who in turn found her freedoms disappearing as male workers returned to the factories. These conflicts worked themselves out in dark ways. The Black Dahlia is the most famous victim of 1947's sex wars, but hardly the only one. The 1947project seeks to document this pivotal year in L.A., through period reporting and visits to the scenes as they are today." -- from the website. <http://1947project.blogspot.com/>
Blog: Los Angeles 1947
"Los Angeles in 1947 was a social powderkeg. War-damaged returning soldiers were threatened by a new kind of independant female, who in turn found her freedoms disappearing as male workers returned to the factories. These conflicts worked themselves out in dark ways. The Black Dahlia is the most famous victim of 1947's sex wars, but hardly the only one. The 1947project seeks to document this pivotal year in L.A., through period reporting and visits to the scenes as they are today." -- from the website. <http://1947project.blogspot.com/>
who in turn found her freedoms disappearing as male workers returned to the factories. These conflicts worked themselves out in dark ways. The Black Dahlia is the most famous victim of 1947's sex wars, but hardly the only one. The 1947project seeks to document this pivotal year in L.A., through period reporting and visits to the scenes as they are today." -- from the website. <http://1947project.blogspot.com/>
Local Political Events: Amy Goodman, Rep. Henry Waxman, Ralph Nader
Amy Goodman:
KPFK 90.7 FM Benefit
Thursday, March 31
Dinner 5:30 PM - Main Event 7 PM
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Dinner $50 donation (attendees receive a free copy of "Exception to the Rulers")
Reservation: 818.985.2711 ext. 503
Main Speaking Event: $10
For general information, call 818.985.2711 ext. 214
<http://www.kpfk.org/>
Rep. Henry Waxman:
Friday, April 1st, 2-4 PM
Santa Monica Place, Community Room, 3rd floor
Rep. Waxman is meeting with all constituents, particularly seniors. Everyone is welcome, especially those who'd like to remind him to vote against H-Res 35 "Troops Home Now." He supports spending $ billions more on the Iraq War. If you can't tell him yourself, call the congressman's office to oppose his vote for $82 billion in additional spending on killing and torture. His staff is dying to hear from you. 323.651.1040 or 323.652.3095.
Ralph Nader:
and special guests
Sunday, April 3
2 p.m.: UCLA Grand Horizon Ballroom
330 De Neve Drive, Los Angeles
Contact Dennis at 310-378-0090
Admission $10 for general public, $5 for students
4:30pm: “Anti War Discussion with Ralph”
Location TBA, Beverly Hills, CA
Contact Marcia at Nader Camejo Headquarters in Washington DC at 202-265-4000 to RSVP
$100 dollar a person buffet reception fundraiser for DemocracyRising.Org, whatever that is.
6:30pm:
with Sonali Kolhatkar of KPFK's "Uprising", Pablo Paredes
Patriotic Hall, Los Angeles
1816 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
Contact Lynda 714-803-9676 or Katie 323-691-5283
Admission $10 for general public, $5 for students
KPFK 90.7 FM Benefit
Thursday, March 31
Dinner 5:30 PM - Main Event 7 PM
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Dinner $50 donation (attendees receive a free copy of "Exception to the Rulers")
Reservation: 818.985.2711 ext. 503
Main Speaking Event: $10
For general information, call 818.985.2711 ext. 214
<http://www.kpfk.org/>
Rep. Henry Waxman:
Friday, April 1st, 2-4 PM
Santa Monica Place, Community Room, 3rd floor
Rep. Waxman is meeting with all constituents, particularly seniors. Everyone is welcome, especially those who'd like to remind him to vote against H-Res 35 "Troops Home Now." He supports spending $ billions more on the Iraq War. If you can't tell him yourself, call the congressman's office to oppose his vote for $82 billion in additional spending on killing and torture. His staff is dying to hear from you. 323.651.1040 or 323.652.3095.
Ralph Nader:
and special guests
Sunday, April 3
2 p.m.: UCLA Grand Horizon Ballroom
330 De Neve Drive, Los Angeles
Contact Dennis at 310-378-0090
Admission $10 for general public, $5 for students
4:30pm: “Anti War Discussion with Ralph”
Location TBA, Beverly Hills, CA
Contact Marcia at Nader Camejo Headquarters in Washington DC at 202-265-4000 to RSVP
$100 dollar a person buffet reception fundraiser for DemocracyRising.Org, whatever that is.
