Wendy Greuel and the Return of Sherry (Shirley?) Bebitch Jeffe

Who is Eric Garcetti? I don't know
him from Adam.

It's been such a long time since we've heard from our old friend, self-appointed political "analyst" Sherry (Shirley?) Bebitch-Jeffe. We've talked many times over nine years of Sherry's lack of relevance and asymptomatic analyses of LA politics.

I don't know what cushy academic post Sherry has these days, nor do I even care to bother to take the time to look it up, but Sherry has been trotted out for years by the local drive-by media, too clueless and too lazy to know what is really happening in LA and it's neighborhoods, that they bring out this icon of fossilized out of touch political thinking.

Sherry's take on local politics is solely from her armchair scholarship of the matter with brief expeditions into the Downtown world of awards dinners, corporate conferences (you know, anything hosted by a politician and Wells Fargo),etc. When it came to knowing about the growing blog movement in LA, Sherry could only recall former LA Times reporter, the lovable Westside White Guy, Kevin Roderick, lost in his (Anglo)LAObserverd world with another Caucasian relic from LA's past, Bill Boyarsky, spinning a disconnected view of what is really going on LA.

Like Messrs. Roderick and Boyarsky, Sherry presents a buttoned down view of LA politics, clothed in the finest from Macy's, that is all spoon fed from the Downtown Status Quo Gang and the powers that be. Sherry (or is it Shirley?) knows nothing of the true work of Neighborhood Councils, citizen activists, grass roots candidates, gadflies and the rag-tag journalists that are bloggers who are on the streets, connected to the best and in the gutters, wherever it is happening.

That's why we had to find it ironic that the latest presser out of Wendy Greuel's struggling for relevance Mayoral campaign had to dig deep to find none other than Sherry declaring the embattled and controversial controller as the "winner" of a recent candidates' debate. Here's some of the missive:

On Monday, Wendy turned in an outstanding debate performance, showing all Angelenos that she would be a tough fiscal watchdog as Mayor of Los Angeles. Respected NBC political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe called Wendy the winner of the debate by a nose.

Perhaps next Wendy can get an interview with Betty Pleasant.

No Confidence in a Clown: Carmen Should Resign, Today

In countries like England, when an elected official receives a "vote of no confidence" from the legislature, they step aside for someone else to take the position.

The onetime frontrunner in the race for District Attorney self-destructed so badly that his ability to hold on to his job as Los Angeles City Attorney has to be in doubt. - Westside White Guy

Yesterday, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, only two thirds into his first term, had an abysmal showing in the race to succeed his former booster, District Attorney Steve Cooley, coming in third place with less than 25% of the vote, despite the fact that Trutanich was seen as the front-runner and had most of the City's political establishment and public employee unions supporting him.

According to the Westside White Guy, "Trutanich blames the media, not himself or that dumb pledge." Typical Trutanich. At least he didn't blame George Bush.

"Barack Obama is getting hammered right now," Trutanich said. "I think the negative campaign against me is worse." - LA Weekly

The defeat, significant and embarrassing, lead lone Trutanich supporter and Congressional run-off winner, Phil Jennerjahn, to remark "I'm still his friend. I'm sad for his loss." Upon hearing the news of election returns, Truatnich reportedly remarked that he may not even consider seeking re-election next year.

However, given that Trutanich may be mortally wounded - and that many feel he has severely crippled the City Attorney's office - it may be best if Carmen takes this result as a true vote of no confidence and resign now.  Given a City Council who has had multiple run-ins with him - and who mostly supported him for fear of his power to prosecute public corruption against them as District Attorney - there is no way he can be effective following this knee-capping by the voters. He has lost his bravado and the Council will now shred him alive.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Mayor Villaraigosa will deliver his "State of the City" speech at a time most folks won't watch, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.  Theme of the address? Instead of "Dream with Me" it will now be "Sacrifice with Me."


