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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Where was Harris-Dawson on Friday? Missing in action, so the gavel was handed to Raman or Blumenfield who had to muddle through. Curren Price opened with a funny hat presentation connected to the beloved Shriners, but managed to get night and day mixed up as he attempted to tee up a boatload of Porto’s bakery swag in the back—maybe too much sugar (or recusal.) Then Blumenfield tee’d up John Lee for a very lengthy service dog parade: Nico the companion dog gave a testimonial about “encouragement, connection, play dates,” while Lee and Monica Rodriguez soaked up the gratitude. Not sure why, but Barger at the county is more effective in half the time and they give away a dog!
911 memorial in Malibu.
Next came the El Nido Family Centers’ 100-year anniversary, with speeches about changing lives and centering families. Pacoima Market got a shout out, and Monica Rodriguez’s former staffer Olivia McGovern will be taking the helm of cannabis oversight. So, that's a thankless job. Thank you!
Admiral McOsker, never one to sit quietly, even where appropriate, promoted the 2nd annual jazz follow-up concert, he's building toward a frenzied Port brimming with olympic sailing and Jazz aficionados to bail the city out of arrears. Councilwoman Traci Park announced a lovely new pilot program night market on Bundy near Sawtelle.
Finally, Blumenfield announced free shredding day — two big rigs parked and ready to eat your documents, touting safety and identity theft protection like it was Comic-Con. Ironic, we thought, since the real shredding happens inside City Hall. Just kidding. Seriously....
Storytime with Councilmember John Lee
Chatsworth Branch Library — reading, singing, and learning with Councilmember John Lee. Details: (818) 341-4276.
Immediately following: Storytime with Staffer B — a brief companion scene (hopefully directed) by Jerry Yang, co-MC and high-school dynamo (Site Council chair, debate captain, Olivia Mitchell Youth Council), praised by CM Nithya Raman as “everywhere”—bound to run the city someday. It would be our honor.
INT. CHATSWORTH BRANCH LIBRARY – CHILDREN’S AREA – LATE AFTERNOON
Felt-board alphabet. Paper butterflies. By the door on a cart: a PORTABLE SHREDDER, a dog-eared binder labeled “ETHICS 101,” and a glossy flyer: “POSTAL ANNEX GRAND OPENING & SHREDDING EVENT — THIS SATURDAY.”
A LIBRARIAN (40s, preternaturally calm) smiles — you can hear it.
Three AIDES (20s–30s, phone-glued) sweep in, setting a phone tripod and fussing with a mic.
JOHN LEE, a.k.a. STAFFER B (50s, Asian American, crisp blue suit), enters with a larger-than-life grin, clutching a picture book: OFFICER FRIENDLY AND THE BLOCK PARTY.
The KIDS (8–12) sit cross-legged: MAYA (11, matter-of-fact), GIO (12, rules stickler), LILA (12, dry wit), OMAR (10, blurts facts), plus a few others.
LIBRARIAN
Welcome, readers! Today’s special guest—Councilmember John Lee.
(Polite claps. Aides clap loudest. Aide 2 nudges the shredder cart forward.)
LEE
Thank you! Who’s ready for the magic of books?
LILA
We’re junior high. We also read depositions.
LEE (glitch in the smile)
Great! Well, today is about respect, rules, and community policing—
AIDE 1 (stage whisper to Librarian)
Is this the… pre-pubescent group?
LIBRARIAN
Junior. High.
LEE (pressing on)
This is about how we stay law-abiding—
MAYA (hand up)
Quick vocab: why do newspapers call you “Staffer B”? Is “B” for “Bathroom”? My dad asked me not to ask, so I’m asking.
(Aides shift. Aide 3 absent-mindedly feeds a single sheet into the shredder—bzzzt. Librarian stays neutral.)
LEE
“B” is for “Brilliant.” Like this storytime.
GIO
Or “Baccarat”? Like the game you played with those free chips in Vegas?
LEE
No, “Books”! Books! Let’s read.
LILA
Books you didn’t file, maybe. Like your Form 700?
