WANTED: Some Leadership Inside Los Angeles City Hall

ZUMA DOGG'S CLASSIFIED AD ON MAYOR SAM:

WANTED: Some leadership inside Los Angeles City Hall.

Currently, we have a mayor who is scared to rise to the challenge, who averts daily growth opportunities, to become an actual leader in action, instead of in image.

The problem Villaraigosa suffers from, is the same thing so many others in politics suffer from. Waking up each day, KNOWING the right things to do, the best things to do to "fix" the City. But then your cell phone rings and it's Advisor #1. Then, call waiting clicks in, and it's Advisor #2. Then it's off to a meeting to speak with Advisor #3. Until it's the end of the day, you've had to take sh*t from 29 Advisors -- and have to cut deals, compromise, make empty promises you know you can't keep; and knowingly end up doing the WRONG thing, over a few extra Easter eggs for your basket.

And even on those few key "legacy" issues you TRY to do the right thing on, you don't. Because you are functioning from a position of "fear", rather than empowerment. You aren't f"ighting to win", you're fighting to "not lose". (And there is a HUGE difference.)

Fighting to win, means you do not behave like CMs Bill Rosendoh or Eric Garshady -- but like a concerned constiuent, Noel Weiss, who takes on the leadership role to introduce his own legislation, known as "9 & 17" (tenant relocation fee increase), that a bunch of "fighting to not lose", fear-based, non-leaders just voted on last Wednesday at City Hall. (Second, final vote this Wednesday.) How come zero (0) out of fifteen (15) councilmembers and zero (0) out of one (1) mayor didn't introduce the legislation themselves.

Mr. Weiss (The "Right" Weiss, not the Jackass Weiss") was obviously correct that the City was running a condo-conversion FRAUD in violation on Charter law regarding vacancy rates, ignoring affordable housing requirements (if you don't like them, change the law -- until then, you must enforce it) and of course, paying tenant relocation fees based on Flock of Seagull era standards. And he was gracious enough to approach ZD, in his first days at City Hall, and share with me his information, because he was the FIRST person in the City to treat ZD as something more than a Steve Perry vocal twin. AND NOW LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED. ENDLESS HOURS OF PHONE CALLS ON KABC (including NATIONAL shows), COUNTLESS CITY TV 35 Public Comments and blog stories on Mayor Sam, until even LAzy Times and Daily News picked up on it.

Q: Why didn't The Mayor or even ONE Councilmember stand up and be a leader and introduce the legislation yourself? Why did you wait till it was jammed down your throat by LA Planning Commission and a bunch of Public Comment speakers who put in "on the record" in committee and council meetings?

A: Because there is a HUGE meta-physical "black hole" of leadership at City Hall. Again, because of "fear based" management and suffering from a "scarcity" mentality.

This isn't something you can turn to Deming to. (He will isolate the problem, but to BECOME a leader, you can turn to people like Anthony Robbins, Sun Zu, Wayne Dyer, Zuma Dogg, Al Ries, Jack Trout, Napoleon Hill and have an understand of behavioral psychology and Quantum Physics.

The biggest fear based mistake Mayor and CMs continue to make is fear of being wrong or criticized. Let's take Bill Rosendoh or Eric Garshady. If you make a decision, and act upon it (be a leader, move something forward or even repeal/overturn something for a greater good than your own bank account statements), you risk offending a certain fraction of the voting populous. And what politician wants to risk offending a future voter, or more importantly a campaign contributor...so you promise both sides everything, then do nothing. OR, you appear as though you are concerned, in public and allow some ordinance to be passed, knowing the Mayor will veto it, anyway (like "9 & 17") -- or you send it back to committee for six months -- or you try and pass the ball to someone else. All qualities of a defeated, loser. And I don't care how much money you have, if you spend every second of your life just trying to "cover up" and play defense -- you are a defeated loser.

And why we are on the topic, I would like to address Council President Eric Garcetti specifically, since my blog doesn't fall under your bullsh*t non-rules. First of all, on my one-year annniversary speech, Zuma Dogg said the word "ass", and YOU F*CKING INTERUPTED ME ERIC, to say, "Although you are allowed to use that language, I would like to ask you not to."

