ms2 - the backyard of los angeles politics

"Chief of Staff for Mayoral Fence Building" Jeff Carr? ** Plus, tales of Third Floor Infighting

2011-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

Job Discription: Chief of Staff to oversee wall construction at Getty House

File this under creative job creation (or hush money) via Mayor Antonio Villar. Los Angeles Times City Hall Scribe David Zahniser uncovers the latest recipient of Mayor Villar's expensive "golden parachute" for those who's services are no longer needed or a political liability.

Former Mayor Villar's Chief of Staff and "General Secretary of Gang Intervention" Jeff Carr is still getting full pay some months after getting shone the Third Floor door. Carr who wanted the General Manager position at Recreation and Park, instead was retain at his same level of pay to oversee the moat, whoops security wall construction at Getty House. In addition, Carr was to advise the city on 21st Century innovations for its golf courses but as Rec. and Parks GM Jon Kirk Mukri noted in the Times, he was unclear on how much time Carr had devoted to the golf course issue since announcing he was stepping aside. Over the past four months, Carr asked three times about the completion of a consulting report on the topic. "I only received two emails and a phone call," Mukri said.

"The Ant-Jeff Carr Fan Club Janelle Erickson and Matt Szabo".

Jeff Carr, who had a reputation as a bully, was forced out after Erickson and Szabo went to Mayor Villar. As reported in the Times, Erickson, with the mayor's blessing, met personally with Carr on July 1 to tell him that it was time to go, said four people familiar with the situation, all of whom sought anonymity either because they were not authorized to speak or feared retaliation. That meeting was also attended by one of the mayor's lawyers.

After Erickson left, those sources said, Carr began calling Villaraigosa to demand a one-on-one meeting. The mayor could not immediately provide one because he was at the Aspen Institute's Ideas Festival in Colorado. Villar out of town and away from reality as usual ...........

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14

Mayor Sam's Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

2011-07-28T10:36:00.001-07:00

The wheels coming off the bus is a term that seems to have been used quite a lot lately, but it's probably an apt one to describe the campaign of UFLAC President Pat McOsker for CD15. Here in our pages we've chronicled (as well as other blogs) McOsker's apparent foul temper and even fouler mouth. Those qualities generally do not endear one to others and that appears to be the case here. McOsker has failed to gain the endorsement of his own union and may face a vote asking him to step down as head of the union next week.

More at MayorSam...

Los Angeles Dragnet: DA Candidate Alan Jackson First to Announce Six Fi...

2011-07-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Dragnet: DA Candidate Alan Jackson First to Announce Six Fi...: "Alan Jackson got the jump on the other DA candidates with the early release of his fundraising successes in the last reporting period. This ..."

Los Angeles Dragnet: Independent Assessors Office Blasts Trutanich: "In...

2011-07-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Dragnet: Independent Assessors Office Blasts Trutanich: "In...: "EXCLUSIVE: The Los Angeles City Board of Fire Commissioners may want to 'fire' City Attorney Carmen Trutanich for failing to provide compet..."

Index of Joseph Mailander Sunland-Tujunga Posts

2011-07-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

How it works in Sunland Tujunga
Aggressive camera tactics prove thorny for NCs, DONE
Sunland Tujunga responds
Sunland Tujunga clamor turns trenchant
Getting down to specifics in Sunland Tujunga
Reversal of field in Sunland Tujunga
Krekorian's office: No change of legal status if FBC Specific Plan is opened
Sunland Tujunga Specific Plan dispute turns clamorous
Elaine Brown's forbidden comments
The Sunland Tujunga NC/Alliance letter

Offensive Posts from Mike Gatto Supporter Blog

2011-04-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

Can City Construction Signs Ever Be Right?

2011-03-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

We noted at MayorSam a sign that did not spell the Mayor's name correctly; here's one that apparently doesn't know who the 2nd District Council Member is.

Take The LA Budget Survey!

2011-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

The LA BUDGET SURVEY is EXTENDED to March 4th. VOICE YOUR CHOICE TODAY, and PASS IT ON !!!

The Los Angeles Budget Survey, LABudgetChallenge.lacity.org, deadline has been extended through March 4, 2011 to accommodate the many stakeholders who have not yet had a chance to voice their choice on which City Services to preserve and which will have to take on deeper cuts. This will have an impact on the quality of life issues that matter to you most. Take a moment to DO the SURVEY, and pass it on to your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and associates, and anyone else you know that has a stake in LA.

This is a unique opportunity to have your voice and choice heard directly at City Hall.

Don't let this chance slip by, and claim later that you did not have the opportunity to weigh in.

Councilmember Huizar Denies Real Accountability Rate Payers

2010-11-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 20, 2010) – In what proved to be one of the most critical votes the Los Angeles City Council has faced in years, Councilmember Jose Huizar denied Department of Water and Power (DWP) rate payers real accountability over the DWP by casting the decisive vote in favor of a watered-down Charter Amendment instead of the stronger reform measures backed by seven other council members and DWP reform advocates. If approved by voters in the upcoming March 8th municipal elections, the amendment would create a weak and disempowered Office of Public Accountability (OPA) for the DWP.

“This vote provided a bright light between the real reformers and those who support the proposed ballot measure. The final language is disappointing.” said Jack Humphreville via the CityWatch site.

The City Council held a series of public hearings to obtain community feedback on the proposed OPA. Community members were lead to believe that the final language for the ballot measure would include elements of oversight over the finances, management and operations of the DWP.

The current diluted and ambiguous language of the ballot measure reads as follows:

"The role of the OPA shall be to (1) promote efficiency and effectiveness of the department; (2) provide a centralized focus on ratepayer protection and consumer complaints; and (3) provide independent analysis of department actions, particularly as they relate to water and electricity rate actions. The OPA shall advocate against excessive rates and shall provide expert advice on rate actions and strategies which most economically accomplish the City's policy goals and protect the department's long-term interests."

“Jose Huizar chose to place the demands of the Downtown special interests above the interests of the residents of CD 14 and DWP rate payers all over Los Angeles,” said Eric Hacopian lead consultant to Rudy Martinez campaign. “His betrayal will be fully noted on March 8th by Council District voters when the voters are given the opportunity to vote for true reformer like Rudy Martinez who will bring real change to Los Angeles City Hall.”

# # #

Recap of Suzanne Lauer's Analysis of California Ballot Props at Mayor Sam

2010-11-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Overview - Prop-a-Palooza
Prop 20
Prop 27
Prop 21
Prop 22
Prop 23
Prop 24
Prop 25
Prop 26
Prop 19

Damon Dunn - “40 Under 40 - Rising Stars of U.S. Politics”

2010-10-14T20:59:00.001-07:00

October 14, 2010

Reared by a teenage mom in an overcrowded Texas trailer, Dunn, 34, went to Stanford and played in the NFL before building a successful real estate business.

...

What's the most overlooked issue facing America these days?

America's K-12 education is slipping in world wide standings. Over the long haul this will depreciate our Universities and erode our ability to consistently provide a highly skilled workforce.

Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?

Serving the Great people of California.

Read entire article: Rising Star Damon Dunn

Documents detail 'violations' of standards among pot shop applicants - LA Daily News

2010-08-29T14:43:00.002-07:00

Documents detail 'violations' of standards among pot shop applicants - LA Daily News

Santa Monica plans to Ban all use of plastic Bags | HULIQ

2010-08-29T14:43:00.001-07:00

Santa Monica plans to Ban all use of plastic Bags | HULIQ

Another CRA Exec Out : Curbed LA

2010-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Another CRA Exec Out : Curbed LA

Damien Goodman Responds to Bernard Parks on Expo Line

2010-08-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

As expected, the CPUC reversed themselves and approved the street-level crossing at Farmdale at yesterday's CPUC meeting: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-expo-line-20100730,0,6087806.story

Bernard Parks stated in his newsletter that came out last night, that the CPUC's decision ends all legal challenges and the railroad crossing will be installed across Farmdale this weekend. Bernie's understanding of CPUC law is no better than his understanding of campaign finance or MTA ethics law. You will remember that his illegal fundraising from MTA contractors for his failed Supervisorial campaign, which we first exposed (http://tinyurl.com/parks-mta-atm), resulted in him being forced off the MTA board (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/parks-steps-dow.html), after I called for him to resign for just that violation (http://tinyurl.com/goodmondemandsparksresignation). Parks mysteriously remains on the Expo Board, a subsidiary of MTA.

FACT: THE CPUC DECISION CAN AND WILL BE APPEALED TO A REAL COURT

The reality is that every CPUC decision can be appealed to the California Court of Appeals, and our legal team is at work on that as I type. After it became apparent last winter that the CPUC had no intention on sticking to their initial decision that REJECTED an at-grade crossing (http://tinyurl.com/pucrejects), we began focusing our efforts on an appeal. The great news is that the CPUC decision is so wrought with factual inaccuracies, literally and quite blatantly misinterpreting the record, that our appellete rights are pretty strong. Aside from having a crossing previously ruled unsafe suddenly ruled safe after hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars went toward lobbying the CPUC, the decision claims has such gems as that "there are no issues in dispute." I can't make this stuff up.

So today, we actually celebrate the opportunity to get out of the CPUC court, where the Commissioners essentially do what the politicians tell them to do, and into a real court where judges black robes are far more likely to give us a fair hearing.

FACT: THERE WILL BE NO CROSSING INSTALLATION AT FARMDALE THIS WEEKEND

Also regarding construction, much will be going on at Farmdale in preparation of a variety of things unrelated to the railroad crossing. The first of which will be installation of a new sewer line, which is expected to begin on Monday and last at a minimum of two weeks.

NEXT MEETING

We're currently locking down a venue for our next community meeting. We hope to send out a formal newsletter tomorrow or Sunday with the date and location of the meeting so we can bring people up to speed and explain our next steps.

--
All the best,
Damien Goodmon
damienwg@gmail.com
323.845.2003

Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line: Safety - Community - JUSTICE!
www.FixExpo.org

Hotel Workers Prepared to Take Arrest on Sunset Strip

2010-07-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Civil disobedience demonstration to embrace it’s West Hollywood locale, with red carpet, E!-style pre-show interviews, and a pop music and dance performance

Facing layoffs and cutbacks, thousands protest how Hyatt and its billionaire owners are taking unfair advantage of tough times

WHAT: Red carpet event in the streets, including a civil disobedience, protesting Hyatt and its billionaire owners—the Pritzkers. In Los Angeles, hundreds of workers and allies will take arrest in non-violent civil disobedience actions as part of a 15-city coordinated day of action.

WHO: Hundreds of members of UNITE HERE Local 11, Los Angeles’ hospitality workers union, and community/clergy supporters

WHERE: Hyatt Andaz West Hollywood - 8401 W. Sunset Strip

WHEN: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 5-6:30 p.m.

WHY: The rich take unfair advantage of everything . . . even a recession. Hotel workers in Los Angeles and across North America have endured staff cuts, reduced hours, and excessive injury rates. Hyatt wants to take more away and lock workers into recession contracts even as the economy rebounds.

Now, on July 22nd, thousands of hotel workers in 15 cities across North America are standing up to people like the Pritzkers who run Hyatt, one of the wealthiest and most politically influential families in America.

People like the Pritzkers who run Hyatt are taking unfair advantage: While many hotel workers live in poverty, the Pritzker family cashed out over $900 million in their sale of Hyatt shares in November 2009, and Hyatt share values climbed 65% in the six months that followed. In one stark example, Hyatt fired its entire housekeeping staff from its three Boston-area hotels and replaced them with workers from a subcontracting agency earning minimum wage.

Hyatt workers and 4,000 other hotel workers in Los Angeles have been in contract negotiations since December 2009.

VISUALS: Workers in uniform on big red carpets, shut down Sunset Blvd., dancers, several banners and signs

Statement by LADWP General Manager Austin Beutner Regarding the City Controller's Review of the City Transfer

2010-06-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES — Since my appointment just weeks ago as General Manager of the Department of Water and Power, I have made it clear we are moving forward, not looking back

We’ve put in place a plan to reduce costs in this budget year by $263 million and we have shared this plan with the City Council, our customers, and the community. These cost savings will help reduce rates.

Next week we will present our strategic plan, which will set forth our long-term priorities and identify the resources to pay for them.

We have begun an Operations and Financial Review with the goal of further reducing costs. This review will cover all business processes and operations including real estate, customer service, contracting practices, risk management, renewable energy investment, balance sheet, working capital and cash management, and information systems.

We will also present to our Board of Commissioners next week a concrete plan to establish a ratepayer advocate.

Our budget this year provides for a transfer to the City of Los Angeles of $254 million, which is 8 percent of Power revenues based on an agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the Department. This equates to $5.22 per month per customer for a typical residential power bill. We have budgeted for this amount and have rates approved to pay for it. If we are able to find a way to reduce rates (thereby reducing revenues) the amount of the transfer may be reduced as the 8 percent will be of a smaller number.

Since a draft of the report was first presented to Department staff yesterday morning, we are still reviewing it. While we don’t wish to engage in an extended debate over the auditor’s findings, it appears there may be several errors of fact in the report. The Department will also review the final report when we receive it.

We are committed to engaging in a constructive dialogue with the Mayor, City Council, our customers and the community and we look forward to further opportunities to discuss the steps being taken to improve transparency, reduce costs and improve operations at the Department of Water and Power.

# # #

For more information contact:

Joseph Ramallo
LADWP Public Affairs
(213) 367-1361

Walter Moore's Letter To L.A. City Attorney Re Arizona Lawsuit

2010-06-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

June 8, 2010

VIA FAX TO 213.978.8312 (Two Pages)
Hon. Carmen Trutanich
Los Angeles City Attorney
200 North Main Street, 8th Floor
Los Angeles, Ca. 90012

Re: Arizona Amicus Brief
City Council File No. 10-0932

Dear Mr. Trutanich:

This is to request that you advise the Mayor and City Council that you
cannot prepare and file an amicus brief in litigation in Arizona
regarding the validity of that state's new statute on illegal
immigration.

I make the request because the City Council passed a motion this
morning that would purportedly require your office to file an amicus
brief in support of the plaintiffs in Friendly House v. Whiting, an
action pending in the United States District Court for the District of
Arizona. (The plaintiffs in that case, by the way, already have at
least 14 attorneys of record.)

The City Council can and should simply reverse its vote, pursuant to
Rule 51 of the City Council Rules. However, if the City Council
refuses to do so, you should refuse to prepare and file an amicus
brief in the Arizona litigation, because doing so would violate the
City Charter, the State Constitution and the Rules of Professional
Conduct.

Nothing in the City Charter authorizes the City Council, the City
Attorney or any other City Officer to spend taxpayer funds preparing
and filing legal briefs in out-of-state lawsuits to which the City is
not even a party.

