Fun at City Hall *

And so many people think local government is dull! Not in L.A. I'm here at Los Angeles City Hall this morning for my weekly immersion into the zany antics of the City Council and its groupies. And none of the groupies are as loud, as obnoxious and as over-the-top as Council gadflies and now bloggers Matt Dowd and Zuma Dogg, he of the ear-splitting rap poetry and weird musical stylings. * I take it back: Zuma Dogg isn't here today. Just Dowd, who invoked his name. But he's carrying the weight for both.

In truth, these two would be insufferable were it not for relentless and creatively silly attacks on the free speech limits the council has had to adopt -- because of them. Today, both are driving the council members nuts with their repeated reference to their support for and concern about the abuse to "Mike Hunt" during Brown act-required public comment. If you don't get it, say the name out loud a few times until you do. It's seriously juvenile, but highly amusing.

These dudes are odd and clearly not part of the regular working world. But they've found a mission in life: to annoy local government officials. It's quite possible they are doing the people of Los Angels a great service. Or maybe it's just an elaborate piece of performance art.

You can watch yourself once the meeting is over (it's in closed session at the moment). Find today's council meeting online at the city page.