Productivity and Empowerment at Los Angeles City Hall

To: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Fr: Zuma Dogg

Re: Dr. W. Edwards Deming 14 points of Quality Management (Productivity, Innovation & Empowerment)

Dt: March 7, 2007 (Summer re-run)

Dear Mayor Antonio,

It's ZD from the 213, as U can see on City TV. You've heard me rant and rave on the radio, inside Council Chambers and on Mayor Sam's blog. I know I've kinda been like a bat out of hell, storming City Hall like the Tazmanian Devil. But before Dave Elliott, the square peg of the corporate world, and society in general, was morphed into "Zuma Dogg" like Jack Nicholson was transformed in Joker -- he was the Led Zeppelin T-shirt wearing, shaggy-haired, unshaven disciple of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. (Same thing as ZD wearing hat and glasses in City Hall...in the corporate world I would keep my shirt un-tucked, wear rock t-shirts to presentations, all these little things that were the BIGGEST deal in the boardroom, just like at City Hall.)

Meanwhile, the articles I was writing on Dr. Deming's "Methods for Management of Quality and Productivity" (based on Deming's "14 Points") were being published in international trade publications. And Deming himself, sent me a rare letter of praise based on my synopsis of his principals. It was the article that also caused Anthony Robbins to fire off a letter of praise, as well, to DE proclaiming, "I think your synthesis (of Deming's 14 points) is fabulous!"

So now, after applying Deming's principals to the radio and record industry for many years...I wanna introduce his material to the influential movers and shakers reading Mayor Sam's blog. If you wonder how ZD comes up with his angles -- everything FIRST must making it through the "Deming" filter -- then the "Ries & Trout" (Marketing Warfare) filter -- then is presented to the public through the "Tony Robbins" filter. (Yup...you can KINDA blame him for unleashing the outgoing/performance side of ZD.)

Here's a summary of the same old pitfalls that are made time and time again; by industry after industry; and corporation after corporation. So no offense Mayor, you have the same problems Ford, GM, Proctor & Gamble or Japanese manufacturers post-WWII had. Deming is the cure. But I warn you: It challenges the status quo, requires massive transformation at the hands and mind of a true reforming leader and requires you to provide a work environment that creates worker pride and joy, instead of angry secret posts against their boss on Mayor Sam and through emails to ZD. And losers usually resist change.

First of all, for any transformation to occur (in this case, to create the most efficient, innovative, world-class City Hall to prepare for the City's massive challenges in the present and future), you must have a leader with the desire to transform the organization and the vision in which to do so. All transformation starts at the top.

In this case, let's just assume Antonio (or Schwarzenegger), or whomever WANTS to transform their organization just so they can point to something they did, come re-election/higher office time: Then, we can start to discuss some of the things that cause inefficiency and bureaucracy in hopes of helping you "transform the organization". (Get the City in shape for the battle ahead and become the world-class jewel of a City Hall that the international market can look to.)

Enemy #1: Fear. Fear is something that is hard to measure with statistics, so it goes unchecked. However, "management by fear" is the biggest source of inefficiency at any job or government agency. Fear robs the employee of it's "pride and joy". It causes people to pass the ball; say things like, "That's not my department" (when they know the answer) -- because they are too scared they will get in trouble, even if they DO the right thing. And again, a work environment of fear starts at the top of the organization. In this case, that would be the mayor of any given City. You can judge customer service/how the customer/constituent will be treated, by how the staff is treated, by the boss. (ZD can tell a lot about a Councilmember, by their staff, as well...beyond the diversionary smiles.)

It's up to management to train and educate workers to the process, help them all be able to think as you would, and give them the power to make those decisions and take those actions to handle the problem and get it done. (THAT'S the Deming take on "Empowerment.")

The car salesman who can finalize the deal, without having to get approval from another boss, will allow the deal to be closed sooner, allowing the salesman to move on to the next customer more quickly, and the boss/manager can use his time for something else, other than holding his employees hand, by refusing the salesman to approve his own deals, because he/she is a control freak -- who is his/her own worst enemy to efficiency and an environment that generates "pride and joy" in the workplace, and therefore, product and services.

You also have to strive to break down the barriers between departments that add to the inefficiency. For example in the auto industry. It doesn't do any good to design an automobile that the factory line can't build. In radio, many formats bite the dust -- not because of low ratings, but because the sales department and programming department are on different pages. And that's because the goal of the sales department (sell as many commericals as possible) is in direct conflict with the goals of the programming department (the least amount of commercials as possible) since programming bonus incentives CONFLICT with the goals of the sales department.

NOW, apply that concept to all the different departments at City Hall...Each department with their own projected quotas and statistical hoops to jump through; and no wonder all these departments are working independently, instead of interdependently. They are pitted against each other, from the start. (Tony, call ZD to help you with a new flow chart and we'll talk about the problems with quotas and commissions and all that.)

To help reinforce the right message, a leader needs to make clear, "You don't work for Councilmember Blank, or the Blank department...You work for The City of Los Angeles and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa."

And when City workers know that the Mayor wants everyone to have a one-time re-training session (like Captain Musquiz did with his officers regarding the Brown Act), and they know the Mayor recognizes that THE PEOPLE are the Cities biggest asset -- not the property, or equipment, or even the building itself -- but the people; and the City needs everyone to take on new individual leadership (empowerment) to please go ahead and do those little things (human "fudge factor" if you will) that allows the machine to move along, uninterrupted. The workers are your biggest asset because THEY are the ones in the front lines; doing the jobs, and see everyday where things are going right and where things are going wrong. Empower them to answer the question, fix the glitch, or close the deal.

That's how you get employees to stop being lazy and simply saying, "That's not my department." I know you won't even be able top fathom this concept. But everyone should be able to do everyone else's job at the cafeteria. The server, should be able to be a cashier (if someone gets sick), or become busser (if the tables are overflowed), or become hostess if the line is getting long. (I know, you're head is exploding.) The cashier should be able to answer the question the customer has, without having to "get a manager." (Then you have customers waiting in line because the cashier has to get the manager, only to press the button the cashier could just have easily pressed.

But management across America, not just City Hall, likes to keep employee feedback at bay. "We know what's right. We have paid consultants evaluating the situation and coming up with an expensive report of suggested recommendations." When the worker could add some input the report would never uncover.

For example, statistics show workplace injuries are way up. Top management becomes aware of the situation and gets involved..."How could this be? Tell these idiots to be more careful. Hire a safety workplace consultant to give a seminar as to how to be more careful." Failing to realize the problem is the unsafe railing that isn't screwed in tightly enough and you have a water leak in the roof that is making the factory floor slippery in the morning. But workers don't say anything, cause they don't know who to turn to, or don't want to seem like they are making problems. Because they are working in a fear based environment. (Deming says "fix the system" for the workers-- don't bark meaningless exhortations about safety when you have slippery floors and loose railings.)

That's a good starting point, for now.


