Venice For Change

Venice For Change Endorsements For The May 21st Election

2013-05-17T13:44:00.001-07:00

First things first, if you have an absentee ballot, today is absolutely last day you should fill it out and mail it in. If you can't mail it in today, just fill it out and drop it off at ANY polling place in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

If you plan on voting in person and if you don't know where your polling place is, go to http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/ and type in your address to find out. Polls are open Tuesday, May 21st from 7am-8pm.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the Venice For Change endorsements for the May 21st Los Angeles Municipal elections!

MAYOR

Eric Garcetti

Read the Venice For Change endorsement here

CITY ATTORNEY

Mike Feuer

LA Times endorsement

Daily Breeze endorsement

Endorsement from LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacy

CITY CONTROLLER

Ron Galperin

LA Times endorsement

Daily Breeze endorsement

Endorsement from former LA City Controller Laura Chick

MEASURE C - YES

Measure C is an advisory vote urging Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling, which says that restriction of political spending by corporations or labor unions violates free speech. The campaign for the proposition is being led by political watchdog Common Cause, in partnership with the California Public Interest Research Group and the Money Out/Voters In Coalition.

Common Cause began a campaign in November to get cities and states to pass ballot measures instructing Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. So far, Montana, Colorado and more than 175 cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, and more than half the cities in Massachusetts, have passed such measures by a popular vote.

MEASURES D, E, and F

Measures D,E, and F are all measures designed to control and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries within LA City limits

MEASURE D - YES

Measure D would allow the 135 dispensaries approved under the interim control ordinance of September 2007 to stay open, if they follow the city's rules on proximity to schools, churches and neighborhoods, and would place a new tax of $60 per $1,000 of marijuana sold.

MEASURE E - NO

Measure E would ban all medical marijuana dispensaries except the shops that were registered before 2007. This would permanently cap the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city at 135. It does not include a revenue component.

MEASURE F - NO

Measure F would allow the unlimited licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries that opened after 2007 as long as they meet certain specified standard, and would impose a 20% sales tax on the medical marijuana sold in the proposed licensed dispensaries.

After Months Of Going Negative, Wendy Greuel Calls For A Mortatorium On Negative Ads Her Campaign Can No Longer Pay For

2013-05-11T00:25:00.000-07:00


California NOW slammed Greuel for attacking rival Jan Perry over a personal bankruptcy

After pummeling campaign rivals for months with negative mailers and TV ads, Wendy Greuel called on opponent Eric Garcetti to agree to a moratorium on negative campaign ads in a debate aired live tonight on KABC-TV.

Amid audible groans from the studio audience, Greuel played the victim saying. "OK, my campaign consultants are probably not going to like this, but I say no more negative ads," Greuel told an incredulous Garcetti.

Greuel's calls for a moratorium come as finance reports reveal Greuel's campaign went broke this week funding millions of dollars worth of TV attack ads and mailers against Garcetti.

Greuel was essentially calling for a moratorium on ads her campaign no longer had the cash to pay for.

Garcetti's campaign on the other hand, had over $2 million in cash on hand, having husbanded their resources for the final push to election day. SuperPACs supporting Greuel have already spent over $6 million on Greuel's behalf, and that has no signs of letting up before election day.

This mailer was targeted to Black and Latino voters.

Over the last eight weeks, Greuel's campaign has relentlessly attacked Garcetti - dressing him up in effeminate costumes and accusing him of everything from poisoning children for fun and profit, to being an Obama-hating racist, to influence peddling.

Think I'm exaggerating? Click on just a few of the links below and find out for yourself.

Wendy Greuel TV Ad Attacks Eric Garcetti's Support For Digital Billboards, Which She Also Voted For

Wendy Greuel's Ties To Felon Examined After She Goes After Eric Garcetti For Same Thing

Kevin James releases Wendy Greuel's texts after she attacks him

California NOW denounces Wendy Greuel's Attack Ads Against Jan Perry

Wendy Greuel website attacking Eric Garcetti goes dark

Wendy Greuel's Oil Attack Comes From Strategist John Shallman's Playbook

New Greuel TV Ad Lies About Garcetti Taking "Illegal Vote" On Billboards

Greuel attack mailer

Wendy Greuel TV Ad Slams Eric Garcetti's Polo Fundraiser With Felon Developer

Greuel Uses Footage From Christmas Party To Attack Eric Garcetti

Wendy Greuel Attacks Eric Garcetti In New Radio Ad; TV Ads Picking Up In Campaign's Final Week

Wendy Greuel outlines fresh attack on rival Eric Garcetti

Wendy Greuel attacks Eric Garcetti's job-growth claims

In new attack, Wendy Greuel includes Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in L.A.'s 'failed' leadership

Wendy Greuel's Campaign Deploys Homophobic Pastor In Attacks Against Gay Republican Kevin James (UPDATE)

2013-05-10T01:03:00.005-07:00

******UPDATE: 5/12
On Twitter, I asked Greuel's campaign policy director, Jim Dantonia, if Greuel knew of Bishop Jones' role in perpetuating discrimination and violence against gays in Jamaica. He sidestepped the question, saying only that "the attack on Kevin James is for his racist rants not for being gay."**********

Hoping to soften support with African American voters, surrogates for Wendy Greuel's campaign continued to hammer Eric Garcetti over controversial anti-Obama statements made by Garcetti surrogate Kevin James. But in doing so, Greuel managed to step on the third rail of religion and politics in the African American community - homophobia.

Venice For Change has learned today that a surrogate Greuel's campaign deployed against James, Bishop Noel Jones, a Gardena, CA pastor, traveled to Jamaica in 2004 to urge that country's political leaders to "stand their ground" against efforts by LGBT activists to repeal some of the most restrictive anti-gay laws on the planet.

Leading the charge against Kevin James is LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has endorsed Greuel. In a press-release he sent out this week, Ridley-Thomas quotes Bishop Jones by name. “How many more divisive, debilitating, and shamefully offensive comments should we have to bear from Kevin James? (His) endorsement and apparent relationship with Eric Garcetti eliminates any doubt that the people’s choice for Mayor should be Wendy Greuel," said Jones.

Besides being the lone Republican in the mayoral primary, Kevin James, who for 6 years served as Co-Chair of AIDS Project Los Angeles, was also the lone LGBT candidate.

In 2004, it was reported Jones, a native of Jamaica, believed his homeland should resist the pressures being placed on it by gay rights advocates to reform their draconian anti-sodomy laws. He said the nation should "stand its ground by simply allowing your laws to stay the way they are."

He was responding to reports published earlier this week in which local and international human rights groups called for a relaxation of laws that curbs homosexual conduct.

Bishop Jones, who is the pastor of the City of Refuge church in Gardena, California, and an internationally renowned television preacher, said: "If you have laws and legislation that ban certain things based on the principles of the Scriptures and based on your Christian background, then let it stand there. Who is having big debates with the Islamic people about it (gay rights)? Who is telling them to bend their laws? If your laws are based on your Christian points of view, then you must stand your ground?"

The pressure being placed on Jamaica by United States homosexual interests, Bishop Jones hinted, is inconsistent with the best traditions of the United States. "The thing that bothers me about America is if they are so democratic, why don't they allow the rest of the world to be what they are? Their democracy says a person has the freedom to do many things, so why won't they leave Jamaica alone?" Bishop Jones said.

Mob attack on a Jamaican transsexual.

Homosexuality in Jamaica is punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment - with or without hard labor - for anyone convicted of the "abominable crime of buggery committed either with mankind or any animal". Mob violence against gays prompted Time Magazine to call Jamaica the "Most Homphobic Place On Earth". According to Amnesty International, at least 35 gay men have been murdered on the island since 1997. Thirty-two incidents of mob violence directed against LGBT people were recorded in one recent eighteen-month period alone. In many cases, the murders were followed by crowd celebrations around mutilated bodies.

If Wendy Greuel was aware of Jones' role in perpetuating violence against gays in Jamaica, she did not let on when she warmly welcomed the endorsement of Bishop Jones in March.

