Monthly Archives: March 2011

Antonio’s Hypocrisy: Schools, Taxes and Unlicensed Drivers

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

“You have to wonder how Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa can get away with some of his political antics without anybody pointing out the contradictions. On Monday, the mayor boasted in a tweet that he was at a rally with LAUSD and … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Beck’s Law(less) New Policy: Flip-Flop on Impounding Cars of Unlicensed Drivers

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

EDITOR”S NOTE: My web hosting service was down until late this morning, my apologies. RonLAPD Chief Charlie Beck hit a raw nerve with his decision Friday to stop the practice of impounding for 30 days cars driven by unlicensed — … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 33 Comments

My Sunday Columns in Daily News and News-Press & Leader

Posted on March 13, 2011 by

Getting Closer to the Impossible Dream “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Those words from St. Francis of Assisi have become the guiding light to efforts to reform Los … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Glendale-Burbank, Hot Topics, LA Clean Sweep, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Redevelopment Twilight Zone — Welfare for Rich, Eminent Domain Abuse, Defying Public Interest

Posted on March 11, 2011 by

CRAs Stomped on the Little People for Too Long By ROBERT P. SILVERSTEIN, Pasadena Attorney in Sacramento Bee Gov. Jerry Brown plans to abolish redevelopment agencies and redirect the resulting $5 billion in annual savings to support local education, public … Continue reading →

Posted in Development/CRA, Hot Topics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Kibbitzers, Second-Guessers, Bystanders — Everybody’s Got Opinions After the Election

Posted on March 11, 2011 by

On his way out the door of City Hall, Austin Beutner has finally spoken out about the budget calamity and the lack of any strategy to deal with the now $404 million deficit for next fiscal year — 10 percent … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, LA Clean Sweep, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

The Buck Stops with the Fall Guy — Or Not At All

Posted on March 10, 2011 by

The LA Community College Board members responsible for the fraud, waste and mismanagement in the handling of $5.7 billion in taxpayer money escaped being held accountable by voters thanks in no small part to the financial help of the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Payback Time: City Hall Whitewash of Cesspool at Vine, Gifts to Wilshire Grand

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

UPDATE: Dakota Smith’s take at CurbedA. and the Wall Street Journal’s story (wsj-vinest.doc) Emboldened by their election triumph over ordinary citizens committed to fixing what the city’s leaders broke, the City Council Wednesday moved swiftly to approve the $4.7 million … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Beating the Political Machine One Step, One Day, at a Time

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

Take heart, my fellow travelers, the struggle for a fair and just society is always a long and difficult journey — no one ever said it would be easy. JFK called it a “twilight struggle” and that’s what we see … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 54 Comments

SHAMELESS!

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

Without a clue as to what they were doing or even why, the City Council in a joint meeting with the yes-men and yes-women of Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed Tuesday to sabotage the governor’s efforts to restore solvency to … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Gangs, Hot Topics, LA Clean Sweep, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

AEG’s NFL Stadium: The Sweetest of All LA’s Sweetheart Deals

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

It must be hard for the mayor’s “Blue Ribbon Commission” on the downtown NFL stadium to keep such straight faces as they sit through a series of public meetings inquiring into what was a done deal months ago. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments