Afternoon Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Wednesday

Is CD 1 City Clowncil Central Committee Member Gil "Broken Deal Cedillo" cooperating in another Autry National Center "Big Announcement" smoke screen?

 There is only one future option for the Southwest Museum and that is to reopen it. 

Is Clowncilman Gil enabling another "Broken Deal Cedillo Moment"?



** Eagle Rock's Boulevard Sentinel Editor and Publisher Tom Topping has the specifics of tomorrow morning's Big Announcement regarding the collaboration between The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Autry National Center, with cooperation of Clowncilman Broken Deal Cedillo, on a Two-Year Study regarding the future usage of the Southwest Museum location.

In the spirit of interactive involvement, we offer up these options on what the future should entail for the location of the City of Los Angeles First Museum.

WORK WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST MUSEUM IN IMPLEMENTING ITS AMBITIOUS PLAN TO REOPEN LOS ANGELES OLDEST MUSEUM ............, PERIOD!

** Just in time for the 2015 Election Season, the MTA is apparently having second thoughts about  Development Plans for its Boyle Heights Mariachi Plaza. As a MTA staffer states .........., "Generally there has not been much support for Mariachi Plaza. We might start over from scratch," said MTA development officer Jenna Hornstock. She said the agency has been trying to gather community input since the proposal was announced in the fall. Results are to be presented to the MTA board next month.

** CD 14 City Clowncilman Jose "The Tonto Huevon" Huizar, should be all smiles knowing that his favorite, enabling journalistic stringer, Alice "The City Maven" Walton, has been hired by the Los Angeles Times. In honor of the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalist Graduate (with Masters) we bring you this "Bloggin Flashback", involving her, Michael "MEAT" Trujillo and the 2013 John Choi for CD 13 Campaign ........,

On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 1:05 PM, Michael Trujillo wrote:
So in a few moments Alice Walton at KPCC will be writing about Choi's impressive haul - 100k in 19 days.
Would really appreciate it you could all link to it on your FB accounts - i'll send out the link once it posts.
Its critical that many people (the right people) read this - since there are many political hurdles we have to navigate and getting this piece of critical information out - might slow some people down from even entering the race.
thanks!

More like ......., thank you naught MEAT.

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14



Watch Your Wallet!

What is Measure J?

The Metro Board of Directors authorized placing Measure J on the November ballot.

If approved, Measure J will extend for 30 additional years the existing one-half cent sales tax that was approved in 2008 and is currently set to expire in 2039 (Measure R). The additional funds will be used to secure bonds, which will allow Metro to accelerate construction of transportation improvements.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation reports that the projects accelerated by Measure J will advance the creation of 250,000 new local jobs (direct, indirect and induced workers) by starting construction on seven rail and rapid transit projects and up to eight highway projects within the next five years, instead of the twenty years currently planned. Measure J will also provide an additional thirty years of continued funding for local city transportation improvements, countywide bus and rail operations, Metrolink and Metro Rail Capital improvements and administration.

Under Measure R, there is an annual independent audit and report to taxpayers, and ongoing monitoring and review of spending by the independent taxpayer oversight committee. This oversight will continue with Measure J.

The Politics of Subways gets nasty in Beverly Hills

City of Beverly Hills Vice-Mayor John Mirisch and Family. 

Mirisch's role in this video is making him big enemies.

Mark May 17, 2012 on you calender if you feel the need to view fireworks during the course of a MTA public meeting (and trust me, it will not involve Mayor Antonio Villar or LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich). 

Instead the combatants will be MTA and the 90210 (aka Beverly Hills) and the stakes or consequences may be profound for the likes of Beverly Hills High School and its supporters. What is at stake is the possible route of a future Westside Subway and and its proposed routing under the historic public education campus.

As LA Weekly's Patrick Range McDonald chronicled in his extensive piece on this controversy, it comes down to whether big City of Los Angeles Mayor and MTA Board Member Antonio Villar's donor JMB Developer, gets the route redirected under its Century City property instead of the prior planned station stop on Santa Monica Boulevard and judging from these documents forward to us at Mayor Sam, this is going to get brutal and dirty.

