Letters to the Editor: L.A. City Hall has a major corruption problem. Where's the reform?

Updated
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 12, 2020 Former Los Angeles city councilman Mitchell "Mitch" Englander, walks with his wife Jayne Englander, left, and his lead attorney Janet Levine, right, as they exit the Load Angeles Federal Courthouse after her appeared for a trial-setting conference Thursday morning March 12, 2020. The former Los Angeles city councilman is accused of obstructing an investigation into his allegedly accepting gifts from a businessman during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs and he faces seven federal criminal counts -- three of witness tampering, three for allegedly making false statements and a single count of scheming to falsify facts. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Former L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander with his wife, Jayne, outside the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse on March 12, 2020. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander is on his way to prison. Former Councilman Jose Huizar is awaiting trial on federal corruption charges.

Various city employees, lobbyists and a developer have pleaded guilty to corruption charges, but City Hall still has not come forward with any new reforms that will bring transparency to the planning process and prevent another scandal.

That is the real crime that no one wants to take on.

Ken Walsh, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Englander, who represented District 12 on the Los Angeles City Council, is going to prison for graft. John Lee, the current councilman for District 12, accompanied Englander on the same expensive Las Vegas trip paid by a businessman who was seeking influence at City Hall.

The citizens of District 12 have not and are not being served by either of these men.

Bonnie Ferron, Canoga Park

..

To the editor: Englander should have received the maximum five years in prison. He sold influence for a bag of cash and a night in Las Vegas, all while serving as a reserve officer in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Nothing justified a downward departure from federal sentencing guidelines. The judge could have made a good example, but instead crooked politicians are emboldened. Good riddance.

Paul Dumont, North Hollywood

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Originally published

Latest Stories

  • AOC to Ted Cruz: 'You almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago'

    Cruz was concurring with the congresswoman's take on the Robinhood app when she criticized him for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

  • Congresswoman Lauren Boebert mocks Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg as ‘tough’ and ‘child’

    Social media users slammed representative Boebert for bullying a college student on Twitter

  • McConnell misquotes Biden in an attempt to criticize his rush of executive orders

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) seemed to think he had a slam dunk argument against President Biden's rush of executive orders. But in an attempt to spin Biden's own words against him on Thursday, McConnell ended up replacing Biden's quote with a misleading version that has been circulating online. Biden has signed more than 30 executive orders since he took office last week, taking aim at former President Donald Trump's immigration crackdowns, loosened environmental policies, and more. McConnell on Thursday claimed the flurry of orders flew in the face of what Biden said in an October town hall: That "you can't legislate by executive action unless you are a dictator." But as CNN's Daniel Dale points out, Biden actually said "there are some things you can't do by executive order unless you're a dictator," with no reference to legislation. Oh, didn't see until now that Mitch McConnell took Biden's quote way out of context in the same way Hannity did. https://t.co/5rK6V0jEPR — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 28, 2021 Fox News host Sean Hannity similarly tweeted out the false quote as a "flashback" just a few hours prior. Hannity got it from a tweet by Tom Elliott, who shares news clips with a conservative spin and misleadingly paraphrased Biden as saying "you can't [legislate] by executive order unless you're a dictator." .@JoeBiden in October: “I have this strange notion, we are a democracy … if you can’t get the votes … you can’t [legislate] by executive order unless you’re a dictator. We’re a democracy. We need consensus." pic.twitter.com/7UotJCXSm3 — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 26, 2021 White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the quote on Thursday, and told reporters it was taken out of context. More stories from theweek.comHow to make perfect French toast in 4 simple steps5 brutally funny cartoons about the GOP's Trump problemBiden is not going to get his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. And that's okay.

  • Far-Right 'Proud Boy' leader arrested ahead of Capitol riots revealed to have been police informer

    The leader of the Proud Boys extremist group has been unmasked as a "prolific" former FBI informant. Enrique Tarrio, 36, worked undercover exposing a human trafficking ring, and helped with drug and gambling cases, according to court documents. Tarrio's documented involvement with law enforcement related to the period 2012 -2014. There was no evidence of him cooperating after that. But the revelation raised further questions over why police did not take further steps to secure the US Capitol ahead of the riots on Jan 6. At least half a dozen members of the Proud Boys were arrested over involvement in the riots. Tarrio denied ever being an informer, telling Reuters: "I don’t know any of this. I don’t recall any of this."

  • New UN report airs concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka

    The U.N. human rights office on Wednesday published a report raising new concerns about Sri Lanka, urging “international action” against alleged perpetrators of rights violations and floating the prospect of a referral to the International Criminal Court. The report — news of which had already leaked in Sri Lanka — pointed to “worrying trends” over the last year, more than a decade after the end of a civil war that lasted 26 years and left tens of thousands of people dead. “Sri Lanka’s current trajectory sets the scene for the recurrence of the policies and practices that gave rise to grave human rights violations,” the report said.

