Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Saturday

After months and months of delays caused by NIMBY nonsense and union politics, the City Council reversed course and will allow Providence Holy Cross Medical Center to resume construction of a much needed expansion to provide trauma services. Kerry Carmody, Chief Operating Officer for Providence Health Services, said “This isn’t just a great day for Providence Holy Cross, it’s a big victory for our entire community.” The Providence system - a nearly 150 year old organization of Catholic nuns who created it as a ministry - is one of the few non-profit hospital systems left and is widely recognized for it's excellent medical care.

Rick Orlov reports the crowd is lining up of potential candidates to replace Wendy Greuel on the City Council when she assumes the Controller position in July.  All the usual suspects include School Board Member Tamar Galatzan (who said she wouldn't run, former Assembly Member Cindy Montanez (who made a deal two years ago not to run for CD7), Jack Weiss field deputy Joan Pelico, Studio City Neighborhood Council President Ben Neumann and former Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council President Ken Gerston.  However the fly in the ointment for this would be candidates is that the City Council has the power to opt to appoint a successor to Greuel instead of calling for an election. Insiders tell me that a deal is potentially in the works between the Council and Mayor to appoint Montanez - as payback for her dutiful loyalty - and to cite budget issues and election fatigue as a reason to forgo a special election.  Stay tuned.

PoliticalReformBlog.com is right when they say that the process for allowing elected officials to create the name and ballot summary for questions submitted to the people is broken.  This is what allows items like Measure B to go to the ballot as "Good Jobs and Green Living" or the Measure S phony cell phone tax increase that was called a tax cut.  However their idea of paying random voters $1000 to sit down and work out a description is ridiculous.  A better plan would be to create a panel of retired judges, three Democrats, three Republicans and three from all other parties who would hash out and create the titles and ballot summaries.

The City Council got a report from Caltrans that's startling. 75% of all landscaped areas along LA's freeways are in need of rehabilitation, and about 90% of the vegetation is at or near the end of its natural life. Additionally 7,622,234 square feet of graffiti was removed from along freeways in the district last year at a cost of $2.7 million. Let's put the punks who create this graffiti blight - as well as their parents if they're minors - handle doing some of the landscape and clean-up work while we charge them for the damage.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

Retired DWP employee Leon Furgatch is the latest to join the chorus of voices against the controversial Measure B on Tuesday's ballot.  Writing in a Daily News Op-Ed piece, Furgatch says that B "violates every tenet of good utility management and municipal fiscal responsibility," and that the scheme "affects an existing DWP green power program, including a project already in the works to do the same rooftop job called for by Prop. B."

Need a reason to vote for anyone but Jack Weiss for City Attorney? Here are least four.  It appears the message is getting out. Our tipsters are telling us that Jack is at about 31% in the polls and may not even make the runoff.

Joe B. has been doing great work posting up the excerpts from last Sunday's Great Debate. Check them out before you vote!

If you want to pick up some of those famous Walter Moore lawn signs before they're all gone this is your last chance.  Moore will have them available at his campaign office Sunday afternoon, first come, first served!



Another blogger takes City Controller candidate Wendy Greuel to task for her controversial television commercials. This time its not calling her out for criticizing programs she voted for but a grammar blog that critiques Greuel's mis-use of nouns.
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Granada Hills needs to expand to continue to provide services to the community but the controversial project has been caught in the crossfire of local NIMBYS and unions upset that the hospital's nurses voted not to join.  So Councilman Richard Alarcon and other Council Members are holding up the project's EIR, effectively stalling it. Hospital officials are fighting back, telling patients that the delay in services is due to Alarcon's blocking of the project.  Even Alarcon's own family members heard the pitch during a recent emergency room visit.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Piece in the fishwrap of record celebrates the six year reign of LAPD Chief William Bratton.  With crime significantly down over his term obserevers speculate what is Bratton's next act; will he move on to another role.  Bratton isn't saying and claims he loves LA. 