6:30pm:
with Sonali Kolhatkar of KPFK's "Uprising", Pablo Paredes
Patriotic Hall, Los Angeles
1816 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
Contact Lynda 714-803-9676 or Katie 323-691-5283
Admission $10 for general public, $5 for students
Nightlife: New Jazz Venue
Em Bistro & Corky' Jazz Club
8256 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90048
323.658.6004
7:30 to 11:00 pm
8256 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90048
323.658.6004
7:30 to 11:00 pm
Man Bites Dog: The Democrats are not caving to GOP bullying on judicial appointments
After Republican leader Bill Frist threatened to employ the so-called nuclear option to get reactionary Bush nominees seated on the federal bench, the leader of the minority, Nevada Senator Harry Reid, showed spine uncharacteristic of a national Democrat by threatening to shut down the Senate.
Go, Harry.
Nothing currently before the upper chamber comes close to matching the importance of its role in advising on and consenting to the appointment of judges-for-life. Frist's intention to use the nuclear option -- in practice this would amount to asking Senate president Dick Cheney for a parliamentary ruling declaring filibusters unconstitutional -- left the Democrats no choice but to fight back.
As things stand now, it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster and call a question. Filibusters aren't easy -- you try speechifying for 18 hours -- and the potential political damage it can cause the perpetrators is enormous; a senator or group of senators must feel very strongly about an issue to attempt it, but it is an important defence against the tyranny of the majority.
The irony of the GOP position is that more judges were approved during Bush's first term than Clinton's. But whiners and crybabies that they are, the president and his right wing cohorts in the Senate are leading off the second inning with the same handful of hacks and idealogues they failed to get appointed in the first term. Radicalizing the courts is an important part of the neocon agenda; since in the darkest hours of night the Republican radicals have to know their days are numbered, they are pushing hard to get even the most extreme nominees approved now, while they can.
The Democrats, on the other hand, have to be prepared to go to any lengths, including shutting down the legislature, to protect the nation by preventing hack fanatics like William G. Myers -- he is openly hostile to your right to privacy and opposed to all legislation designed to protect civil liberties -- from spending the next 30 or 40 years wreaking havoc from the bench. The fact that Myers is probably also unqualified professionally for the job only makes his appointment nearly as ridiculous as it is dangerous.
The Senate does most of its work by consent; it only takes the withholding of consent by one member to throw sand in the wheels. "The majority," Reid warned Frist, "should not expect to receive cooperation from the minority in the conduct of Senate business." He promised the Democrats will help to move legislation "supporting our troops" and to keep the government running, but otherwise will refuse to facilitate actions "even on routine matters." In other words, unleash the nuclear option and there will be political devastation, indeed.
This is unusually tough talk coming from a Democractic leader, and all citizens, not just liberals, should be glad for it. It is just in moments such as these -- with one party dominating all branches of government -- that brakes on excesses by the majority are most needed. Republicans may not recall that for most of the last half of the 20th century they were in the same position the Democrats are now, but they must know that, probably sooner than later, the extremism and corruption that characterize this administration will bring its downfall. They may spend many decades ruing the day they stripped the minority of its limited defences.
Go, Harry.
Nothing currently before the upper chamber comes close to matching the importance of its role in advising on and consenting to the appointment of judges-for-life. Frist's intention to use the nuclear option -- in practice this would amount to asking Senate president Dick Cheney for a parliamentary ruling declaring filibusters unconstitutional -- left the Democrats no choice but to fight back.
As things stand now, it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster and call a question. Filibusters aren't easy -- you try speechifying for 18 hours -- and the potential political damage it can cause the perpetrators is enormous; a senator or group of senators must feel very strongly about an issue to attempt it, but it is an important defence against the tyranny of the majority.
The irony of the GOP position is that more judges were approved during Bush's first term than Clinton's. But whiners and crybabies that they are, the president and his right wing cohorts in the Senate are leading off the second inning with the same handful of hacks and idealogues they failed to get appointed in the first term. Radicalizing the courts is an important part of the neocon agenda; since in the darkest hours of night the Republican radicals have to know their days are numbered, they are pushing hard to get even the most extreme nominees approved now, while they can.