THANKS FOR READING!

zumadogg@gmail.com

(310) 928-7544

Zuma Dogg PSA for LA County's 2-1-1 Phone Service

THREE NEW PUBLIC COMMENT VIDEOS FROM ZD'S DEBUT APPEARANCE AT LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING: (Scroll side arrows for more videos)


Thanks to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for allowing the public comment process to work in the spirit in which it is intended!

Online directory of LA County Services. HUGE RESOURCE FOR ANYONE!!!

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Zuma Dogg's Marketing Strategy for LA County's 2-1-1 Phone Service

To: Board of Supervisors
Fr: Zuma Dogg
Re: 2-1-1
Dt: 08/22/07


I agree with Zev that $250,000 isn’t enough to accomplish enough regarding a 2-1-1 marketing campaign that will put it into the top of mind awareness in the crowded and confusing marketplace. SO ANY CONCERNED CITIZEN SHOULD WANT TO CHIP IN AND HELP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO GET AS MUCH OUT OF IT AS POSSIBLE. So here’s the best I can come up with. Hope it helps and I hope you at least show it to the marketing geniuses to see if they can use anything off this memo. - Z

MARKETING BUDGET:

I would spend a lot of advertising money on radio. Especially AM radio. When you think about the people who you are trying to reach with a lot of the services you provide on 2-1-1, a lot of these people (like homeless) don’t have cable TV or even regular TV. But they all have radios and that’s how you can reach these people. (Plus, everyone else who listens to the radio that you want to reach. So you are not only low-income people, but a wide range of people. (And especially in the case of AM radio, if they are tuned-in they are probably more likely to be interested in using the service, anyway.)

The other reasons I would put the most amount of money into radio is that you can get some pretty low rates (especially at night). AND, for a product like 2-1-1, you don’t need to show pictures of the product (it’s not a visual product like a car). With so many people stuck in their cars, listening to the radio (captive audience), radio is the best way to reach them for the lowest cost; especially considering you only need audio, not video, to communicate your message. (So why pay for the extra production costs and advertising costs of other mediums. A radio spot is also free to produce.)

I would suggest billboards, especially bus billboards as the second line of fee-based advertising. I don’t know how much bang you can get for your buck with billboards and bus signs and whatnot. BUT, if you can take the budget and make sure people are sick of seeing 2-1-1 ads…then go for THAT strategy! I like OWNING a medium. Depends on how much you are spending on which medium/mediums you use. So basically…no TV on this one.

Plus, a Google campaign as I mentioned. (Sponsored links) You can set keywords, and when people are searching for related services you are offering at 2-1-1, a sponsored ad can appear.


APPLYING DEMING:

First of all, it takes way too long for the call to be connected.

Secondly, the operators are doing market research while they have the caller on the line. This may provide excellent customer service to the Board of Supervisors, but does not please the customer calling in on the line.

For example, it’s bad enough they ask for your zip code. Now, I know you feel you need that info for whatever reason. But is that something a caller id device can determine and automatically enter into a database? Because with every question, you are extending the length of time the operator is spending with each person and that increases delays in moving on to others.

Because then the operator asks, “Is this your first time calling?”

Now, you’ve already asked for my zip code, which most people will tolerate, but what does it matter if it is my first time calling, or not? Do you have two levels of service based on my answer?

So the customer will say, “Yes”. But that is not it. Because then they ask, “How did you hear about 2-1-1?”

At this point, most people are much more ready to be hearing, “Let me connect you”, instead of a line of questioning that has nothing to do with providing the caller better customer service.

Perhaps integrating more computer automation like regular 4-1-1 and other electronic directory based services have could allow you to cut time and improve efficiency.

I don’t know if there were any more questions after that because I simply said, “Could you just connect me without any more questions.”

So if you wanna talk about bureaucracy that will put a customer in a perfectly annoyed state to be extra cranky when dealing with the person they are contacted with; include a market research survey that only serves your interest, not the callers.

MARKETING STRATEGY

When you get a bunch of people together around a conference table, be it corporate board or government agency, people tend to like to dazzle the customer with as much different information as you can humanly squeeze into a 30 or 60 second commercial or square in of ad space. (Confusion!)

That’s why Ries and Trout recommend re-enforcing a single focused message in all your advertising. (You can read more about that concept at http://executivestrategy.blogspot.com and scroll down to the Ries and Trout article.)

So with that as a given, if you figure you have to squeeze your message onto a billboard, what is the main benefit of 2-1-1? It isn’t that all of these services exist, or that now you can connect to them. Because these services always existed and you could always reach them by phone.

The unique product attribute of 2-1-1 is that now, there is one easy phone number to call for it all. (Huh…there’s one: (list three different services available at 2-1-1, then say)….”One call for it all!”)

Ries and Trout say, “Confusion is the enemy”. So the best thing about 2-1-1 is it ends all the confusion. Hence, the one-liner, “If you’re not sure who to where to start, start with 2-1-1.” (And hopefully, it will end there!)

And it’s always good to let skeptics know it’s free. Cause with 4-1-1 charging, people may not be sure. So you have to say, “Free” to kick it off, I think.

• Health care, homeless services, housing, (other services listed three at a time)…One free call to connect to it all.

• One free call for hundreds of county services. (Or is it thousands?)

• Need to get something done in LA County. Just call 2-1-1 and we’ll connect you for free.

• Doing business in Los Angeles county and don’t have the number you need to call? Just call 2-1-1. One free call for all of Los Angeles county.

If you email me some what else is important about this service, maybe I can send back some other ideas. And I’m sure you can think of good ones, too. Just make sure it only says one thing!

And you kinda need to make sure all the different mediums you use support the same message. (In other words, don’t use one message for radio, and another for billboards.)

This is so basic since you have such an easy product to remember. Just 2-1-1. It’s not like you have to try and sell them on some big ticket/hard-sell item with tons of competition.

• I think Zev and others could get booked on AM talk shows, or just call in on the open phones like Big ZD does. Think how much they charge per minute. Call in for free. Have the whole board go live from chambers on KTLA/Good Day LA to promote the service and describe what is available.


• Take out public access time on Time Warner. Have TV 35 run a spot. They should want to do that because it takes burden off their phones.

• Have representatives appear at the Neighborhood Council meetings to give a presentation that those active community leaders can share with others in the community.

• Tell those future destroyers over at LAUSD to get the word out to parents about the services offered at 2-1-1, because any help the county can offer parents, helps the kids and helps LAUSD be able to do a better job.

• Call Val A., the host over at “Life and Times” (PBS). Tell them, “Hey, if you did a story on Zuma Dogg and Venice Beach, we want a story on The County and our 2-1-1 service.

• Should be a lot of PSA time available to the County. Ask for it.

And Gloria Molina will like the idea of having MTA put some ads inside the busses and subways when unsold space is available; or have them give the county a good price; or just pay full price. At least when you spend on advertising on public transportation, you are spending money into a public service. And like with AM radio, people riding the bus may benefit by many of these services most. (Let’s face it, the bus is for the low-income people who be likely to turn to a public agency instead of a private company out of 4-1-1.)