Zuma Dogg, in his public comment addresses to the City Council, has been sounding a warning about the potential of a significant water shortage in Los Angeles, aggravated by over development and seemingly ignored by the Mayor and City Council. The Dogg had a one on one conversation with DWP General Manager H. David Nahai who told Zuma that those who do not waste water will not see raises in their rates. In calling for a new awareness on water conservation Zuma declares "that wasting water will have to be almost as socially unacceptable as wearing fur, or not using Facebook."


City Attorney candidate Jack Weiss has some trouble on his hands. The La Brea Willoughby Coalition has filed a Public Records Act request with Weiss’ office after learning that he has missed over one third of all Council meetings and 1,500 votes. The document requests immediate access to inspect Weiss’ calendar, correspondences and all other documents that may explain his whereabouts during those important votes.

More trouble for Jack Weiss.  An Asian American advocacy organization has endorsed Weiss' opponent, Carmen Trutanich.  The Asian American Action Fund credits their support to Trutanich's promises for electoral reform such as instant runoff voting and ending gerrymandering that has diluted Asian American voting strength in Los Angeles in recent years. 

Debbie Lopez and the always organized web 2.0 parents of Beckford Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley are making effective use of the internet to organize themselves for effective advocacy for their children and school and fighting the shady LAUSD. Lopez Twittered the play by play from a town hall meeting in Northridge featuring controversial School Board Member Tamar Galatzan. Among the gems, "Teacher from Darby talking; crying now," and "Kelly Mattinson just gave Tamar Galatzan what for. Girlfriend is on fire."

Over at WitnessLA a report on what LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines wants to do to teens who engage in "sexting" that is sending porno pictures of themselves via cell phone.  Cortines wants to arrest them.  While the prospect of young people participating in this type of behaivor is disturbing Cortines' response is typical of the heavy handed zero-tolerance approach to issues school administrators are apparently now incapable of using good judgment to handle.  The right step here is to first work with the parents before turning over the kids to the LAPD. 

Westside White Guy and other nanny-poos up in arms over another LA Times advetorial stunt, this time for a Paramount Pictures film.  I have two better questions, one from Eric Longabardi who asks what WWG will do when there is no more OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET; the other is shouldn't we be more up in arms about Roderick's Pulitzer Prize claims.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

I guess it's one thing for City employees to buy bottled water on the City's dime when the DWP supposedly has perfectly good tap water; it's the height of hubris for the Los Angeles County Supervisors to pay someone to peel the brand name labels off water the County purchases and affix a County label to them.  Who's boneheaded idea was this? Zev's?

Mayor Villaraigosa wants to plant a million trees in Los Angeles.  He just planted another 55.  According to the LA Weekly, at the current rate, Villaraigosa will have planted his million trees sometime by the 2020s, well past his time as Mayor.  In the meantime, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is well ahead of schedule in his tree plantings.

Westside White Guy didn't get his invite.  Mayor Villaraigosa held a birthday party bash for former California Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (to get Willie's endorsment for Governor?) at Getty House recently. WWG assumes the Times didn't get an invitation either or forgot about because (GASP!) America's Favorite Suburban Crank had to read about the party in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Kevin, the question to ask is not what did the Los Angeles Times know and when did they know it but were any public resources expended on this non-City business event?

What was loaded on the iPod that President Obama gave Britain's Queen Elizabeth? Besides some photos of past visits to the US by Her Majesty, a greatest hits of oratory by The One, himself.

Efforts to rebrand a portion of Van Nuys as Sherman Oaks do not appear to be picking up much support outside the group behind the campaign.  Besides opposition from both the Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys Neighborhood Councils, Van Nuys based Councilmember Tony Cardenas is against it.  The area's other Council Member, Wendy Greuel is remaining neutral.  At a recent community event, I heard whispers that rebranding effort leader, LA's solution in search of a problem, Laurette Healey, is rumored to be using the effort to jump into the race to replace Greuel who will become City Controller in July.

