Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Thursday

Local Political Columnist Tony Castro is the latest to muse on the controversy involving the alleged actions of CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar.

 

 

As we near the end of our first week of a bloggin, political news cycle since our return, Former Herald Examiner Newspaper Scribe Tony Castro is the latest to offer his observations on the most recent controversy involving CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar.

Castro, who's deconstruction of Parke Skelton's crafted façade of the former Los Angeles Mayor known as Antonio Villaraigosa, was lauded by many, draws parallels between the behaviors of the "Political Papi/ Mijo Duo" of Villaraigosa and Huizar respectively.

When he was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2005, Jose Huizar appeared to be the second coming of the history-making new mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.
Perhaps even better, some said.
Huizar, after all, had the trappings that possibly could better rally the Democratic Party that controlled Los Angeles, Calif., and that could potentially lead to a new American political landscape nationally.
He was the first Latino immigrant elected to the city council of a major American city. He was likable, attractive, smart and educated and connected in a way Villaraigosa wasn't.

So true ...........

When this blogger first meet the Princeton Graduate, Barrister via the UCLA School of LA and recently elected LAUSD School Board Member at former CD 14 City Councilman Nick Pacheco Re-election Kickoff in 2003, my initial impression was Huizar's political future could only trek upwards.
But a decade later ( and many broken promises left on the side of the road of his political journey), the potential has been replace by the facts that points to an insecure persona, prone to episodes of angry, irresponsible, petulant, vindictive behavior, in both his political and personal conduct.

......... and rest assure come 2015, a once promising political rising star will face a challenge for his political life regarding this most recent, alleged "Tonto-like Conduct", which will reflect negatively on CD 14 voters, who have grown weary of the narcissus behavior of a Political Mijo connected to a fail, former Mayor name "Antonio Villaraigosa".

** Another controversial politico (with gun and badge) Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, will surely face a growing list of challengers to maintain the title as LA's top sheriff come 2015. Most intriguing is today's "Old Gray Collective Hag on Spring Street" (aka LA Times) report that former LAPD Senior Lead Officer, now CD 15 City Councilman Joe Buscaino, has been approach about running against Baca. We should note that the "Average Joe of San Pedro", stated that his intention was to serve long term (three terms) as CD 15's officeholder.

** With the "Old Gray Collectivist Hag on Spring Street" pronouncing Mayor Eric Garcetti's appointments to the Police Commission as a "shake up", of follow up interest to discerning political observers should be the nomination of Sandra Figueroa-Villa to the oversight panel. With the FBI investigating the alleged nefarious doings of the Montebello Calderon Political Family, it might raise some eyebrows to note if any of Figueroa-Villa's employees/ associates have close ties to the Calderon Political Machine.

Your thoughts ...............
Scott Johnson in CD 14  


Bloggin Happy Hour Musings on the Los Angeles Political Machine for Monday

Another Happy Hour Drink via Tony

Great Happy Hour Musings on the LA Political Machine for Monday. Join us as we tip the glass and enlighten you on these political items that may find their way into someone's decaff morning coffee in the A.M. ; ) --- Scott Johnson.

Former Sierra Club Conservation Coordinator and Coalition for Clean Air Campaign Director, now Senior Policy Advisor for CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar Martin Schlageter.

For those who wonder what is the value of a Los Angeles County Sierra Club Endorsement (for democrats only of course), maybe would should rephrase the question this way. What is the value to me for being part of the Los Angeles County Sierra Club Endorsement Committee (** some background on one CD 14 endorsement via "Jack Sparrow") and supporting (with LA County Political Committee Co-Chair Susana Reyes) most of Mayor Antonio Villar's "Green Initiatives" (Unionize Green Trucks at LA Ports, Measure B)?

For Eagle Rock resident and reliable "green ally" Martin Schlageter, this means that you can cash in on years of endorsing Blue/Greeen Labor Democrats and get appointed to a high paid staff position with CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar.

As the City Council continues its summer sabbatical, Councilman Huizar is quietly gaining, losing and moving staff as the latest revisions to its staff directory notes. For example ......

** Former Chief of Staff Ana Cubas is now merely an Advisor.

** Paul Habib is the Interim Chief of Staff. 

** Cecilia Alatorre has moved from the El Sereno to Eagle Rock office
** Sara Hernandez is the Downtown Director.

** Tanner Blackman is the new Planning Director.

** Some long hair guy name Kai is no longer a Huizar staffer

** Two Julios, Julio Esperias and Julio "Perfect Loyalty Score" Torres join the El Sereno Office.

** ....... and Francine Godoy is still the Deputy Chief of Staff.

The revolving door in CD 14 continues ......

OTHER NEWS BRIEFS:

** Great read today via Downtown News Editor and Scribe of Wit Jon Regardie as he sits down with out going Downtown and CD 9 Councilwoman Jan Perry. The focus of their Q and A chat centered on her now past tenure as the Downtown rep for areas such as Little Tokyo Skid Row and South Park. BTW, that battle over signage in South Park with Councilman Jose Huizar has quietly played out. More on Perry via LA Times Columnist Jim Newton who finds many positives on "Jan the Mayoral Candidate".

** Public Health Notice for residents of the 46th Assembly District, you can rest assure knowing that any future cases of Brian Johnson Myopia will go the way of Small Pox as he concedes that ED Voice could only buy him third place in his first bid for public office.