In a perfect world, 2-1-1 would combine budgets with 3-1-1 and do a campaign for both numbers since it is the same product and the names are a match. But I know THAT will never happen. Imagine the cost saving and efficiency improving opportunities if the two merged, but again…not likely. Just theoretically.

Meanwhile, I can see there is much more to be offered than just mental health and homeless services and the typical things you think to turn to the county for. Here’s a list from the BOS website that I’m sure must be available at 2-1-1.

Hopefully, this has helped provide some specific ideas you can use and I especially hope it caused you to come up with some innovative ideas of your own. Check out my http://executivestrategy.blogspot.com blog for much more material to help unleash your highest level of creativity on the job.

Zuma

Click here are select item 54, but you will have to watch whole item or fast forward

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zumadogg@gmail.com

Thanks to Attorney Mark Geragos For Spending Some One-on-One Time With Zuma Dogg!

Thanks to attorney Mark Geragos (who many people know from his frequent Larry King apperances) for spending a little time with Zuma Dogg today. He has a couple cases that I came across that I find interesting, and it was nice of him to allow me the opportunity to briefly let him know what I found interesting, and he liked the idea of speaking with me more in depth over these cases in the future.

But now I don't know if I want to talk to him anymore, because here's what he said when he met in person: "You look like Eminem...(pauses)...or Eminem's father." (I must need to trim the little bit if grey out of the beard of my chin.)

So, I burst out in full ZD (Chris Tucker-style "y'all") persona and say, "First of all; I'm way too young to be his father. Second of all; I'm a way better rapper! Huh...huh...huh..."

Meanwhile, I tell him that I do a lot of research of cases at the Federal Courthouse as a public advocate and writer, and sometimes I come across his cases (in the net while researching other cases).

And I mention two of his cases that caught my attention; and I told him I even spoke about one of them with on the radio with Mark "Mr. K" Germain (who thought it was a big deal, too); but I guess it's no big deal to the rest of the media." (The two big "Mark G's" in this town!)

Geragos shrugged in agreement as if to say, "What are you gonna do?"

I asked him if I could speak with him further about the significance of some of these cases for an article I wanted to write; and he seemed to like the idea of bringing some attention to some of these lesser publicized, but important cases -- and he introduced me to his associate who was walking along with us.

Then, I took the opportunity to sneak in a basic legal question about another case i am interested in, he gave me a quick one sentence response, as he enter the courtroom. Then ZD decided to take the opportunity enter, as well, and I got to watch him in action. Mr. Geragous, thanks for being so gregarious to Zuma Dogg!

Plus, I attended the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting, and got to speak on several items and it will be broadcast on TV. Gloria Molina seemed to be writing down some of the things I was saying regarding the County's 2-1-1 phone campaign.

Overall, not a bad day off from the usual Tuesday LA City Council meeting. And if you are a concerned citizen in the city or county, take a trip downtown and become involved in these public meetings and take advantage of the resources provided to you.

zumadogg@gmail.com
ZumaTimes.com: Offical Web Site

NEW: Zuma Dogg Public Access Show (Featuring ZD at Venice and City Hall)

Zuma Dogg LIVE in Los Angeles (ZD unleashed on the streets of L.A. Comedy/Variety)


Zuma Dogg LIVE in Los Angeles (ZD Political Activism Comedy Episode)


Zuma Dogg LIVE in the Studio (Music/Comedy/Variety)


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Official Zuma Dogg Website

ZUMA DOGG LIVE BROADCAST for Friday Night (August 17th)

Old Skool Clips from "The Zuma Dogg Show" as seen on Los Angeles cable TV

ZumaTimes.com: Official Zuma Dogg wesite
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Zuma Dogg LIVE Public Access Show & Inside City Hall (featuruing Home Depot Crowd)

Zuma Dogg LIVE Studio Show (ZD Sings The Bee Gees & Talks about the City of LA)


Zuma Dogg and Matt Dowd Cover Home Depot Vote at City Hall


Zuma Dogg Webcam Studio Show


Zuma Times EXCLUSIVE: ZD Interviews MIRIAM In Van Nuys Council Chambers


Type "zuma dogg" in keyword Click "next speaker is zuma dogg" for public comment.

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LA TIMES Does A Nice Recap of ZD's Reporting Over LA CIty's Plans For More Density Around The Same Over-taxed Infrastructure

Anonymous blogger said…”But remember, the reason that the big boys like Broad, Witte/Related Cos. are looking for more funding, is because the City Council, moved by the liberal faction, is requiring them all to build the 15% affordable housing, which eats into their costs and revenues”. (August 12, 2007 2:01 AM)

Oh no…someone is very mis-informed, blaming affordable housing on the reason why the crybaby billionaires try and muscle the city into providing them more and more subsidies and tax-breaks at the expense of the general fund and general services. I think the City has had enough and Zuma Dogg hopes all Neighborhood Councils in the Valley send a message to City Hall that enough is enough and start discussing how you can tie a tourniquet around this shady wound before your whole community bleeds out. I would focus on the word “succession”.

LA Times catches-ups on ZD’s reporting:

From latimes.com: Good signs downtown, but vision still lacking
by Steve Lopez
August 12, 2007

I like much of what I see. And with all this commerce and more to come, the potential benefits to the rest of the city (from shared tax revenue) and to the whole region (from new attractions around Staples Center and on Grand Avenue) are huge.

But there's just as much potential for disaster. Pardon me for popping a few party balloons, but somebody has to.

In typical L.A. fashion, mega-developments and the redrawing of the skyline are underway with little in the way of long-term vision or planning. It's the same old let's-try-this-and-see-what-happens approach, with developers in the driver's seat.

Although public officials and the media spun last week's downtown zoning changes as a boon for desperately needed affordable housing, there is in fact no requirement that a single such unit be built -- there are merely incentives that developers may or may not choose to take advantage of.

As usual, the impact on traffic was not a consideration in any of this. Nor is anyone admitting that downtown will scare most people away until there's a commitment to build, and scatter across the region, enough supportive housing to clean up skid row once and for all.

Beth Steckler of Livable Places would like to see little nooks and alcoves of downtown turned into miniature parks. To spur creativity, her public policy nonprofit is sponsoring a Sept. 21 campaign to convert areas as small as parking spaces into mini-parks (more information is at www.Parkingdayla.com).

"The city can get caught up in big plans and forget how much can be accomplished with little things. Look at all the little tiny 5,000-square-foot parking lots. The city could be buying those up and building parks, because those are the ones that people love -- the small neighborhood park that's built on a smaller scale."

[I like that idea Beth! ZD said..."Create zones and let the good times roll. Like we build affordable housing, how about affordable retail space? More Farmers market style areas, and rows of narrowly divided retail slots like in the wholesale area, or along the venice boardwalk. Take some parking lot space that these owners are holding until they can develop, and put some flea markets there." (8/9/07)]

Bill Witte, the Related Cos. chief who's in charge of that project, told me he plans to lobby the state for enough additional funding, on top of the budgeted $50 million in local funds, so there's a chance to build one of the great public spaces of the world.