  • AOC tells Ted Cruz she doesn’t want to work with him on Robinhood probe because he ‘almost had me murdered’ during Capitol riot

    Ms Ocasio-Cortez again called for Mr Cruz to resign

  • Have a Drink in Style with These 9 Cocktail Tables

    The best occasional tables keep your cocktail at arm’s reachOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Mexico's COVID-19 death toll surpasses India, becomes world's third highest

    Mexico on Thursday surpassed India in confirmed COVID-19 deaths, giving the Latin American country the third-highest toll worldwide, according to a Reuters tally of official data. Mexico's health ministry reported 18,670 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 1,506 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of cases to 1,825,519 and deaths to 155,145. When adjusted for deaths per head of population, Mexico's toll is lower than those of several other countries, including the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Italy, the United States, Peru and Spain, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University.

  • 'For Christ’s sake, watch yourself': Biden warns family over business dealings

    Still, one brother discussed new venture with major donor before Biden entered the White House.

  • Two gay men in Indonesia publicly caned 77 times each after vigilantes broke into their flat

    Two men in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province have been publicly lashed 77 times each after neighbourhood vigilantes burst into their apartment last November and reported them to Islamic religious police for allegedly having sex with each other. The caning is the third time people have been punished for practicing homosexuality since Aceh banned it under Shariah law in 2015. The consumption of alcohol, gambling, tight clothing for women, and extramarital sex have also been outlawed under Shariah ordinances. The men, aged 27 and 29, were whipped on Thursday with a rattan stick in front of dozens of people by a team of five enforcers wearing long brown robes and hoods. The pair reportedly winced as they were struck and the punishment was briefly halted to allow them to drink water. The mother of one man fainted at the scene. A Shariah court last month sentenced each man to 80 strokes, but they received 77 to compensate for time spent in prison. Morality offenses including gay sex can be punished by up to 100 lashes. On the same day, a woman and man were each given 20 lashes for being caught in close proximity to each other, and two men were given 40 lashes each for drinking alcohol.

  • Renewed push to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill met with some skepticism

    This week, the Biden administration announced that it would resume efforts to put abolitionist Harriet Tubman's image on the $20 bill, a move first championed by the Obama administration in 2016. Supporters initially praised the move, but some Black activists say putting Tubman on the $20 bill is an uneasy fit with her legacy. “Why would we want to put somebody who fought for freedom from this kind of capitalist oppression?” Feminista Jones, an activist and author, told Yahoo News. “Why would we want to take her image and then make her the face of this thing that so many people lack access to?”

  • Pelosi signals support for reconciliation bill to pass coronavirus relief without Republicans

    Congressional Democrats are preparing to leave Republicans behind as they push forward with another COVID-19 relief bill. With a 50/50 party split in the Senate, congressional Democrats have spent the past week discussing using a budget reconciliation bill to pass their COVID-19 relief with just a simple majority. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) affirmed in a Thursday press conference that Democrats would pass the reconciliation "if we need it" — but some centrist Republicans reportedly aren't thrilled. As Punchbowl News reported Thursday morning, "there's frustration on the Republican side" of the so-called "Sweet 16" of bipartisan centrist senators with this plan. These centrists — namely Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) — "say Democrats are moving way too quickly toward budget reconciliation, which they take as a signal that Democrats have no interest in the GOP’s support," sources tell Punchbowl News. Murkowski publicly said Wednesday that it would be "wise" for President Biden "to work to try to get a bipartisan proposal," especially given his Inauguration Day comments regarding "unity and working together." But as Democrats see it, there's no time to waste. COVID-19 continues to spread rampantly across the U.S., vaccine distribution is lagging, and millions of Americans are still out of work. There's also slim chance Republicans will agree to more than a $500 billion relief bill, while Biden is pushing for a $1.9 trillion package and soon-to-be Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wants to toss a $15/hour minimum wage into the mix. More stories from theweek.comHow to make perfect French toast in 4 simple steps5 brutally funny cartoons about the GOP's Trump problemBiden is not going to get his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. And that's okay.

  • A mostly Latino Chicago neighborhood pushes back after inheriting plant from affluent neighbors

    "They're thinking, 'This place is already contaminated, so what's a little more?'" one longtime resident said. "But we're not going to accept it anymore like we did for so long."

