Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

The Enterprise Report runs a piece that claims that two LAPD officers allegedly left instructions that should they be killed in the line of duty they did not want Mayor Villaraigosa to appear nor speak at their memorial services.  Villaraigosa showed up and spoke anyway.  According to the report Officer Landon Dorris killed while investigating a traffic accident and Officer Spree Desha killed in the Chatsworth Metrolink crash had allegedly both indicated in a form reportedly used by LAPD to allow officers to leave instructions following their deathsthat the Mayor was not welcome at their funerals.  Both the LAPD and the Mayor's office would not comment on the matter.

Still too close to call in the race for the 6th District LAUSD Board of Education seat.  Former San Fernando Mayor and protege of Council Member Richard Alarcon and Mayor Villaraigosa Nury Martinez was about 500 votes up on former LAUSD teacher and current CSUN lecturer Louis Pugliese.  Thousands of provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted which could have an impact on the race's final outcome.

On the City Council agenda for Friday: A events fee waiver for a "Beauty and the Beast" event at the cost of $13,000 to be absorbed by the City.  Also, discussion of a program for "car sharing."  Car sharing is sort of a system of short term car rental that can be used, for example, by users of public transit.  Sounds like a great idea but it's one for private enterprise to handle, responding to a market need, not a program for the City to run, screw up and skim funds to favored folks.  Makes me think of the DWP's awesome electric scooter program.

More fallout from the tragic Metrolink crash in Chatsworth last September. Metrolink has fired two supervisors following revelations that engineer Robert Sanchez allegedly regularly allowed teenaged friends to ride in the engineer's cab and would send hundreds of text messages while operating trains. We reported in December that an inside source had told us that top Metrolink was official was allgedly dismissed after reportedly showing up intoxicated to meetings.  We may very well be scratching the surface of a culture of apparent mismangement at the railroad; an organization that has the most fatalities of any commuter railroad in the US.

Local pundits are apparently suprised that Jack Weiss only received 36% of the vote in Tuesday's election for City Attorney, forcing him into a runoff with opponent Carmen Trutanich. Jaime A. Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. told the Times  "It's a blow -- there's no way around that. He had the most money, the most mailers and definitely the most TV time."  Frankly I'm surprised he performed as well as he did.  Prior to the election some insiders were putting Weiss at 31% and were even discussing the possibility he would not make the run-off.

He's not saying that he is, but if Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is planning to run for Governor he has his first donor lined up.  Downtown Central City Blogger Don Garza says he's saving his money for that race.

It was one thing that the City stealthily raised parking meter fees and cut back on parking hours hampering businesses and others all over Los Angeles.  Now over-aggressive DOT parking officers are writing tickets for motorits before the meter even expires.  One North Hollywood patron of a local gym was ticketed 52 minutes into her parking hour by an officer who claimed she must have fed the meter - except she has proof from the gym of her arrival and departure.

The Times profiles Dearden's Department Stores which have been around for 100 years and is one of LA's oldest businesses.  The recession is having some impact on the retailer but in it's history has weathered not only recessions but depressions, wars and disco by consistently remaking itself and providing excellent service to their customers.

Patrick Range McDonald's great LA Weekly article about LA's $300,000 a year City Council members makes a Denver journo realize the Mile High's City Council is nowhere near as bad as locals assumed.  When Patrick wrote that the LA City Council "assiduously avoids its actual job: dealing with overarching issues, such as traffic, a chronic lack of parks, and overdevelopment, which have residents fuming," Lisa Jones of the Denver City Hall Examiner asked "Why aren't citizens rebelling?"  Good question Lisa, you might read a little bit here.  But the revolution is brewing; has had it's first victory and is rolling on to the next battles.

And finally, the folks at the NoOnMeasure B Twitter page said they went to Pink's to order a Mayor Villaraigosa dog but the legendary stand said was apparently out of them.  The dog named for the Mayor is only served 11% of the time.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Local Islamic leaders are not pleased with Mayor Villaraigosa's unswerving support for Israel. Following rocket attacks by Israel on Hamas Villaraigosa supported that nations's"right and responsibility to defend itself." Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of California told the Los Angeles Times that Villaraigosa's "...role is not to be a cheerleader for one side . . . He ought to be on the side of justice and peace."  Though Villaraigosa's positon supporting Israel is the correct one, Aylouhis correct that this is not the Mayor's role.  His job is Mayor of Los Angeles, not Secretary of State.  Barack Obama did not offer him that role. How about getting to work Tony? Your city is a shambles.


Wendy Greuel is having a picnic! If you want to ask her what her position is on Measure B or anything else about how she - as longtime Villaraigosa insider - promises "reform" of the very City government she is a part of, come on by and have one of her free hot dogs.