Daily News Journalist Tony Castro was the first to deconstruct the political mythology of Mayor Antonio Villar and chronicled the legal problems of the former City Councilman turned convicted LA County Labor Federation Leader Martin Ludlow.

With the days falling away as July 1, 2013 gets ever closer, Journalist Tony Castro returns with another missive on Mayor Antonio Villar that chronicles the political survival of a former City Terrace kid name Tony ...... and a sampling.

It reminded me of the first time I saw Antonio. It was 1978 on the UCLA campus, and he was a speaker at a Chicano protest rally at the university. His look was appropriate for the time: Long, wavy hair and mustache that made him look a lot like Geraldo Rivera.“Who’s he?” I remember a striking blonde student asking.“That’s Tony Villar,” someone told her. She smiled and kept looking at him. She didn’t care about Chicano rights, the movement or the cause. She was focused on the messenger.And that’s been Villaraigosa — he added his ex-wife’s name to his when they married — his entire public life. He’s been a messenger and when the message hasn’t registered, he’s been smart enough to change it, the way populists have long done it, regardless of whether it’s the personal biographical narrative or a position on policy.This is the politics Antonio has always understood and practiced — and which few like to talk about. We like to envelop our politics in professional discourse about policy, polls, opinion and it’s-the-economy-stupid-BS. But the politics of charisma that has always defined Villaraigosa and that now so heavily sways America is more visceral. It’s about feel and touch. It’s about how a candidate looks and talks, dresses and walks.

The message and name will change again come July 1, 2013.

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Mayor Villar revisits "revisionist childhood issues" with CBS2

Memo to CBS2,

If Mayor Antonio Ramon Villar gave you a supposed exclusive on some terrible childhood secret, then welcome to the "Johnny Come Lately Club of Local Journalism", regarding the mythical childhood of one Antonio Ramon Villar, as crafted by Campaign Consultant Parke Skelton a decade ago.

The mythical, uplifting tale of an angry young child from City Terrace, who through the strong love of his mother, became the progressive beacon of change in the nation's second largest city, has been debunk long ago by the likes of the Daily News Tony Castro and denied by his own father and family members.

Maybe it was too much to ask, but if I was the young Antonio Ramon Villar's dad, who is on the record as refuting the childhood allegations of his son, then I would think that CBS2 would make an attempt to get a statement on record regarding this supposed terrible secret.

But since CBS2 did not practice the simple art of fact-checking, lets cut and paste the comments of the Mayor's father as made to Daily News Reporter Tony Castro in his definitive missive "The Man , The Myth", that counter the validity of many of Mayor Antonio Villar's childhood claims.

"God knows that I was never an alcoholic and that I never hurt his mother or abused my family," Antonio Ramon Villar Sr. said in an interview, denying the mayor's long-accepted account of his difficult childhood."I know the public has been poisoned against me, but this is the truth, so help me God."      

Not knowing the evolution of how this "exclusive" was granted to CBS2 raises this question, why is Mayor Villar resorting to the retelling of childhood experiences that have since been challenged by members of his own family? Maybe, a viewing public with its increasing short memory span, will be disengage from the numerous scandals of his administration and see him as someone like them who has inner-issues of pain.

But as someone with associates who have life long attachments to Antonio Ramon Villar, the cynic within, sees this as all part of a never ending political reincarnation that places the self-interest of a former child from City Terrace as paramount, father's word of truth be damned or Parke Skelton crafted myths used as needed..

Your thoughts ................
Scott Johnson in CD 14

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Jon Regardie gets funny again and gets inside the head of Mayor Villaraigosa imagining what he might say as he departs on his latest junket, this time to Israel. In Regardie's piece, Villaraigosa might say that his trip "will establish both trade and symbolic ties between Los Angeles, the city of the 21st century, and Jerusalem, the city of the first century. Average them out and you have the city of the 11th century."

Those of you who worried about longtime Villaraigosa foot solider Mike Trujillo having to visit the Canoga Park office of the Employment Development Department following the withdrawl of Mrs. Bill Clinton from the Presidential sweepstakes likely need not worry. Tony Castro reports that insiders within presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama's campaign planning on sending the Villaraigosa machine in search of Latino votes in Texas, Colorado and Michigan. Pack your bags Mike.

How do the idiot bureaucrats in Kern County decide to opppose the recent State Supreme Court ruling allowing gay marraige? They'll issue licenses but they are ending performing civil ceremonies for all couples, straight or gay. Just keep on being dinosaurs and sink the Republican Party until the socialists take over for good morons.

The LA County Superior Court is disputing the facts in a new documentary airing on HBO about the case of Roman Polanski, who at the age of 44 was alleged to have drugged and raped a 13 year old model back in 1977. Polanski later plead guilty to lesser charges of unlawful sex with a minor, however he fled the country prior to sentencing. Today, at age 74 Polanski still remains on the lam living and working in countries that would not extradite him to the US.

And finally, we reported yesterday that Eric Garcetti is being pushed to run for Mayor, yet David Markland reports on the campaign of another "Garcetti" who is seeking the District Attorney post in another "city." Roger Garcetti is the odds on favorite for District Attorney of Gotham, part of the guerilla marketing for the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight.