Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

What happened to August being a slow news month?

In a single day, we have a California ban on same sex marriages being overturned by a Federal Judge, a City Councilmember and his wife being arrested and charged with 24 criminal and felony counts including voter fraud and perjury, and gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman being handed her ass on KFI's John & Ken Show.

-Councilman Alarcon proclaims his innocence and assembles a high powered defense team. He is due back in court on Sept 27th. And here I was thinking that the November elections were the only excitement left this calendar year!

-Prop H8 goes down, for now. George Takei has a few words of advice , as does Alvin McEwen at the excellent site, Alternet. And for good measure, more words of wisdom from the conservative attorney that fought to have Prop 8 overturned. I wonder how fast he'll will be thrown under the bus by the Goobers? Wow, that was fast!

-Google Apps is still coming to LA City Government, just a bit late and at a penalty after some security concerns were raised by the LAPD.

-More conflicts of interest alleged in the battle for fast food at LAX. Can we get a battle going for better food at Bob Hope Airport? Just asking.

-The Sunland-Tujunga Alliance has a hearing before the rubber stamping North Valley Area Planning Commission this afternoon at 4:30pm at the Marvin Braude Bldg in Van Nuys. This time it's over an industrial propane filling station trying to open right in the center of a pedestrian friendly retail area. Michael LoGrande, are you listening? Councilman Paul Krekorian will be there to speak on the community's behalf (thank-you Mr. Krekorian).

- Oh Noes! Say it ain't so! Hanging with the Mouse gets more expensive starting today!

Breaking News! Prop 8 Struck Down!

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker finds California ban on same sex marriage "unconstitutional...violates equal protection clause under the 14th Amendment".

Updates -

Walker- "Same-sex love and intimacy are well-documented in human history."
Walker- "Eliminating gender and race restrictions in marriage has not deprived the institution of marriage of its vitality."
Walker- "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out [gays] for denial of a marriage license."

National Organization for Marriage is pissed.
Rally to celebrate setting up in West Hollywood.
Mormons prepare to go crazy.
PDF of ruling (Thanks Kevin)

Prop 8 Repeal Fails to Qualify for November Ballot

In a major blow to Californians who support same sex marriage, the various campaigns working statewide to gather 694,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot have failed.

Prop 8, a state measure whose campaign for passage benefited from heavy financing by Evangelicals/Mormons & Wingnuts, passed by a slim margin in 2008, and bans marriage between same sex couples.

From BPN- Qualifying constitutional amendments for the ballot is a monumental task that normally requires using paid signature gatherers -- something that Prop 8 supporters used in 2008. Love Honor Cherish, the homosexual advocacy group, avoided using paid signature gatherers and relied instead on volunteers and social networking websites. John Henning, executive director of the group, called it a "heartbreaking moment."

"Despite the dogged efforts of hundreds of volunteers across California, we did not get the signatures we needed within the 150-day window set by the state," he said in a statement.


Supporters of the repeal are looking forward to 2012 when a greater number of younger voters are expected to participate.

Early Morning Briefs and Outtakes......

"Landslide Koretz" meet "Councilman Koretz".

That is what Paul Koretz with verbage crafted by Parke Skelton, wants you to believe, as stated in his "victory declaration".

"Although we have been told that there are still approximately 100 ballots left to count, we can now safely claim victory," the Koretz campaign said. "Once these ballots are counted, and the election is certified, we will update the website."

But leave it to Paul and Parke to have their backup plan in place....

To defend our lead through the vote counting process, we have hired election law expert Stephen Kaufman and his firm. This means we need to raise funds again to pay the cost of this effort, which could go as high as $20,000. This is an extension of the General election campaign so the same contribution limits apply with a maximum $500 per person limit—so if one has already given the maximum ($500 per person) then no more can be contributed to this effort. If someone is a new contributor to the General election, then they can give the full $500. Anyone who has already contributed to the General election, but has not donated the $500 maximum, can contribute the difference up to the $500 limit.

We have to raise this within the next week. Anything anyone can do to contribute or raise funds will be a huge help!

Thanks,

Paul

News Galore on Prop 8.

That is if you were reading the LA Times Website "LA Now", as the scribes went on with "post y post y post" on yesterday's California Supreme Court ruling upholding Prop 8.

Then there was this about Billboards.

When things look dicey, politicians at City Hall have a time-tested strategy: punt. So, faced with criticism from business leaders and neighborhood councils, the Los Angeles City Council put off a vote on the complicated overhaul of its sign ordinance, agreeing to wait until after July 1 to make a decision -- after City Atty.-elect Carmen Trutanich is seated.

