Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Friday

Repercussions continue from the cancelled City Council meeting due to a lack of quorum caused by tardy Clowncil members.  The Daily News takes the Clowncil to the woodshed for showing "an implicit disrespect for the people the City Council is supposed to serve." Of course in a few short months the Daily News will endorse all these same incumbents.

The City reports that its new credit card parking meters are raking in the dough. Remember if a parking meter doesn't work it's no longer a free parking pass. You have to actually move your car elsewhere. Non-totalitarian cities in LA County such as Burbank don't hold you up for parking and don't even have meters.

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Parking Meters Still Fail in LA

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Monday is both Cesar Chavez Day as well as the LA County Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.  With no disrespect to Mr. Chavez (who would actually be rolling over in his grave over some of today's politics) you can imagine where all the politicians will be and where the parades are.  Still a small but dedicated group of volunteers held a picnic in honor of Vietnam Veterans in North Hollywood Sunday.

Video Louis recaps parking meters in NoHo over at Downtown NoHo Times .  Politicians who have raised parking fees in Los Angeles might want to note that when the same thing was done in Chicago residents smashed the meters (not that we suggest this at all in Los Angeles).  Also, if you park at anMTA parking lot to patronize local businesses, you better buy a bus or train ticket.

Saturday I opined about the folly of "Earth Hour" yet another emotional sans reason effort to perpetuate environmental based malarkey.  Though the lights were out at my house (as they usually are while I am blogging) it appears that even though the media declared a major success , it was actually a failure across LA (despite Mayor V showing up for a photo op at LA Live) according to both the LA Times and Daily News .  Even the lights stayed on at Al Gore's house.  Maybe the media will learn this type of propagandizing is why no one buys newspapers any longer.

Richard Riordan is a RINO Republican who endorsed Barack Obama and has been a big booster of the Kennedy Republican.  Despite that, the former Mayor is opposing the shady state budget ballot measures going to voters in May.

As the race for Governor heats up next year, Republican candidates plan to run away from and not to Governor Schwarzenegger according to the LA Times. Media strategist Don Sipple tells the paper "People think the Schwarzenegger experience didn't work out so well, and they're going to be looking for something very different."

This would never happen in LA but in New York a group of hawt women have dressed up in vintage costumes to travel the subways and offer transit information.  However, the New York Transit Authority wants to put the kibosh on the girls' service claiming "copyright infringement."

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Is Burbank based Assemblyman Paul Krekorian going to announce he is running to replace Wendy Greuel on the City Council? That was the buzz around  town Thursday evening.  Stay tuned!


Celeste Fremon thinks that it would be a good idea to change the City Charter so that His Imperialness Bill Bratton can serve ad infinitum as LAPD chief.  One wonders how consistent an old lefty like Celeste is and did she favor the Christoper Commission's term limits back when Daryl Gates was chief? I am also curious if Celeste thinks that the Police Chief should be dabbling in partisan and electoral politics, again much in contravention of the findings of the panel that sought to reform the LAPD in the wake of the Rodney King beating.  This is no different than the Republicans who were aghast at FDR's election to four terms and sought to change the constitution to prevent that from happening again.  Yet, when those very same term limits meant no more Ike after 1961, they wanted to change the game again.  Fortuanately, Ike was smart enough to know that was wrong.

Zach Behrens notes that Obama California campaign manager and Measure B godfather Mitchell Schwartz thinks there was a message in the defeat of the controversial proposition and hopes that LA's leaders take the hint. “When something that should be very popular doesn’t pass, it is a wakeup call to the mayor and the City Hall establishment," Schwartz told  Daniel Heimpel at the LA Weekly.

No wonder some of the "umbrella organizations" over Neighborhood Councils get scant participation from all but a fingerful of NC members citywide. Perhaps folks don't see these organizations as ready for "prime time." A recent notice I got from the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition said "The LANCC meets on the first Saturday of each month: MEETING SATURDAY, MARCH 28TH."  Now, yes, I did graduate from LAUSD but I am pretty sure that March 28th is not the first Saturday of the month.

Now we know why the City has made significant increases to parking meter rates and cut back on hours you can park, severely impacting local business and residents: there's gold in them thar hills! Friday the Clowncil will transfer $56 million from a parking meter fund surplus to help cover the City's budget deficit.