Though some unions and a handful of community activists oppose the expansion of Holy Cross Hospital in the North San Fernando Valley a broad coalition of hospital leaders, health care professionals, community and business leaders made an impassioned plea before the City Council on Friday to put a stop to a requirement for an environmental impact report that will delay construction of the much needed facilities further.  Councilman Richard Alarcon, in whose district the hospital is located, favors the EIR.

Tim Rutten writing in the LA Times calls for the City to step in and take over the beleagured Museum of Contemporary Art in Downtown Los Angeles.  Among other reasons, Rutten's reasoning is that the Museum rents facilities from the City.  Fair enough, however the City should not be in the museum business.  If there is sufficient support from the public for the museum it will survive; the City should require the museum to purchase the facility or at least pay fair market rent for it. 

Blogger Amber Moon is the latest to join the chorus to condemn Mayor Villaraigosa's less than outraged reaction to the arrest of  former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez's son Esteban on suspicion of murder. Following the arrest Villaraigosa released a statement remarking that Esteban was a good boy and lacking an expression of shock over the murder nor remorse for the victim.

We talk a lot about the rough and tumble of City of Los Angeles politics but often times there is often even more excitement going on in the smaller cities surrounding  LA.  Final votes have been certified and controversial City of Commerce Council Member Tina Del Rio was recalled from her seat by a mere 35 vote margin.  Elected to replace Del Rio is former Commerce Council Member and Mayor Lela Leon, who has been active in Commerce politics and community affairs for several years.

A City Council committee is considering a plan that would force owners of apartment properties who wish to sell their investments to offer a first right of refusal to existing tenants who could work to purchase the property or even sell their "right" on the open market for cash.  This would have a chilling effect on investment in housing; including many small rental properties that are owned by individuals, many of them who use them for retirement income.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

We're not even through with this election, with voters not having weighed in on shady propositions like Measure A and Measure R and Mayor Villaraigosa is already planing more tax and spend ballot measures less than six months from now on the March ballot.  The latest bit of shadiness involves a plan to get you to pay for solar panels for buildings throughout LA.  Solar energy is great but let the market make it happen - with the current energy situation people are taking a hard look at solar and other alternative forms of energy.

An unexpected source of support of  Proposition 8, the state ballot measure that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California, comes from Venice based public commenteer, musician and agent provocateur Matt Dowd.  Dowd tells The Sister City "Will there be a flood of men coming over the border to get green cards by marrying a man already here? how is the validity of these 'gay' marriages determined, and will the federal government even recognize these CA. marriages when it comes time to file for your 'spouse'. I think its dangerous ground to allow same sex, if only for that immigration concern. anyone worried now about immigrants taking resources from the citizens, well, get ready for the next wave. I say YES on Prop 8." There you have it.

The Daily News editorializes the City of LA should allow Providence Holy Cross Medical Center to continue it's plans for expansions to help meet the shortage of hospital beds in the San Fernando Valley.  The editorial takes the LA City Council to task for holding the hospital hostage to a dispute with the unions, who are blocking expansion until the hospital makes a deal with them.  However, the News kind of forgets a relatively organized group of folks in the community who also don't want the hospital to expand.

The father of LA City Councilman Bernard Parks, Earl Parks, has passed away at the age of 87.  The elder Parks like his son was also a law enforcement officer in Los Angeles, serving for the Port Police.  The Sister City expresses our sincerest condolences to Councilman Parks and his son and chief-of-staff Bernard Parks, Jr. who has been a friend of this blog.

"TROLLING FOR DOUGH" at Providence/ Holy Cross Hospital

Memo to the city historian that also plays a city councilman by day, what is the record for fundraisers associated with one controversial issue??

Whatever the record may be, Mayor Antonio Ramon Villar "ahh" raigosa is milking the various factions that have a stake in the controversial expansion plans for the north valley hospital, for any spare sheckels in his pursuit for re-election and beyond.

LA Times David Zahniser has the facts at the Time's blog "LA Now".

Antonio Villaraigosa just might score a fundraising three-peat this week –- at least when it comes to some delicate healthcare politics in the San Fernando Valley.