An employee of the company that provides rail agency Metrolink with engineers and conductors alleges that  management was aware that the engineer involved in a deadly crash in Chatsworth in September was using his cellphone to send text messages while operating trains, a violation of company policy.  The unidentified employee reported this to management several times according to his attorney.  Hmm.  Looks like Mayor Sam prediction #18 could be the next to come true. 

You can't get any more to the edge of Los Angeles than the Sagebrush Cantina.  The venerable watering hole is just over the line in the City of Calabasas but that doesn't mean LA City Council Member Dennis Zine couldn't join with Calabasas in honoring longtime Sagebrush owner, the late Bob McCord in renaming El Canon Street for McCord and establishing a "square" in his honor on the LA side.

Looks like Britney Spears won't be joining Zach Behrens for cupcakes anytime soon. The pop princees scarfed way too much during the holidays and is going to get back on her regimen. A Spears friend said "Going home for Christmas with all that food was just too much to deny herself. She indulged herself for a few days but now she's had to promise to get it all off again fast."

Metrolink: Death, Drinking and Cover-Up?

The Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth back in September was one of the worst rail disasters in US history and yet it's only one of scores of accidents the Southern California transit agency has experienced.

On the heels of a report that 64% of the rail deaths in the US in the last six years involved Metrolink trains, we here at the Sister City have received an explosive charge from an anonymous source.

Our source claims that a key Metrolink staff member allegedly "was known to be having a drinking problem" and was allegedly relieved of duty two days after the Chatsworth crash because the individual "kept showing up to staff meetings incoherent."

The source further alleges that staff and management at Metrolink Operations Center in Pomona were apparently aware of this individual's alcohol problem however an agency "code of silence" was behind the alleged cover-up.

Our source says a local media outlet will break this story later this week. We must emphasize that this story comes from an anonymous source and has not been verified however we feel it is important to at least discuss it in light of a significant number of poor leadership and management decisions that many feel are behind the agency's abysmal safety record.

Stay tuned.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

Mayor Villaraigosa supposedly has a plan to deal with the City's multi-million dollar budget deficit. The rotten economy has caused a severe reduction in the receipt of sales and other taxes by the City. Significant layoffs of City workers are expected.  Of course if the Mayor would stop raising taxes he might actually see an increase in revenues.  Funny how things work that way.

Yet another Metrolink train has hit a freight train where it shares tracks.  This time in Rialto an eastbound Metrolink train hit the end of a westbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train that was pulling onto a siding from the main track just west of the Rialto station.  The voters passed a mega-billion dollar bond that will build a high-speed train from Fresno to LA that will share right-of-way with the beleagured Metrolink. God help us.

Zuma Dogg caught Gavin Newsom driving his state-of-the art SUV and parking in a fire lane in Malibu this past summer.  Now the San Francisco Mayor is taking heat back home for the SUV use and for having what appears to be an excessive use of security personnel.  KGO television takes the Mayor to task and even quotes the Dogg in their report.

Speaking of Zuma Dogg, the Mayoral candidate reports that he's received his 500th petition signature to get his name on the ballot.  Every petition circulator however knows it is wise to get several hundred more signatures than necessary because not everyone who signs is actually a registered voter or a City resident.  Zuma reports on some of the events he's attended to get signatures showing grass roots politics in action.

Members of the City's system of Neighborhood Councils want the ability to initiate "Council files" which could eventually force City Council action on issues of importance to the local panels. However, a number of City Council members feel that in exchange for this "power" Neighborhood Council members should be required to submit some form of financial disclosure form.  Former Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Manager Greg Nelson opines at LA CityWatch that the price for this "privilege" may be "too high."

And finally the struggling economy may find more folks going homeless and forced to live in their cars.  Though many of LA's residents have truly "mobile homes" it's technically against the law to sleep in your car in Los Angeles.  Council Member Bill Rosendahl is looking to change that.

Not with Metrolink; Not charged; Not drunk; and Not driving.

It must be slow at Los Angeles Times today.

It should explain why it is reporting that a no-longer member of the Metrolink Board, was not charged with public intoxication, drunk driving nor any other infraction. The Times' Steve Hymon reports that he confirmed the arrest of a man who isn't being charged with anything. Way to go!

Should a non-story be news?

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Here's an example why government subsidies don't work.  Thursday United Airlines said it will cancel air service from LA Palmdale Airport, owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles, just a year after it started daily service from the Antelope Valley to San Francisco.  The service, which Mayor Villaraigosa called one of the "top accomplishments" of his administration was failing miserably with planes taking off only a third full.  United had received a nearly million dollar government grant to fly out of Palmdale and when that grant ended, the airline really had no further incentive to continue service.  The City has been trying to jump start an airport in Palmdale since the days of the real Mayor Sam.  For whatever reason, folks don't want to fly out of Palmdale.  If they ever do, the airlines will come calling.  That's the great thing about the market, it works.  Now, how about the City sell Palmdale airport to the County or the cities in the 661 and invest the money here locally where it's needed.

