I was afraid this was going to happen when I posted the 32 claims of greatness made on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s behalf by his supporters — people are starting to challenge the assertion that he’s making Los Angeles “the greenest city in America.”
Some critics note the Department of Water and Power isn’t getting rid of coal burning power plants as much as its buying wind power at an enormous premium from the Northwest — costs that are passed through straight to ratepayers as add-on charges above the soaring rates.
Then, there’s the problem NIMBYs trying to preserve the quality of life in their neighborhoods with his green-lighting every development put on the table to drive revenue into the city treasury and make his campaign contributors happy while increasing the population and the demand for more electricity.
Some cynics even complained that the deal to restore the Owens River Valley started long before he took office and that the “expanded” recycling program for apartment dwellers is so miniscule as to be laughable.
And supporters of the South Central Farm — progressives like the people who published Antonio’s List — didn’t take to kindly to the idea the mayor “developed a new 9 acre farm
in Watts for 150 of the displaced South L.A. Farm families.” They point out the South Central Farm produced food for 350 families before it was bulldozed for redevelopment by Forever 21, which funneled $1.3 million to the mayor’s campaigns and now can supply just 75 families.
There’s just no pleasing all the people all the times or even some of the people some of the time. Isn’t that the point to Antonio’s game?
Here’s how the green-conscious website SustainLane.com rates L.A. — No. 28 right behind New Orleans. Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York top the list. Even Cleveland is 16th.
Here’s the site’s view and commentary on L.A.:
Ahhh… the glitz, the glamour, the sun, the surf. Los Angeles has come
to represent the California dream that draws people from every corner
of the country. But along with screen starlets, suburbia reigns supreme
in the City of Angels. And that’s bad news for sustainability,
contributing to auto-dependence, heavy freeway congestion, and ranking
it second only to Fresno for the worst air quality in the nation. To
combat this, city officials are promoting public transit, but a deeply
engrained (and smoggy) car culture is making this difficult. One thing
that may help get drivers out of their cars and into the great outdoors
is the Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan, a multi-billion dollar
project to transform 32 miles of the river shoreline into a continuous,
carbon-sequestering greenway, uniting communities along the way. City
Councilmember Ed Reyes, who’s overseeing the project, has also been
hard at work planning the Arroyo Seco neighborhood
development–potentially the first LEED-certified neighborhood in the
nation. L.A. plans to up its solid waste diversion to 70 percent by
2015 and is also in the process of creating an environmentally
preferable purchasing program for city operations.
Here’s Antonio’s List: ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
-Tripled the amount of clean,
renewable energy sold by the DWP
-Adopted the Clean Air Action
Plan to reduce air pollution at Port by 45%; working with Labor and
the Environmental community to replace trucks while addressing driver
standards.
-Restored water to the Lower
Owens River
-Expanded curb-side recycling
to multi-family housing, schools, and restaurants.
-Adopted Green Building Standards,
that will reduce carbon emissions more than any other green building
standard in the country.
-Developed a new 9 acre farm
in Watts for 150 of the displaced South L.A. Farm families
-Working with the Apollo Alliance
on a Green Retrofit and Workforce campaign.
That South L A Farm was on private land which the owner had every right to take back, as he finally did — if the city had, as the squatters wanted, paid an exhorbitant amount for the land just to give it back to them gratis, you and others would have rightly condemned that move as socialism, giving away tax dollars for politically motivated ends. You’d have said the Mayor was grandstanding and making like some Mexican peasant leader in Chiapis to get the illegal and working poor support. So that’s one thing that the left blames him for that goes against your conservative, capitalistic-economy mindset (and mine) to pile onto.
As for the other charges — for better or worse, LA is piling more demands onto developers for going “green” than any other city, requiring water conservation plumbing built into them, etc. etc. Maybe you want clarification from Eric Garcetti’s office on that one as he’s a big proponent and policy wonk on that issue.
Great! New subject.
Ron, I have noticed that the recycle bin is to include clean and dry items. That means many times that I have to use precious water to clean up something I think should be recycled.
Another item, I realize that the recycle bin contents are sold to industries that are able to make something of that trash. I suppose they are why the contents must be clean and dry.
I think there is a conflict of interest here.
Personally, I don’t mind helping others but need to know, is saving water more important to our city or is clean and dry trash?
This is not some silly question. I think the city ought to clarify which one we should put first. I am asking because I read in the paper
that we are going to be charged extra if the inspector finds something that can be recycled in the trash bin. Can you let us know?
Thanks.
The areas where LA is worst are those directly linked to traffic and population density: air and water quality, street congestion and traffic, and availability of water (the Owens River/ Colorado/ snowmelt problem), and mediocre on planning and land use and building (which is changing fast). Among the top of raw sewage diversion, “communication” — whatever that means.
