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Lies and Lobbyists Propel Grassroots Movement |
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Saving LA Project
By Doug Epperhart
Former L.A. Daily News editor Ron Kaye’s brainchild—the Saving Los Angeles Project (SLAP)—made its debut July 14 at a rally at City Hall. Nearly 200 showed up to voice their concerns about politicians who seem to spend all their time on fast food, plastic bags, and raising taxes.
Last Saturday, at a meeting of more than 100 community activists, SLAP took its first steps toward organizing as a serious political force. Following comments by Ron Kaye, DWP MOU maven and consumer advocate Soledad Garcia, and mayoral candidate Walter Moore, the gathered split up into groups concentrating on issues, schools, outreach, and organization. They also considered the matters of advocacy and research.
Following reports from the break-out session, it was open-mike time as individuals from all over the city got up and talked about their issues.
That’s the bones; here’s the meat: the crowd stayed for more than two hours, listening to others and participating in the discussion, just on the off chance they might actually make a difference in the way Los Angeles is governed.
They also agreed to adopt a mission statement for SLAP.
First, get the dirty money out of politics.
Anyone who thinks “pay-to-play” ended when Antonio Villaraigosa took office has their head in the sand. The mayor’s record campaign fund-raising proves the “iron triangle” of politicians, developers, and unions is stronger than ever. The endless flow of dollars between these entities robs voters of any influence they might have. Public financing of campaigns is the only way to defeat this scourge.
Second, government must obey the law and stop breaking its own rules.
One example: Lucile Saunders and the La Brea-Willoughby Coalition are suing the city to stop it from approving zoning ordinances, general plan amendments, and specific plans, among other things, until it complies with the state law that requires cities to monitor and assess the effects of development. Los Angeles officials began violating this law 10 years ago and apparently plan to keep ignoring it forever.
Finally, our elected officials have to stop telling lies.
Proposition R was about extending, not imposing, term limits.
Proposition S was not about cutting the telephone tax, it was about keeping and extending the tax.
The sanitation fee increase to hire more cops is, at best, a half-truth.
Democracy is turned on its head by public officials who believe it’s acceptable to use focus groups to figure out which lie offers the best chance to fool the public into going along with what the politicians want.
Some SLAP proponents believe the group should make the effort to take over city government by running candidates for office. Others believe that organizing people around issues is a better way to go. Regardless of what SLAP does, they have a deep well of discontent from which to draw. (Doug Epperhart is a member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council governing board. He is a writer and a publisher and a contributor to CityWatch. He can be reached at
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CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 64
Pub: August 8, 2008
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