FREEDOM AND FREE ENTERPRISE!!

Your Thoughts.......

Prop 8 Ruling Due Shortly

Hat tip to Zach Behrens, you can watch it here: http://cbs5.com/cbsnewslive

UPDATE: KPIX reports Supreme Court upholds Prop 8; existing marriages valid.  The fight continues.

Caption This for Friday

We're all pretty tired after the election, so let's put on our comfy clothes and relax.

Besides, next week is gonna be a busy one with the California Supreme Court announcing their Prop 8 verdict on Tuesday, and the LA City Council having to reopen their budget process (says Bitter Bernie).

Besides Arnie continuing to threaten Californians with (fill in the blank), what else is happening next week?

Cedillo vs. Chu - It's a Race in the 32nd CD

After the huge voter turnout last November, it is almost embarrassing to note how few of us turned out for the various elections held this month in Los Angeles, Burbank, Pasadena and other cities. The aftermath of Prop. H8TE continues to play itself out but there are very few races to really get the blood flowing. The Open Primary legislation that state Senator Abel Maldonado was able to get on the statewide ballot for May 19th (as part of his budget deal concessions) is interesting—especially when coupled with the recent Redistricting measure passed by voters—but even then, the body politic will not have any heart palpitations over it.

The one race that has the promise of a real contest and political combat is the 32nd Congressional Special Election—also scheduled for May 19th. There are other candidates but the two frontrunners for the seat to replace former Representative and current Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis, are State Board of Equalization Member, Judy Chu, and State Senator Gilbert Cedillo. Many are friends with both progressive candidates and as one source who wished to remain anonymous noted, "It's like a fight within a family. I can't choose. I'm going to have to sit this one out."

The conventional wisdom is that Chu, known by many as a workhorse in political circles, has the edge given her endorsement by the L.A. County Federation of Labor, goodwill in the API community and Name ID in portions of the congressional district she represented while in the state legislature. She also has her husband and political powerhouse in his own right, Assemblymember Mike Eng, in her corner. Her campaign kick-off is tomorrow in Baldwin Park.

In terms of the 32nd Congressional District, it is located in Los Angeles County and includes portions of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley—the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Duarte, El Monte, Irwindale, South El Monte, West Covina and portions of Monterey Park. It is a heavily Latino district—63%—and is thus considered to be a “Latino” seat. Voter turnout last November was 53.65% and Rep. Solis received 130,142 votes.

But if energy, shoe leather and the will to win has anything to do with it, we will be saying “Mr. Cedillo Goes to Washington” in a couple of months. He brings his own Name ID with his work on the DREAM Act and and Driver's License Bill--two issues of importance to working class communities in the 32nd CD. [I worked on Cedillo’s first special election back in ’97 as well as served on his staff in '04/'05 so I am not the most objective of political observers.]

Many were surprised at both the number of people and level of excitement at his campaign kick-off last Saturday in El Monte. Both Rep. Xavier Becerra and Supervisor Gloria Molina gave rousing speeches and encouraged the crowd to work hard on his behalf. Local Councilmembers Hahn, Alarcon and Reyes were there and an assortment of former and current state officeholders. The two things I know about Cedillo is also brings his own version of being a political powerhouse—going back to his days growing up on the Eastside, his leadership at SEIU and his tenure in the legislature--and has a knack for beating the odds.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

The Daily Breeze profiles the three candidates for City Controller in a piece Saturday.  Rick Orlov talks to Council Member Wendy Greuel who is trying to get out of Mayor Villaraigosa's shadow, former DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras who hopes to achieve further name recognition and visibility for his reform agenda and Walter Moore affiliated candidated Suzy Evans who did not return Orlov's phone calls or emails (hello?). 

In case you missed it over the weekend: "Fraud and Disorder."


Interesting piece in the Times about our March 3rd elections.  The Former Fishwrap of Record laments the lack of choices in most of the races or even the lack of a contest.  While they say they often agree with the assessments of how fouled up City government is that lesser known candidates make, they often can not find much more than that to make a endorsement of an alternative candidate.  So they wind up endorsing the incumbent and realize it often makes them look foolish or inconsistent.  Still the Times in conducting courtesy endorsement interviews with all candidates are hoping that perhaps someone will prove them otherwise and therefore will take more time than usual with their process.  As well, beyond the usual interviews, the Times plans to hold the open vetting process of Measure B the City didn't and will rely heavily on the comments of it's readers on the controversial measure in coming to a conclusion.