Restraining Order against Beverly Hills Vice-Mayor John Mirisch (rest of document can be seen after the jump).

Just as Beverly Hills Vice-Mayor John Mirisch takes a lead role on the "BHHS Doomsday Video", along comes this document on a painful past for the IMAX Executive. We here at Mayor Sam post this document in the spirit of providing openness and transparency regarding public officials. But that said, its easy to see what lengths some will go to (or sink to) to "influence" decision makers. 

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14

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Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Collectivist Machine for May Day

The former Tony Villar agitating for communist inclusion in Chicano Studies at UCLA.

The Billy Bragg revision version of the "International".

Happy red dawn brothers and sisters in the Los Angeles Collectivist.

Many in what is to become part of the Princeton Graduate Dear Charro Councilman Jose Huizar's "Center of Political Doing".in Downtown LA, are being treated to the fringes of the 99% this morning

From the traditional May Day participants such as the Revolutionary Workers Party to now the George Soros/SEIU/Van Jones directed Occupy Movement, the aggrieve working class/wards of the government, are mulling about the various downtown byways. 

With Occupy LA a costly poop movement memory, the traffic of commerce that provides the tax revenue for the likes of Mayor Antonio Villar to jet about in search of his next political incarnation, will be affected throughout the day.

** In honor of the "International Day of the LA Worker", the MTA Board committed an act of heresy against the collectivist by voting to give a Japanese firm a $890 Million dollar contract for rail cars.  

** The "Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street" is reporting that various activists are banding together to prevent anymore cuts to the Recreation and Parks Budget. Whacked to the tune of $40 Million dollars over the last our years, the likes of Councilman Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge are calling for more "Public/Private Partnerships" (ie. giveaway of park space to connected non-profits). Face with $4 Million more in cuts in the proposed 2012/2013 Budget, the innovated CLASS Park Anti-Gang Program may be targeted for closure. The simple and blunt solution here would be to take $4-8 Million dollars from the Mayor's GRYD Program and give it to Rec.and Parks, since some GRYD sub-contractors have made a "legacy of pirating" Rec and Parks programming into their prevention programs.

** Lastly, what would May Day be without a "Bloggin Denouncement" of those who act against the best interest of the 46th Assembly District Collective?

Democratic Political Consultant John Shallman

46th Assembly District Candidate Brian Johnson.

What major enemy of working brothers and sisters and public indoctrination/education  is a big donor to "Ed Voice"? ** We have speculated that John Shallman is the consultant to this IE. We have ask him to comment on this to no avail.

Vote Brian Johnson for Assembly 2012, a Valley Alliance 

to Prepare Our Children for Tomorrow's Workforce, A Coalition of 

Ed Voice IE Committee, Valley Parents, Educators and Business Leaders, 

Ed Voice Independent Expenditure Committee, to support Brian Johnson's candidacy for AD 46,

 “EdVoice Independent Expenditure Committee” on February 14. State records show that last year the EdVoice independent expenditure committee raised a total of $965,421 from a roster of well-heeled donors, including $94,400 each from Broad; Gap chairman Donald Fisher; Carrie Walton Penner, a granddaughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton

......and what would be the future cost to Brian Johnson and Democratic Consultant John Shallman if they were connected in anyway to Wal Mart money? Denouncement!

Your thoughts brothers and sisters

Scott Johnson in the CD 14 Collective.

Triangulating the supposed past of Mayor Antonio Ramon Villar through recent "MTA flip-outs"

We will file this following missive under speculation, speculation that is based upon observations of many within the tight-knit Latino activist community. But in light of yesterday's MTA Board Meeting confrontation between LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Mayor Antonio Villar over the Supervisor's usage of the term "gang rape" to describe past and potential future usage of transit tax money. Is it fair to ask why the mayor "flipped out" (LA Weekly's description) when Supervisor Antonovich uttered the explicted two words?   

