UPDATE: laist.com riffs off of Lopez column and mentions the Bastille Day rally, observing, "The Saving L.A. Project seems to directly answer everyone's questions
when it comes down to what's wrong and how to fix it: While we need
great leaders, we need each other more."
L.A. Times star columnist Steve Lopez visited Chicago recently and was struck by the dynamism of a city with strong leadership and the will to make things better -- a sharp contrast to what he sees happening in our city.
In his column Sunday, Lopez asks a series of rhetorical questions to show just how big a difference there is between the city of Big Shoulders and what we all might agree is our city with no guts -- views that are similar to what I wrote about after my recent visit to Chicago.
He writes about how Chicago, under the leadership of Mayor Richard Daley, gets things done while L.A. under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa languishes. "(Villaraigosa''s) self-induced loss of momentum, along with funding shortages and a City Council that never veers from its quest for mediocrity, have conspired to knock the shine off Antonio's Holy Card smile."
Lopez and I spoke at length Thursday about this tale of two cities and he mentions the Bastille Day July 14 rally at noon at City Hall, calling the idea of leading a public revolt -- in the absence of real leadership by our elected officials -- "the least rewarding of all L.A. challenges."
He closes by saying, "OK, I'm all for revolution. But at least for a while, couldn't we work out an exchange program in which we trade Villaraigosa for Daley and see what happens?
His skepticism is appropriate until enough of us come together and demonstrate we can force City Hall to respond to our concerns instead of giving us lip service and the special interests our money.
The publicity for the rally is welcome. We've printed up thousands of fliers to promote the rally and we need people to distribute them far and wide so email me and we'll figure out how to get some to you. I can also send you an email copy of the flier and the letter that community activists are sending out all over town.
From Boyle Heights to Westchester, from West Hills to San Pedro, people are committed to coming down to City Hall on Monday July 14th. There is your chance to shake the foundations of City Hall and begin the process of bringing real democracy to L.A. and empowering the communities to stand up together to a failing power structure.
Take Back Los Angeles -- Demand A Great City. Join the Saving L.A. Project.
L.A. Times star columnist Steve Lopez visited Chicago recently and was struck by the dynamism of a city with strong leadership and the will to make things better -- a sharp contrast to what he sees happening in our city.
In his column Sunday, Lopez asks a series of rhetorical questions to show just how big a difference there is between the city of Big Shoulders and what we all might agree is our city with no guts -- views that are similar to what I wrote about after my recent visit to Chicago.
He writes about how Chicago, under the leadership of Mayor Richard Daley, gets things done while L.A. under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa languishes. "(Villaraigosa''s) self-induced loss of momentum, along with funding shortages and a City Council that never veers from its quest for mediocrity, have conspired to knock the shine off Antonio's Holy Card smile."
Lopez and I spoke at length Thursday about this tale of two cities and he mentions the Bastille Day July 14 rally at noon at City Hall, calling the idea of leading a public revolt -- in the absence of real leadership by our elected officials -- "the least rewarding of all L.A. challenges."
He closes by saying, "OK, I'm all for revolution. But at least for a while, couldn't we work out an exchange program in which we trade Villaraigosa for Daley and see what happens?
His skepticism is appropriate until enough of us come together and demonstrate we can force City Hall to respond to our concerns instead of giving us lip service and the special interests our money.
The publicity for the rally is welcome. We've printed up thousands of fliers to promote the rally and we need people to distribute them far and wide so email me and we'll figure out how to get some to you. I can also send you an email copy of the flier and the letter that community activists are sending out all over town.
From Boyle Heights to Westchester, from West Hills to San Pedro, people are committed to coming down to City Hall on Monday July 14th. There is your chance to shake the foundations of City Hall and begin the process of bringing real democracy to L.A. and empowering the communities to stand up together to a failing power structure.
Take Back Los Angeles -- Demand A Great City. Join the Saving L.A. Project.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the Naitonal Enquirer.
Congratulations! You not only got a Times columnist to plug your rally, but you found a Times columnist who also managed to mock the owners his paper - in the same column. A home run.
"Funding shortages?"
I see Lopez does he research as diligently as most "journalists" in this City: he accepts at face value whatever Villaraigosa and the City Council put in their press releases.
Hey, Lopez, how about looking at the actual city budgets for the past five years. THEN try to tell me there's a "funding shortage."
In fact, City revenues -- and our tax burden -- are at all all-time high: over $7 BILLION per year, up from about $5.3 BILLION just a few years ago.
"Funding shortages?"
I see Lopez does he research as diligently as most "journalists" in this City: he accepts at face value whatever Villaraigosa and the City Council put in their press releases.
Hey, Lopez, how about looking at the actual city budgets for the past five years. THEN try to tell me there's a "funding shortage."
In fact, City revenues -- and our tax burden -- are at all all-time high: over $7 BILLION per year, up from about $5.3 BILLION just a few years ago.
Gee, Walter, it appears neither Tina Daunt nor Steve Lopez have ever heard of you.
12:15, I guess that's why Walter Moore has to double-post AND diss Lopez, just in case he might have been thinking of including him in a future article. Like he dissed Orlov for trivializing him and dissed Zine, repeatedly, for trying to hang onto HIS coattails on Jamiel's Law while watering it down and not having the guts to support the full version. Good politics, Walter, just what we need in a Mayor. His simplistic, one-note oratorical skills also were self-evident in the "debate" he had with the Times' editor before he, too, was fired by Zell.
