WalterMooreForMayor.com

My New Post-Election Website: WalterMooreSays.com

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 22:06:03 -0800

By Walter Moore, FORMER Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreSays.com

The election is over -- pretty much -- but my internetting will continue, despite “internetting” not being a word.

Here’s where you go: WalterMooreSays.com.

Walter Moore Urges L.A.’s Lazy Reporters To Get Going RIGHT NOW!

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:42:42 -0800

By Walter Moore, FORMER Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Aloha.

So Mrs. Moore and I woke up at our beautiful and luxurious resort here in Hawaii today, and what do you suppose was scampering across the grounds, wandering between the waterfalls and many swimming pools? Chickens! You know, like the one in my commercials. Is it an omen? Is it a humorous reminder? I did order eggs for breakfast, but not chickens.

But that's not the point.

The point is, the incredibly lazy and corrupt local media who ignored the preferred mayoral candidate of at least 60,000 voters -- yours truly -- need to try to redeem themselves, right now, by getting off their butts, getting out of their offices, and sending reporters and camera crews to two locations: i) the City Clerk's office, which has yet to finish counting all the ballots cast Tuesday; and ii) the offices of attorneys, including the U.S. Attorney, to ask them about voters' rights and improprieties in elections. Here's why:

The Fat Lady Has Yet To Sing
First of all, this election is not, strictly speaking, over. It turns out there are something like 43,000 uncounted ballots. If about 29,000 of those people voted for me or anyone other than Villaraigosa, we could still have a run-off. I'm not saying it's likely, but it's certainly mathematically possible. And if those ballots are disproportionately from the geographic areas where I had a majority, well, it could happen. Just so we're clear: I'm NOT saying it's likely; I'm just saying it is a possibility, and, therefore, ensuring the accurate counting of the remaining ballots could force a run-off. (Maybe we shouldn't have thrown away those yard signs after all.....)

The Changeling II: It's Not Who Votes That Counts, It's Who Counts The Votes
L.A.'s reporters should be asking in detail where these 43,000 or so ballots came from, and what safeguards, if any, are in place to ensure they don't grow legs and wander into a shredder.

Nor is this simply a hypothetical possibility. The lazy local reporters never even bothered to ask how the Jamiel's Law petitions were handled; never bothered to ask if they were kept under lock and key with a sign-out sheet or instead simply put on shelves next to cleaning supplies, where anyone with an agenda could deprive thousands of people of their voting rights in the time it takes to throw a stack of paper into a dumpster.

When Althea Shaw says she and her family gathered 76,000 signatures, I believe her. She could have been off by one or two thousand, but there is no way she mistook 18,000 signatures for 76,000 signatures. And when she was told she could pick up her petitions from a warehouse or store-room on another floor, that does not bode well for chain-of-custody, does it? I believe someone along the line pulled a "Changeling" on the Shaws and on the rest of us who gathered and signed those petitions.

So L.A.'s reporters need to get into the City Clerk's office right now, and put people on the record as to how ballots migrate from your polling place to the Clerk's office, and what happens once they get there. Some pictures would be nice, too. Are there lock-boxes for our ballots, or not? Do police drive the ballots from polling places, or do they ride in the back seat of some volunteers' car? I'd like to know, and I suspect you would, too.

Third World countries don't have voting safeguards. Does L.A.? Or have we completed the transition in that regard, too? Do we live in America or Zimbabwe? Should Mayor Villaraigosa's new nickname be "Mayor Mugabe?"

Access Denied
A funny thing thing happened on the way to the polls this year: the polls not only moved, but moved to inconvenient locations, apparently for no good reason.

For example, my wife's and my polling place moved from Carthay Elementary School -- which has ample parking -- to Temple Beth Am, on La Cienega. When we arrived at Temple Beth Am, however, there was no place to park for voters. There was a parking lot, but there were signs saying "No parking for voters." (I'll post photos at my website.)

To make matters worse, there is no street parking at that location between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Well, if you work for a living, when are you most likely to try to voting? Bingo. To make matters worse, parking in the adjoining neighborhood is by permit only, and Tuesday is a street-cleaning day, which means half of the restricted parking spots are unavailable for a big chunk of the day.

Plus, we have many elderly people in our neighborhood. And I'm not talking "Logan's Run" elderly or "AARP" elderly, but the real McCoy, with wrinkles and walkers. And if you're handicapped, just how, exactly, are you supposed to exercise your right to vote if you can't park at the polls?

Now here's what makes it even creepier: our old polling place, the one with parking, was actually available for voting. Indeed, it was used as a polling place for other neighborhoods, but not ours. Does that make any sense? Of course not. It's not like each polling place was crowded, after all.

And did I mention we live in Council District 5 -- an area with voters most likely to show up to vote against Villaraigosa's hand-picked choice for City Attorney, Jack Weiss?

Nor was our neighborhood by any means the only one where the polling place was changed to a less convenient location. I got e-mail from supporters elsewhere in Council District 5, and from South L.A., where support for Jamiel's Law was strong.

Reporters need to ask the City Clerk's office which polling places were changed, why they were changed, and what measures, if any, were taken to ensure voters could actually have access to the polls once they got there. Reporters also need to ask attorneys specializing in voting rights what protections the law provides for the elderly and handicapped, and what remedies there are.

Bottom Line: Get Going, Reporters
The newspapers and television stations of Los Angeles committed massive media malpractice by failing to send any reporters to my rallies, where they would have seen hundreds of people demanding change. Those same media experts made matters worse by trivializing and ignoring the hundreds of thousands of dollars I raised from angry taxpayers who wanted better for their city.

L.A.'s lazy and pompous media arrogated to themselves the power to tell voters who was important and who was not, based on nothing more than whether a candidate raised millions of dollars. Now that the editors and reporters of this city see that they dropped the ball, they need to get going.

Whether I win or lose this particular election isn't the point. The point is, we deserve integrity in the voting process, and we deserve reporters who will actually report, not just sit in their offices and reprint the Mayor's press releases after adding their byline to same. The chickens are coming home to roost.

Aloha for now.

Thanks From Walter Moore

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 07:41:14 -0800

By Walter Moore, FORMER Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You doubtless realize by now that we came in second, and won't have a run-off.

The numbers from election are pretty interesting:

Eight percent of the City's registered voters showed up and voted for Villaraigosa. Not much of a mandate, huh? We transformed Villaraigosa from the "Eleven Percent Mayor" into the "Eight Percent Mayor."

But eight percent, sadly, was all he needed to avoid a run-off. If just another one percent of L.A.'s registered voters had showed up and voted for anyone but Antonio, we would have had a run-off. And I think we all know how a run-off would have turned out.

He had about ten times more money than we did, but only about twice as many votes.

Thanks to those of you who invested your valuable time and money in this campaign, we got over 60,000 votes. We also defeated Measures B and E, which would have been terrible boondoggles.

I cannot tell you how very much I appreciate those of you who TOOK ACTION to fix this city.

Some of you contributed your hard-earned money.

Some of you contributed your valuable time. You printed out or picked up flyers and handed them to friends, neighbors, co-workers and strangers.

Others handed out yard signs, mailed bumper stickers, stood on sidewalks waving yard signs, talked about me on your talk shows, returned calls from non-internet supporters, arranged for me to talk to your civic groups, spent your own money on your own independent campaigns, made the magnficent chicken ad, sent me encouraging e-mail, took the time to come to my rallies and shake my hand, and on and on.

One of you even stayed married to me despite my having spent countless hours -- that could have been "quality time" -- staring into a computer screen and driving to forums! Wow! Thank you, Mrs. Moore!

Three of you were even brave enough and serious enough to step up to the plate and run for office after having heard me urge supporters to join me as candidates.

And don't even get me started on how impressive the Shaw Family is. They suffered an unbearable loss, made even worse by the callus treatment they received from City Hall, and worse still by the disappearance of the petitions they worked so hard to gather. And yet, they have continued to work, not to benefit themselves in any way, but instead to save other people's children. The Shaws are heroes. They are role models. Our city owes them a huge debt of honor and gratitude -- along with passage of Jamiel's Law.

You are all amazing people, and it has been an honor to be your candidate. I am really proud to have been on the same team with you. And every one of those supportive e-mails you have sent me has lifted my spirits. I really thrive on that kind of thing.

As for the future, I've tried twice to become the City's Mayor, and it didn't work out. I'm not running again. This is nature's way of saying, "Dude, you need to try somethig else." So I hope one of you will run for Mayor next time, or get someone good you know to run. The rest of us will write checks, hand out flyers, etc. We've started something really important here.

Please don't underestimate the significance of 60,000 informed voters. This could be the start of something big, as the song says.

All right, that's enough from me.

The "bottom line" is: thank you, bless you, you rock.

Walter Moore Invites You To Rallies Night Before And Of The Election

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:23:08 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

On Monday, March 2 -- THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION -- please join me in attending Doug McIntyre's "Pitchfork and Torches Tour", from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at LAX, 9750 Airport Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90045 . But don't bring a pitchfork or torch, or we'll have all that trouble like last time. And please note: this is an event open to all candidates, as opposed to one of my campaign rallies.

And on Tuesday, March 3 -- ELECTION DAY -- please join me and your fellow supporters at Du-Pars restaurant, at the corner of Third and Fairfax, starting at 8:00 p.m. We can eat pie together as we await the election results. And I can tell you how incredibly grateful I am for all the hard work and hard currency you've put into this campaign.

In the meantime, please keep printing my flyers till your printer runs out of toner, and then hand them to anyone with whom you make eye contact. And send an email to all your friends urging them to vote on Tuesday, and to urge all their friends to vote on Tuesday. This will be a low turn-out election. Most people don't even know there's an election. City Hall is ours for the taking.

We can and will win if we show up. Don't get "psyched out" by Villaraigosa's millions. After all, have you seen even ONE Villaragosa bumper sticker? Have you seen ONE Villaraigosa yard sign on PRIVATE property? Me, neither. He can buy ads, but he can't buy support. And in the privacy of the voting booth, even those on whom he's counting have the freedom to do the right thing instead.

We can do this. We -- and by "we" I mean "you" -- just have to take action.

Thank you, and see you Monday and Tuesday.

Walter Moore Update Re TV, Radio, Flyers And Appearances

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:30:09 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Have you seen our beautiful TV ads on TV yet? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way; no need to answer via e-mail.)

Thanks to all of you who contributed your hard-earned, after-tax dollars to fix this city, our ads are now playing not just on YouTube, but also on the local TV stations. Last night, I saw two during Channel 7's local news broadcast, nestled among the ads for Villaraigosa and Measure B. We will reach hundreds of thousands of people, at least 37 of whom are registered voters.

Nor is our campaign limited to just one portion of the electromagnetic spectrum: Tuesday night, at 9:00 p.m., please tune to KABC AM 790, to hear John Phillips, who is filling in for Al Rantel, interview me. We'll be talking about Slum Dog Millionaire. Or maybe the Mayoral race.

You will not, however, hear me interviewed by Patt Morrison on her KPCC 89.3 public radio show about Measure E. You see, her producer called me yesterday and said that, although I'm the person who wrote the official ballot argument against Measure E, and although I set up a thoroughly researched website on Measure E, they don't want to interview me about it, because Morrison already interviewed me about my Mayoral campaign, so could I please recommend someone else?

I'm guessing she won't want to talk to me about Measure A, either, even though I wrote the ballot argument against that, too. I mean, why let public radio listeners know there's a Mayoral candidate who's actually capable of analyzing public policy issues?

In other news, those of you passing out flyers are doing a great job! Every day, I get great reports from the field. You've handed over 10,000 flyers in restaurants, in waiting rooms, outside churches, and on sidewalks. People are happy to learn they have a good alternative to Villaraigosa. Your person-to-person approach really works.

Speaking of person-to-person, please check my Calendar page each day leading up to the election to see "live" events at which I'll appear. One of the most exciting is Doug McIntyre's "Pitchfork and Torches Tour" on March 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at - Four Points Sheraton Hotel at LAX, 9750 Airport Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90045 .

Keep spreading the word. Remember: turnout will be very low in this election. Very few people in our city will realize there is an election, and fewer still will actually show up to vote. We can win this if you urge your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to show up and vote. Please downloand and print out a few flyers -- or a few hundred -- and hand them out so people will know to show up.

And thank you again for taking action to fix this city. Plenty of people complain about it, but few actually do anything to make a difference. I'm proud to know you, and to be on the same team.

Walter Moore's TV Ads: No Chickens Were Harmed -- Except Villaraigosa

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:50:48 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

The election is less than two weeks away, and it's time to launch our secret weapon: TV commercials about how and why Villaraigosa is too chicken to debate me. "Operation Polloraigosa" begins today.

