Comments@THE GUSS REPORT-A while back I challenged myself to find something undeniably good going on at LA City Council.
My only limitations were that it can’t be something promoted to me by a politician or their staff, and it can’t be from politicians who dodge live questions on tougher issues, or who speak through spokes-holes. That’s a tall order. But buckle-up, it is heart attack time.
This Tell Me Something Good award goes to LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield who last week more than quadrupled the fine for disabled parking placard violators from $250 to $1,100.
The lawmaker from the West Valley told me of his frustration going to any of LA’s major shopping and entertainment venues like Staples Center or the Microsoft Theatre and seeing endless rows of parking meter spaces occupied by vehicles with blue disabled parking placards and knowing that a significant portion of them are used illegally.
“This abuse is unfair to drivers and their passengers because placard violators occupy parking spaces for an unlimited amount of time,” Blumenfield told me, “and it deprives the city of legitimate parking revenue, since placard users don’t pay parking meters, and that’s unfair to taxpayers. Since the $250 fine doesn’t deter violators, maybe $1,100 fines will once word starts getting out.”
Blumenfield explains that the previous fine was established because the law didn’t specify how much it should be, so it defaulted to the California minimum of $250. Now raised to the state maximum of $1,000, it comes along with a 10% state fine, for a total of $1,100.
If only more things from City Hall were so undeniably good for everyone.
It isn’t clear whether the higher fine also applies to people without placards parking in disabled spots, which is a common occurrence at Starbucks locations and convenience stores, but Blumenfield says he’s looking into it and will have the law tweaked if need be, as that is his intent.
The California DMV has special units that investigate illegal placard use, which is a touchy subject since not all handicaps are obvious to the naked eye.
The bottom line: Good on ya, Bob Blumenfield for cranking up the consequences for something that frustrates everybody, and for amiably fielding live questions without an intermediary. That is what LA needs in its next Mayor.
In other good news, there was a massive City Hall turnout on Friday with some people coming from as far away as New York, Houston and Oakland to implore the Councilmembers to rename a South LA intersection Nipsey Hussle Way, a play on his 2009 title.
But there were a few odd things. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson has been largely silent on whether the alleged getaway driver should also be charged in Hussle’s murder, a question looming over the event. Harris-Dawson’s failure to demand justice across the board is seen by some that people can participate in a murder and get away scott-free so long as they don’t pull the trigger.
Almost uncomfortable was his colleague, Councilmember Curren Price, repeatedly referring to Hussle as “Nipsey Russell,” the late comedian with the broad smile and humorous rhymes, best known for his 1970s game show appearances.
And then there was the glaring absence of City Council president Herb Wesson from the event, despite his desperate need of votes from the attendees for the upcoming and competitive race for LA County Supervisor. Take note Jan Perry and Holly Mitchell.
Perhaps Wesson was meeting with his newly hired, taxpayer-paid private attorney – a former federal prosecutor – in connection to the FBI’s ongoing City Hall corruption investigation. It raises the question of why, since the LA City Attorney’s office represents City Council, Wesson needs a private outside counsel. We know Wesson doesn’t have a plug nickel to hire his own attorney. But perhaps it was done because City Attorney Mike Feuer anticipates having to sever legal ties with Wesson at some point before he is termed-out. Wesson has not at this point been charged with a crime.
Poseur Alert – You gotta love LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Tweets about Nipsey Hussle. But where is his outpouring for murdered black men who are not famous? And why isn’t he instead spending his time serving middle class black families who are on the verge of losing their homes at a rapid rate, struggling with street crime, etc? Does anyone remember the BLM protest outside of the Mayor’s official residence, and Garcetti falsely telling protestors he was going to Washington, D.C., to secure money for housing when he actually went to primarily rub elbows and raise campaign funds?
It’s almost as insulting as Garcetti declaring on Twitter his affection for undocumented immigrants but failing to pick up the phone to have President Trump send a hundred thousand of them to LA for sanctuary until they have their legal proceedings in a few years. You also don’t see Garcetti asking for Governor Gavin Newsom or California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris to welcome them to LA. Garcetti is only bold on Twitter, not in policy, action or reality.
And then there’s Ted Lieu, the South Bay Congressman who spends the lion’s share of his time on Twitter. Last week, he defended his anti-Semitic colleague from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar, after she referred to 9/11 as “something done by some people.” Lieu blamed the resulting threats Omar allegedly received on President Trump, rather than on Omar’s own words.
Lieu, seemingly intent on stoking racial violence, also falsely suggested last week that black, female conservative commentator Candace Owens is a white supremacist. Lieu is not a dumb man. He knows exactly what he is doing.
Well, we can’t wrap up a column titled “Tell Me Something Good” without linking to Saturday Night Live’s fantastic opening skit from this weekend, parodying celebrities in recent legal trouble (Like Julian Assange, Lori Loughlin, and Michael Avenatti) sharing a jail cell. It is pure genius. Have a great week.
(Daniel Guss, MBA, is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, and has contributed to CityWatch, KFI AM-640, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @TheGussReport. Join his mailing list or offer verifiable tips and story ideas at [email protected]. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