“Bishops Blake and Jones are true servants of their communities. They have shown us the central role our faith community plays in improving and empowering neighborhoods across Los Angeles,” said Greuel. “As mayor, I will continue to partner with faith leaders around the city to deliver critical resources into all our communities, and make Los Angeles the shining example to the world that I know it has been and will continue to be.”

Garcetti's campaign has also touted the endorsement of African-American religious leaders, some of whom stand on either side of LGBT rights issues. In an April press release Garcetti's campaign listed the support of both Rev. Eric P. Lee and Rev. Xavier Thompson - Lee is an outspoken proponent of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, while Thompson spearheaded opposition against SB48, a law requiring public school textbooks to include historical contributions of gay people.

Parenthetically, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas apparently tried to shield himself from possible blow-back over his role promoting Jones' attacks against Kevin James by tweeting this photo of himself with LGBT Councilman Bill Rosendahl from a press conference on the steps of City Hall yesterday. Yet when I asked Rosendahl if he was there to criticize James, the councilman told me he only spoke briefly about an alleged anti-Greuel push-poll and did not reference James.

Press Conference: Garcetti needs to answer why he won't condemn Kevin James' vicious attacks on President Obama. twitter.com/MRTempower/sta…
— Mark Ridley-Thomas (@MRTempower) May 9, 2013

Endorsement: Eric Garcetti For Mayor Of Los Angeles

2013-05-08T08:32:00.002-07:00

For those of you who follow this blog, you know back in February I endorsed both Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel as the two candidates I wanted most to see as our next mayor of Los Angeles.

Today, seven weeks later, I'm thrilled to endorse Eric Garcetti alone as the progressive choice, the environmental choice, the fiscally sound choice, the feminist choice, the best choice to lead Los Angeles for the next 4 years.

So what happened in the last seven weeks to make me want to plant my flag so firmly in Garcetti's camp?

There were several factors - partly it was due to the negativity and divisiveness of Greuel's campaign, partly it was due to ethical lapses Greuel herself had made, but mostly it was from observing Garcetti at work, on the streets and in Council Chambers, and realizing this was a person who cared deeply about everyone in our City, who worked tirelessly to be a consensus builder, who every day lived the "Respect, Empower, and Include" mantra of the Obama campaign and who was willing to stick his neck out to make the right choice.......even if that choice cost him politically.

So here are just some of the reasons why I'm endorsing Eric Garcetti for Mayor of Los Angeles.....

Councilmembers Wesson, Parks and Perry endorsed Garcetti

LEADERSHIP
Garcetti has shown time and again he's willing to make the right decisions - whether it was taking ownership of LA's budget mess and working with unions to help our city avoid bankruptcy, or standing up to deep-pocket business interests that want to to shove endless LAX-caused Carmageddon down our throats - even if those decisions weren't politically expedient.

When it came to dealing with the city's budget mess, Council President Herb Wesson praised Garcetti for the courage he showed by pursuing pension reform for city workers despite the wedge it drove between him and union leaders. At the time, Wesson told Garcetti that he could keep out of the spotlight on the issue and let Wesson take the brunt of the criticism, but Garcetti insisted on coming out publicly in support of the reforms. “You saw all the heat he’s taken from unions,” Wesson said in an interview. “I gave him an out, but he didn’t want it. That’s courage.”

I witnessed Garcetti's courage up close and personal as I organized against LAX runway expansion through the "Stop Endless LAX Carmageddon" campaign. Despite enormous pressure from business interests and trade unions - many of whom had donated generously to his campaign - Garcetti came to the conclusion that moving LAX's runways made little sense from either an economic or safety standpoint. He was one of only three council members to vote against the proposal, and he immediately caught heat for it.

"Eric didn't get to that decision because it was good politics," said Councilman-elect Mike Bonin, whose district includes LAX. "Eric got to that position because he listened to the actual, factual arguments. Eric got to that position because he's a serious grownup, because he cares about about Los Angeles, and because he cares about doing what's right."

CONSENSUS BUILDER
Garcetti won not only the endorsement of nearly all the sitting council members - including the council's only woman and every African American, but the endorsement of all three of his former opponents from the March run-off as well. While individual endorsements are nice, it's how these disparate personalities have lined up to support Garcetti - from liberal councilman Herb Wesson to conservative mayoral candidate Kevin James - that should be most indicative to voters. Why? Because Garcetti was able to work past their differences, and past the campaign rhetoric, to find consensus on issues they did agree on. James in particular noted he didn't agree with Garcetti on everything, but appreciated his independence when it came to special interests. "That willingness to stand toe to toe with the very powerful interests in the city — that's something that's attractive to me," James said.

Garcetti marching with SEIU union janitors

THE BEST CHOICE FOR LABOR
It says something about the upside-down nature of this race that Greuel has tried to paint Garcetti as anti-union because he opposes the millions of dollars in taxpayer funds DWP's union leadership has funneled into Greuel's election.

What gets lost in that rhetoric is this - it's not about the DWP, or about unions in general, it's about Citizens United. It's about uncontrolled, unaccountable spending from interest groups overwhelming and distorting the democratic process - and it's just as bad coming from interest groups we like (unions) as coming from interest groups we don't like (the Koch Brothers).

So despite how the opposition might try to paint him, from Garcetti's key role in passing a living wage ordinance for Century Corridor hotels to marching with janitors as they sought to negotiate for decent working conditions, Garcetti has proven himself to be an ally to labor.

In a 2007 letter to the LA Times praising Garcetti's support of workers at the LAX Hilton, Maria Elena Durazo, President of the LA Federation of Labor, wrote "These are men and women who, despite earning poverty wages and despite the lack of affordable health insurance, continue to work hard to make (their employers) profitable. We should thank Garcetti and others who have the courage to stand with people who work hard for poverty wages."

And the DWP's deep pockets aren't shared by most other unions in Los Angeles. While workers in private sector unions struggle with poverty wages, and other public sector workers like LAUSD teachers haven't seen a raise (not even for cost of living) in eight years, salaries for DWP's upper management jumped a whopping 15% since 2008, with the average DWP pay rising from $88,299 to $101,237 in 2012.

No other city employee has seen raises like that, not even police officers, who's salaries rose only 2%.

In all that time, Wendy Greuel never found a single dollar in "waste, fraud and abuse" at the DWP.
So it makes perfect sense for them to believe they could get a better deal from Greuel than they could from Garcetti.

According to Richard Riordan, this will be city workers'
new retirement plan if Wendy Greuel becomes mayor

WITH GARCETTI YOU KNOW WHERE YOU STAND
One day after receiving the endorsement of another powerful public sector union, the LA County Labor Federation, Greuel enthusiastically embraced the endorsement of Richard Riordan, even going so far as to say he'd be her "first hire".

Only five months earlier the Labor Fed, along with a number of other public employee unions, barely defeated Riordan's attempts to put a pension-reform measure on the ballot so onerous, one union president called it a “Wisconsin-style rush to the bottom on pay and benefits for all middle class people.”

The back-to-back endorsements by Riordan and the LA Labor Fed was a circle that would not square.

Greuel tried to soft-peddle Riordan's endorsement to labor by claiming she'd renegotiate pension give-backs the union had already made, but then walked that back within hours after she was hauled in front of the Chamber of Commerce to explain herself.

So while much has been written about the DWP's independent expenditures on Greuel's behalf, it's these schizophrenic signals coming from Greuel we should all be paying attention to. Because when a candidate does a 180 like this depending on her audience, it means the voter can't ever really know where the candidate stands.

Garcetti has the support of nearly every private sector union in Los Angeles - janitors, grocery workers, sanitation workers, truck drivers, port workers, construction workers, teachers, laundry workers, security officers, stadium, sports and entertainment workers, LAX workers, and City administrative and technical workers. He has it not by making promises he can't keep, but by being who he's always been - a fair partner with a deep commitment to social justice, dignity, and the principle of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

Garcetti at the Venice CicLAvia hub - he wants these once a month!

HE'LL BE A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Garcetti, who's received the endorsement of the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles chapter of the California League of Conservation Voters, has long been a champion of policies to expand public transportation and improve our environment. In 2004, Garcetti authored Proposition O, a county storm water bond which sought to clean the city's waterways. Voters approved the bond with just over 76% of the vote making it the largest clean water bond in the country.

