You're Invited to our Holiday Party!

STOP BY CASA PRINCESA THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 12th at 7PM FOR THE MAYOR SAM AND ZUMA DOGG HOLIDAY PARTY!

Everyone is invited! Although this is a fun, holiday party (including $10 food buffet, karaoke, music, and guests); you know when you get all us bloggers in the roon, we ain't talking about the Lakers!

Casa Princesa - 7pm
4527 York Blvd. 
Los Angeles, CA 90041

(Just one-tenth of a mile east of Eagle Rock Blvd. DIRECTLY across the street from the Sparkletts factory. And the Casa Princesa installed a new sign on the building, so it will be easy to find.)

Zuma Dogg Marathon: Zuma Interviews Ron Kaye & Carmen Trutanich

Zuma Dogg Interviews Ron Kaye About DWP and LA City Attorney Candidate Carmen Trutanich

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Funny post about headlines from 2012 at uScream.com. The ones I doubt Palin/Jindal Expected to Win with Ease and Teachers say More Students “Alert” in Class. The one I do worry about Shortage of Doctors is “Dangerously Low.

Much was made during the campaign of The Bradley Effect. Most would agree this didn't happen in 2008. Some said that it didn't happen back in 1982 when Tom Bradley ran. I worked on the Bradley for Governor campaign (dang 26 years ago!) and though I was stunned that the Mayor lost given his immense popularity I don't think it was race that did him in. It was liberalism. It was a conservative time in California and the anti-gun rights Proposition 15 brought out a lot of conservative voters who were more inclined to vote for a law and order no-nonsense Republican, George Deukmejian, over the Democrat Bradley.

Did the supporters of Measure R, the Mayor's shady transit scam, invest wisely when they paid sign holders to carry signs at $15 an hour? Possibly, as I write this the measure is a hair short of reaching the 2/3 threshold required for passage with about a third of the precincts in.

On to the 2009 election! Join Zuma Dogg and a number of candidates for local office this Friday evening at Casa Princesa in Highland Park for an evening of fun, public comment and music. It's what coffeehouses are all about, so come discuss, debate and even make your own YouTube video courtesy of the Dogg.

One of our readers sent us something that gives me pause. A company in Irvine is seeking to hire folks who sew heart valves for as much as $12 an hour. Hope none of you need a heart transplant from a place that uses thoses hearts!

If you're concerned about the Mayor and DWP's plan to place a solar initiative you have a last chance to have your say before it heads to the March ballot. You can speak at tomorrow's City Council meeting at City Hall or Friday at Van Nuys City Hall. For more information please click here.

And finally if you want to help a great cause and maybe pick up a cool prop from one of your favorite films here is your chance. Premiere Props joins with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to auction off items like Jason Biggs' Alyson Hannigan's wedding cake from American Wedding or a shiny line green 1974 Cadillac Eldorado from the late Bernie Mac's film, Soul Man or even enormous life size animatronic dinosaurs for charity. The auction is at Premiere's warehouse in El Segundo on Saturday. For more info, click here.

Matt Dowd to Perform at Sister City Fourth Anniversary

You may not like his public comment, but Matt Dowd is by far one of the most talented guitar players in Los Angeles.  Check him out playing ZZ Top's La Grange on Venice Beach here.



Matt will be performing this Friday night at our big Fourth Anniversary party hosted by Zuma Dogg at Casa Princesa in Highland Park. Everyone is welcome to attend, we'll have karaoke, open mic for musicians, singers and poets, public comment and special guests. The fun starts at 7 and goes until closing. See you there!

Mayor Sam's 4th Birthday

Friday, October 17th, 7:00 p.m. to closing

Hosted by Zuma Dogg

Casa Princesa Cafe

4527 York Blvd. (at Avenue 45)

Highland Park

Mayor Sam's Memory Lane

With our fourth birthday coming up and our celebration this Friday night at Casa Princesa in Highland Park, I thought it might be fun this week to share with you some of our history.

Yes, the blog is four years old. Our very first post, at 4:57 p.m. on Thursday, October 21st, 2004 was a one line article and link about historic Los Angeles. The first time we took a City Council member to task was twenty minutes later when we had some fun with Eric Garcetti's then TV restaurant show on Channel 35. We actually didn't officially announce ourselves later that evening and managed to get one comment which was the first appearance of MEAT on the blog.

The very first comment ever on Mayor Sam came from "Insider" who later wrote for the blog for a period commenting on Palmdale Airport. Another poster quoted a very insightful quote from Council Member Dennis Zine about the LA owned air terminal in the Antelope Valley, "We have Palmdale. And I've never been to Palmdale Airport, wherever it is, I'm sure it's out there."

To show how bleak it was in the day before we had over a thousand readers a day and posts get 20-30 comments on a Sunday, we had to go as far as to comment on reader comments on other blogs (because we had none of our own to retort to). Here former Sister City Blogger Chief Parker responds to comments on the now defunct Fourth Floor Blog.

Happy Birthday Mayor Sam!

The Sister City is coming up on it's Fourth Birthday and I can't believe it's been that long! We have more bloggers, more stories and a far better design than we did in 2004 (really, take a look) but as back then we keep holding the politicians accountable and provide LA's only diverse, political free speech forum.

Please join us on Friday, evening October 17th as Zuma Dogg throws a party for us at the great Casa Princessa Cafe in Highland Park. It's a beautiful cafe run by a really nice family with super high tech karaoke, video monitors, free wi-fi, free computer use and some great sandwiches, coffee and more.

We'll have fun, karaoke, special guests and more. Hope to see you all there!

Mayor Sam's 4th Birthday

Friday, October 17th, 7:00 p.m. to closing

Hosted by Zuma Dogg

Casa Princesa Cafe

4527 York Blvd. (at Avenue 45)

Highland Park

Zuma Dogg's Rally A Hit!

A number of community activists, Mayor Sam readers, artists and neighborhood folks turned out for Zuma Dogg's election rally at Case Princessa in Highland Park.  The event was such a success that next Friday, October 17th, Mayor Sam in partnership with Zuma Dogg will host the Sister City 4th Anniversary Party (Part 1). Stay tuned for more details.

MC Zuma Dogg

Zuma jams with Matt Dowd.  I may not agree with everything Matt says but the boy can wail on the axe.

Zuma Dogg's Rally - And Gifts!

If you're looking for something to do Friday night or Saturday morning, want to express your views on various issues and get some early Christmas shopping in, check out what Zuma Dogg has in store for you.

Zuma will have karaoke, his free voter recommendation pamphlet and voter registration forms. He will also unveil his new "$5.00 Gift Store" where you can get a good deal on gifts such as backpacks, t-shirts and other memorabilia.

FRIDAY 7PM: Join Zuma Dogg and other ZAPPERS for the Election '08 Event Rally. Zuma Dogg will be going over the "ZAP Election '08 Voter Pamphlet" (free copies for all) that goes over the candidates, bonds and ballot measures with the ZAP checklist of "yes" and "no" votes.

SATURDAY MORNING 8AM-1PM: SAME THING!!! (More casual, just stop by to say hello, pick up your "ZAP Packet"; check out the "$5.00 Gift Store" and let Zuma Dogg know about your issue or organization and drop off any information you think I may like to be aware of for upcoming blogging and comments.

FRIDAY: 7PM-Close
SATURDAY: 8AM-1PM

Casa Princesa Cafe at 4527 York Blvd (in the Sign-A-Rama Parking lot. Just south of Eagle Rock and York, where Highland Park meets Eagle Rock!)