CommentsERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Bad Bunny has been the most-streamed artist in the world for three years in a row.
The streaming platform Spotify revealed Wednesday that the reggaeton sensation is the first musician to pull off a global Spotify hat trick. Impressive.
Rounding out the global top five artists this year were Taylor Swift, Drake, the Weeknd and BTS.
Bad Bunny was the third most-streamed artist in the United States, behind No. 1 Drake and No. 2 Swift.
It's a little like local government.
This is why I was enthused to see that we're bringing in Daniel Tarica, or I guess promoting him technically, as he's been there forever, to be the jefe of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Cool. I'm going to recuse myself here on account of my brilliant Schindler Letter project, which got slightly dampened during the "excessive contribution dunk tank" period, but should spring back to life now that Hugo Soto Martinez, who I have not yet met, got elected. cc Raman!
We could have an early reading in the old theater at Studio City Recreation Center, currently facing potential doom in the face of a giant net zero Harvard Westlake production...
Sir, you're disrupting the meeting.
Fine. Anyway, hello, Mr. Tarica.
I thought of DCA when I read about Little Secret in the LA Times, which has been host to a plethora of music-comedy variety shows as well as evenings dedicated to platforming such organizations as the LA Tenants Union, Stripper Strike Noho, and L.A. City Council candidate Hugo Soto-Martínez.
Oooh, political entertainment. Go on...
The perfect setting for organizers and people who desperately want to make a change and build relationships with each other. I know, Studio City Recreation Center. It’s an older design with oodles of midcentury charm.
Being There:
It's critical to go, even though the City and County make it as unpleasant as possible. You have to be engaged, you have to confront people. Who?
Well, all of them; Koretz, Price, Blumenfield. As Ai weiwei famously said, “I call on people to be 'obsessed citizens,' forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.”
I’m trying to find a way back.
I could take the metro, which met on Thursday and have a distracting blinky billboard matter on the agenda, but it's buried on consent. I think it was continued.
Krekorian has been a little elf working during the holiday time to reduce the people's time. Like Orwell’s chocolate example. He rolls out his generous offer of one minute per day of hearings per speaker, even though he claims the Brown Act only requires him to give sixty seconds on the whole shebang, including all of the budget hearings.
For reasons that may be litigated so we look forward to checking in on Feldstein-Soto's read on it, the Chair of Budget and finance has thrown a hail Mary by claiming that the 38 departments and their budgets are one item, not to mention the Port, the LADWP and the Airport.
One.
Ein
один
Uno
No mas. fortunately, because Krekorian is such a good and faithful servant to the public, he will give several opportunities.
Why can't each department address the committee and public -- Krekorian has nixed that process because it takes to much time and he and Blumenfield and Price and Rodriquez and Mr. De Leon--
"Sir, you're disrupting the meeting."
We need reports from Department heads, Sir. Then, there's public comments and comments from the committee, and then the next item.
And if you post a schedule that's reasonable, people can make plans to be at the location or virtually during the time afforded for LAPD or Recs and Park, or those sneaky bastards at the Bureau of Engineering.
They're all entitled to and expect real public scrutiny, alongside the public.
Hopefully, Mayor Bass will explain.
Creche Talk:
A man this morning walked barefoot through Studio City in a biblical robe. It must be holiday time.
Later that day, I overheard a discussion at the creche on the corner of PCH in Malibu. It’s caged like the staff-only restroom at the universal city metro station.
The Nightman said, that if Paul Koretz could be awarded the ‘scapegoater in chief’ award for his shameful participation in the dirty-lie dba Skirball Cooking fire, Paul Krekorian can certainly be considered for Gaslighter in Chief award this year.
The guy in the robe agreed, “Kathryn Barger gets executive producer credit with Koretz for her refusal when shown the facts to retract her dog-whistling.”
“As a member of the Five wise men—"
“There were three wise men, count 'em, three,” said the Nightman.
“Well, there were five little kings,” the guy in the robe quipped.
“I'm talking about the Board of Supervisors,” the Nightman said.
“They're women,” quipped the robed guy.
“So, it’s Three wise women…” the Nightman shrugged.
“That's debatable, there are two for sure. Let’s see!”
Tuesday, December 6, Lindsay Horvath checks in to the Kenn Hahn Hall of Administration.
"Relax, " said the night man "We are programmed to receive, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”
Bored of Supervisors News:
The Board of Supervisors announced among more than 100 items, that they will continue to hold its Regular Meetings at 9:30 am every other week, with certain exceptions. That’s a fifty percent reduction from the way it used to be.
A Public Hearing meeting or Special Closed Session Meeting will be held on those Tuesdays when there is no Regular Meeting at 9:30 a.m. or at 1:00 p.m. following a Monday holiday.
The Board’s meeting calendar is available online at: https://bos.lacounty.gov/
The Board of Supervisors are cancelling the following Board Meetings:
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Tuesday, December 26, 2023;
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Last year it was even worse:
January 4, 2022
March 22, 2022
April 4 May 31
August 16
August 23
December 27
The city has also adjusted its posted recesses for the next year.
Surprisingly, but not really, because their abnegation was so shocking, but this year they are reducing the number of egregious recesses from 63 days to just 52 days.
This does not consider the recent motion by Paul Krekorian for a one-week extension of the recess.
This should ensure that he can serve as the head elf during the upcoming Christmas party.
He and Strefan Fauble his fussy wingman, are expecting a standing ovation for their brave fight to be sure that the public can be heard… Pff
They deserve everything they get in the way of recognition.
The big difference is mostly nomenclature, there is a new Thanksgiving recess, and recesses for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kipuur, and EID Ramadan have been dropped for 2023. And the council is planning to work through the December 9 - 18 recess
City Sparks:
The SouthPark writers should check out City Council meetings these days. Or Seth MacFarlane, might spark to the recent emphasis on getting the City council to shut down the pony rides in Griffith Park and Koretz cathecting about Billy the elephant.
For satirists, there really is nothing finer than to see the brave first responders handling the public.
Paul Krekorian regrets it, this time, but there is simply one item on the city council agenda, and it’s not the one he wants: Disrupting the meeting
One speaker during city council this week was testifying and describing a horrifying hate crime she’d endured in general public comment.
Not only were the council members checked out and not listening, but the chief legislative analysts’ chief operating asshole, Avak Keohtian, walked right in from of her like she was disrupting him.
Appalling. Get some rest.
Here’s a short selection from this week’s proceedings in the chambers.
“The person in the black mask sitting on the left is disrupting our meeting.”
“The two women standing on the right should be removed.”
“They've continued to disrupt after several warnings.”
“You are here ordered excluded under council rules 12 and 7.”
“Whoever is clapping is ordered to stop.”
“Please identify which person is whistling. Which person is whistling? Stop whistling, immediately. Whoever is whistling…”
It seemed for a moment like Mr. Krekorian, who is normally fearless in the face of any wrongdoing, was going to cry.
"It's the older man with the beard." the city attorney said.
" No, let's leave it to the sergeants to decide, Mr. City Attorney."
“Stop whistling immediately. The person on my left in the red shirt is actively disrupting the meeting.”
“The man continuing to walk in the center aisle, despite arguing, despite being escorted to the door by the sergeants.”
“There is a gentleman shouting.”
"The woman who has been warned is now using a cowbell... “
“Order, her excluded,"
“Please, stop ringing your cowbell... “
“Madame please leave, quietly now.”
“She's not. She's taking her time.”
“The responsive chanting in response to the exclusion of the woman with the cowbell. Everyone who is actively chanting is ordered to stop under council rule 12. The responsive chanting is actually disruptive... all responders, who are chanting are breaking the rules.”
“Please leave the room… Sir, you're ordered excluded.”
Fauble: “He's moving and shouting as he goes... sorry it's delaying us further.”
“Alright, Madame Clerk. Mr. Reedy, please be silent, he's ordered excluded, Sir, you're ordered excluded from this meeting for causing an actual disruption.”
“You need to stop disrupting this meeting so that the city council can proceed with its business. He continues to shout as he's being escorted out...
Alright, Madame Clerk.
The Sergeants are going to go out on strike.
Chief of Staff:
Signaling that everything is A-OK Karen Bass invited Garcetti's team to put in for an extra couple of months.
The Road is long, the party never ends so those who opt-in can remain in their jobs through April. If they promise not to rock the boat as the mayor makes his 244th push to get confirmed for India, dunno…maybe a “Gift Card?”
Salon posted a nail-in-the-coffin that seemed to close the door on Garcetti and his parent's attempt to start the passage to India.
But the India job is looking more and more like it’s in the rearview mirror. Why not look forward to the Olympics?
Karen Bass brought in Chris Thompson, the government affairs guy from LA28.
He has an admirable pedigree, in addition to the Olympics, he’s been with Southern California Edison/Edison International and served on the Board of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the PBS SoCal/Public Media Group of Southern California.
And working for Casey Wasserman, a king in the crass sports marketing game, sort of like Irving Azoff and the highly influential people, who hired Mitchell Englander (spit up in mouth) before we realized he was being squeezed out by the feds.
Thompson was also the chief of staff for Dianne Feinstein. Jeffrey Millman, a Harvard Westlake guy, who worked for Garcetti, the LA28... and took a short hiatus to manage the big Kahuna, Dianne Feinstein’s re-election campaign: the untitled destroy Kevin De Leon project.
I met Millman once when he was in the Mayor's office. Mitchell Englander was gaslighting a diligent member of the public and Millman jumped in to try to help.
And they didn’t destroy Mr. De Leon but he was soundly pounded down by Feinstein, who has reportedly lost her mind.
This raises the question, was Mr. Thompson, the man behind the curtain pulling the strings for the Senator who has allegedly faded into a state of 'administrative Alzheimers?
Why a federal government hack (not meant as an insult) to run the city of LA?
Why not?
Rob Quan, said, “This is [her] chief of the staff — the chief of staff controls access,” raising questions about how that access might play out for powerful local interests.
Zach Seidl, Bass's spokesperson said that Thompson “will not participate in matters regarding the Olympics for the first year of his service.”
A spokesperson for LA28 confirmed that Thompson’s last day with the organization would be Friday.
Oh, FFS, that's weird.
(Eric Preven is a longtime community activist and is a contributor to CityWatch. The opinions expressed by Eric Preven are solely his and not the opinions of CityWatch)