LA Times archictecture critic Christopher Hawthorne is the first person to frame the billboard issue in a rational light.  While Hawthorne views that the city's policy is broken and that much signage is often schlock he does not see billboards as the latest scourge since Al Quaeda or Rock of Love Bus with Brett Michaels as do a small but very vocal band of billboard wackos.  Hawthorne also makes a point that I've made to local activitsts that crime and other issues in our city far outweigh the singage hysteria, which is refreshing.

Franklin Avenue picks up on Mickey Kaus' bizarre plea for someone to bankroll a Westside newspaper. I thought we had that, it's called the LA Times? And if you want a myopic Westside view that is more immediate than fishwrap, you can always find it here.  The Westside wants a newspaper? Yea, people in Hell want ice water.

Mayor Sam's Saturday Hotsheet

The LA Times reports that City election officials are still counting ballots from the primary election earlier this month. Though most races' outcomes are certain two items remain in question. Measure B which appears to have lost is edging to the too close to call category as well as the 6th District Board of Education race between Nury Martinez and Louis Pugliese in which less than a percentage divides the two candidates. In the meantime Walter Moore thinks that if he isn't pushed into a run-off it will be because the City Clerk fired up Oliver North's shredder. Please ask Walter if he also believes the Federal Government is holding aliens at Area 51.

Maria Shriver says she's not running for Governor to succeed her husband but another member of her family is mulling a run for statewide office. The Santa Monica Daily Press reports that Shriver's brother Bobby is considering seeking the Democratic nomination for Attorney General if Jerry Brown runs for Governor.

It's been a while since we've heard from him but he's back! Vice President Joe The Biden demonstrates why he's the gift that keeps on giving when he's caught on a live mic dropping some f-bombs at a recent event. Hear the audio.

Westside White Guy caught a typo in the LA Times. It's Anna - not Ann - Nichol Smith. LAObserved via Mayor Sam Twitter

Middle middle class suburban cranks in a section of Van Nuys desperately want to be part of Sherman Oaks. Sounds silly to me. Here In Van Nuys,

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

The LA Times has a profile of Mayoral candidate Walter Moore of who Cal State Fullerton professor Raphael Sonenshein, said "somewhere between a minor candidate and major candidate. If someone's going to have a splash, it's going to be him . . . but it's not nearly enough to unseat the mayor." Also uncovered by the report is that Moore did not contact the family of slain teenager Jamiel Shaw before pursuing his death as a campaign issue, "We actually heard about it on the radio. We weren't happy with that,"Althea Shaw told the Times. Councilman Dennis Zine accused Moore of playing politics with Jamiel's death telling the fishwrap "The fact is, I just don't think it's appropriate to use a tragedy to run for public office."

In the Times piece Moore also states that "You got people butchering goats in their frontyard. You've got barnyard animals running around." I haven't seen any goat butchering and I don't know if that's a Wiccan ritual but when it comes to barnyard animals maybe Moore means South LA.  Janice Hahn has a solution though - allow each home to have one rooster.  However that might mean a ban from Jan Perry on Kentucky frying those chickens.

Sea creature antics big news at Pulitizer Paperweight winning WWG's "blog."  "An octopus at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium opened a valve on its tank and flooded the place with seawater."

Speaking of our favorite faux Pulitizer prize winning suburban Anglo crank, fresh from the Sherry (Shirley?) Bebbitch-Jeffe cocktail circuit, Westside White Guy blurbs the Zuma Dogg-Craig Rubin incident story and somehow works in a gratituous slam on Weekly Deputy Editor Jill Stewart, one of the only media "outlets" in town that doesn't - unlike Old Kev - take it up the patoot from Villlaraigosa and the LA kleptocracy  - and completely misrepresents a story she's written.  Westside White Guy can push for his press club martini stained status quo but as his beloved fishwraps fold and the government he supports is slowly getting unmasked, the world as Roderick knows it may soon be coming to a drastic and sad end.

