Friday, July 10, 2009

Zuma Dogg wants to keep up with you on Twitter

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate David Saltsburg (Zuma Dogg) Answers Questions For Daily News

QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY LOS ANGELES MAYORAL CANDIDATE DAVID "ZUMA DOGG" SALTSBURG FOR LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS (To appear in upcoming issue)
 
The main accomplishment cited by the mayor is the reduction in crime in Los Angeles and the passage of the trash fee to fund the hiring of 1,000 additional officers. Some of you have contested the figures, please explain your thinking. Also, would you continue the trash fee if elected or how would you allocate it on city spending.
 
When people hear these statistics, I think they say to themselves, "It doesn't feel like crime is down. It feels like we are losing the streets to the criminals, more than ever." And you always have to beware statistics because they can be manipulated in the way you conduct the survey in what types of crimes are counted in the survey and other parameters that can vary the results.
 
I spoke with District Attorney Steve Cooley today and asked about the crime reductions numbers and expressed my concern that the statistics can be manipulated and I question the validity. Mr. Cooley feels that there is indeed a reduction in crime due to the elevated efforts of ICE agents at the County level since he took office.So that doesn't have anything to do with Villaragiosa. 
 
Regarding the claims,  I called Steve for an opinion, because he's about the only guy in the county I could feel comfortable believing, so if he says were moving in the right direction (whether it's due to anything the mayor has done, or not), let's just say that although the city may be making strides, I think your average voter tends to get outraged and frustrated when the mayor boasts of a crime reduction and I know that likely voters wants the mayor's office to do much, much more in the way of public safety toward the goal of crime reduction.
 
It has also been brought to my attention that part of the reason crime numbers are down is because hospitals can do more with technology to save victims, so more people are being saved and are living. So that can make that statistic look lower, but that doesn't mean shootings are down. It just means the hospitals are able to save more people through better technology.
 
Regarding the Trash Collection Fee. Here's what I know about it. First, the mayor said he was creating the fee and the money would only be used to hire 1000 new cops and the money would be in a lock box, only for the cops. THEN, Controller Laura Chick broke the news to the city, that the money was used for things other than hiring new cops. AND, the mayor has tripled the trash collection fee since he created it. And that really sums up how things work under Villaraigosa's City Hall. Come up with something that sounds good, like hiring 1000 new cops. Then continue to raise the fee and end up using the money for something else. And all of this because the mayor has to cover his wasteful and irresponsible spending habits.
 
And the money comes out of your DWP bill. So you're only paying it if you are paying a DWP bill. So who do you think this trash collection fee is hurting most? And I have had complaints from senior citizens who only produce a small amount of trash each week, and they are being hammered by this exorbitantly high fee.
 
Villaraigosa also claims success for a number of environmental programs at the Department of Water and Power and the Port of Los Angeles and the city is considering a proposal, Measure B, to expand solar power in the city. What is your view of his efforts, your position on Measure B and what you would do as mayor regarding environmental issues.
 
Regarding his claims of success over environmental programs, that's what they are, all right: CLAIMS! He claimed he was going to plant a million trees when he ran the first time because he wanted the endorsement of the Sierra Club. I went to the kick off of "Million Trees LA." These so called "trees" looked like little alfalfa sprouts in a cup with some dirt. I could literally hold the "tree" they gave me in the palm of my hand. And how many have been planted. So he makes these empty exhortations in the media that he filled a million potholes, planted a million trees and turned polluted air into Glade air freshener. And unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are bamboozled by the sound bites and believe that Mayor Super Antonio is running around saving the environment. Based on the way he has run this city into a high-density, traffic gridlock nightmare with all of his over development in violation of the Planning Departments zoning laws, I don't think he has helped the environment.
 
The biggest environmental problem faced by the city and region is the Port of Los Angeles in the San Pedro area of Council Distrtict 15.The area is hammered by pollution from the trucks that are hitting the highway to deliver 40% of U.S. goods to the rest of the country. So we are bearing this toxic, dangerous level of pollution for the rest of the nation, and it is the most unsafe and un-spoken about problem that kids and families and workers face in the city, state and nation, right there in San Perdro.  I promise everyone reading this, as mayor of Los Angeles, I will be calling Barack Obama on the phone personally, to let him know the rest of the United States has to pitch in with Federal funds to mitigate the pollution problem in District 15, that is created because of the L.A. Port truck traffic.
 
Regarding Measure B, if I have one message to deliver to Los Angeles registered voters, it is vote "no" on Measure B.
Again, like everything else Villaragiosa puts on the ballot, it sounds good to un-educated voters who don't look beyond the headlines. It says it's about solar energy, but this will actually hurt any real solar initiative. DWP is not prepared to take this project on at this time. It's way to big and experimental and there really isn't even a plan, except the talk to accomplish the mission of which there is not method. It will increase your DWP bill at a time when it has already risen and I am here to say, will keep going up, even without this Measure B (boondoggle). They initially told the public it would cost $1.5 billion, but now reports are saying it will cost over $3.5 billion. And we don't even have the actual plan, yet.
 
I have never seen such widespread frustration and outrage over a community issue and Measure B has united a diverse faction of the community, all coming together to try and alert the masses to please show up on March 3rd and vote, "No on Measure B" even if you don't have an opinion on the other elections.
 
The real problem DWP needs to be addressing is the aging infrastructure and old transformers. I was contacted by someone who works for DWP, last week, to warn me that the DWP infrastructure is absolutely shot and it is in no condition to accommodate all of the new high density commercial and residential projects that Villaraigosa has jammed down the city's throat. And I am told, one good heatwave this summer, and the entire city will find out exactly how shot it is, with massive brown outs like we have never seen before.

So if nothing else, this fake solar plan will take workers and attention away from the real problem. So as mayor, I would be focusing on the real problem (shot DWP infrastructure/transformers) and on March 4th, the day after Measure B loses, focus on getting a real and meaningful solar energy plan put into motion, because clearly Southern Californians are in favor of more solar energy being produced.
 
Villaraigosa tried to take over the LAUSD and failed and now has a partnership with the LAUSD to run a number of schools. If you are elected, what would you do with those schools and what is your position on the city relationship with the LAUSD?
 
First of all, when I started following City Hall as a community advocate/activist, and really try to put on the thinking cap and figure out how to address the biggest problems facing the city...it all leads back to LAUSD at the end of the day. The school system is not producing enough graduates and the drop outs become criminals. The city cannot even find qualified workers for many of the good quality jobs in the city. And then we have to spend money fighting these LAUSD un-success stories the rest of their lives.
 
So I am here to tell you as candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, until the local school system is dramatically improved (and I don't think they are capable of the task) the city will never be anything more than a sinking ship.  And I have zero confidence in the LAUSD school board and any chances of "fixing" the problem.
 
