Republic of L.A. gets City to Reconsider Parking Tickets

Republic Of L.A. got a lot of feedback on the Monday, June 8 post about ambiguous parking signage and what effectively turned out to be a parking-ticket trap near West Hollywood Park. I emailed all of the WeHo City Council Members a link to the post and got a prompt response from Council Member Jeffrey Prang's deputy, Jake Stevens. Addressing the subject line I included with my email to his boss, which referred to the situation as seeming to be a "sham" Stevens assured me in his initial email that a) there was no scam, and b) he would research the issue and get back to Republic Of L.A. with more information. He did get back to ROLA with some really valuable information, and a reiteration of there being no scam at play (it may seem like minutia, but it's important from my perspective to note that I used the word "sham," not "scam." The difference being, in my mind at least, that you can end up with an unintended sham, but a scam is always planned from the outset.) Here is the response we got from Prang's office via Mr. Stevens:

As part of Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan (which includes the construction of the new 44,000 square foot, state-of-the-art library, public meeting rooms, Friends of the Library space, a municipal parking garage with over 300 parking spaces, a 91-space parking garage and new tennis courts), the 20 parking meters in the Melrose alley are being eliminated for safety reasons since construction is going on in close proximity and to maintain a fire lane for the Fire Department.

The parking meters in the Melrose alley were removed and the curb painted red last Friday, June 5, 2009. Removing the signs was part of the work order but all the work could not be completed on Friday. The current signs are scheduled to be removed on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 and replaced with new signs that alert drivers that no parking in the alley is allowed. The situation you reported is not the result of any deliberate attempt to mislead the public, but rather a delay in getting all the work completed in the alley as requested.

We will evaluate any requests submitted by individuals cited at this location during this time and will take appropriate action if we find that the citation resulted because drivers were confused by signs. In order to mitigate the loss of parking in the area during the library construction project, the City recently built a 113 space parking lot just north of the Public Library and a short walk from the Melrose Alley that is open to the public from 6:00 AM to 2:30 AM seven days per week.

Without wanting to diminish the response, which was comprehensive and detailed, not to mention promptly delivered--and all but promises to forgive any tickets that were wrongly issued during the weekend in question if the drivers ask for a review--it left out the one thing that seemed most important: Parking Enforcement's wanton combativeness with the public.

As you may recall or may want to re-read here, a central point of the post was the fact that the shift supervisor ended up hanging up on me after saying the signs didn't matter all that mattered was the freshly painted red curb. "If they parked in a red zone, they will be ticketed," were his exact words.

I asked Council Member Prang's deputy if it seemed proper to him for Parking Enforcement to dismiss a sincere phone call about an issue that was clearly unfair to citizens of and visitors to the city (especially during the Great Recession). His response to that final question was a real eyeopener.

It turns out that those little white Prius's with "City of West Hollywood Parking Enforcement" emblazoned on the side are operated by a private company: Serco Inc., a global parking and traffic enforcement contractor.

This brings up a whole new discussion and ripe fodder for future blog posts: Is West Hollywood or are similar cities really well served by these contractors that allow them to avoid building their own police forces, parking enforcement divisions, housing programs and many other services?

The military has fired Haliburton after that contractor reamed the taxpayers for untold billions after promising to do the job of supporting the troops on the battlefield "better, faster and cheaper."

But here's a better comparison: the City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power charges its customers considerably less than Edison charges its customers. During the rolling blackouts of the early 2000s, DWP managed to keep the power on for everybody.

But don't take my word for it. Ask a Realtor how much value is added to a property simply by virtue of being in DWP service area. The reason is because buyers know they will pay smaller electric and water bills, even with recent rate hikes. Besides, when the power executives' bosses are elected officials, i.e., city council members, it's fairly easy to keep up pressure to keep rates down.

Note: The city also promised to consider doing more to communicate with more signage the availability of temporary parking north of Melrose Alley.

LAPD's Chopper Force Moving to Van Nuys Airport

Flight operations of the Piper Tech Hooper Heliport, LAPD's base of air operations, will temporarily relocate from its sprawling rooftop pads downtown to Van Nuys Airport. The move is part of construction happening at the downtown site.

Residents living in nearby Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Encino, Northridge and Sherman Oaks neighborhoods have long battled against helicopter traffic originating from Van Nuys Airport (VNY); it will be interesting to see how they respond to the two- to three-month relocation of all LAPD operations to their backyard skies.

While LAPD is often said to have the largest non-military "air force" in the nation (and there is little reason to doubt it), I was surprised to learn, when I wrote a piece about cops' claim that they needed an air unit dedicated to supporting Valley-based operations, there is never more than one LAPD chopper patrolling the city from the air at any given time. That claim, of course, does not include emergency, or crime-scene situations, just general patrols.