  • China Warns Taiwan ‘Independence Means War’

    China ratcheted up its rhetoric towards Taiwan on Thursday, bluntly warning the island that “independence means war” after increased Chinese military activity was recorded near Taiwan over the weekend. “We warn Taiwan independence elements: those who play with fire will be burned. Taiwan independence means war,” warned Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian. China sent a total of 28 Chinese fighter jets and bombers into the Taiwan Strait and the island’s southwestern air defense identification zone over the weekend, just days after President Biden’s inauguration. The U.S. responded swiftly with a warning to China to back down from its intimidation tactics. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” the State Department said Saturday. The State Department reaffirmed that the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid” and said Washington is concerned about China’s “pattern” of intimidation towards its neighbors, including Taiwan. Qian called Taiwan an “inalienable part of China’s territory” and said the the ramped up military activity near the island is a “solemn response to external interference and provocations by Taiwan independence forces.” China is taking “necessary actions to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty and security,” Qian said. Taiwan’s defense ministry has not commented on China’s warning. The Chinese began flying military planes through the Taiwan Strait on a regular basis in March, 2019, but the presence near Taiwan over the weekend was the largest in several years.

  • Wake-up call for Zimbabwe's elite as COVID-19 floods hospitals, killing rich and poor

    When Zimbabwe's rich and powerful get sick, they often go abroad in search of the best treatment money can buy; ousted President Robert Mugabe died in a hospital in Singapore in 2019. With travel curtailed by the coronavirus, that luxury is not available, exposing the elite to a truth the majority has long known: Zimbabwe's health system has been crumbling for years and is now struggling to cope with a spike in COVID-19 cases. Anger among overwhelmed medics is adding to broader public dissatisfaction with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who pledged an economic revival after he took over from Mugabe following a coup in 2017.

  • Navy Destroyer CO Fired After Trying to Make His Crew a Plaque with Seized AK-47

    The Forrest Sherman was one of two ships celebrated for their 2019 and 2020 arms seizures in the Middle East.

  • Democrats plan to make every House Republican take a vote on GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

    House Democrats plan to make their Republican colleagues go on the record about whether Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) should stay in the House as a member in good standing, with seats on the budget and education committees. Greene is scrubbing her social media history of incendiary posts, but plenty has already been unearthed this week. The latest is a 2018 Facebook post in which Greene suggested, as New York's Jonathan Chait paraphrases, that deadly "California wildfires were intentionally set by a Jewish space laser." Greene has also said school mass shootings were faked, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — one of the several prominent Democrats whose killing Greene appears to have endorsed — used Greene's Sandy Hook hoax comments to slam House GOP leaders. "Assigning her to the education committee, when she has mocked the killing of little children," Pelosi said Thursday. "What could they be thinking — or is thinking too generous a word for what they might be doing?" Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) said he will introduce a privileged resolution to expel Greene, ensuring it a floor vote as early as next week. "Expulsion would require two-thirds support in the House, making it highly unlikely that it will succeed," Politico says. "Still, it will force every single lawmaker, including members of GOP leadership, to go on the record when it comes to Greene." Meanwhile, her fate "is fueling tensions throughout the House" three weeks after the Jan. 6 assault, Politico notes. "Many Democrats say they are still rattled by the potential role of GOP members in that attack, including Greene," who "has been blamed even by some Republicans for helping to incite the insurrection." "The enemy is within the House of Representatives," Pelosi said Thursday. "We have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence against other members." Some House Democrats, The Washington Post reports, "have bought bulletproof vests and are seeking other protections." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) "has long struggled with how to address Greene, highlighting the current predicament for House GOP leaders, whose party attracts an increasingly virulent anti-establishment, conspiratorial base," the Post reports. He had, and blew, his chance last summer, Axios reports, when he and his leadership team "discussed — but then largely set aside — fears that" the "QAnon-supporting" Greene "would end up a flaming trainwreck for their party." More stories from theweek.comHow to make perfect French toast in 4 simple steps5 brutally funny cartoons about the GOP's Trump problemBiden is not going to get his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. And that's okay.

  • Trump supporting priest ousted after performing exorcisms to try to rid Biden from White House

    ‘As exorcists will confirm, the demons are very good with electronic equipment,’ claims reverend John Zuhlsdorf

  • China to 'no longer recognise' British overseas passports in Hong Kong

    China on Friday said it will "no longer recognise" the British National (Overseas) passport for Hong Kongers, as Britain prepares to offer millions of former colonial subjects a way to escape Beijing's crackdown on dissent. From Sunday, those with a BN(O) passport and their dependents will be able to apply online for a visa allowing them to live and work in the United Kingdom. After five years they can then apply for citizenship. The new immigration scheme is a response to Beijing's decision to impose a sweeping national security law on the city last year to snuff out huge and often violent democracy protests. Britain accused China of tearing up its promise ahead of Hong Kong's 1997 handover that the financial hub would maintain key liberties and autonomy for 50 years. It argues it has a moral duty to protect its former subjects. But on Friday Beijing hit back ahead of the upcoming change. "From January 31, China will no longer recognise the so-called BN(O) passport as a travel document and ID document, and reserves the right to take further actions," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. It is unclear what China's declaration means in practical terms.

  • WH: Biden will use executive orders to overturn ‘harmful, detrimental and ... immoral' actions of Trump administration

    At a White House briefing on Thursday, press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden will use his executive authority to reverse some policies of the Trump administration.