First, there was the news about some things the mayor wasn't tell us.
Mayor Villaraigosa is being investigated by Ethics Commission about accepting free tickets as reported by Fox television reporter John Schwada. "Ethics Commission Investigating LA Mayor," Friday, 11 Jun 2010.Reporter: John Schwada
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/ethics-commission-investigating-la-mayor-20100611
Then, today, it seems that there's yet another investigation of the mayor that has the potential for more serious consequences.
"Second investigation opens into mayor's free tickets - D.A.'s Public Integrity Division joins the city's Ethics Commission in looking into whether Villaraigosa's unpaid attendance at sports and entertainment events should have been disclosed." By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2010.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayor-tickets-20100623,0,562239.story
The mayor's attitude on this whole situation is the most revealing part of entire picture. Tony still has the arrogance and cavalier attitude on the subject is what continues to be the most troublesome here. The idea of disclosure of such gifts according to this the law is to provide some limits on the amount of influence that may arise where gifts are given alone. The other part of the law creates an obligation to report where there is some dealing in city business by the gift giver.
AEG has a number of ongoing transactions with the city and the mayor tries in a very lame fashion to try to shield his actions from disclosure by saying he is acting on official business so no disclosure and nor any gift value limitation applies here. He is just too far gone into his own caricature of a fool. When anyone expects something even remotely resembling the truth from this mayor, it's not going to happen. He is continually evading and avoiding disclosures of any sort. The mayor is taking the exact path to make it look like THERE IS something to hide- and he's right.
On the D.A.'s investigation? I really don't think there's any chance of criminal violations being found as the mayor has too many friends and some exculpating factors will be found to cover him; no specific intent to do the acts, a misunderstanding or any other "excuse" is going to let him slide.
The real story here is that we have a mayor who holds himself above the laws and regulations that are intended to apply to elected officials. If he does this with the simple stuff, what else do you think he might not be exactly following that he should be? The answer: Any and everything.
The additional signal here is that the Council members don't dare speak out against the actions since "birds of a feather flock together" and no one will blow the whistle where it might be themselves next in the news. THAT failure on the part of any of the CMs shows their own character flaws and just because they make the highest pay of any city council in the country, over $15,000.00 a month apiece, there is no connection to any higher level of anything being followed, be it morals, character, ethics or good judgment.
It's all about money and power and they already get too much money and you can see how much the power has corrupted them in assorted ways.
Operation Clean Sweep for a new Council in the even-numbered district elections coming in March 2011- like burned out light bulbs that leave us in the dark, they need to be replaced.
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