The City Council achieved Wednesday what even its harshest critics might have thought impossible: They endorsed unanimously the lying, cheating, stealing and failings of the Department of Water and Power.
They talked in high-minded terms of accountability but were as one in their commitment to never hold anyone accountable.
It’s hard to imagine how they could in the same moment behave so shamefully, so impervious to disgrace, and so shamelessly, bringing so much disgrace upon themselves.
It was no easy feat given the fact that the issue before them was such a simple one: Should they in the interests of accountability ask voters in March to give them the power to remove DWP commissioners and general managers on a two-thirds vote.
The issue has bounced around for weeks through a series of contradictory votes but when it came to a showdown there were only seven votes in support of taking on the responsibility of holding the liars, cheats, thieves and failures at the DWP accountable.
They made a mockery of themselves even as they mocked the public with their vote.
That weasels and weaklings like Herb Wesson and Dennis Zine flip-flopped on their recent votes to put the measure on the ballot was hardly surprising.
But there was Paul Krekorian mustering all of eloquence and lawyerly skill to prove that when the showdown comes, he is simply better endowed with the talent to perform acts of intellectual contortion than his colleagues.
The LA Times put it this way: “Councilman Paul Krekorian previously voted for the measure multiple
times, and on Wednesday he described the DWP as an agency that had been ‘running amok.’ But he nonetheless voted against overturning the mayoral
veto, saying the goal was to ‘depoliticize’ the DWP.”
The Daily News reported that “Krekorian said he believes a separate measure “I think the one thing that everyone can agree upon in recent
going before voters to create an Office of Public Accountability at the
DWP will help accomplish what critics want to see.”
years is that the DWP has been running amok,” Krekorian said. “The DWP
has demonstrated a degree of arrogance of power that has frustrated us
all.”
How it would actually be implemented, if voters approve it, will be totally under the control of the mayor, Council and (mis)managers at the DWP — the same people responsible for the destruction of the DWP’s credibility, its annual 180 degree swings in policies, its mammoth rate increase, its management chaos.
These are the same people who have robbed the utility of hundreds of millions of dollars desperately needed to fix its outdated infrastructure by raising its transfer of “surplus” revenue from 4 to 8 percent on top of the 10 percent utility tax.
These are the same people who signed off on 6 percent pay hikes to DWP workers in good times and 4 percent in hard times.– money that goes into the pockets of the nation’s highest paid utility workers and into the treasury of their union, the IBEW, so it can channeled back into the political campaigns of the very same politicians
These are the same people who are prepared to impose massive water and power rate hikes and add-on rate hikes that will send the bills to customers soaring for years to come.
Throughout the six years of the DWP fiasco under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, they have had every chance to hold him accountable for what has gone wrong, to hold commissioners and management accountable.
They had their last chance Wednesday when First Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner, who has filled the DWP General Manager’s role on a part-time basis for eight months, was up for another two-month extension.
He didn’t deign to come down from on high so they summoned him to the Council Chambers. He took his own good time getting there and sat smiling and oblivious as they squirmed about whether to dare to ask him a question.
Finally, Jan Perry, asked about the process of selecting a new DWP general manager — the sixth in six years, 10th in 10 years. He answered succinctly, skipping over all the top utility executives who turned down the job, and then they voted 15-0 to approve Beutner’s extension, learning only that he tips his barber $10 a haircut.
Does anyone in their right mind think that DWP GM nominee Ron Nichols or the next appointee to the DWP Commission will face anything but a charade of questioning when they come before the Council after they knuckled under to the mayor’s arm-twisting and IBEW boss Brian D’Arcy’s bullying?
There only goals are self-preservation and the preservation of a system of government that has failed miserably.
After the dismal DWP theater, they discussed how to put our lives in jeopardy by cutting police and fire services even as deals were being cut in background to further slash core services like parks and libraries and subsidize luxury hotels and a luxury football stadium and pump millions into poverty pimp programs.
We deserve what we get if we don’t send them a loud and clear message in the March 8 election that we’re not going to take in anymore and be complicit in their crimes against the city.
All COWARDS and don’t forget it come March 8, 2011. All weak ass MEN with no guts, no leadership, no ethics, no morals, no brain. Hahn the imbecile proved she’s exactly that. The Mexican Mafia thugs voted as expected proving they are still Villaraigosa’s bitches. Zine the perverted loser of the bunch didn’t surprise anyone. PEOPLE its time to get rid of all of them. To think Krekorian had so many NC’s fooled speaking as if he for the people. Everyone is SHOCKED at HIS vote. What we have ladies and gentlemen is a Corrupt City Council taking orders from A Failure of a Mayor. Doesn’t say much for their characters or lack of. A Shameful exhibition of a bunch of losers
Ron, you yourself called this policy a “power grab” and lambasted it for being a bad policy for the people. You even went so far as to commend the mayor for vetoing the measure!!!! http://ronkayela.com/2010/12/antonio-takes-a-stand—-vetoe.html
But now, all of a sudden, its the best idea in the world…so who exactly are you beholden to? what truths are you bound by? you’ve made a mockery of yourself and your readers.
I agree with 9:38. A couple weeks ago you slammed Measure K ranting about how the 2/3rd Council vote is meaningless because the Council always votes with the Mayor anyway. Now because you’re doing your daily muckraking thing, it’s so important it gets on the ballot.
I also find it funny Krekorian is now considered corrupt. The same Krekorian whose victory over Essel was a victory for the people and proof of what we can accomplish.
This blog is comedy
The above two comments clearly show that they don’t understand the hopes that Council District 2 voters and community leaders had for Krekorian.
Krekorian really worked the streets. He met with leaders many times. He met with the Neighborhood Councils earning their trust.
During my numerous conversations with him, he showed a willingness to apply his professional skills to the task at hand – making government more accountable to all of us.
Now that he’s officially joined this dysfunctional pack, the clock begins ticking against him too. Shame on him for not standing up for his beliefs. Shame on all of them.
Paul Krekorian does not hold the IBEW in high regard. The IBEW financed the downtime favorite Chris Essel and pulled a few underhanded stunts during the two campaigns.
PK2 had previously expressed reservations about the removal ballot measure, esp since the GM and Commissioners were combined. And so far, PK2 has been a friend of the Ratepayers and the NC’s. I do not expect that to change. And importantly, he ahd his staff do their homework.
The real culprits are the mathematically challenged, wannabe controller denny zine, and the ever friendly herbie wesson, the man who would be like to be council president.
The first question to ask Ron Nichols is why he wants to leave his present job to manage the DWP.
Is he a mosochist? Does he have a death wish? Is his ego so inflated he thinks he can battle even bigger egos that have the power?
Unless he’s a total idiot who never reads newspapers he’s got to know he’s jumping into DWP’s fire ant pit, where he’ll either have to roll over to D’Arcy’s and the mayor’s whims or be eaten alive. He’d have a better chance of survival if he jumped into a tank of starving man-eating sharks.
Daily News: “Ronald O. Nichols, 57, is managing director in the energy division for Navigant Consulting Inc., an international consulting firm dealing with regulation, reform, customer demands and government oversight.”
He fits the mold of First, first, first Deputy Mayor Beutner. He probably also can share stories about Zappo, the shoemaker.
PK2 had previously expressed reservations about the removal ballot measure, esp since the GM and Commissioners were combined.
Why is combining them a bad thing? If the council is going to act as a check and balance on the mayor, wouldn’t it make sense for the council to check both appointments and not just one?
Paul Krekorian has one challenger. Paul may not feel threatened because he is popular and his opponent may not have much in the way of funding.
But if Krekorian felt threatened by a candidate with money, would he accept donations from IBEW either directly or funneled through a labor organization?