Republic Of L.A. is waiting to hear back from the National Helicopter Noise Coalition, based in Encino, as well as Los Angeles World Airports, which runs VNY.

For its part the airport is offering this number for concerns from residents: 818-909-3529, as well as an 800 number for noise-specific complaints: 800-560-0010

Ambigous Parking Signage in WeHo Looks Like a Ticket Trap

There is an alley just north of Melrose Avenue between San Vicente Drive and Robertson Drive in West Hollywood. The alley is located behind several design showrooms and West Hollywood Park. What makes this alley special and beloved by locals (no, not that alley), is that it boasts a line of that most invaluable of Southern California's urban commodities--parking spaces.
Saturday, June 6, some friends and I drove to WeHo for an event near Robertson and Melrose. I found a single parking spot open in the Melrose-adjacent alley and parked.
But one of my passengers noticed something new. The curb had recently been painted red. There was no indication other than the brand-new, red-painted curb that anything else had changed in the alley.
Admittedly, a red curb might be enough to signal parking was no longer allowed. However, the were still dozens of signs--both signs mounted on tall poles over the alley, and smaller signs mounted on poles where there had once been meters--that indicated a four-hour time limit for parking.
Further complicating the matter was the fact that there were temporary plastic signs, many of which had fallen to the ground, that read "temporary: no parking 6/5/09." This was the 6th. The signs said "temporary no parking" for the previous day.
In addition, there were about three dozen or more cars parked in the alley without tickets.
Keep in mind, this is an area dense with restaurants, bars, a civic auditorium, a busy urban park, several community meeting facilities, and the largest design center west of the Mississippi. Needless to say, finding parking can be a nightmare.
Nevertheless, I left the parking spot and found another--four blocks south on Robertson in Beverly Hills, another city altogether--because I really don't like getting parking tickets. (I know, who does?)
It would have been a $70 ticket. I know because we saw one unfortunate driver's SUV sporting a "parking in a red zone" citation on his or her window.
Safely parked, I wanted to know if the situation was an oversight, and if informed, would the authorities do something to remedy the confusion.
I went to the Sheriff's station across the street and got a very snippy, sarcastic non-answer from a volunteer at the counter. Begrudgingly, I was given the after-hours phone number to West Hollywood Parking Enforcement. The shift supervisor on duty when I called at 6:55 p.m. listened to my description of the situation, which I delivered in much the same way via phone as I have here.
I asked if he planned to enforce the red zone on all of the drivers who had obviously been confused by the ambiguous signage, or wait to start ticketing after the incorrect signs were removed.
He said (and this is a quote): "If they're in a red zone, they will be cited."
But, I insisted, obviously there was confusion, and to penalize people who, during the Great Recession, were dining out and contributing to the local economy in other ways, and had parked in a place known to be legal for years, smacked of revenue-motivated entrapment.
I then informed him that I was no longer speaking as a concerned citizen, but now as a journalist. I asked the parking-encorcement shift supervisor if I could have his name, and if it was Parking Enforcement's intention to disregard the information I had provided about the confusing, new no-parking policy at Melrose Alley (click the play arrow at the bottom of the video image above to see what I mean about confusing signs and the red curb), and ticket everyone parked there anyway.
His answer: "I'm the shift supervisor; that's all you need to know. I'm not authorized to talk to the media." With that Mr. Supervisor hung up the phone. I called back, but my call went directly to voicemail. I left a message, but have yet to get a call back.
By my arithmetic, there were about $2500-$3000 in potential parking citations at the time I decided to move my car. If citations were being issued all night and day--all weekend in fact--the City of West Hollywood may have raked in many thousands of dollars--perhaps more than $10,000--courtesy of Parking Enforcement and their dubious citation policies.

L.A. City Services to be Unavailable Every Other Friday

The AP is reporting that some city-government departments will shutter once every two weeks. Funny how these Band Aids are the best this generation can come up with. The savings will total about $100 million.

But really, how much will be lost by the lost spending power of the furloughed workers? I hear so many complaints about businesses being taxed too much, and thus not hiring people, but what about the fact that the city has about a quarter of a billion dollars owed in unpaid taxes. The Mayor has announced an amnesty program through June 30, and promised there will be an aggressive effort to collect on that money. Yet, the effort will only yield about $10 million.

This is one more rendition of the ongoing Baby Boomer shell game, which is actually so much more expensive--probably immeasurably more expensive--than just having been paying for a slightly higher straightforward tax regime. Or, maybe even a substantially lower, across-the-board flat tax with ZERO exceptions.