HEY PAL, GUESS WHAT...ZUMA DOGG ISN'T CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FEAR BASES WISHES...JUST THE LAW. I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SITUATION -- AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL WISHES. DON'T SAY SH*T WHEN ZUMA DOGG IS TALKING UNLESS I AM IN VIOLATION OF LAW! (If you have any personal requests, please tell them to me in person, when I am not "on the record", email them to me, or leave a voice mail at 310-928-7549 and I will consider it.

Besides that, Eric, you are tremendously disappointing to me. You have so much potential. You can be a GREAT leader. You have the knowelege, understand the inner-workings of the City and although you don't exactly say the smartest things in public when you speak (See LAX Boycott story) -- but you do come off as a good public speaker. (Have the right look and delivery.)

HOWEVER, what have you ACTUALLY done as Council President? What is your benchmark achievement...your legacy? (Besides high density projects that filled your coffers!) You can't even keep those inferior-minded colleauges of yours in-check. How can you have THREE HOURS of presentations, without being able to minimize THAT efficiency. Having LaBong cut down on football player ass kissing would shorten the meeting by 50% alone.

You've caved in to those with greater self esteem than yours, and have got all caught up in this ZD "Code of Conduct" farse, where you would now rather violate the first amendment and make ZD rich, rather than stand up to the cowards who fear Zuma Dogg's words.

Eric, I say you are far better than those dragging you down and "fear base managing" you into "half the man you used to be" (to quote ZD fans, Stone Temple Pilots.) I've watched you for a year now, and have seen how you handled the Noel Weiss Housing stuff -- and I say if ZD ever casts a re-make of "Wizard of OZ", you get to play The Lion. (You can split the time in the Cowardly Lion suit with Bill Rosendoh.)

So in case I missed anything, where's the leadership. What legislation have you introduced that benefits society, not your pockets? What have you sat on, or deep filed, or killed when you had the chance to soar?

A leader must assume to the challenge to use imagination to come up with a solution, then have the belief to walk the lonely road of innovation, continue your journey in the face of adversity (because fear based losers resist change, because it challenges their status quo mediocrity), all in the face of uncertainty (RISK). But eventually, your leadership comfort zone will expand and you will gain confidence, your good instincts will rise to the top, once again, and you will be able to keep "Presentations and Proclamations" to under three hours; you will have the courage to stand up to the fear-based cowards and say, "We're going to take public comment first, because we are requesting the public to take on a more participatory role in their communities". When someone like Noel Weiss hands you legislation like his "9 & 17", don't run away from it like a limped wrist school girl running away from a dodgeball. Grab that legislation, thank the constituent and say, "Wow. This is AWESOME. Thank you so much. I'm going to do everything in my power to make this a reality, because it is the right thing to do, for the right cause."

You know Eric, I saw your dad in City Hall and said to him, "Mr. Garcetti, how did you get Eric to be such a good student growing up? My parents REALLY want to know." And he got a kick out of it, and was hopefully proud of his son, because that's no easy achievement and it is a good reflection of Gil. However, Zuma Dogg is very un-proud of you for having so much knowledge and not converting it into leadership.

"There is no knowledge without prediction." -W. Edwards Deming. This means you can have all the stats and information and "intellegence" on an issue. But there is no knowlege with prediciton, means you must have a spine/belief (based on facts) and use it to innovate and create the change to transform the City, and bring us, "Out of the Crisis."

Email ZumaDogg@netzero.com or call 310-978-7544 if you know of any worthy leaders willing to step up at City Hall.

I think Janice Hahn is the closest thing, right now. Did you see her stand up to Herb Wesson with her own motion for a "Clean '9 & 17'", just like ZD requested from the podium, on the record. Plus, love it or hate it, CM Hahn took on a leadership role with her LAX Living Wage motion, that non-leaders attached themselves to later. (Like the certain "King of Bad PR Foot In They Mouth Crybaby" who publicly called for a BOYCOTT of local Los Angeles hotels, when he is supposed to be helping to ATTRACT convention and tourism business --- NOT DRIVE IT (OR FLY IT) into Vegas. (Maybe we should have the Airbus fly into Vegas instead of L.A.?)

Yours in The Search For Leadership at L.A. City Hall on YOUR side of the rope, not ours,

Zuma Dogg
U.S. Management Consultant, Quality & Productivity; Marketing Strategy and Campaign/Policy Advice