In 2005, Garcetti helped found the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust. He also authored two of the nation's largest municipal green building ordinances requiring all city buildings, and all commercial buildings over 50,000 sq ft, to be built to LEED-certified standards. A longtime electric car driver, he even appeared as a proponent of electric cars in the 2006 documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

Garcetti loves talking about public transportation in a way only a wonk can, supporting a comprehensive transit network that integrates light rail, subways, busways and even dedicated bike lanes.

"I will continue to accelerate badly-needed rail lines (and where appropriate, busways), since these projects have the best shot at reducing traffic throughout our city. We need to finish the Expo Line to Santa Monica, link LAX to the Green Line, build the Crenshaw Line in South Los Angeles, get a North‐South line in the San Fernando Valley that traverses the Sepulveda Pass, and it is critical to get the Wilshire subway to the Westside," Garcetti told LAStreetsblog.com.

"I would also make sure that the system is on time, predictable, and easy to navigate. The city has an incredible amount of transportation data and we can use this to make our city’s transportation system more flexible and change to the city’s demands."

Incidentally, I knew I couldn't support Greuel for mayor when she used a $1.25 a year mineral rights lease to eviscerate Garcetti's environmental record, implying in attack ads he was secretly trying to make a profit off of poisoning voter's children (no, I'm not exaggerating - watch the ad yourself)

For those of us who supported Debra Bowen in her congressional bid against Janice Hahn in 2011, we've seen this movie before. With only a week to go in that race, John Shallman, campaign consultant to both Hahn and Greuel, put out ugly, misleading mailers attacking Bowen, claiming the staunch environmentalist was in bed with big oil. Shallman's "proof"? Twenty year-old campaign contributions from energy companies and an unsourced blog post from a supporter of primary opponent Marcy Winograd.

But hey, it worked once, so I guess that's all that matters.

HE'S THE FEMINIST CHOICE
Greuel is an accomplished female leader and should she win it would be an historic first for Los Angeles. But does that mean she's the best or only choice for women? Hardly.

In endorsing Garcetti over Greuel, California NOW president Patty Bellasalma cited CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women - an international treaty that commits governments to removing barriers to women’s equality. Also known as the Treaty for the Rights of Women, it addresses legal rights, education, employment,  health care, violence against women, politics and finance.

“CEDAW implementation is essential because it establishes a requirement that when policy is being considered one of the factors that must be known is the gender effect of the policy," said Bellasalma.

Originally introduced by former Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, Garcetti fully backed it's implementation. But it stalled after opposition from the Mayor and City Attorney. According to Bellasalma, Greuel was missing in action.

“I’ve known Wendy for 30 years. She could have endorsed CEDAW. She could implement CEDAW but when asked why she hasn’t committed to its implementation her answer has been, 'We’ll have to do a study to determine it efficacy'. Studies have already been done,” Bellasalma said. “It’s bad when your first answer to a problem is to hire a focus group."

More recently, California NOW reiterated their support of Garcetti as the feminist choice for mayor after Greuel refused to directly answer if she thought it was appropriate for the Obama administration to restrict over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception for girls under the age of 15.

Instead of addressing the issue in terms of federal policy, Greuel bizarrely stated access was somehow the responsibility between a doctor and their patient, missing the point entirely of having over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.

When the moderator pressed her, pointing out that many members of women’s health organizations believe there should be NO age restriction on access to emergency contraception, Greuel replied, "Well again, I think that's a conversation between the young woman and, uh, the pharmacist and others about the ability to have access to that (access to Plan B). I think we need to teach our young women responsibility…..”

When the moderator asked Eric Garcetti the same question, Garcetti replied, "No I don't believe there should be….(age restrictions on access to emergency contraception).....we have to remember these girls, these young women, are often coming from sometimes abusive situations, may have been the survivors of sexual abuse in other situations. They might have that in the home, and I think if you make this be something that somebody has to describe to their parent, you remove those protections from some who have been the most abused and the most vulnerable, and that's the reason I oppose(restrictions on access to Plan B)."

ERIC GARCETTI WILL BE THE MAYOR WHO LISTENS

Garcetti was one of President Obama's earliest supporters.

One of the great mantras of the Obama campaign was "Respect, Empower and Include" and it's a mantra Garcetti - who happens to be one of Obama's earliest supporters - takes to heart as a public servant.

Garcetti was the first Council Member to institute weekly "office hours" where constituents could meet with him face-to-face without having to go downtown. Garcetti estimates he's met with 5000 constituents over the years this way.

"You might be talking to a head of state back-to-back with a homeless person who has recently lost their job and their apartment and desperate. You're the last stop they have to try to get their life back on track," Garcetti told KPCC.org.

"You have to learn to be a great listener, it's the most important thing in politics, and both the classroom as a teacher taught me that...same thing in politics, if you think you're just supposed to give good speeches at press conferences, you'll never solve people's problems...Office hours has been my way to stay grounded, to make sure people never have too many layers between them and me and that I'll always be held accountable."

There's lots more I could go into, but I think you get the picture.

Vote for Eric Garcetti to be our next Mayor - the progressive choice, the environmental choice, the fiscally sound choice, the feminist choice, the best choice to lead Los Angeles for the next 4 years.

VIDEO: Eric Garcetti Votes Against Expanding LAX

2013-05-05T08:12:00.001-07:00

On April 30th, Eric Garcetti stood with Angelenos and voted to modernize LAX, but without causing Endless Carmageddon by expanding the North runways. It was not an easy vote, but it was the right vote. Watch the impassioned statement he gave to his fellow Councilmembers.

Eric Garcetti Votes Against LAX Expansion from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

Transcript of Garcetti's full remarks below the fold:

I was actually quite excited about today. I’m excited because there have been a lot of people we’ve heard from who have been on both sides of these issues who worked really hard to get here today. You’ve built 95% consensus – this airport needs to be modernized.

This airport’s passenger experience isn’t what we want. The public transit and transportation improvements are not what we’ve been waiting for. So we have this one area of disagreement over the last piece. Heartfelt on both sides on what we should or shouldn’t do.

But leadership is about making decisions. And we’re hear today to make an important decision. LA deserves a world-class airport, but the neighborhoods around the airport deserve a first-class neighbor.

Contrary to what was said, we don’t have to choose between modernization, expansion, safety and the community. We don’t have to do that. In fact, I’ll be very blunt with the community. If they came here and said, “I don’t want to see one more passenger at LAX.” I probably wouldn’t be with them. But it is extraordinary, as Mike Bonin put it, that they’re embracing the expansion of the airport. I want to thank them, because I don’t know how many other communities would do that.

We can have jobs for the building trades. We’re going to have important work to improve our community. But we shouldn’t hold one thing hostage to another. I feel deeply that the passenger who is arriving today is experiencing terminals which are not first class, is looking for public transit that doesn’t exist, is trying to get to a rental car facility using buses and a very complicated system that doesn’t represent what LA should be.

It is possible to create jobs today, to increase safety, to relieve traffic, to reduce pollution, and to increase the experience for those who are coming here. That is my priority. But I oppose moving the north runway to do that.

I believe neighborhoods deserve full information on traffic and construction that would disrupt their lives for years. And it’s not just their lives.

Until there are full answers, not just vague ones, on what will happen to Lincoln, I don’t want to see this city shut down any further. Just look at the 405 widening, and look at how poorly planned that was.

So today, I urge you to vote for something. To vote for the best environmental solution that are before us, Alts 2 and 9, and to do the work of Alts 2 and 9 first, then come back and ask us about moving the runways.

Thank you.

Only in LA: Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti Rescues Bleeding, Semi-Conscious Pedestrian (UPDATED)

2013-04-28T20:49:00.004-07:00

So evidently, when LA Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti isn't running around trying to get elected, he's rescuing semi-conscious pedestrians with bleeding head wounds.

As seen on Facebook, Silverlake resident, Chris Cruse, posted about his encounter last night with Garcetti.

Eric Garcetti, earlier in the evening at a West Hollywood fundraiser

The nicest thing just happened.

I walked down my street to pick up some food, and came across a young guy laying on the sidewalk. His friend was yelling at him, slapping his face to wake up. The guy on the ground had a big gash and was bleeding out of his head. Not moving. I asked his friend if he was ok, but it was clear he needed help.

