Wendy Greuel and the Return of Sherry (Shirley?) Bebitch Jeffe

Who is Eric Garcetti? I don't know
him from Adam.

It's been such a long time since we've heard from our old friend, self-appointed political "analyst" Sherry (Shirley?) Bebitch-Jeffe. We've talked many times over nine years of Sherry's lack of relevance and asymptomatic analyses of LA politics.

I don't know what cushy academic post Sherry has these days, nor do I even care to bother to take the time to look it up, but Sherry has been trotted out for years by the local drive-by media, too clueless and too lazy to know what is really happening in LA and it's neighborhoods, that they bring out this icon of fossilized out of touch political thinking.

Sherry's take on local politics is solely from her armchair scholarship of the matter with brief expeditions into the Downtown world of awards dinners, corporate conferences (you know, anything hosted by a politician and Wells Fargo),etc. When it came to knowing about the growing blog movement in LA, Sherry could only recall former LA Times reporter, the lovable Westside White Guy, Kevin Roderick, lost in his (Anglo)LAObserverd world with another Caucasian relic from LA's past, Bill Boyarsky, spinning a disconnected view of what is really going on LA.

Like Messrs. Roderick and Boyarsky, Sherry presents a buttoned down view of LA politics, clothed in the finest from Macy's, that is all spoon fed from the Downtown Status Quo Gang and the powers that be. Sherry (or is it Shirley?) knows nothing of the true work of Neighborhood Councils, citizen activists, grass roots candidates, gadflies and the rag-tag journalists that are bloggers who are on the streets, connected to the best and in the gutters, wherever it is happening.

That's why we had to find it ironic that the latest presser out of Wendy Greuel's struggling for relevance Mayoral campaign had to dig deep to find none other than Sherry declaring the embattled and controversial controller as the "winner" of a recent candidates' debate. Here's some of the missive:

On Monday, Wendy turned in an outstanding debate performance, showing all Angelenos that she would be a tough fiscal watchdog as Mayor of Los Angeles. Respected NBC political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe called Wendy the winner of the debate by a nose.

Perhaps next Wendy can get an interview with Betty Pleasant.

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Wednesday

Ha ha! My sewer fees proposal is bigger than yours Perry.

Somewhere within the shadows of City Hall or in the boundary lands of Council District 2/7, the savior of the Eastern San Fernando Valley proletariat was surveying (designated open space for union truck driving schools?) and vetting grand ideas for providing jobs (union jobs) for the masses. And after a final review at the vacation Dacha in CD 7 with his politburo of staffers (ie. family members), CD 2/7 City Councilman Richard "Zorro Marxist" AlarCon presents his ten year (2 x 5 year plans in Marxist speak) to upgrade the City of Los Angeles aging sewer infrastructure.

In the grand tradition of "Zorro Marxism", AlarCon wants to levy a 77% increase on your monthly sewer bill over ten years to fund a major infrastructure revitalization plan that would provide thousands of (union) jobs. Meanwhile, AlarCon's "Capitalist (AEG) toady" colleague Jan Perry had presented a more modest five-year plan that would raise fees by 40% over the time period. Who's idea will win out? Some back room deal making (no public allow) will decide that.

** The Daily News.is advocating for a quick deposition of the DWP Ratepayer Advocate position. If City Council President/Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti wants to do the right thing, he would appoint Jack Humphreville to the position.

** Retire Los Angeles Times Columnist and "WWG2" Blogger Bill Boyarski spends a few column inches on his discussion with Congressman Henry Waxman regarding the looming 30th Congressional District political battle between Congressman  Howard Berman and Congressman Brad Sherman. If Sherman doesn't take Waxman's advise and run in an open Ventura County district, Waxman will support Berman.

Your thoughts..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14        

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.....................

Friday Evening Wrap Up and Thoughts on Journalistic Malpractice and other News

Los Angeles Times Media Columnist James Rainey

"Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street"

"ACORN with local political supporters"

This happens when you replace "fact-driven reporting" with "outcome-based, agenda journalism", but then agenda journalism is "par for the course" at the "Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street" these days.

It started with this "agenda missive" on Andrew Breitbart's biggovernment.com video expose of ACORN, via the keyboard of Los Angeles Times Media Columnist James Rainey, as noted by veteran LA Times observer "Patterico" at Patterico's Pontifications.

The following passage below was cause to take notice, in the eyes of Patterico, whether Rainey was stating fact or "had likely been suckered and would end up with egg on his face".

[V]isits to other ACORN offices have gone almost entirely unmentioned. Lavelle Stewart, a fair-housing coordinator in the group’s Los Angeles office, told me this week that she tried to get the “prostitute,” who claimed she had been beaten by her pimp, to go to a women’s center.