Besides the school cluster that they mayor took over, that I will address next, unfortunately, LAUSD is not under the mayor's jurisdiction, but based on my statements above, as mayor of Los Angeles I will do everything humanly possible on a daily basis to help parents and students improve their scholastic personal achievement through a massive education campaign in the media and out of my office. We'll have to look to outside, privately funded programs and non-profits to help kids and parents outside of the classroom.  Because it is not the school's job to raise your kids, either. Teachers are not police officers or babysitters.That's about all that the classrooms have degenerated into, in too many areas; babysitting services where there is too much time spent trying to keep order and no time educating. And all the school board cares about is the $20 billion in construction money to be handed out and spent.
 
Regarding the mayor's cluster of schools he is meddling with: He sold a great sounding bill of goods to parents, and I have been personally contacted by parents who feel the mayor shut the door on all parental input and left them out in the cold as soon as he took over. As mayor, I will immediately reach out to the parents and teachers in the area, and try and clean up the mess. I can't just walk away. I wouldn't have pushed for this kind of nuttiness on the mayor's part, but left with the situation, I am certainly excited to be able to step up and show everyone the most innovative and empowering leadership at the scholastic level in the history of Los Angeles. My strategy is based on Dr. W. Edwards Deming 14 point management philosophy blueprint. If you don't know about Deming's 14 point plan, please do a search online, because my entire office will be operating under these 14 points (methods for management of quality and productivity). And until LAUSD firmly embraces these principals, the situation will never be allowed to improve, only continue to get worse.
 
The mayor also claims a number of local accomplishments on traffic and transportation. Among them, filling 1 million potholes, installing left-turn signals at 250 intersections, synchronizing traffic signals and laying the groundwork for future improvements with the voter approval of the Measure R sales tax proposal. What are your thoughts about that, what would you do as mayor to deal with transit?
 
Regarding the filling of one million potholes, the mayor's office has already admitted it's more like 85,000 potholes. Villaraigosa's problem is he goes around spouting off all these slogans and campaign promises that all sound good, but he may as well just get a job as Santa Claus, cause all he does is ready back a wish list. And the problem with the potholes that are being filled, is that they are not filling them properly, by removing the particles and topping off the seal properly, so they just turn into potholes again, way too quickly. I learned this from someone who read about my Deming 14 point plan. He was an engineer and told me he studied Deming and knew I would appreciate the feedback. Which I did.
 
Villaraigosa says he installed left-turn signals, but I have learned the left-turn auto sensors installed beneath the roads do not work in everyday traffic conditions. The result, is that only one car has time to make it through the green left-turn arrow before the signal starts turning red, again. So then, only one car makes it through; then two or three other cars roll through the red arrow.
 
So instead of making the traffic better, these left turn auto sensors the mayor installed just made everything much worse and more unsafe. Pedestrians do not have time to cross the intersection and this is a paramount safety concern.
 
Meanwhile, think how much time and money will have to now be spent trying to figure out how to fix the problem, then actually fix the problem. Is the mayor even doing anything to fix this process, yet. This is how the city is going bankrupt through the immeasurable waste that must be addressed. It's all happening because of the City of Los Angeles' continued failure to take serious measures to improve quality and efficiency through the 14 points I plan on implementing on day one as mayor.
 
The synchronized lights work great at 11 at night  or 5 in the morning when the roads are empty. Synchronized lights don't mean squat when your foot is pressed down on the break, anyway, because you are stuck in gridlock traffic because of the mayor's "Smart Growth" (high density) housing plan.
 
Also, we would welcome any other thoughts you have regarding what you would do as mayor of the city as it relates to balancing the budget, Los Angeles International Airport and quality of life in the city.
 
Relating to balancing the budget, the first thing that must be done is, once again, addresses the massive fraud, waste and abuse that the city can no longer afford. In the past, maybe there was enough fat to cover all this wasteful spending and in-efficiency. But as Villaragiosa is talking of firings and cuts at libraries and parks and citywide services as he is tripling your trash fees, adding phone taxes, quadrupling the parking meter rates and coming up with all kinds of new fees and taxes to place on the ballot, we must address the immeasurable waste that is not being addressed.

If the city of L.A. under the current mayor were a home that you were trying to heat in the middle of winter; all of the windows would be open, the door would be open, then sliding glass doors would be installed -- then opened. So the home wouldn't be warming up, so you would turn up the heat even more. It will cost more money and waste more fuel and the job still wouldn't be getting done. So you would crank it up some more, then it gets more wasteful and expensive and it's only getting colder. Then you find out the homeowner is friends with the utility company getting paid for the higher heating bill and is paying for it all with someone elses' money (yours)!
 
So before we discuss all the ways to balance the budget through the accounting department, we must first address the waste and shut the windows in the house (city hall) through this internationally recognized 14 point plan.
 
And finally, the short answer to how to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles is by representing the spirit and will of the community on all the important issues like housing, public safety, schools and all the local issues specific to each community instead of the vindictive, retaliatory spirit that is going against the grain of the will of the people.

I like to talk and voice my opinion as to what is wrong with the mayor and what I want to do as mayor, and no one has spoken more than I, over the past few years: But the only reason I am able to talk so much, is because I listen five times as much.
 
So as mayor of Los Angeles, the biggest job will be to reverse the vindictive, retaliatory spirit of the mayor's office; stop throwing roadblocks in front of the Neighborhood Council system and use them as a real gauge on issues because all the right answers are out there in the community, and the city knows it, but they chose to fight it and go against the grain.  And as mayor, I want to let all of the city workers to know that part of the 14 point plan is to help city workers be allowed to do their best job -- by fixing the broken system for them  that causes them to have to do things two, three and four times; over and over again. There is nothing more frustrating to a worker or resident.
 
More on this candidate at LADailyBlog.com

L.A. Mayoral Candidates Weigh In on "Subway To The Sea" in L.A. Times

Los Angeles mayoral candidates weigh in on the proposed Subway to ...
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg: "Here's another one of those ideas that sounds great conceptually, and who would say 'no' to a magic 'Subway to the Sea?' . ...
By William Nottingham
February 20, 2009
When Los Angeles County voters passed a half-cent sales tax to raise $40 billion for transportation last fall, about $4.1 billion was set aside for the first phase of a subway extension west from downtown Los Angeles.

Times editors have been posing questions about a variety of city issues to the 10 candidates for mayor in the March 3 city primary.

Here are excerpts from the seven contenders who responded to this question:

Do you favor building a Subway to the Sea? What would be your preferred route?

Phil Jennerjahn: "Yes. I foresee a route that goes under Wilshire Boulevard and turns slightly at the intersection with Santa Monica Boulevard and goes under Santa Monica and ends at the Third Street Promenade.

"As a conservative, I hate the idea of the staggering cost, but there are long-term benefits to subways that are difficult to explain to shortsighted individuals. When I was in London, I rode on subway lines that have been in use for over 150 years!

