LOS ANGELES

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH--On April 19, the Outreach Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council held a town hall meeting to discuss the viability of a movement known as Vexit, the de-annexation of Venice from the City of Los Angeles. 

REQUIUM FOR THE SO-CALLED WELL-OFF-In 2015, if your household income was $186,000, you were average.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--Your Majesty, I realize you move slowly, and I don’t mean to rush someone who turned 92 this week.

DEEGAN ON LA-Mayor Garcetti has finally backed up years of promises to help ease the intractable homeless problem by proposing several new initiatives using money from the HHH bond measure (November_2016) passed in November 2016.

@THE GUSS REPORT-Leave it to politicians, such as Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, to take tragic statistics about the enormous number of American gun deaths since the 1999 massacre at Colorado’s Columbine High School and bastardize them for dramatic effect as he did last Friday, the 19^thanniversary of the incident. 

BCK FILE--The Trump Administration has spawned an activist movement. At least one weekend a month, throngs bearing signs congregate in Pershing Square and at various locations throughout the city. 

GUEST COMMENTARY-Every Neighborhood Council has experienced it: Bad advice from the City Attorney. Conflicting advice from the City Attorney. No training from DONE. Scolding from DONE.

Well, enough is enough.

AT LENGTH-Fresh from milking political cows in Iowa, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on April 16 gave his annual State of the City address at City Hall.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct by individuals in power, typically involving bribery. “Corruptionism” denotes a system, be it political, economic or social. There are tons of “isms” -- Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, etc., and the one most near and dear to Angelenos: “Garcettism.” 

ALPERN AT LARGE--To many of us who remembered the dream of more responsive Los Angeles city government with respect to transportation and planning, and who remember the push for Neighborhood Councils and Neighborhood Plans, the year 2016 is part of an interesting turning point with respect to how Mayor Eric Garcetti and other City Hall officials chose to work with their citizens. 

GELFAND’S WORLD--I had heard about the fight over Yosemite naming rights, but you have to see it to really feel it. In previous years, visitors arriving through the southern entrance would pass the Wawona Hotel.

D.C. DISPATCH-Taking over Henry Waxman’s job is no easy undertaking.

President Donald Trump attacked California on Thursday for doing what he and his administration asked it to do: agreeing to deploy state National Guard members to help the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

ALPERN AT LARGE--Despite the attempts of sneaky and agenda-driven idiots, ideologues, and creepy developers to ruin the good that transportation does for an economy, and for civilization, we're now getting into the BORING, the TUNNELING portion of our mass/rapid transit efforts for 21st-Century Los Angeles.

TACTLESS IN SF--Editor’s Note:On Tuesday, April 17, SB 827 died in the California State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee by a 7-4 vote.

EASTSIDER-Mayor Garcetti got ahead of a critical vote by the Metropolitan Water District over the Delta Tunnels, aka WaterFix, with his very own Daily Newsarticle about a New Mulholland moment. If you believe his tale, I know where the Tooth Fairy lives. 

PRESENT TENSE--The most controversialstate housing bill in recent memory died with a pretty resounding thud.

CORRUPTION WATCH-In the U.S., the term Fourth Estate means the media. The first three estates are the three branches of government -- the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial.

GUEST COMMENTARY--On Monday, Mayor Garcetti gave his State of the City speech in the People’s Hall, City Council Chambers. 

GUEST WORDS--California’s transportation future is bright. In every area of transportation innovation, California-based companies are leading the way.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL—Just when the Trumpster had you convinced that Americans had lost that touch of humility that once accompanied its braggadocio, along comes a life altering crisis and an airplane full of heroes … and humility. Gives us pause. Maybe our DNA hasn’t been totally rewritten. Maybe there is hope. Take a look.  Let me know what you think.