Section 254 of the Charter authorizes the City Council, "by
resolution, to establish the official position of the City with
respect to legislation proposed to or pending before the state or
federal government." Neither that section nor any other, however,
authorizes the Council to pass resolutions -- much less file briefs or
initiate other legal proceedings -- regarding legislation in other
states, regarding the validity of those states' laws.

Section 271 of the Charter authorizes the City Attorney to "represent
the City in all legal proceedings against the City," and to "initiate
appropriate legal proceedings on behalf of the City." Section 271
does not authorize the City Attorney to defend or prosecute actions
for or against third parties, in litigation to which the City is not
even a party.

Even if the Charter gave the City Council a license to butt into other
people's lawsuits in other states -- which it does not -- the State
Constitution would still prohibit the Council from doing so. Article
11, Section 5(a) of the California Constitution allows charter cities
like Los Angeles only to "make and enforce all ordinances and
regulations in respect to municipal affairs."

Charter cities, in other words, do not have carte blanche to involve
themselves in whatever happens to interest the politicians running
them on any particular day. Rather, the beginning and end of their
jurisdiction is municipal affairs.

The City of Los Angeles has exceeded the limited scope of its
Constitutional authority before, when the California Supreme Court
struck down the City's tax on savings and loan institutions in the
1990s. California Federal Savings and Loan v. City Of Los Angeles
(1991) 54 Cal. 3rd 1. The City should not exceed its Constitutional
authority again -- especially not by something as flagrantly
non-"municipal" as attempting to insinuate itself into a legal
proceeding in another state to which it is not even a party.

Nor can the City Council require you or your staff, as members of the
California Bar, to violate the City Charter or the California
Constitution. Section 272 of the Charter makes it crystal clear that
your client "is the municipal corporation, the City of Los Angeles,"
not the City Council Members or the Mayor. Furthermore, Rule 3-700(C)
of the Rules of Professional Conduct makes it clear that clients
cannot in any event insist that their lawyers proceed with groundless
claims or pursue an illegal course of conduct.

Accordingly, please tell the the City Council that the Charter and the
California Constitution preclude your staff from spending scarce tax
dollars to file briefs in other people's lawsuits in other states. I
have absolutely zero desire to file a taxpayer lawsuit against the
City of Los Angeles, but if we don't nip this kind of ultra vires
misuse of taxpayer funds in the bud, I can only imagine how many more
amicus briefs the City Council would direct you to file in coming
months and years.

Sincerely,

Walter Moore

Phil Jennerjahn Not a Serious Candidate for Congress

2010-06-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

So instead of walking precincts or making phone calls on the Sunday before a primary election in which he is running Phil Jennerjahn was playing golf. Now we know for sure he is not serious.

Mobile Uploads

I never get par on this hole. 480 yd par 4.

By:Phil Jennerjahn

Do you think Poizner cares?

2010-06-02T18:44:00.001-07:00

Phil Jennerjahn to Steve Poizner: On June 8th, I am going to give Meg Whitman the exact same level of support that she gave to all the other Republican candidates who ran for office here in California over the last 28 years. I won't be making a mark next to her name. The way I figure it, she has earned it.

Phil Jennerjahn's Open Letter to Joe O'Connell

2010-05-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Retrieved from Google Reader

Open Letter to Joe O'Connell

by Phil Jennerjahn

Joe,

I got your somewhat panicked message on my answering machine the other night. I'm sorry, but I probably won't be returning your call. I don't see that we have anything to talk about.

You are probably upset that I obtained the domain name Andion2010.com for myself and have put up a page on the internet promoting myself at the expense of Mr. Andion. Well, if you are not happy with that, then you should have run a better campaign. Don't be paying thousands of dollars to promote websites in voter information booklets that get mailed out to 280,000 voter households -- when you have inconveniently forgotten to purchase that website in advance.

(What type of campaign manager are you?)

You asked in the message "What we can do about it?". The answer? -- Nothing.

I am going to leave the page up. It is a tactical advantage for me and I see no reason to change that.

Two things will probably happen when voters go to look at that website after reading their voter information booklets.

(1) They will think that James Andion is incompetent. I mean..really...the guy is running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives ...and he sends you to a website that promotes his opponent?

Not good. That alone would get most people to dismiss him as a potential candidate choice.

(2) The voters might think that Andion dropped out of the race and is endorsing me. That is not correct, but if voters choose to think that...then all the better for me.

I am certain you are not happy about that part. Maybe even about the language I used.

But I said that "Andion2010.com" is endorsing me. That is my website.

I have every right to do that. I never mentioned James Andion by name.

I know that Mr. Andion is an attorney, and their answer to every dispute is to sue people.

Mr. Andion can sue me if he likes. But he will lose.

I purchased an unowned website and am using it to promote my campaign.

Nothing illegal about that.

Besides, just getting the case into court will take months.

The primary is on June 8th -- 25 short days from now.

You still have other options.

You can spend thousands of dollars on mailers and robo-calls telling voters that you screwed up and the website you promoted is not the one you want voters to look at... it is a different one called...(etc etc)

I am sure that will inspire a lot of confidence in your candidate.

Mr. O'Connell, one last word of advice.

When you put on your spikes to step on the field against me politically, you had better bring your A-game.

In this situation, you didn't.

Voters can't trust the future of this district to a guy who can't even manage his own internet pages.

Sincerely

Phil Jennerjahn

Hahn Hits Newsom On Law Enforcement Record

2010-05-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

TO: ALL INTERESTED PARTIES
FROM: MICHAEL TRUJILLO - CAMPAIGN MANAGER JANICE HAHN FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
DATE: MAY 4TH 2010
RE: WHAT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY KNOWS ABOUT GAVIN NEWSOM IS HURTING THE RESIDENTS OF HIS OWN CITY

Don't you find it surprising that of all the endorsements Mayor Gavin Newsom lists on his own campaign website, not a single one of them comes from a police or sheriffs' organization - and not even the sheriff of his own county of San Francisco has come out for him?

Maybe law enforcement knows something about Newsom that voters also should know. Take the ongoing fiasco over the San Francisco crime lab. While Newsom's been gallivanting around the state running for governor, and now lieutenant governor, hundreds if not thousands of criminals are about to be released onto the streets of San Francisco - and elsewhere.

Here are the shocking facts:

2004: Newsom's Own Transition Team Cited Improvement Of Crime Lab As A Pressing Need

Mayor Newsom's Transition Team Cited Improvement Of The Crime Lab As A Pressing Need. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "An upbeat assessment of the San Francisco Police Department prepared for Mayor Gavin Newsom ignores or dismisses many of what critics have identified as the force's biggest flaws, saying instead that its main challenges are dealing with tight budgets and putting a computerized crime-mapping system in place. The five-page report by Newsom's transition team was written by a retired deputy police chief, who with other members interviewed Police Chief Alex Fagan and reviewed unspecified other sources…The report suggests budget limitations amount to the most serious problem faced by the department, citing among other challenges deteriorating police stations. Other pressing needs, the document says, are a computerized mapping system that will help investigators spot crime trends, and the improvement of the department's crime lab." [San Francisco Chronicle, 1/16/04]

2006: US District Court Limited SF Crime Lab Analysts Testimony Because Accepted Methodology Was Not Reliably Applied

Court Limited SFPD Crime Lab Analyst's Testimony Because The Science Was Not Applied As Needed. According to an United States District Court for the Northern District of California opinion in the case of United States of America v. Edgar Diaz, Rickey Rollings, Don Johnson, Robert Calloway, Dornell Ellis, Emile Fort, Christopher Byes, Paris Ragland, Ronnie Calloway, Allen Calloway, Terrell Jackson And Redacted Defendant No. One, "In conclusion, the science behind the tests used by the SFPD Crime Lab passes muster under Daubert. The science, however, was not applied as needed in the cases of multiple packages, and the expert testimony will be limited as above. Furthermore, whatever deficiencies an individual expert may have is a subject for cross-examination at trial… Defendants' motions to exclude the testimony is [*61] GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART." ¹

SFPD Crime Lab Failed To Test All Packages To Confirm Suspected Substance; Testing Was Insufficient. According to an United States District Court for the Northern District of California opinion, "At the hearing, a small bombshell exploded. Criminalist Deborah Madden testified that the SFPD Crime Lab failed to test all packages of suspected marijuana. If, for example, multiple packages [*51] of suspected marijuana were sent to the SFPD Crime Lab in one exhibit envelope, the analyst would weigh all of the packages together. The analyst then would perform a microscopic analysis on individual samples from all of the packages. The Duquenois-Levine color test, however, was only applied to one of the many packages submitted. Despite this lapse, the analyst would nonetheless indicate that all packages contained marijuana even though the full (and necessary) battery of tests was performed only on one package. Following the hearing, the Court requested counsel to address whether the SFPD Crime Lab followed a similar procedure for multiple packages of suspected cocaine. The government submitted a supplemental declaration by Madden. Madden explained that the same procedure was followed for cocaine, i.e., if the contents of the packages were similar in appearance, an analyst would subject only one package of suspected cocaine to the color and microcrystalline testing, assuming (without full testing) that all the other packages were chemically identical (Madden Decl. P 6)… [*52] This order holds this procedure invalid under Daubert and Rule 702. For evidence to be admissible under Rule 702, it must be shown that 'the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.' As shown above, the full battery of tests must be performed to support a scientifically reliable conclusion. The SFPD Crime Lab's testing procedure for multiple packages skipped the Duquenois-Levine test for all but one of the packages. Doing only half the tests on a package was insufficient as to that package. The same is true with cocaine--positive results were needed under all three of the cobalt thiocyanate, gold chloride, and platinic chloride tests to confirm the presence of cocaine. After confirming the presence of cocaine in only one package, the SFPD Crime Lab did not submit any of the other suspected cocaine packages to full testing."²
Court Could Not Find That Acceptable Methodology Was Applied Reliably By SFPD Crime Lab. According to an United States District Court for the Northern District of California opinion in the case of United States of America v. Edgar Diaz, Rickey Rollings, Don Johnson, Robert Calloway, Dornell Ellis, Emile Fort, Christopher Byes, Paris Ragland, Ronnie Calloway, Allen Calloway, Terrell Jackson And Redacted Defendant No. One, "This order cannot find that the acceptable methodology was applied reliably [*54] to the multiple-package samples in this case. The Third Circuit has recognized: "[A]ny step that renders the analysis unreliable ... renders the expert's testimony inadmissible. This is true whether the step completely changes a reliable methodology or merely misapplies that methodology.' In re Paoli R.R. Yard PCB Litig., 35 F.3d 717, 745 (3d Cir. 1994). More specifically, the First Circuit has acknowledged that 'courts have endorsed statistically based drug-quantity extrapolations predicated on random test samples in circumstances where the government was able to demonstrate an 'adequate basis in fact for the extrapolation and that the quantity was determined in a manner consistent with the accepted standards of [reasonable] reliability.'' United States v. Scalia, 993 F.2d 984, 988 (1st Cir. 1993) (quoting United States v. McCutchen, 992 F.2d 22, 23 (3d Cir. 1993)) (emphasis added); see also United States v. Pirre, 927 F.2d 694, 697 (2d Cir. 1991). Here those accepted standards of reasonable reliability are not present."³

Court Wrote That San Francisco Police Lab "Is Still Relying On The State Of The Art As Of The 1970s." According to an United States District Court for the Northern District of California opinion in the case of United States of America v. Edgar Diaz, Rickey Rollings, Don Johnson, Robert Calloway, Dornell Ellis, Emile Fort, Christopher Byes, Paris Ragland, Ronnie Calloway, Allen Calloway, Terrell Jackson And Redacted Defendant No. One, "The essence of this long order is this: The laws of chemistry are immutable. It is true that nowadays instrumentation is favored over chemical tests among scientists in the field and that the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab is still relying on the state of the art as of the 1970s. But the science was good then. It is still good, the scientific principles being fixed. Despite the many hundreds of thousands of drug convictions in the criminal justice system in America, there has not been a single documented false-positive identification of marijuana or cocaine when the [*4] methods used by the SFPD Crime Lab are applied by trained, competent analysts." [UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. EDGAR DIAZ, RICKEY ROLLINGS, DON JOHNSON, ROBERT CALLOWAY, DORNELL ELLIS, EMILE FORT, CHRISTOPHER BYES, PARIS RAGLAND, RONNIE CALLOWAY, ALLEN CALLOWAY, TERRELL JACKSON and REDACTED DEFENDANT NO. ONE, Defendants, No. CR 05-0167 WHA, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 12/06/06]

2009: Audit Found Crime Lab Lacked Proper Chains Of Evidence, Detailed Record-Keeping, And Adequate Cleanliness

Audit By American Society Of Crime Laboratory Directors Found That Lab Lacked Proper Chains Of Evidence Custody, Detailed Record-Keeping, And Adequate Cleanliness. According to the Associated Press, "The shutdown came the same week that a 2009 audit was released by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors showing that the lab lacked proper chains of evidence custody, detailed record-keeping and adequate cleanliness. The report also discovered the lab's failure to calibrate scales used for weighing drugs and depended largely on outdated testing methods. A drug's weight is significant on how a defendant is charged." [AP, 3/31/10]

Audit Found San Francisco Crime Lab Did Not Have Secure Chain Of Custody For Evidence, Failed To Keep Detailed Case Records. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "police released an audit by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors that shows the San Francisco lab does not have a secure chain of custody for evidence, fails to keep detailed case records and does not meet standards of cleanliness. The audit found that the lab is routinely underfunded and understaffed and has to rely on overtime to fulfill its mission." [San Francisco Chronicle, 3/10/10]

2010: Audit Found Drug Unit In San Francisco's Crime Lab Was Overworked And Understaffed

State Audit Found Drug Unit In San Francisco's Crime Lab Was Overworked And Understaffed.According to the Associated Press, "A state audit released Tuesday reveals that the drug unit in San Francisco's scandal-plagued crime lab was overworked and understaffed. The audit by the state Department of Justice and the Sacramento County District Attorney's office said that lab staff was overwhelmed trying to meet 48-hour deadlines analyzing drug evidence so prosecutors can quickly charge suspects. The audit said the scrutinized lab had at least three technicians conducting drug tests from last July to December. The lab handles about 14,000 drug cases annually, with each technician handling 5,000 to 7,000 cases per year, the audit said. The state's average is slightly more than 1,000 cases per year, the report said. 'The stress and strain of trying to meet the demands of court has resulted in sacrificing quality for quanity,' the audit said. 'This is evident throughout ... and possibly provided the opportunity for evidence tampering and abuse of the evidence control system.'" [AP, 3/31/10]

State Audit Said Lab Staff Was Poorly Trained, And Improperly Tracked And Stored Evidence. According to the Associated Press, "The audit also said that the lab staff is poorly trained, and improperly tracked and stored evidence. The report suggested hiring more staff and getting more lab space to handle the volume of drug evidence… The audit said good practices at the lab 'have been repeatedly shortchanged in favor of high case throughput.' It noted that technicians often left drug evidence in unsecured boxes or lockers ripe for possible theft. The report also said the techs did not record when they may have reopened evidence samples, creating the possibility for tampering. It recommended taping- or heat-sealing the evidence to avoid possible tampering." [AP, 3/31/10]

The evidence is clear, when his own transition team identified the crime lab as a major issue to be focused on, Mayor Newsom did nothing. When the US District Court began to limit testimony from crime lab technicians Mayor Newsom did nothing. And now that thousands of cases are being dismissed or overturned, and hardened criminals released onto the streets of California - Mayor Newsom does nothing.

Gavin Newsom is literally tweeting while Rome burns - or while evidence is being thrown out and criminals are being turned out onto the streets.

¹[UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. EDGAR DIAZ, RICKEY ROLLINGS, DON JOHNSON, ROBERT CALLOWAY, DORNELL ELLIS, EMILE FORT, CHRISTOPHER BYES, PARIS RAGLAND, RONNIE CALLOWAY, ALLEN CALLOWAY, TERRELL JACKSON and REDACTED DEFENDANT NO. ONE, Defendants, No. CR 05-0167 WHA, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 12/06/06]
²[UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. EDGAR DIAZ, RICKEY ROLLINGS, DON JOHNSON, ROBERT CALLOWAY, DORNELL ELLIS, EMILE FORT, CHRISTOPHER BYES, PARIS RAGLAND, RONNIE CALLOWAY, ALLEN CALLOWAY, TERRELL JACKSON and REDACTED DEFENDANT NO. ONE, Defendants, No. CR 05-0167 WHA, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 12/06/06]
³[UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. EDGAR DIAZ, RICKEY ROLLINGS, DON JOHNSON, ROBERT CALLOWAY, DORNELL ELLIS, EMILE FORT, CHRISTOPHER BYES, PARIS RAGLAND, RONNIE CALLOWAY, ALLEN CALLOWAY, TERRELL JACKSON and REDACTED DEFENDANT NO. ONE, Defendants, No. CR 05-0167 WHA, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 12/06/06]

Gatto Meets with Chahe?

2010-05-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

WHY IS GATTO MEETING WITH OPPONENT keuroghelian?

Glendale, May 4– Opposing candidates on the June 8^th primary ballot for the 43^rd Assembly seat Mike Gatto and Chahe Keuroghelian had a long meeting on April 24^th. With such an odd pairing for a meeting many questions require answering and explanation. In a letter on March 3^rd from women leaders the accusation was made that Gatto and his “old-boys network” recruited Keuroghelian to run to split the Armenian-American community. “They have recruited a candidate to run in this race for the sole purpose of dividing her ethnic base.”

Isn’t it odd to be meeting with an opponent 46 days before an election when you’re running against him?

Instead of spending time showing respect to the Armenian-American community on April 24^th, Gatto was having a meeting with his opponent Chahe Keuroghelian.

It was stated in a recent news article that, “Gatto also spent part of April 24 meeting with Keuroghelian, who is running against Gatto in a Democratic primary ahead of another election for the same office on Nov. 2.” (GNP 5/4/10)

This brings to mind many questions:

Why would opposing candidates want to meet with each other? Gatto claims Keuroghelian wanted to help Gatto in “healing wounds” (GNP 5/4/10) with the Armenian-American community.

Why would the sole opposition in a primary campaign want to help his opponent? Are they that close of friends? Why would Gatto dignify a convicted criminal with a meeting? Does Gatto not care about women who have survived domestic violence since he is willing to meet with a criminal who pulled a gun on his wife?

What were they talking about and what exactly was said? What was concluded? Was Gatto trying to cut a deal with Kueroghelian like he accused his opponent of doing? (GNP, 3/24/10) Was Gatto asking for an endorsement? Was Gatto trying to force him out of the race? Are they in cahoots together?

It seems odd for the two of them to have a meeting when Keuroghelian stated on April 20^th to want run a “strong campaign.” (GNP, 4/20/10)

Why would Keuroghelian want to help strengthen Mike Gatto’s candidacy with a community that supported Keuroghelian and not Gatto during the April 13^th election? Does it makes sense that a candidate would want to give away his own support and votes to his opponent? Does Gatto not mind spending time with people who have spent time in jail?

With such a strange meeting taking place these questions deserve answers immediately.

Background

Gatto, Ramani build blocs (GNP, 5/4/2010)

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2010/05/04/politics/gnp-campaign050410.txt

Political Landscape: Democrats facing off (GNP, 3/3/2010)

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2010/03/03/politics/gnp-pollandscape030410.txt

Krekorian denies political pressure (GNP, 3/24/2010)

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2010/03/25/politics/gnp-race032410.txt

Armenian candidates split vote (GNP, 4/17/2010)

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2010/04/17/politics/gnp-vote041710.txt

Candidate drops out of race (GNP, 4/20/2010)

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2010/04/21/politics/gnp-campaign042110.txt

Tom LeBong's Tour for the British

2010-04-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

When 4,000 British tourists were stranded in Los Angeles by the volcano in Iceland, Councilmember LaBonge worked with British Consul General Dame Barbara Hay and LA Inc., to show them a good time. The three arranged free visits to attractions in Council District 4 (Madame Tussaud's, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Petersen Automotive Museum and others) to anyone with a Britsh passport.

Open Letter to Mike Gatto From a Democrat

2010-04-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

From: Diane Vallette [mailto:dvallette@morayvallette.com]
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 10:56 AM
To: mike@mikegatto4assembly.com
Subject: Your recent mailer

Dear Mr. Gatto

I am a life long registered Democrat, a practicing attorney, and owner of a small business.

The tenor and content of your recent mailer is symbolic of what I think has gone wrong with our Party. Instead of persuading me to join your cause, you have completely alienated me.

I think it is unfortunate that in order to argue against political positions of an opponent, that you, as a Candidate for Assembly, must stoop to personal and crude attacks and denigration of others’ policies. Where is your reasoned and thoughtful argument? Your rhetoric concerning closing corporate loopholes is just that. Do you have any statistics which show that increased spending on education increases any likelihood of knowledge or success by students? How do you expect to win someone to your way of thinking, when your letter is obviously not thought provoking? Your letter would not convince or persuade anyone to your position.

It is this type of colloquy that has forced me in these last couple of elections, to look much more closely at the core values and principles of the candidates. It is also what has pushed me to become an active member of the Pasadena Patriots.

I would like to think that a candidate or elected politician would be above this type of behavior.

Thank you.

Diane Lynn Vallette

Moray & Vallette, A Professional Corporation

452 South Marengo Ave.

Pasadena, CA 91101

(626) 568-9111

(626 568-9141 Fax

Did Mike Gatto Accuse Nayiri Nahabedian of being a "Tea Bagger""

2010-04-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

From: Pasadena Patriots <pasadenapatriots@gmail.com>

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:05:38 -0700

Subject: Demand for Written Apology to Tea Party Members

Mr. Gatto,

In the final, desperate hours of Tuesday’s special election campaign, you mailed out a “hit piece” attacking your Democratic rival, Nayiri Nahabedian, as a “Tea Bagger” and presenting yourself as the only true Democrat in the race.

I understand that politics is a full contact sport. What I don’t understand is why you chose an obscene, degrading sexual metaphor to describe millions of Americans, including thousands in your own community, who identify with the Tea Party. There is no excuse for this and I demand your immediate written apology.

Here in the San Gabriel Valley our non-partisan Tea Party membership includes Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians and “Decline to States.” Like America itself, we have members of every age, race, religion, profession and socioeconomic class. In fact, many of our members live in the 43^rd Assembly District you aspire to represent. What unites us is a deep love of our country and an equally deep concern about the direction you and your party leadership would take our country. Overwhelmingly, we are the people who pay most of the taxes and make this country run. Many of us have worn the uniform of this country with great pride and honor. We deserve your respect, not a filthy mouth.

It would seem that your political career has gotten off to a bad start. Like the leader of yourparty, you are young, ambitious, inexperienced, ill-educated, confrontational and contemptuous of those who oppose you. This bodes ill for your district, the State of California and America. To prepare yourself for office, you should skip the inflammatory rhetoric and instead establish a respectful dialogue with your fellow citizens in the TeaParty. If you do, you will learn why you and your ideas alarm them. They realize that our state and our country are, by any reasonable measure, insolvent, if not outright bankrupt. Your solution is more of the same: unlimited spending, taxation, borrowing, regulation and government control. They honestly and justifiably believe that your approach has brought our state and this country to the brink of destruction. They understand that the three largest public employee pensions are $500 billion underfunded. They understand that we are a high cost, high tax state and that record numbers of businesses and individuals are leaving for other states with lower taxes, less regulation and more opportunity. They understand that we have a 20% rate of unemployment and underemployment in California and that it’s much worse in the inner cities. At the national level, things are even worse. What they don't understand is how we’re going to get out of this mess. Our members – your prospective constituents – desperately need to have a serious conversation with their representatives about very, very serious issues. What they don’t need, is locker room trash talk.

I think you get my point. In case you don’t, my full contact information is below. Our membership is expecting that apology. Pronto.

Sincerely,

//Michael T. Alexander//

Michael T. Alexander
Pasadena Patriots/TEAPAC

936 E. Green St., Suite 100

Pasadena, CA 91106

pasadenapatriots@gmail.com

(626) 792-1772 Tel

(626) 622-8000 Dir

Noel Weiss Anaylsis of the DWP Interim Appointment

2010-04-25T21:17:00.001-07:00

As provided by Kevin James...

Under 508(C) of the Charter, the Mayor is empowered to make 'Temporary Appointments' for up to six months. (See Attached).

However, under Section 235 of the Charter (copy enclosed) the City Council can take jurisdiction and reverse any action of any Board or Commission.

This afternoon, the DWP Board approved of Beutner's 'Interim' Appointment (see attached).

Therefore, under Section 245 of the Charter, the City Council can review and reject the DWP Board's action. They have 5 Council days to do it. . Which means my one week from Friday, the Council must by two-thirds vote, act to take jurisdiction of the DWP Board Action. Then the Council must act within 21 calendar days to overturn the action.

So the ticket here is to get the City Council to exercise its powers under Section 245 to bring Beutner before the public and examine his capabilities and background to run the DWP, including the kind of full disclosure to which the public is entitled, particularly as it relates to Beutner's background and present conflict of interest, given (what I assume) are his large stock holdings in Evercore. Beutner's access to proprietary information could be very useful to the business interests of Evercore. It is a rampant conflict of interest (if true) and it puts the City of LA more firmly in the pocket of Wall Street, whose desire for profit far exceeds its desire to benefit the people of Los Angeles.

The people need to be told to move quickly to insist on Council action to review this appointment.

One last thing: Note that the letterhead of the DWP on which Buetner wrote his introductory letter lists him as 'General Manager' (not 'Interim General Manager'). This is significant Kevin because it indicates that the Mayor originally was going to appoint him to a permanent position; but he apparently thought better of it and chose instead the 'side route' where the likelihood of compelled disclosure and openness would be prejudicial to the appointment, particularly given how Wall Street continues to screw Main Street (today Goldman Sachs announced $3.2 Billion (with a 'B') in quarterly revenue AND more bonuses. They are making this money off the backs of the people.

With Beutner in charge, we have the makings of a problem.

Is there some reason the Mayor could not have found a permanent replacement in the last six months?

The people have to speak up here Kevin, loud and strong.

Call to Action -- Park Rangers & 2010-2011 City Budget

2010-04-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Regional Park Advocates:

Last October, when it was learned that the Rec & Parks Department planned to define-down the duties of its diminishing ranks of Park Rangers, eliminate the Chief Park Ranger position and make other changes that caused concern, we worked together to advocate for the maintenance of a vigorous Ranger presence in our regional parks that would be fully functional, funded and staffed. To some extent we've been heard, but important issues remain.

This is a call to action.

The City's 2010-2011 Proposed Budget released this week provides funding for 29 Park Ranger positions.

Currently, 22 Park Rangers are employed by the City: 10 peace officers, 10 interpretive rangers and 2 supervisors. In the Mayor's 2010-2011 Proposed Budget, the count of General Funded and Resolution Park Ranger positions is 29 including:

1 Chief

1 Sr II

3 Sr I

24 Field Rangers

This is a gain of 7 positions. It is critical that they be filled, preferably with Rangers who are certified as peace officers because...

The same Budget eliminates entirely the GSD's Office of Public Safety which currently patrols the parks.

You may have read about this in the Times.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayor-cops19-2010apr19,0,4933635.story

OPS armed peace officers work for the General Services Department. Patrol of the City's parks is one of several assigned OPS functions. To make good on his pledge to increase the police, the Mayor's Budget consolidates the OPS with the LAPD. If the absorption proceeds it will add 100 police officers and transfer another 153 civilian security positions to the LAPD.

It will also end OPS patrol of City parks. Since the parks will lose these peace officers, it is vital that we ask the City to:

-- Immediately fill the 7 vacant Park Ranger positions in the 2010-2011 Budget with Rangers who have peace officer status. Added to the 10 currently employed Park Rangers with peace officer status, this will raise the number of park-assigned peace officers to 17. Park Rangers with peace officer status have the ability to write citations, make arrests and bear arms.

-- Reassign the duties of the 10 currently employed non-peace officer Park Rangers now performing wholly interpretive functions to the full range of non-peace officer functions they performed previously (see list of 14 duties in the May 24, 2002 "Delineation of Park Ranger Duties" memo that follows this message). The interpretive function is just one of 14 duties non-peace officer Rangers have traditionally performed. Having 10 Park Rangers whose duties are limited wholly to the interpretive function is a luxury the parks cannot afford.

How to take action to maintain a viable Park Ranger Division in our regional parks:

1. Budget hearing begin next week. As soon as you can, send an e-mail or letter(s) expressing appreciation for and supporting the budgeting of 29 Park Ranger positions in the 2010-2011 Proposed Budget to:

Mayor Villaraigosa (via input form)

http://mayor.lacity.org/MeettheMayor/AsktheMayor/index.htm

Your City Councilmember

See www.lacity.org for contact info

Budget & Finance Committee, Councilmember Bernard Parks, Chair:

lauraine.braithwaite@lacity.org

Rec & Parks General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri

jonkirk.mukri@lacity.org

Barry Sanders, President, Rec & Parks Commission

rap.commissioners@lacity.org

2. Listen to the Budget hearings on Council Phone, watch them live online or attend in person and make public comment. The Budget and Finance Committee hearing on Thursday, April 29 will discuss, among other things, the budget proposals for Recreation and Parks. Don't go in person unless you have lots of time--this is the third day of 9- to-5 budget hearings and the timing of a given matter is hard to pinpoint: as currently listed, three departments precede Recreation & Parks on Thursday. Go to the Council Calendar on the City's web site for details about location, using Council Phone, and online viewing (you will also find the Proposed Budget there).

www.lacity.org

3. Attend a Recreation & Parks Commission Meeting and make public comment in support of the Park Rangers and the hiring and duties goals outlined here. If you advocate for a regional park that is not, but should be, patrolled by Park Rangers or if you have special circumstances you wish to point out, by all means do so.

