"Eric Garcetti, LA's Prince of Maskless Privilege. Thanks, LA Times!" by Daniel Guss

 @TheGussReport - It is the Monday morning after the L.A. Rams' victory in the NFC Championship Game (played in Inglewood, not L.A.), and the local team punching its ticket to the Super Bowl in two weeks isn't the only headline-grabber.

The other national headline from the game is that L.A.'s Prince of Maskless Privilege, Mayor Eric Garcetti, mugged for photos with unmasked Magic Johnson, S.F. Mayor London Breed, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jessica Alba to name a few.

Shouldn't this be the end of people considering the L.A. Times' political endorsements with local primaries right around the bend?

I delve in my new Substack.   You can read it here and be sure to subscribe and share.  It's free.

Also, follow me on The Twitters @TheGussReport.

"TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" Day Nine, "A Call for the Tote!"

At this point in the Mayor Villaraigosa's "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON", it is time in the spirit of the Mayor's "Junket to Israel", to "CALL FOR THE TOTE!!". Thanks to the "John and Ken Show" for the video.

And with the inside scoop on the "Tally of the Tote" is former Daily News Editor Ron Kaye who puts the total between $1.6 Million and $1.7 Million.

What message this sends to the likes of Rick Caruso, Ervin "Magic" Johnson and other aspirants for office space on the "Third Floor" will await the reports due to the Ethics Commission.

More updates on the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" later today.

****Evening update on the last event in the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON". LA Times David Zahniser brings us home on tonight's finale in the "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" at "L.A. Now".

Where does the time go? With his nine-day fundraising blitz coming to a close, the mayor has one last event to bring cash into his campaign coffers.

According to info filed with the city’s Ethics Commission, tonight’s fundraiser will be held in downtown Los Angeles at Liberty Grill, a sit-down steakhouse owned by the restaurant company Camacho’s Inc. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that one of the two co-hosts is Andy Camacho, founder of the Los Angeles-based restaurant company.

Camacho’s has concessions at Los Angeles International Airport and Ontario/LA International Airport – facilities overseen by Villaraigosa’s appointees on the Board of Airport Commissioners. Concessions for the Camacho’s two LAX restaurants are set to expire in 2010, according to the airport agency.

Andy Camacho already co-hosted a VIllaraigosa fundraiser on June 24, according to another invitation. On that same day, the Los Angeles City Council voted to award a five-year lease to Camacho’s. Inc. to operate a 3,460 square foot café and store in a building at the El Pueblo monument that surrounds Olvera Street.

The vote came at the recommendation of Villaraigosa’s appointees at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument Authority (Carol Jacques and company). They said the agreement should charge Camacho’s $1.60 per square foot in the lease’s first year, $1.80 in the second year, and $2 in the third, fourth and fifth, plus maintenance fees.

Camacho’s won the lease through a Request for Proposals application, which is a competitive process. Still, a real estate broker with CB Richard Ellis told the Downtown News last month that rents at Olvera Street have been below market rate – and should be closer to $3.75 or $4 per square foot, depending on building conditions.

With tonight’s event, Villaraigosa will have had at least 21 re-election fundraisers in three months – more than half of them since June 21! He’ll likely take a break, now that the deadline for his first fundraising period is past. But with the next deadline scheduled for Sept. 30, don’t be surprised to see him hop aboard the money train again in a couple months.

It's been an enlightening nine days for readers and, we're guessing, an enriching time for the mayor.

......and a big thanks to the David Zahniser and the L.A. Times for the coverage.

Lunch Time Missives: Schwarzenegger and Brokaw, a "dialog", "Entrepreneur for Mayor?" and an example of "bloggin myopia"

Oh the Glory!!!.......to Tom Brokaw on yesterday's "Meet the Press".

Nothing these days brings more glee to this blogger than a "verbal take down" of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, aka the "KENNEDY REPUBLICAN".

So far gone are those heady days in 2003 after the Recall of Gov. Gray Davis, when a foreign concept called "fiscal restraint" was reintroduce into the Sacramento Capital vocabulary.

Now in 2008, it has come to this.