You can see the ads right now. You need not wait for me to show up at your door with an enthusiastic knock and a portable DVD player. Here are the YouTube links for all three:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUU53FNzUEQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7JJ2ltPDus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXcT63AL3lE

Now the whole city -- not just those of us who regularly read Steve Lopez's column and listen to Doug McIntyre, Kevin James and Terry Anderson -- will know that Villaraigosa is afraid to debate me.

More importantly, our fellow citizens will know why Villaraigosa is afraid to debate me, and they will know they can upgrade their Mayor on March 3. The commercials aren't just funny; they detail a few of Villaraigosa's obscene failures as Mayor.

Speaking of TV commercials, remember: we don't have to reach everyone in the city to win. Based on previous elections, 96.5% of L.A.'s four million residents will pay no attention whatsoever to this "insignficant" election. We can win this election outright on March 3, without a run-off, if we just SHOW UP and get as many as our friends and neighbors to do likewise as we can.

Villaraigosa’s Millions Can’t Buy Him Love

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 10:35:40 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

After dining at Marie Callendar’s last night, I came up with the idea for the pie charts below. Go figure. As you can see, Villaraigosa raised millions of dollars for the 2001 and 2005 Mayoral primary elections, yet never came even close to winning a majority of the vote.

So the next time some political rocket scientist tells you Walter Moore can’t possibly win the Mayoral primary, ask him what percentage of the vote Villaraigosa’s millions got him in the primary elections in 2001 and 2005. After pausing for effect, tell him the actual numbers: 30% and 33%.

Translation: both times, an overwhelming majority of voters -- 70% and 67% -- wanted someone other than Villaraigosa. And that was before they knew for sure how awful he is.

This is an election, not E-Bay. We can win if we show up.

Volunteer Video: Why Do You Support Walter Moore?

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 04:46:17 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

I love this century, and I love my supporters.

Some of my supporters -- organized entirely by actress, writer and producer Samantha Siong Facchi -- got together and produced a video, now on YouTube, about why they’re supporting my campaign.

You can watch it right here, because we’re living the George Jetson dream, except for the flying cars.

And if YOU want to make a video to support my campaign, please do so, and either send it to me or send me a link to it on YouTube.

Moore vs. Villaraigosa: Only 25 Days To Go!

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 21:27:13 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Here, in no particular order, are some campaign factoids for your erudition and enjoyment:

1. Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
To avoid debating me. God bless Steve Lopez of the L.A. Times for calling out Villaraigosa -- not once, but twice -- to debate me. And by doing so, Lopez inadvertently discovered the only way to prevent Villaraigosa from running in front of a camera, even a Telemundo camera: simply point the camera at a debate.

Why won't Villaraigosa debate me? Easy: he cannot defend his abysmal record. I would mop the floor with the man who says he cleans our toilets. Debating me would end Villaraigosa's political career.

Indeed, debating me scares Villaragosa so much that he won't even talk to Lopez about it -- and Lopez is much nicer than I am. Instead, Villaraigosa pays a San Francisco "political consultant" to talk to Lopez on his behalf. I guess Villaraigosa couldn't find any local "political consultants" able to keep a straight face while claiming he's done a good job; after all, they actually live here.

In any event, it's now officially time for the Mayor to change his name again, this time to "Polloraigosa."

2. Winning Numbers: 30%, 33% and 11%
Guess what percentage of the vote Villaraigosa got in the March 2001 Mayoral race, with the massive advertising budget he had back then? Just 30%. Given a choice of several candidates, the public overwhelmingly wanted someone else.

Guess what percentage of the vote he got in the March 2005 election, when he again had a massive war chest funded by unions and developers? Just 33%. Most people still didn't want him. He squeaked into the primary, where even he was able to beat the unpopular incumbent.

I mention this so you will not mistake Villaraigosa's multi-million dollar war chest -- funded with special interest money, much of it from people who don't even live in our state, much less our city -- for actual popularity.

And get this: in the last L.A. election without any federal or state issues on the ballot -- issues that attract voters -- only 11% of our city's voters bothered to show up. Translation: if the same number of people show up this election, we can win with just 78,254 votes. So get your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to vote.

If you don't think the 50 votes up for grabs on your street matter, I have three words for you: Senator Al Franken. Pending judicial review, he won an election in which 2 million votes were cast by just 225 votes.

3. This Should Get You Steamed Up
Did you know Villaraigosa recently signed a deal for the DWP to buy geothermal power from Mexico? You know, the same country where he spent $300,000 of your tax money to build a book pavilion? The same country to which he sold four "surplus" ambulances for a price of one dollar per ambulance? Yeah, that one.

I would never send your tax dollars to Mexico for hot air. We should hire local alternative energy firms that employ our citizens, thereby reducing our unemployment rate. (Speaking of unemployment, did you know that, under Villaraigosa's "leadership," L.A.'s unemployment rate has been higher than surrounding cities' unemployment rates?) Our energy policies, moreover, should reduce our dependence on foreign energy suppliers, not simply shift our dependence from the Middle East to Mexico.

4. Violent Crime In L.A. Is Up, Not Down
Violent crime is up again in our city, not down. Don't take my word for it. Click here to see the LAPD statistics for yourself. Violent crime in L.A. is up five percent. That translates into about 72 victims of violent crimes per day. And that's just the people who report it, as opposed to people afraid of gang reprisals. As for property crime (e.g., burglary, grand theft auto, etc.). Villaraigosa has brought us over 247 victims of property crime per day so far this year. His so-called "anti-gang" programs do not work.

We need more police. We have half as many per capita as New York City, and our murder rate is 53% higher. If you elect me, I will make hiring more police the Number One budget priority. Unless and until we take control of the streets away from gangs, our children will not be safe; our neighborhoods will continue to decline; and employers will continue to flee this city.

Antonio's anarchy is not working, and never will. We need actual law and order, not just the TV show by that name.

5. Kiss That $12.85 Million Good-Bye
Villaraigosa apparently intends to approve a settlement of some, but not all, of the lawsuits concerning the May Day Melee -- you know, the mass protest for illegal aliens' "rights," at which men in masks threw rocks and bottles of ice at our police officers -- by paying out $12.85 million of your tax dollars. Fox 11 reports that "246 people reported injuries that ranged from bruises to broken bones to emotional distress." Broken bones are one thing. Emotional distress is quite another, isn't it? The Mayor should refuse to pay out this kind of money until he sees an itemization of the injuries claimed and the supporting documentation (e.g., medical bills).

Oh, care to guess who provided lawyers for the plaintiffs? The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. I wonder how much of our money they'll get for this fiasco.

The tax dollars going to these pro-illegal-alien protestors and their lawyers could and should instead pay to make you safer: that $12.85 million could pay the starting salary (about $56,000) for 23 new police officers for 10 years.

6. Mayoral Forum Saturday
On Saturday, February 7, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., I'll participate in a Mayoral Candidates' Forum at the Holman United Methodists Church, located at, 3320 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90018. Don't expect to see Villaraigosa.

7. To Make L.A. Great, Elect The Walter Moore Slate
Please remember to urge your friends, and even people whose guts you hate, to vote for my slate of candidates: David Berger for City Attorney; Suzy Evans for City Controller; and Craig Wilson for CD 11. You can find out about them at LASlate.com. We need to "clean house" at City Hall, not just move, from one office to another, the same old cronies who created this mess in the first place.

And please vote "no" on Measures A, B and E, about which you can read at VoteNoLA.com. The problem with each, in a word, is "boondoggle."

8. Contributions Needed Now More Than Ever
If you have not already contributed to my campaign, please do so immediately. Spending $100 now could save you $10,000 over the next four years -- maybe even your life! It takes serious money to buy TV and radio ads, and we need to reach people who do not pay attention to local politics. They finally have a real reason to vote, a real opportunity for significant change. But unless they know about it, they're staying home on March 3. Click here to contribute by check or credit card. And whether you've contributed or not, you can help by getting a free bumper sticker and yard sign.

We can do this, people. We just have to take action.

TV, Newspaper And Radio Covering Moore’s Campaign

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 06:20:27 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Good news: the local media are letting people know they have a good alternative to Villaraigosa, namely, yours truly.

Yesterday, I was interviewed on KTTV Channel 11‘s morning show, Good Day L.A. To watch that interview, click here.

Today, L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez again called on Villaraigosa to debate me. And get this: Telemundo has volunteered to broadcast it! Click here to read Lopez’s article.

Tomorrow, Doug McIntyre will interview me on KABC AM 790 at 9:30 a.m. I listen to Doug’s show every day; I think if you hear it once, you’ll be hooked, too.

Perhaps someone from the media will even attend the Mayoral Forum this Saturday, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Holman United Methodist Church, located at 3320 West Adams, Los Angeles, 90018.

But we -- and by “we” I mean “you” -- must not sit back and assume the media can or will get the word to everyone who needs to know. Please click there to download my flyer and print out a few for friends, neighbors and maybe even a co-worker or two. (Note: if you have trouble downloading it, you probably need Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0, which is a free download.)

And remember: turnout in these elections is extremely low, so it will probably take just 75,000 votes to win on March 3, 2009. If we show up, we win.

Want Villaraigosa To Debate Moore?

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:46:01 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

The news blackout on my campaign officially ended today. Steve Lopez, bless his heart, wrote a column urging Villaraigosa to debate me. He also set up an online poll so you can vote for the debate. Please do so. The URL is: www.latimes.com/lopezdebate.

This is huge news. This is terrific. If we can pressure Villaraigosa to debate me, I guarantee I'll be L.A.'s next Mayor.

Violent Crime Up 10% In L.A.

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:32:12 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Villaraigosa and Bratton are quick to hold self-congratulatory press conferences whenever crime rates dip. Yet they say absolutely nothing when crime rates go up. If they claim credit for good news, shouldn't they accept responsibility for bad news?

I mention this because the LAPD's latest crime statistics -- released with no fanfare -- show that violent crime is up 10% so far this year.

Over the course of just 17 days, guess how many of our fellow Angelinos were victims of violent crimes? The correct answer is 1,237. That's over 72 violent crimes per day!

If you want a Mayor who will make hiring enough police the Number One budget priority, I'm your man. We need to make every neighborhood a safe neighborhood.

Bratton himself says our police force needs a total of at least 12,000 officers. Villaraigosa's stated goal is a mere 10,300. Talk about planning for failure!

And while Villaraigosa has increased his own staff by 32% in a single year -- from 70 to 93 deputy mayors and mayoral aides -- he has increased the police force by a mere 6% during the three-and-a-half years he's been in office, to an inadequate force of just 9,800 officers.

Make me Mayor, and make criminal prosecutor David Berger our City Attorney, and we will make this city a sanctuary for families, not gangs. We'll take the handcuffs off the police by repealing Special Order 40 so police can put handcuffs on the gang bangers who don't even belong in this country.

And I will never tolerate or accept as "normal" the cold-blooded lynching-by-bullet of our neighbors, people like Jamiel Shaw, II and James Shamp, good people who were just minding their own business when they were murdered for being black. It's criminals who should be scared, not law-abiding citizens.

To fix this city, however, you and I have to spread the word of my candidacy ourselves. So please don't delay any longer: get a free yard sign and bumper sticker, and download some flyers for your neighbors' doorsteps today. We can do this -- we probably will need only about 75,000 votes -- but we can do it only if YOU take action. Click here to help.

Do The Math: Jamiel’s Law Would Work

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:19:22 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

"Gang arrests reach record high." That terse headline in today's Daily News didn't even begin to tell the story. So I will:

In 2008, ICE agents in the Los Angeles area arrested 1,970 gang members for immigration law violations. Of those, 850 are being prosecuted for state or federal charges, and the remaining 1,120 are being deported. If they re-enter the country, they will have committed a felony for which they could spend 20 years in a federal prison.

Think about that: 1,970 gang members off the streets; and 1,120 gang members out of our country -- without our having had to wait to catch and convict them for murder, extortion or selling drugs.

Can you imagine how much crime 1,970 gang members commit each year? How many families they shatter? Can you imagine how much property they steal from people who worked hard to pay for it?

We can fix this city. It's not rocket science. It's law enforcement.

We need a Mayor who will revoke Special Order 40, and a City Attorney who will work with federal authorities to force gangs out of our community. Specifically, we need yours truly, Walter Moore, as Mayor, and David Berger as City Attorney.

The focus of the City's "anti-gang" programs is all wrong. We don't need to keep kids out of gangs; we need to keep gangs out of our city.

We don't have to "live with" gangs. We don't have to hand $168 million per year to sketchy groups run by "ex" gang members -- ex gang members who have an annoying habit of getting caught committing new crimes after starting their "programs."

Elect me, and I will go after the gangs with all the tools in the toolbox. If I can get them off the streets for jaywalking, I will. If I can get them out of the country for immigration violations, I will.

We must give Jamiel Shaw II's murder meaning: help me stop America's second-biggest city from aiding and abetting gang members who violate our nation's immigration laws.

