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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Supervisor Solis suggested that healthcare workers are leaving their jobs at an alarming rate. Many are paid only minimum wage - making it impossible to attract and retain workers. She was touting SB525 a proposal to set a $25/hour minimum wage, that has support from SEIU-UHW #United4All a union of more than 100,000 California hospital and clinic workers.
There was fierce pushback from hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. The cities of Los Angeles and Downey both approved $25 per hour minimum wages for healthcare workers last year.
Still, on Galentines day, Supervisor Horvath handed out heart-shaped boxes to her sister supervisors.
Galentine's Day is celebrated on Feb. 13, the day before Valentine’s day, to celebrate various other dyads including, female friendships.
The little heart-shaped things, probably chocolate, were accompanied by a card from women who are turning the pain of domestic violence into POWER.
Horvath also hosted and said she “loves having the expertise and advice…” of Zev Yaroslavsky, who visited his old Third District stomping grounds.
Zev is famous in the county for the pilot program in 2008 called Project 50, which aimed at identifying and then providing permanent supportive housing to the 50 people most likely to die on the streets of L.A.'s Skid Row.
But his real mark on the county was the redo of the Hollywood Bowl men’s room, where a classical music enthusiast with a shvantz of ordinary firmness, could take care of business after a round of pension spiking and Brahms!
Lindsey Horvath, who took office in December has selected a new chief of staff: Estevan Montemayor, who was a staffer for Councilmember David Ryu, who lost his reelection in 2020.
Montemayor played a major role in the independent expenditure campaign that supported Bass’ mayoral run, which received major funding from Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Does anyone remember, Shrek? Great franchise.
But not sure that was the Hollywood movie, that Hugo Soto-Martínez, eluded to the other day in council as he threw De Leon right under the bus, to cries of joy from the bus riders union, among others.
“It is not enough for me to win. My enemies must lose.”
David Merrick
Incensed at De Leon, alongside Paul Krekorian and Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Mr. Grabner a member of the public who spoke eloquently about not moving forward with Krekorian’s motion to cleanse by 41.18 enforcement of the North Hollywood Metro station/district office. The NoHo area is a lovely laboratory of good things opposite the Fed Bar. There is also, fast-rising rent and a very robust… arts incubator.
“How dare, Mr. De Leon, speak on the issue of corrupted districting!”
Eres un sinvergüenza, totalmente.” Said Mr. Soto-Martinez (Translation: “You are totally a shameless person.”)
The phones lit up, as people remembered Krekorian dumping three CD2 DEBACLES on Nithya Raman of CD4. Expertly carved… Cut to: Karo Torossian, alleging redistricting fraud, while quietly filling out paperwork for a possible historic run for congress!
The Krekorian sanctimony parade ended but no-one was taken into custody.
We are going have “Chutzpah” fliers translated into multiple languages including but not limited to, “ Tagalog, Armenian,Technical Amendment Talk (TAT), Swedish, Farci, Espanol and Serbo-Croatian…”
Land Users:
There was a report that Ben Besley the angling developer from Midwood who thought he could simply “big time “ Studio City residents about the size and scope of The proposed Sportsmen’s Residences has moved on to greener pastures.
To refresh the memory he overlapped with Eric Garcretti at Columbia University a million years ago, Garcetti, and Krekorian who served on the Ethics commission a million years ago, have done a lot to bring a massive oversized Residence to replace a classic midcentury modern hotel.
It was a massive bait and switch, but Besley is one of those guys, who doesn’t care... the state laws, he calmly argued will validate the Midwood proposal.
Like the “pursuit parades” that local authorities underwrite nightly … spewing toxic noise and air pollution over neighborhoods so the assignment desk editor for KCAL can dial up the big bird and take someone into custody.
What does Krekorian care about a bait and switch at the Coldwater canyon chokepoint? Raman’s problem. He already cut the TOT taxes and a ribbon or two.
What does Krekorian care about Harvard Westlake eating the local Golf Course? Raman’s problem. He’ll help because you need deep pockets to run for congress, silly.
What does Krekorian care about an enormous High School regulation-sized basketball court in the open space of the Studio City Recreation Center? He’ll be in Washington getting the money!
Brad Sherman, already dragged federal dollars in to fund the toxic cockblock of a precious local amenity. If the awful project ever takes off, we should name it the Brad Sherman. How tone deaf can one man, with such a basso profound voice be? Very!
The Moving Parts:
Yashar Ali asked his followers about great political movies…on Twitter and the Twittersphere did not disappoint.
For casting, Montemayor who served as Horvath’s campaign manager and has recently been leading her transition team, could squeeze in to check a few boxes.
And also, in the category of young and playing to the demos, is CA State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who now says he will not be entering the race for CD 10 - as was rumored in political circles.
For those who recall, Bryan came in super-outraged at the blatant politics of City Hall as Nury Martinez set the table for her most trusted advisor, Paul Krekorian to protect the corridor.
