The End of the World as We Know It

ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - The Tuesday County Board meeting followed by...the end of the world as we know it.

Smart Speaker: I’m supportive of waiving these fees; compassion and equity are terrific. We’re talking about $700,000 to help about 1,800 families of deceased residents. But why stop here? Why not go for some of the real pernicious fees? I don’t know if you know, Supervisor Horvath is not a property taxpayer, but if you’re one day late, you receive a ten percent penalty. That is an egregious grab, and it’s outrageous. Of course, it disproportionately impacts people who are already struggling, like seniors and those on fixed incomes. This meeting, full of your humane initiatives, raises a few questions: Why is the medical examiner underfunded? Why is there a massive structural deficit in the fire department? And Chair Barger, this is important—every item on the website is noted as APPROVED. That’s a violation because you haven’t taken public comment on them yet, so you couldn’t have voted on them. You have to go one at a time; you can’t approve all items before taking comments, because it has to be before or during consideration, not after voting. You need to get with Mr. Yen, who is doing a great job, and clarify that because it really is a major blunder. Of course, we admire you all for the hard work but get it together.

Hours before the Palisades fire and a decade too late, LA County Fire Chief Marrone explains how he will deploy the $152 million a year from Measure E.

Smart Speaker: Happy New Year to the board, and thanks for the ongoing effort to address climate change and sustainability. I think the goal to reduce greenhouse emissions through food procurement is noble, but I am worried about the unnecessary complexity and burden this will introduce. Requiring detailed annual food purchasing data from each county department and vendor is a big lift. Establishing a baseline for food emissions aligning with global targets is terrific, but honestly, you can’t even promote basic transparency. You’re constantly cozying up with sole-source agreements, and when we want to understand how that works, your lawyers say, “Nope, you can’t look at that stuff; it’s privileged.” That’s ridiculous, and the privilege is to you. Before we burden every single department with so many crazy requirements, why don’t we work on some of the procurement issues across the board? Then we can approach something like this sensibly because this is going to cause a lot of difficulty.

Smart Speaker: Thank you. It’s Eric Preven, and you know I appreciate the attention. There has been a lot of disproportionate attention to this very important issue. One idea about funding the outreach and prevention measures is to engage the mega-event complex that you are all tacit participants in, which brings huge events full of drunken people who, believe it or not—you’re not going to like this—traffic women and people in their families. They are looking forward to a steady stream of mega-events to make money, and you are all complicit because you also want the money. Unfortunately, what you are not doing is protecting this vulnerable population from these insidious activities. These events attract people from all over the world who like to engage in bad activities everywhere. Look at what happened in New Orleans, London, and other big cities. We’ve got a real problem. We are facing a giant cliff of not having the resources to protect people from domestic violence. Maybe we should soak the billionaire football team owners in exchange for expediting their developments.

Smart Speaker: Thank you. Candidly, I like the idea of using county or other government property, such as defaulted properties, for affordable housing. But it comes across as a little unrealistic in light of all the current problems we have with NIMBY groups. I’m sure you saw the Liam Dillon piece over the weekend about how powerful these groups can be, despite Karen Bass’s efforts. NIMBYs have erected barriers to moving forward. And Supervisor Hahn, did you know that the city council where you used to run has eliminated the option of virtual testimony, including calling into their council meetings? Harris Dawson, an anti-public activist, has decided enough is enough. To me, that is so grim and sad. It reminds me of how every few months they review city property, and nothing ever comes of it. It’s really shameful.

Smart Speaker: Wow. Everybody knows how much I enjoy libraries. Though it’s not a county library by me, it’s a great feature to offer free tutoring. Once again, the board comes up with beautiful images of how helpful they are being. It’s very moving, if a little self-congratulatory. I’m not sure what 16,000 unique visits means, but if 1,000 people are getting free tutoring, great. It can make a huge difference. People need time to get help, and the school system is a shambles. Classes are too big. It’s a crisis. Yet the board’s bestie, Mr. Harris Dawson at City Hall, has decided to cancel call-in testimony. So we are looking forward to a five-signature letter to Harris Dawson urging him to come to his fricking senses. It’s an outrage, and it will never stand. We should tell the LA Times as well.

