Former Mayoral Candidate Kevin James Joins Maxine Waters To Oppose LAX Runway Expansion

So a Republican former mayoral candidate from Laurel Canyon and a Liberal Democratic Congresswoman from Westchester walk into a bar.........

.......and made a video together to stop a runway from being moved 260 feet at Los Angeles International Airport.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared war on Henry Waxman after he went behind her back to support a plan being pushed by an "unholy alliance" of the LA Chamber of Commerce and Big Labor to expand LAX's north runways.

Well today I get to break the news that Kevin James, the Republican attorney who just ran for Mayor of Los Angeles, agrees with Congresswoman Waters, and is calling for the LA City Council to reject a scheme to move those runways and reroute parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds to accommodate years of construction.

You see, when I realized how badly this plan would screw up traffic for everyone - not just the folks who lived by the airport - I decided to make a video that would lay out exactly what was stake here.

Take a minute and have a look......I'll wait. 

Kevin James agreed to appear in the video right along side Maxine Waters, Bill Rosendahl, Mike Bonin and a bunch of other community leaders who all have one thing in common - they know how Angeleno's quality of life will go down hill if those runways move and Lincoln Blvd. closes.

Look, most Angelenos don't know it's going to affect them if the Council approves moving the runways. Until a couple of weeks ago, I know I didn't.  And the special interests that control LAX have done a great job painting the activists as anti-growth, anti-modernization NIMBYS.  

My hope is that between this video and a lot of grassroots activism we can educate people and change that narrative.

"Maybe I've looked at this issue closer than others because I was a candidate for mayor and I've spent a lot of time in different communities all across the city, but I can tell you this is not at all a NIMBY issue," Kevin James told me. "I don't live near the airport. I live in Laurel Canyon right near the San Fernando Valley and this is something that concerns me for the whole city.... We need to proceed very carefully here."

The LA City Council could vote to move the runways as early as this week,  so I'm going to ask you to do three things.

1) Watch the video

2) Sign the petition. Tell our elected officials we want to make LAX a world-class airport without moving runways, shutting down our streets and causing Endless Carmageddon.

3) Tell a friend - Share the petition on Facebook and Twitter.

Will LA Mayoral Candidate's Sharp Divergence On LAX Expansion Provide Clarity For Voters?

For voters looking to differentiate between the two candidates vying to be Los Angeles' next mayor, Eric Garcetti's surprise announcement against LAX airport expansion may prove to be a significant factor, especially for voters on the West Side.

 From the LA Times:

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti came out Monday against a plan to move the northernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport, putting him in line with neighborhood activists near LAX and at odds with one of the city's biggest business groups.

Garcetti said he supports an array of LAX construction projects favored by airport officials, including new terminal space and an "automated people mover" to transport passengers to a light rail station. But the city councilman plans to vote against pushing the runway 260 feet closer to homes in Westchester and Playa del Rey, according to campaign spokesman Jeff Millman.

The $652-million runway proposal is supported by the Coalition to Fix LAX Now, a group that includes the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Both have endorsed City Controller Wendy Greuel, Garcetti's opponent in the May 21 runoff election.

The LAX proposals are expected to reach the council later this year. In a statement, Millman called the roughly $4-billion package of airport projects favored by Garcetti "the environmentally superior option." It excludes the runway shift and a plan to realign Lincoln Boulevard near LAX, both of which were recommended by airport officials.

At KNBC-TV's mayoral debate in January, Wendy Greuel was unequivocal in her support of moving the North runway 260 feet closer to Westchester homes.

Watch the video:

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

But according to the Times, yesterday Greuel was less specific about where she stood on LAX expansion. Greuel's spokeswoman Shannon Murphy stated that "Wendy believes we need to move forward in making LAX more competitive and safe and she believes the residents who make the area around LAX their home deserve to be heard."

On February 4th, the LA Weekly reported Greuel had tried to privately walk back the remarks she made at the televised debate, but anti-expansion activists were unmoved by her assurances.

"We're not buying anything that doesn't say, 'Don't move the runway,'" said Denny Schneider, President of ARSAC (Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion).

"And it must be a public statement, not just a private one. The other statement was certainly made in public. To give us private assurances is not enough."

ACTION ALERT! Tell Henry Waxman To Just Say "No" To Endless Carmageddon

Folks, I have to say there's nothing that will spoil your weekend faster than finding out your new Congressman just threw you and about a million of your closest friends under the wheels of an oncoming jumbo jet.

But that's exactly what Henry Waxman did when he decided to side with the LA Chamber of Commerce and against his own constituents to expand Los Angeles International Airport in a way that guarantees region-wide non-stop traffic gridlock for the foreseeable future.

As I reported yesterday, Waxman has been secretly circulating a Chamber letter to his fellow Congress Critters that supports moving one of LAX's runways several hundred feet right smack dab into the path of Lincoln Blvd. 

If that happens, it's game over for traffic in Los Angeles. Experts say parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds would have to close for at least 2 years - perhaps even permanently - to accommodate the move. With the only viable north/south alternative to the 405 freeway shut down indefinitely, thousands of cars would be forced onto other surface streets and nearby freeways during construction, creating constant gridlock as traffic backed up onto the 405, 105 and 10 freeways.

If you think you pay too much for gas now, you're going love paying even more as you idle uselessly in gridlock, stuck in Endless Carmageddon.

If you need to get in your car to go anyplace for any reason in the LA Basin you're going to feel it. Need to get to a job in the South Bay? You're going to feel it. Need to get to the grocery store in Marina del Rey? You're going to feel it. Want to see your friends in Inglewood? You're going to feel it.  Trying to get home to the Valley after working in West LA? You're going to feel it too.

Waxman told the LA Times he didn't feel "obligated" to tell fellow Congress Critters who opposed the Chamber's position on LAX that he supported tying up our traffic for years to come. Well I guess that arrogance extends to us, his constituents. Because if this hadn't made the papers, we'd still be in the dark.

Pick up the phone and tell Henry Waxman to just say "no" to Endless Carmageddon. Tell him you support LAX modernization without moving the runway and choking us with permanent gridlock.


Los Angeles Office: (310) 652-3095  or (323) 651-1040
Manhattan Beach Office: (310) 321-7664

Maxine Waters Goes To War With Henry Waxman Over LAX Expansion Double-Dealing

A jumbo jet lands on the LAX north runway. If the LA Chamber gets it's way, the runway will move several hundred feet further north. Construction could cause "endless carmageddon" in the region for years to come.

This weekend, Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared war on fellow Congress Member Henry Waxman over LAX expansion, telling her constituents Waxman was working behind the scenes with an "unholy alliance" of the LA Chamber of Commerce and organized labor to expand Los Angeles International Airport - a move that some experts believe would create region-wide traffic gridlock.

Addressing a meeting of the Westchester Democratic club on Saturday, Waters told constituents Waxman secretly circulated a letter from the Chamber in support of LAX expansion to Congressional colleagues only a day after telling Waters he had not yet made up his mind about the issue.

Waters, who represents the communities directly surrounding LAX supports modernizing, but not expanding, the airport.

I was on hand to record Waters' remarks. Watch it:


Maxine Waters Goes To War With Henry Waxman Over LAX Expansion from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

The Chamber is promoting a plan which could expand capacity at LAX by up to 14 million passengers a year, and is advocating moving the North runway several hundred feet, a move some experts say would force the closure of parts of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds for at least 2 years, and perhaps even permanently.

Such closures would force thousands of cars onto other surface streets and nearby freeways, creating a near constant "carmageddon" scenario as traffic backed up onto the 405, 105 and 10 freeways, potentially affecting commuters as far away as Orange County, the Valley and Downtown Los Angeles. 

The move is also backed by many of Los Angeles' biggest labor unions, who see expansion as a job-creating engine for the region. Airport opponents say a multi-billion dollar plan to modernize the airport without moving the runway would create as just as many jobs.

In a highly unusual move that signaled just how seriously Waters took Waxman's end-run, Waters very publicly threatened to take the fight to the Congressman's own district, calling into question Waxman's motives for being the bag man for an "unholy alliance between organized labor and the Chamber of Commerce"

"Now I can't say this is why Mr. Waxman is doing what he's doing," said Waters.  "But these are the two places they go for money - the Chamber.....and organized labor. And so some of these elected officials don't feel they can be independent and fight. They say, 'Hey, you know, this is too difficult, after all, they've come together on this issue'."

Waters then encouraged her constituents  in the room to reach out to their counterparts in Waxman's district.

"I want you to find all the community activists in his district and ask them to join with us. I want them to call him and tell him to get his nose out of Westchester's business. He's thinking, 'Well, it's not my district, so I don't have to worry about my constituents on this issue. I can do what ever I want.'"

"But we have to turn that around. Get busy. I will remind him, every day, that we're after him.", Waters said, smiling.

Waters strategy, though unusually pointed and public, might be effective. Last November, Henry Waxman faced the fight of his life when he suddenly found himself representing the beach cities on either side of LAX due to redistricting.  Rather than cruise to victory virtually unopposed, as he had nearly every year since he was first elected to Congress in 1975 to represent constituents in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, the 17-term Congressman narrowly fended off Manhattan Beach resident Bill Bloomfield.

Keep Calm And Vote Los Angeles - A Election Guide

Polls are open TODAY from 7am-8pm

If you don't know where your polling place is, go to http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/ and type in your address to find out.

If you're still holding on to your absentee ballot, DON'T MAIL IT BACK. It won't get there in time.

Instead, fill out your ballot and take it to ANY polling place in the city of Los Angeles and just drop it off. You don't even have to stand in line, just march right in and put it in the ballot box.

Click here to find a polling place.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the Venice For Change endorsements for the March 5th Los Angeles Municipal elections!

Just print this up and take it with you to the polls!

LOS ANGELES MAYOR
Eric Garcetti or Wendy Greuel

LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Mike Feuer

LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER
Ron Galperin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 11
Mike Bonin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 13
Matt Szabo

LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT - 4th District
No Endorsement

LA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT 
Seat 2: Mike Eng
Seat 4: No Endorsement
Seat 6: David Vela

BALLOT MEASURE A
NO

BALLOT MEASURE B

No Endorsement

CD11 Candidate Tina Hess' Campaign Doubles Down, All But Admits Copyright Infringement (UPDATED)

See that little © symbol? It means ask before you touch.

Since posting a story Friday on how CD11 candidate Tina Hess had committed a bit of an ethical boo-boo by using my copyrighted photos in her campaign literature without my knowledge or consent, things have taken a turn for the weird.

Over the weekend, Patrick Furey,  President and COO of Liberty Campaign Solutions - the consulting firm running hired to send out the mailers for Ms. Hess' campaign, all but admitted misappropriating my work in this snappy little tweet:

@venice4change @tinahess2013 I cant find a pic of Mike Bonin online that you didn't take. Kinda limits their options. Groupie much?
— Patrick P. Furey (@FureyPatrick) March 4, 2013

Evidently quite amused by his own wit, Mr. Furey went on to tweet this:

@venice4change @tinahess2013 I found 10 copies of both of those pictures being used elsewhere on the web. Did you report those too?
— Patrick P. Furey (@FureyPatrick) March 4, 2013

When I asked Mr. Furey for links, I got nothing but crickets in response.

Here's a link to what you get when you type "Mike Bonin" into Google Images. A dollar for anyone who can find 10 copies of the photos misappropriated in Hess' mailers.

But here's the thing - it doesn't matter if my images of Mike Bonin appear in a hundred places on the web, as long as they're being used with my permission, or being used under "fair use".  Neither of which is the case when it comes to Ms. Hess' mailers.