It would be so easy to explain away the mayor's historical thin-skiness to his time sensitive pursuit of a political legacy that is not predicated on past covers of Los Angeles Magazine. Just recently, according to the LA Weekly, Mayor Villar had his first "MTA Flipout/Walkout Episode" when Hollywood longtime MTA observer John Walsh "ranted" about extramarital affairs at a recent meeting. Thus, is it safe to say that discussions of sexual metaphors triggers some latent past life episodes within the "Inner Tony"? 

The Mayor Sam Blog since its inception has seen many comments about the alleged past of the former City Terrace resident. From his former school days as a child at the Santa Teresita Parish, through his mom's second marriage, with stops at Roosevelt High School, UCLA, Sacramento, Cadiz , a blink in CD 14 and his current waning time on the Third Floor, tales of Villar's past have been fodder for the "cut and paste cyber gallery". But one story stands out in wake of yeasterday's "flip-out".  

According to a well-known and respected source, during the 2001 Mayoral Campaign, then candidate for mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was confronted by a family member of a young lady from a high school pictured above. What allegedly took place in the youth of Tony Villar involving a Lincoln Heights Sacred Heart student has been the subject of speculation (and comments here at Mayor Sam) for decades. But many in the activist community strongly believe that something did happen. (** as noted in the comments posted after the jump). It should be noted that the likes of Journalist Tony Castro have debunked the myths crafted by the likes of Consultant Parke Skelton of Antonio's past, which included his mother's second marriage and father's decades of well-being. But as witness with yesterday's flip-out, certains words are sometime the key to a painful flashback, which only a certain Antonio Ramon Villar can elaborate on if true.

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14

** Comment after the jump ...........

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Mid-Day Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Friday

"Berman vs. Sherman (with two Republicans) in the 30th CD, Round One".

LA Times

Daily News 

LA Weekly

Jewish Journal's "Berman vs. Sherman Blog" 

Its on!

The much anticipated political battle between Congressman Howard "of the Berman-Waxman Machine" Berman and Congressman Brad "Assemblyman Mike Gatto's Political Papi" Sherman, got underway with the first dialog/debate among the two congressman who would like to retain their government salary and two republicans Shelly Smith and Mark Reed, who seek to channel "David" in the battle with the democrat "Goliaths".

As hundreds looked on in Woodland Hills, Congressman Sherman wasted no time in morphing into the Parke Skelton crafted progressive counter to the pragmatic Berman. Meanwhile among the republicans, Reed was not afraid to draw the audience ire with his stance on illegal immigrants using public hospitals and extending unemployment benefits. Reed who ran against Sherman in the previous election cycle, could make the runoff if he is able to coalesce the support of the register republicans in the democratic-leaning district. but as illustrated in the print coverage above, the spotlight is on Jewish democrats.

Other news:

** City Attorney Carmen Trutanich staff are having some Sixth Amendment issues in its efforts to prosecute the member of the Flea Party/Red Rabble former occupiers of the now brownfields of City Hall.

** On the topics of the City Hall Brownfields, Recreation and Parks General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri and his staff will attend the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council meeting on Tuesday, January 10 to discuss options for revitalizing the "Red Rabble Watseland".

** The proposed $3 Billion NBCUniversal "Metro Studios@Lankershim Project, has gone up in the pipe smoke of those at MTA who sought to shill this massive project as a "net traffic reduser".

** The grass-roots CD 15 campaign juggernaut of San Pedro Native Son and LAPD Senior Lead Officer Joe Buscaino, continues to roll on and pick up support with the Daily Breeze Newspaper the latest to endorse the first time political aspirant.

** Lastly, as Buscaino's quest to represent CD 15 moves forward, his fellow "rank and file officers" are facing a more dangerous street, thanks to the California Prison Realignment that his challenger Assembly Warren Furutani supported. Thousands of "low level, non violent, non-revokeable parolees" are being release onto the streets and despite the spin from the LAPD brass, crime and attacks on peace officers will surely rise.

Your thoughts ................

