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"The law now shields the majority of housing projects from the Board of Supervisors’ scrutiny and allows developers to skip through the long wait times, hearing

by nxm 2y ago

"The law now shields the majority of housing projects from the Board of Supervisors’ scrutiny and allows developers to skip through the long wait times, hearings and environmental review processes that tack months" A lot of these environmental reviews the California government pushed and cheered for, so they're essentially fixing the problem that they created.

asdff 2y ago
There is more nuance going on than that of course. People have used excessive process to abuse their position. The idea that its onerous and time consuming is the entire point, that way bribes are the way to grease the wheels. Three LA city council members from the last 10 years are serving federal prison sentences on racketeering charges. It makes it hard to undo and streamline this system when so many stakeholders with power to enact change are reaping illegal benefit from it as it stands.
- blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
  > Three LA city council members from the last 10 years are serving federal prison sentences on racketeering charges Racketeering related to developments and permits? Or something else?
  - asdff 2y ago
    Apparetly 3 was a severe underestimation. Both Mitch Englander, José Huizar, and Justin Jangwoo Kim the former planning commissioner have plead guilty in a scheme related to extorting some 1.5 million from developers over what was basically a pay for play development arrangement. As far as I know that investigation is still ongoing and more unmasked figures in city hall are implicated. Not just cash either but also hookers were apparently offered. Mark Ridley Thomas was indicted over favorably awarding contracts to USC in a quid pro quo exchange involving giving his son a graduate degree and a professorship. Curren Price has also been implicated in pay for play and still holds office despite an ongoing state level investigation. "Records show current and former Councilmembers Joe Buscaino, Englander, Martinez, Huizar and Cedillo, as well as now-County Supervisor Janice Hahn, all received substantial donations linked to Leung, sometimes receiving the money as they were poised to make key decisions about the development. Donations tied to Leung also went to an independent campaign committee that supported Garcetti but was not controlled by him." (1) Former deputy mayor recently found guilty of racketeering over development as well. (2) Quite a good summary of the current circus as of 2022: (1) https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-14/a-guide-to-los-angeles-city-council-scandals https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-14/a-guide-... (2) https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-los-angeles-deputy-mayor-found-guilty-racketeering-conspiracy-corrupted-city https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-los-angeles-depu... Meanwhile, most people in the city I wager have no idea any of this has been going on, since most local papers have shut down in recent years and LA times has severely cut down on its staff as well.
    - blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
      Thanks for the research and details - appreciate it. > Meanwhile, most people in the city I wager have no idea any of this has been going on, since most local papers have shut down in recent years and LA times has severely cut down on its staff as well. I think this is a bigger problem than just local news (although I do want that problem solved too). People simply don’t have time to keep up on all of this even if the news was there. We have too little time and too many source of information, entertainment, etc. to follow all of this closely. If you have a family, forget it. Personally I think the issue is more structural - like the ease with which small numbers of representatives or public employees can be influenced.
      - asdff 2y ago
        Structural issues are certainly there. The council was supposed to reform and empower their ethics comission in light of these scandals but they've been dragging their heels lately to no surprise (1). There is still something to be said about a lack fo good sources of local news but also how we tend to fill our time focusing on irrelevant details. I'm sure many more angelenos are up to date about the latest gaffes in the national debate that hardly affects their daily lives than they are about their own blatantly corrupted leadership that has a much more direct effect on everything local, through their effect on home prices, rents, traffic, economic opportunity, and even local air pollution. Especially in a place like California that does a lot of functions such as social welfare or environmental regulation through its own state or municipal institutions vs. a large reliance on federal decisions or subsidy. 1. https://laist.com/news/politics/ethics-reform-stalled-la-city-hall-corruption-cases https://laist.com/news/politics/ethics-reform-stalled-la-cit...
lambdasquirrel 2y ago
My understanding is that the environmental reviews were intended to e.g. help less-privileged people from having highways and refineries built where they lived. Of course it has been abused to no end by more politically savvy folks.

by nxm 2y ago

asdff 2y ago

There is more nuance going on than that of course. People have used excessive process to abuse their position. The idea that its onerous and time consuming is the entire point, that way bribes are the way to grease the wheels. Three LA city council members from the last 10 years are serving federal prison sentences on racketeering charges. It makes it hard to undo and streamline this system when so many stakeholders with power to enact change are reaping illegal benefit from it as it stands.

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
> Three LA city council members from the last 10 years are serving federal prison sentences on racketeering charges Racketeering related to developments and permits? Or something else?
- asdff 2y ago
  Apparetly 3 was a severe underestimation. Both Mitch Englander, José Huizar, and Justin Jangwoo Kim the former planning commissioner have plead guilty in a scheme related to extorting some 1.5 million from developers over what was basically a pay for play development arrangement. As far as I know that investigation is still ongoing and more unmasked figures in city hall are implicated. Not just cash either but also hookers were apparently offered. Mark Ridley Thomas was indicted over favorably awarding contracts to USC in a quid pro quo exchange involving giving his son a graduate degree and a professorship. Curren Price has also been implicated in pay for play and still holds office despite an ongoing state level investigation. "Records show current and former Councilmembers Joe Buscaino, Englander, Martinez, Huizar and Cedillo, as well as now-County Supervisor Janice Hahn, all received substantial donations linked to Leung, sometimes receiving the money as they were poised to make key decisions about the development. Donations tied to Leung also went to an independent campaign committee that supported Garcetti but was not controlled by him." (1) Former deputy mayor recently found guilty of racketeering over development as well. (2) Quite a good summary of the current circus as of 2022: (1) https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-14/a-guide-to-los-angeles-city-council-scandals https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-14/a-guide-... (2) https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-los-angeles-deputy-mayor-found-guilty-racketeering-conspiracy-corrupted-city https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-los-angeles-depu... Meanwhile, most people in the city I wager have no idea any of this has been going on, since most local papers have shut down in recent years and LA times has severely cut down on its staff as well.
  - blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
    Thanks for the research and details - appreciate it. > Meanwhile, most people in the city I wager have no idea any of this has been going on, since most local papers have shut down in recent years and LA times has severely cut down on its staff as well. I think this is a bigger problem than just local news (although I do want that problem solved too). People simply don’t have time to keep up on all of this even if the news was there. We have too little time and too many source of information, entertainment, etc. to follow all of this closely. If you have a family, forget it. Personally I think the issue is more structural - like the ease with which small numbers of representatives or public employees can be influenced.
    - asdff 2y ago
      Structural issues are certainly there. The council was supposed to reform and empower their ethics comission in light of these scandals but they've been dragging their heels lately to no surprise (1). There is still something to be said about a lack fo good sources of local news but also how we tend to fill our time focusing on irrelevant details. I'm sure many more angelenos are up to date about the latest gaffes in the national debate that hardly affects their daily lives than they are about their own blatantly corrupted leadership that has a much more direct effect on everything local, through their effect on home prices, rents, traffic, economic opportunity, and even local air pollution. Especially in a place like California that does a lot of functions such as social welfare or environmental regulation through its own state or municipal institutions vs. a large reliance on federal decisions or subsidy. 1. https://laist.com/news/politics/ethics-reform-stalled-la-city-hall-corruption-cases https://laist.com/news/politics/ethics-reform-stalled-la-cit...

lambdasquirrel 2y ago

My understanding is that the environmental reviews were intended to e.g. help less-privileged people from having highways and refineries built where they lived. Of course it has been abused to no end by more politically savvy folks.