The next Rec & Parks Commission meetings are:

Wednesday, May 5, 9:30 a.m. at Expo Center

Monday, May 17, 9:30 a.m. at Operations West

Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 9:30 a.m. at Expo Center

For agendas, details and addresses, see "Commissioners" atwww.laparks.org

Thank you,

Bernadette Soter

Chair

Parks, River and Open Space (PROS) Committee

Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council

bsoter@earthlink.net

Phil Jennerjahn on the Recall

2010-04-20T21:30:00.001-07:00

The Spark That Lit The Fire

Something happened to me today that I am eager to share with readers of The Jennerjahn Report, but I can't release the details just yet. I will soon, though.

It is an idea that is so big....so revolutionary, that I believe it is going to change American history and that it will put me into national prominence.

Tonight was a huge night in human history.

A huge step forward for personal freedom.

And you are going to be some of the first people to ever hear about it.

Stay tuned for more details later this week....

Join President Bill Clinton next Monday

2010-04-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend,

I wanted to share some exciting news and I wanted you to hear it from me first before you read it anywhere else.

Next Monday, April 26th, former President Bill Clinton will be in Phoenix lending a hand to our campaign to turn Arizona’s economy around. And you’re invited to join us at a small “meet and greet” fundraiser that morning. For details and to RSVP, please click here.

Even if you can't afford the ticket price, we want you be part of this. We’ve gotten this far in this campaign because of our grassroots support – with most of our contributors giving $100 or less. That’s why we’re opening this event up to the members of our movement for change. Between now and noon (AZ time) on Friday, April 23rd, every contribution of $25 and above will be entered into a pool and one person will be randomly selected to join our small group with President Clinton next Monday.

It could be you! Contribute $25 or more now for your chance to meet and spend some time with President Clinton next Monday in Phoenix. (Make sure you enter your full contact information so we can get in touch with you.)

Whether or not you can join us in Phoenix for this event – and whether or not you’ve already contributed before – I hope you’ll take this opportunity to make a donation to our campaign. We need your help and this visit from President Clinton reminds us all of how much is at stake in this election. Please give today – at any amount, large or small.

Under President Clinton’s leadership in the White House, Americans created 22 million new jobs and he worked across party lines to balance the budget for the first time in nearly thirty years. We brought down the size of government while opening the doors of opportunity to millions.

That’s the combination of fiscal responsibility, investment in our future, and fundamental reform we need in Arizona today. As Treasurer, I’ll make sure Wall Street doesn’t run amok with our money and we’ll invest more in Arizona and the jobs of our future. We’ll use audits to make government work better, cost less, and provide high-quality services. And we’ll use our tools to help make Arizona the “Solar State.”

Tomorrow marks 1,000 hours to go before the next fundraising deadline. In those closing days of the last reporting period, you made Arizona political history. President Clinton’s visit is a great kick-off to doing it again – but we need your help.

Join us today.

Thanks,
Andrei

P.S. President Clinton ran on “Putting People First.” Isn’t that what we need to do today again? Join our contest and tell him that in person. But even if you can’t, please contribute to our campaign so that we can turn our economy around.

Phil Jennerjahn's Recall Envelope

2010-04-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Algore for Andrei

2010-04-08T21:39:00.001-07:00

From the Desk of Al Gore

Dear Friend,

I don’t usually get personally involved on behalf of candidates for Arizona State Treasurer. But Andrei Cherny is not your usual candidate and the race he’s in is not your usual campaign.

Andrei is one of our nation’s brightest leaders for the future and I know that, as State Treasurer, he will be bold, thoughtful, and tireless in using every tool at his disposal to generate economic growth.

He has a plan to do it: investing in Arizona and not just Wall Street, reforming state government, rebuilding fiscal responsibility, and helping to create the jobs of the future. And Andrei will capture the bright opportunities ahead by working to make Arizona “the Solar State” – the nation’s leader in solar jobs.

Andrei’s campaign has been attracting attention and capturing people’s imagination far and wide and across party lines. But it has also raised alarm bells among some national Republican Party leaders who see Andrei as a political threat. Republicans have held the Arizona State Treasurer’s post for the past 46 years, and it’s time for a change.

They are massing to defeat Andrei with a flood of negative ads. We can’t let them do it. Click here to donate to Andrei’s campaign so his ideas and message of change can reach the voters. Every contribution counts.

I first got to know Andrei thirteen years ago when he came to work for me in the White House. He worked with President Clinton and me in an Administration that created 22 million new jobs while eliminating the budget deficit for the first time in nearly thirty years. I don’t live there, but from everything I’ve seen and read, that’s the kind of economic leadership Arizona needs right now.

Since then, Andrei has worked in the private sector and, for the past few years, Andrei has served the people of Arizona as a prosecutor – taking on corporate crime, financial fraud, and public corruption. Andrei is ready to serve as State Treasurer – Arizona’s Chief Economic Officer.

Please click here to donate. Every contribution, large or small, makes a difference.

At difficult moments like this one, I know it’s easy to lose heart. But our nation has persevered because in the toughest times we’ve produced the best leaders. We need a new generation of courageous and competent public servants to build a 21st century economy and reform our government. Andrei Cherny will bring that kind of leadership as Arizona State Treasurer.

I hope you’ll give him your full support.

Sincerely,

Al Gore

P.S. Andrei can win this race and help turn the Arizona economy around, but he needs your help. Please make a contribution to his campaign today.

My First Women's Dialogue

2010-01-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends!

Please join me on Thursday, January 28, 2010 for my first Women's Dialogue: “Women and the Environment”. I will be moderating a panel of six prominent women who come from all over California and are leaders in the environmental community. Our panel discussion will focus on their personal views and experiences, as well current efforts to protect our environment. Our panelists are:

• Alina Bokde: Vice President of the City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Commission

• Felicia Marcus: Western Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

• Jerilyn Lopez-Mendoza: Environmental Attorney and Vice President of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners

• Irma Munoz: President of Mujeres de la Tierra

• Mary Nichols: Chairman of the California Air Resources Board

• Effie Turnbull Sanders: Vice President of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters

The Dialogue will take place on Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles. There will be refreshments and time for networking before the event.

If you would like to attend “Women and the Environment” Dialogue, please R.S.V.P. to Nancy Hernandez at nancy.hernandez@lacity.org by Thursday, January 14th. Because of limited seating, I ask that you respond only if you are sure you will be able to join us.

Free parking will be available; you will receive instructions as the event date nears.

I look forward to sharing the evening with you.

Sincerely,

Wendy Greuel
City Controller

Janice Hahn Jumps the Gun?

2010-01-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

Does Google show information that Janice Hahn's campaign for Lt. Governor posted but then removed? Absracts in Google Search and Google Reader show the following:

Every day, more Californians are stepping forward to support Janice Hahn for Lt. Governor. So far, eight fellow LA City Councilmembers have endorsed: Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry, Bernard Parks, Tom Labonge, Herb Wesson, Dennis Zine, Paul Koretz, and Bill Rosendahl. Click here to see Janice's endorsement list.

Yet the link http://janicehahn.com/news/hahn-racks-up-endorsements-on-la-city-council/ redirects to Hahn's main web page and the content above is nowhere to be found.

Did someone jump the gun?

Neighborhood Council Budget Advisory Committee Update

2010-01-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Budget Advisory Information

Re-cap of March 2009 Meeting with the Mayor

I apologize that many have not seen or heard about the meeting and the outcome.
All meetings in the future will be noticed and information sent out after each meeting.
As we are all aware, the situation in our City is actually worse than it was last year when we met with the Mayor.
I urge everyone to make your friends and neighbors aware of the city budget situation, and get involved in the process of helping us to review and advise on the budget.
Below please find a re-cap of the items discussed at a meeting in March 2009 of the Advisory Committee and the Mayor:

1) Declare a fiscal emergency-begin negotiations with the unions
2) ENGAGE WITH FIRST RESPONDERS
3) Look for government efficiencies by combining city departments
4) No selling of city assets for budget reductions
5) Review all contracts and cut those that are non essential
6) Pay reductions for employees
a) 15% for 200,000.00 up
b) 10% for 100,000 up
7) 2 day furlough rather than layoffs for a non essential employees
8) Terminate ALL non essential consultants and services
9) Citywide needs based budgeting
10) Change to a fiscal year to a calendar year
11) Reduction of bond issues. Renegotiate bonds
12) NC funding-no reduction. Allow 2 year roll over of funds

In addition:
Increase enforcement of business license and fees collections (In House).
All ordinances should be revenue neutral.
EMPOWER A CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION for government efficiency.
Allow full transparency in the processes.

More information is available at Budgetla.org

Sincerely:

Jay Handal

Team Krekorian On The Job!

2009-12-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Karo Torossian day 1 at new of new job for the City of Los Angeles.

11 hours ago via Facebook for BlackBerry · Comment ·

Essel HOA Blocks Film Production

2009-12-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

Tamar Galatzan Statement on Chris Essel Attack Mailers

2009-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Friends, this is Tamar Galatzan, former Deputy Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League and current Criminal Prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles. I'm calling to let you know how outraged I am that Chris Essel is displaying Holocaust imagery in her mail to attack Paul Krekorian.

These disgusting and outlandish political stunts demonstrate that Christine Essel is even willing to demean the memory of one of the most tragic events in world history just to win a political seat.

I can personally tell you that Paul has been a friend and ally of the Jewish community for years. Please don't fall for these dirty and shameful tricks. Anyone who uses such gutter politics to prey on our worst fears should have no place in public office. Please join me in supporting Paul Krekorian on Tuesday, December 8th.

Jewish Leaders Condemn Chris Essel Mailer

2009-12-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Following a string of negative pieces of mail sent out by Christine Essel - ads that alleged Krekorian is anti-semitic, misogynist and hateful - outraged community leaders responded in full force. Tamar Galatzan, former City Council candidate and former Associate Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, issued a stirring condemnation of Essel's piece. On Saturday, Rep. Brad Sherman, Assemblyman Mike Feuer and Los Angeles City Council Member Paul Koretz will appear in the campaign office to speak out against the mailer.

Their response follows Essel-approved mail that accused Krekorian of sexism and anti-semitism while displaying, in one piece (attached), Holocaust imagery, i the form of barbed wire that surrounded a picture of City Hall and the word "Intolerance."

In her call, Galatzan said (attached), in part: "These disgusting and outlandish political stunts demonstrate that Christine Essel is even willing to demean the memory of one of the most tragic events in world history just to win a political seat." The call was sent to 2,600 homes, all completed before 5 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Sherman, Feuer and Koretz will issue a condemnation of Essel's mail during a campaign event from noon - 4 p.m. at the campaign office, 13063 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood.

Christine Essel Likes Animals

2009-12-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Animal Supporter & Friend,

My name is Christine Essel and I am running to be the 2nd District's representative on the Los Angeles City Council. Whether or not you live in CD 2 - which includes the communities of Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, Valley Glen, North Hollywood, Sunland, Tujunga, Lake View Terrance, Sun Valley, and Shadow Hills - it is likely that a number of your friends and family are eligible to vote in this election.

I am writing to let you know that I share the widespread concerns about the future of animals that are victims of the current economic downturn. These animals will be affected by decisions made by the City Council, as it deals with declining revenues and a shrinking budget.

As an animal lover all my life, I have supported many efforts to provide assistance and safety for homeless or abused animals, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. I believe in the importance of the animals in our community, and how they enrich our lives as members of our families.

I believe the most profound statement we make is the respect and kindness with which we treat each other and all living creatures. As I ask for your support, I offer you this pledge that I will fight for the humane care and treatment of both companion animals and wildlife as a member of our City Council.
The upcoming election will be extraordinarily close, and I urge to you to remind your friends and family in the Valley to vote on Tuesday, December 8th.

Thank you for your time, your attention, and your commitment to ensuring humane treatment of animals.
Sincerely,

Christine Essel

LAPD Report on Krekorian Home Stalking

2009-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Click on the image to see full size.

Krekorian Home Stalked

2009-11-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Portion of a letter written by Paul Krekorian with copies below:

This occurred on a Saturday morning, and we arrived home less than a half hour after the incident. With a small change in our schedule, my kids and my wife would have arrived home to find this intruder at our doorstep. No doubt he would have seized that opportunity to turn his camera on them as well.

Chris, in recent weeks you and your campaign have proven that you have completely abandoned any concern about truth or civility, and by doing so you have irreparably stained your own reputation. But stalking my wife and young children at our home is such a despicable move that I need to let you know it won’t be tolerated. This is outright thuggery that has no place in an important campaign.

I need you to fully understand how serious I am about keeping your campaign away from my family. I am a husband and a father before I am a candidate, and you can be assured that I will protect my family and our privacy from your campaign operatives no matter what that takes. In that regard, this evening I filed a police report about the incident with the North Hollywood Division of LAPD.

Krekorian Calls on Nuch to Recuse Himself from Essel Suit

2009-11-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

NORTH HOLLYWOOD – In the wake of a lawsuit that could gut the city’s ethical guidelines and significantly boost the candidacy of Christine Essel, Los Angeles City Council Candidate Paul Krekorian wrote to the city’s top attorney Wednesday, calling on him to ensure that Los Angeles’ ethics laws are upheld.

On Thursday, the “Working Californians” political committee – supporters of Christine Essel - called for an immediate halt to a long standing Ethics Commission law that bars independent expenditures from flooding campaigns with special interest cash.

“The people of Los Angeles enacted our ethics laws in 1990 specifically to reduce the undue influence of special interest money in deciding the outcome of elections,” Krekorian wrote to City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, an Essel supporter. “Among other things, the people voted to create the City Ethics Commission, on which I had the honor of serving, and to place a limitation of $500 on contributions to candidate committees and so-called ‘independent expenditure’ committees. It is this limitation, decided by a vote of the people, that IBEW and ‘Working Californians’ are now trying to reverse. Essentially, this lawsuit is demanding that the people’s will should be rejected and special interest influence should be entirely unlimited.”

In their lawsuit, “Working Families” said, they intend to “produce and disseminate various independent expenditures supporting Christine Essel.”

Essel’s campaign has so far benefited from $527,611.58 in independent expenditure spending, according to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, while reporting nearly $275,000 in her campaign coffers.