"The initial cost is staggering, but when you calculate the savings from payroll of thousands of bus drivers and the low maintenance cost of not replacing vehicles every few years . . . then the advantages become more clear."

Walter Moore: "The only thing this proposal has going for it is alliteration. It would take too long, cost too much, and span just a few miles along one road in a city comprising 469 square miles.

"Plus, when the Big One hits, who wants to be trapped 30 feet underground where hydrocarbons abound and exits do not?"

Craig X Rubin: "We definitely need more accessible public transit, and it would be nice if our current rail system reached the ocean. I like Pico or Venice Boulevard or along the 10 Freeway -- wherever it will be the most helpful and cause the least amount of traffic building it."

David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg: "Here's another one of those ideas that sounds great conceptually, and who would say 'no' to a magic 'Subway to the Sea?' . . .

"However, let's be realistic. There isn't money [to] get this project done. And it doesn't do any good to have it partially completed. Secondly, there is no plan to move ahead with this besides a bunch of talk and optimism. So at this point, even the supporters of 'Subway to the Sea' say we are talking 25 years before we see this thing. And it always takes longer, so let's just say 25 to 30 years for a project that has not even gotten started and there is no real and tangible way to fund it. So that's a lot of money, time and hope tied up for something that may or may not even happen for 30 years. . . . As mayor, I will be pushing for all the other more practical and realistic traffic congestion solutions."

Antonio Villaraigosa: "A Subway to the Sea was one of my earliest campaign proposals, and under my administration, we have finally laid the foundation for the construction of this long-awaited project. With the passage of Measure R [the half-cent sales tax], we have secured funding that will allow us to build this extension. As chairman of the [Metropolitan Transportation Authority], we took the crucial step of approving the planning study and initiating the environmental impact report.

"Now that we have secured a local source of revenue, I intend to continue my work with officials in Sacramento and Washington to leverage more funding as soon as possible.

"I remain open to any of the routes currently under consideration by the MTA, with an emphasis on connecting the most people to as many jobs as possible."

bill.nottingham@latimes.com

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Los Angeles Times Interview: Mayoral Candidate David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg

Please vote March 3, 2009 and look for your mail-in ballot TODAY!

ZumaDoggForMayor.com

David 'Zuma Dogg' Saltsburg: L.A. mayoral candidate

February 11, 2009

With the March 3 primary election drawing near, The Times asked all candidates for Los Angeles mayor to respond to questions about key issues facing the nation's second-largest city. Here are the responses from candidate David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg:

1) What distinguishes you from the other candidates in the race?

First of all, I consider my extensive training of Dr. W. Edwards Deming's 14-point management philosophy the single most important qualification that distinguishes me from the other candidates.

I am a firm believer that until the city of Los Angeles embraces these 14 points (methods for management of quality and productivity) under the leadership of the mayor's office, the city will continue to trip all over itself and waste immeasurable amounts of money; just when we need to do more with less.

My interpretation of Deming's 14 points was praised by Deming himself and published internationally in Quality Digest. So the fact that I have an actual 14-point plan (method) in which to operate the mayor's office distinguishes me as a candidate. As opposed to just pointing out problems with no method to achieve the goal of improvement.

Secondly, I am the only candidate who actually attends almost all of the City Council meetings (including a six-month-plus stretch without missing a single meeting), reviews each agenda, item by item; then speaks out "on the record" before council on the shadiest items.

So I don't think there is any other candidate on the ballot, including the incumbent, who is as on top of what is going on in the city on a day-to-day operational basis than myself.

And while attending all of these council meetings and other community meetings, I have met thousands of people (who see me on TV) who grab my ear and tell me about what is most important to them in their community. What issue is the city plaguing them with. These are truly heartbreaking stories from the most diverse socioeconomic and demographic crowd on the planet. The truest melting pot in the world is L.A. City Council chambers on any given day.

So I have sure been "schooled" by nearly all factions of the community in nearly all pockets of the city, from Marina del Rey to El Sereno. I am just as recognized in Highland Park and Woodland Hills. I am certain there is no other candidate who has spent more time in the streets and meeting rooms throughout the city, being educated on the most important issues in the city.

But the most important and unintended quality that I have taken on while connecting with so many people across the city is the actual importance of "compassion" in making decisions as mayor. It's easy to take an idealist, "perfect world" stance on citywide issues as a candidate. But then you have to deal with a real situation, with real people, in real time. And I wouldn't be prepared to be mayor of this city without seeing and hearing things from other people's perspective.

Everything I have ever spoken on or written about has been brought to me by a member of the community either by e-mail, phone or in person. And it has only been through this process of meeting thousands of people over the past three years as I attend these meetings that I am now ready to represent the voice and spirit of the community.

And they don't teach you how to run the mayor's office in an Ivy League textbook. So luckily, I have studied Deming's management philosophy extensively and have attended hundreds of council meetings and spoken with thousands of people, so I probably know what is actually going on and what to do about it more than any other candidate.

2) Los Angeles likely will face a deficit of $400 million to $500 million in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, as well as steep shortfalls in the years that follow. If elected, how would you balance the city budget? Specifically, what programs or services would you cut, what taxes or fees would you increase, and what other measures would you take?

I don't want to think about increasing fees and taxes until the city of Los Angeles does much more on its part to reduce the bureaucracy and inefficiency that is wasting much too much of the money in the first place. So by making "waste reduction" the fundamental priority for all projects and services, as mayor, I will be immediately doing as much as possible, right off the bat, at the most basic, fundamental level to help address the deficit.

Because it becomes very expensive when you have to redo everything two or three times. For example, I have heard complaints from city workers of sidewalks being built, only to have to be torn apart immediately and rebuilt again because of some problem no one had the foresight to see in advance. The city has installed left-turn "auto-sensors" all throughout the city that are not timed properly and is making traffic congestion even worse and even more unsafe. Imagine how much actual time and money will have to be spent to "fix" the problem. We could be talking a third of a budget reduction just by reducing this type of "triple effort" waste. And the method to achieve this goal are the 14 points that I will start to implement on my first day in office.

So after we address this unmeasurable waste that must be addressed, I will sit down with all the city department heads and see just how bad the balance sheet looks and if any other measures (like new taxes or fee increases) are really needed. Because as mayor of Los Angeles, any new tax or fee hike should always be the last-resort measure. Not the first thing you run and do to cover all of your wasteful spending.

Regarding what programs or services to be cut, I would go in and evaluate each program and see which programs are not providing the services to the community as initially promised and obviously cut those programs because one of my top two concerns in this economic crisis is the fraud, waste and abuse of federal and state money provided to deliver services to the community. The concern being the money is wasted by front-end loaded management contracts, the community doesn't see the money, the services are not provided, the community falls into further disrepair, then the mayor comes back and asks for more money in the form of higher fees, new taxes and bonds -- after the city just wasted the money that was supposed to provide those community services in the first place.