LEE (flips open the book)
“Officer Friendly set up a block party—”
GIO
Before you do: as reported, there was a Vegas weekend with another councilmember and some… interested parties. Were those bottle-service tabs disclosed?
LEE
I always follow policy.
LILA
So that’s a yes? Or a policy-shaped no?
LEE
It’s nuanced—look, this is storytime.
OMAR (blurting, earnest)
The filings said there was an envelope in a bathroom—
LIBRARIAN
Let’s keep our footing: news accounts and federal filings have described events. From here on, we’ll say “as reported” and keep this educational.
MAYA
Right, blow-by-blow is for boxing, not governance.
LEE (soldiers on)
“Officer Friendly reminded everyone: rules keep us safe—”
GIO
Our civics club read up on Ethics. As reported, there are multiple counts still open with your name—is that true?
LEE
I can’t comment on ongoing anything.
LILA
But you can comment on “ongoing safety.” Neat.
OMAR
My mom says a former Ethics Commission person is running against you. Awkward.
LEE
Elections are about service, not stories.
LILA
Yeah, but stories stick. Especially the ones with receipts.
(Aide 3 fumbles the “Ethics 101” binder, shoves it behind the cart.)
MAYA
Our debate coach says: rules keep paper trails. Who paid for the chips?
LEE
We respect the process.
GIO
That’s not who. That’s a gerund.
AIDE 2 (pushing the cart forward)
Small announcement! This Saturday, the Postal Annex Grand Opening—plus a community shredding event!
(A beat. Kids clock the irony like a comet.)
LILA
Shredding… as a community value.
OMAR
“Transparency starts with tidiness.”
LEE
Exactly. Bring old papers, protect your privacy—
MAYA
But not public records, right? Those we keep.
GIO
Yes, those we file under “receipts.”
LEE (gamely reads)
“Officer Friendly said: if you see something, say something.”
LILA
We did. People said, “Developers covered costs,” like drinks and rooms. And someone said other conduct; weprefer “workers”—words matter.
LEE
Good. Words matter. And so does not rushing to judgment—
MAYA
We’re not rushing. We’ve been waiting years.
OMAR
And as reported, you took the Ethics Commission to court—didn’t work.
LILA
Yeah, case dismissed. Sounds like the judge read your Form 700, too.
(A hush. Lee closes the book. Tries a reset.)
LEE
Kids—and parents—sometimes adults make… arrangements. You go along because everyone else does. That’s not leadership. That’s following.
(Even the Aides look up. The Librarian lets the silence breathe.)
GIO
Then here’s a good first arrangement: sing with us. It’s quick. It’s civic. It’s… educational.
LEE
No, we’re— we’re at time.
AIDE 3
Councilmember’s got to be—
MAYA (to the room)
It’s fine. He can listen from the doorway.
She nods to the Kids, who pull lyric sheets from their folders. The Librarian does not intervene. Aides begin to angle Lee toward the exit.
Song: We Came on the Staffer B
(To the tune of “Sloop John B.” Smart Speaker kid leads; Kids chant “bring receipts!” on each chorus.)
Verse 1
We came on the Staffer B,
Englander, Arnie, Harvey—
’Round council halls we did roam.
Drinking all night,
Dodging the light,
Now I feel spun out—just send me home.
Chorus
So jack up the limits, please,
“Pause” the inquiries,
Call off the captain—let me go home.
Let me go home,
Kids: “Bring re-ceipts!”
I feel so broke up—let me go home.
Verse 2
I wanted the power and glory,
Not footnotes and follow-up stories—
That Vegas weekend won’t leave me alone.
Thousand-dollar chips,
Bottle-service sips,
Now ethics forms blow up my phone.
Verse 3
Row three’s Smart Speaker kid,
Reads what the papers did:
“My mom’s friend says—reports say—” in tone.
Restroom handoff,
Expense write-offs—
I won’t sing your song—just let me go home.
(Repeat Chorus—kids louder, clap on 2 & 4.)
So jack up the limits, please,
“Pause” the inquiries,
Host a shred-a-thon, let confetti fly.
Let me go home—
Kids: “Bring re-ceipts!”
’Til truth clocks out, we won’t let it slide.