Brokaw: "When you ran for governor in 2003, you ran as a fiscal conservative who would change the system, who would bring business-like techniques," Brokaw said. "Now, you are facing a $15-billion deficit here in California. Unemployment is running at about 6.8%; you've got the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression. If you were the CEO of a public company, the board would probably say, 'It is time to go.' "

"Kennedy Republican": joked, "Are you always this positive?"

"Brokaw": "Before you came in, governor, you said the spending was out of control," he said. "Your rate of increase in spending is about the same as your predecessor, Gov. Gray Davis. It has grown at about, what, 34% since you took office."

"Kennedy Republican": "You've been around long enough to know that the numbers are misleading. We have paid off a lot of debt. . . . I am very proud that we paid off a lot of debt and that we got the economy going again."

"Brokaw": "It appears the people have some real questions about your leadership," Brokaw said. "Your approval rating has gone from what, 60% in December down to about 40% recently. It is tough to govern under those circumstances."

"Kennedy Republican": "Not at all. I'm having a great time."

.......and the rest of Californians???

****Profile of a "Politically Astute" Entrepreneur****

Nice profile on a L.A. based businessman in the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET...for sale" business section.

Much has been made in the past about this person with the nickname of "Magic", but why regurgitate all this now unless you need to raise your profile for a "future foray into politics"?

****"Puff Roderick", what were you reading??****

It must be the rarified air on the heights of Mar Vista Hill that would cause the "WWG" to draw this conclusion from yesterday's Daily News story on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Rick Orlov interviews the mayor on the start of his fourth year, talks to a few observers, and concludes "for the first two years, he seemed to do no wrong...These days the affair is over, the divorce is quietly moving ahead, and Villaraigosa, after nearly nine months of maintaining a relatively low profile, has steadily begun re-emerging into the public spotlight. And even if he no longer has the same rabid support that he enjoyed in 2005, he is once again energized with the prospect of what lies ahead, as he looks to his own re-election campaign." DN (plus Orlov column on fundraisers)

......and for a good laugh, link to "Orlov column" and regale in the details of City Attorney Rocky "Rocktard" Delgadiilo's thoughts about his "political future" (insert your favorite laugh track)

Free Bumper Stickers!

Pitchforks and Torches

My older and newer "bloggin' mentors" are hot on the trail of this but without saying "neener neener" the old dead, republican Mayor was on this months ago.

The revolution is brewing and City government is about to get slapped.

The perfect storm of anger, frustration and momentum is about to roll into LA.

In other words, the shit is about to hit the fan.

The people are pissed and that oozing hate will activate the mayoral campaign of Zev Yaroslavsky. Hell, even the elites are pissed enough that Rick Caruso or Magic Johnson will jump in. And Walter Moore has been a dutiful revolutionary whose movement is growing by leaps and bounds day by day, so much so that the elites are getting nervous.

Whether its Home Depot, Las Lomas, Southwest Museum, trash taxes, gang taxes, phone taxes, transit taxes, gas prices, Special Order 40, rising crime - it doesn't matter. The sum total is the people are revolting (well yes that way too but you know what I mean).

Get ready for the Summer of Hate!

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

It has been said that whenever County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is considering running for a new office he loses weight and gets in shape. The LA Times follows Zev's new regimen and shows him looking quite fit. Check out the differences in the photos from a year ago and now. Well, there's lot more homeowner groups to barnstorm!

Red County reports that the LA City Council plans to "go to war" with State Senator George Runner. Wednesday, the Council will consider a resolution to oppose Runner's Safe Neighborhoods Act on the November ballot that will eliminate bail for criminal illegal aliens and stiffens penalties for gang involved crimes. If you favor this measure, call your City Council member and tell them you expect them to be tough on crime. Tell your friends to do the same. Doesn't the City Council have more pressing issues than to be passing resolutions against ballot measures?

LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has gone on record as opposing the County's needle exchange program. These programs - in which intravenous drug addicts receive "clean needles" for old - are intended to slow the spread of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis. However, studies have shown in city after city these programs do not achieve their stated purpose and actually increase drug use.

