Antonio and the Budget Catastrophe
The city budget crisis that has grown in the city budget catastrophe because of City Hall’s wretched leadership finally is found noteworthy today in Jim Newton’s LA Times column.
Giving Antonio Villaraigosa credit for “some laudable moves,” having “a talented team” and how he’s proved himself “willing to make difficult choices” — a trio of virtues invisible to so many — Newton nonetheless admits the mayor’s past decision “helped create” the worsening financial problems.
With the mayor’s new budget plan due out later this week, Newton says “his actions today are constrained by two decisions from earlier in his tenure that limit his options.”
He points to the mayor’s approval in 2007 of “a five-year package with the coalition of unions representing most civilian city workers that promised 5% raises each year” and how when the economy crashed, he “ tried to minimize the impact of cutbacks by shifting city workers from jobs paid for by the general fund into those that are supported by their own revenue streams — sanitation, for instance.”
Actually, Newton blames “the mayor and other city leaders” for bad decision No. 1 and “Villaraigosa and other city leaders” for bad decision No. 2. That’s true enough but surely the buck stops at the desk of the man who writes the budget and signs it into law — not the mental and moral midgets who pass themselves off as the City Council.
What is never mentioned are the words Department of Water and Power. It was the DWP raises of 6% a year that the mayor signed off on in 2005, shortly after taking office, that expanded the wage disparity with other city workers and led him to reward everyone with outrageous increases two years later.
It was to the DWP — not sanitation — that most city workers were transferred to in order to get them off the general fund payroll., at least those who were removed by letting them retire early with 12 percent increases in their pensions for the rest of their lives.
Nuch and the District Attorney’s Race
In the Daily News, Christina Villacorte provides a thorough look at the District Attorney race with Chief Deputy DA Jackie Lacey and top prosecutor Alan Jackson getting the most favorable treatment while City Attorney Carmen Trutanich can’t catch a break despite getting 11 paragraphs at the top of the story.
There’s that problem he has about his promise to serve out his full term as City Attorney: “That was a mistake. Things change. I’m guilty of not having a crystal ball — not lying.”
Then, there’s the one about giving $100,000 to LA’s Best after school program and taking out a full-page ad in the Times if he ran for DA this year.
And, of course, the problem he had trying to call himself “Los Angeles chief prosecutor” as his ballot designation — something a judge toned down to “Los Angeles city prosecutor” when his rivals objected.
So why is he running for DA? Because his job as “city prosecutor” is too small time since it “does not give him enough power to keep the public safe,” Villacorte reports.
“Right now, I can’t change the way City Hall is operated, because they’re my clients,” Trutanich said.
“I can’t prosecute mortgage fraud and bank fraud and those who are wrongly foreclosing on homes; I can’t take down the banks that are creating securities and lending issues and breaking pension plans and losing millions of dollars; and I can’t go after child molesters, gang members and other predators, because all of those involve felonies.”
Reasonable readers might wonder what bankers, molesters and gangsters have to do with Trutanich’s desire to “change the way City Hall is operated” but what the hell it’s just the way politicians talk.
For her part, Lacey — who has gotten the endorsement of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association and shared the endorsement of the Peace Officers Research Association of California with Jackson– gets strong praise from long-time DA Steve Cooley who is backing her and not Trutanich who he helped win the City Attorney’s race three years ago.
“Jackie Lacey is easily, easily, very well qualified to be DA based upon her experience in the office, her temperament, her acquired skills, her judgment, and her ability to collaborate with others in the criminal justice system,” Cooley said.
Clearly referring to the well-funded Trutanich, the only elected official in the race, Lacey suggested voters “do not want a politician in the DA’s office.”
“Can you imagine someone so political in charge of the Public Integrity Unit? That person would be susceptible to using that unit to go after their enemies.”
Alan Jackson noted his courtroom skills — successfully prosecuting tough cases like Phil Spector and the mastermind in the killing of racing legend Mickey Thompson – as one of his qualifications.
“The retirement of Steve Cooley would create a vacuum at the top of the office, and I think that vacuum should be filled by a tried-and-true veteran, seasoned prosecutor who understands what it means to perpetuate the mission of the office, which is ultimately to seek public safety for the community we serve.”
Deputy District Attorneys Bobby Grace, Danette Meyers, and John Breault get less coverage in the story that ends with Mark A.R. Kleiman, professor of public policy at UCLA, defining what makes a good District Attorney — qualifications that would seem to advantage Chief Deputy DA Lacey.
“This is the largest prosecutorial office in the country, so the most obvious qualification is managerial competence,” he said. “That’s the difficulty with prosecutorial offices – they tend to be run by lawyers rather than by managers or by people who are interested in crime policy. So you wind up with somebody who has very good skills in persuading a jury and assembling evidence, but is not necessarily a very careful thinker about how to reduce crime.”
Jackie Lacey, selling out to the public unions in her new job as District Attorney in 5..4…3…2….1….
Just like bossman Cooley who gave Jim Lynch, head of the corrupt Coliseum commission a 30 day stay at home, watch porn on the internet “punishment” for allowing the taxpayer to be ripped off for millions.
Thanks Jackie, you are just the type of candidate we don’t need.
Let’s keep the DA’s race very simple so that even those educated at LAUSD can understand it – “Anybody, I mean anybody, but Trutanich”
Let all of your friends, family, and acquaintances who live in LA COUNTY know that.
