Guess who showed up at the fundraising meeting where President Biden recently came to Los Angeles, none other than Councilman Kevin de León, who is seeking re-election to the position, and who Biden himself asked to resign following the racist audio scandal in October 2022.
Although we must say that De León did not have the access to the president that figures such as Mayor Karen Bass and Congressman Robert García, former mayor of Long Beach, did have, who had the opportunity to coexist with Biden and Obama himself in the VIP room for guests. first level.
But staying in the lobby of the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles gave him the opportunity to be harassed by reporters and steal cameras, which in the end is what all politicians look for; With the lights and microphones on, the controversial councilor took the opportunity to talk about the dangers of Trump’s return, immigrants and the poorest.
The one who did not fare well was Councilman Curren Price, as the pro-Palestine protesters not only blocked his entrance near the Marriott hotel by standing in front of the doors, but also shouted at him and made reference to his ten criminal charges for embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
While this was happening, inside the Peacock Theater, President Biden was pocketing more than $30 million. His opponent, Trump, must have had his ears ringing hard, because the president himself, like Obama and the first lady, Jill Biden, launched all kinds of attacks at him; a good strategy so that the participants, already excited by the speeches, would have no problem taking out their wallets and being generous with their donations.
The cheapest ticket for a seat in the theater’s gayola cost $250 and for a seat in the first and second row, photos with Biden and Obama, and access to the exclusive party after the event, $500,000.
The main stars of the Democratic fundraising event were actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts, but there were also Barbra Streisand, Paul Anka, Jimmy Kimmel, Governor Gavin Newsom, and of course local politicians.
For now, Democrats and Republicans are awaiting the first of the debates between Biden and Trump this Thursday, June 27 in the city of Atlanta. From this first encounter, we are going to get an idea of where more straps are going to appear in the campaign.
A very trite saga
Just when we thought we weren’t going to hear from former Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva for a long time, it turns out that he filed a $25 million federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County because they put a “do not hire” notation in his personnel file. , after he apparently harassed and discriminated against two employees at the county.
What happened was that the County’s Equity Oversight Panel accepted the complaints and recommended that Villanueva, who by that time had already been removed from his position, be deemed ineligible for rehire.
According to Villanueva’s attorneys, the county has put a scarlet letter on his career, without giving him a chance to respond.
Although Villanueva is now retired from the Sheriff’s Department, the label that has been placed on him so that he will not be rehired affects his desire to obtain other jobs as a consultant in the security field.
So with his lawsuit he not only asks for compensation of $25 million but also for it to be removed from his file, the veto so that he is not hired again.
Let’s see how the saga between Los Angeles County and former Sheriff Villanueva ends, but it’s already tired.
The donkey stays
We Angelenos will have a donkey for a while in Placita Olvera, thanks to a motion unanimously approved by the Los Angeles Council that forces the El Pueblo Commission to negotiate with the owner of the picturesque donkey, and let it continue in the place for delight of those of us who live in this city and county, and of the tourists who visit us.
What an idea for the commissioners of the El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument Authority to want to remove its owner Ricardo Hernández from the place, and take away the livelihood of him and those who work at this unique attraction.
Perhaps, the commissioners, following the pattern of gentrification, rental housing owners who remove poor tenants to remodel and rent at stratospheric prices, wanted to evict them to rent the more expensive space; In other words, they wanted to make us more interested in the tradition of taking a photo with the straw and fiberglass donkey.