Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Tamar Galatzan's Visual Blight, Sherman Oaks - Photo by Mayor Sam

Is anyone in Los Angeles more arrogant than William Bratton? Rick Orlov reports that Bratton "has made clear during his tenure it's that he doesn't like anyone telling him how to run the LAPD." His latest target is Dennis Zine who is attempting a change to Special Order 40 albeit a highly watered down version of Jamiel's Law. Apparently the New York fool with the Culver City spin thinks he knows more about the LAPD than the former motorcycle cop turned Clowncilman who's been LAPD for like what nearly 50 years? Go to hell Bratton!

Mayor Villaraigosa is telling you that his next annual trash tax hike will pay for more cops. But city records say the money raised won't even come close. So, after a few months of that, what's next? November's City Income Tax measure on the ballot (called something else of course).

Blogger Robert in Monterey reports that rising gas and transportation costs have made living in the suburbs more expensive and causing home prices to fall. Living in the city center in dense concentrations will meet some of the housing needs for many; hence Zev Yaroslavsky's support for suburban sprawl probably doesn't make sense.

Speaking of Zev, I spoke to one of the bigger developer types in LA today; he's convinced Zev will run for Mayor. And this piece here represents more of the "coming city superstorm" that is going to cause a massive anti-development political earthquake in Los Angeles.

Sunday Burro Droppings

Ron Kaye got a very nice Passover card from the Backstabbing Bachelor Nanny Lloyd Levine. Kaye said that Levine must have presumed he was Jewish. Of course the card was really a campaign piece for Lloyd's soon to be over run for State Senate. Kaye was offended by the card finding it pandering and useless as to telling voters what Levine's clear plans are if elected.

Joseph Mailander, Zuma Dogg and the Sister City all brought up something we've been talking about for a while - Mayor Villaraigosa's plan for a citywide personal income tax. It's been in the third floor crock pot for some time but it could be on this November's ballot. According to Captain Jack, the plan calls for "a 2.5% tax on income over $35,000 per year which would put at least $875 per income earning person into City coffers per year. " However, when you get your sample ballot, don't go looking for "Proposition Whatever - A Measure to Impose A Citywide Personal Income Tax." It will most likely be called the "2008 Act to Bring Hearts, Flowers and the Smurfs to Los Angeles." We've learned about that trick at least once and really twice.

The Hollywood Sign was actually built by real estate developers promoting a big housing project and now developers who own land adjacent to the sign want to develop it. You can imagine that has everyone in a tizzy.

A blogger refers to Ed Roski's plan to build a football stadium in the City of Industry as a "pipe dream" and opposes any public funding for the project. The blogger says one of the benefits for Roski however to build the stadium outside the City of LA is that "he will not have to deal with Mayor Television and the Bickering City Council."

Two bits of housekeeping. You may have thought that our use of various photos as a lead in to the hotsheet (as opposed to the usual picture of the old, dead Republican Mayor) is a rip-off of Joseph Mailander's hotsheets here on the blog and now at his new site, Street-Hassle. Guilty as charged. It was such a great feature I felt someone needed to keep it going at Mayor Sam. So now with both blogs you have two sets of photos to enjoy. The other item is you might have noticed a change in my byline. The old Mayor isn't going anywhere but in my continuing use of various Google products, I've decided to consolidate all my accounts under one name. As well, two other blogs I maintain, Downtown NoHo and Absolute Random Nonsense will be brought under the Mayor Sam Networks umbrella in an effort to provide you more content.

Open Thread for Saturday

If you're a kid in Lincoln Heights and the local library doesn't have the book you need - but the Chatsworth branch does - you can request an inter-branch loan and get the book sent to your local public library. In the never ending world of Mayor Villaraigosa's imposing fees (including a potential city income tax) to pay for his budget nonsense, that kid in Lincoln Heights (and everywhere else) may have to pay $1 per book for the pleasure of borrowing library books (which are supposed to be free).

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

Phil's Diner, North Hollywood - Photo by Mayor Sam

This story should make you giggle. Mayor Villaraigosa is looking for every way he can to tax you more and more. But of course they're not taxes but fees because he can't increase your taxes (well legally anyway) without your vote. And what makes it deliciously fun is the City Council might insist - at least for a couple minutes, about as long as they were opposed to water and power rate increases - that any increases be offset by cuts in "spending at City Hall." Ha ha that's they them! They won' t even give up their slush funds that they use to pay for event waivers, free food for Matt Dowd and other nonsense. Incredible! Hope you people wake up soon! Get ready soon for the city income tax!

Columnist Ira Mehlman does an excellent job of deconstructing the liberal hypocrisy in the reaction to the calls by Jamiel Shaw's family to pass Jamiel's Law. Mehlman perfectly captures the usual arrogance of some of our City Clowncil members, "Councilman Bill Rosendahl condescendingly explained that the reasons for city policies that shield illegal immigrants – even those who commit crimes – were far too complex for them to grasp and that further discussion needs to be put off for another time."

A blogger thinks that the members of the DWP Commission should be responsive and accountable to the people. Were they hitting the medical marijuana y'all?

Future Mayor Zev Yaroslavsky had an Antonio type moment over the weekend. He picked up a major "man of the year" type award from a local film festival.

City Income Tax Should Stir Outrage

Zuma Dogg and I have been working over the last few days to uncover more information about "chatter" we're hearing about the City of Los Angeles implementing some type of personal income tax.

Of course there are a lot of reasons why the Mayor or Council would not want to call this an income tax or any kind of tax. One of which is that such a tax is presently, well, illegal.

Tax increases of many kinds without a two-thirds vote of the people in California are prohibited under the terms of Proposition 13 however that hasn't stopped politicians who are able to get a good chunk of left leaning judges to agree with them. When is a pig not a pig? When its a user fee or some other type of cute term that doesn't use the word that ends in x.

So the City - facing a drop in revenues due to their spending like a drunken sailor as well as the downturn in various sectors of the economy - is looking to every chance they can to stick it to you for more dough.

Like the Mayor's garbage fee to provide more cops (it hasn't) these fees (taxes) are gussied up for some feel good cause like police, the children, our environment, etc. However the politicians never seem to explain what happened to the taxes we're already paying for these items and how they can drive the costs of things up so damn much.

Get ready for more of Antonio's and Eric's hands in your pockets. Its not a new idea but the proposal we hear that is being floated is that of a "occupational franchise fee." The idea is that everyone who makes above a certain amount of money pays this tax - oh - uh - I mean fee. Its more or less based on the draconian gross receipts tax that businesses in Los Angeles pay (until they leave for somewhere like Burbank or Santa Clarita or Las Vegas).

Local politics are not sexy and most folks are far more concerned with Hilary or Obama than what our municipal electeds are doing to us. And when they do get interested is more so than what Antonio is doing to screw some bimbo not themselves personally!

Get outraged folks - these people are ruining your city and messing with your lives. They know you don't know it.