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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - "This is your first and only warning. Please vacate the podium," said Council President Paul Krekorian (CD2). "Sir you are ordered excluded from the meeting, pursuant to rule 12. Leave and leave silently, now."
A beat, and then, "Leave the meeting immediately. Sir, leave the meeting quietly and immediately, so we can proceed."
And then Krekorian left for Paris, France where his red cheeks would blend in with the vibrant colors of spring. During his absence, and the absence of Mayor Karen Bass, Marqueece Harris-Dawson would be Mayor! Yay!
Olympic delegation to France (possibly) to secure Paul Krekorian a new job when he leaves Council.
Sam in Paris:
Spring in Paris is glorious. Spring blossoms color the city and the fragrance of cherry blossoms and roses is magnificent. The days are long, the weather is lovely, and especially in early spring there are fewer crowds. Spring in Paris is the perfect time to visit the city to see the famous landmarks and discover hidden gems,
(which ideally you should declare on return.)
But if you are a public official traveling for your jurisdiction there are plenty of exceptions and leaders know there is an expectation for some transparency about just how high on the hog one feels it is necessary to climb to accomplish the stated mission. Like, do you need to fly in the front of the plane, as a matter of public convenience and necessity?
A delegation of Los Angeles civic leaders led by Mayor Karen Bass decided now was the right moment (before Paul Krekorian terms out) to collaborate and build new connections for the future. Hook a brother up!
The delegation even met with the French Minister of Sport. "Ooh la la!"
Along on the boondoggle, Traci Park (CD11), who replaced Mike Bonin as top LAX operative, Paul Krekorian (CD2), the termed-out Council President (CD2) brought along Katy Yaroslavsky (CD5) who he appointed to the powerful LA County Metro Board, and Sam, a stuffed animal.
Former Supervisor ZevYaroslavsky, Katy's father-in-law stayed 100% out of Harvard-Westlake School's controversial plans to destroy the local golf course in Studio City. The whole thing was devised by Paul Krekorian and Edgar Khalatian of Mayer Brown, and then they dumped the mess on Nithya Raman (CD4). Krekorian successfully (so far) has arranged to have Raman, as well as, Lindsey P. Horvath (SD3) and frankly, everyone else to go along with the CUP and zone change. All, despite massive opposition to the unwarranted and disgusting conflict ridden invasion of some of the last remaining Open Spaces, open to the public.
The imperious private school has been steamrolling along and recently posted demolition notices out at the golf and tennis facility. For benchmarking, this would be like putting up a private school facility in the... Tuilleries. Very very very shameful. Tres!
Raman said she was helpless to stop the facility from going up and instead, talked about how her father played tennis there and would be sad. As some kind of consolation, she said the 2028 Olympic games activities could not happen there. Now Nithya Raman may be facing a runoff against Ethan Weaver in November.
The LA84 President & CEO Renata Simril who I instantly recognized as a prior appointee of Mark Ridley-Thomas to a County Measure H oversight committee, went along to Paris to assist the Mayor. Simril adores talking about youth sports and Olympic legacy, and reported that both the minister of Sport and the Olympic & Paralympic Games Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, lit up when they were gifted, Sam The Eagle. #Paris2024
Sam the Eagle, a stuffed animal, looks forward to having the games back in Los Angeles in 2028. #PlayEquity.
Harvard-Westlake School looks forward to more #PrivateEquity and State championships and does not give two shits about Studio City residents.
All of this brought back warm memories of France... and
Out of Town Records:
One day after securing the 2028 Olympics for Los Angeles in Peru, Mayor Eric Garcetti, now the Ambassador to India, greeted reporters on a noisy tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. It was an appropriate setting for Garcetti, who had been to Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Berlin, among other places, in that last year.
Garcetti who at the time was flirting with the idea of running for president, tested the public’s willingness to tolerate his absences.