These are problems that the city has had for decades and we’re actually getting slightly better in air quality, and look at the ports trucking changes recently implemented over the objections of some. Both L A and Long Beach showed leadership there. We’re also near the bottom on home affordability — but a further plunge in property values would hurt many others and preserving prop values is a key reason many are opposed to more affordable housing for the poor in their midst.
What these bare statistics can’t say is that we’re more polarized between very rich/privileged and very poor/uneducated than any other city, so stats alone don’t give a realistic picture. While this ranking may be true “on average” for the city, if you factor out Pacoima and McArthur Park and South LA, you get a very different picture. Do I wish we did NOT have the burden of those areas pulling us down, yes. But again this is something that that started way before Villar — Hahn wanted to give illegals driver licenses, remember and he and Janice are at least as “liberal” as any of the Mexicans. It’s taken us decades to get into this mess and we’re just starting to pull our way out.
We do need more science and less political pandering at the helm, from the Latinos thinking only about what’s “culturally appropriate” for their masses to Nahai, whose own house is a model of wasted water and opportunity to use the solar power we have so abundantly here in So Cal.
The company is not American Apparel but Forever 21.
I’m not playing if there are no prizes. At least the last time I could win cheeseburger.
Is the city going to collect the difference of the fairmarket value any time soon? They took the land through eminent domain and paid Horowitz about $5 million and when he sued to get the land back (which the decision, by the way, had been denied 3 times before it was “overturned”)the city sold it back to him for the same $5 million…So, who was really getting the “free ride” on this one?
Why didn’t the mayor or city council charge him the fair market value of the land when they sold it back to him? What another taxpayer loss. This real estate developer shouldn’t be getting such a high discount, he should have to pay the fair price like everyone else would.
The word is that Antonio sat on his hands when something could have been done to help the South Central Farmers. He may have sat on his hands because Forever 21 was shoveling money at his favorite charities.
Then at the last minute, he swings into action and says he is trying to save the farm but it is “too late.” So he showed up for the face time when the farm was hot on television, but perhaps he was willing to trade the interests of his own people for the money Forever 21 was plowing into his charity.
THAT is play to pay. The very vice he said he was campaigning against in his run for mayor is now a central concept in whether he is for or against a particular issue. Our City Hall is for sale to those with money and the People be damned.
The word is that Antonio sat on his hands when something could have been done to help the South Central Farmers. He may have sat on his hands because Forever 21 was shoveling money at his favorite charities.
Then at the last minute, he swings into action and says he is trying to save the farm but it is “too late.” So he showed up for the face time when the farm was hot on television, but perhaps he was willing to trade the interests of his own people for the money Forever 21 was plowing into his charity.
THAT is play to pay. The very vice he said he was campaigning against in his run for mayor is now a central concept in whether he is for or against a particular issue. Our City Hall is for sale to those with money and the People be damned.
10:49 AM- Here is the answer to you concern, “Why didn’t the mayor or city council charge him the fair market value of the land when they sold it back to him?
It is the same answer for most of the financial activity done by the Council Members and their colleages, it is not their personal money. It’s somebody else’s money.” As for the mayor, he’s in the 4th dimension, neither here nor working on legitimate city business, but still getting a full check while memorizing a list of his 32 accomplishments that he will recite at the next opportunity.
Frugality and prudent behavior is not in their vocabulary. The concept of “Fiduciary Duty,” to them, is probably thought to be some kind of particular problem with a bowel movement.
However, they do ACT like the money is from their very own wallets, that it is coming from them quite personally, when they give it out for programs or services. Each item of that said activity will be especially emphasized during campaign periods.
We could make a list of all the things they do that COST US MORE MONEY when they don’t handle things like a private sector organization does- and that’s what a private sector organization would HAVE to do if they wanted to stay in business. Not so for city government.
Here in L.A., when they come up short on funds, they will create more charges for the existing services or they will just create more new fees to be charged and collected. And while you, as a resident, are writing out your check, you see them continuing to fund programs of dubious value (sometimes accompanied by vocal supporters-often employees- or approving Special Event fee waivers for things that should be self-maintaining if they really have a value.
(Neighbohood Councils might be the source for funding community events if they are truly productive and at least they would be expected to stretch out the $50,000 yearly budget prudently if they want it to last.)
Fair Market Value is irrelevant in City business unless you are hit by eminent domain activity, then you won’t even get that. Sorry, you WILL get favored treatment IF you are in the special interests/campaign supporter that the Convention Center signage item demonstrated. They prostitute city resources for any cash but grant tax subsidies, forgiveness and giveaways if you are teasing them with hotels and glamour. They are the political equivalents to whores from all appearances.
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