Right then, a black car pulled up on Silver Lake Blvd and a handsome businessman-looking guy rolled down the window. Asked if everything was ok. I told him this guy hit his head real bad. The car pulled over and 2 guys got out. They seemed to know exactly what to do. One brought a shirt and rolled it up and stuck it under the guy's head. Asked a bunch of questions. The other called the paramedics. The friend was worried that they'd be in trouble, and asked us to just leave them there. The handsome one said they work for the city, they can't just leave someone hurt on the ground. He hit his head, he needs to be checked out. The friend nodded ok.

Once the paramedics got there, they got the kid up and on a stretcher and into the ambulance. Seemed like he was in good hands. I was in awe that these two guys came in and handled this whole situation so quickly and solidly. As they headed back to the car, I stopped them and asked, "You said you work for the city, what's your name?" I wanted to know what city employee was being a civil servant and Good Samaritan even on a Saturday night. The guy shook my hand and said, "Eric Garcetti."

No joke.

UPDATE:
Garcetti's campaign is confirming this morning that the incident took place pretty much as Cruse describes it.

In a brief email conversation I had with Cruse about his post, he added a few more details.

The guys were a little drunk, and apparently (the victim) tripped. The gash was on the front of his head / forehead and it was gnarly. The firemen took him away in a stretcher with a neck brace, but said they were just taking precautions. They thought he would be ok. Going to check for concussion, etc.

I guess I was just touched that (Garcetti) helped, and I wouldn't have known it was him unless I had asked. I told everyone at Gingergrass, where I was walking to pick up food when this all happened, they were like "whoa"

LA Streetsblog picked up on another aspect of the story we missed. Garcetti didn't tell anyone about the incident afterwards, not even his own campaign staff. They found out the same way we did, when Cruse wrote about the incident on his Facebook wall.

This isn’t just a nice story, to Garcetti’s credit he didn’t try to take advantage of the situation for campaign purposes. Cruse is no politico, and the Garcetti team didn’t seem to know what I was talking about at first, before confirming the event did happen.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter Files Ethic Complaint Against Wendy Greuel, Calls Conduct "Illegal" And An "Insult To Voters"

2013-04-26T12:05:00.001-07:00

Former LA Councilwoman Ruth Galanter filed a formal ethics complaint today against LA City Controller and Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, calling the candidate's reported use of city resources for her campaign "illegal" and an "insult to voters".

Citing revelations by the Los Cerritos Community News that they had obtained 130 pages of emails showing the Controller using her official city email address to repeatedly communicate with campaign operatives during normal business hours, Galanter filed a complaint with the LA City Ethics Commission saying the number and frequency of the emails showed a clear pattern of deliberate and illegal use of resources.

“Ms. Greuel’s misuse of public resources is an insult to the voters and taxpayers of Los Angeles made even more egregious by the fact that we taxpayers are paying her approximately $200,000 a year, plus a free car and cellphone, to prevent just such misuse", Galanter said.

Here is the full complaint:

Galanter Ethics Complaint against Wendy Greuel

Yesterday, the Los Cerritos Community News released all 130 pages they obtained through a FOIA request (see below). Greuel's office took 90 days to respond to the request, far longer than the 24 days dictated by law, and provided far fewer than the "tens of thousands of documents" Greuel's office initially claimed were covered in LCCN's request.

Eric Garcetti's campaign has yet to respond to the controversy. But Rick Jacobs, founder of a political action committee to support Garcetti, called on a special investigator to release all documents from Greuel's office pertaining to her mayoral campaign.

"Wendy Greuel wants the voter's trust to become Mayor of our city, but she's violated that trust repeatedly by spending taxpayer's dollars on her campaign," said Jacobs.

An investigation from the LA Ethics Commission of these issues will likely take months, stretching well past Election Day. Regardless of their findings the damage may already be done.

During the campaign, Greuel has tried to portray herself as the best candidate to root out "waste, fraud and abuse" in City Hall, and in recent days stepped up her attacks against opponent Eric Garcetti, attempting to tie him to developer Juri Ripinksy, a convicted felon, and also claiming Garcetti had taken "illegal" votes on a Clear Channel billboard settlement.

It's unclear how much traction these claims will have once LCCN's allegations are more widely known.

URGENT! LA City Council To Vote on LAX Runway Expansion Tuesday, April 30th

2013-04-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

The LA City Council is about to vote on whether to move LAX's north runways and potentially shut down Lincoln Blvd. 2-5 years for construction. They need to hear from us the day of the vote. Numbers matter, so we're asking you to come downtown on the 30th to submit your comments in person.

WHERE AND WHEN: LA CITY HALL - Tuesday, April 30th 10:30AM
200 N. Spring Street (click here for directions) You must enter City Hall from the Main Street entrance. Security will direct you to Council Chambers on the 3rd floor. Allow at least 15 minutes to get inside the building.

HOW TO GET THERE
By public transportation: the Civic Center Metro station is located only two blocks away. Take the Expo Line from Culver City to the 7th Street Metro station, then transfer to the Red Line and take it to the Civic Center Metro station. Allow 45 minutes to get downtown. Round trip cost is $6.00

By car: The closest pay lot is at 225 N. Los Angeles St. at the LA Mall (click here for directions). Cost is $16. Exiting the Public Parking area, you will end up at the 'Food Court'. Go up to street level to get to the Main Street City Hall entrance.

By carpool: We are organizing a bus to take speakers downtown. If you are interested in this option, go to this link to RSVP. You must RSVP by Sunday. Cost is $15 cash and will be collected before you get on the bus. We leave from Councilman Rosendahl's Westchester office at 7166 West Manchester Ave (click on this link for directions )at 8:30am and will return around 2pm, depending on the length of the hearing.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU GET THERE
Each speaker is allowed one minute to make their point, so please have your remarks prepared in advance. When you first get to Council Chambers, you must fill out a Speaker Card and hand it to the Council Secretary to be allowed to give public comment. We will have people there to assist you. When it's time for public comment, the Council President will call a few names at a time as he makes his way through the Speaker Cards

CAN'T MAKE IT ON THE 30TH? WE NEED YOU TO MAKE PHONE CALLS

We know of several Councilmembers who are on the fence about runway expansion. We need you to call their office ASAP.

Paul Krekorian (213) 473-7002
Dennis Zine (213) 473-7003
Paul Koretz:(213) 473-7005
Richard Alarcon (213) 473-7007

Tell them to vote NO on runway expansion and YES on modernization, as well as asking them to support Alternatives 2 and 9. That's all you need to say. It's OK to call them even if you don't live in the City of LA, but if you are a constituent of any of these councilmembers be sure to tell them that.

WE NEED YOU TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Over a thousand of you have signed our petition. We need your help to get the word out about the April 30th vote and about our petition so we can keep the momentum going! Please forward the link www.stopendlesscarmageddon.com to your friends, relatives and neighbors. Every signature triggers an email to the Council members voting on Tuesday.

Ask them to tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

"Like" us on Facebook so we can share links to updates and future actions to your social networks: https://www.facebook.com/StopEndlessLAXCarmageddon

Emails Show Wendy Greuel Campaigned Out Of Controller's Office

2013-04-24T20:11:00.002-07:00

LA City Controller Wendy Greuel's mayoral campaign came under scrutiny this afternoon after a Cerritos newspaper published emails showing the Controller soliciting campaign contributions, discussing endorsements and communicating with campaign staff during office hours using her official lacity.org email address, in apparent violation of Los Angeles' Ethics laws.

In January, the Los Cerritos Community News sent a public records request to Greuel's office asking for any emails between Greuel's office and campaign managers John Shallman and Rose Kapolczynski, as well as emails from Brian D’Arcy, the head of IBEW Local 18, whose SuperPAC, Working Californians, has spent millions in support of Greuel's mayoral campaign.

According to LCCN, Greuel's office initially balked at the records request saying it "was voluminous and encompasses tens of thousands of pages", but relented after the newspaper sent a letter on April 12th threatening to file a lawsuit.