I know my conservative friends will say, liberals (like me) never met a tax they don't like. To that I say: At long last, let's just pay the friggin' taxes we need to pay as we go along; aren't we really paying more this way, anyway.

L.A. Reporters Jailed in N. Korea Need Support of all Angelenos

There was no doubt in my mind today, as I sought to remedy my day-late (I don't post on weekends) posting to Republic Of L.A. with a meaningful new blog post: I would link to LA Observed. Why? Kevin Roderick has today's most important issue for the Los Angeles journalism community (and, in my humble opinion, that of the entire nation) front-and-center on his home page.

I'm speaking of the plight of two L.A. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two Current TV reporters are being held in North Korea and will face what will surely be a kangaroo court soon. Wednesday, there will be vigils, and I implore everyone to come out show strong support for these two.

The thing about a kangaroo court is it can be manipulated for good. If the Koreans see any potential gain in letting these innocent journalists go free, the court may "pardon" them for their "crimes."

Visit LAObserved for details on the vigils: http://www.laobserved.com/ Remember, if you show up for someone else's cause (hint, hint gay community), they will show up for yours.

Why Can't I Stop?!!

Might the next Super Size Me--the indie film that asked the question 'what would happen if someone ate only at McDonald's for a month--be called Add Shot Addict?

If so, I could be the star of such a cinematic indictment of Starbucks as the kiosk of chaos for so many who had never even drunk coffee before 2000. That was me. I used to say, "my coffee is my shower; nothing wakes me up like a steaming, hot shower in the morning!" Now, the shower is just enough to get me out the door, heading in a yet-to-be-caffeinated stupor to the temptress, the priestess, the baristas down the street.

The problem is I don't want to do it anymore! I don't want to spend four bucks a day on vente soy-vanilla iced (easy ice) or hot lattes.

Why not?

There's a recession. I'm a vegan. Soy milk will supposedly give me breasts (no doubt an urban legend from a worried dairy industry, but still...). I want to eat fruit in the morning, and the sugar and acid in my coffee means the fruit will ferment in my stomach unless I ix-nay the attay-lays.

So why not just stop going to Starbucks and buying the stupid latte?

I did. But then I went back.

I missed it all. I missed the anticipation of spotting the green-white-and-black insignia on the sign of each store as my car seemed to automatically glide into dock with the mother ship--I mean as I located a parking spot.

I missed the camaraderie. You know, that feeling of crossed-arm, patient impatience as you stand amid people with whom you at once have nothing and everything in common. I missed looking for the hotties in line. I missed judging the hottie factor of the person behind the counter. I missed the mild curiosity I experienced each time I waited for my drink to arrive at the comfortingly familiar palette-shaped bar. It's a curiosity that begs the questions, "will I have to enforce the your-drink-should-be-perfect-every-time rule posted on the wall at each store?" I rarely have, but I always wonder nontheless.

However, I didn't miss the four-dollar hit. I hate that hit. I even spent $25 on the "Starbucks Gold Club" card, which entitles me to 10 percent off of every purchase. I assume it's paid for itself by now. Although, I never really did the math. Still, I kind of feel like I'm vested financially in continuing to consume, or to be a connoisseur of, Starbucks--even if it is against my will.

Then there's that other urban legend: the one that we all promulgate when we (half-jokingly) tease each other that we're actually drinking crack. But shouldn't someone be asking seriously does Starbucks have a secret ingredient? For now, only the Preistess knows, and she isn't sayin'.

The Return of the California Republic may Mean the Demise of the Ballot Initiave Movement

AND REPUBLIC OF L.A. SAYS 'GOOD RIDDANCE'

Californians, and Americans hate taxes. Who doesn't? Every generation has complained about them. But with Proposition 13, one generation decided to do something about it. They decided "enough was enough." They decided only they mattered...only their moment mattered. They decided they would freeze their tax burden in time. To hell with the consequences, they said. We're mad as hell and we have the ballot-initiative process!

Bye-Bye Ballot Initiaves
Well, here's a prediction: The 1978 measure that froze property taxes--the taxes that pay for state education--may have begun a decades-long process that will ultimately limit access to the initiative process itself--if not eventually end it.

Imagine this: A populous decides, with the passage of a proposition (in this case Prop. 13), to stop their government from raising taxes. It also demands their government, oh I don't know, let's say the state government of California, have a balanced budget every year: No deficits allowed. The people also demand an endless ribbon of freeways, and limitless capacity for prisoners, and a three-strikes law that captures hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders (for instance, anyone whose third strike was carrying a joint, which was a violation of probation for some other nonviolent crime--life in prison baby!) Then, when a Great Recession hits (as it has) and tax revenues go down as a result, the state starts letting prisoners go because it can't house and feed them all. The state also stops supporting destitute schizophrenics who go off their medications as a result.

