Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Former Assemblyman Lloyd Levine is looking for a job.  At least that's what an email he sent out to several supporters stated. In the email Levine writes "I recognize that this might be the worst time to find employment since the Great Depression (editor's note: clearly not true), which is why I am reaching out to you, hoping to learn about the best possible opportunities as they arise."  According to one rumor that lit up the State Capitol gossip wires on Friday, Levine has found employment at a Sacramento store that sells runners' shoes. If you have a more rewarding opportunity for Lloyd you can send it him at levine4assembly@hotmail.com.

Isn't "Two Bill" Gil Cedillo's time up? God forbid this shady race baiter gets elected to Congress when there is a dynamic, thoughtful Mexican-American mom and self-made business sucess story in the person of Teresa Hernandez running for the 32nd Congressional seat vacated by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.  Lets hope the voters get it this time.

Bernie Parks gets Jasmyne Cannick's "Negro Please" Award for wanting to keep the Parker Center name for LAPD's new headquarters; in honor of former LAPD Chief William Parker.  Wonder what Mike Trujillo thinks the name should be?

Though it may seem like the usual feel good holiday photo op, there is nothing more truly Christian than volunteers washing the feet of the homeless over Easter Weekend in Skid Row.  But, as blogger Don Garza correctly notes, it also serves a purpose: health workers can inspect the homeless individuals' feet for signs of illness and serious medical conditions and provide them treatment.

With declining enrollment in Los Angeles' schools should the LAUSD be spending billions on a full bore ahead program of building new schools? KCET (hat tip to CurbedLA) is asking that question in a new report, "Blackboard Bungle."

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.