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MY P.O.V. - The trouble with all articles in City Watch is that they are all negative; focusing on the ineptness of our political leaders and the problems in the City. This one won't be any better, but it will be worth reading because it will tell truths and perceptions as I see them. For those of us who love the City and care about it, elections are coming and voting will be very important and it will make a difference. Angelino's for reason that escape me are apathetic about voting which has led to the economic predicament our City finds itself in--WOKE & BROKE and searching for executive leadership.
When we watch the drug commercials on television they generally start with the condition you may be suffering from. In this city we are all suffering from "Karen Bass's daily failure of Mayor syndrome "(parenthetically, now that Netflix is out of the bidding for Warner Bros. they will not have to make Karen's movie debut "The Invisible Woman is the Mayor"). She has absolutely no leadership or management skills so we should all make sure there will not be a sequel.
Nithya (Knucklehead--and that's really the appropriate word) Ramen has announced she is also running. She's a member of the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) which is clearly her right. So are her the actions she chooses to make. That said, my right is to tell all of you that she is economic cancer for the city. In my view, the DSA stands for the Destructive Socialists of America. Name one city or country that has prospered under socialism (other than Norway because of its small population and vast oil reserves). Some of her prior legislative history on the City Council includes voting against keeping the homeless 500' away from schools and blaming auto manufacturers for making catalytic converters too easy to steal---not blaming the people who stole them. On a personal level, she is a woman without honor because she turned on her friend Karen Bass, which to add to her deficiencies makes her a traitor in my opinion. She lied to her constituency about the impact of ULA and cost the City hundreds of construction jobs due to the lack of commercial and residential projects all of which would add to the revenues of the city to pay for essential services. Her view of life is to both resent those who are successful and tax them wherever possible--notwithstanding she lives in a $3M home. Unlike Mamdani (not someone I would ever trust, and Nithya is an acolyte) in NYC who wants to bathe in the warmth of collectivism, which is an excuse for mediocrity for all, one can only wonder what happened to the word’s initiative, inspiration, aspiration. In sports and entertainment, those who excel are rewarded. In the DSA's philosophy, those who succeed in business need to be punished for their success. To understand the failure of socialism, look at the pictures below which are pictures of interiors of apartments from East Europe which is the result of socialism on display--pictures are worth 1000 words. The only way Nithya should see the Mayor's office is on a tour and candidly, I'm not even sure about that.
Adam Miller is running for Mayor, and you should check him out. He built a business and understands leadership. The only check's most of our City's leaders have ever signed is when they visit their Dr. and indicate which conditions they have. It's time we have someone in city hall who understands economics. More to come...
I would be remiss if I did not mention Metro. The Mayor has 4 seats on that Board and it might actually make some sense to put businesspeople on it. The Board never holds the incompetent management of Metro accountable, which knowledgeable and intelligent people would. Some actually genuflect to their executives (hi Lindsey) and praise them for the wonderful job they are doing. ARGGGGH!!! You might as well replace the Board (with one or two exceptions) with Crash Course Dummies because none of them seem to care about effective oversight and then the public would not have any expectations. Metro started the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project in 2014, came up with 6 different options, picked one and then had to modify it because it seemed they were unaware of a reservoir on the top of Stone Canyon--you can't make this up. The word fire in this city makes everyone twitch and what happened in the Palisades, Malibu and Altadena is beyond horrific. That said, sometimes the word fire is appropriate especially as to the future of Metro's senior executives. Stephanie, Sharon and Nicole all need to be fired and replaced with highly capable executives. Read the news. There are almost weekly accidents and few think riding the trains are safe. One more point to add: considering that if construction on the STC ever actually begins the cost will exceed $40B and the City will be on the hook to subsidize it for more than $1B a year--real numbers. Spoiler Alert--never mind all the noise, this project is DOA. The projected ridership will never happen; and its obsolete before it even begins.
Until next time!!
(Fredric D. Rosen is a retired businessman and former CEO of Ticketmaster, where he led the company for 16 years and transformed it into the world’s leading ticketing service. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, offering leadership across both private enterprise and charitable initiatives. With decades of experience in business and civic engagement, Rosen brings a seasoned perspective to issues at the intersection of commerce, culture, and community.)