I know we will be having a serious discussion about these "special event fee waivers" where the city picks up the tab for these private events like the Academy Award and Grammy parties while talking about program and service cuts.

3) To cut costs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is considering layoffs or offering early retirement to city employees. Do you support either or both of those alternatives? Given the increased need for government assistance in these bad economic times, is now the right time to reduce the number of city employees or cut hours at libraries and city parks?

Of course no one wants to cut library or park hours. But what if you found out that if you didn't cut back library hours, that when you call 911 for the Fire Department they might not be able to show up that day? Or what if we keep the parks open until midnight but the trash will be piling up all over your neighborhood? Given the economic crisis the city is faced with, I don't think we will be asking the question if now is the right time, but what is getting cut. And the job of mayor is to evaluate the entire picture and make the decisions that have to be made from a compassionate standpoint. Any candidate who says nothing will be getting cut in these economic circumstances should be running for Santa Claus, not mayor of Los Angeles.

Regarding layoffs, I think the city under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has gotten pretty fat, with a lot of room for improved efficiency. I would think, through methods of management of quality and productivity, each department would be able to do more with less.

So maybe there will be opportunities to first offer early retirement if that is necessary as a first line of employee reduction. And since I agree that more government assistance will be needed in these bad economic times, I would look to see if there are people in certain "fatter" bureaucratic departments that can be moved into some of these other departments that will be needing more staff.

But we can't just let the city continue to operate so wastefully and inefficiently just because it is providing jobs. I think we have seen the result that philosophy produces. I know where there will be some massive layoffs however, on my first day as mayor: In the mayor's office. I hear there are about 90 extra people on the mayor's roster that I would not need to surround myself with.

4) Do you support Measure B, the city's proposed solar power initiative? Why? How do you believe it will affect Department of Water and Power rates?

Not only do I not support Measure B, if I have one message to get across to voters this election season, it is please vote "No" on Measure B. The measure was rushed onto the ballot without much discussion or input. It will drive up the cost of DWP rates. I think just about everyone in the city would agree that solar energy is good. But this is an extremely risky plan that reports say may cost at least double the initial proposed cost. It's a blank check for an aggressive plan that DWP is not ready to take on. But the worst part is that it is not really about creating a strategic solar plan for the city. There was no competitive bid for the program. Because Villaraigosa already decided this one, single plan must use a certain solar panel company in China and must be installed with the union workers of his choice. This Measure B will shut out private industry in the city from installing these solar panels. So what I think this is about isn't about solar, but helping the mayor secure his re-election by putting this deal together that is too expensive, too risky, noncompetitive, will drive up DWP rates, takes the solar industry out of private hands and requires blank-check spending. So that's a "No" on B for me.

5) Should the city controller have authority to perform both financial audits and performance audits on programs run by the mayor or city attorney?

The city controller should have authority to perform both financial and performance audits on programs run by both offices. However, as a citizen who has thought about this as it was discussed at a council meeting, you do not want the controller to be using the position as a tool to go after your political opponents.

Regarding financial audits, that can be done by the controller's office, because it shouldn't be subjective to interpretation, since you are dealing with numbers that should all be adding up. However, regarding performance audits, that is where there is room for a controller to slam a program's performance for politically motivated reasons. So you need to have an independent agency, even if it is hired by the controller's office, to perform the performance side of the audit to make sure you are getting a completely independent and impartial review.

6) In June, the city's contracts with police and firefighters unions will expire. Should police officers and firefighters be given raises or increased benefits? If so, how would you pay for those, given the city's current financial condition?

Even though I feel police and firefighters should be the last to be cut and the most important workers in the city with the toughest and many times most thankless jobs, I do not see how the city can afford to offer raises and increased benefits when the mayor is talking about firings.

As mayor, the first priority must be to ensure public safety throughout all 15 districts. And although I probably just lost the support of the police and firefighters union, I would hope that all city workers would prefer to remain at current salary and benefit levels, rather than have to fire people in the two most critical city departments.

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Saturday, January 31, 2009

FOX 11 10 o'clock News Features ZUMA DOGG's Public Comment on $400,000 Academy Award Party

Thanks to Fox 11 10 o'clock News for featuring Zuma Dogg's public comment regarding Los Angeles City Council's approval of $400,000 for an Academy Awards party.
 
During this economic crisis, where Villaraigosa's City Hall is cutting services all across the City, hiring freezes, firings, quadrupling of parking meter hourly rates, new fees and taxes always being proposed, seem kinda irresponsible to be taking $400,000 out of the city's general fund, to pay for an Academy Awards party under the guise of "Special Event Fee Waiver."
 
A couple week's ago, when LA Times quoted Los Angeles mayoral candidate, David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg on the Grammy Award "Special Event Fee Waiver," Councilmember Jan Perry said that the council wanted to whatever it takes to keep from losing these types of events to other cities.

As candidate for mayor, Zuma Dogg must remind City Council, however, that the Special Event Fee Waiver is not corporate charity and not intended as a private business stimulus package. It is intended for small community events, open to the public, of public benefit for those (non-profit) type events like a church festival or community event where expenses like trash removal services, parking barriers and whatever city services are required, would prevent the event from taking place.
 
So you can contact your council office, and they can grant you the "Special Event Fee Waiver." The amount was ranging between $500-$1000, maybe a couple thousand. BUT NOW, they are using it for Grammy and Academy Award parties and other private, commercial entities.
 
REMEMBER, the SEF Waiver stipulates, "open to the public!" So if they city has just picked up the tab for this party...you better let Zuma Dogg into the event.
 
I think a Federal racketeering case could be made regarding the abuse of the Special Event Fee Waiver under Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragiosa's City Hall. 
 
As Mayor of Los Angles, Zuma Dogg will put an end to the abuse of the Special Event Fee waiver, saving millions of dollars, each year on this item alone.
 

Sunday, January 25, 2009

New Zuma Dogg Blog Posts: Nightline Video, Measure B, Mayor Zuma's 14 Point Plan & More

These are the recent blog posts I would like you to be aware of. Email blast it. Thanks, ZD

Zuma Dogg For Mayor - Recent Blog Posts

Zuma Dogg For Mayor of Los Angeles: My 14 Point Plan on Citywide Operations

ZUMA DOGG'S 14 POINT PLAN BASED ON DR. W. EDWARDS DEMING: First of all, here is a Google search for Deming so you can see the impact he has had on this global economy. Deming is the American from Washington, D.C, sent to Japan in the 50's after the war, to help them rebuild their economy because they were so bad off, it was even hurting the U.S., back home. So when you remember back to when Japan took over manufacturing from the U.S. by building all those cars and electronic stuff that didn't break down and was less expensive...that was through the implementation of Deming's 14 points. And now, Zuma Dogg, as candidate for mayor, says the City of Los Angeles now MUST embrace these 14 points and use them as the "Mission Statement" for all city operations.