Now that President Obama has signed an executive order that the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba be closed; the next issue is where to put the detainees (which is why I say that Gitmo won't be closed anytime soon; at best there will be modifications to the process there).  If you think we have NIMBYs here on billboards and super-sized houses wait until some Congressman gets word that Al Queada is going to be stored in his district.  Still Congressman Bill Young of Florida has a great idea where to send them - in Nancy Pelosi's district at Alcatraz.

Tom Hanks has stirred controversy in the Gay community for apologizng for his part remarks that members of the Mormon faith were "un-American" for their support of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California. A statement released by the actor-director stated that "Everyone has a right to vote their conscience; nothing could be more American. No one should use 'un- American' lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have."  Even more interestng reading in the comments at gay blog Towlerroad including claims that Hanks was motivated by the coming release of his film "Angels and Demons" to "Tom Hanks is a dork" to a remark that Mormonism was the "Scientology of the 19th Century."

Marijuana and the will of the voters.

From TheCentristOc.com:

Say what you will about marijuana. Call it the 'devil's weed.' Bring up 'reefer madness.' Tell me you didn't vote for Prop 215. Spout off whatever propaganda you like, but remember this: the initiative that California voters approved is 12 years old already. So why are dispensaries still illegal in most of Orange County? I'll tell you why: the will of the voters - on the City Councils that is.

Alan Bock over at Orange Punch posted a few days ago that Seal Beach just became another community which has unilaterally banned safe access to many patients' much-needed medicine. He says:

One of the purposes of Prop. 215, which voters passed 12 (!) years ago, was to allow a small “white” market in medical marijuana to emerge, thereby weakening the black market. Banning dispensaries discourages this healthy development.

Read more »

Separation of church and state is the larger issue

No on Prop 8 just sent me this bulls*&t:

“We achieve nothing if we isolate the people who did not stand with us in this fight. We only further divide our state if we attempt to blame people of faith, African American voters, rural communities and others for this loss. We know people of all faiths, races and backgrounds stand with us in our fight to end discrimination, and will continue to do so. Now more than ever it is critical that we work together and respect our differences that make us a diverse and unique society. Only with that understanding will we achieve justice and equality for all.”

I don't think anybody is BLAMING African-Americans for Prop 8. We're just upset that their community ironically doesn't seem to see the value of equal rights, and going after the Mormon and other faiths is a 100% correct strategy since, once again, it's their money that pushed their agenda through. The Yes on 8 side had to lie to convince people that a ban on gay marriage is what GOD wants.
Read more »

Prop H8: what you can do about it (or 'What's really wrong with this picture?')

Homosexuality is not abnormal or illogical. Homophobia IS.

'Phobia: An intense, abnormal, or illogical fear of a specified thing.' - Answers.com

For the cause:

To be more specific, it was 'hypocritical, recently-polygamist so-called Latter Day Saints' who stole our rights.

For your consideration:

Over the last two decades, research findings have pointed to disproportionately high rates of suicidal behavior among LGBT adolescents and young adults. Suicide attempts in this population have been linked to a variety of factors including gender nonconformity, lack of support, family problems, violence/ victimization, early sexual debut and mental health problems, notably depression and substance abuse or dependency. How these factors converge to produce suicidal behavior among different groups of sexual minority youth, however, remains only partially understood.

- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

For the children:

Overall, the belief that children of lesbian and gay parents suffer deficits in personal development has no empirical foundation.

- American Psychiatric Foundation

If there was never any discrimination against gays, would this even be a question? The same goes for any other minority group. Is it their behavior or lifestyle that marginalizes gay families or is it the reaction of society to that private behavior? The churches and some of their followers have been tormenting the gay community and their children for years and then complaining that gay couples put their children in harm's way by simply existing. Talk about rigging the system!

In fact, it is not we who stigmatize our children; outdated, contradictory religious dogma and those who choose to follow it and then claim 'faith-based' hate do that well enough already thank you very much. A transsexual friend of mine had her jaw shattered recently. Indeed, violent homophobia is justified in the minds of many, so why didn't we put a stop to it? Because an out-of-state church bought enough votes to perpetuate it?

Vinny at the beach


Yes, because gay families are so abnormal. See? We're a bunch of perverted freaks. Taking walks on the beach, loving our families, and enjoying the simple things in life. We should be exterminated for our insolence, 'dontchaknow?'

