Comments
ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Tuesday’s LA County Board of Supervisors agenda is a high-speed blender of fee waivers, loyalty appointments, and a $61 million homeless contract nobody bid on. From Olympic fan zones to million-dollar sole-source deals and orange-themed gun proclamations, the board has something for every donor, developer, and dynasty seat-filler. Governance by scroll and proclamation is back in session.
Sole-Source Smoothie
The Board will greenlight $37.6 million for LAHSA’s CalWORKs homeless services and $61 million for Inglewood’s vocational program—both sole-source contracts, meaning no competition (Items 39-40). Add $896,000 in surgical gear also sole-source (Items 44-45), because why shop around when the vendor is already in the system and the public is out to lunch?
The Inglewood gig was especially opaque: the operator wasn’t named on the public agenda but described as a "trusted partner." Trusted by whom? Not the public, who never got the chance to weigh in.
Scrolls for the Connected: Sadhwani’s Coronation
Inside the Hall of Administration, ceremonial scrolls are less about honor and more about crowning the connected. Enter Sara Sadhwani, redistricting wizard and rising star, handed a scroll by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on the same day others were appointed to join her on the Measure G Governance Reform Task Force. Got it? Good!
Sadhwani’s maps reshaped LA’s districts, boosting AAPI representation while also tilting the board for her allies. Now, she’s tasked with designing the County’s future: nine seats, an elected CEO, veto powers—all while feted by the very powerbrokers who benefit. It’s not just recognition; it’s a coronation, sealed with forced applause and a photo op for the insiders’ scrapbook.
Horvath even dangled a task force seat for her former student. That’s not reform. That’s succession planning.
The AAPI Contract
While Sadhwani basked in the spotlight last week, on Tuesday, the Board will slide through a $715,000 sole-source contract with AAPI Equity Alliance for Measure G “community engagement” (Item 28). No bids. No transparency. Just another cozy deal for an alliance already juggling $24 million in state anti-hate grants.
Sadhwani’s maps carved out AAPI-friendly districts. The Alliance now helps shape the structure those districts will operate in. If you can’t see the symmetry, try adjusting your ethics settings.
Ethics? More Like a Revolving Door
The Measure G Governance Committee was billed as LA’s ethical reset. In reality, it’s just the latest turn on the commission carousel.
These aren’t watchdogs. They’re familiar faces—swapping campaign selfies with the very insiders they’re supposed to regulate.
The City’s Ethics Commission? Once chaired by Gil Garcetti (yes, that Garcetti), then Nathan Hochman, who clammed up when Harvard-Westlake trustee donors maxed out Krekorian without disclosing their roles.
Paul Krekorian served on the Ethics commission a "million years ago."
Now Melinda Murray, fresh off the Ethics Commission, is back—reassigned to help "oversee governance," which in LA means rearranging the deck chairs on Caruso's Yacht, the Invictus.
This isn’t reform. It’s recycling.
The LA Ethics Commission All-Stars – a Who’s Who of “Well, We Tried”
- Gil Garcetti: Father of the former mayor. Harvard Westlake dad!
- Nathan Hochman: Now DA. Runs the Public Integrity Division—on paper.
- Jessica Levinson: TV news analyst on everything—except her own tenure.
- Miriam Krinsky: Tried to hide CCJV hearing transcripts until the PUBLIC wouldn’t shut up.
- Paul Krekorian: Termed out. Now the mayor’s “Major Events” guy—a role so full of pitfalls it should come with a hard hat.
- Robert M. Stern: Co-author of the 1974 Political Reform Act. Recently (carefully) reappointed, like handing blueprints back to the architect as the building sinks.
Olympic Fan Zones and the Countywide Exemption Game
Speaking of shady ethics, let’s talk about Item 27. Supervisors Horvath and Mitchell co-authored a motion advancing Olympic and World Cup "mega-event coordination."