In the end, LCCN received only 130 pages of material, including dozens of emails sent to and from various campaign staff and contributors using Greuel's official governmental email address during normal business hours.

Campaign consultants I talked with said such activity violates section 49.5.5b of the LA Municipal Code which states:

"No City official or employee of an agency shall engage in campaign-related activities, such as fundraising, the development of electronic or written materials, or research, for a campaign for any elective office or ballot measure

during the hours for which he or she is receiving pay to engage in City business or
using City facilities, equipment, supplies or other City resources.

“The emails confirm that Greuel is running her mayoral campaign out of the Auditor/Contoller’s Office of Los Angeles using taxpayer resources, a clear violation of California state law,” said Brian Hews, President of Hews Media Group, and Publisher of Los Cerritos Community Newspaper. “The emails document in great detail how Wendy Greuel is using one of the most powerful offices in the City of Los Angeles to leverage campaign support, coordinate political events, and garner major endorsements from some of the biggest political forces in Southern California,”

Greuel campaign spokeswoman Laura Wilkinson characterized the email exchanges using Greuel's governmental email address as "inadvertent".

"As Controller and as a candidate for Mayor, Wendy Greuel has worked 18-hour days for quite some time. She inadvertently forwarded a few emails when using her personal iPad or iPhone and most of the emails were for scheduling purposes or as an FYI including documents that were scheduled for public release," Wilkinson said in a written statement.

However, the emails, which you can read below, include numerous conversations between a Who's Who of political players in Los Angeles, Greuel's campaign staff, campaign contributors and the staff of the Controller's office discussing a variety of topics - from scheduling issues to campaign contributions to Councilman Bill Rosendahl's endorsement. Most of the published emails include time stamps that place them within normal business hours.

And in one case, Greuel may have violated yet another statute prohibiting the sharing of confidential information acquired in the course of her official duties when she forwarded a Preliminary Financial Report her office prepared for fiscal year 2011-2012 to her campaign staff two and a half hours before giving the document to Mayor Villaraigosa, the City Council and the City Clerk.

An investigation from the LA Ethics Commission of these issues will likely take months, stretching well past Election Day. Regardless of their findings the damage may already be done.

During the campaign, Greuel has tried to portray herself as the best candidate to root out "waste, fraud and abuse" in City Hall, and in recent days stepped up her attacks against opponent Eric Garcetti, attempting to tie him to developer Juri Ripinksy, a convicted felon, and also claiming Garcetti had taken "illegal" votes on a Clear Channel billboard settlement. It's unclear how much traction these claims will have once LCCN's allegations are more widely known.

A poll released by the LA Times on Sunday showed Garcetti leading Greuel by 10 points.

VIDEO: New Greuel TV Ad Lies About Garcetti Taking "Illegal Vote" On Billboards

2013-04-19T11:42:00.004-07:00

In her harshest attack yet, Wendy Greuel launched a TV ad this morning claiming opponent Eric Garcetti took an "illegal vote" when he approved a settlement that allowed Clear Channel Communications to convert hundreds of billboards to a digital format.

Watch it:

Going by the graphics in the ad, Greuel apparently is basing her attacks on this February 21 LA Times article about an ethics complaint filed by then-mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez lodged a complaint with the Ethics Commission this week alleging his opponent, Eric Garcetti, had a financial conflict of interest when he signed off on a lucrative deal with a billboard company.

Garcetti, a city councilman, voted in 2006 for a legal settlement that allowed Clear Channel Outdoor to convert hundreds of billboards to a digital format. At the same time, he held stock in Clear Channel Communications, the billboard company's parent. On financial disclosure forms, he had checked a box valuing the stock at between $2,000 and $10,000.

Garcetti gave the shares to charity in 2007. Greuel also voted in favor of the billboard settlement.

However, nothing in the article alleges that the vote Garcetti took was "illegal", and in fact goes on to list a conflict Greuel herself had regarding another vote taken around the same time.

The Times reported last week that City Controller Wendy Greuel pushed for the council to block (a) Home Depot project yet did not publicly discuss that she had inherited a 50% share in a potential competitor, a family building supply business nine miles away. A Greuel spokeswoman said last week that there was no conflict because other Home Depots were near her family's business.

Under state law, regulators determine a conflict of interest after reviewing a variety of factors, including the size of the elected official's investment and the amount of revenue generated by the vote. Experts contend the council's vote on Clear Channel generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the company. That surpasses any threshold used by state regulators to establish a conflict of interest.

LAX Admits Asking LA City Council To Vote On Runway Expansion "Sight Unseen" In New Memo.

2013-04-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

It's not surprising that after a week of bad publicity and nearly a thousand signatures from Angelenos calling on the LA City Council to oppose runway expansion, that the multi-billion dollar interests at LAX are pushing back against reports that runway expansion will cause long term closures at Lincoln and Sepulveda.

What is surprising, however, is what they've inadvertently admitted to in the process.

In a memo prepared for LAX Lobbyist Deigo Alvarez by the global consulting firm CDM Smith and released to the press, officials attempt to make the case that "there is no reasonable basis to believe this type of project would require the 'complete closure' of the existing roadway (Lincoln Blvd)"

What do they base this assessment on?

Nothing. Literally nothing.

Calling realignment of Lincoln Blvd. "conceptual in nature", the memo admits CDM Smith makes their assertions on speculation alone, since "construction plans and a construction phasing program for the realignment of Lincoln Boulevard have not yet been prepared".

Let that sink in for a moment.......LAX officials just admitted they are asking the LA City Council to sign off on a $500 million dollar project quite literally sight unseen, without a single blue-print being drawn up.

CDM Smith then goes on to cite a number of best-case scenarios that paints realignment in the best possible light, concluding with this:

"Partial lane closures would be required to connect the new roadway with the existing lanes at the north and south endpoints, but northbound and southbound travel would continue to be provided on Lincoln Boulevard during this phase."

Pay attention to that language, because even when coming up with favorable arguments drawn from thin air, LAX officials still have to admit that moving the the north runways means lane closures.

But what LAX is hoping to do is argue that runway expansion won't result in any significant traffic impacts because it wouldn't result in "complete closure" (their words) of Lincoln Blvd.

Really? Let's take a look what even partial closures do to major roadways in this city.

This is what closing a single lane at Venice Blvd and Sepulveda does to traffic.

This is what closing two lanes at Venice Blvd. and Robertson Blvd. for Expo Line construction does to traffic.

This is what a stalled car blocking one lane on Melrose Ave. does to traffic.

This is what only putting up construction signs and threatening to close a lane does to traffic on the 405 at the 10.

Pictures, as they say, are worth a thousand words. Even weasel words from LAX Lobbyists.

Wendy Greuel Exploits Sandy Hook Shootings In New Campaign Ad

2013-04-15T09:17:00.002-07:00

I could have titled this post "Wendy Greuel Exploits Newtown For Fun And Profit". I almost did. After you see this new campaign ad from Greuel, you might wonder why I didn't.

"We could all have our own Sandy Hook." Greuel says in the ad as she tries to align herself with the parents of Newtown victims though the 1999 North Valley Jewish Center shooting and a murder/suicide at her "family business"

No we don't "all have our own Sandy Hook". Not unless we have children murdered at the barrel of a gun.

And unless Greuel is backing this ad up with concrete action to pressure congress to pass comprehensive gun control, this ad is nothing but political pandering at its worst.

But don't take my word for it, here's a comment from someone who actually worked at the North Valley Jewish Center, and who's niece was present when a gunman opened fire on their school.

"The North Valley Jewish Community Center was more than a day care. I worked there. My niece was there the day of the shooting. I know people who were shot.

Very few of us, fortunately, have our own Sandy Hook. Very lame, usurious, pandering ad.

Disgusting."

Indeed.

LA City Council Just Voted To Screw Up Traffic Even Worse. Now What?

2013-04-14T21:57:00.001-07:00

Stop Endless LAX Carmageddon from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

Last Wednesday, a special joint committee of the LA City Council voted to side with special interests and expand Los Angeles International Airport's runways, shutting down Lincoln Blvd for years of construction work.

But we still have one more shot at this. On Wednesday, April 24th the full City Council votes on the proposal to move LAX's North runways 260 feet and shut down Lincoln Blvd. for construction.