I've been having big problems this week with Time Warner cable internet and so have others.  Apparently the cable provider has been the victim of denial of service attacks by hackers.  Credit, Time Warner?

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Excellent piece by Joel Kotkin on "The Decline of Los Angeles."  A mentor of mine told me several years ago that Los Angeles is a city with its best days behind it.  That appears to be true.  Kotkin chronicles how the City has fallen on economic hard times, the middle class and business has left in droves and quality of life is slipping. Kotkin laments" In such a context, Villaraigosa's upcoming coronation seems hard to comprehend. By most accounts, he has been at best a mediocre mayor, with few real accomplishments." Though its tough at the moment to find a scenario where one of the Mayor's challengers pushes him into a run-off or even defeats him, there's still the chance.  Vote for anyone but Antonio and lets go from there. 


Westside White Guy shows his Pulitzer Paperweight winning suburban chops once again when he can't imagine why even Congresswoman Maxine Waters has bailed on supporting Jack Weiss for City Attorney and has endorsed Carmen Trutanich.  Yes Kevin, get past your cocktail party talk and understand that indeed "Anyone but (Jack) Weiss" is critical for the City.

So if it's anyone but Jack who do you vote for? Fortunately you have several choices. One of whom is the good Weiss, NOEL WEISS, whom you can read about here and here.

Mayoral candidate David Hernandez is charging the City's Channel 36 censored the final segment of a Full Disclosure report on the Mayor's gang program.  Hernandez charges that "The broadcast was censored and viewers were subject to a blank screen during the 30 minutes scheduled to air the controversial conclusion.," and then asks " Just what did the Mayor not want you to see?" 



Measure B made the New York Times.  Relatively balanced piece however it doesn't go into why there is such "fierce opposition" to this shady boondoggle.

I'm all for privatizing as much City services as possible but stand for a shady alert.  Mayor Villaraigosa wants to explore an idea similar to one implemented in Chicago (red flag alert) in which the Windy City has sold their parking meter revenue for 75 years to Morgan Stanley.  Watch out folks, there's huge room for abuse here.

Joseph Mailander likes yurts but I think he would rule this one out as an option for the homeless.  CurbedLA reports a Silverlake version of a manse that comes with the home style pioneered by the Mongols that is on the market for nearly $600K.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Friday

Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. KNBC News will run a special report on a Los Angeles Unified School District library renovation program called "Wonders of Reading." KNBC will say that there was a "breakdown in LAUSD oversight" that led to "often unaccountable spending, with a written acknowledgment by the District that it makes no effort to track the work and expenditures of subcontractors on such projects; loss of half of the contract bid documents for the existing 170-plus WOR projects and alleged intimidation of contractors."

The Society of Professional Journalists’ are hosting a panel on the disappearance of the city’s local newspapers entitled "Imagine a City Without a Newspaper." Of course, showing they don't get it, the panel is made up of former local fishwrap of record reporters, Zev and a gasbag journo professor from the University of Spoiled Children. Not one blogger; heck not even pseudo-bloggers such as the paperweight winning Westside White Guy, on the panel. Imagine a City Without a Newspaper? Indeed, and the sooner the better. I am sure at one point someone held a panel about 66 million years ago called "Imagine a World Without Dinosaurs."

The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley has come out with endorsments for the March 3rd elections and no surprise they've endorsed the terror troika of Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor, Jack Weiss for City Controller Attorney (thanks to the spinner who caught this typo but still could not make the case why any of these three should be elected) and Wendy Greuel for City Controller. Surprising however that DPSFV did not endorse school board candidate and Villaraigosa puppet Nury Martinez, who some wonder if she is even running a campaign at all.

