If you have 20 hours to spare on Aug. 10 and 11, the City of West Hollywood and the Hollywood chapter of the National Organization for Women invite you to take a seat in the City Council Chambers for a reading of the Mueller Report.
The City Council on Monday approved a request from Council members John Heilman and Lindsey Horvath to allocate $4,500 for costs associated with technical assistance and closed captioning for the video streaming of the reading along with event insurance. It also agreed to waive fees that could have been charged for use of the space and parking for those participating in it, which is valued at $3,151. Mayor John D’Amico voted against the proposal to fund the event and Councilmember Lauren Meister abstained. Meister suggested the city reconsider the live video streaming to reduce costs.
The Council also instructed the city’s Communications Department to use all appropriate tools to promote the event.
The Mueller Report, officially titled “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,” is a document of 448 pages that documents the findings and conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 United States presidential election, allegations of conspiracy or coordination between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia, and allegations of obstruction of justice.
A memo to the Council about the event says “the Mueller Report is of vital importance to our country and to our democracy as it outlines the ways in which a foreign government was able to interfere in our elections and the President’s possible obstruction of the investigation. The City of West Hollywood stands in support of government transparency and providing the public with the information they need to make informed and responsible decisions.”
John Erickson, a member of the city’s Planning Commission, chair of Hollywood NOW and a probably candidate in the 2020 City Council election, is the event organizer. Erickson has said nearly 200 people will be recruited to read aspects of the report.
The proposal that the city fund the reading drew opposition from Manny Rodriguez, a local resident who is active in the West Hollywood West Residents Association, who criticized the Council for spending money on something that has nothing to do with local issues. Other residents have voiced similar concerns in comments on WEHOville in response to an editorial critiquing the city’s funding of the event.
The redacted version of the 448-page report that was provided to Congress can be downloaded online. One can go to Audible to download a free audio version of the report, narrated by 16 of the Washington Post’s staffers and other experts.
The WEHO Tammany Hall schleppers had a former council member promote the reading of the Mueller Report to themselves aka the West Hollywood Student City Council. Smirking and blushing like Betty Coed, she admitted having not read the report herself and the WEHO five, winked and high-fived her.
I’m sure the 20 hour reading will be standing room only.
The online video streaming is necessary so that people won’t have to camp outside to get seats.
Viewership should do better than WHEO City Council meetings that average 35 viewers.
Enlightening. Nice lady, but who knows where this concept came from. The other person attached is a planning commissioner who indicated his prime focus is women’s reproductive issues. Shaking my head……… I can’t begin to understand any of this.
Did it not occur to the sponsors of this event that the House Judiciary & Intelligence Committee had scheduled a hearing with Robert Mueller on Wednesday, July 24?
waste of tax $$. we can read.
The student council plays Monopoly.
This better not preempt “K9 Korner” on channel 10…..If it does, I’ll be very, very angry.
For thirteen of his final years in Washington, United States Senator William Proxmire (D-WI) gave The Golden Fleece Award to programs which squandered the public money. Please join me in conferring the WeHo Golden Fleece Award to the enhancement of visibility for wannabe candidates for student council. We’ve been fleeced folks, and it ain’t the first or last time. Pay attention to the motives of machine politics over local needs. There’s really only one whose focus is the daily grind of municipal concerns.
So sorry to disagree but this is comparable to a grammar school project although I believe the students might be far ahead of our student council members. While I can appreciate some of the well intentioned spirit behind this, they clearly did not think it through. Reading the Mueller Repost should be akin to a scholarly exercise not an entertainment with 200 readers. It requires reading, thinking and considering how Mueller formed his observations. A beneficial event might have been designed as a civic endeavor welcoming community participation through thought and discussion. Unfortunately, we saw how another exercise went off… Read more »
Insane! How does this, which we could all read online, benefit any residents? Especially those who are most in need? The Council making this decision makes their legitimacy even more questionable. It’s shameful for the City to use public money for something so frivolous. At least our Mayor is level headed on this issue.
Agreed. This is a silly and cheap move by the city council. That money would be better spent elsewhere.
agree. this is classic for the city council.