Council District 5 Debate - The Choice Seems Obvious - Part 1

Part 1 of the Council 5 debates between David Vahedi and Paul Koretz, Courtesy of NBC

Council District 5 Debates - The Choice Seems Obvious - Part 2

Part 2 of the Debate between David Vahedi and Paul Koretz

David Vahedi Council District 5

Please help us in supporting David for Council District 5.

Many fellow Obama supporters have joined the fight to make much needed changes to this District. He is a true community organizer and not just another career politician.

If you would like to meet David or just hear what he wants to do for LA, you can attend one of the events listed below:

UCLA Forum (KABC-TV)-
April 20th,
7:30-8:30pm
Grand Saloon at UCLA

Westwood HOA Forum-
April 28th,
6:30-9pm
St. Paul Apostle Catholic Church
10750 Ohio Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90024

California Country Club HOA Forum-
May 18th, 6:30-9:30pm
Beverly Hills Country Club
3084 Motor Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90064


-Daily News endorsed David saying, "Vahedi's pledge to focus on city infrastructure and cut the number of land-use rule variances to developers will be music to the ears of those concerned about overdevelopment - and a welcome change from the way City Hall currently throws out the rules for the well-connected. " Check out his website.

Prop 1A - A Letter of Support from Assembly GOP Leader Mike Villines????

Seriously??? Rainy day money??? This is a ploy to con voters into believing that there is some kind of rainy day slush fund that can be created. From where does this slush fund come you ask?

Capping spending. Capping spending for the State of California right now is like saying, "I won't pay any of the bills that require me to stay afloat. I won't pay my electric bill, my phone bill, my mortgage... that will balance my budget. No, that will just get your lights and your phone turned off and you kicked out of your home.

That's just plain crazy. There is NO DISCRETIONARY INCOME!

At the end of the day as much as we all hate the idea, California needs to raise taxes. Period. Obama told us we would need to make sacrifices. The Governator needs to stop being the Stubornator!

We cannot allow Republicans who talk with glee about the failure of California behind closed doors to continue to hold us hostage.

Read Villines' letter below:

April 17, 2009

(Forward by Kevin Yamamura)
Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines made his case for Proposition 1A in a letter sent Friday to members of the California Republican Party executive committee ahead of its weekend endorsement meeting.

Villines reminds Republicans that he "came up through the conservative ranks of our party." His argument is essentially that Republicans shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. While Proposition 1A has its flaws, he writes that the reality is that "liberals" control the Legislature and that "we have to fight to make important gains where gains can be made."

But as Flash Report editor and CRP vice chairman Jon Fleischman notes, a vote against Proposition 1A is "a virtual certainty."

Villines' letter follows after the jump:
April 17, 2009
Dear Fellow Republican,
As you probably know, I came up through the conservative ranks of our party, and I spent many weekends walking precincts for Republicans who, like me, believe that our party is the best hope for the American taxpayer.

And, now more than ever, Republicans need to stand firm on protecting taxpayers - which includes ending once and for all the spending binge that Sacramento has been on for the past decade. The fact is that the lessons over the past decade have taught us that we must attack the spending problem at its source. Going budget-to-budget in a piecemeal fashion has only resulted in more spending and debt.

Instead, we need wholesale changes that will provide a permanent solution to stop the spending madness and force our government to finally live within its means. Only then will taxpayers be truly protected, which is why many conservatives are joining me in supporting Proposition 1A.
Now, I know that we'll debate this issue at the upcoming Republican Party Executive Committee meeting. And I know that there are some Republicans who are unhappy because the passage of Proposition 1A also consummates the recently enacted budget deal that included temporary tax increases. The reality is that the liberals already have enough votes to continue their dominance in Sacramento, which means that Republicans cannot achieve a 100% victory. Instead, we have to fight to make important gains where gains can be made.

Proposition 1A represents a significant victory for taxpayers at a time when our state needs it most. Proposition 1A ties the hands of legislative liberals, and it forces our budget into a fixed formula and a hard spending cap. That means, for the first time in decades, that liberals will have to make tough spending choices and cut their pet projects.

It also means the taxpayers will no longer be treated like a giant ATM machine. Consider this fact: if we had Prop 1A in place today, our state would not be $31 billion in the red. Instead, our state would have a much more manageable $5.4 billion budget gap. That means that during the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, Proposition 1A would have ensured that our budget gap was manageable. That's the proof that Proposition 1A protects taxpayers.
Here's the bottom line: without Proposition 1A, taxpayers will continue to be subjected to the spending whims of the liberal majority, and based on past history, that means more debt&hellipand higher taxes. While some of my fellow conservatives decry that the solution is not perfect, we also need to remember that our ability to influence the process is not absolute.
Proposition 1A represents wholesale changes in our state's spending habits. And, believe me, in this tough economy, we can no longer afford the tax-and-spend mentality in Sacramento that has driven businesses from our state.