Scott Johnson in CD 14     

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Mayoral candidate Kevin James pulls ahead of the declared pack in fundraising announcing over half a million in commitments to his campaign from over 100 donors.  In an exclusive to the Sister City, James says “I am honored and humbled to have earned such strong early support from all across the community. I am encouraged and motivated by their commitment to this campaign."

Curbed LA has video of the new MTA Expo Line, now under testing on recently completed track.

Following the tragic death of a South LA child who was injured by a falling object, the LAFD has issued a number of safety warnings parents should take heed of.

Do Councilman Huizar's MTA Contributions and Votes merit Legal Review?

Did Councilman Huizar "conga" his way around MTA contribution rules?

When Councilman Jose Huizar was appointed to the Metropolitan Transportation Board (MTA) in 2009 by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, few political observors were expecting anything transformative in the way of policy from the CD 14 Councilperson. To the contrary, most saw this appointment as a "monetary gift" from the Mayor to his "political mijo".

Now as we enter the last month of a contentious re election battle in CD 14, Councilman Huizar's MTA contributions and their associated votes are causing some to speculate whether Huizar's MTA actions merit legal review. this would not be the first time that Councilman Huizar's past actions have been investigated (something here about the IRS?) and sanctioned. Thus, one would not be surprise to find out in the days ahead that Councilman Huizar would need to retain legal council.

More after the bloggin leap.

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Mid-Day Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Scene for Tuesday: DA Steve Cooley being investigated by Callifornia FPPC

"Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley addressing the media"

Is San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris Campaign Consultant Ace Smith "going the Parke Skelton route", when it come to filing frivolous complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), against their respective challengers for state office?

Witness when Parke Skelton's previous client Assemblyman Mike Gatto's supporters filed a FPPC complaint against challenger Sunder Ramani, the mere appearance of financial malfeasance, was enough to garner attention from willing allies within the newsprint community and in the bloggersphere. This regardless of the truth behind the accusation of the complaint.

Now Ace Smith is borrowing the FPPC tactic from his consulting soul mate Parke as the San Francisco Chronicle's Megan Lagosi reports,

As the vote counting in the attorney general race continues -- as well as bickering among the campaigns -- we have some real news to report: The state's campaign finance watchdog confirmed today that it has launched an investigation into Steve Cooley's gift-taking in recent years -- a practice detailed in The Chronicle.Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=77108#ixzz15TjUkmnL

Tactic looks familiar here?

Meanwhile, back here in Los Angeles County, both sides are "calling out the goons", in the LA Weekly's words, to observe the vote counting at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office in Norwalk.

As of 12:30PM, the California Secretary of State Office shows Harris leading by 30,997 votes.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

As Carmen the Clown and Jane the Joke go after pot shops many property owners and real estate experts say the shops have been good for the local economy.  One study even says the dispensaries have pumped over $100 millions of sales tax into government coffers.  However NIMBY types, such as Dangerous Enemy of Freedom Lisa Sarkin, are out to use the government to prevent something that should be legal for consenting adults.  If anyone needs to spark up a doobie and mellow out it is certainly Enemy Sarkin. Oh Betty Pleasant too.

Councilman Dennis Zine has worked hard to bring a much needed Costco to Woodland Hills.  Folks need the jobs and residents like to shop there otherwise Costco wouldn't risk the capital to invest in the area.  Still some wacko NIMBYs with plenty of time and their hands (perhaps some other folks who need to smoke some pot or at least get more sex than they may be currently getting) are calling for Zine to be impeached.  Anyway nimrods City Council members can't be impeached.  They are recalled.  And as Phil Jennerjahn found out it's a hell of a nut to crack. Even well organized and wealthy stakeholders couldn't muster a recall of the then most hated member of the Clowncil, Jack Weiss.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

Hopefully he didn't like it
and he left the state

Nearly a year after the idiot from New York left town (but leaving behind his chief nemesis) we see that crime continues to go down despite the grown-ups taking back the LAPD from that Irish blowhard.  Chief Charlie Beck told the LA Police Commission that there were no homicides in LA over the weekend and that the overall homicide rate is down 4.9% over last year.