This seems to be a concept beyond the geniuses at Liberty Campaign Solutions. Perhaps by the time the LA Ethics Commission finishes it's investigation of the complaint I lodged against their client's campaign, they'll be able to turn this into a "teachable moment".

Until then, if you're a potential candidate looking for competent campaign management, you might want to think twice before using the ethically challenged Patrick Furey and Liberty Campaign Solutions.


UPDATE

I just got off the phone with Mr. Furey, who clarified his firm, Liberty Campaign Solutions, was hired just to mail out the campaign flyers, not design them.

According to Mr. Furey, that honor belongs to his former partners at Veritas Campaigns LLC.  And indeed campaign records show Hess paid Veritas around $21K for their stellar work.

I'm sure their thought process went something like this, 

"Hey, we'll take the photos off the opposition's website, he'll look like a jerk if he complains!"

Here's the problem with that - if your opponent doesn't have an in-house photographer, or they're just licensing the images for that campaign or borrowing them with the photographer's permission, then you're SOL, because the photographer doesn't care if they look like a jerk, they just care that their work is being stolen and used in ways they never authorized.

This is why candidates should never just grab random images off the web, why you should source everything, and why you should pay for what you use if a fee is required.

It's Due Diligence 101, and the chuckle-head on Hess' campaign who thought this was a good idea needs to have their knuckles whacked in small claims court.

Meet Tina Hess - LA City Council Candidate, Lawyer......and Thief

You know what they say, if you're going to steal, steal from the best. And that's exactly what LA City attorney and CD11 candidate Tina Hess did - steal that is.

From me.

I've never spoken to Ms. Hess, and it's no secret I support (and have endorsed) one of her opponents. So imagine my surprise when two of my copyrighted photos showed up on an attack mailer her campaign sent out to Republicans in the district today.

Here's the page one of Hess' flyer:

 

Now here's my original copyrighted photo:

Here's page 2 of Hess' flyer:

Here's my original copyrighted photo:

You would think 25-year veteran of the LA City Attorney's office would have a better understanding of copyright law, but apparently not. I've contacted the LA Ethics Commission. They will be opening an investigation on Monday.

Silly Season Arrives In The Race To Be LA Mayor

Jan Perry attacks Wendy Greuel for not being an in-utero Democrat,  Greuel attacks Eric Garcetti for making  $1.25 off an oil-lease that's never been used, Garcetti attacks Greuel for fudging her numbers, Gruel attacks Perry for fudging her personal finances, the lone Republican candidate Kevin James accuses both Garcetti and Greuel for being grave robbers and long-shot candidate Emanuel Pleitez is literally running around like a chicken with his head cut off.

With 5 days to go until the March 5th election, silly season has officially arrived in the race to be Los Angeles' next mayor.

Although conventional wisdom says it'll be Garcetti and Greuel in the runoff, the candidate's behavior this week indicates they think the race may be more of a tossup than is being reported. So with independent expenditures reaching into the stratosphere and voter turnout descending into the basement, candidates are clawing for any advantage they can get.

So far, independent groups and SuperPACs have poured more than $3 million into the LA mayor's race, $2.5 million of that in support of Wendy Greuel - with the lion's share coming from Working Californians, a SuperPAC formed by IBEW local 18, the union which represents over 8,000 employees for the Department of Water and Power.

What has all that money bought? TV ads. Lots and lots of TV ads. Including this one, which shows footage of Garcetti singing an off-key version of "White Christmas" while a narrator hits the councilman for staying at “five-star hotels,” having “seven city cars” and for taking “money from neighborhood streets for more personal staff.”

Watch it:




Pretty funny stuff. Garcetti may have a musical background, but a great singer, not so much. The added mic feedback is an especially nice touch.

And it would be a pretty standard attack ad - except for one thing -  the footage of Garcetti came from a 2011 charity event at the Garden Crest Rehabilitation Center in Silver Lake.

