Los Angeles Archives
This is a very large file. For the full smaller digest version, click here.They graded paradise, at least the Griffith Park version
The hiking trail leading from the Griffith Park ranger station on Crystal Springs Drive up to Five Points is now open, as is the "hogsback" trail that leads from there up to Mount Hollywood. Unfortunately, as I started hiking up the latter yesterday I screamed out at the top of my lungs, "what the ##&@ did they do?" For, the wise geniuses that recently used helicopters to flock the park with a mulch compound after the recent fire (in order to prevent the natural process of erosion) have graded the hogsback trail. What that lacked in rocks it made up for in being a bit steep, including dirt steps and various other features that made it an entertaining place to engage in some trail running. It also featured unused and rusty pipes that were good for practicing balancing. That's all gone now, and it basically looks like a fire road. I don't know exactly what work they had to do that they had to bring vehicles down it (something not possible before), but the only thing that makes sense is that they wanted to build a berm in order to prevent the mulch from being washed away or to prevent a deepening of natural crevices along the sides. However, as it was the water would have run down the center, and as it is now the water will run down in a wide sheet. While that might prevent the berm they built from being breeched, I tend to think that as it was would have taken care of it. I note also that I was strongly tempted to walk cross-country at the start, but decided against it lest I displace any of their **#*@#*@#@#*@#&@#& mulch.
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa panders at gala supporting fashion designer charged with rape (Anand Jon, McAuliffe)
Anand Jon is a fashion designer who's been charged with 59 counts of sexual assault or rape involving women between 14 and 27 (link). The number of charges was recently raised from 46 in June, and he's now in jail. His lawyer says it's all fabricated.Meanwhile, on September 15th, former MEChA leader, Hillary Clinton campaign co-chair, and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attended a gala organized by Jon's sister for the "Friends of the South Asian American Communities". It featured a large number of people wearing t-shirts saying, "We Support Anand Jon" (link).
In addition to Tony Villar, former DNC chairman and current Chairman of the Hillary Clinton for President campaign Terry McAuliffe was there (note the "We Support Anand Jon" t-shirt):
What a party indeed.
...members of the fashion community participated in [Jon's sister's] Fashion extravaganza in support of global independence, civil rights and her brother the crown prince of couture designer ANAND JON... A line up of stunning models wearing "WE SUPPORT ANAND JON" opened a spectacular fashion presentation on the 15 of September for the annual gala event for FOSAAC celebrating 60 years of Indian independence... [...a video "humaniz[ing]" Anand Jon was shown...]UPDATE: In comments, "Intimately Involved" says:
After the LA Mayor introduced Terry McAuliffe, Sanjana Jon, Marla Maples, Camille McDonald, and Amrita Thapar took the stage and made a plea to the community and politicians to take a strong stance and consideration regarding the violation of individual's civil rights. GUILTY BY COLOR should be eradicated and justice served was the main message promoted through the show.
The Honorable Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa had greeted the audience with "Namaste". The Mayor expressed his warm gratitude towards the South Asian community, he had said, "you have always supported me whether it was for State Assembly or the Speaker of Assembly and now as Mayor." The Mayor had said, "It is not only India’s Independence but it is Mexican Independence as well, our flags are similar and so are the people. It is my honor to be the Mayor of Los Angeles, where my grandfather had come a hundred years ago with a dream. ...[American dream, Mahatma Gandhi, etc.]... So the connection between Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian people, Mexicans, Americans of every nationality is deep and profound. ...["peaceful co-existence among the nations", etc... ...[Los Angeles is a] diverse city in America and a diverse city in the world...
[McAuliffe said:] "...The South Asian Commuinty has been with us in our good and bad times. I will never forget what you have done for the Clinton family. You have been our friends and you have made us stronger."
This accusation is completely false. I was intimately involved with the event and the fact is that sanjana jon, anands sister, was hired explicitly as a professional to create a 15 minute fashion show to commence the evenings schedule of awards and dinner. The event never was advertised in anyway to be connected with Anand John. The true summary of the events, rather than a blog post that ambiguously states names, is locate here: http://indiapost.com/article/communitypost/1053/1/print/ The event was to celebrate Indian Independence Day with an award show and dinner. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was invited to introduce Terry McAulife, the guest of honor, and to present him his award. Please get your facts straight next time. This kind of slanderous garbage deserves to be in tabloids, as there is no 1st person verification, and John and Ken drew their sources from a blog post.The "best" defense from the Villar/McAuliffe perspective would be that the "blog post" is a pro-Anand inflation of the events. Does "Intimately Involved" deny that there was a pro-Anand video and that pro-Anand statements were made? Even if only a small part of the event was pro-Anand, shouldn't Villaraigosa and McAuliffe have distanced themselves from that part of the event, and shouldn't McAuliffe have avoided having his picture taken with someone wearing a "We Support Anand Jon" t-shirt? Wouldn't, for instance, Hillary run from a photo op with someone wearing a Che t-shirt? The indiapost link says Sahara One Television was there; perhaps someone has a tape. I note also that "my facts" are the ones not in italics; the only contradiction between "Intimately Involved"'s description and mine is the extent of his sister's involvement in organizing the event. And, assuming the italicized quotes from Villaraigosa are accurate, he's still a pandering fool.
UPDATE 2: Whether Sanjaya Jon "hijacked" the event or not, it should have been abundantly clear to anyone watching the fashion show that support for Anand Jon was a major part of it. Both Villaraigosa and McAuliffe have been around the block multiple times, so surely they must have wondered who this "Anand Jon" was. Despite that, McAuliffe still had his picture taken with someone wearing one of the shirts. Here are four photos from http://www.newsasia.us/fosaac-pics.asp, click for a larger version:
UPDATE 3: Kevin Kaul (fosaac.com/kevinkaul/bio.html) - founder and chairman of the "Friends of the South Asian American Communities" (fosaac.com), the group that organized the event, is a Hillraiser (hillaryclinton.com/feature/HillRaisers).
And, from fosaac.com/images/fosaac%20ad%20sep%2015th%20jpeg_1.jpg here's the flyer for the event:
The "Cultural Program Highlights" section says "Fashion extravaganza by international fashion designer Sanjana Jon. This special event will also mark the runway debut of Donald Trump's beautiful daughter Tiffany Trump." There's no mention of her brother that I can see. It also features what appears to be a letter from George Bush, and it lists another "chief guest": Lee Baca. It also says that Barbara Boxer was invited; apparently she had other things to do.
Lotsa dogfood: Tennie Pierce LAFD settlement made ($1.43 million)
Apparently the City of Los Angeles may announce later today a settlement with former L.A. Fire Department fireman Tennie Pierce, who sued the department over supposed racially-motivated hazing that involved other firefighters putting dog food into his spaghetti.
Story here, phone numbers to call if you're in the area here.
UPDATE: He and the city have settled for $1.43 million. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa calls it the "best possible" outcome.
UPDATE 2: From the Veritable Home of Liberalism Itself:
Pierce had sued, claiming racial harassment among other things, after a colleague slipped dog food into his spaghetti following a volleyball game in which Pierce repeatedly joked "Feed the big dog!" in reference to himself. An L.A. Weekly investigation found no evidence of a racial component, racial comments or other racial undercurrents surrounding the prank.
Not only that, but he'd previously taken part in other pranks, like the one pictured here.
And, he only ate two bites of dogfood, putting his take at $715,000 per bite. I'll eat a whole can for 1/100 the price!
AVWatch: Tony Villar, Mirthala Salinas go greek
See the picture.
He later appeared on the Chabad telethon and supposedly broke into a dance.
When not being mayor of Los Angeles, Tony Villar/Antonio Villaraigosa is a former leader of the racial separatist group MEChA as well as being a Hillary Clinton campaign co-chair.
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa Villarnovela; reporter shoved; Mirthala suspended
The Villarnovela starring Hillary Clinton campaign co-chair, Los Angeles mayor, and former MEChA leader Antonio Villaraigosa continues with at least two new episodes:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today sought to put the scandal surrounding his personal life behind him, one day after the Telemundo network suspended his girlfriend, newscaster Mirthala Salinas, for covering the mayor while they were romantically involved... But a Villaraigosa news conference at the Port of Los Angeles ended chaotically, with a port police sergeant shoving a television reporter against a cargo container as she attempted to pursue the mayor.
You can see a video of the reporter being shoved here. To make it even worse, she's from a Spanish-language station:
The director of media relations for the Port of Los Angeles later issued a statement expressing "regret that this incident occurred" and saying the matter "is being investigated." Port police "intervened to deny access" when the mayor entered a restricted area and reporters tried to follow, according to the statement.
Hillary Clinton could not be reached for comment, because I didn't try. Tony Villar's political future was reportedly spotted applying for a job as a greeter at WalMart.
L.A. DA: still investigating priest abuse scandal, criminal prosecutions not ruled out
The Los Angeles diocese of the Catholic Church recently announced they were settling all outstanding civil suits in regards to the priest abuse scandal for $600 million.Now, L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley has released a statement [1]:
"Today's massive civil settlement highlights the institutional moral failure of the archdiocese to supervise predatory priests who operated for years under its jurisdiction.I don't know the extent to which he's under the sway of the local powers that be that have heretofore protected Cardinal Roger Mahoney, including mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Times, so whether he really means that or not isn't known.
...We are aware there could be records that may become available to us as a result of today's settlement. If these documents reveal evidence of criminal activity on behalf of individual priests or anyone else, we will pursue them.
"The book is not closed on our investigation."
[1] da.co.la.ca.us/mr/071607a.htm
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa's *second* girlfriend?
Former MEChA leader and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently separated from his wife, and the reported reason was because he had a long-running affair with Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas. She reported about him before she was taken off that beat several months ago, and Telemundo reportedly asked her a couple times prior to the big announcement whether something was going on.
Now, it's come to my attention that there might be even more going on. According to an uncorroborated rumor received by Mayor Sam, Tony Villar has a second girlfriend, a Korean developer. And, according to the rumor, Salinas may have been the one who released the news about the affair he had with her as revenge.
While I'd prefer that the scandal that ends Tony Villar's political career involves his past radical involvement and his strong support for illegal immigration and Mexico's agenda, I guess this will have to do.
UPDATE: Tony VillarRaigosaInsertTheNextNameHere's alleged second girlfriend is allegedly named at this alleged link. I know nothing! Except, are those real?
Source: Why is Griffith Park still closed?
Earlier today, I was driving through Griffith Park when I saw a very handsome, dashing, and intelligent fellow on a mountain bike. Recognizing the "Lonewacko.com" sign on the side of my car, he flagged me down and related the following tale:"I'm not proud of what I just did, but I just violated a few signs and biked and hiked through Griffith Park. And, what I found there will shock you, my favorite blogger. I biked up from Travel Town up to where the City Fathers have been so kind to build a (green) trash dump. That's where the gate is, and, well, sir, I'm not proud to state that I read the sign saying that the Park is closed 'for your safety', just as I lifted my bicycle over the gate and began continuing my ride up the road.Then, he biked off before I could get any more information. I assure the wonderful and highly esteemed Griffith Park rangers that if I knew who he was I'd definitely tell them.
"I continued biking up the road, after the point where our kind and intelligent City Fathers are building yet another water tank (right next to the building where they've got some kind of a power generator thing) and just before the upper terminus of their (green) waste dump.
"Up and up the road I biked, until the freeway was just a distant roar, until I came to a blockade of hobbyhorses which I confess I biked through... Then, I came upon a dirt road leading up to Mount Hollywood and walked my bike up it - once again going around a set of hobbyhorses warning that the Park was closed - before I locked it up not far up the road, whence I proceeded on foot to the top of Mount Hollywood. All along the way there was absolutely no fire damage...
"As I got near the top of the peak, I saw a large amount of fresh footprints, indicating that other scofflaws have preceded in my footsteps... There was no one else on top, and there was absolutely no fire damage except to the south of the peak... However, that fire damage was indeed extensive, extending all the way from the south flanks of the peak over to hogs back trail, with a couple of the canyons - including the one with the Bird Sanctuary - completely burned out.
"Now I know why Tom LaBonge cried. Just kidding! The Bong is an idiot. Fire is a natural occurence, and no doubt there have been thousands of large and small fires throughout GP's natural history.
"I'm sorry to go on so long, as I know that you're an important and busy blogger, but it's my estimation that there is no good reason to continue keeping the Park closed, as long as new signs are erected pointing out that people should stay away from the burn areas. The tourons who could get into trouble almost always stay on the main, wide trails, and those who take the rougher trails generally know what they're doing. So, that really shouldn't be an issue. I think what we're dealing with here is a combination of idiocy (see: LaBonge, Tom), scared nanny staters who have no knowledge of nature (see: LaBonge, Tom), and those who are more interested in other things like helping illegal aliens (see: Villar, Tony).
"Could you, my favorite blogger, get the word out that Griffith Park should be re-opened, and that those who seek to squeeze every last drop of money out of it should be driven from office and forced to take the Master Plan with them? That'd be great!
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa, wife separate
This is usually the type of stuff we don't cover, but, from earlier this year:
Apparently responding to blogger Luke Ford’s allegation that the Villaraigosas had split up, the mayor told the Times last night that the entire family — himself, Corina and the two teenage children — is living at Getty House. "Absolutely not true," Villaraigosa said of the gossip. "We are not separated."
He also said he hadn't been wearing his wedding ring... because he'd lost weight.
Now:
After several months of intense speculation amount his marital status, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Friday that he and his wife, Corina, are separating after more than 20 years of marriage.
While some - including some very socially conservative Hispanics - will be upset about the divorce itself, the more relevant issue for our purposes is that, once again, Villaraigosa is shown to be a dissembler.
UPDATE: Someone here asks:
Will he go back to his maiden name?
(For those who haven't been following the life and times of one of the former leaders of the racial separatist group MEChA, he was originally called "Tony Villar".)
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa, Fabian Nunez at MacArthur Park candlelight vigil?
[SEE THE UPDATE BELOW]According to this [1]:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Speaker Fabian Nunez and radio host El Piolin are billed as participants in a Thursday procession and candlelight vigil for immigration reform at MacArthur Park. They gather at Immanuel Presbyterian Church at Wilshire and Berendo about 5:30 pm and begin walking about 6:40.However, the page they link to doesn't say anything about those three, only including a flyer listing the organizers:
CARECEN, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA; possible Mexico collaborateurs), COFEM, Garment Worker Center (GWC), Instituto Popular de Educacion del sur de California (IDEPSCA), Koreatown Immigration Worker Association (KIWA), Los Angeles Archdiocese Social Justice Committee, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Multi-ethnic Immigrant Worker Organizing Network (MIWON), Pilipino Worker Center (PWC), SEIU 1877, We Are America CoalitionUPDATE: From this:
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez are expected to join immigrant-rights protesters Thursday at a rally denouncing police behavior during a May 1 immigration rights rally...But, wait, it gets even better:
"The LAPD denied our community both a political and physical space to nonviolently claim our rights to legalization for all undocumented immigrants and a fair immigration reform for the country," said the event's organizer, Mexican American Political Association President Nativo Lopez. "Political leaders and organizations throughout the country stand solidly with us."
...[Police Chief William Bratton], who will be at the LAPD's assembly area at Thursday's rally, according to his office, told KPCC-FM on Wednesday that the ranking officer who was in MacArthur Park during the May 1 melee [Deputy Chief Cayler "Lee" Carter Jr.] has decided to retire rather than continue on home duty pending an investigation.
LAPD officials will distribute fliers to people at the staging areas of Thursday's immigration march and rally at MacArthur Park, assuring participants that officers want to work cooperatively with them.[1] laobserved.com/archive/2007/05/back_to_macarthur_park.php
The flier, written in English, Spanish and Korean, reads:
"Procession for Justice
"The Los Angeles Police Department is committed to working in cooperation with the event organizers [ed: as the links show, some of the organizers have questionable links and positions] to protect your right to free speech. We wish to allow you to engage in marches, demonstrations, protests and rallies in the city of Los Angeles to freely express your opinions.
"The goal is to provide you with an atmosphere that is safe and in harmony with your right to free speech. We appreciate your cooperation in assisting us in our ability to ensure that you have a positive experience."
[2] la.indymedia.org/news/2007/05/198666_comment.php
UPDATE: An audio snippet of Alcalde Villaraigosa speaking - all in Spanish - at the rally is in this MP3 file. Whether he said anything at any time in English is not known. He promotes a path to citizenship, lists several religious and ethnic groups saying they're all Americans, and at the beginning and the end says, "we're here and we're not leaving."
And, from this related article:
...A coalition of civic leaders, legal advocates and newspapers is seeking all internal LAPD records involving the clash between police and protestors during May 1 immigration reform rally.Schey has at least three links to the Mexican government.
The group is requesting copies of videotapes of the incident, policy documents, the names of officers involved, communications on the use of force at the event, and memos between elected city officials.
Peter Schey of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law says the information will help prevent any cover up.
June 24: illegal immigration rally at Hollywood and Vine
According to this, the ANSWER-linked Juan Jose Gutierrez - director of Latino Movement USA - is planning yet another illegal immigration march, this time for June 24 at the famous corner of Hollywood and Vine:
"All of us here today are united in expressing in the clearest voice possible that our community will not be intimidated into inaction... The struggle for democratic rights and democratic immigration reform will continue."
AVWatch: Villaraigosa promoting allegedly Mexico-linked group
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa rushed back from his supposed trade mission to Central America and Mexico to deal with the aftermath of the MacArthur Park mini-riot.
Now, that he's back in our country, he's holding a press conference. While he says he believes in due process, he's implying that it doesn't apply in this case since it's so obvious that the police overreacted. He also didn't say anything about those who were throwing things at police.
He's also suggesting that people call CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles) for more information. That group has allegedly collaborated with the Mexican government.
Related:
Fabian Nunez: LAPD officers set out to do "target practice" on "immigrants"
Los Angeles: Delgadillo, Cooley to work with ICE; Bratton resists (Special Order 40)
From this:Suspected gang members who are in the country illegally and are arrested for even minor crimes could face quicker deportation under new policies unveiled Wednesday by the top two prosecutors in Los Angeles.Not all are happy, including a group that allegedly has collaborated with the Mexican government:
City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said they are partnering more closely with federal immigration officials and attorneys to identify the gang members for deportation, adding that illegal immigrants appear to make up a significant portion of the gang population.
The partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement marks a departure for local law enforcement, which generally keeps federal immigration officials at arm's length and largely prohibits Los Angeles police officers from asking the immigration status of either crime victims or suspects.
"It erodes the public trust in law enforcement," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles. "The lines are blurring."And L.A.'s "leaders":
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton reiterated Wednesday that he opposes any change in the department's immigration policy, known as Special Order 40, which prohibits officers from asking anyone about their immigration status.Delgadillo says he also supports Special Order 40, meaning that he appears to be playing both sides of the street.
That is also the position of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
But two members of the LAPD command staff, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified, said they would like to be able to run immigration checks on suspected gang criminals once they are arrested.
"We cannot go there because of City Hall," one commander said.
It's going to be a Megasummer!
Visiting Southern California? Feel free to print out and refer to the following chart:
This year's midwinter = late Spring (in Maine, but really dry)
Two weeks ago = Spring
Now = Summer
Summer = Megasummer!
Note: temperatures in the right side of each equation are PG (Pre Gore).
Walter Moore for Mayor of Los Angeles?
Somewhat out-of-control Republican Walter Moore is running for Mayor of Los Angeles, and he's looking for $150,000 so he can get into the debates. First example of something not quite being right: he can't even put up a website at the short form of his domain (MooreIsBetter.com); instead, it redirects to the previous MegaLink. Obviously, we can't all have the polished political machines of the current L.A. alcalde, but why can't Moore even get his domain right?
Nevertheless, as pointed out the last time around, if he's allowed into the TV debates he might raise some interesting issues.
AVWatch: Villaraigosa offers bread, circuses, and... free wireless
According to the press release here, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - a former leader of the racial separatist group MEChA - has announced that the City of Los Angeles will have free, citywide wireless internet by the year 2009. The city has a massive illegal alien population and a somewhat associated very large crime problem, but apparently those problems have already been solved so now it's time to move on to the more important stuff. Of course, in 2010 Tony Villar is expected to run for governor of California, and our corrupt media would be more likely to focus on his signature programs rather than his past and his current failures. Sez the mayor:
"By giving every resident high-speed access, we will transform Los Angeles into a cutting-edge city across every neighborhood and every economic sector... LA WiFi will help us meet the technology needs of our world-class media and creative industries, give a leg up to small businesses, plug every neighborhood directly into the knowledge-based global economy, and make computer training programs for students an after-school reality."
Like those people decades ago who suggested that personal computers could be used to store recipes, the city has already determined what it's going to do with its new toy:
The City of Los Angeles could use the network to enhance the delivery of city services by transmitting data between police patrol cars, instantaneously sending the location of potholes or forwarding on-site building inspection reports to speed up the building process.
Posted at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)
"Declaration of Los Angeles" (city council-approved pro-illegal immigration resolution)
The Anti-Defamation League, their Latino-Jewish Roundtable, and several other groups have convinced the Los Angeles City Council to sign the "Declaration of Los Angeles", a far-left resolution that claims to support human rights for "immigrants", but which is little more than a resolution in support of illegal immigration, couched in the expected doublespeak. Next year they're going to try to get the California legislature to sign on, and the Mexican partisans in that body will probably trip over themselves to comply.
The press release quotes Amanda Susskind, Director of the ADL Pacific Southwest Region:
"At this particularly volatile time in our country's history, we find it of utmost importance to unite against hatred and victimization aimed at many people who migrate to this country. Without negating the need for safe and secure borders, nor aligning ourselves with partisan politics on the issue, the ADL stands strong in the desire to support basic human rights and fair treatment of immigrants."
There certainly is some "hatred and victimization" of all types of immigrants, yet as their history shows the ADL is willing to smear those who simply support our laws of engaging in those practices. And, of course, "migrate" is a bit close to the Mexican government's favorite euphemism for illegal immigration, "migration". And, of course, their "fair treatment" - based on their past statements - is "comprehensive immigration reform".
According to the release, the Declaration also condemns "xenophobic rhetoric... especially about Latino immigration". As above, their definition of "xenophobia" is what others call "opposition to massive illegal immigration". They also oppose "vigilante civilian patrol groups creating the potential for violence and an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness", a truly Orwellian phrase considering the massive lawlessness and political corruption associated with what the ADL supports.
The doublespeak continues:
The Declaration calls upon local, state and federal government officials to: recognize and protect the basic human rights of immigrants, support humane treatment of undocumented persons, publicly denounce xenophobia, monitor and respond to extremists groups that advocate bigotry or racism, hold to the highest standards of human rights and dignity all law enforcement and judicial processes that relate to deportation, detention and immigration status, and recognize the need for a safe and secure United States.
Of course, the government monitoring and responding to groups that abide by the laws is a truly fascistic idea, but no one ever said the other side were nice people. And, the implication that the DHS is not dealing with "undocumented persons" (illegal aliens) humanely is meant to chill attempts at enforcing our immigration laws.
In brief, their position - and the one now taken by the Los Angeles City Council - is only a slightly cleaned-up version of that that one might expect from the Mexican government.
Which brings us to their partners in this enterprise:
* ACLU of Southern California (has at least one indirect link to the Mexican government)
* American Jewish Committee
* American Jewish Congress
* Archdiocese of Los Angeles (led by Cardinal Roger Mahoney)
* Asian Pacific American Legal Center
* Bet Tzedek Legal Services
* Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (alleged collaborateurs with the Mexican government)
* Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
* Gay and Lesbian Center Legal Services Department
* Korean American Coalition
* LA Center for Law and Justice
* League of United Latin American Citizens
* Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (has at least on indirect link to the Mexican government)
* National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles Section
* Progressive Jewish Alliance
* Public Counsel Law Center
* South Asian Network
Posted at 04:05 PM | Comments (3)
"Corruption hits cities in L.A.'s shadows"
From this:A string of gritty suburbs in the shadow of Los Angeles has produced a growing parade of public officials jailed for corruption, and prosecutors say illegal schemes on a scale more commonly associated with big Eastern cities have devoured tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.The rest of the article briefly mentions cities such as Lynwood, Bell Gardens, "Aztlan City" aka Maywood, Huntington Park and Vernon. Not mentioned are: Bell, Cudahy, and Commerce (the last might not be so dirty).
The latest to be led away in handcuffs is the former treasurer of South Gate [Albert Robles], sentenced this past week to 10 years in prison...
Posted at 06:51 AM | Comments (2)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa lied, exaggerated about his past?
Tony Castro of the L.A. Daily News (who seems to have a few skeletons in his closet) offers a long look at Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's psychological makeup and his mythogizing of his past. While it doesn't mention Tony Villar's radical past - including being a leader of the racial separatist group MEChA - it is full of quite-possibly-true nuggets:...In June, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reported that retired Sherman Oaks teacher Herman Katz had grown "weary" of the yarn Villaraigosa has often told of how Katz dramatically turned his life around while the teenage Villar was struggling at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights - almost making it seem as if Katz had become his surrogate father, paving his course to eventual political stardom.Much, much more at the link.
...In fairness to the mayor, experts say, everyone is subject to what W. Keith Campbell, associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia and a "narcissism expert," calls "memory distortion."
...For Villaraigosa, the name change was only part of the reinvention. A low-rider image cultivated from the time he led student protests in high school and later at UCLA was discarded, down to having "Born to raise hell" tattoos removed from his arms. He replaced it with a look out of Gentlemen's Quarterly, including a personal tailor and professionally bleached teeth...
..."He walked in and reminded me of Zorro," Pulido recalled. "His hair was slicked back, and he had a little thin mustache, and he reminded me of Tyrone Power in ('The Mark of Zorro') movie."
...In fact, Villaraigosa's organized athletic career was limited to playing on the Cathedral High School team in ninth grade...
Posted at 01:20 PM | Comments (1)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa to veto firefighter $2.7 million settlement
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plans to veto the $2.7 million settlement that was to go to black firefighter Tennie Pierce, who claimed racial discrimination after other firemen played a prank on him that resulted in him eating two spoonfuls of dog food. Pierce's nickname was "the Big Dog", and he had taken part in several other pranks against others.
