This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.
500 homes were lost over the weekend in the Sayre Fire at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar making hundreds of families homeless. The owners of the park, Fullerton based Oakridge, Ltd. plans to rebuild the park as quickly as possible; though individual homeowners will be required to replace their own homes through their insurance. Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called on new regulations for the manufactured housing industry with respect to better use of fire retardent materials.
General Motors and Chrysler have both decided to forgo this year's Los Angeles Auto Show which starts this Friday at the LA Convention Center, leaving Ford as the only American automaker with a presence at the event. Both GM and Chyrsler are fighting to stay alive and hoping for a federal bail-out. In the meantime, foreign automakers - who are building cars people want to buy and many which are built in the US - are showing up in force and are doing quite well, thank you. Providing a taxpayer funded bail-out to America's failed auto companies and their incompetent executives would be a huge mistake.
The next court date in the case of the murder of Jamiel Shaw is this coming Wednesday, November 17 at 8:30 p.m. The Shaw Family invites you to attend if you're interested. For more information please click here.
Ron Kaye has a piece on opposition to the erection of cell phone towers on a new building in Echo Park. But here's the issue - everyone wants a cell phone and reception in some areas is horrific. If we don't build more towers what is the solution? I know the neighborhood types will scream, but I fundamentally believe government should not be allowed to intervene in commerce like this. It's a reactive approach that is more about fighting something than it is in finding real solutions.
A newly released DVD of the Los Angeles Philharmonic offers a look back at the orchestra thirty years ago under then conductor Zubin Mehta. In the the video from 1977, Mehta conducts the Phil in Bartók Concerto for Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler. Flash forward thirty years later as Director Designate Gustavo Dudamel "auditioned" for the role also leading Bartok, this time at the LA Phil's new home, the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The Daily Trojan picks the four best sushi places in LA, but they left one off the list - Miyako in the NoHo Arts District (yea in the Valley). Miyako has the best value, with tasty sushi and some of the most amazing service. The usual chefs, Keho and Sam, along with server Nita have managed to mix awesome sushi (and once in a while they surprise you with some awesome secret roll, none of which I can tell you about) in an environment somewhat like Cheers.
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!
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.
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.
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:
