Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Betty Pleasant (portrayed by TV's LaWanda Page
celebrates the inauguration of Bernard Parks.

In a move truly reminiscent of shutting the barn door after the horse has left, CM and possible Controller candidate, Dennis Zine, has called for reforms at the Department of Building and Safety.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto has reversed course and issued an apology for his rant about not getting paid when Controller John Chiang followed the law and refused to pay lawmakers who did not turn in a balanced state budget on time.  Blogger Paul Hatfield correctly notes that Gatto's apology is appropriate however the issue of the budget mess remains. Gatto, who received tough treatment from KFI's John and Ken last week, can be relieved the shock jocks are reportedly on vacation this week.

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Gatto: "I'm Sorry."

The Mike Gatto "Where's my effin movie check" meme concludes as Friday comes to an end with a heartfelt "I'm sorry," for his petulant comments about Controller John Chiang's historic and heroic stance on the state budget, which meant Mike would not get his allowance.

With that, we dedicate a song in honor of the young Assemblyman.

This Guy Has GUTS!

Congratulations State Controller John Chiang for standing up to the crybaby legislators.

Related, @ Paul Hatfield's Village to Village: Is Assemblyman Gatto smarter than a one year old?

State Controller Chiang Endorses Galatzan For CD 2

Tamar at bat.

Los Angeles, CA, August 25, 2009 - California State Controller John Chiang announced today that he is backing Tamar Galatzan in the contest to replace Wendy Greuel on the Los Angeles City Council.

"I am pleased to endorse Tamar Galatzan for the Los Angeles City Council, 2nd District. Having worked with Tamar for many years, I know she will be an outstanding representative for the Valley and Council District 2,” said Chiang, a former Valley
resident.

“As your State Controller, I know how important it is in these tough times to have people at all levels of government who understand budgets and can make the choices necessary to continue key services for the community. I know that Tamar has both the qualifications and the heart necessary to be a great councilmember for Los Angeles, and I fully support her,” continued Chiang.

"I am proud to have the support of my good friend, John Chiang," commented Galatzan.
"His courage and perseverance during the state budget crisis has earned him nationwide respect. I look forward to the City of Los Angeles working more closely with the State Controller during this budget crisis."

Galatzan, who has lived with her husband and two young sons in Studio City since 2004,has also received the endorsements of Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Angeles Airport Police Officers Association.

The special election will be held September 22.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

The LA Times reports that Mayoral candidate Walter Moore picked up a check for $43,000 of your tax dollars for the City's matching funds he's qualified for.  Walter may want to find a better bank as the Times mentioned the bank put an immediate hold on the funds but later releaseed $10,000.  If claims on this blog and an article by Steve Lopez in the LA Times are to believed the money comes just in time for Walter who has spent all of the $200,000 he collected from supporters on hats, bumper stickers and lawn signs.

Council Member Bernard Parks has stepped down from his spot on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Transportation Agency after four years on the panel.  Likely replacements include Council Members Tom LaBonge, Bill Rosendahl, Herb Wesson and Jose Huizar.  The loss of Parks from the Board removes a decent voice of fiscal prudence in favor of free spending politicians who dominate the MTA now.

When the government witholds taxes from your paycheck every week, you are essentially giving them an interest free loan for up to a year.  As well you are usually loaning them more money that what your total tax liability is and hence upon filing your tax return you receive a refund that the government has you convinced is free bonus money.  It gets even worse - now State Controller John Chiang has ruled you'll get your money back when he gets around to it because the state is broke.  Call Chiang and give him a piece of your mind at (916) 445-2636.

Programming changes at KABC talkradio and though the station is heavy on syndicated national programming, the latest round of alterations actually add one hour of local coverage a day including giving Doug McIntyre - who does extensive coverage of local politics - an extra hour a day as well as extending long time local host Al Rantel to a five hour shift during the evening.

George Garrigues, publisher of the Palms-Village Sun has a new book out covering the history of the eclectic Westside community.  Not sure if it's another America's Suburb but Los Angeles's The Palms Neighborhood chronicles the community's start as a resort for tony 19th century Angelenos who wanted to escape the heat of Downtown.

$21,000 In City Money Found

Sunday I reported on a couple of thousand dollars owed to Mayor Villaraigosa and his ex-wife Corina which is sitting in an unclaimed property account at the office of State Controller John Chiang.

You won't believe who and what has money waiting for them at the Controller's office. click read more to dig deeper!



The Unclaimed Property Bureau receives funds that banks, companies, insurance companies, utilities have on the books for various individuals or businesses but for some reason or another - i.e. a check was never cashed, a refund was never claimed, etc. - the individual to whom the money is owned has not been found. It then becomes the State's job to track these people down and give them their money. If this task is impossible, after three years the State claims the money for the general fund.

Recently, there has been controversy regarding the length to the which the state was going to track down the rightful owners of these funds. Controller Chiang has proposed a series of reforms.

One wonders how hard however it is to find well known figures such as the Villaraigosas, singer Barbra Streisand, actor/director Danny DeVito and his wife actress Rhea Pearlman, recording artist and father of Nichole Lionel Richie, developer and Maxine Waters fan Rick Caruso, sitcom star and comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano and even a few past Los Angeles Mayors such as Richard Riordan and the REAL old, dead Republican Sam Yorty. Other than Yorty, I think the rest of these people should be fairly easy to find.

But as the Daily News' Harrison Shepard reports the Bureau has had a hard time finding even government agencies that are owed funds including - amazingly - itself! Its been removed since but for a while the Bureau listed money it was holding owed to the Bureau.

So it's no surprise that the Bureau is holding nearly $21,000 from various sources owed to the City of Los Angeles. Indeed, its no surprise that the State couldn't find the city nor that the City can't keeps its books straight enough to not collect on money it is owed.

Certainly $21,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the billion dollar plus City Budget. But this raises questions as to the accuracy of the City's accounting, particularly at a need when needs are greater and resources are scant.

Cash Waiting for the Ex-Villaraigosas

Going through a divorce can be messy - even for well heeled politicians like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

So as a service to the Mayor and his soon to be ex-wife Corina, we have located over $2000 available to them sitting in an account in State Controller John Chiang's Bureau of Unclaimed Property.



According to the Bureau's website "The State acquires unclaimed property through California's Unclaimed Property Law, which requires "holders" such as corporations, business associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies to annually report and deliver property to the Controller's Office after there has been no customer contact for three years."

The money owed to the Villaraigosas primarily comes from insurance company payments and money left in various escrow accounts. However a major chunk of the balance comes from a $1300 refund from Pacific Bell.

If the Mayor and his ex-wife want to get a hold of this cash, they simply need only click here and begin the claims process.