I hope you will join me in supporting Proposition 1A. Please take the time to understand this issue and consider the options - especially the consequences - if we don't pass a spending cap and if there's no change in Sacramento.

Proposition 1A gives taxpayers the protection we need. As Republicans, we need to grasp this opportunity to deliver real change.

Sincerely,

Mike VillinesAssemblyman 29th District
_____________________________________

We need to fight for our state and that means calling the representatives who are holding back real solutions and holding them accountable.

Be the Change!

Los Angeles, March 3rd Election - Full List of Candidate and Measure Endorsements

March 3rd-Local

Elections

Below are LAG4O's Endosements for LA's Local Election. Our picks coincide with the LA County Democratic Party with exception of 4 Seats (City Attorney, Mayor, Council 5, School Board Seat 6.

RED denotes folks for who we want to give special support

CANDIDATES (*Incumbent)

Azusa City Council
Paul Naccachian

Beverly Hills City Council
Barry Brucker*
Linda Briskman*
William Brien

Calabasas City Council
Mary Sue Maurer*

Carson City Mayor
Jim Dear*

Carson City Council
No Endorsement

Cerritos City Council
Chris Fuentes
Mark Pulido

Claremont City Council
Larry Schroeder

Commerce City Council
No Endorsement

Covina City Council
Rosie Fabian
Tom Palmari

Gardena City Clerk
Donesia Gause

Gardena City Council
Steve Bradford*

Glendora City Council
Kristin Parisi

Los Angeles City Mayor
No Endorsement (See Commentary on The LAG4O Blog)

Los Angeles City Attorney
Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich (See LA Times Article on our Blog)

Los Angeles City Controller
Wendy Greuel

Los Angeles City Council
Dist. 1 Ed Reyes*
Dist. 5 David Vahedi
Dist. 9 Jan Perry*
Dist. 11 Bill Rosendahl*
Dist. 13 Eric Garcetti*
Dist. 15 Janice Hahn*

Los Angeles Community College District
Seat 2 Angela Reddock*
Seat 4 Kelly Candaele*
Seat 6 Greg Akili
Seat 7 Miguel Santiago*

Los Angeles Unified School District
Dist. 2 Monica Garcia*
Dist. 4 Steve Zimmer
Dist. 6 Nury Martinez

Monterey Park City Council
David Lau*
Sharon Martinez*

Paramount City Council
Jaime Guerrero

Pasadena City Council
Dist. 5 Victor Gordo*
Dist. 7 Terry E. Tornek

Pasadena Unified School District
Dist. 3 Terri Darr
Dist. 5 Ramon Miramontes
Dist. 7 Ed Honowitz*

Redondo Beach City Attorney
Tory Erickson

Redondo Beach City Council
Dist. 2 Diane Cagle

Redondo Beach Unified School District
Drew Gamet*
Todd Loewenstein*

Rosemead City Council
Henry Lo
John Nunez*
John Tran*

San Gabriel City Council
Kevin Sawkins*

Signal Hill City Council
Mike Noll*
Edward Villanueva
Ellen Ward*

South Gate City Treasurer
Belen Bernal

West Hollywood City Council
John Duran*
Jeffrey Prang*

BALLOT MEASURES

City of Bellflower
Utility Tax Measure – YES

City of Beverly Hills
Measure P - NO - Utility Tax Measure

City of Cudahy
Utility Tax Measure – YES

City of Carson
Utility Tax Measure – YES

City of Gardena
Utility Tax Measure – YES

City of Glendora
Utility Tax Measure – YES

City of La Habra Heights
Measure G – YES – Extend the Gann Limit Amendment for 4 Years

City of La Mirada
Measure A - NO - Transient Occupancy Tax

City of Los Angeles
Charter Amendment A – YES – Fire Department Independent Assessor

Charter Amendment B – NO – (See LA Times Article on the LAG4O Blog) Solar Energy and Job Creation Program

Charter Amendment C – YES – Disabled Children Survivor Benefit of the Fire and Police Pension Plan

Charter Amendment D – YES – Survivor Benefit Purchase Program for Retirees of the Fire and Police Pension Plan

Charter Amendment E – NO – Economic Incentives for Business Development

City of Redondo Beach
Measure A – YES – Utility Tax Measure

City of San Gabriel
Measure to Eliminate Elected City Clerk and Elected City Treasurer – NO

Help Catch The Lawn Sign Thief - Lesson in Grassroots Democracy: David Vahedi Council District 5

Lawn sign stealing on a City Council Race????

$1,600 worth of lawn signs have been stolen over the last couple of weeks from supporters of David Vahedi. Residents became increasingly frustrated as the signs they put up quickly disappeared from their lawns.

Some enterprising activists decided to push back catching the thief on video!





Help us identify the culprit! Email info@lagrassroots4obama.com if you recognize the thief.

Villaraigosa, the All About Me Mayor, Is Still 11 Percent There

This artcle seems to articulate the sentiment and confirms the suspicions of most Anglenos these days...

