Do You Feel Stupid? The LA City Council Thinks You Are!

BREAKING NEWS - sort of - The City Council votes to outlaw medical marijuana shops in LA.  The whole issue of medical marijuana is a complex one, but leave it to our beloved Clowncil to never fail to put political expediency over good policy, or even, freedom.

Because each of us is so stupid, and we need the likes of our overlords to protect us, the horseshoe of horse's asses as well as their revolting cousins in the California State Legislature have now banned and protected you from the following items:

• Medical marijuana
• Plastic bags
• Paper bags
• Porn movies without condoms
• Foam food takeout containers 
• Tanning beds for teens
• foie gras
• Shark fin soup
• Kosher Coca Cola
• Incandescent light bulbs
• Hamburgers (South Central LA)
• Declawed Cats
• Talkradio
• ...and the list goes on

All of this is happening while the City is facing it's worst financial crisis, is under an FBI probe for public corruption, rapes are rampant through Hollywood, streets are not paved or even painted with lane markers

...and the list goes on.

Two homework assignments for you kids. 1) Make plans to vote in next March's city elections. These people operate in a vacuum and that vacuum is that 90% of you don't vote in these important contests. 2) Watch the movie (or read the book) "Atlas Shrugged." It will change your life.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Mayor Villaraigosa ran on a pro-education platform.  The Mayor's endeavoured in the past to take over control of the LAUSD.  If he really wants to help our schools, he can perhaps do something about lower the water and power rates charged the school district by DWP. 

Redistricting is underway for the County Board of Supervisors.  Efforts are underway to draw districts as such so that County Supervisors of certain ethnicities are more likely to be elected.  I might be wrong, but seems to me that was made illegal long ago.

Read more »

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Monday

Wendy Greuel, a potential candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2013, may have thought she might get some street cred as a reformer, while embarrassing the Mayor as well as other comers to the office who are currently on the City Council, by disclosing the existence of an LA Department of Transportation program that allows elected to fix parking tickets.  However, the Mayor one upped the City Controller by cancelling the program and releasing documentation that Greuel had not only known about the program while serving on the City Council but she had also taken advantage of it.

Blogger Paul Hatfield reports that next week the Los Angeles City Council may axe funding for the City's system of advisory Neighborhood Councils.


Read more »

When Plastic Bags are Outlawed Only Outlaws Will Have Plastic Bags

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Michael LoGrande appears to be the odds on favorite to replace Gail "GPS" Goldberg as LA's new head of planning.  LoGrande tells bloggers he plans to bring increased transparency and customer service to the Planning Department.  The City Hall veteran appears to have the endorsement of Dangerous Enemy of Freedom Lisa Sarkin, grand doyenne of the Studio City Neighborhood Council. However Ron Kaye has a different response saying "They've got to be kidding."

More below the fold...
Read more »

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

The City Council wants to give the Grammy Awards $125,000 to cover event costs borne by the City.  Yes we hear the usual spin that these events bring so much to Los Angeles (they do) and that the cost is merely an investment (see here where I take that argument apart).  The recording industry is apparently pleading poverty yet pop princess Britney Spears has acquired a $27,000 ring to wear to the show.  If the City Council doesn't have the fortitude to say now in this time of budget crisis, we once again raise our call to the Grammy organization to step up and say "we will decline the subsidy, we know the City that has nurtured, supported and enrichened us for over 50 years is hurting."  Don't hold your breath folks!

Marc Cooper becomes the latest "journo" to go bitter man on his former employer.  Like a less disciplined Kevin Roderick, Cooper's rambling screed spewing all over the LA Weekly is filled with personal invective which obscures what few good points Cooper might have.  Cooper wastes an enormous part of his digital ink on the absurd claim that Zuma Dogg's piece on the controversial Grand Avenue development in Downtown LA was actually written by weekly editor Jill Stewart.  One wonders if Zuma Dogg was challenging George Bush on a regular basis instead of the unaware elites' favorite kleptocrat Mayor if Cooper would view Zuma differently.

The nanny state continues unmolested as Los Angeles City Council Member "Sleeping" Greig Smith wants to ban smoking in outdoor areas of restaurants.  This old, dead, Republican mayor never smoked, hates smoking and doesn't like to be around it.  That being said I don't need the government to decide where people can and can't smoke; the market does that just fine.  In fact, Tom LaBonge confirms it when he tells the Los Angeles Tmes “The patrons are really demanding it.”  That's right Tom.  The smart establishments get it and many of them banned smoking way before the City told them to.

Los Angeles has undertaken a $2 million campaign to encourage tourism.  Tom Hanks, Kobe Bryant and Lauren Conrad are among the celebrities appearing in the "That's So LA" campaign now underway.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told reporters "During this tough period, one of the sectors taking the biggest hit is tourism. Families are cutting back on travel. In some cities, that might not matter too much."