So here's what we need you to do, right now.

If you haven't signed our petition, do it right now.

Sign the petition. Tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

Every signature triggers an email that will go directly to the Council members. The more signatures we get, the more emails they'll get.

Forward this email to your friends and neighbors, right now.

Ask them to imagine the Carmageddon-like congestion that would ripple all throughout Los Angeles if Lincoln Blvd. is shut down for construction. Ask them to imagine adding an hour to their daily commute.

Now ask them to imagine that going on every day for years.

Sign the petition. Tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

Make no mistake, LAX needs to be modernized. That's why we support a plan already on the table to upgrade the airport terminals, finally bring the Green Line to all the way into the airport, and add more air traffic controllers and much-needed safety features to the existing runways.

But with a price tag of over $500 million just to move the runways, the plan being pushed by the Chamber of Commerce and the special interests running LAX makes no sense: there is no justification in terms of safety, efficiency, job creation or environmental benefits. Worse, it could cause lengthy construction disruptions to this vital north/south transportation corridor, resulting in constant gridlock across the region for years to come.

Sign the petition. Tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

Former Mayoral Candidate Kevin James Joins Maxine Waters To Oppose LAX Runway Expansion

2013-04-08T02:14:00.003-07:00

So a Republican former mayoral candidate from Laurel Canyon and a Liberal Democratic Congresswoman from Westchester walk into a bar.........

.......and made a video together to stop a runway from being moved 260 feet at Los Angeles International Airport.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared war on Henry Waxman after he went behind her back to support a plan being pushed by an "unholy alliance" of the LA Chamber of Commerce and Big Labor to expand LAX's north runways.

Well today I get to break the news that Kevin James, the Republican attorney who just ran for Mayor of Los Angeles, agrees with Congresswoman Waters, and is calling for the LA City Council to reject a scheme to move those runways and reroute parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds to accommodate years of construction.

You see, when I realized how badly this plan would screw up traffic for everyone - not just the folks who lived by the airport - I decided to make a video that would lay out exactly what was stake here.

Take a minute and have a look......I'll wait.

Kevin James agreed to appear in the video right along side Maxine Waters, Bill Rosendahl, Mike Bonin and a bunch of other community leaders who all have one thing in common - they know how Angeleno's quality of life will go down hill if those runways move and Lincoln Blvd. closes.

Look, most Angelenos don't know it's going to affect them if the Council approves moving the runways. Until a couple of weeks ago, I know I didn't. And the special interests that control LAX have done a great job painting the activists as anti-growth, anti-modernization NIMBYS.

My hope is that between this video and a lot of grassroots activism we can educate people and change that narrative.

"Maybe I've looked at this issue closer than others because I was a candidate for mayor and I've spent a lot of time in different communities all across the city, but I can tell you this is not at all a NIMBY issue," Kevin James told me. "I don't live near the airport. I live in Laurel Canyon right near the San Fernando Valley and this is something that concerns me for the whole city.... We need to proceed very carefully here."

The LA City Council could vote to move the runways as early as this week, so I'm going to ask you to do three things.

1) Watch the video

2) Sign the petition. Tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

3) Tell a friend - Share the petition on Facebook and Twitter.

Will LA Mayoral Candidate's Sharp Divergence On LAX Expansion Provide Clarity For Voters?

2013-04-02T11:58:00.001-07:00

For voters looking to differentiate between the two candidates vying to be Los Angeles' next mayor, Eric Garcetti's surprise announcement against LAX airport expansion may prove to be a significant factor, especially for voters on the West Side.

From the LA Times:

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti came out Monday against a plan to move the northernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport, putting him in line with neighborhood activists near LAX and at odds with one of the city's biggest business groups.

Garcetti said he supports an array of LAX construction projects favored by airport officials, including new terminal space and an "automated people mover" to transport passengers to a light rail station. But the city councilman plans to vote against pushing the runway 260 feet closer to homes in Westchester and Playa del Rey, according to campaign spokesman Jeff Millman.

The $652-million runway proposal is supported by the Coalition to Fix LAX Now, a group that includes the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Both have endorsed City Controller Wendy Greuel, Garcetti's opponent in the May 21 runoff election.

The LAX proposals are expected to reach the council later this year. In a statement, Millman called the roughly $4-billion package of airport projects favored by Garcetti "the environmentally superior option." It excludes the runway shift and a plan to realign Lincoln Boulevard near LAX, both of which were recommended by airport officials.

At KNBC-TV's mayoral debate in January, Wendy Greuel was unequivocal in her support of moving the North runway 260 feet closer to Westchester homes.

Watch the video:

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

But according to the Times, yesterday Greuel was less specific about where she stood on LAX expansion. Greuel's spokeswoman Shannon Murphy stated that "Wendy believes we need to move forward in making LAX more competitive and safe and she believes the residents who make the area around LAX their home deserve to be heard."

On February 4th, the LA Weekly reported Greuel had tried to privately walk back the remarks she made at the televised debate, but anti-expansion activists were unmoved by her assurances.

"We're not buying anything that doesn't say, 'Don't move the runway,'" said Denny Schneider, President of ARSAC (Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion).

"And it must be a public statement, not just a private one. The other statement was certainly made in public. To give us private assurances is not enough."

ACTION ALERT! Tell Henry Waxman To Just Say "No" To Endless Carmageddon

2013-03-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

Folks, I have to say there's nothing that will spoil your weekend faster than finding out your new Congressman just threw you and about a million of your closest friends under the wheels of an oncoming jumbo jet.

But that's exactly what Henry Waxman did when he decided to side with the LA Chamber of Commerce and against his own constituents to expand Los Angeles International Airport in a way that guarantees region-wide non-stop traffic gridlock for the foreseeable future.

As I reported yesterday, Waxman has been secretly circulating a Chamber letter to his fellow Congress Critters that supports moving one of LAX's runways several hundred feet right smack dab into the path of Lincoln Blvd.

If that happens, it's game over for traffic in Los Angeles. Experts say parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds would have to close for at least 2 years - perhaps even permanently - to accommodate the move. With the only viable north/south alternative to the 405 freeway shut down indefinitely, thousands of cars would be forced onto other surface streets and nearby freeways during construction, creating constant gridlock as traffic backed up onto the 405, 105 and 10 freeways.

If you think you pay too much for gas now, you're going love paying even more as you idle uselessly in gridlock, stuck in Endless Carmageddon.

If you need to get in your car to go anyplace for any reason in the LA Basin you're going to feel it. Need to get to a job in the South Bay? You're going to feel it. Need to get to the grocery store in Marina del Rey? You're going to feel it. Want to see your friends in Inglewood? You're going to feel it. Trying to get home to the Valley after working in West LA? You're going to feel it too.

Waxman told the LA Times he didn't feel "obligated" to tell fellow Congress Critters who opposed the Chamber's position on LAX that he supported tying up our traffic for years to come. Well I guess that arrogance extends to us, his constituents. Because if this hadn't made the papers, we'd still be in the dark.

Pick up the phone and tell Henry Waxman to just say "no" to Endless Carmageddon. Tell him you support LAX modernization without moving the runway and choking us with permanent gridlock.

Los Angeles Office: (310) 652-3095 or (323) 651-1040
Manhattan Beach Office: (310) 321-7664

Maxine Waters Goes To War With Henry Waxman Over LAX Expansion Double-Dealing

2013-03-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

A jumbo jet lands on the LAX north runway. If the LA Chamber gets it's way, the runway will move several hundred feet further north. Construction could cause "endless carmageddon" in the region for years to come.

This weekend, Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared war on fellow Congress Member Henry Waxman over LAX expansion, telling her constituents Waxman was working behind the scenes with an "unholy alliance" of the LA Chamber of Commerce and organized labor to expand Los Angeles International Airport - a move that some experts believe would create region-wide traffic gridlock.

Addressing a meeting of the Westchester Democratic club on Saturday, Waters told constituents Waxman secretly circulated a letter from the Chamber in support of LAX expansion to Congressional colleagues only a day after telling Waters he had not yet made up his mind about the issue.

Waters, who represents the communities directly surrounding LAX supports modernizing, but not expanding, the airport.