Let's not forget the hundreds of new police officers who won't be hired to replace retiring ones. Can you say crime wave? Then of course there's the fire fighters who won't be hired either. Can you say burn baby burn?

At the same time, poor children, whose only square meal is the one they get at school, and the only medical care they get is paid for by the state, start failing at school because of cutbacks in services. Poor: it's that synonym for illegal immigrant in the minds of many taxpayers, even though there are PLENTY of natural-born Americans who grow up in poverty...a lot more than some would like to believe.

You be the Politician
Now, imagine you’re a politician holding a statewide job in California, and you can only have two terms in office. The first term you have to learn where everything is and how Sacramento works. The second term you have to figure out what your next job will be, and how to get the funds and support to get their, rather than getting good at fulfilling the obligations of your office so that your record will get you re-elected.

Now add these things to the fact that, if you're a politician in California, the budget crisis is your fault even if you just got there. The recent raising of the sales tax is your fault. The state of public education is your fault. The fact that it takes months to pass a budget bill is your fault, because no one wants to be the politician who voted for raising a tax that will balance the mandatory-balanced budget, or who had to call for the laying off of teachers or the closing of mental-health facilities.

So what got us here? Special interests whose sole priority is to lower all taxes all the time regardless, REGARDLESS, of the consequences, have applied sophisticated, focus-grouped marketing power to ballot-initiative campaigns, amping them up with manipulated populist fury. I mean come on, how hard do you think it is to get someone made about paying taxes and convincing them that they pay too much. Add some random (and often completely wrong) statistical anecdote or rankings and guess what? We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!

The Catch!
Here’s the catch, eventually everyone gets painted into a corner. We’re in that corner today, 31 years after Saint Jarvis gave a generation of Californian’s the power to freeze their property taxes in time. Now, however, the generation that benefited from Proposition 13 is becoming a small minority. Now, the cuts are coming and everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, will be feeling the real, long-deferred consequences of that self-centered revolt of the Me Generation, i.e., Prop. 13, in the form of higher crime rates, worsening roads, more mentally ill on the streets and believe it or not, even worse public education.

What will we do? We’ll either grow up, shut the you-know-what up and stop whining about “high” taxes and just pay the price of living in a civilized, modern world. Oh yeah, what about the loss of income Californians will suffer as a result of paying a realistically priced state tax bill?

Okay, let’s see, before the crisis our sales tax was 8.25 percent. Remember, if we all just paid less than $40 per year more in state income taxes, we wouldn’t need the new sales tax of 9.25 percent (a figure that includes all county and district sales taxes as well). I’m officially a middle-class earner in California, and my state income tax last year was less than $300. Is that really so bad? I can’t help but wonder how much money is spent by companies, lobbyists, special interest groups, in their efforts to eliminate taxes. And, I wonder just how big the get-out-of-paying-taxes-at-any-cost industry in this state is. I wouldn’t be surprised if that figure is equal to the amount of taxes that could have led to averting the compounded revenue-shortfall mess the state has found itself in now.

Don’t be surprised if Republic Of L.A. researches those questions.

But more importantly, don’t be surprised if liberal, moderate, and even conservative politicians realize the corner they’re in can only be overcome by applying well-funded sophisticated, focus-grouped marketing techniques to one more ballot initiative…one that ends the easy access to the initiative process itself, and returns some power to the idea of a California Republic. Remember, in a republic, the people elect other people (politicians) to run government on their behalf, so that they don’t have to vote on every single matter directly.

The Red Building Cometh

Adding another 400,000 square feet to the already monumental space of the two existing buildings of the Pacific Design Center (PDC), the new "Red Building" will complete the triumvirate of edifices promised when the old, blighted rail head property was first redeveloped in 1975.

While it will have taken 35 years for the vision of the original structures' architect, Cesar Pelli, to finally be consummated when the project is completed next year, it will not look the way originally expected. In fact, as first proposed the three buildings would have had a very 1970s, post-modern totality in their exterior aesthetic, as this was the plan as I have been told:

The Blue Building (aka, the Blue Whale):
A long, blue horizontally oriented cylindrical and rectangular blue building encompassing a million square feet. It was built as expected, in spite of a lone holdout--a business called Hugo's Plating--which occupied a postage-stamp parcel of land outside the sleek grand entrance on Melrose Blvd.