It had to kill The Los Angeles Wave, the pit where Ugly Betty Pleasant wallows in her mud, to report that the District Attorney's office cleared Councilman Bernard Parks of bogus charges he had pulled a Richard Alarcon and wasn't living in his District.  The DA's Public Integrity Unit said it found no merit in the claims that Parks had filed fraudulent voter registration affidavits.  I bet Betty is wetting her pants just about now she's so damn mad at that awful racist cracker District Attorney!  Doesn't he know she OWNS the Black Community?  Anyway speaking of Ugly Betty next week we'll have some stories about some friends she has praised that previously published reports so that they are not so praiseworthy.  And if Betty doesn't like it she kiss my enormous but shrinking white ass. And sadly it's not just Betty; the LA Weekly is going to owe Bernie an apology too.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Well, well, well.  Guess who spent $50 million to save $13 million? Nope not the DWP.  Nope, not Tom LaBonge. You're incorrect if you said Kim Kardashian. Give up? Your Los Angeles MTA spent that amount to install turnstiles at it's subway and light rail stations - except it currently can not issue the fare media the gates require and can not be locked.




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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Ron Kaye reports that the City of Los Angeles wants to sell a valuable piece of Hollywood real estate to a well heeled developer for 15% of the property's actual value.  And the developer has a track record of bad deals and driving Hollywood film production out of LA.  Must be a friend of new CRA head Chris Essel.




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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

Mulholland Terrace brings to our attention perhaps a poor employment decision made by Councilman Bill Rosendahl in the hiring of new spokes-hole Jon Fairbanks, an import from Canada.  As MT notes could Rosendahl not find a gay publicist in all of Los Angeles? More of concern is the audit trail of stories written by Fairbanks, a scribe out of Quebec, who blogs about "Anglophone bitches" and desiring to keep those women who like to party with gay men out of the bars.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

The City of Los Angeles wants to speed up the construction of rail lines and is seeking Obama era stimulus funds to do so.  The Mayor's office wants a proposed Federal program to advance money to the MTA for various projects. Deputy Mayor Jaime de la Vega said, "There are 12 major projects that we believe will provide over 127,000 construction jobs and 2,800 permanent jobs minimum."

With a looming disaster facing the City's pension funds the City Council is looking at getting a hold on the costs going forward.  A proposed ballot measure will drastically scale back the pensions offered to new City employees. According to reports public employee unions are already denouncing the move.

If Chris Essel was the Queen of SB1818 then Councilman Paul Krekorian is it's executioner.  One of the new Councilman's first moves was to propose legislation to limit the scope of the controversial measure.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Janice Hahn and Tom LaBonge | Photo by Jim Winstead; used under Creative Commons license.

Deputy Mayor Diego Alvarez will take on a new position one that is charged with bringing light rail closer to LA's airports.  First step will be for Alvarez to get the Green Line a few blocks closer to LAX via the new Expo Line however the City Council has asked for a study to bring either the Green or Expo lines actually into the airport.  The other task will be to work with the MTA to bring the Gold Line to Ontario Airport. 

CurbedLA notes an LA Times report that notes a significant drop in violent and property crimes in LA.  Does anyone find this coincidental with the increase in medical marijuana dispensaries in the City? Imagine if we out and out legalized the stuff.  I'm just sayin'.

Betty Pleasant not taking a holiday break from running her mouth tries to spin away on her beloved Mark Ridley Thomas' near million dollar office renovation scandal.  Ms. Pleasant says the offices are as raggedy as when Kenneth Hahn left them back in 1992.  Isn't there an after-Christmas sale Betty can hang out at?

Speaking of the Hahns, here's a fun website for you to check out.

Doug McIntyre pens a good piece for the Daily News.  Mayor Villaraigosa said he had a great year.  Too bad it sucked for the rest of Los Angeles.

