Sizzling Tuesday Hotsheet

Mayor Sam gave Haikula a $5 raise and the keys to the morning Hotsheet. It’s my world. It’s a good world. Come join me.

On this day in 1952, Richard M. Nixon delivered his “Checkers” speech. It reads a lot like modern day Los Angeles City Council.

Speaking of dogs with the same middle initial, Edward M. Boks, the curious $181,000 per year general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, had to turn-tail and go away empty-handed after showing up at the Van Nuys shelter and demanding a meeting with shelter employees just 48 hours after City Council warned him about retaliation for their demanding his termination. The matter was referred to union officials and certain City Hall suites. But when a general manager isn't able to get a meeting with Department employees, it's over. Look for the City Council's Personnel Committee to come up with a termination recommendation for Mr. Boks and his assistant gm, Linda Barth, who has seen more than her fair share of legal & ethics trouble in other departments. (More information on that as it comes in)

Speaking of retaliation lawsuits, the LAPD ain’t got nothing on the LAFD and Tennie Pierce. A former cop was just awarded millions in this recent verdict. Maybe the Department of Water & Power rates will go up again in order to pay the award and legal fees.

Fortunately, the DWP is still on the L.A. Daily News' editorial radar. It has a knockout editorial on the never-ending fat at DWP. “A very real dark comedy being played out in Los Angeles City Hall, where elected officials are more interested in fleecing residents for more money than adapting their own spending to reflect the true state of the local and national economy.”

No matter where you stand on the presidential candidates, you will enjoy reading Republican commentator Andrea Tantaros' provocative article about how celebrities can best help Barack Obama: shutting up.

Renowned writer Dominick Dunne fell ill yesterday at O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial in Las Vegas. He says he is fine. However, that brings to mind the infamous Celebrity Death Pool.

KNBC channel 4 pre-empted "The Conan O'Brien Show" last night because of a scene in which they were smashing items together. News anchor Colleen Williams came on TV and said that they were interrupting the show's reference due to LA's recent Metrolink/Union Pacific accident. Come on, really?

If you are still having difficulty figuring out who to vote for, consider this:

Finally, a thought for the day: If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be Congress?