Residents in the NoHo Arts District are fighting to keep a crosswalk; at least some a previously closed crossing in Westwood is back and available for use. Streetsblog found a crosswalk at Glendon and Weyburn that had posted no-crossing signs and called LADOT. They figured out it was a screw-up and soon the crosswalk was in use again.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Supporters of the Los Angeles Zoo's efforts to keep on track the multi-million dollar effort to construct a controversial elephant exhibit thought that they had lost the battle and the votes needed on the City Council to keep the elephant pen from being shut down.  Then a white knight in the form of Global Crossing founder and Wall Street rainmaker Gary Winnick came to their rescue.  Winnick hired crisis management guru Mike Sitrick to turn it around for them.  Sitrick who handled PR for Paris Hilton during her county jail days and Rush Limbaugh during his pill popping phase got right to work and, according to insiders, managed to turn Bill Rosendahl to the dark side bringing along Jose Huizar and Ed Reyes and securing the Zoo a win.  The bill: tipsters say $250,000.


Mayoral Candidate David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg will be interviewed by KABC Talkradio AM 790 host Doug McIntyre Monday at 9:30 a.m.  By the way if any other Mayoral candidates want to send us over their media appearances we'll be glad to post them.

Lots of hand wringing by paperweight winners over the LA Times decision to axe it's "California" section and move local news to the main section.  However Ron Kaye, a blogger who's actually run daily metropolitan papers, says that's not a bad thing.  Kaye opines "The Times becoming a Los Angeles newspaper could be the best thing for the city. The community needs a powerful, credible voice to stand up for the common good, the greater good, to passionately tell the stories of who we are and how we could do better."  In his hand wringing our favorite paperweight winner keeps making the claim that by getting rid of the California section, the Times can print its Calendar entertainment section at night, hence keeping it more newsy.  However, Ed Padgett, a blogger who has actually printed a newspaper explains how the paper is actually printed.  Folks this is the kind of reportage that wins Pulitzers. 


The LA Weekly reports that Mayor Villaraigosa and Southern California Congressman Xavier Becerra apparently didn't rate invitations to President Obama's Superbowl party at the White House.  But guess who did: Senator John McCain, but apparently the former Republican Presidential candidate was not able to make it.

From the weekend:

• Jasmyne Cannick on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Missing Councilmembers 
• Candidate Adeena Bleich Stumps in CD5

Congratulations Westside White Guy You Done It Again!

Displaying the level of writing that earns plexiglas Pulitzer Prize paperweights, old Kev AKA WESTSIDE WHITE GUY - the lord and master of (Anglo)LA Observed does it again in his efforts to slam the LA Weekly:

"Former Daily News reporter Berth Barrett shows up in the LA Weekly with astory so DN-ish ‹ 'the San Fernando Valley is emerging as the poster childfor middle-class flight' ‹ it even quotes David Fleming."

Uh, actually Barrett quoted Daniel Flaming, an expert on LA's business climate. Not sure if he's an economist but he's not David Fleming, the Wizard of Universal City.

Keep up the good work Kevin. The kleptocracy loves, the kids, not so much.

Update: Kev with his pants down corrects it:
My bad: It's Daniel Flaming! LA Weekly

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Sunday

Like a dumb old farmer who closes the barn door after the horse gets out, Council Member Wendy Greuel and Mayor Villaraigosa now are addressing the $10 million in fraud, waste and abuse going on with the city's fleet of "take home" vehicles following the releasing of a damning audit by City Controller Laura Chick.  Greuel has authored a City Council motion to ask for a "study" of the issue while the Mayor has ordered a freeze on the issuance of new vehicles and using City credit cards at gas stations.

Local pols are seeking to gain over $300 million in Obama era money for "infrastructure" projects in the San Fernando Valley. No word what those projects are but no doubt the lobbyists and contractors are lining up to built projects as cost effective as the Orange Line Busway and tbe Belmont Learning Center, to just name two.

If you really want to know what's going on at the OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET don't read what the Westside White Guy writes, be sure to visit Ed Padgett's excellent Los Angeles Times Pressmans 20 Year Blog, run and penned by the people who print the paper.  WWG has some inside buzz as to the possible moving of the Calendar entertainment section to the main news section but according to Ed the speculaton in (Anglo)LAObserved is all wrong. 

