Fresh news, more of the same City Hall antics, this time from CM GRIEG SMITH.
“Councilman defies limits on watering-
DROUGHT: Smith says he tailors rules to better suit his lawn, still conserves.” Daily News, By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer Updated: 09/23/2009 11:10:17 PM PDT http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_13406976?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
(Mayor Sam’s blog also commenting today on this story and more city items. http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/ )
An L.A. City CM doesn’t follow rules he votes for? What else is new? But in this case, he’s publicly stated this. Didn’t I just mention “dumb crooks” confessing on Oprah? Well, his non-compliance will not be getting any visit by the DWP Drought-busters according to the story- UNLESS an inspector happens to be driving by to see the violation. Don’t count on that coincidence happening if anyone wants to keep their job record clean.
GREIG SMITH'S April 2009 newletter on "DWP WATER RATE INFORMATION", starts out with, "We have consistently worked for more transparency and accountability from the DWP." Well, we might expect that from the Council members, too, especially from CD-12's Greig Smith, himself. Time sure seems to affect their memories and commitments. http://cd12.lacity.org/cd12homepage/cd12cd12homepage256559728_05022009.pdf
You know that WATERING BY A HAND-HELD HOSE is allowable any day but just not between 9am and 4pm. I assume good old GREIG SMITH is kicking in the sprinkler system to water the lawn and not being the hose-jockey, even for the few minutes that it seems to be needed, according to him. What? He's too important to hold a hose and STAY COMPLIANT with the DWP rules? You bet.
IF he wanted to comply he could do THAT and all would do fine AND he'd be following the rules. But WHY should he feel so obliged to do so when THESE Council Members feel completely insulated from the rest of the public, aided in that view by $178,00-plus salaries, 20 member allotted staff, 8 assigned cars and all the power they manage to wield so ineptly.
Greig is like the other CMs, getting city-paid cars, not all fuel-misers, and, again why not? They also get their gas paid for by the city so they have no inkling of the going rate for gas like common folks notice. There's more but this story highlights their multi-level applications of arrogance that they don't even notice since it's so much a part of them.
And typical of DWP- they won't change rules, even IF IT MAKES SENSE- because of all the work they took to get out present rules. Are they kidding? No. They will follow a bad arrangement because, you know, that's what it is. Like mice in the exercise wheel, they just do it.
But they can find money to hire outside PR firms, done in the past, when, as a utility, they are A MONOPOLY. They even had in-house people to do the job, but they got outside people to pay and then you wonder what other waste, fraud and abuse happens there. They have no competition that can away their business. Lucky for them. Does anyone in City government make any sense?
”There is no accountability for failure.” I heard that recently in some discussion about a book topic regarding government’s lousy performance. It’s true- and you can apply it to most agencies. Do the deed and be secure in the idea that nothing will happen to you because nothing happens to the person responsible. Why? Just for the simple fact that “no one is ever considered ‘responsible.’”
Greig is just one of many or, really, all, on the City Council who appear to live in a parallel universe with its own rules.
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