The Daily News reports the recession has hit hard a number of upscale businesses on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.  However a shoe repair shop and a fitness center that underwent a makeover report either no impact or increased sales.

Central City East blogger Don Garza says that a number of residents of the Skid Row hotel he lives in are complaining that the hotel management routinely enters their units in violation of their rights.  Garza is among several of the residents who have posted legal notices on their doors directing the management to keep out.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Senator Hillary Clinton gave a fine speech at the Democratic National Convention proving that the Democrats chose the wrong candidate.  The LA Times however made reference to the former Presidential candidate's fashion sense referring to the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits."

A reader at Sam Yorty's America asks "Question: How will Sarah Palin do in a debate with Joe Biden? Answer: How many men watching will be aware that Biden is in the room?"

A delegate blogging live from the DNC writes that he saw Mayor Villaraigosa hanging around the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel Tuesday night; in the meantime Laura Chick gets into a dust-up with a Clinton delegate.

The campaign website for City Council candidate Paul Koretz is back up following a severe hack attack that took the site down for several days.  The hackers were sophsiticated enough to not leave any tracks and inflicted severe damage on the original site code.  One wonders if the Koretz campaign's web team had backed up the site?
 A slight blow to the nanny state.  A law by Senator Jack Scott to ban mylar balloons has been severely weakened by amendments.  So your kids' next birthday party is safe.

Nannies at McDonald's

Another victory for the nanny state as the California State Senate passes SB 1420 requiring fast food restaurants to post nutritional information for all items on their menus.

Though studies show that posting this information could cut down on obesity and I'm all for the restaurants providing this information (many do already on a voluntary basis) once again I have to ask do we need government to take care of us?

Oh - and by the way this bill isn't from the usual nanny source of course but Senator Alex Padilla.

Nanny State Expansion Set for 1/1/08

Many new laws take effect on January 1st. One of them is a law that outlaws smoking in cars if minors are present.

Now I know I am not going to earn many points arguing for people to have the right to smoke around kids - and indeed I completely agree that people should not smoke around others, especially children.

I lost my stepfather to lung cancer and absolutely hate cigarettes. But I think this is something we have to do because its the right thing to do. Not because the government forces us. Sure, its easy and popular to use the Nanny state to beat up on smokers and I'm not going to put much energy into it myself. But at what point do we say no to the Nanny state before it gets too late? When are they coming after what YOU like to do?

By the way, should county press releases contain only one point of view on a controversial issue?

You Can Make The Choice Not To Waste Plastic Shopping Bags!

I've battled the Nanny State over this issue before but I still feel the free market and not legislation by bachelor nannies is the right way to solve the problem of plastic shopping bags not being recycled. You can add Walgreen's to the list of stores that offer shopping bag options for customers. Way to go! And the County of LA joins Heal the Bay in the voluntary Day Without A Bag next Thursday.

Extra:
Free market alternatives to mandatory bag recycling.

Bachelor to Marry; May Soon Need Nanny

We had it here when they went on one of their first dates at Spataro; but now its official: a local pol is marrying a television journalist.

No, not this politician nor this (now former) journalist, but none other than our favorite backstabbing patron saint of the nanny state and soon to be former bachelor, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine and his lady friend Sacramento TV news reporter Edie Lambert.

With a failing campaign to overtake Fran Pavely for a Democratic State Senate nomination, the boy had to do something quick. Getting engaged to a pretty young girl is a good story.

What I don't get is why Boi from Troy is implying that Levine was considered to perhaps be playing for another team. What does Scott know and when (or who) did he know it?

By the way reports say that romantic Lloyd asked Edie to marry him on a flight back home over Thanksgiving.

Will the wedding be carbon neutral and the bride wear a recycled wedding gown? Time will tell.

Like Bustamante, Jan Perry Could Lead by Dieting

It's no surprise that a dietitian from that hot bed of nanny-state socialism, UC Berkeley, has a screed in Sunday's Daily News supporting Goofy Jan Perry's plan to ban fast food in South Central. Juliet Sims says that "South L.A. residents bear the burden of a toxic-food environment while nearby communities have access to better food." Sims seems to think its the work of a racist cabal that seeks to foist high fat, mega-caloric food on minorities.

Like Perry, Sims doesn't get the fact that its simply a function of the market. Where there is demand, product is sold. For whatever reason, a large percentage of people who live in South Central don't want to purchase what could be considered healthy food. When fast food outlets offer "healthier" choices they find sales of these items are very low.

Here is a collection of various views on Perry's proposal.

Forcing people to get thin by government fiat is not going to be successful. I speak from personal experience; I was able to change my eating habits and enjoy significant success without municipal assistance. Our leaders need to lead by example and educate the citizenry to make better choices. Indeed, Cruz Bustamante did that very thing. Perhaps Perry should be dieting rather than going on a legislative binge.