Join the rest of us who are spreading the word. Get a free yard sign and bumper sticker today, and make a contribution if you haven't done so already. Click here to help.

Radio Alert And The Final 40 Days

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:49:48 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You presumably already listen to Al Rantel's radio show on KABC 790 every week day afternoon, but please make it a point to tune in Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. to hear Al and me discuss the latest example of Villaraigosa's squandering your hard-earned money: "auto-gate."

Also, it's now time for us -- that's you and me -- to start reaching out to the many potential voters in Los Angeles who do not follow local politics. As of Saturday, the election will be just 40 days away. (It's on March 3, 2009, in case you forgot.)

Everyone's attention has been focused on the presidential election, then Christmas, then New Year's, then the presidential inauguration. Now it's time for the harried voters of L.A. to prepare for yet another election -- an election that will receive little or no media attention even though the future of America's second-biggest city is at stake.

Saturday morning, I'll be meeting with the Moore's Corps volunteers at Campaign Headquarters at 11:00 a.m. to organize neighborhood teams. If you'd like to join Moore's Corps, please sign up at the website.

If you want to help, but you're not that into it -- I realize you have all kinds of things to do -- you can still help tremendously by getting a free yard sign and bumper sticker, or downloading my new and improved flyer to give to friends, family, co-workers and total strangers. And if you have not already contributed, please do so now: the $50 or $100 you invest in the campaign now will help us reach voters who have never heard of me.

FYI, even though you haven't heard me on the radio for a while, I've been busy doing the following:

-- Preparing matching funds applications (it's takes far more time than you can imagine);

-- Speaking at meetings of Rotary, Optimists, the Sherman Oaks Homeowners' Association and the Valley Village Homeowners' Assocation;

-- Recording video statements for Channel 35 about my Mayoral campaign, Measure A and Measure E, and setting up a special website on those ballot measures (VoteNoLA.com);

-- Planning and budgeting our radio and TV campaign, assuming the matching funds actually materialize;

-- Revising our flyer to include, among other things, the names of our slate of candidates (Berger, Evans and Wilson), and how people should vote on Measures A, B and E (no, no and no);

-- Setting up a pointless meeting with the L.A. Times editorial board, so they can pretend they're seriously considering endorsing someone other than Villaraigosa;

-- Getting voter registration information from the county registrar so we can target our campaign efforts; and

-- Scheduling upcoming meetings with various neighborhood groups, which I post on the Calendar page of the website.

Oh yeah, and then there is that full-time job thing, to keep a roof over my family's head.

So I've been busy, and now it's time for ALL of us to get busy. You are a participant in this election, not an observer because -- with the exception of Doug McIntyre and Al Rantel at KABC 790, and Kevin James and Terry Anderson at KRLA 870 -- there is not going to be any meaningful media coverage of our campaign. So you either help spread the word, or you help preserve the status quo.

And please don't think you're somehow going to force the media to cover us. You're not. They just don't care, so there's no point in ranting, or raving -- does anyone know the difference between "ranting" and "raving" by the way -- or wasting your time on some massive e-mail campaign urging the local papers and TV stations to do their job. It's not going to happen, so don't waste your valuable time and energy to fret about it or try to change it.

Instead, you and I must take our case directly to voters. That means displaying yard signs and bumper stickers, and dropping flyers on your neighbors' doorsteps, and chipping in to buy radio and TV ads.

This approach can and will work if you actually do it, because turnout in these municipal elections is very low. Only 11% of the registered voters bothered to show up for the last purely municipal election (i.e., an election with no federal or state issues). That means it only takes about 75,000 votes to win without a run-off. And if you don't think the 50 or 100 votes in your neighborhood matter, I have three words for you: Senator Al Franken. Every vote counts, not just philosophically, but mathematically. This election is winnable.

Plus, the media blackout on the campaign will inure to our benefit. Anyone misguided enough to support Villaraigosa isn't going to bother to show up for the election -- if they even know there is one. If they read anything about the election, they will read he has no serious challengers, so why in the world would they bother to show up for the election? Our team, by contrast, will show up. And if we scare up 75,000 votes on March 3, 2009, we can win without a run-off.

Okay, that's enough from me for now. See you on the radio Friday. We can do this, but only if you get off the couch and get the word out. People want change; people want to dump Villaraigosa. We just have to let them know they have a good alternative this time.

L.A.’s Murder Rate Is 51% Higher Than New York’s -- And Why L.A.’s Media Ignore It

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:46:43 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

If you were to rely solely on the "press release journalists" at L.A.'s newspapers and TV stations -- i.e., faux reporters who merely reprint or re-broadcast City Hall's press releases and press conferences without any independent analysis -- you might think Villaraigosa has made tremendous progress in reducing crime. Villaraigosa and Bratton have held self-congratulatory press conferences because crime is down 2.5% this year.

The press release journalists simply transmit the information and wait for the Mayor to deliver the next item of “news,” like “Arts Month,” for example. The Daily News will even try to sell you glossy pictures of Villaraigosa’s photo ops!

If there were a real press corps in this town, however, they would have asked Villaraigosa why, according to the LAPD's own figures our City has a murder rate that is 51% higher than the murder rate in New York City. That's right: 381 of L.A.'s 4 million residents were murdered last year (95.3 per million), versus 514 of New York's 8.2 million residents (62.7 per million).

How can Villaraigosa claim success, a real reporter might ask, when L.A.'s murder rate is so much higher than New York's? And why, the reporter could add, has the crime rate in other cities in Los Angeles County dropped more than twice as much (6%) than in the City of L.A. (2.5%)? Is that due to Villaraigosa's policies, demographic factors, or what?

If we had real reporters, they could also ask Villaraigosa why we should continue to plow $168 million per year into so-called "anti-gang" programs instead of hiring more police. After all, New York has about twice as many police per capita as L.A. does. According to the LAPD's own statistics moreover, 47% of the homicides here in L.A. are gang-related. Where is the proof that the "anti-gang" programs are more cost-efficient than adding police? Indeed, where is the evidence that they work at all?

If we had real reporters in L.A., they would also ask Villaraigosa why he insists on giving "sanctuary city" protection to documented gang members, rather than limiting it to people who come here to work. They would ask him why he doesn't simply adopt Jamiel's Law with the stroke of a pen.

And if Villaraigosa attempted to play the race card, a real reporter might point out that, according to the LAPD's own statistics, 86% of L.A.'s crime victims are Black or Hispanic. Is it "racist" to want protect those minority victims from illegal aliens in gangs? Or is it instead racist to continue Villaraigosa's policy of treating illegal aliens as if they are above the law?

No one from the Daily News, the L.A. Times or the local TV stations will ever ask those questions. They are, with few exceptions, not investigative journalists. Instead, they will, for the most part, simply take pictures of any Villaraigosa press conference and repeat what he says without bothering to check their facts or question his assertions.

That is why it is absolutely vital that YOU help spread the word about my campaign. The press release journalists, for whatever reason, refuse to let voters know about the one Mayoral candidate besides Villaraigosa -- yours truly -- who has raised over $200,000, more than enough to qualify for matching funds.

And when you think about it, raising that much money, in and of itself, quite newsworthy. After all, has anyone ever raised that much money in the Mayor's race without the backing of a labor union, developers or other special interests; without any party affliliation; and without having held office before? No. This is new. This isn't just one guy's campaign. This is Solidarity meets Howard Beale: We're mad as hell, we're not going to take it any more, and we're not just yelling it from our windows, we're writing checks and voting.

If we had real reporters, one of them would ask Villaraigosa why, for the first time in his career, he turned down matching funds -- especially since the only "string" attached to those funds is that he would have to debate me. The 11% Mayor has time to do everything else. How about setting aside 90 minutes so the voters in America's second-largest city can see a debate between the incumbent and the one challenger who has qualified for matching funds? Don't voters deserve to know what the issues are, and what alternative they have?

Yeah, it would be great if the local media suddenly grew a . . . spine. (That's the polite version of the metaphor.) But don't count on that happening any time soon. Instead, we're going to have to spread the word ourselves, directly, voter to voter.

You and I have the good sense to listen to Doug McIntyre on KABC 790, and to Kevin James and Terry Anderson on KRLA 870, but many people do not listen to those shows, and do not know what's really going on at City Hall. So we've got to reach those people directly.

The good news is, the yard signs and bumper stickers work. Every few days, I meet or hear from a new supporter who saw a yard sign or sticker, went to the website, and is now part of our growing team.

But we need to blanket this town with those signs and stickers so that every voter knows there's a reason to show up on March 3 to vote.

So if you're serious about getting rid of Villaraigosa, go to my website right now and click the buttons to get a free yard sign or bumper sticker. And if you haven't contributed yet, it's time to "pony up." As I mentioned, your fellow citizens have kicked in over $200,000 so far. That's great, but we need to raise as much money as possible to buy TV and radio ads. Click here to help.

Thanks for your support. We CAN fix this city -- but only if YOU take action to spread the word. People will thank you for letting them know they have a really good alternative to Villaraigosa.

Crime In L.A. And How To Reduce It

Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:24:42 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Do you know how many people in the City of Los Angeles were crime victims last year?

Over 123,000 people were victims of so-called “Part I” crimes, which is police jargon for the following list: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, grand theft auto, burglary theft from vehicle (BTFV), personal theft and other theft.

That works out to about 310 people out of every 10,000 people in our city. Plus, another 12,550 women and children were victims of spousal and child abuse.

Today’s Los Angeles Times reports that crime rates dropped six percent in other cities in the county, but only two-and-a-half percent in the City of Los Angeles. Crime was down seven percent in San Bernardino, and ten percent in Santa Ana.

If you help elect me and my slate of candidates to office on March 3, 2009, here is how we will reduce crime:

1. Jamiel’s Law: No For Sanctuary Gangs
We must immediately deny “sanctuary city” protection to gang members. We owe it to Jamiel Shaw, II, the outstanding young man, headed for college, who was gunned down by an illegal alien while Jamiel’s mother was serving in our Army in Iraq. We owe it to the Shaw family. We will not let his murder have been for nothing. And we owe it to ourselves and all the families in Los Angeles who just want to have normal lives.

As Mayor, I can and will revoke L.A.’s “sanctuary city” policy within 60 second after taking the oath of office. Special Order 40 is a memo, not a law, and can be repealed with the stroke of a pen. How big a dent could this put in the gangs? Senator Diane Feinstein has stated that “an estimated 80 percent of the [18th Street] gang’s members are illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America.”

And if you will elect not just me, but also elect David Berger as City Attorney, I guarantee he will work zealously with federal authorities, starting on Day One, to investigate, prosecute, convict and deport gang members who violate our immigration laws. Unlike the other candidates for City Attorney, Berger is an actual criminal prosecutor, with a track record of fighting gangs. And he is the only candidate for City Attorney who opposes Special Order 40.

2. Number One Budget Priority: Police
You will never hear me say we cannot afford to hire enough police to make every neighborhood a safe neighborhood. Rather, the first priority in every Walter Moore budget will be to bring the LAPD up to a minimum of 12,000 sworn officers. That is the number the Chief of Police says he needs to make ours the safest big city in America.

Right now, we have only 9,793 officers, up from 9,239 in 2005, when Villaraigosa took office. That’s an increase of just 554 officers, or just six percent. By contrast, last year Villaraigosa increased his own staff from 70 to 93 -- up 32%. And Villaraigosa’s announced goal is to have 10,000 officers -- 2,000 fewer than his own Chief of Police says we need, at a time when we have 39,000 gang members, according to the Mayor’s own estimate. If that isn’t a blueprint for failure, what is?

3. Parks And Recreation, Not “Anti-Gang” Programs
Villaraigosa spends $168 million of your per year on sketchy, unregulated “anti-gang” programs, some of which are run by people who claim they are “ex” gang members. The most notorious example is the “No Guns” program run by Hector “Big Weasel” Marroquin, who, after receiving over $1 million of your money -- which funded a $90,000 per year salary for him, and another $110,000 per year for his wife and two children -- was arrested and convicted by federal authorities of arming his “former” gang with machine guns.

I won’t spend a dime of your money on these unregulated, unreliable “programs.” Indeed, I can think of few ideas worse than putting children in the care of men who admit having been members of criminal gangs. (FYI, the Daily News and the BBC have both reported that the Mayor himself is a “former gang member.”)

I believe the best way to get children on the right path is to make every neighborhood safe, and to have plenty of parks and recreation programs for them. Team sports teach teamwork, the importance of playing by the rules, and all sorts of important life lessons. The children of Los Angeles deserve to have a normal childhood. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’re going to live to the age of 21.