I was on hand to record Waters' remarks. Watch it:

Maxine Waters Goes To War With Henry Waxman Over LAX Expansion from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

The Chamber is promoting a plan which could expand capacity at LAX by up to 14 million passengers a year, and is advocating moving the North runway several hundred feet, a move some experts say would force the closure of parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds for at least 2 years, and perhaps even permanently.

Such closures would force thousands of cars onto other surface streets and nearby freeways, creating a near constant "carmageddon" scenario as traffic backed up onto the 405, 105 and 10 freeways, potentially affecting commuters as far away as Orange County, the Valley and Downtown Los Angeles.

The move is also backed by many of Los Angeles' biggest labor unions, who see expansion as a job-creating engine for the region. Airport opponents say a multi-billion dollar plan to modernize the airport without moving the runway would create as just as many jobs.

In a highly unusual move that signaled just how seriously Waters took Waxman's end-run, Waters very publicly threatened to take the fight to the Congressman's own district, calling into question Waxman's motives for being the bag man for an "unholy alliance between organized labor and the Chamber of Commerce"

"Now I can't say this is why Mr. Waxman is doing what he's doing," said Waters. "But these are the two places they go for money - the Chamber.....and organized labor. And so some of these elected officials don't feel they can be independent and fight. They say, 'Hey, you know, this is too difficult, after all, they've come together on this issue'."

Waters then encouraged her constituents in the room to reach out to their counterparts in Waxman's district.

"I want you to find all the community activists in his district and ask them to join with us. I want them to call him and tell him to get his nose out of Westchester's business. He's thinking, 'Well, it's not my district, so I don't have to worry about my constituents on this issue. I can do what ever I want.'"

"But we have to turn that around. Get busy. I will remind him, every day, that we're after him.", Waters said, smiling.

Waters strategy, though unusually pointed and public, might be effective. Last November, Henry Waxman faced the fight of his life when he suddenly found himself representing the beach cities on either side of LAX due to redistricting. Rather than cruise to victory virtually unopposed, as he had nearly every year since he was first elected to Congress in 1975 to represent constituents in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, the 17-term Congressman narrowly fended off Manhattan Beach resident Bill Bloomfield.

Keep Calm And Vote Los Angeles - A Election Guide

2013-03-04T21:15:00.002-08:00

Polls are open TODAY from 7am-8pm

If you don't know where your polling place is, go to http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/ and type in your address to find out.

If you're still holding on to your absentee ballot, DON'T MAIL IT BACK. It won't get there in time.

Instead, fill out your ballot and take it to ANY polling place in the city of Los Angeles and just drop it off. You don't even have to stand in line, just march right in and put it in the ballot box.

Click here to find a polling place.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the Venice For Change endorsements for the March 5th Los Angeles Municipal elections!

Just print this up and take it with you to the polls!

LOS ANGELES MAYOR
Eric Garcetti or Wendy Greuel

LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Mike Feuer

LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER
Ron Galperin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 11
Mike Bonin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 13
Matt Szabo

LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT - 4th District
No Endorsement

LA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Seat 2: Mike Eng
Seat 4: No Endorsement
Seat 6: David Vela

BALLOT MEASURE A
NO

BALLOT MEASURE B

No Endorsement

CD11 Candidate Tina Hess' Campaign Doubles Down, All But Admits Copyright Infringement (UPDATED)

2013-03-04T11:18:00.001-08:00

Since posting a story Friday on how CD11 candidate Tina Hess had committed a bit of an ethical boo-boo by using my copyrighted photos in her campaign literature without my knowledge or consent, things have taken a turn for the weird.

Over the weekend, Patrick Furey, President and COO of Liberty Campaign Solutions - the consulting firm ~~running~~ hired to send out the mailers for Ms. Hess' campaign, all but admitted misappropriating my work in this snappy little tweet:

@venice4change @tinahess2013 I cant find a pic of Mike Bonin online that you didn't take. Kinda limits their options. Groupie much?
— Patrick P. Furey (@FureyPatrick) March 4, 2013

Evidently quite amused by his own wit, Mr. Furey went on to tweet this:

@venice4change @tinahess2013 I found 10 copies of both of those pictures being used elsewhere on the web. Did you report those too?
— Patrick P. Furey (@FureyPatrick) March 4, 2013

When I asked Mr. Furey for links, I got nothing but crickets in response.

Here's a link to what you get when you type "Mike Bonin" into Google Images. A dollar for anyone who can find 10 copies of the photos misappropriated in Hess' mailers.

But here's the thing - it doesn't matter if my images of Mike Bonin appear in a hundred places on the web, as long as they're being used with my permission, or being used under "fair use". Neither of which is the case when it comes to Ms. Hess' mailers.

This seems to be a concept beyond the geniuses at Liberty Campaign Solutions. Perhaps by the time the LA Ethics Commission finishes it's investigation of the complaint I lodged against their client's campaign, they'll be able to turn this into a "teachable moment".

Until then, if you're a potential candidate looking for competent campaign management, you might want to think twice before using the ethically challenged Patrick Furey and Liberty Campaign Solutions.

UPDATE

I just got off the phone with Mr. Furey, who clarified his firm, Liberty Campaign Solutions, was hired just to mail out the campaign flyers, not design them.

According to Mr. Furey, that honor belongs to his former partners at Veritas Campaigns LLC. And indeed campaign records show Hess paid Veritas around $21K for their stellar work.

I'm sure their thought process went something like this,

"Hey, we'll take the photos off the opposition's website, he'll look like a jerk if he complains!"

Here's the problem with that - if your opponent doesn't have an in-house photographer, or they're just licensing the images for that campaign or borrowing them with the photographer's permission, then you're SOL, because the photographer doesn't care if they look like a jerk, they just care that their work is being stolen and used in ways they never authorized.

This is why candidates should never just grab random images off the web, why you should source everything, and why you should pay for what you use if a fee is required.

It's Due Diligence 101, and the chuckle-head on Hess' campaign who thought this was a good idea needs to have their knuckles whacked in small claims court.

Meet Tina Hess - LA City Council Candidate, Lawyer......and Thief

2013-03-01T22:18:00.002-08:00

You know what they say, if you're going to steal, steal from the best. And that's exactly what LA City attorney and CD11 candidate Tina Hess did - steal that is.

From me.

I've never spoken to Ms. Hess, and it's no secret I support (and have endorsed) one of her opponents. So imagine my surprise when two of my copyrighted photos showed up on an attack mailer her campaign sent out to Republicans in the district today.

Here's the page one of Hess' flyer:

Now here's my original copyrighted photo:

Here's page 2 of Hess' flyer:

Here's my original copyrighted photo:

You would think 25-year veteran of the LA City Attorney's office would have a better understanding of copyright law, but apparently not. I've contacted the LA Ethics Commission. They will be opening an investigation on Monday.

Silly Season Arrives In The Race To Be LA Mayor

2013-03-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Jan Perry attacks Wendy Greuel for not being an in-utero Democrat, Greuel attacks Eric Garcetti for making $1.25 off an oil-lease that's never been used, Garcetti attacks Greuel for fudging her numbers, Gruel attacks Perry for fudging her personal finances, the lone Republican candidate Kevin James accuses both Garcetti and Greuel for being grave robbers and long-shot candidate Emanuel Pleitez is literally running around like a chicken with his head cut off.

With 5 days to go until the March 5th election, silly season has officially arrived in the race to be Los Angeles' next mayor.

Although conventional wisdom says it'll be Garcetti and Greuel in the runoff, the candidate's behavior this week indicates they think the race may be more of a tossup than is being reported. So with independent expenditures reaching into the stratosphere and voter turnout descending into the basement, candidates are clawing for any advantage they can get.

So far, independent groups and SuperPACs have poured more than $3 million into the LA mayor's race, $2.5 million of that in support of Wendy Greuel - with the lion's share coming from Working Californians, a SuperPAC formed by IBEW local 18, the union which represents over 8,000 employees for the Department of Water and Power.

What has all that money bought? TV ads. Lots and lots of TV ads. Including this one, which shows footage of Garcetti singing an off-key version of "White Christmas" while a narrator hits the councilman for staying at “five-star hotels,” having “seven city cars” and for taking “money from neighborhood streets for more personal staff.”

