Monthly Archives: January 2012

The Heart of the Matter: Next Year Will Be Worse

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

Here are a couple of axioms about City Hall corruption learned from a largely futile effort to expose what’s wrong over the last 30 years: 1. Little people don’t steal unless the big people are stealing.  2. You have to … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Fighting against a rigged game — A real life people’s lawyer: My Sunday Column

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

If the government’s up to something strange in your neighborhood and you think you have a case, who you gonna call? You’re gonna call Silverstein, of course. That’s what George Brokate, a 73-year-old former Marine captain and Vietnam veteran, did … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Glendale-Burbank, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | 8 Comments

Occupy Wall Street, the “Battle for Brooklyn” and Community Empowerment Everywhere

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

EDITOR’S NOTE: The documentary “Battle for Brooklyn,” shortlisted for a possible Academy Award nomination, is being show Saturday and Sunday  at 11 a.m. at the Laemmle Santa Monica 4-Plex and there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Michael Galinsky. No … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Los Angeles, OccupyLA | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Trial of Martha Lewis, Occupy LA Protester

Posted on January 5, 2012 by

So how is the city’s prosecution going of the nearly 300 Occupy L.A. protesters arrested Nov. 30 by “constitutional policing” methods on orders of Mayor Antonio Villaragosa? Not so good, according to the tabulation provided to the LA Weekly by … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles, OccupyLA | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

How to Fix the Public Employee Pension System: Elect People Who Will Serve You — Not Them

Posted on January 4, 2012 by

The British call it “pension apartheid,” the enormous gap between the retirement benefits bestowed on public employees and workers in the private sector where defined benefit plans have all but disappeared. In Los Angeles and throughout California, the reference to segregation … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles, Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Staying Upbeat at a Time of Darkness

Posted on January 3, 2012 by

I struggle even for a day or two to keep my New Year’s resolution to stay upbeat and positive when all I see around me is the darkness of a gathering storm. We are on a collision course with ourselves, … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Happy New Year: Be It Resolved — Time to restore democracy (My Sunday Column)

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

Politically speaking, all bets are off, the rules have changed and everything is up for grabs in 2012. Legislative and congressional districts have been redrawn by a citizen’s commission without the gerrymandering that has contributed so much to the stalemates … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists | Tagged | 10 Comments