It appears a new end of the year tradition is Time Warner's annual spat (remember last year with Viacom or 2006 and 2007 versus the NFL?) with some provider of programming and threats from both sides that the channels will go dark.  Each side attempts to enlist TV viewers as soldiers in the war for one or the other.  This year it's TW vs Fox as the two media behemoths tussle over fees as the current agreement expires.  As in every year a last minute resolution will occur as TW needs the programming and Fox needs the eyeballs.  In the meantime cable companies and television stations will become less and less relevant thanks to broadband based programming sources such as YouTube, uStream, Roku, Hulu and others.

Good tip from our friend Brian Humphrey at the LA Fire Department.  Don't be stupid and burn Christmas wrappings nor your Christmas tree in the fire place.  Now that the gifts are open it's time to take that tree down.  Put it out on your curb (if it won't fit in your green bin) on your regular trash pickup day and the City will collect it for recycling.  Or you can take it to any number of drop-off points.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

Mexican Man - Photo by CindyLu

Residents of Venice don't like homeless people camping out in RVs so the City Council passed a law to keep the RVs out. However the California Coastal Commission has jurisdiction over the area (due to coastal access laws) and has told the City nyet. Now NIMBYs in Venice are suing the Coastal Commission and the City has joined them. Your tax dollars at work.

Attending lots of ribbon cuttings in his term the Mayor said "I like big scissors and I can not lie." Blogdowntown has photos and details on all the latest openings the Mayor has been in attendance at

To create an opportunity for more ribbon cuttings Mayor Villaraigosa wants to accelerate 30 years of rail construction in Los Angeles into about 10.  Though the big question is where the funding will come from the MTA is of the mind that increasing the pace during the current downturn might have cost saving advantages.

Goofy Betty Pleasant is at again.  Following her big advertising payoff by supporters of Mark Ridley Thomas in her latest "column" she's found another reason to slam her favorite enemy Bernard Parks. Though I did get a chuckle out of Betty retelling her confrontation with Tom LeBong, asking him when he's going to do something about "raggedy-ass Griffith Park."

And finally some Latino organizations were offended by a "Mexican Man" Halloween costume being sold by Target stores near Oakland.  If that's not enough for you blogger Cindy Lu of Loteria Chicana has found a series of Halloween costumes that are sure to offend everyone.

Where was the leadership from CD 14 Councilman Huizar regarding Senator Cedillo's SB 545 Tunnel Proposal??

" Absence of leadership in CD 14 and who is the guy with the suitcase??"

A simple question for CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar's spokesperson Rick Coca, why did CD 4 Councilperson Tom LaBonge replace Councilman Huizar at the last MTA meeting, as the "Griffith Park Wayist" notes in this blog posting?

Tom voted to support the Wilshire subway project after being sworn in as a temporary METRO board member yesterday. He filled in for Councilmember Jose Huizar who was unable to attend. The board re-affirmed its plan to apply for federal funding for the Subway to the Sea, which will provide a much-needed link between the Westside and the rest of the Metro system, via a Wilshire Boulevard subway line. If Metro, a County agency, receives federal funding for this project, the subway could be completed in as little as ten years.

To this blogger, it makes no sense that the CD 14 councilperson, who was just appointed to the MTA board by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, would be absent from this historic meeting where MTA's "Long Range Transportation Plan " would be approved. This plan and its assorted projects, which we list below, is an thirty year plan to spend some $298 Billion dollars from federal, state, and local sources (Measure R in LA County). Being that Councilman Huizar is or was an voting member of the MTA board, it should be an given that Huizar would be present to represent his constituents. CD 14 related projects in bold

Completion of the Eastside light rail project·

Completion of the Exposition Light Rail project to Culver City·

Phase II Exposition light rail to Santa Monica·

Wilshire Boulevard Bus Rapid transit·

Downtown Regional Connector (Blue & Gold Line connection) ·

The Crenshaw Corridor Transit project·

San Fernando Valley North/South Metro Orange Line Canoga Extension·

San Fernando Valley East North/South Rapidways ·

Eastside Light Rail Access (Pedestrian & Bicycle link)·

Gold Line Foothill Light Rail Extension (Segment including vehicles & yard)·

Green Line Extension to LAX·

Westside Subway extension to Fairfax/Century City/Westwood·

Gold Line Eastside Extension·

Green Line Extension Redondo Beach Station to South Bay Corridor·

San Fernando Valley I-405 Corridor Connection·

West Santa Ana Branch Corridor·

California High Speed Rail (Los Angeles County)

