Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Score one for Antonio Villaraigosa and Eli Broad and one against Zev Yaroslavsky and the taxpayers.  Tom Christie writes at the LA Weekly blog that Tuesday Villaraigosa and Broad will join to announce the selection of a new CEO for LA's Museum of Contemporary Art and that the troubled MOCA has rejected a proposed merger offer with the more solid LA County Museum of Art, a plan supported by the County Supervisor as well as art lovers concerned about a potential Broad takeover of MOCA. Also figure on more CRA subsidies for the free-spending MOCA.

Two Mayoral candidates have unveiled websites encouraging voters to take positions they are supporting.  Zuma Dogg has created LAVotersforChange.com offering up endorsments of candidates for other offices and information on various issues.  Meanwhile, Walter Moore has launched VoteNoLA.com expressing opposition to three measures on the March primary ballot.

LAPD Police Chief William Bratton, the United Teachers of LA and even the City Council of Carson and others support the naming of a new high school for slain LAPD Officer Randal Simmons who was an active volunteer within the community but now one Council member and Carson's Mayor Jim Dear have reversed their earlier decisions and want the school named after late labor leader Cesar Chavez.  Though supporters of the Chavez name deny it, some are suggesting that racial politics are at play; that many residents of the heavily Latino neighborhood opposed the naming for Simmons who was African-American.

If anyone thought that former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was going away anytime soon they were sadly mistaken.  A recently launched social networking site dedicated to the Alaska Governor has garnered nearly 70,000 members.  Back from the dead Republican Senator of Georgia Saxby Chambliss says he owes his come from behind victory in this month's special election to Palin's campaigning. And local columnist Sandra Tsing-Loh says a pit bull with lipstick PTA mom like Palin is exactly who the LAUSD needs for it's new superintendent (instead of recently deposed Admiral David Brewer or recently coronated Villaraigosa toadie Ray Cortines).

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

While Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spends only 11% of his time on City business and would prefer spending his evenings with celebrities at trendy LA nightspots, South El Monte Mayor Blanca Figueroa is working well past midnight some evenings in her City Hall office, so much so that the South El Monte City Council slapped an 11:00 p.m. curfew on the Mayor.  While the Council members say that its neither safe nor healthy for the Mayor to work alone so late, Figueroa claims the move was part of the petty politics that are part and parcel of the frivolity that is the politics of LA County's many small, independent cities.  Some members of the Council have suggested going as far as confiscating Figueroa's keys to City Hall.

In the meantime, the Daily News prints a list of the salaries of the nearly 100 people who work for Mayor Villaraigosa; all on your dime.  Mayoral flack and spin jokcey Matt Szabo is pulling down an easy 100Gs; chief Villar handler Jimmy Blackman is getting about 1.5 times that.  And, if you will, Lisa "Do Nothing" Sarno is making a good $125K per year to plant trees. 

Zuma Dogg is interviewed by Talk Radio One host Marc Germain about his campaign for Mayor.  Unlike some other local talkradio hosts, Germain does not appear to be impressed by candidate Walter Moore, calling Moore's candidacy "one note."

What is it about museum mergers in LA? The Los Angeles County Museum of Art wants to merge with the soon to be bankrupt Museum of Contemporary Art.  Sounds like a good plan to me and local leaders such as Zev Yaroslavsky agree.  However LA's honorary grandpa Eli Broad and City Clowncil President Eric Garcetti are worried the stronger museum will plunder the weaker museum's collection.  Wait a minute! Haven't we been told that never happens?

City Controller candidate Nick Patasouras unveiled his slick new website featuring high powered endorsements from Sheriff Lee Baca, Supervisor Gloria Molina and former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg. Some of the transit geeks who read our blog might enjoy some of the photos in Nick's gallery from his days as head of the RTD and later MTA's board of directors.

If you want to help out victims of the fires in Sylmar to have a happier holiday, here is an opportunity for you to contribute.