SMS

Gimme That Old Time Religion!

I dunno, it just seems like a relevant clip. Is this one reason why they came up with that whole separation of church & state concept?



On a side note, I ran into a friend this morning at a local cafe who, in a very brilliant Libertarian moment, said,

" The No on Prop 8 people are fighting the wrong battle. Instead of fighting for the rights of the gay & lesbian community to marry, they should be fighting to have every union between anyone, including a man & a woman, simply function as a legal civil union. Get the government out of the wedding business completely! If the couple wants to take the extra step of labeling their civil union a marriage, then they can go to the church of their choosing and make it so according to the beliefs and traditions of that particular religion. What's so hard about that?"

It seemed like a good idea to me, but I was only on my first cup of coffee, so what do I know?

A response to the L.A. Times' Jasmyne Cannick about Prop H8

[1/10/08: In this article I berate Jasmyne for voting yes on 8. To clarify, she actually claims that she voted no but didn't feel the need to even casually discuss it with black folks - which I believe to be equally complacent.]

Jasmyne A. Cannick of the LA Times writes:

I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn't inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

Yes Jasmyne, because you speak for all gay black people. First of all, you don't. Secondly, why would you have to be inspired to vote against Prop 8 and its inherent social injustice in the first place? With same-sex marriage legal in California up until November 4th, why would your default position be to think that we should place a ban on it? What if Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation and then had that will overturned by the tyranny of the majority? 'Oh, sorry, you're not free; we were just kidding.' That's how gay married couples now feel.

Why? Because I don't see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. At a time when blacks are still more likely than whites to be pulled over for no reason, more likely to be unemployed than whites, more likely to live at or below the poverty line, I was too busy trying to get black people registered to vote, period; I wasn't about to focus my attention on what couldn't help but feel like a secondary issue.

Nobody asked you to put money, time, or energy into the Prop 8 campaign. We simply asked you to not help take our rights away by simply voting no. There was a day when you as a black woman could not have married a white man, let alone a woman, but apparently that thought never crossed your mind, nor the thought that with discrimination against gays being what many consider the last acceptable form of bigotry, getting rid of it once and for all would actually boost the social standing of all minority groups. Thanks a lot.

You also didn't consider that Barack Obama was going to be the inevitable winner of the presidency since about the time of the bailout last month. Apparently, that wasn't enough for you. Has your racial agenda overwhelmed your lesbian agenda or what? Your true problem though is that while you're spouting off about how the campaign against 8 didn't do enough to convince you that everyone should have equal rights, you should have known that they are one and the same. Watch the following video from leaders of the black community in Oakland who seem to agree with me.



Did you also see the proponents of Prop 8 (did you notice how 'pale' their spokesperson was?) attempt to again transform a civil rights argument into a religious one? But wait, I was told repeatedly that the Prop 8 people weren't religious zealots. I was told there was separation of church and state. Apparently, I was misinformed on both counts as the will of the duped voters overturned this most fundamental Jeffersonian doctrine of faith and government. And once again, Jefferson was a devout Christian who advocated for a secular republic. So what message does that send exactly?

You also didn't consider the fact that this initiative was put on the ballot by forces whose only goal is the intentional division and conquering of the electorate. The strategists behind Prop 8, Republicans all, hate you too. And they like to tinker with the constitution. Congratulations. You gave them exactly what they wanted and they'll probably be coming for you next. Happy now?

And then there was the little white lie... about a black guy... to both African-American and Latino voters, who according to your commentary, have more important issues to worry about. Do you really think the GLBT community doesn't also share your concerns about the economy, national security, or health care? Do you really think that we gay activists gave up all of our other issues this election cycle for what you seem to consider the 'secondary' issue of marriage equality? The operative word there is 'equality' for if civil unions actually were 'separate but equal,' I likely would have voted yes on 8 too! Just remember: Republicans love it when minorities turn on one another, especially when it was all their idea in the first place. I see they have you right where they want you.

Again Jasmyne, thank you so much for such militant complacency towards a fellow socially-oppressed community, but you don't have to worry about a backlash, do you? African-Americans have full protection under the law, overly aggressive police practices not withstanding (DWB), and well, we gays still don't in many, many places. Did you know that 30 states don't even have job protections for GLBTs?

But wait, aren't you supposed to be a lesbian as well? It's kind of hard to tell through all that complaining about the lack of outreach by No on 8. Wow! The gall they must have had to assume that as a lesbian, you didn't need to be 'reached.' You don't understand that they never saw you for the color of your skin to begin with, just like Dr. King would have wanted. Please pardon them for their ignorance.