The settlement offer was "negotiated" by L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, and subsequently approved by the L.A. City Council. A large part of Tony Villar's decision is no doubt due to the campaign waged by KFI's John & Ken, which caused a great deal of negative publicity. And, millions of dollars in other claims may be still out there. And, of course, Villar probably feels that all that money can be put to a better use, such as subsidizing illegal immigration.
Posted at 04:58 PM | Comments (1)
City Council won't reconsider $2.7 million firefighter settlement despite prank photos
Tennie Pierce is a black Los Angeles firefighter who claimed that he was the victim of a race-related prank in which he was given a plate of spaghetti containing dog food. He ate two bites before he figured out what was going on. The Los Angeles City Council recently voted 11-1 to give him a $2.7 million settlement rather than take it to trial.
Since that time, KFI's John & Ken have waged a campaign to get the council to reconsider their decision, but they recently voted that down six to six. It's not known who was on the side of sanity, but it would be at least Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl.
This was after photos surfaced that appear to show Pierce himself taking part in other pranks against other firefighters. In fact, his lawyer says that was figured into the settlement.
Maybe there's a way for L.A. residents to sue the City Council, or perhaps his expert witness, sociologist David Wellman. According to this, he previously opined:
"[Blacks] have a gyroscope that picks up hostile stuff that somebody else would not see as hostile."
Posted at 04:27 PM | Comments (3)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa first former MEChA leader to make big leagues
Duke Helfand of the Los Angeles Times offers a hagiography of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in "Mayor to reap spoils of election victories".
He has a vision "of an eco-friendly metropolis with less traffic, more affordable housing, new trees and perhaps a subway to the sea." And, Aztlan! Except, that's not mentioned.
It acknowledges one of the reasons AV might have avoided endorsing Phil Angelides until late:
Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's victory on the same ballot means that California's top job will be vacant in four years, clearing a path for Villaraigosa if he elects to go that route.
We're informed that he's a "comer", in the sense of being a "Latino version of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, an African American." And, while no details are provided on what they discussed, it mentions Tony's dinner in Washington DC with Felipe Calderon.
Then, after his various other miraculous activities are described, he says - "with a grin" that he's "very, very close to both [Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid]". Then, it looks like someone is looking for a job:
"He's like one of the star minor league players that you're expecting to be an all-star," said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant who served as former Vice President Al Gore's press secretary. "Once you make that jump, you have to hit major league pitching, but the expectation is that he will."
Once Tony hits the big leagues - if he ever does - he's going to be outside the sphere of influence of the Los Angeles Times and "reporters" like Duke Helfand. One of the 110MPH sliders Tony's going to get is the fact that he's a former campus radical and former leader of the racial separatist group MEChA. And, while he has somewhat renounced that group, that renunciation is belied by his continual radical statements and actions.
Posted at 11:27 AM | Comments (2)
Griffith Park Observatory re-opening tonight (only for "special people")
Los Angeles' famous Griffith Park Observatory has been closed for renovations for a few years. However, it's re-opening tonight... but only for "special people". This dispatch filed by our Roving Bike News Team:
I drove up Hillhurst behind a very, very slow older tour bus with Wyoming plates. It was apparently too wide for the road, and had to even drive partway on the center median, destroying a large portion of the grass surface. I assumed it was for a band or something, and, after I finally got around it I thought nothing of it.
The RBNT biked up the road and soon saw signs saying "O.C.D.", then began seeing television trucks and the like. TV fans probably know what's coming next! Yes, indeed, it was an outside shoot for the television program "Monk". It would have been possible to perhaps see some shooting or something, but our team deciding to keep peddling since we've never seen the show and didn't really care.
Then, after almost completing our loop and stopping outside the locked gate for the Observatory, who should show up but the tour bus we saw earlier. From the conversation he had with the guard, combined with various messages over the guard's walktie-talkie as well as personal reportage by speaking to the mostly non-English-speaking guard we gleaned that the Observatory is opening tonight. But, he said we couldn't go in, since it was just for "councilmembers", people who've "donated millions of dollars", and in general, just for "special people". The buses were going to be ferrying said "special people" from the parking lot below up to the landmark, and they were making a dry run to familiarize themselves with the route. Of course, there's only one route so we suspected they were just going to do some sightseeing.
Our team also gleaned that the VIPs and other "special people" wouldn't start arriving for 45 minutes. Rather than waiting so long for a possible glimpse of Leonard Nimoy or "Mayor Reconquista" (former MEChA member Antonio Villaraigosa), we decided to peddle down the hill for an enjoyable downhill. I hope that TLB HQ is not upset with this decision.
No, not at all. In fact, we would have done the same thing.
The Observatory re-opens for we the hoi polloi on November 3. Let's hope Mayor Reconquista and the other "special people" get their fill tonight and decide to take a pass on that day's festivities.
Posted at 05:05 PM | Comments (0)
More on the NCLR-linked racial separatist charter school (LAUSD)
Judicial Watch has obtained some documents shedding more light on the "Academia Semillas del Pueblo" (a charter school approved and funded by the Los Angeles Unified School District) and their anti-American agenda.
The more damning aspects are in the PDF file, including an interview with KABC's Doug McIntyre. Despite having a clearly anti-American agenda they were approved by the LAUSD.
And, they've also received funding from the National Council of La Raza (aka National Council of The Race).
Posted at 04:20 PM | Comments (1)
Local government agencies not checking immigration status?
Debra J. Saunders reports on the attempts by Carl Olson of State Department Watch to try to get local Los Angeles-area agencies (mostly Westside/Malibu/Ventura) to use ICE's Basic Pilot Program to check whether someone can be legally employed. It might seem simple enough: these are legally-created entities, they should follow the law. Apparently he's come up empty. And, a state bill that he was involved with to require agencies to perform the check only got one vote in committee.
Perhaps it's time to start filing FOIA requests or similar or consider taking this to court.
Those he's contacted include: Ventura County Board of Education, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, City of Port Hueneme, Pleasant Valley School District, City of Malibu, Las Virgenes Unified School District, West Covina Unified School District, Santa Monica Community College District, Los Angeles Community College District, and Ventura County Transportation Commission.
Posted at 10:16 PM | Comments (1)
Mountain Rescue: Griffith Park
Shown above, a Los Angeles Fire Department rescue helicopter awaits an apparent hiking accident victim in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. This is the helipad near the "Five Points" intersection; apparently the accident occured closer to the Observatory (probably on the "Hogsback" section) and involved a broken clavicle (neckbone).
The "Hogsback" starts shortly after the helipad and runs to the fire road that runs around Mt. Hollywood; presumably they chose to transport the victim down the grade to the helicopter rather than hiking up the trail to a vehicle.
Before seeing this, I spent some time driving and then biked in Cheeseboro Canyon and powered up some hills (I was on the Palo Comado or a connecting trail), but I decided to cut that short since it was too hot. I came back to do a Griffith Park loop which, while on the road, is at least shaded in parts.
Posted at 09:30 PM | Comments (3)
Special Order 40 video
There's a video here featuring interviews conducated over the past decade concerning Los Angeles' illegal alien sanctuary law, aka "Special Order 40".
Posted at 05:14 AM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: "The Revolution", starring Darryl Hannah
Earlier today various police forces evicted dozens of farmers from a 14 acre plot of land in South (Central) Los Angeles. Those resisting the eviction included a couple tree sitters, Darryl Hannah, Joan Baez, Danny Glover, Martin Sheen, Laura Dern, Tom Morello, Willie Nelson, Alicia Silverstone, and other washed-up or semi-famous celebrities. (There were around 350 individual plantings, but apparently some farmers had already been moved to other properties).The backstory is provided in "Farmers, Celebrities Evicted From Urban Plot". At first glance, it might seem a bit absurd:
...Personnel using a huge fire ladder this afternoon removed actress Daryl Hannah and protest organizer John Quigley from the tree where they had vowed to remain as long as possible... Television broadcasts showed a large ladder extending from a firetruck reaching into the tree where Hannah, Quigley and two other people were located... Hannah said she was sleeping in her tent when the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies - who handle evictions in the county - arrived. Quigley alerted her to the raid, and she raced up the tree in about a minute...What the L.A. Times - as can be expected - doesn't cover is the actual ideologies of the leaders of the "resistance". For that, let's turn to "Farmers Kicked Out of Community Farm in South-Central Los Angeles" ( narconews.com/Issue41/article1892.html ). That article contains nugget after nugget offering a clue to what they really believe, so the following are just the more revealing bits:
...Tezozomoc, a spokesperson for the farmers, said the aggression shown today would certainly unleash a strong sense of community discontent against the city government.A summary from the American perspective: due to massive illegal immigration, we've imported many people who seem to be just a tad on the "collectivist" side. Is importing people who support the EZLN really in the best interests of this country? Is helping communists build a proletariat in our best interests? While Darryl Hannah is just a loony and useful idiot "liberal", the real leaders of this movement clearly don't support our laws and the fundamental principles of this country.
...The Other Journalism confirmed that below and to the left, the farmers of South-Central – adherents and members of the Other Campaign on the Other Side – have joined with their Mexican brothers and sisters south of the border.
...Indeed, opposite the high-caliber guns and police batons were guitars, drums and whistles; in front of the high-impact helmets and shields were bandanas and ski masks, Zapatista symbols that are by now imbued with anti-capitalist significance; answering the prominent acronyms of LAPD and SWAT (Los Angeles pioneered the creation of this repressive unit, which is armed to the teeth and is by definition charged with fighting "terrorists") were "Viva EZLN", "Save our Farm" and "The people united, will never be defeated!"
Rufina Juarez, one of the most tenacious defenders of the community’s land, said to the Other Journalism that the aggression they were subjected to will not be forgotten. She also had strong words of criticism for Villaraigosa, who over the course of his corporate ladder-climbing, power-hungry career has used his "origins" and "race" as political bargaining chips.
"Mexicans," she said as tears welled up in her eyes, "have a long tradition of defending our land and we aren't going to forget this aggression..."
For more that the L.A. Times isn't covering, see la.indymedia.org, such as la.indymedia.org/news/2006/06/162192.php:
Living on the Farm, dirty fingernails, eating just-plucked food, daily meetings, outdoor showers, and good conversation would be an easy routine to fall into. But at the South Central Farm, the pastoral life is interrupted by a steady stream of media and celebrities, and conviviality and community is built as much from the tension of impending arrest as it is by common work and values.Peasant values are the only true values, comrade.
Posted at 09:51 PM | Comments (4)
LAUSD: alleged separatist school abiding by charter
Some charter schools are more equal than others, and the LAUSD has determined that an alleged Chicano separatist school is abiding by its charter and is able to continue operation:
"They have followed the charter that they wrote originally," said Kevin Reed, chief legal counsel for the district. "What we care about is that the curriculum is inclusive and not exclusive."
KABC reporter Sandy Wells was allegedly assaulted outside the school as he was trying to interview the principal, then was allegedly tailed after he left the school. The LAPD continues their investigation.
Funders of the school include the Pasadena College chapter of MEChA and the National Council of La Raza ("The Race").
Posted at 03:50 AM | Comments (4)
AVWatch: James Sterngold helps Villaraigosa hide extremist side
That S.F. Chronicle staff writer offers "Immigration rallies force L.A. mayor into political tight spot: Villaraigosa backs away from image as single-issue leader"In a long, late afternoon conversation in his office, Villaraigosa, 53, often pausing to collect his thoughts, said he fears that his conspicuous involvement may make him vulnerable to being branded a one-issue politician, aligned with one community.He doesn't really have to worry, now does he? After all, he's only been a former member of the racial separatist group MEChA for over three decades, and due to the MSM - largely the L.A. Times - covering up for him that hasn't affected him all that much. Even when he was forced to somewhat renounce that group by one guy carrying a sign to his campaign appearances, the L.A. Times didn't cover it. After all, in their world it didn't exist.
But while a supporter of immigrant rights, Villaraigosa has been careful not to align himself with some of the more forceful demands and actions of the rights movement.In 1999, AV had this to say:
"As leader of the state Assembly, I say President Zedillo [of Mexico] had great impact in defeating Proposition 187"This time around, he appears not to have welcomed Vicente Fox to Los Angeles, nor has he joined Fox in starting the Chicano Power handclap on the floor of the California Assembly as he did with Zedillo. He's learning!
Then, James Sterngold turns this into even more of a fawning profile, implicitly tarring the only opponent quoted in the speech as - what else - a nativist and a racist. Taking the cue as he has before, Tony plays the victim card:
One complication, Villaraigosa said, is that his position on immigration reform has been distorted, leaving him vulnerable to charges that he is pandering.If you'd like to suggest that the author does a better job next time, write: jsterngold@sfchronicle.com
He said he has consistently backed firm border control and the need for immigrants to learn English, yet has been characterized merely as "pro-immigrant," suggesting he wants the border left more or less open.
Barbara Coe, chairwoman of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform and a staunch opponent of providing rights to illegal immigrants, said that in her view, and in the view of people like her, Villaraigosa endorsed lawlessness, plain and simple.
"He only represents one ethnicity and not all the citizens of the city," Coe said. "He's pandering. He feels he's going to ride the tide of the illegal aliens in Los Angeles."
The mayor said he is aware of such criticisms, and he makes clear he finds them objectionable. Asked if he fears that opposition to the immigrant rights movement could be shadowed by nativism or racism, he replied:
"I know what you're getting at, and I'll say this: You take the world as it is. I don't spend a lot of time focusing on that."
Posted at 08:34 PM | Comments (1)
"Day without Illegal Alien" not so bad
I drove across Hollywood in record time. An intersection that's usually backed up a block or two was only backed up a half a block...
I'm sure that the great majority of legal residents of Los Angeles would gladly pay an extra 10 cents for lettuce just to enjoy such light traffic on a daily basis. Plus, think of all the money that was saved by cars not having to idle at stops...
As my part in the anti-boycott, I bought a water pump and an O2 sensor (~$130) and paid a couple bills...
When's the next boycott?
UPDATE: How long before L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposes spending $500,000 to plant trees on Wilshire Boulevard so those foreign citizens can march in the shade?
Posted at 06:48 PM | Comments (15)
AVWatch: patriotism is the last refuge of Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles (Alta California), is swiftly backing away from the coming anti-illegal immigration backlash. As previously noted, he'll be out of town on Monday. And, while he supports the marches he wants students to stay in school. His latest pronouncements are that those foreign citizens who are marching in our streets should carry American flags and that the National Anthem should be sung in Spanish.
Just because those who are even more extreme than he will call him a "vendido" for those remarks, please don't be fooled. While he is for a large part simply an opportunistic empty suit, his actions from the 60s to just a week ago show his true radical nature.
UPDATE: Tony also says he might attend a rally in the afternoon; apparently his big meeting in Dallas will be rather short.
Posted at 10:00 PM | Comments (5)
Gas hits $3.00; Bush approval at 33%
One of the cheaper gas stations in central Hollywood is at $3.05; one of the perennially cheapest gas stations in the general area, the Arco at Riverside and Fletcher, is at $3.01. In far-away Beverly Hills, br'er Drudge is currently featuring a shot of gas at over $4.00.
Meanwhile, and probably somewhat related to that as well as to immigration-related matters, Our Leader's popularity is at 33% according to a Fox poll.
Posted at 10:57 PM | Comments (2)
AVWatch: 500-to-1 against Villaraigosa's support of illegal immigration marches
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, former MEChA leader Antonio Villaraigosa informs us about the response to his recent involvement in the illegal immigration marches:The letters and e-mails have been overwhelmingly negative, maybe 500 to 1, maybe a little more... But I think we're elected to do what's right, not necessarily what's popular.Yes, but 500 to 1? Maybe - could it be true - AV is wrong?
The interview is one tiny little step more tough than interviews that might have been seen in past issues of Pravda, or, closer to home, Robert Hilburn interviewing Bruce Springsteen. Like this:
Q: Illegal immigrants place some burden on city services, whether it's fire or police or sewer or whatever. Is there any way to measure the cost that the city of Los Angeles pays to care for people who are here illegally, and is that a cost worth paying?Needless to say, the LAT doesn't press that point. Civic leaders can't just pass the buck, especially when they make the situation even worse. Shortly after being elected alcalde, AV went to Mexico and implicitly promoted illegal immigration. He also came out against California border patrols.
A: I don't know what the cost of providing services to the undocumented would be, but I do know this: The responsibility for those costs is the federal government's, and for more than a decade I have maintained that the federal government, which receives the Social Security and income taxes generated by these immigrants, should reimburse cities and counties for any expense incurred.
He then avoids the LAT's question about the burden on the LAUSD, and then claims that he supports enforcement of our immigration laws:
A: For many years now, I have said that every country in the world has immigration laws, we have every right to have immigration laws, and, as a nation founded on the principle of the rule of law, it is our responsibility to enforce those laws and to have consequences when our laws are broken.His solution is not to enforce the current laws, but to change them to match the desires of those who support massive legal and illegal immigration by enacting something similar to Kennedy-McCain.
Finally, I've said that while we have every right to enforce our immigration laws, that in a great and good America founded on the backs of immigrants, we must enforce those laws in a humane and constitutional way.
And, we already enforce our immigration laws in a "humane and constitutional" way. (Perhaps he's thinking of how he and Mexican president Zedillo helped block Prop. 187). Those who support illegal immigration - including Antonio Villaraigosa and the L.A. Times - are automatically supporting worker abuse, corruption, and all the other negatives that illegal immigration automatically includes.
Posted at 04:48 PM | Comments (1)
Los Angeles Times, Joe Hicks on student protests
The Los Angeles Times gives some background on the recent pro-illegal immigration student protests (one of which featured the Mexican flag flying over an upside-down American flag) in "Student Protests Echo the '60s, but With a High-Tech Buzz".You can practically smell the patchouli as the aging hippies at the Times celebrate the youthful activists fighting the power, man. It's all like one big party.
Never mentioned is how many of those involved are actually foreign citizens, nor do they cover the culture of entitlement, nor do they cover the propriety of promoting what is in reality a show of racial solidarity and power.
To fill in some of the gaps, now comes community activist Joe Hicks:
...many Latino immigrant-rights organizers and their sympathizers seem to be saying that there is some inherent right being expressed when people sneak into the country, thumb their noses at the law and make fools out of those who wait patiently in foreign lands for visas to come to the United States.Why couldn't the L.A. Times have said the same thing? Perhaps someone at the LAT should try and find out.
It is quite clear that many of those participating in the demonstrations have adopted the stance of the beleaguered victim, perceiving frustration about illegal immigration as racism. Some comments have been painfully ignorant. One protester said: "I'm here to make sure that Mexicans get their freedom, their rights."
During the student protests, the American flag was only occasionally on display, while the Mexican flag was omnipresent. A student said he was waving the latter in support of La Raza (the race), while another asked why illegal immigrants were "treated like criminals." Perhaps he wasn't aware that crossing the U.S. border without the required visa is now, and always has been, against the law.
The participation of students, some as young as 13 and 14, is especially troubling given that all too many seemed clueless about the issues. Perhaps more puzzling is that some of the student walkouts took place on a day honoring the memory of Cesar Chavez. The great Chicano labor organizer held a march in 1969 from the Coachella and Imperial valleys to the Mexican border. Chavez and the United Farm Workers were protesting the use of illegal immigrants as strikebreakers. Further, Chavez believed that illegal immigration was antithetical to the wage interests of the migrant workers he represented...
Posted at 04:51 AM | Comments (5)
A million dollar Ferrari, Homeland Security, and the San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is a nice place, and much better than the more famous San Fernando Valley. However, it's a bit sleepy and there is no critical infrastructure there that I know of. Which makes this story quite a bit odd:As sheriff's detectives investigate last week's crash that destroyed a $1-million Ferrari, they are now looking into an obscure nonprofit organization that provides disabled people with transit in the San Gabriel Valley.The DUmmies do some investigating and find some interesting things.
The car's owner, a former video game executive from Sweden, told Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies at the scene of the Feb. 21 accident in Malibu that he was deputy commissioner of the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority's police anti-terrorism unit, detectives said Thursday.
A few minutes after the crash, two unidentified men arrived at the scene, flashing badges and saying they were from "homeland security", according to Sheriff's Department officials.
Deputies allowed the men into the accident scene, where they spoke to Stefan Eriksson before leaving, Sgt. Phil Brooks said.
Posted at 12:15 AM | Comments (1)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa supports illegal immigration, Cardinal Mahoney
"Mayor Reconquista", aka Antonio Villaraigosa, supports Cardinal Roger Mahoney's call to disobey HR 4437 if it passes. Of course, both of them are lying or misinformed regarding the effects of that bill, but I guess the fact that it might affect his power base has clouded his judgement. Kinda like the time he signed up to lead a chapter of the racial separatist group MEChA:Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised Mahony's comments and called the federal plan "incredulous."
"I can tell you that the cardinal, I think, is right is saying that the church should not be in the business of enforcing our immigration laws," Villaraigosa said Wednesday. "That's a federal responsibility.
"The idea that the church would deny services to the homeless, that the Catholic church would deny services to families who are hungry because of their immigration status is absolutely incredulous," he said. "I certainly understand his sentiments."
Villaraigosa said he has not researched what ramifications such a law would have on city workers.
"In our situation, if the federal government required us to do something because the law of the land dictates that ... you got to enforce the law," Villaraigosa said. "But I can tell you that my understanding is that this legislation will not pass in the Senate."
Councilman Dennis Zine, a Catholic, released a statement today saying he supported Mahony's comments.
"I agree with Cardinal Mahoney that the patchwork of legislation of the past is unrealistic in moving forward with meaningful reform of the immigration policies of this country," said Zine, who chairs the National League of Cities' Immigration Task Force. "We need to come up with a program that works."
Posted at 11:46 PM | Comments (5)
Ambassador Hotel artifacts for sale
There appear to be various artifacts from Los Angeles' landmark Ambassador Hotel available from eBay. I don't know which ones of them were legally obtained and which were not, so caveat emptor. Items available include postcards, mugs, and even piano keys.
Posted at 05:23 AM | Comments (2)
Los Angeles City Council opposes Minuteman Project, supports illegal immigration
Lead by Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council has approved a resolution opposing "anti-migrant vigilantes" and supporting "immigration reform", i.e., a massive amnesty:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, with the concurrence of the Mayor, that by the adoption of this Resolution, the City of Los Angeles hereby includes in its 2005-2006 State and Federal Legislative Program support for any legislation which 1. denounces the vigilante actions of private individuals or groups along the border and entering our urban communities to engage presumably in civilian patrol initiatives to assist the federal government in enforcing the immigration laws; 2. prohibits or otherwise hinders any vigilante type civilian action resulting in spying on others or sharing information with law enforcement officers and fosters the view that each and every person who is present within the city, county, and state, are presumptively here lawfully as citizen, legal resident, or visitor with appropriate documentation; and 3. enacts comprehensive immigration reform that combines a path to permanent status for immigrants here and wider legal channels for those coming in the future with humane and effective enforcement.
What's interesting is that they seem to have lifted language and concepts from an earlier resolution by - guess! - the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
See "Los Angeles City Council approves illegal alien day laborer hiring hall" for more on the council and its members. And, see "Financial Times discovers dangers of massive illegal immigration" for a recent study reporting on the devastating impact of illegal immigration on the city.
Posted at 02:06 PM | Comments (6)
LAUSD: Johnnie Cochran Middle School
On the 24th, the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously voted to rename Mt. Vernon Middle School (near Crenshaw and Venice) in honor of Johnnie Cochran. He attended that school as a lad:
"This extraordinary, superb lawyer with movie-star celebrity status was an outstanding student at Mt. Vernon Middle School and Los Angeles High School," principal Scott Schmerelson told the Associated Press.
His client list included: Todd Bridges, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Oh, and also Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson.
"It's in bad taste," Denise Brown told Reuters. "Yeah, he was a great defense attorney. But what about your moral obligation to children and society?"
Somewhat related: Oakland's proposal to rename Jefferson Elementary School.
Posted at 02:06 PM | Comments (1)
AVWatch gets competition from other site
Over the past several months I've posted a few entries about L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and I've put "AVWatch" in the title to make it easier to find them (use the search box to the right).
I recently discovered a site dedicated solely to keeping a close eye on the person some call "mayor reconquista": "Antonio Watch". It doesn't seem to have anything on MEChA or Tony Villar's other past unsavory activities and associations, concentrating instead on recent events. Hopefully they'll get around to that and thereby reduce my workload.
Posted at 01:07 PM | Comments (1)
Special Order 40 allows felony arrests
From this:A long-standing order designed to restrict Los Angeles police from enforcing immigration laws does not bar officers from pursuing deported felons who have re-entered the country, Assistant Police Chief George Gascon told the Police Commission on Tuesday.The article then contains quotes from "liberal" activists and mentions that this "clarification" was prompted by Heather MacDonald's articles. What exactly this "clarification" means and what exactly the police are actually doing is a bit unclear; perhaps "Jack Dunphy" will weigh in at NRO.
The interpretation of Special Order 40 - the 27-year-old policy that prohibits officers from arresting people for illegally entering the country and from investigating a person's immigration status - comes as Los Angeles Police Department leaders get ready to finalize a department directive on how officers should interpret the order's restrictions.
"We deal with violent felons who are wanted, regardless of what their immigration status is," Gascon told the new Police Commission. "We have always acted upon information regarding this very specific population."
Posted at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
Should Maywood CA secede? Should they change their name to "Aztlan City"?
Maywood is a small (1.14 square miles), densely packed (28,000 residents), and almost exclusively Hispanic city southeast of Los Angeles. In fact, it's 96.3% Hispanic, with just 739 whites and only 43 blacks.Now:
City Council in this predominantly Hispanic Los Angeles suburb has passed a resolution prohibiting local police from taking on immigration enforcement duties.It doesn't take much effort to see that there might be other reasons for this beyond an attempt to conserve resources. For instance, proudly featured at their site is the release from February 14, 2005 indicating their full support for Gil Cedillo's attempt to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens (PDF file). It includes
Maywood's resolution, passed unanimously 5-0 late Tuesday, also promised to reject any future federal law mandating cooperation between police and immigration officials in the city of 45,000 residents [according to Maywood's website, the 2000 Census says 28,000 -- LW].