I bet he's going to lobby for additional state funding. I can think of no finer project that needs more public money than these billionaire boys club projects. We should pour even more money into THIS specific project, instead of having it go to another area of the city that doesn't already have $50 million in local funds. Is building "one of the great public spaces of the world” really one of the problems plaguing the city that needs this much public money thrown at it. I mean, you're talking about "space". Do we really need billionaire quality luxury "space", when we can't deal with all the problems surrounding this tranquil five start luxury "space".

From latimes:com Why the rush to Manhattanize L.A.?
There seems to be little public debate about the dramatic remaking of Los Angeles into a left-coast New York.
By Joel Kotkin
August 12, 2007

[Always a good sign when you see JK in LAT!]

And there's billionaire Phil Anschutz's plan to create a Times Square for Los Angeles near Staples Center, as well as billionaire Eli Broad's aim to duplicate New York's 5th Avenue along Grand Avenue.

Today, small developers, who often had local supporters, are out, and citywide and national players are in. Prime examples are New York-based Related Cos. (Grand Avenue), Anschutz Entertainment Group (L.A. Live), JMB Realty (condo towers in Century City), Astani Enterprises (downtown condos), J.H. Snyder Co. (NoHo Commons), as well as the shopping-mall giant Westfield, which has proposed building in the west Valley what would be one of the largest malls in Southern California.

These companies, along with other developers, have become substantial contributors to the campaigns and causes of local politicians. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign to control the L.A. Unified School District, for instance, was a recent beneficiary. Because it was an issue campaign (rather than a political race), there were no limits on contributions, and many big developers with projects pending or already underway in the city were generous in their giving.

For example, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) gave $125,000 to the mayor's Committee for Government Excellence and Accountability, set up to lobby for a bill that would have given him significant control over L.A. Unified, and to Partnership for Better Schools, which spearheaded Villaraigosa's successful drive to win a majority on the school board. Other contributors to the two committees included developer J.H. Snyder Co. ($100,000); AP Properties, a JMB Realty affiliate ($100,000); Astani Enterprises ($100,000) and Westfield ($100,000).

For instance, not only did council members vote 12 to 0 on last week's zoning overhaul, but earlier this year, the vote to lease public land and grant about $66 million in tax breaks over 20 years to the developer of the Grand Avenue project was 13 to 0 by the City Council and 4 to 1 by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. And in 2005, AEG received $270 million in financial help from the city for L.A. Live. The vote: 14 to 0.

LA TIMES article on Some say larger, denser projects will help ease L.A.'s housing crunch. Others say they will burden an already taxed infrastructure and displace the poor.

(If my blogging, TV 35 comments and radio calls (over the past year) on this issue came out now, after this article -- everyone would be accusing me of a simply copying them. That's cool though, it appears as though they have seen the dark cloud of doom City Hall is casting over the city, and it appears they have now seen the light. (Hope it lasts!)

LA TIMES article on New ordinance will allow denser, larger residential buildings. Some worry that affordable-housing incentives won't work.

SEE ZD'S ARTICLE ON HOW DEVELOPERS MAY BE MAKING MORE MUCH MORE PROFIT ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING (non-profit) THAN THE MARKET-RATE (for-profit) UNITS. IT'S ALL WITH PUBLIC MONEY. AND MAYBE THIS IS WHY WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAUSING A NEW WAVE OF HOMELESSNESS TO TAKE TO THE DOWNTOWN STREETS THESE PROJECTS ARE CREATING.
CLICK HERE FOR ZUMA’S “NO MONEY DOWN” (NON-PROFIT) PROFIT WINDFALL SYSTEM

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More at Zuma Times blog

LOS ANGELES MEDIA ALERT: Is There More Profit To Be Made Building Affordable "Non-Profit" Housing Than There Is In the Private "For-Profit" Market?

MORE ON NON-PROFIT SHADINESS AND THE BIG FISH, GRAND AVENUE PROJECT:

Grand Ave: No Money Down
Grand Ave Project: Citizen's Alert
Why Grand Ave affordable housing must not be cut
Shady non-profit public fund abuse?
ZD Legislative Review of Grand Ave Project
Downtown LA Masterplan: LA Live & Grand Ave (They decided FOR you)

Why LA City’s Affordable Housing Policy is ONE BIG F-ING RACKET!

How you can make much bigger profits building non-profit affordable housing than the luxury for-profit stuff and how this drives up cost per unit and we therefore get way less units, then Jan Perry has to pretend like more has to be done, when all that has to be done is stop running a cahoots racket that allows a few well connected developers in the know to run a shell game scam on the City and the public.

I can hear “The Broadfather” crying to Robin and the Mayor, now: “Boo hoo hoo, Antonio and Robin. I have this great idea for a fantastic project that will save the City, but I can’t do it without subsidies and hotel tax breaks, even though we initially said it would all be privately funded at no cost to the City.” I can imagine Wendy Greuel saying, “Yeah, it will be great! You can walk across the street with your kids on a Saturday morning from Mocha or Disney Hall. That’s what we want to see Downtown. (That’s something that we think is critical to the future of the City." Just ignore all the aggressive panhandlers, though. As long as you just ignore them, they may leave you alone.) Zuma adding, “Yeah Antonio, you should build Grand Avenue Project first, then start taking the actual measures needed to address the problem of the 'Skid Row Nation' expanding throughout LA City streets with new people everyday."

IS THIS HOW “AFFORDABLE HOUSING” DEVELOPERS ARE LAUGHING THEIR ASS OFF AT THE “MARKET RATE” DEVELOPERS BECAUSE YOU CAN MAKE WAY MORE PROFIT BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND SINCE THIS PROFIT IS BASED OFF PUBLIC MONEY THEY ARE GIVEN TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE END UP WITH WAY HIGHER TOTAL COST PER UNIT AND THEREFORE WAY LESS AFFORDABLE UNITS THAN WE SHOULD BE GETTING FOR THE MONEY? (Who says ZD needs to be re-written by editors?)

As a pre-condition to City approval of market-rate (for profit) projects in the City of Los Angeles, a certain amount of affordable housing units are usually a condition in approving these for-profit, market-rate projects. (Especially when you need zoning changes, other variance approvals, CRA approval, etc.)

And if the applicant/developer doesn’t agree to pay for an agreed number of affordable units, as an up-front condition, don’t expect the project to be approved.

Ultimately, the developer’s out-of-pocket expense of this affordable housing is factored in/passed on to the market-rate tenants, because “for-profit” developers aren’t in the business of strategic planning for the long-term best interest of the public or success of the city; just their balance sheets. And that means there is no room for profit "under-utilization". So this is how the biggest corporations of the wealthiest people in the world continue to cry to the City that they just can’t make anything work in this town, unless the City can “hook a brother up” with subsidies and/or tax breaks.

Wanna make some real profit? Build 100% affordable only housing (“non-profit”) units.

[Hey investors, contact Zuma Dogg and please add him to your list of paid consultants if you start doing this. And to my critics (even though I don’t think I have any), there is nothing wrong with ZD wanting to profit massively off these projects, since it is obviously legal, if the City is allowing it to happen.]