By the way if you want tips on how to eat healthy at a fast food place, click here.

Perry would be far better off working to ban crime, violence and irresponsible behavior in her district. But that doesn't get you on CNN.

Mayor Sam's Hot Sheet for Wednesday

Cirque Du Soleil has signed a multi-year agreement to stage a new Hollywood themed show at the Kodak Theater. This agreement makes the exotic Canadian circus troupe the only other tenant at the struggling venue along with the Academy Awards. No event waivers though please. Of course Mayor V showed up at the photo op today; take a look at a weird ass photo of the Mayor and a "friend" from the LA Times via Franklin Avenue.

If you're part of the NIMBY, CAVE and/or BANANA movements this place sounds like utopia for granola loving liberals like you - a blogger lives in some unnamed city where Wal-Mart (mis-spelled Wallmart) is illegal, there's a Trader Joe's where one can sign petitions and developers who would build low-income housing are just not welcome.

If a department store put out a sign that said "No Wetback Documents Allowed" when it came to applying for credit there would be a firestorm. So why is it no one is disturbed by the actions of a furniture store near Washington, D.C. that is advertising "Credito sin papeles de gringo?" Racism is racism and both comments are equally offensive.

If you're thinking of deep frying your turkey, the LAFD suggests you think twice. Not only is it not that healthy, unless you have the right equipment, enough open space and know what you're doing its really dangerous. Every year we hear stories of someone who burns down their garage trying to cook their holiday bird in a vat of boiling oil. By the way, I like the way the LAFD is going about this - warning and educating people rather than the usual nanny state tactic of banning it.

Things to Make You Mad About Los Angeles

Fodder for Monday talkradio progams...

Apparently We Are Not Taxed Enough
Get ready for yet another property tax to right a social wrong. Clowncilwoman Janice Hahn wants you to pay another $30 a year to fund "anti gang" programs, of course irrespective of the fact the current anti-gang programs spend millions and have had little results. The plan will be placed on yet another "special election" ballot during the February 2008 California Presidential Primary (to be followed by certain other special elections during the California Everything Else But Presidential Primary in June and General Election in November of next year).

Fortunately there is at least one sane voice in the wilderness. City Controller Laura Chick doesn't believe the move is wise until audits in progress of the current "programs" are complete. Imagine that! Fiscal prudence from an elected official.

If that's not enough for you, the buzz out of City Hall is that Los Angeles officials are currently crafting a plan for a personal income tax for anyone who works in the City. The City of New York imposes an up to 5.82% personal income tax on residents. Given the number of non-residents who work in the City (including many City employees) Los Angeles would probably want to seek to include them in the plan (New York does not tax non-residents except for some City employees who live outside the city - wonder what the unions will think of that?).

The Nanny State
Personal responsibility is no longer required in Los Angeles (unless of course you owe the City money). Are you fat? Its not because you eat too much. Clowncilwoman Jan Perry wants you to know that its because of bad zoning. Of course government intervention into your private life is not just an LA phenomenon. In Oregon apparently you can get in trouble for drying your clothes outdoor on a line.

Finally, if you want a few more items of nonsense from our City government to make your blood boil, read this piece from Jon Coupal.

Jan Perry With a Whopper of a Dumb Idea

Pretty soon in Los Angeles and the rest of California you will need government to make sure you cut off your pets' private parts, change your lightbulbs, bag your groceries correctly, etc.

And luckily we have the patron saint of the Nanny State, Lloyd Levine to keep us safe.

Joining the ranks now is the Los Angeles City Council. Yes just when you think that Jack Hoff's favorite group of critical thinkers couldn't top themselves - they do it again.

They want to ban fast food restaurants in South Central.



Why? Most likely - as reported by the Fox Network's John Gibson - is that "...the L.A. city council thinks Latinos and Blacks are too fat, and they're thinking of doing something about it."

"The L.A. city council thinks Latinos and Blacks are too fat, and they're thinking of doing something about it."

According to Councilwoman Jan Perry there are way too many fast food restaurants in South Central - and "The people don't want them," though the people sure eat there a lot.

Besides the patently absurd notion behind this feel good legislation there is the bigger issue of how do you enforce it? What is considered fast food and what isn't? Its just absolutely silly and no intellectually honest person with can offer a good reason with a straight face.



See it works this way people. In life we have choices. We make choices and we face the consequences of those choices.

If you eat a lot of most of the food they serve at fast food joints - you will probably be unhealthy and gain weight.

On the other hand you can make a decision to be healthy, eat and be well. Maybe its not easy if there are a lot of fast food places in your town. But practically every fast food outlet around these days - responding to the market - offers healthy choices and many of those are on the "value menu."

