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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Item 41-D on Tuesday, tucked deep into the so-called Green Sheet—where urgency goes to hide—confirms what many already suspected: the County’s Governance Reform Task Force is less about reform and more about preserving the current power structure with better lighting. Each Supervisor got one pick. And each picked someone safely within reach.
Hilda Solis selected Brian Calderón Tabatabai, her West Covina ally. Holly Mitchell went with Derek Steele, a dependable equity partner. Lindsey Horvath chose Sara Sadhwani, the academic with a redistricting pedigree and Olympic affiliations. Janice Hahn tapped Marcel Rodarte, the Contract Cities executive who practically lives at the Hall of Administration. And Kathryn Barger went back to the Metro bench for John Fasana, a transportation veteran who probably still dreams in TAP card colors.
If this Task Force is supposed to examine how power operates in Los Angeles County, maybe it shouldn’t be staffed entirely by people who helped build the system. Reform doesn’t come from the inside of a carefully curated club—it starts by inviting in someone who’s not already in the group photo.
Three B Group photo: Mayor Butts, Mayor Bass, Mayor Barger* (of the unincorporated county).
Parcel 132S: The Marina’s Most Reliable Handshake
When the California Yacht Club burned down in December 2023, the County sprang into action—by preparing to cover demolition costs for the lessee, Crescendo Pacific Marina, LLC. This lease amendment authorizes the reimbursement, using insurance proceeds held in public trust. It also throws in an intellectual property clause and, naturally, sidesteps CEQA review.
The club, a private institution with a polished brand and elite clientele, sits on public land. The man at the helm of these dealings? Gary Jones, Director of Beaches and Harbors and now a quiet contender for County CEO. His résumé already reads like a love letter to long-term lessees, but this item might as well be a signature line.
Jones didn’t build the yacht club, but he’s helping them rebuild—with County resources. That alone should raise eyebrows, especially if you’re one of the taxpayers who can’t afford to dock a paddleboard in Marina del Rey.
Rosas Report: Downward Strikes, Upward Spin
Item 37, the Sheriff’s Department’s latest Rosas Settlement compliance report, says head strikes are down 60% and Category II force incidents are down 57%. Great—until you read the grievances: thousands of complaints about food, mail delays, and unhelpful staff.
The Department’s fixes include digital tablets, TSA-style scanners, and a “Cook-Chill” food system, which sounds like something that comes in shrink-wrap. If the problem was institutional force, reheated stew won’t fix it. But hey, maybe the PowerPoint looked nice.
Also on the docket: a street takeover crackdown that targets car influencers, a homelessness funding shuffle that reallocates $9.8 million from one set of bureaucrats to another, and more ceremonial proclamations than you can fit into a three-minute time slot. Fair Housing Month, STI Awareness Week, Community Development Week… all very moving, just don’t ask for an actual unit of housing.
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Starts at 9:30 AM
Call in: (877) 226-8163
Access code: 1336503
Press 1-0 to comment. Or just listen and try to guess who’s getting the next Task Force appointment.
Agenda and materials available here:
https://bos.lacounty.gov/board-meeting-agendas/
See you tomorrow. Bring your Green Sheet decoder ring—and maybe a granola bar.
Smiling fan favorite, Malaika Billups, assumes the position of GM of Personnel Department.
MOTION [Draft]
Re: Revenue Generation via Civic Aviation Programming
Subject: Authorization to Launch the Krekorian Sky Museum Helicopter-Based Civic Education and Revenue Enhancement Program
WHEREAS the City of Los Angeles is facing ongoing budgetary constraints, public trust shortfalls, and a backlog of Measure HHH ribbon-cuttings;
WHEREAS former Council President Paul Krekorian has been appointed Executive Director of Major Events, a position uniquely suited to both inspire and distract;
WHEREAS the City possesses a robust LAPD helicopter program with ample air time to spare between vehicle pursuits and "area presence";
WHEREAS Los Angeles boasts a stunning array of failed developments, sweetheart land deals, and burning subterranean landfills visible from 1,200 feet;
NOW, THEREFORE, the City shall establish the Krekorian Sky Museum, a city-run helicopter tour showcasing Los Angeles’ most legendary governance misfires and civic boondoggles.
Paul Krekorian shall be appointed Docent Emeritus, with duties including prerecorded narration such as:
“This item is now before us.”
“We’re not taking comment on that.”
“Thank you, next speaker.”
The tour shall include such sights as:
Marina del Rey, where the leases are soft and the oversight even softer;
The Convention Center Expansion, where credibility and concrete cracked simultaneously;
The Expo/Crenshaw Transit Zone—site of County Item 11, prematurely advanced by Bruckner of Mayer Brown LLP (home to Edgar Khalatian, king of premature applications);
The Times Mirror Mirage, now headquartered in El Segundo, where journalism went to stretch its legs and fell asleep;
Chiquita Canyon, where the scent of injustice travels all the way to MRT’s ceremonial scissors;
And the shimmering tippy-top of the LA City obelisk, where Krekorian’s theoretical office glows faintly with filtered public comment.