All of this can happen -- if you help get me elected. You are a participant in this election, not a spectator. If you have not contributed already, do so now. I’m not asking you to do this as some kind of a favor to me. I’m asking you to do it for your own self-interest, so we can have a halfway decent Mayor for a change. And whether you have contributed or not, get one of my free yard signs and bumper stickers. Our fellow voters cannot read about me in the local paper, but they can read about me when they drive past your yard or are stuck in traffic behind your car. Let’s make this happen, shall we? Click here to take action.

Update Re Solar Ballot Argument Lawsuit

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:33:22 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Remember the essay I wrote a little over a week ago on the lawsuit about the solar ballot argument?

Well, now one of the people who signed the argument against the proposal, namely, Ron Kaye, claims the purpose of the lawsuit is to intimidate the people who signed it. Here’s how he puts it:

The campaign being orchestrated by Mayor Antonio Villaraigsoa is a big lie. Prop. B is nothing but a blank check to steal. It's got nothing to do with solar energy.

And when eight ordinary citizens stood up to them and told the truth, the mayor and his team dragged them into court to intimidate them, to tie up their time and energy, to threaten them with huge legal bills, court costs and attorney fees.

I am one of those eight, the L.A. Solar Eight . . . . .

Is that really what’s going on? An attempt to intimidate people for telling the truth?

Here’s the other side of the story, from the petitioner’s brief in the lawsuit:

The ballot argument . . . in opposition to Proposition B, contains several false statements that, if left unchanged, will mislead voters into believing the remarkable (and false) claims that Proposition B: (1) was placed on the ballot by the City Council without any public hearing or engineering and operational input from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ("DWP"); (2) grants the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union ("IBEW") the "entire contract"; (3) does not include competitive bidding provisions; (4) grants IBEW a "monopoly"; (5) is not supported by trade union members; and (6) relies upon "outdated technology."

Each allegation is categorically untrue.

So who’s right? Who’s telling the truth?

Having read both Ron Kaye’s essay and the petitioner’s brief, my opinion is that the petitioner has a far stronger case. You can read them both and decide for yourself. You don’t need a license to sue to understand this one. (Insert your own joke about Villaraigosa’s failing the bar here.)

Whatever conclusion you reach, however, please bear in mind the following: the outcome of this lawsuit should not influence anyone’s decision on whether to support or oppose the solar ballot measure.

The Court will not decide whether the proposal is a good one or not. Rather, unless the parties settle their dispute, the Court will rule on whether certain statements in the “con” ballot argument are false or misleading.

While I think the petitioner’s lawsuit has merit, I think the solar ballot proposal does not. I have explained why at VoteNoLA.com, and hope you’ll visit that site between now and the election.

Speaking of “now,” how about getting one of my free solar-powered yard signs for your drought-tolerant yard, and a shiny new bumper sticker for your hybrid?

Invite Walter Moore To Speak To Your Group

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:29:27 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Could you please help me fill up my brand-new 2009 calendar?

Now that the election is just 64 days away, let's get the word out to people who do not follow local politics closely.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to get me invited to speak at an upcoming meeting of your favorite neighborhood association, trade group or other such reputable or semi-reputable group. I would need at least five minutes; ten would be great. I can stay longer, provided it's not past my bed-time.

Ideally, the group would be too numerous to fit into a single elevator, and would include people who can actually vote in the election. Also ideally, the meeting would be in the evening rather than the middle of the day or on a weekend because, unlike Villaraigosa, I actually have a day job.

Right now, I'm booked for a candidates' forum on January 21, 2008 with the Sherman Oaks Homeowners' Association. Aside from that, however, my campaign schedule is currently a Euclidean plane. Let's fill it up. Have your people e-mail my people, would you? And by "my people," I mean yours truly.

Thanks again for your help and support. I truly appreciate how much time and hard-earned money people have invested in my campaign. And even if you're short on time and money, you can help spread the word cost-efficiently by putting a free yard sign in your front yard and a bumper sticker on your card. They really do make a difference. We don't need millions of dollars to beat Villaraigosa, but to level the playing field, we must take action as individuals to get the word out to our fellow voters. Click here to help.

Walter Moore’s L.A. Budget Poll

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:05:13 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You may have heard how Mayor Villaraigosa has set up an on-line survey, ostensibly to let L.A.'s citizens -- along with anyone else on the internet -- tell City Hall where to make budget cuts.

Villaragosa's "survey" however, is not a survey at all. Instead, it is a classic "push poll," right out of Spinology 101. The poll's goal isn't to survey opinion, but to shape it, by subjecting participants to a series of false dilemmas. Here's an actual example:

"In the area of Community Safety, what program or service would you reduce to help balance the budget: crime control, fire control, ambulance services, city attorney services, or animal control services?"

The purpose of the question is to mislead you into thinking those are the only types of choices: less fire protection, or less police protection.

However, as those of you familiar with my essays on City Hall's neverending parade of boondoggles already know, we have much better ways to cut spending. We could, for example, try to muddle through with fewer than 93 mayoral aides to hand Listermint breath strips to Villaraigosa during photo-ops, for example.

So I have prepared an on-line survey of my own. It is completely scientific, insofar as I wore a white lab coat when I drafted it, and is based on the metric system because it comprises 10 questions. I think you'll enjoy it, because, well, you're just that kind of person.

Click here to take Walter Moore's L.A. Budget Survey.

Click here to see the survey results so far.

And while you're at it, how about clicking here to help spread the word by getting a free yard sign or bumper sticker?

Merry Christmas and happy Hannukkah! I truly appreciate your support and encouragement. Sending money is always a nice gesture, too, and it will help pay for more ads so we can reach our fellow voters. And thanks but no thanks on the fruitcake.

Quotation of the Week from the L.A. City Controller

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:02:52 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

I thought perhaps you’d like to read what other people are saying about how Villaraigosa runs the City. . . into the ground. Here’s something from one of his closest allies, the City Controller:

“In audit after audit, I have found that the City does not have a clear vision or strategic plans in areas including our park system, affordable housing, transportation, and gang violence prevention, etc. Given this fact, it is accurate to say that the City is groping in the dark without clear direction regarding the resolution of our many complex problems and issues.”

City Controller Laura Chick, July 14, 2008

The Lawsuit Over The Solar Ballot Argument

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:50:55 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Honesty really is the best policy. It’s not just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do. Here’s a case in point:

The proponents of the solar power ballot measure have filed a lawsuit alleging that the opponents included false statements in their proposed ballot argument.

One issue is whether there were any public hearings on the measure before it was put on the ballot.

According to the lawsuit, the opponents’ proposed ballot argument states, “There were no public hearings and no engineering and operational input from the DWP."

However, the proponents allege, “The City Council held three public Council hearings on the proposed ballot measure” and the “City Council's Rules and Government Committee also held a public hearing. . . .”

Furthermore, the proponents allege, “at each of these hearings,the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (‘DWP’) provided oral public testimony to the respective body.”

Hmmm.... That sounds like “advantage proponents,” huh? I mean, how hard can it be to prove whether there were public hearings, and whether the DWP testified at them? Not very. On a scale of 1 to 10, we’re talking “cake walk.”

The opponents may have shot themselves in the foot. I mean, imagine the TV ads if the proponents win this lawsuit: “The Superior Court has ruled that the opponents made false statements before. Don’t fall for their false statements again. Support solar energy!”

That would really be unfortunate, because, as I’ve explained at VoteNoLA.com, while solar power is a terrific idea, this particular charter amendment is a stinker.

Anyhow, using my lawyer super-powers, I have obtained a copy of the lawsuit for your reading pleasure -- and I’m using the word “pleasure” ironically, for humorous effect, in case that wasn’t clear. Click here to see how lawyers spend their time, and perhaps gain a new perspective on the high rate of alcoholism in the profession.

Oh yeah, and get a yard sign, would you?

Vote “No” On The Business Subsidies Charter Amendment

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:49:09 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Why should you vote against Charter Amendment E? The short answer is that it would let City Hall continue to rob Peter to pay Paul -- and you're Peter.

Politically connected people get millions of dollars each year in subsidies, tax breaks and other special treatment from City Hall at your expense. For example:

• The Los Angeles Times reported in July 2008 that one company bragged it would make a 42.3% profit on a project because City Hall promised it $41 million in subsidies using your tax dollars. Have you ever made a 42.3% profit?
• City Hall spent $600,000 of your tax dollars in March 2007 to give an unsecured loan, with a term of 55 years and an interest rate of just 3% to a company whose president was on the DWP Commission, and who is now running to become City Controller. Have you ever gotten a loan that good?
• The L.A. Weekly reported in April 2008 that the royal family of Dubai owns 45% of a company receiving "$95 million in subsidies from Los Angeles taxpayers." That's right: you are subsidizing royalty.

In 2004, the City Controller found City Hall "does a poor job of ensuring that the public receives the benefits promised in exchange for subsidies given to private developers." In 2006, she said "the Agency is still fundamentally off-course..."

Economic studies show that "incentive" programs do not work: they do not create wealth; they just redistribute money from taxpayers to people with political connections.

We must end special treatment for special interests, and treat all taxpayers equally and fairly.

There is no free lunch. Every $100 million that career politicians give their cronies is $100 million that could have stayed in our pockets.

Vote "no," and learn more at VoteNoLA.com.

Vote “No” On The Fire Department Inspector Charter Amendment

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:49:00 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You should vote “no” on proposed Charter Amendment A. Here is why:

Everyone agrees we should protect firefighters from harassment at work, and protect taxpayers from frivolous lawsuits.

That is not the issue. The issue is whether we need an “Independent Assessor” to accomplish those goals.

The answer is “no.” We are already paying for an army of people to protect firefighters from harassment and taxpayers from frivolous suits. We may need better people managing City Hall, but we do not need more people. Consider the facts:

The Mayor is responsible, under the City Charter, for conditions at the Fire Department. The Mayor appoints the Fire Chief and the Board of Fire Commissioners. The Mayor has a budgeted staff of 93 people. The Fire Department has a Professional Standards Division to handle complaints. The City’s Personnel Department, moreover, has an Equal Employment Opportunity Section that “monitors compliance by City departments with City, State and Federal EEO laws and regulations.” The City Administrative Officer has a Risk Management Team. So does the City Attorney.

As for lawsuits, the City Attorney has a budgeted staff of 791 people, including over 300 attorneys. City Hall, moreover, spent $28.9 million last year on outside counsel. Under the Charter, the Mayor and the City Council make “the client decisions in litigation,” including whether to take a case all the way to trial, or whether instead to settle and, if so, on what terms.

If all of those people cannot protect firefighters and taxpayers, what difference would an “Independent Assessor” make? None. We do not need to add yet another layer of bureaucracy. We just need better people running City Hall.

The proponents point to the LAPD’s Inspector General to support their case. However, the LAPD's Inspector General and his staff cost taxpayers over $2.8 million per year, yet the City still gets routinely pounded by multimillion-dollar judgments and settlements from officers alleging harassment. Examples include: a $3.1 million verdict in September; a $3.6 million verdict in November; and a $2.25 million settlement in November. Is that supposed to be a success story?

We need better management at the top, not more layers below.

Vote “no,” and find out more at VoteNoLA.com.

Vote “No” On The Solar Power Monopoly Charter Amendment

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:43:11 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Solar energy is a great idea. Charter Amendment B is not. Just because you support solar doesn’t mean you should support this particular proposal at this particular time. Here’s why you should vote “no” on the proposed charter amendment on March 3, 2009:

1. How Much Will Your DWP Bill Go Up? Are you prepared to pay $250 more per month on your DWP bill? According to the Los Angeles Times, the “DWP has already agreed to impose increases of nearly 24% on electricity bills between 2006 and 2010,” and, according to one study, if this charter amendment passes, it could result in additional “annual surcharges of up to 12% per year.” It may cost even more. There is no maximum price built into the proposal.

City Hall admits it cannot tell you how much this proposal would cost you. Section 23.159 of the proposal specifically calls for the DWP to figure out “any potential rate impact” within 90 days after it is adopted. Since when do we make multi-billion-dollar commitments without knowing the price in advance -- especially in a recession? The costs might be reasonable or unreasonable, but we just don’t know right now. No one does. So we should vote “no” for now on this grounds alone, and find out the cost before committing to this plan.

2. Why Have A Monopoly Instead Of Competitive Bidding? Section 23.151 of the proposal states that the “solar power installations shall be installed, owned, operated and maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP)” except as needed to get tax breaks. But why should we require that the DWP install, own, operate and maintain all of the solar power systems? Why not get the best price for rate-payers by soliciting competitive bids? Wouldn’t that be better for rate-payers and the local economy? Of course it would. Let’s give L.A.’s solar companies a chance to bid for the business, rather than simply imposing a DWP monopoly without regard to the cost.

