In the tight little world of L.A. politics and government where accountability is rare, there has to be a fall guy when things go wrong and the public knows about it.
Metrolink boss David Solow is a case in point. Ever since the train collision that killed 25 people in Chatsworth in September Solow has been a
dead man walking and his interview -- non-interview reallly -- with the LA Times today is the kiss of death.
Here's the entire interview as it was reported:
Solow gruffly began the session, "Got the ground rules? I'm not going to talk about the incident or any actions after."
Asked why, he answered, "It's not in my best interest to talk about the accident."
Talk about a guy who needs public relations help. Unfortunately, Solow's PR adviser Denise Tyrrell quit in a public huff right after he hung her out to dry over criticism that she told the world the day after the crash that the Metrolink engineer, who we later learned was text messaging a teenager at the time, went through a red light.
Read the rest of the story at NBC Los Angelees
Metrolink boss David Solow is a case in point. Ever since the train collision that killed 25 people in Chatsworth in September Solow has been a
dead man walking and his interview -- non-interview reallly -- with the LA Times today is the kiss of death.Here's the entire interview as it was reported:
Solow gruffly began the session, "Got the ground rules? I'm not going to talk about the incident or any actions after."
Asked why, he answered, "It's not in my best interest to talk about the accident."
Talk about a guy who needs public relations help. Unfortunately, Solow's PR adviser Denise Tyrrell quit in a public huff right after he hung her out to dry over criticism that she told the world the day after the crash that the Metrolink engineer, who we later learned was text messaging a teenager at the time, went through a red light.
Read the rest of the story at NBC Los Angelees
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 National Enquirer.
Solow took four hours to get to the scene of the accident? He should have been fired the next day! Katz is right.
The four hour thing is a lie. I live in the Chatsworth area and he was there within two hours. I saw him. The media, especially the LA Times, has very few reporters who actually know how to do their homework. Solow was on a train home when the collision took place and still made it back to Chatsworth by around 6:30 pm, barely 2 hours after the incident, in Friday rush hour traffic! Problem is he was more interested in meeting with his staff on the scene away from the media rather than worrying about getting face time with reporters like Mayor Antonio.
So if he was going to be fired, why hasn't it happened yet? The article acknlowedges what everyine in the industry knows, he is one of the experts
Complaining about how long it took Solow to get to the scene of the accident is a smokescreen by policymakers covering their own hind ends. This story in today's LA Times ties the accident to failed decisionmaking by county the Transportation Commission and Metrolink boards: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink12-2008dec12,0,4551895.story