The Green Building:
A green pyramid. One could argue that the Green Building is a pyrimad. But it's really pyramid-esque. It's actually more like an upside down pyramid with it's point dipping into a giant shoebox. My favorite part of the Greeen Building is the back wall of the new parking structure that came with its construction in 1988. The structure is a ultra-pale green which, with its several floors of tree-filled terraces rising over the classical WeHo cottages and bungalos, makes me feel cool just by looking at it even on a hot August day.

The Red Building, which I will attempt to give an aka to now, that being The Giant Letter Opener
However, the original plan would not have rendered so apt a nickname, because it called for the final structure at the Pacific Design Center to take the most elemental geometric shape of all time...the sphere. Yes, the red building was expected to be a big round ball 35 years ago.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON PDC:

I believe the City of Los Angeles and the City of West Hollywood; the State of California and the U.S.A are lucky to have been graced by the work and talent of Mr. Pelli, who also designed the renowned Petronis Towers Kuala Lumpur--the first structures to snatch away the from the United States the mantle of home of the tallest buildings in the world--on all three buildings.

I always think of the made-for-tv movie, lipstick, starring both Hemmingway girls, as well as a Jeep CJ-7, and the Blue Whale--all four icons of my childhood.

While the 1990s brought vastly improved landscaping and outdoor public spaces and art, as well as the MOCA cube (actually an annex of the "real" Museum of Contemporary Art, whose primary space is located downtown), it's the massive color-changing lightscapes that adorn the the Blue Building's facade.

However, it is the 1970s, 1980s, and the current decade (has anyone figured out what we're calling this decade yet?) whose stylistic signatures will forever live on in the heart of the nation's most creative cities.

L.A. City Council Adopts Resolution to End Torture of Gays in Iraq: Republic of L.A. Interviews Rosendahl

In an impassioned presentation, which included the testimony of Hossein Alizadeh, from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, L.A. City Council Member Bill Rosendahl (pictured to the right), introduced a measure to urge President Barak Obama to demand action from the Iraqi government to do more to stop the systematic torture and murder of gay men in that country.
“I was extremely gratified with the vote, which was unanimous with 12 members present,” Rosendahl told Republic Of L.A. “And I want to give special recognition those members who spoke with great passion: Council members [Wendy ] Greuel, [Herb] Wesson, [Tom] LaBonge, [Tony] Cardenas, and [Richard] Alarçon.”
Rosendahl said the entire council chambers was moved by the information presented by Alizadeh, who is Persian (from Iran).
Iran’s torture, mutilation and murder of gays is institutionalized by court sentences of execution as punishment for homosexuality. There, executions are carried out en masse in soccer (football, for the rest of the world) stadiums filled with jeering spectators.
One assumes the same would be happening in Iraq without American funding and the presence of U.S. media. For now, it’s all unofficial—carried out by civilians, or police in plain clothes.
“The IGLHRC has more than 600 documented cases of murder of gays,” Rosendahl said before the vote, which created an official Resolution issued by the City of Los Angeles condemning the Iraqi situation, and demanding action to protects gays in the Muslim nation.
“Some folks misinterpret the Koran,” said Rosendahl, who insists his research shows no condemnation of gays by the prophet Muhammad. “They believe they have to kill their own child if they are suspected of being gay.”
Rosendahl’s measure went beyond the condemnation of some Iraqis’ behavior.
“I went further on this and amended my motion, saying we need to get our president up to snuff, by saying our president needs to make a statement condemning the inaction by the Iraqi government to stop the torture and murder of gay men.”
According to Rosendahl, tough-looking labor union leaders present in the gallery of the council’s stately chambers we’re seen to be clearly moved, some with tears in their eyes as practices, such as the stitching up of the anuses of gay Iraqi men, who are then filled with liquids and solids until their internal organs literally explode.
“I asked for a show of hands from the audience, and everyone showed their support for the resolution,” said Rosendahl.
Asked why a local resolution matters, Rosendahl said this:
“We are the second largest city in the United States of America. We unite and speak up for something, believe me, Washington listens—and so does the rest of the world.”
Past City of Los Angeles resolutions include support for the recognition by Turkey and the world community of Armenian genocide, and opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

L.A. City Council Votes to Urge Obama, Congress to Demand Iraq's Gov't. Stop the Murdering of Gay Men

Councilman Bill Rosendahl's gut-wrenching presentation about the way gays are slaughtered and tortured in U.S.-backed Iraq in Council Chambers provokes tears and anger from a mass of tough union leaders (there for labor issues), regular citizens of Los Angeles, and fellow council members. Visit tomorrow for an interview with Councilman Rosendahl I conducted today, minutes after the 12-0 vote in favor of his resolution....and find out why it matters on the world stage.