LA City affordable housing projects are financed completely by public money from various government sources, or through private investor “tax credits” that ZD counts as public money, too, since it’s money that will now not be going into the general fund for all the other services they come running to taxpayers for more money over (trash, bulky item, solid waste removal, bonds, etc.). The City takes all this public money and hands it over to a non-profit organization who is in charge of getting the project done.

And since it is a non-profit, they don’t have to put down a deposit or any financial investment. (Huh…huh….huh…ZD wants to set up a non-profit like that!)

The developers and general contractors are supposed to make a “reasonable profit” based on the fees/cost of the project. But that is decided by a fixed percent and a lot of developers don’t like these ‘fee-based” projects because everyone knows there’s not much profit in “non-profit” (low-income/affordable) projects because of this fixed percentage cap on profit.

But these uninformed, naïve, non-shady-angle-knowing, knocking-themselves-out-to-try and-make-a-profit-on-the-luxury-stuff-when-the-City-has-rigged-the-system-for-everyone-to-make-way-more-easy-money-in-the-non-profit-world-developers don’t realize that since these shady, non-profit rackets don’t put down any actual money, there is nothing to base the percentage of off. So it is based on the “total cost" of the project!!!!” (Needed an extra “fourth” exclamation point, instead of the usual three!!!)

We need a Dr. Deming séance to channel his spirit to explain how this produces the most expensive “affordable housing” humanly possible, and pours huge amounts of money into fewer units, meaning less units are being built in the City, and the problem spills out all over the sidewalks of Los Angeles, and even though people are scared to move into the new retail and residence you have already built, you want to use the money and land to clean up the problem and use it for Grand Avenue and LA Live's luxury Ritz-Carlton condos, Five Star Hotels and “boutique specialty shops” as these projects boast about in their press releases.

Gee, I wonder if you base the amount of money someone walks away with on how high the final price tag is, if that would cause people to try and do everything possible to use methods of fraud, waste and abuse (corruption) to drive up the total cost?

This is how by adding Zuma Dogg to your list of paid consultants on your non-profit projects, you will actually be making more profit! (Win-win, y’all…yeah, yeah!)

Plus, once you add me to your paid consulting list, we can discuss all the other ways to maximize total inefficiency and increase waste toward the goal of increasing total cost so your fees (that the percentage is based off of) can be like Jigsaw: ”Skyhigh!”

How you, too, can make your 100% affordable units end up costing much more than even the luxury "for-profit" ones.

Alright, you don’t HAVE to wait for my Don Dupree style infomercial and wait for the tapes to arrive (or add me as your paid consultant) in order to hear how I would suggest grabbing as much public money earmarked for affordable housing as possible.

After all, they’re just GIVING it away to people like Eli Broad and Bill Witte (who the City, County and State didn’t already give enough to). He just still needs more already, to help get his job done. You may remember Bill from my LA Weekly article that was already out a couple weeks ago. Here he is talking to the LA Times about it yesterday.

“Bill Witte, the Related Cos. chief who's in charge of that project, told me he plans to lobby the state for enough additional funding, on top of the budgeted $50 million in local funds, so there's a chance to build one of the great public spaces of the world.”

I bet he's going to lobby for additional state funding. I can think of no finer project that needs more public money than these billionaire boys club projects. We should pour even more money into THIS specific project, instead of having it go to another area of the city that doesn't already have $50 million in local funds. Is building "one of the great public spaces of the world” really one of the problems plaguing the city that needs this much public money thrown at it. I mean, you're talking about "space". Do we really need billionaire quality luxury "space", when we can't deal with all the problems surrounding this tranquil five start luxury "space".

HEY VAAAAAALEEEEEEEY...Aren't they buzzing about secession again at the NC level? I
SAY GO FOR IT...THIS IS SICKENING!

So you are wondering what that has to do with it? Here’s how a few mouths keep getting all the food, while the rest of the mouths go unfed. (A few project developers know how to work the system for the most amount of money, then inappropriate amounts go to one unit on that project, instead of many units throughout the city. AND JAN PERRY CALLED ME “OFF TOPIC” DURING MY COMMENTS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING INEFFICIENCIES, DURING AN AGENDA ITEM ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS. (Check the committee meeting minutes. She’s detestable! That coward who facilitates all of this. She should pay back her college loans with all the money that is being jacked out of the hands of the people she is supposed to be helping. SHAME ON YOU JAN PERRY!)

HERE’S WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WANTED THE CITY TO HAND ME AS MUCH MONEY FROM THE PUBLIC AS LEGALLY POSSIBLE: (But I can't actually guarantee it's legal.)

Just go to a bunch of different government money sources who funnel public money and trust into these non-profits with zero accountability. Each individual government source doesn’t know or care who else, or how many other sources, are paying into the same unit; or how much they are contributing.

All they know is that they have the money to give away if you qualify and it doesn’t appear to ZD that there is any cap on how much can be spent to crank out a unit of affordable housing.

Since Laura Chick couldn’t hire that other guy to be her consultant, maybe she can hire me and the first thing I will suggest is that she gets a pair of glasses…or at least opens up her eyes and take a look.

I’ll be glad to write the whole report for her saying, “The reason we are short of real affordable housing in the City, contributing to the housing crisis, homeless crisis and every other housing related crisis is because certain developers are applying for multiple government funding sources, and since there is no cross checking or oversight, inappropriately excessive amounts of money go into one project, at one location; instead of several projects throughout the area and city. We should be building more units for the same amount of money.”

As controller, Zuma Dogg would never say, "We need take more money and hand it over to shady non-profits and loop-hole loving greedy developers who are using the system to rob society as a whole.” But as radio talk show hosts, blog readers and City TV 35 watchers know, City Hall works in “cahoots” with these non-profits and developers to make sure everyone gets as much gravy off the train. We need a City Controller to de-rail the gravy train, tell them to add more trains.

So it’s Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa talking about spending more even more public money for even more affordable housing (with his friend, mentor and advisor Richard Alatorre working as his affordable house “consultant”). And City Council and the Mayor are able to tolerate each other, as they help facilitate and expedite the effort.

Nobody would speak out against a 100% affordable housing project, or put their foot down on shameless requests for more and more subsidies for the same affordable unit/ project?

Too bad these non-profit projects (affordable housing, charter schools, parks and rec, health care and other publicly funded projects don’t have as much accountability (if any at all), as a regular for-profit projects do.

ZUMA’S “NO MONEY DOWN” (NON-PROFIT) PROFIT WINDFALL SYSTEM

Based on the system created by “The Broadfather”, Latham & Watkins, Antonio Villaraigosa and your Los Angeles City Council (plus all these people’s friends, family, associates -- and enemies they have to come together with in order for everyone to get their biggest piece of the public money pie).

