Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

Mayor Villaraigosa is aruging with LAUSD officials over how many kids are dropping out of the District's schools.  Whether it's 33% (what the District says) or 50% (what the Mayor says) it's tragic. And considering the Mayor's battle is one not to help the kids but one for money and power one can only wonder when the leadership will arise to take our local schools out of the hands of the miserable LAUSD as well as the  Mayor's.



Council Members Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry want DASH bus services to run late downtown.  With the growing population downtown and the attendant eateries, shopping and entertainment venues that are opening more short haul public transportation in the city center is a good idea.  However the City doesn't have the money to provide the service.  So rather than creating "public-private partnerships" which are breeding grounds for fraud, waste and abuse, why not change the law to allow private operators to operate jitney service Downtown.  Market demand will create the service that is needed.  And ultimately it could become a model for the rest of the City.



The transit tax may be in trouble.  The Mayor and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky want the funds to be spent on Westside transit projects.  The problem is that the tax has to be approved by 2/3 of voters countywide.  Leaders from other parts of the County, led by County Supervisor Mike Antonovich want a piece of the pie.  Folks in Lancaster aren't really interested in paying for the "Subway to the Sea" and residents in the San Gabriel Valley have transportation needs of their own.  Might need to cross this one off the list.



Speaking of taxes, last week we gave you the list of taxes, fees and bonds politicians want you to vote for on the November ballot.  Get ready to add another one.  The County of Los Angeles has their own version of the City's Proposition S, taxing your cell phone calls and text messages. 

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Okay, enough of the jokes and onto the real news. Happy April Fool's Day!

Walter Moore is advocating for "Jamiel's Law," in honor of Jamiel Shaw, an innocent high school student who was killed by illegal alien gang members. The law will end "sanctuary city" policies at least for gang members and criminals and allow police to question criminal aliens, ones that Mayor Villaraigosa says don't exist. Maybe the Mayor needs to ask the community. Moore says he will announce some high level support for the effort Tuesday morning.

Our favorite ex-motorcycle cop Dennis Zine joins with Zuma Dogg and State Senator Carole Migden in supporting medical marijuana. Good move.

Developer J.H. Snyder announces plans for the final phase of the NoHo Commons development at the North Hollywood Red Line Station. Among the features a Laemmle Theatres, restaurants and office space.

Over at MS2 The CW (no not the television network) recounts his personal account of the mess that was transporting fans from Dodger Stadium to the Coliseum for an anniversary exhibition game.

Discovered a great local sports related blog: Sons of Steve Garvey. A handful of apparent anony-bloggers cover the ins and outs of the Big Blue Machine (that's the LA Dodgers for those of you non-natives) from the fan point of view.

VoIPNews covers LA implementing the shady Proposition S phone tax on "voice over internet protocol" phone service, apparently in contravention of federal law. Hey that never stopped Tony and The Clown(cil)s.

When does a blog post about soccer giant David Beckham and his diva former Spice Girl wife Victoria become a political story? When of course it recalls the day when Beckham was introduced to LA fans and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received a solid chorus of boos from those in attendance.

Crime and Punishment in Los Angeles

Today I arrived to my vehicle - parked in a secure garage - to find this:


Unfortunately, the bandits made off with the Mayor Sam Mobile Unit - laptop, web cameras and other assorted remote blogging doo-dads (but not the dreaded BlackBerry).

Digital security cameras and a crack Senior Lead Officer might nab the bandits. And auto and rental insurance may cover some of the damage.

Still I will not vote for or support any of the shady taxes, fees, assessments etc. allegedly for hiring more cops. Let's cut the rest of the budget first and eliminate the nonsense.

Mayor Sam readers, bloggers, politicians and local denizens alike should not worry that the theft of this laptop means the loss of any sensitive Sister City data. The old, dead Republican Mayor makes use of online applications like Google Apps so nothing is saved locally.

I just miss all my doo-dads.

Outtakes from the "RED SPOT INSTITUTE"

We start off this morning in asking for your prayers for the families of two LAPD SWAT Officers who were shot in a on-going stand off in the San Fernando Valley. KFI is reporting that one officer has died and the other is under going treatment at this time. Times report

In other news.....City Controller Laura Chick gives her post election thoughts about Prop S. One senses that Chick is seeking separation from the deceitful tactics employed by the "Yes for Prop S" campaign.

The "KENNEDY REPUBLICAN" laments the lost of his political soul mate Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. Commentary aplenty from the likes of Skelton in the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET", LA Weekly, and the "BEAT OF THE CITY".