Federal investigators are reporting that Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez did send text messages on the day of last Friday's horrific train wreck, however they do not know yet if Sanchez was sending messages at the time of the crash. In typical closing the barn door when the horse is out fashion, California Thursday banned text messaging by train operators.

Senator Hillary Clinton pulled out of a planned protest event against Iran at the United Nations next week when she learned that Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be participating in the event. Some Jewish leaders are calling this a mistake and question how Clinton not joining in protest of nuclear weapons on Iraq will affect Jewish votes for Barack Obama. Syndicated columnist Micah Halperin told Fox News  “It changes my view of (Clinton’s) wisdom, of her ability to take a situation, analyze it and come out on the right side, and that is deeply troubling to almost every voter in America, not just Jewish voters.”

Political philsopher Lindsay Lohan has offered to campaign for Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama but the Illinois Senator has reportedly said thanks but no thanks.  Campaign spokesholes said "'Lindsay is not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us."  The snub caused Lohan's father Michael to accuse the Democrats of hypocrisy, "For Barack Obama to condemn my daughter for past indiscretions when he admitted to the exact same himself is indicative of what kind of president he would be."

Former Britney Spears husband Kevin Federline reportedly wants to get back with the pop diva and the baby mama to two of his children.  Spears and Federline divorced in 2006 however a source allegedly close to Federline says "He confessed she’s the love of his life, his soul-mate and was sorry things went so wrong with them."

Villaraigosa Cuts Heads from MTA Board. Too little, too late.

Too little change, too late, Mr. Villaraigosa.

Putting in the MTA failsafes, or changing MTA Board Directors, should have been done before the train crash. You are now grandstanding in the face of dozens of deaths, hundreds of injuries and tens of millions, or hundreds of millions, in liability.

If you spent less time posing for photos, and coming up with clever names of things that sound good, but people don't want, such as "Subway to the Sea" and "the subway mayor," and spent that time, energy and money on safety, we'd have those people alive today.

Transit Tax: Deceitful and Deadly

The Mayor's and MTA's half percent transit tax scam has become even more fraught with fraud and abuse.  The MTA has been accused of spending public funds to advance the measure in violation of state law.  Following advice from it's own attorneys, the transit agency changed language on it's own website that appeared to support the ballot measure.  Still, MTA plans to spend over $4 million of taxpayer money to promote the tax, something that a number of officials, including County Supervisor Mike Antonovich find to be a potential misuse of public funds.

In the meantime, following the tragic crash Friday of a Metrolink train in Chatsworth, LA County voters may want to re-think the idea of rail transit and other similar projects.  Frequent accidents between Metrolink and MTA trains with vehicles and pedestrians may be a sign that Los Angeles just isn't built for rail transit, or even busways such as the Orange Line which frequently runs into vehicles at crossings (that do not have railroad style crossing arms at intersections) that are not really appropriate for LA's urban and car oriented environment.

We've said it before and we'll say it again, you can't build enough trains to get Angelenos out of their cars and make a dent in LA's traffic problem.  Transit fans often cite cities such as San Francisco, New York and Chicago as excellent examples of public transit.  And that is true.  However, unlike LA, each of these cities are far smaller geographically and have a dedicated central core downtown.  As well, each of them have had a 50 to 100 year jump on LA in building transit.

The solution to reducing traffic in LA will come in more practical zoning, making LA more business friendly hence bringing jobs to dense population areas and allowing private operators to run commuter bus and "jitney" services letting the market respond with a solution where the need exists.

Until then, watch your wallet!

Related:

• Very similar but less deadly accident in which a Metrolink engineer failed to yield to warning lights (similar to the believed cause of Friday's accident) in a 2002 crash between commuter and freight trains in Placentia in which two people died. (The LA Times has compiled a list of some of the more significant previous Metrolink accidents)
  
• Here's a list of accidents on the Metro Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley.  Usually the fault of the accident is the driver of the vehicle the Orange Line buses crash into, but again, this is because the Orange Line is operating in an environment it really isn't made for, especially without grade separated crossings and/or crossing gates.
• According to Wikipedia, more than 87 motorists and pedestrians have been killed at Metro Blue Line crossings since 1990 and there have been more than 792 accidents making the the line by multiples the deadliest and most accident-prone rail line in the country

Metrolink 111 Crashes with Freight Train, Kills Six (possibly more) in Chatsworth

LA Times says six dead