If you wanna jump into the private housing construction business without any experience, like Los Angeles City Council has decided to with the Grand Avenue Project and like Zuma Dogg now wants to do, here’s the formula from my infomercial system and affordable housing consultancy:

Get a “wedge in” by building some of those extra profitable 100% affordable housing units somewhere else in the city. Anywhere! Use illegal, non-documented construction workers to cut cost if you have to. This is not only a good way to make a nice, guaranteed profit right to help fund future public money takeover attempts; it will make you look as philanthropic as Eli Broad and all the other developers that the City likes to bend over backwards for. (As only someone with no “leadership or public accountability” spine would be able to do.)

Because with this one project under your belt, you are in the club, know the secret handshake and are ready for some of the “market-rate” projects. And although they are not as profitable as the publicly funded projects, if you are tugging on affordable housing heart strings, you can probably do nicely on the more highly demanded (and therefore more highly profitable) housing projects in LA City that require zoning variances or special approvals in order to get off the ground. (And into the sky.)

And who more deserving of being able to make lemonade out of lemons than those nice, philanthropic folks (Garcetti calls it “civic activism”) who are dedicated to helping provide affordable housing out of the goodness of their hearts, in order to help bring this city out of the crisis this shady racket of a system has created.

You have heard Zuma Dogg complain that he was miffed with Downtown Councilmember Jan Perry for using her fear-based, arrogance and bad judgment to call me off topic during a committee meeting on the topic “affordable housing” things we can do to solve the problem.

And although the other people on the committee were nodding their heads up and down in agreement, the pompous and despicable threat to public interest and overall safety, decided that my comments on how, “If the city made developers include the affordable housing they are required to in these cases, you wouldn’t have to “fudge” the situation in the ways you are discussing here.” (And for that, my federally protected rights were violated.

So I have to take it to the blogs and radio stations, instead of that little committee room on the 10th floor of City Hall that wasn’t on TV and about ten other people were there for. And I apologize to all of the homeless people suffering on the streets of Downtown, and all the people who will be experiencing a reduced quality of life (refrigerator sized market-rate housing units that will add density, crime, infrastructure, water, school, trash removal, parking and traffic problems) with Jan Perry as your elected representative, who is supposed to be looking out for the PUBLIC best interest, not the billionaires’ and developers’ whose projects she helps facilitate by approving variances and working to have new zoning laws passed that will add record levels of congestion without the public transportation lines or anything else that is needed to go along with it.

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Hey Jan, are my two minutes up? Did you throw my public comment card in the trash can again and claim I didn't turn one in, again? Did you say you couldn't read the name on the card last week even though it was clearly printed, Jan? (There is a record of you on TV saying you couldn't read it, and a copy of the clearly printed card in the public record.)

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The City Needs To Work With Sacramento To Help Build More Infrastructure As Quickly As Possible

The city of Los Angeles now has a plan that we have already started, to build much more housing and amenities in the city so we can stay competitive in the global economy. And yes, although many of the people immigrating to Southern California these days are people from Mexico, who are helping us in this effort (at the lower income level); we actually ARE living in a global economy, and over the next thirty years, many of the people who will be investing in the city and buying the high-end condos you see being constructed all around town, will be from Asia, China and other international regions.

All of this means we will have the diversity we need to help the City of Los Angeles in it's effort to become the world class city it must continue to be. And these days, in the international marketplace we now compete in, we have a lot of work to do in order to be able to meet these demands.

And like so many Los Angelinos have been noting; and as the newspapers have been reporting this week, all of this density is being created without the proper infrasructure to accomodate the added demand.

And with all the added public attention with articles in LA Weekly, LA Times, Daily News; we are hearing the senitment echoed on the AM radio talk shows and neighborhood meetings throughout the City. Although we are aware of this problem, too; and work on getting as much public transportation added and infrastructure built as quickly as possible, with all this added public outcry now weighing in, I not only wanted Sacramento to know that the City, State and even Country (since 40% of U.S. goods come through our region) will be stuck with a major crisis if we don't do more to focus this effort and do everything we can, right now.

But I wanted the people of Los Angeles to know that I know this is a front-burner issue, I hear you, and I want Sacramento to know that it is time for all government officials at the City, State and National level to all come together in a collaborative effort to get the job done, that needs to get done, to allow the City of Los Angeles to become the international hub, with the liveable communities that the rest of the world is demanding from us, and the global economy now requires us to be.

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Readers Respond with Letters to LA Weekly About Zuma Dogg's Grand Avenue Project Article

The Grand Scheme

The Grand Avenue Project is even worse than Zuma Dogg indicates [“Eli Broad’s Grand Illusion,” July 20–26]. First of all, there’s the increased traffic it will create. The existing freeways through and around downtown are already at gridlock much of the time, as are the surface streets downtown. Any attempt to increase the capacity of any of these freeways will be horrifically expensive, even if their capacity could be increased. As the Legislature is considering cutting substantial amounts from the transportation budget, these costs would have to be borne by local taxpayers.

Then there is water. We are in the midst of a major drought. The Legislature wants local government to bear the costs of increasing water capacity. There’s no sign the developers of Grand Avenue will be asked to pay the costs of bringing in the additional water their project will require. Once again, the taxpayers will have to pay for this, if it is done at all. In a rational world, local government would put a moratorium on all development until we figure out where the water will come from and who will pay this cost. But this is not a rational world.

Finally, as Zuma Dogg says, we don’t need this development. We’ve seen vanity books, vanity movies, vanity cars, vanity houses. And now we have a vanity redevelopment project, no different except in scale and no more useful than the 16,000-square-foot houses some people want to build.


Stanton J. Price
Glendale

Two Gold Stars

I just wanted to say thanks for the good reporting on the following two articles: “Antonio’s Kitchen Cabinet,” by Patrick Range McDonald [July 20–26] and “Eli Broad’s Grand Illusion” by Zuma Dogg [July 20–26]. Your stories are far more informative than most L.A. Times articles. Your writers really investigate and report, which is lacking in so many news media today.

Fred Castillo
Duarte

LA Weekly "Letters" page

Thanks Mr. Price and Mr. Castillo! That was a real highlight for me to see those letters published in the paper like that! Yeah, yeah...that's MY stuff they are talking about. That's right! They were so moved, they couldn't help but express their opinions publicily! LOL!

zumadogg@gmail.com

Welp, with LA Times finally covering the long term negative imapact of LA's "Dumb Growth" Housing Plan, The Gato is out of the Bag!

Thanks to LA Times for this week’s extensive cover of The City of Los Angeles’ housing policy. And I know I can’t comment on this without activating an avalanche of criticism for the mention, but DAMN, did it feel good to read this article and say to myself, “I’ve been saying that all year”; “And I’ve been saying that all year.” OUT OF RELIEF! When I was saying this stuff, last year, people told me I should be calling the Art Bell show, instead of the other radio talk shows I was calling to alert the masses of the crisis we are facing. It’s not like anyone handed me the total picture with a check list of negative impacts to recite. It all came together piece by piece, throughout the year, as Herb Wesson, Garcetti and the rest of Council can tell you. The funny thing is, I kinda just blurted it all out in the ultimate Zuma Dogg rant ever on City TV 35, early on in my visits to City Hall. (The one where I say I became visually “possessed” as posted below.)