At one point, in late 2016, I reached out. This was several cycles before the Rick Jacobs debacle arrived (2020) and was finally resolved (2023). The mayor slipped over to India:
"Mr. Eric Garcetti,
I have requested records about who has been paying how much in Hotel, Airfare, Helicopter fee, Rental Car, Limo, Taxi, other ground transportation, Meals, Beverages, Internet fees, baggage fees, green fees, and boat rental fees for your out-of-state trips in 2016 and 2017 and to date in 2018. Those records may be in the possession of third parties. I believe that you have to request the records and get the records that I am looking for.
Because you can get those records, and are obligated to do so, you have constructive possession. Therefore if you don't make the appropriate requests of your political committees and the Olympic committees and FIFA committees and other private or public entities (LAWA) that may be covering the costs of your travels outside of California, and provide the records, I will seek a judicial remedy."
The mayor's lawyer wrote back GFY "Separately, our office does not have a contractual right to control LA 2028 or its files; therefore, it does not have constructive possession of its records."
So by October 16, 2017 my brother and I wrote the seminal: Herb Wesson Mayor For Almost A Year Now
The Mayor's Meeting Log, Travel Expenses [2016]
"It would be appropriate to provide the records. Julie (Ciardullo), I feel bad for poor Carrick and Millman, because these guys can easily produce the information but for some reason, Mr. Garcetti doesn't want to ask them. I hope he is not being given bad legal advice.
This letter expands that request to include the expenses from the calendar year 2016 (as requested months ago) and NEW Request: all travel expenses incurred by the mayor (paid by whomever) for the calendar year 2017. Even those expenses that are actually paid in 2018.
"Specific Invoices and/or financial reports identifying ... All Travel expenses [including Hotel, Airfare, Helicopter fee, Rental Car, Limo, Taxi, other ground transportation, Meals, Beverages, Internet fees, baggage fees, green fees, boat rental, for Mayor Eric Garcetti for the calendar year 2016 and 2017 to date. This should include all expenses that were payed for directly by LA2024, as well as all expenses that were reimbursed to Mayor Eric Garcetti, or one of his committees.”
It's an interesting area, but the question is who is flying the mayor around first class, or coach...and why only coach, if only coach? We're talking about the great Mayor of Los Angeles... for god sake, hand over all the records right now.
Warm regards,
Eric Preven
They gave this document.
Bottoms up!
Friday (pre-boarding):
Smart Speaker: Hello, it's Eric Preven and I'd like to speak on the available items and give a general public comment I have just one question, why is general public comment being segregated from the items?
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: You have three minutes on the items.
Smart Speaker: Why is it being segregated, today, but it wasn't the other day? Why are you segregating general public comments from the items?
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: This is not on the agenda, so your time is going for the items, please stick to the agenda items that are open for public comment.
Smart Speaker: OK, item 3 thank you to Rodriguez... by the way, the constantly shifting process of segregating comments is at the heart of it, a Transparency problem, like with LAHSA, where people are trying to bring accountability, yet the City Attorney's Office here in Los Angeles, first under Mike Feuer (who lost his election), and as far as I know has still not been indicted yet. Now, Hydee Feldstein-Soto, his second rate replacement has certainly been one of the greatest one-term disappointments in the history of city disappointments.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Speaker, I can't tell how this is connected to the agenda, so I need you to bring it back to the agenda
Smart Speaker: Well, I was talking about item 3... you continue to interrupt me, as I am talking about LAHSA and how things have not been reported to this City Council, timely, by the City Attorney's Office. This is your office, which is why I suggest you remove your beak from the propeller, Groat. What are you doing?
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: That is not on item 3, caller, so again I need you to stick to the agenda item ...
Smart Speaker: Well, how about 41.18, I will discuss that, I'm talking about the same subject matter as other speakers spoke about without interruption. So that is a double standard. The city attorney's office should not play goalie trying to block my comments. Mr. Harris-Dawson, respectfully, I realize you are mayor today, but you ought to resign. Forwith. Why?
Because you are an absolute failure. There is nothing worse than a progressive icon, doubling down on the very same corrupt protocols, that have resulted in a very corrupt City Attorneys' office taking on the role of public speaker heckler. I would suggest you back yo shit up. Heckling your critics is not how it works.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: So, Mr. Preven I have given you wide latitude on this item, but you have exhausted your one minute.