The LA Times reports that Bergamot Station art museum in Santa Monica could be a victim of the Expo Rail Line.  Local NIMBYs want the legendary location to be used as a maintenance yard for the line, instead of a nearby industrial property that is within the NIMBY's line of site.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Jill Stewart writes about the talk over what will happen to Wendy Greuel's 2nd Council District seat once she assumes the Controller position. Municipal law says the Clowncil can either call an election or appoint an individual to serve out the rest of Greuel's term which ends in 2011. Stewart notes that the last time the Council appointed to a vacant seat was in 1966 when the Fourth District seat was handed to Tom LaBonge svengali, the late, great John Ferraro. If an election is not called and an insider appointed a rebellion could very well brew. David Hernandez is making pre-emptive strikes with a tour of Neighborhood Councils starting Wednesday night in North Hollywood and Sunland Tujunga. If that's not enough, a group of angry Sunland-Tujungaistas are firing up their mighty machine to fight any potential shadiness.

LA Weekly picks up on Zach Behren's quixotic quest to try to report illegal dumping via the Department of Public Works' website. About the same time your old, dead Republican mayor had a similar experience reporting some illegally dumped bedroom furniture in North Hollywood via the City of LA's 311 system. Looks Zach shook up Public Works and may have got the problem fixed. How about Zach for CD2?

Like their bretheren elsewhere in Los Angeles, residents in Janice Hahn's San Pedro are livid over increases in parking meter fees and reduction in parking hours. Contra Costa Times

The driver of a Mercedes-Benz McLaren in Sunset Plaza apparently doesn't care they've parked in a red zone nearly blocking a fire hydrant. Why not? Our school board president does it! LA Can't Drive.

LA seems to have a problem handling trains. An MTA Gold Line train goes out of control and went runaway in a tunnel under Boyle Heights. LA Times.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Excellent piece by Joel Kotkin on "The Decline of Los Angeles."  A mentor of mine told me several years ago that Los Angeles is a city with its best days behind it.  That appears to be true.  Kotkin chronicles how the City has fallen on economic hard times, the middle class and business has left in droves and quality of life is slipping. Kotkin laments" In such a context, Villaraigosa's upcoming coronation seems hard to comprehend. By most accounts, he has been at best a mediocre mayor, with few real accomplishments." Though its tough at the moment to find a scenario where one of the Mayor's challengers pushes him into a run-off or even defeats him, there's still the chance.  Vote for anyone but Antonio and lets go from there. 


Westside White Guy shows his Pulitzer Paperweight winning suburban chops once again when he can't imagine why even Congresswoman Maxine Waters has bailed on supporting Jack Weiss for City Attorney and has endorsed Carmen Trutanich.  Yes Kevin, get past your cocktail party talk and understand that indeed "Anyone but (Jack) Weiss" is critical for the City.

So if it's anyone but Jack who do you vote for? Fortunately you have several choices. One of whom is the good Weiss, NOEL WEISS, whom you can read about here and here.

Mayoral candidate David Hernandez is charging the City's Channel 36 censored the final segment of a Full Disclosure report on the Mayor's gang program.  Hernandez charges that "The broadcast was censored and viewers were subject to a blank screen during the 30 minutes scheduled to air the controversial conclusion.," and then asks " Just what did the Mayor not want you to see?" 



Measure B made the New York Times.  Relatively balanced piece however it doesn't go into why there is such "fierce opposition" to this shady boondoggle.

I'm all for privatizing as much City services as possible but stand for a shady alert.  Mayor Villaraigosa wants to explore an idea similar to one implemented in Chicago (red flag alert) in which the Windy City has sold their parking meter revenue for 75 years to Morgan Stanley.  Watch out folks, there's huge room for abuse here.

Joseph Mailander likes yurts but I think he would rule this one out as an option for the homeless.  CurbedLA reports a Silverlake version of a manse that comes with the home style pioneered by the Mongols that is on the market for nearly $600K.

Meter Person in Search of $$$ in NoHo

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

EXTRA! HOME DEPOT PULLS OUT OF SUNLAND-TUJUNGA! THE PEOPLE WIN!
Read the post from Joe B. and stay tuned throughout the day as he may have more updates.