“The fact she was not taking the help I offered her made me think something was not right,” Stewart said. “It raised a red flag.”

Then yesterday, Andrew Breitbart's biggoverment.com "dropped this load of crow into Rainey's lap for his consumption", in form of the latest ACORN video, featuring none other than..........., Levelle Steward. Thus, Patterico's keen instints on all things LA Times, expose the "Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street's" insular agenda for all to deconstruct.

But while Rainey mulls whether to add some BBQ to his crow, where is the outrage on this breach of journalistic ethics? Where are the former Times scribes "Westside White Guy", LA Observed blogger Kevin Roderick and "Westside White Guy 2", LA Observed contributor Bill Boyarski, in calling for an in-house investigation?

One should note that Rainey, was the lead newsroom agitator in outing former Opinion Editor Andres Martinez's relationship with ex. girlfriend Kelly Mullens. This initiating what became known as "Grazergate". as reported on "Deadline Hollywood".

I understand it was the Times' own media reporter, Jim Rainey, who just recently got wind of the editor-flack romance and first raised the red flag about it internally this week. My sources say Rainey began asking people who worked for Martinez about his personal life before approaching the editor directly. Martinez became livid and hurriedly called a staff meeting. But because of the LA Times' troubled relationship with its parent Tribune Co., Rainey is accustomed to threading the ethical needle on difficult stories involving his newspaper. (Though I've taken issue here and here with his coverage, or lack of it, of some related stories.) It's no secret there has been tension and resentment between the LA Times newsroom and the paper's editorial/opinion pages.

"WWG" and "WWG2" went into "cyber overdrive" in reporting this egregious assault on the "sacred style book of journalistic ethics". Boyarsky had this missive which he called for "an investigation of the tainted Times" and guess which reporter he wanted to lead the in-house "quest for journalistic justice"?

A beefed up team of top reporters should join media reporter Jim Rainey in examining past Current sections and editorials to see whether they have been influenced by publicist Allen Mayer and his associate, Kelly Mullens, who has been dating Martinez.

But in hindsight, maybe Roderick and Boyarski, both ex. LA Times scribes, were part of the "inside, outside cabal" of current and ex. Times reporters, who's efforts to purge Martinez, were driven by an ideological urge to blend news with opinion, as Martinez opined.

I think the desire to blend opinion with news is the far bigger breach, but I’m guessing the Henry Weinsteins and Tim Ruttens of the world will continue to conjure up the magical words “Staples Center” to wail against any innovation at the paper, and confusing the hundreds of thousands of readers of the LAT who don’t read LA Observed – sorry, Kevin -­ into believing that Grazergate somehow implied an improper blending of the newspaper’s business side and editorial judgment, which it patently did not.

So maybe this is why there are no "Raineygate" posts, with in-house gossip, currently at LA Observed? Who would Boyarsky find among the shrinking ranks of "objective reporters" to investigate this latest breach of journalistic ethics? Or maybe in the eyes of ex.Times scribes like Roderick and Boyarsky, their cohort in "outcome based, agenda journalism" was simply following the dictates of what passes for journalism at the "Old Gray Westside Hag on Spring Street".

In closing, Boyarsky, who also served a stint on the City of Los Angeles Ethics Commission, may have a good reason for remaining silent in regards to "Raineygate". Maybe it has to do with his own past comments on ACORN. Then there was this "appearance" at a "Project ACORN" event.

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.

Thus, don't hold your breathe, in waiting for the latest on "Raineygate" from LA Observed but we did find this piece of "outcome-based, agenda blogging" from the "WWG".

* Andrew Breitbart doesn't want to talk about his business deal to carry Reuters news and links. Soundbitten
* The L.A. Times corrects some of an Op-Ed regarding the liberal group ACORN, but not all. Patterico

OTHER NEWS:

** Is the private sector version of IBEW's "Boss D'Arcy", getting close to snaping?

The head of L.A. Live challenged City Attorney Carmen Trutanich on Thursday to either file criminal charges over the Michael Jackson memorial service or apologize for hinting the company may have broken the law.

"Prove it or drop it," AEG President Tim Leiweke said during an interview. "We can't resolve this until he declares we have done nothing wrong or apologizes — I'll take either.

** Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa picks a former top official of the Chicago Housing Authority, Douglas Guthrie to become the new general manager of the city’s Housing Department. One want to bet that Guthrie has some past business with ACORN in Chicago?

** This appointment to the LACERS pension board came and went.

The newest appointee to a Los Angeles pension board has withdrawn her nomination after a city councilman voiced concern about her refusal to name her legal clients, city officials said today.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had named attorney Angela Reddock to the Fire and Police Pensions system, an agency whose board members have come under scrutiny in recent months regarding the potential for conflicts of interest.

