Monthly Archives: May 2008

Tips from a community activist

Posted on May 14, 2008 by

By Ellen Vukovich Sherman Oaks activist Driving south on Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks recently, I tried to avoid the congestion around the 101 Freeway so I turned onto Riverside where I was greeted by absolute gridlock . I looked to my … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, The Valley | 5 Comments

No. 1 agenda for a better L.A. — End the LAUSD catastrophe

Posted on May 13, 2008 by

Of all the crimes committed against the people of Los Angeles, and there are many, the most unforgivable is the crime committed against generations of the city’s children by the public schools. Horrendous dropout rates that fuel gangs and crime … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Antonio pitches his success story to secessionists

Posted on May 13, 2008 by

Antonio Villaraigosa was his usual charming self last night when he dropped by the latter-day secession group Valley Vote to spend 90 minutes or so auditioning his re-election pitch and addressing concerns from overdevelopment to overpaid city workers. He even … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles, The Valley | 5 Comments

The high cost of keeping the public ignorant

Posted on May 12, 2008 by

UPDATE: I’ve spoken with Ben Austin who is now working part-time as an assistant city attorney mainly working on litigation involving health care providers and he’s paid somewhat less than the salary in the city database. He also works part-time … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 9 Comments

If this doesn’t make you mad as hell, nothing will

Posted on May 11, 2008 by

When the obituary is written someday in bankruptcy court for the City of L.A., the cause of death will be described as suicide by a thousand pay raises. For the No. 1 reason, L.A. is a city that doesn’t work … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

It makes a difference…

Posted on May 9, 2008 by

By the time I was 14, my friends and I thought we had figured out something very basic about the American political system and reduced our insight to a very simple slogan: What difference does it make? We repeated our … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Los Angeles | 9 Comments

A month without a newspaper…

Posted on May 8, 2008 by

A month ago I retired from the Daily News, a month without the identity as a newspaperman, a month without reading a newspaper. It’s strange on many levels all that’s happened, and getting my news online only through websites run by … Continue reading →

Posted in Los Angeles | 9 Comments

Griffith Park — endangered by City Hall bungling

Posted on May 8, 2008 by

One of my favorite blogs on the local L.A. scene is man-about-town Joseph Mailander’s  street-hassle. He has wide and varied interests and is usually pretty compassionate in his view on City Hall’s foibles. But this posting today on Griffith Park and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Rocky’s school safety plan squeezed by LAUSD’s ‘dance of the lemons’

Posted on May 7, 2008 by

You got to feel sorry for poor City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. He’s become the living embodiment of the cliché about no good deed goes unpunished. A year ago, Rocky announced with Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Mother of Watts founder “Sweet” Alice … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Gangs, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 6 Comments

Do you know the roosters in your neighborhood?

Posted on May 6, 2008 by

    Roosters in Woodland Hills    Thanks to my wife’s indefatigable early morning dog walking, I have discovered there are roosters in my neighborhood and some people are running mini-chicken farms. That seems really nice to me, a throwback to … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 7 Comments