A Special "Tracy the CD 2 Sock Puppet Constituent"Birthday Greeting to City Councilman Paul Krekorian

We bring you this special "Tracy the CD 2 Sock Puppet Constituent" Birthday Greeting to its City Councilman, Paul Krekorian.

"Tracy the CD 2 Sock Puppet Constituent" is all smiles in wishing its City Councilman Paul Krekorian a most blessed and sincere Happy Birthday (** we wonder if Tracy will extend its birthday wishes, in written form, to the Studio City Patch?).

Councilman Krekorian looks pleasantly shock to get a Happy B-day greeting from "Tracy".

We sincerely hope that Councilman Krekorian's Communications Director Jeremy Oberstein will share a Happy B-day Cupcake with "Tracy".

Your thoughts and our sincere Happy B-day wishes to Councilman Krekorian (with humor).

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Hump Day

We bring you this Symbolic Media Moment via CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian

Like Mayor Antonio Villar, CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian will seek out media pandering opportunities.

Great Hump Day to all as President Barack “H” Obama stands behind a political human shield of children, in his continuing political exploitation of the Sandy Hook Tragedy.

Locally, CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian has resorted to his usual grandstanding proclivities, in calling for a local ban on ammo for high-capacity weapons (** we should note that Krekorian’s proposal did not come with any glowing endorsements from sock-puppet CD 2 constituents in the Studio City Patch).

We recommend to the current City Clowncil Central Committee Budget Chairperson, that his symbolic acts of media pandering, would be better serve, insuring that some sort of real pension reform, be instituted to safeguard the future integrity of the General Fund, that provides for public safety. As the USC educated Krekorian would agree, the growing pension obligations in the near future, will have an acute high capacity impact on city services, including law enforcement, any intuitive sock puppet could agree with that.

But if Clowncilman Krekorian really wants to concern himself with a “real dangerous, high-capacity issue”, then we recommend that he speak out against his former democratic colleagues in Sacramento, who’s “high-capacity dumping” of supposed “Non-Revocable Parolees/ Low Level, Non Violent Offenders” via the AB 109 Prison Realignment Debacle, has killed the innocent and driven up property crimes city-wide.

After all Clowncilman Krekorian, its not the high-capacity ammo magazine that kills, but the increasing amounts of criminals back on the streets, due to the very real (and deadly) high-capacity dumping of “instruments of crime”, that should concern you.

** We can sound the “all clear” (for now), regarding Clowncilman “Average Joe” Buscaino and Mitch Englander’s scheme to reinvigorate the General Fund with $3-4.5 Billion dollars of supposed street money improvement bonds. But rest assure, this will not go away, unlike the desire for pension reform.

**  Hmmm, this from the Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street, regarding the “University of Scandalous Conduct’s” putting out of the unwelcome mat on its main campus? Maybe the “former Fishwrap of Record” will devout story budget to USC’s outrageous community behavior regarding its Health Science Campus?

** While the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors cried uncle after residents push back on its proposed storm water parcel tax proposal, residents, environmentalists and park advocates should push forward and demand prompt corrected action to repair sensitive green space habitat damage at Hazard Park via the past action of CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar

Your thoughts …………..
Scott Johnson in CD 14

Krekorian and Historic Tacos

City Council Member Paul Krekorian is noted for being one of the more intelligent and articulate members of the Municipal Horseshoe, but a recent series of missteps is not helping perception of the Second District rep as of late.

You may remember the controversy where Krekorian's regular column in hyper-local news blog, Studio City Patch, was demoted from featured status because of revelations that the question and answer format feature (ghostwritten by Krekorian Communications Director Jeremy Oberstein) had created fake constituents who were submitting comments to the Councilman to respond too.

Later, we reported on a sinkhole in the NoHo Arts District in CD2 that was left to sit simply guarded by pylons and repairs were not arranged until I had to be really annoying and cause a stink about it.

