[img]1742|left|Mr. Garcetti||no_popup[/img]A Public Records document gives Los Angeles City Council member Eric Garcetti official permission to play hooky from Council meetings for the entire month of March – and still collect his regular monthly salary of $18,000.
(A complete three-page document is available upon email request.)
The document is dated Monday, Feb. 25, eight days before the Los Angeles primary election for mayor in which Mr. Garcetti garnered 33 percent of the vote to qualify for the May 21 runoff against Wendy Greuel, who polled 29 percent.
[img]1681|right|Mr. Herb Wesson||no_popup[/img]The permission letter was signed by Council President Herb Wesson’s son, Justin Wesson, identified as his father’s legislative deputy.
The document gives as his reason for unilaterally granting Councilman Garcetti’s blanket request for serial excused absences during the whole month:
“Lastly, I don’t expect anything big will come up in Council next month.”
Oh, really?
Who is Justin Wesson to exert this kind of power?
It must be reported that the fingerprints of the two politicians in question are nowhere to be seen on this document.
Permission to go AWOL from City Council meetings was approved by Wesson's Legislative Deputy, Mr. ustin Wesson, without his father Herb's signature.
Garcetti Deputy, Mr.Guy Lipa, made the absence request on behalf of Garcetti – with no explanation for his month-long worth of absences!
It should be noted that when Garcetti himself was Council President, he was so strict with the other Council members about their attendance records that he cancelled a regular 10 a.m. Council meeting at 10:10 because the Council was two members short of a quorum at that moment!
FYI: This is the same Mr. Justin Wesson, 30 years old, who was criminally charged with DUI while driving a city-owned auto last September.
Mr. Walsh may be contacted at jwalshconfidential.wordpress.com