You might want to meet with Eric Garcetti but Eric Garcetti doesn’t want to meet with you. John Motter told that story recently in the essential Knock LA. And it’s not Garcetti’s problem, honestly. It’s all you. There are plenty of folks he will very gladly meet with, like e.g. members of the Central City Association. And in secret no less, as he did on November 16, 2020. Mike Feuer did the same thing on October 8, 2020.

And what were these luminaries talking to CCALA about in these top secret meetings? I’m glad you asked! I recently obtained copies of CCALA supreme commander Jessica Lall’s confidential members-only briefing notes for these two meetings that reveal quite a bit about what went on.¹ Here are links to the original Microsoft Word files and PDF versions². HTML transcriptions and images appear below as well:

嬄   Feuer Meeting briefing notes — DOCX ◈ PDF ◈ JPG ◈ HTML

嬄   Garcetti Meeting briefing notes — DOCX ◈ PDF ◈ JPG ◈ HTML

You should read the originals, also. They have a lot more stuff in them than I discuss here. The notes include brief agendas and a list of goals. For instance, Garcetti:

It’s all nuts, but perhaps having Blair Besten, the half-pint Norma Desmond of the Historic Core, speak on “street homelessness” is the most nutsiest of all. Just listen to this rant of hers on the topic from last year and imagine Garcetti listening along with you, all the while grinning his idiotic grin and bobbing his idiotic head like the idiotic grinning head-bobber he is.

And their goals are equally nuts, which unfortunately these days in Los Angeles doesn’t mean they’re unattainable for these juiciest of political juice wielders. Just for instance they want to “Advocate for an economic recovery agenda that will support DTLA’s rebound while stressing the urgency of [the] current moment.”

I don’t speak Zillionairese so I can’t be completely sure, but I think this translates to something like “Tell us when you plan to resume pouring obscene amounts of cash into our greedy piggish little hands and how can we not look like uncaring racist ghouls in the process?”

Oh, and the adaptive reuse ordinance! They want it extended to newer buildings. This is a long-time part of the zillionaire dream plan for sucking the monetary marrow from the bones of Los Angeles because just eating the flesh has never been enough.

Besides getting richer and getting their homeless victims killed or banished to Palmdale these uncaring racist ghouls are also really worried about not having enough cops around to protect their stuff, which is apparently all they hear when they hear calls to defund the police. They also worry about the cops that are left after defunding not having guns.

In short, it’s the usual stupid stuff we hear about constantly from the usual stupid crew that, unfortunately, basically runs Los Angeles. The main difference between these folks and normal humanity is not that they’re smarter, not even that they’re richer (although that’s not nothing), but that Garcetti and Feuer will meet with them any old time and listen respectfully to their hopes and dreams. And then implement them, of course.

It’s not because Garcetti and Feuer like these people. No one does. They don’t like each other. They even hate themselves, or they would do if they had just a smidge of humanity. Garcetti and Feuer are scared for their jobs. The zillionaires repped by CCALA have historically had the power to elect politicians and unelect them if needed.

But, you know, it’s possible that the thousands of door-knockers, phone-bankers, fund-raisers, and activists that won CD4 for Nithya Raman managed to teach these old politicians some new tricks. Maybe after November 2022 it’ll be Ground Game LA hosting meetings with the mayor instead of CCALA. It could happen!

Images of briefing notes for Feuer meeting (click to enlarge):

Transcription of briefing notes for Feuer meeting:

Meeting Information:
Thursday, 10.8.2020
2-3pm
Zoom Meeting Details

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88098001479?pwd=bkluczBSVUp3cUhRWVM4YXIvR2FVdz09

Meeting ID: 880 9800 1479

Passcode: 410606

Attendees:
Patti Berman, DTLA Resident
Blair Besten, Historic Core BID
Javier Cano, JW Marriott

Bert Dezutti, Brookfield Properties
Tom Gilmore, Gilmore & Associates
Sara Hernandez, DTLA Strong
Suzanne Holley, DCBID
Rob Jernigan, Gensler
Clara Karger, CCA
Jessica Lall, CCA
Rena Leddy, Fashion District BID
Tina Oh, CCA
Ellen Riotto, South Park BID
Marie Rumsey, CCA

