Dear Janice:
Your daddy would be so proud of the stand you took today in introducing legislation in the Congress of the United States of America called the “Give the Fans a Chance Act.”
He never missed a chance to get his name in the newspaper either. Every newsroom in town kne the axiom “Need a quote, call Kenny Hahn…” He was an unbeatable politician and so are you, which just proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree — at least half the time.
What’s so beautiful about you getting your name everywhere associated with the sale of the once beloved Dodgers is that you good and well know your bill doesn’t stand a chance in hell, especially not in the time frame set to consummate the sale of the team at auction by the bankrupt Frank McCourt.
As you acknowledged to reporters, the bill faces “an uphill battle — two previous attempts to pass similar bills have failed — and would unlikely be approved in time to apply to the Dodgers.”
“Fans across this country have really been upset with many of the owners who really are all about corporate greed and profits and not so much about the team or the fans,” you told them.
I have to admire the astonishing chutzpah you showed in calling this the Occupy Major League Baseball.Act, shamelessly associating the outrageous self-indulgences of the McCourts with the greed of Wall Street and the bankers that has awakened millions of young people in America from their decades-long stupor.
Pure genius, Janice.
And drawing the distinction between Major League Baseball’s banning a majority of a team from being publicly owned while the National Football League grandfathered in the community ownership of the Green Bay Packers was stunning.
After all, weren’t you among the first to jump aboard the plan to build an NFL stadium in downtown L.A.? You remember the proposal by AEG owned by Phil Anschutz, one of the greediest and most right-wing billionaires in America, and you told his front man TIm Leiweke back in January what a splendid deal he was offering: “We believe you, Tim. But we have to convince the public.”
It’s hard to believe it was half a century ago that your dad brokered the deal that stole the Dodgers from Brooklyn and brought professional baseball to the L.A. And now here you are doing the same thing to some poor town out there in trying to bring professional football to back to L.A. for a third try.
I got to hand it to you, coming up with this scheme to get ordinary folks to each put up $10,000 to become partners in owning the Dodgers. You know how to convince the public of almost anything but finding 100,000 of them with that kind of money to spare to meet the $1 billion asking price is asking a lot in a town with one of the nation’s highest poverty and unemployment rates.
As you well know, the bill you introduced was just good old-fashioned political grandstanding and isn’t going anywhere. The new owners of the Dodgers will be just like the people you talked about today — “owners who really are all about corporate greed and profits and not so much about the team or the fans.”
You know the type, a lot of them are your friends and contributors.
Anyway Janice, keep up the great work and know we love you.
Congratulations!
Slow news day, Ron?
Noel
Janice: Empty suit… empty head.
Another misleading idea to enrich Ms Janice and her friends, while utilizing the taxpayer to assume all the risk as usual. And, yet, the taxpayer is being told to finance AEG’s ‘Stadium,’ the ‘High Speed Train,’ the ‘Subway to the Sea,’ ‘DWP Solar Panels,’ sky-rocketing utility cost’s, assume liability and cost to repair sidewalks, and pay for college education for certain students, just to name a few.
How could the working fan possibly afford to purchase shares and tickets too? And, expect a good return on their investment? Unless, Janice invites them to become close friends?
I remember that Ms Janice, participated in steering our city into a deficit. Then, like so many of her colleague’s have done, she jumped ship before her term was up. Apparently, no real commitment to LA residents.
Besides, if it’s such a great idea, why arn’t the venture capitalist putting in a bid on this deal? Then the Dodger fan can purchase all the shares they can afford.
The City has no business in Real Estate development or Venture Capital.
Dripping with biting sarcasm.
Bruno, you old dog, you must have had a paw in helping your dear ole dad write this.
When you two have a bone to pick, you really get to the meat of the matter cleanly and quickly.
Your Pal,
G.
Ron, I know “G” has it right.
the city in 2006, speaking of real estate transactions, especially flipping housings, the City passed a measure that permits landlords 100% Capital Asset investment return from tenants. Now Ain’t that just dandy? Makes sense to me — link that to REAP
Once in a while Janice Hahn would come up with something useful and worthy of some city council discussion time. More often her whiny delivery with a little too much nasal tone and dismissive attitude made her verbal contributions something to just tolerate and then move past to get to real business.
As I recall, Janice made the motion to create a ballot measure to extract more tax from the oil industry that happened to be a thought too hastily acted upon by her. She tried to take it back very soon afterwards since that move might hurt her and the district’s situation. There were of good reasons for this, but not the ones she stated as her reason for the change of heart.
Her council colleagues saw it differently and put it on the ballot anyway. Not much forethought by her in creating the motion but it wound up not being passed by the voters.
I wonder how many of Janice’s newly acquired colleagues have become tired of her and her usually annoying manner of presenting herself. A bit of wincing and cringing is probably produced by either her pronouncements or the content.
What ever she does, she’s no wallflower. Too bad for the rest of congress.
She carries the trait common among the City Council membership, although not unique to them, of taking a position on a matter one day and some time later, making a complete transformation to another position that is not compatible with the first position, yet they try to maintain each as valid. A talent of politicians that is all too successful.
At least Janice will not have to worry about Representative Laura Richardson now that Laura the mortgage queen is the subject of a Congressional Ethics investigation.
This is all nothing more then a dog and Pony show for Janice. I’m still shocked with her incompetence she got promoted to higher office. She didn’t show any brotherly love when the gangster Mayor won over Mayor Hahn. Nope, Janice is still the imbecile she’s always been. But now she probably has better pr people in Congress