3. Why Exclude All Other Renewable Energy Sources? This proposal would put all of our “eggs” in the solar photovoltaic “basket.” Indeed, it does not even allow funding for solar thermal systems. (Section 23.153(l).) City Hall, however, has not shown that this is the most cost-effective approach to provide renewable power for our homes and businesses. This important decision should be based on an objective comparison of the costs and benefits of the major forms of renewable energy, including, for example, a review of the French and Japanese experience with nuclear reactors (from which those countries get approximately 75% and 30% of their electrical power, respectively), and Germany’s experience with wind power (from which that country generates over 14,000 megawatts per year). Solar may turn out to be the best way to go, but our decision should be an informed decision, not a hasty one.

4. The Proposal Was A Politically Motivated “Rush” Job. The Daily News says this proposal’s sponsors, i.e., Villaraigosa, Garcetti, Perry and Greuel, scrambled to put it on the ballot to tout their “green credentials” as part of their re-election campagins, and because “all have accepted campaign contributions” from the DWP union that would benefit from the monopoly it would create.

Likewise, Tim Rutten, of the Los Angeles Times, says the union and its consultants drafted this measure so as to guarantee more members for the union, and more fees for the consultants. Then, Rutten says, the union “enlisted Villaraigosa’s support to bypass the DWP commissioners, who normally would have held hearings on such a proposal and passed on its merits.”

Haste makes waste. With a recession in progress, we cannot afford any new wasteful multi-billion dollar government programs. Solar may well turn out to be the best way to go, but let’s not be rushed into making a bad decision. Vote “no” on this proposal for now, and insist that City Hall do its homework before committing us to higher DWP bills.

How To Vote On Two L.A. Ballot Measures in March 2009

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:12:44 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

If you'd like to exercise your noggin while quaffing your nog, visit VoteNoLA.com. That's a website I've set up to address two proposed Charter amendments on the March 2009 ballot.

Yours truly was selected -- through a process which, mercifully, did not involve a swimsuit competition -- to write the official ballot arguments against these measures.

One measure would authorize City Hall to continue its multimillion-dollar annual "welfare for the rich" program.

The other measure would add yet another layer of bureaucracy to City Hall, ostensibly to prevent more Tennie Pierce situations, but we're already paying an army of people to deal with that now.

And in case you didn't notice the first 923,017 times I mentioned it, a "Walter Moore For Mayor" yard sign sure would look great next to the reindeer and Frosty in your yard. Plus, the bumper stickers are almost guaranteed to get you at least one "thumb's up" per day from your fellow commuters.

More to the point, they are a cost-efficient way for us to spread the word, because we don't have the millions of dollars of special interest money that Villaraigosa will use to blanket the airwaves with ads. We've literally got to take our campaign to the streets so people will know they have a good alternative to Villaraigosa. Click here to get a sign and a sticker.

Have a terrific Christmas. As for a happy New Year, well, something tells me 2009 will finally be a very good year for our city.

The $24 Million Question: Whom Is Villaraigosa Hiding?

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:14:18 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

The L.A. Weekly reports that Mayor Villaraigosa appointed 50 people to decide how to dole out $24 million per year of our tax money for "anti-gang" programs.

Who was on this "blue ribbon" panel, you ask? Good question. Villaraigosa refuses to say.

You read that right. Villaraigosa refuses to disclose anything about the identity of the people deciding how to spend millions of dollars of our money.

Are any of them convicted felons? Villaraigosa does not want you to know.

Are any of them "consultants" or employees of the "non-profits" applying for those millions? Maybe, maybe not. For all we know, each has a major conflict of interest.

Did any of these 50 people contribute to, or receive payments from, the Mayor's various fundraising committees? You can't tell. The City Ethics Commission has a public database to keep track of such contributions and expenditures, but it is useless without the names of the 50 decision-makers.

The starting salary for an LAPD officer is $56,522. Assuming for the sake of argument that each such officer cost the City $100,000 per year, the $24 million could pay for 240 additional officers.

That brings us to you.

Do you want to keep the Mayor who expects you to believe the best way to fight crime is to appoint a secret group to spend $24 million of your money per year to groups you know nothing about?

Or would you prefer a Mayor who believes in open government, and who thinks the best way to fight gangs is to take control of the streets by hiring more police? (That would be yours truly, of course.)

Well, it's not enough just to want change. You must take action. You are not a spectator in this coming election. You are a participant. We can win, but only if you -- yes, you -- help spread the word.

The good news is, you can reach thousands of voters between now and election day just by getting a free "Walter Moore for Mayor" yard sign or bumper sticker. Seriously. They really work. Every week I hear from new supporters who learned about me not from all those articles about me in the L.A. Times, or from the many profiles on the local TV news shows, but instead from a bumper sticker or yard sign. To win, we must let our fellow citizens know they have a good alternative, a reason to go to the polls on March 3. Click here to get a sign and a sticker.

How About Cutting Villaraigosa’s Entourage?

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:05:19 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Guess how many staffers Mayor Villaraigosa has? Five? Ten? Twenty?

You’re not even close!

Villaraigosa has a “regular” staff of 93, which is up by 23 positions from last year’s level of 70. That’s an increase of 32.8%. Click here to see the page from the budget listing the positions and salaries.

And, courtesy of the Daily News, you can browse their names, exact titles and salaries. Click here to see that.

What do these people actually do? The L.A. Times explained it as follows:

It’s up to a swarm of harried aides to keep the boss hydrated and happy, primped and pampered, ensuring that he has clean hands and fresh breath (he gobbles Listerine strips by the pack).

Villaraigosa is chauffeured around town by police in a black GMC Yukon.

Two personal assistants, assigned to him in alternating shifts, tend to his needs, shadowing him from morning to night and keeping him in view at all times should he need anything. His seven press aides field questions from reporters, arrange news conferences and keep him in the loop about breaking events.
* * *
Aides are instructed to carry Listerine breath strips, business cards, two pens, a Sharpie marker, a notepad, a small hand sanitizer, bottled water and an extra copy of briefing materials and speech cards.

Before we lay off crossing guards, or slow down the hiring of police officers, how about we see if the Mayor can “get by” with “just” 70 staffers -- you know, the same number he had last year.

Heck, if Villaraigosa showed up for work more than 11% of the time, he could do some of the work we’re paying all those other people to do.

If you want a Mayor who will do the job without a massive entourage, I’m your man. Make it happen: put a yard sign in your yard and a sticker on your car.

Villaraigosa’s Self-Inflicted Budget “Crisis”

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:55:43 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Villaraigosa deserves as much sympathy for his budget “crisis” as Lizzie Borden did for being an orphan.

1. Villaraigosa Increased Spending 32%
The current budget “crisis” resulted from Villaraigosa’s excessive spending, not from a drop in revenues.

The City’s tax revenues are at an all-time high: over $7 billion per year. The City receives $1.7 billion more per year than when Villaraigosa took office.

That means if Villaraigosa had shown even modest restraint, we could have had 12,000 police (rather than 9,700), lower DWP rates, no trash fee hike, and a budget surplus.

Instead, Villaraigosa increased spending from about $600,000 per hour to around $800,000 per hour.

Translation: Spending is up 32% since Villaraigosa took office. Does your neighborhood look 32% better? Neither does mine. Do we have 32% more police? No. We have about 4.2% more police.

2. Villaraigosa Ignored The CAO’s Written Warnings.
Villaraigosa ignored repeated written warnings, year after year, from the City Administrative Officer (CAO) that he was spending too much. (You may remember my “Sergeant Schultze” essay on this from May 2008.) Here’s a recap:

10/17/05: CAO projects $246.5 million shortfall
3/13/06: CAO projects $279.0 million shortfall
1/17/07: CAO projects $243 million shortfall
8/9/07: CAO projects $218 million shortfall
10/19/07: CAO projects $300 million shortfall

So the current “crisis” was not just foreseeable, it was, in fact, foreseen. But if, as the L.A. Weekly reports, Villaraigosa spends just 11% of his time here in town doing the job for which we pay him, perhaps he never saw the CAO’s warnings.

3. Villaraigosa Gave Away Our Multi-Million Dollar Assets
After redistributing taxpayers’ money to contractors to build new fire stations, police stations, libraries and animal shelters at absurdly inflated prices (e.g., $71,795 per animal for an animal shelter), City Hall decided we suddenly had too many such buildings and -- presto change-o -- the existing structures transmogrified into “surplus property.”

Villaraigosa then gave his cronies sweetheart “lease” deals on those structures. For example, “Aztecs Rising” is now leasing a “surplus” fire station for one dollar per year for 10 years. And that is just one of over 100 such leases with so-called “non-profits.”

According to Villaraigosa’s latest budget memo, he is now trying to sell: an animal shelter for $2.5 million; one fire station for $2 million; two others for $1.4 million each; one library for $600,000; and another for $400,000. (No word on whether the books are sold separately.)

It makes you wonder exactly how many millions of dollars’ worth of our property is being used for free by sketchy, unregulated groups to which we would never voluntarily donate a dime -- you know, like the one run by “Big Weasel,” who received $1.5 million of our money from Villaraigosa the year before was arrested for arming his gang with machine guns.

BOTTOM LINE: So get a yard sign and bumper sticker already!
If you sit by and do nothing to help elect me, you can expect more of the same: Villaraigosa and the City Council will continue to spend more than the City takes in, and will raise your taxes and fees to offset the self-induced crisis.

We can win, but only if you take action to spread the word. This isn’t one of those elections where you get to be a spectator. You actually have to participate, but it’s not like you have to stand in front of a Chinese tank or anything.

Just get a free yard sign and a free bumper sticker today to spread the word to our fellow voters. They can’t read about me in the local papers, but they can read about me on your yard sign or bumper. Click here to get a sign and a sticker.

Very Bad News About Jamiel’s Law: Short On Signatures

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:33:20 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

This morning, I received very bad news from the City Clerk's office. Although the Shaw Family estimated they had gathered over 76,000 signatures for Jamiel's Law, the City Clerk's staff count showed just 18,559 signatures.

However, all this means is that Jamiel's Law will not make it onto the May 2009 ballot. With enough signatures, it can still make it onto the next ballot after that.

If you want to help the Shaws get enough signatures to put it on the ballot, you can contribute to their committee so they can hire signature-gatherers and buy advertising to spread the word. Here's the link to the page to do that: Committee to Pass Jamiel's Law.

So let's get up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the battle to save this city.

City Council One Step Closer To Nuking Your Home Equity

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:27:06 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

If you thought your home equity could plummet no further, just wait till the City Council passes the foreclosure ordinance it requested and, today, received, from the City Attorney.

Regular readers will recall I warned you about this on November 23, 2008.

The gist of the proposal is that if a lender forecloses on a residential property, and that property is rented out, the lender will NOT be able to evict the tenants. Instead, the lender will be stuck with the tenants, at whatever rent is specified in the lease, as if it were a rent-controlled apartment building.

That means, for example, that if you and I decided to rent our homes to one another for $1 per year for 10 years, and then we stopped paying our mortgages, the banks would be stuck with us as tenants, and stuck with the $1 per year rent.

Well, what do you think a law like that would do to the housing market in our city?

If this laws passes and you were a lender, would you lend, say, $500,000 to someone to buy a house in this city? Of course not. The risk that you'd get stuck with a tenant for life at below-market rates would be too great a risk to take. And if lenders won't lend, buyers can't buy. Result: your home's value, and your equity will sink even lower -- and stay there.

So if you own a home in L.A., or hope to own one some day, or if you are a Realtor or banker, you might want to urge your City Council Member to vote "no" on this proposal, and urge your (current) Mayor to veto it. (You can refer them to Council File 07-2438-S9, "Amending The Los Angeles Municipal Code To Restrict Evictions Of Tenants In All Foreclosed Rental Properties To Be Subject To The City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance.")

In the meantime, I can tell you -- based on my real estate broker super powers -- that one sure-fire way to increase your home's curb appeal and market value is to put a free "Walter Moore for Mayor" yard sign out front. The people who speed through your neighborhood can't read about me in the local papers, but they can read about me on your yard sign.

Remember: in this campaign, yard signs and bumper stickers aren't just a show of loyalty; they are instead an important means for us to let people know they have a really good alternative to Villaraigosa. Click here to get a yard sign.

Jamiel’s Law: The Shaws Did It!

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 21:19:53 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

I just got off the phone with Althea Shaw, who told me that, shortly before 5:00 p.m. today, she and her family filed over 76,000 signatures to put Jamiel's Law on the ballot for the May 2009 election!

That is a HUGE accomplishment. With a budget of nothing, the Shaw Family worked and worked and worked to get over 76,000 people to unite to put Jamiel's Law on the ballot. If you have ever approached a stranger coming out of Von's with a clipboard in your hands, you know how amazing an accomplishment this was.

The Shaws have just proved that we, the people, have the power.

And they have sent an important political message to the Mayor, the City Council, and every politician in America: We, the people, are fed up with "sanctuary city" policies that protect illegal alien gang members instead of law-abiding citizens, and we will repeal laws and replace politicians who stand in our way.

