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THAT’S ALL FOLKS - I assume many of you have read the article from the Daily Mail.
Based on Metro's responses, I would suggest that NASA--before it looks for signs of intelligent life on Mars or the Universe--should start here in Los Angeles at Metro's headquarters. Metro had four people respond to this story--three PR People (mouthpieces) and their Chief Planning Officer, Ray Sosa. The article states in 5 different places that I called Metro "Brain Dead"--I was hoping for 6--because like when you buy donuts--buy 6 get the next one free--but that did not happen. Once again Metro speaks without stating actual facts--and continues to mislead the public. Pam Krebs--Metro's public relations officer--stated that "plenty of people wanted a direct stop at UCLA". I'm not exactly sure what plenty of people means--plenty of people don't like hot dogs or pizza or tamales or baseball--so what??--that's a totally meaningless statistic---7,000 submissions out of more than 2 million people is far from scientific and all their surveys are absolutely unscientific--that is far from "mass interest in a direct stop" at UCLA--not to mention that none of the surveys Metro did included people from the zip codes of Bel Air and Sherman Oaks. It's called fixing the deck. By the way STDs for All--I mean STC4 All Coalition is having their fall reception on October 8--they have no idea what this boondoggle will cost or how long it will take to build and where the money will come from to build it--but they are all for it--drum roll--eye roll!! This is simply a front for UCLA to get the public to spend more than $30B+ and counting to get a direct stop--instead of going down the 405 with a spur to UCLA--which clearly can be done in 1/4 of the time at a fraction of the cost--but then again why advocate for that when you have us poor saps--that's the Public to you--pay for it.
Because, I thought it might be interesting, I called Ray Sosa, the Chief Planning Officer of Metro a few days ago--and to be clear, I was very nice. He has clearly watched too many episodes of Hogan's Heroes because he channeled Sgt. Schultz on every question--to remind everyone, Schultz's famous line was" I know nothing". My first question to Ray was why Metro was not being candid with the public--and why do you keep saying you don't know the cost of the tunnels when you do know the approximate cost. His answer and future answers I will paraphrase.... first he would not answer because he said the environmental report wasn't completed-which by the way that will not be done until early 2025--if then--and only three years behind schedule. I reminded him that James dela Loza, the former project manager admitted to me, that the cost of any tunneling will be at least $2B a mile(considering the last mile they completed a few years ago was $1.7B--which Sosa would not even admit to)---and that the Federal Government just signed off on a tunneling project in SF (BART) at $2.1B a mile. I asked him--without holding him to it---if he would he give me at least an approximate cost--based on prior history--he would not--when he and the executive staff clearly know the answer----they have only been on this project for the last eleven years--that's right--ELEVEN!! My next question was why are you afraid of telling the public the truth--no answer; and finally, I said, one can only wondering what you are hiding--again.... silence. My real question for all of you to ponder--is after 11 years of this--if you can't answer a simple question--it leads to two more---1.Why does he still have his job and 2. when is the Board going to hold Metro's executive leadership really accountable--and by that I mean fire all of them--and hire capable, smart executives in their place--how many more screwups and cost overruns, how many more people need to get hurt and how long are we going to let this agency's behavior continue---as constituted, it clearly has no interest in independent oversight. Their latest actions in continuing to ignore the wishes of the public is in Hollywood---where Metro wants to demolish three historic buildings against the direct wishes of the Hollywood Association who clearly opposes it. Do you know why public agencies behave like this--because it has no fear of consequences and believes it can do whatever it wants, no matter how many people, organizations or associations are against particular courses of action. Metro's culture is more than brain dead its Rancid---and an enemy of every citizen in this city. (and for those of you who think I'm being unfair or too tough--not only do I not agree, I think I should be even tougher----this organization has been left alone in its sloth and incompetence for far too long--and if you don't agree with me, let me know why--there isn't one fact I've written that isn't true--and no intelligent person can even begin to justify their behavior) Before I leave this article---my favorite quote came from Pam Krebs in talking about the safety in riding Metro. She actually said, there's a difference between feeling unsafe and feeling uncomfortable. Here's the quote "As a woman that rides the system there's been points I felt uncomfortable, but not unsafe." Should any circus need a contortionist in the future, I will clearly send them her number...everyone is entitled to feel safe on Metro without feeling uncomfortable--we are parsing words here to make up for the rotten leadership and miserable effectiveness of a publicly funded organization. This would actually be really funny if it wasn't so sad--and truly dangerous.
