Was a Soggy L.A. this Week

We Angelenos are so pleased that the "sunny" is back in "Sunny Southern California." But, what's up with the L.A. Times? Today's front page photo is the fire department rescuing a dog from the river with a helicopter--that's the best we have to offer?

Up in Smoke
During this soggy week, the Los Angeles city council managed to enact a smoking ban for outside eateries--bummer for us cigar smokers. However the Cigar Rights of America advocacy group is claiming victory for smoking also being allowed in bars. Mean while, Los Angeles County finally tackles the fast-increasing cannabis club issue with a ban on new clubs. And I so liked the cannabis prescribing clinics sprinkled on the ocean front walk at Venice Beach--they add color and smell to the area.

Late Night TV
This week, Conan O'Brien agreed to vacate his Tonight Show throne back to Jay Leno, and in doing so the gets a $33 million dollar "party prize."

Palos Verdes Party House
Melahat Uzumcu gets fined only $500 and three years informal probation for renting out her 7,000 sq. ft. Palos Verdes estate (located in a residential area) for block buster parties. And she couldn't understand why the neighbors (actual residents of the area) complained about the noise and traffic. Get a clue babe!

Roman, Come Home
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge said no to Roman Polanski's request to be sentenced in absentia. Roman wants to stay in Switzerland under house (chalet) arrest rather than to return to Los Angeles to face the music. Roman was busted over 30 years ago for boinking a 13-year old girl and fled the country prior to his sentencing. You can run Roman, but you just cannot hide from the LAPD, LASD, and all the other folks that want to see you fry.

Piece of the Silver Screen Lost
This week Los Angeles lost Jean Simmons, she was 80--enjoying a career that spanned over 60 years including 55 feature films and numerous television productions. Jean Simmons was am important contributor to Hollywood's flourishing post WWII era. She appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in Hamlet, and appeared in such movies as Guys and Dolls (with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando), The Robe (with Richard Burton), The Big Country (with Gregory Peck), Desiree (with Marlon Brando), Angel Face (with Robert Mitchum) and Spartacus (with Kirk Douglas).

Angelenos...Who We Are

Malibu's Dirty Little Secret
Most of the parcels in Malibu, L.A.'s iconic coastal city, have septic systems. Residents say that it is to keep the size of the city in check--however that is bull shit--in more ways than one. The real issue is cost. There is a move at foot to ban septic systems in the central part of the city and the estimated cost to home owners is $1,000 a month. I personally know geologists that have done soils testing in Malibu and have told me that, for years, it has been common in Malibu for raw sewerage to spew down the canyons.

Why is it that so many of L.A.'s celebrities have plenty of time and money to fight the elephant park at the L.A. Zoo, keep inner city land owners from building new buildings, and to keep industry out of SoCal--but cannot even clean up their own SHIT? Go figure...they would not be hypocrites, now would they?

Need Privacy?
Speaking of hypocrites, we Angelenos do love our Dodgers--when they are winning. The last couple days have not been too promising. We just do not have the passion that residents in say, Green Bay, have.

However, the better story is Jamie and Frank McCourt--owners of the Dodgers. You gotta love it; they announce their break up just before their team enters the playoffs and then they ask the media for...privacy...you've got to be kidding!

At least we still have Vin Scully--at 81, he is still calling the Dodger games; nearly 10,000 of them during his 6 decades as the Dodger's brodcaster. This guy is a real class act--especially compared to the current Dodger owners. Hats off to you Vin, I can still remember listening to you in my parent's 1962 Chevy wagon, during our drives to Lake Cachuma for weekend camping trips. You are my positive connection to the past.

Taking the Fun Away
Yes, Los Angeles County District Attorney, Steve Cooley plans to prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries for over-the counter sales. What? They should do it from the back door? Come on Steve, In California we voted to decriminalize marijuana years ago. This is as bad as the Governor of California dealing with global warming while "Rome burns." The state is in a world of financial hurt and Arnold is worried about global warming? In Los Angeles county, we have some of the worst gang problems in the country and Steve, you are worrying about the liscensed medical marijuana dispensaries?