The Democrats, on the other hand, have to be prepared to go to any lengths, including shutting down the legislature, to protect the nation by preventing hack fanatics like William G. Myers -- he is openly hostile to your right to privacy and opposed to all legislation designed to protect civil liberties -- from spending the next 30 or 40 years wreaking havoc from the bench. The fact that Myers is probably also unqualified professionally for the job only makes his appointment nearly as ridiculous as it is dangerous.
The Senate does most of its work by consent; it only takes the withholding of consent by one member to throw sand in the wheels. "The majority," Reid warned Frist, "should not expect to receive cooperation from the minority in the conduct of Senate business." He promised the Democrats will help to move legislation "supporting our troops" and to keep the government running, but otherwise will refuse to facilitate actions "even on routine matters." In other words, unleash the nuclear option and there will be political devastation, indeed.
This is unusually tough talk coming from a Democractic leader, and all citizens, not just liberals, should be glad for it. It is just in moments such as these -- with one party dominating all branches of government -- that brakes on excesses by the majority are most needed. Republicans may not recall that for most of the last half of the 20th century they were in the same position the Democrats are now, but they must know that, probably sooner than later, the extremism and corruption that characterize this administration will bring its downfall. They may spend many decades ruing the day they stripped the minority of its limited defences.
Protests this weekend
"This weekend, a global protest will be taking place. Here in America, there will be demonstrations in 574 cities and towns in all 50 states. Ostensibly, this protest is to be aimed at the anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It needs to be about more than that now. It needs to be about public, vocal citizen action in and of itself. It needs to be about We The People reaching out to the one recourse we have left while we still have it: The streets, our numbers and our voices." -- Will Pitt. (More at: http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/3/17/94845/3273/)
Activism: Emotional Support
The newly formed Activist Support Circle, created to "provide emotional support, nurturing, positive energy and peer reinforcement to longtime and just-beginning activists of all ages and progressive causes," will hold its first gathering Wednesday, March 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Friends Meeting Hall, 1440 Harvard St., Santa Monica. Info: 310-399-1000 (L.A. Alliance for Survival).
I-10 foot/bike overpasses
If we are serious about making Santa Monica a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly community, an important step will be to restore or construct limited-access bridges 
over the 10 Freeway. At about Seventh Street, where the footbridge used to connect SaMoHi with downtown, and about halfway between each of the other vehicular bridges, Caltrans and/or the City of Santa Monica should build new supplementary links for walkers, bikers and skaters. Such overpasses would help to suture divisions unhealed since the road sliced through the town in the 1960s.
over the 10 Freeway. At about Seventh Street, where the footbridge used to connect SaMoHi with downtown, and about halfway between each of the other vehicular bridges, Caltrans and/or the City of Santa Monica should build new supplementary links for walkers, bikers and skaters. Such overpasses would help to suture divisions unhealed since the road sliced through the town in the 1960s.
Surf City: Wireless access at the beach
There's going to be a lot more surfing at San Elijo State Beach now that the California state parks system has made a deal to give SBC Communications a monopoly on wireless internet access at a group of state-run recreational facilities.
Offering evidence that internet access may soon be as ubiquitous and as essential as the pay phone once was, the 278-park system plans to make wifi access available -- for a fee -- to visitors who have wireless-enabled laptops or personal digital assistants, beginning with 85 venues to be outfitted by SBC.
SBC is installing the hardware and providing the service as a two-year pilot program at the 85 parks. If the program is successful, the parks department will open the system up to bids from companies that want to compete for the opportunity to sell the service, but in the meantime the phone company will have locked up nearly a third of the state's parks.
No doubt this move is being orchestrated by SBC, since only subscribers to its wireless service, FreedomLink, will have unlimited internet access at the public parks. Other taxpayers will be able to get to the state's websites for free, but will be charged $7.95 for 24-hour access or $19.95 for unlimited monthly service if they want to check their email or go to weather.com while at the beach.
It hardly needs to be said that from the consumer's point of view this is a bad idea (the state will get 10 percent of the fee, which doesn't seem like much of a deal for the state, either). Wifi technology is cheap and getting cheaper, and there is no reason to limit access in public spaces to subscribers of expensive services.
