NAKED CITY, a daily news report

REMINDER: Today’s the day to let DWP commissioners know you support creating a Ratepayer Advocate:
ACTION ALERT 1: Contrary to the way the Department of Water and
Power treated the public in the past. the utility’s Board of Commission
on Tuesday will consider creating a Ratepayer’s Advocate — a
independent expert paid by the DWP who’s mission is to keep the public
informed about what’s going on and to protect the public’s interest.on community activists of every type in every part of the city to speak
up  We urge you to join us at the board meeting at the DWP at 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday (Oct. 7) at 111 N. Hill St., 15th floor. There’s free parking
at the DWP.

The markets are crashing, welfare rolls are surging, county prepares to make cuts, the end of the world is coming…

Well, maybe not. World stock markets are mostly up this morning, the actual increase in welfare rolls is relatively small and the county is only looking at modest cuts out of its $22 billion budget.

Still, a lot of people are struggling which makes you wonder why our local and state governments think it’s such a good time to seek nine tax and bond issues on the Nov. 4 ballot, why it’s such a good time to have raised rates and fees on everything.

Maybe it’s because preserving government is their goal, not helping people get through a rough economic time. The Daily News runs a list of what meager help is available to those people.

Prop 5: “Drug dealers Bill of Rights” will help empty the prisons and put hardened criminals back in your neighborhood

Critics of Prop. 5 have focused on it being a large step toward legalization of drugs but Sen. Dianne Feinstein has honed in on its claim that it would only expand the number of “non-violent” drug offenders who can get rehabilitation rather than incarceration.

“Not only would Prop 5 reduce accountability, it could allow gang-members and other criminals accused of identity theft, domestic violence, child abuse, car theft, killing someone while driving under the influence and a host of other serious crimes to effectively escape prosecution,” Feinstein said in a statement.

“Proposition 5 should be known as the ‘drug dealers bill of rights.’ Proposition 5 is a dangerous initiative that would cause far too much harm to our families, schools and communities.”

The Nov. 4 ballot measure, heavily backed by billionaire George Soros, uses Section 667.5 of the Criminal Code to define the “non-violent” offenses for which treatment rather than prison is allowed so Feinstein is absolutely right about this.

At the Saving L.A. Project’s Town Hall Saturday, retired parole officer Caroline Aguirre explained just how dangerous Prop. 5 is and how it will be used by criminals of every type who will claim they’re really addicts and not responsible for their actions — a dodge that will let them avoid prison.

Here’s what she had to say: