Re “Latest Unholy Alliance – Sadly, New Downtown Board Hijacked”
[Editor’s Note: The ruling request is addressed to John Schwada, communications director for the incumbent Los Angeles City Attorney, who is locked in a pressurized battle for re-election seven weeks from tomorrow.]
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Mr. Kantor
Dear Mr. Schwada,
You are the closest to Carmen Trutanich I can easily contact.
Please forward this request to the City Attorney for a speedy legal opinion, whether the just-formed Mickey Kantor Committee will be free to pursue its intentions of brazenly flouting the Ralph M. Brown open meeting law.
Here are hollywoodhighlands.org’s almost two dozen arguments that the Kantor Committee is strictly subject to the Brown Act, and other related inquiries:
Firstly, every reason for Los Angeles city Neighborhood Councils being required to follow the Brown Act at their meetings applies equally to the Kantor Committee.
- Who is funding the Kantor Committee?
- What's the Kantor Committee's budget and proposed term of service?
- Where will these secret meetings occur?
- Will meeting minutes be taken ?
- Who will take the minutes?
- Who will control access to the Kantor Committee minutes?
- How will the Kantor Committee's findings and recommendations scheduled for September be communicated to the L.A. City Council and new Mayor?
- Will the MSM and City Hall blogs be banned from the Kantor Committee meetings?
- Who will pay for the Kantor Committee's staff?
- How, exactly, will its recommendations reach the Mayor and City Council?
- Will the Kantor Committee employ an Executive Director?
- How will the Executive Director be chosen?
- How will the Executive Director be paid?
- Will Kantor Committee members be compensated monetarily or otherwise for attendance at these meetings?
- How much?
- How will Kantor Committee members' expenses be paid?
- What role in the Kantor Committee will Mr. Justin Wesson play?
- Justin Wesson is the son of Kantor Committee creator L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson. He also is his father’s Political Deputy.(FYI: Mr. Justin Wesson has a recent DUI arrest on his record.)
- Will L.A. City Council members, the Mayor, the City Attorney and their staffs be bound by secrecy when appearing before the Kantor Committee?
- Will the Kantor Committee be subject to the L.A. City Ethics Committee and the state Fair Political Practices Commission rules and regulations?
- Will the Kantor Committee members be subject to filling initial and yearly statements of Economic Interests with the state of California and the City Ethics Commission?
Finally, Herb Wesson must provide a precedent and a timeline for his creation of the Kantor Committee.
- Has City Council President Herb Wesson exceeded his authority under the City Charter when creating and/or introducing the so-called Kantor Committee.
Please check out last Friday’s LA Weekly blog by Mathew Mullins (http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2013/03/gray_davis_david_fleming_talk.php) where David Fleming, Nof Latham and Watkins says “…the committee members will meet 'privately' with representatives of the City's key industries and entrepreneurial fields as well as leaders from the city's dozens of distinct neighborhoods.”
(Notice there is no direct mention here of the city's elected Neighborhood Councils.)
The above questions are just for starters…
Mr. Walsh may be contacted at hollywooddems@gmail.com
