WEHOville publisher Larry Block spoke during Public Comment at City Council’s Monday night meeting to address the controversial recommendation to reduce the number of Sheriff’s deputies by the Public Safety Commission:
Larry Block, West Hollywood, I am speaking tonight as a resident.
I went home, I put my things down and was ready not to speak on this item, and then I listened to Ed Ramirez refute the report, tear it to shreds, and you guys who all just praised him for his work aren’t focused on what he’s saying. He’s saying that there’s a crime increase and everybody knows that.
He’s saying there’s not enough cops, that survey is wrong, and saying let’s all say we know that the crime is increasing. We know this. 67 cops deputies down to 50. I don’t understand how we can cut the police so severely. What is the ramifications of having not enough officers in an emergency? What if you did that today and Pride had 50 officers and we had a shooting like two years ago, like Pulse when they’re coming into town. What are we going to do?
It’s amazing to me that some City Council people do not understand the cost component of an employee — workman’s compensation, in addition to a payroll and the cost of the unit versus the cost of the salary.
This proposal that turned the city upside down was made by a 21-year-old Lindsay Horvath appointee. She has no special knowledge of anything in this city. She doesn’t live here that long, there was no outreach and her only qualification is her dad is the L.A. Times owner.
Lindsay Horvath is selling out our city for what’s good for her campaign. And I hope the L.A. Times rejects that endorsement because of these types of games. We’re talking about our city. We don’t put the expense of all the residents for some of the homeless. We don’t pull three and a half million dollars out of resident protection for everybody just so we can solve that homeless problem that we can’t have done for years and years. I think we need to study it more. Thank you for your thoughtful questions, Sepi. Those were thoughtful questions. Those were dumb questions, John Erickson.
Thank you Larry. So many of us are outraged at the defunding the police in Weho to find homeless projects. Just like
Prop H to raise our sales tax. What good has it done except make some people rich. The same here. The city council can’t wait to her their hands on the money for their friends I am sure. Totally corrupt.
Poor Larry! I know he is still very upset that John Erickson got TWICE as many votes as him last year. And it was Larry’s second time to run, and John’s first ever race! I feel very sad for him.
Hi Andrew, (a John Erickson appointee) – this is a better gig.
Hey Larry, I’ve said it many times and it bears repeating many more times. What you’re doing with WEHOville is a community treasure. The schoolyard rants do nothing to change what you’ve done for many years (decades!) as an active member of this community, and what you continue to do via your stewardship of this important venue for intelligent civic discourse. Well, mostly intelligent.
Thanks for all you do Larry.
Andrew Solomon-Public Facilities Commission, Larry would you expect any less from an Erickson appointee. Like attracts like!
I’ll vote for Larry, absolutely. I believe he’ll roll up his sleeves and cut through the BS.
I don’t think he’s running.
Larry, you think it’s a good idea to advertise to attract shoplifters?
That was an open invitation
Thats already happening. Go to any Rite Aid, Walgreens etc. People are walking out with things left and right and they are fully aware that nothing will be done to them. The companies (bean counters) have already put the theft into the financial equation. Its still cheaper then store security and the police don’t show up (or show up 2 hrs later), they can’t hold the thief that long.
The LA times rejected her endorsement? Daddy!!!
Let’s not forget it was John Heilman who gave us Lindsay Horvath. I hope Steve Martin is running.
Enough with this speculation, It was not John Heilman who gave us this mess! It is Abbe Land’s cronyism machine that brought this plague upon West Hollywood. Don’t be fooled into scapegoating Heilman. I’m sure you know that Martin is planning to run. I respectfully suggest you do your homework on Martin. West Hollywood suffered enough through the two terms, leaving us embarrassed by his follies. It has been and still is Dante’s inferno “Devine Comedy,” referencing Abbe Land.
Larry, you are a treasure. You deserve to be on the dais.
Interesting observation regarding exactly who mentored Lindsay Horvath, Abbe Land or John Heilman. Perhaps Heilman now has some perspective on this while Ms. Land seems one of the choir.
In regards to Mr. Martin he has forever popped up as a backseat driver and not in the most respectful manner. He is now in the mix of every hot topic being discussed and not always in a helpful manner. Intelligent yes, but not always offering smart ideas.
Linday and her fascist cult. I’ve been attacked twice in WEHO in the past 3 months minding my own business. I’ve never seen WEHO so bad. I just made flyers of Lindsay and the city council with their home addresses and I’m dropping them off to the violent drug riddled homeless camps and suggest they go to their houses and apartments and ask for money since they seem to care and are so helpful.
That is potentially dangerous.
Why would you do such a thing and brag about it here?
Yeah this sounds like a threat to me.
Thanks, Larry! Run for City Council.
Listening to Horvath or Erickson gives new meaning to making your skin crawl.
West Hollywood should pass a law which requires sitting elected officials who choose to run for a different office to resign from the City Council.
Amen to that!
Keep fighting Larry. You love for West Hollywood is clear.
Bravo Larry. Your passion for this city is a community treasure. One thing is clear is that WEHOville gets under their thin skin. That means you’re doing your job. John’s questions were dumb, and in a courtroom would be considered leading questions subject to objections. Their audiences were watching from afar.
Right on about John Erickson. He should learn to control his nervous laugh, and his assumption that he is amusing is unfounded. Instead, he’s about as funny as a dead baby’s toy.
Thanks, Larry. I think that Lindsey Horvath is equal parts stupid and rotten. It’s a lethal combination.
Perfect for a county supervisor. She’ll fit in with that gulag of screaching failures.