Notes from LA

Resting peacefully

It’s hard to believe that the City of Los Angeles has designated 900 places for preservation as cultural-historical monuments and it’s taken this long and this much effort from so many to get the city’s greatest asset, Griffith Park, within reach of that status.

In a hearing room packed with 150 or so community activists, the Cultural Heritage Commission voted 4-1 to approve monument status for the park, setting the stage for the City Council to act on their decision.

The key moment came at the outset when Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the park area and is it’s No. 1 cheerleader, ended doubts about where he stands with unequivocal support for the commission staff report which found nearly all of the park contributed to its cultural-historical significance.

Ron Kaye’s full report here.

Right or wrong, the LA Times is again at the center of a storm in the final days of a big election; this time, for what the paper won’t publish. Politico blogger Ben Smith is right: the Times’ explanation for not releasing the Obama/Khalidi video is a hard one to argue with, but that doesn’t make the explanation any more plausible.

Three Drudge headlines suggest a return to the dirty, divisive politics of the Clinton ’90s.

• Skeptical reporters tossed off Obama plane
• Checks on ‘Joe’ more extensive than first acknowledged
• Obama eyes former Clinton pitbull Emanuel as chief of staff

Funny how Ace Smith thinks he can nuke Rick Caruso by saying, “George Bush” in a scary voice. As if to suggest what—Caruso has a secret plot to invade Bell Gardens, oust the city manager and build a mall?

A new book is out detailing the “inner workings, secret meetings, and elaborate murder plots” that make up the Mexican Mafia’s daily routine, written in cooperation with Rene Enriquez, an Eme boss-turned-informant.

The Black Hand, by Chris Blatchford

Wally Fay—editor of In The Hat, and author of his own book on the subject—says this one is required reading for policymakers:

The people who should be forced to read this book, or have it read to them while jetting around the country or riding in the back of chaufered limos are the politicians and policy makers. Policy decisions and laws cannot and should not be made based on information filtered through staff panels, social scientists, mis-informed or biased “advocates, ” or groups who have a financial interest in the outcome of policies.

Enriquez holds “prisoner rights” advocates directly responsible for the organization’s growing muscle and warns that while the feds have made steady progress in the streets, local pols and law enforcers are out to lunch. For a major eye-opener, listen to the interview below in its entirety.

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Anne Applebaum’s reasoning is like mine: the “rapidly deteriorating, increasingly anti-intellectual, no longer even recognizably conservative Republican Party.”

…if [McCain's independent] traits appealed to me, I’m guessing they would have appealed to other independents, too. Why, then, has McCain spent the last four months running away from them? The appointment of Sarah Palin—inspired by his closest colleagues—turned out not to be a “maverick” move but, rather, a concession to those Republicans who think foreign policy can be conducted using a series of clichés and those in his party who shout down the federal government while quietly raking in federal subsidies.

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This two-year election cycle is ending predictably, with each side seeking (and drawing out) the worst in the other—common sense and reason were buried weeks ago. With any luck, it’ll all be over in seven days, but until then, the election will continue inducing fantastic cognitive aberrations.

I was station-surfing on the drive in this morning and flipped to KPWR just in time to catch Marconi-winning host, Big Boy repeat as truth (on his nationally syndicated radio show) the discredited claim that someone shouted “he’s a nigger” at a Sarah Palin rally in Iowa.

Big Boy used the word on air for maximum impact and then spent several minutes along with a co-host bemoaning the ignorant stink of our rotten society, before ending the segment asserting that opposition to Senator Obama’s candidacy “isn’t about taxes,” but rather, “skin color.”

I’m experimenting with a few design ideas, so if the layout looks wacky, trust it’s only temporary.

Joseph Mailander on Ron Kaye’s piece this morning:

Free-range liberals should exhibit similar concerns for people, and ditch affordable housing/density bonus schemes that sixpack humans into units barely fit for livestock and poultry.

The problem, of course, is that Antonio is only free-range when it comes to Antonio, not when it comes out on a plate.