Los Lomas, Griffith Park/Southwest Museum, and a "wetlands" in Boyle Heights?, are environmental issues which will come front and center at City Hall in the weeks ahead.

Daniel Hernandez takes up for the "Bacon around the Hot Dog" vendors.

In closing, we give our "WASTE OF A SPACE AWARD" for the printed word to Times Op-ed writer Patt Morrison. She wasted salary hours of print room guys such as Padgett with her "Rudy for LA Mayor" column.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

The "RED SPOT INSTITUTE" mourns the news that Mitt Romney is dropping out of the GOP race for the White House. Thus the return to power of the Rockefeller RINOS is realized.

FREEDOM AND FREE ENTERPRISE!!

Fabian We Hardly Knew Ye

FMB Fabian "Knucklehead" Nunez is prepping his resume this morning:

California voters rejected a ballot measure to cut the time lawmakers could serve in
the Legislature by two years but give current incumbents a windfall termextension, according to early returns.

With about 96 percent of the precincts reporting, 53 percent of voters were opposed to the measure while 47 percent were in favor.

On the other hand, much to our chagrin, Fabian's FMB and BFF Tony Villar had a better night Super Tuesday. Though he may have won this battle, he has not yet won the war; Barack Obama remains strong and will continue to roadblock Shillary in her roll to the Dummycrat nomination. His super fraudelent phone tax ballot measure will no doubt be on its way to court and - along with Attorney General Moonbeam's bogus ballot title and summary for Prop 93 - inspire "truth in labeling" laws for plebiscites put to the people.

Some of the other fallout from the 93 loss means Nanny Lloyd Levine can't fall back to run for his current job (Stuart Waldman would kick his ass anyway) but now has to head out to a very likely butt whipping by ultra-lib Assemblywoman Fran Pavley in his State Senate primary battle in June.

By the way, in case you didn't know, rooster control passed in Riverside. Remember - when roosters are outlawed, only outlaws will have roosters.

Open Thread for Super Tuesday

LAist has a good piece that covers both sides of Proposition S and was nice enough to quote me and Zuma Dogg. They even have a poll - the only one I've seen so far - that shows S losing handily. That goes to my prediction that IF the latte sipping, text messaging, casual young voters who may show up to vote for Barack Obama actually do go to the polls AND they see past the fradulent ballot title and description of S (as well its cousin Measure D in Pasadena), then maybe S could go down. Yes, it's a big if but who knows.

Zach Behrens, also at LAist, somehow thinks if your Presidential candidate ends the war we'll have a Subway to the Sea in five years. You're a cool dude Zach, but keep dreaming.

Don't forget our Super Tuesday party tonight.

So blog and predict away dum dums. What's the big upset of this election?

Obama Fans: No on Proposition S

Interestingly, just about every Barack Obama supporter I talk to is opposed to Proposition S. In a way, you would think that supporters of a liberal senator would not oppose a tax increase. But it's not the case as a significant number of Democrats are opposing Proposition S including its potential for taxing the internet, as its a regressive tax on consumers. Its also a tax many big corporations will not have to pay.

With the expected large turnout of Obama supporters, could they sink the regresive tax increase on cell phones and internet service that Propsition S represents? This could very well be a part of the Yes on Proposition S campaign's decision to not use the Mayor with his Hillary Clinton connections in the campaign, but instead use the politically popular Chief William Bratton.

All we can hope is that Obama wins and S loses.

Proposition S: The Twenty Five Cent Email Tax

A little known and discussed provision of Proposition S on the Los Angeles City ballot on Tuesday, February 5th would allow for the taxing of internet service by the City of Los Angeles. Talk is that could wind up costing you twenty five cents per email sent and received if that portion of the plan is activated.

Day one from passage of Proposition S taxes will be assessed every time you send a text message or use minutes in your plan.

What you don't know about Prop S is that it creates a corporate loophole that essentially leads you to subsidize the phone and internet service of large media conglomerates and the portion of taxes paid by telemarketers. That is, they pay less than you.

The tax is listed on the ballot as a reduction. This is not true, the tax is going from 0% to 9%. It also has been promoted as a measure to raise funds for police and fire protection. This is also not true; nothing in the measure guarantees such funding.

Once again the politicians have clowned you.

Monday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

The former fishwrap of record fluffs Prop S from the news side, with a story about how it's Bratton, not the Mayor, who is now the point person for the proposition. Somehow that's an election eve story, rather than how the City has been obliged to go to the mat for Prop S despite having gamed the opposition nearly right off the table with illicit tactics. No mention of the "economic emergency" status that lowered the bar.