Other Southland state parks and beaches that are expected to be connected by summer include Anza Borrego, Cardiff, Carlsbad, South Carlsbad, Old Town San Diego, Silver Strand, and San Onofre.
Although they are not among the first 85, sooner or later the state will bring wifi to the Santa Monica and L.A. beaches, where it is to be hoped that local officials can make a more sensible arrangement on behalf of their constituents. Santa Monica, especially, has direct control over its beach under a contract with the state and is in a strong position to insist on public access there. They have two years to demonstrate to the parks department that there is a better and cheaper way to connect the public and virtual realms.
Maybe the Convention & Visitors Bureaus in Santa Monica and Los Angeles will see the wisdom in making the phrase "public access" mean what it says.
Here's the pdf of the press release: <http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/712/files/011905.pdf>
Offering evidence that internet access may soon be as ubiquitous and as essential as the pay phone once was, the 278-park system plans to make wifi access available -- for a fee -- to visitors who have wireless-enabled laptops or personal digital assistants, beginning with 85 venues to be outfitted by SBC.SBC is installing the hardware and providing the service as a two-year pilot program at the 85 parks. If the program is successful, the parks department will open the system up to bids from companies that want to compete for the opportunity to sell the service, but in the meantime the phone company will have locked up nearly a third of the state's parks.
No doubt this move is being orchestrated by SBC, since only subscribers to its wireless service, FreedomLink, will have unlimited internet access at the public parks. Other taxpayers will be able to get to the state's websites for free, but will be charged $7.95 for 24-hour access or $19.95 for unlimited monthly service if they want to check their email or go to weather.com while at the beach.
It hardly needs to be said that from the consumer's point of view this is a bad idea (the state will get 10 percent of the fee, which doesn't seem like much of a deal for the state, either). Wifi technology is cheap and getting cheaper, and there is no reason to limit access in public spaces to subscribers of expensive services.
Other Southland state parks and beaches that are expected to be connected by summer include Anza Borrego, Cardiff, Carlsbad, South Carlsbad, Old Town San Diego, Silver Strand, and San Onofre.
Although they are not among the first 85, sooner or later the state will bring wifi to the Santa Monica and L.A. beaches, where it is to be hoped that local officials can make a more sensible arrangement on behalf of their constituents. Santa Monica, especially, has direct control over its beach under a contract with the state and is in a strong position to insist on public access there. They have two years to demonstrate to the parks department that there is a better and cheaper way to connect the public and virtual realms.
Maybe the Convention & Visitors Bureaus in Santa Monica and Los Angeles will see the wisdom in making the phrase "public access" mean what it says.
Here's the pdf of the press release: <http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/712/files/011905.pdf>
The Arts: The Distillery LA studio in Venice
Check out The Distillery LA (aka, Institute for the Pursuit of Absolutes and Nothingness) to see some of the works of Venice-based artists Gary Palmer (whose Zanzibar Fish Dance is at left), Masami Tsuchikawa and Robert Yeager. <http://thedistilleryla.com/>
Lecture Series: Imagining Venice
Imagining Venice
Sundays 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Venice Center For Peace With Justice & The Arts
2210 Lincoln Bl (at Victoria Ave), Venice
310.391.8183
(enter first gate on Victoria and proceed thru courtyard to The Parlour)
A University of Venice Production
***********
Hosted by Eric Vollmer
Future (Invited) Guest Speakers Include:
Joel Shapiro, Artistic Director, Electric Lodge
Judy Baca, Artistic Director, Sparc
Fred Dewey, Managing Director, Beyond Baroque
Marilyn Fox, Artistic Director, Pacific Residents Ensemble
Elayne Alexander, Venice Historical Society
Todd Von Hoffmann, Author, Venice Centennial Committee
Watch for: In collaboration with the Venice Center, the Electric Lodge and local artists, Eric Vollmer and the Voice in the Well Ensemble are planning a Chautauqua Performing Arts Festival in the Summer of 2005 to celebrate the Venice Centenary and pay homage to its Founder, Abbot Kinney, who launched a cultural Renaissance in Southern California on July 4, 1905.