Please join me in congratulating the Shaw family for their terrific accomplishment. While you're at it, why not urge Althea Shaw to run for the State Senate seat that Mark Ridley-Thomas just vacated? Isn't she exactly the kind of person we want representing us in Sacramento?

You can tell the Shaws how much you appreciate their hard work by e-mailing them at: JamielsLaw@live.com. Please take a minute to do so. They need to know how much we appreciate how hard they worked to protect our families from experiencing the kind of heartbreaking loss they have suffered.

And then get ready for the Shaws' next move to help save our city, county, state and nation: I'm going to draft a version of Jamiel's Law for the County of Los Angeles, and the Shaws are going to ask the County Board of Supervisors to adopt it.

Villaraigosa’s Scary Priorities: PR Comes First

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 21:19:09 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Do you remember reading in the papers, on November 21, 2008 (i.e., less than two weeks ago), that the Mayor is planning cuts in the libraries and crossing guards to save money?

Well, just five days later, on November 26, 2008, the City announced it is hiring -- but not librarians, and not crossing guards.

Care to guess what job opening the Mayor wants to fill?

Here's a hint: he's offering a salary of up to $94,440 per year. Want another hint? It involves his Number One priority.

That's right: your City government is in the market for a public relations specialist.

I read about this at the Mayor Sam website, and had to look it up to believe it.

Since when is it more important to have a public relations specialist than a crossing guard? Or, at these prices, three or four crossing guards?

To hire PR people while firing crossing guards epitomizes Villaraigosa's twisted career-politician, form-over-substance philosophy: it's not what you do that counts, it's what people think you're doing. Yikes.

If I win the election, I will be hiring police, not "public relations specialists."

Speaking of which, I'm looking for good homes for over 1,000 beautiful yard signs. They'll look great next to your Rudolph and Frosty. And volunteers are stationed all over the city, so you won't have to drive over the river and through the woods to pick one up. Please click here to boost your curb appeal and get a free yard sign.

Jamiel’s Law: TV Tonight, Filing Deadline Friday

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 09:52:49 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Tonight, Sergeant Anita Shaw will take the case for Jamiel’s Law nation-wide by appearing on Sean Hannity's TV show on the Fox network at 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Don't miss it!

And Friday is the LAST day to file the petitions in time to put Jamiel's Law on the ballot in May 2009 -- which means the time for you to take action is now:

If you have already collected signatures, then please sign and date the last page as a circulator and get your petitions to the Shaws no later than Thursday. Please deliver them to:

The Shaw Family
2136 Fifth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90018

If you have not signed the petition since August 7, 2008 -- signatures "expire" after 120 days -- please either go sign it this week at one of the locations at JamielsLaw.com, or download it, sign it and return it to the address above.

The Shaws have collected over 60,000 signatures. They only need another 14,000 to put this on the ballot for May 2009. Let's make it happen.

If I win the Mayor's race on March 3, 2009, I can and will put Jamiel's Law into place on July 1, 2009 when I'm sworn into office; indeed, I will revoke Special Order 40 in its entirety.

However, it is still in our interest to put Jamiel's Law's on the ballot for May 2009 because: a) there's no guarantee I'll win, of course; and b) passing Jamiel's Law will send a strong message to other politicians that we, the people, will take action to prevent our cities from being sanctuaries for gangs instead of families, and those politicians better join us if they want to stay in office.

Recording Of Kevin James Interviewing Walter Moore On How City Hall Is About To Nuke The Real Estate Market

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:03:42 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Warning: it’s not your ears; I was battling laryngitis during this interview.

Kevin James interviewed me on November 24, 2008. His show is on KRLA 870 AM, Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and I strongly encourage you to listen to his show whenever you can. I do. And when I can’t catch Kevin’s show on the radio, I download the podcast from iTunes.

Kevin covers local politics in depth, and does actual, real-live investigative work -- unlike many local media sources, which essentially merely publish press releases from City Hall.

Please Run For The State Senate Seat Ridley-Thomas Is Leaving

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:27:08 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You say you're fed up with the shenanigans in Sacramento? Now you -- yes, you -- can do something about it. If you take action now, you could be elected to the California Senate on March 3, 2009!

You can start running, Monday, for the State Senate seat that will open up Sunday when Mark Ridley-Thomas resigns to take his new position on the County Board of Supervisors. The Senate Seat will be filled in the same election on March 3, 2009 as the Mayor's race.

Are you eligible? Well, here are the communities that Senate District 26 covers:

Senate District 26 includes the communities of Baldwin Hills, Baldwin Vista, Beverlywood, Carthay Circle, Century City, the Crenshaw District, Culver City, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Hyde Park, Jefferson Park, Ladera Heights, Lafayette Square, Larchmont, Leimert Park, Los Feliz, Miracle Mile, South Central Los Angeles, View Park, West Los Angeles and Windsor Hills, among others.

Click here for a map of the district.

Unlike the Roman Senate, California Senators do not typically wear togas. So don't count on comfortable attire. But think of the good you could do. One vote could be the difference between insanely high taxes and super-duper insanely high taxes.

I don't know the details of how one runs for State Senate, but if you live in that district, I'll help you find out. Sure, it's Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean we should sit by and let a turkey take over this Senate seat. Go for it. Get your "Mr. Smith Goes To Sacramento" on!

Another One Of Those Annoying Thanksgiving Essays

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:22:45 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays not just for the hours of nonstop gluttony, but also because life's better when you count your blessings. So let me subject you to one of those nauseatingly maudlin but mercifully short "thank you" recitations:

Thanks to the 890 or so of you who signed the petition to put my name on the ballot for Mayor. Today I got the good news from the Clerk's office that, thanks to you, my name will be on the ballot on March 3, 2009. I really appreciate your making the time to sign the petition. I know that many of you drove a long way to sign -- on a Saturday, no less. I know your time is valuable, and I appreciate your spending it to help.

Thanks to Adam, Alf, Ann, Bari, Carol, Daniel, David, the other David, and the third David, Gina, Harry, Jonn, Judy, Julie, Karen, Kathleen, Kevin, Lora, Madelaine, Maryanne, Mike, Richard, Robert, Sharon, Suzanne, and Sydney for spending your valuable time gathering signatures. There is no way I could have gotten all of those signatures without your help. You talked the talk AND walked the walk. You showed your word is your bond. Remind me to have statues of each of you put up around town. And not those bronze ones that get stolen, but something like fiberglass.

Thanks to 1,500 or so of you who have put your money where your mouth is by contributing money to my campaign. Thanks to you, I could buy radio ads, bumper stickers, and yard signs, and rent conference rooms to hold rallies. Without your financial support, our fellow voters wouldn't know they have a choice. Thanks to you, we qualified for matching funds and made Villaraigosa "chicken out" on debating me. (But we'll still try to shame him into it.) Let me also give a special thanks to those of you who contributed really early -- like Mel and Gloria -- when there was no assurance of matching funds. It's tough to be the first couple on the dance floor, as it were.

Thanks to the thousands of you who subscribe to the newsletter, and who forward it to friends and family. This person-to-person contact is hugely important. It spreads the word to people who otherwise wouldn't know about the campaign.

Thanks to Doug McIntyre, Kevin James, Terry Anderson, and Rob Marinko for the public service they perform by actually reporting on local politics, in contrast to others in the local media who merely recycle and re-package career politicians' press releases as news. You guys are Radio Free Europe for Vichy California. (Hey, not only do I mix my metaphors, but I do so anachronistically.)

Thanks to Mrs. Moore, my family and my boss for the incredible support you have shown me. Wow.

Thanks to David Berger, Kathleen Evans, Craig Wilson and James Weston for answering my call for citizens to step up and form a slate to run for office. (I hope the rest of you will visit my hope page where you can learn more about these candidates for City Attorney, City Controller, and Council Members for Council Districts 11 and 15, respectively.)

And, finally, thanks to the Shaw Family for the outstanding and amazing example of altruism, bravery and dedication you show the rest of us every day. Each day, you give new meaning to Jamiel's life. You inspire the rest of us to fight so that this City's children can grow up knowing what "normal" is -- normal, like having your biggest worry on Thanksgiving as a 10-year-old be whether you'll get a drumstick.

Thank you all and bless you for your help.

Just imagine what we could be thankful for this time next year if we work hard to win this election.

City Hall Preparing To Nuke Real Estate Market

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:53:15 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You think it's hard to get financing for a house now?

Just wait until word spreads about City Hall's latest plan to take away property rights without any compensation, much less "just compensation."

On Friday, November 21, 2008, City Council passed Council Member Garcetti's motion to instruct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance to ensure "all tenants in foreclosed rental properties are protected from eviction by lenders." The City Council plans to pass a new ordinance "to restrict evictions of tenants in all foreclosed rental properties to be subject to the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance."

That's right: if the owner of the building stops paying his loan, and the bank forecloses, the bank will not be able to evict the tenants, and will instead be stuck with whatever rent they're paying.

Let me give you a hypothetical example of why this is an absolutely terrible idea:

Let's say you and I are next-door neighbors, who own comparable houses, and we each have a mortgage. We'd love to keep living there without having to pay the mortgage each month, and, while we're at it, we'd love to stay without having to pay property taxes, insurance or any other of the burdens of home ownership. Hey, "free" housing would be great, wouldn't it?

So we make a deal: I agree in writing to rent my house to you for $1 per year for 10 years -- you know, like the deal City Hall gave Aztecs Rising -- and you likewise agree in writing to rent your house to me for $1 per year for 10 years. We move into each other's homes, and we stop paying our mortgages.

The banks foreclose, but thanks to the "generosity" of City Hall, the banks cannot evict us. We are tenants. Our rent is now "stabilized." So the bank gets stuck with the property taxes and maintenance, and cannot recover any portion of its principal. After all, who wants to buy a building with a tenant who pays just $1 per year in rent?

By adopting this proposed law, City Hall would make it absolutely impossible to get financing to buy a home in our city. Who would want to lend money for a residential property if the buyer can simply rent it out, walk away, and leave the lender stuck with tenants whose rent may or may not be profitable?

Furthermore, even if the City tries to avoid the particular problem I've identified by, say, setting up a bureaucracy to determine whether a rental agreement was made in good faith, why would lenders and buyers want the hassle of having to "prove" whether a rental agreement was "fair?"

Garcetti's proposal -- and the City Council's groupthink adoption thereof -- illustrates why it is absolutely vital that you support my campaign to become L.A.'s next Mayor. These people have no clue about the ramifications of their casual decisions to take away property rights that have been part of our legal system for centuries.

The "solution" they are drafting up right now would create far worse problems by making it impossible for people get home loans. Unless you could pay all cash for a home, you'd be out of luck. City Hall would then have to come up with a "solution" for the financial crisis they created, which would doubtless involve higher taxes for you and me, and subsidies for their billionaire developer patrons to build more "affordable housing."

Fight back! Send for a "Walter Moore For Mayor" yard sign and a bumper sticker today -- while you can still afford a yard and a bumper. Click here to fight back.

How To Defeat Amnesty On Obama’s 42nd Day

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:43:40 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

If you’re like most Americans, you want our federal and local governments to enforce our immigration laws rather than weaken or circumvent those laws.

This is not a partisan issue. On the contrary, a Zogby poll conducted in November for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) shows strong bipartisan support for enforcement, as does another Zogby poll conducted in October for Judicial Watch. Indeed, 71.5% of those surveyed agree that local law enforcement officers should enforce federal immigration laws, including 51.5% of Hispanics and 56.2% of self-described “liberals.”

Judging from our elected officials’ conduct, however, they either don’t understand or don’t care. Bush, McCain and Obama all support amnesty, and local officials in many cities pursue “sanctuary city” policies.

How then, can we prevent Congress from putting an amnesty bill on President Obama’s desk?

Let me suggest we do so by ending the political career of America’s premier “sanctuary city” mayor, namely, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who comes up for re-election on March 3, 2009.

I’m running for Mayor of Los Angeles right now, and my platform includes ending all “sanctuary city” policies here in America’s second-largest city -- a city that covers 469 square miles and has four million inhabitants.

By way of background: I am a 49-year-old business trial lawyer and licensed real estate broker; graduated with honors from Princeton with a degree in Public and International Affairs; graduated with honors from Georgetown Law; and am an independent. The candidate I support for City Attorney, by the way, is an immigrant who, like me, wants our immigration laws enforced.

I have raised over $180,000 in campaign contributions. Villaraigosa, however, has raised over $2.3 million, in large part from out-of-state developers. The local paper -- which is owned by a company that also publishes a Spanish-language newspaper that depends on illegal immigration for its financial success -- is ignoring my campaign. Result: voters in both parties don’t even know they have an alternative to the “sanctuary city” incumbent.