Note: Independent companion piece and song; we haven’t made contact with the Council Office. The script is free to use and will not count as an in-kind contribution.
Sad that our local CBS affiliate chases cars + Jersey, rather than homegrown singers + dancers...
Up, Up and Away with Our Plans to Fix the Climate
Los Angeles declares a financial emergency, then reaches for a champagne flute and a shovel.
At City Hall, the $2.7 billion Convention Center expansion—up nearly half a billion in six months—is the faith test. Nod at the numbers as they move. Leaders pitch digital billboards to plug the gap while privately fretting the project will gut core services. That’s not gossip; that’s the paper of record saying the quiet part loud.
To understand how we got here, skip budgets—study etiquette. Nine-hour meetings with nine public speakers. Skepticism treated as bad manners. Staff thanked for a “robust process” after the room empties.
The House Always Wins
The Central City Association isn’t coy. It’s a “generational” project, an “economic engine” for Downtown; they cheered the spring vote with glossy promises of jobs and room nights. That’s their job. But let’s not pretend they’re spectators—they’re running point.
Meanwhile, the City hands out “development incentive agreements,” rebating future hotel taxes to well-heeled projects like the Venice Hope Hotel and an Arts District venture of similar scale. That’s General Fund oxygen in a city that can’t afford sidewalks, parks, or basic safety.
Emergency, But Make It Festive
Mega-events—World Cups, Olympics—are sold as salvation. The Convention Center is the parade’s crown jewel, marching rebirth down Figueroa. But when the music stops, taxpayers pay the band. Cities keep building bigger halls to chase a shrinking pool of trade shows. The optimism pencils; the revenue doesn’t.
Then there’s the climate hypocrisy. LA urges residents to electrify and retrofit while banking on tens of thousands of long-haul flights to fill an expanded hall—a carbon burn that makes “green” press releases read like parody. That’s not leadership; it’s a frequent-flier program.
The County’s Real-Estate Hustle
Across the park, the County plays the same game. Supervisors eye a shiny Bunker Hill tower and step away from an earthquake-challenged Hall of Administration—an icon with a maintenance bill. Preservationists protest; one Supervisor balks. Still, the plan persists: exit public assets, enter private markets, call it progress. What happens to the old hall? In LA, “What happens?” is a business plan.
Democracy by Attrition
I sat through a nine-hour board séance last week where the public could fit in a rideshare. That’s not an accident; that’s how you pass what people wouldn’t accept if they understood it. Stretch time until working Angelenos leave, then congratulate yourself for “community engagement.”
Doubt is vulgar here. We’re told to borrow against tomorrow for yesterday’s idea of prosperity and to be patient about the encampment on the block and the light that’s been out by the school for months.
The Choice in Plain English
You don’t fix a deficit with subsidies and debt. You don’t fix a climate plan by supercharging air travel. You don’t fix trust by hiding costs until after the vote.
Hit pause on discretionary mega-projects that depend on perfect conventioneer turnout and billboard alchemy. Use the oxygen for what we already owe each other: shelter that works, streets that don’t maim, parks that open on time, wages people can live on, and a reserve fund that can survive a bad year.
If City Hall insists on bankrolling private upside, taxpayers deserve a cut. Take equity. Write in clawbacks. Share the upside you keep promising “for decades.” That’s not radical. That’s the bare minimum in a city that keeps calling itself broke.
Pull the Camera Back
This isn’t about hating Downtown or resenting growth. It’s about rejecting a theology where “economic engine” ends debate. LA is built on renderings, and we have the debt to prove it.
Angelenos can spot a hustle. Time to call one out at the dais. No more glass palaces until the city works—starting with sidewalks and housing. The lobbyists are doing their job. Council, do yours. Voters, hold them to it.
(Eric Preven is a Studio City-based television writer-producer, award-winning journalist, and longtime community activist. He is known for his sharp commentary on transparency and accountability in local government. Eric successfully brought and won two landmark open government cases in California, reinforcing the public’s right to know. A regular contributor to CityWatch, he combines investigative insight with grassroots advocacy to shine a light on civic issues across Los Angeles.)
