Is Zine Focused on Pension Reform?

He claimed that he is in his recent article posted in Citywatch. I’m sure Council Member Zine is aware of the serious implications unfunded pension liabilities will have on the city’s finances. If he is as focused as he claims, he did not offer any indication of it.  If anything, he did a little tap [...]

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Risk Is More Than a Word

Risk.  It’s easy to spell: R-I-S-K, but apparently Marshall McClain struggles with the concept. Five-Year bonds issued by the government of Greece posted a yield of 10.88% as of the end of last week.  The yield on a Five-Year US Treasury was 1.9%.  Which is the better investment?  If Greece does not default in the [...]

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Kevin James Changing Slots on KRLA

No one covers the grimy details of local politics in LA as in-depth as Kevin James.  Whether you love him or hate him, he has done a tremendous service for citizens by focusing on issues that are inadequately covered in most of the mainstream media. He does so responsibly and without rancor. I was particularly grateful [...]

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America’s Twilight Zone: A Relatively Unkown Period in Our History

Unless your calendar notes important occurrences or observations, you might not be aware that the sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War is upon us.   Some observers may have marked the start of the observance with the 150th Anniversary last year of John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry in October 1859.  Others use the firing on Fort Sumter in April [...]

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LaBonge and Friends Reportedly Raiding Neighborhood Council Rollover Funds

The word on the street is that Council Member Tom LaBonge wants to raid NC rollover money to fill a deficit left in Proposition A transportation funds used to cover the cost of the City Council’s charter bus program. The charter bus program shuttles constituents to and from their homes to City Hall to attend hearings. The deficit [...]

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Never Too Early to Talk College Hoops

Dick Vitale is out with his preseason top 40 poll. The top Pac 10 (or is it PAC 16?) program in the list in Washington at #16. I’m happy to report Vitale places the Richmond Spiders at #29.  Admittedly, we can use more muscle inside.  Much depends on whether center Dan Geriot regains his all-conference form [...]

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Galatzan Lone Vote Against Car Wash Boycott by LAUSD

Who aren’t we boycotting these days?  OK, not China even with its human rights violations.  It’s OK to boycott Arizona but not the red light cameras manufactured there. The LAUSD just added non-union car washes to the list.  The motion passed by the school board by a 6-1 vote cited the poor working conditions and [...]

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Union Leader in Denial over Defined Benefit Plan

My story appearing in today’s Citywatch refutes the baseless arguments of Marshall McClain, President of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers’ Association. Marshall McClain’s rebuttal to my defense of Jack Humphreville’s and Alex Rubalcava’s positions on the unfunded pension liability crisis only proves that his sensitivity meter is registering in the red zone and needs [...]

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Will the SEC Look at DWP?

One possible ramification of the showdown between the DWP and the City Council over the $73 million transfer to the general fund could involve the SEC. Let’s not forget the status of the DWP’s registered publicly traded bonds were at the core of the dispute.  Could there have been violations of federal security laws?  That’s [...]

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We Need this Same Movement in LA

http://www.sfsmartreform.com/

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