Comments@THE GUSS REPORT-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s poker “tell,” an unintended physical tendency that hints at what lies beneath, is a slight nervous grin when speaking dishonestly in close proximity to others.
It was on display last Thursday when KCBS’s David Goldstein reported on fraudulent fire inspections at the Los Angeles Fire Department, and asked him whether he ordered the removal of LAFD corruption whistleblower Deputy Chief John Vidovich. “I have never had that conversation. Never will. Never have…Categorically false. Never had a conversation,” Garcetti doth protest. For those keeping score, that’s four nevers and a categorically false.
But the reason Garcetti may have repeatedly said conversation is because, according to a well-placed insider, the dirty work may have been conveyed by Garcetti to LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas via Garcetti’s Chief-of-Staff Ana Guerrero.
Garcetti went on to say, “I love John Vidovich. I love my chief. And I let him (Terrazas) manage the department.” That’s two professings of love and a punt, sports fans.
The problem is, if Garcetti allows Terrazas to manage the LAFD, why then did Garcetti – in almost perfect proximity to massive union donations to Garcetti’s re-election campaign – create a post for Vidovich to serve in his office for the remaining few months of his career prior to Vidovich’s upcoming retirement? What would putting Vidovich there accomplish in such a short time…other than to get him out of the union’s way? Does Terrazas create positions for people in the Mayor’s office?
Asked by Goldstein what role money played in his decision to move Vidovich, Garcetti said “zero percent.”
Ahem.
Garcetti has yet to explain whether the fraud allegations, each instance of which would be a felony given the dollar value of each inspection, have been referred to District Attorney Jackie Lacey, or why, specifically, Vidovich was removed if he was doing such a great job exposing the fraud and inefficiency.
Returning those funds to the union or, better, donating them to charitable causes like fighting veteran homelessness or my personal favorite, free spay/neuter in the city’s poorest communities, would be a win-win for all except Vidovich, whose reputation was permanently damaged.
Goldstein’s report was a matter of personal pride for me. CityWatch publisher Ken Draper asked me to look into the story this past summer after the LA Times published what appears to be a now discredited, unbalanced storyline driven by Garcetti’s office.
My original CityWatch story on the subject, which was the first to challenge Garcetti’s claims, led to one by Hillel Aron at the LA Weekly.
And my second article on the subject led to Goldstein’s story.
The Times does not appear to be ready to clearly and directly correct its original story. But that might change sometime next year if the City of Los Angeles writes Vidovich a check with six, perhaps seven, figures on it. But doing so will only compensate Vidovich. It will never make the original public narrative disappear.
If and when that check is cut, Garcetti will say, as politicians always do, “The city denies all wrongdoing, and makes this payment because settling is cheaper than litigating.”
And when he does, Garcetti will grin.
(Daniel Guss, MBA, is a contributor to CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640 and Huffington Post. Follow him on Twitter @TheGussReport. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
‘Phantom’ Fire Inspections: Garcetti Grins, Trips Up Denying Dirty Money on KCBS
