UPDATED "No Balls" has "No Teeth"

This morning's post is from a Mayor Sam reader and animal
shelter volunteer who is frustrated that the city has a neuter-spay ordinance going in to effect today, but who says that there is no tangible, clear plan to make its intended benefits a reality.

An email just received from the same party clarifies that the person supports the law, but without some "teeth" and a strategy for licensing, feels it is nothing more than a feelgood measure. Haikula agrees, and reiterates that if people have information on such services in SoCal, post it here and we will organize and share it. Mr. Ed Boks, the shelter general manager, has not responded to numerous requests for information.

From a reader:

Vanity. That is what the city's new spay-neuter ordinance is, as it comes into effect today. It is a law made for show only.

"We have no plan to go door to door to enforce the spay-neuter law." Those are the defeatist words from Edwin M. Boks, the general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services shelter.

There is also no plan to get licensing under control, and provide massive on-demand spay-neuter and the shelters are packed with animals with no vigorous city plan to find homes for them.

The boardwalk at Venice Beach, South Los Angeles and Tujunga would be great places to start licensing and spay-neuter enforcement, but Mr. Boks has no formal plan per usual.

Could you let people know that next week's Personnel Committee meeting has a special evening starting time so that shelter employees and rescuers can take the next step in their request to get the general manager that Mayor Villaraigosa promised us, but failed to deliver.

Please do not post my name because I am a shelter volunteer, and Mr. Boks has already made an effort to intimidate us.

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You said it well enough! The Personnel Committee meeting is going to take place some time next week in Van Nuys City Hall. If anyone knows the time, please post the link to the agenda here and we will re-post it in advance of the meeting.

If any readers can provide links to spay-neuter resources from the city or elsewhere in SoCal, please post them here and we will gather and re-post on a regular basis.

Here is some Van Nuys trivia that will bore everyone except Tom LaBonge.

1. 1872 Isaac Van Nuys builds first wood-frame house in Valley.
   
2. 1914 — Universal City opens as a studio-cum-town. Floods inundate Van Nuys and cut off Valley from Los Angeles.


3. 1966 — Busch Gardens amusement park opens in Van Nuys.


4. 1970 —Women join assembly line at Van Nuys GM plant. Bethlehem Star Parade ends due to waning interest.

A parade ending due to waning interest?

Can anyone say Hollywood Christmas Parade?

Friday Hotsheet, Open 4 a.m.

Photo: JM, Yellow Submarine, Echo Park , 11.20.07

What's the big deal about opening at 4 a.m.? I've been up at that hour for years.

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I keep wondering what's going to happen to Angelino Heights once they open up those streets they're currently laying down. That community is yuppie or worse at the top of the hill and tenement or worse at the bottom. And with traffic coming out of downtown what it is, you have to think that it's going to occur to more than one commuter to take a shortcut across those newly-connected old streets once they open up.

Calling Cap'n Jack: Still, the neighborhood's not without its enticements---the other day walking on Patton I saw what appeared to be a wrapped-up yellow submarine (above). Maybe Captain Jack Sparrow can tell us what gives here.

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I overheard the other night that Richard Meruelo wants to develop a 12-storey condo tower in Boyle Heights someplace near the coming Metro stop. With the eminent domain decision on Taylor Yard going against him, it wasn't a good week for the Meruelo hegemony. So good luck with that, and let us know how it works out for you.

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I'm admiring the Daily News local news coverage more all the time---and it started off high---but they should continue to question every single line of email that is sent to them by a City publicist/Council office. Or do they really think that 250,000 people are going to watch the Hollywood Santa Parade? Here's what 250,000 people in LA look like, and you just aren't going to see that in Hollywood.

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Oh, and here's an idea I heard: Alan Mittlestaedt for Daily News City editor. How does that work for you? I think he's too libertarian (and not moderate Republican enough) for general Valley tastes, but...read his 10 questions for Ace Smith if you doubt he's up to it.

It's Going To Be A Shady Christmas

This is one of those issues that you can not trust the MSM to get right and where blogs like this perform a valuable service.

This week the City Clowncil voted to step in and take over the financially failing Hollywood Christmas Parade. For years the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has operated this parade but last year has lost over $100,000 and expected to lose twice that this year. This is due to declining interest in the parade by the community and television stations who paid for the rights to air it.

The parade has been produced in recent years by Pageantry Productions, a Lynwood based event planning company that has been involved in many festivals, events, etc. sponsored by the City.

Chamber insiders tell the Sister City that it is their view Pageantry's alleged poor management of the event is responsible for their losses. Individuals involved with events sponsored by other groups also tell this blog that they blame Pageantry for lousing up their events.

Pageantry is owned by Bill Lomas, reportedly a close associate of Councilman Tom LaBonge. It was LaBonge who sought and got the Council to fund the event in his district.

This is what the mainstream media will not tell you; they go for the warm and fuzzy angle that the parade is back on - rather than reporting on the true nature of how business is done in the city and all the behind scenes action that is responsible for the mess we are in. Indeed, they cluelessly call it a "miracle." How hard are these lazy "journalists" actually working?

The honest truth is that the Hollywood Chamber lost their way when they turned the event over to professionals. These types of events need to be organized by the stakeholders in the community, who know the community and have its heart and soul close to them. This is the type of event that both government and private business are ill-suited to produce.

Say hi to Santa Shady!