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Thu, Mar

Cargo Volumes at SoCal’s Twin Ports at All-Time High … So, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

AT LENGTH-Not much crosses the waterfront in Southern California’s twin ports that isn’t in the jurisdiction of the International Longshore Workers Union. Every kind of commodity and product, legal or not, comes here from around the world — 42 percent of all imports into the United States, to be exact. What could possibly go wrong? 

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Garcetti Commish Dodges His Debt

@THE GUSS REPORT-As the City of Los Angeles prepares to issue costly citations for anyone whose dog is unlicensed, providing no amnesty for unpaid licenses from the past, it should issue its first citation to LA Police Commission Vice President Steve Soboroff, who pledged last year (after being shown that he was decades behind in licensing) that he paid for all dog licenses he owed – he has had 10 dogs over the past 20 years – while refusing to provide the receipts showing exactly how much he paid and for what

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How to Fight Off Densification: Skyscraper Farming, Virtual Presence and Electric Cars!

CORRUPTION WATCH-We complain when we’re dissatisfied but we insist on ignoring Pogo who identified the origin of our problems: ourselves. More specifically, our refusal to think about the future allows others to plan our lives for us. Surprise! They’re choosing what is best for their pocketbooks and not what enhances our lives. Here are some things we should be discussing while the Davos Set makes their own plans for our lives. 

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Will the George Lucas Museum Succeed or Fail? The Answer Hangs on One Question!

THE PREVEN REPORT--What to make of George Lucas' forthcoming museum of narrative art?  Recently approved by the Mayor and City Council of Los Angeles, and blessed by the County Board of Supervisors, the museum will be erected adjacent to the California Science Center, the California African American Museum and the Museum of Natural History.  

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Harvard-Westlake is Digging Itself Into a Major Environment Controversy … Resistance Mounts

DEEGAN ON LA---Predating by centuries, the existence of the Harvard-Westlake School, an institution that itself is over 100 years old, is the adjacent Coldwater Canyon mountainside they intend to invade with a new development project. It is a home and habitat for a variety of wildlife as part of the known wildlife corridor running East of the 405 through the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s also the home of a rare Oak/Walnut habitat. 

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On Vote Trading Pacts and Enron Accounting in LA

CORRUPTION WATCH-Some Angelenos are upset over the pay-to-play nature of Los Angeles City Hall, according to a recent article in the LA Times. They have labored under the misapprehension that if reformers spend all their time and energy limiting the money developers may give to the mayor and councilmembers, this will somehow magically fix what’s wrong at City Hall. Wrong! 

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Policing & Teaching: Union Rules Protect Workers at the Public’s Expense

THE COST OF UNION POWER-America’s public school systems are notorious for their rubber rooms.  That’s where teachers deemed unfit to work in a classroom pass the time as their disciplinary actions or terminations move through the convoluted system. This can take years, and while it does, the teachers collect their full paychecks as they twiddle their thumbs. It’s a vestige of our union-dominated school system, which has so many protections (for teachers, not kids) that it’s nearly impossible to fire bad actors. 

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The “Just-No-Money-for-That” Blues 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-Although I have taken the Los Angeles Times to task for its coverage of local planning issues, especially when it became a mouthpiece for the no on S campaign, on Sunday, July 30, 2017, the paper got it right. So, hats off to investigative reporters Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahnizer. 

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The Big Chill

PREVEN PAPERS--Here’s the message Darren Martinez, the City Attorney in charge of matters relating to the Neighborhood Council system, sent on August 1st to every Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) in connection with what has turned out to be a postponed vote on the Harvard-Westlake School’s plans to build a multi-story parking structure across the street from their campus in Coldwater Canyon: 

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Breaking! The Big Chill

PREVEN PAPERS--Here’s the message Darren Martinez, the City Attorney in charge of matters relating to the Neighborhood Council system, sent this afternoon to every Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council (SCNC) in connection with a vote tomorrow night on the Harvard-Westlake School’s plans to build a multi-story parking structure across the street from their campus in Coldwater Canyon: 

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California’s Housing Shortage Epidemic … Some Suggested Cures

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--Sorry, Utah.

And apologies to the rest of the West. California’s epidemic shortage of housing hasn’t just sickened our own state—by driving up prices, forcing residents into rentals and onto the street, and putting a $140 billion annual drag on the Golden State’s economy. The disease is spreading to our neighbors, too.

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Does the Middle Class Have a Future in Los Angeles?

PERSPECTIVE--Recently I read Richard Florida's book, The New Urban Crisis. Among the critical issues he identifies is the decline of the middle class in our urban centers. What his research found was that the middle class is the smallest in the most economically vibrant places, in particular, what he defines as "superstar cities" and tech hubs. Los Angeles was identified as one of these urban areas where the middle class is the smallest.

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Fright Club: Trump’s Troops Invade Blue LA County

CAP & MAIN REPORT--When I read that some right-wing agitators had gone to Cudahy to disrupt a city council meeting, I thought, “Why?” What’s the point of going to a public meeting in the second smallest city in Los Angeles County to create a nasty scene? But after reading a June Capital & Main piece by Robin Urevich, I realized these people chose Cudahy precisely because the town is small, Latino and a self-proclaimed “sanctuary city.” The hecklers have also attended other council meetings in the area.

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