LAFD Fiddles While LeBong, SAG, RAP Commission Burns Firefighters' Memory

We've already reported the lengths to which T-LeBong and his Performing Ego would go just for a press op. Even "revisionist history" isn't beneath the Autocrat of Griffith Park in his rabid desire for a little camera time.

What's truly amazing is that the LAFD are just sitting on their collective hands while LeBong and the Rec and Parks Commission conspire to kiss some SAG administrator's gi-normous derriere on this one. The death of 29 men in just 20 minutes during the horrific 1933 Griffith Park firestorm is the worst loss of firefighters in California State history. (correction: ...in American history.) Until now, the LAFD had been tireless stewards of the memory of these men. Men whose memory has been included in the LAFD's annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service which, ironically, takes place this Saturday.

When even the LAFD can't be trusted to look out after their own history, the designation of Griffith Park as a Historic Monument is an idea whose time has definitely come. --


From SaveGriffithPark.org :

GRIFFITH PARK'S DEPRESSION DEAD TO BE DISHONORED.
WHAT WOULD PAUL NEWMAN THINK?

An eerie episode is unfolding behind the scenes that in its own perverse way reinforces the necessity of obtaining Historic-Cultural Monument status for Griffith Park.

At its meeting of October 3, 2008 – the 75th Anniversary of the catastrophic Fire of 1933 in Griffith Park that killed 29 men laboring for subsistence wages in the worst year of the Depression – the Board of Commissioners of the Recreation and Parks Department was asked to approve the installation of a monument to the tragedy in the Mineral Wells area of Griffith Park. The proposed plaque commemorating the event will not honor the men who were burned alive – it will honor the Screen Actors Guild.

Worth reading is the attached report to the Rec & Parks Board which employs semantic juxtaposition to link a pivotal SAG organizational meeting that took place the evening of the fire with Warner Bros Studios' loan of klieg lights to rescuers to light the search for victims. Students of labor movement and motion picture history will know that in 1933 anti-union film moguls and SAG existed in separate, adversarial worlds. The lights were not lent because of SAG. There is no evidence that the union's members fought the fire. There is no evidence that SAG sent aid to victims and their survivors at all, much less to any degree that would warrant their bring singled out for recognition.

Nevertheless, SAG was founded in June 1933, so this year marks its 75th Anniversary, too. While these separate but coincidental anniversaries are enough of an historical relationship for Councilmember LaBonge to conceive this photo op, should it be reason enough for a well-respected union like SAG to participate in trivializing dead workers? Save Griffith Park doubts that SAG's dues-paying members are knowing participants in this empty honor. Classy SAG member and philanthropist Paul Newman once declined a national medal he actually deserved calling the recognition "honorrhea." How would he describe this ghoulish episode?

Public support for Historic Cultural Landmark status for Griffith Park will help end Orwellian rewrites of our local history. Encourage people who support this long overdue designation to let the Cultural Heritage Commission know by sending a letter to:

Cultural Heritage Commission
Office of Historic Resources
L.A. Department of City Planning
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Tractor Dealership, Hazleton, Iowa - Photo by Mayor Sam

Rumor of the day: Mayor Villaraigosa will propose cutting the funding provided to the City's Neighborhood Councils on Monday.

There's been a buzz about Zev for Mayor for weeks. His "anti-density" tour has received lots of press as well as the adoration of NIMBYs everywhere. However, two bloggers are taking him to task. Boi from Troy makes the case that Zev's policies promote sprawl; making LA something akin to Kansas. Politicker says that Zev is a big time hypocrite who allowed high density development when it benefited the wealthy on the Westside, overbuilding the area while at the same time opposing the subway to the sea. Though many Angelenos pissed off at Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Clowncil for kowtowing to developers would gladly vote for Zev; political insiders tell me Zev doesn't have the cojones to challenge Antonio.

This isn't getting much buzz. Councilman Richard Alarcon stung from his loss on the Las Lomas development vote was once again the odd man out, but this might endear him to the Neighborhood Council crowd: He was the lone vote against raising DWP rates. He explains why in CityBeat.

A Texas teenager was given a school assignment to create a protest sign. She chose opposition to illegal immigration as her cause. Upon arriving to school with her sign, she was jumped on, thrown up against a brick wall and told she would be raped and killed by several other students. Most likely, the school will suspend her for "hate speech" and the violent students will get counseling. So much for liberal tolerance!

