Wrong but Romantic; Right but Repulsive. This is the way we were taught, in the border state of Missouri, to view the respectively Southern and Northern sides in the Civil War. Back before we realized that the conflict had more to do with the future of African-Americans in this nation.We were then taught that the […]
Category: LA Weekly
The Hollywood 10-plus
This, the most varied Los Angeles City Council district, has predictably attracted one of the most diverse collections of council candidates ever to run. Yes, there are 13 distinct contenders in the 13th District, which includes not only the Hollywood entertainment capital, but just about every known aspect of Southland culture, population and geography except […]
Willie Williams Rerun?
It is hard to remember a local reputation fading as rapidly as LAPD Chief Bernard Parks’.For more than a year, Parks‘ aloof pride — or was it hubris? — insulated him from the Rampart scandal and the ensuing municipal crisis. Parks stood apart from the apparent double failure of the LAPD: first, to reform itself, […]
Take Me to the River
It is not yet a done deal. But if Governor Gray Davis authorizes a hard-sought $30 million state-parks grant, downtown Los Angeles will soon have its first serious new green space since the City Hall lawn opened in 1928.We are talking of the Chinatown Yard Settlement agreement here, resulting from an amazing, surprise deal last […]
The Yes Man & the No Man
Joel Wachs likes to say no. For instance, while discussing the Belmont Learning Complex with the Weekly’s editorial board, he grants a glimpse into how his mind sometimes works toward the negative. He’s just said that he’d strongly oppose using the costly, controversial L.A. Unified site for education unless it could be proven that it […]
It’s Weird Out There
It was the kind of week when you thought that if you bumped into just one more political candidate, you’d run away and barricade yourself in your home. It always gets that way during election time. You realize that you have not heard an original public utterance since sometime last year, and can barely keep […]
L.A. Lawyer
It’s the end of an epoch in the Los Angeles City Attorney‘s Office.James Hahn, having held that office for what could be a record four terms, must now leave. And now it’s someone else‘s turn to be elected city lawyer.But whose? While it’s the second-highest city elective office, its low-six-figure salary reduces the job‘s allure […]
Fairness Dictates
Without putting the county‘s finances even slightly out of joint, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week managed to raise by 50 cents the $6.25 hourly salaries of its 74,000 home health-care workers. This came despite the state’s refusal to pay what county officials say is Sacramento‘s own fair share of the workers’ […]
Coming Alive
By winning the face-off with Los Angeles‘ mayor and police chief last week, the Los Angeles City Council finally did something in this millennium to justify its existence. Better still, what it did might, after a generation of failed tries, create an LAPD that reflects the city’s 21st-century needs.Of course, there were short-term reasons for […]
The Code of Cordoba
The subtle entity known as Cordoba Corporation used to thrive on bad publicity. Cordoba has bid for contracts as diverse as building demolition and subway construction, though lately it has been doing computer-programming work. Formerly located solely in Los Angeles, it now also lists offices in Irvine, Oakland and — not surprisingly — Sacramento. That‘s […]