Now, the closure of a beloved community icon, Henry's Tacos, may be partially blamed on Krekorian.

The Studio City taco stand has operated on the corner of Moorpark and Tujunga for 51 years. In fact, I remember passing by there every day as my mother drove me to my nursery school on Moorpark and Colfax. The third generation owner has been locked in a struggle with the landowner who reportedly has some development plans for the site. Unable to secure a long term lease, she turned to the community to seek designation of the 1960s style roadside stand as a cultural-historic landmark.

The City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission did indeed, by a unanimous vote, find the business and structure to be historic and recommended to the full City Council that such status be conferred. Next step would be that Krekorian, as the Council Member for the location where the business sits, would shepherd the Commission's recommendation through Council.

According to Oberstein, and other press reports, the application was heard before the Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Krekorian asked the PLUM Committee to postpone the application  pending the land owner and Henry's owner working out a reasonable lease arrangement. That was earlier this year and from that point, no further action was taken by Krekorian nor PLUM.

Lacking the Cultural Landmark designation, and following the land owner not coming to terms with Henry's or potential buyers (some of whom who reportedly agreed to all of the landlord's conditions), the owner of Henry's, Janis Hood (granddaughter of the founder), opted to shutter the business.

Once that went public, the ire of some segments of the community turned to Krekorian for the failure of the stand to gain the monument status. A remark one reader made to me was that it was a "pocket veto" by Krekorian of the status.

We spoke with Oberstein who said much of what had been written or said was "misinformation." "The challenge that Henry’s has faced is due to a private business relationship; it is not at all due to the status of the City’s historical designation process," Oberstein wrote me.

Following this, Oberstein released a statement from Council Member Krekorian, which basically reiterated his view that this was a private matter and that Krekorian was waiting on the two parties to reach agreement. Krekorian stated that he never heard back from either party and that he first learned of the closing from a Facebook post.

I asked Oberstein what would the normal procedure be in handling a matter like this. If indeed the Council Office had not heard from the parties would Krekorian's staff reach out to them for an update? I didn't so much get a direct answer as a repeat of their position that they had never heard from either party.

At the same time, Krekorian may have felt sensitivity that some were going to accuse him of doing the developer's bidding. Krekorian's statement included "I also feel that I must make clear that suggestions by some that I have “other plans” for the property are simply false." The Council Member states he is not aware of any plans for the property and that the owner has not sough any zoning changes, building permits, etc.

In the meantime, a number of Hollywood celebrities are ralliyng to try and save Henry's.

Bottom line: While the issues here are complex, and Krekorian is likely correct that the cultural status alone would not save Henry's, it does appear that a good amount of internal bungling may have led to perceptions of Krekorian's intent for the property and perceptions he and his staff will need to spend quite a bit of precious time reversing. Perhaps an initial follow up call to the parties early on would have saved the Council Member quite a bit of trouble.

The Krekorian Sinkhole is No More

A 'hole lot of fillin'
(Photo by Jeremy Oberstein)

After a few months without being addressed by the City, a major sinkhole that closed down one lane of an important North Hollywood street, located in the 2nd Council District has finally been filled.

Bureau of Street Services workers were seen early this morning digging out the caved in concrete road and preparing it to be repaved. Repaving was finished by mid-day and is now setting. It can be assumed the road will be usable within a few days at most.

While the end result is a good one, one wonders why BSS took so long to fix the sinkhole, why there was no visibility within the Council office and why it took this blog browbeating the Council Office here and on Facebook to even get any resolution.

One can imagine this would never happen in Burbank, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, San Fernando or any number of other cities in the County of Los Angeles.

Welcome to the City of El-Lay!

Thanks to Paul Krekorian Director of Communications, Jeremy Oberstein, for providing the updates and the photo.

What's Still Going On In LA This Monday?

That's funny!

The "Krekorian Sinkhole" in North Hollywood remains, getting deeper with recent rains and seemingly addressed only on Facebook by Krekorian spinmeister, Jeremy Oberstein.

