Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

The LA Weeky's Patrick Range McDonald hits it AGAIN with a cool Jack-O-Lantern full of the Mayor's hype over the Subway to the Sea. The MTA board passed what Stupidvisor Don Knabe called a "historic" vote to bring the Purple (FKA Metro Red Line Wilshire Extension) Line somewhere near Santa Monica.  McDonald enumerates the Mayor's fantasies about the line unlike all the rest of the press release journos out there noting everything from the canard that the Subway will end traffic as we know it, even though studies say less than one percent of suburban Westside motorists will get out of their four wheeled monsters and board the choo choo.

Will Jerry Brown, if elected Governor, raise taxes? Yes if what his former Chief of Staff and former Governor Gray Davis says is true.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

He sleeps while the Valley stinks.

The union that represents the Engineers and Architects who work for the city, traditionally one of the more responsible and least greedy of LA's public employee unions, is the first such to make a deal with the City to share in expenses for their health care. The move will allow the City to effect millions in much needed savings and put pressure on the rest of the unions to step up to the plate.

Looks like the once storied Sunset Junction Festival was FUBAR. Employees of businesses along the route were forced to pay the entry fee to get through the barricades and to work, the event owes the city a quarter of mil for services and a massive amount of trash was left behind. Suffice it to say everyone involved is pissed.

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Candidate Mattie Fein With One of the Most Creative Political Ads EVER!

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

I had heard this earlier in the day Thursday; Farmers' Insurance is moving it's massive headquarters operation from Simi Valley - where they've been housed since 1982 - to Woodland Hills.  It extremely rare that a large company like that moves from nearby pro-business cities to business unfriendly Los Angeles. However Farmers picked up some real estate in Warner Center when they bought 21st Century Insurance so it makes sense to move.  According to Mulholland Terrace the move caught the Mayor's office completely unawares.  Perhaps the folks at Farmers could join Councilman Dennis Zine at the new Warner Center Costco for a cheap hot dog.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

What day is today?

The DWP may find they screwed the pooch in pissing off the City Council, most notably new Councilman Paul Krekorian. The utility, which once was golden, has fallen victim to mismanagement, waste, fraud and abuse leading to systematic failure of it's water and power systems and it's credit rating shot to hell. With their arrogant attempts to raise rates and lying to the Council as of late the Council has now one-upped the DWP in advancing a plan that a long promised DWP rate-payer advocate would not be an appointed position accountable only to bureaucrats but an elected position with real power over the agency. Stay tuned.

One day after announcing his candidacy for City Council activist Stephen Box is finding reaction ranging from supportive to dubious to slanderous. Readers at LAist were generally positive but some wanted more detail from Box and others are daunted by the challenge of besting a sitting incumbent Councilman. In the meantime fellow CD4 candidate Phil Jennerjahn posted a blistering attack on his blog accusing Box of being a Scientologist and implying his campaign be funded by the controversial church which Jennerjahn alleges of having plans to take control of CD4 where the Scientologists have a significant presence.

Speaking of CD4 Councilmember Tom LaBonge may already be feeling the heat of contested election when he put on hold his plan to implement higher taxes on homeowners to pay for libraries. It may be LaBonge did not want to hand his opponents yet another issue to use against him in the current anti-tax environment.

Forget deficits, jobs, crime and non-transparent government. The folks at Franklin Ave - a blog targeted at hip young professionals in Los Feliz - thought that Tom LaBonge was a great Councilman thanks to his cleaning up trash at local Catholic churches and his passion for pumpkin bread made by nuns. But now the Franklins are not happy with LeBong for hassling the food trucks and cancelling the annual DWP Holiday Light Show in Griffith Park. Memo to Stephen Box, Phil Jennerjahn and anyone else running for CD4: This is what you will have to fight against if you are to best LeBong. Indeed the SLAP happy folks, Mayor Sam Dum Dums, Neighborhood Council types and friends of Griffith Park clearly understand the problem with this guy as Councilman. However they are few and far between. Don't say I didn't give you a heads up. Fight for the tacos.

You haven't heard about Ticketgate in a few days but things are still going on behind the scenes. The LA Times reports that a majority of members of the LA Ethics Commission said that elected officials should disclose all free tickets to events they receive, even if they consider attendance at the event part of their "official duties." Villaraigosa however isn't the only mayor getting free tickets to events. Curt Pringle, the Republican mayor of Anaheim, attended the annual Major League Baseball All Star Game hosted at Anaheim Stadium. The difference here however is that Pringle's tickets were purchased by Anaheim for Pringle and the mayor paid income taxes on the value of the tickets.

Looks like Michael Jackson not only got taxpayers to pick up the cost of his funeral but they may also be on the hook for a permanent shrine to the controversial artist. Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Davis is pushing a plan for the State to buy the 2600 acre Neverland Ranch to turn into a state park. While the current asking price for the property is $100 million, CurbedLA notes by comparison legendary newspaperman William Randolph Hearst's estate San Simeon was donated to the state.

Congresswoman Jane Harman is coming under fire from her November opponent saying that Harman, a multi-millionaire whose husband made his fortune in the home stereo industry, is attempting to buy Newsweek Magazine which is currently for sale. Mattie Fein is saying that Harman wishes to seek to control the content of the newsmagazine on issues of importance to her; creating a clear conflict of interest.