Save Funding for City Parks!

It could happen here!

The following is from Kristin Sabo, parks activist and caretaker for Amir's Garden at Griffith Park. No one in Los Angeles has more insight into how the City's Department of Recreation and Parks operates. Below, she details how the City is "double dipping," taking funds from the parks' budget in an effort to "charge" the department for "services" from the City. These chargebacks do nothing more than help the City hide it's budget deficit due to wasteful spending and take dollars - as mandated by the City Charter - from recreation for children, families and all residents of LA. 

Read more - and then take action...

"Crippling "Chargebacks" covering other departments' budgets by taking funds from Rec and Parks) are killing our S-T parks and Hansen Dam. The Mayor's budget for 2013-14 is even worse, if that is possible.

Please read this document for an explanation of the "chargebacks" and the Recreation and Parks services we've lost so far. It's disgusting.

The $56 million in Chargebacks to Rec and Parks in FY 2013-14 being perpetrated on this City's children and parks users by the Mayor, CAO and the City Council is completely unconscionable.

The budget hearing for Rec and Parks is Wednesday May 1st. Please submit your comments to the Budget and Finance Committee ASAP.

Budget & Finance Committee Hearing
Wednesday, May 1, 1pm
John Ferraro Council Chamber - Room 340
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

If you can't attend that day, please contact the members of the Budget & Finance Committee and let know that you demand an end to Chargebacks and adequate funding for our parks.

Email Councilmember Paul Krekorian, or call him at (213) 473-7002
Email Councilmember Mitch Englander, or call him at (213) 473-7012
Email Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, or call him at (213) 473-7011
Email Councilmember Paul Koretz, or call him at (213) 473-7005
Email Councilmember Tom LaBonge, or call him at (213) 485-3337"

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Mayor Villaraigosa's State of the City speech was heavy on education policy and light on the 350 million pound gorilla in the room - the city's trouble finances.  The Daily News says the Mayor must not lose his focus.  When did he have one?

After round two as the head of the LAUSD, Superintendent Ramon Cortines is retiring again. Uncomfortable to talk about himself (imagine that in an LA politician!) Cortines sits down the a fishwrap discusses his years and the future of education in LA.

Apparently former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finds questions about his commutation of convicted murderer Esteban Nunez's sentence "boring."  Tell that to the father of the victim.

A major issue for the City at the moment is finding a way to deal with patrons at the Chinatown library looking at internet porn on library computers.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Michael Scott for Mayor?

In an editorial that was just way too long for me to read, as I enjoy season three of The Office on Netflix, the Daily News calls on the Mayor and City Council to "toughen up" with regard to the City budget.  The Office is funny but that made me laugh, too.

It looks like Bernard Parks has won and and avoided a run-off in his City Council race but leftists and the always classy Betty Pleasant don't seem to want to admit it.  The unions targeted Parks, further setting up the IBEW as the poster child for why what Governor Walker is doing in Wisconsin is the right thing.

Last Friday the LA City Council got a lot done.  They celebrated a belated St. Patrick's Day, Persian New Year and Latina History Day.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Christmas Eve

Wendy Greuel and her Mini-Mitch

Paul Hatfield has a conversation with City Controller Wendy Greuel.  Besides discussing more mundane and technical matters within the Controller's office, Hatfield chatted with Greuel about the recent race to replace her in the District 2 Council Seat.  Notably, Greuel attempts to distance herself from Chris Essel, essentially throwing the former movie executive she endorsed under the bus.  Nothing stinks like losing.

Rick Orlov is reporting despite cuts made to the City's budget and expenses - including a controversial early retirement program for city workers - Los Angeles is still exceeding it's payroll budget by $85 million.  In a letter to the Mayor and City Council Controller Wendy Greuel stated "...salary expenditures continue to exceed the budgeted amount."

One area where the City is doing well is in revenues from red light cameras.  According to the LA Times Los Angeles' income from catching red light runners from these cameras has doubled since 2007 and is outpacing other local agencies.

We've heard about who the Ass Clown of the Year should be; who would LA's Grinch of the Year be? Go vote at Metblogs.

If you're harried about what to do for your holiday celebrating, the bloggers at the Cooking With Trader Joe's blog have some lost minute entertaining tips.

All of us at Mayor Sam wish each of you a very happy holiday and Merry Christmas.  We appreciate your patronage throughout the year.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Mayor Villaraigosa told the City's public employee unions something they probably didn't want to hear: the City will need to ask for concessions to avoid layoffs.  The Mayor's plan to call for furloughs from police officers is receiving criticism from some quarters and raising concerns that public safety could be compromised.