I have one more topic, I want to touch on--and maybe write more on this at a later date I assume we have all read that a group of her constituents is going to try and recall Katy Yaroslavsky. I will not discuss the merits as of now--not one way or the other--her constituents believe that she has ignored them--as it pertains to taking a parcel of land that was used as a community parking lot for the homeless. What's relevant to me--and symptomatic of the whole city---is that our elected leaders have forgotten who has elected them. The exhausted majority have clearly had enough--and I would like to point out the following facts----it takes a lot to build anything in this city--the bureaucracy doesn't make it easy--unless of course you are putting up a tent--and somehow, in some of our elected officials’ minds, 10 tents become a community. That's just plain nonsense.....and whoever recently said these people are our neighbors--well--here's a newsflash for you --they are not. California has 1/3 of the homeless population in America----our policy should change immediately with this simple action--if their id is from another state or jurisdiction, we should send them back. The courts will no longer protect people living on the streets, neither will our Governor and neither should our locally elected politicians--this is a direct message to Lindsay Horvath "Queen of the Homeless"--enough--small houses, county land and move them off the streets--they have no right to live on the streets of LA--no more excuses--and NO MORE MONEY FROM NEW TAXES!!! Billions have been wasted. People who live on the streets are made up of 3 or 4 demographics--and if I've left any group out--I apologize. There are many people who are down on their luck--can't afford housing etc.---the city welfare department used to take care of this group and should continue to do so; then you have the group who needs medical help----we need to provide facilities to assist them--but they cannot continue to live on the streets; and then there are the drug addicts--fentanyl users--and they too need to be removed from the streets---by strong actions if necessary. The streets belong to the people of this city--the decent, hardworking, taxpaying citizens of Los Angeles----I'm not sure why the Homeless was allowed to become an industry--with advocates no less---one of the perils of the barnacles socialism brings---a race to the bottom---how about advocates for the rest of us--who want to go to work, where city safety is paramount, pay our taxes, go home to our families or if single to places we live--and enjoy the lifestyle we choose in a city we love--where are our rights?--and where are our advocates?--we have been silent too long.
I have a suggestion--which will never happen--but it should---Unions go on strike---Hotel Workers now--entertainment workers last year--auto workers before their contracts were negotiated on much better terms---being on strike is American as apple pie--the right for workers to receive a fair wage for work performed---not the socialist drivel that's being fed to a segment of our population (read the dumb article in the LA Times today about the wonders of ULA--and what it has underwhelmingly accomplished. No one from the real estate industry was talked to or how many projects have been moved to other areas and jobs lost in our city because of this significantly ill thought out tax----once again the headline mansionization tax---without recognizing it’s a real estate tax on all residential and commercial projects--a job and project killer). My suggestion--which would be monumentally difficult to accomplish--is for the exhausted majority to go on strike---pick a day in November--every store closed--no one except for essential services goes to work. Let our elected representatives see how disgusted and fed up we are with all of them We want advocates for normalcy and common sense---quality of life--no one living on the streets--safety and security in our city (which means vote Hochman-- Gas "need to be" Gone in November)--that's not a lot to ask for and it’s the right of every citizen to demand and the obligation of every politician to see that happens.
That's all folks...
(Fredric D. Rosen is a retired Businessman who has served on multiple corporate (both public and private) and charitable boards. He was Ticketmaster's CEO for 16 years and was responsible for making it the leading ticket company in the world.)
