Downtown Chamber et al Backs Sales Tax Increase; VICA Says No

Last line of defense
against Herb Wesson?
VICA's Stuart Waldman

Well, duh.

VICA, though it has it's moments, is one of the last of the true business advocacy organizations out there.

Those "business" organizations that are supporting the sales tax increase pushed by Council President Herb Wesson (doesn't he represent a low income district?), giving the City one of the highest sales tax rates in the country, are part of the downtown cabal that have joined in a symbiotic and blood sucking relationship along with developers, out of town banks & corporations with a presence in Downtown LA, "community" organizations, unions, politicians and the "affordable housing" lobby to make sure each of them get their own crack at any combination of the following:

• Money.
• The ability to bed attractive lobbyists, staffers, commission members, whomever has something in exchange.
• Invitations to great cocktail parties, sporting events, awards shows, etc.

Sales tax, one of the most regressive forms of taxation, disproportionately impacting the poor and devastates small business. This particular increase would hit hard on communities like Sunland-Tujunga, North Hollywood, Venice, etc. that all border on cities with lower tax rates and where consumers can easily travel a few blocks to save some cash.

The Downtown interests, in this case driven by the real estate industry, want to shift this tax burden to consumers. Where is Occupy LA when you need them?

VICA presser after the jump...

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Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

The Fishwrap of Record opines that the battle between City Councilman Tony Cardenas and City Controller Laura Chick over anti-gang programs is typical of the dysfunction that continues to plague City Hall; leading activist/attorney Connie Rice to declare the City is "...stuck on stupid" in the fight against gangs. Still, the Times' prescription - to turn it all over to Mayor Villaraigosa - is equally stupid.

One of our tipsters tells us that LA City Planning Department Director Gail Goldberg and her chief zoning investigator Michael Logrande allegedely hook up regularly at a downtown watering hole to "talk shop and drink beer." According to the anonymous source, "Gail likes her beer!"

Greg Nelson proposes that the City could do well to lease out LAX. A number of cities worldwide have either leased out or privatized their airport. Chicago is about to do the same with Midway Airport. Nelson estimates that leasing the airport could generate $100 million a year in new revenue. He urges Neighborhood Councils to study the idea and urge the City Council to consider it.

I thought this was a piece from five or ten years ago but a Daily News editorial for Sunday accuses the Mayor and City Council of having "spent the city to the brink of insolvency even as they have jacked up taxes, fees and rates at every turn." They then follow up with a litany of everything we'd all agree is wrong with the City. Question now is, what are we going to do about it?

Post-mortem on the end of the Fabian Nunez era in the California Assembly. Nunez was successful in turning his Assembly Speaker post over to his hand picked successor, Karen Bass, but his immediate future appears uncertain. Perhaps Mirthala will be waiting by the phone.

LA's Homeless Blog takes issue with a silly notion by Christopher Hawthorne in the Fishwrap of Record that Mayor Villaraigosa heads up a "world class city" such as London, New York or Shanghai. The Homeless Blog rightly makes the case that a city like Los Angeles - with a significant and unaddressed homeless problem - is more of a third world city.

Did you know a number of tunnels run under downtown, connecting various government office buildings?