Morning Briefs on the Los Angeles Political Machine for a post Easter Monday

Sign of a new Political Time at City Hall as CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar is brushed aside, while Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Council President Herman Wesson and LA County Board of Supervisor Gloria Molina, announce J-Zay-promoted Labor Day Concert at Grand Park.

As Mayor Garcetti moves forward in announcing J Zay's promoted Labor Day Concert at Grand Park, Councilman Huizar is reduced to finding friendly media venues to pout.

Great Monday after Easter to all as today has the bloggin aura of the first day after Spring Break, with everyone wanting to know what you did during your time away, or in this blogger's case, what political theatrics were missed during our keyboard embargo.

** First, Mayor Eric Garcetti treated CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar to a lesson in a new political reality by casting him aside, in announcing the Jay Z-promoted, Budweiser-sponsored Labor Day Concert at the Civic Center's Grand Park. The Princeton Graduate, turned defendant in a Sexual Harassment Lawsuit, was relegated to finding friendly media scribes (like LA Weakly Blogger Dennis Romero and KPCC's Alice Walton) to espouse his pouting points. We should note while The Weakly's Romero takes issue, along with Huizar, regarding the forthcoming Labor Day Concert, Romero and his Weakly colleague Gene Maddaus seemly had no reservations about the cost to the taxpayers regarding the giveaway of the LA Memorial Coliseum to USC. 

** Second, CD 8 City Councilman Benard Parks has an unwanted staffer controversy with the arrest of "low level, administrated assistant" Kearia Brown on armed robbery and conspiracy charges. Brown posted $100,000 bail and has been place on paid administrated leave, pending the resolution of her case.

** Third, to paraphrase from the great Soul Song from Billy Paul, "Mr. and Mrs. Jones", Mr. Mark Ridley-Thomas and Ms. Betty Pleasant have a political spat going on. In the last couple of weeks, the reigning South LA "WMD Columnist of Note" (ie. WMD stands for Wanton Missives of Distortion) has been keyboarding "Written Missives of Disclosure" regarding the inattentive nature of LA County Board of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Last week, Ms. Pleasant published emails via members of the Compton Chapter of the NAACP, directed at the Supervisor's Chief of Staff that prompted the following retort from the noted Garage Renovator as keyboarded by Betty.

Then the two guys and Paulette Simpson-Gipson, Compton NAACP president, contacted me about their problem with Ridley-Thomas and the rest is history. On March 21 at 4:19 p.m. MRT sent me an email stating: “We need to talk. You’re about to get me fired!!!!.” Then at 5:44 p.m. he sent me this one: “You need to stop busting my chops! Who has taken my place anyway? (maybe affectionate little short guy Herman Wesson?) I want to kill him!” To which I responded at 5:44 p.m.: “No one has taken your place. It is and has always been the people first and MRT second, with SRT a closing third! Betty.” (makes you wonder what went down in Ridley-Thomas new Garage Man Cave in better times between these two??)

........ but Betty is not ready to rekindle this political fling anytime soon, judging by the following parting shot. 

I’ve got a lot of juicy news about Ridley-Thomas’ chosen candidates for election I want to tell you about next week. It reminds me of the late great blues singer John Lee Hooker’s hit: “It serves you right to suffer.” The sentiment is apropos.     

Dedicated to LA County Board of Supervisor Mark "Home Renovation Thomas".

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14