Smart Speaker: Fine, let's talk about the lighting districts.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Please move on to another item.
Smart Speaker: Lighting districts. Lighting districts And I want to tell you that by shining light on the malfeasance in our districts, and our neighborhoods, and yes our ... City Attorney's office. You can't block me from saying that, Groat. You can't do that and you have been absolutely out of line. So, I am asking you to understand that a lighting district is when a neighborhood has to be assessed for lights, many accept but a few reject those assessments, with the help of their council member. We all like light... Cigarra Bohlinger included. Light is good, but shining the light on the streets, in the alleys, and on the malfeasance of this horribly corrupt city attorney's office is free speech. Every day, you suit up to block residents who pay their taxes, who take the time to come to city hall to participate in their government, and you have the nerve to heckle them. And you think you are going to get ahead behaving like such a POS. Let me be very clear, you are going nowhere Groat. Quickly! Is that clear?
And Strefan Fauble, bless his heart -- who fucked up royally the other day by blathering on in a closed session that was somehow beamed out over a live telephone line. Investigation underway.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: This is not on the agenda at all... you've been warned already. You have ten seconds. This is your first and only final warning, Groat.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Alright, you are forfeiting the rest of your time. Next Caller.
Smart Speaker: Yes, it's Eric Preven, I'd like to speak in General Public Comment.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Good morning, you have one minute.
Smart Speaker: Starting now? Okay. First of all, I want to make it clear that I contacted the City Attorney's Office and the ITA the technology department because we have to provide transparency about how Mr. Harris-Dawson, Mr. Krekorian, or the clerk or the CLA or the ITA, frankly whoever is choosing people from the queue. As you know, several times this week people reported waiting in line - and Mr. Harris-Dawson has started to identify the number of callers left, like he said 13. But then, I was in there, heard that, and yet, he never called me. That's a real problem and transparency is the the correct way to resolve it -- nobody wants to accuse you of having a hidden conspiratorial agenda about who is speaking about what. And nobody is alleging that you are trying to screw your critics, which you are, but if there is a mistake or if some of the staff are activists or don't understand or if they were trained by Avak who left recently to only call certain numbers at the bitter end. Numbers including 2616 and others. This is because the Chair decides arbitrarily to end public comment, and there have been dozens of reports of callers having their hands mysteriously lowered.
So it's a very important issue and you Groat, and your boss Hydee Feldstein-Soto are not serving the public well at all. I urge you to meet and confer and of course, go fuck yourself.
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Your time has expired, next caller.
Jamie York: I'm a big fan of watching what people do, not what they say. Because Mr. Krekorian has talked a lot about reforming this city, but what he's done is sent an email using the city seal, the city logo, and city staff resources, to endorse and express confidence in victory for Adrin Nazarian. This is a blatant Ethics Violation. ...
Daniel Guss: Yeah, Daniel Guss dot substack dot com. Yeah, please check your email, Mr. Groat. I sent you, your boss, and Mr. Preven an email: I am putting you on notice. You have to let people make their own points on agenda items in their own way. You are well educated and you know exactly what you are doing to undermine public criticism ... A state bar complaint... people, especially me, let me make my own point in my own way, or you can explain to the Bar......
Jonathan Groat, Deputy City Attorney: Before we move on to the next caller, for anybody who is calling in or would like to speak at this meeting. Um, we need to connect the items that you are speaking to and what you are saying to the items in a timely manner. If we cannot tell, as discussed in the rules, then we will ask you to get back on to the agenda. Next caller.
Outdoorsy Speaker: Hi, this is Ruth. I wanted to talk about some reportbacks that haven't come in I guess. The residential hotel ordinance... ending in 0644. On Aug 1st we were told it would be available in sixty days. Where is it?
19-1020, on lived experienced expertise... no action so far and the motion will die this year.
22-0928 on location-based interventions... we were supposed to get reports, every six months?
23-1194, Inside Safe operation reports ?
20-1376 about monitoring LAHSA contracts?
And why have the CAO homeless strategy meetings been canceled... for like a year?
(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.)