Just think if we could get the politicians to quit taking bribes, I mean reelection campaign dollars, laundered from gang money--and just make the crap completely legal--the only people that would be hurt is the gang members that make millions selling drugs on the streets of Los Angeles. Tax the stuff like is now done with tobacco and alcohol, and the State's deficete would be resolved--oh yes--that's just too lodgical--we can't do that.

By the way, 25% of the California jail population is from drug convictions. And we have over crowding in our jails..a problem that the Feds are demanding be resolved...am I the only one that sees something here?

Livin' Off Your Kids

Could You Live on Only $86K a Month?
Apparently that is what the Los Angeles Superior Court has told Katherine Jackson, you know--Michael's mother. The Michael Jackson estate will have to pay Katherine $26,804 a month to continue to support her as her son had done for years. And, according to the Court, the estate will have to pay her an additional $60K a month to pay for "food, clothing, education and entertainment" for Michael's children; Prince Michael Jr., Prince Michael II, and Paris Michael Katherine. But, that's not all. Additionally, the estate pays the mortgage on Katherine's Encino residence, gardeners, insurance and taxes.

Wow, I did not realize "entertainment" was so expensive in L.A.

Deserts, Pawns & Corruption

Just Deserts: Last week I told you about Wells Fargo Bank Senior Vice President, Cheronda Guyton that thought it was okay to keep a foreclosed Malibu, ocean-front, property of the market so she could personally use the house on weekends--well, Wells Fargo fired her this week. They just got too much heat over the flap. All right WFB! And here is the real question, "Will they secretly hire her back in six months after everything cools down?" Don't be surprised if they do!

Is He a Pawn? My perspective is that this week Jay Leno allowed Kanye West to use Jay's new show for an amazing PR stunt. Let's face it, Kanye's insurrections have become common--nothing new there. And Jay allowed himself to be a pawn for another of Kanye's insincere public apologies. From a PR stunt perspective, Kanye really kicks ass!

Class Act: We lost Patrick Swayze this week, a true Hollywood class act. Many thanks to all the idiots in the tabloids for the unnecessary circus around his passing.

In Hot Water with the Feds: L.A. Politician, Mark Ridley-Thomas is under Federal investigation for "improprieties" in L.A. area elections, L. A. contractor relationships, and with union leaders proven to be corrupt. Well Mark, take a little--but don't take a lot. When you only steal a little, nobody notices.

Have a great weekend, Ed

Dodgers, Wells Fargo & Cardinal Mahony

Let’s look at this week’s luminary:

The partners: Los Angeles treasure and master salesman, Roger Owens, has been selling, with humor and style, Dodger fans their peanuts for 51 years. With his trademark; behind-the-back pitch, he has dispensed famous Dodger peanuts at over 4,000 games. His skills have earned him invitations to the Bellagio in Las Vegas and also to Tokyo to pitch peanuts. Next time you go to a Dodger game, try to get loge seats in aisles 101 to 167 to experience Roger live.

This one was a toss up between partners in crime and just plain clueless. How about the teacher that worked for a preschool in L.A. City that got her colleagues loaded? It seems that the first week of April 2009 she bought brownies from a street vendor claiming to be selling the brownies as a church fund raiser. She did not eat any herself but gave some to her adult son and then took the rest to school and left them out for the other teachers, who proceeded to complain of being sleepy and dizzy, among other symptoms. They even had to bring in the CDC. Finally, after several months, the LAPD determined that the brownies contained marijuana. Hell, any baby boomer could have made that same determination in less than half an hour. Who says that the old farts can’t deliver value in the workplace?

The predators: This one is just too...well, you fill in the blank. Apparently, Wells Fargo Bank senior vice president, Cheronda Guyton, who works out of downtown L.A. and is responsible for foreclosed commercial properties, has been using (on weekends) a WFB held, $12-million Malibu Colony ocean front, beach-house since May 2009 when the owners (victims of Madoff’s fraud) surrendered the house to WFB. She was even able to procure for herself, a “homeowner’s parking pass for the gated community. While WFB says that its ethics code wouldn’t allow employees to make personal use of property that had been surrendered to satisfy debts, local residents observe a completely different story. Local real estate agent Irene Dazzan-Palmer has also been denied access while having credible buyers for the property. I sure whish I could keep a $12-million dollar beach front Malibu house in my back pocket for my family’s exclusive weekend use.