This might be an opportunity for the Westside White Guy. As a cost cutting move, The Former Fishwrap of Record is no longer going to produce it's own Sunday supplement magazine and turn production over to it's Los Angeles Times Media Group. However if they really want to cut corners how about making it the analog fishwrap version of OBSERVING (WEST) LA AND HIS LIFE AND (LA ANTONIA) TIMES? Maybe there's a Pulitzer in there somewhere?

He's filled many times more potholes but Mayor Villaraigosa joined with potential opponent Magic Johnson to announce the filling of the 10,000th job by a city program the Mayor has championed. According to reports, the 10,000th job was filled at a Vons Market.

Eric Garcetti for Mayor?

Many third floor spinners spill a lot of digital ink claiming how Mayor Villaraiogsa will run unopposed (apparently they're pretending Walter Moore doesn't exist) and coast to victory, despite the prevailing view that the Mayor has produced little in three years and following Mirthala, Hillary and a litany of scandals and missteps that he is damaged goods. Regardless of the spinners' boasts, the list of those seeking to or reported to be seeking to oppose the Mayor's re-election seems to be growing.

Among those noted so far:

Walter Moore
Zev Yaroslavsky
Rick Caruso
Zuma Dogg
Magic Johnson

And now the latest - and with a website seeking to draft him to boost - is Council President Eric Garcetti.

While there's no word yet that Garcetti is running he would make an interesting choice. As President of the City Council he's been tested as Acting Mayor during Mayor Villaraigosa's many absences from the City, is considered to be quite intelligent, articulate and likable and speaks Spanish better than the Mayor. Whether than translates to Garcetti being able to roll up the support for a successful run remains to be seen. One thing for sure is that were the Council President to be elected Mayor he could claim to be the first Latino/Italian/Jewish person to do so in LA history.

RELATED STORY: Zuma Dogg reports discussion is heating up within Magic Johnson's inner circle as to whether the basketball legend and successful businessman plans to run for Mayor or not.

A "Magic" Mayor?

No matter what you think of Zuma Dogg; he hears things and no not just the voices in Bill Rosendahl's head. I've been telling you that Richard Riordan and Eli Broad are planning to throw Tony under the bus; looking for that pro-developer mayoral candidate that can get elected as the antidote to the Coming City Superstorm and the force of Hurricane Zev. Everyone from Bob Hertzberg to Rick Caruso has been mentioned. The challenge for Mssrs. Riordan and Broad is that they need someone who 1) they can work with 2) is pro-development and 3) can overcome #1 and #2 enough to dull the pitchforks and torches coming from Sunland-Tujunga, Studio City, West LA, Granada Hills, CD14, et al.

According to Zuma, that someone could very well be the individual that wore a number 32 for 13 years:

ZUMA PREDICT NEXT MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES: AND SPEAKING OF LAKERS...looks like Los Angeles is going to have a former one for mayor in '09.

So while observant blogs play around with current Lakers who allegedly play around, visit Zuma Dogg's LA Daily Blog (and Mayor Sam too!) for more on who will replace Tony in the driver seat on Grandpa Dick's bus.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Did anyone read Greg Nelson's last post on CityWatch? I am not really sure what he was talking about; something to the effect of attracting better candidates for the City's Neighborhood Councils having something to do with whether or not the City provides public funding for sports stadiums. If you figure it out; let me know.

The New York Observer is reporting that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is holding a fund-raiser for Mayor Villaraigosa in the Big Apple next month. No truth to the rumor that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is planning a benefit for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's mayoral campaign.

We mentioned Bitter Bernie's telephone campaign on behalf of postage stamps; one blogger asks a great question: why didn't Bernie call his constituents before the price of stamps went up? In the meantime, while Bernie was busy telling stakeholders their comments to the Council were not necessary, he received the endorsement of Magic Johnson.

Interesting article in the LA Weekly about the recent State Supreme Court decision permitting gays to marry in California. At the time the case was about to go through "tolerant" Democrats squirmed and wanted to stick it back in the closet. But it was Republican judges that made the difference.

And finally, we teased a new writer here on the blog Thursday. We won't torture you anymore; we're pleased to announce that Jamiel Shaw, Sr. - father of murdered teenager Jamiel Shaw, II - will be joining the blog as a contributor to share his thoughts on a number of issues. Stay tuned for Jamiel's first post very soon.