If you buy something in another state the state of California expects you to pay a "use tax" on the item.  The state, hungry for revenue like a crack whore jonesing for her next fix, plans to allow people to "voluntarily" register their purchases online or face potential audits.  According to the state Board of Equaliziation the use tax  "applies when a person or business in California purchases tangible merchandise from a retailer outside of this state that will be used, consumed, given away, or stored in this state and the retailer does not collect California tax on their sales."

The Old Gray Hag She Ain't What She Used to Be

Kevin Roderick posts up a super-long screed lamenting the terminal nature of THE OLD GRAY HAG ON SPRING STREET (also known as LA ANTONIA TIMES, The Former Fishwrap of Record and The Los Angeles Times).

For the Westside White Guy for sure it's all traceable to poor decision making and foul language by Sam Zell owner of parent company Tribune Media. I guess it all started when Zell dropped an F-bomb on a staffer.

Yet the Times is having the same problems the dinosaur media is having all over the country and is in worse shape because 1) For years being embedded as part of the kleptocratic old guard that runs LA and never having the balls to take on those who have been destroying the City, 2) Focusing on the fru-fru tastes of a small handful of enclaves in sections of Council Districts 4, 5, 11 and 13 while ignoring everything from South Central to the San Fernando Valley and 3) Simply never ever getting it when it comes to how the new media works and being completely unable to conquer the Internet as some newspapers have.

For years The Times has been embedded as part of the kleptocratic old guard that runs LA and never had the balls to take on those who have been destroying the City.

It's time for the handwringing over the Times to come to an end. The horse and buggy had it's day and so did the Times. Unlike papers in other cities the Times never challenged Los Angeles and now it's paying the piper in it's seeming irrelevance. New technologies, blogs and other publications will get the word out, probably more directly and without the Spring Street filter, and we'll be the better for it.

Caruso Watch

The latest happenings as we await the word to come down on high from 101 The Grove Drive:

We broke the "news" that Rick Caruso is going to announce for Mayor. And that two very high profile local elected officials are prepared to endorse him. I can't say who but one might have a mustache.

Then we heard from some of the fine folks at Caruso's firm, Caruso Affiliated, to make sure we knew no decision has been made yet. But we would hear soon.

Later, one of our dum dums posted in comments what could be the starting lineup for Team Caruso. The people at CA said "Nothing has been announced."

Now the buzz is picking up beyond Mayor Sam. Dennis Zine was asked about a Caruso candidacy on talkradio today, based on our story. Westside White Guy approached the man himself at one of those shi-shi LA book premieres last night and it sounded a lot like a candidate telegraphing his intentions. And Curbed LA is notching it up with a post and reader comments that back Caruso, anyone but Villaraigosa, Ed Begley, Jr. and Larry David for Mayor.

NOBAMA!! "Bloggin moderation by Big Government??

This should unite the "bloggin community" whether you lean "Blue" or "Red".

From the "Drudge Report".

There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.”

FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks.

The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told the Business & Media Institute the Fairness Doctrine could be intertwined with the net neutrality battle. The result might end with the government regulating content on the Web, he warned. McDowell, who was against reprimanding Comcast, said the net neutrality effort could win the support of “a few isolated conservatives” who may not fully realize the long-term effects of government regulation.

So to state this in "Bloggin Layman Terms", any post by Zuma Dogg would have to give way to an equally timed retort by one, "Dockweiler Mutt", "Mayor Sam" would give equal time to "Westside White Guy", "Joe B." would have to share his bloggin privilege with "Home Depot" (See the Horror!!, Joe B.) and our bloggin right to free posting would fall under the moderation of some Washington "DUM DUM" bureaucrat.

Wonder if Trujillo was promise this job in a Obama Administration.................

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Joining the Westside White Guy in downplaying or poo-pooing Ron Kaye's bitch slap against LA, BlogDowntown gets the headcount wrong and goes off into non-sequitirs from the City's semi-colorful past.  How about focusing on what was said rather than what people were wearing?





How does Councilmember Greig Smith plan to help with the City's budget woes? He will forgo six days of his six figure salary.  Maybe he can coordinate that with one of the many junkets Council Members are taking so at least he can eat for free.



Thanks to John McCain's get tough stance on immigration (since when?) and the support of America's most powerful Latino leader Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Barack Obama stands to win more Latino votes than the presumptive Republican nominee.  Well that's what a Colorado political website says anyway.

  

The President of the Neighborhood Council in Palms wanted to appoint his successor but ran into a snag: the Council by-laws.  Apparently President Todd Robinson wants to quit and was going to appoint a Vice President.  The problem is you can't appoint a Vice President and the spot is open to all stakeholders.

 

The folks at the very excellent Foothill Cities Blog are running a City Hall photo contest.  You can submit photos of any city hall anywhere and win some big time bragging rights and some great prizes.  There's even a photo of a so-so copy of Pasadena City Hall in Japan!



And finally, things are getting wild in Altadena.  A local blog details with photos the visit of a bear, a mountain lion and a deer who apparently had his entire midsection chewed up by a mountain lion.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Monday

Your Los Angeles city officials are lying to you about the need for more taxes.  We've told you that.  Walter Moore has told you that.  And now the Daily News makes the case about Goofy Janice Hahn's gang property tax scam (so she can use your tax money to pay more gang members and give them guns).  By the way the Council voted last week to put this scam on the ballot and almost sneaked in a provision to allow them to raise the tax every year. 





Councilman Bill Rosendahl has decided to cancel a town hall meeting to discuss an important community issue and replace it with closed door meetings.  Rosendahl was to have sponsored the community forum on issues of bicyclists' rights this evening but later announced it would be cancelled and replaced by a "task force." However, the task force does not include members of a bicyclists' group who have been advocating a cyclists bill of rights.  With the price of gas going sky-high and the need to find alternate methods of transportation the bicycle issue will not go away despite the wishes of the NIMBY-pamby wishes of homeowner groups in Rosendahl's tony district.



The Griffith Park, Interrupted blog takes the Westside White Guy to task for writing a puff piece on DWP General Manager H. David "E wastewater pluribus" Nahai presenting the controversial utility chief as some sort of environmental hero.  Good point as the DWP is filling up reservoirs with plastic balls which has been questioned by some environmentalists.  In an unrelated (maybe?) story Joseph Mailander reports that the lotus flowers in Echo Park Lake have died off.  For the first time, the annual Lotus Festival will have no blooming lotuses.





Local politicians want to raise your taxes and cut your services but that hasn't stopped them from living high on the hog.  The Daily News reports that dozens of top Los Angeles County officials drive in luxury official vehicles costing as much as $50,000 each.  Over the last few years these vehicles have been involved in nearly 2000 separate traffic accidents costiing the County millions of dollars.





The Kennedy Republican is possibly looking for a job in a potential Obama administration.  Though Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed John McCain for President he says he'd be interested in being an "energy czar."





Cityhood for East LA begin in earnest Friday.  Leaders begin a petition drive which if successful would force a study of the city's viability by the County's Local Agency Formation Commission.  The petitions will require the signatures of 9000 registered voters within the future city's boundaries.

Open Thread for Sunday

Former journo and Westside White Guy accomplice Bill Boyarsky pens an op-ed in the Fishwrap of Record about his now expired term on the City of LA's Ethics Commission. Boyarsky, who was appointed by City Controller Laura Chick upon his application for the job finds his service on the panel whose job is to clean up politics, a failure.