I speak from experience. In one year I've lost 170 pounds. Not by fad diets, not by surgeries or pills or anything else. It came from making appropriate choices.

I did not need Jan Perry, Lloyd Levine, George Bush or any government official to make that happen for me.

Let's hope this absurdity ends soon.

Thursday Night Funnies

Fundraising Troubles for Lloyd Levine?

Our friend Nanny Lloyd "The Bachelor" Levine isn't having a lot of luck lately. First he had to withdrawal his latest nanny state legislation the "Cutting off Animal Private Parts Act of 2007" due to a lack of political support.

Now it appears that his so called shining star is lacking luster in his bid to best someone who is described as an "old liberal hag" in the Democratic sweepstakes for the State Senate. Lloyd is far behind in fundraising and isn't spending his dough as wisely it would appear according to figures from the Secretary of State.

Perhaps Fran Pavley will kick his butt after all:

Lloyd Levine Contributions 1/1/07 – 6/30/07:
$160,924.00
Cash on Hand: $159,327.70

Fran Pavley Contributions 1/1/07 – 6/30/07:
$206,990.79
Cash on Hand: $508,406.13

And now for the other side: Mandatory anything is generally not a good thing

My good friend and blogging partner Walter Moore has a plank of his otherwise excellent platform that I can not support.

Despite that, I will still endorse him, donate to him, campaign for him and vote for him. But that comes later.

Super Nanny Bachelor Backstabbing Daddy's Boy Lloyd Levine has yet another one of his "nanny state" bills in the works, this time he wants to force you to cut off your pets' private parts.

No doubt, serious pet overpopulation problems exist but more government control is not the answer.

When testicles and ovaries are outlawed, only outlaws will have testicles and ovaries.

If you look at the bill, you will quickly see that it benefits the rich and large commercial breeders of dogs and cats. It will also have the effect of rendering many if not all breeds of cats and dogs nearly extinct. From a practical standpoint it's unworkable, unfair and purely based on emotion.

You may remember the movie "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" where apes became pets because dogs and cats became extinct. This may be what does it.

This law will actually serve to reduce the number of pets that are licensed, drive breeding underground and create more sick and unwanted animals.

Statistics show that as the human population in California has increased, the number of animal impounds has actually decreased. This is the result of voluntary efforts as well as the trapping and spaying/neutering of feral pets. The City of San Jose has had tremendous success with a program such as this.

Animal rights activist and author Patrick Burns - who is an expert and advocate for pet population control - has an excellent piece on why mandatory laws would be a disaster. Before you let your love for animals (as any normal person should feel) rule your intellect on this issue, read Burns' article. If you want more reasons why Lloyd's bill won't work, click here.

Finally, besides all the practical reasons why this is a bad bill, it goes right to the heart of why the Nanny State is a serious threat to our freedom. As noted by this blogger, the words of (Democratic) President Lyndon Johnson have deep meaning: "You should not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harm it would cause if improperly administered."

The Right Way To Get People Off Plastic Bags

Patron Saint of the Nanny State Lloyd "The Bachelor" Levine - more importantly known as The Backstabber - could learn a lesson from this.

All along this old, dead Republican Mayor has said that the market can handle most issues. Lloyd wants a government solution to the issue of plastic shopping bags littering up the place. Mayor Sam has often pointed out how the market has begun to address the issue.

Now lets take it up a notch - get these gals to promote reusable shopping bags and the results will be far greater than any stupid legislation dumb-ass Lloyd could write.

Go Fran Pavley!

Free Ad for Stores that have Free Market Reusable Bags

• HOWS
• Trader Joe's
• IKEA
• Anya Hindmarch

The Latest in the Battle of Stuart and Lloyd

CalPeek is befuddled by the apparent backstabbing of longtime loyal Chief of Staff Stuart Waldman by Assemblyman Lloyd "The Bachelor" Levine, patron saint of the Nanny State.

You may remember that the skids were greased for Stuart to take the 40th AD seat from the termed out Levine. That is until blind ambition led Levine to sell out Waldman to get support from Congressman Howard Berman and a client for his political consultant dad Larry Levine from Berman protege Bob Blumenfeld, also a candidate for the 40th AD Democratic nomination.

CalPeek says it was simply "hardball politics" that led Levine to dump Waldman despite recognition that Stuart was widely considered a good Chief of Staff. The newsletter speculates that Waldman's backstabbing was the result not only of Lloyd's blind ambition but the fact that Waldman opted not to hire the Assemblyman's father but instead longtime Bob Hertzberg advisor John Shallman as his campaign consultant.

In a field where loyalty is often valued CalPeek says insiders take the view that many Democratic insiders who supported both candidates will bolt from Levine's camp.

And finally the newsletter reports that when both Levine and Waldman were present at an event for the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, Levine spotted Waldman and bolted for the door.