Shade & Fraud - Why Eric Garcetti Should Consider Other Career Options

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti won't be going to India as U.S. Ambassador any time soon.

President Joe Biden's recent re-re-nomination of him just a few weeks ago hasn't been withdrawn, but his White House - which keeps saying how important it is to have an ambassador in India - has yet to re-re-submit Garcetti's paperwork even though the second half of his term is well underway.

As of this morning, the U.S. Senate's Executive Calendar has a bunch of nominations, but none with the name Garcetti  on it.  

There are a few reasons why.

To find out, jump on over to my Substack.  While you're there, sign up for my free newsletter and follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

And Now Back To Eric Garcetti

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Now that the mid-terms have passed, LA's hometown weenie, Mayor Eric Garcetti, may soon get a vote on his long-stalled nomination to be the next Ambassador to India.

It was a long, circuitous and embarrassing road for Mayor Yoga Pants, but I break it down in this quick read on my Substack.

While you're there, please sign up for my free newsletter and follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

Eric Garcetti's Final Free Lunch: Crow with Karma

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - There are various types of political comeuppance in Los Angeles.  But it is Mayor Eric Garcetti, a world-class conniver, who will soon feast on his final free lunch of crow with karma as it is slow-cooked and slow-walked from the kitchen to his smirking pie hole.

In days or weeks, on the grand Washington, D.C., political stage, Garcetti may sheepishly withdraw his nomination to be the next U.S. Ambassador to India, lest President Joe Biden will do it for him.

Look for it to be done on a Friday around 6pm in true cowardly fashion.  It will be savory and scrumptious for everyone except Garcetti, as L.A. has waited and waded for such a day.

To read the whole column, please join me over at Substack and be sure to sign up for a free subscription.  

Thanks as always to Mayor Sam, Scott Johnson and the late great Michael Higby.

Eric Garcetti, Mask-less at Super Bowl LVI

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Most of Los Angeles already knows that L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is a congenital liar who will mislead, misstate and misrepresent for any reason or no reason at all.

Despite his ridiculous claim two weeks ago that he held his breath while mask-less and posing for photos at the NFC Championship Game, here he is mask-less, not posing for photos, at Super Bowl LVI.

(L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mask-less Again, at Super Bowl LVI)

It makes you wonder whether he is trying to get President Joe Biden to withdraw his nomination to become Ambassador to India.  

It's either that, or he has an incessant jealousy about how Inglewood landed the stadium he couldn't build, draw two NFL teams that were already playing in the City of LA and has now served as host to sports' biggest stage: the Super Bowl.

To read further, please visit my Substack, and sign up for a free subscription.  Always informative, occasionally humorous.

Also, please follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport. 

(Daniel Guss, MBA, was runner-up for the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club journalism award for Best Online Political Commentary and a runner-up in 2021 in the Activist Journalism category.  He has contributed to Mayor Sam, CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star News and the Los Angeles Times in its Sports, Opinion, and Entertainment sections and Sunday Magazine among other publishers.)

"Ted Lieu, Is Everything Okay?"

 By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - "...What we want to know is what was going on when Southern California Congressman Ted Lieu Tweeted laudatory thoughts about President Joe Biden, citing American job creation statistics from a dubious Nigerian blog that said American independence was first declared on 'July 4, 1774.'"

Or that President "Buden" is the 45th President of the United States.

We're no math majors, but if we got our guzintas right, 45 was President Donald Trump.

(Congressman Ted Lieu Shows Off His Hosiery Collection)

It'll make more sense if you check out the rest of the story on my Substack.

Feel free to share this widely.

Follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

(Daniel Guss, MBA, was runner-up for the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club journalism award for Best Online Political Commentary and runner-up in 2021 in the Activist Journalism category.  He has contributed to Mayor Sam, CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star News, Los Angeles Downtown News and The Los Angeles Times in its Sports, Opinion and Entertainment Sections and Sunday Magazine among other publishers.)

"Eric Garcetti - LA's Dishonest Crock of Chowder"

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Let's start the day with a bold prediction: LA Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to India will go down in flames due to his habitual dishonesty, including allegedly lying under oath in both civil litigation and while giving testimony to the U.S. Senate for that nomination.

Eric Garcetti Claims He Held His Breath For This Photo Opp

Courtesy: @NextLAMayor, Kevin Dalton

But small lies often mask serious ones.

And all along, Garcetti was continually endorsed by the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board and allegedly protected by the newspaper's reporters.

Oh, but it's so much worse than that now, as Garcetti's former Communications Director Naomi Seligman says that the Mayor should be indicted for perjury; a story even the Times can't ignore.

To keep reading, please head on over to my Substack.

