CommentsRANTZ & RAVEZ-FBI Investigations into LA City Hall corruption involving elected and appointed officials and developers, and the recent arrests of two veteran Councilmembers, suggest there are additional investigations brewing at City Hall.
With an annual salary of nearly $214,000 along with many perks, you might think that only people possessing the core values of honesty and integrity would consider entering the political arena and work for municipal government. But apparently, that has not been the case for everyone engaged in city employment.
Long ago, ATF Special Agent Elliot Ness and the “Untouchables” went after Al Capone and others who broke the law. And now, many years later, we see FBI agents, along with U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna and his team, going after corruption at LA City Hall and beyond. When today’s FBI agents arrive in their raid jackets, people pay attention. The word spreads fast throughout the LA region and around the country.
Former Councilmember and Reserve LAPD Officer Mitchell Englander pled guilty following his arrest on political corruption charges . . .without going to trial. That is very unusual and demonstrates there must be a strong case against him. On the other hand, Councilman Jose Huizar has asked for a federal Public Defender to represent him as he prepares to fight multiple corruption charges. As we know, the justice system is slow and cumbersome in the best of times. But today, with COVID-19, our entire criminal justice system has slowed to a glacier pace.
While some members of the City Council and other high-ranking City officials have been implicated in numerous forms of corruption, including the Office of the City Attorney, federal investigators have kept busy with search warrants and “raids” at various locations and at least one residence.
Los Angeles has attempted to keep a watchful eye out for corruption at City Hall with its LA City Ethics Commission -- an expensive City bureaucracy that is basically useless in uncovering corruption. This commission levies fines for various technical violations that are not even close to corruption. One former commissioner of the Ethics Commission was recently taken to court and removed from running for a council seat, in violation of the restriction required after resigning from a City commission. Talk about dishonesty and lack of character!
There is also the Controller’s Office. Controller Ron Galperin has done a good job with his personnel in conducting audits. Unfortunately, the Mayor and council usually dismiss the findings brought forward by Galperin. If given additional resources and investigators, the Controller’s Office could launch more probes and be a useful tool in uncovering City Hall corruption.
Councilman David Ryu has introduced a motion calling on the City to considering establishing “The Transparency Office” to handle corruption at City Hall – another multi-million-dollar department to try and keep dishonest people honest. The Office of Anti-Corruption and Transparency would oversee, investigate, and be able to subpoena City officials. It is also proposed that an Inspector General be established for Land Use and Development. We will see where this motion goes. Since the City is running on limited and reduced funding, is it time to create a new department to keep elected officials honest -- which will cost millions of dollars to operate?
Defund the police and you may be the next victim.
As of August 8, 2020, the LAPD has been reduced to 9,922 officers. On July 4, 2020, the Department was at 9,991 officers. As you can see, the LAPD is following the direction of the Mayor who called officers “KILLERS” and the majority of the City Council called for reducing the number of officers and tightening the belt with the reduction in funding.
As of August 8, homicides are up + 17.2% and GTA is up + 34.2%.
Now for some good news. . .
Rents in Los Angeles are falling, even for luxury buildings. COVID-19 has helped reduce rents here and in other cities across America. In downtown LA, the rent for a 566 sq. ft. one-bedroom unit that went for $2,286 a month is now $1,771. If you are in the market for a new residence, it might be time to check out current rents.
Please remain healthy and try to remember the “Good Old Days” when you could go out to dinner and not wear a mask.
(Dennis P. Zine is a former and retired LAPD Supervisor, former and retired 12-year Los Angeles City Councilman and current General Manager at Bell Canyon in Ventura County.) Photo: Genaro Molina / LA Times. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