Sundays 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Venice Center For Peace With Justice & The Arts
2210 Lincoln Bl (at Victoria Ave), Venice
310.391.8183
(enter first gate on Victoria and proceed thru courtyard to The Parlour)
A University of Venice Production
***********
Hosted by Eric Vollmer
Future (Invited) Guest Speakers Include:
Joel Shapiro, Artistic Director, Electric Lodge
Judy Baca, Artistic Director, Sparc
Fred Dewey, Managing Director, Beyond Baroque
Marilyn Fox, Artistic Director, Pacific Residents Ensemble
Elayne Alexander, Venice Historical Society
Todd Von Hoffmann, Author, Venice Centennial Committee
Watch for: In collaboration with the Venice Center, the Electric Lodge and local artists, Eric Vollmer and the Voice in the Well Ensemble are planning a Chautauqua Performing Arts Festival in the Summer of 2005 to celebrate the Venice Centenary and pay homage to its Founder, Abbot Kinney, who launched a cultural Renaissance in Southern California on July 4, 1905.
Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor
Jim Hahn's tv ads this week dirtying up both Antonio Villaraigosa and Bob Hertzberg in the same 30 second commercial demonstrate an estimable eagerness to get the most bang for the buck. Too bad he hasn't shown the same moxie in running the city.
The only item on tonight's agenda is who should replace him.
Although it might be gratifying to watch Hahn lose to both Villaraigosa and Hertzberg, it is important to remember that there is little equivalence between the challengers beyond their tenures as assembly speaker. You might be able to argue that Hertzberg had the best commercials of the campaign, but you'd be hard pressed to make a case otherwise for his selection. In the ads, he looked like he was auditioning to succeed Schwartzenegger as an action figure; if what he said during this campaign is to be taken seriously, he would follow up his impersonation of Arnold the actor with a similarly slavish imitation of Arnold the politician.
Nominally a Democrat, Hertzberg sought to distinguish himself from his rivals in this race by running on a Republican platform that included breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District, a decision over which the mayor has no say, and opposing a tax hike to pay for more police. He is strongly in favor of relieving traffic congestion -- if there is a politician anywhere in the world calling for more traffic congestion I want to meet him -- and he has punctuated his campaign with brave calls for new leadership. Nancy Daly Riordan, wife of former Republican mayor Richard Riordan, is a co-chair of Hertzberg's campaign.
Hertzberg's proposal to break up the school district reveals an unusual capacity for growth. Only four years ago, he opposed a bill that would have established a commission to study the idea. Now, allied with Riordan and the governor, he is its chief proponent.
The ads in which a giant Hertzberg towers over the city and its problems combined with the candidate's natural gregariousness to propel him from nowhere into second place in what is a very tight contest (with nearly a fifth of the electorate undecided, anyone can win). While you can understand why Valley voters might see Hertzberg as their champion, it is a little disheartening that so many westsiders seem to be beguiled by his reputation as a hugger. I have had people tell me they plan to vote for the bearish politician on the preposterous notion that he is the warmest and most "cuddly" candidate in the race.
Watching Hertzberg's commercials, it doesn't take much leap of imagination to see him less as Gulliver and more as Godzilla.
Antonio Villaraigosa was the right choice the last time he and Hahn faced off, and he is the right choice again. This would be true if all we knew of was his commitment to minority rights and his record as a coalition-builder in the assembly. But Villaraigosa is not only one of the few politicians in California who is willing to address issues of class, race and gender, he has also stood by labor, and he is a strong advocate for clean air and clean water, a crucial stand to take at a moment when GOP-controlled state and national governments are undoing environmental laws it took a century to set in place.
"A clean environment is the foundation of a livable community," Villaraigosa said during the campaign. "It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I will dedicate myself to transforming Los Angeles into the cleanest, greenest big city in America....Los Angeles must be a part of the emerging green economy," the councilmember added, showing he understands that the issues can't be isolated. "We can be the leader in clean energy technology and create new jobs by leveraging investments by Department of Water and Power and the Port, but we need the right leadership in the Mayor's office."