The City’s Office of Revenue Innovation is hereby directed to collaborate with LAPD, LA Tourism & Convention Board, and SkyMall to monetize a curated set of in-flight merchandise, including:
Measure HHH Dioramas,
Narrative Museum Candles (“Narrative Musk” — now in trial size), and
Redistricting Crayon Gift Packs (“Map your own power grab!”).
Expansion of the program shall include a Flyover of the Fiascos combo package with County partners—pending availability of Supervisor Kuehl’s broom.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Modest startup investment. Projected yield: $7.8 million in gross revenue, 0 units of housing, and unlimited public catharsis.
PRESENTED BY:
Smart Speaker:
According to Julia Wick, Steve Soboroff said Tuesday that he thought the pitch that AECOM gave the city in late January was “one of the best presentations ever done in the world about anything,” whereas Hagerty’s pitch was among “the worst presentations ever done in the history of the world.” I want to see the AECOM pitch!
Recess & Regress
Donald Trump is once again declaring cognitive victory, proudly waving around a glowing health report claiming he scored a perfect 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment — the one where you draw a clock, repeat a sentence, and identify a lion without calling it Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Naturally, Trump was thrilled. “Nobody’s more cognitively excellent than me,” he likely told a Mar-a-Lago aide adjusting his showerhead — which, of course, he still insists isn’t powerful enough. The man remains obsessed with water pressure. “I like the water blasting,” he once explained. “Makes my hair obey.”
But in Los Angeles, we use a tougher standard. The Montreal test is child’s play. Around here, we’ve developed something far more punishing: the Los Angeles Cognitive Assessment™, now with a ¼ cent sales tax and a 91-page implementation plan. Unlike the Montreal test, L.A.’s version evaluates executive function in a real-world environment, meaning: can you survive 38 city departments, a two-minute public comment cutoff, and a contractor who insists your budget just tripled?
Naturally, we invited Mr. Trump to take it.
He started by drawing a wall instead of a protected bike lane, explaining, “It keeps the bikers out. Also the shower inspectors.” He tried to define Measure HHH but pivoted into a rant about “tiny toilets.” When asked to match a few familiar names — Martinez, Wasserman, Puppet, Bruckner — he guessed: “TV anchor, major donor, my dog, and the guy from Succession.” That earned him zero points.
He was asked to navigate from Pacoima to Century City using only Metro. “This is elder abuse,” he said, which we accepted as half credit. Then came a curveball: explain Inside Safe without using the words “tent,” “hotel,” or “photo op.” Trump said, “It’s luxury camping for Democrats.” Disturbingly close. Two points.
He did, however, manage to name one councilmember who hasn’t been to Coachella, Burning Man, or the Wasserman holiday party. His answer? “None. That’s where the donors are.” Correct. And when asked if he had any policy ideas of his own, he suggested slapping a patriotic tariff on Los Angeles — “for exporting corruption, filth, and terrible zoning decisions. And for the water pressure.” Bonus point for originality.
Final score: 6 out of 30. Roughly equivalent to the Ethics Commission’s visibility rating.
But in Trump’s defense, nobody really passes this test. Not the mayor. Not the council. Not even the nonprofit that billed $900,000 to hand out granola bars and reassurances. And this week?
The council is out. Gone. Recess.
The “C” word: Coachella.
While L.A. spirals into climate catastrophe, contractor grift, and commemorative backslapping, the people’s representatives have vanished to the desert for some civic decompression under the misters at Yuma Tent.
Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders actually showed up — onstage in Indio — introducing Clairo and urging Gen Z to fight fossil fuel billionaires and insurance vampires. When the crowd booed Trump, Bernie calmly replied, “I agree.”
Back in Los Angeles, City Hall remained silent. No meeting. No hearing. Not even a ceremonial street renaming for someone’s nephew who once emailed Gavin Newsom.
Trump may have passed Montreal, but here in Los Angeles, we’re still struggling to draw a clock — on a crumbling curb, next to a rec center that no longer exists, funded by a nonprofit with three board members and a logo designed by Wasserman.
From the Assessment Itself: A Sample
You’re awarded $4.6 million in “consulting fees” by a nonprofit that receives city funding. What do you do? Disclose it? Rename the nonprofit? Or hire a PR firm and declare victory?
You’re asked to draw a street improvement plan that doesn’t demolish a park, widen a sidewalk into an Aperol Spritz lounge, or route a contract to your cousin’s Pilates instructor. Bonus point if the bike lane survives for six weeks.
You’re handed a billion dollars to address homelessness. What’s your first move? Launch a slogan? Hold a ribbon-cutting in front of an empty motel? Hire a Messaging Czar?
You’re shown a photo of someone holding a shovel in front of a “Legacy Project” banner. Who is it? A deputy mayor? A planning commissioner? Someone already under indictment?
A constituent says: “We respectfully demand transparency.” You translate this into official City Hall language: “Thank you, your time has expired.”
You’re asked what Inside Safe is. A housing initiative? A rebranding of failure? A $700-per-night hotel plan with poor data and better snacks? Yes, all of the above.
You try to name three public meetings that weren’t canceled, rescheduled, or relocated to a smoothie shop. You can’t. Nobody can.
(Eric Preven is a Studio City-based TV writer-producer, award-winning journalist, and longtime community activist who won two landmark open government cases in California.)