Although council members were scheduled to vote to confirm Reddock today, Councilman Bernard C. Parks raised questions after reading correspondence between Reddock and the city Ethics Commission, which is charged with identifying potential conflicts of interest for new city commissioners. Reddock told the commission in an e-mail that she did not plan to name any client that had paid her more than $10,000, citing attorney-client privilege.

** This is for "Parque Esqueleto".

Former CD 14 City Councilman Nick Pacheco, has been named "temporarily City Administrator" in the City of Montebello.

Many in the audience gasped as long-time Montebello City Administrator Richard Torres announced the $15,000-a-month salary of his temporary replacement, Nick Pacheco. The city council action to appoint Pacheco was among several made in a closed session meeting on Monday.

Enjoy "CD 14 East" before the latest shake up in Montebello.

Your thoughts.......

Checking in on Measure B

On the Measure B front: LA press fossil Bill Boyarsky - who we know officially dub WWG2 (Westside White Guy 2) has decided to create a syllogism on the controversial ballot proposal:

Solar power and union jobs are good.
Measure B has something to do with solar power and union jobs I think.
Measure B is good.

Not much else in the way of critical thinking goes into Boyarsky's screed at (Anglo) LA (Aggregated) Observed (hat tip to Joe Mailander).

In the meantime writing in the LA Times David Z reports that the measure was rushed to the ballot despite the fact that DWP chief H. David "E WASTEWATER PLURIBUS" Nahai had been kicking the item around for months last year.  Wastewater told the Clowncil that he couldn't give a good financial analysis until after the item was placed on the ballot.

Couple that with a staff/consultant report critical of the plan embargoed by Eric Garcetti and now a few Council Members are feeling bamboozled.  It appears that support for Measure A is wavering amongst at least a few Members who are likely sensing strong community opposition to the plan in their Districts.

Yes on B Campaign Manager and former Sister City Blogger, Mike Trujillo told me Monday that a report posted on the DWP's website paints a far prettier picture as that in some past analyses that ratepayers would see an increase of only about 90 cents per bill, about a less than 1% increase.

The problem is the experts all seem to disagree and no one really knows what rates will be.  We have to consider how the proposition was hatched in the DWP, rushed to the ballot and that Council Members were kept in the dark.  That has to send up red flags alone.

We're all for solar energy but the market is moving in this direction and can do a far better job than DWP.  This plan would surely set back efforts to create green industry in LA and send alternative energy entrepeneur's packing.

That may be what the Mayor, unions and DWP want, but it doesn't bode well for Los Angeles.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Oh no! Digital billboards featuring Ellen Degeneres are igniting fires of discontent, giving a Raison d'être to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council for the first time since Jason Lyon stirred the pot.  In the meantime a cash-strapped City of Los Angeles has figured out how to make a buck off the situation.

David Horowitz' Front Page Magazine has a piece on Jamiel and Anita Shaw and their mission to pass Jamiel's law.  Another 23,000 signatures are needed by December 5th.  Your help is urgently needed to help make the goal.

All the votes are yet to be counted but Measure R is still inching towards passage.  LAist has a rundown of the wish list of public transit projects that politicians would like to build with the increased sales tax.  Question: what happens when the bad economy and rises in other taxes fails to bring in the expected revnue?

Goofy old liberal Bill Boyarsky - among those waiting for the New Deal and the second coming of Franklin Delano Roosevelt - thinks the election of Obama and the passage of big boondoggle taxpayer government works projects will be the water that lifts all boats. Problem is Bill, this isn't 1932 and the economy works a lot differently than when Duke Ellington sang It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).

Open Thread for Sunday

Former journo and Westside White Guy accomplice Bill Boyarsky pens an op-ed in the Fishwrap of Record about his now expired term on the City of LA's Ethics Commission. Boyarsky, who was appointed by City Controller Laura Chick upon his application for the job finds his service on the panel whose job is to clean up politics, a failure.

"I left City Hall frustrated, irritated and saddened -- and most of all, humbled by a culture impervious to change. "Free at last," I said when my colleagues asked me if I had some final words at my last meeting June 10."
Bill Boyarsky

Boyarsky says the panel is hamstrung by a City Attorney ruling (one he finds to be in error) that the state's Brown Act prevents Commissioners from speaking with City Councilmembers or from speaking out on ethics related issues. As well Boyarsky found that any reforms to the system the Commission proposed had to be approved by a City Council who had no interest in reforming the system and buried their recommendations in committee.

Free from his public service, the question for Boyarsky is what's next? Perhaps he would like to join fellow former scribe turned populist leader Ron Kaye in bringing a bag of trash to City Hall on July 14th.