LA's multi-million dollar arts high school Downtown is turning out to be a major boondoggle.  Starting off people driving on the 101 and asking "What is it" in reference to the school that looks like a water park to some top arts schools principals from across the country saying "Thanks but to no thanks" to helming a school in LA, the school is getting off to a shaky start. Now, everyone from charter school advocates to LA rainmaker Eli "Yoda" Broad are calling for the campus to be run independently of LAUSD but LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines and Board President Monica Garcia are saying no way.


This is just scary: Councilmember Dennis Zine dressed up as a woman for charity, as did Skid Row blogger Don Garza.  This wasn't the first time that the former motorcycle cop dressed up in a way that men less comfortable with their sexuality wouldn't.  So who was the uglier woman, Denise Zine or Donna Garza? You decide.

Maybe he should have asked Arnold Schwarzenegger but President Obama made the mistake of referring to the Austrian language.  The trouble is there is no "Austrian" language.  Most folks in the Governor's home country speak German or a few other languages.  Honestly anyone could make the same mistake and it's no big whoop Obama gaffed again, but  as NewsBusers.org opined had President Bush (and again you all know I was not a supporter of GWB) made the same mistake all the newspapers and late night shows would be all over over him.  We're just keeping things fair here.

Spay and Neuter Program Out of Funds for Low Income Pet Owners

Last year the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance mandating the spaying and neutering of all dogs and cats in Los Angeles.  Part of the measure included the promise of vouchers for low income pet owners to get their animals fixed in order to comply with the law.

However now it appears that the program a victim of the current budget crunch, according to a statement released last week by Los Angeles Animal Services.  No more vouchers will be distributed until the Department is sure of it's funding.

We have been told that at the next City Council meeting Council Member Dennis Zine will ask that the funding be restored.  However, the Council is on recess next week so it will be several days before the low-income vouchers can be restored, if at all.  Some are saying that considering the funding loss for the vouchers the law should be repealed. However, at the time the law was passed  Department head Ed Boks was unclear as to how it would even be enforced.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

Ron Kaye and I were both interviewed for a piece by T.A. Frank in The New Republic about Tuesday's elections. Frank keenly observes how screwed up our City is when he notes that the election "failed to make the front of The Los Angeles Times."


Calitics deftly wraps up why Tuesday's election was a dismal failure for the Mayor.

He ended up with just 56% of the vote after running a dismissive non-campaign where he refused to debate and spent almost no time in the city. One of his top lieutenants, Jack Weiss, is now in a runoff for city attorney despite spending millions on his campaign. And Measure B, the solar power initiative which the mayor backed, is too close to call at this hour, as provisionals and late absentees are tabulated.

To top that off one of the Mayor's picks for school board has either narrowly won or perhaps narrowly lost a race that should have been a cakewalk for her.

Continuing on this theme, our friend Jill Stewart at the LA Weekly says "The anti-Villaragiosa blogosphere will now have bragging rights to say Villaraigosa's key opponent was his own record." I guess we just did.

And it appears, just like Dick Nixon, we may not have Walter Moore to kick around any more.

Another Mayoral candidate we probably won't hear from again anytime soon is Craig X. Rubin. Rubin held his "victory" party appropriately at "The Comedy Store" and told supporters "The party starts at 9 p.m. and is expected to last until Rubin and his supporters hear the words, 'And the winner is Rubin'" No word if the party is still going on at this time.

Following the election, LA's leaders are dealing with what could be a ominous budget situation. Rick Orlov reports that "Interim City Administrative Officer Ray Ciranna predicted the budget deficit - $430 million this year - will worsen as revenue declines in virtually all areas, including taxes on sales, hotel rooms and parking." Of course the Mayor and City Clowncil have been spending like drunken sailors for the last four years so they only have themselves to blame.

Speaking of City spending, LA Weekly readers are not too happy about our $300,000 a year Council members. One reader, Nick Antonicello of Venice Beach chimes in with the following question, "How does Bill Rosendahl, with his bombastic and clownlike approach to government service, earn more than a U.S. senator or member of Congress?"

Parking Meter Outrage Continues Across City

Editor's note: This story was scheduled to run tomorrow, however the LA Times has published a story on the issue as well this morning, one for which I was interviewed for, therefore I'm bumping up publication.