The Times, courageously braving ridicule, endorsed both Hertzberg and Villaraigosa: "Either would be a more dynamic leader than incumbent James K. Hahn, whose leadership has been lackluster and whose flawed appointments and lax oversight of City Hall contracts have fueled impressions of favoritism. Hertzberg is the enlightened businessman's candidate, a high-velocity wonk who loves big ideas and is bursting with plans (some of them even doable) for hiring more police, improving public transit and reforming the L.A. Unified School District. Villaraigosa is the intuitive anti-wonk who operates from the gut. A gifted coalition builder, he is skilled at reading situations and people. Best outcome: a Hertzberg-Villaraigosa runoff."
Even though it would be satisfying to see Hahn's cynicism repudiated in this round, progressives will do the city a disservice if they try to engineer his humiliation by voting for Hertzberg. While a run-off between Villaraigosa and Hertzberg would be a better outcome -- mostly because it would mean the stake had already been driven through the heart of the Hahn candidacy, no outcome this time around that doesn't result in the eventual election of Mayor Villaraigosa will be good for Los Angeles. It is vital that he be among the final two. Vote for him Tuesday.
Antonio Villaraigosa for Los Angeles Mayor 2005: <http://www.antonio2005.com/>
Villaraigosa's "Mayor in a Minute" video: <http://www.antonio2005.com/images/ads/mayorinaminute.wmv>
L.A.Weekly endorsement of Villaraigosa: <http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/14/news-endorsements.php>
The California League of Conservation Voters endorsement of Villaraigosa's environmental record: <http://www.ecovote.org/>
African-American leaders endorse Parks and Villaraigosa: <http://www.latimes.com/>
The only item on tonight's agenda is who should replace him.
Although it might be gratifying to watch Hahn lose to both Villaraigosa and Hertzberg, it is important to remember that there is little equivalence between the challengers beyond their tenures as assembly speaker. You might be able to argue that Hertzberg had the best commercials of the campaign, but you'd be hard pressed to make a case otherwise for his selection. In the ads, he looked like he was auditioning to succeed Schwartzenegger as an action figure; if what he said during this campaign is to be taken seriously, he would follow up his impersonation of Arnold the actor with a similarly slavish imitation of Arnold the politician.
Nominally a Democrat, Hertzberg sought to distinguish himself from his rivals in this race by running on a Republican platform that included breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District, a decision over which the mayor has no say, and opposing a tax hike to pay for more police. He is strongly in favor of relieving traffic congestion -- if there is a politician anywhere in the world calling for more traffic congestion I want to meet him -- and he has punctuated his campaign with brave calls for new leadership. Nancy Daly Riordan, wife of former Republican mayor Richard Riordan, is a co-chair of Hertzberg's campaign.
Hertzberg's proposal to break up the school district reveals an unusual capacity for growth. Only four years ago, he opposed a bill that would have established a commission to study the idea. Now, allied with Riordan and the governor, he is its chief proponent.
The ads in which a giant Hertzberg towers over the city and its problems combined with the candidate's natural gregariousness to propel him from nowhere into second place in what is a very tight contest (with nearly a fifth of the electorate undecided, anyone can win). While you can understand why Valley voters might see Hertzberg as their champion, it is a little disheartening that so many westsiders seem to be beguiled by his reputation as a hugger. I have had people tell me they plan to vote for the bearish politician on the preposterous notion that he is the warmest and most "cuddly" candidate in the race.
Watching Hertzberg's commercials, it doesn't take much leap of imagination to see him less as Gulliver and more as Godzilla.
Antonio Villaraigosa was the right choice the last time he and Hahn faced off, and he is the right choice again. This would be true if all we knew of was his commitment to minority rights and his record as a coalition-builder in the assembly. But Villaraigosa is not only one of the few politicians in California who is willing to address issues of class, race and gender, he has also stood by labor, and he is a strong advocate for clean air and clean water, a crucial stand to take at a moment when GOP-controlled state and national governments are undoing environmental laws it took a century to set in place. "A clean environment is the foundation of a livable community," Villaraigosa said during the campaign. "It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I will dedicate myself to transforming Los Angeles into the cleanest, greenest big city in America....Los Angeles must be a part of the emerging green economy," the councilmember added, showing he understands that the issues can't be isolated. "We can be the leader in clean energy technology and create new jobs by leveraging investments by Department of Water and Power and the Port, but we need the right leadership in the Mayor's office."
