The truth hurts so get out your Vicodin or whatever you take to ease the pain and face the political reality of our time:
“The vote by the
Los Angeles City Council concludes, for now, the effort to bring celebrity
chefs and a more local flavor in food to LAX, which has received poor marks in
consumer surveys. And it closes the book on a debate in which rival bidders
staged protests and public tastings to make their case,” David Zahniser reported in the LA Times..
Just take the most prominent winning bidder, Host International — which for 50 years has been the provider of food and drink at LAX which is generally regarded as one of the worst airports in the world to be stuck in for hours.
Last year, Host lost out entirely to SSP America, a local firm that promised to bring man of the city’s greatest chefs to the airport but City Attorney Carmen Trutanich warned that Host might sue and win so the process was started all over again and the winners this time were that same old contractors, Host, Delaware North and Camacho.
SSP America got nothing this time around.
“The finest chefs the cityhad to offer were awarded by LAX a contract, only to have it stripped away with
the weapon of powerful lobbying (and) backroom
deals,” said Rod White of Bertha’s Soul Food, one of the companies that were part of SSP America.
The lobbyist for Host for the last seven years at least has been John Ek, whose firm Ek & Ek has taken in nearly $100,000 a year from the airporti vendor as part of the more than $1 million a year in revenue it gets for representing firms doing business with the city, everyone from billboard and real estate companies to taxicab and parking lot operators, city ethics records show.
Remember when the boycott of Arizona over its crackdown on illegal immigrants was the most important moral imperative facing the City Council?
That’s what makes it so hard to understand why guys like Tony Cardenas — the future Congressman — and Richard Alarcon — the soon to be state legislator or state prisoner as the case may be — so passionately tried to protect Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions costly and useless contract for red-light cameras.
These are the cameras installed two to a Council district with little regard for traffic safety that capture signal-crashers who face fines of $480. The only problem with the program is that it doesn’t reduce accidents as much as extending yellow caution lights a second and the courts don’t recognize the citations as valid so only the uninformed pay the penalty.
OMG!!! You will all laugh your butts off reading how embarrassing and ridiculous city council members behaved today for a simple vote. Ron, you’re right on the money. Cardenas has to be getting something from the Red light camera lobbists to push so hard. Shameful Huizar changed his vote today. These are pathetic group of clowns.
Don’t forget the Dec 2010 and Jan 2010 for LAWA’s contract for a Mechanical Plant and objections raised by Ron Tutor’s lobbyist.
“Council President Eric Garcetti, who opposes the cameras, questioned whether the council members should be permitted to vote again — because the matter had already been sent “forthwith” to the mayor– but the council’s lawyer said they could. That meant that Huizar, who voted on Tuesday to kill the cameras, had the opportunity to keep the program alive for another month”.
Just what is wrong with our City Attorney?
Keep voting for these corrupt mexicans and expect any different?
Trutanicjh is not mexican.
Any time we have “someone” fighting for the people I have a little ray of hope. Today Gerry Miller insisted that city council not bend the rules for AEG and their environmental report. If we only had more of the same in council.
“In the City”
Somewhere out on that horizon
Out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be somethin’ better
But there’s nowhere else in sight
It’s survival in the city
When you live from day to day
City streets don’t have much pity
When you’re down, that’s where you’ll stay
In the city, oh, oh.
In the city
I was born here in the city
With my back against the wall
Nothing grows and life ain’t very pretty
No one’s there to catch you when you fall
Somewhere out on that horizon
Far away from the neon sky
I know there must be somethin’ better
And I can’t stay another night
In the city, oh, oh.
In the city
—Eagles 1979
FBI Housing investigation keeps digging deeper and deeper finding more corruption. A 3rd Housing Building Inspector fired for taking bribes. FBI and department investigations have extended to agency supervisors. Richard Alatorre the city hall lobbyists who works with the Mayor is being investigated for $1 million unaccounted for. You know these FBI investigationis will lead up to the top and around the horseshoe. Kevin James called this story awhile ago and I don’t think anyone believed it. Now, do you believe it??
Carmen Trutanich is in John Ek’s pockets big time.