Remember this is an LA County Race: Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Southbay, Long Beach, LA City, etc.
The only person worth voting for is Steve Ipsen and he got out of the race. He is the only one with the guts to take on these mental midgets. Let’s see there is Jackie Lacey who purgered herself in federal court in a union busting scandal that should bring in the DOJ. Then there is Alan Jackson who violated Marsy’s Law and did what Schwarzenneger did to Nunez’s son giving a murderer 6 years who should have gotten the death penalty. Victims can’t stand Jackson even though he seems to advertise that he is all mighty to them. He has been grooming himself since birth to run for office and do nothing. The only decent Grace and Brualt are place holders recruited by Cooley to suck off votes from Trutanich. The only two worth voting for are Meyers and Trutanich, no matter how you slice it and Meyers doesn’t have the funds.
I like Lacey, but my concern is whether she is just a front to draw votes away from other candidates and ultimately help Trutan-itch. Lacey has had an odd campaign. Her Twitter account goes silent for long stretches (not that anyone is probably following it) and she rarely has events and her volunteers aren’t asked to do anything. Based on how much money Trutan-itch has raised, I suspect that Cooley is fund-raising behind the scenes for his buddy but he gets to plausibly deny it by endorsing someone else. I think Lacey could make history, but she obviously will not be independent but she sure could shake things up if she wanted to do so and once an incumbent it would be hard to topple her if she goes after the worst of the LA county corruption. I’m sure she has enough to indict Don Knabe and his son within days of taking office. Hopefully she would clear out a few more Supes and then suddenly the sunshine might poor in – alas, one can dream.
If we could VOTE TO LEAVE THE OFFICE OF D.A. VACANT—”vacant” would win 70%!!!!! I’ve seen some of N0-Cagney and LACEY and Jack-Ass JACKSON and of course the lowest BEAST of all: Carmen “Gaga” DUMBTANICH. These guys ARE ALL JUST LAWYERS—big FAT FUCKING EGOS with no sense of REALITY! They PLEA-BARGAIN all their cases, and they fill out forms USING A COMPUTER OUTLINE and call this shit “practicing law” and “prosecuting cases?” HA HA HA HA!!!
When they get A REAL LAWSUIT that takes SOME TALENT to DEFEND or PROSECUTE such as INVERSE CONDEMNATION, COMPLEX BANKRUPTCY proceedings, and FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS cases, what do they do? THEY USE OUR MONEY AND BUY OUTSIDE LAWFIRMS TO DO THEIR JOB!!!!
COOLEY’S LEGACY: RICHARD ALARCON WALKING FREE!!!! Steve Cooley is the CORRUPT POLITICIANS BEST FRIEND!!!
Cooley created DUMBTANICH with help from the Kevin James-John Thomas DUO which forms L.A.’s AXIS OF REPUBLICAN EVIL!
Voters need to be able to chose for office “LEAVE OFFICE VACANT” AS A CHOICE FOR ALL THESE GOD DAMNED ELECTED SEATS OF MISFORTUNE FOR ALL OF US. Who needs a Mayor? Who needs a Controller? Who the hell needs 15 City Clowns? WE REALLY DON’T. AEG and Mr. D’Arcy would run L.A. into the Ground the exact same way as it is done now—but at least we’d save the salaries and bloated staffs of these DEFUNCT OFFICIALS.
BUT FOR D.A.—LEAVE THE OFFICE VACANT!!!! NO ONE RUNNING FOR THE OFFICE DESERVES A DAMN THING BUT TO BE SHOWN THE DOOR.
Yes, like “Bruster’s Millions” it would be nice to vote “None of the Above,” but of course Corrupt and Immorale Trutanich is a devil we can’t afford to have in office.
Why is Wayne so shy about saying what he really means(: I pretty much agree with him.
Wayne – I agree. I would like to go furthert and secede from this place that should
be called hell. We don’t need all these free-loaders.
What we need is a good City Hall watch dog. Send in Bruno to clean house. One look at him and they’d all be heading for the hills.
Except for Trutanich, I’ve never heard of any of these other candidates. Who are they? At least Trutanich has managed a large office. The rest of them seem like line prosecutors, and that’s where they should stay.
Trutanich has mismanaged a large office. Should he be allowed to mismanage a larger office. Give someone else a chance who does not have his poor credentials.
Yep, makes you really wonder about Lacey and what Cooley is really trying to do in all of this. Maybe Cooley IS covertly supporting Dumbtanich? That’s why this whole race is a perfect example of not being able to vote for anyone that isn’t just rotten.
In stating that he, “Can’t go after child molesters, gang members and other predators, because all of those involve felonies,” it appears to have slipped Mr. Trutanich’s attention that deputy city attorneys regularly prosecute child molestors and other predators including individuals who commit domestic battery, sexual assault, embezzlement, child abuse and elder financial and physical abuse, among many others crimes prosecuted by deputy city attorneys. City attorneys also prosecute consumer fraud cases and enforce gang injunctions and important tool in controlling gang activity within our communities. Perhaps his comment was poorly stated, but the comment fails to do justice to the hard working men and women in the City Attorneys Office who work with very little resources but manage to stem the tide of crime within the City of Los Angeles.