Addicted to spending, a City with a Mayor who is disbursing like a druken sailor at a rate 1/3 higher than when he took office a scant three years ago, Los Angeles is looking for every place possible to squeeze the populace for their last dime.

One of the ways our brilliant leaders are doing so is by increasing parking meter rates, extending the hours and days the meters are in service and reducing the amount of time motorists can park in business districts. In some cases meters are being extended as late as midnight (instead of the customary 6:00 p.m. deadline) and on Sundays as well (which always used to be free all day).

These last two points in particular have live theater owners in the fledgling NoHo Arts District fuming. After many lean years during subway and other construction the foot traffic that has finally come to patronize theaters, galleries and other businesses in the once downtrodden neighborhood is being severly impacted by the City's recent moves. The changes to hours and rates for parking meters are forcing patrons to leave theatres during the middle of shows to either feed the meter or move their vehicles. The City spent billions to build the NoHo District and now for a few million at most they're killing it.

One a silly piece in CurbedLA that claims meters are good because the funds earned by the no-armed bandits are used to revitalize the surrounding area. Not true in LA. Never true in LA. Previously parking meter money was banked in the local Council office as sort of a slush fund for the Clowncil members; until budget realities and bad PR forced them to give that up to the general fund. Now money earned in North Hollywood or Highland Park meters are being spent on potholes in San Pedro, tree trimming in Granada Hills or the Mayor's travel budget.

The bozos in City Hall won't admit - they're addicted to spending and like a crack whore who must turn her next trick to get some more blow, the Mayor and Clowncil spokes-holes rationalize with silly nonsense about how raising parking fees will cut traffic.

However until the people in this town wake the F up and get a clue as to what's going on they will like sheep continue to put more of their hard earned money into the meters oblivious that they have a say-so and then drive over to neighboring cities - like Burbank - who don't have parking meters.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

If you want to make a contribution to Wendy Greuel's campaign for Controller she's asking that you do it during the curent reporting period which ends Wednesday. Opponents to Proposition B might want to take note of Wendy's kick-off picnic on January 10 in Sherman Oaks Park as their chance to ask Wendy what she thinks of this shady measure.

The Daily Breeze takes notes of Mayor Villaraigosa's online budget survey that is not so much telling for what it asks but for what it doesn't ask. Nowhere in the survey is there room for taxpayers to offer cuts to general administration expenses, Council or Mayor salaries, staffs, perks, CRA developer subsidies or other areas of bloat. But you can be a good citizen and step up to volunteer to have police, fire or tree trimming services cut.

The Mayor must think everyone but he himself are stupid. The latest secret plan hatched out of City Hall is an effort to privatize some services, including selling the naming rights of certain City Buildings (such as the Downtown Central Riordan Library to Phillip Morris) to sponsors. Laura Chick blew the lid on the plan which, as noted by Rick Orlov, won't win her any friends in the Mayor's office. Laura Chick was status quo as a Council Member but she's really done a great job as Controller shaking up the system.

Via David Markland's KNBC blog we learn that a Russian college professor predicts that California and the west will eventually be part of China. That flies in the face of some political candidates who seem to think we're becoming part of Mexico.

Zocalo, the public affairs non-profit that gets big sponsorships from Bank of America, The Gas Company s and even the Westside White Guy, has a very compelling interview with Council President Eric Garcetti. In the piece we learn that Garcetti finds beauty in well designed websites, that it's always springtime in Los Angeles and that he'd like to have a beer and go hunting with Teddy Roosevelt. On the other hand we learn nothing about why he put the lid on a report showing that Proposition B is shady and unworkable.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

CurbedLA reports that Council Member Tom LaBonge unveiled a slick new map that shows all of Los Angeles' Sister Cities (I don't think this blog is on that map).  One of Curbed's readers dares to ask "This is what LaBonge wastes his time with?" No, LaBonge finds plenty of other things to waste his time on.

Mayor Villaraigosa and members of the City Clowncil finally announced their major solar intitiative this week.  What isn't mentioned is how they're planning a major tax and spend scam for the March ballot that you will pass for this big boondoggle.  We're not opposed to alternative energy at all but the Mayor's advisors have found that the one positive he can try to run on is as the "Green Mayor." Since he never got around to those 1000 more cops.

Speaking of those cops, a line in the sand may be drawn between the Mayor and the City Council on budget matters.  The Clowncil wants to consider a hiring freeze for LAPD and LAFD but the Mayor is committed to his public safety agenda.  Mayoral spokesflack Matt Szabo told the LA Times "The easiest way in the world to balance the budget is to cut police and fire, but we're not paid to do what's easy. We're paid to do what's right."

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

Mayor Villaraigosa supposedly has a plan to deal with the City's multi-million dollar budget deficit. The rotten economy has caused a severe reduction in the receipt of sales and other taxes by the City. Significant layoffs of City workers are expected.  Of course if the Mayor would stop raising taxes he might actually see an increase in revenues.  Funny how things work that way.

Yet another Metrolink train has hit a freight train where it shares tracks.  This time in Rialto an eastbound Metrolink train hit the end of a westbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train that was pulling onto a siding from the main track just west of the Rialto station.  The voters passed a mega-billion dollar bond that will build a high-speed train from Fresno to LA that will share right-of-way with the beleagured Metrolink. God help us.

Zuma Dogg caught Gavin Newsom driving his state-of-the art SUV and parking in a fire lane in Malibu this past summer.  Now the San Francisco Mayor is taking heat back home for the SUV use and for having what appears to be an excessive use of security personnel.  KGO television takes the Mayor to task and even quotes the Dogg in their report.

Speaking of Zuma Dogg, the Mayoral candidate reports that he's received his 500th petition signature to get his name on the ballot.  Every petition circulator however knows it is wise to get several hundred more signatures than necessary because not everyone who signs is actually a registered voter or a City resident.  Zuma reports on some of the events he's attended to get signatures showing grass roots politics in action.

Members of the City's system of Neighborhood Councils want the ability to initiate "Council files" which could eventually force City Council action on issues of importance to the local panels. However, a number of City Council members feel that in exchange for this "power" Neighborhood Council members should be required to submit some form of financial disclosure form.  Former Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Manager Greg Nelson opines at LA CityWatch that the price for this "privilege" may be "too high."

And finally the struggling economy may find more folks going homeless and forced to live in their cars.  Though many of LA's residents have truly "mobile homes" it's technically against the law to sleep in your car in Los Angeles.  Council Member Bill Rosendahl is looking to change that.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

The Los Angeles City budget outlook for 2009 is "bleak" according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  The Mayor told attendees at the annual "Budget Day" Saturday that the budget deficit could reach $400 million prompting deep cuts in City services and job layoffs.  Not good news for a Mayor going into re-election.

An organization the represents various cities in the San Gabriel Valley has come out against the Mayor's transit tax scam - Measure R - that would raise taxes on residents througout LA County to build projects in West Los Angeles. The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments voted unanimously on a resolution that opposes Measure R. La Cañada Flintridge City Councilman Dave Spence told a local publication “You just can’t take funds and tax the people in San Gabriel Valley to give the city of L.A. their transportation needs.”

LA isn't the only city in Southern California getting hit up for more taxes and bonds. A Santa Monica based community group, Friends of Sunset Park is opposed to a bond raising money for Santa Monica College on the November ballot.  Among a long list of detailed objections to the bond measure, a key issue prompting opposition to the bond is the fact that although Santa Monica's property owners will pay the full cost of the bill, only 15% of SMC students actually live in Santa Monica.

Fifth District City Council candidate, Adeena Bleich, is first in fundraising according to current reports.  Bleich, a former deputy to controversial incumbent Jack Weiss, has raised $150,000 with former Assemblyman and West Hollywod Mayor (carpetbagger) Paul Koretz just behind Bleich with $142,000 raised.  The old, dead Republican Mayor has yet to decide who he is supporting in the 5th District however Adeena holds a special place in my heart as she was one of the first folks to buy a Bob Hertzberg stuffed bear from the Mayor Sam Online Store.

School Board Member Tamar Galatzan writes in CityWatch that she's been trying to get the straight story on a previous agreement between the LAUSD and the DWP to allow pilot group of schools to install solar panels to generate some electricity.  According to District officials who spoke with Galatzan, the DWP cancelled all meetings with respect to the contract and didn't sit down to discuss it with the school district until after the agreement expired.

Don't forget our Fourth Birthday Party this Friday night at Casa Princesa in Highland Park, hosted in partnership with Zuma Dogg and the LA Daily Blog.  Also, stay tuned Monday for an announcement of a new blogger here at The Sister City.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Ron Kaye's Saving LA Project met over the weekend to further solidify it's agenda and mission. According to Kaye, Heinrich Keifer agreed to be acting president, Nina Royal acting secretary and Tom Carter acting treasurer until further organizing activites are complete. In the meantime, the organization has chosen to focus on efforts to establish at "ratepayer advocate" at the DWP and to support the establishment of Griffith Park as a historic landmark.