I am here to tell you, that I can sit here and blog about every problem in the city for the next fifty years, and until the city starts operating under these 14 points, it will always take eight months to have your tree cut, you will always sit on hold for twenty minutes, only to be sent to voice mail by some city employee who is simply trying to pass the hot potato (your concern) to the next person.

So to start, here is a copy of "Interpreting Deming's 14 Points" that I authored in the '90's after attending one of Deming's famous four day seminars. I sent a copy of this to Deming, himself, because I was concerned there were some things that needed correction. I didin't want to misrepresent his life's work. Much to my surprise and delight, Deming faxed back a letter saying that it was well done and he thanked me. This shocked a lot of folks who didn't even believe me, because they claimed the cantacerous consultant didn't go around sending out letters of praise like that. (I, as most others were expecting a lot of red ink corrections.) This article was also published by Quality Digest in 1994 and publisher Don Deward said it was one of the finest articles he has seen on Deming's 14 points and especially liked my explantion of Deming's more controversial points.

As candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, I am telling you, the only reason I have the nerve to put my name on the ballot for mayor in the first place is because of  these 14 points that I has guided me in my radio industry career and now as a city advocate. And as a concerned citizen and someone who is pissed off by what he sees enough to have atteneded a six month consecutive stretch of city council meetings to complain about the fraud, waste and abuse...

I AM HERE TO DECLARE...NOTHING WILL BE FIXED OR FUNCTIONAL IN THIS CITY UNTIL CITY HALL STARTS IMPLEMENTING THESE 14 POINTS. THE WORLD IS WAITING!  IN THESE TIMES, WE ARE GOING TO BE FORCED TO DO MORE WITH LESS...THIS IS THE METHOD TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL AND MY 14 POINT OPERATION MAUNAL FOR THE CITYAS MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES.

QUALITY DIGEST/June 1994
Long after Deming's death, his 14 points will continue to transform U.S. industry.

Interpreting Deming's 14 Points
by David Saltsburg (Aka: Zuma Dogg)

[Editor's note: W. Edwards Deming died December 20, 1993. The following article analyzing his famous 14 points was written before his death. Fortunately, Deming had the opportunity to review this analysis.]

His name is W. Edwards Deming, the American who taught the Japanese about quality.

Back in the late 1940's and early 1950's, Japan was in an economic crisis. They had just lost the war and it was time to rebuild. They took Deming's methods for management and productivity and put them to use in industry. The rest of this economic miracle is history. They listened when no one else would.

How can WE bring our industry and our nation "out of the crisis"? Let's review Deming's 14 points of transformation:

1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and stay in business, and to provide jobs.

Pretty complex point. What does it mean?

Think long-term. Set the course today to be in business tomorrow. "Doing your best" is not good enough. Everyone is already "doing their best". First, you must know what to do, THEN do your best. Know what business you are in, THEN commit to constant improvement of quality. Innovate continuously.

Take the vacuum tube industry, for example. Once the transistor was invented, the vacuum tube quickly became obsolete. Could workers "do their best" to produce a better tube? Of course not.

Those who fail to improve constantly and innovate will eventually find themselves out of business. To improve, you must predict customers' needs. Customers rarely point out the need for improvement. The electronics industry didn't ask for the transistor. Someone who was committed to improvement predicted that the innovation would be accepted.


2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities and take on leadership for change.

What characterizes this "new economic age"? Rapid change, turbulent environment, constant technological breakthroughs. Consumers demand instant gratification. Technology changes so quickly that we don't even have time to catch up with the changes. By the time a new product hits the market, a new innovation occurs before you can get the old ones off the shelf.

It has become much tougher to predict and forecast in this turbulent environment. Today, predicting the future means shaping and controlling the future and adapting to what you cannot control.


3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the products in the first place.

The United States builds the product first, then inspects for defects later. By then, it's too late! You've already spent the time, effort and money on production. Catch the defect after the fact, and you have to send it back to be fixed or scrap the whole thing. It's usually a lot tougher to repair a product than it is to build it right in the first place. Meanwhile, you've spent twice the time, effort and money.

We spend too much time defining what IS and ISN'T acceptable, then checking to see if and why the parameters were met. We chase out tails around, never exactly sure, always adjusting and readjusting; doing more harm than good.

SEEK PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS. Understand what variations (defects) are inherent to the process (common causes) and work to control those variations. Improve the system. If a variation occurs outside the range of common cause, you have a "special cause". Only special causes should generate effort to uncover the reason variation occurred.


4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.

The bottom-line price tag doesn't always tell the whole story. Some one in my area started a local painting business. When he first started his business, he purchased the cheapest paint so he could make more profit.

Turns out he needed to double the amount of coats to get the job done. Therefore, he used twice as much paint, and it cost him twice the time and effort.

In addition, the paint cracked sooner than other paints. He lost the repeat business, as the dissatisfied customers spread the word to neighbors of the bad experience with his company. What advantages come from moving toward a single supplier?

* Customer and supplier work together to create a system of optimization for mutual gain and satisfaction. (Work with each other instead of against each other.)

* Customer and supplier can work toward long-term (constant) improvement of quality of design and service. (They can adapt to each others' changing needs.)

* Lower and lower costs occur by constantly improving quality and efficiency. (It's cheaper and more efficient if a supplier gets a higher volume of a customer's business. Both benefit.)

If you have five suppliers for one part, that's five times the amount of headaches that can occur. (Five times the ordering, five times the accounting procedures, five times the effort. This results in reduced efficiency.


5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.

We set standards, run through the process and analyze the results. As long as we fall within the range of "what has been deemed acceptable," we did our job. If the output isn't falling within the specified range, management will "demand improvement." They'll say: "Do a better job!" "Less Defects!" Or, "Do a better job inspecting for defects."

How many people have been fired from jobs for unsatisfactory results only to have the problem persist with the new employee? Deming says, "Don't blame the individual, fix the system for them." Improving quality and productivity only comes by IMPROVING THE SYSTEM.

The customer of worker almost never tells you anything is wrong. Chances are, they don't know themselves. Management must strive to predict and uncover the need for improvement. Don't blame the individual, fix the system for the individual.

Some other examples of improving the system: The telephone is an improvement of the telegraph. The fuel injector is an improvement of the carburetor.

How does improving the system help decrease costs? If florists can predict how many roses will be needed next Valentine's Day, they can have the proper amount of inventory on hand, so as to fill every order; but not have excessive leftovers to spoil.

Continuous improvement is a cycle: Recognize the opportunity, test the theory to achieve the opportunity, observe test results, act on the opportunity.


6. Institute training on the job.

U.S. Management (and Government) is VERY BUSY. They don't have time for these kinds of details. Managers view training as an expense because they view employees as a commodity -- not an asset. When new employees show up for work on the first day, how many times does a coworker show them what to do?

Management wants the job done right. They institute the rules, regulations and procedures. Each time one employee teaches the next, more is lost in the translation. Mistakes are passes down the line. What gets left out? One person should be responsible for teaching everyone the same skill.