The Times, courageously braving ridicule, endorsed both Hertzberg and Villaraigosa: "Either would be a more dynamic leader than incumbent James K. Hahn, whose leadership has been lackluster and whose flawed appointments and lax oversight of City Hall contracts have fueled impressions of favoritism. Hertzberg is the enlightened businessman's candidate, a high-velocity wonk who loves big ideas and is bursting with plans (some of them even doable) for hiring more police, improving public transit and reforming the L.A. Unified School District. Villaraigosa is the intuitive anti-wonk who operates from the gut. A gifted coalition builder, he is skilled at reading situations and people. Best outcome: a Hertzberg-Villaraigosa runoff."
Even though it would be satisfying to see Hahn's cynicism repudiated in this round, progressives will do the city a disservice if they try to engineer his humiliation by voting for Hertzberg. While a run-off between Villaraigosa and Hertzberg would be a better outcome -- mostly because it would mean the stake had already been driven through the heart of the Hahn candidacy, no outcome this time around that doesn't result in the eventual election of Mayor Villaraigosa will be good for Los Angeles. It is vital that he be among the final two. Vote for him Tuesday.
Antonio Villaraigosa for Los Angeles Mayor 2005: <http://www.antonio2005.com/>
Villaraigosa's "Mayor in a Minute" video: <http://www.antonio2005.com/images/ads/mayorinaminute.wmv>
L.A.Weekly endorsement of Villaraigosa: <http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/14/news-endorsements.php>
The California League of Conservation Voters endorsement of Villaraigosa's environmental record: <http://www.ecovote.org/>
African-American leaders endorse Parks and Villaraigosa: <http://www.latimes.com/>
Politics: Finding Think Tanks
No matter what your issue, some research group is studying it, bloviating about it, and attempting to influence policy-makers and the public. Allow for the biases -- there's always a bias -- and these organizations can provide useful sources of information -- newsletters, backgrounders, policy briefs, surveys, op-ed pieces, etc. -- and sometimes even be a source of money for your own projects. Here are some listings:
-> Directory of Think Tanks (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard)
-> Political Resources: Think Tanks (University of Michigan Documents Center)
-> Think Tanks (Hillwatch.com: "A directory of Canadian and International Think Tanks")
-> Think Tanks and N.G.O.s (Worldpress.Org)
-> World Directory of Think Tanks (National Institute for Research Advancement, Japan)
-> Directory of Think Tanks (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard)
-> Political Resources: Think Tanks (University of Michigan Documents Center)
-> Think Tanks (Hillwatch.com: "A directory of Canadian and International Think Tanks")
-> Think Tanks and N.G.O.s (Worldpress.Org)
-> World Directory of Think Tanks (National Institute for Research Advancement, Japan)
The Next Los Angeles: Struggle for a Livable City
Robert Gottlieb, speaker
Thursday, March 3, 11:15am
SMC Concert Hall 1900 Pico Blvd.
Free
Given Santa Monica's focus on updating its General Plan, this SMC Associates Lecture by Robert Gottlieb is extremely timely. Dr. Gottlieb is the Director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College and an expert on the urban environment. His talk will provide an "overview of alternative visions for achieving social and economic justice in LA and observations on key trends reshaping LA at the beginning of the 21st century." For more information, please call 434-4003.
Thursday, March 3, 11:15am
SMC Concert Hall 1900 Pico Blvd.
Free
Given Santa Monica's focus on updating its General Plan, this SMC Associates Lecture by Robert Gottlieb is extremely timely. Dr. Gottlieb is the Director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College and an expert on the urban environment. His talk will provide an "overview of alternative visions for achieving social and economic justice in LA and observations on key trends reshaping LA at the beginning of the 21st century." For more information, please call 434-4003.
Performance: Sunday Jazz Guitar Brunch at La Vecchia Cucina
La Vecchia Cucina has a Sunday Jazz Guitar Brunch series, with special guest guitarists each week, hosted by jazz picker extraordinaire Thom Rotella.Sundays 11am-2:30pm (no cover charge) at
La Vecchia Cucina
2654 Main Street
Santa Monica
310.399.7979
<http://www.lavecchiacucina.com/>
<http://www.thomrotella.com/>
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