"Mayor NarcissusVillar celebrates while others grieve"Would it be beneath Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to use the budget crisis at City Hall, to settle "old political scores" against perceived political opponents? Thus, could those acts of political retributions lead to the death of innocent Angelinos?
If you find my opening premise repugnant, then I argue that you really don't know the inner workings of the man born "Antonio Ramon Villar" who is now Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
It is no secret to those "in the know" within the Los Angeles political community, that Mayor Villaraigosa exhibits an vindictive streak to those who dare impede his pursuit of furthering the "cause of self".
The list is long of those who have face the "wrath of Villar", former Mayor James Hahn, SEIU's Julie Butcher, State Senator Gil Cedillo, his father, former CD 14 Councilman Nick Pacheco, Mothers of East Los Angeles, the Ramona Gardens Community, the McOsker Brothers, Corina Raigosa, Talkshow Host Doug McIntyre, Kevin James and more.
Not wanting to be an addition to this list, may be why that the City Council walked on egg shells and thus were mutual partners with the Mayor during his first term in office. But with his political star now dimming to "black hole status" the "collective fifteen within the horseshoe" are now doing their best to avoid being suck in to vast darkness that is the fail policy and governance efforts of the current Mayor.
But as Ron Kaye opined in his excellent post regarding the new "policy bully of the third floor" Chief of Staff Jeff Carr, the acts of political retributions will not be ceasing anytime soon.
Speculation is rampant that the current Fire Department "brownouts" are part of an strategy to punish the leadership of United Firefighters of Los Angeles Local 112, in regards to their outspoken retorts of the Mayor's wishes for contract concessions and cutbacks in fire services.
Local 112 President Pat McOsker and his brother Tim. who was former Mayor James Hahn's Chief of Staff, are veterans of past political fueds with the Villaraigosa Machine. Thus, Local 112 President McOsker is once again in another political fight to safeguard the interest of his union members.
But in a moment of budget crisis unseen in recent history, the leaderships of all the various factions affected by the decisions made at 200 Spring Street, would be well served to view the KABC Channel 7 video that highlighted the emotional testimony of El Sereno resident Luis Gonzalez who father suffer a fatal heart attack on Febuary 23.
In his heart-wrenching comments before the City Council yesterday, Gonzalez describe the nine plus minutes it took for paramedics to respond to the innitial 911 call. Station 16's paramedic squad, which was the closest to his father's location, was not in use due to the "brownouts" cutbacks.
One can accept that in the execution of normal political discourse, there will always be some sort of "political pay back" as part of the dialog. But in this budget crisis the act of "settling a political score" may had just taken a deadly turn.
OTHER NEWS:
** Happen to catch Mayor Antonio Viilaraigosa on KABC 790 AM with morning host Peter Tilden this morning. It would be worth the effort to link to the pod cast just to refresh the memory on what a political bumbler sounds like early in the AM.
** How would Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa "Chief of Bullies" Jeff Carr measure up to Chicago-trained President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel?
** From the Chief Justice of the United States, "Scene at the State of the Union Very Troubl;ing". But then bullies arenorm for the Democratic Party.
** Link here to view the initial press release by the Hillside Village Property Owners Association Protest at Station 16 in El Sereno.
** Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez talks to city employees about taking paycuts.
** Recreation and Parks General Manager Jon Mukri and cast, come up with proposal to increase revenues from city owned golf courses which would save some Rec. and Parks jobs.
Your thoughts........
