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CityWatch Los Angeles
Politics. Perspective. Participation.
THE BUTCHER SHOP … NO BONES ABOUT IT--I love Greg Nelson’s meanderings through the stories of the origins of Los Angeles’ neighborhood councils. He was a real champion for genuine participation going way back. But he was far from alone.
CORRUPTION WATCH-Some Angelenos are upset over the pay-to-play nature of Los Angeles City Hall, according to a recent article in the LA Times. They have labored under the misapprehension that if reformers spend all their time and energy limiting the money developers may give to the mayor and councilmembers, this will somehow magically fix what’s wrong at City Hall. Wrong!
THE COST OF UNION POWER-America’s public school systems are notorious for their rubber rooms. That’s where teachers deemed unfit to work in a classroom pass the time as their disciplinary actions or terminations move through the convoluted system. This can take years, and while it does, the teachers collect their full paychecks as they twiddle their thumbs. It’s a vestige of our union-dominated school system, which has so many protections (for teachers, not kids) that it’s nearly impossible to fire bad actors.
PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Although I have taken the Los Angeles Times to task for its coverage of local planning issues, especially when it became a mouthpiece for the no on S campaign, on Sunday, July 30, 2017, the paper got it right. So, hats off to investigative reporters Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahnizer.
AS CALIFORNIA GOES--With control of the House of Representatives up for grabs, and as many as six Republican Congressional seats in the state deemed competitive, California will once again be in the national political spotlight next fall.
PREVEN PAPERS--Here’s the message Darren Martinez, the City Attorney in charge of matters relating to the Neighborhood Council system, sent on August 1st to every Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) in connection with what has turned out to be a postponed vote on the Harvard-Westlake School’s plans to build a multi-story parking structure across the street from their campus in Coldwater Canyon:
PREVEN PAPERS--Here’s the message Darren Martinez, the City Attorney in charge of matters relating to the Neighborhood Council system, sent this afternoon to every Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) in connection with a vote tomorrow night on the Harvard-Westlake School’s plans to build a multi-story parking structure across the street from their campus in Coldwater Canyon:
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