In light of the recent economy and credit crunch Mayor Villaraigosa has called on all City department heads to start preparing for significant budget cuts in next year's budget. The cuts could lead to major cuts in services and lay-offs, in other words, the current situation could be forcing the City to get back onto a realistic spending plan.

Yet another screed positing the fantasy that transit tax scam being foisted on the County by Westside politicians can solve the traffic problems in LA is posted up over at CityWatch. It's been pointed out several times that you can't build enough subways and trains in LA to cut back on the traffic that plagues the City. In the meantime the measure, which must get 66% of the vote to pass, is running into oposition in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and eastern LA County.

Candidate for County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is advancing a bill that would bring "congestion pricing" to road use here in Los Angeles. Simply put, you'd be required to pay to drive on the freeways you're already paying gas taxes for. Its just another way for the government to squeeze your wallet further in guise of solving some social ill. In other news, you can see Ridley-Thomas acting like a fool outside Saturday's Sarah Palin rally at the Home Depot Center.

In a shocking development Shelly Mandel, the President of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women, has endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket according to Greta VanSusteren of FoxNews. According to VanSusteren this may lead to a number of other feminist leaders who do not support the Obama campaign to come forward and throw their support behind Sarah Palin. This has caused the intolerant of opposing viewpoints Democratic party hacks who run NOW to go apolectic and issue renunciations of Mandel and calls for her head.

Something in the water at the Associated Press. They're claiming that Sarah Palin's criticism of Barack Obama for associating with 1960s Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers is "racist." Odd, considering liberals are hit for such associations all the time. How is it racist? Or is it racist that ANY attack on Obama is racially motivated because Obama happens to be "black?"

Britney Spears parents have banned her from having sex for six months. Jamie and Lynne Spears feel that having booty calls would have a negative impact on the pop princess' recovery from her previous troubles and could derail her current career comeback.

National Park(ing) Day Spotlights Park-Poor L.A.

This Friday is National Park(ing) Day.

Sponsored by the Trust for Public Land, Park(ing) Day is an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces. More than 400 temporary parks in 70 different cities are expected to appear in a parking space near you.

Park(ing) Day is a superficially apt name considering the amount of time Angeleos spend parked on LA freeways. However, the juxtaposition of 'urban parking lots' and 'green space parks' cuts a great deal deeper. According to data from USC's Green Visions Plan study, the poorer parts of Los Angeles are some of the most park-poor in the US. They're severely lacking smaller, quality neighborhood parks and passive recreation opportunities that a RAND Corporation study found to be heavily preferred by most Angelenos, regardless of race and economic factors.

The Department of Recreation and Parks was in the public input stage of a much-needed citywide Needs Assessment process to address this dearth of green space when they were broadsided by the Mayor and City Clowncil -- RAP was slapped with the highest budget cut of any department in the City (17%). For the last two years, Rec and Parks had been recovering from nearly two decades of being gutted by politicians and poor management. This latest cut clearly spotlights the Mayor's and City Clowncil's utter disrespect for the need of all Angelenos to recreate and relax.

In fact, each year in recent memory, the Mayor hasn't just cut Rec and Parks' budget, but has placed it on more and more unstable footing by increasing the percentage that comes directly from the General Fund. For 2008-09, Mayor Villar felt that no one would notice if he put roughly 80% of Rec and Parks' funding -- an all-time high -- at serious risk by forcing it to rely on the health of the General Fund.

Since the General Fund relies on City sales and property taxes which are substantially lower now during this economic downturn, it's likely that the 17% cut will end up far deeper in reality .


So just how many Los Angeles Park(ing) Day parking lot parks will be drawing attention to the criminal lack of parks, park space, and parks funding in Los Angeles? Go to Parking Day LA's web site to find out or to register your "park" and help bring attention to Los Angeles's parks issues.

City to Spend $1.6 Million on Book Fair in Mexico

When the City of Los Angeles was struggling to balance it's budget on the backs of local libraries, most of whom do not have enough books for local children, a little known plan was hatched within the bowels of the City's Cultural Affairs Department to spend up to $2 million in Federal grant money on the City's participation in a book fair in Jalisco, Mexico, including the construction of a pavilion for the event.

