March 3 Election Endorsements
As the L.A. Weekly no longer publishes ballot endorsements, I've received a number of email requests asking me to list my own preferences. So with a minimal amount of analysis (it's too late for that) and in somewhat incomplete fashion, here are my recommendations. Except for Mayor, I'm going to skip most offices where there is already an incumbent and where is, therefore, no real election,
Mayor of Los Angeles: Antonio Villaraigosa
As I wrote in last Friday's L.A. Times, "Tony Rap" has been a let-down. And he'll be a bigger one if he skips out a year from now to make a wobbly run for Governor. That said, Antonio's got a lot of potential and could be a great Mayor if he puts his mind to it over the next four years.
City Controller: Nick Patsaouras
I'd vote for Nick even if I didn't consider him a good friend. First, because Nick has a long, durable record of full-on civic engagement with a bulldog intolerance of BS. Perfect for a controller. He's also an urban visionary who has dared to imagine what real mass public transit would look like for Los Angeles. But even if he weren't all these things, I'd still vote for him because he isn't his (formidable) opponent, Wendy Greuel. Look up the word "political hack" in the dictionary, and there's a picture of Wendy. Vote Nick.
City Attorney: Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich
Most important, is that you DO NOT vote for the leading and best-funded candidate, the unctuous, unbearable Jack Weiss. He's a guy that makes Wendy Greuel look good! So if you're a Democrat, and even if you're not, ignore those Party slate mailers with Weiss on it and join me, Rep. Maxine Waters, and the Longshoreman's union in supporting environmental prosecutor, Trutanich. Nuch was formally a Republican but now is a Decline to State. But so what? He's not Jack Weiss. And any even semi-Republican who has more or less plagiarized Obama's logo for his own campaign is a Good Republican.
5th Council District Los Angeles: Ron Galperin
Here's another case in which you should toss your Democratic slate flyer in the trash -- at least if it has Paul Koretz' name on it. Koretz is the favorite. Galperin is the better of the two candidates and is also smart and progressive. Give the guy a shot. And give long-time West Hollywood legislator Koretz the boot. Koretz parades as a liberal. But he's pulled some very sleazy moves for the Big Health Care Lobby and should be sent permanently into exile.
L.A. Community College District Board of Trustees
#2 Angela Reddock
#4 Kelly Candaele
#6 give Greg Akili a shot
#7 open seat Miguel Santiago
Los Angeles Unified School Board Districts #2 and #4
If you can find an "abolish" option, I would go that route. (In lieu of such option, Steve Zimmer for District 4).
Los Angeles City Propositions
A: Yes
B: Yes
C: Yes
D: Yes
E: No
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 am
He’s a personal friend, so I’ll give you a pass for supporting Nick, who’s a union basher, who thinks he’s too important to pay his own taxes, and who once said we don’t need to worry about racism anymore because of Obama’s run for President.
If Antonio’s “got a lot of potential,” then Wendy Greuel, who is much smarter and more policy-oriented than most ambitious pols, is a future progressive star. Wendy’s got my vote, and she’ll have a comfortable majority of votes when the night’s tally is over.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:16 am
Marc, 2005 LA Weekly: huge, fascinating article on a Latino detective (I think) who had made huge inroads in the rough communities on his beat–the old fashioned way–and his running up against the crass procedural policies of the bureaucrats and their game plans. Especially some woman official. The way the story was written this guy was like the protagonist of a classic detective series. He had real star potential
Can’t remember his name. Do you?
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
Thanks for this!
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:56 am
Love the Weiss-bashing !
I mean that sincerely, I’m a 5th district resident and the guy is roundly hated, even by people who barely know what city politics is. I really hope the guy goes down.
All the more if the Mayor Ambitions / Greuel / Weiss troika takes a coupla hits (obviously Mayor V. won’t go down c’est la vie).
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
That’s Steve Zimmer, not Zimmerman, for LAUSD board.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Prop B is a phony. It is also dangerous because it changes the city Charter to put a lot of control over DWP activities in the direct control of the city council, contrary to the long honored system which puts some distance between them and the money that water and electricity bring in.
As numerous analyses show, we can create solar power without prop B and all its corrupt baggage. It is opposed by several unions who would be shut out of the game by the overpriced and overprivileged IBEW, the in-house DWP union.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Angela Reddock (not Riddock) for LA Comm Coll Trustee, Seat #2.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:20 pm
If Paul Koretz makes the runoff, I’d be interested to know what moves you think he pulled for the health care lobby, and why you think they were sleazy. Most of what I know about him is very positive — labor, environment, insisting on civil unions at a time when his party leadership didn’t want to go there, etc.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
The 5th is going to be fun.
Pick your horse before you peek in:
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/Results.htm
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
[...] controller race, Wendy Greuel is off to a good start, despite the fact that she’s apparently a complete hack. Jack Weiss, enemy of the people, has 40% of the vote in the city attorney race. However, the [...]
March 24th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I’ve never given this a try, but I think it’s about time I do.
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 am
[...] (Hey, he’s even friends with the Blogfather, Marc Cooper.) [...]
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:27 am
[...] (Hey, he’s even friends with the Blogfather, Marc Cooper.) [...]
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:50 pm
[...] (Hey, he’s even friends with the Blogfather, Marc Cooper.) [...]