Imagine how the race would change if just 100,000 of the millions of people throughout the U.S. who support enforcement would each contribute just $20 to my campaign. That would give me a $2 million budget to let the citizens of L.A. know they don’t have to settle for more of the same. They would readily vote to replace Villaraigosa, and we would end illegal practices that aid and abet illegal immigration.

We would also send a huge “wake up” call to every member of the Senate and House: “We, the people, want our immigration laws enforced, and if you vote for amnesty, then we will contribute, from all over the nation, to defeat you in the next election.”

Enforcing our immigration laws, moreover, will complement, not undermine, Obama’s policies. For example, he wants to reward employers for creating jobs here in America rather than opening plants abroad. Enforcing our immigration laws would achieve the same result: let out-of-work Americans take jobs currently held by foreigners who are in our country illegally.

Taking another example, enforcing our immigration laws will lower the tax burden on America’s middle class, which is critical as we enter a recession. A former RAND economist recently estimated that illegal aliens in California receive between $10 billion and $38 billion more in state services than they pay in taxes.

So whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or, like me, an independent, I ask that you make at least a $20 investment in stopping amnesty on Day 42 of the Obama administration. By contributing to my campaign now, you may prevent an amnesty bill from reaching his desk. Click here to contribute.

Villaraigosa Afraid To Debate Moore?

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 21:52:52 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

When Villaraigosa filed his papers this week to run for re-election, he opted not to participate the City's matching funds program.

Regular readers of my newsletter will recall I predicted this. Why? Simple: he is afraid to debate me.

Any candidate who accepts matching funds is legally required to debate all other candidates who qualify for matching funds. Two, and only two candidates have raised enough money to qualify for matching funds: Villaraigosa and me.

Villaraigosa knows from experience that when voters hear the two of us debate, they will wind up supporting me, not him. We debated one another, and four other candidates, on the radio in 2005. Afterwards, 65% of the people who "voted" for the winner at the station's website voted for me. Villaraigosa and the other four candidates split the remaining 35%. The five of them succeeded in excluding me from the televised debates; they did not want the same thing happening with a bigger audience.

Was the on-line poll scientific? No. But the results paralleled the reaction the six of us got during untelevised debates at high schools and colleges around town. Audiences who actually saw all six of us tended to support me. The problem was that the local media refused to cover my campaign, and excluded me from the televised debates, so most people in the City did not even know I was running.

Villaraigosa, however, learned his lesson: he will try to avoid debating me on TV at all costs. And if he must debate me, he will try to force a format where reporters friendly to him will ask a series of inane questions, and each of us will have only a minute to respond. After all, anyone can memorize a handful of vague one-minute answers.

By contrast, I want a Lincoln-Douglas style debate, where each of us makes his case to the people, cross-examines the other, and then presents a rebuttal. Let the candidates, not reporters, define the issues. Let the candidates, in short, have a real debate.

In any event, don't expect Villaraigosa to admit he is afraid to debate me. Indeed, if any of the local reporters even bothers to ask him why he turned down matching funds, he will presumably claim he did so to avoid straining the City's budget.

But I want that reporter to ask him the follow-up question: Mr. Mayor, will you agree right here, right now, to debate Walter Moore in a one-hour Lincoln-Douglas style debate in January 2009?

If he says yes, great.

If he says anything else, we may have to start calling him "Polloraigosa."

Caruso Is OUT: It’s Moore vs. Villaraigosa, Baby!

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 07:39:24 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Billionarie Republican developer Rick Caruso has announced he is NOT running for Mayor of Los Angeles. Click here for his press release.

That means that for all intents and purposes, it's just Villaraigosa and me, my friends.

We're going to do this. We're going to fix this City.

More Important Than Jamiel’s Law?

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:29:03 -0800

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

On Friday, November 7, 2008, the City Council will not consider Jamiel's Law. Council Members will not debate whether to end "sanctuary city" protection for gang members who enter the country illegally to commit murder, sell drugs, and collect "taxes" from terrified residents, both legal and illegal.

Over 40,000 registered voters in L.A. have signed the petition to put Jamiel's Law -- which I wrote and sent to City Council in March 2008 -- on the ballot. However, stopping illegal alien gang members from murdering outstanding young people like Jamiel Shaw, II is not important enough for the City Council's precious time.

Instead, Council Members Zine, Garcetti, Reyes and Huizar have all signed Resolution No. 62, on which the full City Council will vote. It is Item 40 on Friday's agenda.

Why is Resolution No. 62 more important than Jamiel's Law? Simple: it would re-affirm City Hall's commitment to aid and abet illegal immigration, and to demonize citizens and legal aliens who want our laws enforced. Resolution No. 62 would show City Hall's support for people who are fasting to protest enforcement of our immigration laws.

Resolution No. 62 states that, "WHEREAS, immigrant raids and deportations, hate crimes and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment are evidence that the rights of immigrant [sic] continue to be violated . . . BE IT RESOLVED that . . . the Council of the City of Los Angeles hereby recognizes and commends the effort of Fast for Our Future to hold the hunger strike in support of immigrant rights."

In other words, City Hall would lump together enforcement of our immigration laws -- disparagingly characterized as "immigrant raids and deportations" -- with "hate crimes." City Hall would likewise mischaracterize enforcement of our immigration laws as "anti-immigrant" rather than pro-law enforcement.

Shame on Villaraigosa and shame on City Council for turning their back on the Shaw family, on the 40,000 citizens who have signed the petition to put Jamiel's Law on the ballot, and, indeed, on everyone who lives here.

We will throw them out of office. We will replace Villaraigosa and every City Council Member who puts the interests of illegal alien gang members above the lives of law-abiding families.

This isn't idle talk, by the way. As you know, I am already running for Mayor. What you may not know is that several people who, like you, me and 71% of our fellow Americans, want local law enforcement to help enforce immigration laws, are already running or on the verge of running for City Controller, City Attorney, and City Council for Districts 3, 11 and 15.

You, they and I are going to clean house at City Hall. It's going to happen. You just have to keep spreading the word. Click here to help.

City Hall’s “Affordable Housing” Bait And Switch: 15% Ordinance Repealed

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:54:56 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Villaraigosa and the City Council have just made it crystal clear that the term "affordable housing" is nothing but a bait-and-switch catch-phrase.

They use the term “affordable housing” to dupe you into supporting programs to give your tax dollars to subsidize developers who contribute to their campaigns, and to exempt their projects from the zoning laws that have protected our low-rise, low-density architecture for decades.

Here's the latest example:

On October 23, 2008, Villaraigosa signed into law Ordinance 180308, which the City Council passed on a 13-0 vote on October 15, 2008. This ordinance is remarkable because it repealed Municipal Code Section 12.39. That ordinance, in turn, had required developers who got various breaks from the City to make 15% of their units "affordable."

Specifically, Section 12.39 had required developers to "make every reasonable effort to develop at least 6 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low-income dwelling units at the fair market value and at least an additional 9 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low or moderate income dwelling units at the fair market value."

Villaraigosa and the City Council have now repealed that requirement altogether -- and have repealed it retroactively. The new ordinance specifically states: "Any and all Agreements for Development of Units for Lease or Sale ('15% Ordinance'), or such similar agreements, entered into pursuant to Section 12.39 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code are released and rescinded and are of no further force and effect."

So all the developers who benefited from your tax money and other breaks no longer have to provide the public benefit they were supposed to deliver in return. They got the quid, but we're not getting the pro quo.

We don't have a city of, for and by the people. We have a city of, for and by the developers. Their interests are fully represented at City Hall. Ours are not.

And don't count on the local media to cover stories like this. With the exception of Doug McIntyre, Kevin James, Al Rantel and Terry Anderson, the local media provide the same kind of informative and balanced coverage on local politics that Tokyo Rose provided on World War II.

If you want a Mayor who will protect your interests as taxpaying American citizens, and who will fight to protect your quality of life, I'm your man. Click here to contribute.

City Council’s Pretend Hearing On Jamiel’s Law

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:31:38 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

On March 2, 2008, Jamiel Shaw, II, an outstanding young man destined for college, was murdered two doors down from his own home.

On March 22, 2008, Fox News broke the story that Jamiel's murderer was a gang member and illegal alien.

On March 25, 2008, I proposed "Jamiel's Law," which would deny "sanctuary city" protection to illegal aliens in gangs. The purpose was to let police arrest gang members for immigration law violations, without waiting to catch them committing other crimes, such as murdering our young people, collecting "taxes" from shopkeepers (i.e., extortion), and selling drugs. Under Special Order 40, police can enforce immigration laws against gang members, but only AFTER catching them for some other crime. The point of Jamiel's Law is to let police arrest gang members for immigration violations without waiting to catch them for another crime.

Today, October 27, 2008 -- over seven months later -- a City Council committee pretended to hold a hearing on whether Special Order 40 -- the memo that prevents our police from enforcing immigration laws unless they catch someone committing another crime, too -- should be "clarified."

Mayor Villaraigosa, of course, wasn't there. Today he was pretending he was a construction worker filling potholes. He changed wardrobe from his Metrolink crash ensemble (a fire fighter's jacket) to his Bob the Builder outfit.

Meanwhile, back at City Hall, the hearing lasted three hours. Result? Nothing. The City Council Members decided to wait and see if the police will "train" their officers better, as if that were the problem.

The Committee gave the Shaw family a few brief minutes to comment. Their son was murdered, and they have busted their you-know-what's trying to spare other families the same agony, by gathering over 40,000 signatures so far. They should have been given as much time as they wanted. Instead, they were given the "bum's rush." No one bothered to ask how they were holding up, or how the effort to get signatures is going.

Talk show host Kevin James (KRLA 870) pointed out during his public comment that the police had already claimed, way back in March 2005, that they were going to start training their officers better on Special Order 40. So they've been "training" on this issue for three-and-a-half years now, but City Council will supposedly check their progress at the beginning of 2009. Why rush, after all? I mean, it's only a matter of life and death for families like the Shaws.

The one and only bright spot during the hearing was when City Council Member Greig Smith said he would vote to repeal Special Order 40 in its entirety. I said the same thing during the whopping 60 seconds the Committee deigned to give me and other mere members of the public to comment on this life-and-death issue. I urged the Committee to put Jamiel's Law on the ballot at the end of my 60 seconds, but Council Member Weiss felt it was vital to talk over me the instant the sixtieth second passed.

A number of people showed up to speak in favor of Special Order 40. Most if not all of them seemed to share two fascinating traits. First, they all seemed to be associated with some "non-profit" or "community" group, as opposed to holding a job in the private sector. Second, they all seemed to be reading from scripts. This made me suspect that a bunch of groups feeding at the public trough had received an urgent memo to go to City Council, fill out a public comment card, and read these points.

To test my hypothesis, I looked for, but could not find, a comprehensive list of "non-profits" that receive funding from the City of Los Angeles. That would be an interesting list, don't you think?

And you'll just love this: several times, the Special Order 40 supporters -- many of whom were wearing headphones to hear the translation of the hearing into Spanish -- started chanting in Spanish. Remember, this is in the City Council Chamber of America's second-largest city. Can you imagine anything like that in any other country? Foreigners, yelling in a foreign language, protesting against the enforcement of immigration laws against foreign gang members? Oh, and one woman said we shouldn't use the terms "gang bangers" or "gang members," because gang members are people, too.

Bottom line: wake up and smell the crazy. This is Vichy California, occupied territory. This is non-fiction, non-stop Kafka.

If you have any hope whatsoever of persuading the people in power -- except for Greig Smith -- to do the right thing, forget it. It's not going to happen. We must take control of City Hall. That means electing me Mayor; getting Jamiel's Law on the ballot; and replacing the City Council, City Attorney and City Controller with people committed to ending City Hall's aiding and abetting of illegal immigration.

Click here to contribute.

CSI: Los Angeles

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:19:49 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Have you heard about the latest spin-off of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation?”

It’s set in Los Angeles. Crime-fighting scientists go to crime scenes, take pictures, make measurements, collect samples, and look for fingerprints. They interview rape victims, and collect evidence from them using rape kits.

Then the investigators return to headquarters, throw all the evidence in a locker, and go home.

This happens again and again, as thousand of rape kits go unprocessed, finger print evidence gets mixed up, criminals run scot free, children get gunned down in broad daylight -- sometimes in high schools -- and innocent people get extradited from other states based on mistaken readings of fingerprints.

Meanwhile, the police chief -- unable to manage his own department, which is under a federal consent decree -- keeps asking for millions more to complete construction of a bigger, better headquarters, which keeps experiencing cost overruns year after year. Rather than fixing the problems in his own department, he travels around the world giving speeches on how to fight crime.

The chief publicly criticizes his officers for not understanding his policy of aiding and abetting illegal aliens, and says he’ll clarify the policy, some day, when he has the time. The chief also records campaign messages for a presidential candidate; and he writes an op-ed for an out-of-state newspaper saying terrorists may bomb America to help elect a Republican president.