"We want to make clear that our police department will not become immigration agents," said mayor Thomas Martin. "We also want to send a message to places like Costa Mesa that police should be focused on gangs and drugs, and not overextending their resources..."
SB 60 was re-introduced by Senator Cedillo to provide hard working and law abiding immigrant drivers across the state with access to a California Driver's License. Currently, immigrant drivers are not allowed the opportunity to obtain a valid California Driver's License.Obviously, that's misleading. Those affected by this would be illegal aliens, not "immigrants". And, those who enter or stay illegally and no doubt work illegally and use illegal documents are not "law abiding". The claim in the second sentence is completely false: legal immigrants can get driver's licenses.
Until such time as Maywood announces they're seceding, they are a part of the United States. If they don't act like it, perhaps it's time for the state or the federal government to step in and take action. It's not like something similar hasn't happened before, and only back in 2003 and involving the nearby South Gate. See "South Gate: Mexico Comes to California" or State controller to audit South Gate after corruption scandal.
On a side note, see if you notice anything strange about their history page. Just as a guess, did they type that in out of an old book?
And, would any "liberals" out there care to speculate exactly how a city so close to South Los Angeles could have so few African-Americans? While there might be other reasons, I know what I suspect.
Posted at 06:25 AM | Comments (3)
Los Angeles City Council approves illegal alien day laborer hiring hall
The municipal entity known as the City of Los Angeles is directly enabling illegal immigration by leasing a section of the parking lot of a new Van Nuys Home Depot from that store. They're paying $1 per year, and a non profit called the Youth Policy Institute will run it. The vote in favor of this was unanimous.
Once again: the City of Los Angeles is directly enabling illegal labor and illegal immigration.
Now, see the entry "Home Depot, Antonio Villaraigosa, Fernando Guerra, and Microsoft" from last June and this entry about City Councilman Ed Reyes.
Home Depot was paying a lobbyist $10,000 per month to lobby the Council concerning their day laborer sites. It appears to have been successful.
Of course, one remedy is for city residents to file suit against the City. Another would be for some intrepid reporter to do a bit of digging on this story and follow the money.
Posted at 07:09 AM | Comments (2)
"Liberalism" caused Los Angeles' massive underground economy
The Milken Institute has released a study called the "Los Angeles Economy Project", which reports that nearly 680,000 workers in the region work in the underground, cash-only economy. And, nearly half of those are in Los Angeles alone.Needless to say, most of those involved are illegal aliens. And, this situation costs the cities, counties, and feds two billion dollars in lost revenues.
"Liberalism" is directly responsible for this situation because of:
1. Onerous regulations forcing many companies to pursue a workaround.
2. Encouraging and allowing massive illegal immigration.
Now, "liberals" are trying to solve these problems they created and, as can be expected, they're only going to make it worse. The LAT offers the editorial "Beneath L.A.'s economy" which suggests loans and "amnesties" as a way to bring those businesses which are "economic outlaws" into the system.
And, they also provide a laundry list of all the downsides that the massive illegal immigration they support has caused. The Los Angeles Times freely admits that llegal immigration leads to companies that aren't in "compliance with tax, wage and safety laws". It leads to "unfair competition", a "burden on public health systems", and "worker mistreatment". They note that "outlaw businesses... offer no compensation to injured employees and often pay below-minimum wage" and they are "unlikely to collect and pay sales taxes."
And, they also try to lie to their readers:
Yes, much of this problem is tied to illegal immigration and economic desperation. Yes, dealing with the status of immigrants requires a federal solution.Obviously, the first sentence is right. However, the second is an outright lie. The City of Los Angeles could do a great deal to reduce illegal immigration, starting by ending its sanctuary practice ("Special Order 40"). Perhaps, in retrospect, Antonio Villaraigosa's trip to Mexico where he practically invited everyone in that country to come visit him was a costly mistake.
And, the LADN offers "L.A.'s underground cash" which interviews Daniel Flaming, one of the study's co-authors:
"There are several factors that create economic desperation: a slow recovery from the 2000 recession, a growing immigrant labor force that in all likelihood includes a growing undocumented labor force. Those workers, in particular, are desperate."Just enforce the immigration laws, and this problem will take care of itself.
And stemming the trend won't be easy, Flaming said. He believes it will require not only penalties for underground employers, but also incentives, such as technical assistance, for employers who compete legally, as well as efforts by both public and private organizations in education, skill development and citizenship programs.
Posted at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)
Venus, a UFO, or a spy blimp?
At about 3:30pm today I saw a large, white, stationary object high in the Los Angeles sky. I was next to the Bird Sanctuary in Griffith Park at the time. I'm pretty sure this was too large to be a star or a planet, and anyway Venus is currently to the southwest, but the object was more SSE. I didn't take a bearing, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't to the west.
The object looked like it was at an altitude of at least a mile or two, and it did not move in the five minutes or so that I was observing it. However, after driving away and looking for it about 15 minutes later, I could not find it.
Was this Venus? Or, perhaps friends from across the galaxy coming to pay us a visit? Or, could it be a blimp or large balloon of some kind?
Perhaps it was just a weather balloon. Yeah, that's it.
Posted at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)
The Los Angeles Times scandal
Apparently there's a (new) scandal brewing at the Los Angeles Times involving them allegedly helping to cover-up the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls, real name Christopher Wallace).
There are two parts to this scandal: first, the matter itself. Second, the fact that it's been ignored by the other MSM players. Details appear not in the WaPo or the NYT, but in Rolling Stone Magazine, hardly your source for investigative journalism.
Frankly, I don't really have much interest in the underlying story involving as it does rap "music", but I'll definitely be looking forward with glee to the LAT's reputation being sullied even more than their other coverage has managed to do.
Posted at 03:35 AM | Comments (0)
Tookie at LAPL CEN
Yesterday, several loads of students were bused to the central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library where they were held spellbound as various celebrities read the works of... Tookie Williams. This was part of a worldwide effort against the death penalty, and similar pro-Tookie events were held in other U.S. states.
Celebrities attending the LAPL event included Jamie Foxx and - of course! - Mike Farrell. Whether Martin Sheen and Ed Asner showed up is not known. And:
The Los Angeles rally attracted about 40 people, including clergy, death penalty opponents and the Black Riders, a group of youths in black clothing and camouflage outfits who raised the clenched-fist black power salute and chanted "Let Tookie live!"
Unfortunately, I did not attend this event, but I'd certainly be interested in learning who provided the money for the buses and any charges for the use of the room at the library. Perhaps some little birdie will come forward with that information. It'd be a shame if public money is used to support clemency for someone whose previous actions have caused so much long-term damage to the city.
Posted at 12:16 AM | Comments (1)
Eric Garcetti now President of Los Angeles City Council
Da, koneshno, comrades! Eric Garcetti now president soyuza Los Angeles-a!
Byvshe: Eric Garcetti has blog.
Posted at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
Bob Sheer disfavored, sent to Novosibirsk
The Los Angeles Times has dropped Bob Sheer, and three guesses to who's picked him up...
No, not the LA Weekly...
No, it's not People's Weekly World either...
Yes, that's right, HuffPost.
In related news, the numbers of political cartoonists at papers appears to be about equal to the number of pantomime ponies at banks as they've also fired cartoonist Michael Ramirez. This is apparently the Times' idea of balance:
In a major shake-up of its editorial pages, the Los Angeles Times announced Thursday that it was discontinuing one of its most liberal columnists as well as its conservative editorial cartoonist.
UPDATE: The icon weighs in for the first time at his new digs:
The publisher, Jeff Johnson, who has offered not a word of explanation to me, has privately told people that he hated every word that I wrote. I assume that mostly refers to my exposing the lies used by President Bush to justify the invasion of Iraq... Fortunately sixty percent of Americans now get the point, but only after tens of thousand of Americans and Iraqis have been killed and maimed as the carnage spirals out of control. My only regret is that my pen was not sharper and my words tougher.
In the comments, someone says:
I just cancelled my subscription, and it felt great. To do likewise, call 1-800-LA TIMES.
I agree. All thinking persons should immediately cancel their subscriptions.
Posted at 11:16 AM | Comments (1)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa rides on Ameriquest jet, pays 10% of cost
"Mayor Reconquista", aka Antonio Villaraigosa, was recently given short notice that he could appear at Rosa Parks' funeral. Now, if he were an average citizen, about the only thing he could do is try to get a last-minute flight from LAX or BUR. Needless to say, the former MEChA member is not an ordinary citizen:Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is under fire from some ethics watchdogs for using a private jet owned by a company that has a lobbyist assigned to City Hall.AV is paying them back out of a "political account" and not city money. But, he's only paying them $438 each for him and an aide. In the article, the owner of a private jet company says he would have charged $3900 per person for the same flight.
Villaraigosa used the plane owned by Orange-based Ameriquest last week to fly to Detroit with an aide, his two-member security detail and another person after he received a last-minute invitation to speak at the funeral of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.
Villaraigosa was paid $20,000 for doing consulting work for Ameriquest in 2001 and 2002, and the company has contributed nearly $200,000 to his two mayoral campaigns, his inaugural gala and a political committee he controlled while he was speaker of the Assembly.
"It's very troubling. It doesn't set a good standard for the new administration," said Robert Stern, president of the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. "It's one of those perks the mayor should do without."
Previously: he got involved in the L.A. Zoo's elephant controversy and, by the way, the Los Angeles Times is still covering up Villaraigosa's past.
Posted at 05:49 AM | Comments (2)
"LA County needs to spend $50 billion on upgrades, engineers say"
One of the subtitles to this story should be: "Los Angeles County experiencing wonders of massive illegal immigration, almost all of it from the Third World."This is also one of the causes:
Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills... said that under former Govs. Edmund G. Brown and Ronald Reagan, infrastructure projects comprised 15 percent of the state budget. Today, he said, it represents less than 3 percent.However, we just can't continue to live in a fantasy world controlled by the far-left and socialists, some of whom have questionable loyalties to this country. Here's one example, and here's another.
From the article:
With crumbling streets, gridlocked traffic and mounds of trash, Los Angeles County's deteriorating infrastructure needs $50 billion in upgrades over the next five years to meet growing demands, a statewide engineers group said Thursday.
Of nearly a dozen infrastructure systems studied, the county's streets, highways and urban-runoff systems received the lowest grades - D's - while its solid-waste system got a B-plus. Flood control, wastewater and port systems got B's.
Giving the county an average grade of C-plus, the American Society of Civil Engineers warned that significant problems are on the horizon for the infrastructure unless there are changes in attitude and funding.
"If the county doesn't begin to make repairs now, if there is a failure, it could cost five times what we are talking about," said Harvey Gobas, chairman of the Los Angeles County Infrastructure Committee and past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Los Angeles.
The report card, released at the group's annual meeting at the University of Southern California, comes as population growth increases pressure on county facilities, despite millions of dollars in recent improvements.
Gobas said traffic and landfills are among the most pressing problems.
Posted at 03:03 AM | Comments (1)
Supes: no pr0n in L.A. County libraries
The Los Angeles County Supervisors are trying to block pr0n being viewed on computers in County libraries. But, don't despair, as the LAPL is still progressive and has a pro-pr0n policy in effect. Get your pr0n there.Posted at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
Dick Morris to sign book Friday Oct. 14 in the OC, Westside
Former presidential advisor Dick Morris has sent me an email, and I thought I'd share it with you.As you may know, my wife Eileen and I have just written a new book entitled Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race. It argues that Hillary Clinton is the inevitable Democratic nominee and that Condoleezza Rice would not only be a great president, but the person most likely to beat Hillary.I'll alert my readers.
I am going to be in Los Angeles, California on Friday October 14th.
I will be signing books at Costco in Orange County at 12:00pm and Barnes & Noble on 1201 3rd Street in Santa Monica at 7:30pm.Yes, well, what with the high price of gas and all, and the Westside being on the other side of town, well, sir, it's like this...
I would love to meet you there and to personalize my signature to you or anyone to whom you would like to make a gift.
I look forward to possibly meeting you.
Yours,
Dick Morris
Posted at 02:36 AM | Comments (2)
Los Angeles Times to get less "liberal"
According the Nikke Finke of the LA Weakly, the Los Angeles Times' phone solicitors are reading the following from a script when they call:
I want you to know that we're bringing in a lot more conservative voices and conservative columnists.
This "frankly shocked" Finke, as one might imagine.
This guy confirmed this when calling in to the LAT's subscription line and posing as a suck... potential subscriber.
Perhaps after this move the LAT could comb through their past issues and print an issue listing all of their previous lies, misleading statements, and things that they've ignored over the years. Of course, that might defoliate the Amazon, so perhaps they could put that online.
Posted at 05:56 PM | Comments (1)
"English bypassed in L.A."
The L.A. Daily News offers several anecdotes of immigrants to Los Angeles not bothering to learn English: "English bypassed in L.A.". Koreans learn Spanish, Hispanics learn Korean, and all don't need to learn English:
"To an outside person, it looks like something nice. There's an ethnic exchange going on. But the reality is that it's an exchange of necessity [because of commerce]," said Vy Nguyen, a lead organizer for the Korean Immigrant Worker's Advocate...
Well, to some outside persons, such as "liberals", it might be nice. But, to those who think about this it's just another byproduct of Gramscism, otherwise known as multiculturalism.
"In California, Spanish is more important than English," said [Korea Times columnist Martin Paik], a Seoul native. "I haven't found any inconvenience because I don't speak English. ... I don't need to speak English. If you can speak Spanish, you can drive, employers can have clients, you can order in restaurants, you can do anything."
And:
Paik admits he often gets funny looks from Spanish speakers who at first glance are surprised by his fluency. But once the tongue starts wagging, Latinos - especially immigrants - quickly let down their guard. They are accustomed to seeing Asians in their homelands. Mexico City boasts a robust Chinatown and Argentina is home to thousands of South Korean immigrants.
How high-minded of them.
["Yoon Seong, a 60-year-old Korean - by way of Spain" says:] "For me being here, the Hispanic community is the only world for me. I don't need English here. All that you need in California is Spanish."
Obviously, without knowing English they aren't prepared to be Americans. Their news will always be filtered through one ethnic lens or another, and they won't be exposed to as wide a spectrum of viewpoints. Somehow I think that that's one of the side-effects that the multiculturalists want. While those who only look at economic matters might rejoice in their economic benefit, from a civil standpoint this is not a good development.
Posted at 07:47 PM | Comments (2)
SaveTheSeal only has three days left, please sign petition
SaveTheSeal is trying to turn back the damage the ACLU did to the Los Angeles County seal. Please visit their site to find out where you can sign their petition. Signatures are needed immediately since the have to be turned in on Friday.
Posted at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
A smear from Eugene Tong and Patricia Farrell Aidem of L.A. Daily News
Recently a Canyon Country (L.A.) paramedic was killed by an illegal alien driver. According to the CHP:[The driver] is an illegal immigrant who has been arrested a dozen times and was deported once to Mexico. He has been convicted of four felonies, drug charges, thefts and a count of willful cruelty to a child, for which he served five days in jail...The Sep. 13 L.A. Daily News article "Governor meets widow, sons of dead paramedic" from Eugene Tong and Patricia Farrell Aidem discusses a visit from Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's not available on the web, but a very large (over 2 Meg) picture is here. The article includes the following:
The [accident] has become a focal point for groups battling to deport illegal immigrants and, in particular, to deny them driver's licenses. While the state Legislature approved licensing immigrants, the governor has vowed to use his veto power.Hey! I can do that too!
Conservative web sites, as well as white-power sites, are rocking with posts about the case.
Nancy Pelosi, as well as the CPUSA, support illegal immigration.Let's try another one:
Joe Lieberman, as well as the Berkeley Socialist Solidarity with North Korea Friendship October 10th Committee for World Peace and Liberty, both advise not nuking North Korea.Think I can get a job at the Daily News?
Posted at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)
Los Angeles City-mandated illegal alien day laborer centers?
There's a proposed L.A. City ordinance that would require big box home improvement stores to have an attached center for day laborers. As previously discussed, the great majority of those workers are illegal aliens.There's a bit of an update in "Making a place for workers", but it doesn't have much more beyond "...and our day laborer sites won't encourage illegal immigration" and Home Depot, Antonio Villaraigosa, Fernando Guerra, and Microsoft.
Read the last two links, and let me know if you think there's something a bit... questionable going on.
The current article includes this more-honest-than-I'd-expect admission:
"It's an incredible issue for urban California," said Fernando Guerra, a lobbyist for Home Depot and professor who heads Loyola Marymount University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles.And, this:
Guerra, who said he was speaking for himself and not Home Depot...
Home Depot officials said they have yet to review the recently proposed city ordinance.
"Day laborers are not a Home Depot issue alone," said Kathryn Gallagher, a spokeswoman for Home Depot. "It's a community issue. It needs to be a community effort. We are happy to sit down at the table and be part of the solution."
Posted at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)
Los Angeles Dog Trainer-Enquirer-Times fires Michael Kinsley
The L.A. Times has forced out recently-demoted editorial page editor Michael Kinsley. He's issued the following voluntary confession:
"...For whatever reason... [publisher Jeff Johnson] isn't merely uninterested in any future contribution I might make, but actively wants me gone. So I'm off, with some regret and some excitement, to the Washington Post, duties TBD but including the column. I hope it will continue to appear in the LA Times as well, but that is beyond my control... I'm sorry this has ended on a bitter note. I've loved my brief time at the Los Angeles Times. I've learned a lot, and made (I hope) some friends for life. Even the frustrations have been fascinating frustrations. And I think I've done some good for the paper, though others may not agree. The LA Times has some of the nicest people and finest journalists I've ever worked with, starting at the top with Dean (Baquet). And even Jeff will have to give me credit for bringing in [Kinsley's replacement Andres Martinez]. I expect great things from him, and from you..."
Posted at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)
"L.A.'s schools bleed red ink"
Gosh, what could be causing the Los Angeles Unified School District to be in such a financial bind? This current story appears to have many culprits, including the beloved teachers' union. But, there's only so much money to go around, and any money spent on educating a citizen of another country is money that could be spent on our own citizens and on health benefits for teachers and such.Meanwhile:
Acknowledging that their effort will probably lead nowhere, Los Angeles Unified school board members will try again today to figure out how to pay for billions of dollars in retirement health benefits and workers' compensation costs - a burden that weighs heavily on the district's future.
...unfunded debts: $6 billion to provide health insurance to retirees and their families, as well as half the district's $685 million in workers' compensation liability...
... In 2002, the LAUSD spent a record $148.5 million on workers' compensation claims, and the projected cost to pay all outstanding claims is about $627 million by June 2006.
The district pays the bulk of its workers' compensation and retiree benefits out of its $5.8 billion general fund - the same fund used to pay for teachers' salaries, textbooks and school supplies...
...United Teachers Los Angeles officials said their members will not compromise on health benefits...
"The best possibility might be (for) the federal government or the state to intercede or to give the district a long-term payment plan to make it as painless as possible," said Sam Kresner, executive assistant to the UTLA president...
Posted at 10:31 AM | Comments (1)
Massive Los Angeles power outage; your blogger OK; morbid sight seen
Earlier today a massive power outage knocked out power to about half of the city of Los Angeles, as well as parts of the County, the Dog Trainer informs us.
I know, I was there! Since I couldn't either blog or surf for midget pr0n, I decided to go for a slow jog in Griffith Park. Yesterday I did top-of-Lake to Echo Mountain in about 1:45, but I decided I could stand another workout. As I was lumbering down Crystal Springs Road, at the junction near the Ranger Station I saw something that I really didn't want to see.
Did you know that the L.A. County coroner has very large trucks, about this size? I'd say it's good to know that someone is prepared, except it's not good to know. It didn't appear to be in a rush, so I guess he was just cruising.
The slow jog soon turned into a hike as I went up a trail and came back along Crystal Springs to the station, thence back to the Zoo parking lot.
While I had a nice jog/hike, it's not too good to know that our power system is so fragile.
Say, did you know that the IBEW will begin renegotiations with the City Council concerning a contentious pay raise tomorrow? And, back in the 80s apparently there was some sort of suspicious short out around the time of some other contentious issue? (source: caller "Charlie" to KFI). See "DWP's Power Surge" for the details on the pay raise.
UPDATE: It should be mentioned that, AFAIK, there was no looting. Nor did Angelenos resort to cannibalism. But, I'm still searching.
UPDATE 2: Pasadena Pundit weighs in (no permalink):
...the blackout occurred exactly one week after a Field Opinion Poll was released on Sept. 5 showing that public opinion was divided on Proposition 80, which would re-monopolize electricity in California... Prop 80 is dubbed the "Anti-Blackout" proposition by its supporters, which include the So Cal Edison Company, the Democratic Party, municipal utilities, and government employee unions. Oddly, the only areas in the state that have thus far experienced major blackouts involve Los Angeles DWP and Edison customers...
Hmmmm....
Posted at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)
Three advertising aircraft crashes in three weeks. Odd?
In the past three weeks, two airplanes and a helicopter have crashed in the Long Beach/Los Angeles area. All three aircraft were towing advertising banners. The latest crash was today:...Long Beach Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Reeb says the ad banner apparently became snarled when the Bell Jet Ranger helicopter crashed.If that isn't odd enough, all three aircraft were (according to KFI) owned by the same company.
The pilot, who was alone in the helicopter, was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Reeb says he is expected to survive.
Last month a pilot who was towing a banner walked away from a crash-landing when the high-wing Piper P-A-18 came to rest upside down near Rancho Palos Verdes.
The next day an ad banner came off a plane in Long Beach and landed on power lines, causing a power outage.
At this point in time I'm going to assume that something else is going on. The only question is why the FAA or some similar agency has not stepped in and started an investigation to find out exactly what that is.
Posted at 09:37 PM | Comments (0)
"Day Laborers, Cities Seek a Way That Will Work"
The L.A. Times reports in "Day Laborers, Cities Seek a Way That Will Work":...Cities throughout California and around the nation are struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of day laborers, or jornaleros. Critics say the sites not only encourage people to come to the U.S. illegally, but also create traffic jams and are eyesores. Supporters say the workers are simply trying to make an honest living and are crucial to local economies...One solution is to make it unprofitable to hire day laborers. With their drive to organize they might do it themselves by pricing themselves out of the market.
...Cities have made bold moves, then sometimes suspended or reversed them. Redondo Beach barred day laborers from seeking work on its streets; a judge then blocked the move. Costa Mesa opened a center to match workers with employers, then decided to close it. Burbank required Home Depot to build its own hiring hall, then put the opening on hold...
"Local government doesn't exist to drive that kind of policy," said Glendale Police Capt. Mark Distaso. "This is something that needs to be dealt with on a federal level."
...Day laborers began gathering in California in the 1960s after the end of the bracero guest-worker program, said UCLA professor Abel Valenzuela, who has conducted numerous studies on workers. Their numbers have multiplied in recent years, with the expansion of part-time work and the influx of immigrants. He estimated that there are as many as 35,000 people seeking work at hundreds of sites in California.
The majority of day laborers are undocumented immigrants from Mexico or Central America...
..."We are not the solution, nor are we the problem," said [Home Depot] real estate director Jeff Nichols.
The company has posted signs to discourage workers at some stores — and provided supplies to help cities build hiring halls near others...
...The laborers, meanwhile, are fighting back — holding rallies, marches and national organizing conferences to push for centers and against restrictive ordinances. They also are seeking to improve working conditions, advocating for higher wages and filing claims against employers who don't pay...
Another way would be to conduct stings against contractors. For the reasons given below, that's probably not going to happen.
The DHS could also conduct raids at day laborer hiring halls. Since UCLA says that most are illegal aliens, that should be all they need. Of course, given what happened in Temecula and Bush's general plan to say he supports border enforcement but do nothing about interior enforcement, it stands little chance of happening.
Posted at 02:22 PM | Comments (2)
AVWatch: Villaraigosa's most worthwhile cause yet
Sure, being a leader with a racial separatist group was bad, and those Chicano Power handclaps in the California legislature were bad too, but Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has finally found something that's slightly not bad and that's worthy of his talents:The mayor of Los Angeles wants an independent review of the elephant quarters at the Los Angeles Zoo, to help determine the future of the animals...For those in the species, everything. For those outside the species, nothing.
I have been reviewing the elephants' situation at the Los Angeles Zoo and have concerns that warrant an independent review and analysis, Villaraigosa wrote in an Aug. 12 letter to Chief Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka. I want an insightful study on the whole issue so we can do what is best for the zoo and, especially, for the elephants...
Previously on the topic of elephants at the L.A. Zoo: I'll take "Are you an enviro-whacko?" for $2000, Alex.
Posted at 09:28 PM | Comments (1)
Tamar Jacoby at Los Angeles Public Library: Tuesday, October 11 2005
America's foremost immigration expert will be at the Los Angeles Public Library's Central branch in downtown L.A. on October 11, 2005. Click the link to make a reservation; if this is being held in the same room I think it is there's only limited seating.
At some future date I'll compile a list of the questions she didn't answer during this interview. It might be interesting for several people to ask her to provide those answers.
UPDATE: Here's my report.
Posted at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
A terrorist cell in Orange County, CA? (Part 2)
The previous post "A terrorist cell in Orange County, CA?" discussed a possible cell in La Habra, CA. John & Ken of KFI have been following up on this story after speaking with FOX News terrorism analyst John Loftus.
First, they spoke with a local CAIR spokesman, who says that he knows the supposed terrorist. He says that the supposed terrorists does have non-mainstream views, but he doesn't believe he's violent or otherwise supports terrorism. (Insert CAIR disclaimer here, as well as perhaps a definition of taqqiya).
When he discussed this on Fox last weekend, Loftus gave out the address where the supposed terrorist lives in La Habra. The first segment of this post linked to a transcript of Loftus' appearance. However, you'll note that I left out the address.
Now, John & Ken are speaking with someone who claims that he lives at that address, and he has no affiliation with the supposed terrorist, but that he still gets mail for people with Arabic names...
Posted at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
Atwaterian: AVNC "Special Election" marred with gross errors and irregularities
Local Fletcher Blvd. businessman Luis Lopez reports via email:On August 11, 2005 the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council held its "special election" to fill 3 vacant positions on the AVNC Board, the governing body of our local "town government"...Follow the money, my friends, follow the money. That's all I can say at this point in time. Except, I'll say one more thing: watch for the sparrow. Yes indeed, watch for the sparrow, truthseekers.
Yet after the email announcement declaring that there were only four candidates and only one contested position for the board (Resident – Central Atwater) the AVNC "found" two additional candidates that supposedly flied prior to the August 4th deadline...
Arpy Simonian, a long time active and respected member of this community, lost this election. She lost this election not because of lack of community support but because the AVNC miserably failed to properly give her (and voters) proper notice that there was a 2nd candidate seeking her position...
Posted at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
Massive development planned for Griffith Park
One of the more lunatic ideas to come out of L.A. involves our own Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world. In case you aren't familiar: it's hardly the wilderness, but there are actually large tracts of undeveloped land there, hills, hiking trails, and the like. While there are several developed amenities such as the Observatory, Zoo, Greek Theatre, etc. it's also possible to hike for a mile or two without seeing much beyond a closed road or a picnic table or a shed or similar.Now, city leaders are drafting a Master Plan for the park, and it's got some real doozies. I've only checked out the first, but I have little doubt that this partial list (provided by Save Griffith Park) is largely accurate:
- Six multi-level parking structuresThe last idea is particularly insane. No "lighted platform" is needed, just your eyes. If they feel the need to build something like this, do it on Hollywood Blvd. Perhaps they could form a public-private partnership with the organization that owns most of the property there.
- Introduction of traffic into the interior of the Park
- Creation of a hotel, restaurant, culinary school and sports complex in the Park's interior
- Two aerial tramways
- A "pleasure pier" over the L.A. River at Los Feliz Boulevard
- A lighted platform to "view" the Hollywood Sign
The idea of a pier in the L.A. River is likewise nuts. First of all, that's in the only section of the river that isn't just a concrete drainage channel. One wonders what effect that would have on the only portion of the entire river that's slightly "natural". One wonders also how they would do this when the river is only 100' wide or so. And, what happens when flood season rolls around and the river is about to overflow its "banks"?
As for the first, consider this quote from their PDF:
To provide additional parking for Park visitors and consolidate parking for some activity areas, parking facilities with amenities shall be developed, including information centers, transit and trolley facilities, office space and possible recreational facilities...While I don't know whether that was written with lawyerly care or not, it's certainly wide open enough that that "office space" and "meeting space" could turn into office buildings and conference centers.
The tops of all proposed parking garages shall be used for 'green' or recreational/office activities. These can include gardens, sport courts, or Park office/meeting space...
There's a public meeting about this on September 12. If you're in the area I urge you to attend.
My proposal is a bit complex and is sure to be controversial. But, I'm sure it would work. First, we declare no more development in Griffith Park. We'll just maintain it like it is now. Then, we undeclare L.A. to be a sanctuary city for illegal aliens, and we let it be known that we can no longer afford to care for any member of the third world who can sneak into our country. Then, with .0001% of the savings from that, we charter a cruise ship and order it to take four years to circle the globe. Then, we put all of L.A.'s political, business, and media leaders aboard that cruise ship.
Posted at 09:48 PM | Comments (2)
A terrorist cell in Orange County, CA?
According to Fox News' terrorism analyst:
...Al-Muhajiroun has offices in both New York and London. They were the parent organization, the Finsbury Mosque, of the subway bombings. Their leadership in New York was responsible for planning the subway bombings. What we're finding out is that they have a sister organization called Hizb al-Tahrir. And al-Tahrir is, if you will, the operational or training arm, Muhajiroun is the recruiting arm. Now the Russian Secret Service says that Hizb al-Tahrir is the secret radical arm of the Muslim brotherhood... the new elected leader of the terrorist group Hizb al-Tahrir lives in Orange County, California. And that he has direct ties with the same groups in London. In fact, the group, the Islamic Thinkers Society in New York--that used to be the address, the post office box, of Iyad Kilal, also called Abu Tarik. And he lives... in La Habra, California...
Posted at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. Times newsflash: the citizens are angry about illegal immigration
The Los Angeles Times reports in "Anger Boils at Illegal Immigrants" about a meeting held Thursday of last week at Pico and LaCienega sponsored by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson and the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny. The confab was called "Blacks and Hispanics: Allies or Rivals?" The L.A. Times is now free to report that non-PC thoughts were thought, and non-PC statements were voiced. Oh, the horror! The audience of 80 was split between whites, blacks, and Latinos. On the same apparent side as the LAT was Councilman Bernard C. Parks. The subtitle of the LAT piece is "...Calls for tolerance draw jeers." Parks apparently urged the "tolerance", which is apparently a euphemism for "let employers of illegal aliens take advantage of you while I help":...Terry Anderson, a radio host who has long opposed illegal immigration, was one of several panel members who blamed illegal immigrants for, in their opinion, stealing jobs from blacks and crowding schools and neighborhoods to unbearable limits.The article also attempts to cover up Antonio Villaraigosa's past. That's covered in the next post.
"We have been invaded; there's no other word for it," Anderson said.
The audience clapped and cheered.
Debbie Hernandez, a white member of the audience, said: "Blacks are losing their middle-class status because of illegal aliens. I am willing to go to the streets with my brothers and sisters over this."
Sherrie Johnson, a resident of Torrance, told Parks, "You aren't taking a stand for the right side of the argument.
"I believe the purpose of going through the steps to become a citizen is because it protects the country," she said...
Posted at 01:29 PM | Comments (1)
Atwater Village to Home Depot: stop the invasion!
Ah, the fine "liberals" of Atwater Village are fed up and they aren't going to take Home Depot pushing them around anymore. As previously discussed, HD wants to build a store at the old KMart building at San Fernando and Fletcher. Since they already have another HD two miles down S.F. and yet another two miles up S.F., if you were at any point on that street from downtown to northwest Glendale, you'd never be more than a mile from buying some lumber.Now, the burghers have had enough:
...The Home Depot Representatives heard loud and clear from those in attendance that this community does not want their project no matter how they dress it up. Local residents and small business owners clearly stated that Northeast Los Angeles doesn't need another Home Depot and that they'll do whatever they can to derail their invasion of this community.There are several email addresses at the link, including HD reps and L.A.'s own Eric Garcetti. Even if you have absolutely no idea what this is about or where Atwater is, you might want to send an email to at least HD.
Communities in Northeast Los Angeles (like Atwater Village and Glassell Park) deserve something better, such as a development that is compatible with the future satellite campus of the Los Angeles City College. We don't need another BIG BOX that will only exacerbate the already overburdened intersection with more traffic, add to the already existing day labor problem on Fletcher Drive, and force closures of small family businesses...
(And, for those of you who are "newbies", their site is a good example of how us oldtimers did things before blogs and such. Although, I would never ever even consider using text that follows your mouse around. These people should look into getting a blog.)
Posted at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)
Jose Raul Pena's long rap sheet
The previous post "Jose Pena should have just been deported" discussed the Watts man who was recently shot and killed by police during a standoff. His toddler daughter was shot and killed as well. Pena was using her as a human shield during the standoff.
The Los Angeles-based Mexican media, Commies, and various other groups have apparently been trying to portray Pena as a troubled saint.
For the truth, a list of all the crimes he was arrested and/or convicted for is currently here. Archive that page if you want, since that might not be a permalink.
UPDATE: As predicted, that last page has changed. The Pena information appears to be here, here, and here. If there are other pages with this info please leave a link.
Posted at 03:47 PM | Comments (1)
Today in Luke Ford news
Los Angeles blogger, institution, gadabout, journalist, former pr0n producer, etc. Luke Ford is being sued, apparently for posting phone calls he received from a Hollywood producer. Details here. You can also see a copy of Ford's business card here.
UPDATE: According to another site, LukeFord.net might be under a DDOS attack. There's also some backstory here.
Posted at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
Los Angeles-Los Feliz Prius Owner's Club
I was chatting with a young lady driving her Prius earlier today at the gas station at Los Feliz Blvd. and Hillhurst. She told me her car gets 50 miles per gallon! If that's you, of if you're a Prius owner in Los Feliz or the greater Los Angeles area, leave a comment or send an email. Let's make Arianna Huffington proud!
Posted at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
Jose Pena should have just been deported
On July 10th, police shot and killed Jose Pena in Watts as he was engaged in a shootout with them. At the time he was using his toddler daughter as a human shield, and she was killed also.
This has prompted some of the usual sleaze to support the shooter's side, complain about the cops, etc. For instance, from "Video Adds to Picture of LAPD Shootout":
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) released a written statement expressing sympathy for the family and adding: "I just wonder if 11 well-trained police officers, including some from the sharp-shooting elite SWAT team could not have disabled this supposedly crazy and confused man."
And, from "Toddler Shooting Exposes Tensions in L.A.":
Dozens of protesters wave signs branding police as "baby killers." They heckle passing police cars as lines of baton-toting officers keep close watch on the restless crowd...
According to Eric Leonard on KFI, some of these protestors have ulterior motives. Specifically, one of the groups attempting to agitate those in the area is a Communist organization. Even less savory characters - if that's possible - are also trying to agitate that community.
The Mexican media in Los Angeles is also trying to inflame their compadres and supposedly lying through their teeth, trying to portray Pena as a saint.
Not only that, but Pena was an illegal alien with a long history of run-ins with the judicial system. In fact, he was deported back to El Salvador. He came back in 1996, and was subsequently arrested for DUI. All of his run-ins that Leonard mentioned occurred in the City of Los Angeles and were with the LAPD.
Recall that L.A. has a sanctuary policy - called Special Order 40 - and our new mayor recently reiterated that policy.
Note also that local black activist Najee Ali - who was recently arrested for protesting against Mexico's racist stamps in front of L.A.'s Mexican consulate - has been shown video tapes of the incident by police and has since encouraged everyone to remain calm. Apparently he realizes that there's more to this than the anti-American groups have been trying to portray.
7/20/05 UPDATE: In the first (rushed) version I didn't make it clear that he and his daughter were both killed in the shootout, since corrected.
Also, see this for more.
Posted at 05:11 PM | Comments (3)
Sources say: Larry Ellison out of L.A.
The Los Angeles Times' Hot Properties column has done some investigative journalism and wants to know why Oracle CEO and billionaire Larry "Lawrence" Ellison is buying up a bunch of properties in Malibu. In the past two years, Lawrence has spent $180 million for real estate in the beachside enclave, most of it for houses rather than commercial property. Note that Oracle is based in the Bay Area and that's where Ellison lives. The LAT also notes that Larry wants to bring an NFL franchise to our fair town.
My theory is that Lawrence is simply following the lead of one of this idols, Saddam Hussein. He intends to shuttle between these houses to avoid capture by Samurai from rival clans.
See also "Terrifying Larry Ellison plot revealed".
Posted at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
Liberals oppose Home Depot, increased numbers of day laborers
Shockingly, I've recently received an email from the worthies at the Friends of Atwater Village. They're complaining about Home Depot's plans to build yet another store along San Fernando Road. This one would take the place of the old KMart building at Fletcher. Home Depot already has another store at the S.F. Road/Figueroa junction in Cypress Park, and they also have one further north in Glendale near S.F. and Colorado Blvd.
HD wants to demolish the KMart building, build a store, transfer their Glendale employees to the new store while the Glendale location was closed for remodeling, then transfer them back and end up with three HDs all within about 6 miles along one street. So, assuming you were on S.F. Road for some unknown reason, you'd never be more than 1 mile from buying some lumber.
Anyhoo, the FAV have a page about this, which contains the following:
...As of yet, Home Depot has no plans to help abate the problems they would bring to the community. Such problems like increased vehicular traffic on San Fernando / Fletcher Drive and day laborer population... Attract more "day labors" to the area that already can’t accommodate them, like Fletcher Drive...
Previously in Atwater news: "An excerpt from Eric Garcetti's diary".
Posted at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: The L.A. Times covers its bets
The Los Angeles Times has a few reports on the inauguration of Antonio Villaraigosa, and they also offer "Much Unsaid in Villaraigosa's Inaugural Talk". Summary: in his speech, AV had a lot of big ideas, but few details were provided and he's going to have a very difficult task making them happen. The LAT has been a long-time supporter of the former member of a racial separatist group, including ignoring or covering up for his past. So, this might be seen as an attempt to cover their bets when his dreams start being seen as America's nightmare.
The NYT offers "New Mayor's Request to Los Angeles: 'Dream With Me'", which includes this charming bit of extreme pandering:
[NYC Mayor Mike] Bloomberg said he attended the event at the invitation of "Alcalde Villaraigosa," using the Spanish word for mayor.
They also report - without comment - that someone in the crowd at the inauguration was waving a Mexican flag.
And, the Buenos Aires Herald offers us this no doubt charming article:
I wasn't able to see it without spending money, and somehow I don't want to give them anything.
Posted at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: How is he going to pay for all this stuff?
The Los Angeles Times has a 7-screener entitled "Promises, Promises Could Cost L.A. Millions, Billions". $140 million to plant trees? To pay for all of his proposals, former MEChA member and current L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa might propose a half-cent sales tax hike next year. That's not going to sit too very well with some people...
Posted at 12:45 PM | Comments (1)
A Yucaipa earthquake update
In addition to yesterday's shake near Yucaipa (4.9 magnitude), there was an earthquake on Sunday in Anza (5.2). Not only are those two temblors just 25 miles apart, but Anza is 25 miles from the San Andreas fault, and the Yucaipa shaker was just 8 miles from that fault. And, "The Big Quake Question: What Comes After Four?" informs us that "Some scientists believe one earthquake can shake loose, or trigger, another nearby or elsewhere in the world."The Big One is coming.
Previously: "Tremor Watch 2005"
UPDATE: Holy Moley! From "Experts' Heads Shake After Quakes":
Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, believes that the 5.2 Anza quake June 12 probably triggered the 4.9 Yucaipa quake four days later.Everyone must leave California immediately.
She noted that both quakes were within about 25 miles of each other and occurred on secondary faults — the Anza quake near the San Jacinto fault and the Yucaipa around the San Andreas...
[...her fellow seismologist husband disagrees...]
It has long been held that earthquakes relieve pressure on fault lines, potentially decreasing the threat of a massive quake.
But experts said it was not that simple...
Jones said modest earthquakes do relieve some stress and may redistribute it elsewhere, but not in a significant way.
"The net change is a decrease," she said. "But there are some locations where there is an increase."
Posted at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
Tremor Watch 2005
I'm going to go for a 4.5.
EARTHQUAKE WATCH UPDATE: Preliminary results: 5.3 just north of Yucaipa (about 100 miles to the east of EQW HQ). Our Richter Reporters are standing by... [DEVELOPING: downgraded to a 4.9. Given the distance, my estimate was right on target. Plus, hours before the MSM got to the story...]
BREAKING HARD: Our Inland Empire reporting crew informs us that Yucaipa is actually just 70 miles or so east...
BREAKING: *** QUAKE-CRAZED ANIMAL ATTACKS BLOG REPORTER ***
It appears that one of our blog reporters, citizen journalist pioneer Lonewacko, has been attacked by a quake-crazed animal. Where are you now, LW?
"I'm at EQW HQ. However, the incident occurred in Griffith Park."
Are you OK?
"Yes, I appear to be fine, although I'm still a little shaken up."
What happened?
"After the big quake, I decided to go for a hike. I need to keep in shape so I can cover the breaking stories, plus I wanted to head towards high ground in case of a tsunami. Plus, if any rifts opened in the Earth due to the quake, I wanted to be there to cover it. So, there I was, enjoying a bit of a view... when suddenly I was attacked... I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right lower upper arm... I realized that the quake had caused animals to go nuts... in this case it was a member of the Apoidea superfamily that attacked me..."
And, that would be?
"That's a bee, Chuck. I was stung by a bee. However, I'm pretty sure it had been agitated by the tremor."
Posted at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: An Antonio Villaraigosa roundup
There's a roundup of the events and associations that the Los Angeles Times and all other MSM sources refuse to cover here. I'd suggest sending that link to public *at* nytimes.com and onlinenewshour *at* newshour.org and ask them to cover the issues that the LAT, Newsweek, and all the rest conveniently ignore.
Posted at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: what's the SacBee smoking?
I just ran across the 5/18/05 Laura Mecoy article "Villaraigosa wins L.A. mayor's race", which contains this:For instance, he quickly renounced Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or MEChA, a controversial group he joined in college, and avoided the criticism Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante faced after he refused to renounce the organization during his unsuccessful 2003 gubernatorial campaign.Perhaps Mecoy lives in a separate universe or something.
Because, as I recall and as I believe to be accurate in our universe, Antonio Villaraigosa ("AV") didn't renounce MEChA until a week before the election. A local reporter who closely followed the race confirmed that as having been the first time AV renounced that group.
And, that was after refusing to renounce that organization, saying "I was in the Boy Scouts too."
And, four years ago he also refused to renounce that group to a KNX reporter. He played the "help I'm being oppressed" race card at that time.
And, of course, Mecoy's "quickly" is apparently meant in the geological sense, as he was a member three decades ago.
He avoided the criticism because papers like the L.A. Times (and probably the SacBee as well) simply ignored his involvement in suspect causes and groups.
Now, he can move on to renouncing his involvement with a parade which was lead by the Mexican Army band and that concerned demanding rights for Mexican citizens who are in the U.S. illegally. But, wait, that's not the even more shocking association that the LAT and the SacBee can ignore. Details in "AVWatch: Villaraigosa's under-reported associations".
Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
Home Depot, Antonio Villaraigosa, Fernando Guerra, and Microsoft
What a strange, strange titular combination. Fernando Guerra is a Loyola Marymount associate professor and the director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at that school.
He's also a pundit on Los Angeles politics, and he was apparently all over the TV, radio, and newspapers with his various pro-Villaraigosa views.
However, he's also a lobbyist, pulling down $10,000 a month from Home Depot to lobby the Los Angeles City Council about their day laborer sites. Now, go see the previous entry about a newly proposed ordinance that would require all new big box hardware stores to have day laborer sites. An immediate connection? Not known, but, gosh, I think it's highly likely.
Guerra is also a lobbyist for Microsoft for some unknown reason. He also represents real estate developer Richard Meruelo. Antonio Villaraigosa got over $220,000 in donations from Meruelo's family.
My gosh he's busy! He's so busy in fact that I'd suggest getting a large chalkboard and a few boxes of chalk as you read the Daily Breeze article "Questions arise over LMU professor's roles". You're going to need it in order to figure out who's doing what with whom. Of course, who they're doing it to isn't hard to figure out. For that you just need a mirror.
Posted at 11:46 PM | Comments (3)
"...and our day laborer sites won't encourage illegal immigration"
L.A. City Councilman Ed Reyes has proposed a law that would require each new big box hardware store in Los Angeles to have its own day laborer's solicitation site. He didn't make the titular quote, but he might as well have.
In the past, Home Depot has funded several such sites next to its stores, usually with the assistance of the local governments and, of course, "immigrant's rights" groups.
"We want to make sure that all day laborers in the city - despite their legal status - have a place where they can offer their services so that both neighborhoods and day laborers are equally protected... In some instances residents have complained about day laborers in their neighborhoods… and if we provide a specific place for them, we believe that these type of problems will be resolved..."
Incredibly stupid or disingenuous, you decide.
See also: "Arizona tries to stop public funding of illegal alien day laborer centers".
Posted at 02:21 PM | Comments (2)
Newsweek: Racial Power!
This week's Newsweek focuses on racial power, specifically White Power. They cover recent elections won by white people, and suggest that, while White Power is great, in order to win future elections whites need to reach out to other races.
Oh, wait! I got that wrong! This week's Newsweek features Black Power.
Ooops. I've been informed that was wrong too. The cover is actually called "Latino Power". Whew! For a moment there I thought they were discussing the bad kind of racial power. Instead, it's the good kind!
The whole issue is about racial power, and the link is to what we can assume is their flagship article. It states that John Kerry could be president today if he'd won Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. That part is true. However, they're confused over how he could have won. Instead of reaching out to Hispanics by, for instance, being even more Open Borders than he already was, he could have won by stressing the American concept of borders.
It also contains this:
Some Latinos see a political opening in Bush's immigration policies—arguing that the president's guest-worker program, for example, does not do nearly enough to help the community that has shown him so much support.
So, despite what 75% of Americans want, President Bush should be even more "liberal". Then, millions more will come. And, they will presumably have even more power to invite in even more people of their same race. And on and on...
And, of course, there's the issue that the Open Borders policies of both Bush and the Dems actually hurt Hispanics by inviting in millions of cheaper workers to compete for their jobs.
In the same issue there's a guest essay from our old buddy Gregory Rodriguez, which includes the following:
"Villaraigosa, a onetime militant campus activist, fashioned his first race for the mayoralty in 2001 around a labor-left-Latino alliance. He lost. Four years later he broadened his message, built a more ideologically moderate multiethnic coalition and won by nearly 20 percentage points."
Great! Pretending to be a moderate in order to win elections works! But, at least the phrase "onetime militant campus activist" is slightly fact-based, even if it's misleading, implying that his far-left activities are in the past.
Posted at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)
AVWatch: no California border patrols
Welcome to the first installment of Antonio Villaraigosa Watch, a feature that will highlight the thoughts of the new mayor of Los Angeles.Today's feature is "LA mayor-elect breaks with governor on civilian border patrols":
Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he opposes civilian volunteers patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border to discourage illegal immigration, putting him at odds with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.[1] "take the law into their own hands"? Technically, none of the MMP volunteers did so. They called the Border Patrol when they spotted crossers. That phrase also has, of course, negative connotations.
AV: "We need our Department of Homeland Security, which patrols the border ... to address the issue of security... It doesn't make any sense for people to take the law into their own hands." [1]
...It's a three-hour drive from City Hall to the border, but illegal immigration was only a passing issue in the mayoral campaign. [2]
...Mayor James Hahn and Villaraigosa, a city councilman, each called on the federal government to enforce immigration laws. And both said they did not believe police officers should contact immigration officials when illegal immigrants are discovered during traffic stops or arrests.
[2] Part of that is because, of course, none of the candidates except Walter Moore made it an issue. And, Moore was shut out of the more important debates. Another of the main reasons it wasn't an issue is because the local media is too scared and/or corrupt to mention it.
Note that like almost all the other articles on Schwarzenegger's comments, this mention that Bush called the MMP volunteers "vigilantes."
Posted at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
Villaraigosa's magic race shield
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa gets some negative coverage from a surprising source in a surprising place. From Gregory Rodriguez' "Race Is His Magic Shield":In the absence of major policy differences between the candidates in this year's mayoral race, character has moved to center stage. The campaigns of Mayor James K. Hahn and his rival, Antonio Villaraigosa, are both out to prove who is more corrupt. But Villaraigosa has an advantage. His ethnicity has shielded him from tough questions about his character...Hiding behind his magic race shield is not a new thing for the candidate. See how he answered the question about his involvement in MEChA back in 2001. He briefly dropped the shield recently to (for the most part) renounce that organization. If you're voting tomorrow, please do some research and make sure you're voting for the right candidate. I hope that will be Jim Hahn.
During this campaign, many political writers seemed to have taken [Gray Davis' former political hatchet man, Garry South]'s appeal one step further and avoided any questions related to Villaraigosa's character. Is it racist to mention that Villaraigosa flunked the bar exam four times? Is it racist to look into his personal life for character clues? And what about this campaign's version of the Vignali spot — last week's TV ad on Villaraigosa's lone "no" vote in the state Assembly on a bill that upped the penalty for fatally beating a child under 8? Does that play into fears of Latino criminals? Or does it reveal something significant about the candidate's character?...
Posted at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)
Where'd Antonio go?
I used to have an acquaintance whose signature phrase was, "I'll be right back." He'd come back hours or days later. He was also an occasional actor, and I think he'd be perfect for a new round of Antonio Villaraigosa campaign commercials.As a preview of what a Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would be like, reporters wanted to question him about a negative (believe it or don't) article in the L.A. Times. KABC reports:
Hahn again called on Villaraigosa to explain his vote against the Tyler Jaeger Act, which stiffened penalties for child abuse resulting in death.Needless to say, our tireless press corps wanted some answers:
Earlier, Villaraigosa said he voted for a stronger bill, but the Los Angeles Times today reported that legal experts say the other bill was actually weaker...
When reporters tried to question Villaraigosa about The Times story at a campaign stop at a restaurant, he told them he was going to the bathroom and slipped out the back door...Consider it a preview.
"I was at Art's Deli — [AV's spokesman] was not," [Hahn campaign spokesman Jeff Millman] said. "Villaraigosa agreed to answer questions from reporters, but slipped out the back door instead. Even Controller Laura Chick, (Villaraigosa's) lunch companion, didn't know where he went."
Posted at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
Dirt on L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina?
And, it involves SVREP ("Southwest Voter Registration Education Project: Committed to educate Latino communities across the Southwest about the democratic process..."), Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, and the Chicano Studies Department at CSUN?
I'm not going to repeat the supposed dirt here, and I want to stress this is just from an anonymous source and may have absolutely no basis in reality.
Nevertheless, do a find of molina here to see it.
Think of it as yet another important thing for the "journalists" at the L.A. Times to ignore.
Previously: "Who exactly does Gloria Molina work for?"
Posted at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. Daily Breeze endorses Jim Hahn for Los Angeles mayor
They endorsed him during the first round, and they've reiterated their endorsement in the run-off. Read "Credit L.A. mayor on safety, stability, housing" if you aren't convinced already that Hahn's the choice.
Posted at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
Has Antonio Villaraigosa renounced MEChA?