The Daily News does a little better, talking about the dire straits the City would find itself in were S not to pass. Nobody from the opposition side is quoted, though.

Today is Eric Garcetti's birthday; he's 37. It's also mine; I'm 51.

This is one great reason to vote NO on Prop S

This person was paid with your tax dollars.

Hector Marroquin is a member of the Mexican Mafia who created a facade called "No Guns" that your tax dollars paid for.

This was done under the auspices of the LA Bridges Anti Gang Program that has to this day been a source of fraud and waste.

Likely if you live in a gang prone neighborhood, you have come across programs paid for with funds allocated through the LA Bridges Program. And likely you have seen examples of the waste the cause John Perez to lose his job at the Community Developement Department.

The LA Weekly did a great job in highlighting the fraud and waste in their article entitle "Broken Bridges".

For three months after the recent home-invasion robbery arrest of Hector Jr. and
the weapons-possession arrest of Hector Sr., L.A. Bridges director John Chavez
went limp. Chavez actually extended No Guns’ contract an additional month, while
he obsessed over whether the No Guns debacle would hurt the image of Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa. Moreover, Chavez’s first impulse was to act as apologist
for the Marroquins, e-mailing a City Hall colleague: “Hector Jr. alleges that
there is a personal issue with one [police] officer against the Marroquin
family.”

One for example can walk the streets of CD 14 and come across workers of a "THREE LETTER ORGANIZATION" with close ties to the Mayor and local councilman, who get paid from your tax dollars to "BROWN BAG IT" with the homies.

Yet as Angelinos get ready to vote on Prop S, no audit as been completed to account for all the money allocated to the LA Bridges Program.

Police Chief Bill Bratton can shill till the polls closes about you voting yes on Prop S. Yet he could put his political capital to better use in investigating how people like Marroquin can defraud the tax payers.

No audit on LA Bridges = No on Prop S!!

Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Hill-pink, Obama-green, CA trendlines, Real Clear Politics, 2.3.08


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Obama is within MoE on all national polls, with momentum. Also within MOE in California. Zogby even has Obama by four, OUTSIDE MoE.

[Reminder: delegates are awarded via a complex formula in California, which is promising for Obama, as Clinton banked on winning heavily-Latino districts early on. But enough delegates are awarded for winning the popular vote in the State to assure that neither candidate could win the State vote but lose the delegate count.]

Why did the California Field poll have so many undecideds in Obama-Clinton? Eighteen percent in late Jan.? You presume that is breaking Illinois' way.

Ancien Régimes are jumping the shark, and not just on the right: MoveOn's endorsement of Obama barely scored a blip on blogosphere radar screens.

Locally, there is nothing more to do on Prop S. Walter Moore should simply start proclaiming victory now, as the proposition is certainly going to slip under 66% YES, which is the usual hurdle for a tax measure. Had not the City gamed the election as an "economic emergency" in the middle of granting pay raises, the Proposition would have certainly been defeated. Expect a court challenge.

Frantic Friday Scrambling

Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

Tick...tick...tick...

SEIU endorses Obama, the Times says. Jawdropping.

The Mayor takes rightwing money to try to buy Prop S some insurance, Zahniser said earlier today.

The City may be throwing 40 unit condos up everywhere, and an election may be three days away, but Councilman Dennis Zine wants to protect Britney with a personal safety zone. By ordinance. Amazing.

Top Ten Reasons To Vote No on Proposition S

From the home office in North Hollywood, California...

The Top Ten reasons to vote No on Proposition S...

10 - City Hall wastes our money on things like $500,000 for calligraphy and $18,000 for sphincter control classes. And that's just the start...

9 - Business, homeowner, consumer and neighborhood organizations oppose it.

8 - The ballot language is intentionally deceptive, untrue and a shady effort by the Mayor to bamboozle you.

7 - Nobody cooler than Joseph Mailander opposes this crooked proposition and he'll be on the radio Thursday (KPCC FM 89.3, 10:30 a.m.) to let the people know about it.

6 - The Mayor's airing deceptive TV commercials starring Chief Bratton that misleads the people on the Proposition.

5 - Both unions and developers support Proposition S. That's enough of a reason itself to say no.

4 - Proposition S would tax internet service.

3 - The LA Times supports the measure; but doesn't tell you they don't have to pay the tax.

2 - Those pesky telemarketers who call you during dinner only have to pay half as much tax as you.

And the number one reason to vote no on Proposition S

1 - Every time you get a text message for a booty call, you'll have to pay Antonio Villaraigosa.