NEW YORK MAGAZINE: "The Mayor Knew: Eric Garcetti's Top Aide Was a Serial Harasser, According To Multiple Accusers. The Mayor, They Say, Ignored it."

By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - Don't count on LA Mayor Eric Garcetti making his way to Bombay.

The city's beleaguered chief executive, who was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Ambassador to India, allegedly knew about, but ignored, serial sexual harassment by his right hand man Rick Jacobs.

That's at least according to a slew of people as described in New York Magazine.

The article says that Garcetti and Ana Guerrero, his disempowered former Chief of Staff, repeatedly ignored horrendous behavior by Jacobs, who is the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles by the Mayor's former LAPD bodyguard.

"'He crushes me against his body, pulling me in with all his strength,' she says now, telling her story for the first time. 'I'm like a rag doll.  He's pulling me into him and kisses me on the lips for some long, uncomfortable period of time. He kisses me on the lips.  I'm trying to pull back, but he has my arms pinned down against the sides of my body so I have no leverage to push back.'"

That's from Naomi Seligman, Garcetti's Director of Communications on April 14, 2016, describing an encounter with Jacobs in front of a slew of witnesses in an excerpt from the article.

"'I'm surrounded by my entire team, and they've seen this act of dominance over me,' she recalls."

Yesterday, this column was first to predict that LA City Attorney Mike Feuer's mayoral campaign is DOA due to a federal corruption plea deal by Paul Paradis, a legal hire of his who admitted to a $2.2 million kickback scheme.  We now predict that Garcetti's nomination to become Ambassador will soon be down for the count, as well.

So when, exactly, does Guerrero get fired and the LA City Council take a vote of No Confidence, in Garcetti?  

At any rate, we look forward to Biden pulling Garcetti's nomination before too long.  If not, look to Senator Ted Cruz to deliver the knockout blow.

The story by Alissa Walker can be found here: 

(Daniel Guss, MBA, was runner-up for the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club journalism award for Best Online Political Commentary and was a runner-up in 2021 too. He has contributed to CityWatch, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star News, Los Angeles Downtown News, and The Los Angeles Times in its Sports, Opinion and Entertainment Sections and Sunday Magazine among other publishers. Tell your friends to follow him on The Twitters @TheGussReport, and DM him there to join his distribution list for early story notifications, tips and more.)

Testing Positive, Eric Garcetti Was Always The Wrong Messenger On COVID Safety

 By Daniel Guss

@TheGussReport - The news just broke that LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has tested positive for COVID causing lots of I told you so messages given the Mayor's hypocrisy and utterly unscientific claims about his following the science.

Garcetti told one particularly big, bold COVID lie on May 11, 2020, declaring that "the science" said we could walk on the wet sand of a shore, but not lay on the dry sand of its beach.

His quote from the LA Times was "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday that he supports reopening the city's beaches for active recreation, with some restrictions. Sitting or tanning in the 'dry areas of sand' would not be a good idea right now, Garcetti said.  'But the wet sand area - if you need to get in there to swim, to surf...that is something I hope we can earn again.'"

The LA Times didn't bother to report, or apparently even ask, what was the source for that "science."

It wasn't the truth.  

It wasn't science then.  

It isn't science now.

Recently, I did ask Garcetti that question and he untruthfully responded "that was the science at the time," though he would still not identify his source.

A neurotic megalomaniac, as Tucker Carlson pegged him, Garcetti forced upon much of Southern California his ill-considered and restrictive daily mandates with televised lectures reflecting only his personal neuroses rather than actual science.

Most LA media didn't bother to question his veracity despite his long public track record of dishonesty.

Further, Garcetti's hypocrisy was evident early on as he ignored his own mandated mask-wearing, including in highly dense crowds, because his life-long goal is to be seen as Kennedy-esque and deep in thought, which are born solely of his fanciful imagination and delusions of grandeur.   

It eventually caught up with him.

Eric Garcetti 

Masking Rules For Thee, But Not For Me

Photo Credits: Unknown

Garcetti felt it was safe for him to go maskless, but his aides must not.

A Mask For Thee, But Not Eric G.

Then there's the irony of Garcetti testing positive while with Joe Biden at the global warming conference in Glasgow, Scotland.  Having restricted the movement of millions of people with his brand of "science," it is Garcetti who is now restricted from returning to the U.S. until he is deemed by both governments as safe for travel and re-entry.  Now that is ironic.

Eric Garcetti

COVID is serious and has the ability to cause severe and long-lasting illness and death.  While we do hope for Garcetti's recovery, his testing positive after not following his own rules that he inflicted on millions of people proves that he was all along the wrong messenger for all of the above, and most of everything else.  

Garcetti's office will not disclose whether he got a COVID vax booster, for which he has long been eligible.