Talks continue between the Screen Actors Guild and producers before the contract deadline of June 30th. If no settlement is reached, an actors strike could start up just as production for the fall TV season gets underway. Maybe Mayor Villaraigosa could say something that means something here?

An architecture blog posts one of Frank Gehry's initial sketches for the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It looks sort of like one of those doodles you make when you're on the phone with someone you don't want to talk to.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Rudd High School, Rudd, Iowa. Photo by Mayor Sam

Looks like the website for former Mayor galpal Mirthala Salinas' upcoming wedding to real estate agent Yanni Raz has been taken down. Curbed LA and Franklin Avenue linked to the site last week; but click on the link now and you get an error. Google's cache however can show you at least some of what was there. The best part of the site is a section called "My Woman is Back on Track Again."

The LA Times reports that more and more non-Latino elected City officials are speaking bilingually these days. Laura Chick, Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry have began to speak in Spanish as well as English; though the 52 year old Perry once told someone she was pregnant when she meant embarrassed.

El LA Times informa que más eligió a la Ciudad de los funcionarios que no son latinos son bilingües hablando estos días. Laura Chick, Wendy Greuel y Jan Perry uso de la palabra en español y en Inglés, aunque los 52 años de edad, Perry dijo una vez alguien que estaba embarazada cuando ella significaba avergonzado.

This might be some good information for Zev's Mayoral campaign. He's been saying that the current zoning "as is" allows for the construction of enough housing to meet LA's forecast needs without developers or politicians needing variances or other big changes to existing plans, law and codes. A new study confirms that.

Daily News columnist Mariel Garza doesn't get it in a recent screed on illegal aliens and the economy. Her point is the economy sucks, so fewer jobs means illegal aliens will be incentivized to come here and the racists who hate them should be happy. The point is that the concern over illegal immigration - and chiefly illegal immigrants who are gang members - is not about racism or any other red herring you want to toss out there. What is it about the word illegal do you not get. And the honest truth is that it's the illegal and legal gang members who are terrorizing their own the most and who are hurt the most. Not those whom you refer to as racists.

On the other hand the News had a great op-ed piece Sunday from Doug McIntyre. He points out the usual liberal hypocrisy (much of what we saw in the comments section here over the weekend) of the City Clowncil when it comes to Jamiel's death: Politicians are either indifferent or uncomfortable talking about a Black youth murdered by a Latino. Had Pedro Espinosa been Peter Epperson Council Members like Richard Alarcon, Bill Rosendahl, Ed Reyes et al would be blaming talkradio for Jamiel's murder. The saddest part of it all mentioned in Doug's piece (and pointed out as well by Zuma Dogg in the comments here) is the joking, laughing and lack of attentiveness by Council Members during Anita Shaw's address, leading her nine year old son to ask his mother "Why are they laughing?"

The Mayor has a goal to plant a million trees in LA. He's claiming credit for having planted over a 100,000 so far. David Zahniser (via Siel at the LA Times eco-blog) spills the beans that the city includes in that count thousands of little seedlings handed out to people as "planted" whether there's any verification if the baby trees were placed in the ground or not. Yet again, the usual song & dance and smoke & mirrors from the Mayor's office.

Remember the name Jim Beall. He's an idiot Democratic (what else) Assemblyman from San Jose who wants to increase the tax on beer some 1500%. No word yet on what Gail Goldberg thinks of the plan.

Actors Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke were part of 1400 Screen Actors Guild members who circulated a petition insisting that only actors who work regularly (traditionally a small percentage of SAG's overall membership) should be allowed to vote on the union's next contract with producers.

They don't want any more jails in Lancaster. Rick Orlov reports that residents near the Mira Loma Detention Center are adamant about constructing a new jail there.

Britney Spears has done it again. She rear ended another vehicle with her Mercedes on the freeway Saturday night.

In the Former Fishwrap of Record, Richard S. Ginell reviews conductor Ivan Fischer shepherding the premiere of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday night. Ginell recounts the excitement upon hearing that all too familiar first bass note, but was a bit disappointed overall, saying "the performance seemed to give in to the temptation of losing itself in all that color while sacrificing propulsion and power." Of course, there's always this cool version of "Sprach" below: