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.

Checking in on Measure B

On the Measure B front: LA press fossil Bill Boyarsky - who we know officially dub WWG2 (Westside White Guy 2) has decided to create a syllogism on the controversial ballot proposal:

Solar power and union jobs are good.
Measure B has something to do with solar power and union jobs I think.
Measure B is good.

Not much else in the way of critical thinking goes into Boyarsky's screed at (Anglo) LA (Aggregated) Observed (hat tip to Joe Mailander).

In the meantime writing in the LA Times David Z reports that the measure was rushed to the ballot despite the fact that DWP chief H. David "E WASTEWATER PLURIBUS" Nahai had been kicking the item around for months last year.  Wastewater told the Clowncil that he couldn't give a good financial analysis until after the item was placed on the ballot.

Couple that with a staff/consultant report critical of the plan embargoed by Eric Garcetti and now a few Council Members are feeling bamboozled.  It appears that support for Measure A is wavering amongst at least a few Members who are likely sensing strong community opposition to the plan in their Districts.

Yes on B Campaign Manager and former Sister City Blogger, Mike Trujillo told me Monday that a report posted on the DWP's website paints a far prettier picture as that in some past analyses that ratepayers would see an increase of only about 90 cents per bill, about a less than 1% increase.

The problem is the experts all seem to disagree and no one really knows what rates will be.  We have to consider how the proposition was hatched in the DWP, rushed to the ballot and that Council Members were kept in the dark.  That has to send up red flags alone.

We're all for solar energy but the market is moving in this direction and can do a far better job than DWP.  This plan would surely set back efforts to create green industry in LA and send alternative energy entrepeneur's packing.

That may be what the Mayor, unions and DWP want, but it doesn't bode well for Los Angeles.