You may remember back in May significant cuts for the library were proposed including a fee charged on children who borrowed books from other branches across the city through an inter-library exchange.  Citizens banded together to save library funding while librarians were instructed to shake down Neighborhood Councils for book funding.  Indeed, the Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council voted to forgo an election mailer in order to fund the library (at a vote taken literally minutes before an announcement from Councilmember Wendy Greuel that funding had been restored).  At the Neighborhood Council elections about a month later, turnout was about 100 voters in a community of 95,000.

The proposed cuts and fees never happened and $2 million was restored to the library budget as Council Member "Sleepy" Greig "Good Deal" Smith gleefully boasted to CityWatch.

Tuesday the Council will vote on a motion by Councilmembers LaBonge and Huizar to approve the $1.6 million in funding for the book fair. If it bothers you that our local children don't have enough books in their libraries or schools there is still time for you to call your Council Member.  Here is  their contact information below:

District 1 - Ed Reyes	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7001 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 410 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 2 - Wendy Greuel	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7002 200 N. Spring Street, Rm475 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 3 - Dennis P. Zine	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7003 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 450 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 4 - Tom LaBonge	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7004 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 480 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 5 - Jack Weiss	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7005 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 440 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 6 -Tony Cardenas	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7006 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 455 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 7 - Richard Alarcón	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7007 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 425 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 8 -Bernard Parks	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7008 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 460 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 9 - Jan Perry	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7009 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 420 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 10 - Herb J. Wesson, Jr.	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7010 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 430 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 11 - Bill Rosendahl	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7011 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 415 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 12 - Greig Smith	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7012 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 405 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 13 - Eric Garcetti	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7013 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 470 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 14- José Huizar	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7014 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 465 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District
District 15 - Janice Hahn	[e-mail]
City Hall Office (213)-473-7015 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 435 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Field Offices Map of District

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Bad news for the Mayor and the LAUSD.  A poll commissioned specifically by the Mayor finds that at least 53% of Angelenos feel the City is on the wrong track.  It's even worse for the School Board as 73% of those surveyed feel the Board is doing either a poor or fair job managing the school district.  The poll also shows significant support for smaller schools and charter schools.



The MTA Board of Directors voted to place a sales tax increase on the November ballot in order to pay for Westside transit projects.  Board Members Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Duarte City Councilman John Fasana were the only two members to vote against the tax.  County Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained and County Supervisor Don Knabe was absent.  The measure must now receive the approval of the County Board of Supervisors and then a 2/3 vote Countywide in order to go into effect.  Significant opposition to the tax - which primarily benefits only West Los Angeles neighborhoods - exists in eastern and northern cities in the County which could derail passage.  Additionally, a number of transit activists were either disappointed at items not included in the measure or were outright opposed to the spending plans.



City officials are afraid the state may turn to tapping into local funds to help balance the state budget.  The City of Los Angeles is heavily lobbying against such a move considering the fiscal instability of the City at present.  However, representatives from the Govenor's office as well as legislative leaders say there are no plans to go after local funds at present.  But don't expect the Mayor won't use this as another reason to raise local taxes, uh, fees.



If you're looking for something fun to do next Tuesday in Boyle Heights, you can attend Councilman Jose Huizar's town hall meeting featuring the Councilmember and various City department heads.  6:00 p.m.., Tuesday, July 29th at The Puente Learning Center in Boyle Heights.

Guess What? Mayor Admits Event Waivers Drive Up City Payroll!

How do you win a jackpot if you don't go to Vegas or play the lottery? Be a city employee who gets overtime pay, usually for doing nothing. The Daily News reports that the City paid $350 million in overtime pay to employees last year. For at least 1500 city employees, the overtime earned them a bonus of $50,000 or more on top of their regular salary.

The Mayor says he's trying to cut back; getting departments to comply with cutting back non-essential overtime and holding accountable department managers who are not compliant with the order.

What's behind the overtime? You guys are going to love this. Mayoral spokeshole Matt Szabo told the Daily News that 'much of the extra pay is being driven by the cost of providing necessary city services and security for special events - from marathons to parades - that are granted fee waivers."

You think? Zuma Dogg and Greig Smith better get cracking!

Deal, No Deal, or Outright $teal?