Martha Saucedo, AEG
Rick Vogel, Related

Agenda:

Welcome & Introductions-Jessica

Topics (5 min each):

• State of DTLA- Tom & Rob
• DTLA Resident Experience – Rick, Patti & Sara
• Making DTLA Work for Employers & Employees- Bert & Suzanne
• Supporting Tourism & Hospitality – Martha, Javier & Ellen
• Fighting Street Homelessness- Rena & Blair

Meeting Goals:

• Inform City Atty Feuer directly about the concerns and state of DTLA as it impacts businesses, residents & tourists.
• Learn about the latest updates for pending litigation as it relates to LA Alliance and Garcia cases.
• Understand City Atty strategies in the short & long term as it relates to DTLA given current climate of the pandemic, reimagining public safety & budget cuts.
• Hold the City Atty accountable for the role of his office in a safe and prosperous DTLA.

Background:

On September 10, we submitted an open letter to Mayor Garcetti raising several concerns about the current state of DTLA, City Atty Feuer was copied on the letter and we are meeting with him to discuss it. The letter can be read here.

We raised numerous issues in our letter but the ones most relevant to the City Atty are:

• Reimagining public health and safety to better help people experiencing homelessness and suffering from mental illness, including establishing a chief health officer and restructuring the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)
• Reclaiming public parks and sidewalks to make them safe and accessible for use including partnering with the County to make Grand Park accessible again

We recommend focusing on these by sharing a personal experience to frame the issue and then engage the City Atty with direct questions.

Potential Questions:

Potential topics/questions for discussion on our prep call:

• Nuisance Abatement Proceedings: How is your office supporting nuisance abatement proceedings at problematic venues in DTLA?
• LAPD Coordination: How do you coordinate with LAPD to stop the illegal activity happening and spilling out in the street?
• Legal Guidance for CDC Guidelines: Has your office provided any written guidance to the Bureau of Sanitation, LAPD, LAFD and other departments who deal with street homelessness on the CDC guidelines regarding encampments? Specifically, the guidelines that call on cities to not disturb encampments to avoid spreading COIVID-19. The guidelines also call on cities to socially distance encampments and provide handwashing facilities. Is your office supporting any of that work? Why does it seem like the city is only enforcing the no disturbance part of the guidelines?
• LAHSA Restructuring: What, if any, role are you playing in the current discussions regarding the restructuring of LAHSA? We know you submitted an op-ed a couple of years ago calling for a homeless czar and believe restructuring LAHSA could support that goal.
• Legal Implications & LAHSA: Also, since LASHA was formed as the result of a settlement are you advising on any legal challenges to restructuring and are there any legal obstacles that we should be aware of when weighing in on this debate? How has your office held the County’s Department of Public Health accountable for meeting the mental health needs of the many homeless individuals?
• LA Alliance for Human Rights Case: How are you participating in the LA Alliance lawsuit that Judge Carter is presiding over? Do you believe there can be agreements by Council District that require a certain amount of shelter then allow enforcement as being discussed?
• Public Open Space: What are you doing for parks to remain safe and accessible in DTLA? Right now, City Hall and Grand Avenue parks are fenced off but that is not sustainable long-term. Is there a long-term plan being worked on for City Hall park by your office?
• Unarmed Crisis Response Model: The City Council is actively discussing developing an unarmed crisis response model for nonviolent service calls. What role is your office playing in this discussion?

Images of briefing notes for Garcetti meeting:

Transcription of briefing notes for Garcetti meeting:

Meeting Information:
Monday, November 16, 2020
9am-10am
Zoom Meeting Details: Please take the Zoom link that was given to you after you registered.