I had no idea this was going on, but UCLA's Bruin Alumni Association has been going to Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign appearances trying to get him to renounce the racial separatist organization MEChA. AV was president of the UCLA chapter of that group. There's much more on their attempts and AV's militant past here.It's finally had an effect:
On May 11, 2005 at a morning campaign press conference in Pacific Palisades, Antonio Villaraigosa was asked for the second time in three days about his ties to MEChA. Two days earlier on Monday at a North Hollywood press conference, Villaraigosa responded flippantly, "I was in the Boy Scouts, too." This time, with the Bruin Alumni Association banner "Renounce MEChA" pressed up against the window of the restaurant where the press conference was occurring, Villaraigosa answered more seriously.Somehow, considering his more recent activities, I'm not entirely convinced.
[translation of a La Opinion article:] While Villaraigosa was speaking inside the restaurant, Mort's Palisades Deli, Andrew Jones, alumnus of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), demanded with a poster that Villaraigosa reject the principles "of reconquista" of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan [MEChA], that the councilman belonged to during his university years. "Most of the young Latinos who attended universities belonged to MEChA," Villaraigosa said. "I am not in agreement with most of its precepts. But in the university, we were all part of that organization. Of course I renounce its philosophy," he said. "I am absolutely surprised," responded Jones. "Cruz Bustamante did not want to do it, and he was attacked for months about it," he added, referring to the recall campaign of 2003.
Posted at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)
Endorsement: Jim Hahn for Mayor of Los Angeles
I know most people don't like him for various reasons, many of which are unfair or trivial.
However, even if you think Hahn is horrible I believe I can guarantee that Antonio Villaraigosa would be far, far worse.
As has been pointed out many times, but, strangely enough, has not yet made the L.A. Times, Villaraigosa is the former president of the UCLA chapter of the racial separatist organization MEChA. Four years ago, a KNX reporter asked him to renounce that organization's goals, and he refused.
Now, to most people the preceding information would be enough. However, I realize Los Angeles is quite a "special" place. Therefore, I ask that you spend some time with google or visiting web sites and try to decide for yourself whether what I'm saying is something you should be concerned about. I strongly think it is, and I think that if you do your research you might be as concerned about these matters as I am. Now, of course, some of the pages and sites are just plain poorly designed. So, I'm also asking a slight indulgence that you'll concentrate on the verifiable facts they present and not the POV or the design.
Here are some links:
MEChA, Villaraigosa And The LA Mayoral Campaign
MayorNo.com horribly designed site, but it has a lot of verifiable information, including audio and video
Villaraigosa congratulating the president of Mexico on helping negate a U.S. law: the L.A. Times thought that was a good thing
And, here's more on Villaraigosa's former organization: Bustamante: The Racist in the Race?, and this and this.
Posted at 11:20 PM | Comments (1)
Poll: Hahn ties Villaraigosa for Mayor of Los Angeles
Via email:The Hahn campaign received wonderful news this week when a voter survey showed the mayoral race tied with only a week-and-a-half remaining before election day. The Tyson Organization, at the request of the campaign, conducted a survey of 1,515 voters who represent those who will turn out for the May 17 mayoral election. (A traditional polling firm usually only talks to 300-400 voters.) There were two questions asked in a blind script:Although Hahn and the L.A. Times won't mention it, Antonio Villaraigosa is also the former president of the UCLA chapter of the racial separatist organization MEChA. You can read more about him here. Those who are moderate Democrats might want to consider what effect it would have on your party if this question is asked by someone who's a) outside of loony-liberal Los Angeles and b) able to ask several follow-up questions.
Are you voting? Who will you support?
Hahn 28.3%
Villaraigosa 27.6%
Undecided 44.1%
For those who have decided, Mayor Hahn wins 50.7% of the vote while Mr. Villaraigosa wins only 49.3%.
The news for Jim Hahn is extraordinary with momentum clearly belonging to L.A.'s mayor. Only one month ago, the L.A. Times commissioned a poll that claimed Councilman Villaraigosa had an 18-point lead. No more.
Posted at 05:12 PM | Comments (1)
Yes, why did Antonio Villaraigosa get $179,000 in campaign contributions from Florida?
In a very good article, Copley News Service wants to know "Why did Floridians give $179,000 to Villaraigosa?" It isn't exactly clear, but man this seems fishy:...Villaraigosa received $179,000 from Florida contributors as of April 5, the end of the city's most recent financial reporting period, with one of every six dollars coming from individuals affiliated with Travel Traders [a Miami-based company that operates hotel gift shops]. Yet some of those contributors had difficulty explaining, or simply refused to say, why they gave $1,000 or more to a mayoral campaign 3,000 miles away.It goes on. Of the three who said they supported Villaraigosa, one did so because Magic Johnson endorsed him. Yet, she gave "her" money 10 days before Johnson issued his endorsement. And, she apparently didn't know anything about Villaraigosa. The other supported AV out of racial grounds.
...Told that Los Angeles City Hall campaign records show that he gave Villaraigosa $1,000 on April 1, [one of the Travel Trader contributors] responded: "Wow. You probably called me at a bad time."
"Let me finish typing up my e-mail and then I'll get back to answering your question," said [the contributor], who put the call on hold and did not return, despite a 20-minute wait. He did not respond to follow-up calls.
...Neither the president nor the general manager of Travel Traders returned calls seeking comment about the contributions, which came from all levels of the company, from top executives to a help-desk manager...
...Moments later, [another contributor] told a reporter to call her in 15 minutes. She never came to the telephone in subsequent calls...
...Travel Traders applications manager Curtis McGough hung up the phone after he was asked about his two $1,000 contributions to Villaraigosa. But three others were more open about their support.
...[yet another contributor] said he learned about the candidate during a meeting held by his company in September.
"It was kind of like a meeting about possible business in Los Angeles," said the 25-year-old analyst, who would not provide additional details. "I'm not sure if a fund-raiser is the right word."
This might have something to do with concessions at LAX. Hopefully there will be a full investigation, but I don't expect much. AV has returned the money from Travel Traders.
Posted at 03:33 PM | Comments (3)
Communist flag flying over Los Angeles' Chinatown
As previously promised ("1000 anti-Japan demonstrators. In Los Angeles?"), I visited Los Angeles' Chinatown earlier today to see the PRC flag that was recently raised there. The flag is flying over a non-descript two story building on Bamboo Lane, which is basically a one-lane alley connecting Hill and Broadway. On Hill going north it's about 1 or 2 blocks south of the 110 onramp.
As can be seen, the sun wasn't helping me. The meter was also running out, my batteries were dying, and my attempts to ask local residents about the flag weren't too successful.
I don't know the Chinese word for 'gaijin', but whatever that is a few of my prospective interviewees were probably saying it to themselves. A few others were helpful but didn't know about the flag. I managed to find one person who commented however. He didn't see it as a pro-Communist so much as a pro-China unification symbol. The communists in China today are not like those of yesteryear according to him. He saw the flag and, as he joined his fingers together, the merging of the two Chinas as a good thing.
I may go there again. I have no doubt that I could find some people who are opposed to the flag no matter the intended meaning if I asked enough people.
Posted at 05:44 PM | Comments (1)
L.A. Times to fire scapegoat; leave everyone else in place
Later today the Los Angeles Fishwrap-Enquirer-Times will be releasing their report on the fate of reporter Eric Slater, who wrote a story about hazing at Chico State. See "The L.A. Times got something wrong?" for the backstory.E&P reports on the latest developments:
Word spread in the newsroom today that Slater had been fired, but Goldstein would neither confirm nor deny that report. "We will communicate as soon as we have a statement to make," she told E&P this afternoon. "At this stage, we have nothing to communicate."Apparently the Times issued a correction on March 31.
Top editors at the paper spent several hours in a closed-door meeting to discuss Slater's future, according to several sources.
Calls to Slater, Editor John Carroll, and Managing Editor Dean Baquet were not returned Monday...
If they get rid of Slater, what of all the rest? What about the numerous other sins of omission and comission? The problem with Slater seems to be that he was just too obvious about it.
Posted at 02:46 PM | Comments (0)
I'll take "Are you an enviro-whacko?" for $2000, Alex
Welcome to today's edition of "How not to write a press release." It features an emission from In Defense of Animals with the title "Activists Ask Jeopardy! Game Show Host Alex Trebec: 'What is wrong with keeping elephants at the L.A. Zoo?'"Los Angeles- On the heels of the first-ever release of medical records indicating the life-threatening physical condition of 47-year-old Gita, one of three elephants suffering at L.A. Zoo, activists will greet television game show host Alex Trebec and zoo guests to highlight the jeopardy elephants are in at the Zoo.It continues on with an exciting discussion of recurring foot infections of zoo elephants. But, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on here. I assume that Alex Trebek is going to be one of the protesters. But, what are the "zoo guests" doing in there? Doesn't that imply that Alex and the zoo guests will be on the same side and will be protested against or in front of? And, doesn't the fact that activists will be asking him questions imply that he's the one being protested against? Is Alex Trebek a supporter of enzooing elephants? Frankly, that's the interpretation that I'd prefer as I'd prefer not to put America/Canada's favorite game show host in the same category as Pamela Ferdin or Linda Blair. If the IDA wants to learn how to write a good enviro-whacko press release, they should learn from the masters:
When: Saturday, March 19th, 8:45 a.m.
Where: Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park at main entrance
Toronto — Wearing nothing but a skimpy toga, wings, and a halo and holding a bow and arrow and a sign reading, "Have a Heart—Boycott KFC," PETA’s sexy Cupid will lead a protest outside a Toronto KFC on Valentine’s Day...Oh yeah, that's good press release.
Posted at 09:36 PM | Comments (1)
L.A. C of C, Antonovich endorse Hahn; Riordan, Harman, others endorse former member of racial separatist organization
The L.A. Chamber of Commerce recently endorsed Jim Hahn for mayor of Los Angeles. One of the two sane L.A. County Supervisors, Mike Antonovich, endorsed Hahn as well:Mayoral contender Antonio Villaraigosa won the support Wednesday of several San Fernando Valley community leaders while incumbent James Hahn picked up the endorsement of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.Meanwhile, in an entirely unsurprising move, former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan apparently continues his support for Antonio Villaraigosa, the former president of the UCLA chapter of the racial separatist organization MEChA. And, Jane Harman also endorsed the candidate who congratulated the former president of Mexico on helping to overturn a California law. On a related note, I see that my endorsement of Jim Hahn for L.A. mayor has been indexed by Google News: Jim Hahn for Mayor of Los Angeles (redstate.org/story/2005/3/9/151538/8394).
Standing in the courtyard of the Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center in Van Nuys, Villaraigosa was endorsed by Richard Close of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, Gordon Murley of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization and Polly Ward of the Studio City Residents Association...
Posted at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
The L.A. Times got something wrong?
"L.A. Times story shocks CSUC officials":A Tuesday L.A. Times article that appears replete with errors, omissions and unnamed sources has left Chico State University officials cringing.The L.A. Times article in question is "Hazing Death Highlights Chico's Greek Life". I don't know if it's been changed since publication or whether it will be changed. But, at post time there's no indication on that page that the facts are in dispute.
The 1,450-word, in-depth piece on Chico's Greek system was a huge disappointment, said university President Paul Zingg Tuesday afternoon...
The quotes from Zingg appear similar to those he made during a February speech to the Greek community following the death of Chico State student Matthew Carrington, but there is no attribution to the local newspapers that alone covered the event. Nor is there mention of the speech...
Rick Rees, associate director of student activities at Chico State, said he spent no more than five minutes speaking to its author. But when he read the article, like other university officials, Rees was surprised by its content. "At one point I thought, Are we sure we're talking about Chico?' " he said...
In further career limiting move news, the AP repeats the disputed facts about Zingg being interviewed by the L.A. Times reporter in the much more upbeat tale "Chico Suspends Fraternity Over Adult Film":
California State University in Chico suspended a fraternity after members admitted they participated in an adult film.UPDATE: See "L.A. Times to fire scapegoat; leave everyone else in place".
The national chapter of Phi Kappa Tau also suspended the school chapter and is investigating the taping several months ago by Shane's World, an adult film producer known for using college students in its videos. The company generally provides the female porn stars for the films...
University President Paul Zingg told the Los Angeles Times that Carrington's death was "the last straw" and that if the Chico fraternity system was found to be beyond repair, he would shut it down.
Posted at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
Was Lonewacko taken in by Phil Hendrie?
Last month I blogged about Phil Hendrie's move from KFI 640AM Los Angeles to the less-powerful and less-popular XTRA 570AM: "More bad news for Phil Hendrie?"
It appears that either based on something Hendrie said, or the radio commercials his wife did, or just based on my own imaginings I might have promulgated some false information. Commentator "Mark" takes me to task in that post:
Hey there, I was just doing a google search for some things regarding Phil Hendrie and I came across your site. This blog (below) that you did is pretty inaccurate. Firstly, Phils wife is named Maria, I dont' think he's ever tried to hide her name? I don't know where you got that from.Secondly, as far as I know, General Johnson Jameson AND Combover boy don't even exist. They're made up by Phil Hendrie. Combover boy is actually a mock of another radio personality I won't even mention his name.
Thirdly, on the move to the sports channel, it was PHIL HENDRIES CHOICE! Dude, do you even listen to his show? He's only said that like 10,000 times in the last month.
Anwyays, I hope this clears some things up for you, but from your blog, it appears you don't really even understand his show... take care.
Needless to say, that comment caused me to do some googling of my own. It turns out that Mark was right, and I was wrong. I apologize to each of my bloggees, and I pledge to do a better job of checking sources and verifying information in the future.
UPDATE: That was quick! "Mark" confirms that he is indeed monitoring my blog for inaccurate Phil Hendrie-related materials and that he's glad that I've issued this correction. He also informs me that he's the head of the new group entitled the "Citizen's Internet Patrol", which is dedicated to correcting misinformation - Hendrie-related or not - on the Internet. The "CIP" is apparently an offshoot of Jay Santos' "Citizen's Auxiliary Police" organization, and "Mark" is second in command to Major Elvis Newton in this new group. We wish them the best in this new venture!
UPDATE 2: This is certainly... awkward. I'm informed in the comments that "Jay Santos" is yet another Phil Hendrie character. I have confirmed this using google. I apologize for the confusion, and I once again reiterate my pledge to confirm sources and verify information.
Posted at 11:26 AM | Comments (2)
Endorsement: Jim Hahn for Mayor of Los Angeles
Barring a challenge by Bob Hertzberg, it looks like May's run-off election will be a repeat of that from four years ago, with Antonio Villaraigosa vs. the incumbent Jim Hahn.
I strongly endorse Jim Hahn and I urge you to support him. While Hahn has his faults, they are insignificant in comparison to the effect that Villaraigosa would have on Los Angeles, California, and the U.S.
For an example of what might happen, consider this bit from August 1999:
...Two weeks ago, Antonio Villaraigosa, Speaker of the California Assembly and a leading candidate to be L.A.'s first modern Latino mayor, publicly thanked Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo for having "great impact in defeating Proposition 187" (the anti-illegal-immigration measure that passed in 1994 with almost 60 percent of the vote but has since been killed in the courts). The Los Angeles Times's story quoted Mexico's Deputy Foreign Minister, Juan Rebolledo, to the effect that Villaraigosa "gave [Zedillo] thanks on behalf of Mexican Americans." The Times then waxed enthusiastic about how Villaraigosa's comments heralded the "rise of a new phenomenon: cross-border politics," and what one expert called the "silent integration" of California and Mexico.
But there were at least four things conspicuously wrong with what Villaraigosa said: 1) It wasn't true; Zedillo didn't have a "great impact." Prop. 187 was struck down by a federal judge and then abandoned by the newly-elected Democratic Governor, Gray Davis -- a 187 opponent -- who "settled" the lawsuit by basically letting the judge's ruling stand; 2) Zedillo is head of a foreign power -- do we want American politicians encouraging him to meddle in California's affairs, especially to overturn the will of California voters? 3) Why thank Zedillo "on behalf of Mexican Americans?" Villaraigosa is Speaker of the state assembly -- doesn't he represent all Californians (many of whom were non-Mexican-Americans who opposed 187)? Villaraigosa's bald appeal to cross-border ethnic solidarity would be troubling even if it hadn't had a triumphalist "we beat the gringos" undertone. Mexican diplomat Robelledo said "I was surprised he was so explicit;" and 4) Zedillo's government is not exactly a model deserving of fawning flattery...
Is there really much more to add?
But, in case you need more, see MEChA, Villaraigosa And The LA Mayoral Campaign. (Villaraigosa is the former president of the UCLA chapter of MEChA.) For more on the general movement of which Villaraigosa is a part, see this, this, or this.
Expect the L.A. Times, L.A. Daily News, and other papers to continue to ignore Villaraigosa's past. You can help by writing them and suggesting they tell their readers the whole truth for a change.
Posted at 12:02 PM | Comments (3)
What are John & Ken thinking?
L.A. political activist Hal Netkin wants to know. Why are KFI's John & Ken supporting Bob Hertzberg for mayor of Los Angeles? Isn't he on the board of MALDEF, the Ford Foundation-funded, pro-Mexico organization that has continuously supported illegal immigration?
MALDEF helped block California's Prop. 187 and they tried to block Arizona's Prop. 200. They claim to have received "moral support" from Mexico in the latter effort. Recall that Mexico has publicly stated that they were going to be paying U.S. lobbyists and work with think tanks to support Mexico's emigration policies.
Perhaps what John & Ken have in mind is the same thing I do: the most important issue is to beat Villaraigosa. Perhaps they think Hertzberg is the only one that can do that. I certainly don't think Walter Moore could do it, and if he were in the run-off with Villaraigosa he (and Los Angeles) would lose big. And, perhaps John & Ken think that someone who's on the board of a pro-illegal immigration group is better than the alternative.
As for me, I support Hahn. But, if someone can make the convincing case that only Hertzberg could beat Villaraigosa (the former chairman of the UCLA chapter of MEChA), I'd be willing to change my mind.
Posted at 08:41 PM | Comments (1)
Who can beat Villaraigosa?
That's the key question voters should ask themselves regarding the L.A. Mayoral race.
If there is indeed currently a three-way race, there will be a run-off. Assuming Parks and Alarcon are out of the running, and making the somewhat dubious assumption that Walter Moore is in the running, here are the six possibilities:
AV - BH: AV might lose
AV - JH: AV might lose
AV - WM: AV would probably win
BH - JH: BH would probably win
BH - WM: BH would probably win
JH - WM: JH would probably win
Legend:
AV = Villaraigosa
BH = Hertzberg
JH = Hahn
WM = Moore
If Parks withdraws and throws his support to AV, that would create a major problem.
If Alarcon takes votes away from AV, that would be a good thing.
Posted at 03:15 PM | Comments (1)
"Why the L.A. Mayoral race matters to you"
I just posted "Why the L.A. Mayoral race matters to you" (redstate.org/story/2005/3/1/142623/6541). Please leave your Machiavellian suggestions at that link.
Posted at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
Does Walter Moore stand a chance?
Despite an all-out attempt by the Los Angeles media to deny that he exists, does Republican candidate for mayor of L.A. Walter Moore stand a chance of getting into the run-off? See "Will Los Angeles Choose Moore... or Opt for More of the Same?" for the wishful thinking. If someone has independent indication that Walter Moore is about to stage an upset, please post it in the comments. Otherwise, I will continue lending my very influential vote to Jim Hahn, the only one in the race who stands a chance and who isn't a member of the board of MALDEF or a former member of a racial separatist organization.
Posted at 02:46 PM | Comments (1)
We knew this day would come
L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti has a blog.
Previous coverage of Garcetti in "To protect, serve, and constantly monitor", "Los Angeles is the Ellis Island of the West Coast", and "An excerpt from Eric Garcetti's diary".
Posted at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)
Johnnie! is back to save Los Angeles
Johnnie! Cochran's firm is suing the City of L.A. over case of 13-year-old Devin Brown who was recently shot by the LAPD. AP report: "Johnnie Cochran's firm files claim over LAPD shooting of teen".
See also this commentary on the case: "Commentary: Slain Teen Didn’t Just Die at Cop’s Hands, but by Those of L.A.’s Black Community".
And, from 2002 but quite apt, see "Murder in L.A." by Larry Elder.
Posted at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
Storm Watch 2005: Cleaning the L.A. River with a wash-backwash cycle type of scheme
The majestic L.A. River was running fast earlier today. The water was a few feet above normal, with some whitecaps caused by the wind and various obstructions. However, the water level was falling since the latest storm appears to have abated.
Whilst a-biking riverside, I thought of at least two things:
1. Wouldn't it be nice if no one else has thought of the slogan "Musty TV" as a play on "must-see TV"? It appears I was wrong.
2. Continuously confronted by various large clumps of garbage on the river side and stuck in the branches of the trees in the middle of the river, I pondered ways to clean up the mess. A large wire net could be suspended between two trucks on opposite sides of the river. The trucks would slowly drive up-river, and the net would shake the garbage loose and leave it to flow downstream. Alternatively, arrows with attached wires could be shot at the trees. The wire would be pulled back and forth to shake out the garbage, and then the arrow could be pulled free.
However, the best idea would be to install large cement locks at various spots on the river. During a storm, the locks would be closed, forcing the river water to flow back upstream. Then, the locks would be opened to let the water flow back to sea. Repeated enough times, this might create a wash-backwash type of cycle somewhat similar to that in agitator-driven washing machines.
Posted at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)
"Hertzberg vs. Villaraigosa"
In a Sunday editorial, the L.A. Times says, "...the people of Los Angeles would be well served by a runoff election between Bob Hertzberg and Antonio Villaraigosa...",
Yes, indeed.
The former president of the UCLA chapter of the racial separatist organization MEChA facing off against a current board member of MALDEF. In the wacky world of the L.A. Times, that would indeed be a good thing.
On a humorous note, the LAT also mentions that Bob Hertzberg wants to build a tunnel under the San Gabriels, and that appears to be one of his less loony ideas.
No matter his faults, Jim Hahn is the only real choice in this election. Walter Moore can't win, and Bob Hertzberg or Antonio Villaraigosa would be devastating for the city and the state.
Posted at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
[audio] The latest L.A. Mayoral debate
You can listen to the latest Los Angeles mayoral debate here. That debate was held on the Doug McIntyre show on KABC radio.
Posted at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)
Is it a "Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act" or just a vast NPS land-grab?
You decide: look at the map here. The National Park Service wants to convert huge swaths of land surrounding various Los Angeles-area valleys into wildlife corridors to be administered by the NPS.
The "Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act" - sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff [D-CA] - would commission a study on this issue. Would the study be biased towards what the NPS wants?
More information on these plans here, here, and here.
See also 2/9/05's "Senate OKs study of Rim of the Valley":
A key U.S. Senate committee gave the go-ahead Wednesday to legislation that would allow the federal parks system to embrace a half-million new acres of mountains surrounding the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys.
Local officials hailed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passage of the Rim of the Valley bill, even as land rights organizations warned that local residents have been misled about the wide-ranging impact of the legislation.
The bill directs the Interior Department to study whether the so-called Rim of the Valley Corridor should be included as part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area...
Also see 2/12/05's "Valley Rim plan opposed".
I note also the artificial-looking corridor running from Griffith Park to near downtown and then back up towards the San Gabriels. I'm sure there are many wolves, bears, and other furry critters who would make the mostly concrete-encased L.A. River part of their migration paths.
Posted at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. Mayoral debate, Tues. 2/15 7am on KABC radio
...McIntyre in the Morning will present the candidates in a live forum to discuss the issues you care about most. Mayor James Hahn will be joined by rivals Bob Hertzberg, Richard Alarcon, Bernard Parks, Walter Moore and Antonio Villaraigosa. McIntyre in the Morning is heard weekdays from 5-9AM, the Conversation with the Candidates will begin at 7AM...
You can submit questions for the candidates using the address here.
Please suggest that the candidates get asked about their respective information at mayorno.com
Posted at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
"In Black L.A., Reaction Is Strong but Complex" gets letters
The L.A. Times recently published an article about the shooting of a 13-year-old car theft suspect in South Central L.A. Here's the mailbox:
I live in South-Central Los Angeles and just spent the last two evenings at a combination of streetside memorials for Devin Brown and community meetings to plan how to respond to the latest killing by the Los Angeles Police Department...
If one city official had bothered to show up at the widely advertised protest meetings, he would have heard people's suggestions for what to do about the abysmal state of police-community relations. He would have heard unanimous approval of an economic boycott of Los Angeles until the police department, whose policy promotes the beating and killing of poor people of color, is held accountable... [etc. etc. etc.]
Marian Sunde
Los Angeles
Intrigued, I googled her name and came up with this. If that's the same person, she was a candidate for the Peace & Freedom party a few years ago:
The Peace and Freedom Party, founded in 1967, is committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism and racial equality. We represent working class people: the employed, the unemployed, people on welfare, the undocumented, the homeless, the incarcerated, retired workers, students and youth, and armed forces enlisted people, of all ethnicities, religions, languages, cultures and sexual orientations -- those without capital in a capitalist society.
Nothing wrong with that, I'm just providing that little bit of extra info.
Another letter about this isn't so bad, but the third is embarrasingly bleeding-hearted.
Posted at 02:04 PM | Comments (1)
JimHahn.org wins national "award"
Believe it or don't:
Mayor Jim Hahn today announced that his campaign Web site -- www.jimhahn.org - received the Pollie Award for best Web site by a city, municipal, or regional candidate. The annual Pollie Awards are sponsored by the American Association of Political Consultants...
...The Hahn campaign Web site was designed in collaboration with Constituents Direct, a locally-based Internet firm that specializes in political Web sites and e-communication.
I alread pointed out in "I want to be %OFFICE_NAME% of %CITY_NAME% in %YEAR%!" that his site not only look generic, it appears to be based on a generic template. Methinks these awards are closer to "awards."
Despite that, this blog supports Hahn for Mayor. The alternatives would be far, far worse.
See also the post "Bob Hertzberg Cyber-stalks Opponents on Google". If anyone deserves a web award it's Bob Hertzberg. Your blogger volunteered to set up a blog for Hahn but after a couple phone calls no request was forthcoming. Maybe next cycle we'll see the end of candidates who just don't get this 'Net thing.