7. Institute leadership. The aim of leadership should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Leadership of management is in need of overhaul, as well as leadership of production workers.

Deming on leadership: "What is a leader? As I use the term here, the job of a leaser is to accomplish the transformation of his organization. How may he accomplish transformation?

First, he has a theory, a vision of his organization as it would be if transformed. He understands why the transformation would bring gains to his organization and to all the people that his organization deals with.

Second, he is a practical man. He has a plan, not too difficult. A leader must guide his organization through the stages of transformation. But what is in his head is not enough. He must convince and change enough people in power to make it happen. He possesses persuasive power. He understands people." [ZD: Sorry Deming kept saying "he", ladies. He was born in 1900 and probably meant "he" as in "MANkind."]


8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.

Fear is a cause of un-measurable waste and loss. Someone who is fearful takes whatever action necessary to remove the source of fear. These actions do not reflect the company's best interest. Fear robs people of pride and joy in their work and kills all forms of intrinsic motivation. It prevents people from thinking for themselves. They instead concentrate on removing the source of fear (getting the fear "off their back").

For example, a factory worker must build 100 widgets by week's end. His boss tells him, "If you don't finish all these widgets, you're fired!" So, of course the worker gets then done, and they're shipped off to the customer. (Twenty-five are defective, but the employee still hit the quota and has his job.)

Managers who rely on fear believe those working under them are not capable, and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Management must create a work environment where workers can take pride and joy in their work. Don't blame the individual -- fix the system for them.


9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales and production must work as a team to foresee problems of production and in use that may be encountered with the product or service.

Have departments work together at all production stages. Everyone must share knowledge in a cooperative (not competitive) effort. In the United States, departments work independently of each other. In Japan, departments work interdependently at all production stages. It doesn't do any good to design a flawless product the sales department can't sell ot the production department can't produce. [ZD: Massive City Hall applications here.]

For example, an automotive design team makes a minor adjustment in the design of their 1995 model. This change would require the production department to make a major overhaul in their process that is not possible. So the design must be sent back and reworked. Meanwhile, production is delayed and time is spent reworking the project. Had both departments cooperated and involved each other from the start of the process, this inefficiency could have been presented.


10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and this lie beyond the power of the work force.

Management likes to hang up a lot of posters with such exhortations as "Zero defects!", "Safety is YOUR responsibility!", or "Our goal is to please the customer at all times!" These slogans seem harmless enough, until they backfire.

How about the company demanding "zero defects", not realizing that a 12-to-15 percent margin of error (defects) is a built-in function of the system, no matter how hard the worker tries. Deming tells of a poster he saw claiming, "Safety is YOUR responsibility", next to a set of factory stairs that had no railing and steps that needed repairing.

To further illustrate, I look back to an experience I had with a rude salesperson. When I asked, "What about the sign over there that says, 'Customer satisfaction is our number one goal", he replied, "I don't know anything about that sign, my boss hung that up."

Management would like to think such exhortations take the responsibility off them and put it on the employee. However, there is no substitute for leadership. Defect elimination, a safe workplace, customer satisfaction, all start in the boardroom. [ZD: In this case, YOUR office, y'all.] It is management's responsibility to improve the system for the individual.


11a. Eliminate work standards (quotas) from the factory floor. Substitute leadership. 11b. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numeric goals. Substitute leadership.

Quotas and numerical goals are the leading cause of fear in the workplace. They rob individuals of intrinsic motivation and force them to work in a counterproductive manner.

For example, a research worker must fill out 15 surveys a night. Sometimes, this presents no problem. As a matter of fact, sometimes he finishes all 15 early and has time to roam around and do nothing. (Or even worse, bother other workers.)

Other times, it's close to quitting time on Friday, and the market research worker only has 12 surveys completed. How will they his the quota? It's easy. You call a friend (13), let someone through the screener who shouldn't have made it into the survey (14), and make one up entirely (15). (Have a nice weekend!) Either case (finishing early or not at all) hurts quality and efficiency.

If we remove quotas, how do we ensure the worker won't "slack off"? Again, there is no substitute for leadership. Eliminate fear, improve the system, create an environment where the worker can take pride and joy in their work. Employees are your organization's #1 asset. If you can't trust your workers, you are in for trouble.


12a. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride and workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective.

THIS IS THE TOUGHEST PILL FOR CORPORATE AMERICA TO SWALLOW. This point calls for eliminating ranking of individuals, grades, gold stars, incentive pay (bonus money) and commissions. Ranking and merit systems please the boss, not the customer. These forces create conflict, competition and humiliation. They rob the individual (and our nation) of intrinsic motivation, cooperation, dignity, self-esteem and joy of work.

If you rank workers, why help a new employee, or someone at the bottom who needs help? That low end MAKES YOU LOOK GOOD. Forget what's best for the company. It's a given that some people perform better than others. In ANY ranking system, you will ALWAYS have a top, middle and bottom. Ranking will not eliminate the middle and bottom, it will only demoralize the majority of individuals.

A grade is a permanent label, a branding. A grade tells children what is expected of them, the rest of their life. Students who get bad grades become demoralized, are viewed in a different light, experience fear and lose self-esteem. They become victims of self-fulfilling prophecy.

Again, there is no substitute for leadership. Fix the system for the individual.

What's wrong with a commission? It forces salespeople to sell customers the wrong items. When customers realize what happened, they will be upset and tell others of their bad experience. Some sales people won't even bother with a customer if the commission doesn't look big enough. If you get a $1000 bonus for selling 100 widgets a month. After widget 100, it's time to start "putting off" turning in new orders, and save them toward next month's totals. They can wait a few days.


13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement. Point 6 deals with training regarding "the skill and knowledge necessary to do the job." Point 13 addresses the need to encourage and provide resources so that people may develop. Just as we reinvest in other sources, we must reinvest in a company's most important asset -- it's people.

Management must make clear, in the beginning, their commitment to this concept. They must take time and make an effort to institute the continuous improvement concept into the system.


14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.

The transformation must start with top management, for they have the most leverage and influence. They are the leaders. Once the decision has been made, middle management, supervisors and workers must come on board. It takes training and removal of inhibitions (fear, competition, barriers and divisions). We must fully cooperate with each other to constantly improve the system. THINK HOLISTICALLY (systematically).

In order for the transformation to occur, management must see things in a new light. Don't be in the business of increasing profits. Be in the business of constantly delighting customers and workers. Then you will find your profits constantly increasing.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Ed Baker, Bill Scherkenbach, Kosaku Yoshida and Jim McIngvale for investing their time, effort and knowledge.

References: Deming, W. Edwards, Out of the Crisis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Engineering Study (1982), Cambridge, Massachusetts.