(Daniel Guss, MBA, was runner-up for the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club journalism award for Best Online Political Commentary and was a runner-up in 2021 too. He has contributed to CityWatch, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star News, Los Angeles Downtown News, and The Los Angeles Times in its Sports, Opinion and Entertainment Sections and Sunday Magazine among other publishers. Tell your friends to follow him on The Twitters @TheGussReport, and DM him there to join his distribution list for early story notifications, tips and more.)

A Momentary Bloggin Episode in Deconstructing Factually-challenged Comments via Mayor Garcetti and the LA Times

With no apologies to the likes of Mayor Eric Garcetti and "The Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street (aka LA Times)", your bias, subjective attempts to misrepresent yesterday's Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump's "Second Amendment Comment (and other verbal utterances)", cannot whitewash the 2008 Wife of Impeached President Bill Clinton's  "Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Comment" ......., and Joe Biden's "Shotguns and Beretta Joke" directed at, now President Barack Obama.   

The "Local Democratic Machine Fishwrap of Record" and Mayor Eric Garcetti.

** Blogger's Note: We interrupt a Mayor Eric Garcetti-led delegation to the 2016 South of the Equator Olympics (and the LA Times reporting of), to bring our cyber-audience a "Bloggin Teachable Moment" on the pratfalls of engaging in factually-challenged, partisan presidential politics in the Age of the Internet. 

As the "Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street (aka LA Times)" reports, the Second Term-seeking Mayor expressed concerns about the possible impact a "Donald Trump Presidency" would have on LA's quest to hope the 2024 Olympics. 

Of course, after yesterday's substance-devoid, outrage over the Second Amendment Rights comments via the New York Billionaire, the Rhodes Scholar, turned multi-ethnic politico with national office aspirations, would be remiss if he did not join in the Main Stream Media-led (with the LA Time's aiding and abetting), context-lacking Pinata Party, targeting the Republican Nominee. 

But as we document below, Mayor Garcetti and the LA Political Machine's "Fishwrap PR Contractor of Record", cannot gloss over the TRUTH of a "certain 2008 Democratic Candidate (and current 2016 Democrat Presidential Nominee), who cited the 1968 Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, in rebutting calls to drop out before the California Primary, against now President Barack Obama. 

But more telling in outing the Double Standard of those who found insinuations of violence and malice, lurking between the syllables of Candidate Trump's remarks, is the video below of now Vice-President Joe Biden's "Shotguns and Beretta Joke" directed at his then, running mate Barack Obama.

In the Spirit of Objectively ........., and in educating those trapped in a bias, subjective mind set, we have posted all three videos for your open-minded review below----Scott Johnson.

Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump's "Second Amendment Rights Comments". 

Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton's "2008 Assassination Comments".

Now Vice-President Joe Biden's "2008 Shotguns and Beretta Joke directed at Barack Obama"

Separated at Birth?

Walter Dunham, Joe Biden (following defeat of Obama gun control measures in the US Senate).

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!

Iowa Tea Party Leader Calls Obama on Carpet for Admin's "Terrorist" Comparisons

Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes takes on President Obama over remarks Joe Biden made comparing the Tea Party to terrorists. The President denied that Biden made the remarks.

On August 1st, the liberal blog, Politico, reported however that Biden had accused Tea Party Republicans of having "acted like terrorists" during the recent budget debate.

 

The Joe Biden Commemorative Plate

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

For some reason the folks at Metroblogging are down on children.  First David Markland disses the Girl Scouts and their cookies.  Now Chal Pivik plans not to procreate thanks to wild teenagers in Silver Lake.

We know a little about anoymous blogging.  That's why I have to say that it was completely wrong for an Alaskan State Legislator to blow the cover on an anony-blogger in the 49th state even if that blogger was spreading trash about Sarah Palin.  Mike Doogan, himself a writer, sent an email blast to his supporters claiming to identify the blogger behind Alaska Muckraker, an anti-Palin site.

I told you the Earth Hour was really much ado about nothing.  Looks like most cities hardly dimmed for the event as seen in the video below.



Some of the ugliest apartments ever built are renting for $4,000 to $5,000 a month in Universal City.  From Curbed LA.

A friend of the daughter of Vice President Joe Biden says he has her on tape snorting coke.  From Gateway Pundit.

Wendy Greuel's House of Flip Flops

I'm not sure if Wendy Greuel is having a John Kerry or Joe Biden moment.

The candidate for City Controller is airing a commercial (below) where she chastises the City Department of Housing for hiring a Zen Buddhist consultant to teach employees how to breathe.

Yet, as a Council Member Greuel voted to approve the funding for the program.

In the spot Greuel also lashes out at the Department of Animal Services who apparently bought equipment they never took out of the box.  However, as noted by the always excellent David Zahniser in the LA Times, that issue was a key point of a Laura Chick audit released months ago and Greuel's Audits and Efficiency Committee never took up that contract.