Posted at 01:07 PM | Comments (0)
Hertzberg gets Riordan endorsement in race for L.A. mayor
From this:
Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan endorsed the mayoral campaign of Bob Hertzberg on Thursday, saying he favored the former state Assembly speaker's plan to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Riordan, who now serves as the state secretary of education, appeared on KFI-AM's "The John and Ken Show" and praised Hertzberg's plans for education and traffic, including a platform to allow more residents to work from home...
Riordan's announcement was not entirely unexpected, since he is close to Hertzberg and his wife, Nancy Daly Riordan, already serves as a co-chairwoman of the Hertzberg campaign. Still, the move was a switch from the 2001 election, when Riordan backed then-candidate Antonio Villaraigosa in the runoff against Hahn...
Hahn campaign adviser Kam Kuwata [said] Hahn has been "opposed by Riordan through much of his public life."
"I hope (Riordan) spends two days touring Los Angeles saying Hertzberg's the guy, since that did such a great service to Antonio in 2001," he added...
Of course, what the article doesn't mention is that Bob Hertzberg is a board member of MALDEF, an organization that I consider explicitly anti-American.
More on MALDEF here, here, and here.
Posted at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
"Cuts to hit L.A. hard"
Apparently it's NYT Old Skool day (*) over at the Daily News: "Cuts to hit L.A. hard: Cops, women's programs slashed". Despite the title it's of interest:
President George W. Bush's lean $2.57 trillion budget plan to beef up the U.S. military comes at the expense of Southern California's ability to hire more cops, help battered women and clean its drinking water.
The proposed 2006 budget slashes programs considered vital by local officials, including Los Angeles' Community Oriented Policing program, used to hire more police, and community block grants that fund low-income housing and other social services...
Bush also slashed the COPS program, which provides grants for state and local agencies to hire police officers, from $499 million to $22 million...
And, as expected, the budget offers no money for a federal program that reimburses state and local governments for the cost of jailing criminal illegal aliens. That burden costs Los Angeles County $80 million to $100 million annually, officials say.
While wildfire protection funding through Bush's Healthy Forest initiative increased $56 million, a tree assistance program that has provided help to Southern California was zeroed out, and no funding was requested for Southern California earthquake assistance...
Posted at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
More bad news for Phil Hendrie?
The Cortislim Curse?
Phil Hendrie is being shuffled from Los Angeles' KFI to another L.A. Clear Channel station, Xtra Sports 570AM starting February 21. This follows him getting separated from his wife. His wife occasionally had no name, but rest assured she's the wife of a famous radio personality. Both Phil and his unnamed wife lost weight taking Cortislim.
KFI's schedule will be John & Ken, followed by John Ziegler moving from 10pm to 7pm, followed by Coast To Coast AM moving from 1am to 10pm. The last is actually good news.
On Xtra, Hendrie will follow the Jim Rome Show, which will be followed by Gen. Johnson Jameson, who's getting his own show. Hendrie will be followed by the Combover Boy show.
If I subscribed to this site (why?) I'd probably know what's really going on.
This apparently is part of a general reshuffling being performed by Clear Channel and including their new "progressive" station 1150AM KTLK featuring Air America.
UPDATE: Billboard has a blurb. Apparently Hendrie is on other sports stations, so maybe this isn't as bad news as it might appear.
Posted at 08:26 PM | Comments (3)
Air America is back in Los Angeles
It's only been back for a few days, and I've already learned so much. Details about their new station in BoreAmerica's "Air America back in Los Angeles".
Posted at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
"If you've got nothing to hide, still be worried"
In line with the last post, here's a guest column in the Daily News that bears some similarity to an experience I had a couple years ago:
I opened my front door, and there before me were four -- count 'em -- four representatives of law enforcement, two LAPD detectives and two special agents from the State Department. Yes, that State Department. My hands shot up instinctively.
After being instructed to lower my hands, one of the detectives got down to business. "Were you on Wilshire Blvd. near La Cienega last week?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Were you taking photographs of a building?"
"Yes."
"Why were you photographing the building?"
I explained that I'm a business consultant, that I had just met with a client, and that I was photographing the building where his office was to use in his marketing materials...
Posted at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)
To protect, serve, and constantly monitor
Last October, the L.A. City Council, lead by Councilman Eric Garcetti, proposed installing five surveillance cameras on Hollywood Blvd., with 59 more to follow on Hollywood, Sunset, Santa Monica, and Western. According to an LAPD spokesman at the time: "people are ready to feel more secure in their communities. I think they are willing to give up a little bit ... for more security."
On January 24 2005, the cameras arrived [PDF version]:
Mayor Jim Hahn was joined today by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, and City Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge to unveil the first of five surveillance cameras that will supplement and enhance Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) efforts to reduce crime and increase the quality of life for residents and visitors to the Hollywood Area...
..."Our two cities are committed to sharing strategies and techniques to deter criminals and improve the quality of life of all our residents," said Mayor Daley. "Cameras are the equivalent of thousands of sets of eyes..."
..."Cameras have already met with great success in Los Angeles," said Councilmember Eric Garcetti. "This neighborhood has fought its way back to become L.As number one place to live, work and visit. These cameras will give Hollywood added security and make residents and visitors feel safer..."
But, that's not the only new camera system the LAPD is working on:
The Los Angeles Police Department is testing a camera system that could improve its chances of arresting car thieves.
The system uses mobile digital cameras to scan up to two thousand license plates per hour and compare them to a database of stolen vehicles. The scans offer virtually instantaneous results, meaning an officer is alerted the moment the system focuses on the plate of a vehicle that has been reported stolen.
Police first tested the device in the San Fernando Valley during the busy Christmas shopping season...
A longer story about this, including ACLU quotes and some backstory of surveillance cameras, is in "Cameras after gangsters". It includes these quotes from LAPD Chief Bill Bratton:
"I'm not worried about [privacy arguments] at all," he said. "It's public spaces -- just as you and I are able to see with our eyes.
"If you're not wanted for something, you have nothing to fear."
The press release from the British company that's supplying the Platescan technology is here.
Inventive readers are invited to speculate on how we could be even safer. See also the Surveillance Camera Players.
Posted at 12:29 PM | Comments (0)
King/Drew Stripped of Accredited Standing
Posted at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
Let the sob stories begin
The L.A. Times offers us 'I'm Sorry. . . . I Didn't Mean It.' Subtitle: Juan Manuel Alvarez showed up at the front door bloody and holding a scissors blade. Blocks away, bodies lay inside mangled trains.
The first thing I thought of - well, actually the second thing after "who cares, let's just fire up Ol' Sparky" - was that some people might assume a story like this would have been planted by his defense attorney. Now, despite several indications to the contrary, the LAT does have some journalistic standards, so I'd imagine they thought this one up themselves.
What comes next? Celebrities speaking out on his behalf? Is "free-alvarez.com" still available?
Posted at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)
'Heal A Child. Plant A Tree.'
From this:
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaragosa spoke at Friday Night Live January 14. He was particularly vapid.
He urged us to "go speak to someone who doesn't speak your language."
If you don't share a language with somebody, how can you speak to them? If you happen to be bilingual and share a language, then your second language is your language.
Antonio urged us to "heal a child. And plant a tree."
He said "mitzvah" meant a deed of kindness, when it really means a divine obligation. It is mitzvah to not eat pork, but that is no deed of kindness unless you are a pig.
Antonio described America as "a country founded on slavery."
(Via a comment here.)
Posted at 03:31 PM | Comments (0)
Surveying L.A.'s storm damage
I didn't spend too much time surveying the damage from the recent heavy rains, but I did take my camera with me on today's hike in Griffith Park.
The park had been closed until today because of various factors including a downed tree on Riverside/Crystal Springs. There didn't appear to be too much damage on the fire roads and trails except for a few small mudslides and some downed trees.
The edges of the fire road that heads from the ranger station on Crystal Springs to Five Points were collapsed a few inches in places, as if they were about to go.
The hogsback trail that heads from near Five Points to Mt. Hollywood had very little damage. A few of the ruts were a little larger than before and there were a few small mudslides, but that's about it.
Herewith a few pictures.
Mt. Baldy partially obscured by smog:
"Two Sinkholes":
Two more pictures are in the extended entry.
A charming little lake I've dubbed Lake St. Louis Encephalitis:
A section of hillside (just below the center of the picture) about 100' high and maybe 5' deep appears to have just sheared away:
Posted at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
Walter Moore Debate Video
Video of the L.A. mayoral debate featuring Republican Walter Moore as well as normals Richard Alarcon, Bob Hertzberg, and Bernard Parks is here. I would have gone to the debate but I forgot all about it.
Posted at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)
"Old, and rude, habits die hard for L.A. City Council"
From this:
It was the Los Angeles City Council's first day back in session since an appellate court chastised it for failing to pay attention to the public during its meetings.
But so far, it didn't look like a whole lot had changed.
As they discussed tsunami relief and rewards for crime victims, council members Tuesday continued their practice of walking around, using cell phones and talking to aides while they carried out the public's business...
"It was like the first day back to school after Christmas break." [Janice Hahn said.]
...Indeed, as Councilman Tom LaBonge was asking the city's emergency preparedness staff about the tsunami disaster in Asia, most of the council members had left their chairs.
Councilman Dennis Zine got on his cell phone, while Hahn went into the audience to speak to an aide.
Councilman Bernard Parks carried on a lengthy conversation with a former colleague, while others went missing completely.
Hahn defended her actions, saying she was having a private debate with her aide over whether to speak on the tsunami issue.
And LaBonge said he had no problem with so few of his colleagues sitting in their seats while he spoke.
"What bothers me at the end of the day is if we don't get our work done," he said...
Previous coverage here.
Posted at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
I want to be %OFFICE_NAME% of %CITY_NAME% in %YEAR%!
L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn's site appears to be (finally) operational. Here, have some headshots.
The problem is that the site appears quite generic. In fact, based on the structure of the URLs used by the site, it appears to use the same coding as many other sites from politicians. Perhaps it's just ColdFusion alone, or some kind of CMS built using ColdFusion.
What it needs is some kind of a blog or discussion forum that would lift it from the level of being a static, one-way site. Developing...
Posted at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)
Welcome visitors from ChangeLA.com!
I got a referrer hit from changela.com, the website of L.A. Mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg. I was a bit shocked, but I thought I might have been added to his blogroll by mistake or out of a sense of balance or something.
My response was going to thank them for the hits, and suggest that visitors from that blog click here.
Alas, it appears to have just been a sitemeter problem. Perhaps a "referrer" doesn't have to be from a link, it just could be the last site the person (in this case at usc.edu) was viewing.
Oh well. I guess I'll have to get hits elsewhere. In any case, check this out.
Posted at 04:15 PM | Comments (1)
L.A. City Council: Stop "multitasking", start paying attention
From this:
A three-judge panel ruled Thursday that the Los Angeles City Council must hold a new hearing on a controversial strip club because its members were too busy eating, talking on the telephone or doing other activities to listen to the public's testimony...
...Neighborhood activists from across the city have long complained that council members -- as well as the county Board of Supervisors -- show a lack of respect to them at their meetings. The issue surfaced repeatedly in 2002, when community leaders in the Harbor Area, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley tried to break away and form their own cities...
...A spokeswoman for City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said the city is studying the decision. But Councilman Dennis Zine defended his colleagues, saying their jobs require that they sign documents, read reports and hold other conversations even while meetings are taking place.
"We're basically multi-tasking," he said. "Good, bad or indifferent, that's unfortunately what's required to keep pace with the activities taking place in the council."
Councilwoman Janice Hahn struck a more conciliatory note, saying she and other council members should try harder to give the public their undivided attention. Still, she argued that she listens even while she talks privately with a colleague.
"I can only speak for myself, but if I'm eating, I certainly am listening," she added...
...Diamond said the council's behavior gives the public the impression that council meetings are "fixed," with all of its decisions being arranged in advance. The real business, he argued, is conducted behind the scenes with lobbyists and political allies...
Posted at 11:44 AM | Comments (1)
"L.A.'s Mayoral Debates Notable for Man Who Isn't There"
As previously noted not just once or twice but thrice, both of L.A.'s mayoral debates have reflected L.A.'s rich political spectrum: all five candidates who were invited to the debates were Democrats.
Now, this is getting a bit of attention from the minor MSM:
So far, there have been two televised debates for L.A.'s 2005 mayoral election. In each, the supposedly reform-minded sponsors took the path of expediency by inviting only professional politicians. For all the talk among liberals and reformers about demanding that free air time be provided to candidates, when push came to shove the League of Women Voters and the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters excluded all the unfunded and underfunded candidates from their debates.
We got to see Mayor James Hahn go up against four challengers. Missing were seven other people who have qualified to be on the March primary election ballot.
The ones invited were all men and interestingly enough, all Democrats. The one Republican who might make a respectable showing was pointedly excluded...
One might have thought that given a chance, the League of Women Voters and the L.A. League of Conservation Voters would at least take a stab - just one tiny little shot - at this most sacred of liberal goals. Why not let some of the small-money candidates come to the party too? Let them try to sell their ideas. Give them a chance to have their say with the voters. Perhaps one or two, untainted by the stain of political contributions, would surface as legitimate candidates.
That didn't happen. Whoever they are, whatever they would try to communicate, they were excluded.
When questioned about the choice of who gets to participate and who doesn't, the debate sponsors' answer comes down to one dreary little word, a word that aptly summarizes the conflicted motives in our liberal universe.
That word is viable...
Posted at 11:02 AM | Comments (1)
"ID System Gets in Face of Criminals"
The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking half a million dollars from the federal government to expand the use of advanced facial-recognition systems to identify criminal suspects.
Police officials say the technology could be an important step in fighting crime.
"It's like a mobile electronic mug book," said Rampart Division Capt. Charles Beck. "It's not a silver bullet, but we wouldn't use it unless it helped us make arrests."
Civil liberties advocates are less enthusiastic about the technology, questioning its reliability and the privacy issues it raises...
Similar (re-written?) AP report here.
Posted at 09:37 PM | Comments (0)
Pictures of the collapsed KFI tower
On the 19th a small plane hit the 750' tower of radio station KFI in La Mirada. The two people aboard the plane were killed in the crash, but the tower caused little damage on the ground.
Pictures of the collapsed tower are here, here, and here. A previous picture of the tower is here.
Posted at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)
Walter Moore no longer joke candidate
The L.A. mayoral candidate has loaned his campaign $100,000.
Maybe now the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters will change their mind and invite him to their Dec. 21 debate.
(Via this)
Posted at 12:35 AM | Comments (0)
No Republicans please, we're Angelenos
At the first Los Angeles Mayoral debate, the five candidates who were invited to speak represented Los Angeles' rich political spectrum: all were Democrats.
Those same five Democrats are the only candidates who have been invited to the second debate, which is being sponsored by the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters.
On Friday, I spoke with David Allgood from the League. He indicated that Walter Moore - the "leading" Republican in the race - had not been invited because he hadn't met their test of "viability." According to Allgood, Moore only has $8,000 in his campaign chest. Furthermore, the fact that he's running as a Republican in a non-partisan race raised their suspicions.
While I don't favor Moore, he probably would have raised points that the other candidates would not. I suspect that's one of the unstated reasons why he's being shut out of these debates.
Here's the blurb on the second debate:
JOIN Mayoral hopefuls Antonio Villaraigosa, Bob Hertzberg, Richard Alarcon, Bernard Parks and incumbent James Hahn as they share their views on the environment on December 21, 2004, 6:00 p.m., Bing Auditorium, L.A. County Museum of Art at 5905 Wilshire Blvd (Wilshire east of Fairfax). A panel of environmental activists will ask questions on a host of environmental issues. This event will be taped and televised by Channel 36. KABC will air an edited version on December 26, Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. KCET and KPFK will also air the event. BE THERE WHEN THIS MUCH-AWAITED MAYORAL FORUM ON THE ENVIRONMENT HAPPENS!
RSVP to mayorevent@lalcv.org or call (310) 441-7663.
Posted at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)
Racist oppressors refuse to fund King/Drew Medical Center!
The LAT - yes, the DogTrainer-Enquirer - punctures that myth:
For years it has been a heartfelt cry: "This hospital desperately needs more money!"
Whenever Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center is criticized, as it often is, the response from supporters is the same. They say Los Angeles County leaders never wanted King/Drew built in the first place and have been trying to starve it ever since...
..."You know damn well the county knows what we need," said "Sweet Alice" Harris, long revered for her charitable efforts in South Los Angeles' black and Latino neighborhoods. "My problem is: Why is it that they don't love the poor people and want to help them? We're the first to be cut and the last to be rewarded."...
... The numbers, however, tell a different story. Though widely believed, the notion that King/Drew is being shortchanged is false.
The medical center spent more per patient than 75% of the public and teaching hospitals in California, according to a 2002 state audit that looked at fiscal year 2000...
...King/Drew's problem is not the amount of money it gets but the way the money is squandered, according to audits, financial records, legal filings and dozens of interviews...
[...list of examples...]
...Some employees habitually fail to show up, logging weeks, even months, of unexcused absences each year. And those who do come to work often don't do their jobs, causing one consultant in 2002 to remark that they had "retired in place."...
Posted at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
Winter Storm Watch 2004!
Paraphrasing KCAL:
"Welcome to Winter Storm Watch 2004! We've got Team Coverage [TM]! Now, let's go to Clint Brockman in Pacoima"
"Thanks Dave... the freeway's dry since the rain stopped at 6:30pm. Back to you, Dave!"
"Thanks Clint. Now, let's go to Stacy Smith at the Rim of the World Highway!"
"Thanks Dave. I'm at 5500' on the Rim of the World Highway! I don't know if you can see it, but we have a dusting of snow on the ground... [...camera pans to ground...] But, it is windy here. Now, back to you, Dave!"
"Thanks Stacy! That should give you an idea of just how bad it is out there!"
Posted at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)
Live-blogging the Flagstaff Mayoral Debate
Wait! It's not the Flagstaff Mayoral Debate, it's the Los Angeles Mayoral Debate. The chintzy set and the low-wattage politicians had me fooled for a minute. (No offense to the attractive and welcoming city of Flagstaff.)
The debate puts Los Angeles' political spectrum in sharp focus. All five candidates are Democrats. In any other debate, the absence of a Republican might be a bit glaring. Not so to the sponsors of the debate, including KNBC and perhaps the League of Women Voters.
Walter Moore - said Republican - stands no chance whatsoever. However, at the least he could have raised points that the other candidates won't. That's probably the main reason he was excluded.
Note that this blog is not endorsing Walter Moore, for various reasons including an email I sent him and the response I received, which indicated to me that he's tone-deaf. But, most importantly, everyone needs to vote for Jimmy Hahn because his competitors (with the possible exception of Bernard Parks) are horrible. I don't often throw around the term "anti-American," but I think there are one or two candidates who might at least partially fit that description. Parks has played the race card, which is a strong suit against him. Thus, I strongly, urgently suggest everyone vote for Hahn. Even if he's the Devil Incarnate, he's better than the others.
As for the debate, the candidates are currently being asked questions that boil down to, "how much of that wonderful socialism are you going to treat us to?" Given the facts above and in the earlier post, I don't really care about the debate, and I have just this to say: Vote for Hahn!
UPDATE: Herzberg has a little fire. The Ronstadt guy (from Spanish-language KWHY) is flinging out what is literally a shibboleth. He's prefacing each question with "buenos noches." The goal is simple: get a response back, preferably verbal. The response will then indicate whether a candidate is Hispanifriendly.
Now it's heating up! Hahn to Herzy: "I'm not going to take any lectures from you... get your facts straight." I haven't looked in to the Fleishmann-Hillard affair, so I don't know who's telling the truth. Who cares? Vote for Hahn!
UPDATE 2: How we're going to bring the NFL back to L.A. and how we're going to do something about L.A.'s traffic are certainly interesting and important questions. However, perhaps for the next debates we won't avoid a small elephant in the room.
Posted at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)
Backstage at the L.A. Mayoral debate
- I'll be somewhat live-blogging it tonight at 7pm. I haven't been following L.A. politics recently, but I'll do my best.
- I finally got around to removing a certain site from my list of blogs; said site had publicly objected to me including links to the article "MEChA, Villaraigosa And The LA Mayoral Campaign" in a whopping two posts.
- I called Ron Kaye of the L.A. Daily News (one of the questioners at tonight's debate) and asked if he was going to ask Villaraigosa about this past involvement with that organization. His cell phone made it sound like he was driving through the Chunnel, so about all I can say is that he won't be asking that question. Apparently he feels there are more important bread & butter issues to discuss.
- I tried to contact Colleen Williams of KNBC-TV (another questioner). Both times I got the same jughead in the newsroom who gave me incorrect information. Namely, that Williams wasn't writing her own questions but they were being supplied by the debate's producer. The producer told me that's wrong. The jughead told me Williams doesn't have an assistant or a producer and there was no one who could ask her to ask a question. Local old media is the worst kind; at least the NYT, WaPo, and to a certain extent the LAT are feeling some heat from we bloggers.
- This site has more information on the L.A. mayor's race.
- More debates are scheduled for February. However, I believe tonight's debate was postponed, so that doesn't mean they'll happen.
- The Committee to Recall Antonio Villaraigosa appears to be a grassroots organization. I have no knowledge to the contrary, but I'd imagine his political opponents would at least support such an effort. I know I do. They want to recall him because he said he'd serve as councilman for four years, but now he's running for alcalde, er, mayor.
UPDATE: In defense of jughead, Colleen Williams was just the moderator. There were only two questioners. Live-blogged to a certain extent here.
Posted at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. Mayoral debate: TV Thu. 12/2 7pm
Broadcast live by KNBC. Details here.
How about someone asking the follow-up to this question that was asked four years ago?
It has been reported Mr. Villaraigosa that when you were at UCLA you were active in a Latino rights group which among other things says in its constitution that it is in favor of forming a separate republic in the Southwest United States. Do you hold the beliefs of that organization as your own and do you still support the group and what do you tell kids that see this kind of stuff on the Internet?
Villaraigosa didn't answer the question. Maybe the follow-up could make him tell us what he really thinks.
Posted at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
From Catalina to San Jacinto Peak
Thanks to the Santa Ana winds, the Los Angeles basin is just about as clear as it ever is. Yesterday, from Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park your blogger could see Catalina 26 miles from the coast 10 miles away, all the way over to San Jacinto Peak about 100 miles east, all the way down to Santiago Peak in Orange County 50 or so miles to the south. And, they were clearly visible.
Today, the haze was back a bit, but Catalina and San Jacinto were slightly visible.
Posted at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
New surveillance cameras to keep you safe, secure
From the LAT:
In a new step for crime fighting in Los Angeles, the Police Department plans to start installing surveillance cameras on city streets, beginning with Hollywood Boulevard.
Five video cameras will train their electronic eyes on one of the world's most famous and infamous streets as early as January. And if all goes according to plan, there eventually will be 64 cameras on Hollywood, Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards and Western Avenue...
On Wednesday, Councilman Eric Garcetti introduced a motion calling on the city to accept a donation to pay for the Hollywood cameras.
The city is embarking on the effort with little public debate over which streets and neighborhoods warrant cameras, how the LAPD will find the personnel to watch the cameras, and how the city will ensure that the sophisticated devices are not used to peer into the homes of residents...
[LAPD Capt. Michael] Downing, who spoke from Warsaw, where he is advising Polish police on human rights, stressed that the LAPD would never use the cameras "in any place where there is an expectation of privacy."
"We wouldn't look inside an apartment window or a backyard," he said.
Although city officials and privacy advocates have objected in the past to police proposals to use cameras, Downing said he believes "people are ready to feel more secure in their communities. I think they are willing to give up a little bit ... for more security."
If you've read my Privacy category, you know this particular drill. There's always an Intrusion Pimp in these types of stories explaining how its painless, or the citizens have nothing to worry about, or all the rest.
For those outside the area, let me explain those strange names above.
"Hollywood Blvd." is where German tourists go to experience "Hollywood." What they find instead are roving packs of street urchins, urine covering the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and free personality tests.
The other streets mentioned are, on the sides of Hollywood I assume would be covered, higher- to high-crime areas with a good number of prostitutes. Male prostitutes mainly on Santa Monica, female on the other streets, with sudden gusts of she-males.
Eric Garcetti is a "progressive," and in one way one might think he'd support privacy, but perhaps he's a bit more "orthodox" "progressive" than originally suspected.
I made fun of his Slate diary here. I was appalled by his support of (largely) illegal immigration here. And, he was one of the guiding lights behind the L.A. City Council issuing its anti-Iraq war proclamation. A joke organization I formed got mentioned in one of his newsletters once (in an in-the-know kind of way), but AFAIK there's no permalink for that. While I haven't spoken to him personally, he doesn't come off as a bad person, just someone with occasionally really bad ideas.
Posted at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
Sheriff Lee Baca says sales tax hike still needed
I haven't been following this story, but, from "Baca says Measure A still needed":
Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday he was surprised to learn that Los Angeles County government suddenly found a $309 million surplus, but he still urged voters to pass Measure A, a sales tax increase on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Baca, at a news conference with Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and Mayor James Hahn, said most of the surplus cannot be spent for ongoing costs of hiring more deputies.
If approved by two-thirds of voters countywide, Measure A would raise $560 million a year for law enforcement, anti-terrorism and other public safety needs. Officials have promised to use the money to hire 5,000 more officers...
Posted at 02:12 PM | Comments (1)
Complaint filed about L.A. County seal
From a press release reprinted here:
Dr. John C. Eastman, director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, will be filing a civil complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court this afternoon challenging the removal of the cross from the Los Angeles County Seal. The civil suit, styled David Horowitz et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al., alleges that the County's decision to remove the cross is an illegal waste of taxpayer funds and violates the "No Preference" Clause of the California Constitution and the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution...
Also named in the complaint as defendants are Los Angeles County Supervisors Yvonne Burke, Gloria Molina, and Zev Yaroslovsky, who voted to remove the cross from the County Seal...
UPDATE: The press release is here.
UPDATE 2: The AP report has a little additional background, but most of its information is already in the press release.