A number of City Council Members stepped up during Tuesday's session on the issue of parking meters.  As we've reported here a number of communities are up in arms over both increases to parking rates as well as extension of parking meter times to midnight in some cases as well as charging on Sundays.  CMs Tom LaBonge, Ed Reyes, Bill Rosendahl and Dennis Zine were passionate advocates for their communities and the impact these changes have made on residents and business.  Unfortuanately, Transportation Committee member Wendy Greuel was less than sympathetic and more wedded to "the process."  Hopefully LaBonge, Reyes, Rosendahl and Zine will continue to hold DOT's feet to the fire and make them accountable not only for the onerous policies but for the abysmal outreach DOT did to Council Offices, Neigborhood Councils and Chambers of Commerce on the issue. Rare admission from the City's CAO during the debate: since parking meter and sales taxes rates were increased, revenues to the City have decreased.  Really? We could have told you that would happen!

Though some members of the City Council are suggesting freezing increased hiring by the Los Angeles Police Department - particularly in light of the current budget crisis and dropping crime rates - Mayor Villaraigosa is committed to moving forward with hiring serveral hundred more officers as promised.  "I have said that I will not be deterred in this effort and I think a majority of the City Council will agree with me," the Mayor told Rick Orlov.


As a follow up to his protest filed against the Northridge West Neighborhood Council over alleged violations of the Brown Act and other regulations, community activist Jim Alger Tuesday filed a public records request with the NWNC seeking a series of documents including over a year's worth of agendas, records of all expenditures, documentation of Board Members' attendance at ethics training sessions and copies of all email between board members on Alger's grievance.  Still no response to the Sister City from our request of the NWNC to tell their side of the story (sorry guys if you think anonymous insults of Alger or myself are a response, not quite the way it works).

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

The City of Long Beach is looking at something the City of LA should consider - privatizing it's airport.  The Federal Government has a program to allow this however only Chicago's Midway Airport has gotten anywhere near close (hmm...they may want to double check those deals).  However I believe the City should sell NOT lease LAX to the highest bidder, then put the sale proceeds into a trust for some stated civic purpose (like Police).  The City and LAWA have a hard enough leasing vendor spots without corruption; imagine if they had to approve leases for the whole airport.

The story over the outrage on the business killing crazy parking rules and overpriced parking meters in NoHo gets legs.  Not only an LA Times story but KTLA picks up the television pice of the story.  LeBong is "working on it." 


One blog writes its final chapter while another one emerges on the blog-LA-sphere.  The venerable Boi from Troy, USC loving gay Republican Scott Olin Schmidt, announces he is leaving the blog he has made home for five years.  On the other hand the guy who gave major juice to both the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report, Andrew Breitbart, fires up Big Hollywood this morning.  Breitbart says his new site is "not a “celebrity gabfest or a gossip outpost" but a "continuous politics and culture posting board for those who think something has gone drastically wrong and that Hollywood should return to its patriotic roots."

A few days ago I challenged the practice of being a NIMBY only and asked where is the vision for Los Angeles? 20 year old LA native and current Columbia student Adam Seiff crafts one in the Daily News of all places.  Seiff opines that the "L.A. of our lifetimes will be fueled by new industrial centers to provide high-paying jobs, affordable housing to live in and accessible public spaces to enjoy." 

Matt Burch, a fitness trainer at BodyImage Gym in the Noho Arts District became a local hero recently when he captured a purse snatcher.  Burch was working out at the Lankershim Boulevard gym when he noticed local NoHo Business Improvement District security guards having trouble catching up with the fleeing crook.  Burch dashed out of the gym, flew past the guards and tackled the bad guy until Police could arrive.  Burch says, however, don't try this at home.  He's a long time martial arts practioner and body builder who happens to be a veteran repo man and star of the TruTV network reality show Operation Repo.


Want some Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gear? The folks at Zazzle have a selection of mugs, notecards, keychains and greeting cards available for purchase.

Parking Meter Outrage Continues Across City

Editor's note: This story was scheduled to run tomorrow, however the LA Times has published a story on the issue as well this morning, one for which I was interviewed for, therefore I'm bumping up publication.

Addicted to spending, a City with a Mayor who is disbursing like a druken sailor at a rate 1/3 higher than when he took office a scant three years ago, Los Angeles is looking for every place possible to squeeze the populace for their last dime.

One of the ways our brilliant leaders are doing so is by increasing parking meter rates, extending the hours and days the meters are in service and reducing the amount of time motorists can park in business districts. In some cases meters are being extended as late as midnight (instead of the customary 6:00 p.m. deadline) and on Sundays as well (which always used to be free all day).

