Los Angeles Mayor 2022: Bass vs Caruso

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I've never understood why the left rails so hard against Mitch. How is what happened at Echo Park Lake any different than Centennial Park in CD11 or the freeway underpasses in CD4?

And now the left is going to be okay with the members elevating CURREN PRICE to Council President? Yikes. Hopefully it ends up being Krekorian.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Clearly, the ideological right, left, and center of the City Council are skewed compared to everywhere else because Republicans barely exist here (i.e. the right is Buscaino and Lee; the left is Bonin, Raman, Hernandez, etc; the center is Krekorian, O'Farrell, Rodriguez, etc).

I'm not talking about what ideas are being fielded on twitter or in other online forums. I'm talking about who can actually make it to 8 votes this Tuesday when only 12 members vote. I'm hoping they can come to a consensus fast otherwise it could get brutal.

It seems to be a race between Price and Krekorian and I am worried about a blunder if Price gets it over Krekorian. If Price becomes Council President there will be hideous digital advertising billboards up on the sides of City Hall within days. (Only half kidding)...

Or, it would be fascinating - since Tuesday's meeting will be virtual - if Kevin and Gil try to show up and vote.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

You both need to think about this council with more agility. The battle lines are way more murky than the characterizations in this thread. Curren Price has literally stated publicly and privately he wants the job, and he is actively lobbying for the job both publicly and privately.

Has anyone seen The Reef at 1933 S. Broadway? You can literally see the digital billboards on it glowing at night driving on the 10 East all the way from La Brea. There are so many layers to the project that are offensive to the City and CD9, but the signage (which required legislative action by the council to be approved) is the most prominent.

The independent expenditure committees supporting Price's campaigns have always been heavily funded by the billboard and advertising industries. He has actively blocked/slowed proposed regulations limiting signage both in his district and citywide (the comprehensive signage ordinance update has been languishing for 15+ years). Signage regulations are a major issue citywide, particularly in less affluent districts where it creates visual blight, adversely affects nearby property values, and can promulgate messages/products that prey on low income/communities of color.

Koretz's fundamental problem is that he is incredibly unintelligent.

Krekorian is widely regarded as the most intelligent current member, although ideologically he is at the center of this council. He is term limited and would be a steady hand for the duration the council is in turmoil (which, sadly, could continue well after even the post-election membership shakeup in December).

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I don't know what to tell you. Price literally said it at a town hall last week. And David Zahniser at the Times had Price on-the-record over a week ago saying he was going for the council presidency. I think he did have the votes until yesterday-ish, but clearly does not have the votes as of this morning.

The optics do matter, which is why I have been so concerned about the prospect of elevating Price to this position, who was implicated in one of the FBI investigations. But MRod's motion (Price supporter) to delay the vote by a week that did not get a second this morning was confirmation Price's bid has fizzled. 

Earlier in this thread, I defined which clumps of members I'm referring to when I say "the right" or "the center" or "the left." I am not saying "the left" in a nefarious way like Fox News.

I would be shocked if Marqueece ever goes for the council presidency. Fundamentally, he sees himself as a change agent, and I don't think he would ever want to be confined by the processes, rules, and politics that comes with being council president.

If Hugo and Darling both win, I think them (plus MHD, Nithya, and Eunisses) will force a vote for a new council president in December. Regardless, I don't think the other 10 offices will have any appetite to re-litigate this, and if Krekorian wins this morning, the job is his until he is termed out.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I agree with that breakdown. I'm curious where McOsker will land as well. The races for CD5 and CD15 seem completely over. Katy should wipe the floor with Yebri.

Around a dozen callers left in the queue. We should be getting close to deliberations and votes (if they don't lose their bare quorum)...

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

After I was sweating like a dog for days and almost four hours of public comment this morning, Paul Krekorian was elected by a vote of 10-0 to the council presidency (the most powerful job in the City IMO, including Mayor). Good display of faction unity with Harris-Dawson moving and Blumenfield seconding the nomination.

I was really worried about potential Price supporters leaving the meeting and breaking quorum after the conclusion of public comment, since Price and Rodriguez boycotted the meeting themselves. But the 10 of them hung in there until the end.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

My synopsis of Curren Price's speech after being elevated to President Pro Tem of the City Council:

"I definitely in no universe was invited to that meeting, I never heard of it, and because I had never heard of it, then there’s definitely no way I was invited to that meeting. Wait, what meeting is everyone talking about? I am so unaffiliated with that meeting I don’t even know what meeting we’re talking about anymore.”