SMS

But it was only a little white lie...

All the way to the last minutes of the game and they still can't resist lying to us. I smell fear alright. OK, sure, these two Dems are guilty of Kerrian nuance, but this is blatant distortion. If one's case is solid enough, they don't need to resort to lying, do they?
Read more »

Hitler now? HITLER?! Enough is enough.

From No on 8 through Facebook:

We have successfully thwarted a coordinated cyber attack on the No on Prop 8 website. Fortunately, there was no breach in security and we are again able to accept contributions online.

As if that attack isn't outrageous enough, at a recent Prop 8 rally an official campaign spokesman actually compared the right of same-sex couples to marry to the rise of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. Watch the video:

This insanity needs to stop. Prop 8 needs to be defeated. It's wrong. It's unfair. The people supporting it are fanatical, intolerant and willing to do and say anything to eliminate our rights. Period.

We cannot let them succeed. Help us reach our goal of $3 million by Friday:

https://secure.ga4.org/01/underattack?source=facebook

I know we can succeed. We have to.

In solidarity,

Geoff Kors
Executive Committee Member
No On 8

No on Prop 8 ad geared towards the liberty-minded

Is there an echo in here? I think bloggers have been saying this for a while, no? Well, now liberty goes mainstream in this new No on 8 spot that spoofs the popular Apple commercials.

Not only did Apple provide inspiration, they have also donated $100,000 to No on Prop 8 according to Yes on 8 agents on local blogs who have recently made good on their promise to call out local businesses who contributed to No on Prop 8 as being 'anti-family' unless they were given an equal or greater donation.

Kudos to Schubert/Flint Consulting, who, at the start of this campaign, I accused of lining their profits with wedge issue/special interest money. As you can plainly see, they totally didn't sell out.

SMS

All you need to know about Prop 8... in 4000+ words

(OC Register Photos)

Discrimination is an American value

Discrimination has been around since the dawn of time. It's an American value and a family value. Damn those gays and their agenda to change everything, destroy marriage, and indeed destroy all religion, or God forbid remind the voters that religion is faith, not fact. How dare they compare us to Muslim extremists? We have nothing in common. We don't kill people, we only oppress them with our morality and micro-manage and destroy their lives, then make them feel ashamed for the way God made them. What's wrong with that? It's His will for us.

...except gays

It's OUR job as Christians: to make sure God's will is done... even though we don't have a clue what His will is or if He even exists, but it's our spiritual manifest destiny. If we believe it, then it is so for everyone. According to the Bible, God defined marriage by divine mandate and He wants us to smite the gays from His Earth, so why should we let them dictate to us who we can discriminate against? Our logic is as righteous as our faith.

Oppression means smaller government

By telling the government who they can and cannot join in legal unions, we are limiting government's role in our lives. While that may sound paradoxical, we believe that it is not, therefore it is not. The Libertarian Party, those quasi-conservatives, don't believe we live in a Christian nation. Again, even though the Founding Fathers, devout Christians most, had the foresight to create a secular government, their personal beliefs should speak louder than their actions because we say it is so.

We don't heed history. It contradicts our faith.

Brown vs. Board of Ed has nothing to do with this. Civil unions are the same as marriages, so your 'marriage' is between my God and me. Even though we've offered to compromise, we just cannot allow tax advantages, guaranteed family medical coverage, and hospital visitation rights for gay couples or allow all families to have the same opportunities. We cannot ever teach children that same-sex partners cohabitate because we must shelter them from the truth: 10% of the population is gay, including some of our own children, and God said they should never have a relationship as satisfying as a marriage and the last thing we want to do is tell our gay children that it's OK to have happy families.

It does not take a village to raise a child; to hell with Hillary. It takes one man and one woman. No more, no less. God won't stand for people choosing their own families. He will tell you who you and your family are, and we are His machines of loving grace. It is against His will to oppose us. You cannot call your relationship a 'marriage,' or vote no on 8, because the word marriage is more important than equal rights.

Save yourself from eternal damnation. Vote Yes on 8.

SMS

Just a few reasons to be against Prop 8

Comment away.

And for those who give a shit about equality, please visit noonprop8.com and donate whatever you can spare to make sure this so very true commercial (unlike the Yes on 8 ads) will be aired.

Special thanks to Vern Nelson at Orange Juice Blog.

SMS