Krekorian, on the other hand, is backed by neighborhood leaders in every part of CD2, including Sunland-Tujunga leader Mary Benson, Valley Village leader Pete Sanchez and Sherman Oaks leader Tamar Galatzan.

“That neighborhood support is the true meaning of my campaign and will inform my decisions on the council, not some Downtown power broker who wants another neon billboard or behemoth development,” Krekorian said. “Residents throughout this district should have no doubt who the special interest candidate is and who the power brokers are working feverishly to elect. They will clearly stop at nothing to elect their chosen candidate.”

Krekorian Calls Out Nuch on Essel DWP Suit

2009-11-19T22:09:00.001-08:00

The Honorable Carmen Trutanich

City Attorney of Los Angeles
800 City Hall East
200 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

RE: Working Californians v. City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles City Ethics Commission - CV09-8237 DDP PJWX

Dear Mr. Trutanich:

As you must know by now, “Working Californians,” a political committee controlled by the business managers of IBEW Locals 18 and 11, has filed a lawsuit against the City and the Ethics Commission in federal court seeking to overturn a significant portion of the City’s ethics laws. IBEW Local 18, the union for Department of Water and Power electricians, is supporting my opponent in the December 8^th runoff election for City Council, Christine Essel. Another of Local 18’s so-called “independent expenditure” committees has already spent over $78,000 in support of Essel’s campaign and in attacks on me. Now, in this lawsuit, it is seeking a temporary restraining order to allow it to raise unlimited sums of money so that it can spend even more.

The people of Los Angeles enacted our ethics laws in 1990 specifically to reduce the undue influence of special interest money in deciding the outcome of elections. Among other things, the people voted to create the City Ethics Commission, on which I had the honor of serving, and to place a limitation of $500 on contributions to candidate committees and so-called “independent expenditure” committees. It is this limitation, decided by a vote of the people, that IBEW and “Working Californians” are now trying to reverse. Essentially, this lawsuit is demanding that the people’s will should be rejected and special interest influence should be entirely unlimited.

The ethics reform laws also provided for candidates to receive taxpayer-financed “matching funds” to encourage more small contributions. The people determined that using taxpayer funds for this purpose would be worthwhile to give ordinary people a larger voice in campaigns. However, the people also required that candidates accept limitations on what they may spend on campaigns in order to be eligible for matching funds. When large “independent expenditures” are made (more than $50,000 for any candidate), however, candidates may spend an unlimited amount without refunding the taxpayers’ money. I have pledged to abide by the spending limitations despite these independent expenditures, but Essel has already spent far in excess of the limitation she agreed to when she started taking the taxpayers’ money to finance her campaign. Yet the taxpayers’ money, which could instead have paid for police or fire services, is still sitting in her bank account, ready to be spent on slick mailers.

It is extremely important that, as the lawyer for the City and the Ethics Commission, you ensure that the will of the people is upheld. The people have spoken very clearly about the need to restrict special interest influence. It is now your job to ensure that wealthy special interest committees do not use abusive lawsuits to make a mockery of the City’s ethics laws.

Unfortunately, I am concerned that your personal political considerations will prevent you from providing a vigorous defense of the will of the people. Several months ago, you and I had a telephone conversation in which you told me directly that it would be your policy, as City Attorney, not to make endorsements in Council races because of the potential appearance of conflict of interest that such political endorsements could create. I told you that I respected that policy. But just last week, you violated your own policy by formally endorsing Essel, who would of course reap the direct benefit of Working Californians’ lawsuit. IBEW’s “independent expenditure” committee admits that the entire reason for the lawsuit is that the City’s law prevents it from “raising and accepting funds in sufficient amounts necessary to finance the production and dissemination of communications supporting the election of Christine Essel for City Council,” and further admits that “donors have pledged to contribute funds” in excess of the amounts allowed by law (Complaint, ¶¶ 27-28).

Because you are actively supporting the beneficiary of this lawsuit in a political campaign, I believe you should recuse yourself and your office from representing the people’s interests in this case. I call upon you to provide independent counsel to ensure that our ethics laws are vigorously enforced. Without such independent representation, the people cannot have confidence that your political endorsement of Essel, and your active personal involvement with her campaign, will not taint your judgment and the zealousness of your advocacy on the people’s behalf.

Whether or not you recuse yourself, this lawsuit must be defended and the people’s will respected. I encourage you to take all necessary steps to ensure that the City’s ethics laws are upheld.

Very truly yours,

Paul Krekorian

Mary Benson Endorses Paul Krekorian for City Council

2009-11-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

NORTH HOLLWOOD – Mary Benson, one of the most respected neighborhood advocates in the region and a former candidate in the race for City Council candidate, announced her full endorsement of Paul Krekorian on Friday. The announcement of Benson’s support is a very significant development in the race for CD2 that further exemplifies Krekorian’s widespread grassroots community support.

“Paul Krekorian has the courage of conviction, the experience and the independence to make an immediate impact for us in City Hall,” Benson said. “Paul has provided extraordinary service to constituents in his Assembly District. Paul will be an advocate for our valley interests. Paul will be the most effective in preserving public assets like the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and keeping the integrity of our specific and community plans. Paul Krekorian will be an independent voice in the Council who will fight for us, instead of Downtown interests and big developers. Paul Krekorian is the kind of leader that our district and our city need during these challenging times.”

Benson was one of the top candidates in the first part of the Council race, coming in a very strong fourth place with 1,198 votes (8.29% of the electorate) on September 22. She continually garnered rave reviews at candidate forums when she displayed an impressive mastery of issues, especially with regard to development, open space and the environment.

“Mary Benson is among the most effective advocates for community empowerment in the entire city, and I am thrilled she is now a part of our grassroots movement for change,” Krekorian said. “The issues that Mary has fought for -– open space preservation, limiting overdevelopment and protecting our neighborhoods -– are important parts of my mission in running for City Council, and I am confident of succeeding in that mission with Mary Benson by my side.”

Benson’s endorsement demonstrates Krekorian’s growing momentum in the race and the developing consensus of community leaders. Krekorian has now been endorsed by nearly 100 community leaders and prominent neighborhood activists throughout the Second Council District.

Paul Krekorian Endorses IRV

2009-11-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

From the Better Democracy for Los Angeles Blog

Submitted by Amanda Fowler on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 22:25.

October 30, 2009

Los Angeles City Council runoff candidate Paul Krekorian has endorsed Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).
Currently, Krekorian represents California's 43rd Assembly District, which first elected him in 2006.
"We are pleased to have the support of Paul Krekorian," said Gautam Dutta of New America Foundation. "We look forward to working with him to bring IRV to Los Angeles," Dutta added.
A past member of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, Krekorian chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Renewable Energy.

Krekorian joins fellow Council District 2 candidate Christine Essel as an IRV supporter. A runoff election between Krekorian and Essel will be held on Dec. 8, 2009.

Essel Swipe at Galatzan

2009-10-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Shallman / 818-728-4200

LAUSD POLITICIAN ENDORSES

SACRAMENTO LEGISLATOR

October 30th, 2009 – LAUSD politician Tamar Galatzan announced today that she will support California State Assembly Leader Paul Krekorian in the 2nd district City Council special election.

Galatzan’s endorsement comes just a few weeks after a meeting with Council candidate and Valley businesswoman Christine Essel. In the meeting, Essel asked Galatzan to consider supporting an effort to reform education in Los Angeles by breaking up the dysfunctional Los Angeles Unified School District. Galatzan was not supportive of the idea and detailed a litany of reasons as to why reform would be impossible.

“Christine Essel never asked for Tamar Galatzan’s endorsement. Instead, she asked her to think about supporting a plan to break up the largest and most dysfunctional school district in America,” Essel spokesman John Shallman said. “Unfortunately, Tamar wouldn’t even consider it. Now she’s trying to protect the bloated LAUSD bureaucracy by issuing a political endorsement of a fellow professional politician who opposes district reform.”

Essel has been on record as a supporter of tough LAUSD reform measures throughout the campaign. Essel’s detailed plan to reform L.A. government, “Big Ideas for a New L.A.,” contains recommendations to reform the failed Los Angeles Unified School District by breaking it up into smaller school districts run by parents and teachers.

###

Tamar Galatzan Endorses Paul Krekorian

2009-10-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

NORTH HOLLYWOOD – Tamar Galatzan, former City Council candidate and current LAUSD Board Member, today announced her endorsement of Paul Krekorian for the city's Second District Council seat. A well-respected community leader and city prosecutor, Galatzan’s endorsement provides a significant boost to the Krekorian campaign.

“Tamar Galatzan is a tremendous advocate for the people of the San Fernando Valley,” Krekorian said. “She is a reformer who continues to push for an innovative agenda of positive change and accountability for our schools, even when she has had to stand up to politically powerful interests. She has been on the front lines of fighting against crime and for a better quality of life for Valley families and has a deep understanding of our public safety needs. I am thrilled that Tamar has joined our Valley-oriented campaign for change in City Hall, and I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with her to make CD 2 streets and schools safer.”

Galatzan, a Valley neighborhood prosecutor and School Board member, finished a very strong third place in the CD2 primary election, garnering 2,128 votes (12.99% of the total votes cast). Throughout the campaign, she consistently impressed voters with her depth of understanding of the issues facing the Valley and her innovative ideas for solving the City’s problems.

"Paul Krekorian shares my values and my concerns about Valley neighborhoods," said Galatzan. "I admire his results-oriented leadership in the State Assembly on runaway film production, as well as his vote against the release of thousands of state inmates who would end up in our communities. CD2 voters should know that Paul has been consistent in his support for neighborhood councils and his opposition to overdevelopment. Paul is a proven advocate for Valley homeowners and jobs, and he has the skills and familiarity with CD2 to be an effective councilmember for us. I look forward to voting for him on Dec. 8.”

In addition to being endorsed by nearly 100 neighborhood leaders and advocates from throughout CD2, Krekorian has also earned recent endorsements from the Daily News, VICA Chairman Greg Lippe, and Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. President Richard Close.

Gavin Newsom Withdrawl Statement

2009-10-30T15:16:00.003-07:00

It is with great regret I announce today that I am withdrawing from the race for governor of California. With a young family and responsibilities at city hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to — and should be — done.

This is not an easy decision. But it is one made with the best intentions for my wife, my daughter, the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, and California Democrats.

When I embarked on this campaign in April, my goal was to engage thousands and thousands of Californians dedicated to reforming our broken system and bringing change to Sacramento.

I would like to thank those supporters, volunteers, and donors who have worked so hard on my behalf. I have been humbled by their support and am indebted to their efforts. They represent the spirit of change and determination essential to putting California back on the right track.

I will continue to fight for change and the causes and issues for which I care deeply — universal health care, a cleaner environment, and a green economy for our families, better education for our children, and, of course, equal rights under the law for all citizens.

Krekorian Wins Endorsement of Sherman Oaks Homeowners President Richard Close

2009-10-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

Richard Close, one of the Valley's most active and respected leaders for decades and the President of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, announced his endorsement of Paul Krekorian for City Council this week. The endorsement is the latest in a growing number of prominent Valley leaders who are coalescing around Krekorian's campaign, which has been driven largely by the broad grassroots support of homeowner leaders, neighborhood council members and other community activists.

“For three decades, Richard Close has been a tireless advocate for Sherman Oaks and a champion of the entire Valley," Krekorian said. “I am honored that he has endorsed me and joined my true grassroots movement to reform City Hall and make it work for us. With just six weeks left until Election Day, I will work closely with Richard and other Sherman Oaks leaders to bring my message of change to the Second District and the entire Valley. As my campaign continues to gain growing momentum from community-based support, the residents of this district have a real opportunity to create change in the Council and reject the status quo of Downtown politics as usual.”

Close, who has been president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association for about 30 years, said that Krekorian is the best choice for the Valley.

“Paul Krekorian is a true leader for our neighborhoods and the right person at the right time for this job,” Close said. “He is our best hope to fight overdevelopment and to fight for the interests of Valley residents. Paul has a proven record of effective service to his constituents in the state legislature, and I know he will do the same for us as a member of the City Council."

Last week, education leader Louis Pugliese also endorsed Krekorian, who already counts nearly 100 neighborhood council members and community leaders in his circle of support.

In addition to his long service as President of SOHA, Richard Close was Chairman of Valley VOTE from 1998 to 2003 and has been a Board Member since 2003. Valley VOTE is a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, business people, educators, community activists, and organizations committed to exploring and fostering the implementation of programs that empower the people of the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles.

Activist Hits Jerry Brown for Supporting Republican

2009-10-18T19:48:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Oct. 17, 2009

1,655 words

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sam H. Clauder II, 909-496-4310, Sam.Clauder@gmail.com

Permission to reprint and redistribute is granted.

Jerry Brown in trouble after appearance in San Bernardino County

by Sam H. Clauder II

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – Attorney General and undeclared Gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown encountered strong opposition from local advocates for his appearance as the guest of honor at a campaign fundraiser for San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos two weeks ago.

The controversy provoked a spate of press accounts across the state condemning Brown, a Democrat, for raising funds for Ramos, a Republican. Brown has since agreed to appear at a fundraiser for Congressman Joe Baca on October 23 in an attempt to repair his reputation among Democrats and his image in the county.

The partisan fundraising controversy is likely to die down quicker than questions about the impartiality of the Attorney General’s office helping the District Attorney’s office investigate and prosecute political corruption in San Bernardino County.

The partisan fundraising controversy is likely to die down quicker than questions about the impartiality of the state Attorney General’s office helping the county District Attorney’s office investigate and prosecute political corruption in San Bernardino County.

The attorney general’s office announced in August it was joining the district attorney’s office in an investigation of political corruption in the county. The announcement was taken by many as an indication the AG’s office would also be investigating DA Mike Ramos.

Recent reports have accused Ramos of protecting his political allies from investigation while prosecuting his political enemies with selectively tailored cases which violate the defendants’ civil rights under color of law.

Questions have also been raised about numerous criminal cases which have received unusual leniency from the District Attorney’s office after those being prosecuted made substantial contributions to Ramos’ re-election campaign, causing some to believe justice is for sale to those who can afford to buy it by contributing to Ramos’ campaign committee.

Ramos has also been officially accused, and is currently under investigation for, sexual harassment and promiscuity with various female employees. His sexual affair with San Bernardino County Public Defender Doreen Boxer has been well known by County Supervisors and dozens of other county officials and employees for years.

County records have also recently been revealed which indicate Ramos has used public funds for private travel.

For those reasons, when the state Attorney General announced his office was participating in the investigations of political corruption in San Bernardino County, it was widely believed the DA’s office would also become a target of the AG’s investigation.

The appearance of Brown at Ramos’ event on October 1 to raise $100,000 for Ramos’ re-election campaign may have dashed the hopes and expectations of county residents for the state’s intervention to clean up political corruption in the county.

