"Funny..." by Daniel Guss
@TheGussReport - Greetings and summer salutations! Like berries at the farm stand, I’ve gathered some random notes to share while LA City Council and our related overlords are still on their paid summer slumber.
Before we get rolling, I’m thrilled to mention that at 1pm today, I’ll be on “The John Phillips Show” on 790-KABC talking about The Los Angeles Times and whatever else may be on his and Randy Wang’s mind.
That said…
Funny, why does the LA City Attorney’s office keep stalking my LinkedIn account?
Possibly, it has to do with:
Public records that it doesn’t want to turn over
An FBI complaint and State Bar of California complaint against Deputy City Attorney Strefan Fauble for his alleged criminal conduct outlined in my award-winning column, "Honest Services Fraud - How City Hall Rigged Its Herb Wesson Vote"
My upcoming story on whether LA City Councilmember Curren Price should be charged with additional crimes
Another elected official who I have reason to believe is being investigated for rumored criminal behavior. If my observations are right, it is related to another official who is already dealing with the criminal justice system.
Really, all the City Attorney’s office has to do is reach out to say hello.
Funny, I did point out that politicians’ catch phrases often turn into memes.
Remember LA’s burnout on then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s rallying cry, “we clean your toilets?” It seems that Karen Bass’s continual hyping of her “locking arms” catch phrase is heading toward meme infamy.
The slogan, which accompanies endless photo ops with other politicians locked arm-in-arm as they squander billions of dollars on homelessness issues despite remarkably low and stagnant headcounts from her Inside Safe program, may have run its course just 1/8th of the way through her first term.
Don’t blame me for the meme, below. I am just the messenger. And Bass fans need not worry. They can bet their last buck on the LA Times endorsing her for re-election in a few years. Mark my words. I’m calling it on July 27, 2023.
Still, parody shouldn’t happen this early to a politician.
Funny, I was walking down the street one day…
Months ago, I asked LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman about a shocking number of dead bodies, dangerous motor homes and other hazards in the streets of her district. Instead of providing honest answers, the lawmaker wanted favorable coverage for her standard effort without providing evidence of outstanding outcomes.
That’s the City Hall version of the epidemic of every kid getting a “participation trophy,” as described in The Huffington Post back in 2012.
Since then, Raman rescinded her offer to speak without benefit of doing so through her staffers.
Fast-forward to last week when we were walking down our street and came across an enormous weapon composed of a butcher knife and chisel, which makes it time to do an update on Raman’s district, apparently without her direct participation, though the invitation still stands.
Funny, let’s end with a funny about bike lane insanity.
To be continued.
Stay hydrated, Angelenos!
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(Daniel Guss, MBA, is a multi-award-winning journalist. In June ‘23, he won the LA Press Club’s “Online Journalist of the Year” and “Best Activism Journalism” awards. He is City Editor for the Mayor Sam network, and has been a featured contributor for CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW 89.9 FM, KRLA 870 AM, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star-News, Los Angeles Downtown News and the Los Angeles Times in its sports, opinion, entertainment and Sunday Magazine sections among other publishers.)