On the non-profit side; UCLA School of Medicine professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Gerald D. Buckberg, (and 5 of his fellow L.B. Research & Education Foundation officers) are being held accountable by California Attorney General (Gov. Moonbeam) Jerry Brown for using hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal gain activities.

Not to be outdone in the area of idiotic greed are the folks running the Tarzana Treatment Center, the largest publicly funded provider of drug rehabilitation in Los Angeles County seems to be over paying rent to its executives. Seems that Chief Executive Scott Taylor and Chief Operating Officer Albert Senella, and others, have been renting properties, owned by them, to the center for quit a bit (obscenely) over the prevailing market rate. Funny, the Los Angeles County Supervisors are expecting some sort of a return payment back into the county coffers. Yep, like that will happen.

The pariahs: traditionally the pariahs were the lower cast in India . However the term is broadly used for any group that has been shunned…like innocent children. L.A. ’s own Cardinal Roger Mahony saw it fit to bless a trash truck on Labor Day but continues to block the L.A. District Attorney’s attempts to gain personnel records of disgraced priests accused a sexual child abuse. Go figure…

The stupid: has got to go to Orange County ’s California State Assemblyman, Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda). Duvall, married and a family-values crusader, was caught over an open microphone, and video recorded, bragging about his recent sexual conquests—one with a lobbyist with business before a committee of which he served as vice chairman. The video was broadcast over the internet. And yes, he has resigned. What a dumb shit!

Enjoy your weekend, Ed Rigsbee

Partners, Predators & Pariahs

Watching the Los Angeles full moon on its gradual decline this early Friday morning, one has to wonder…Ya Gotta Love L.A.

In Los Angeles, thanks to Hollywood, people and activities are so much is larger than life. We have partners, predators, and pariahs. Let’s look at this week’s luminary:

The partners:

This week Hollywood is in talks with Northern California ’s Google owned, YouTube. It would appear that Hollywood is finally realizing that they really are in the entertainment business and not the DVD pressing business. Hollywood studios are looking to access YouTube’s gargantuan online audience. Way to go guys, it only took you…how long?

The predators:

In Los Angeles, we have plenty…Anaheim Ducks owner, Broadcom co-founder, and billionaire, Henry Samueli is pleading with the U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals to stay out of jail. He seems to think that Security Exchange Commission (SEC) rules do not apply to him or his company. He tried to buy off the court by agreeing to a plea bargain fine of $12 million. U.S. district Judge Cormac Carney seems to think that “justice” is not for sale. Wow, what a concept.

While in the subject of predators, how about recently ousted and historically highest paid Screen Actors Guild (SAG) executive director, Doug Allen? Now Doug’s annual pay is nothing to sneeze at: $593,363…and who said that unions do not serve? When the guild is facing a $6-million deficit, he grants unprecedented pay raises to his senior staff, so apparently SAG is not serving, but rather ripping off the thousands of starving actors trying to build a career. Then there is SAG's rival, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' executive director, Kim Roberts, who is the lowest paid in Hollywood at a mere $349,808 last year. But that’s not all; guess the 2008 income of Jay Roth, executive director, at the Directors Guild of America. Just as an FYI, it was $636,266. Henry, perhaps you should have worked for a union? The SEC doesn’t bother them.

The pariahs:

Traditionally the pariahs were the lower caste in India. However the term is broadly used for any group that has been shunned…like the illegal, I’m sorry—that’s undocumented, immigrants. Here in Los Angeles the largest group and numbering in the several millions are the folks that are visiting from Mexico. There is much to do about downtown L.A.’s noted manufacturing company, American Apparel—quite a success story. However, the Feds caught American Apparel employing about 1,500 employees, in their downtown manufacturing facilities, that were “unable to prove their immigration status.” Funny, for a company that so loudly touts immigration reform, American Apparel has chosen to lay off their employees rather than to face “potential legal consequences.” Go figure…

Enjoy your holiday weekend, Ed Rigsbee