He was singing to Alzheimer's patients.

Garden Crest is (Pay It Forward Volunteer Band founder) Gary Gamponia's model nursing home. The staff cares. The schedule is varied and full. They welcome outsiders, and on this day, even L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti pays a visit to take a turn on the keyboards and sing.

Garcetti's grandparents were musicians, he says, and with his grandmother, "I just remember some of the last ways we ever connected were through music.".....
 
A few years back, Gamponia, who has mostly earned a living selling insurance, tried to create a cooperative that would help musicians out and then have them return the favor by performing at community events.

He lent equipment, negotiated deep discounts on instrument repair and drove people to gigs when their cars broke down. But the giving was one-way, he says.

Then, around Christmas 2009, he had a simpler notion: Why not just form a band to bring music to the places that could use it most?

He called the office of his councilman, Garcetti, for ideas and got the names of several nursing homes. And he enlisted a ragtag band of old friends and new acquaintances made on Craigslist.

Here's an excerpt of that performance here, put up by Garden Crest:




So welcome to silly season in the LA Mayor's race. Where anything can and will be held against a candidate to be used in the court of public opinion - even singing to elderly Alzheimer's patients at Christmas.

Endorsements For March 5th: VOTE NAKED!

That's right, you heard me, vote naked. As in fill out your absentee ballot in the comfort of your own living room and mail that sucker in before Friday, March 1st.

Don't have an absentee ballot? Can't make get it to the mail box in time? No problem! Polls are open Tuesday, March 5th from 7am-8pm.

If you don't know where your polling place is, go to http://www.lavote.net/LOCATOR/ and type in your address to find out.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the Venice For Change endorsements for the March 5th Los Angeles Municipal elections!





LOS ANGELES MAYOR
Eric Garcetti or Wendy Greuel

I find it very telling that whenever a supporter of Greuel or Garcetti tries to sell me on the virtues of their chosen candidate, the first thing they say is how much they like the other candidate. There's a reason for this - either would provide far better leadership for the next eight years than Los Angeles has had for the past eight. If elected, Wendy Greuel would be the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, no small thing when you consider we may end up with NO women on the LA City Council come June. Her resume goes back decades to Tom Bradley. She's competent, knowledgeable, ambitious, a great manager, and from everyone I've talked to, works harder than just about anyone in LA City government. She has the backing of many who already serve in City Hall. Conventional wisdom says Greuel is more business friendly than Garcetti - she's arguably more conservative when it comes to issues such as tenant rights.

Greuel has been endorsed by the LA Daily News.

Of the two, Eric Garcetti is considered the "vision candidate", with ambitious plans for developing a greener, more public transportation and tech-sector-friendly economy for Los Angeles. But as president of the LA City Council, Garcetti has had deal with a harsher reality, steering our city through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Doing so meant successfully renegotiating contracts with labor unions which serve our city - a difficult task that's cost him politically (IBEW Local 18 - the union which represents 8,000 employees of the LA Department of Water and Power - is reported to have spent over $750K in support of Wendy Greuel).

After sitting on the LA City council for a dozen years, Garcetti is hardly an outsider, but without the support of LA's Political Class, he's relying on the same kind of grassroots organizing perfected by the Obama presidential campaigns to make the difference in his own campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles. As an early supporter of President Obama (he signed on in 2007, and was active in Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns), Garcetti has the support of many (although not all) of Los Angeles' grassroots Obama organizers. If elected, I expect Garcetti will continue to harness the power of community organizing in governing Los Angeles.

Garcetti has been endorsed by the LA Times. and La Opinion



LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Mike Feuer

LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER
Ron Galperin

LA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 11
Mike Bonin

LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT - 4th District
No Endorsement

LA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT 
Seat 2: Mike Eng
Seat 4: No Endorsement
Seat 6: David Vela

BALLOT MEASURE A
NO
A quick word on Measure A - while I'm normally a proponent of increasing revenue, Measure A is an ill-conceived regressive sales tax which would disproportionally burden those in the lowest income brackets. Worse, it's being proposed as candidates running for Mayor are promising to eliminate the city's gross receipts tax for businesses. So if Measure A passes, it would essentially shift a $200 million tax burden from businesses to the backs of lower and middle-income Angelenos.