Smart Speaker: Thank you. I think it was Supervisor Solis who mentioned that many residents don’t read the notices they get, which is very unfortunate. But for broad context, people should understand that outsourcing sanitation contracts—despite the upstanding integrity of Mark Pestrella of Public Works—these contractors are longtime bastions of massive corruption. You don’t need to look any further than your treasured frenemy, Greig Smith, who was a city council staffer, then a member, then a Waste Management lobbyist, and then back to the city council. When I studied that closely, I learned that the two most influential elected officials who have had an impact in this area were Greig Smith and Mark Ridley-Thomas. So, Supervisor Mitchell, I know you are very pleased to get things going—even though the low bidder was skipped. Why not have real transparency about these contracts? And why did you wait until over the holidays, when people are on eggnog, to notice this? To deflavorize public input?

Smart Speaker: Alas, given the extreme Santa Ana conditions, I will not be able to drive to Palm Springs today for the screening of the Schindler Space Architect movie, but I am sending good thoughts and hope it goes great! Be careful! ❤️

Film Director: It’s crazy windy!!! Never seen it like this before. Hopefully, it will calm down later.

Friend: Your neighborhood is getting crazy. Josh had to evacuate, but we are crossing our fingers. Is he at yours? Say hi for me, sorry he had to scramble. Is your sister ok?

Smart Speaker: I’m not going to Palm Springs.

Smart Speaker: Oy, that’s the Palisades.
Smart Sister: Hi - my calls aren’t going through to Isaac. I’m a little worried about him and your mom evacuating. I heard Josh evacuated. I just lost power.
Smart Speaker: Me too.

Smart Speaker: Did the Times notice the City Council is not taking call-in testimony?
Times: No. Did they say they’re stopping it?
Smart Speaker: There is no notation on the agenda. Marqueece Harris Dawson is the President.
Times: That I knew.
Smart Speaker: This is a major attack on public scrutiny FYI... Is Tony Barboza covering the change by the council president?
Times: Not sure - I can check in with him. Are they taking it at the end of the meeting or just not at all?
Smart Speaker: Not taking call-in testimony anymore, but the City Clerk has no directive in writing. This was apparently an audible!

Handy Man: I can come back early on Saturday. If you want, or we can do it on Friday. If not, then it will be later.
Friend: Just watching the news - very scary. Is your Mom ok? How is your family with these fires?
Smart Speaker: My mom is ok in Malibu with Isaac, sheltered in place, ready to go (swimming) if needed. My brother’s place in Palisades could be spared as of a few hours ago, but still in jeopardy. Can’t get a good read on specifics because of limited power, but people are using the term "apocalyptic."
Friend: I have been worried—Palisades Village was burning, and that’s close to Josh, I think. Malibu must be so smoky and really weird/scary - and now over in Altadena. Are you guys ok in your neighborhoods?
Studio City Guy: We’re right in the middle of everything but safe and not threatened as of now. Thanks.

Smart Speaker: Touch and go in Palisades where Josh lives, but so far ok 🤞 in Malibu! I have several friends who have lost their homes. 🙃

Houses lost in Studio City.

Smart Speaker: Do you know the location?

Studio City Guy: Everybody is safe and sound, but houses are gone. My friend in Altadena and Jimmy lives next to the Getty Villa...

Smart Speaker: So sorry... 😕

Studio City Guy: A few people who don’t know the status because they evacuated... horrible.
Smart Speaker: Josh is in that category.
Studio City Guy: Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. So sad.
Add’l Friend: I heard the Reel Inn is gone. Sad… power out.
Handy Man: Sorry, Eric, I didn't know what was happening with the fires there in Santa Monica, Malibu, Oxnard. I hope your mom is okay.

Colleague: Are you guys ok? Hey Ticky, hope all is well with Ruth. The coverage of the fire in Malibu is horrifying.
Smart Speaker: Our people are ok for the moment 🙏
Colleague: Thank god! Was getting worried there. Did Ruth evacuate?
Sister: Might send Hannah and the pups to you, unfortunately. There is now a fire in Nichols Canyon below us but in an evacuation zone.
Friend: Hi, is your brother OK, how was his house and family?
Smart Speaker: He’s here. 😕
Friend: Aww, is the house ok??

Smart Speaker: This is very bad. At 5:30 am, a neighbor said his street may have been spared but…? Hard to know. 😕
Friend: Your mom is with you and okay?
Smart Speaker: My brother, who lives in the Palisades, and fam are with me. 😕 We think their house survived but not 100% clear yet. My mom is sheltering in place in Malibu with Isaac and Kimba! What a fiasco!!!

New York Friend: Are you ok, Dicky?

Smart Speaker: We are hanging on, but my brother and wife lost their house in the Palisades 😭 and are with me now, and Mom has no power in Malibu but out of harm's way for the moment. Now my sister’s house is in the evacuation zone of the latest Hollywood Hills fiasco…