Andrea Alarcon remains as President of the Board of Public Works, even after new details emerge in her alleged case of child abandonment following a wild party at City Hall and after, a local hotel.

Joseph Mailander continues to expose the ineffective, expensive and band-aid approach to homelessness. The merit to Mailander's argument - which for sure is one to give some homeless activists, elected officials and others a mild case of indigestion - is that it a common sense approach, that has worked in other countries and comes from a dyed-in-the-wool committed liberal, not Richard Riordan.

Workers at the LA Port are still on strike.

Phil Jennerjahn is apparently still running for Congress.

Indeed, it's Sort of a Hotsheet!

Paul Krekorian's "Letter-Gate" scandal has ended the days of his every so often column at Studio City Patch. Following disclosure that a letter from a "constituent" asking a question and praising the Second District Councilman was actually not from a real person and a fabrication of his Press Chief, Jeremy Oberstein, the AOL owned property has now demoted the Krekorian column to the "blog" section of Patch, user provided content that is about a step below Facebook postings.

Phil Jennerjahn is telling us "We told you so."

Labor maven Madeline Janis is whining about former Mayor Richard Riordan's pension reform efforts. Her screed is that the former millionaire mayor's administration was fraudulent and ineffective, which is probably true to some extent, and that any "development" successes such as the Staples Center, Hollywood and Highland, etc. were the result of deals done between union interests and developers. Poppycock. It is indeed Riordan's brand of crony capitalism and clueless Downtown LA mentality, partnered with the thuggery of LA's union establishment that is responsible for a dearth of successful development in LA and the City's slide into fiscal collapse and over irrelevance.

Los Angeles County is cutting staff and shuttering several courtrooms as part of a cost savings measure. Among those closing include legendary courthouses in Beverly Hills and Malibu, where a number of high profile celebrity cases have been prosecuted with the likes of famous troublemakers Lindsay Lohan, Robert Downey, Jr., etc.

Krekorian's Biden/Kinnock Moment

It was a seminal moment of the 1988 Presidential campaign when now Vice President and then Democratic Senator Joe Biden plagiarized a speech originally given by Neil Kinnock, a member of the British Labour Party. Biden was later discovered to have "borrowed" from speeches by Robert Kennedy and others. Needless to say, Biden was forced to abandon his campaign for the Democratic nomination that year.

Since politicians are always spinning, it's not unexpected that we find them re-inventing portions of their personal narrative. Both President Obama and Governor Romney were accused of such during the now shuttered 2012 campaign. 

How interesting it is though, when we find an elected official creating out of whole cloth, letters and comments from "constituents," when often these very communications are used quite frequently to document or gauge where stakeholders' views are on a certain pressing issue.

Which brings us to Los Angeles City Council Member Paul Krekorian.

PURE IMAGINATION:
City Council Member Paul Krekorian

The latest kerfuffle to hit the Second District rep involves his monthly column "Ask Paul" which runs in  various editions of Patch, an online newspaper of sorts that targets hyper-local news and issues.

Krekorian was recently using his latest column to gin up support for a controversial plan addressing billboards in Los Angeles - and to deflect criticism from billboard critics of Krekorian's plan away from the Council Member himself. 

Cupcakes, anyone?
Jeremy Oberstein,
Krekorian Spin-meister

According to a story by Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News, Krekorian's column (actually written by longtime communications director and former journalist, Jeremy Oberstein) referred to a Studio City resident who questioned the plan but praised Krekorian's "integrity."  Turns out, not only the question but the "resident" was a fabrication created by Oberstein.

Krekorian's office had claimed that the voter in question is a "composite" of the many types of comments they receive. 

Following the discovery, the editors of Patch removed the original story with an explanation and allowed the Krekorian team to publish raw comments they claim their office has received on the billboards plan.