Then my discussion with experts for my LA Weekly SCAG article REALLY tied it all together for me and it’s been my most discussed issue, along with LAUSD ever since.

Followed by LA Weekly’s “Smart Growth” article blowing it out of the water a couple months ago in all it’s un-splendor, and now LA Times amplifying the situation for all the mainstream to see; ZD was about to say, he feels he can finally move on to other issues…but I can’t get my fingers to type those words.

Because although the City lays out its plan for the public (or actually they dig deep enough and blast it until you can’t deny it, then the newspapers research it further and really nail you; any of these proclamations of grandeur; there is public awareness and activism that some of these projects are in violation of Charter law, and will be battled in committee and appealed on a project by project basis. And although the City usually stream rolls its way through the community, there will be victories for the people. And when I say victory, I mean projects that are just plain wrong from a zoning, safety, social or environmental analysis.

And in response to all the people representing the City who say the new downtown will be tall, dense and vibrant, filled with people who walk or bike to work and take advantage of the area's burgeoning night life and activities” (from Times article). ZD says, “Yes, that is the plan and who in the world could argue with that? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world? Only thing is, it’s a “picture perfect” illusion in the sense that you are leaving out a whole bunch of the side effects of the magic pill it will take to create that scenario. That’s a fancy way of saying, “Yeah, great idea, but it ain’t gonna work the way you guys are planning it. (You’re going all luxury downtown. And not creating the balanced communities you will need.)

Ashwani Vasishth of CSUN (an former SCAGGER) said in ZD’s LA Weekly article, “You just can't have the rich living downtown in expensive lofts and the poor people living further and further out. You can only have a successful downtown if you have rich and poor living in the same area.” And he goes on to mention how all the people driving into downtown from outside areas to serve the area and work in the area, will continue to increase traffic congestion. (So they way the city is planning it, you get the opposite of what they are actually dreaming about.)

Too bad the City of Los Angeles refuse to embrace methods of quality and productivity to implement and achieve this goal, otherwise known as, “Bad planners.” And when I mean bad, I mean, like in-denial, negligent and illegally bad.

LA Times article

ZUMA'S SUMMARY RANT OF LA TIMES ARTICLE


ZumaTimes.com: Official ZD website

Is the City Running A Non-Profit Racket With City Money and Is That Why The City Doesn't Have Money For What's Needed Then Adds New Fees & Taxes

Click here and click Jump To button for 1) Public Comment; 2) Item 13 (Solid Waste Removal Fee); 3) "Item 42". (LAUSD's Yoli Aguilar City Hall appointment by her financial backing mayoral boss.)

NON-PROFIT CORRUPTION AT CITY HALL?: It's been something that ZD has been working his way up to since he stumbled up "Special Event Fee Waiver" abuse (thanks to a City Hall insider who showed him agenda life, outside general public comment). Then ZD started hearing terms like "ghost employees", "front-end loaded management contracts", Charter schools like Semilla, CM spouses sitting on boards and City Hall staffers running multiple non-profits (and in both cases these non-profits are handed public money from the city's fund; only to have inappropriately excessive amounts of money go to the friends, family members, cronies, and elected officials, some of whom await plum board appointments (and the salaries and perks), when they leave office. (Approve the money now, get a salaried appointment later.) There's a reason why they have to keep raising taxes and fees (like today's solid waste fee removal hike)...they are handing out way too much of the City's money to themselves and their cronies, assosiates, family and friends. I WONDER IF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY READS MAYOR SAM! MAYBE I SHOULD EMAIL HIM THIS THREAD!

ZUMA DOGG PUBLIC COMMENT: On non-profits, Villargarcia's appointment of his paid muppet he spent private money raised from people awaiting project approval from the mayor, Yoli Aguilar to some "facilitation committe" between the shady career-over mayor and the biggest threat to the City...the new Villargarcia 4-3 majority school LAUSD school board. CLICK READ MORE

If you are interested in knowing how the door can be slammed in the public's face, while the mayor's posse tries to move forward with their mayoral takeover scheme that has been ruled illegal by The United States Federal Court. Well as we all know with Antonio, the law never stops him. And LAUSD's budget is double that of the City of Los Angeles' entire budget...PLUS, the $20 billion plus construction budget. To read more on how we gotta watch out for the old Riordan crew (same cast as always) is trying to kill the inspector general, kill the committee process, kill public input, allow the Superintendent to spend $3 million dollars without board approval (massive increase, y'all), require a majority vote BEFORE a board member may even be allowed to ask a question they are about to vote on; and more information from past mayoral takeover attempts with the AB 1381 crew, that may predict what can be expected in the future. Especially, since it is already happening. (See July 3, 2007 "Annual Order of Business" board meeting where the whole thing was sent over from the mayor's office; public had no input; none of it went through committee; and the agenda itself creates way more beuracracy than it solves. I think our City is doomed under Villaraigosa, to be quite honest. I really hope they snatch his ass on something and kick him the f*ck out of town. I think this guy is a true threat to our City's safety and future. HE'S GOTTA GO!!! PEOPLE, HOW DO WE GET ANTONIO OUT OF OFFICE?!?!? THIS GUY HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH!!! THE CITY WILL BE BROKE AND BROKEN!!! EVERYONE START SHOWING UP AT CITY HALL AND START SAYING YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS MAYOR WHO IS TURNING LOS ANGELES INTO THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE NATION! MEANWHILE, IT'S NOT SO FUNNY WHAT IS HAPPENING...

#1 flank attack of the corruption: NON-PROFITS!!! I HEAR LA'S BEST IS THE WORST IF YOU CARE ABOUT MONEY NOT GOING INTO THE HANDS OF ALL THE WRONG PEOPLE. ZD FEELS IF WE START UNRAVELING THE SHADY NON-PROFIT B.S., MISSIONS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED! (If your mission is to accomplish the end of handing over billions and billions of dollars in public money to the political and corportate elite coffer skimmers.

Click here and click Jump To button for 1) Public Comment; 2) Item 13 (Solid Waste Removal Fee); 3) "Item 42". (LAUSD's Yoli Aguilar City Hall appointment by her financial backing mayoral boss.

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zumatimes.com

Zuma Dogg on Vh1's "The Rock Life" VSPOT (Reality show about Malibu rock band "Whitestarr")

VH1.com Videos

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Official Zuma Video Blog

Zuma Dogg's Campaign Promises as Mayor of Los Angeles

Don't worry current and future mayoral candidates: Zuma Dogg does not want to run for mayor anymore than Al Gore wants to run for President. However, if asked to state my campaign promises, I will respond! So let's just call this, "What Zuma Dogg Would Like To Hear From Anyone Running For Mayor"

From Zuma Dogg feature at LAist.com. In response to the question:

1. Zuma's campaign promises if running for mayor.

Well, if I were running for mayor, I would continue to speak about the exact same things I have been talking about all year. Because since you only have two minutes for comment, or a few minutes on a radio call, you want to try and talk about the most important issues, affecting the most amount of people, Citywide, that needs the most amount of transformation.