Even Council Member Jan Perry, usually a Greuel ally, was a bit miffed by the spot saying "If you have a problem with something at the time, you say it at the time and you vote accordingly," with regard to Greuel's sudden turnaround on these issues.

So like Kerry I guess Wendy was for it before she was against it?

Big Mouth Joe Does It Again!

It's going to be a fun four years as our new Vice President - who the Los Angeles Times referred to as a "gaffe machine" - gets under his boss' skin and gives us plenty-o-laughs on the blog.

Here Joe the Biden tries to make a crack about Chief Justice John Roberts' flub during President Obama's swearing in (which by the way was re-done Wednesday night just to be on the safe side) and clearly the President is not amused.

We want to thank President Obama for giving us the most fun Vice President since Dan Quayle or perhaps even Spiro Agnew. We've gone from VP Darth Vader to VP Your Crazy Old Uncle.

Special Inaugural Hotsheet for Monday

There are a number of public viewing parties of the inauguration of President Obama Tuesday with a large event set for LA Live hosted by the four scariest words in Los Angeles, Acting Mayor Jan Perry (who will be in charge of the city with both Mayor Villaraigosa and Council President Eric Garcetti at the official event in DC).

In the meantime at least two local blogs will have on the ground coverage of the events in DC; LAist has a crew en-route road-tripping while our correspondent Jack Witt landed at Reagan International this afternoon and will begin filing stories Monday.

It's been a while since we've heard from Big Mouth-Elect Joe Biden; the Barack Obama transition team has done a remarkable job of keeping the former Delaware Senator in the shadows. However it had to be too good to be true when the soon to be VP told the New York Times “I’m the most experienced vice president since anybody.” By the way Biden admits he hasn't even seen his new office yet. Oh it's going to be a fun four years!

With just a day left in office Republican lawmakers such as California's Dana Rohrbacher are urging President Bush to pardon Border Patrol Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. Even Democrats such as Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-Ma.), soon to be Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) support at least commuting what many feel are excessively long prison sentences. Compean and Ramos were convicted of shooting an allegedly illegal alien drug smuggler on the Mexican border in what some counter was a politically motivated prosecution. Considering how little time left Bush has as President the chances for Compean and Ramos are looking quite slim.

You Can't Fight Hate With Hate

In the discussion of the anti-same-sex marriage ballot measure, Proposition 8, much has been said against those who support the measure and hence wish to outlaw same-sex marriage rights.  And sadly much of that has been bigotry towards Christians, chiefly Mormons and Catholics.

It is true that a number of evangelical Christian, Mormon and Catholic organizations have supported the Yes on 8 measure.  It is also true that a number of religious organizations however have endorsed marriage equity and the No on 8 campaign (including Catholic and Mormon groups).

Which brings me to an important point.  One of the chief Christian churches that not only opposes Prop 8 but has a long (back to the 70s) and strong record of support for the rights of gays and lesbians and same-sex marriage.  That would be the United Church of Christ, the very denomination that both Barack Obama and I belong to.

Which to me makes it more disingenious that Obama does not support same-sex marriage and claims it for religious reasons.  While I take issue with Senator John McCain, Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin's stance on the issue, all three are members of denominations (McCain - Southern Baptist, Biden - Roman Catholic, Palin - Non-denominational Evangelical) that have a historic opposition to same-sex marriage.

Obama needs to come clean and say that he either opposes gay marriage for political reasons or personal reasons because our church doesn't hold the belief he says it does. Of course I was baptized into the church a good 24 years before Obama was so maybe he missed that Sunday School class.

One Last Time For Some Great 2008 Election Videos

I'm F'ing Obama



Barack Roll



Obama - McCain Dance-off



Obama's Family



The Olden Boys



The McCain Girls



Obama Girl




And the classic of all classics, Joe the Stumbler's most legendary gaffe

Where Is Joe?

Joe is missing.

No, not Joe the Plumber but Joe the Stumbler.

That would be Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.

After one too many gaffes - ranging from everything from asking a guy in a wheelchair to stand-up, to inviting Sarah Palin to a restaurant in his hometown that closed down 20 years ago, to saying that if Obama is elected we'll face an international crisis in the first six months of his Presidency, Joe has been silenced.

"The Obama's team's management of Biden's role in the campaign would indicate that he is regarded as a potential problem. He is simply out there visiting ice cream parlors and keeping his famous mouth shut except for a lick or two after a couple of somewhat embarrassing gaffes -- a tendency for which he has been notorious throughout his career."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

With the race tightening in favor of the Republicans the last thing Barack Obama needs is Big Mouth Biden to do is open the canyon up one more time as folks go to the polls. "Just chill Joe and we'll see you at the party."