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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Smart Speaker: Thank you, it's Eric Preven from Studio City I'd like to speak on the available items and also deliver a generous general public comment.
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: So you have three minutes, and this is for everyone 1-18 and 21 through 26.
Smart Speaker: Thank you, the interesting one in the first bunch is number five. Because a majority protest exists. So congratulations to Mr. Harris-Dawson's constituents. He's also got ... with regards to say... well, I won't get there yet. Destination Crenshaw.
The Los Angeles Conservation Corps, I wanted to bring that up it's an important group, Mickey Kantor, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative, set it up, as the founder. He worked at Mayor Brown. He may still. You'll remember that's the law firm of both Edgar Khalatian, Harvard-Westlake chief prevarication officer, and also MRT's longtime schleppy henchman, Richard Bruckner. Remember, he was helping Sebastian with county resources, and fondling clients with MRT at Board meetings before he was legal to lobby.
Whatever happened to MRT? On Saturday, the annual Empowerment Congress met and had a teach-in on the Grand Poobah's conviction and appeal. He started that political org in 1991. A lot has happened since then.
The Corps gets its funding from city pols who know how it works and allows them to bring youth who need jobs to clean up areas around the districts. On the surface, it seems like an organization that deserves public support. "Shucks, they're just trying to help make the world a more beautiful greener place..." Pffft. Too bad they are such assholes.
Unfortunately, what they do under the guise of fostering civic engagement during election time, is pick a candidate or two with a direct line to the big county Democratic party (tit), and then exclude all the challengers. Even if they happen to be card-carrying Democrats and rabid environmentalists. It's shameful beyond belief and they all know it. The truth is they don't give two shits about debate all they care about is funding.
Park, Yaroslavsky, Soto-Martinez ... everyone plays with the Conservation Corps. It's fun.
Just look at the numbers for a comparison. On one item on today's agenda, you've got Blumefield doing some goatee trimming in CD3 for $43,000 but the LA Conservation Corps item -- $390,000!
That's a fair amount of carceral shelter beds. Imagine how many goatees could be trimmed.
Sorry, I mean tree trimming, my mistake. But, sir, four out of five constituents agree it's okay to lose the goatee. We know temperatures are down but it's time to move forward without the goatee, for the sake of equity.
Otherwise, everyone will need one. Ethan Weaver already has one.
In terms of supplemental traffic calming measures, many were wondering... which specific measures do you have in mind? Nailing people with speed cameras or installing speed humps or flashing lights?
We're all sick over that recent incident, in which three different LA motorists in three different vehicles hit the same pedestrian in our fair city and none of them stopped. They all drove away. McCosker?
Painful and deeply troubling that we live in a society where that can happen.
I guess people are busy, and late for work.
We are not doing nearly enough to provide effective safety measures. The one that starts flashing lights in the driver's eyes when a car approaches a pedestrian area... is a good one.
The fast cars are forced to slow down. So, that's what we need in conditions where pedestrians are around. On Tujunga in NoHo near the Park, the YMCA and the private school. It works. They're not cheap but frankly, neither are the lawsuits Krekorian keeps paying out without taking corrective actions. None of us want pedestrians motored down, with or without our goatees. Sir, will you be bringing back a February or March goatee?
When people think of Destination Crenshaw, which is supposed to be a nonprofit organization, we think of #MetroCrime. Everybody remembers the public speaker who used to call out Mr. Harris-Dawson for being a callous community-hating go-along, for shutting his beloved Afiba center in the service of King. MRT.
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: Mr. Preven, I believe you are speaking about item 19 and number 19 is not open for public comment.
Smart Speaker: No, 19 is not open, it was a mistake. I'm sorry.
I'm going to get back to the supplemental safety measures. How much time is left with all these interruptions?
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: Sixteen seconds.
Smart Speaker: Sixteen seconds. Well, that doesn't seem fair. You don't want me to talk about Destination Crenshaw or the METRO deal with Watt Companies. You don't want me to talk about the Metro/AECOM unholy alliance... did you know AECOM paid or Garcetti's inauguration? Julia Wick forgot.
Wednesday: Double Violation Day
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: Mr. Preven, your time has expired.
Smart Speaker: It's Eric Preven from Studio City I'd like to speak on the available items and a general public comment.
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: So, you have three minutes for the items. Please begin.