Some examples of highway projects in the LRTP include: ·

I-405 northbound carpool lane from I-10 to US-101·

I-405 carpool lanes from SR 90 to I-10·

I-5/State Route 126 interchange reconstruction phase I & II·

SR-60 carpool lanes from I-605 to Brea Canyon Road·

I-5/SR-14 carpool lane direct connector·

I-5 carpool lanes from SR-118 to SR-170·

I-5 carpool lanes from SR-134 to SR-170·

I-10 carpool lanes from I-605 to Puente Ave & from Puente to Citrus avenues·

I-5 Carmenita Road interchange improvements·

I-5 carpool and mixed flow lanes from I-605 to Orange County Line·

** I-710 South and Route 710 North Gap Closure projects·

But in the case of the 710 Freeway issue, some are questioning the lack of leadership from Councilman Huizar. The October issue of "The Voice Newspaper", has an excellent, extensive missive on the impact of State Senator Gil Cedillo's SB 545, known as the "710 Tunnel Bill".

This would of made the tunnel the only option in completing the 6.2 mile gap between the current terminus of the 710 freeway in Alhambra and the 210 Freeway in Pasadena.

Activists in areas that would of been impacted by an proposed tunnel, whether in Mt. Washington, El Sereno, La Canada, South Pasadena, minus Alhambra, were united in condemning the tunnel proposal. CD 1 Councilman Ed Reyes, went so far to author the two-page letter pictured above that stated his opposition to the proposed tunnel routing under the Mt. Washington area. But where was Councilman Huizar?, local activists ask. This question became mute when Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger veto SB 545. The result of the governor's vetoing Cedillo's Tunnel Bill, was to send MTA board members into the backrooms and come up with this counter proposal, the "I-710 south and route 710 north gap closures projects". Any comments from Councilman Huizar regarding this counter proposal and how it would effect his El Sereno constituents? Were still waiting.

Then as in all things political in CD 14, who benefits from these proposals regarding the 710 freeway? That is where the man, or should we say "connected individual" with the suitcase, comes in to play. The man pictured above is none other than Don Justin Jones, longtime friend of Richard Alatorre, democratic activist and an "former tenant" of Caltrans housing. Former tenant because his temper got him in trouble with Caltrans (and is well known for "calling out" activists, neighbors and bloggers), but claims that it was his "long time activism" on the behalf of the 710 Caltrans Tenant Association, that got him booted from the Caltrans property where he resided.

How would of Jones benefited from his buddy Gil Cedillo's SB 545? If the tunnel proposal had been given the green light, Jones and other Caltrans tenants would of been given a chance to purchase their homes at a fraction of market prices. This blog in the past have been the recipient of comments about the dubious dealings regarding Caltrans owned housing within the 6.2 mile uncompleted 710 gap.

And while the likes of Don Jones are lefted to ponder past motives regarding his former taxpayer owned rental, hundreds of eastern El Sereno residents face an uncertain future wondering if a above-ground option for the 710 targets their homes and whether their councilman will be present at future MTA meetings to give then a voice.

Your thoughts...........................

Outtakes from CD 14 Special Report: "Where is Councilman Jose Huizar??"

The voting citizens of Los Angeles Council District 14 may want to ask an simple question, where is the "Councilman last seen as Jose Huizar?". This in light of today's MTA vote on the Long Range Transportation Plan or LRTP for short.

Why is this important? Because the plan will encompass what mass transit projects get funded from the Transportation Measure R "pot of gold", paid for by you in Los Angeles County.

And guess what? Councilman Huizar will not be in attendance, this according to a "local public official" who send us this e-mail.

