Friday Free for All

A lot of attention has been focused on LA Council races, especially the hot and spicy politics in CD14 but there are races elsewhere, even in other cities.  West Hollywood has a contentious race with nine candidates going for three seats.  Among the issues include development in the compact but upscale city and the appointment to a vacant of youngster Lindsay Horvath to an empty council seat instead of a special election being held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of a Council member.  All nine candidates engage in a contentious debate Wednesday evening.

Speaking of the West Hollywood race, candidate Scott Olin Schmidt (formerly known as the Boi from Troy blogger) will be joining Frank Sheftel, David Hernandez and myself, Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. on latalkradio.com.  

Read more »

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

The City of Long Beach is looking at something the City of LA should consider - privatizing it's airport.  The Federal Government has a program to allow this however only Chicago's Midway Airport has gotten anywhere near close (hmm...they may want to double check those deals).  However I believe the City should sell NOT lease LAX to the highest bidder, then put the sale proceeds into a trust for some stated civic purpose (like Police).  The City and LAWA have a hard enough leasing vendor spots without corruption; imagine if they had to approve leases for the whole airport.

The story over the outrage on the business killing crazy parking rules and overpriced parking meters in NoHo gets legs.  Not only an LA Times story but KTLA picks up the television pice of the story.  LeBong is "working on it." 


One blog writes its final chapter while another one emerges on the blog-LA-sphere.  The venerable Boi from Troy, USC loving gay Republican Scott Olin Schmidt, announces he is leaving the blog he has made home for five years.  On the other hand the guy who gave major juice to both the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report, Andrew Breitbart, fires up Big Hollywood this morning.  Breitbart says his new site is "not a “celebrity gabfest or a gossip outpost" but a "continuous politics and culture posting board for those who think something has gone drastically wrong and that Hollywood should return to its patriotic roots."

A few days ago I challenged the practice of being a NIMBY only and asked where is the vision for Los Angeles? 20 year old LA native and current Columbia student Adam Seiff crafts one in the Daily News of all places.  Seiff opines that the "L.A. of our lifetimes will be fueled by new industrial centers to provide high-paying jobs, affordable housing to live in and accessible public spaces to enjoy." 

Matt Burch, a fitness trainer at BodyImage Gym in the Noho Arts District became a local hero recently when he captured a purse snatcher.  Burch was working out at the Lankershim Boulevard gym when he noticed local NoHo Business Improvement District security guards having trouble catching up with the fleeing crook.  Burch dashed out of the gym, flew past the guards and tackled the bad guy until Police could arrive.  Burch says, however, don't try this at home.  He's a long time martial arts practioner and body builder who happens to be a veteran repo man and star of the TruTV network reality show Operation Repo.


Want some Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gear? The folks at Zazzle have a selection of mugs, notecards, keychains and greeting cards available for purchase.

#46?

I guess it shouldn't matter to me what a blog I've never heard of thinks of our blog or any others and though I SHOULD be honored I had to laugh when I saw LA Snark's list of the "top 50" blogs in LA.

First off we're at #46. Now back in the day that would be awesome. But when you regularly rank in BlogNetNews' Top 20 Political Blogs, you're getting thousands of visitors a month, you've been on CNN, you've been an LA Magazine Website of the Month, its kind of different. The bigger crime is marking Don Garza's Central City East Blog lower than us; Don is one of the most relevant bloggers in LA; whether I agree with him or not.

I don't even understand their ranking system. Of course, every one loves to kiss butt to the Westside White Guy and put him near the top. (But I am sure old Kev is fuming that LAist is ahead of him) where. But to put some of the self obsessed "what did I wear today or did he ask me out yet" blogs ahead of significant, entrenched go to blogs like Franklin Avenue or Curbed LA is unbelievable.

And where is Boi from Troy? Mainbrace? Flap? Zuma Dogg? Walter Moore? Or even Here in Van Nuys? Not on the list!

The most incredible thing is that they put LA Voice at #6. Number six?!?! Since Mack Reed left months ago that blog has been dead; the only thing keeping it alive for the most part is press releases posted by my pal Edward Headington.

You can't always trust lists.

Now I leave it to you to post how this is because of 1) Zuma Dogg 2) My weight 3) Red Spot's spelling 4) Valley Doll's cookie post or 5) all of the above.

Number six? Ha ha ha ha!

Coliseum, Bitter Bernie and Shadow Governments

Boi from Troy counts up the votes with the coming decision required by the Coliseum Commission on the matter of the USC lease. In less that two days, this group of boobs which include Bitter Bernie, Zev Yarovslasky and Yvonne Burke could chase the Trojans to Pasadena.

Along with the LA Times, I continue my call for the Commission to vote themselves out of business and turn over management (not the pink slip for some of you dummies who don't get it) of the stadium to USC.

In other news, in light of the Commission's nonsense, the Former Fishwrap of Record takes a look at joint powers authorities (of which the Commission is one), a unique Frankenstein monster of governments that allows multiple jurisdictions to take control but avoid accountability to a single group of voters for various government or marginally government functions. The OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET however fails to note the most notorious and evil of JPAs, that shadow government known as the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority which consists of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and various local agencies.