These last two points in particular have live theater owners in the fledgling NoHo Arts District fuming. After many lean years during subway and other construction the foot traffic that has finally come to patronize theaters, galleries and other businesses in the once downtrodden neighborhood is being severly impacted by the City's recent moves. The changes to hours and rates for parking meters are forcing patrons to leave theatres during the middle of shows to either feed the meter or move their vehicles. The City spent billions to build the NoHo District and now for a few million at most they're killing it.

One a silly piece in CurbedLA that claims meters are good because the funds earned by the no-armed bandits are used to revitalize the surrounding area. Not true in LA. Never true in LA. Previously parking meter money was banked in the local Council office as sort of a slush fund for the Clowncil members; until budget realities and bad PR forced them to give that up to the general fund. Now money earned in North Hollywood or Highland Park meters are being spent on potholes in San Pedro, tree trimming in Granada Hills or the Mayor's travel budget.

The bozos in City Hall won't admit - they're addicted to spending and like a crack whore who must turn her next trick to get some more blow, the Mayor and Clowncil spokes-holes rationalize with silly nonsense about how raising parking fees will cut traffic.

However until the people in this town wake the F up and get a clue as to what's going on they will like sheep continue to put more of their hard earned money into the meters oblivious that they have a say-so and then drive over to neighboring cities - like Burbank - who don't have parking meters.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

The shadiness that is the City's Measure B solar boondoggle continues to grow.  In addition to the general fraud that is the measure that claims to bring "green" energy to LA but is really a backdoor way to increase DWP rates and payoff politically connected special interests a series of "something rotten in Denmark" events have popped up over the last week or so. First off was the LA Times David Zahniser's report that a "secret" internal report highly critical of the measure was allgedly suppressed by Council President Eric Garcetti.  Now, it's the Mayor and supporters of the measure in an Orwellian move hauling opponents of the measure including former Daily News editor Ron Kaye into court for being bold enough to shed light on the fraud being foisted on voters.  Stay tuned.

In a business busting move to suck a few more dollars out of City residents, Los Angeles has imposed massive increases on parking meters Citywide - some as much as $4 an hour - and increased the hours in the day the meters run.  While merchants from Highland Park to Chatsworth are up in arms, nowhere is anger greater than in the fledging NoHo Arts District.  Theatre owners are aghast that formerly free nighttime parking is no longer available and are finding impratical for patrons to step out of a production to feed the meter.  An aide to Councilman Tom LaBonge has told NoHo theatre owners their office is "looking into it" but local business owners hold out little hope for relief.

Residents along a section of the MTA's Expo light rail line near where it runs close to two schools have asked the state Public Utilities Commission to require either a rail or pedestrian bridge rather than the MTA's proposed at-grade crossings.  The PUC will make a final decision at the end of January; it is estimated that if the pedestrian bridges are required it could delay opening of the line by three years. I find that tough to be believe but even if true, in the light of LA's deadly record of rail accidents I'd rather wait three years if it means safety for schoolchildren and others.

The City wants to establish an "Inspector General" position for the Los Angeles Fire Department primarily as part of reforms following the Tennie Pierce "Dog Food" multi-million dollar lawsuit.  The thinking is that such an individual could root out issues of harrassment, hazing, etc. before they get to the lawsuit stage and hence have placed Measure A on the ballot to create the spot. Yet, an insider who has copied us on a note to Walter Moore supporting his opposition to Measure A notes that for nearly decade the LAFD has employed two individuals responsible for this function each receiving salaries upwards if not more of $100,000 per year.  The writer makes the claim that it is an open secret within the LAFD that neither of these individuals are "doing their job" yet will be rewarded with this soon to be created Charter position (and presumedly greatly increased salaries).

Lots of hand wringing about the slowly dying dinosaur also known as THE OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET but the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News are instead trying some innovative ideas to move the paper into the current century.  Among the changes enhanced digital content channels online, limiting at home delivery to the most popular days only and providing subscribers with exact online copies of the day's print edition.

Not sure if this is the kind of endorsment Britney Spears was looking for but fellow pop tart Lindsay Lohan "praises" Spears for getting her life back on track. In the meantime Spears is denying that she is dating ‘Good Charlotte’ rocker Benji Madden.

Your Moment of Zen

Parking quadrupled.



Suffocates L.A. business.



Squeezes citizens.





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