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L.A.’s Committee of 12½: The Fate of Your City Is in Their Hands — The Election Runoff Outcomes Mean Nothing

Posted on April 16, 2013

Back in they heyday of L.A., the Chandler family ruled the city in collaboration with other while male racist, anti-Semitic and Commie-hating oligarchs led by insurance tycoon Asa Call. They were  the Committee of 25. They profited  handsomely from every … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 40 Comments

My Sunday Column: Civic engagement and high expectations — The Dave Golonski Story

Posted on April 15, 2013

It was the changing of the guard — Parcher Plaza at Glendale City Hall filled with people celebrating Mayor Frank Quintero with taquitos and cupcakes, a gathering of well-wishers that included Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski, who offered a framed memento … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, Glendale-Burbank, Hot Topics | 1 Comment

How Can Anybody Fix the ‘Time-Sucking, Money-Wasting, Soul-Crushing’ Mayoral Candidates Who Stand for Nothing?

Posted on April 12, 2013

“As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate . . . Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests. — Gore Vidal … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments

Antonio’s Finale: Advertisement for Himself as L.A.’s Greatest Mayor — and Putdowns to Greuel and Garcetti

Posted on April 9, 2013

In his eighth and final self-flattering State of the City address to Los Angeles’ four million people, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa offered an advertisement for himself as a Latino salesman for a world far better than the one he will leave … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 36 Comments

Villaraigosa’s Legacy: We Thought Better of Him Than He Thought of Himself — Not a Problem for Greuel, Garcetti

Posted on April 9, 2013

What can you say after you said you were sorry you believed Antonio Villaraigosa could reach deep for his better self and rise to the occasion when he got to be mayor of what ought to be the greatest city … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , | 10 Comments

The Firing of Kathy Riordan: A Window into the Depths of Corruption at City Hall

Posted on April 8, 2013

The simmering controversy over how and why Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa fired long time Animal Services Commissioner Kathy Riordan finally boiled over into public view today — thanks to a comprehensive report in the blogosphere, not the mainstream media. The Daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 46 Comments

My Sunday Column: The Beauty and the Ugliness of Cities — Solve Problems Together or Suffer the Consequences

Posted on April 6, 2013

Everybody loves cops and firefighters who protect our lives and property so when you get a slate mailer in the middle of a heated election campaign that looks like these public servants are supporting candidates based on their personal merits, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, Glendale-Burbank, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Forget Figuring Out Who’s the Lesser of Two Evils — Greuel and Garcetti — Join the Brian D’Arcy for Mayor Campaign

Posted on April 4, 2013

In the flood of hollow words and empty promises spewing from the mouths of Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, none is more ridiculous than how they are going to cut the bloated costs of running City Hall where everyone feels entitled … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , | 19 Comments

One Last Chance to Save L.A. — Take It or Leave It

Posted on April 1, 2013

Now is the time – and very likely the last time – that everyone who still clings to the belief that something great can come of Los Angeles will have the chance to step forward and make themselves heard. At … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

My Sunday Column: The Gadfly’s Choioce: Throwing rocks at the windows of power — or trying to make things better on the inside:

Posted on March 23, 2013

What would your town be like if its harshest critic had a seat at the table of power? The question is a natural one for me to ask, as I am one of the harshest critics of what passes for … Continue reading →

Posted in Glendale-Burbank | Tagged , | 35 Comments