Thread: Los Angeles: Mayor to be on scene for this year's May Day ra

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Mayor to be on scene for this year's May Day rally
By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 04/28/2008 08:03:50 AM PDT


Last year's May Day march and dust-up between police and immigration rights activists marked the beginning of the end of the political honeymoon for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Until that day, Villaraigosa had been blessed with strong public support and little criticism.

But when the May Day flap erupted in MacArthur Park, the mayor left on a trip to El Salvador and Mexico - even after being asked whether it was wise to leave the city right then.

It took him two days to return to L.A. to try to calm tensions.

Then, just a month later, he announced his separation from his wife, Corina, after a 20-year marriage. A month later came the bombshell about his relationship with television reporter Mirthala Salinas.

Villaraigosa's popularity plummeted and he was forced to hold back for months on many of his initiatives.

This May 1, the mayor will not leave Los Angeles.

When marchers descend on City Hall on Thursday, Villaraigosa will be in his third-floor office overlooking the demonstration and making sure there are no problems.

It was not known late last week whether he would be speaking to the crowd.

Police Chief William Bratton and his top aides all say they are better prepared this year for any possible disturbances and have put officers through rigorous training to show more restraint.

One official dubbed it the annual rite of spring - the Los Angeles City Council takes up its budget and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo cries foul.

And Villaraigosa - as has been his habit - has included some cuts in his proposed budget this year that he knows the City Council will reject.

Among the reductions: saving $600,000 spent on calligraphers who prepare city resolutions and proclamations.

"Before we cut this, let's find out who gives out the most proclamations," said Councilman Tom LaBonge, who is among those on the council known for their proclivity to honor various groups and citizens.

"In a city as big as Los Angeles, we have a lot of people to salute for the work they do," LaBonge said. "I've been working for the city 40 years and I go to a lot of places that were given a city proclamation that they still display with pride.

"It's the least the city can do."

Some budget hawks say it's time to switch from hand-drawn certificates to mass produced or laser-printer versions.

Another suggestion has been to, instead, develop a charge-back system in which the mayor and elected officials would have to pay for the nearly 28,000 proclamations they have prepared.

But Villaraigosa's spokesman Matt Szabo said it's time for the calligraphers to go.

"At a time when we are looking at layoffs and service cuts, opulent feel-good certificates are luxuries we cannot afford and should not fund."

As for Delgadillo, the Mayor's Office said the budget for the City Attorney's Office will increase a proposed nearly 3 percent this year.

But Delgadillo said the plan also eliminates 62 positions from his office.

Many officials wonder why Delgadillo keeps trying to confront the mayor when the final decision - usually to restore the funding - will be made by the City Council.

Taking advantage of a trip to Washington, D.C., two weeks ago, Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel found a chance to rake in some campaign cash.

The two were part of the Access D.C. trip - arranged by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce - that included meetings with the congressional delegation.

It also allowed members to stage a fundraiser to allow their Washington "friends" to help them out.

Villaraigosa is running for re-election next year, while Greuel has announced plans to run for City Controller when incumbent Laura Chick is forced out by term limits.

"I have a lot of friends from my days in the Clinton administration and they've been asking if they could help out," Greuel said. "So this was a convenient time to set something up."

Neighborhood councils' effort to wrest a small piece of power from the City Council continues to face problems.

A plan that would allow them to open council files on various topics is slowly making its way through the system - but is still being bogged down over the issue of potential conflicts of interest.

Even though any council file suggested by neighborhood councils would have to go through the City Council's committee system, there is still a dispute over how much information should be required of those volunteering on the grass-roots councils.

Councilman Richard Alarc n wants a simplified form with a declaration of any conflicts filed once a year - rather than the detailed form required of elected officials.

His concern is that neighborhood council members would be discouraged from raising issues because of the disclosure requirements when they have no real authority over the final action.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_9078081

One official has been working on police manpower, training and deployment for the May 1st march since Feb.

They would be further ahead putting that energy, mind-power, man-power, and spending into solving the gang problems in L.A.

What does the communist holiday May 1st march and protest cost L.A.?
Tax-payers are footing the bill so illegal aliens and their supporters can protest against our government and laws. It is a rally for some lawbreakers.

No government can help the destinies of people who insist in putting sectional and class consciousness ahead of general weal.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

I suppose they could save money by outsourcing the calligraphy to Mexico.

why does this story not surprise me????
that illegal alien loving, former gang member, hispandering mayor of LA
is a joke.

I suppose they could save money by outsourcing the calligraphy to Mexico.

I will be there all day!