"I left City Hall frustrated, irritated and saddened -- and most of all, humbled by a culture impervious to change. "Free at last," I said when my colleagues asked me if I had some final words at my last meeting June 10."
Bill Boyarsky

Boyarsky says the panel is hamstrung by a City Attorney ruling (one he finds to be in error) that the state's Brown Act prevents Commissioners from speaking with City Councilmembers or from speaking out on ethics related issues. As well Boyarsky found that any reforms to the system the Commission proposed had to be approved by a City Council who had no interest in reforming the system and buried their recommendations in committee.

Free from his public service, the question for Boyarsky is what's next? Perhaps he would like to join fellow former scribe turned populist leader Ron Kaye in bringing a bag of trash to City Hall on July 14th.

Westside White Guy Slams Jamiel as Gang Member

Kevin Roderick - the epitome of suburban white mypoia - has decided he can oh so coyly tag hate crime victim, the assassinated Jamiel Shaw as a gang member, part of the liberal effort to take the heat off Special Order 40 that is coming from many corners. In quoting an LA Times story on the preliminary hearing WWG posts:

Testimony on Jamiel Shaw's gang ties

When he was killed, the teenager wore a red belt emblazoned with black skulls and a crudely written "20," used by the Rollin' 20s and had some of the gang's images on his iPod, an LAPD officer testified. A neighbor also said Shaw had friends in the gang and was known by the nickname "Deuces Wild," and a detective testified that Shaw's girlfriend told police he was a gang member.

What Westside White Guy doesn't tell is that 1) Jamiel's parents, friends and relatives have consistently said Jamiel was not a gang member, 2) Police officers, as mentioned in the story, are not convinced Jamiel was a banger and, 3) the judge in the hearing has ruled out the use of any information that paints Jamiel as a gangster.

Maybe this is how you win Pulitzers.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

It has been said that whenever County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is considering running for a new office he loses weight and gets in shape. The LA Times follows Zev's new regimen and shows him looking quite fit. Check out the differences in the photos from a year ago and now. Well, there's lot more homeowner groups to barnstorm!

Red County reports that the LA City Council plans to "go to war" with State Senator George Runner. Wednesday, the Council will consider a resolution to oppose Runner's Safe Neighborhoods Act on the November ballot that will eliminate bail for criminal illegal aliens and stiffens penalties for gang involved crimes. If you favor this measure, call your City Council member and tell them you expect them to be tough on crime. Tell your friends to do the same. Doesn't the City Council have more pressing issues than to be passing resolutions against ballot measures?

LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has gone on record as opposing the County's needle exchange program. These programs - in which intravenous drug addicts receive "clean needles" for old - are intended to slow the spread of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis. However, studies have shown in city after city these programs do not achieve their stated purpose and actually increase drug use.

This might be an opportunity for the Westside White Guy. As a cost cutting move, The Former Fishwrap of Record is no longer going to produce it's own Sunday supplement magazine and turn production over to it's Los Angeles Times Media Group. However if they really want to cut corners how about making it the analog fishwrap version of OBSERVING (WEST) LA AND HIS LIFE AND (LA ANTONIA) TIMES? Maybe there's a Pulitzer in there somewhere?

He's filled many times more potholes but Mayor Villaraigosa joined with potential opponent Magic Johnson to announce the filling of the 10,000th job by a city program the Mayor has championed. According to reports, the 10,000th job was filled at a Vons Market.

Big Victory for McCain In Pennsylvania*

Leading in the bitter white guy vote (did WWG vote there?) Clinton has won the PA primary. It must have been because Antonio wasn't there this time.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton has won the Pennsylvania primary,
defeating Barack Obama and staving off elimination in a riveting race for the
Democratic presidential nomination.

The former first lady was winning 53 percent of the vote Tuesday night, compared with 47 percent for her rival. She hoped for significant inroads into Obama's overall lead in the competition for delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Clinton scored her victory by winning the votes of blue-collar workers, women and whites in an election where the economy was the dominant concern. More than 80 percent of voters surveyed as they left their polling places said the nation was already in a recession.

* If Hillary wins the nomination, McCain is sure enough the next President