The apparent collusion between Brown and Ramos may also result in several key corruption defendants recusing not only the DA’s office, but also recusing the AG’s office in favor of a change of venue to another county or bringing in the U.S. Attorney General’s office and the Department of Justice to take the cases over.

This could include such high profile cases as those being prosecuted against Bill Postmus, former County Assessor, and Jim Erwin, former Chief of Staff for Supervisor Neil Derry and former President of the Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA), the union representing 3,200 employees of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department.

Also at stake is the credibility and believability of the Attorney General’s office conducting a complete investigation into the $102 million settlement the county made with the Colonies Partners, which appears to be a cornerstone of graft and corruption in the county during the past decade.

Several key figures allegedly under investigation in the Colonies case also attended the Ramos’ fundraiser and were seen cavorting with the Attorney General.

Democratic activists were the first to hit Brown for raising funds for Republican Ramos. Complaints were made to the state party because the funds may be used by Ramos to support other Republican candidates and also to rebuild a fractured and floundering county Republican Party.

Questions are now being raised about the county Democratic Party’s leadership after it defended Brown’s appearance at the fundraiser, and attacked the activists voicing complaints, based on the District Attorney being a non-partisan office for which no Democrat is yet a candidate.

Other Democrats have blamed the lack of qualified and willing candidates on their county party leadership’s negligence in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and executing public relations campaigns.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the only officially declared Democratic candidate for Governor, issued a state-wide press release condemning Brown’s fundraising for Republicans in San Bernardino County, and also for raising funds for the Republican Log-Cabin club in San Diego County. The Newsom for California website also posted an online petition for the public to sign to tell Brown to stop raising funds for Republicans.

John Burton, newly-elected California Democratic Party Chairman and a former State Senator and U.S. Congressman, was also reported to have called Brown to voice his opposition.

Burton recently succeeded in getting Newsom and Brown to agree to avoid a costly and divisive floor fight for an official endorsement from the state party at the party’s next statewide convention in Los Angeles in April, 2010.

The agreement has come under attack recently because Brown’s actions have been interpreted as taking the party’s Gubernatorial nomination for granted, and for acting in a manner which flaunts party loyalty with disrespect for the party’s rules – written and unwritten.

The agreement may be reconsidered at the California Democratic Party’s Executive Committee meeting to be held Nov. 13-15 in San Diego.

Brown has historically been a maverick, and seen by Democrats as both a savior and an embarrassment for his unpredictable and often quixotic behavior. He is known to have withdrawn his registration as a Democrat for a number of years.

Brown served two terms as Governor of California spanning the years from 1975 through 1983.

When he was first elected, Brown took over the state with a $4 billion surplus left behind by Ronald Reagan. Reagan had inherited the Office of Governor from Jerry Brown’s father, Pat Brown, who left the state with such a deficit it was widely believed to be on the brink of bankruptcy.

Jerry Brown perpetuated Regan’s economic policies until the surplus grew to $8 billion.

But his failure to spend the surplus, or rebate it to the taxpayers, resulted in the Jarvis-Gann tax revolt and the passage of Proposition 13, which set the2/3 majority requirement for the legislature to pass any budget, and continues to limit the income of the state and hamstring the education and general-fund budgets today.

Brown is also well known for his “determinate sentencing” policies which resulted in laws restricting the freedom of judges to sentence convicted criminals, creating a revolving door for repeat offenders due to the lenience of the sentences which were mandatorily imposed.

These policies of Brown have been credited for releasing such repeat offenders as Richard Allen Davis, who had been convicted of seven violent felonies and was on parole when he kidnapped, raped, and murdered 14-year-old Polly Klaas. Marc and Joe Klaas, Polly’s father and grandfather, became key proponents for the passage of the three-strikes law in 1994.

California’s law is the only three-strikes law in the nation which mandates a sentence of 25-years-to-life for a third felony conviction of any kind, without requiring it be a serious or violent crime.

As a result, there are now more prisoners in California serving 25-years-to-life for a marijuana felony conviction than there are serving 25-years-to-life for rape, robbery, and murder, combined.

By 1999, Joe Klaas had reversed his position on the three-strikes law and he became the public spokesperson for Citizens Against Violent Crime (CAVC) which placed Proposition 66 on the November, 2004 ballot.

Prop 66 would have amended the three-strikes law to apply only to violent and serious felonies. It would also have remanded as many a 27,000 non-violent offenders to their original courts for re-sentencing.

As mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown advised in the original draft of Prop. 66. CAVC also hosted fundraisers for Brown mayoral campaigns, and the organization and its individual leaders twice made the maximum contributions allowed.

But Brown surprised CAVC by unexpectedly reversing himself in the Fall of 2004 and opposing Prop. 66 when he saw it as an opportunity to garner law-enforcement support and launch his campaign for Attorney General.

Brown’s reversal was inexplicable to CAVC until one of its leaders asked him if he was running for something.

“I’m always running for something,” Brown replied, and laughed off the Prop. 66 organizers. He went on to raise $5 million for the opposition, and his six million personally spoken pre-recorded calls to the initiative’s Democratic base of support is unanimously credited with defeating the initiative.

The three-strikes law has caused California’s prisons to be so crowded the federal government recently ordered Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to release 40,000 prisoners or be sent to jail himself for contempt of court.

Thus, many political historians believe the passage of Prop. 13, the subsequent national tax-revolt, the 2/3 requirement to pass a state budget, the current strapping of the state’s education and general-fund budgets, and the massive overcrowding of the state’s prisons, all have their roots in Brown’s policies when he was Governor from 1975 through 1983.

Democrats also remember Brown’s use of the California Democratic Party (CDP) chairmanship in 1984 as a platform to declare his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, leaving the CDP in a disorganized state halfway through his term to lose the U.S. Senate race to Pete Wilson in 1986.

Wilson subsequently used the Senatorial seat to run successfully for Governor in 1990, and defeated Jerry’s sister, Kathleen Brown, when she challenged him for Governor in 1994.

When Brown’s period of years when he was not registered as a Democrat and questionable accomplishments as Mayor of Oakland are added to the mix, many Democrats are so dissatisfied with their Gubernatorial choices being limited to Brown and Newsom they have begun to seek another candidate to run.

Sam Clauder is a journalist and political consultant who has been involved in Democratic politics for 38 years. He has not endorsed a candidate for Governor.

CCA Fundraiser for Chris Essel

2009-10-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Please join

Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel,

City Council President Pro Tempore Jan Perry,

Wes Idol

and

Central City Association

for a breakfast reception

to meet and support

Chris Essel

CANDIDATE FOR LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL DISTRICT 2

Thursday, October 15th
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

Pacific Dining Car
1310 W. 6th Street
Downtown Los Angeles

Nina Royal Backs Mary Benson

2009-09-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

Nina Royal
Vice President-Outreach Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council*
President, S-T SERVS (Safety & Emergency Response Volunteers Services)*

I have personally elected to support Mary Benson to represent Council District Two because I have worked by her side on community and city wide issues with government leaders for many years. I have always been impressed with her knowledge, intelligence, negotiation and people skills, ethics and follow-through. After my own thorough review of the Candidates, I am convinced that she is the most qualified Candidate. She has already demonstrated that she studies issues intently before making a fair decision. She has always shown that she has our community's best interest at heart by her many hours of volunteerism, dedication and support, especially regarding crucial issues. I am also positive that she will remain ethical, balanced and fair and most importantly, she will continue to listen and support the will of the people in our entire district.

Many people may not know it, but Mary was on the steering committee that worked to certify the Foothill Trails District NC and also served as their Treasurer for 5 years, until termed out. (It helped them that she has a Degree in Finance) She was also a Board Member of Sun Valley Area NC during that time. She presently serves as the Vice President of the Sun Valley Area NC and Chair of their Land Use Committee. She is able to serve in both communities because of her business. She is also a life long member of District 2.

I can tell you a lot more about Mary. She is a doer, not a talker and has never been a person to say "look what I have done." Because I worked with her, I know. Truthfully, Mary supported me when I started No to Home Depot in S-T. She gave me the insight to go after a Mission College satellite campus in S-T. She still serves on many committees such as the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) Committee. We served together on the DWP/Dept. of Sanitation’s Integrated Resource Planning Committee (IRP) for 4 years. We both serve on the DWP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Committee and DWP Advocacy Committee. We set up the first North Valley Communities Planning Committee together with Tammy Flores from Sylmar and Kim Thompson from Granada Hills, which was the forerunner of the citywide Plan Check Committee. She also serves on the Los Angeles River Project Committee. We worked to oppose the Las Lomas Project together, and we are both on the Save LA Project Committee.

She also advocates on our behalf in our community to insure Angeles Golf Course follows the rules. She is still working to protect the trails and keep the Tujunga Wash preserved and clean. She worked hard to defeat Canyon Hills. She and Elaine Brown wrote the Grant to save the 4 3/4 acres on Oro Visa from development, and she is continuing to work on saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and responded to the DEIR. She is also working to help us secure open space and protect our water through the Tujunga Watershed Committee.

In Shadow Hills/Sun Valley area, she worked to bring justice to the owner of the Wealthea Pit for violating the law and is following up to insure the $650,000 awarded to the community by the court takes place. Mary also stopped the CRA from invading the historical Stonehurst area and helped get it established as only the second Historical Preservation Zone in the in the S. F. valley. She is also working to improve the San Fernando Business Corridor and worked with the Sun Valley Watershed group to improve the intersection of Tuxford and San Fernando Rd. to install a unique underground storage tank to capture the water that flooded that intersection during very rain season She also worked to mitigate their landfill problems and established a trash truck route to improve the quality of life in the area. Mary interfaces with government officials during the course of all these projects.

These are just some of the facts I know about Mary off the top of my head while being involved with her. They are not in any particular order and I am sure I left out other pertinent facts. But, please keep in mind, all of that she is doing, is as a volunteer only. Like she said, she can do so much more as a councilmember.

I am very prudent with my recommendations and do not give them out easily, for fear of being burned. But, I am confident Mary Benson will continue to do a superb job as a councilmember and I stand behind my support of her for the reasons I stated above, for which I can personally vouch.

South Valley Leaders Support Krekorian

2009-09-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends & Neighbors in Council District 2,

The Special Election on September 22, 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel, is very important to securing our voice on the City Council. We need real representation in CD2 to receive our fair share of city services. We need someone who knows us and our priorities. We need a Councilmember who will stand up to City Hall and special interest. We need experience and lots of it. The only candidate who fits this description is Paul Krekorian.

For three years, Paul has provided valuable services to his Assembly District 43, which includes over one-third of CD2 and much of our community. He has an excellent staff who have been responsive to our needs. No call goes unanswered, no request ignored. You’ve heard of “one call to city hall”? Well, for us it’s been “one call to Paul”.

Paul is for neighborhood based planning and says “Growth in the Valley must meet neighborhood needs and be based on community level decision making. We can’t allow over-development to destroy the character of our neighborhoods. City planning must always protect our quality of life.” For the first time, a Council member whose entire district is in the Valley will be on the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee. That will be our CD2 representative so we will have a stronger voice than ever in city planning matters. Paul Krekorian is the best candidate for this job.

Paul is tough on crime and endorsed by Sheriff Lee Baca and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Sheriff Baca says “Recently Paul Krekorian took the lead in working with law enforcement leaders to craft a prison reform bill that will make us safer. While others in the Capitol pushed for early release plans, Paul Krekorian stood firm with law enforcement.

Paul Krekorian has always stood with law enforcement, and I trust him to put public safety first.” To this end, Paul was able to get several sex offenders removed from a state sponsored half-way house in Valley Glen.

Paul is endorsed by the rank and file firefighters. Pat McOsker, President of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City says “Paul Krekorian knows that emergency response should be at the top of the list of city services. Los Angeles needs leaders like Paul Krekorian who will always work to put public safety first. We know with total confidence that Paul Krekorian is the best choice for public safety and the best choice for the people of Los Angeles.”

Paul has held several Women’s Self-Defense Workshops over the last two years, providing an opportunity for women to learn how to protect themselves and to discuss legislation on women’s issues and safety.

Paul is strong on education. Paul served as President of the Board of the Burbank school district, which is recognized for its excellence in education and high standards. Paul took over at a time of fiscal crisis and created new efficiencies in the school budget, averting lay-offs and putting more resources in the classroom. Our CD2 Councilmember will be chair of the City Council’s Education and Neighborhoods Committee, providing us with a strong voice on education as well as on our neighborhood council system. Paul Krekorian is the best qualified candidate for this job.

Paul instituted the annual FILMFEST 43 competition featuring top student filmmaker’s work from the public and private high schools.

Paul is bringing jobs back to California. Paul was the author of the first incentive in California history to fight runaway production and keep middle class film and television jobs here at home. He is a member of the California Film Commission. Paul also authored an economic stimulus measure that encourages small business to add jobs to their payroll.

Paul is protecting our environment and spurring economic growth. Paul chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Renewable Energy, and is theauthor of landmark legislation that will increase our generation of electricity from sustainable sources like solar, wind and geothermal.

The Southeast Valley and Council District 2 needs Paul Krekorian as our next L.A. City Councilmember. We the undersigned urge you to vote for him on September 22, 2009.

All Titles and Affiliations are for identification purposes only and

are not meant to imply organizational endorsement.

Douglas Breidenbach

Board member Greater Valley Glen Council (GVGC)

Chair Planning & Land Use Committee, GVGC

Sarah Burns

Valley Glen community activist

Asta Criss

Vice President, Valley Glen Neighborhood Association (VGNA)

Past President, VGNA

Member Planning & Land Use Committee, GVGC

Susan Daugherty

Valley Glen community activist

Former Executive Board member, VGNA

Seth Eskigian

Executive Board member, VGNA

Carlos Ferreyra

Board member, GVGC

Executive Board member, VGNA

Past President, Valley Glen Community Council

Past President, VGNA

Denly Ford

Valley Glen community activist

Sharon Ford

Valley Glen community activist

Lisa Freedman

Past Vice President & Treasurer, VGNA

Past Vice President, Valley Glen Community Council

Neighborhood Watch Commander

Police Community Rep (PCR)

Bobbie Fresh

Valley Glen community activist

Peer Ghent

Executive Board, VGNA

Past President, VGNA

Past President, Valley Glen Community Council

Stephen Gonzalez

Executive Board, VGNA

Member Outreach Committee, GVGC

Gerome Huerta

Executive Board, VGNA

Ellen Jannol

Valley Glen community activist

Mickey Jannol

Treasurer, VGNA

Past President, VGNA

Member Beautification Committee, GVGC

Former Board member, GVGC

Eli Kademian

Board member, GVGC

Charles Knecht

Valley Glen community activist

Philip C. Lange

Valley Glen community activist

Steven Porus

Executive Board, VGNA

Member Planning & Land Use Committee, GVGC

Judy Price

President, Valley Glen Neighborhood Association

Past President, Greater Valley Glen Council

Member Planning & Land Use Committee, GVGC

Arline Simon

Former Board member, GVGC

Member Beautification Committee, GVGC

Abraham Tetenbaum

Former Board member, GVGC

Executive Director, Enrichment Works

Karo Torossian

Board member, GVGC

Member Outreach Committee, GVGC

Linda Wehrli

Former Board member, GVGC

Mary Garcia

Vice-President, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Chair, Arts and Humanities Committee, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Diann Corral

Treasurer, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Chair, Budget and Finance Committee, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

President of Laurel Grove Neighborhood Association

Michael Higby

Parliamentarian, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Chair, Government Affairs Committee, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Tony Safoian

Past-President (2007), Universal City-North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Yvonne Demery

Secretary, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Chair, Community Beautification Committee, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council

California’s Nurses Endorse Paul Krekorian for City Council

2009-09-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

State’s largest nursing organization throws full weigh behind community-backed candidate

VALLEY GLEN – The California Nurses Association, the largest consortium of nurses in the state, endorsed City Council candidate Paul Krekorian, another example of the widespread support he has garnered that includes backing from environmental, public safety and community groups.

