An Open Letter to the Grassroots Candidates

It pains me to see grassroots candidates either deliberately or inadvertently make remarks that hurt each other. A few of you have become embroiled in arguments that have helped no one but Krekorian and Essel.  I realize when you are allotted only a few minutes to speak at a forum and receive almost no news [...]

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NC Valley Village Forum Field Report

Please note that not all the candidates were asked the same questions.  In many cases, the format required new questions to be introduced after responses from three candidates.  This allowed more ground to be covered.  The forum was filmed by a local resource.  It was not a case of runaway production!   Some new topics [...]

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My Finance Questions for the Candidates

Here are the questions I asked of the candidates tonight.  Please see my field notes for the answers. Former City Controller Laura Chick was critical of spending for gang prevention programs.  She cited a lack of accountability for these programs.  It appears the problem still exists.  Recently, a key member of Homies Unidos was arrested [...]

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Assessed Values Decline 2.4% Statewide

Many people have been predicting a decline in assessed values for at least two years, but our Legislature and City Council have ignored the warnings and continued to grant generous compensation deals and failed to rein in spending. Krekorian is the only legislator in the CD2 race, so he must accept some responsibility.  He has [...]

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Who Will Benefit from Mailer-Gate?

The investigative reporters will do their homework on Tamar Galatzan’s back-to-back LAUSD mailers.  I am certain they will find no violation of ethics. The appearance of unethical conduct will be the issue among the voters. There will be fallout, but will any other candidate benefit? We have probably reached a tipping point in the campaign [...]

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Preserving Lake Tahoe’s Clarity

Anyone who has ever visited Lake Tahoe knows of its vibrant blue hue and clarity that can only be matched by waters adjacent to tropical islands. I am a member of the League to Save Lake Tahoe.  This group is the most important community activist organization at the Lake.  It is dedicated to restoring the [...]

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An Economic Indicator That Is Too Close to Home

Neighborhood Council Valley Village recently mailed 5,500 postcards to its stakeholders who reside in the CD2 part of Valley Village.  The card promoted the upcoming candidate forum this Wednesday evening, August 26th. We received 130 back as undeliverable.  The reasons were almost all due to vacant apartments. I do not have vacancy statistics for prior [...]

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Mailers: Part Two- Controversy over Galatzan Mailer

I did not see the small return address on Tamar Galatzan’s mailer until it was pointed out to me.  It is the LAUSD’s. The next question I asked myself, is it political in nature?  Not in the strict sense since elected officials, dictators and monarchs have been distributing documents since the printing press was invented. Furthermore, there was [...]

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The Terrible Math

I have received a handful of comments critical of my coverage of Paul Krekorian.  I appreciate those comments as much as any because it proves my blog is reaching a diverse readership.  The last thing I want is to be preaching to the choir.  As I told one Krekorian backer, if we can’t have a [...]

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Sanchez and Benson Understand the Need for a Multi-Year Financial Plan

Mary Benson and Pete Sanchez have been the only two candidates to publicly embrace a multi-year balanced financial plan. The good news is that there is a model the city can follow -and it is located next door. Orange County uses a five-year plan to manage its finances.  What’s more, the forecast and its assumptions are succinctly [...]

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