This is not a smart way to close Los Angeles' budget gap. Once a new Mayor is elected, he or she will have a year to renegotiate contracts with the City's service employees as well as evaluate alternative revenue streams. Then, and only then, should the city consider coming to tax payers for additional help.


BALLOT MEASURE B
No Endorsement
 

Behind The Scenes At ABC-TV "Castle"

And now for something completely different from my "day job"........

Ever wonder what goes into all the quality entertainment you've come to expect week after week from ABC-TV's "Castle"?

Well, director Rob Bowman provides a sneak peak from tonight's episode of "Hunt"



Castle Movie Magic! from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

Mike Bonin For LA City Council - The Best Candidate To Get Us Through The Zombie Apocalypse!

A few weeks ago, at a house party for LA City Council candidate Mike Bonin, a friend asked me why I was supporting Mike over the three other candidates running to replace Bill Rosendahl.

"That's easy," I told him. "He's the best candidate to get us through the Zombie Apocalypse."

Before you think I've lost my mind, let me explain :)

I've known Mike since I first became active in local politics in 2003. Back then our relationship was cordial, if distant - sometimes we weren't always on the same side of issues.

All that changed in 2008 when we became co-regional field organizers for the Obama campaign. Together we managed hundreds of volunteers who made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to voters all over the country. It was a massive operation unlike anything either of us had experienced - it took everything we had and then some to get through it.

Then election night happened. As the rest of us celebrated Barack Obama's victory, I'll never forget the look on Mike's face when he realized Proposition 8 had passed, and with it his rights to marry.

It would have been easy for Mike to give in to despair and cynicism, but that's not what happened. What happened was this - Mike organized.

First, Mike helped create and run Camp Courage - workshops teaching activists how to talk about and organize for marriage equality. Then he took the show on the road - to Fresno and Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland, East LA and Washington DC. Activists trained in these workshops organized their own networks, taking the fight for marriage equality to states all over the country.

Then another election night happened. This time, in 2012, and for the first time, voters in four states affirmed the rights of same-sex couples to marry. In California, the state court had already overturned Proposition 8. And finally, after much pressure from activists - many of them trained at Camp Courage - Barack Obama "evolved" on marriage equality.

So yes, I'm voting for Mike Bonin because he's the most experienced and has the best positions on public transportation, the environment, development, and job creation - but mostly I'm voting for him because he's the best person to get us through the Zombie Apocalypse.

Because if you're talking about someone who won't give up and won't give in no matter the odds, who'll fight for what he knows is right, and who'll empower others to create real and lasting change, Mike Bonin is that person.

LA City Council District 11 Election Debate Schedule: Be There Or Be Square

Although you wouldn't know it if  you get your news from Los Angeles' mainstream media, there is a primary election this March 5th.

Besides choosing our next Mayor, Angelenos will also be choosing who'll represent them on the City Council. Here in CD11, that means choosing  between Mike Bonin, Odysseus Bostick, Tina Hess and Fred Sutton to represent us when Bill Rosendahl retires in June. 

So far there are three candidate debates scheduled to help give you the information you'll need to make up your minds. 




Tuesday, February 7th 7-9pm
The Brentwood News and the Westside Regional Alliance of Council's host "Meet the Candidates"
University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd,  Brentwood
Seating is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.   
RSVP to: Suzanne@BrentwoodNewsOnline.com or call 310-476-6397. 


Thursday, February 14th 7-9pm
Celebrate Valentines Day with the candidates!
Palisades Branch Library  - 861 Alma Real Drive, Pacific Palisades


Thursday, February 28th (time TBA)
Mar Vista Community Council (tentative)
Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium - 11430 Woodbine Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066