Monthly Archives: February 2010

Rude Awakening: City Hall Discovers How Much Money It Wastes

Posted on February 22, 2010 by

One of the more fascinating aspects of City Hall’s disastrous handling of the budget crisis our public servants created is the mayor and City Council’s sudden discovery that waste, efficiency, mismanagement, incomprehensible policies are major problems they never addressed. Sure, … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

(Ir)Rationalizing City Government: An Exercise in the Pretense of Democracy

Posted on February 22, 2010 by

Three (Bronx) cheers for Antonio Villaraigosa — he boasts today that his decision to kill the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the central reform that went into the new City Charter a decade ago, will save $2 million. Only $210 million … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Winner-Take-All in LA’s Bankruptcy Melodrama

Posted on February 21, 2010 by

What you are seeing in the LA bankruptcy melodrama is a calculated and deliberate effort of the Mayor and his colleagues on the City Council to silence the voice of the people. It is a hopeless task. The silent majority … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Bruno, LA’s Watchdog: Who Needs Cops and Firefighters — Let the Rabble Eat Dog Food

Posted on February 21, 2010 by

Editor’s Note: Since the Dog Trainer and the Green Sheet don’t have enough reporters, Bruno thought he’d help out with a preview of the big story that will break in the next few days.LA Mayor Eliminates Police and Fire Departments … Continue reading →

Posted in Bruno Watchdog L.A. | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

The Guardian ‘Angel’ Behind an LAUSD Success

Posted on February 20, 2010 by

Her name is Dr. Angel Barrett. She is the principal of Plummer Street Elementary School in North Hills, one of the city’s poorest and most gang-infested neighborhoods. Yet, Plummer Street has become a model of what can be achieved in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

DONE is Done: Mayor Abolishes Dept. Of Neighborhood Empowerment, Dismantling Starts Next Week

Posted on February 20, 2010 by

At the meeting Friday with Neighborhood Council leaders, Deputy Mayor Larry Frank announced that the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment will be abolished and nearly all its staff eliminated. DONE Commissioner and NC leader Al Abrams sent out an email Saturday … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Activists | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Would Walter Moore or Zuma Dogg Be a Better Mayor?

Posted on February 19, 2010 by

So it’s come to this: Would we better off if Walter Moore or even Zuma Dogg bad beaten Antonio a year ago? I can say with certainty that we wouldn’t be worse off.Think about it: The Mayor with 10 times … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

Panic at City Hall — Start the Recall Petitions!

Posted on February 18, 2010 by

They have gone too far this time — now it’s not 1,000 or 2,000 or even the mayor’s 3,000 layoffs. It’s 4,000 — fully one-third of the narrow band of the 12,000 workers who they have deemed eligible for job … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Dirty Money Without Limits — How to Clean it Up

Posted on February 18, 2010 by

It’s so much easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing. The LA City Ethics Commission is a case in point. a perpetual one at that since it almost always does the wrong thing, or nothing at all. … Continue reading →

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

Krekorian’s Challenge: Dancing with the Pols or the People?

Posted on February 18, 2010 by

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written for the February edition of Nina Royal’s North Valley Reporter. The most dangerous thing a politician can do is to raise the people’s expectations – just ask Antonio Villaraigosa what happens when you promise … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Activists | Tagged , , | 2 Comments