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I wanted to make a comment about the mayoral race, which I don't care as much about since the 15 mayors on the City Council are significantly more important.

I expect Bass to win by at least high single digits... a 55-45 win seems about right. But Caruso is not running as bad of a campaign as people here seem to think. Just like how no one cares about the Bass USC degree and MRT thing, no one cares about the Caruso USC Tyndall thing.

Caruso has been spending a ton on Spanish-speaking media in an effort to keep the margins manageable in majority Latino Council Districts. There was a good Arellano column in this morning's LA Times that describes exactly the dynamic unfolding, particularly on the Eastside.

If Caruso can somehow win, it will be because he surged with Latinos and juiced white turnout in the Valley. Again, I don't think it is likely, but a Caruso win would not be shocking.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

A week in and it seems like everything is playing out as everyone expected. Bass will probably pull away with an 8-10 point win. Koretz is getting demolished by Mejia, Gill is losing handily to Feldstein, and three of four establishment-backed City Council candidates will prevail.

Nicest surprise is at the County level, where Villaneuva has basically been loaded into a cannon and shot into outer space (plus Huggy Bear likely to go down in a supervisorial district tailor made for him).

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

As expected, Krekorian reelected Council President unanimously. Absolutely no appetite within any faction to re-litigate that whole issue. He should be in the chair until his term expires in December 2024.

Then, de Leon shows his face in chambers. Krekorian immediately calls a ten minute recess as the crowd erupts (recess currently ongoing).

KDL - at the core of it - is dumber than a rock. Completely useless fool. Makes his rise to Senate President Pro Tem even more disappointing. I can't believe he ever attained such a position of power in government.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

The new City Council Committee assignments are out, and it's an absolutely fascinating window into the mind of the Council President.

Of the junior members, I'd say biggest winners are probably Yaroslavsky and Hutt, and the biggest losers are probably Soto-Martinez and Park. McOsker and Hernandez both meh.

BUDGET & FINANCE
Blumenfield (Chair)
Price (Vice Chair)
Yaroslavsky
McOsker
Rodriguez

CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AGING & DISABILITY
Soto-Martinez (Chair)
Hutt (Vice Chair)
Hernandez
Price
Rodriguez

ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Price (Chair)
Soto-Martinez (Vice Chair)
Park

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Yaroslavsky (Chair)
McOsker (Vice Chair)
Raman
Blumenfield
Hernandez

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Harris-Dawson(Chair)
Hernandez (Vice Chair)
Hutt

HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
Raman (Chair)
Blumenfield (Vice Chair)
Harris-Dawson
Rodriguez
Lee

NEIGHBORHOODS & COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT
Hernandez (Chair)
Lee (Vice Chair)
Hutt
       
PERSONNEL, AUDITS & HIRING
McOsker (Chair)
Price (Vice Chair)
Soto-Martinez

PLANNING & LAND USE MANAGEMENT
Harris Dawson (Chair)
Rodriguez (Vice Chair)
Yaroslavsky
Lee
Hutt

PUBLIC SAFETY
Rodriguez (Chair)
Lee (Vice Chair)
McOsker
Park
Soto-Martinez

PUBLIC WORKS
Lee (Chair)
Blumenfield (Vice Chair)
Raman

RULES, ELECTIONS & INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Krekorian (Chair)
Price (Vice Chair)
Harris-Dawson

TRADE, TRAVEL & TOURISM
Park (Chair)
McOsker (Vice Chair)
Soto-Martinez

TRANSPORTATION
Hutt (Chair)
Park (Vice Chair)
Hernandez
Raman
Yaroslavsky
       
BOARD OF REFERRED POWERS
Krekorian (Chair)
Raman (Vice Chair)
DeLeon

AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE 2028 OLYMPICS
Price (Chair)
Yaroslavsky (Vice Chair)
Rodriguez
Krekorian
Blumenfield

AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM
Krekorian (Chair)
Raman (Vice Chair)
Blumenfield
Harris-Dawson
Hutt
Hernandez
Park

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Won't be surprised if two dozen is the sum of all votes cast and CD6 craps out a Henry Cuellar type.