Watch it:

Pretty funny stuff. Garcetti may have a musical background, but a great singer, not so much. The added mic feedback is an especially nice touch.

And it would be a pretty standard attack ad - except for one thing - the footage of Garcetti came from a 2011 charity event at the Garden Crest Rehabilitation Center in Silver Lake.

He was singing to Alzheimer's patients.

Garden Crest is (Pay It Forward Volunteer Band founder) Gary Gamponia's model nursing home. The staff cares. The schedule is varied and full. They welcome outsiders, and on this day, even L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti pays a visit to take a turn on the keyboards and sing.

Garcetti's grandparents were musicians, he says, and with his grandmother, "I just remember some of the last ways we ever connected were through music.".....

A few years back, Gamponia, who has mostly earned a living selling insurance, tried to create a cooperative that would help musicians out and then have them return the favor by performing at community events.

He lent equipment, negotiated deep discounts on instrument repair and drove people to gigs when their cars broke down. But the giving was one-way, he says.

Then, around Christmas 2009, he had a simpler notion: Why not just form a band to bring music to the places that could use it most?

He called the office of his councilman, Garcetti, for ideas and got the names of several nursing homes. And he enlisted a ragtag band of old friends and new acquaintances made on Craigslist.

Here's an excerpt of that performance here, put up by Garden Crest:

So welcome to silly season in the LA Mayor's race. Where anything can and will be held against a candidate to be used in the court of public opinion - even singing to elderly Alzheimer's patients at Christmas.

Endorsements For March 5th: VOTE NAKED!

2013-02-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

That's right, you heard me, vote naked. As in fill out your absentee ballot in the comfort of your own living room and mail that sucker in before Friday, March 1st.

Don't have an absentee ballot? Can't make get it to the mail box in time? No problem! Polls are open Tuesday, March 5th from 7am-8pm.

If you don't know where your polling place is, go to http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/ and type in your address to find out.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the Venice For Change endorsements for the March 5th Los Angeles Municipal elections!

LOS ANGELES MAYOR
Eric Garcetti or Wendy Greuel

I find it very telling that whenever a supporter of Greuel or Garcetti tries to sell me on the virtues of their chosen candidate, the first thing they say is how much they like the other candidate. There's a reason for this - either would provide far better leadership for the next eight years than Los Angeles has had for the past eight. If elected, Wendy Greuel would be the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, no small thing when you consider we may end up with NO women on the LA City Council come June. Her resume goes back decades to Tom Bradley. She's competent, knowledgeable, ambitious, a great manager, and from everyone I've talked to, works harder than just about anyone in LA City government. She has the backing of many who already serve in City Hall. Conventional wisdom says Greuel is more business friendly than Garcetti - she's arguably more conservative when it comes to issues such as tenant rights.

Greuel has been endorsed by the LA Daily News.

Of the two, Eric Garcetti is considered the "vision candidate", with ambitious plans for developing a greener, more public transportation and tech-sector-friendly economy for Los Angeles. But as president of the LA City Council, Garcetti has had deal with a harsher reality, steering our city through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Doing so meant successfully renegotiating contracts with labor unions which serve our city - a difficult task that's cost him politically (IBEW Local 18 - the union which represents 8,000 employees of the LA Department of Water and Power - is reported to have spent over $750K in support of Wendy Greuel).

After sitting on the LA City council for a dozen years, Garcetti is hardly an outsider, but without the support of LA's Political Class, he's relying on the same kind of grassroots organizing perfected by the Obama presidential campaigns to make the difference in his own campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles. As an early supporter of President Obama (he signed on in 2007, and was active in Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns), Garcetti has the support of many (although not all) of Los Angeles' grassroots Obama organizers. If elected, I expect Garcetti will continue to harness the power of community organizing in governing Los Angeles.

Garcetti has been endorsed by the LA Times. and La Opinion

LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Mike Feuer

LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER
Ron Galperin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 11
Mike Bonin

LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT - 4th District
No Endorsement

LA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Seat 2: Mike Eng
Seat 4: No Endorsement
Seat 6: David Vela

BALLOT MEASURE A
NO
A quick word on Measure A - while I'm normally a proponent of increasing revenue, Measure A is an ill-conceived regressive sales tax which would disproportionally burden those in the lowest income brackets. Worse, it's being proposed as candidates running for Mayor are promising to eliminate the city's gross receipts tax for businesses. So if Measure A passes, it would essentially shift a $200 million tax burden from businesses to the backs of lower and middle-income Angelenos.

This is not a smart way to close Los Angeles' budget gap. Once a new Mayor is elected, he or she will have a year to renegotiate contracts with the City's service employees as well as evaluate alternative revenue streams. Then, and only then, should the city consider coming to tax payers for additional help.

BALLOT MEASURE B
No Endorsement

Behind The Scenes At ABC-TV "Castle"

2013-02-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different from my "day job"........

Ever wonder what goes into all the quality entertainment you've come to expect week after week from ABC-TV's "Castle"?

Well, director Rob Bowman provides a sneak peak from tonight's episode of "Hunt"

Castle Movie Magic! from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

Mike Bonin For LA City Council - The Best Candidate To Get Us Through The Zombie Apocalypse!

2013-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, at a house party for LA City Council candidate Mike Bonin, a friend asked me why I was supporting Mike over the three other candidates running to replace Bill Rosendahl.

"That's easy," I told him. "He's the best candidate to get us through the Zombie Apocalypse."

Before you think I've lost my mind, let me explain :)

I've known Mike since I first became active in local politics in 2003. Back then our relationship was cordial, if distant - sometimes we weren't always on the same side of issues.

All that changed in 2008 when we became co-regional field organizers for the Obama campaign. Together we managed hundreds of volunteers who made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to voters all over the country. It was a massive operation unlike anything either of us had experienced - it took everything we had and then some to get through it.

Then election night happened. As the rest of us celebrated Barack Obama's victory, I'll never forget the look on Mike's face when he realized Proposition 8 had passed, and with it his rights to marry.

It would have been easy for Mike to give in to despair and cynicism, but that's not what happened. What happened was this - Mike organized.

First, Mike helped create and run Camp Courage - workshops teaching activists how to talk about and organize for marriage equality. Then he took the show on the road - to Fresno and Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland, East LA and Washington DC. Activists trained in these workshops organized their own networks, taking the fight for marriage equality to states all over the country.

Then another election night happened. This time, in 2012, and for the first time, voters in four states affirmed the rights of same-sex couples to marry. In California, the state court had already overturned Proposition 8. And finally, after much pressure from activists - many of them trained at Camp Courage - Barack Obama "evolved" on marriage equality.

So yes, I'm voting for Mike Bonin because he's the most experienced and has the best positions on public transportation, the environment, development, and job creation - but mostly I'm voting for him because he's the best person to get us through the Zombie Apocalypse.

Because if you're talking about someone who won't give up and won't give in no matter the odds, who'll fight for what he knows is right, and who'll empower others to create real and lasting change, Mike Bonin is that person.

LA City Council District 11 Election Debate Schedule: Be There Or Be Square

2013-01-29T13:21:00.001-08:00

Although you wouldn't know it if you get your news from Los Angeles' mainstream media, there is a primary election this March 5th.

Besides choosing our next Mayor, Angelenos will also be choosing who'll represent them on the City Council. Here in CD11, that means choosing between Mike Bonin, Odysseus Bostick, Tina Hess and Fred Sutton to represent us when Bill Rosendahl retires in June.

So far there are three candidate debates scheduled to help give you the information you'll need to make up your minds.

Tuesday, February 7th 7-9pm
The Brentwood News and the Westside Regional Alliance of Council's host "Meet the Candidates"
University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd, Brentwood
Seating is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
RSVP to: Suzanne@BrentwoodNewsOnline.com or call 310-476-6397.

Thursday, February 14th 7-9pm
Celebrate Valentines Day with the candidates!
Palisades Branch Library - 861 Alma Real Drive, Pacific Palisades

Thursday, February 28th (time TBA)
Mar Vista Community Council (tentative)
Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium - 11430 Woodbine Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066