding item Number Two of your request, please be advised that this office finds that "unusual circumstances" exist with respect to the request, as that term is defined in California Government Code section 6253(c). "Unusual circumstances” exist because of the need to compile data, to write programming language or a computer program, or to construct a computer report to extract data.

In addition, pursuant to California Government Code 6253.9(b), “the requester shall bear the cost of producing a copy of the record, including the cost to construct a record, and the cost of programming”.

Should you wish our office to proceed with data extraction, please notify this office of your request and the cost of programming will be calculated and communicated to you. Please note that a check payable to the City of Los Angeles for the programming fee must be received by this office prior to data extraction.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (213) 978-7291.  
Kevin McNeely
Senior Management Analyst II

Office of the Controller
 

......., so much for a timely accounting on CLARTS from Controller Galperin.

Your thoughts ..............
 

Scott Johnson in CD 14                                                                                 

Friends Don't Let Friends Vote for Wendy Greuel: Here's Why

That didn't work out so well.

In every campaign, each candidate has their supporters and detractors. Usually, one or more candidate is better than the other. In the end, some supporters will be happy as their choice succeeds; others will lament in defeat.

When it comes to the current crop of candidates seeking the Mayoralty in Los Angeles, one candidate is so lacking in basic honesty, credibility, ethics and brings baggage to the table such that it would actually severely damage the City and hurt it's stakeholders.

Dramatic words, steep statements, but in this case, the emotions are backed up by facts and can be clearly documented.

Wendy Greuel would be Los Angeles' worst nightmare.
Read more »

City Spends $10 Million on Take Home Cars; Remember That When They Raise Your Parking Meters

Laura Chick has released an audit of how the City manages it's fleet of vehicles, including cars that officials and employees are allowed to take home at night, and well it isn't pretty. The City is spending $10 million a year on take-home cars, with fraud, waste and abuse rampant.

Among the key findings of the Controller's report::

• The type of required insurance policy for employees with take home vehicles is inadequate and costly. Most employees are unaware of the requirement and do not possess it. This goes unmonitored resulting in increased risk and liability for the City and for the employee who drives the car.
• There are 48 City vehicles for use as loaners when cars are being serviced, repaired, washed or detailed. Twenty-eight of those vehicles are unneeded.
• Gas credit cards issued to elected officials, staff and general managers have a $1,500 per month line of credit (in case of emergency) and there is no way to determine if these are only used for city cars.
• Until around the time our audit began, the City did not monitor usage of cards to fill-up five gallon gas cans. Since that time there has been a 41% drop in usage.
• Since April 2008, the City’s former car auctioneer has owed the City $2.1 million. The City continued to use this auctioneer even after it stopped reimbursing the City. The City Attorney is now preparing a letter to collect the monies owed.

Chick has called for an immediate cancellation of City gas cards as well as overall reforms such as investigating if it's cheaper to reimburse employees for mileage as opposed to providing cars.

Read the whole report, here.

And you thought the City needed more of your money!

Chick to Audit Children's Musem

Calling the financial shortfall in the construction of the Los Angeles Children*s Museum, "deeply disturbing" City Controller Laura Chick has announced that she will conduct a financial audit of the organization.

"The City of Los Angeles not having a Children's Museum has created a tremendous void in our educational and cultural portfolio. Millions of precious public dollars have been poured into this project, and it is deeply disturbing that construction may be halted. My audit team has begun taking steps to conduct the audit and will complete a report as soon as possible." said Chick.