Not exactly "State of the City", but here is an article I wrote re-capping some of the biggest issues I came across the past year at City Hall where I feel progress has been made.
* GOTTA START OFF WITH THE BROWN ACT/FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS: EIther they were ignorant, or pretending to be, but too many people at City Hall never heard of these two civil protections. I couldn't even walk in the door without a civil rights violation. (This bitter ignoramous named Harold Landry to me, "I don't care about no 'Brown Act', the first time he saw the card with "Zuma Dogg" (I SURE AS F*CK MADE YOU CARE NOW, DUMB-ASS BITCH!) And that's to Cpt. Musquiz for providing HIS officers with a "Brown Act Adobe Presentation" shortly after the arrival of ZD at City Hall. (Unfortunatley, Landry doesn't work for Musquiz, and he has stayed ignorant. He even told Janice Hahn she has to "either sit down, or go outside Chambers" as she was talking to some constituents in Chambers. LOL! That proved to ZD he is a half-cocked, loose screw.)
* Special Event Fee Waiver Abuse (raised awareness and although still shady...it's cut waaaaaaay back. That used to be my biggest grist for the mill each day, now I can barely find any comedy angles.)
* Prop. H: Should have been called Prop. "L" for "LOSER!" I knew I was BLOWING UP in this City the day Wesson and Garshady tried and talk me INTO Prop. H, in causal conversation BEFORE a Housing committee meeting. Meanwhile, thanks Joeseph Mailander for tippin me to that one. It lost by 4% (a simple margin of error, now known as "The Zuma Dogg Factor") Add up all my TV apperances on City 35 AND I FIRED UP THE PUBLIC ACCESS MACHINE IN FULL GEAR FOR THAT ONE -- plus HOURS on end on radio and someone said, ZD tipped the scale" -- so I'm not gonna disagree.
* The City's Lack of an updated Housing Policy: #1 ZD issue this year as far as time spent blasting -- and last week, triumphant victoriousness! (THANKS NOEL!!!) INCLUDING:
a) Noel Weiss'"9 & 17": Triple relocation fees for tenants being gentrified by City Council's campaign contribution homies.
b) Vacancy Rates: Put YO ass on the record, y'all and now you gotta live by em, HA! (Meanwhile look how they steamrolled the City in violation on Charter law. "Oops, THEIR BAD!"
c) Affordable Housing Requirements Were Being Ignored: Not anymore.
* Prop. R: Still waiting, but even if not overtturned, at least was on the right side of the issue regarding shadiness. I THINK EVEN THE HATERS CAN GIVE ME THAT.
* Venice Beach 42.15 vending ban: If you want some jewelry, incense or anything else, go to Venice Beach, the police ain't enforcing no more*, cause they know it's gonna lose soon, and they don't wanna get sued. (*except for targeted and selective enforcing of ZD and Matt Dowd: Ours was the only booth shut down this weekend, everyone else got to sell.)
* AB 1381: Also MOST TIME SPENT SPEAKING ABOUT ON RADIO! And today, it (AB 1381/Broad/Riorend/Villar/Nunez) was kicked to the curb like a team of Don Imus' 'hos'. Wasn't something alot of hip hop rappers were talking about at the time. Especially on radio. THANKS TO freechildren.org for letting me copy your homework on AB 1381!
* PLUS, the simple fact that the whole City has been woken up to the shady fraud, waste and abuse going down on Spring Street. (It's ALL over the construction money.)
* And the whole City has been woken up to Zuma Dogg. When you turn on the radio and hear John & Ken, Doug Mcintyre, Mark "Mr. K" Germain, Kevin James and callers RANDOMLY MENTION YOU OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY, when you are working out of your van, and don't eat many day...that's not bad compared to THEIR PR budget. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH ENERGY IT TAKES TO CUT THROUGH THE MEDIA CLUTTER IN THIS TOWN AND RISE TO "TOP OF MIND AWARENESS?"
* I warned about "homeless dispursion" over skid row enforcement policy... I was right...ask Rosendoh...they made it all the way across the City to Venice.
* SO MANY issue blogged here and talked about on City TV 35 and radio, only to show up in TImes and Daily News days, weeks or months later. Why do you think KABC hosts were so amazed when I first hit the scene. They were witnessing it for the first time, and saying, "Gee Zuma Dogg, you wrote about it on Wednesday, no other newspaper in the State wrote about it until Friday? How did you get that?" And then there's the things like 9&17 and homeless dispursion that I was months ahead of the papers on.)
Some issues I think I made a difference, some I made little, or no difference (a judge would have tossed Villaraigosa & Nunez on their ass, with or without ZD), but I am very pleased to say, it looks like I've got a real knack for taking a shotgun analysis and coming down on the right side of the issue. AND THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WATCHING, READING AND LISTENING TO KNOW. (And it was due 100% to public input to ZD on his email, cell phone and in person from the community. I'm not a guru, I'm a regurgitator, and proud of that. I'm just good at knowing what to regurgitate, and what not to.)
I've always said, "ZD hasn't said an original think in the past year. I've just been the one saying it on everyone's behalf, cause not everyone can or wants to do what i just did this past year. (And no one really knows what it actually entailed. Cause all people think about is the two minutes they see on TV. For all they know, I'm Bewitched and I just blinked myself to City Hall on a full stomach with a good night sleep on a mattress. Or people hear me for a few minutes on the radio, and think Mr. KABC must jump right to me. (I routinely spent 30, 60, even 90 minutes on hold, if necessary.)
So I think that's what I've enjoyed most that kept me strolling into City Hall and calling in the past year. Trying to come out on the right side of the issue, when you feel taking a side is necessary, then trying to notify as many people as you can.
It's been a great year. Thanks to each and every person who I spoke with over all of this. And I pleased to say, there wasn't ONE person I didn't take something away from and used for my blogs, calls and public comments. BUT CITY COUNCIL WILL DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO IGNORE IT -- AND EVEN TRIED TO CHANGE THE LAW TO STOP IT. What a bunch of desparate, desparate, fraudulent wasters and community gentrifyers. They got what they deserved...karma, in the form of one Big ZD from the 213...(310, actually but that doesn't rhyme with "D")
email: zumadogg@netzero.com
voice mail: 310-928-7544
Official Website of Zuma Dogg