Smart Speaker: Don't forget me in general public comment because you didn't call me, for no legitimate reason, yesterday. Thank you. So Item 1, the fee to get the paperwork done on West Oak View in Raman's district is $3,416. a little caching for city planning or maybe the city engineers.
Item 2, ding ding ding, another Tefra hearing these are the ones, despite your regular breaking of the law by lumping them together on the dystopic Krekorian-go-round, are supposed to be legitimate hearings. It's not the city's money being spent, but the vote allows the applicant to secure bonds to make an acquisition and renovation expansion and all sorts of other stuff...for a private school called Curtis.
The Curtis School. The tuition is about $36,000, it's up there near Mirman and Berkeley Hall...right around the corner from Harvard Westlake.
And by the way, they're duking it out tonight, while Raman is debating with Ethan Weaver of Sherman Oaks for CD4, Harvard-Westlake will be taking on Notre Dame, who are number two. Harvard-Westlake is number one.
Krekorian can barely sit still...
Paul Krekorian, City Council President: Football is not on the agenda, basketball is not on the agenda, stick to the agenda.
Smart Speaker: Okay, item four. Sure, the attorneys spoke earlier it was fairly compelling to get a delay on the issuance of a nasty lien on the property.
The attorney appealed to Yaroslavsky to take a stay, but she's not around, so Krekorian said "Shove it through." So, well done sir.
Five you have Traci Park picking up where Mike Bonin left off in CD11 with more sweeping restrictions on where you can park. This is a time-honored tradition and an excellent approach...except it violates the "no harm" principle and is a huge waste of resources. We have a housing crisis yet Hydee Feldstein-Soto and Traci Park make near or more than a million dollars a year as lawyers. Groat started at $94,000... but since 2017, he's only jumped up by about fifty grand. Under $150,000 in 2022. What about 2023?
My calculations indicate that Groat is getting more for agreeing to the new tyrannical style + to get Fauble some R and R.
Oversized vehicles will no longer be welcome - not they've ever been -- except for the little amendment, which was cryptically read into the record. Hopefully, somebody out there will appreciate, the "west side of Barnsley at 85th and 86th... where Airport and Manchester." Deputy Groat can be an effective deliverer of information. But if it's only given out in shards so becomes ... impenetrable. Oh well. He should get over $200,000 for being a part of that. He's hard to hear on the phone or in the room. We realize that city council members don't really care, but the people in the districts, do... So, you should know. We see you.
Six is wow. I mean, what a great honor for, Joe Gatlin, the head of a church in the One Five... Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist.
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: So, Mr. Preven, Item number six is not open for public comment.
Smart Speaker: Why not?
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: No.
Smart Speaker: OK, then let's move forward. I would say items seven, and eight have been held until Tuesday because you couldn't get twelve criminals on the bus.
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: The open items are 1-4, 5, 10 and 11, and thirteen through fifteen.
Smart Speaker: Okay, so 10 and 11 first of all Eunisses continued the REAP item for a month, so I don't know what that's about. Thank you. And then...the two parking companies that Hutt and Padilla have been dealing with --
City Attorney, Jonathan Groat: Your time has expired.
From: Smart Speaker
To: Hugh Esten, CD2, Jonathan Groat, City Attorney
Cc: Ted Ross David Michaelson [email protected] David Tristan Heather Holt Holly Wolcott Sharon Tso [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]Karo Torossian Paul Krekorian [email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11:46:44 AM PST
Subject: Deselection of General Public Speaker x2 this week so far!
Dear Mr. Groat and Council Member Nithya Raman, CD4:
Hope all is well.
Nithya Raman of CD4 proudly introduced her brother from San Francisco.
Today, Wednesday, I raised my hand dutifully before the items and spoke. I referenced my desire to give a general public comment later.
Then, as is appropriate and indicated, I raised my hand dutifully before the General Public comment period.
Then the council president Paul Krekorian announced that he'd had it at 11:20 am, and that he would take no more callers. At that point, I learned that someone in the city had lowered my hand, without my knowledge or consent, again. The meeting ended shortly after that.
No more blaming the victims.
Please provide the metadata for the council meeting on Tuesday, January 16, and Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
The teams from ITA, City Clerk, CLA, City Attorney, as well as, CD2 are conspiring to provide a special disadvantage to certain speakers during public meetings. This practice, among other things, is an ethical violation in the City of Los Angeles.