Mayor Sam,

Tomorrow the MTA Board will finally approve the Long Range Transportation Plan or LRTP

CM Huizar is scheduled out of town for the next three days wed to fri.... Unbenknownst to his staff and the CM till I informed them yesterday,,, that the language in the title of a recommended project had been changed without notice

I know that your readers and LA followers thought that Cedillo's bill SB545 was controversial but the governor vetoed it and to the new found freeway/tunnel fighters in the Mt Washington and Highland park area who talked Garcetti Reyes and Huziar into opposing tunneling under zones 1 and 2 and recommended zone 3 ..


They caused the MTA to make slight wording changes in the backrooms on Vignes St and now have put the 500 El Sereno home in the original surface path back on the bulldozer target list.

The change was suttle... Measure R passed by the voters listed the Tunnel project as
"I-710 North Gap Closure - Tunnel" on all documents and advertisments to the voters and as of July 2009 at a Measure R Workshop..

But last week in a Policy and Planning Meeting of the MTA the NEW LRTP listed the 710 as

"I-710 North Extension" no reference to a tunnel...

This puts the surface freeway back in as an option, which the governor mentioned in his veto message and not to "eliminate all possible options for completing the freeway system"...or something like that

The CD 14 cut and pasters need to know that tomorrows MTA meeting could decide if their homes are the first to get mowed down...

and their CM won't be there to speak up for them. (edited for format reasons)

When the likes of Councilman Art Snyder and Richard Alatorre were reaping the 'windfalls" of business dealings in CD 14, you can bet your place on the Lompoc license plate assembly line that the past "Dons", errr, public servants of the "cut and paste barrio", would of been on hand to bring home the carnitas for CD 14. After all, the likes of TELACU and Tutor-Saliba are always in a giving mood when public contracts come their way.

But then maybe Huizar is sequester somewhere and that means the staffers and associates have free reign, considering this in the latest Los Angeles Garment and Citizen.

BIG BROTHER FOR BLOGGERS?: Some of the keyboardists who weigh in with political postings on local blogs could be getting more attention than they’ve bargained for. Word on the street says that a local political pro with sufficient technical training to have hacker skills regularly plumbs cyberspace for clues on who’s posting what on which blogs…SATURDAYS IN CD 14: There seems to be more than one way to hunt a blogger. Reliable sources say that Ana Cubas, chief of staff for City Councilmember Jose Huizar, spent a recent Saturday morning calling around the 14th District to accuse constituents of posting items from this column in the blogosphere. Memo to Cubas: Feel free to give a call if you have anything to say about reports in this space—you’ll find contact information at the end of column. Meanwhile, it’s been several weeks and still no word back on calls seeking comment about the item that started this whole go-round—a report from reliable sources that Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigators are looking into Huizar’s spending habits…

So in the insular barrio of CD 14, its not the constituents who should expect an phone call from the revolving staffers of their absent elected official, regarding their concerns, but they should not be shocked when the Councilperson's "Chief of Staff" calls them on a Saturday accusing them of blogging their concerns. Sounds like something that would happen in Cuba, but then this was done by someone with the last name of "Cubas", allegedly.

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Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

President Obama will visit Southern California next week hosting a town hall meeting in Santa Ana and several other events in Los Angeles.

San Francisco Mayor and California Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom tweets that he will appear on CBS News Sunday Morning to discuss electric vehicles.

The LAFD reports that an MTA Blue Line train had a run in with a vehicle near 1674 E. 103rd Street in Los Angeles Saturday night. No reports of injuries amongst the nearly 100 passengers on the train and only minor injuries for the driver. This comes just two days after an MTA Gold Line train went out of control in a construction tunnel.

Jack Weiss is telling Rick Orlov fibs saying that "I have been on the public's side my entire career," as he seeks the post of City Attorney in May's general election. Yet Weiss isn't getting much love from his colleagues as Council Member Dennis Zine declares "I just don't think Jack deserves to be city attorney. I don't think he's up to the job."

Walter Moore isn't the only one concerned about potential vote counting shadiness when it comes to tallying some reported 46,000 provisional, absentee and other troubled ballots from the primary election. Downtown Central City East blogger Don Garza is worried the provisional ballot he cast may not be counted.