Posted at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)
Proposed L.A. County seal lacks cross, sense of place, balls
Our doughty L.A. County board of supervisors have released the proposed new L.A. County seal. The AP reports:
A proposed new seal for Los Angeles County has been unveiled_ minus a controversial gold cross, oil derricks and a goddess.
County supervisors voted in June to remove a tiny cross, which has been part of the seal since 1957. This, after the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California threatened to sue on grounds that the symbol was a government endorsement of Christianity...
The new seal also replaces the central image of the goddess Pomona with an American Indian woman holding a bowl and swaps out oil derricks representing Signal Hill for an illustration of the San Gabriel Mission.
The cross atop the mission is not depicted.
I believe the last sentence is what we in the media refer to as a "zinger."
The L.A. Times' report has a before and after picture, as well as this:
"This is not going to end," vowed Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Mike Antonovich, a fierce proponent of keeping the cross. "If you look at any drawings of the San Gabriel Mission, it's got a cross on top. I mean, you could put a picture [and the proposed seal] side by side, and go, 'Hello?' "
Others liked the design. At the ACLU, attorney Ben Wizner praised the new images as more inclusive and even "pretty."
"As far as we were concerned, they could have satisfied their legal obligation by simply removing the cross," he said. "But they went a step further and tried to devise a symbol that would really reflect the diversity of the county."
Crikey!
Posted at 10:17 PM | Comments (1)
Finally, a second reason to go to Orange County
It used to be the only reason to go to Orange County was Little Saigon.
Now, an Indian gaming resort is being proposed just blocks from Disneyland. As can be expected, legal shenanigans are involved.
(Via this)
Posted at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)
Remember, he's just an accused rapist
I received the following news report from frequent commentator LakersFan20044u269:
WHOO! KOBE JUST SIGNED THE CONTRACT!!!! SEVEN MORE YEARS!!!!!!!!! LAKERS RULE!!!! FLY YOUR FLAGS HIGH ON YOUR PHAT RIDE!!!!!!
It's true, I just checked. Kobe Bryant has signed another 7 year hitch with the Lakers. In other news, the NBA's image problem continues not to be a problem.
Posted at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
Anti-nerd ordinance passed
The L.A. Times intones:
Worried that cyber cafes are turning into dens of truancy and breeding gang violence, Los Angeles City Council members Wednesday unanimously voted to regulate about 30 businesses where teens and others congregate to use computers.
Dens of iniquity, eh?
A supporter of the latest advances in nannyism can be found here, complete with a few comments. And, see "When cybercafes are outlawed, only outlaws..." And, SoCalLawBlog, source for this here news item, cites a case that will probably result in this being overturned.
UPDATE: Via this comes a report from the industry rep who negotiated the ordinance with our nannies. He thinks it's a victory for the industry, as it could have been worse. Yes, it certainly could have been.
Posted at 06:17 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. panel on journalist visas Wed. July 7, 2004
Via Matt Welch:
I'm writing to encourage you to attend the L.A. Press Club's news-making panel about how LAX border guards have been stopping European and Australian reporters at the airport, cuffing and searching them, and shipping them back home, for failing to have a previously undemanded Journalist Visa. Its tomorrow (Wednesday) night at the Press Club's seminar room, 6464 Sunset Blvd., 8th floor. Drinks & snacks are served at 6:30, and the discussion begins at 7:30; $5 for members, $20 for non- (price covers drinks). RSVP to info@lapressclub.org, or call 323-469-8180 (more details pasted below). I'm moderating.
It sounds interesting, but... $20? In 99 Cents Only Store terms and speaking about drinks, that's almost 130 pounds worth of Diet Shasta cola. I might go, but the admission fee is a strong disencentive.
Previous L.A. Press Club coverage starts here.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Far-lefty Marc Cooper prints the other side of the story from an anonymous DHS employee. (Via this)
Posted at 05:25 PM | Comments (3)
The Petition for the L.A. County Seal is Now Available
...In the 'Downloads' section of OurFirstAmendment.org
Posted at 07:39 PM | Comments (1)
The many uses of the ballot box
From the SacBee:
A Republican running against U.S. Rep. Howard Berman wants to place a measure on the November ballot that would return the tiny image of a cross to the Los Angeles County seal...
Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe supported keeping the cross, saying ACLU's threatened lawsuit was akin to religious censorship. Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, Gloria Molina and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke voted to seek a compromise with the ACLU to replace the cross with other historic images.
Now, GOP candidate David Hernandez is trying to collect 170,606 signatures by Friday to get a measure on the ballot that would restore the cross to the county seal...
The longer-term solution is to vote out Zev, Gloria, Yvonne, and other politicians who share their viewpoints.
(Via this)
Posted at 07:07 PM | Comments (0)
Local WiFi expert: now a TV star
Local WiFi expert Mike Outmesguine - a fellow member of the Southern California Wireless Users Group - will be featured on Los Angeles TV station KCOP tonight at 11pm. According to the press release:
I will be on TV for about 1 minute tonight (Wednesday) on the Los Angeles local station: UPN 13 News at 11:00.
During the interview, I talked about wireless networking, security woes, and what you can do to protect yourself (my suggestion was to get someone who knows what they are doing to help you - like the teenager next door - or hiring a consultant.) I drove a bit to show how one scans for wireless networks and they filmed that, too all Jim Rockford-style. Also, I spoke about Wi-Fi Toys, which is starting to ship any day now...
I want to know how he's going to get the UPN/KCOP stank out of his clothes.
Posted at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)
Lakers flags flying at half-staff
It's a sad day in River Town. All throughout the city, Lakers flags can be seen flying at half-staff. I have personally attached even more Lakers flags to my phat ride in a show of solidarity.
Posted at 07:18 PM | Comments (1)
"The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels Ramona Ripston of the Little Portion"
The L.A. Daily News asks: 'L.A.'s name too divine?':
No L.A.? It's no joke.
A strong legal argument can be made that the name of the city of Los Angeles -- even worse its formal name, "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Little Portion" -- violates the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state.
Some constitutional law experts say the American Civil Liberties Union's campaign to remove a small cross from the Los Angeles County seal and similar efforts elsewhere in the country help build a foundation for challenges against communities like San Francisco, San Diego or Santa Barbara.
"That's absolutely right," said Joerg Knipprath, a professor of constitutional law at the Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles...
ACLU spokesman Tenoch Flores said the organization only becomes involved in issues when contacted by people who believe there is a problem, and he doesn't expect anyone to challenge the name of Los Angeles or other communities.
"That has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Nobody is considering suing to change city names. If anybody were to bring such a suit, it would laughed out of court and rightfully so.
"We don't go around looking for things, but we certainly don't back down in the face of criticism if it's determined that a constitutional issue is at stake..."
Someone - perhaps me - should start an organization to push this forward...
Posted at 09:44 PM | Comments (1)
Zev, Yvonne, Gloria, ACLU, NLG, CPUSA unveil new L.A. County Seal
Here it is in all its pristine glory:
Posted at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
There's an LAPD museum?
Yes, indeed. Somehow I don't think the title of the USA Today story on it is completely accurate: 'LAPD museum showcases department's good, bad, ugly'.
Posted at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
The Beeb and Peter Jennings: a match made... somewhere
The Beeb is running the previously-discussed ABC documentary on South L.A.
The title of the Beeb's report is: "LA 'on the road to Falluja'?" Drudge links to it using that title. Unfortunately, the source for the title is Civil rights lawyer Connie Rice, who is one of the "leaders" discussed in the previous post. Reading the rest of the Beeb's fawning report is left as an exercise, just bear in mind that the version of the article you read might have changed from the one read by this blogger.
Posted at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
I already swept up South L.A. last decade
Peter Jennings and ABC had an hour-long special on South L.A., specifically about the gang violence and the LAPD. Unfortunately, the community "leaders" interviewed for the program appear to be part of the problem. They continually sought to blame others for South L.A.'s problems: guns, drugs, the LAPD's jackbooted approach to things, on and on.
The problem is cultural, and even if the L.A. City residents outside South L.A. built a hundred rec centers there'd still be a problem.
It's too bad America's second favorite Canadian never thought of that idea, or was too chicken to propose it as the root cause.
Those community "leaders" should spend more time trying to change the culture, and less time passing the buck.
Posted at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
An excerpt from Eric Garcetti's diary
L.A. City Councilbeing Eric Garcetti is writing this week's Slate Diary.
Here's my version:
Then, on Monday I mulled over the latest proposition from the Neighbors for Peace and Justice. Sure, that bit about only invading Iraq if we were directly and militarily invaded by Iraq was either disingenuous or just stupid, but what do my constituents expect of me? So, let's make that the law!
I was out of breath from all that thinking, so I took a breather and went to the AM/PM in Atwater Village for some hot dogs and a Big Gulp one of those frozen fruit bars (they're only about 100 calories and, unlike ice cream bars, some of which have 50% of your saturated fat, they have no fat).
Then, I jumped back into my solar-powered car and my driver drove me to sign another proclamation declaring L.A. the Ellis Island of the West Coast. Once again the question is: disingenuous or just stoopid?
UPDATE: I decided to pimp those frozen fruit things and I changed what Eric bought at the AM/PM.
(Via LA Observed)
Posted at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
Make Lonewacko Part of Your Lesson Plan
Earlier today Lonewacko was standing outside a business in Koreatown just off 8th Street waiting for something. As I stood there I watched the parade of humanity pass by. Two guys pushing a cart holding a few boxes with stereo equipment or something. A guy walking by with a box with a miniature bike: "Burns fat! Amusement!" General slouching slovenly members of the lower orders.
Suddenly, Lonewacko spots a white person. And, yet another white person. In fact, a whole large group of white persons. Lonewacko was momentarily shocked before Lonewacko realized that he too is white like them. While the Lonewacko only occasionally "hangs" with the "homies" in Koreatown, he knew this was out of the ordinary.
Certainly, there are a few white people in the area, but they're mainly crazies and bums and the occasional office worker. These were not office workers intent on a mass invasions of a K-town ethnic restaurant. These were what looked to be students. They had a healthy suburban look to them that was quite out of place. I began to wonder what the heck they were doing there.
As they passed by looking a bit scared and somewhat disgusted with the neighborhood, I began searching for a leader of some kind. At the end, I spotted a leader and asked her what this was. It turns out they were students from Biola College in La Mirada and they were taking a field trip as part of an urban studies class or something. And, just by standing there, Lonewacko became part of their lesson.
Posted at 07:12 PM | Comments (1)
Michael Kinsley now working for the L.A. DogTrainer-Enquirer-Times
Captain Kevin alerts us to Michael Kinsley having been named editorial and opinion editor of the Los Angeles Times.
Some of the Captain's commentators aren't happy with it. You see, Kinsley is a mite too conservative for some. Geez, imagine what would happen if they'd named a real conservative. Oh, wait, that would never happen.
I fail to see what's in it for Kinsley. The L.A. Times is a second-rate paper in - let's face it - a second-rate town compared to the power centers in NY and DC.
Hopefully Kinsley will look with disfavor on smear attempts.
UPDATE: The Lonewacko Blog has issued the following statement: "We at the Lonewacko Blog would like to make it perfectly clear that we meant "second-rate" only in the political power and influence sense. In no way did we mean to imply that Los Angeles is a second-rate city other than its status as being behind NYC and DC as centers of U.S. politics."
Posted at 01:33 PM | Comments (2)
Sharon Mitchell starring in "Backdoor to Hollywood"
The L.A. Daily News covers the recent HIV cases in the adult cinema industry in 'Adult film scare could alter rules'. It contains some quotes that are scary, and one that's really funny. Completely unattractive 70s porn starlet Sharon Mitchell - now conducting testing and various other adult-cinema-industry related services - says this about prospective porn stars:
"They think it's the back door to Hollywood ... they get stuck here on this side of the hill."
One of the scary quotes concerns possible regulation of the adult-cinema-industry:
"We want to bring this industry into the mainstream by putting it under the regulations that currently exist for Cal-OSHA. This would be a model for the rest of the country."
Yes, but will the state give them a kiss afterwards?
SEXY NAKED FREE PORNO UPDATE: According to the bible of the adult-cinema-industry, "The Los Angeles County Health Department is expected to subpoena records relating to the current HIV scare from the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) this morning, though adult industry lawyers are at hand to verify the subpoenas are enforceable." Maybe they can weave government screwing inspections into their story lines. Sexy government gal comes to a porn set to make sure everything's on the up-and-up, and gets caught up in the sexy action and covered with Valley sweat. Yeah!
Posted at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
If the Lakers don't win the championship, you only have yourself to blame
All residents of Los Angeles must immediately affix as many Lakers flags to their cars or bicycles as possible. If you fail in this, the Lakers will lose. It is that simple.
Sure, you've got a "phat ride." But, is it "phat" enough? Couldn't you fit just one more Lakers flag to it, such as Lakers flags on each hubcap, or a Laker flag affixed to your gas cap door?
Those spinning rims that keep spinning when your tires stop sure are spiffy. But, they'd be even spiffier in blue and gold. Hop to it, Los Angeles!
Posted at 01:17 PM | Comments (0)
Put it on autopilot, did you, Hal, you old dawg!
LAObserved alerts us to this defense by septigenarian KTLA anchor Hal Fishman of perky sex kitten and fellow KTLA anchor Sharon Tay. Ms. Tay had been featured in an L.A. Times story asking if TV newsreaderettes were too hot.
Alright Hal! Hal, you old dawg. You da man!
Posted at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
Somewhere jokes are writing themselves
MegaLoMart is sponsoring a ballot initiative in Inglewood, CA that would let them build a megastore next to Hollywood Park. Not only that, it would be a big shopping center, complete with a set of stores that don't compete with MegaLoMart. The names or even the SIC codes of those stores were unavailable at press time.
But, wait, there's much more.
Not only would it allow a big shopping center, the ballot initiative "would essentially exempt Wal-Mart from all of Inglewood's planning, zoning and environmental regulations, creating a city-within-a-city subject only to its own rules."
Allow me to suggest an alternative: MegaLoMart should buy large chunks of Indian reservations. These are their own nations and subject to their own laws. MegaLoMart could do anything they damn well pleased, even expanding their line of merchandise to include munitions and body parts.
The Gabrielino Indians have branches in the Westside and in the SGV. If that didn't work out, perhaps they could contact the Angelino Indians.
If worse came to worse, they could build out near Palm Springs, and move shoppers out there in ultra-high-speed bullet trains.
For a non-joke example of a group trying something like this before, see the old post 'Black helicopters on the Rez'.
Posted at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)
Management errors devastate LAUSD's food services budget
From the Daily News:
A series of management blunders has turned the once-lucrative Los Angeles Unified School District's food services division into an operation that's lost $72 million in three years and may need a bailout from the cash-strapped general fund, which pays for teachers and other classroom costs...
Mistakes included excessive hiring, administrative errors that led to huge shortfalls in federal aid and adding too many menu items.
The hidden story here is not the probable graft and patronage. It's that past profits seem to have come about partly because they were federally subsidized; current shortfall is partly because they failed to take full advantage of federal subsidies.
Posted at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)
Score one for John and Ken
KFI's John and Ken Show has apparently been able to stop the use of a house in the small desert community of Phelan as a group home for sex offenders. They broadcast live from Phelan today. Out of date stories on this matter here and here.
Posted at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
Magers "angered" over 'Hot Property' item, sources say
Our sources indicate that new KCBS anchor Paul Magers was "angered" by the January 'Hot Property' item in which sources reported that "Magers had purchased a 6,700-square-foot, Mediterranean-style villa in Beverly Hills for $6.5 million."
"Some parts [of the item] were wrong," sources reported Magers as saying.
Posted at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
Mention of my giant donut was axed by L.A. Times editors
From the L.A. Times report on yesterday's L.A. Marathon:
Of course, no event representing the true diversity of L.A. could be 100% family-friendly. Hence the lap dancer at West 6th Street and Fairfax Avenue, near mile 18.
Her name, she said, was Venus De Mid*l. Her sign read, "Free Lap Dances Runners Only." Her goal: "Tempting runners with things they should be doing instead of running."
What they forgot to mention is that I and about a dozen others were there alongside Venus tempting runners with various treats, such as beer, candy, and donuts. Last year I held up the giant donut pictured here. This year I made an even larger donut out of an innertube and felt. I had this vision of holding candies aloft on an air hose or something like that, but I didn't start on my prop until the night before. Thus the large felt donut.
Posted at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
The "L.A. Opens Office of Immigrant Affairs" story just gets worse and worse
The recent post "Los Angeles is the Ellis Island of the West Coast" discusses the new L.A. City Office of Immigrant Affairs. I took a look at the press release from the city regarding this office, and the situation is even worse than I thought. The press release is here [warning: PDF file].Bearing in mind that Mayor Hahn said "This is not an office that is designed to encourage people to break the law by moving here illegally," let's read these excerpts:
"On behalf of the ACLU of Southern California and our 40,000 members, I applaud Mayor Hahn, Councilmember Garcetti, and the Los Angeles City Council for today's historic announcement," said Rini Chakraborty, senior policy associate of the ACLU of Southern California. "With immigrants comprising nearly 40% of the County's population, Los Angeles embodies the idealism of our diverse nation and shines as a beacon into America's future. The creation of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs is particularly timely given the drastic curtailment of immigrant's rights in the aftermath of September 11. We welcome this opportunity to work in partnership with the Mayor's newly created office and reclaim fundamental rights for all immigrants, regardless of status."So, Hahn says it won't encourage illegal immigration. But, the ACLU says it will apply to everyone regardless of "status." In other words, it will make it easier to be an illegal immigrant. Current illegal immigrants will tell their friends that the City of L.A. is making it easy to be an illegal immigrant. Univision and La Opinion will report about the City of L.A. making it easy to be an illegal immigrant. In other words, this office will incentivize illegal immigration, which will lead to further illegal immigration.
"This office represents a new and vital opportunity for the City of Los Angeles to enter the new century by acknowledging the contributions and responding to the needs of all immigrant communities," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of LA (CHIRLA).
Regarding the ACLU's hysteria about post-9/11 immigrant's rights, see 'CAIR's Jihad Hotline', 'Leftists Attack Borders', and 'The Elite War on Our 'Bigotry'.
I also linked to an allegation about CHIRLA in the previous post. Originally I thought they were just a quote source for the L.A. Times.
Then, I found out they were at the announcement.
Now I find out they're being quoted in the L.A. City press release.
It was bad when I first heard about it, it's gotten worse after I read the press release, and I predict it will just keep getting worse and worse.
Posted at 12:03 AM | Comments (0)
I had a pannido, and I can somewhat recommend it
I see that Jack-in-the-Box is now offering their pannido in Los Angeles, and perhaps in other cities as well.
I had a pannido at the Jack-in-the-Box in Lebanon, TN as part of the Blogging Across America tour ("a panoply of fast food restaurants...") Even though I generally dislike pickles, it wasn't that bad. It was a little over-priced for the quantity of bread and meat however. Since this might have been a test version of the pannido, the pannido you eat today might not be the same as the pannido I had.
Let other bloggers stake out the slightly-upscale and higher restaurant review segment. I'll concentrate on the low-end.
Posted at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
If I still lived in Silver Lake, I'd be upset
Received via email, and not verified:
Wow, you thought the Bush and the Republicans were bad. [LW: Actually, I didn't particularly think that way, but pray, continue...] Look what the Scient*l*gists on the Silver Lake Nieighborhood Council are up to. Robin Dak|n, Barbara Dak|n and Robert Bro*ks are three of several Scient*l*gists on the Nieghborhood Council. This is the 10 commandments agenda item Robin Dak|n has put on the agenda for this Wenesday March 4.
MOTION (R. Dak|n): The SLNC as a council should not support activities in violation or potential violation of the Ten Commandments and other common sense codes.
One of the sponsors is mentioned here and here.
In case it's been a while, here are the Ten Commandments:
I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
IV. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
V. Honour thy father and thy mother.
VI. Thou shalt not kill.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
X. Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's.
XI. Thou shalt take every opportunity to bash $hrub and his Neocon handlers, and in like form one shalt never vote Republican.
XII. Dressing up as a nun in drag and having simulated sex with a dozen goats at the Sunset Junction Street Festival is normal.
XIII. Thou shalt eat but healthy whole grain foods.
Unrelated to the council, those in the area might consider joining the Friends of Silver Lake. I've always felt more Atwaterian myself.
Posted at 01:48 PM | Comments (0)
The reachers next door
Slate has a whole series of articles written by Jack Shafer that attempt to call into doubt the recent NYT Magazine article 'The Girls Next Door'.
That article is about sex slaves in the U.S. and Mexico, and one of the people interviewed has this to say:
Andrea named trading hubs at highway rest stops in Deming, N.M.; Kingman, Ariz.; Boulder City, Nev.; and Glendale, Calif. Glendale, Andrea said, was a fork in the road; from there, vehicles went either north to San Jose or south toward San Diego.
In response, Shafer writes:
Other minor annoyances populate "The Girls Next Door." Landesman writes about a Glendale, Calif., highway rest stop that's used as a transfer point for sex slaves. Glendale is a densely populated Los Angeles suburb, like Pasadena or Burbank. If there's a highway rest stop there, it's news to me.
I think Shafer's reaching a bit, and I'm here to provide the news.
There are three freeways (to avoid confusion, highways and freeways will be called freeways henceforth) through Glendale: 2, 5, and 134. The 5 generally runs between San Diego and San Jose, so the smugglers would probably take that. However, they might get on the 2 or the 134 briefly.
There are no on-freeway rest stops in Glendale on any of those freeways, and there are none in Burbank or Pasadena either.
That is, as long as you define "rest stop" as the type you find on the 5 through the Central Valley, or on freeways elsewhere in California or the U.S. Those type of rest stops are almost always not associated with an offramp to a city street. They have their own dedicated on and off ramps, restrooms, picnic area, phones, and occasionally information booths or agents.
However, if you define "rest stop" as a place that many people use as a convenient stop, many places in Glendale, Pasadena, and Burbank qualify.
One that springs to mind is the street in Griffith Park across from the soccer fields. It provides access to the 5 and the 134. There are usually several cars parked there during the day. I don't know exactly what the people in those cars are doing, and I really don't want to know. There aren't too many bushes nearby (if you catch my drift). Sometimes someone will get out of his car and speak to someone in another car, but most of the time people sit there alone. Perhaps they're just - you guessed it - resting.
Another logical place to take a rest would be the Colorado exit on the 5. That leads to fast food restaurants, a 7-11, gas stations, and a large mall (the Glendale Galleria).
The Western Ave. exit on the 5 leads to a small park, a 99 Cents Store, and several fast food restaurants.
Taking the 134 east from the 5 leads to other fast food restaurants, such as an In-n-Out burger and, a couple miles past Glendale, the Eagle Rock Tommy's (where Lonewacko ate two chili dogs earlier this very day).
So, if "rest stop" is strictly defined, "Andrea" might have a credibility problem. However, if you accept the definition of a "place to stop," then Glendale certainly qualifies.
I know I've been through Kingman, Deming, and Boulder City, but I forget whether they have (strictly defined) rest stops. However, all three certainly qualify as "places to stop."
It's interesting that Glendale was chosen as a rest stop and not something like, say, East Los Angeles. After you leave Orange County, the 5 passes through areas which are populated more by acre-sized warehouses than row after row of fast food restaurants. As it loops around downtown, it passes through the general E.L.A. area, which is largely Mexican-American. If the smugglers were Mexican-American, you might expect that to be used as a transfer point. The fact that Glendale was chosen might indicate that the smugglers who use it are not Mexican-Americans.
Glendale has a large Armenian population, as well as people from the general Middle East area. It does not have that many Russians or other Slavs. One wouldn't want to necessarily implicate Armenians; many people might have trouble telling the difference between an Armenian and someone from Iran or Albania.
Glendale could have been chosen for reasons other than ethnicity, perhaps because it's more upscale than, say, Commerce.
(The Lonewacko Blog has been based out of both of those cities. There are many more amenities in Glendale than in Commerce; budget-minded epicures in Commerce may be required to visit beautiful Maywood or Whittier Blvd. in E.L.A.)
Posted at 10:48 PM | Comments (2)
Comrades! Help show solidarity with the righteous struggle of the supermarket workers against their corporate overlords!
I received the following email regarding the L.A. supermarket workers' strike:
THIS SATURDAY, when we join the striking and locked out workers in their 15th week on the picket lines we are going to try to boost the miltancy by picketing all driveways, chanting and actively encouraging potential shoppers to go elsewhere.
To be effective in this we need at least 20 people to commit to be there from 12:30 to 2:30.
At 12:30 we'll begin with a 15 min. prep meeting so we can adopt some new tactics without slipping into civil disobedience and get some slogans and chants. Please don't park in the parking lot. There's plenty of street parking...
We have "adopted" the Vons on Los Feliz between San Fernando Rd. and Central Av. for strike support and solidarity. Neighbors (and shoppers) for Peace and Justice, who have refused to shop at VONS and ALBERTSONS during the strike come out to show our support for their struggle to protect employer paid health care and more.
Please make an effort to join us on their picket line this and every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for a couple of hours to show our solidarity and support. Feel free to bring your own sign or carry signs we will have there. We'll have more signs this Sat. If able, bring water, snacks, or fruit for the picketers there. But most of all, put your body on the line.
We'll be joining the pickets every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. until the strike is settled.
Please join us and let your friends and neighbors know how they can support the strike.
You'll no doubt recall the Neighbors for Peace and Justice as the wackos who worked with L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti to get the L.A. anti-war resolution passed.
However: according to KFI's John and Ken, one or more Ralph's stores have notices indicating that they're changing their names. And, that store is also selling Kroger's brand rather than Ralph's brand generic products.
The supposition - not verified by this blogger - is that Ralph's stores would change their names and thus would be able to hire the scabs as their new permanent workers.
Posted at 12:21 AM | Comments (0)
Pampers, TV sets, cases of Maruchan noodles, Diet Shasta,...
Oh, sorry, you caught me preparing my shopping list. The riots are scheduled to start at about 5:30pm, and I want to be prepared.
