LOS ANGELES

CORRUPTION WATCH-Land Banking is a term that is new to Angelenos. The concept is simple: Wealthy people buy land rather than buy stocks or putting their money into a savings bank. They “bank” on the idea that the land value will rise faster than the stock market or interest on savings accounts. Land Banking was recently explained in a Canadian estate publication, Better Dwellings. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--I've said this so many times I feel like a broken record:  I can't stand conspiracy theories and theorists ... but I REALLY can't stand it when those theories and theorists are proven correct. (Photos above: Venice Blvd, left and Wilshire Blvd right.) 

@THE GUSS REPORT-Does the star-struck LAPD reserve its resources for celebrities rather than perform its duties evenly and for all? 

ANIMAL WATCH-Councilman Paul Koretz and his protégé, Councilman Bob Blumenfield (CD3), quietly introduced a motion on October 27 (CF 17-1237, Kennel / Delete Definition) in an apparent attempt to help Mayor Eric Garcetti, and LA Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette reach their "No Kill" goal. This latest plan would remove authority of Zoning and Code Enforcement over "kennels" in the LA Municipal Code and, along with the exemptions of the "new-model" pet shops, could permit an unlimited number of surplus impounded pets – likely, cats and Pit Bulls -- to be relocated in “rescues” in residential, as well as, commercial zones citywide. 

PERSPECTIVE-There is no such thing as tax reform, at least when it is framed within the same Byzantine template that has bedeviled taxpayers for generations. 

CAL MATTERS-That sigh you hear is Antonio Villaraigos’s relief that Eric Garcetti won’t be running for governor next year. 

EASTSIDER-The much awaited PLUM Committee meeting to finalize whatever they’re going to do with the Airbnb (Short Term Rental) Ordinance has been shrouded in a veil of secrecy and “moving the ball” hearing dates. Was it because they knew they couldn’t take action at the meeting? You tell me. 

PLATKIN ON PLANNING-It is not easy to remain “king of the hill” on a playground or even in the backrooms of City Hall.  But, to hold on to power, we have seen how desperate times require desperate measures. This is why the violent end of Occupy Los Angeles at City Hall’s front door marked the way for the defeat of Measure S, the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, several years later.  

BELL VIEW--David Brooks took another crack at The Big Picture this week in his New York Times column. According to Mr. Brooks, America suffers from a species of political idolatry, where no one actually thinks about anything anymore, and we all just believe what our “party” tells us to believe. In Mr. Brooks’s America, the Left and the Right have each wrapped the warm blanket of tribal certainty around themselves, secure in the knowledge that “they’re wrong and we’re right.”   

GUEST COMMENTARY--Little about political contributions in California is hidden. Information is easily accessible at Cal-Access, a website run by California’s Secretary of State. For example, look here to see contributions to a special interest and then here for unfortunate consequences from political activity by that interest. There’s nothing dark about that money. Still, uninformed or lazy commentators all too often blame the state’s political problems on dark money*. But that’s not true.

WHAT WHITE LOOKS LIKE--On Friday, October 27, Los Angeles Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters spoke out about morning drive radio host Bill Handel of iHeartMedia’s KFI 640 calling Congresswoman Frederica Wilson a “cheap, sleazy Democrat whore” on the radio.  Handel–who is scheduled to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame this week– followed up his comments after social media backlash erupted with a sorry-not-sorry saying that he should have called Wilson a “media whore.”  

CORRUPTION WATCH-Periodically some Angelenos become upset with their councilmember and want to recall him (or her). Last year people in the Valley wanted to recall Councilmember Krekorian and many people in Hollywood want to recall Councilmembers O’Farrell and Ryu. But recalls are notoriously unsuccessful. 

ALPERN AT LARGE--About 20 angry folks gave up watching the last game of the World Series Wednesday night to attend the Mar Vista Community Council Transportation/Infrastructure Committee meeting.  Their only solace appeared to be that it was no fun watching the game, since the Dodgers were losing big time from the get-go.   

GUEST WORDS-South LA mothers halted a city hearing on open space Saturday after city planners failed to involve the black community, held it the day of the huge Taste of Soul festival, and wanted half of the attendees to discuss Culture & Community” instead of open space. (Photo above: Near empty meeting after South LA moms had their say.) 

GELFAND’S WORLD--What did the Trump campaign say when the elephant walked into their headquarters? 

Answer: Nothing. They didn't see it. 

GUEST WORDS-This week, I joined more than 100 Porter Ranch area residents and their supporters to mark the two-year anniversary of the gas blowout at the SoCalGas Aliso Canyon Storage Facility. The 2015 blowout -- the worst gas disaster in U.S. history -- released 100 thousand metric tons of methane and took four months to cap. For five hours on the October 23 anniversary, we blockaded the entrance to the facility that has gotten so many friends and neighbors sick. After two years of insisting that the dangerous gas facility be closed down, we were fed up with getting the run around from SoCalGas, state regulators and public officials. 

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA--Want to spook your neighbors this Halloween? Don’t bother with big displays of goblins, ghouls, or ghosts. Instead, just decorate your door with a picture of an eight-story apartment building.

BCK FILE--Sexual harassment has taken over the news and social media feeds. Every day, there’s another high-profile executive or celebrity who has been harassing female colleagues in the office or on set. As I wrote in CityWatch last week, hopefully, this vigilance to suspend, fire, or elicit resignations isn’t a temporary P.R. move but authentic change.  

On October 25, 2017,  protestors from the Catholic Worker and the LA Community action Network entered Los Angeles City Hall carrying covered toilets protesting lack of hygiene among homeless who have an outbreak of hepatitis A. The protestors tried to deliver the toilets to Mayor Garcetti.

EDUCATION WATCH-Silicon Valley-based Rocketship is a charter school chain with a bevy of star backers that has reported sky-high student achievement and recently landed a $12.6 million grant from Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education. But beyond the hype is a galaxy of problems, including plummeting test scores, litigation and allegations of student mistreatment. 

@THE GUSS REPORT-2017 is the 70^th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and faced a tidal wave of hatred ranging from being spit upon to receiving death threats. His doing so, and his succeeding at his job, is not just an element of baseball history, but of American history. As such, Robinson’s 42 uniform number has been retired by every team in both MLB leagues.