NOTE FROM ZUMA: Thanks for reading this. I know this didn't relate to the city of Los Angeles, specifically, but this article sets it up. It's the first thing I would hand out to every manager and commissioner on day one as mayor.  From here on in, I will be applying these 14 Points to the City of Los Angeles as I would as mayor. I've said a lot of things over the past few years about many, many city issues. If I can walk away from all of this and make ONE impact, or be known for ONE thing, or leave any type of "legacy" behind...at the end of the day, I would have to go with "hopefully raising awareness of Deming's 14 points and hopefully moving the city a little closer to the day when they finally do."  Thanks, ZD (Zuma Dave?)

ZumaDoggForMayor.com
213-785-7272
ZumaDogg@Gmail.com

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Zuma Dogg's 14 Point Plan As Mayor of Los Angeles (Zuma Dogg as Mayor DAY ONE)

ZUMA DOGG'S 14 POINT PLAN TO RUN CITY HALL AS MAYOR: OK, it's Dr. W. Edwards Deming's 14 point plan. But Zuma Dogg plans on implementing it if elected mayor of Los Angeles.  Here it is , "Interpreting Deming's 14 Points." I wrote it in the  early 90's and Deming sent a letter of praise in repsonse to  what you are about  to read. (So you can read with the confidence of knowing that Deming signed off on this.)

It's the one, single most critical qualification that distinguishes me from all other candidates on the ballot, including the current mayor.

NOTHING WILL BE GETTING "FIXED" IN THIS CITY UNTIL THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES EMBRACES THESE 14 POINTS.

We can watch the city trip all over itself for the next fifty years. Do your research on Deming's 14 points. One good thing, Zuma Dogg knows a lot of the top level managers and workers in the city know about Deming, and are thrilled that Zuma Dogg knows about Deming. Quite frankly, it has already impressed the hell out of some city hall workers who have asked me how I got into Deming and why.

From here on in, I'll spend a little more time explaining what it would mean to implement these 14 points at City Hall.

But the FIRST thing I would do as mayor, on the first day on the job, would be to contact all the city managers and department heads and have a giant meeting, where Zuma Dogg and top experts explain/break down the 14 points for everyone in the room, and let everyone know this is how we will be operating.

(See "Interpreting Deming's 14 Points" at ZumaTimes.com)

Zuma Dogg feels we have so many genius level people working for the city in these departments across the city, but they are not allowed to "fix" the system, or do what's best for the customer (residents) because of a vindictive and retaliatory city hall under the current mayor.

I have had discussions with countless city workers who start nodding their heads up and down in agreement when I let them know that Uncle ZD knows they have the muzzle on and are not being allowed to do the right thing for the PEOPLE of Los Angeles.

So ZD doesn't have to start firing everyone and replacing everyone. THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE PEOPLE ZD IS MEETING AT CITY HALL WHO WORK IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY...IT IS THE SYSTEM ITSELF.

And the first step to fixing the system is letting the top level managers know that Uncle Zuma Dogg as mayor WANTS to know how to improve (fix) the process. How to reduce the beuracracy. People are forced to "fudge" -- hold off on work some months, jam in too much work others. All these things that workers are forced to do to please the mayor, but not the people of Los Angeles. ALL THE THINGS PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO DO BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING UNDER FEAR!

So when city managers and workers understand that Zuma Dogg LIKES to hear how to improve the process...how to innovate...what needs to change (instead of fighting and resisting change/innovation)...they will feel a lot better about their jobs. And that is how people start to do a better job. It is VERY stressful for people to have to "fudge" and do things the wrong way, when they know how to do it the right way, "IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD LISTEN."

THEN, you have to create a flow chart for every process. For example, if someone calls to have the tree trimmed in front of a stop sign at a school crosswalk...you make a flow chart of the process from the 3-1-1 call, until completion. THEN, you vet out the bureaucracy (intentional/fraud, and un-intended/waste). You question why the widget is moving from point A to point B.

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE: I saw a DWP crew show up one morning in front of a home to cut a tree. There were a couple of those big trucks, and some regular vehicles with all the workers ready to do the work. (Several thousands of dollars of workers and equipment.)

WELP, unfortunately, there was some broken down pickup truck that I see in the same spot, every day, for weeks at a time, if not months. And it happened to be right where the crew needed to work.

So one of the workers asks me frantically, "Is this your truck?"

I said, "No, but it's there all the time, so don't plan on anyone coming out to drive it away."

SO THAT TRUCK THWARTED THE ENTIRE EFFORT!!! DO YOU JUST DOUBLED THE COST OF THE PROJECT BY SENDING THE CREW AWAY, ONLY TO HAVE TO COME BACK THE NEXT DAY. (And I don't know if the next day would be different.)

ZUMA DOGG FOR MAYOR SOLUTION: Why wasn't a temporary "NO PARKING" sign posted in the area of work 72 hours in advance (like for movie shoots). THAT WAY, every regular resident that parks on the street would know about it and be able to keep clear of the area that day. AND, DWP would have been able to have the truck (which is parked their for weeks at a time) TOWED.

THIS IS WHAT DEMING'S 14 POINTS IS ABOUT. Innovation, empowerment, improving the process. It all adds up to reducing waste and improving efficiency. And that's how you cut the amount of time it takes to have your tree cut. (Cause if they have to come back the next day, that doubles the amount of time it takes to get to YOUR tree, too...those non-Deming embracing dummies.

I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE A HARVARD LAW DEGREE, OR NOT...IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO IMPLEMENT DEMING'S 14 POINTS, ESPECIALLY IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES (having to do more with less), YOU ARE NOTHING BUT AN INFERIOR CLOWN TO ME.

ZumaDoggForMayor.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ZUMA DOGG on ABC News NIGHTLINE, Wed. January 14th at 11:35pm

I just spoke with ABC News Nightline, and they confirmed that the segment featuring Zuma Dogg, Los Angeles Candidate for Mayor, will air this Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 11:35pm. And I will be included in the segment. If anything changes, check back here. Otherwise, tune in at 11:35pm or set your DVR. It will also most likely be posted on the http://abcnews.com website after it airs.
 

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

HUGE: Local Community Activists Kick Home Depot Out of Sunland-Tujunga

THIS IN FROM JOE B AND "NO HOME DEPOT"
THIS IS A HUGE-HUGE VICTORY FOR COMMUNITY ACTIVISM!
THEY TOOK BACK THEIR CITY!!!
 
Tuesday, January 6, 2008-

The Biggest Breaking News Ever!
VICTORY!
Home Depot pulling out of S-T!
We just spoke with a high ranking HD official
(at 10:45pm) and he confirmed!
We are literally shaking (and celebrating)!
More updates tomorrow as they come in!
Congratulations Sunland-Tujunga!
WOW!
Thank You Home Depot! You did the right thing!


LA Times covers the story
HERE!
Ron Kaye has the story HERE!
Street-Hassle has an optimistic mention HERE!
Mayor Sam has the Breaking News
HERE!
NBC has the story
HERE!
 