And one great example of insularity and solidarity is the announcement by County Sheriff Robert Luna, proving that he is a total team player, by going to the bench and sticking US Attorney for the Central District Eileen Decker, in there as his constitutional policing advisor.
Nice credit, but she was an LAPD police commissioner for four and a half years, from 2018 to February 7, 2023, so not exactly fresh eyes.
“This is an incredible Department, but like any organization, we can always do better,” Luna said.
Yes.
Election!
I landed on the Alexander Payne classic, made off of the 1998 novel Election by Tom Perrotta. Reese Witherspoon played Tracy Flick.
Tracy, was an ultra-ambitious high school junior, preparing for an easy election to the office of student body president after three years of extracurricular toil.
Her assumption that she would run unopposed is dashed when two challengers enter the race.
One, Paul Metzler, a friendly and popular athlete, sidelined from the football team by a skiing accident.
He thanks the lord in one sequence. “Dear God, than you for all your blessings. You've given me so many things, like good health, nice parents, a nice truck, and what I'm told is a large penis.’
His sister, Tammy captured the Soto-Martinez narrative, in her hilarious speech!
Incidentally, Mr. Soto-Martinez would be a be a good council member to lift up the voices of EVERYONE who agree that the George Lucas and Melody Hobson understand the importance of the NARRATIVE museum, that we handed them in Exposition Park, being FREE.
Tammy Metzler : “Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it's going to change anything around here? Make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected. The same pathetic charade happens every year, and everyone makes the same pathetic promises just so they can put it on their transcripts to get into college. So vote for me, because I don't even want to go to college, and I don't care, and as president I won't do anything. The only promise I will make is that if elected I will immediately dismantle the student government, so that none of us will ever have to sit through one of these stupid assemblies again!”
And the place goes wild…
4C: Counting County Counsel Costs:
When I detected that a California Public Records Act ("CPRA") lawsuit had been filed by the Los Angeles Times ("Plaintiff") against the County and was being settled for nearly half a million dollars plus another $250,000 in fees to the county's lawyers for battling back the newspaper, I had to know. Why and what for?
The County Counsel promised to share the settlement agreement but I could not wait. A lawyer from the Times informed me that the case goes all the way back to 2016. So, that's Sheriff Jim McDonnell territory. The County had been trying to charge the LA Times thousands of dollars in staff time to search for and redact public records.
The LA Times argued successfully that the County was wrong to charge the paper in excess of the direct cost of duplication for public records.
It’s an important principle because public records requesters would be chilled from making requests if they had to pay many thousands of dollars to receive public records. (The California Supreme Court stated in the NLG v. Hayward case while this case was pending that public agencies cannot charge staff time to redact records.)
The requests at issue sought (i) emails involving then-LA Sheriff’s detective Mark Lilienfeld, who was the subject of this LA Times article in late 2016 about a strange investigation involving him and LA Superior Court Judge Craig Richman; and (ii) emails containing 54 terms that could be used in racist or derogatory emails sent, received or forwarded by members of the LA Sheriff’s Department command staff (the request came after the LA Sheriff’s Department chief of staff had resigned in the wake of LA Times reporting that he had sent emails mocking Muslims and others).
According to the Times, the trial court initially ruled that LA County couldn’t charge the paper for staff time to search for and redact the Lilienfeld emails, but could charge for staff time to search for the potentially racist or derogatory emails.
The Court of Appeal issued an alternative writ, and rather than have the proceedings go back to the Court of Appeal, the trial court changed its ruling to state that LA County could not charge the Times to search for or redact the potentially racist or derogatory emails.
To avoid further briefings and arguments about attorneys’ fees, LA County and the LA Times agreed to settle the fee issues. California has mandatory fee-shifting in public records cases won by requesters.
LA County has agreed to pay the Times attorneys’ fees and costs that the paper incurred to vindicate the LA Times and the public’s right to access public records. Case closed.
Who?
Paul Krekorian adores State Laws, especially the weak ones, like the Brown Act. There are so many loopholes these days. For instance, regarding: virtual testimony.
Two meetings in a row, my adorable little blinking phone number was never called for testimony.
Why?
Because, and Krekorian announced this, “we’ve already taken over an hour of in-person… and we’ll take five or ten minutes from the phones?
Who to select? Who to deselect?
"What we’re really talking about is, who does this city really represent?” Hugo Soto-Martínez
Parting Shot:
Lindsay Horvath, took on Dan Yukelson of the apartment association. She accused him of Characterizing millennial and younger renters as if they were people, “sitting on a pile of money and we’re just misspending.“
She said, “what’s going on is student debt, high rent, soaring home prices…”
She didn’t mention Ubers, Coffees and Erewhon? Or high entrance fees to museums — say, Supervisor Horvath, will George Lucas and Melody Hobson be inviting the public to his narrative museum for free?
(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)