The Budget and Finance Committee's hearing on the Mayor's 2008-09 version of his rape of LA's quality of life has lifted off. As Joe M points out at Street-Hassle, department supervisors and GMs are playing 'Deal or No Deal' with Bernard P and his gaggle of geese all week long. Deal or No Deal has got to be one of the stupidest game shows ever. It takes zero skill to pick a suitcase. If there is just 1, $1 million case in the 26 you pick from, then the odds of having selected the $1 million case are 1 in 26 -- the odds on that never change no matter how many other cases remain. The audience for Deal or No Deal, much like the City Clowncil, is mainly composed of males attracted to shiny objects (and cleavage.) No harm, no fowl, I suppose.

I've recently pointed out how a major cut in Recreation and Parks could endanger millions by removing the parks' first responders to brush fires, the Park Rangers. After the Griffith Fire, LaBonge, the Mayor, and every other City official who had a forum to do so told us all that they would make sure Park Rangers were fully staffed and funded from now on. What a difference a year makes, eh? With a wave of his quill, Villaraigosa cuts more than 20 full peace officers from the City payroll. (Yes, I actually said "...cuts... peace officers...from the City payroll"). Isn't it fascinating that although Antonio treats some peace officers as sacrosanct, he doesn't mind endangering the public when those officers are not of a specific breed?

Park-going Angelenos have a great deal to lose if they don't wake up and get in the Budget game right now, not the least of which is 50% of the LA City Park Rangers. Our quality of life is being stolen out from under our very large bills. So shake a tail feather -- go downtown and speak in Public Comment. Email your City officials right away. Call LaBonge and let him know what high school you went to. As Sunland-Tujunga is proving, sometimes activism is not just a wild goose chase.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Future Condo Site, North Hollywood - Photo by Mayor Sam

The city has no cash, members of the City Clowncil refuse to give up their personal slush funds and the Mayor wants to charge kids to borrow books from distant libraries. The Daily Breeze sees a solution in this: give the Council slush fund to the libraries.

Lots of people like cool, well-designed electronic billboards but they don't have the time NIMBY cranks do to organize against them all over the City. And now it looks like Long Beach will be one of the only South Bay cities without revenue generating, entertaining, civic pride bearing electronic billboards along the 405. For Christ Sake, do we have wait until Lawndale to see what's going to be on the next episode of 24?

The City is supposed to broke. The Mayor is raising your taxes and fees to make up for a budget deficit. He says he's making spending cuts. So why - as Walter Moore reports something you won't read in the Former Fishwrap of Record - is the recently announced budget INCREASING overall spending nearly a quarter of a billion dollars over last year?

Zuma Dogg has a run in with the Governor and got most of it on video. The KENNEDY REPUBLICAN didn't seem to want to respond to Zuma.

We get stupid emails sometimes. Just because you want some reforms to illegal immigration and alien gang members deported doesn't mean you agree with ignorant drivel like this.

Apparently bubble gum star and superstar sibling Ashlee Simpson arriving with her boyfriend at LAX is news. It's nowhere near as important as Britney Spear's legal bills. Who knew?

How about $7,334,470?

In December 2004, the LA City Council voted to create the Office of Public Safety which consolidated a large number of public safety positions outside the LAPD in to one unit. This was pushed as a budget savings move which, in analysis by the CAO, could save Los Angeles between $200,000 and $900,000 annually.

In February 2008, councilites Greuel and Weiss issued a press release praising the increase in services and the amazing financial savings the creation of OPS has brought the City. (Whoohoo! Save us money!) Simultaneously, stating that they need more funding to do the job they promised to do in 2005 at an annual savings to the City, OPS has requested 2008-09 funding increases of: $2,480,000 + $911,000 + $1,000,000 + $1,532,000 + $25,000 + $1,386,470 = ... (drumroll) ... $7,334,470

Oops!


OPS was created using a ****load of Homeland Security funding with the noble ideal of somehow saving the City money while simultaneously transforming the City’s General Services Department Police into a one-size-does-fit-all solution to law enforcement issues not handled by LAPD in Los Angeles.

This money-saving consolidation caused huge upheavals in a number of the affected City Departments: Zoo, Recreation and Parks, Libraries, General Services, Convention Center all saw a large numbers of employees move to a new department along with the responsibility of some of the most fundamental services they provide. Today these departments continue to be responsible for making sure the services are provided to their respective public patrons, even though these services are now out of their control.

