We’ve Got Mail
What is "Clean" about "Clean Money"?
One has to establish a broad enough interest in ones candidacy to qualify for "Clean Money" Campaign Financing by "collecting a specified number of qualifying contributions from their respective constituencies to demonstrate a broad base of community support before receiving public money".
(June 9, 2006 CLA Report), Where do you think that "specified number of qualifying contributions" are going to come from? It is called "Special Interest"!
"Such a program would be very costly (emphasis mine) and would either have to be funded through a General Fund appropriation or special tax ....." (June 9, 2006 CLA report).
How many more police, how many more firefighters, how many more street service personnel are we going to have to do without so politicians can stick their hands into the proverbial cookie jar - one that, once opened, can never again be closed.
It will be the politicians that will continue to have the right to vote on the amount of money they may take out of the jar just like they adjust their own salaries – and who will have the right to slap their unrelentlessly grabby little hands with any authority? It won’t be you or me. And the “budget crisis” – well it just flew to the milky way!
In the best of all worlds, the concept of “Clean Money” is idealistically wonderful, realistically – it ain’t gonna happen!
--Kal Kruger
Los Angeles
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MAYOR MUST FIGHT FOR OUR TURF
The Mayor is right; gangs are about turf. Young people are looking to identify with a group, and gravitate toward leadership wherever they can find it. With the Governor’s devastating cuts to education, those with good intentions and a positive message will fall by the wayside. Administrators, teachers and staff members, and entire programs will disappear from children’s lives. Who will step in to fill the void?
Mayor Villaraigosa can put forward all the new ideas he wants, but he will not stop a new generation of gang members from being created unless he stops the Governor from gutting California’s education budget. The Mayor must fight for our turf.
--Teresa Feldman
Los Angeles
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FALLING UNDER THE RADAR
The Housing Element of LA General Plan seems to be just slipping in under the radar.
What I found frightening is that only 2 Neighborhood Council members were part of the 50 people Task force and they came from Silver Lake and the West Adams area. Nothing wrong with those reps per se, EXCEPT it doesn't seem as though there was any input from the rest of the city. I discovered it when I walked into my councilman's office and
saw the flyer.
The Housing Element is part of the general plan for LA. This will be the blueprint for meeting the city's housing needs. Just so you know, there has been tremendous input from both developers and public employee on this plan.
Here’s the announcement from Planning Department:
We are pleased to announce that the Draft 2006-2014 Housing Element Update is now available for general public review. The Draft is posted on the Department of City Planning (DCP) website, http://cityplanning.lacity.org under the "What's New" section.
As planned, a community workshop will be held in each of the seven Area Planning Commission areas. The workshops will take place through Thursday, April 24th (see details, below). A flyer is being distributed to announce the availability of the Draft Housing Element and the seven workshops.
The flyer is posted on the DCP website, and is also attached here for your convenience. Please spread the word!
Workshop Schedule:
Monday, April 21st 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library
16244 Nordoff St North Hills 91343
Wednesday, April 23rd 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Mark Ridley Thomas Constituent Service Center
8475 S. Vermont Ave Los Angeles 90044
Thursday, April 24th 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Henry Medina West Los Angeles Parking Enforcement Facility
11214 Exposition Blvd 2nd Floor, Los Angeles 90064
--Reminder from K Kanter
--Announcement from Naomi Guth
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