Moving Lips

There’s the saying: How do you know when a politician is lying? His or her lips are moving. That’s not quite true.  It’s a lie when the politician’s lips are moving and forming the words tax reform or tax relief. Legislators or candidates who promise either are pandering for votes.  The Internal Revenue Code is [...]

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Year Today; Gone Tomorrow

David Zahniser’s article in Friday’s Los Angeles Times was buried on page 3 of the LATEXTRA section, but the insight it provided as to the mindset of City Hall was worthy of above the fold material. The subject was how last year’s robust pension earnings for civilian and sworn employee pension funds will lower the projected deficit for [...]

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High Speed Rail can’t CATch a break

The California state auditor further exposed the fiction behind the business plan for the proposed high-speed rail system.  A state legislator was quoted as saying, “How many unfavorable reports are needed before Governor Brown realizes that this project will destroy state funding for schools and public safety?”  That’s a good question and there are no answers [...]

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Is Posada Hall of Fame Material?

I was saddened, but not surprised, at Jorge Posada’s retirement from MLB. The all-star catcher spent his entire career with the New York Yankees, my favorite team of all sports.  My loyalty is due in part to growing up relatively close to Yankee Stadium.  My years as a fan have spanned from the tail end of Yogi [...]

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Valley Plaza on Ice

A recent article in the Toluca Lake-North Hollywood Patch brought back fond memories of a local neighborhood shopping center that once attracted the middle class of the San Fernando Valley. I am not an old-timer as far as direct experience with Los Angeles history is concerned, but I do remember Valley Plaza and adjacent Laurel Plaza as at least [...]

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Los Angeles City Budgets Never Add Up

The Mayor’s Budget Survey is upon us. As with any survey, my general advice is to be wary of the objective questions.  Multiple choice answers can be manipulated to support almost any angle.  Read the questionnaire thoroughly and think about it as a whole before recording a single response . For your convenience, here’s a PDF version – [...]

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Spiders play their best game of the year

This is a rebuilding season for the Richmond Spiders.  Having had four starters graduate from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team, everyone knew this year’s edition would be a work in process. Prior to tonight’s game, Richmond alternated between very good and downright miserable - very often in the same game. About the only solid game the team played from [...]

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Beutner Appears at VANC

Austin Beutner, a mayoral candidate, investment banker and former volunteer deputy to Mayor Villaraigosa appeared before a packed room at the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils on Thursday evening. The crowd of fifty community leaders and activists may have come close to exceeding the maximum occupancy of the room, but were in good hands with three LAFD firefighters in [...]

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Classic American Folk Tune’s Arrangement Has Roots in Richmond

The most popular arrangement of a traditional song in the repertoire of many choral and a capella groups , Oh Shenandoah, was created by James Erb. Mr. Erb conducted the Richmond Symphony and taught music at the University of Richmond where he also founded the University Choir. The arrangement incorporates multiple, alternating harmonies. Here are two performances.  One is by the University [...]

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Budgeting and Volatility: The Ultimate Challenge

Once again, California is facing a budget crisis.  No surprise. What did you expect when the state government cannot accept the existence of volatility? Governor Brown is still living in the past.  He, as most of us, has witnessed national recoveries from oil price shocks, the tech bubble and 9/11 – including the wars spawned [...]

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