Just as a Superior Court judge is taking aim at a $180-million hospital expansion project in Mission Hills, L.A.'s mayor held three different fundraisers for his reelection campaign involving people on each side of the hospital fight.

Three "TROLLING FOR DOUGH" events from "Mayor 11%" while hundreds face layoffs, what a "Legacy" for the CD 4 historian to prep for the archives.

Open Thread for Wednesday: Zev and Holy Tattoos

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will be on hand to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of two Providence-Holy Cross Hospital community service programs, the Tattoo Removal Program and the Senior Outreach Program.

In other news, related to Providence Holy Cross, the battle against the hospital's desire to expand its facilities, one which has met with opposition from community activists and some unions, continues. Tuesday morning Judge McKnew of the Los Angeles Superior Court granted the activists' motion for relief from dismissal, declaring that the petitioners' counsel's error in miscalculating a deadline by one day was an "excusable mistake" and "unless inexcusable neglect is clear, the policy favoring trial on the merits prevails." The Court reinstated the case which had been dismissed on May 6 and set it for trial on the merits on September 26, 2008. That means the battle is still on.

Court Issues Ruling Favorable To Providence Holy Cross Medical Center

The nuns may continue their mission of mercy. From the SFV Business Journal:

"Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas I. McKnew dismissed a suit filed by a citizens group challenging an expansion at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.

Community Advocates for Responsible Expansion at Holy Cross objected to the city’s decision to approve the hospital’s $146 million expansion project because no environmental impact report had been conducted, though one was not legally required."

The strange bedfellows NIMBY/union challenged the Sisters of Providence who wish to expand the hospital to provide much needed trauma care. With a number of local hospitals having closed; PHCMC found itself having to sometimes treat patients in the hallways. The new project, which has already broken ground, will make better use of the hospital's space to treat the sick and injured.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Big loss for NIMBYs - Mayor Villaraigosa has concurred with the City Council allowing Providence Holy Cross Medical Center to add a much needed 100 beds to the hospital. That doesn't mean the NIMBYs and their union buddies won't go to court, but lets hope they realize the folly of that (please don't waste our tax dollars on your fight).

The lawyers at Warner Brothers finally caught up to Dennis Zine. Many know that our favorite former motorcycle cop turned Clowncilman (or Republican turned Democrat) had created a "logo" for himself that was reminiscient of the big S on Superman's chest. Denny got a cease and desist from the studio that owns the rights to everything The Man of Steel so its back to the drawing board for a new logo.

Good catch by the Daily News: Mayor Villaraigosa's online budget survey doesn't ask virtual budget cutters if they would cut the Mayor's huge staff, collection of city cars, etc.
West LA Online is officially merging with the Westside Today print publication. And in an interesting twist the print publication will pull from the online portion not the other way around.

Michael Cruz writing in the Santa Clarita Signal takes a stand against corporate welfare. Big League Dreams develops parks around the country that resemble famous ballparks and feature restaurants with bars. Sounds like a fun concept. However the company seems to think that taxpayers should finance their construction. Cruz is absolutely right to take on this dumbass plan and the incredibly dense members of the Santa Clarita City Clowncil who would buy off on this scam. His prediction that should the city buy into this deal, it will set a dangerous precedent leading other businesses to line up and hold up the city for dough.

Atwater Village Newbie says he got some pretty shabby treatment at the Burbank Circuit City and is now banned from the store.

A Few Good Council Members

While I was on my "hiatus" several members of the City Council did something remarkable. They stood up to a hallelujah chorus of NIMBYs, CAVE People and BANANAs as well as the unions to support something the community needs - expanding the Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills. At a time when hospitals are closing, emergency rooms are packed and health care is in a crisis - especially in the North Valley - Councilmembers Tony Cardenas, Wendy Greuel, Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry and Greig Smith actually followed their convictions and blocked a stalling tactic by Councilman Richard Alarcon, who was seeking the block the hospital in his own district, one that doesn't have the health care options of tonier parts of Los Angeles.

They should be complimented. And Alarcon should be ashamed of himself for putting special interests ahead of his community.