Monthly Archives: May 2008

So many people working hard for a better L.A. … so much lip service from the politicians

Posted on May 23, 2008 by

For the life of me, the thing about L.A. that’s hardest for me to understand is why not one single politician in this city has stepped forward and embraced the tens of thousands of people who work so hard on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

How dumb do they think we are?

Posted on May 22, 2008 by

As I’ve watched the circus that passes for politics in L.A. over the years, that phrase often has popped into my head so it was amusing when I heard someone near me last night at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Los Angeles, The Valley | 9 Comments

Come together, right now — and win the battle for L.A.

Posted on May 21, 2008 by

Inside the game of L.A. politics, the word is out: We don’t really need next year’s citywide elections because the results are already in. The “Committee of 225″ — the godless clique of lobbyists, developers, contractors, union bosses and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

A community activist’s view: Watts Gang Task Force is succeeding

Posted on May 20, 2008 by

This item was written by long-time community activist Noel Weiss, an attorney who played a key role in winning City Hall support in 2006 for doubling tenant relocation payments.   By Noel Weiss West Side activist   Levels of trust … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Activists, Gangs, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Here’s one for Laura Chick: L.A.’s double bogey of poor service and wasted money

Posted on May 20, 2008 by

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m reminded that City Controller Laura Chick released an audit in March that included the golf range concession at Rancho Park. She concluded broadly that the audit, and previous audits, of the Recreation and Parks Department “calls into … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Tips from a community activist: The Power of One

Posted on May 19, 2008 by

By Ellen Vukovich Sherman Oaks activist One thing I have learned is that City Hall underestimates a rule I call “The Power of One.”  It only takes one person to effectively and consistently stand-up for a neighborhood when demanding action … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Activists, The Valley | 2 Comments

Can the L.A. Times restore its journalistic credibility?

Posted on May 18, 2008 by

You got to feel for Russ Stanton. He comes from nowhere to land one of the plum jobs in American journalism as editor of the Los Angeles Times just as the bottom falls out of the industry. So he’s facing … Continue reading →

Posted in Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

A quiet revolution of the silenced majority…

Posted on May 16, 2008 by

Journalism is a noble calling — or at least that’s what so many of us believed throughout our careers. We were society’s watchdogs, democracy’s infantry, doing the dirty work of ferreting out the truth about what was really going on … Continue reading →

Posted in Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 12 Comments

L.A.’s future secure — Antonio brings toilet-to-tap water to your home

Posted on May 15, 2008 by

A decade or so ago I did one of my famous newsroom rants when we uncovered one of those lovely little City Hall secrets that had been in the works for several years. Without public discussion, they were well on their … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 46 Comments

Janice, the gangs and the Baghdad in L.A. strategy

Posted on May 14, 2008 by

The plot thickens. In the last episode, Councilwoman Janice Hahn fought back against the talk shows, bloggers and concerned citizens who were inflamed by a Fox Channel 11 report she helped get two tough anti-gang cops pulled out of Watts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments