The Ballot Box Revolution: City Hall Can Run But It Can’t Hide from the Power of Truth

In the course of this morning’s interview on KRLA-870, Kevin James observed an amazing series of recent events in the LA political scene and asked whether it represented a trend that offers real hope for positive change.

He offered numerous examples: Major newspaper endorsements of LA Clean Sweep candidates Stephen Box and Rudy Martinez; the City Council’s defiance of the invisible mayor in its decision Wednesday to kill the ill-conceived parking lot fire sale, their blinking four times on locking up nearly  $1 billion in CRA funds from the governor’s budget-cutting plan, their 13 failed attempts to give a nearly $5 million gift of the 1601 N. Vine St. property to bankrupt profiteer in runaway film production Hal Katersky.

With just two weeks to go before the March 8 elections, it’s become clear even to the most obtuse members of the Council that the trend that began with the defeat two years ago of the Measure B solar energy fraud has gained enormous momentum.

The insider culture of special interests feeding off the public’s tax dollars is under siege.

Our elected officials are afraid of the wrath of the people.

That is the power of the truth about City Hall’s failure that has been exposed by bloggers like Paul Hatfield, Dennis Hathaway, Zuma Dogg, HollywoodHighlands.org, CityWatchLA.com and amplified by Kevin James’ own coverage, the mainstream newspapers, TV shows like KCET‘s investigative reports on “SoCal Connected.”

This is why your vote in the City Council elections is so important.

There are alternatives in every one of the seven Council seats up for election — unlike most elections where so many incumbents run unopposed.

Failure must have consequences or things will only get worse.

The mayor boasts about a few businesses moving to LA from Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Calabasas. Yet, they have zero impact on the regional economy since no new jobs are created, no new homes sold, now new cars bought.

Even worse, they are given three-year tax holidays and reduced water and power rates even as everyone else in town gets gouged for more money and the parks and libraries close, the streets and sidewalks crumble, the pipes burst and people’s lives are put at risk because fire stations are shut down.

We are nearly three years into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and the mayor and City Council have yet to put forward a comprehensive plan to deal with the budget crisis caused by years of overspending and sweetheart union contracts and massive subsidies to wealthy developers.

For the first time in the history narrow elites ruling Los Angeles democratic grassroots institutions are getting active in every neighborhood and growing in strength and organization.

The business and labor communities — for the first time since the Bradley revolution — are being to realize that crumbs from the table of power are not enough when their long-term interests are in jeopardy..

We know the truth. We have the power. We don’t need to take to the streets to topple a corrupt and failed leadership.

Every vote counts in this election. Join LA’s ballot box revolution.