LA Weekly
By Patrick Range McDonald
published: January 01, 2009

For months, many average citizens and members of the press wondered if Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was turning out to be mostly talk. He frequently held staged press conferences devoid of news, launched, with great flourish, initiatives that went nowhere and flew off to places like Chicago and New York to raise money for his own re-election. Several of his touted projects — including planting one million trees, dramatically slashing congestion with synchronized lights, identifying the Top 10 Worst Gangs, turning Pico and Olympic boulevards into one-way streets, making L.A. the greenest U.S. city, turning around the schools, or hiring 1,000 more police — had backfired, come up short or just vanished.

In September, L.A. Weekly delved into claims that the mayor was indeed busy — but not with a mayor’s core duties of improving city government or a city’s quality of life. He has claimed, to national and global news outlets, that he puts in strenuous 16-hour days in deep commitment to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News and local TV news operations accepted that claim by Villaraigosa with little question.

The Weekly acquired copies of the mayor’s personal daily schedule covering a roughly 10-week period. We unearthed a jarringly different story: Villaraigosa spends just 11 percent of his time on city business — a fact that shocked many and turned L.A. Weekly’s cover story, “The All About Me Mayor: Antonio Villaraigosa’s Frenetic Self-promotion Leaves Little time for His Job,” into one of 2008’s most popular stories, picked up by media outlets globally.

That must have smarted, because on December 26 Villaraigosa lashed out at us in a Los Angeles Daily News story by Rick Orlov, criticizing L.A. Weekly for relying on his “public calendar” in which, Villaraigosa insisted to Orlov, much of his mayoral elbow work was not revealed.

Does this mean Villaraigosa keeps two books — one showing that he barely does any real work, as we reported to his chagrin in September, and one showing that he does plenty of real city business? Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo responds to us that the mayor “misspoke” to Orlov and the Daily News. Szabo says we have the real, accurate, full mayoral schedule. There is no other.

And what of Villaraigosa's additional claim to Orlov that the Weekly erroneously reported he has failed to conduct the basic work of a mayor — we showed that he holds almost no policy meetings or department head meetings or other activities that make up the core duties of an involved mayor — because, as Villaraigosa told the Daily News, he conducts official city business "privately," and the Weekly was not provided those private examples?

Again, Szabo says, the mayor "misspoke." There are no other examples of the mayor conducting actual city business, he does not have any "private examples" to burnish his workday, and the mayor's private calendar, published online by the Weekly in September (see a pdf of it here) is accurate.

Our assessment of his roughly 10 weeks of work, much of which we independently confirmed and nailed down in 15-minute intervals, revealed a mayoralty unlike anything Los Angeles has seen in the modern era.

His schedule reveals that Villaraigosa uses the Office of the Mayor as a promotional and public-relations operation, with extremely little time given to policy considerations, meeting with department heads or otherwise focusing on core municipal problems. On the rare occasions when Villaraigosa focused on policy or the deep problems within many city departments, he often met with

He flew around the nation and world, held one photo op after another, and even sat down in the mayoral mansion, Getty House, so that Madame Tussauds could replicate his head for a wax statue — soon to be displayed on Hollywood Boulevard. Our sidebar, “How Villaraigosa Spends His 16-Hour Days,” broke down the facts, showing that he spends about 34 percent of his purported 16-hour day traveling out of town, and about 24 percent on what the Weekly finally dubbed “gap time” — time soaked up racing around L.A. to appear at photo ops, banquets, ceremonies, interviews and other PR activities.

Readers expressed outrage. Now, op eds and editorials in other Los Angeles newspapers frequently mention that Villaraigosa spends 11 percent of his time on city business or that he is running a mostly PR operation. He has continued a steady pace of non-news press conferences, ceremonials, luncheons, political fund-raising and out-of-town travel. He faces no serious challengers in the March municipal-election primary, but a job in the Obama administration appears increasingly unlikely, as Obama chooses such local leaders as Congresswoman Hilda Solis, Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Lisa Sutley and Congressman Xavier Becerra (who declined Obama’s offer). Villaraigosa is considering a run for governor in 2010, and would abandon his post as mayor if he won. But polls suggest that the mayor who spends so little time on city business has scant hope of beating California Attorney General Jerry Brown, or U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, if Feinstein were to run.

From “The All About Me Mayor: Antonio Villaraigosa’s Frenetic Self-Promotion Leaves Little Time for His Job” by Patrick Range McDonald

Together, then, the mayor spent 804 hours, or 89 percent of his work schedule, on ceremonial/PR, travel, blacked-out activities, gap time, fund-raising, personal issues and undisclosed “security” issues. On direct city business — such as signing legislation and meeting with city-department heads — his schedule shows the mayor spent 11 percent of his time.

“The mayor flies around the world like he’s on a reality TV show,” says a former California Democratic congressional staffer.