“I am proud to have stood up for healthcare reform and improved access for patients throughout California, and am delighted to have that record now be recognized by our most important nursing organization in the state,” Krekorian said. “With the CNA at my side, we can now collectively work toward maintaining the high level of care given at our hospitals and medical clinics throughout the Valley, while standing up for the workers who ensure that those centers continue their life saving role in our community.”

Krekorian has been a champion of healthcare reform since his election in 2006. He is the author of the historic Assembly Bill 1894, signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008, in which California became the first state in the nation to require health insurers to cover routine HIV screenings. Krekorian has been endorsed by the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, the United Firefighters of Los Angeles and dozens of grassroots, neighborhood council advocates. The Special Election is set for Sept. 22.

“It is clear to us – from both his experience and his support - that Paul will be the best representative for the Valley,” said Jill Furillo, CAN’s Southern California director. “We believe that Paul will do an excellent job in representing the Valley on health, labor and women’s issues to increase the standard of living for Registered Nurses and all residents throughout Los Angeles.”

The California Nurses Association, and its national arm, the National Nurses Organizing Committee, is one of the nation’s premiere nurses’ organizations and health care unions. One of the fastest growing health care organizations in the U.S., CNA/NNOC presently has 86,000 members in 50 states, representing nurses at scores of hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies. Since 2000, over 19,000 RNs at 50 hospitals have elected to affiliate with CNA.

First Symptomatic Human Case of West Nile Virus Confirmed in Los Angeles County

2009-08-10T12:28:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Health Officer has confirmed the first symptomatic human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in Los Angeles County for the 2009 season. The case is a teenager, with pre-existing medical conditions, from the Antelope Valley who became symptomatic in mid-July. The individual has now recovered. Earlier this year, two individual blood donors, including one reported in June, tested positive for WNV, but did not show any symptoms (asymptomatic). The donated blood was not used.

“People should take precautions to avoid mosquitoes, as that is the primary way this disease is transmitted. Mosquitoes obtain the virus by feeding on infected wild birds,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “West Nile Virus can appear anywhere in Los Angeles County or around the state, and we urge residents to get rid of pools of stagnant water around their homes where mosquitoes breed, and to use a repellant containing DEET or another approved repellent when outdoors in mosquito-prone areas, especially around dawn or dusk.”

As of August 5^th, Public Health and the independent mosquito abatement districts have detected WNV in 38 dead birds, 6 mosquito pools, and 10 sentinel chickens. The Antelope Valley region of the county has shown the most WNV activity to date in 2009. In past seasons, most infected birds and positive mosquitoes have been found in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and East Los Angeles County areas.

Exposure to West Nile Virus
WNV is spread from humans through the bite of an infected mosquito; mosquitoes can become infected by biting a bird that carries the virus. Most mosquitoes do not carry the virus and most people bitten by a mosquito have not been exposed to the virus. The virus is not spread through person-to-person contact, or directly from birds to humans.

In most case, people who are infected with West Nile Virus never become sick, or have only very mild symptoms that include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash. Symptoms of West Nile Virus could appear within three to 12 days after infection. Fortunately, fewer than one in 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become severely ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In these rare cases, the virus can cause encephalitis and death. The elderly are most at risk for severe cases of the disease. There is no specific treatment for West Nile Virus. However, individuals with severe symptoms may be hospitalized.

-MORE-

Preventive Measures
People can decrease their risk of infection by following these recommendations:

Avoid mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.
Repellants containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of eucalyptus, when used as labeled, are effective defenses against mosquitoes.
Check your window screens for holes.
Do not allow water to collect and stagnate in old tires, flowerpots, swimming pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, or other containers. These are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Clean and chlorinate swimming pools; drain water from pool covers.
Stock garden ponds with goldfish or other mosquito-eating fish. These eat mosquito eggs and larvae.
Empty and wash birdbaths and wading pools weekly.

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department has established a toll-free information line that will provide callers with updated information on West Nile Virus within the county. Call 800-975-4448.

If a recently dead bird (less than 24 hours) is found, the public is encouraged to report this by calling 877-747-2243.

If residents see a “green pool” or stagnant swimming pool at a home, please report this to Public Health’s Environmental Health Bureau at 626-430-5200.

Where to call with questions about mosquitoes:
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District: (562) 944-9656
Los Angeles County West Vector Control District: (310) 915-7370
San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District: (626) 814-9466
Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District: (661) 942-2917
Compton Creek Mosquito Abatement District: (310) 639-7375
Pasadena City Health Department: (626) 744-6004
City of Long Beach Vector Control Program: (562) 570-4132

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Villaraigosa Pulls Out

2009-04-23T22:58:00.001-07:00

A sign that Mayor Villaraigosa may not be running for Governor of California? The Mayor is ditching this weekend's California Democratic State Convention in Sacramento, citing needing to deal with budget issues at home. Since we've never known Antonio Villaraigosa to miss a photo op and chance to gladhand - even when there's work to be done (remember his attending a Dodger game in the luxury box with owner Frank McCourt when the Valley was on fire last year?) - something must be up. Steve Maviglio of the California Majority Report suspects that Villaraigosa "couldn't compete in the convention buzz with the other major candidates gunning for gubernatorial prize," and that the Mayor fears "a cold shoulder from organized labor" over his recent budget policies and job cuts.

Vahedi Blasts Koretz Ethics

2009-04-23T22:57:00.001-07:00

Getting down to the wire in the 5th Council District race. Candidate David Vahedi is accusing his opponent Paul Koretz of ethics violations and has filed a complaint against Koretz with City and State officials. Vahedi claims that Koretz has violated borrowing and expenditure limits and is co-mingling campaign funds with other monies. Vahedi campaign consultant Phil Giarrizzo accused Koretz of being a career politician "who will do anything to get elected." In the meantime, Koretz picked up the endorsement of a past CD5 Councilman, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Trutanich Offers Port Security Plan

2009-04-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

City Attorney candidate, Carmen Trutanich, outlines his plan to enhance security and reduce the threat of trespassers at the Port of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, April 14– Drawing attention to the need for stronger security protection and enforcement at the Port of Los Angeles, Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich today detailed a plan of action that would sharply reduce the threat of trespassers on Port property and bring greater law enforcement authority to the Los Angeles Port Police. By focusing on and enhancing the partnership with the Coast Guard, the Port Police and the L.A. City Attorney, Trutanich wants to bring a greater level of security protection to the port.

Trutanich is proposing that Port Police be given the right to have expanded enforcement authority to make arrests involving federal trespassing violations at the Port of Los Angeles. Those laws currently are only enforced through the U.S. Coast Guard. Trutanich plans to seek enabling legislation at the state level to allow Port Police to enforce the newly effective Transportation Workers Identification Credential “TWIC.” TWIC, which will be fully implemented at the Port effective today April 14th, is a federally issued identification card allowing unescorted access to Port property.

In addition to giving Port Police enforcement authority pursuant to TWIC, Trutanich proposes the creation of local laws against trespassers at the Los Angeles Port, which can then be prosecuted by the City Attorney. Port Police will be able to utilize these additional tools in everything from intercepting unauthorized entries to preventing street gang related cargo thefts. Trutanich also is calling for an expansion of existing cross-designation programs so that deputies in the City Attorney’s office can be cross designated as U.S Attorneys in order to seek harsher penalties under the federal laws.

“As Los Angeles City Attorney, I will have a responsibility to see that everything that can be done is being done to protect this critically important resource to our regional and national economy,” said Trutanich. “What is at stake is obvious – national security - 40% of the container traffic in the U.S. comes through the L.A. and Long Beach Ports and is at risk. With the creation of TWIC in 2006, the feds have taken a giant step in securing the ports around the nation. But the Coast Guard cannot be expected to do it all. Our Port Police are fully prepared and ideally suited to play a major role in this effort,” added Trutanich.

“The Port Police are the first responders to any incident at this port, whether at our terminals or throughout this massive area on land and on the water. We applaud Mr. Trutanich’s initiative and look forward to bringing the full force of our police agency to bear on this ongoing security threat,” said Rosario Ferrara, President of the Los Angeles Port Police Association.

Carmen Trutanich, a former Hard Core Gang prosecutor, has earned the support of thousands of local police including the Police Protective League, LA County Sheriff Lee Baca and District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Wendy Greuel Needs Your $$$

2009-04-14T21:57:00.001-07:00

Onward To July 1st
It's hard to believe that election day was over one month ago and I am still so honored to have been elected the next City Controller of Los Angeles. During this time, I have been in regular contact with outgoing Controller Chick, and we've been working together to ensure a smooth and effective transition. In the weeks to come, I'll continue to communicate with you about the transition and about a special inauguration day event that I hope you'll be able to attend.

Share Your Ideas
I couldn’t have been elected Controller without your help and I want your continued input as I fight waste, fraud and abuse in city government. During this period of transition, please share your thoughts about what you think the Controller’s Office should focus on in 2009 and beyond by sending me your ideas at ideas@wendygreuel.com.

We Need Your Support
We need your help to retire costs incurred during the campaign. Please click here to contribute, and thank you for your generosity.

Cha-Ching!

2009-03-26T23:01:00.001-07:00

ITEM NO. (27)
08-0600-S33
BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT relative to implementation of the Fiscal Year (FY)
2008-09 Adopted Budget - Special Parking Revenue Fund Surplus Declaration for FY 2007-08.
Recommendations for Council action, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR:
1. DECLARE a Special Parking Revenue Fund surplus for FY 2007-08 of $56,260,500.
2. INSTRUCT the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and AUTHORIZE the Controller, to
TRANSFER $56,260,500 from the Special Parking Revenue Fund to the Reserve Fund.
3. TRANSFER $56,260,500 from the Reserve Fund to Fund 100/58, Unappropriated Balance,
Account 0037, Reserve for Economic Uncertainties.
4. AUTHORIZE the City Administrative Officer (CAO) to make any technical adjustments required
to fulfill the intent of the Council.
Fiscal Impact Statement: The CAO reports that there is no impact on the General Fund from
approval of the above recommendations. Should the recommendations not be approved, the
General Fund deficit for 2008-09 will increase by $56.26 million. The recommendations are
consistent with the City Financial Policies.
Community Impact Statement: None submitted.

Krekorian Votes to Expand Relief to Unemployed Californians

2009-03-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Uses Federal Funds to Increase Unemployment Benefits and Expand Eligibility

SACRAMENTO – With California facing 10.5% unemployment statewide, Assistant Majority Leader Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) Monday voted for legislation to make the state eligible for up to $3 billion in federal unemployment insurance funds available as part of President Barack Obama's economic recovery package. In addition to making California eligible for the federal funding, AB 3x 23 increases unemployment benefits and provides relief for more than 469,000 unemployed Californians by extending unemployment benefits.

“Immense economic turmoil requires new strategies to confront this statewide and global fiscal meltdown,” Krekorian said. “With this legislation, we will now be able to help people who have lost their jobs pay their bills and mortgages. I am pleased this bill will also help small businesses and shop owners keep their customers. As leaders of California, we must act to confront our greatest challenges – something we did Monday when we passed this legislation.”

AB 3x 23 updates state law to conform with the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009. These updates make California eligible to receive $3 billion from the federal government.

This legislation is part of an overarching attempt by the Assembly to help California’s most vulnerable people and industries. Part of that effort was its passage of the Economic Incentive and Job Creation bill that Krekorian authored and which the governor signed on Feb. 20, 2009.

That bill, AB X3 15, provided a needed incentive to localize film production – an unparalleled legislative package to help one of California’s signature industries; gave a boost to small businesses, one of the life bloods of our local economy; and updated the state’s tax code to encourage multi-state businesses to invest more in payroll and infrastructure in California.

“My legislation provided help to some of our main employment sources, infusing our state with the needed tools to move forward,” Krekorian said. “Its multi-pronged approach confronted multiple sectors of our troubled economy – sectors that needed help right away. I am confident that AB 3x 23 will do just the same.”

AB 3x 23 now moves to the Senate for consideration and approval.

Now for the other side

2009-03-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

MEMO
TO: Trutanich Campaign
FR: Alex Evans; EMC Research, Inc.
DT: March 25, 2009
RE: Weiss Poll Results

The results the Weiss Campaign released yesterday (March 24, 2009) are inconsistent with our poll as well as with the election that occurred earlier this month. Please note the following:

Votes cast in the primary election showed a significant narrowing of the race from votes cast early by mail to those cast on Election Day, demonstrating that a trend toward Trutanich had already begun. Our poll says that the trend toward Trutanich is continuing.
Even our own early primary election polling showed Weiss with a lead, but it also showed that Trutanich would gain both affirmative votes cast for him as well as negative votes from the many voters repulsed by Weiss. This is exactly what happened. We operated under no illusions that we would only win votes in the affirmative or that a primary victory was possible. The Weiss campaign spent its entire fortune — either thinking they could win outright in March, or because they ignored their internal polling. We view this most recent release of data as encouraging; the Weiss campaign is likely again misreading public opinion.
As noted above, Trutanich is going to win votes in the affirmative but also win votes from people who do not like Jack Weiss, and the latter group is large and growing. Both polls show Weiss with an unfavorable rating at or above 20%, but note that 11% have a strongly unfavorable opinion of Weiss, nearly double the percentage who have a strongly favorable opinion. Our poll shows that 73% of those with an unfavorable opinion of Weiss vote for Trutanich even though over half (52%) of those voters have not heard of Trutanich or have no opinion of him. So, Yes — some people are voting for Trutanich just because they know the real Jack Weiss.
What is particularly strange about the Weiss poll is not that Trutanich is running ahead of his name identification, but that the vote and the favorable ratings of the candidates are almost exactly the same.