Now, I’m no TV producer, but I don’t think this series will catch on. No one would ever believe America’s second-biggest city would allow such incompetence.

Villaraigosa’s Remix Of “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You”

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:51:37 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

Villaraigosa's version is: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for Mexico."

This explains his aiding and abetting illegal immigration; extending "sanctuary city" protection even to gang members rather than adopting Jamiel's Law; selling "surplus" ambulances to Mexican cities for $4; and using $300,000 of federal grant money to build a book pavilion in Mexico.

His latest scam for sending your money to Mexico is a DWP contract for Mexican geothermal power. The official description, in the September 16, 2008 agenda of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, is as follows:

Master Power Purchase and Sales Agreement with the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), to enable wholesale energy purchases of geothermal energy from CFE’s Cerro Prieto geothermal generating station in Mexicali, Mexico. The term of this agreement is three years.

Villaraigosa had announced his intention to enter into this sweetheart deal back on Valentine's Day, in connection with his third meeting with his boss, Mexican President Calderon.

If you help me become L.A.'s next Mayor, I will not send your hard-earned money to Mexico. We have people and companies right here in our city that would be happy to install solar panels on City buildings. Your DWP dollars could be promoting energy independence and our local economy, rather than simply creating more dependence on foreign energy sources.

Speaking of helping me become L.A.'s next Mayor, remember to come to my San Pedro rally on November 12, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, 2800 Via Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro, 90731.

Jamiel’s Law Hearing and Signatures

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:36:11 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

According to Kevin James himself, the City Council's Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on Zine's watered-down version of Jamiel's Law at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 27, 2008, in Room 1010 of City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles 90012. The Shaws plan to attend, and so do I. I know it's a work day, but I hope you can squeeze this one in.

Speaking of Jamiel's Law, do NOT throw away those signatures. Strictly speaking, there is no deadline to collect the necessary signatures. Rather, we can file the petitions when we have collected 74,000 in the previous 120 days. Only signatures older than 120 days expire. The rest are still good.

Speaking of signatures, beginning on November 7, 2008, I'd like to get your autograph on the petition to put my name on the ballot for the election on March 3, 2009. Happily, we only need 1,000 signatures for that. We plan to have locations around town where you can sign and pick up yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons and other materials to spread the word.

In the meantime, let's show City Council and the Shaw family that we haven't forgotten, and we won't stop fighting until we win.

See you Monday.

Now THAT Was A Rally!

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:30:23 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Last night's rally was terrific!

Let's start with how many people came. I booked a room set up to seat 300. Those chairs filled up rapidly, so the people at the Marriott -- who are wonderful, by the way -- brought in more chairs, every one of which supporters filled. But even that wasn't enough: people had to stand out in the lobby, and sit on the floor by the stage in front. I'm thinking we had maybe 500 people altogether.

The 100 or so yard signs I brought found homes rapidly, as did 1,000 bumper stickers and flyers. I believe we also got hundreds of signatures on the Jamiel's Law petitions I brought.

My fundraising goal for last night was $2,500, which would have put us into "matching funds" territory. We did not meet my goal. We exceeded it by about a factor of five: contributions from people at the rally, and online immediately afterwards exceeded $12,000. We've now raised a total of over $178,000.

Our two lead speakers were excellent, as always. Kevin James and Doug McIntyre -- our own version of Radio Free Europe -- got all of us fired up while also making us laugh.

And when Doug finished and introduced me, everyone stood up. Naturally, I figured they were standing up to go home, since they'd already heard from Kevin and Doug. Turns out, they stayed, listened to my presentation, and asked me some very thoughtful questions about the problems that concern them most. They're all enthusiastic about working together to fix this City. Our numbers are growing every day.

Let's keep it going. Let's keep spreading the word, person to person, neighbor to neighbor, commuter to commuter. Let's keep the contributions flowing, so I can buy more bumper stickers, yard signs and flyers. We need to keep letting people know they don't have to settle for Villaraigosa. We can and will do this.

And now that we've qualified for matching funds, it's like a political two-for-one sale: for every $100 you contribute, the City will match it with $100 of your hard-earned tax money! Click here to contribute.

The NEXT rally, by the way, will be in San Pedro, in the Doubletree Hotel, at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12. I look forward to meeting all of you who live near our City's southern border at that rally.

The L.A. Times, Hobgoblins And Jamiel’s Law

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 18:35:32 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Today the L.A. Times published an editorial praising ICE for recently "rounding up 1,700 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes or linked to criminal gangs -- including about 400 in the Los Angeles area."

The L.A. Times then admitted, "It has been obvious for years that illegal immigrants prvoide much of the muscle for gangs such as MS-13 and La Mirada Loco." "Most of those seized in the sweep," the paper added, "seem to be gang members and criminals, including a notorious sex offender."

"Gangbangers, gunmen and child molesters are obviously in a different category" the paper concluded, from illegal aliens who come here to work.

If the paper were written by intellectually honest people, the next line would set forth a rousing endorsement of Jamiel's Law, and acknowledge the paper erred by opposing it in the past. The L.A. Times would urge Villaraigosa to adopt it with the stroke of a pen, and, failing that, demand that City Council enact it forthwith.

Heck, they could even credit the guy who wrote Jamiel's Law, namely, yours truly, and mention I'm running for Mayor.

But that's not how the ideologues at the L.A. Times operate.

No mention is made of Jamiel's Law. No mention of the fact that the City of Los Angeles prevents police from going after gang members for immigration law violations.

Instead, the L.A. Times remains consistent: its editors oppose any reform whatsoever of Special Order 40, no matter how slight, no matter how many lives it would save, and no matter how much sense it makes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. The people who own the L.A. Times, however, don't have little minds. Rather, they have a vested financial interest in fighting any effort to enforce our immigration laws. You see, the Tribune Publishing Company owns not just the L.A. Times, but also Hoy, a Spanish-language newspaper. Illegal immigration is their cash cow, their sacred cow.

So they hire ideologues to publish inane editorials from people determined to avoid connecting the dots. The people who call the shots at that paper don't give a damn about your quality of life, or even the survival of our country. They care about their bottom line, period. They don't want editors, they want propagandists for their business model.

If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, they'll call it an octopus if that's what it takes to keep the public uninformed. And they'll call you a racist to intimidate you into silence and to persuade others to shun you.

What can we do about it? Don't bother writing a letter to the editor. The editors don't care about you. And you can bet they are going to ignore my campaign as long as possible and, when they finally do have to cover it, will smear me like crazy.

Rather than writing a letter to the editor, write a check to my campaign. Write an email to your friends, urging them to do the same, and to join us at our rally at 7:00 p.m. on October 14 at the Woodland Hills Marriott. We are going to have to buy our publicity, to let our fellow voters know what's going on at City Hall, and how they can stop it. Click here to contribute.

Deconstructing Villaraigosa’s $5 Billion Housing Plan

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:01:20 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

You’ve probably heard the reports, based on the Mayor’s two-page press release, that he has just unveiled an “ambitious” new $5 billion plan to provide “affordable housing.” Having read the glossy 42-page booklet describing the plan, I’d like to share with you a few thoughts about the proposal:

1. It’s The Developers, Stupid.
The purpose of this plan is not to help the poor or middle class. Rather, the beneficiaries are the out-of-state developers who fund Villaraigosa’s campaign. The plan would use your tax dollars to subsidize their projects, and would exempt them from the laws that have preserved our city’s distinctive low-rise, low-density architecture for nearly a century.

Nor does the plan even require them to build the “mixed income” housing that Villaraigosa talks about so much. On the contrary, the plan specifically states “Developers could choose the income mix that works best for their project.” Hence, the developers can decide that the best mix for a given project would be millionaires, multi-millionaires, and billionaires.

Indeed, the plan does not require the developers to build “affordable” housing at all. Instead, the plan specifically states that Villaraigosa would “[a]llow developers to provide land or cash in lieu of developing housing on site.” The plan does not say to whom developers should pay the cash, the denominations required, and whether to deliver it in a bag or a briefcase.

2. Flip This Foreclosure.
Villaraigosa’s plan would create a brand new bureaucracy, the “Office of Neighborhood Stabilization,” that would “acquire, rehabilitate and re-sell foreclosed properties to first-time homebuyers.“

Now, if you’ve read my essays for a while, you already know how Villaraigosa “leases” City property -- your property -- to his cronies pursuant to 10-year leases for $1 per year rent. Can you imagine to whom he’s going to “sell” the houses in your neighborhood that go into foreclosure? And at what price? Hey, he gave over $1 million to “Big Weasel,” the convicted machine-gun runner. What’s next? A meth lab where the Smiths used to live?

3. How Low Must We Go?
You don’t have to be a licensed real estate broker -- which I am, by the way -- to know that housing prices are plummeting, and foreclosures are way up. Our city’s population, moreover, is at an all-time high. Indeed, the LAPD -- in a clumsy attempt to make the crime rate look lower than it really is -- puts the population at over 4.2 million people. It is therefore fair to ask: How low does Villaraigosa want housing prices to go? How many people does he want crammed into the 469 square miles our city covers?

It turns out the Mayor believes that you, the middle-class taxpayer, have a duty to provide housing to anyone, anywhere, who wants to live here. The plan specifically states, “Mayor Villaraigosa is proposing a citywide mixed-income housing ordinance to ensure that all families have a place to live in Los Angeles, regardless of income.”

Message to young people: Hey, no need to study in school; no need to work hard; no need to save; no need to use birth control to ensure you have only as many children as you support. In Villaraigosa-land, your friends, the middle-class taxpayers, will make sure there will be no consequences to you for any of the bad decisions you make in your life.

4. Good Luck Coming Up With That $5 Billion.
The $5 billion figure comes from multiplying a $1 billion budget by five years. As for the annual $1 billion, approximately $200 million of that figure is simply money the City already spends on programs like this. Nothing new about that.

Villaraigosa’s plan depends on receiving another $822 million per year from the City of Industry, the state government, and the federal government, and from bonds. The plan does not include any statement from the City of Industry, or any state or federal officials confirming they will fund the plan.

Villaraigosa says he will get another $700 million -- total, not per year -- from Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. However, a review of that company’s 2007 annual report shows they got their money from such lenders as -- you guessed it -- Washington Mutual, Wachovia, and Fannie Mae.

Another $176 million per year will supposedly come from private capital. That figure shows you who would get the leverage: developers who put $176 million into projects would get the benefit of the approximately $840 million in tax money. Where can the rest of us get a deal like that?

5. Homeless Sardines.
Villaraigosa states, “Every night in Los Angeles, 40,000 people sleep on the streets, emergency shelters, or in transitional housing shelters.” The solution? Villaraigosa’s plan would “create 2,200 units of permanent supportive housing.” Hmmmm. Forty thousand people, 2,200 units; that will work out fine as long as he crams 18-19 people into each unit.

Bottom Line.
Villaraigosa’s plan is merely a pretext to ruin your quality of life in order to reward the developers and other cronies who contribute to his campaign. If you want a Mayor who will fight to protect and improve your quality of life, you need to contribute to my campaign. Click here to contribute.

Matching Funds Update And Correction

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:36:20 -0700

By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com

Let's start with the good news: as of this moment, we have now raised $155,426.

Now the bad news: it turns out that, contrary to my earlier announcement, we have not yet qualified for matching funds, because the rules do not treat all contributors and contributions alike.

It does indeed take $150,000 in contributions to qualify for matching funds, and we have raised more than that amount.

Also, individuals and companies alike can contribute a maxium of $1,000.

However, it turns out that, for purposes of calculating matching funds, contributions from companies don't count at all.

Also, for purposes of calculating matching funds, if a person contributes more than $500, only the first $500 counts; the amount above $500 does not count towards the $150,000 total.

Unfortunately, of the $155,426 we've raised so far, $2,755 came from people's companies, and therefore does not count towards the $150,000 minimum. Also, for the people who contributed over $500 each, the "extra" amount they contributed totaled $13,792.52.

Hence, even though we've raised $155,426 in actual money, only $138,878.48 of it counts for purposes of qualifying for matching funds. So we still need to raise another $11,121.52 to qualify.

I apologize and hope you'll forgive me for "jumping the gun." This was not my first mistake in life, and won't be my last. But when I find I've made a mistake, I try to correct it ASAP.

And this need not delay our actually receiving matching funds: the City does not let candidates apply for funds until November in any event.

Bottom line: let's raise that remaining $11,121.52 as soon as possible, and keep raising money after that. We need to get the word out to our fellow voters, so they know they have a pretty good alternative to Villaraigosa.

Okay, one more "bottom line:" please remember to come to the rally at the Woodland Hills Marriott on October 14, 2008, starting at 7:00 p.m. sharp, to hear Doug McIntyre, Kevin James and me. You'll be able to pick up yard signs and bumper stickers. You can contribute then, but why wait? Click here to contribute.