Monday, January 5, 2009

ELECTION '09: Beware Villaragiosa's Solar Ballot Bamboozle (NO on Measure B)

This article appears in the January issue of Boulevard Sentinel newspaper. It is a summary of recent press regarding Antonio Villaraigosa's Measure B (Solar panels). I put this together to hopefully be something that sums things up for voters including quotes from LA Times, LA Weekly, RonKayeLA and includes the ballot measure argument that Antonio is suing over.
 
IF YOU LIKE THIS SUMMARY, PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ALL OF YOUR CONTACTS.
 
Thanks, Zuma Dogg
 
 
It may feel like we just got done counting votes in the last election; but the New Year means it is already crunch-time for the March 3, 2009 City of Los Angeles general election. 
 
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is up for re-election. And Zuma Dogg is challenging him, so look for my name on the ballot! 
 
Two other big (and very important) elecions are for City Attorney and City Controller. Villaraiogsa's puppet, City Councilmember Jack Weiss, is running for City Attorney. (Even other councilmembers have told Zuma Dogg that they hope he loses. So please look into the other candidates and vote for one of them.
 
In the City Controller's race, you have constituent-loathed City Councilmember "Wicked" Wendy Greuel. So please vote for someone else, in that one, too.
 
Because, can you imagine the nightmare that this city would become if Villaraigosa is re-elected, with Jack Weiss as his City Attorney and "Greuesom" Greuel as City Controller? Ask around. Most people I have spoken with, think the City would be a scary place with those three in charge. (You could have a corrupt mayor working in cahoots with the city attorney and the controller will play the role of Hellen Keller.)
 
Ron Kaye blogged on his RonKayeLA.com, "The March 3 primary gives us the chance to change L.A., to elect candidates to the City Controller's and City Attorney's offices who can stand for the community. Villaraigosa, Wendy Greuel and Jack Weiss along with the 15 obedient council members will have nothing in their way if they prevail in this election."
 
But it is Villaraiogosa newest ballot-measure-bamboozle (Measure B, solar power bond) that has already generated the most media coverage and community discussion among the activists.
 
The avalanche of bad press on Measure B was triggered by an LA Times article that called attention to the "risky" nature of this half-cocked boondoggle that requires the blind public trust of the DWP and the City's blank check spending. Plus, LA Times reports that City Council President Eric Garcetti withheld an important report on the matter from other councilmembers, and more importantly, from the public.
 
And now, Ron Kaye informed the City through his blog, "Please be aware that the mayor's lawyer has dragged Jack Humphreville, me (Ron Kaye) and others who signed the "No on Prop. B" (opposition) ballot argument into to court today, challenging our statements. This is being done even as the L.A. Times reveals today that a critical report exposing this solar energy plan as costly and "extremely risky" was being kept secret from City Council members and the public even as the measure was being rushed to the ballot. The mayor's lawyer is demanding opponents pay court costs and legal fees when we don't even have a lawyer."
 
Zuma Dogg would like to remind you that this is not only a retaliatory move, but a scare tactic to try and prevent people from stepping up to write the opposition to the mayor's shady ballot measures and propositions. (And did you notice that Villaraigosa's City Hall just pulled the plug on the Time-Warner public access channel, just in time for election season?) Anything to silence public opposition.
 
Ron Kaye adds, "This isn't just an attempt to squelch the Solar Eight or the debate over this phony ballot measure but a direct assault on everyones' right to freedom of speech and to participate in the political and electoral process. We need support from Neighborhood Councils, homeowner and resident groups, service clubs, churches and every individual who cares about L.A. This is a defining moment. We need to come together and stop the political machine that is destroying the city. If we won't fight as one against these tactics and this dirty deal, I don't know that we ever will."
  

LA Weekly's Jill Stewart wrote in the most recent issue, "In short, City Hall and Villaraigosa have no idea how they are going to pull off the most massive, experimental, costly installation of solar panels ever attempted in the United States. It will require Angelenos to pour huge sums of their own money into Chinese solar-panel factories. Measure B wants the money from city taxpayers first with virtually no strings. The solar plan has the makings of yet another flubbed Villaraigosa dramaturgy."

 
LA Times' David Zahniser reports, "What they didn't discuss was an analysis by a city-hired consulting firm that called the solar plan 'extremely risky' and considerably more expensive than was being portrayed by the Department of Water and Power."
 
Adding, "Measure B, which calls for unionized DWP workers to install solar panels on rooftops and parking lots across the city, sailed onto the ballot with a unanimous vote. But days earlier, the council's top policy advisor was so troubled by the proposal that, in an e-mail to Council President Eric Garcetti, he recommended that the council delay it until a future election. Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller warned Garcetti that the solar measure could result in "substantial increases" to the electricity bills of DWP customers. Neither Miller nor Garcetti made those findings part of the public record. Bottom line is they do not believe that the department can deliver on this program at all, and that the costs associated with the program are way understated,' Miller wrote in his e-mail to Garcetti."
 
Here is the opposition ballot argument to Measure B (Solar) that the shady, vindictive mayor is challenging:
 
There is a more efficient way to produce more solar power AND at a lower cost using better technology - but if Prop B passes - the City will be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on outdated technology that benefits no one but the people who paid to put this on the ballot.
 
This multi-billion dollar plan was placed on the ballot at the last minute as the result of City Hall back room dealings. There were no public hearings and no engineering and operational input from DWP. The Council did not consider the impact on Ratepayers, the overall cost of this massive project, or the impact on the already burdened infrastructure. Our rates were just raised 24%! It is just another one of these tricky deals that says it's about solar energy and workforce development. The LA Times wrote, "This rush to the ballot has the scent of swindle about it." Don't be fooled by City Hall. Demand honesty and transparency.
 

Measure B and Antonio Villaraigosa's lawsuit against the authors of the opposition ballot argument, highlights the whole kit and caboodle of ballot bamboozlement.

 
The mayor KNOWS this will slip by un-informed, mis-led voters. (They says it's for one thing, then ends up being something else.) Unfortunately, it is you who ends up paying for all of this wasteful. experimental and irresponsible non-sense.
 
This is why I hope you join me and many other people from across the city to help clean up city hall. It needs more than a sweep...it needs sweeping changes.
 
It will take the efforts of almost everyone reading this; along with all the activists on the blogs who lead the information charge and get the word out to the public.
 
PLEASE JOIN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EMAILING ALERTS ABOUT THE MARCH 3, 2009 ELECTION, relating to the many city positions, and especially Measure B. Stop the City Hall shell game being run by the mayor and city council. Let's keep the risky gambling inside casinos and out of City Hall.
 
Get out the word, to get out and vote. If you go to LADailyBlog.com, you can find specific articles regarding the March election , ready for you to email blast to your contacts.
 
Zuma Dogg
 
(213) 785-7272
 
P.O. Box 50616
L.A., CA 90050