How could anyone in their right mind question the good intentions of United Way and the generous contributions of Goldman Sachs, CB Richard Ellis, AECOM consulting and Herbalife to create jobs in LA working with the mayor and his jobs czar Austin Beutner?
Just because Goldman Sachs reaped a windfall paper profit of $145.6 million a week ago when the City Council approved upzoning the massive Playa Vista project that Goldman Sachs, union pension funds and others own “to allow about 2.6 million square feet of
luxury housing, a smattering of senior housing and about 341,000 square
feet of retail, offices and public buildings,” as LA Weekly reports, is no reason to question its motives.
After all, what’s a piddling $80,000 contribution mean to the firm’s chairman, Lloyd Blankfein, when he earned $77 million last year after being saved from bankruptcy by U.S. taxpayers.
That Beutner was put in place by a committee that included Playa Vista president Steve Soboroff and that approval of the development’s expansion won’t be final until next week and that the people trying to save Ballona Wetlands are set for a last-ditch fight are surely just coincidences.
Only a cynic would wonder about the enormous generosity of the giant real estate firm CB Richard Ellis’ tax deductible donation of $500,000 to United Way to bring six “young business executives and workers into city government
to assist with efforts to create jobs and help companies,” as the LA Times joyfully reported.
That the firm has enjoyed serving as the city’s long-time real estate broker under contracts with the General Services Department and other agencies could not possibly have anything to do with this.
“In these tough budget times, hiring people is just not the easiest
thing to do; in fact, we’re moving in the other direction,” Villaraigosa
said. “So looking for public-private partnerships that will bring fresh
ideas, new energy and not cost the city any money on the general fund
is my kind of new idea.”
One might quibble with how new an idea it is to bring insiders further inside City Hall’s dealings but really what’s the point.
The same is true for AECOM Corp., the global management consulting firm, and its handsome contracts with LA World Airports for hundreds of millions of dollars.
It has every reason to be proud of the $25 million initial contract that its subsidiary DMJM Aviation got in 2008 for “program management services supporting the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).”
That contract has blossomed today so that AECOM is unashamed to note on its website that it is “planning for design and phased construction to modernize the airport…Our management tasks included conceptual design, detailed phasing plans; scheduling; cost estimating; program and design criteria development; all necessary research; modeling; assessment; project definition; and pre-construction management.”
AECOM is involved in everything from “Bradley International Terminal Expansion, New Midfield Satellite Concourse, Relocation of south runway; addition of center taxiway to accommodate new large aircraft; and improvement of airfield movements, A new Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) to improve land access to the central terminal area, Consolidated rental car facility serving over 16 rental car companies, with a total capacity of over 20,000 cars.”
We should be thankful that their fine work has avoided disruption and inconvenience at our wonderful airport and give double thanks for their $100,000 contribution.
As for Herbalife and its $100,000 donation, the piddling subsidies they got last year for street services and other special events dispensations for the “Herbalife Facility Tours” and later their Triathlon clearly would not represent a conflict of interest unless city unions negotiate a benefit that includes free lifetime supplies of their products or the firm has some land use needs.
The nobility of the rich should never be questioned which is why the Times felt no need to mention of this.
I, for one, agree. They are above reproach. My only concern is for how much it is going to cost me for these six charity consults and Austin Beutner to “buy jobs” in a city near bankruptcy, torn by dissension and facing billions of dollars in bills to fix the mismanagement of its far from charitable municipal utility.
LOL and ugh.
Shouldn’t Villaraigosa now let the public enjoy the benefits of this altruistic contribution by laying off six — or 60 — of his 200+ staff?
That $72 million hole he just shot in the budget isn’t going to mend itself. Let’s start saving money at the most fitting venue: the Mayor’s Office.
What this town needs is an “honorary” mayor, like Johnny Grant, one who does nothing, can not have a negative impact, costs us nothing, smiles a lot, and stays out of everybody’s way. That way we can just close the Mayor’s office totally – between the salries for the 200, all of the cars, all of the trips, the Deputies and Chief Deputies and consultants and jelly-bean carriers and breath-mint dispensers and drivers and bodyguards and photographers on loan from other departments, we could save about 20 million a year. What a delightful idea.
If we can’t beat ‘em, we must join ‘em and figure out how to get on their gravy train. It would be particularly nice to be able to do that before April 10th when the second installment of our property taxes are due, or certainly before July 1, when our electric rate are surely going to go up and zap us even more than the last proposed rate hike.
increse rates from ladwp scam the rate payers again thats all this crook mayor nows what to do city hall needs to begian cutting there staffs
There should be an investigation on any behind the scenes discussion/communication, meetings of councilmembers and their staff with the Playa Vista development team.
The City Council almost always votes unanimously on projects because those council-members outside the district of the project, wants his/her colleagues to support their position for projects in their districts.
For the City Council to vote against Rosendahl and Koretz can only point to behind the scenes communication – The yes votes should be scrutinized by the press and others.
MAV for 2014 California Governor:
He will lead the eighth largest economy in the world into the 21st Century. Hopefully, lowering it down to the top five…To his credit alone, MAV will have saved LA by making sure his 30/10 plan becomes a reality….So when you thought it was time to leave Dodge City….Wait…Look Up in the Sky…It’s a bird….a plane….no it’s “Captain Caaave MAV!”…Don’t take my word for it, read all about it for yourself:
http://calitics.com/diary/11452/why-antonio-villaraigosas-3010-plan-matters
Buck MAV in the 21st Century never ceases to amaze…
Wow. And that ($80K from Goldman Sachs Foundation) is on top of the Weingart Foundation moneys Soboroff was allegedly treating City Councilmembers’ favorite charities to.
And to think that some environmentalists actually thought the Mayor might hold to his pledge to not approve (VETO!) PV Phase 2 until Phase 1 was completely finished and occupied?
Not with those benefits. And I don’t think people realized the connections between Beutner and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.