Mayor's Office Chickens Out from Walter Moore Phone Tax Radio Debate

Walter Moore reports that he was "un-invited" from a scheduled public radio debate on the phone tax mesaure, Proposition S, at the request of the Mayor's office.

According to Moore radio station KPCC was told representatives of the Mayor's office would not appear on a debate over the measure if Moore were to appear presenting the con side of the argument - even though Walter is the designated opponent in the official City sample ballot!

Their alternate choice? Our own Joseph Mailander, who recently published his own anti-Prop S take in the local fishwrap of record.

What is the Mayor's team afraid of? That Walter would clean their clock? Indeed he would. But so will Joe.

Its also interesting to note that a number of Neighborhood Councils have invited Walter to present his views on Proposition S had recently canceled his appearance at the last minute. Did they receive back room pressure from the Mayor's office? Correction: It was scheduled proponents of Proposition S who cancelled THEIR appearances ostensibly upon hearing of Moore's scheduled appearance. Moore was however allowed to make his presenation and in the cases where the Council in question took a vote on Proposition S, they all voted to oppose the tax measure. Still a number of Neighborhood Councils have endorsed a NO vote on Proposition S including the Northridge West Neighborhood Council, the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, the Reseda Neighborhood Council and the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council. During many of Walter's appearances at such meetings, City staffers would stand up and speak and say "I'm not allowed to campaign for or against Proposition S," following which they would begin to campaign for Measure S.

I saw exactly this myself at the Mid Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council when a representative of the Mayor's office did the very same thing.

Update: I had requested my own Neighborhood Council agendize discussion of Proposition S at it's last meeting and was essentially denied such without securing participation of someone from the Mayor's office to speak in favor of it. Still, a number of Council board members did express their personal opposition to Proposition S and this came from several people who rarely agree with one another on anything.

When you have a Mayor who puts a mis-leading tax increase measure on the ballot, one that will tax your landline, text messages, internet service, etc., runs dishonest television commercials featuring the Chief of Police, illegally uses city staffers to campaign for the measure and then chickens out on a debate, you realize how sad things have become in Los Angeles.

Vote No on Proposition S!

Don't Let Them Tax Your Text Messages!

The local fishwrap of record comes out in favor of Proposition S, what they don't tell you is they're exempt from it.

Proposition S is an anti-consumer, regressive tax that has people from all parts of the political spectrum opposing it (except elected officials, public employee unions and downtown developers) including an 87 year old advocate for equal access to the Internet.

Proposition S has a bastard cousin of it's own in Pasadena in Measure D, a very similar measure. FreedomWorks is an organization working to defeat the Pasadena proposal; stay tuned for more.

In calling for spending cuts, the Mayor didn't miss a chance to serve up more scare tactics to get you to pay more on your landline, cell phone and internet bills. Mayor Villaraigosa told reporters "If Prop S were to fail, we'd have to cut public safety,'' Villaraigosa said. "There's no way around it. It's two-thirds of (the city's) budget. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.'' Yet, WalterMoore - who's not a rocket scientist but actually went to an accredited law school and passed the bar unlike the Mayor - has spelled out where the City has and wastes the money we need for public safety.

Boi from Troy details how some business groups had the balls to come out against Proposition S but others have wimped out and taken a neutral stand.

Super Tuesday Bloggy Bits

While the city is in the midst of a deep fiscal emergency Wednesday the Mayor will be off traveling the Bay Area campaigning for Hillary Clinton, joined by fellow Mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Ron Dellums of Oakland. Take all the time you need Antonio.

In the meantime, another City Council member has joined the Obama parade. Councilman Bill Rosendahl - who originally supported also ran Dennis Kucinich - has switched his allegiance to the Illinois Senator. "My heart and my soul summoned me to answer the inspiring, hopeful and
positive call for Barack Obama,'' Rosendahl said in a statement.

If you agree that its important to do what you can to deny Hillary Clinton a victory in California on Tuesday, you can join Council President Eric Garcetti for a "Bike Ride for Obama" this Saturday.

We may have started a trend. LAist is having its first event ever, its own election night party. But not at a working class Valley watering hole, but a trendy downtown nightspot. Perhaps Matt Dowd could join them and all of the other Pro-Prop S hoi polloi there.

Proposition S Shady Update for Tuesday

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports an asteroid between 500 to 2000 feet wide will pass within 334, 0000 miles of Earth Tuesday morning. Expect shortly thereafter that the Mayor will declare without the passage of Proposition S, the big rock will turn around and slam into our planet.

In the meantime, a cash strapped city has plans for a $36 million city funded gentrification of Broadway even though the Latino business owners, workers and shoppers who've kept the famous district afloat for years aren't taking to the idea of their tax dollars being spent to bring in yuppies to put them out of business. Broadway has potential, but its pretty vibrant at present. Anyone who wants to develop it should put their own money into it. In the meantime, Walter Moore points out the disconnect between bureaucrats crying city poverty on one hand and others passing out the tax money on the other.

The next part is almost too good to be true. Yet again the Mayor has provided us with our daily laugh. In an effort to do his part about the City's sagging finances, the Mayor is "asking employees to take unpaid vacation days, return city cars and issuing fewer cellphones and Blackberries." It is however not clear whether this directive applies to the Mayor and his staff.

If you didn't catch Joe Mailander's excellent op-ed piece in the Fishwrap of Record, be sure to check it out.

When you tell your friends about Proposition S and the increase in taxes on their cell phone, text messages and internet service make sure they know all about the 27% employee salary increases, the tax breaks given to the owners of the Staples Center that matches dollar for dollar the estimated tax revenues from Proposition S and all the shady ways the Mayor has bamboozled you. But its okay - he's cutting back on BlackBerrys. Of course he is - he doesn't want the City to have to pay the extra tax!

Monday Hotsheet at 3 a.m.

JM, Nice Weather, 1.26.08


Joseph Mailander a guy in la • elsewhere • email

There will also be an election in June, and the big issue in that one will be a State rent control proposition. Here's an early backgrounder by Patrick McGreevy. Because LA has so many rent-controlled units, impact here could be higher than anywhere else in the State. The Times' publisher Sam Zell, who owns trailer parks, donated heavily to the cause of rolling it back.

Add the voice of your truly to those finding that "S is for Sham." My op-ed in this morning's fishwrap does not so much tell you how to vote as tell you how much bad faith has been flung the voter's way in creating this proposition, which is horrifying enough.

Here we go again: every time there is weather of any kind, parts of the City's power grid shut off.

Bratton Prop S Commercial: The Big Lie

It began with Mayor Villaraigosa calling it a "tax reduction." Remember however - you can not reduce a tax that doesn't exist.

The shady ballot designation. The scare tactics about not having money for police officers. All of which has been disproved by folks like Walter Moore and Daily News Editor Ron Kaye.

"Every year, LA's general fund revenues grow at an average rate of 5.7%. The problem is that since 2000 Los Angeles' employee costs have risen 7.5% a year, a 53% increase."
Ron Kaye, Editor, Daily News

The latest and most eggregious of the lies comes from a commercial featuring LAPD Chief Bill Bratton. The pro-Prop S TV spot says that the measure closes "a corporate tax loophole." Absolutely no mention of the fact that the measure IMPOSES A TAX ON LANDLINES, CELLPHONES and INTERNET SERVICE. No mention either that the tax will be on EVERY PHONE LINE YOU HAVE. Most people have a landline, a cell phone and maybe a DSL line. That's three lines at 9% a pop.

As the Daily News reported Sunday, "the measure would allow the city to tax voice mail service, pagers, text or instant messages sent by cell phone or PDA."

The pro-Prop S website - PropSFacts.com - is almost as bad. They at least mention the phone task but they frame Proposition S as "closing a loophole so that corporations and others that are not currently paying the tax pay their fair share."

Those "others" are you.

But you and others like you can fight back. We don't have the big bucks from the developers, public employee unions, etc. but we have the power of the people and the internet. Here's one way to get the word out to your friends.

The No On S Anti Shady Phone Tax Cut and Paste Campaign Message

If you're a regular reader of this blog you know how shady Proposition S is. You know how its going to tax cell phones, landlines and internet service. You know how politicians are lying to the people to get this measure passed. Therefore as a public service, we're providing the below for you to get the word out to as many of your friends who live in the City of LA.

Email Message:

Dear Friend,

In the election Tuesday, February 5th, the City of Los Angeles will ask you to vote on Proposition S which will add at least a 9% increase to your telephone and internet services. Unfortunately, they Mayor and the politicians are selling this tax as a "tax reduction" and using scare tactics that the City will run out of funds for police and fire if this measure is not passed.

Do not be fooled. A court ruled this tax illegal (because the City didn't ask you first) and City revenues are up more than ever. The City needs the money to give to downtown developers of condos and sports arenas and to give 27% annual increases to City employees. When was the last time you got a 27% tax increase?

Be sure to vote no on Propotision S.

Text Message:

Your cell phone bill could go up. Be sure to vote NO on LA's Proposition S on Feb 5.