Tag Archives: community redevelopment agency

The Death of the 1601 N. Vine Project: A Video Tragicomedy about City Hall Corruption and Failure Starring Eric Garcetti

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

It was called the “Cesspool on Vine,” the “Vinegate Scandal,” a “fraud against the people” and the “poster child for all that’s wrong” with Community Redevelopment Agency — the entertainment office project at 1601 N. Vine St. that wannabe mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Election, 2013 LA Elections, City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Unraveling the redevelopment mess — My Sunday Column for Glendale, Burbank & Pasadena

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

Sooner or later, the bills come due in all our lives – even in the lives of government agencies. Just ask the people who bought a house they couldn’t afford or city officials who got addicted over the years to … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Glendale-Burbank, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Imminent Demise of the Eminent Domain Abusers — The Last Days of CRA Plundering

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

EDITOR’S NOTE: After a long and tortured debate, the City Council voted 9-3 (Garcetti, Alarcon and Reyes opposed) to let the CRA die without the city becoming the successor agency burdened with its huge administrative costs and liabilities. “O death … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

The CRA Is Dead: Bonanza for Schools, Police, Fire, Cities and Counties

Posted on December 29, 2011 by

The Wicked Witch of Community Redevelopment Agencies is dead.  Thursday’s ruling bythe State Supreme Court is a huge victory for Gov. Jerry Brown, for schools, hospitals and other vital services but the absolute worst thing that could happen to the … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

D-Day for CRAs: Court to Rule Thursday

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

The California Supreme Court will rule Thursday on the legality of the state’s move to grab $1.7 billion in redevelopment money to help close California’s budget shortfall, according to the San Jose Mercury-News. The state’s high court indicated on its … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

A legislative system gone awry — My Sunday Column for the News-Press & Leader

Posted on June 19, 2011 by

I don’t know how to break this bad news to you, but for all the fun and games our legislators are having in Sacramento these days, the joke is on us — the taxpayers, the residents, workers and students. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Glendale-Burbank | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Abolish the CRA: End Nepotism, Favoritism and Welfare to the Rich

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

The last item on the Community Redevelopment Agency’s commission agenda for Thursday says a lot about how City Hall operates and why it is so badly manages the public’s money and bungles most of what it is supposed to do. … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

CRA Lives Again: Blood(money)-Sucking Vampire Agency Resumes Welfare-for-Rich Giveaways

Posted on April 19, 2011 by

The CRA has come back from the dead — won’t somebody drive a stake into its heart and kill it once and for all before it sucks all our money? Clearly, the board members of the Community Redevelopment Agency are … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

CRA Outrages, City Hall Failures — Only You Can Turn LA Around

Posted on March 7, 2011 by

The only time they give a damn about you is when you cast your vote. That should be clear by how they have spent millions to keep independent voices from winning election to the City Council on Tuesday and tried … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, LA Clean Sweep, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

CRA’s ‘Poison Pill’ Conspiracy Exposed — Their Own Emails Make the Case for Abolition

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

Editor’s Note: Read the CRA emails obtained under the California Public Records Act here (CRA Email-1.rtf), (CRA Email – 2.doc), (CRA Email -3.rtf), and (CRA Email-4.doc). Note the CRA charged $19.70 for these documents and would only make them available … Continue reading →

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