Mayor Sam Exclusive: The Questionable, Subjective Actions of Empower LA Director of Elections Jay Handal

In a Mayor Sam Exclusive, we have some questions for Empower LA General Manager Grayce Liu, regarding the alleged, questionable and subjective actions of the 2016 "Director of Elections" Jay Handal ......, and the potentially, adverse impacts on the objectivity of the upcoming, city-wide Neighborhood Council Elections.  

2016 Empower LA's Director of Election Jay Handel, speaking previously, before a City Commission.

** Blogger's Note: In a Mayor Sam Exclusive, we have received information from multiple sources regarding, alleged subjective and questionable comments, via Empower LA/City Clerk's Office 2016 Contracted "Director of Elections" Jay Handal, that can have potentially, adverse impacts on the objectivity of the upcoming, city-wide Neighborhood Council Elections.




During a January 9, 2015 Meeting of the LA-32 Neighborhood Council Elections Committee, Director of Elections Jay Handal was present in his position as the contracted Empower LA/City Clerk's "Director of Elections" for this Spring's city-wide NC Campaigns, to oversee the NC's facilitating of election outreach responsibilities. 

As the Elections Committee worked through its agenda, which included the allocation of funding to selected vendors for the purpose of promoting the upcoming elections, Director Of Elections Handal made subjective comments, regarding "City Hall Concerns" about the story content in the LA-32-based Community Beacon Newspaper.

When pressed to be specific by Community Beacon representatives in attendance (who were seeking funding for an ad promoting the elections), Director of Elections Handal, made reference to a recent story regarding LA-32 NC President (and Engineers & Architects Association Labor Representative) Marleen Fonseca's (formerly Caudillo) past Alcohol-related Termination from her LAPD civilian employment ......, and later February, 2014 "Wit of Mandamus/Lawsuit" against the City of Los Angeles.   

Directer of Elections Handal, further specified that City Hall had concerns about a community newspaper, receiving money from a NC, that allowed the likes of Scott Johnson to attack the NC on a weekly basis ....., and also exampled the LA Times Editorial Board in its decision-making, regarding whether to publish articles by noted City Hall critic Jack Humphreville.

Further, community activists have told Mayor Sam, that Director of Elections Handal's LA-32 NC "Beacon's Comments", was not the first time that he has mixed supposed official duties and subjective comments regarding "City Hall's concerns" about its story contents, citing comments he, allegedly made at a past meeting of the Elysian Valley NC. 

For the Record, the Community Beacon Newspaper made the editorial decision to replicate the Mayor Sam Blog-posted Missive regarding Marleen Fonseca (formerly Caudillo), specified by Director of Elections Handel ........., and its the ONLY TIME a NC-related article by the mentioned writer, has been printed with permission. It should be ALSO noted, that the Mayor Sam post, is printed in tandem with an article about the REQUESTED CENSURE of President Fonseca. 

Its also a Matter of Record, that the 2016 Contracted Director of Elections (and West Los Angeles NC Member) Jay Handal, has PAST ISSUES WITH ALCOHOL regarding his (and wife Linda's) former San Gennaro Cafe, as reported by the Brentwood Patch in February of 2013.

John Carr, spokesman for the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, told Patch Wednesday Sen Gennaro's license to serve alcohol was revoked on Feb. 12, 2012 for not paying the annual fee renewal. It was issued Dec. 16, 1987. "Once a location doesn’t have a license, we take any disciplinary action against someone [serving] without a license," he said, noting they forward the misdemeanor complaints to the district attorney's office. "We received complaints in the community about this location," he said. The department visited Sen Gennaro Cafe in October 2012 and, after receiving more complaints in December, returned Jan. 25, both times citing owner Linda Handal for selling alcohol without a license. Handal and her husband Jay managed the restaurant. Jay Handal is listed as chairman of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.

Can potential NC Candidates trust the Objectivity and Integrity of Director of Elections jay Handal and Empower LA General Manager Grayce Liu, to fairly facilitate the 2016 NC Elections?

The fact that current Director of Elections Handal, had past issues necessitating a criminal investigation, should call into question, his fitness for a position that requires the utmost objectivity and integrity, in overseeing and facilitating a NC Elections Cycle, that will have major ramification on the future of neighborhoods city-wide.

These disclosures do not also bid well for Empower LA General Manager Grayce Liu, who has been taken to task for her departments lack of diligence in responding to community concerns about personal attacks, via Cyber Bullying against LA-32 Stakeholders, while being cited by Director of Elections Handal (along with the City Council Office), as the source departments for his comments.

Your thoughts ..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14