In the meantime, Krekorian has found himself coming under fire from many sources, including long-time anti-billboard activist Dennis Hathaway who was dubious of Krekorian's plan to begin with and was of the mind that Krekorian was shilling for the billboard industry, not really responding to his constituents' concerns on how to address the problem.

The Council Member's misstep even caught the attention of famed blogger and gadfly, John Walsh, who offered to stage a "Fake Letters to Paul" contest, offering, in his usual flamboyant fashion, the winner "First Booby Prize is Breakfast with Paul Krekorian. Second Booby Prize is Breakfast and Lunch with Paul Krekorian and Third Booby Prize is Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with Paul Krekorian."

Los Angeles continues to remain fun!

Happy Birthday to CD 2 Communications Director Jeremy Oberstein

We want to take this time to wish CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian Communication Director Jeremy Oberstein a Happy Birthday. When you work for a proud progressive such as Councilman Krekorian, then you will understand where Jeremy gets his great people skills. we hope that at this time, Jeremy's fellow staffers have avoided the "polluted brownfields" of City Hall and found the proper location to celebrate this special day---Scott Johnson at Mayor Sam.

The talk and walk of CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian

Thanks to Communitcation Director Jeremy Oberstein of CD 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian's office for relaying us the two photos above of yesterday's City Council observance of the 96th Anniversity of the Armenian Genocide, co hosted by City Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilman Paul Krekorian.

UCLA Professor Richard Hovannisian was honor for his academic work in documenting the history of the 1.5 million Armenians put to death by the Ottoman Turks.and using this history to combat all forms of genocide.

Video Journalist Peter Musurlian provides us with this video of Councilman Krekorian enjoying a stroll in the Verdugo Mountains with the Sierra Club. Sierra Club Trip Leader Garen Yarparian organizes a hike with an public official on the third sunday of each month.

Your thoughts..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14 

Friday Free for All

A lot of attention has been focused on LA Council races, especially the hot and spicy politics in CD14 but there are races elsewhere, even in other cities.  West Hollywood has a contentious race with nine candidates going for three seats.  Among the issues include development in the compact but upscale city and the appointment to a vacant of youngster Lindsay Horvath to an empty council seat instead of a special election being held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of a Council member.  All nine candidates engage in a contentious debate Wednesday evening.

Speaking of the West Hollywood race, candidate Scott Olin Schmidt (formerly known as the Boi from Troy blogger) will be joining Frank Sheftel, David Hernandez and myself, Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. on latalkradio.com.  

Read more »

Friday Free for ALL-eys

Paul Hatfield examines the condition of some local alleys as a sign that the City is in deep doo doo.  In the meantime former scribe and current Paul Krekorian press jockey Jeremy Oberstein has created a very cool blog about alleys.

So what's up yours?

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Thomas L. Barrett  12/10/62- 12/14/10

In case you didn't realize it yet, the end is very near.

And while we're waiting, San Jose steps up righteously, and becomes the largest US city to ban the environmental devastating plastic bag. Now it is time for the City of LA to do the same!

J. Michael Hagopian, a filmmaker that spent his life gathering the testimonies of over 400 Armenian Genocide survivors has passed away at the age of 97;

-The filmmaker was a survivor of the genocide, which historians estimate resulted in the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman-ruled Turkey beginning in 1915. The Turkish government acknowledges a smaller number of deaths and attributes them to war, famine and disease, not genocide. It also contends that both Turks and Armenians lost their lives.
Hagopian's determination to refute the Turkish claims led him to his life's work: compiling 400 interviews with Armenian genocide survivors and witnesses. He used their accounts in several films on the World War I-era disaster that historians consider the first major genocide of the 20th century.
"My main aim during all these 40 or 50 years was to catch our history for the future," Hagopian said in a video tribute to him in April arranged by Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian.
"It's an extraordinarily special thing to have a survivor of the genocide be the world's leading chronicler" of the event, Krekorian, whose ancestors came from the same Armenian village as Hagopian's family, said in an interview Tuesday. "There are a relative handful of survivors left throughout the world, which is precisely why his life's work is so critically important. Without that work, the memories that all of these witnesses carried with them would have been lost to history."