Sounds harmless. Until you realize it’s a blank check for LA28 logistics: fan zones, VIP tents, media towers, all exempt from community input or environmental review.
It’s the same playbook used in the Harvard-Westlake River Plan, where a $100 million athletic complex is rising fast on public land, dressed up as a public benefit. Councilmember Nithya Raman once promised the site wouldn't be used for Olympic events. But its Olympic-grade fields, tight timeline, and the Krekorian Industrial Complex's appetite for delivering reveal a different story. Edgar Khalatian may not be the Oracle of Studio City, but bundling and tailgating go together with sponsorships and pay-to-play viewing lounges like FREE self-defense classes and the Office of Adrin Nazarian!
This isn’t legacy planning. It’s a VIP pass for the Eliterati™, paid for with public funds and dressed as "activation."
Adrin Nazarian was a Coro Fellow.
Palisades Power Grab (Item 87-A)
Under the banner of recovery, Item 87-A directs County departments to explore ways to "facilitate rebuilding" in the Palisades after last year’s wildfire.
Sounds nice. But when the motion lacks any guardrails or community protections, what it really does is clear the way for fast-tracked development. Residents are still sorting insurance claims while planners are sketching out new subdivisions. Rebuilding, yes. But for whom?
This is not resilience. It’s real estate. And the County is teeing it up.
City Hall Side Hustle
While the County was busy rolling out the scrolls and sole-sorcery, the LA City Council had its own Tuesday special. Over $6 million in lawsuit payouts for everything from LAPD abuse to a Carter-era molestation case are on the docket for closed session.
The Council is also accepting a $1 million DOJ grant for violence prevention, which promises dashboards but not much else (Item 19). Meanwhile, $6.9 million in unspent homelessness funds were quietly rolled over to the General Fund.
A new job title, Community Forest Supervisor ($133,000 max), was created while street services go understaffed. Prop K upgrades in Lincoln Heights and Highland Park (Item 30) sound good, but the same council approved a lease on a Norwalk parking garage until 2094. That’s not planning. That’s punting to the Jetsons.
Raise the Roof, Not the Rent
Angelenos, this is your city. Your county. Your money. Don’t let the scroll-fluffers and sole-source dealers run the whole show. Get in there. Call in. Make noise. Share this with someone who’s tired of being asked for feedback after the deal’s done.
Look, I get it. No one wants to bark at someone with a Phd and a podcast. But all of these Commissions, including the Measure G Governance Reform Task Force, should be in the business of trust, not team-building.
Let’s save the scrolls for those who took on power and won, not those who quietly inherited it from a treasured partner.
As Mark Ridley-Thomas used to say after denying applause: "No applause! Simply, raise the roof!" (hands lifted, civic touchdown-style).
But if we keep scroll-fluffing the inner circle, the only thing we’ll raise in LA is the rent—and our blood pressure.
How to Live with Yourself (and Everyone Else)
Stay the course...
1. Fight passionately for what matters.
Even when it’s inconvenient. Especially when it’s lonely. If you don’t fight for it, who will?
2. Swim daily, walk far, and bring the dogs.
Motion is peace. Companionship is joy. A good walk solves more than a good therapist—just ask the 100-lb lab, the 50-lb charmer, or the Pembroke with opinions.
3. Honor the bruised eggplant.
Buy what others reject. Cook with what you’ve got. Be grateful you’re not hungry. The art is in the salvage.
4. Treat others the way you want to be bossed around.
With decency, wit, and maybe a snack. No one likes a tyrant. Everyone respects a mensch.
5. Don’t coddle the sick child—help them rise.
Care doesn’t mean fragility. Let the body work. Let the spirit stretch. Over-sanitized hands never built resilience.
6. No matter how strong a swimmer you are, keep an eye on the shore.
Power without perspective is drift. Check your orientation. Make sure you’re swimming toward something real.
7. Love starts with loving yourself.
Nobody has a spotless record. Do the work anyway. Strive for clarity. Live in a way you can live with.
(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.)