"City officials and employees are prohibited from using their City positions or the City’s resources to engage in conduct that does not benefit the public. Specifically, it is illegal to misuse or even attempt to misuse your position or your prospective position to create a private advantage or disadvantage for any person."
The city has repeatedly failed to be transparent about the picking and choosing of speakers. The appearance of the council president arbitrarily stranding certain speakers or deciding arbitrarily, to end comments even when a few speakers remain, is boots-on-the-ground corruption.
Please provide the metadata, as has been provided previously for other meetings, for both Tuesday and
Wednesday's meeting within ten days. Ted Ross and Mr. Strefan Fauble are fully aware of this data if you get confused or try to duck and fail to respond.
Despite, repeated grievances about the city's worst practices, there has been no effort on the part of the various co-conspirators to close this subversive nontransparent loophole, in which the council president controls who speaks and who gets to speak. A simple visible cue or sign-up list like every other jurisdiction would make sense.
Denying respected critics the right to speak is a real punishment and disadvantage, and the city's group effort to game the system can no longer be tolerated.
"Go serve the city well" as President Krekorian says, does not mean "block the comments" from the people who seek to provide public scrutiny.
That type of systemic subterfuge will never cut it.
We see you!
Warm regards,
Smart Speaker
Double Header:
Sherman Oaks Homeowner Association CD4 Candidate Debate:
In the race for Los Angeles Council District 4, candidates Nithya Raman and Ethan Weaver present starkly different visions for the future of the city. Both address crucial issues such as housing, homelessness, and bureaucracy, but their proposed solutions diverge significantly.
Ethan Weaver's Bold Zoning Plan and LAPD Support
Weaver, a candidate with a focus on community and small businesses, outlines a zoning plan that concentrates new development along high-traffic borders, aiming to protect single-family homes. His emphasis on bolstering the LAPD includes a unique proposal for a senior lead officer dedicated to addressing homelessness. Weaver believes that building relationships within the homeless community will help distinguish those in need of assistance from those engaged in criminal activities.
Sanitation is a key pillar in Weaver's plan, calling for increased resources to combat the growing garbage and filth on the streets. He also advocates for cutting through the red tape that strangles small businesses, seeing it as a way to revitalize the city's economic landscape. Weaver's argument centers on the need to make Los Angeles more business-friendly, fostering an environment where small enterprises can thrive without excessive bureaucratic hurdles.
Additionally, Weaver recognizes the need for a radical reform of the "homeless industrial complex," emphasizing the importance of accountability and efficient use of resources. He argues that the bureaucratic challenges in housing development must be addressed urgently, as the current system discourages growth and sustainability.
BREAKING We pause the debate for a public service announcement:
Mercy Miller led mighty Notre Dame to defeat Harvard-Westlake in their Mission League basketball game, 59-54. Gift link. No idea what Weaver thought about Raman's shameful rolling over on Harvard-Westlake, but he did mention he also opposed the Bulgari project. She could have done much more, so... back to the debate!
Nithya Raman's Pragmatic Approach to Housing and Homelessness
In stark contrast, Nithya Raman takes a more pragmatic approach, expressing skepticism about Weaver's promise to involve the community while eliminating red tape. Raman questions the feasibility of maintaining community involvement without facing the bureaucratic challenges that have hindered housing development in the past.
Raman acknowledges the need for effective solutions, highlighting the success of increasing access to shelter in addressing homelessness. She points to instances where offering shelter led to the disappearance of entire encampments. Raman collaborates with the mayor on expanding shelter options citywide, emphasizing the importance of building on proven successes.
On the issue of affordable housing, Raman criticizes the existing planning system, which incentivizes expensive housing. She aims to redirect the focus toward affordable housing by leveraging new state regulations and executive directives. Raman believes that learning from past successes and ensuring appropriate spending are crucial steps toward a brighter future.
While both candidates recognize the urgency of addressing homelessness and housing affordability, their proposed solutions reflect fundamentally different philosophies. Weaver's emphasis on community involvement, small businesses, and a radical overhaul of bureaucracy clashes with Raman's pragmatic stance, prioritizing proven strategies and incremental changes.
As the council race unfolds, CD4 residents will have to weigh these competing visions...
Go Knights! Mercy Miller for City Council!
(Eric Preven is a longtime community activist and is a contributor to CityWatch. The opinions are of Mr. Preven and not necessarily those of CityWatchLA.com.)