Their poll: Weiss favorable 41%, Weiss vote 41%;
Their poll: Trutanich favorable 26%, Trutanich vote 28%.

This essentially means that there is no one with an unfavorable opinion of Weiss voting for Trutanich. Including the likely negative votes for both candidates — even using the Weiss poll’s numbers — produces a clearer understanding of the race. Adding 73% of Weiss’s unfavorable rating (20% in the Weiss poll) gives 14.6 points to Trutanich’s vote. Just over half (55%) of those with an unfavorable opinion of Trutanich vote for Weiss. Adding 55% of Trutanich’s unfavorable rating (7% in both polls) gives Weiss 3.9 points. This puts the candidates nearly even: about 45% for Weiss and about 43% for Trutanich.

The bottom line: The race is even, and the Weiss campaign sure seems to be acting like it’s even. Our recommendation is that Trutanich should believe our poll and the Weiss campaign’s actions. Trutanich has come a long way in a short time, and against a better-funded opponent. With the time remaining and with competitive resources, Trutanich will win.

Weiss Well Ahead In Name ID And in Head To Head Vote

2009-03-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Weiss Well Ahead In Name ID And in Head To Head Vote

A survey of 805 likely Los Angeles voters shows Jack Weiss with a 13 point initial lead over Carmen Trutanich entering into the runoff campaign: 41% to 28%. This question was asked before any information was given to voters except ballot titles.

Weiss’ lead over Trutanich is based on a solid advantage in name identification:

· 41% favorable for Weiss compared to 20% unfavorable, more than a 2 to 1 positive-to-negative ratio.

· 26% favorable for Trutanich compared to 7% unfavorable.

A matchup of positive paragraphs from the two candidates – with language drawn entirely from Trutanich’s website and campaign materials and every effort made to be fair to both candidates – gives Weiss a 20 point lead: 52% to 32%.

Weiss maintains a solid lead among both men and women, Valley and City voters, across racial, ethnic, and religious lines, across partisan lines, and most importantly, among highly reliable municipal election voters as well as those who vote reliably in statewide primary elections and are likely to vote this May for the statewide propositions on the ballot. Weiss is also ahead in his Council District 5.

Weiss’ lead held solid regardless of how we modeled the likely May electorate.

Trutanich Is a Poor Fit for L.A. Voters

Later in the survey, we measured voter reaction to the attacks that the Trutanich campaign has made on Weiss, and we also measured voter reaction to potential Trutanich vulnerabilities, including, but not limited to:

· Trutanich’s close ties to the National Rifle Association and the pro-gun lobby.

· His long record defending corporate polluters accused of environmental crimes -- he even wrote a manual on how to get away with environmental crimes.

· His history supporting union-busting.

· His 20-year record as a criminal defense lawyer, including defending those accused of sexual battery and assault, drug smuggling, and drunk driving.

· His support for conservative Republican candidates and causes.

As one might expect, voters reacted quite strongly to this information. A conservative, pro-gun, union-busting, anti-environmental defense lawyer with unsavory clients is, not surprisingly, unappealing to many Los Angeles voters.

Note that our poll was tough on Weiss as well, using attacks drawn directly from Trutanich’s public statements and commercials. Matching up negative-only paragraphs about the two candidates yields a 50% to 28% lead for Weiss, which is a few points wider than the lead after the exchange of positive paragraphs.

Bottom Line: Weiss Enters The Runoff With Strong Advantages:

· He starts with 15 point lead in favorable name ID.

· He starts ahead by 10-15 points depending on who actually will vote in the May election.

· A fair match-up of positive statements about the two candidates widens his lead substantially.

· A simulated exchange of negatives expands Weiss’ lead further.

· He will have a major advantage with Jewish voters, who should comprise about 10% of the voters in May.

· With the endorsement of Mayor Villaraigosa and most of the other Latino elected officials in the city as well as La Opinion, Weiss should earn a large majority of Latino votes, which will comprise something like 15% to 20% of the voters in this election.

· Given Trutanich’s involvement with union-busting, Weiss will earn the strong support of most of the labor movement in the city.

· Given’s Trutanich’s record on the environment (compared to Weiss’ award-winning leadership on this issue), voters who care about clean and safe air, water, and beaches have a clear choice.

· A comparison of the two candidates over the last two decades on public safety also gives Weiss a real advantage: Weiss spent that time as a federal prosecutor and then the leader on the city council in protecting safety; Trutanich spent the last two decades as a defense lawyer protecting criminals and corporate polluters from punishment.

Our Methodology

In putting a sample together for this survey, we were faced with the difficult challenge of trying to forecast who would vote in this coming May election. This election combines a low-turnout municipal race with a statewide ballot measure with an unpredictable turnout. To address this situation, we drew a sample that includes both reliable municipal election voters as well as those whose voting history suggests they are likely to participate because of the statewide ballot measures.

We then completed 800 telephone interviews with voters from this sample between March 19 and 23, 2009, yielding a margin of error of about plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level. Five percent of the interviews were in Spanish, and 7% were completed with voters who listed wireless numbers on the voter file.

Given the uncertainly of who will vote, we wanted to look at different possible turnout models. Weiss has an 11 point to 19 point initial lead in all of our turnout models, as we varied participation by municipal election-only versus statewide election voters. All of our turnout models weighted up results from the 5^th Council District to reflect the likely impact of the contested Council race there.

What About the Trutanich Poll?

The polling memo released last week by the Trutanich campaign claims that the race is tied. These results simply do not match our survey findings and some of it seems unlikely.

For example, the Trutanich survey claims that his favorable name ID is 24% but his initial vote is 36%. So their poll memo suggests that Trutanich’s initial vote total exceeds his favorable name ID by 50% [i.e. (36%-24%)/24% = 50%]. This is possible but would be very unusual in a nonpartisan race.

Our survey finds very similar name ID figures for Trutanich, but with a very different result in the initial head-to-head vote question: that his vote proportion (28%) is similar to his favorable name ID (26%). Our poll also finds the same to be true for Weiss: his favorable rating (41%) is identical to his first vote proportion (41%).

The Trutanich poll memo also claims that he leads Weiss among women. Our poll gives Weiss a 12 point lead among women.

Again, the reader should note that our basic finding that Weiss has a solid initial lead in this race does not change even if we weight up or down municipal election voters or statewide election-only voters or CD 5 voters.

In other words, we cannot find a reasonable sample model that comes close to duplicating the results of the Trutanich poll. As the Trutanich polling memo does not share the sample model, it is impossible to judge exactly how theirs was constructed and the assumptions they made. The Trutanich memo also does not indicate whether its initial vote question was asked before any information was given to voters about the candidates.

City of LA Sponsors "American Idol" Event

2009-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

MOTION (PERRY - ZINE) relative to declaring the American Idol Viewing Event on March 25,2009 a Special Event (fees and costs absorbed by the City = $500).

I thought the City was broke?

Poll: Trutanich, Weiss in dead heat

2009-03-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles, March 19–In spite of being outspent nearly 2-1 in the primary election, Carmen Trutanich has surged into a statistical dead heat against Councilmember Jack Weiss as supporters of the candidates who did not make the runoff move toward Trutanich.

According to EMC Research, a survey of 502 likely voters shows Trutanich jumping 8% since Election Day pulling even with Weiss in a head to head match up—both candidates capturing 35%. 30% of voters remain undecided. The survey has a margin of error of 4.4%.

“Despite Weiss’s robust campaign spending, the data indicate that the primary campaign has left Weiss in tough political shape,” said pollster Alex Evans. “Women, the target of most of Weiss’s campaign advertising, support Trutanich over Weiss and fewer than one-third of voters (31%) have a favorable opinion of Weiss.”

More bad news for Weiss is that he appears to have no political base having alienated his own Council District’s constituents. Twice as many voters in Council District 5 rate Weiss unfavorably as favorably (34 percent to 15 percent, respectively). Though lesser known, Trutanich is viewed overwhelmingly positively. About one- fourth of voters (24%) have a favorable opinion of Trutanich, while only seven percent rate him unfavorably. Turnout is expected to be strongest in this district because it’s the only district with a concurrent runoff in the race for City Council on May 19.

As voters hear more about each candidate, they are more supportive of Trutanich. After hearing both positive and negative messages about each candidate, 57 percent of voters say they support Trutanich, compared with 27 percent for Weiss.

Carmen Trutanich, a former Hard Core Gang prosecutor, has earned the support of thousands of local police including LA County Sheriff Lee Baca and District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Mmm...pollo y birria tacos...

2009-03-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Water store in Hollywood

2009-03-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

LA Cuts Spay Neuter Prgorams

2009-03-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

LA Animal Services is not immune to the current economic downturn. The City of Los Angeles is facing a $500 million deficit. Every department is being asked to consider severe budget cuts – cuts that may amount to as much as 30% before the ongoing Fiscal Year 2010 budget process is over.

The Department started to feel the pain last year when City Council approved a $200,000 reduction to the spay/neuter coupon and mobile programs in the ’08 FY Budget. Then in response to many dire economic forecasts the City Council cut another $100,000 from this year’s programs in December ‘08. Most recently, the City Council directed the Department to make up a deficit in our Salaries Account understanding this would require further reductions to our spay/neuter funding. The salary deficit is the result of a $414,000 budget cut that was paid for by a City plan requiring employees to take six mandatory furlough days this fiscal year. However, the mandate was rescinded and the funding was not restored. Instead we are being asked to make up this deficit through our own expense and spay/neuter funds.

The Department has saved over $100,000 of this shortfall to date. Another $150,000 has been identified through belt-tightening in our expense accounts. With an alarming increase in the number of dogs and cats entering the City's system in 2008 we need to maintain staffing levels to ensure the health, safety and welfare of animals and people in the City of Los Angeles. Since we cannot afford to lay any employees off and our attrition rate is very low our only recourse is to make up the remaining $150,000 deficit through another reduction in our spay/neuter coupon and mobile programs.

This being the case, the Department is suspending the distribution of all $30 discount and $70 free coupons at this time. We are taking this step because there is a reasonable expectation that the City may cut our spay/neuter funding for some or all of the remaining fiscal year.

Coupons already distributed will be honored. However, to ensure we do not issue coupons for which we may not have funding, we have asked our animal care centers and rescue partners to stop distributing coupons as of March 10, 2009. All unused coupon books must be returned to the Department for auditing purposes. We have notified the Sam Simon Foundation to cease sterilizations that depend on City reimbursement. We will, however, continue to fund The Amanda Foundation’s efforts on behalf of the City.

Once we know what the final funding cut is we will be in a position to better assess available revenues and resume distribution of coupons to the extent that we are confident we have funds.

Spay/neuter funding for the next fiscal year is unknown at this time. The Department maximizes every opportunity to express the importance of spay/neuter programs to reduce pet overpopulation and the long term cost of animal services. However, the City is facing a daunting challenge that will undoubtedly result in significant service reductions and even layoffs. As is the case at all levels of government at this time emergency measures must be taken. More than ever before it is important for all of us to pull together as a community to ensure our animals are not left behind.

President Obama To Visit So Cal This Week

2009-03-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

(Washington, DC) -- It looks like President Barack Obama will be visiting the Southland, this week. A transcript of yesterday's regular White House press briefing quotes press secretary Robert Gibbs saying "On Wednesday afternoon, the President will travel to Southern California and hold a town hall meeting in Santa Ana. He will then travel to Los Angeles, and will spend the night in L.A., holding a couple of events in Los Angeles on Thursday, before returning quite late that evening to Washington." No other details were provided about Mr. Obama's trip.

Don’t Let City Hall Disenfranchise You!!!

2009-03-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

City Hall is going to dump on the Valley again unless you speak up. A backroom deal is in the works to APPOINT a replacement for Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. They won’t even let us VOTE for our councilmember!

And not only are they going to DISENFRANCHISE US and APPOINT someone, they don’t even have the decency to appoint someone who even lives in Los Angeles— as part of this backroom deal, they plan to appoint former CITY OF SAN FERNANDO MAYOR CINDY MONTANEZ to represent us!

This would be the first time in 40 YEARS that City Hall will appoint a replacement, instead of setting a DEMOCRATIC special election.

We thought we lived in a democracy, but once again, democracy doesn’t make it over the hill to the Valley. Don’t let City Hall decide who will represent us.

If Cindy Montanez is appointed as our Councilmember, Neighborhood Council members, Homeowners groups and local activists will launch a grassroots recall of Cindy Montanez, demanding an election so that our voices may be heard.

If Montanez wants to run for office, we welcome her to run and join a spirited campaign with her and other candidates. But in these hard economic times, we deserve to have a vote in who will represent us — not become victims of another backroom political deal.

CALL CITY HALL TODAY, WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR and tell them this is SUPPOSED to be a DEMOCRACY (even in the Valley) and WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!

David Hernandez

2009-03-11T19:09:00.001-07:00

Comerica Building, Sherman Oaks

2009-03-05T18:57:00.001-08:00

Louie's Cake

2009-03-03T22:35:00.001-08:00

Louie's Cake

2009-03-03T22:14:00.001-08:00

Watching Nury's TV 35 spot at Pugliese.

2009-03-03T21:19:00.001-08:00

Pugliese fans watching Nury on TV 35

2009-03-03T20:11:00.001-08:00

Vote No on B!

2009-03-03T19:10:00.001-08:00

Sunland Tujunga Voters Alert

2009-03-03T15:57:00.001-08:00

There have been several precinct changes in the Sunland-Tujunga area. Many of you will be voting at different locations than usual. It is important to take the time to find your polling location. Many of the poll workers are as frustrated as you may be about the situation. They understand and are willing to help you find your polling site. Below find info to assist you regarding two sites.

SUNLAND TUJUNGA VOTERS ALERT

Mountain View Baptist Church

(no church sign out front -- look for signs saying Polling Place with arrors)

9666 Foothill Blvd., Sunland
is located on Foothill PLACE
just the other side of the Foothill Bridge.
The driveway is accessed on Foothill Place, NOT Foothill Blvd.
There is a small flag at one of the doors which is propped open so you can park right outside of it and walk up the stairs.
Its tough to find this church because it is called something else in two places including right at the driveway.

Faith Lutheran Church

7749 Apperson

entrance is actually on Mt. Gleason, about 50 feet north of Apperson on the east side.

There is a flag. There are also polling place signs with arrows. Once you are on Mt. Gleason you should be able to find this site.

If anyone has information on other sites, please send to me and we will out to all.

Phil Jennerjahn Votes

2009-03-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Boyle Heights Precinct Reports

2009-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

70 voters cast ballots out of 1900 registered.