Recently in City Hall and beyond Category

"We can — and we will — beat this recession," Mayor Villaraigosa just emoted.

Now he's talking about his grandfather and others who "came here for a better life." Cue the violins. ...

"It explains the life of Tom Bradley" — where did that come from?

"The future is a matter of what we're willing to say 'yes' to," he continues. "We can do anything, we can be anything here, in the City of the Angels. Thank you all and God Bless."

He went out to the strains of Sly Stone's "Everyday People."

Antonio just praised LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines and pledged to put "a team in place" to help reform schools.

He's probably said the word "charters" eight times already.

And if our schools don't succeed:

"When wholesale change is the only answer, we will close them down ... and turn them over to charter operators, the mayor's partnership, local universities."

Mayor Villaraigosa just bragged about some 2,000 diesel trucks that have been replaced with "clean" alternatives. He plans to make the harbor cleaner still.

He calls a development near Arroyo Seco "the clean-tech corridor" of L.A.

Much like President Obama, Antonio says he wants clean technology and economic growth to fuel each other.

Antonio just said, "crime is at historic lows, our police force at historic highs." Homicides are down, and then there's the anti-gang program.

"Our budget will protect police and fire and put 1,000 cops on our streets," he continues.

"We can't afford not to (hire more police)," he says.

Now he's talking about ending the council-district-apportioned money for anti-gang programs and instead focusing the funding and effort on the most needed areas. The "Summer Night Lights" program "will be expanded to 15 parks."

"With the passage of Measure R, Los Angeles is in the business of building again," he continues.

"Angelenos didn't buy the politics of 'no,' " ... and yes, he used the words "subway to the sea."

If the water rises enough, I guess Westwood will be seaside soon enough, but I digress.

Now he's getting all pollyannish about Locke High, Green Dot and parental involvement. Bet UTLA's happy about that.

Antonio just announced a partnership (with unknown partners) that would place 16,500 youngsters in jobs, "the most in 15 years," he said to applause. All I'm thinking is that things were super-good 15 years ago.

He said he's counting on federal funds to get kids "off the streets and out of trouble" in education and work programs.

He wants to create "21 family (re)source centers" in "the toughest neighborhood" to help people get all the help that's coming to them — and he thinks 15,000 families will benefit.

He then pledged to help some 4,000 families with immediate needs.

"We will not leave our neighbors behind, no matter what the cost," Antonio said.

He just uttered the phrase "From Van Nuys to Venice," in a preamble to a pledge to help small business in the city. He said it's time "to take our game to a higher level," and assist "over 1,000 local and small businesses in the coming months."

With this kind of aid, he said, the dollars will "come back to local communities."

He wants to "aggressively grow the industries of the future," making L.A. the center of "the green economy," and a "clean-energy powerhouse."

The mayor sure sounds like he's running for something: He commented on what a tragedy it would be if Social Security funds had been invested in the kind of shaky investments that brought down the rest of the economy (and our 401k plans).

Now he's making a case for city services and how they're strained more than ever in this terrible economy.

He's offering to form a "partnership" with city unions in order to get over the hump.

He said the city could be forced to lay off 2,800 city workers. Right now he said that 1 hour per week without pay could save 500 jobs, and other things such as deferring raises will save even more jobs.

And he just said "lockbox." He channeled both Obama and Gore in the space of a few minutes.

What looks to be a local high-school jazz band has been playing for the past 20+ minutes preceding Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's State of the City address at a Harbor City factory where electric trucks are made.

I have no idea where the kids are from, but for the most part they're pretty good. Sure there's a horn player in there somewhere who's more than a little flat. I won't single out winds or brass, so you've gotta listen yourself if you seek additional information.

A girl delivered a pretty good-sounding flute solo (who doesn't love jazz flute, am I right?), and there was a fine sax solo by another girl after that. I also dig the vibes — meaning the vibraphone — you don't see that very often in a high-school band.

The CEO of the electric-truck company is giving a speech now, and I guess that takes the pressure off of Antonio, who should be on at any minute.

>Or you might be at the losing end of a fine or random fee application.

It almost happened to me. Yesterday, I arrived home after a long day at my W-2 job to find a letter from the city's Office of Finance, or OOF, saying that I hadn't paid my business tax in years and that I owe an estimated $4,363.81. OOF, indeed.

My first thought was identity theft because I don't have a business and I have certainly had never made the estimated $200,000 that the city was suggesting. Long story short, I found out this was a fishing expedition by the city, and anyone who received a 1099 last year, whether it be for few hundred bucks (such in my case) or several thousand, will be similarly targeted. But even if you know you are exempt, as I did. Don't ignore this note --or else.

And this is the reformed business tax system!

And on another City Hall front: Last fall found that the city arbitrarily decided to start charging me an extra capacity fee for trash collection, as if $36 a month for three regular sized bins for my small SF home wasn't enough. I don't have extra bins; this was a clerical mistake. But six months later I'm still trying to get them to stop charging this fee and credit me for back months. Wish me luck!

Check out this Daily News story. In what some have called "a great mystery of capitalism," bottled water continues to be big business, even when we're supposed to be cutting back, and even though the bottles cause great waste, and even though our tap water is the envy of most nations.

Consider me a big fan of the partly opened LA Live complex downtown, where I dined with friends last night. Even before most of its restaurants and stores have been completed, it already sports a superstar quality.

Three years ago, I moved to downtown Long Beach, feeling that its reinvigorated Pine Avenue, Pike complex and convention center had more potential than downtown LA, due to their proximity to the ocean. Having watched Long Beach stagnate for those three years, I'm ready to finally make the move to downtown LA. The public and private investment in the area is stupendous. The tipping point for me, though, is that LA Live has some of the best urban energy that I've seen -- and energy is what downtown has needed to truly arrive. I suspect the best is to come.

Finally someone other than an editorialist calls L.A. City Hall pols on their juvenile antics. In getting City Controller Laura Chick and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to cease fire on the audit fight. It was the was the topic of our editorial today, Council President Eric Garcetti smacks the two for their childishness that lead to one Delgadillo suing Chick -- at our expense, of course:

"We need our elected officials to act like adults and to be adults, and so we're trying to step in and provide that responsibility to the voters."

M'reow!