Attendees

Adam Burke, President & CEO, LA Tourism & Convention Board

Bert Dezzutti, EVP | Western Region, Brookfield Properties

Blair Besten, ED, Historic Core BID

Clara Karger, Policy Manager, CCA

Ellen Riotto, ED, South Park BID

Javier Cano, VP & GM, The Ritz-Carlton, LA / JW Marriott at LA LIVE

Jessica Lall, President & CEO, CCA

Lew Horne, President of So. California and Hawaii Division, CBRE

Martha Saucedo, Chief External Affairs Officer, AEG

Nella McOsker, VP of Strategic Relations, CCA

Nick Griffin, Executive Director, Downtown Center BID

Patti Berman, President, Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

Paul Keller, Chairman, Mack Real Estate

Rachel Moore, President & CEO, The Music Center

Rena Leddy, ED, Fashion District BID

Rick Vogel, SVP, Related

Sara Hernandez, Attorney, DLA Piper / Co-Founder, DTLA Strong

Sean Burton, CEO, City View

Suzanne Holley, President & CEO, Downtown Center BID

Tina Oh, VP of Public Affairs, CCA

Tom Gilmore, Chairman, Gilmore Associates

Agenda:

Welcome & Introductions-Jessica (Jessica will introduce all attendees)

Topics (5 min each) — Mayor Garcetti may respond between each topic

• State of DTLA – Tom
• DTLA Resident Experience – Patti
• Economic Recovery, including Tourism & Hospitality – Adam
• Street Homelessness – Blair
• Mayor Garcetti responds
• Q&A – Jessica asks questions
• Closing – Jessica (3 min)

Meeting Goals:

• Inform Mayor Garcetti directly about the concerns and state of DTLA as it impacts businesses, residents & tourists.
• Understand Mayor Garcetti’s strategies in the short & long term as it relates to DTLA given current climate of the pandemic, public safety & budget cuts.
• Advocate for an economic recovery agenda that will support DTLA’s rebound while stressing the urgency of current moment.
• Hold Mayor Garcetti accountable for the role of his office in a safe and prosperous DTLA.

Background:

On September 10, we submitted an open letter to Mayor Garcetti raising several concerns about the current state of DTLA, the letter can be read here.

We raised numerous issues in our letter including:

• Reimagining public health and safety to better help people experiencing homelessness and suffering from mental illness, including establishing a chief health officer and restructuring the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)
• Reclaiming public parks and sidewalks to make them safe and accessible for use including partnering with the County to make Grand Park accessible again
• Implementing the LA Al Fresco program and, when appropriate, making it a permanent feature
• Adopting a DTLA 2040 plan based on extensive public comment that maximizes housing capacity and land use flexibility to meet and adapt to the needs of our uncertain future and removes discretionary and political review of new development
• Updating the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance to allow buildings constructed after 1974 to modernize and change use
• Fighting corruption to pursue better governance for development project approvals and fairer representation
• Supporting transportation options by advancing infrastructure for alternative transportation options, while completing major transportation projects in the pipeline
• Creating a more livable DTLA by bringing more school and childcare options to DTLA and investing in high-quality public spaces and public realm programming

Potential topics/questions (We will likely only have time for the first couple questions):

1. Economic Recovery: The city is facing a large deficit and we believe encouraging new building is one direct way to support the city’s economic recovery, create new jobs and housing units. What is your office doing to make the city attractive for new capital?
2. Homelessness & Public Space: We know the city is facing many difficulties, especially a huge budget shortfall at a time when the city needs the most resources. What are you doing for public spaces, including parks, to remain safe and accessible in DTLA especially during the daytime?
3. LAHSA Restructuring: What, if any, role are you playing in the current discussions regarding the restructuring of LAHSA?
4. LA Alliance for Human Rights Case: How are you participating in the LA Alliance lawsuit that Judge Carter is presiding over? Do you believe there can be agreements by Council District that require a certain amount of shelter then allow enforcement as being discussed? Would LAPD be involved in enforcing settlement terms?
5. Unarmed Crisis Response Model: The City Council is actively discussing developing an unarmed crisis response model for nonviolent service calls. What role is your office playing in this discussion?
6. Fighting Corruption: There are many proposals being discussed to fight corruption do you believe the city is in need of structural reform? Would you support launching a commission process?
7. LA Al Fresco: We are very grateful for your leadership on the LA Al Fresco program. However, it has struggled in DTLA because of our dynamic mixed uses. Would you help provide additional support to make this program work in Downtown?

1. Or what was planned to go on, anyway. Probably no one who knows what actually happened is speaking to me about it.
2. Exported by me.