In the Oh No You Didn't Take Away My Parking Pass department; nothing will piss off volunteer NC members and activists faster than not being able to park for free at City Hall. CD2 spokesman Jeremy Oberstein is working overtime to smooth the ruffled feathers.

Paul Hatfield sees an encouraging sign in Governor-Elect Jerry Brown's willingness to go after a sacred cow.

Finally, a sweet goodnight wish for my dear brother, Thomas Barrett, who passed away yesterday at the tender age of 48. You are in my heart and I will miss you so much.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Paul Krekorian Communications Director Jeremy Oberstein, sporting a stache for the Movember fundraiser, digs into some post-holiday cupcakes.  There is still time to donate and support men's health.

Mega-developer Rick Caruso wants to expand his Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale by purchasing some adjacent lots.  Only problem is the owners say they won't sell.  So what does Caruso do? Follow up with some state sponsored capitalism and seize the land through eminent domain.  That's also known as socialism for millionaires.

Speaking of Glendale the former Mervyns store remains empty in the Glendale Galleria after two years.  Maybe it could be a Home Depot.

The latest photo opp for Mayor Villar will be with Chabad in the Valley at Universal Studios.  No word if the Mayor will dance with the Rabbis.  However Chabad is know for being masters at rehabilitation so perhaps they can reform the Mayor.

Adam Carrolla for Mayor.  Also.

Latino leaders in Nevada disgusted with Republicans who don't listen to them and Democrats who take them for granted are considering organizing similarly to the Tea Party Movement.  The Tequila Party wants to put "the establishment on notice." I'll join!

Phil Jennerjahn hooks up a gem of a post asking "Do We Really Need This Many Clowns on the City Council."  The answer is, for the sake of Mayor Sam, yes.  Best line: "Richard Alarcons addiction to Middle Eastern Hummus caused a voting foul up."

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Poor Matt Szabo! The Deputy Mayor and former Mayoral spokeshole has been doing the bidding of the Mayor for a very long time. In fact we've been told that Szabo doesn't break wind without first checking with the Mayor and then getting an all clear from Mike Trujillo.  But we digress.  We've been worried about Szabo's condition having worked for Villaraigosa for several years.  Now poor Matt got upbraided by Jan Perry in Clowncil Tuesday when he was all tongue tied over his presence at a DWP meeting.  More from Mulholland Terrace.

Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes is known for carrying the water for lobbyists and special interests in Sacramento having passed some 11 lobbyist written bills. He's also received tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from these interests.  Now the Daily News asks nicely "Please stop."  If anyone is actually working over there, maybe the Daily News might want to look at the independent expenditures some other Assembly members (including a recently elected one) have benefited from and watch what bills they pass.

If you thought Jan Perry giving Matt Szabo a "what for" in chambers Tuesday was fun, our very favorite spokes-hole, Jeremy Oberstein of Paul Krekorian's office tweeted Council Member Dennis Zine and former DWP GM David "The Green Cowboy" Freeman's dialogue from a comical tragedy known "Freeman and the Zine."

The comedy continues on Spring Street.  CMs Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz have introduced legislation allowing the number of cats one household may own to be increased from three to five cats.  Though I don't believe in such laws to begin with, who the hell needs five cats? I am glad however these esteemed legislators are on top of this pressing issue of such concern to all of Los Angeles.

We all know how the Mayor has managed to solve so many problems in Los Angeles that he has the bandwidth to add one more duty to his job description, that is the ability to perform weddings.  Currently California law only allows Mayors to perform weddings if temporarily deputized by the County Clerk.  A bill brought by San Francisco Assemblymember Fiona Ma would have given Villaraiogsa such power but alas it was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.  His reasoning? The law only extended to charter city mayors and not all of California's mayors and gosh darn it we want any mayor in California to have the right to goof off right?