Devised by James Hahn and Wendy Greuel, the plan was shoved shamelessly through by SEIU who was pushing their 'one City, one workforce' mandate (shades of “one size fits all”) and who wanted control of a second police force that was unencumbered by the consent decree and the large number of paying union members that came along with the package.

In a yearlong series of public dog and pony shows, SEIU promised the public that the same services would be provided by OPS as were previously provided by Zoo security, Park Rangers, Library security officers, and GSD Police and Security at public buildings, plus a huge increase in the strictly public safety component. However, the statistics upon which these promises were made were incorrect by anywhere from 33% to 1000%, and SEIU and OPS knew it. Oops!

Regardless, on February 9th, 2005, OPS took over security at more than 800 City locations. And how is that going, so far?

As happened at a Feb 17, 2008 Elysian Park Public Safety forum hosted by Ed Reyes, LA City parks patrons -- those who are either not afraid of political ramifications or not afraid to lose their City-related jobs -- will tell you that not only are the same services not being provided by OPS, but previous service levels that used to be provided by a perpetually underfunded and understaffed Park Ranger division are not even being maintained. The promised “24 hour security coverage” holy grail might exist on paper, but good luck getting a response if the call isn't sexy enough for OPS to respond. Half the time they don’t even have a car in the area, which is exactly one of the main issues SEIU promised the public to correct with OPS. As for that CD 1 Elysian Park Public Safety forum? With concerned members of the public, Council Office and Rec and Parks officials and Park Rangers waiting, OPS arrived 90 minutes late. ...Oops.

Other agencies' public patrons have similar complaints. The Library Commission actually had the political gonads to vote against supporting the Consolidation, and their concerns have proved well-founded. In early 2007, KCBS did an indepth investigation on the huge increase in crime at LA City libraries, the very libraries whose security was taken over by OPS in 2005. In defending the rapidly growing money pit and bureaucratic nightmare, OPS Chief Garry Newton complained that his department was getting more calls that their faulty statistics said they would. He also stated that crime was actually down in City Libraries, but had no data to support the claim. Oops!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math. $7,334,470 in additional funding is far greater than a maximum of $900,000 in savings, and this doesn’t included the major funding increases OPS has received using different excuses at different times in 2005, 2006, and 2007. The so-called savings are long a thing of the past. Yet, services to City patrons are no better in most cases, and worse in many cases.

Th OPS Consolidation is a very complex beast and Union and City officials are on notice to be team players about supporting this pet project; publicly they make a united front on the wonders of OPS-ness. But for the public, it comes down to this: OPS does not provide the same services as were previous provided and it does not save the City any money -- it actually costs a great deal more. Meanwhile, OPS has absorbed all of the Homeland Security resources and funding that may have gone to agencies like Zoo and Library Security forces and the Park Rangers who actually did provide the services in question as possible on the thinnest of fractions of the funding the OPS behemoth currently consumes. Now during the City budget crunch, OPS wants more. A lot more.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Ben Golombek - Greuel
February 6th, 2008 (213)
473-7002

Lisa Hansen - Weiss

(213) 473-7005 Greuel, weiss OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY has improved security and saved city money OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY'S CITIZEN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE EXTENDED

LOS ANGELES - Continuing their efforts to improve public safety and save taxpayer money, City Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Jack Weiss, today, led the Los Angeles City Council in extending the Citizen Oversight Committee for the City's Office of Public Safety (OPS) for an additional two years. In December 2005, Councilmembers Greuel and Weiss led the City Council in creating the Office of Public Safety, which consolidated security divisions from City Departments, outside of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"The Office of Public Safety has helped to save the City money and make Los Angeles safer," said Councilwoman Greuel. "We have more security in our parks and at our City facilities with improved response times. Now more than ever, the city must address its economic inefficiencies and streamline the way it does business."

Because of the creation of OPS, City security forces now have the ability to respond to incidents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result, OPS has been able to respond to 131% more calls than the Departments collectively could before the consolidation. The creation of the OPS has helped to save the City money by reducing bureaucracy and duplicative administrative roles.

"The collaboration of the City's public safety departments has been beneficial to maximize limited resources and expertise," said Councilmember Jack Weiss. "Continuing the oversight of the Office of Public Safety will ensure that this office delivers on its promise of efficiency in City services."

The consolidation has also helped enhance security at City facilities -- improving access control, monitoring systems, quality control for contract security, improved policies, procedures and training.

The OPS includes officers that were formerly part of the Departments of General Services, Library, Zoo, Recreation and Parks, El Pueblo and Convention Center.

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