Posted at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
"A Liberal Push in L.A. City Hall"
Socialism, ahoy! There's a new progressive movement afoot in L.A., according to no less than this L.A. Times editorial:
With the election of Antonio Villaraigosa and Martin Ludlow to the Los Angeles City Council, progressivism has reached critical mass in city government. On July 1, the two newcomers will join ideological and political allies Eric Garcetti and Ed Reyes in bringing a broad social vision of equity and justice to such city problems as housing, jobs, transportation and public safety...
[from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs, etc. etc. etc. Maybe we won't kill as many people as all the past experiments did, etc. etc. etc.]
All you need to know about Antonio Villaraigosa can be found right here. Note especially this page, where he refuses to disavow his past membership (including President of the UCLA chapter) in the racial separatist organization Mecha.
The authors of this piece are from this organization. I think Oxy College is private, otherwise I'd complain about misuse of public funds.
(Via L.A. Observed)
Posted at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. River renovation presentation report
The meeting (see this for the details) was a bit less than interesting, and I was only there for a few minutes, but that was probably because I wasn't familiar with their plans and I hadn't had time to peruse their handouts. I'd suggest picking up the handouts and studying them. The only things that really stood out were one "remediation" method, and one housing-related proposal.
Apparently, brownfields can be cleaned by planting poplar trees. The trees' roots suck up the toxic materials from the ground water, and then can be extirpated and disposed of. It apparently takes a couple cycles to get rid of all the toxics.
The other proposal would be to create a housing/park development on the Taylor Yards. a small amount of housing would be dispersed throughout the park.
I'm going to investigate various aspects of this matter, such as how much money has been spent and the status of their proposal and report back.
Posted at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. River renovation presentation 6/17 and 6/18
Via email, there will be a presentation concerning L.A. River renovation Tuesday and Wednesday:
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design Los Angeles River Studio presentation schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, June 17th 6:30-reception-7pm 9pm-presentations, Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, 570 West Avenue 26
Wednesday, June 18th-10am-11:30am Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, 570 West Avenue 26
Wednesday, June 18th, 12:30-2pm-Los Angeles County Department of Public Works building, conference room A, 900 S. Fremont, Alhambra
The variety of times and locations is to accommodate as many people as possible. Each presentation will be similar in nature.
I might go to one of these, and, if so, I'll be kind enough to report on it here.
However, why the gosh darn heck do we need a bunch of East Coasters to help renovate a Los Angeles river? I dunno, but as this blurb says, they've got a scheme:
Design Students Display Visions for L.A, River Their ideas, including parkland, housing and an urban lake, have no price tags and would take decades to realize.
Jan 23, Los Angeles Times, by Kenneth Reich, Times Staff Writer
A team of 12 students from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design has developed a scheme for transforming four miles of the Los Angeles River into a river park.
Posted at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)
You're invited to the Burbank Community Block Party!
I just got this invite via email, and it sounds really good! Apparently, the City of Burbank (of which I am unfortunately not a resident) is holding a big block party on Saturday, June 21!
Sponsored by Assemblyman Dario Frommer and the City of Burbank, who tell us:
Its the people and organizations behind the scenes that make Burbank such a great place to live. Come learn more about city services and discuss legislative issues important to you.
Free food and drinks
Events for seniors
and kids
Free fingerprinting for kids
Local organizations and businesses will
provide free information and prizes
Free music and entertainment
Booths and activities for the entire family
Sounds great! I especially like the comforting picture of the police officer and the children.
Oh, did I mention, there's going to be free fingerprinting! That just makes this wonderful day of celebrating the State and all it brings us all that more special.
BTW, no, there's no way to be too sarcastic.
Posted at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)
Wanna meet Joe Rogan?
FearFactor has their crane set up in Griffith Park, and they'll be filming a stunt tomorrow. It's on the (closed) asphalt road above Bee Rock.
The thing at the end of the crane is two large plexiglass walls, each about 8' high and 30' wide. They're placed into an "X" shape (looking from above.) There are cheap plexiglass hand holds placed on each wall, and each wall also has several holes in it.
I'm just guessing, but it looks like they're going to suspend the structure in the air, placing flags in the holes. Then, the contestants have to use the handholds to move along each wall, removing flags as they go. Perhaps they will also try to rotate the structure for more fun. That's just a guess. I'd imagine that it's hard to smear on plexiglass.
If you want to go bother Joe, apparently they're going to be filming this tomorrow early morning.
Posted at 08:50 PM | Comments (56)
When is a hate crime not a hate crime, Part Two
The LAT has an article on actor Trev Broudy, who was allegedly "robbed" last year:
On Sept. 1, Broudy was saying goodbye to his friend Teddy Ulett when a man jumped out of a car and began swinging at Broudy's head with a bat.
A witness told sheriff's deputies that another attacker beat Broudy with a pipe. Ulett, who was in his car when the attack began, was hit in the arm, but managed to drive off.
Later this month, three men are scheduled to go on trial in the attack, which prosecutors say was an attempted robbery.
The suspects, who have pleaded not guilty, do not face hate crime charges. The district attorney said there was no evidence that prejudice was a factor.
As I discussed previously, the suspects reportedly said that they were out to "rob rich white people." Apparently DA Steve Cooley doesn't think that statement (assuming it's admissible) indicates prejudice, nor do the other circumstances of this "robbery."
Posted at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
"Griffith Observatory Renovation and Expansion" pictures
There's a slideshow starting here.
Posted at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
Let's all go see Sid!
Sidney Blumenthal is speaking at the Los Angeles Central Library tonight. Scroll to the end of that page for reservation information; it's free.
I haven't received confirmation of my reservation yet; perhaps I'm on a VLWC blacklist or something.
UPDATE: My reservation has been confirmed.
UPDATE 2: My report is here.
Posted at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
Welcome Walter Richards!
Earlier tonight, KTLA's Walter Richards was lucky enough to chance upon the Lonewacko himself in the parking lot of the El Pollo Loco on Figueroa near USC. He had just finished shooting a story on the MTA fare hike. They had shot elsewhere, but were currently beaming their report back to Hal Fishman Center.
I brought up the subject of the BRU flyer which I covered here yesterday, and asked him whether he thought the fare hike was racist as the flyer claimed; he stated his opinion didn't matter, being a reporter and all. I gave him this URL, and suggested he check it out. Whether he will or not, I don't know. But, in case you the reader are Walter Richards, welcome, and my discussion of the flyer is here.
UPDATE: Walter didn't mention my blog in his live report. He actually referred to the BRU as "fearless;" somehow I can think of better adjectives, none favorable. And, their race baiting and attempt to heckle the MTA board was ineffective as well; perhaps next time they should try for a bit of logic and real-world analysis of the issues.
Posted at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)
L.A. River pics and link collection
I uploaded some pics of the L.A. River I took earlier today to here.
It's been raining, but as you can see from the pics, the river has been higher lately. During heavy, prolonged rains, I've seen it almost come over the enbankment, but it's not like that now.
Other L.A. River pics and information are here:
"Friends of the Los Angeles River" [organization]
"The L.A. River Lake?" [post]
"LA River revitalization feedback needed" [post]
L.A. River pics [pics]
L.A. River cleanup [pics]
L.A. River bike ride [pics]
sunny.moorparkcollege.edu/~scallis/eight.html. [pics]
www.laweekly.com/ink/01/38/paradise-ihara.shtml [lots of links]
organizations.oxy.edu/lariver/archive/112199a.htm [pics]
english.glendale.cc.ca.us/rivwk1.html [pics]
organizations.oxy.edu/lariver/archive/090999a.htm [pics]
www.3dsite.com/people/erco/fovicks/ [pics]
www.deliriousla.net/lariver/intro.htm [pics]
www.johnhumble.com/ [had some pics, but they aren't there now]
Posted at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
A tale of two taco stands
Rubio's (chain) - a slightly upper-market fast-food restaurant with clean indoor seating. When I saw the Burrito Especial, I thought it included rice and beans on the side. When I got it, boy was I surprised. I had just spent five fucking bucks for a burrito and a small bag of chips. The burrito wasn't that good. The salsa verde is wimpy. Their "hot" salsa is mild. Their chipotle is sufficiently hot, but it's way too smoky.
Chano's (near USC and a few other locations) - For your five dollars, you get a larger burrito with rice, beans, and a bit of salad on the side. It also includes a large slice of tomato and a dollop of sour cream. And a few chips. They only have moderately spicy red sauce, but, like Rubio's, they have whole jalapenos to help increase the heat. No indoor seating, and unlike EatAPita on Fairfax, no outdoor heater either.
If you're cheap frugal, but you want to spend five dollars or so, I think the choice is clear.
Thus concludes this blog's first restaurant review. Also see my Boston Market survey here.
UPDATE: Rubio's is actually "The Flavor Leader in the quick casual fresh Mexican grill category," buckaroo:
Rubios Fresh Mexican Grill awarded its broadcast advertising account to Los Angeles-based Siltanen/Keehn... Creating famous, talked-about ad campaigns that deliver top sales results for their clients is the agencys trademark... The agencys "Baby Bob" character led to the highly-rated Baby Bob primetime television show on CBS...
Posted at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
LA River revitalization feedback needed
Via email:
At the April meeting of the Ad Hoc River Committee, representatives from the Chief Accounting Office, Chief Legislative Analyst, and City Attorney, presented communications regarding management and funding strategies for LA River revitalization efforts.The communications are now available on the Ad Hoc River Committee website.
The communications do not recommend a specific solution at this time, but outline the scope of options that would be considered.
The Ad Hoc Committee has requested comments on these items within the next 30 days (by May 14th 2003). Please address comments to:
Ad Hoc Committee on the LA River
c/o City Clerk
City Hall, Room 395
200 North Spring Street, LA 90012E-mail comments can be submitted to "lariver@council.lacity.org ".
Posted at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)
Gloria Allred picks a winner
Gloria Allred has a new case:
LOS ANGELES - A Marine reservist serving in Iraq was wrongly fired from his civilian job at Hyundai Motor America after he was called to duty, his wife and attorney claimed Monday.
But Hyundai Motor America said Sgt. Clifford E. Moffitt, 35, of Irvine, was fired because of numerous instances of "extreme sexual harrassment" that came to light after he left for active duty...
Regardless of any reason that Hyundai may claim to justify the firing, Moffitt "has been denied the fundamental right to give his side of the story," Allred said.
After Hyundai responded to Allred's news conference, she issued a statement saying her position was unchanged. "Giving a pink slip to a Marine who may be in the red zone of war is in our opinion an unforgivable act. Semper fi," she said.
Let's not rush to judgment; he might be completely innocent. And, Allred is correct that this was a bad move, at least from a PR standpoint.
Posted at 07:26 PM | Comments (8)
"Councilman Proposes Baghdad as Sister City"
From this fine news source:
Now that Saddam Hussein has lost his grip on Baghdad, one Los Angeles city councilman is talking of making the bombed-out metropolis of 5 million a sister city.Councilman Dennis Zine, who also was the force behind the council's unanimous vote Friday condemning the vanquished Iraqi leader, said he wants Los Angeles-area businesses to be involved in rebuilding the war-torn country.
In all fairness to Zine, he voted against the council's previous pro-Saddam resolution.
Posted at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)
"Los Angeles May Rename 'South Central'"
From this:
The City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to formally rename the historically black area in an effort to sever the region from its longtime image as a gang-ridden, poverty-stricken ghetto. It would instead be known as South Los Angeles on future city documents...
Well, it's good to see the City Council has finally done something about this problem. Thankfully, they weren't distracted by their attempts to set foreign policy.
Posted at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
Mayor James Hahn is not a wanker
According to 'L.A. Mayor Regrets Anti-War Petition':
A day after signing a students' petition labeling the war in Iraq "unjust," Mayor James Hahn backtracked and said he doesn't believe the conflict is unjust after all."Yesterday I signed a petition prepared and presented to me by sixth graders at Florence Nightingale Middle School," Hahn said in a statement Tuesday. "I regret that I did not read it word for word before I signed.
"I do not agree that this is an 'unjust' war. This is the time to support our troops and pray for their swift and safe return."
Now, my first reaction was "What a wanker!" But, that's wrong, and I regret my outburst.
Posted at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)
Griffith Observatory webcam
A webcam placed on top of the astronomer's statue and pointed at the observatory is linked to off this page.
Posted at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
'Brainstorms brew in L.A.'
This L.A. Times story on intellectually-orientated events in L.A. seems to have an unhealty affinity for NYC. No less than six occurences of 'york':
"The only thing wrong with intellectual life in L.A. is that people keep asking if there's intellectual life in L.A.," New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger said before speaking at a recent LACMA debate. "The last remnant of provinciality is asking that question."
He's from New York City, so it must be true.
Posted at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
'State controller to audit South Gate after corruption scandal'
More here:
State Controller Steve Westly has launched an audit of this working class community of 96,000 that has been plagued with allegations of voter fraud and political corruption in recent months. "My aim in this process is to make certain that taxpayer funds have not been used improperly," Westly said in a release. "We endeavor to help the people of South Gate regain confidence in the financial stability of their city."
Xochilt, Xochilt, how did it all go so horribly wrong?
See also:
'Lame ducks drain municipal coffers'
'South Gate: Where City Hall's a Mix of Soap Opera and Bad Joke'
'Recalled Mayor Punches Councilman at Her Last Meeting'
In other news, comedian and regular Letterman guest George Miller has died.
Posted at 12:29 PM | Comments (0)
Some bloggers have more powerful glutes than others
Tomorrow I hope to bike in the L.A. Bike Tour, which is held on the same course as and right before the L.A. Marathon. The stats are pretty easy: about 20 miles, and it's not a race, so you can't exceed 9 MPH. However, I over-exerted my quads and glutes a couple days ago, and my left glute still hurts a bit. So, I might not finish.
I hope to attach the styrofoam donut you see in the photo to either my helmet or backpack, so as to give my fellow riders a bit of motivation.
After the ride, I'll go over to 6th and Fairfax and do this. (That's my arm encircled in red; hopefully because of the donut this time I'll get more of me in the paper.)
Posted at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)
L.A. City Council votes on anti-war resolution
The title ('L.A. city council rejects anti-war measure') of this article isn't exactly correct. There's another vote coming up Friday, so it's not over yet.
Apparently, they managed to wheel out not just Ed Asner in support of the resolution, but some other actor as well:
"In my view," [Councilman Jack] Weiss told the hearing, "we ought to be focusing on fixing sidewalks and not (Iraqi leader) Saddam (Hussein)."
Posted at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
The L.A. River Lake?
According to this article:
[L.A.] city officials are looking into revitalizing major stretches of the [L.A. River] - which, after all, was once a real river - into a world-class waterfront. The idea is to return some lost soul to the city's most neglected individual neighborhoods. It's also hoped that a vibrant waterway could provide an identity makeover to a city stuck with the image of being merely a cement-and-steel, desert boomtown...The centerpiece of plans to reclaim some of that loss would be a 1-mile-long lake in the shadow of the downtown skyline, just a stone's throw from Dodger Stadium. The body of water would be the hub of a new waterfront with parks, trees, ball fields, houses, and retail stores where industrial warehouses stand now...
[The plan is to create] inflatable rubber dams at two ends of downtown - creating a semi-permanent 1-mile-long lake...
Time out. Isn't that downstream from the SuperFund site at the switchyards in Frogtown/Elysian Valley? It does rain here, right? And, the L.A. River is a drainage channel, right? Like, for the seepage from the SuperFund site.
Plus, has anyone taken a close look at all the junk in the L.A. River? Since I bike there occasionally, I get a fairly good look at it. Some of the "trees" in the river look like more like post-apocolyptic XMas trees they've got so much junk hanging on them. Not to mention the shopping carts. Who'd want to fish for anything in that water?
(The map of the river shown in the article is wrong as well. It shows the "headwaters" of the river starting somewhere in the Tujunga area of the San Gabriels, whereas I believe the river officially starts in Chatsworth).
I got this link from this blog.
Posted at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
OC Register for sale to the NY Times?
So rampantly speculates this.
(The original title said LA Times. Your choice as to which would be worse.)
Posted at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
Who Spector (allegedly) shot
Is it this Lana Clarkson?
An updated report is here.
While I'm not intimately familiar with the area, I was surprised that there could be a $1 million house in or around Alhambra. I guess it was on a large lot.
Posted at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
The electrification of the rec centers
LAExaminer.com ran a story about a study that showed certain parts of LA having the highest concentration of fat kids in the state. I posted a couple comments without reading the article first. Now, after having read the article...
What's as enlightening as the study is the reaction:
Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, D-San Fernando... noted many of today's children live in poor, urban areas with limited access to recreation, and might also have unhealthy eating habits.I.e., more $ for rec centers.
"It has to be a very holistic approach, a community approach (to improving health and fitness)," said Montanez. "It's the only way we're going to be able to take care of our children: coming together as a community and providing a very healthy lifestyle and environment for them to grow up in."
It takes a village, or, in this case, the State.
"It's not just about individual choices. It's about the context, the environment in which those choices are made," [the study's author from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy said.]
...The center's other recommendations include holding legislative hearings to examine the effects of advertising on children and convening district forums of community leaders to identify strategies.
Yes, by all means, let's get Jack la Lanne's input. And, we'll commission several more studies to be done, perhaps through the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.
Los Angeles Unified School District board member Marlene Canter said the study validated the district's pending ban on carbonated soda -- a campaign she led.
I'm sure she is justifiably proud.
"Soda was just a giant baby step that got the conversation going, and I'm really pleased with the momentum we have built," Canter said, adding that the district also is moving toward revamping its food offerings and physical-fitness programs.
"Giant baby step?" So, the kids won't have sugar rushes during school hours. They'll just wait until after school, when they can go out into the big bad world and buy whatever is (currently) legal for them to have. Like a Jolt Cola Slurpee.
"Parents have been overwhelmingly supportive. They're the first to not want kids to drink soda, and the first to cave in to the peer pressure."
WTF? Shouldn't she have said that last part in her quiet voice?
a 16-year-old girl who was unable to run a mile in 8 to 10 minutes would be classified as unfit
OK. I'm over twice her age, the other sex, and I probably weigh around two times what she does. I'm able to gain ~3000' (vertical) per week, either hiking with a 10-50lb. pack or on my 30lb. bike. I'm sure I could run a mile in 8 minutes if I really had to. Like if I was running from killer bees or something. But, I'm sure that a better indicator of ones aerobic fitness could be found. At least with me, running seems to be mainly a lower-leg exercise; something like hiking up a hill, or biking, or best of all a cross-country ski machine would seem to provide a much better indicator of ones overall fitness level. To a certain extent, it's kind of like trying to figure out how strong someone is by how many pull-ups they can do.
Some people who try to run fast on the flat might feel a bad burn in their shins after much less than a quarter mile, if the pain in their feet from such a high-impact activity didn't get to them first.
The California Department of Education has found physically fit children perform better in school. Its study matched scores from the spring 2001 Stanford Achievement Test with results of the Fitnessgram
Mr. Cause, meet Mr. Effect. Mr. Effect, Mr. Cause.
Posted at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Atwater Village report
Last night I attended a meeting for the Atwater Village Streetscape Study and Masterplan. Those of you who care not for such matters, please, I beg and beseech of you, skip to the next entries. They're really good.
Those who dare, click "MORE."
As previously alluded, despite not ever being a resident of Atwater Village, I am a stakeholder in any sense of the word, having single-handedly pumped literally thousands of dollars into their local economy, all of which was like getting type AB- blood out of a turnip.
The Streetscape Study seeks to determine what to do about the section of Glendale Blvd. between the bridge and the railroad overcrossing. (I told you, skip to the next entries if you aren't interested. Don't click away, just skip please.) They have three plans: keeping Glendale as 6 lanes is the first, and the other two are variants on reducing Glendale to 4 lanes.
Apparently, no traffic study has yet been done. I think that's asking for trouble. Here are my actions points:
- If you're standing on the corner of Glenfeliz and Glendale looking up at the bridge, there are actually 4 lanes of traffic heading towards you: 2 lanes coming down the bridge on Hyperion, and two lanes on Glendale coming from the direction of the freeway. Those 4 lanes are reduced to 3 lanes before Glenfeliz. That already creates a bit of a jam up during rush hour, especially for those who wish to turn left at Glenfeliz. Under two of the proposals, those 3 lanes would then be reduced to 2.
I think that's going to cause a problem. You're going to need precise traffic control to prevent the bridge or Glendale around the freeway from getting clogged. Remember that the last light before the bridge is way at the top at Rowena, and that the freeway traffic is currently basically uncontrolled. That is to say, the freeway traffic can arrive at any time, and it's only restrained by whether someone can turn right or not. Which is to a certain extent controlled by the light at Glendale and Riverside, but then again right turners headed north on Riverside can turn right at any time, likewise controlled by the traffic coming down the Glendale hill.
- A somewhat heretical proposal I might make would be to tear out or reduce the width of the center divider. That would let the traffic lanes take up the center portion of the street, allowing for more space on either side for, say, wider sidewalks or bike lanes or planters. I don't know how much that would cost however; in addition to the traffic disruption, it would probably require a lot of labor to remove the divider and then resurface the street.
- I don't know anything about traffic studies, but a cheap way to conduct such a study would be to block off one of the lanes on Glendale using traffic cones during a few rush hours. Then, observe whether people are backed up.
- If Glendale gets backed up, that might force traffic onto the already clogged Los Feliz, or onto Fletcher which isn't that clogged. But, when the Fletcher traffic gets to San Fernando, it will contribute to that highly clogged street, and might require a left turn signal at the intersection.
- As with Dennis (see, I'm even starting to know these people's names!), I agree that ads on the bus benches are a very bad idea and would detract from the hoped-for village feel.
- If they add a bike lane, what will happen to the lane going towards Silverlake after Glenfeliz? There is no space for the lane either going up the hill or going over the River. That's just a question, I'm sure the answer would be something like a "Bike Lane Ends" sign.
Thus ends today's Atwater Village report.
Posted at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
Pearl Harbor? What was that?
Janice Hahn concluded that showing Tora! Tora! Tora! on Pearl Harbor Day at a San Pedro Theater "would have been insensitive to the Japanese-American community".
Reductio ad absurdum and discussing the rewriting of history is left as an exercise, as is writing a letter to Janice letting her know how you feel.
Janice's contact info is availble here. Her email address is hahn @ council.lacity.org (remove the spaces around the @ sign).
Contact info for George Nakano is here. His email is Assemblymember.Nakano @ assembly.ca.gov (remove those spacess too).
UPDATE: Here's the email I sent. Can you tell I'm being sarcastic or not?
Your "Tora! Tora! Tora!" stance doesn't go far enough!
I read in the Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmtora10.html) that you moved to cancel a screening of "Tora! Tora! Tora!" which was originally set for this coming Pearl Harbor Day.
I completely agree with you that showing this movie would have been "insensitive to the Japanese-American community," and I applaud your actions.
However, I don't think your actions went far enough.
I believe you should launch a campaign to have all references to Pearl Harbor removed from California schoolbooks. Perhaps high school seniors might be allowed to learn that this country was once attacked, but all impressionable younger students should be kept in the dark.
And, while we're at it, we should remove all references to Nazis from those schoolbooks as well. There are many fine German-Americans, and the thought that they should be subjected to historical facts like Germany's involvement in WWII fills me with abject horror.
Perhaps a commission of learned individuals could be formed, whose job it would be to determine which facts should be allowed to be mentioned, and which we should ignore. I hereby heartily endorse both of you for that commission.
Posted at 02:51 PM | Comments (1)
Echo Park Soap Box Derby
FYI: I'll be at this event on Saturday, providing non-costumed moral support to Team Caco.
Posted at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)
Internet vs. Real World
THE BIG PICTURE
Studios' Web 'Plants' Lead to an Ethical Thicket
By PATRICK GOLDSTEIN
Ever since Harry Knowles burst to prominence with Aintitcoolnews.com, the Internet has blossomed with hundreds of movie geek Web sites, each one crammed with its own oddball assortment of news, reviews and message boards devoted to "Star Wars," Quentin Tarantino and other pressing matters. For movie fans, the sites represent authentic participatory democracy--everyone's opinion or obsession carries equal weight.
The preceding is the first paragraph of an article from the LA Times. It's just too easy. If I start picking apart an article from Calendar Live, what's next? Beating up chickens? Anyway, "geek"? "oddball"? "pressing matters"? C'mon. I guess on the movie rating scale, I'd have about a .001, and Patrick Goldstein would have about a 1.05. He is, after all, a professional.
Posted at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
It takes a village
Hey! How'd you like to meet me in person? C'mon, I promise not to creep you out.
Tomorrow, as explicated in the following email, a community organization will be doing a cleanup of Atwater Village, and I'll probably be there for a few minutes between noon and 2pm. Atwater Village is between Silver Lake and Glendale along Glendale Blvd.; the ranch market's at the corner of Glenfeliz.
I get these emails despite being the sender's nemesis. She wants to convert an empty lot there into a park; I suggested that converting it into a business might be a better idea.
My opinion did not meet with such a warm reception, especially since I'm just an interloper.
See, I've never lived in Atwater Village. I used to live just outside the boundaries of AV in Silver Lake, and now I live on the other side. But, I'm not an Atwaterian, and thus I have no rights. Even the fact that my denti$$$t and my $$$hyster have their offices there doesn't count.
I was thanked for my opinion, and I tried to avoid as much sarcasm in my reply, although the phrase "I've always felt more Atwaterian than Silver Lakeian" might have wormed it's way into my email.
See you there!
Just a reminder that our neighborhood clean up is tomorrow Saturday
Sept. 28 from 9:00 to 2:00. Friends of Atwater Village will meet in
front of the Ranch Market. There will be a time sign in sheet for
Neighborhood Matching Funds, supplies and refreshments . Please make
some time to come out meet your neighbors and engage in a little civic
pride. Basically we'll be picking up trash , sweeping, weeding and
hauling away bulky items. Bring some working gloves and your friends or
family. Remember " It takes a Village"............Ciao, [name removed]
Anyways, I'm more a supporter of the Friends of Silver Lake myself.
Posted at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)