Currently, I would start with LAUSD. You can read exactly what I would start with in my campaign speech, because it is actually included here. And my campaign promise regarding LAUSD (since it seems to be in the mayor’s job description these days), is to set-up community meetings throughout the district, and try to attend many myself, and have my staff, and LAUSD Superintendent, board members, principals, teachers and parents there to take feedback from everyone on how to “fix/improve the system”, and update the community on the current state of the system, what is being done, what has happened, and what parents can do to help the school from their end.

Then I would promise to take this feedback and make sure everyone from the tree trimmer to the board president had one goal, and one goal only: Your job is to help bring to the Superintendent’s attention, how he can put people to work to make the changes necessary to “fix the system” from an operational standpoint, to help improve the conditions that will allow teachers to be able to do a better job and remove barriers that prevent students from maximizing their achievement.

And something very important regarding any meaningful attempt at LAUSD school reform: I would request as mayor, that the Inspector General be as active and involved in all school board meetings and committee meetings and be an integral part of the “reform team”, because the Inspector General is the person in charge of investigating, “fraud, waste and abuse”. And if you are trying to pull LAUSD out of its current mess and fix a broken and sinking system…allowing the money to accidentally (or otherwise) fall into the category of “fraud, waste and abuse” only shoots the effort in the foot because it’s tough enough to fight for the dollars we need to get the job done. So if there is potential for billions of these dollars to be wasted (through fraud, or abuse), the Inspector General would be the first person I would like a report from each day, as mayor.

So, Zuma Dogg promises as mayor, one of my top priorities (top 2), will be to make sure as representative of the people of Los Angeles, I will make sure City Hall does everything it can to make sure every dollar given to the kids and the schools, is used with the least amount of “fraud, waste and abuse” as any human system can hope to achieve. (Least amount of preventable waste.) And I would request as much communication from the Inspector General and ask the LAUSD school board to please consider him a valuable tool to help accomplish the goal you are trying to achieve. Because if you are trying to “fix” the problem, it doesn’t help if the businesses you are awarding contracts to, are allowing the public money earmarked for school construction and improvements , where inappropriate amounts of money ends up going to corporation managers and their cronies through front-end loaded (padded) management deals.

As a society, we will not have the workers and productive members we need to move forward until we fix our city’s education system. By fixing the school system, you help increase student achievement, raise the graduation rates and provide a larger pool of qualified and productive job candidates. This is the best way, and I think only way to effectively reduce street crime and make the communities a safer, more livable place. Less money wasted on the problems associated with the crime associated to kids we lose to the streets because systematic bureaucracy and politicians have allowed the system to stay broken for too long, and now it has failed us. And there can be no optimistic view of the future until we overhaul the school system, and take it out of a 50’s industrial era operating framework and make the necessary transformation to accommodate students and parents in today’s specialized, fragmented electronic era.

A vote for Zuma Dogg, for Mayor of Los Angeles, means you will be sending a mayor into City Hall who will make sure there is a more efficient process in the way the city plans it’s growth and plans it’s projects. As mayor, I would break down barriers between all departments and have agencies and committee members and planners be a part of the entire process from start to finish.

I’ve sat through too many city meetings where reports weren’t there, information wasn’t ready, the meeting had to be canceled, or the project had to be sent back entirely: Not because each individual wasn’t trying to do their best job. But because each department was working “independently” of each other, instead of working “interdependently” at all stages of planning and implementation.

The challenge we face as a city requires the most focused, efficient effort we can strive to achieve. I can promise you, as mayor, Zuma Dogg will be able to walk in the door, the first day, and the first thing I will have to do, and will be the easiest part of my job, as mayor, is to cut back the waste and inefficiency that needlessly and foolishly squanders billions of dollars of public money, that could be going to provide services Citywide that would improve the quality of all of our lives.

And the next issue I would address is the City of Los Angeles’ Housing policy. That, along with LAUSD, have been the two issues that I have spent the most time addressing publicly in media this past year. As mayor, I promise to make sure the City enforces its own Charter regarding affordable housing, vacancy rates and tenant’s rights. Because the City needs to do a lot of redevelopment and make a lot of improvements, Citywide to stay competitive regionally, nationally and globally. And I want the people to know that I will take measures to ensure that the City treats all these displaced residents with the dignity and compassion, that also happens to be required by law. Many projects are approved in violation of zoning and environmental laws, and done without proper consideration or input from the local residents affected by these project approvals. Again, the city has to balance the job of redeveloping the city so it can continue to be the international attraction that helps us thrive – and transition into a more livable city as the population increases by millions over the next decade.

There are some pretty humongous challenges in any political system. Different sides pulling in different direction with different ideas on how to steer the city. But one thing I’m sure everyone living in the city can agree on…There is so much waste and inefficiency that can be addressed, right off the bat…that would sure make the rest of the job easier.

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City TV 35 Video: Zuma Dogg Addresses The City of Los Angeles Without Hat, Glasses and "Persona" For Public Comment at Council Meeting

In case you wondered what it would be like for Zuma Dogg to show up for public comment without the hat and glasses (and unkempt beard) -- and speak without the ZD "y'all"/rapper persona -- Friday August 3, 2007 was your day.

Because after keeping my non-ZD apperance secret (no photos) for seven years (since the debut of my L.A. public access show), I felt the time was right to show up and let the public, council, media and voters have a chance to see what they have been getting behind the image.

After recent revelations (an added level of public recognition on the streets and the city's added level of shady attempts to throw me into the meat grinder), I felt I had to break the ice and declare it, "Stretch Beyond Your Comfort Zone Level To Help Create Change" Day in the City of Los Aneles and gave it a shot.

Whether it was a good marketing decision or not, it was something that I personally had to do to be able to carry on; and I still have not decided whether it was a "one time only" special event -- or a new comfort level fom ZD.

I FELT at this point, with so many people watching, and it appearing that ZD is here to stay (since he's still blogging, calling radio and showing up in chambers, the overall messages may benefit by the "no hat and glasses" delivery style as presented in Van Nuys on Friday. And although "Dave's" delivery may even be more of a threat to fraud, waste and abuse than "ZD's" (check the video links below to see); maybe at least some of the folks listening (council, staffers and viewers) who were just too put-off by the front, will at least feel better that the speaker is at least trying to be a part of the real world. (At least for those two minutes.)

Here are the links to click on from the city website. Type "zuma dogg" in the "archive keyword search box" and click the following links

Click here and type "zuma dogg" in keyword search box and click on these links:

...ZUMA DOGG, FOLLOWED BY JOHN...”

...ZUMA DOGG, FOLLOWED BY SHARON...”

...MR. ZUMA DOGG" [and let it keep playing for the rest of ZD's string of comments from there. Watch Miriam too, when she comes up for two extra minutes. She hit em up harder than ZD did. FANTASTIC PUBLIC COMMENT FROM MIRIAM! Otherwise, just hit fast forward, but you should watch her!]

ZD website with new "Best of" Embedded Player
zumadogg@gmail.com