Here's a tip, Walter: There may in fact be a lot to criritice in the arrogant Lopez, the often- wrong and bamboozled by gossipmongers dishing dirt on their enemies, Orlov; and by Zine, whose lack of legal acumen is abundantly clear in both his paparazzi proposal (designed to protect the PR-seeking celebs, not their neighbors and other adversely impacted citizens, like the proposed one in Malibu) and lack of clarity on SO40, while at the same time, trying to curry favor with the Latino lobby by saying totally false things like, most illegals came to this country legally but their visas expired, so should be persecuted for that. Walter's right about Zine, BUT when he's the only official who had said he'd sign Jamiel's Law and bring it to Council in a Motion, just how stupid can Moore be to blow him off? Sorry, Walter, you deserve for Lopez, Orlov and Zine to do the same to you.
Anonymous 2:59
Like you've never accidentally posted something twice, made a spelling error, failed Punctuation-101, capitalized a word like 'mayor' when it shouldn't be capitalized, or made a factual error.
I don't know what you were talking about when you said Zell fired Moore. Were you speaking figuratively, because you can't fire someone who's not in your employ.
Not to "criritice", but Greig Smith, Bill Rosendahl, Tony Cardenas and Ed Reyes signed on to Zine's motion.
What Zine did was to grab onto Moore's coattails and any other garment he could, and draft his own motion, which is a proposal -- a proposal, not a law.
A proposal to have a freakin' meeting for heaven's sake, to discuss Jamiel's Law and Special Order 40.
Zine's version is so thin and so watered down, you couldn't make weak tea with it.
You might think Walter Moore is a Johnny One-Note, but he is not, and you would know that if you visited his Web site, waltermooreformayor.com.
Even if Moore had only one message, at least he's running for mayor against Villaraigosa's power machine to try to make this a better place for you to live.
Here's the one thing we have to remember in saving LA - LA is wildly diverse. Not only in ethnicity but in lifestyle and what people want.
We can't engage in class warfare as part of the battle. The common enemy is the current city government and their lack of attention to the health of our city.
If someone wants to drive a Hummer, that's their right. If someone wants a 60 inch TV (and I'm working hard myself to afford that kind of thing) there is nothing wrong with that. I've got to tell you watching a Discovery channel special about creatures of the deep on an HD 60" flat panel is an amazing experience! If someone wants to live in a McMasnion, that's their right too.
Indeed, we have to come to common ground on some basic rules to protect our neighborhoods. And whatever the law is at the moment those who have dough should not be able to pay off our elected officials and public employees to go around those rules.
We can unite Pacoima with the Palisades, Wilimington with Woodland Hills, Sunland-Tujunga with South Central and Northridge with the NoHo District IF we respect that we are all different, we all have different wants, lifestyles and needds AND WE RECCOGNIZE the common enemy is a City that does not listen.
9:40: If you think Cardenas, Reyes and Rosendahl "signed onto Zine's motion" you're smoking some powerful dried peyote buttons -- Smith, maybe, but the others would at best agree to Zine's "proposal" as you dismissively call it, to DISCUSS SO40, Jamiel's Law, and Zine's own "watered down" modifications. Reyes and Cardenas couldn't be MORE opposed to anything which would "discriminate" against "undocumented" workers, gangbangers included, and are in lockstep with vocal opponent of Jamiel's Law, Alarcon.
When you say that Zine "grabbed Moore's coattails and any garment he could," you're echoing Moore's own wildly delusional egotism -- Zine may be ignorant of the law (Ron's article doesn't surprise me) and a huge egotist himself, but he is an elected official, something Walter Moore will never be, unless it's to his local NC, which would be a more reasonable springboard for him.
The stunning ignorance you show about City Government and its players is such that you'd do well to refrain from "supporting" Moore or just continue to show the collective ignorance of himself and his supporters. I sure don't need a simple-minded, holier-than-thou type like you to tell me that I need Walter to "make this a better place for you (me) to live." I will make my own choice, thank you, and it won't be him. (I recognize your ignorant tone and utter lack of knowledge from your posts adamently advocating AGAINST the subway or Expo II on the westside -- something Steve Lopez heartily supports, by the way, and agrees is decades overdue -- as does anyone with a broader perspective who isn't mired n the jurassic period.)
Thank you Michael. As much as I would love to attend the rally, after I read that anti illegal immigration post on your blog, it scared me into thinking it would be a bunch of whities freaking out about the Mexicans and so I chose not to entertain the idea of going. So it's good to read those words from you.
So this is against the CITY, not illegal immigration, right?
Illegal immigration is something we need to address. But it needs to be done so systematically, sanely and without racism (on all sides of the debate).
The first thing is we have to realize is that our City officials are not listening to anyone but the special interests. I know illegal aliens who are just as pissed off as rich folks in the Palisades.
Ron's rally needs to be about things like the phone tax, the trash tax, the City not following the law on development issues (whether I agree with the law or not), treating activists like criminals (as in Sunland-Tujunga), etc. I trust that is what it will about it. If it devolves to bashing illegals on one hand or bashing SUV drivers on the other it will not work.
Higby, you're now trying so hard to prove you're not racist that you're doing what the worst of our electeds do, equating the opinions and "rights" of illegals with legal citizens and visa holders. "I know illegal aliens who are just as pissed off as rich folks..." Sure, so do I, since gratitude for the law looking the other way on their "jumping the line" and other advantages isn't part of the New Gen's DNA, they've been taught to demand Entitlements by pretending there's no line between legal and illegal immigration -- Who cares? Since when are their opinions close to equal? If you don't have the guts to explain and defend why illegal immigration is wrong, you're part of the problem.
(Even Obama, after pandering to the Latino vote by promising drivers licenses and legalization without consequences, has now bowed to public sentiment and agrees with McCain that illegals must "get to the back of a line" after paying fines, going through criminal checks, and learning English in order to get temp visas. And that's to the "left" of general public opinion.)